#first one is like the area right outside my room. hes been camping there | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

joelswritingmistress · 19 days

Text

Camp Crystal Lake: Chapter 5

Requested by @yellowjacketsbuzzbuzz

Joel Miller x f!reader (romance/horror)

Setting: Camp Crystal Lake

The reader is taking on the position of a camp counselor at the infamous Camp Crystal Lake. While she begins to enjoy her summer, even crushing on the camp director Joel, a killer lurks in the woods unbeknownst to anyone.

Crazy Ralph had been the buzz of the morning conversations. Joel eased everyone’s minds about the old man, and I was certain he probably wasn’t dangerous, regardless of how creepy his sudden appearance was. Annie was the only who remained slightly spooked, though I could understand why. If I had been the one to first encounter Ralph at the door it probably would have hit me differently, too.

Around eleven-thirty that morning, everyone had scattered around the assembly of picnic tables just outside to the left of the main cabin. Teri and Vicky sat side-by-side. I couldn’t remember the guy’s name with the wavy hair, but he lingered beside them with one foot up on the picnic table bench. I smirked to myself when I saw Teri give her friend a look and roll her eyes.

I was lucky that I naturally clicked with Sandra. She patted the spot beside where her, Jeff and Ted sat, and so I joined them.

“Hey, what’s green and red and goes a hundred miles per hour?” Ted asked. Goofiness radiated out of him and it made me chuckle.

“What Teddy?”

“A frog in a blender.”

“Ha, ha,” Jeff said dryly, “That’s not funny.”

Ted reached for a whistle around his neck and gently blew it, making his friend swing back and hit him gently. “I’m just testing this thing out, Jeff. Ya mind?”

“Alright,” Joel’s voice made me turn my head toward the porch. He wandered over toward us with a clipboard looking very camp-official with a pair of khaki shorts and a white t-shirt with Crystal Lake written in red, varsity lettering across the chest. “Let me get you your assignments here. We have to get this place in shape.”

“Yes, coach,” Ted teased, making everyone chuckle.

Joel smirked but went on. “So, I think from your personalities and your experience in jobs like this that you’ll enjoy yourselves this summer; but like I said, once the campers come you have to be on your game. Pay attention to whoever is in your group, take head counts, you know the deal. You’ve done this before. I’ll give you all that protocol closer to when the kids arrive in a few weeks.”

He began to read off the clipboard. “I paired you off and I have a little map to give each group so you know where you’re going for your jobs.”

I secretly hoped Joel would want to work with me, but that hope quickly diminished; however, I was happy to hear that I was going to be working with Sandra.

“(Y/N), Sandra,” he motioned to the two of us, “Today you’re both going to sand and paint the lifeguard stand. I have some extra supplies if you don’t mind making a sign that says, No Swimming When Lifeguard Is Not On Duty.”

I nodded, smiling as I did and Sandra gave him a two-finger salute.

“Mark and Scott, I put you in charge of the game room. I’ll give you the rundown of what I need from you there. Right outside of the game room we have to set up the archery range, too.” The wavy haired guy leaned over and gave Mark a fist bump.

“Ted and Jeff,”

“We’re the muscle, I know,” Jeff joked.

“Actually,” Joel gave a laugh, “You two are going to help me assemble the docks down at the beach. So, yeah, I hope you don’t mind a little physical exertion.”

Ted flexed his Gumby-like arms, “I’m here for ya boss.”

“Annie’s going to be in the kitchen and mess hall area getting things set up how she’d like. Tomorrow we’ll probably all be on painting jobs around the cabins to get this place looking a little more inviting. Make sure you’re all drinking plenty of water, it’s supposed to be hot today.”

The short meeting concluded and we went to retrieve a few papers from Joel. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, placing it in my palm.

“There’s a small shed down by the beach,” he informed me, “All the sanding and painting supplies are in there. I’m going to get the guys settled in the game room and then I’ll be down to help out Jeff and Ted with the docks, so if you need anything, I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.”

I nodded, “Okay. Thanks.” I turned to Sandra, Jeff and Ted and the four of us made our way down to the beach together.

“I hope this is an excuse to get in the water,” Jeff said, wiping sweat from his forehead, “I’m already sweating.”

“We have to take a dip when we’re done,” Sandra said, looking at me.

I nodded. “I’m in.”

The two of us made our way up just a few feet into the trees at the top of the beach while the guys made their way toward the water. A green shed was tucked in between two giant pine trees, and Sandra took the key from me to open the door.

“Think he did that on purpose?” she asked, smirking as she looked back at me.

“Who?”

“Joel.” She flung the door open.

“Did what on purpose?” I followed her into the shed and a wave of heat him me.

“Put us all in the same area,” Sandra explained, “Particularly you.. and him.” She added, “Damn, it’s hot in here.”

I snickered and looked down, shaking my head.

“He’s got a thing for you.”

“No, he doesn’t.” I giggled again.

“He’s hot,” Sandra went on, in no rush to reach for the paint. “I wonder what it would be like to be with an older man.”

I smirked, caving in to the girl talk. “I wonder, too.” We both shared a laugh and she playfully shoved my shoulder.

“The second it happens, I want details.”

“Nothing is going to happen,” I insisted, toying with my ponytail.

“Would you? You know.. if he asked?”

I opened my mouth to speak and then thought for a second, leaving us in another chorus of laughter. “Who knows,” was my final answer. I kept it purposely vague, but it certainly wasn’t a ‘no’.

We finally retrieved the sanding supplies and two buckets of white paint. The fresh air just a step out of the shed made me sigh.

“It was really hot in there,” I said aloud to no one in particular as we made the short walk through the sand to the lifeguard stand.

Ted blew his whistle again, making us both snap our heads down toward the water. “That’s my stand, girls. Make sure you wax on and wax off correctly. I don’t want any slivers in my hiney.”

The two of us began to laugh at his choice of words.

“I’m leaving the top where you sit extra splintery!” Sandra called back, making him blow his whistle again.

I laughed at their interaction and soon after began to tackle the job at hand.

“This is the best summer job ever,” Sandra claimed, climbing up a few of the wood steps to sand the seat.

“Yeah, it seems like it’s going to be.” I removed my shoes and kicked them to the side before squatting down to get the base. We worked for a few uninterrupted minutes before I turned to say something else to Sandra. She had her neck arched, looking out past the shed into the woods.

“What is it?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder now into the trees.

Her eyes squinted and she used her hand to block the sun. “I don’t know.”

I rose to my feet now and followed her stare.

“I thought I saw someone,” she claimed.

“Hopefully it’s not Crazy Ralph,” I said back, making her chuckle and finally look down.

Sandra gave a wave now in the opposite direction we had been looking and wiggled her eyebrows at me. “Hi, Joel.”

I caught my breath and turned, trying not to drink him in as he marched in our direction.

“You two all set?” He asked.

I nodded and Sandra saluted him again. “I think so,” I told him.

“Good,” Joel tipped up the corner of his mouth in a smirk. The three of us turned toward the woods when there was a rustling sound. My gaze lingered for a moment before Joel’s laughter drew my attention back to him. “These woods will make your mind play tricks on you.” He gave a wink, and I smirked back at him. That wink made my stomach do flip-flops.

“I thought I saw something-” Sandra started, when another rustling sound made her glance back into the woods. She then quickly looked down toward the lake, where Ted and Jeff were both laughing.

Jeff launched a rock up into the trees, creating the same effect as before as it skipped through the leaves, making a rustling sound. “You girls are too easy to scare,” he claimed.

“Keep it up and it’s going to be a very cold summer for you!” Sandra shouted to him.

Everyone laughed. I admired Sandra’s go-getter personality. It was the opposite of my own, but I loved that she had a big voice and wasn’t at all shy. She definitely wore the pants in that relationship, as Jeff continued to laugh but obeyed her requests to cut the shit.

Joel shook his head with a smile. “Let me know if you need anything,” he said, glancing at Sandra first and then back to me. “Okay?”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay.” He wandered down the sand and I admired watching him go.

“Tell him you need him to apply sunscreen to your shoulders,” Sandra whispered, making me laugh out loud.

“Stop it,” I whispered back, dabbing her arm with a streak of white paint.

Sandra’s jaw dropped but she immediately began to laugh and did it back until the two of us were standing there with our paintbrushes in a stalemate, staring at one another. “Truce.”

“Okay, truce.” I went to shake her hand and Sandra playfully streaked my other arm, sending us into a chorus of laughter again.

“Okay, okay.” She put her hands up and when I saw her glance out into the woods again, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. “You don’t think Ralph would be watching us or anything, do you?”

I peered through the trees. “I doubt it. He’s got to be long gone by now. If we see him, we’ll report it.”

Sandra continued to stare for a second and then her carefree demeanor resumed. The remainder of the afternoon went a little something like that. It felt like we were being paid to have fun. I decided, for the final summer before I was ousted into the “real world”, it was going to be the best one.

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER

@gissellec1 @cattt777 @mellymbee @armybts20137@bbiophiliaa @littleblackcatinwonderland @mermaidgirl30 @brittmb115 @yellowjacketsbuzzbuzz @beltzboys2015-blog @lwfics @pedropascal111

77 notes · View notes

sunlightmurdock · 1 year

Text

Safe Zone | 0.3 | Jake Seresin / Bradley Bradshaw AU

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Masterlist

Synopsis: A team of elite naval aviators holding down the fort at the North Island Air Base while they wait for reinforcements after a virus sweeps the continental U.S. - only, it’s been three months and no one has shown up.

Warnings: throughout the fic - gore, death, violence and pretty graphic mentions of all things zombie related, love triangle, smut (18+, minors dni), angst etc. A zombie gets stabbed in the eye in this chapter, it’s brief but worth mentioning

…

“That hair’s getting pretty long, Floyd,” Cyclone comments, looking disapprovingly across the rec room at Bob. “It’s out of code.”

Jake looks up from his breakfast. Like code matters anymore. He’s setting up to go and clear a fresh load of bodies from the perimeter, Bob’s long hair doesn’t seem like a pressing issue.

“My wife cuts my hair, sir.” Bob answers calmly, without looking up from his own breakfast. His voice is quiet, but calm. In the beginning, his voice would tremble at the mention of her.

People quickly learned not to bring her up.

Cyclone looks down at his coffee and swallows. The silence in the room feels suddenly much louder.

“Right. I’ll be at the front gate.” He mutters, turning and walking away.

Bob’s wife isn’t dead. He’s the only one that knows for certain about one of their loved ones. She was back in South Carolina when this happened, she’s stuck there, he’s stuck here.

One of Bob’s primary jobs around here is to make and keep contact with the active safe zones around the country. He was distraught for the first week, checking with every camp in South Carolina until she turned up. She’s safe in the Charleston safe zone - but she’s still there and he’s still there.

Phoenix is pretty sure her family are at the Tucson safe zone. Jake’s confident that his parents would have gotten his sisters and nephews safely to the one outside of Austin.

“Easy enough for him to act like everything’s normal - his family’s here.” Phoenix mutters dejectedly, shaking her head. Bob gives her a soft smile for always standing up for him.

Cyclone lived in the area. He and a bunch of the higher ups got their families here safely. They were living in the officer’s building, until Hondo’s youngest daughter’s crying started keeping everyone up and people were falling asleep on watch.

Now, families stay in the west wing, singles get the building to the east. Bob’s in the west for now, but he has a place earmarked in the east for when his wife gets here. She’s pregnant.

“I miss my mom’s cooking.” Fanboy agrees.

“I miss my vibrator.” Phoenix scoffs. All eyes turn towards her at once. She looks up and frowns, remembering her company. She’s the only girl that stuck around when everything went to shit that isn’t in the west wing, “Open your mouth, Yale, and I’ll snap it off.”

Jake chuckles, standing up and dropping his plate into the sink. It’s someone else’s job to clean that up. The sun’s coming up as he crosses base to go and meet his team.

He turns his head to see Rooster coming out of the control tower. Followed by you. You yawn softly and stretch your neck. Your eyes meet Jake’s. His smiles slightly at the way your face drops, knowing you’re caught. Another thing he could tell on you for if he wanted to.

“Mornin’.” Jake calls out, lifting his hand and waving at you. It’s just to let you both know that he’s there and that he isn’t afraid of being loud.

It’s a falsely friendly gesture. Fucking Bradshaw got to you first. It’s fine, he can see the distance between the two of you - you’re practically yawning. Jake hasn’t lost yet.

Rooster gives him a nod of acknowledgement and then looks back to you, ignoring Jake almost completely. Your eyes linger on Jake’s, he shoots you a quick wink as he passes by.

He’s pissed off. Rooster convinced you to sign up, and he’s already trying to take you under his stupid fucking flightless wing. Jake’s glad he’s on body patrol this morning because he’s got a little anger to get out.

“Wasn’t so bad, right?” Rooster asks as he locks the door behind him.

“Was kind of boring, actually.” You tell him.

He smiles, then nods. “You an adrenaline junkie or something?”

You give a soft shrug of your shoulders, “Maybe.”

He stares at you, lips quirked up just slightly. You’re familiar with the look that he’s giving you. He makes no effort to hide the fact that he likes you. The world ended, what’s the point in pretending anymore?

“So, how’d you feel about picking up some shifts?” Rooster asks.

You purse your lips, still unsure. He’s spent the past five hours discussing the pros and cons with you. It would get you out of the room more.

“I guess there are worse ways I could spend my time.” You answer.

Rooster happily takes care of the enrollment for you, and of course volunteers himself to be your trainer. Cyclone insists that any civilians that will be taking on Navy duties will have one on one training — Rooster couldn’t be happier to abide by the rule.

You get started that afternoon. You both sleep off the ache of last night’s all-nighter for the morning and regroup at 1pm in front of the information centre.

Rooster looks you up and down as you reach him.

“Cyclone’s probably going to want you in uniform once you’re doing real shifts.” He notes, standing before you in what all of them seem to wear.

They each walk around in some variation of a navy working uniform. Some of them in the sea coveralls, some of them in military typical greens. Whatever they have, you guess.

You usually stick to shorts and some kind of t-shirt or tank top. That’s about all you can bear in this heat. It feels hotter this summer.

“I’ll drop some by your place tonight.” He looks down at his clipboard as he says it. This is a test. You spent all of last night brushing off his advances, keeping all conversation strictly platonic.

Now, he’s waiting to see if you’ll correct him here. You let it slide. It’s important to pick your battles, and having a tall brunette with pretty eyes offer to go out of his way to bring you uniform doesn’t seem like something to argue about.

Besides, he can swoon over you all he wants — it doesn’t mean a thing to you either way.

“How familiar are you with base? — I see you walking around often enough that I figure you know where most stuff is, right?” Rooster checks, lifting his sunglasses up onto his head as he looks down at the clipboard Hondo gave him.

You take a step closer and crane your neck to look over the checklist. All basic stuff. Arms training is at the bottom of the list — Luke’s going to be so jealous.

“Yeah, I know my way around.” You agree.

He dips a hand into the pocket of his cargos and pulls out a pen, ticking off the first point on the list. The second is shift posts.

“Okay — I’ll start off by showing you where each of the posts are, we can talk a little about what you do at each of them.”

“Sounds good.” You agree again.

Rooster holds the clipboard by his side and walks you through each of the sixteen posts. Everything in base first: the control tower, the warehouse, the food hall - all of the places with the highest traffic.

You pass by what used to be the Top Gun building, now repurposed to be a makeshift highschool class. You squint as you look through the windows.

“Look at that idiot.” You mutter. Rooster turns his head, finding your brother sitting at the back of the class, balancing a pencil above his top lip - he laughs softly. The girl next to Luke giggles and leans into his side.

“Oh shit.” Rooster’s smile drops quickly. He keeps walking and shakes his head, “That’s Admiral Simpson’s kid. You should warn him.”

You frown and look back to Rooster, “Is Admiral Simpson the scary one?”

“That guy.” Rooster points to the front gate. Your eyes focus on the older man, standing at the top of the wall, screaming orders at a young ensign. You wince. Rooster chuckles at your reaction.

“You and your brother seem pretty close.” He comments, walking right by the gate without doing much explaining at all. It’s clear to you that he’s not showing you around because he cares a great deal about the work you’ll be doing around here.

He just wants to get closer to you. You’re onto him every step of the way.

“Someone’s got to keep an eye on him.” You reply.

He nods, pressing his tongue to the inside of his cheek. He figures that it’s probably not his place to say anything - and that even if it was his place, you probably wouldn’t want to hear it.

“So, who keeps an eye on you?” Bradley asks. You turn your head to look at him as he walks you to the south wall post. He’s a little red from being in the sun too long, his curls messy from constantly running his fingers through them. He’s handsome - and that black t-shirt is tight enough for you to be able to tell that his body would be just as pleasant to look at.

Before this, you probably would have gone for him. He’s definitely the kind of guy you would have let buy you a drink and tell you that you’re pretty. Back then.

“I do.” You reply calmly, your chin lifted, looking him in the eye.

Bradley’s lips quirk, amused by your response. “Yeah, but - everyone needs a wingman, right?”

You almost laugh. You stare at him, then shake your head, “And you’re going to be my wingman?” He shrugs his shoulders, then smiles sweetly at you. He’s persistent, you’ll give him that.

Jake’s sitting on top of the platform on the south wall, one of his legs dangling down the outside. He glances down as something nudges his boot. He rolls his eyes. The decaying hand reaches for his ankle again. He looks down and stares into its eyes.

Her mouth hangs open and gaunt, growling dully as she claws at the side of the corrugated metal, occasionally grazing his leg. She’s dark-haired and torn open around the stomach. If Jake had to guess, he’d say that her eyes used to be green.

They dullen the longer that they’re dead. Still a bloodshot red where white used to be, her skin is dirty and flaked with drying blood. He looks up, checking the beach. He’s pretty far from the road blocks. This post is usually just to keep an eye on the coast.

The dead usually don’t make it this far up, he isn’t sure where she came from. It doesn’t phase him. He pushes himself up so that he’s on his knees and pulls his knife from his pocket. He doesn’t have one of those spear things Fanboy made here with him.

He holds the railing to the platform with one hand and leans forwards. Her hands reach up eagerly for his face, broken nails caked in dirt and dried blood extending towards his skin. Jake half-winces at the smell. He leans closer, she just about catches his collar.

Jake’s blade pushes through her eye until it’s submerged at the hilt. She sinks to the floor at the base of the wall. Jake pulls back up and wipes his knife off on the calf of his pant leg.

“Hey, Hangman.”

He turns his head, raising an eyebrow. Rooster lifts his palm and waves. Jake folds the switchblade in half and slips it back into his pocket as he looks between the two of you. No one calls him Hangman anymore.

“Bird boy.” Jake answers back. Rooster laughs. Jake turns to look at you, giving you a nod of acknowledgement. You nod back. “Takin’ the afternoon off, Bradshaw?”

Rooster lifts his official looking clipboard, “Showing the newest member of the team around, actually.”

Jake raises his eyebrows, “You signed up.”

You nod once more, but don’t answer him. He lifts the length of rope from in front of him and pulls it into his lap, biting down on the toothpick as he unties the knot he had made earlier.

Static crackles on Rooster’s radio.

“Uh… Rooster, we’ve got an incident in Block B. Could you get over here?” One of Rooster’s staff calls for his help over channel three.

Rooster turns his attention to look at you. “Fuck - I have to go handle that… uh-“

You look at him and nod. He has this look on his face like he’s willing to let that situation escalate if it means he’ll get to stay here with you. Your brows furrow slightly as you wait for him to leave.

“I can keep an eye on her.” Jake offers.

You look up at him, and then back at Rooster. Bradley gives a small ‘up to you’ type shrug. Jake grins, passing the toothpick between his teeth, “Alright, Trouble - come on over.”

Rooster stares at him for a moment. You grab the ladder and pull yourself up onto the platform, sitting down with your legs dangling over the edge, into camp.

“I’ll be right back.” Rooster swears. You nod at him, then lean back on your palms. You and Jake sit together and watch him jog towards Block B. Once he’s out of view, you turn your head to look at Jake.

You’re met with green eyes for just a second, before Jake looks down and continues to work with the rope in his hands. You turn your head and look out over the coast. You can see it from the window in your room, but it’s been almost three months since you saw the ocean without a window in front of it.

You take a deep breath. You look down, lips parting slightly. Jake glances up, catching you frozen and staring over the edge of the wall. He follows your gaze down.

“You know her or something?” Jake scoffs, shaking his head.

You turn your head and frown at him. He’s smirking. You stare.

“No, but - that’s still a dead person.”

Jake shrugs, “You get used to it.”

You think back to the beginning. The things that you saw in the days before you got here. That sick feeling in the bottom of your stomach burns up your sternum and sits on your chest until the heat of it makes you shiver.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.” You mutter, shaking off that cold feeling. Seeing them brings it all back. Jake glances up, cocking an eyebrow at you. He hadn’t been expecting you to be so phased by it.

“Did you lose someone?” Jake asks. He has always been one to put a foot over the line. He knows it’s a personal question, and he knows that it’s a disrespectful way to ask. He doesn’t even bother to look up at you as he says it.

But you did just spend the past twenty-four hours in Bradshaw’s shadow, so Jake figures you won’t mind the coldness.

You take the other length of rope and begin to copy what he’s doing. It’s a sailing knot, and a fairly complicated one at that. You run through his exact movements. Jake watches as you copy him.

“You’ve been here since the beginning.” Jake recalls - you’re in Block C, that was the first block to be filled. That means you got here within the first week. You’re higher up, likely to have arrived within the first four days after the evacuation order. “Did you lose someone before you got here?”

“Luke! Put me down!”

You’re interrupted by a shrill giggle. You both look up in unison as a group of teenagers spill out of the Top Gun south classroom. Luke’s got his arms around a girl’s middle, lifting her off the ground as she squeals.

Jake’s lips quirk as he realises who your brother is holding.

“Does he know who that is?” Jake asks softly. You’re glad that the subject has changed. You watch, unimpressed as Luke sets her back on her feet and drapes himself over her.

“No.”

“Do you?” Jake smirks. He lifts his head and squints over towards the front gate. Beau’s facing the remnants of the city, his back to the mess happening behind him.

“Rooster told me.” You nod.

Delilah Simpson bites her lip, grinning as she shoves playfully at Luke’s chest. Luke pulls her closer again and leans in closer to talk to her. Jake watches the situation unfold.

He could intervene, but after you had yelled at him yesterday, he just lets it happen. He knows that Luke’s going to get his ass kicked if her Dad sees them together.

Delilah blushes as she agrees to meet Luke later that night. He smiles, then turns back to walk back over to his friends without noticing you or Jake watching him.

“Hey, Luke!”

You both look up. Jake’s brows furrow slightly as he spots Rooster walking back towards the grass. Rooster holds up a round leather soccer ball, then smiles.

“Hey, you found our ball!” Luke grins as he walks over to meet Rooster halfway. Rooster tosses it to him, then looks up, his eyes landing on you, waiting for your approval.

“Fucking asskisser.” Jake scoffs, shaking his head in disbelief. He glances up to find you staring at him.

Your lips are quirked just slightly. He’s surprised to find you amused by the comment. You’re about to smile. The corners of your mouth hint at a grin, then falter as you compose yourself, looking back down as you focus on tying the knot that he’s showing you.

“Oh, you liked that one?” Jake notices, his own lips quirking slightly in response. You don’t answer him, continuing to focus on your work.

“If you’re looking for jokes about Bradshaw, I’ve got hundreds, honey — just say the word.”

“I’m not your honey.” You reply calmly, fingers working nimbly around the rope. You’re getting the hang of it pretty well. Jake smiles at you.

“Are you his?” Jake taunts, knowing it’ll draw a reaction from you to imply that you belong to anyone at all. And it does. Works like a charm. You look up at him, furious at the insinuation.

You notice the smirk of anticipation toying on all of his features at once, not just his lips. Just as much in his eyes. You’re quick to realise that you were about to play right into his hands.

“Maybe if I’m a good girl, he might let me be.” You reply, knowing it would draw an equal reaction from him to imply that you’re interested in screwing his friend. Works like a charm. The amusement slips from Jake’s face, intrigue remains in its place.

He really can’t tell if you like Rooster or not. It’s even more difficult to figure out how you feel about him.

“You’re doing it wrong.” Jake decides, after six attempts of watching you tie and loosen it just fine. He moves forward and takes the rope from you. It’s an excuse to get closer and remind you that he knows what he’s doing and you don’t.

You watch calmly as he does the same thing over again. You mimic his movements and wind up with the exact same knot as before.

“That’s better.” Jake lies. It was already fine to begin with, but now he knows you’ll follow instructions.

…

@shawnsblue @cowboybarbie @perpetuelledaydreaming @xoxabs88xox @thedroneranger @laluneveillesureux @cherrycola27 @momc95 @abaker74 @footprintsinthesxnd @ohtobeleah @bioodforbiood

#bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw smut #rooster x you #top gun smut #rooster bradshaw imagine #jake seresin #jake hangman seresin #bradley bradshaw au #bradley bradshaw x reader #jake seresin au #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin imagine #jake seresin smut #safe zone

382 notes · View notes

skinnyazn · 1 year

Text

In the Bleak Midwinter

The sequel to this story: The Masks We Wear

Pairing: Simon 'Ghost' Riley x F!Reader Chapters: 1/5 Notes: brief mention of military grade hard drugs (I made the mistake of researching what the Americans handed out during the Viet war, do not recommend), graphic violence, gore, eventual smut in the later chapter(s) but we're not there yet lol, explicit content

The frozen landscape was soundless, not even a stray winter bird chirped, as you surveyed the small compound. Fresh snow was suspended over every tree and surface. The crumbling facades of the shacks all dusted in a hazy white. Your breath lingered in the air as you exhaled.

“Feels off,” you spoke into your comm.

“Agreed,” the gruff, Manchester voice responded through your earpiece.

Simon “Ghost” Riley. His callsign was fitting for a man as stealthy and menacing as he. On missions, The Ghost moved like smoke, an apparition with a penchant for death. Around camp, you’d feel his eyes on you, but then you’d turn around and there’d be no one there. And, like his callsign, he’d began haunting your waking thoughts too.

You can’t remember when it started—it’s only been a few months since you joined the task force. But since you started working together, had been assigned this mission together, Simon “Ghost” Riley had infiltrated your head—marked by one too many lingering stares and unnecessarily brushes of the hand when exchanging briefs. He’d insidiously worked his way into your thoughts, intentionally or otherwise: what did he look like under the mask, how would his calloused hands feel like under your shirt, what sounds would he make pinned between your thighs. It unnerved you. You didn’t mix business with pleasure. It was a susceptibility.

Your contracts were for your legendary tracking skills, propensity to gather intelligence, and ability to nail a target two and a half klicks away with a single shot. If someone needed a HVT stalked and scoped without leaving a trace, you were their go to. Which was how Kate Laswell reached out to you in the first place. She said there was a team, the 141, who needed help with a particular illusive target. Kept slipping through their fingers. The pay was good (of course, coming from the CIA), so you agreed to hunt for them. What you hadn't accounted for was their towering, beautiful phantom: Simon.

“Walk me through it, Jag.” The Brit’s voice cracked over the comm, interrupting your thoughts. Jag; Jaguar. You ignored the way your name rolled off his tongue.

She needs a callsign, Ghost.

Why do I need a callsign?

Cause everyone on the team gets a callsign! And it has to match. Can’t be something dumb, like Barbie.

Why can’t I be Barbie?

Cause you’re not blonde. Take me for example: got mine for my aptitude to clean a room, all spick and span like. And Ghost’s is… well, just look at the bastard.

Fine. Then what’s my callsign?

Mantis.

Nah, doesn’t fit her.

Jaguar? …You know, cause you’re smart, stealthy.

A smooth ride?

Dangerous.

Jesus, you two. Alright. Jaguar it is.

Your frozen fingers pressed your comm. “It’s too quiet, Ghost. We saw vehicles on the drive up, but there’s nobody in the town, not even a single light on.”

Months of hard work and intel pointed to this village on the outskirts of Kokshetau. The perfect place to lay low, forgotten by the world. The perfect place for an ambush.

“It shouldn’t be this quiet.”

Ghost was on the rooftop three buildings to your left, assessing the area too. You’d parked the jeep a mile and a half outside of town, in the forest, and trekked the remainder of the way through the bleakness. Every shell of a building you passed in this liminal village was vacant; it was like walking through an unsettling dream.

“Intel said he’d be here, right?” Ghost spoke. “You and Laswell traced him to these coordinates?”

“Yes.”

“So he’s gotta be here.” Ghost breathed into the comm. “I’m gonna to do an interior sweep. Eyes sharp; watch my six.”

Your thumb pressed down. “Copy.”

Tactically, it made the most sense. You were both snipers, but Ghost was a bear of a man. He towered over you and was build like a god. He’d hold up a lot better in a close-quarters ambush. Plus, this was his mission with the 141. You’d been key in tracking him here, but your specialty was picking off targets from afar. They wouldn’t even feel the tack of the shot that painted the snow with their pink matter. Wouldn’t hear the bullet that would breach the stillness of this place. But that only worked if they were out in the open, or visible through the decay of the buildings.

You followed Ghost through your scope as he climbed down from the roof. His winter camo was an efficient cover. It hooded his black balaclava with signature skull well. Ghost maneuvered through the buildings like a shadow.

“Clear,” he whispered through the mic with each sweep.

You flexed your hands to keep the blood circulating and the cold from seeping in. The fleece gaiter irritated your reddening nose. He’d gone through three buildings already. Patience was a strong suit of yours, but this waiting and watching left a burning in your tense shoulders. Part of you wished there was more backup, but Price wanted to keep it lean and quiet. Don’t want to spook the target with three in a car, should anyone be watching. It was a shit idea when there was already a towering, beast of a man wearing tactical gear and a skull for a face driving.

Ghost entered the fourth building below.

It was two stories, which left your heart beating a little faster than before. You were timing his previous sweeps. They were all one-story structures but Ghost was thorough and efficient; each sweep was just under a minute.

Your eyes flicked to the watch on your wrist. One minute, twenty three seconds. You didn’t have eyes on him from this angle.

“Come on,” you breathed quietly.

Two twelve.

“Come on…” you repeated, a little louder this time. You were holding your breath; knuckles white under the gloves.

You pulled back from the scope and scanned around the building. Stillness.

Two twenty six.

“Ghost, come in,” you whispered into the comm.

Three fifteen.

“Ghost, do you copy?” Blood pounded through your ears, filling the silence.

Three forty eight.

“Ghost, come in.”

Three fifty seven.

Unlucky, unlucky four.

The back door to the building burst open as a man—not your target and not Ghost—stumbled out. Bright crimson painted the snow beneath him. He was crawling now. You pulled the trigger. The sound of birds fluttering echoed in the distance.

“Fuck!” you cursed under your breath; gloved hands moved the sniper to your back. Your feet carried you quickly off the roof as you landed with a muffled thud; nimble hands reached for the pistol strapped to your thigh, quickly screwing on its silencer. Quietly, you rushed to the back door, stepping over the body and all the red. Ghost’s knife was embedded deep into his torso. You pressed your shoulder against the crumbling facade. Sharp breathe in. You whipped your pistol into the room as your eyes adjusted to the darkness. There was a body in a pool of blood near the front door, and a trail from the man you shot leading upstairs.

You stuck to the shadows, keeping silent as you peered up the steps. There was scuffling above. Deep breathe out. Your boots crunched over the concrete bits littering the stairs.

In your line of work, a second was the precipice between a grazed bicep or splatter of the head; between bleeding out or staying alive. So when you reached the top of the of the stairs, you had exactly one second to process everything before your fired your pistol twice: one to the shoulder, one to the head.

Ghost was bleeding all over the floor, struggling to right himself from his post-strangulation daze. Your target was supine next to him, twitching the last seconds of his life away. He was a hulk of a man, like the lieutenant. Quite the fight. You scurried to Ghost.

“Got me good on the head,” he wheezed. A concrete cinderblock was crumbled on the floor around him. Ghost’s skull-plate mask was cracked and there was blood dripping over his left eye. You surveyed the rest of his body: stab wounds in his bicep, a knife lodged in his right thigh.

You reached into your vest to pull out bandages to tourniquet the arm and leg. Your eyes stayed on the stairs as you synched it over his thick clothes, hoping it was tight enough.

“Knife stays in until we get you to a medic.” You reached for his mask. His large hand gripped your wrist with intense pressure.

“Mask stays on.”

Blood already darkened the fabric of his mask. You just hoped it would clot against the cloth. He released you as you reached into your vest and procured a vial.

“Need you to take this.”

Ghost grunted as he lifted the bottom of his balaclava clumsily and swallowed its contents. “What is it?”

“Amphetamine. Can you stand?”

“Christ,” he slurred.

You shifted under his right shoulder. “On three,” you wrapped his massive arm over you. He was heavy. “One, two, three.”

He groaned as you got him up. The sound etched itself into your brain. In any other situation, you’d beg him to make that sound again. For a split second you wondered if that’s what he sounded like when he—god, what the fuck was wrong with you?

“Fffuck!” he ground out. His weight pressed into your shoulder. Blood was soddening his pants where the knife was lodged.

“I need your help down these stairs, Ghost,” you said solidly as he hobbled with you. “Gonna be a gentleman and help me out?”

“‘M always a gentleman.”

The drug must have kicked in because he wasn’t leaning as heavily on you as before. You radioed Price as you struggled down the steps.

“Price,” you strained, “target is down. Need an emergency EVAC. Ghost is in bad shape.”

“Copy that,” his voice crackled over the radio. “Can you reach the backup rendezvous? I can’t land a chopper that close to the village.”

It was just under half a klick away. You looked at Ghost. He grunted. You doubted.

“Copy, on our way,” you confirmed, finally reaching the last step before the solid ground of the first floor.

Ghost was more coherent now; the adrenaline pumped its way through his veins. You helped him toward the back door that was still ajar. Dull winter light from the outside illuminated its silhouette on the floor.

“Stay,” you whispered, gripping the cold pistol again. He leaned heavily against the wall. You peaked your head through the opening.

The crunch of snow gave away the man outside who was surveying the top of the buildings—looking for the sniper. Looking for you. It was a clean shot to the back of the head, and his body crumpled to the snow. You hoped that was the last of them as you grabbed Ghost again.

“Let’s go.”

______

To your surprise, you made it farther than you expected before Ghost started to stumble. A steady trail of red saturated the endless white behind you. It was too much blood.

“Come on, big guy. Almost there.”

He stumbled again, falling into the snow this time. He rolled halfway onto his back.

“Jus’ need a second,” Ghost groaned out. Heavy lids and blonde lashes obscured those pretty brown eyes of his.

“No, no, no, Simon,” you bent over and whispered, “we gotta keep going, yeah? We’re almost there.”

He made an attempt to reach for you but his arm flopped like jelly. You hooked your arms under his shoulder and started to drag him through the dense snow.

“Hey, stay with me. Don’t give in to that concussion. That’d be a stupid way to die.”

“Sorry, sweet’eart.” His head started to lull to the side.

“Simon,” you growled as you continued dragging his body. “Eyes open.” Christ, he was so heavy.

“Tryin’.”

“That’s an order,” you huffed.

Your heavy breathing permeated through the silent forest. Time stretched on.

“I…” Simon’s head flopped back against your chest. His lashes fluttered as his eyes desperately tried to focus. Blood clotted over his left eye. “Don’t take orders… from you.”

“You do. When I’m dragging. Your fucking heavy ass. Through the snow.” Each sentence was a struggle. You were 5’6” and nearly 130 pounds of lean prowess. But Simon was a colossus. And dragging his dead weight through the thick snow for the past fifteen minutes had every tendon in your body screaming. Your lungs burned.

In the distance, sounds of the helicopter circling finally breached the trees. You looked behind you. The landing zone was still a couple hundred yards away.

“Stay with me, Simon,” you whispered against the crown of his head. Your quads seared with every backward step.

“Leg’s numb,” he managed.

Not good.

“That’s just the cold.”

You wanted to cry from the fire that encompassed every cell in your body. You were burning up; sweating. Every muscle strained to the max. You looked behind you. Almost there.

Simon’s head lulled forward again.

“Make you a deal,” you panted. The whirring of the helo was louder now. “You stay alive. And I’ll tell you one of my biggest secrets.”

Finally in the clearing, the snow fanned across your back. Two medics rushed from the helicopter toward you with a stretcher. They started strapping Ghost down as you nearly collapsed from overexertion right there. Price’s arm wrapped around you as he hurried you back to the copter, shouting over the comms.

The metal of the floor was cold against your face as you collapsed. The helicopter ascended. Price was hovering over the stretcher, and red crosses on white patches blurred as you finally succumbed to your exhaustion.

#uwu #I hope you guys like #again #never played COD #but I'm feral for Ghost #my fic #my writing #simon ghost riley #simon ghost Riley x reader #simon ghost Riley x f!reader #cod ghost #cod fic #mw2 fic #ghost mw2 #captain john price #oc #ghost x female reader #ghost x you #ghost x reader

317 notes · View notes

lowkeycasanova · 2 years

Text

summer camp

plot: Vinnie and Y/N are camp counselors

thanks to @vhackerrs and @takecareluv for helping me out with this one!

masterlist

------------------------------------------------------------

A summer camp with a bunch of little kids was the last place that anyone would find a tattooed college student. Vinnie's mom, Maria, had suggested it to him. And he laughed at the idea. But she told him that the pay was good and he'd have the nights and weekends to himself. He honestly couldn't think of anywhere else to work. Plus, it was the first place that hired him.

"Who's that?" your friend Amelie asked as she pointed into the distance. You turned to see a guy with shaggy brown hair that you've never seen before.

You shrugged. "Not sure."

All the counselors knew each other and you and Amelie have been working here for the past three years. So you would recognize a newbie.

Because Vinnie was new, he didn't know anyone and felt left out. The only person he talked to regularly was Amber, the director, despite literally sharing a room with a guy his age named Jesse. He also wasn't counting the twelve year old girls who had a crush on him. Asking where he went to school, what he did for fun, and what his social medias were.

One afternoon as Vinnie was doing a basketball activity with the kids, he was getting frustrated. He was constantly telling them to stop doing things and play by the rules. Near the end, he was kinda just letting them do their own thing because he didn't know the best way to correct them. Amber watched from afar and could tell that Vinnie was having trouble being an authoritative figure. So she had gone to you and asked if you could please take him under your wing. He didn't have a solid history of dealing with children and she knew you could help.

One early morning, Vinnie was by himself, setting up the area for relay races when you walked over.

"Need some help?"

Vinnie set the last flag down that marked the finish line. "Nah, I just finished. You're Y/N, right?" He wiped his forehead as it was humid outside and he was starting to sweat a little and would much rather be in bed rather than thinking ants were on him every thirty seconds.

"Yep, how's it going?"

Vinnie shrugged. "It's...going. I'm not really good at this stuff though."

"Did you have a job before this?" you asked.

"Yeah, I worked as an electrician with my dad."

Since he was finished doing what he was instructed to do, he started to walk back towards the main cabin and, to his surprise, you followed suit.

"An electrician? Really?"

"Yeah," he scratched the back of his head. "You sound shocked."

"No no no, I just didn't expect to hear that."

Vinnie stifled a laugh. "What did you expect?

"Not an electrician, that's for sure." you bumped his arm. "Is this your first time working with kids?"

He nodded, the sound of damp grass underneath your shoes.

"Can I give you some advice?"

"Please, because I feel like I'm not doing well."

"Well, first and foremost, you have to be patient with them. They are kids at the end of the day and have short attention spans and can get rowdy, but don't let yourself get stressed out. Keep it entertaining, be creative and enthusiastic. I believe it helps keep them motivated. Oh and also, try not to criticize them a lot." you explained.

"Oh yeah, I try not to do that because I'd feel really bad." Vinnie replied.

"But do show authority when needed." you pointed out. "But other than that, there's not much else left to say. The kids are great and they really like you."

His eyes flickered from the ground to you. "What?" he asked like he couldn't believe it.

You nodded. "Grace says that she likes when she's in your group and Michael said that he likes that drawings on your arm. Did they hurt by the way?"

"Um, I have a tree on the side of my ribcage, and that hurt like hell. So did the one near my v-line. And the spider on my chest."

"What do they look like?" you asked but then immediately regretted it because of how it sounded.

"Oh you wanna see 'em?" he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"I mean...not like that but if you wanna show me-"

"Alright." He cut you off and started to lift up them hem of his shirt but you stopped him, laughing. Vinnie's lips twitched into a smile.

"No! Just finish your explanation." You said. But you were actually curious to see them as you had only seen the ones that were visible on his arms.

"Well other than that," Vinnie examined his arms. "not too painful. Looking back, it's not as bad as I thought.”

"What was your first one?" you inquired.

He pointed to his left arm to the two hands. "The Creation of Adam. I was freshly eighteen and just moved out when I got it."

As you two walk, you grab a hold to his arm to look at it and ran your thumb across it. He's surprised by your sudden touch but he doesn't pull away. He finds it comforting and he's not sure why.

Then, as you two are walking closer tot he cabin, your friend Amelie comes out and sees you with Vinnie.

"Hey, we were looking for y'all. Staff meeting is about to start."

Vinnie barely payed attention during the meeting. His mind kept wandering to his conversation with you.

A few hours later, Vinnie was in the grassy area, playing football with the kids. He said "fuck it" to the actual rules and they all just ran around together.

"Touchdown!!" Vinnie shouted with a big smile and threw the ball on the ground as he reached the 'end zone'.

"Not fair, you cheated." Grace laughed.

"Girl, ain't nobody cheated. You're just slow." Vinnie replied and poked her stomach.

She poked him back with turned into a game of tag between them. He pretends to be tired and catch his breath and their game attracted some of the other kids and they came at Vinnie in all directions and started to jump on him, pulling him down.

"You guys are too strong for me!" Vinnie said as they began to topple over him.

You admired the scene in front of you as you watched from the sidelines. Vinnie was a natural and they loved him.

The days went by quickly and Vinnie developed quite a few friends that made this whole experience so much better.

Jesse was his closest guy friend as they did share a room. They both liked gaming and anime so that was something that they could share.

Peter was by far the most hilarious and it was always a good time when he was around.

Maya and Jason actually go to the same school as Vinnie and they made it a point to hang out one day.

Brandon was someone that Vinnie was the least closest to. They never talked much, and when they did, Vinnie initiated conversation and was always nice, but for some reason Brandon didn't reciprocate, even though he was very talkative with everyone else.

The most significant relationship that Vinnie had with anyone was with you. You two spent a lot of time together. You showing him the ropes in certain situations and always having his back when needed. When the both of you with with your own group of kids, you'd tease each other from a distance.

That Friday, you had walked into the laundry room with a bucket full of towels to fold and found Vinnie doing the same, nearly running into him.

"Oof, sorry." You muttered and step aside, setting your basket on the counter. Vinnie came next to you, looking you up and down and you caught his eye.

"What?" you questioned and became a little annoyed when he started chuckling.

"Nothing." he said firmly. "I just didn't know it was twin day."

You were a little slow and it wasn't until Vinnie tugged on your sleeve when you understood.

Every counselor gets a variety of t-shirts to wear in different colors, and you could wear whichever color you wanted. But not only were you and Vinnie wearing the same color shirt, but also sported matching white shorts and shoes.

"Oh god." you groaned which made Vinnie laugh again.

You two folded the towels in comfortable silence. You watched his precise movements, taking such a simple job seriously.

You had been meaning to ask him something all week but didn't know how to bring it up in conversation. Now that it was nearing the end of the shift, you knew you needed ask now before it was way too late.

"Are you going to the lodge tonight?"

"Hmm?" he replied, having to take a second to process.

"Maya's family's lodge. She's having that get together thing tonight."

"Oh yeah, she did invite me to that and Jesse mentioned it too. But...uh, I don't know." He mumbled. Vinnie tended to keep to himself and watch tv or play video games.

Maya's family owned this resort style lodge nestled in the perfect location within the trees a few miles away. She frequently invited everyone over and it was always a good time.

"You should come." you urged. "We never see each other outside of work. It'll be fun."

You then started to feel nervous like he might turn you down, even though you weren't the one who technically invited him.

"Are you going?" he asked.

The question caught you off guard since you had already expected him to say no at this point.

"Yeah, told Peter I'd be there."

"Well if he's going, then I might go too." He teased and you just chuckled in response.

As you folded your last towel, you used that as an excuse to be done.

"Well looks like I'm finished. Hope to see you around this weekend."

“Oh yeah, see you Y/N.”

After Vinnie's conversation with you, it didn't take much convincing to get him to go. He even went to the extent of trying to pick the best outfit, settling on a plain gray tank top (that exposed way more of his tattoos than the short sleeve he was supposed to wear for work), blue jeans, and some white and blue Nikes. He walked out the house with his hair still wet from the shower.

Upon arriving, he let himself inside since the door was unlocked. He followed the sound of talking and laughter until he reached the living room/kitchen where everyone was. And he could tell he caught them by surprise.

“Vinnie!”

“What’s up Vinnie?”

“Hi Vinnie!”

They all greeted.

He actually came, you thought.

You smiled at him and waved. He came over to you first and gave you a hug as you were the closest to him. He waved to everyone else and gave Peter and Jesse those bro hugs that guys always do. The sight warmed your heart, seeing how he’s become so comfortable around everyone.

“You could’ve knocked you know.” Maya told him and playfully punched his arm.

“Knocking is overrated.” He joked. “Nice place you got here.”

He admired his surroundings. It was mostly wood, so a good use of brown. Lots of glass windows, trees around the house, and even a lake nearby with a boardwalk leading to it that you could see out the living room window.

“It’s my parents’, so I can’t take all the credit, but thanks.”

Everyone then headed over to the huge couch in the living room. Maya picked up the remote to the smart tv and started flipping through her streaming services to find something to watch.

Vinnie glanced over at you as if to say, “you coming?”. You were still at the kitchen island trying to get your drink together. You gave him a look back that said, “in a second.”

You finally walked over and saw that the space next to Vinnie was empty. With confident strides, you headed over just for Bianca to sit there instead. You couldn’t be mad, it’s not like it was a saved seat, but still. He looked over his shoulder and gave you an apologetic look.

No big deal, you just sat next to Maya, a few feet across from them. You didn’t know Bianca all that well. You didn’t see much of her at work due to the fact that she usually worked with the older kids, but you two were friendly when you saw each other.

You overhear her tell Vinnie that she’s glad he’s here and from that point on, it’s like you can’t even pay attention to what everyone else is saying because you’re so focused on the two of them.

Bianca asks Vinnie is he works out, feeling his bicep in the process. Like no shit he does.

It bothered you that she was being so flirty. If you had to guess, you would’ve thought that Vinnie didn’t really talk to her, but they obviously hung out a lot or something in order for her to be that comfortable.

You kept zoning in and out. Peter mention something about watching American Horror Story and then somehow the conversation was about ghosts, with everyone sharing anything supernatural that occurred in their life.

Perking up for the first time in a few minutes, you shared a story about when you were a kid and you heard someone calling your name in your house. Although you and your mom were the only people home and she said it wasn’t her.

Making eye contact with Vinnie, you finally got his attention, as he started listening when you began talking. His eyes were wide upon hearing your story but you shrugged it off like it was no big deal.

Bianca quickly wanted the attention back on her and she tapped Vinnie on his shoulder to get him to look at her. Slumping in your seat, you frowned as she frilled her pin straight hair over her shoulder.

She seemed to be only making conversation with Vinnie and if you were honest, it was a little rude that she didn’t make an effort to talk to anyone else. You slumped in your seat and folded your arms over your chest.

Their whole engagement made you bitter. Bitter enough to admit to yourself that yes, you had a crush on Vinnie. One bigger than you’d like to admit. Seeing them talk and flirt together made you realize that you don’t want to see him with another girl.

What you didn't know, was that Vinnie wasn't flirting back with her. He genuinely thought she was just being nice. He also kept glancing over at you to make sure that you were doing okay, after seeing the grimace on your face.

Doing your best to try to ignore them, you grabbed the remote to the tv and tried to find some music to play. Everyone was throwing song names and artists at you. You turned to Vinnie see if he had any input, but Bianca was taking a selfie with him.

A few moments later, she asked Vinnie if he wanted to go check out the lake, maybe even go for a swim.

Vinnie looked past her, out the window, to see small waves from the lake being illuminated by the moonlight. "But I don't have a swimsuit." he told her.

"Neither do I." she answered and raised her eyebrows suggestively.

He just looked at her, dead serious. "So I guess we can't go then. Not to mention that it's nighttime, prime bug time." He laid further back into the couch to get comfortable and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Bianca looked at him with confusion until she got up from her spot. "Suit yourself then." she mumbled and walked off.

Jesse had eyed the whole interaction.

"What?" Vinnie questioned when they made eye contact. Jesse sighed in disbelief, then started laughing.

That got the attention of everyone else.

"What's so funny?" a girl named Gabby asked. "I wanna laugh too."

Jesse looked around to make sure that Bianca was out of earshot before he recapped what had just happened.

“Ain’t no way you didn’t pick up on that.”

“So embarrassing for her.”

“She definitely wanted to go skinny dipping with you.”

This was your last straw.

You shot up out of your seat, fuming but tried your best to hide it. “I’m gonna go get another drink.” You told everyone but walked off before they could answer. You make your way to the kitchen, trying to calm yourself down.

Vinnie’s worried gaze instinctively follows you and all of a sudden he can’t hear the people around him. He gets up as well a few seconds later. “Yeah, imma get one too.” He tells them.

Gripping the refrigerator door with your hand, you don’t even know what you’re looking for. Thought after thought running through your mind. Shutting the door, Vinnie’s tall frame leans against the counter and the sight of him startled you for a moment.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his voice careful.

You folded your arms over your chest. “Why do you care?”

“Because you seem upset. I’m concerned.”

Fighting the urge to roll your eyes, you said, “Because…I thought we…” then you paused. “You know what, never mind.”

You turn to walk away but he grabs your arm to stop you.

“Seriously? You were the one who wanted to hang out outside of work but I haven’t spoke to you since I got here.”

“Hmm, I wonder why that is.” You stated and looked at him directly in the eye.

He then avoided your gaze and sighed. You glanced at the others and tried to make it look like you were doing something they wouldn’t wonder what was going on.

“Look,” he started. “I wasn’t flirting with her. And if I’m honest, I didn’t even know she was flirting with me until Jesse said something. I’ve been bad at picking up stuff like that. And maybe you’re bad at picking up hints too because if you haven’t noticed…I’m kinda crazy about you.”

The way that he was looking at you with so much care made you realize that all of the thoughts about ignoring him for the reminder of your time was ridiculous. Whether you liked it or not, he had you wrapped around his finger.

“I actually thought I was reaching the signs wrong. I thought that you and Bianca had something going on.”

Vinnie shrugged. “Maybe she thinks that, but no. In fact, I was disappointed when you couldn’t sit next to me.”

“Well if it’s any consolation…I like you too.”

You hated being so cheesy.

Now that it was all explained, it made sense. He inched closer and opened his arms for you to walk into, which you did. You liked how warm he was.

“I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable.” He mumbled into your hair.

“Don’t worry about it.” You responded.

He pulled away and gave you a soft kiss on your cheek. He then pulled out two drinks from the cooler and passed on to you.

“Cheers.” He smiled and clinked his glass with yours.

You two made your way back to your friends, hoping they didn’t see any of that because you really didn’t need an earful from them. They were still having a good time, the laughter and music blended together. The boys setting up a table for beer pong. You sat down on the couch while Vinnie took his spot next to you.

#vinniehacker #vinnie x reader #vinnie hacker imagine #vinnie hacker fluff #vinnie x y/n #vinnie imagines

604 notes · View notes

bobwess · 3 months

Text

You wanna see a sneak peek of my Endverse fic?

They've been floating the idea of finding a place where they can gather hunters together. Safety in numbers. Bobby, Dean, Rufus, Jo, Ellen. -

“Chitaqua.” Rufus announced as he walked in through Bobby’s back door and made a beeline directly for the coffee.

“Gesundheit.” Dean responded.

“Camp Chitaqua, jackass.” He claimed his cardboard cup before choosing a doughnut and shoving enough things off the table to make a place for himself.

Bobby rolled his eyes. “What about it?”

“I made some calls last night, and the ones that went through kicked up an old camp ground, been empty for a couple years now.”

“How many is a couple?”

“Have some faith, Bobby. A couple, as in two…” He took a bite of his doughnut. “To ten. It’s not clear.” he admitted.

“And this… Camp Chitaqua is somewhere you think we should be interested in?”

“You got another thousand acre fully zoned retreat center lined up just waiting for you?”

Dean looked up from his own doughnut. “A thousand?”

“You wanted remote.”

Bobby leaned forward, a little more interested than before. “Already developed?”

Rufus spoke with his mouth full. “Most of it is woods, keeps it away from nosy neighbors. Working plumbing and electricity. Two lodges, fifteen cabins and a flat area big enough for a couple dozen tents. Mess hall, rec room, chapel.”

Bobby shook his head. “What’s the catch?”

“I can’t believe you don’t trust me.”

“What’s the catch.” He repeated, flatly.

Rufus lowered his voice, looking slightly guilty. “Five hundred thousand dollars.”

Dean choked. “Oh yeah, just half a million dollars, let me get my wallet.”

“Hey that is pennies on the dollar, far better price than you’re ever gonna get.”

“Something that big ain’t going that cheap without a downside.” Ellen pointed out, ignoring Dean’s incredulous look at the word ‘cheap’.

“Poltergeist.”

Bobby leaned back. “You saved him from a poltergeist, and now he is gonna cut you a deal?”

“No, There is still a poltergeist. The grounds are heavily haunted.”

Dean stared at him. “And that didn’t count as part of the catch?”

Rufus scowled at him. “If five hunters can’t take care of a little ghost problem, do you really think we got a chance at kickin’ the devil’s ass?”

“Alright.” Jo said, cutting through the ratcheting tension. “Let’s take the ghosts out of the equation, where is this camp?”

“Fifty miles outside of Kansas City.” Rufus dug into his pocket, pulling out a map of the state with a hastily scribbled X.

Dean stood to get a closer look. “Anything special about the location?”

“You mean other than it’s not north?” Rufus said incredulously. “Which in case you haven’t noticed is not doing so hot right now.”

“Yeah, yeah. But nothing else?”

“Just everything you wanted on a plate.”

Ellen waited until Bobby passed her the map. “Assuming we scrounge up the change, how many people can it shelter? I don’t want to undershoot if we get more hunters joining us than we expect.”

“Depends how cozy people want to get.” Rufus shrugged. “Lodges have 72 bunks each. Cabins are mostly one room.”

And tents if we got desperate.” Ellen mused.

“So a lot.” Jo crossed her arms. Hopefully way more than they needed. “Besides the ghosts, what has to be done?”

“What do I look like, a carpenter?” Rufus shook his head. “If you want a tour you gotta evict the old residents.”

Dean pushed back from the table slightly. “Are we actually talking about this?”

Jo shrugged. “I vote we go take a look. Worst thing that happens is we kick a ghost’s ass.” She looked at Ellen.

“Fine.” She relented. “But I got some stuff I gotta settle before we head off to go camping. Meet here again to leave first thing tomorrow?”

“Fine by me.” Rufus said, reaching for another doughnut. “Bobby, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna borrow your tools and give my truck a bit of the love she deserves.”

“Don’t lose anything.” Bobby said, sternly. “And put it all back where you found it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rufus grumbled, holding the door open for Jo before following her out.

Ellen hung back. Once they were alone she lowered her voice a little. She nodded back towards the stairs. “How is he?”

Dean sighed. “Not up to this.”

“And you?” She asked, looking Dean over critically. “You in fighting shape? I’d rather push it a few days than get you killed.”

“I’m fine.” Dean said. He tested a few rolls of his shoulder, pleased at the flexibility he had. “Let’s get it over with.”

“Okay.” She said. She squeezed his shoulder before turning and heading after Jo.

Bobby closed the box on the last couple doughnuts, pushing aside. “Cas’ll be okay here for a couple days.” He settled back with his coffee.

“Yeah.” Dean said absently. “Thanks, Bobby.” He frowned. “We really owe you.”

“That’s what family is for.”

#spn fic #endverse #i cannot wait to share it with you guys #i just want to have written most of it before posting

7 notes · View notes

heartlessfujoshi · 10 months

Text

First Light - an IgNoct one shot

Title: First Light Fandom: FFXV Pairing: IgNoct (Noctis Lucis Caelum x Ignis Scientia) Rating: Mature (Established Relationship - NSFW - Making Love - Feels and Angst - Minor Angst with a happy ending - Ep Ignis V2) Word Count: ~2,425 Prompt: Their moments after daybreak in the alternate ending

Summary: Noctis returns from the Crystal, and sets out to finish the fight with his friends by his side.

A/N: Here is my gift to amula6812 over on twitter for the @ignoctgiftexchange. Please enjoy!

---

Wood crackles as little sparks of fire leave the pit, the fire continuing to burn, their only source of light in the immediate area. Noctis can smell the fire, feel its heat, feel it providing warmth in this never-ending night that he’s awoken to. The smell of the fire is comforting - that smell can never change, no matter the circumstances. He may have been away for a long time, but smelling this fire - it takes him back to what brought them here in the first place.

Turning his head, he sees the tent nearby, the runes glowing as they’d made camp just outside the gates back into Insomnia. Tomorrow is going to be tough. Tomorrow is going to be the day he’s been both looking forward to and dreading at the same time.

Tomorrow, this all comes to an end.

But not the way the Astrals have told him it has to end. No. He refuses to believe that the only way out of this is through his own sacrifice. While he isn’t afraid to die, he doesn’t feel that that’s a fair fight and the only outcome to this madness with the first Lucis Caelum - Ardyn.

He grabs a stick and pokes at the fire, not yet ready to go to sleep. He has too much on his mind. Looking over at his old home, there isn’t much to see thanks to the everlasting night. But he knows that it’s there, and he knows that it’s time to go and reclaim their home. He should go to sleep, but it evades him, as he’s too anxious about what’s to come tomorrow. Plus, he’s been sleeping for ten years. If there’s anything he doesn’t want to do right now, it’s sleep.

“You shouldn’t be out here.” Noctis turns his head, and sees Ignis has left the tent and is coming over to sit near him. “You’re supposed to be asleep, Your Majesty.”

Noctis turns his head away, wanting to hide his smile as it seems like it’s in bad taste, considering what they’re about to go through. “You know why I’m not in there, Ignis.”

“Yes, I do.” His longtime companion sits down next to him. It’s been go go go since he’s returned from the Crystal, and while he’s been hoping to have a moment alone with his Adviser, this isn’t how he pictured it would be. As if sensing his thoughts, Ignis stands up and offers him his hand. “Come with me.”

Following him takes him to the area where they keep their chocobos. Ignis hops onto his, and Noctis decides that sure - a night run would be better than staring at the fire, going over each and every scenario on what may happen in the fight tomorrow. He clicks his heels against his chocobo, and they take off, heading back towards Longwythe.

They come to a stop at the motel, Noctis looking at Ignis who isn’t meeting his eyes but he doesn’t have to. Noctis hops off of his chocobo, tying his riding companion to the post, and then follows Ignis to the motel, where he pays for a room and then leads Noctis to the end of the building, entering their favorite room at this particular Three Z’s.

Ignis points to the single bed, to which Noctis gives a firm nod and heads to sit on the edge of it. Ignis kneels down in front of him, and painstakingly begins to undress him. First, his shoes are removed. Next, his socks. Noctis stays still, his breathing becoming a bit more labored as he feels the touch of Ignis’ fingers on the black button up shirt he’s wearing. It’s been so long since they’d done this part of their routine, it almost feels like the very first time.

Lips brush against his jaw, Noctis tilting his head back as Ignis helps to push his upper body down onto the bed. “Relax, Noctis.” Ignis’ voice sends a thrill through his body, his hands curling into loose fists as he struggles to do as he’s told. “It’s me. No one else is here to bother us.”

“I know.” The words come out in a quiet whisper. But he knows that Ignis has heard. “Ignis, I…”

A finger touches his lips. “No. Not right now. Later.”

Noctis nods his head, and feels Ignis’ lips touch his chest, kissing a pathway down to where his pants are still on. Ignis soon takes care of that, leaving Noctis as naked as the day he was brought into this world. Noctis stares at his lover, who takes off his own clothes and then returns to where Noctis is laying on the bed. He wants to keep his eyes open, wants to stare at the man who’s made his days so much happier throughout his life - he’s afraid if he closes them, then this will be it. And he doesn’t want that.

Ignis’ palm cups the side of his face, his fingers brushing his beard. Facial hair. Facial hair he never knew he could grow until he was out of the Crystal, and felt it on his face. The facial hair that now hides the fact he no longer looks the way he looked before going into the Crystal. How time has done its number on him in the only way it knows how. It feels strange at first, but then he slowly grows to like it as he feels Ignis’ breath against his lips, unaware of when he brought his face closer to his own.

“No thoughts tonight, Noctis.” Ignis whispers. “Only you and me.”

“You and me.” He returns, gazing into his eyes. “S-Show me how it was, Ignis.”

“I will, Your Majesty.”

Lips touch his with a soft kiss, but then the kiss becomes more as Ignis seals his lips over his own, and skillfully pushes his tongue into Noctis’ mouth. He moans into the kiss, as Ignis’ hand begins to work him open, well-oiled fingers doing their job of making him ready. And within moments, Ignis is pushing the tip of his cock into his body in one fluid motion, Noctis’ head tossing back with a loud, encouraging moan. They haven’t been intimate like this since the night before he was supposed to get the Hydraean’s blessing, and then, it had been rushed. Hurried. Frantic. As if they knew things were going to change after the blessing.

Now, though - now Ignis takes his time, making sure that Noctis is taken care of. All Noctis can do is moan, pushing his hips down to meet each slow thrust of Ignis’ hips. The bed creaks, the sound of Red Iron Giants can be heard roaming the world outside. But that doesn’t matter. No, what matters in this moment is how good it feels to be connected to his lover once more.

Noctis comes without any warning, but Ignis doesn’t relent. Ignis brings him right back into full hardness, Noctis’s arms now wrapped around Ignis’ neck as he clings to him. He moans his name, over and over, tears spilling from his eyes as everything feels right. Everything feels perfect. Ignis makes him come again, and then he listens to his sweet cries as his lover finds his own peace, Noctis groaning as the steady warmth of Ignis’ release flows against his inner walls.

Ignis pulls out, the two of them groaning in unison at the lost connection, but within seconds Ignis is by his side, returning his lips to Noctis’, showering him with more kisses and touches. He feels at peace, and knows that no matter what happens tomorrow, at least he’s going into this final confrontation with the knowledge that he’s able to be with his lover one final time.

“Tomorrow-” Noctis begins, but then stops as Ignis’ finger returns to his lips.

“No, Noctis. I won’t allow it.”

He gave him a watery smile, overcome with emotion as he stared at him. “Very well, Ignis.” They stare at each other for a few more minutes, and then Noctis closes his eyes and rests his head against Ignis’ chest. “Can I say I-”

“I love you too.” Ignis replies, brushing a kiss against his forehead. “Now sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a very long day.”

“You won’t leave me, will you?”

The fear is evident in his voice. Noctis can’t hide it. He doesn’t want to hide it, as if there is one person that will always know his true emotions, it will be Ignis. Ignis Scientia, who became his best friend at the age of four, who has been by his side through many milestones in his short life. Ignis, who held him as he cried about his first crush in school, and who kissed away the sadness of when Noctis couldn’t go to the first dance in high school because no one had asked him. Ignis, who had held him close after the death of his father, making love to him to remind him that he will be there for him.

“Never, Your Majesty. I will be with you, no matter what.” Ignis holds his gaze, Noctis feeling the truth coming through loud and clear. “Now, sleep. We’ll head back to camp early in the morning.”

Noctis closes his eyes and does fall asleep for a few short, blissful hours. The warmth of Ignis’ body next to his has always made it easier for him to sleep, and tonight is no different. When they wake, they head to the shower and take one together, finding the time to share a few more intimate moments together before their long day has to begin.

Back at the campsite, both Gladio and Prompto are awake, drinking coffee around the fire. “Everything okay, Your Majesty?” Prompto asks, as Noctis sits down with them.

“Everything is perfect, Prompto. Are you ready to head into Insomnia?”

“Let’s go kick Ardyn’s ass!” His best friend declared, making Noctis smile. Yes, today would be the day that they kick Ardyn’s ass, and make him pay for what he has done to their lives.

Insomnia is bleak. Noctis wants to cry as he sees the state that his former home is in. But knowing that if he puts an end to Ardyn’s life, then this will take away the daemons is a comforting thought. The day is long, as they come under attack over and over. But his friends hold him up as they make their way to the Citadel, where Ifrit is waiting for them, waiting to show them the true power of Ardyn Izunia.

The fight is difficult. But with his friends to help him, Noctis finds the strength to go on the offense attack. They make quick work of Ifrit as a team, and rather than go alone to face Ardyn, he turns to his friends and stares at each of them. “I know you may not think you’re ready for this fight, but you are. Come with me, and let’s end this together.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” All three of his friends reply.

Ardyn isn’t easy to defeat. They wind up taking the fight from the Citadel out to the streets down below, his friends one step ahead. Ignis is constantly healing him, shouting at him that he can do this. Gladio is blocking each blow from Ardyn with his Shield, yelling at Noctis to finish the job. Prompto is shooting his guns, making Ardyn dance as Noctis swoops in from behind and unleashes his Armiger attack at the best moment possible. As his Armiger attack hits Ardyn, he watches as the first Lucis Caelum meets his end, the black ichor coming from his eyes now disappearing as his body is lowered back to the ground, the final fight over.

They won.

Together.

He approaches the former first King of Lucis, and sees Ardyn has a smile on his face. “Thank you, Noctis.” Ardyn continues to smile as his body disappears in the wind, the magic that had been keeping him alive for two millennia now gone.

“Noctis.” He turns to look at Ignis, who is pointing towards the east. “Look.”

The first rays of dawn can be seen cresting over the horizon, the first time in ten years. Noctis steps closer to Ignis, and then feels his knees begin to weaken. Ignis catches him before he can fall, his arms around his body as they both kneel on the ground. He can hear both Prompto and Gladio sobbing, and while he can feel his own cheeks damp with tears, he can’t hear himself crying.

“We did this.” Ignis speaks softly into his ear, as they continue to watch the sunrise together for the first time. It reminds him of the first time they’d stayed up all night, sitting on the roof of the Citadel to watch the sunrise together. But this - this is a defining moment in both of their lives. “You did this, Noctis.”

“You guys were a big part.” He hiccups a sob, his tears now flowing freely. “They told him I had to die. They said that to bring the sun back, I would need to die with him. They were wrong, Ignis.”

“They were.” Noctis turns towards him and falls into his arms, crying hard as Ignis hugs him close. “You did what needed to be done, Your Majesty. Now the world can heal, and we can live our lives.”

He clings to Ignis, the very essence of his own love pouring out through each sob that wracked his body. The world is getting brighter by the second, and by the time the sun is fully shining down on them, he is surrounded by his close friends. His friends who had set out on one journey, and wound up on a very different path than what they’d set out on.

“You guys are the best.” He stares at each of his friends, smiling as complete happiness consumes him. He reaches for Ignis, who comes without a second thought, and the two share a kiss as the sun kisses their skin, bathing them in its warmth for the first time in a very, very long time.

It would take a long time to get the world back to how it used to be, but Noctis doesn’t care. What matters most is that he’s still here; the Astrals were wrong. With the strength of his friends, they had returned the light to the world of Eos. Reaching for Ignis’ hand, they all stand together, his fingers clasped with Ignis’ as they stare at the rising sun; together, as it is meant to be.

xXx

Cross-posted to AO3

#ignoct #my writing #fanfic #ignoctgiftexchange

5 notes · View notes

zensations35 · 2 years

Text

Not Faire (Part 2)

Continuation of Not Faire, the first of which you can find here. See my Ao3 for the full story at

https://archiveofourown.org/works/39027285/chapters/97621992

The joust is over and I’m about ready to go back to camp and get plastered. I’m so over this anxiety.

“I think I might head back.”

Sasha and Leo frown and groan.

“Awww, I wanted to see the fire breathing man!”

“You can do that. I’ll just call it early. Y’all have fun.”

Ren doesn’t say anything. He’s not even looking at me. But I do see his nose twitching. Is he doing this on purpose??

Sasha doesn’t want me to go back alone. She skips up to me and hooks her arm through mine. “If you go, I go.”

“And you won’t complain that you didn’t get to see the fire man?”

“Promise,” she winks.

So Sasha leaves with me. Leo wants to leave with Sasha, and Ren just doesn’t want to be left alone out here. So, we all trudge back across the grass, at least a mile back to the campgrounds.

There’s not much to do back at camp. So we drink. There are a few other people hanging around, lounging under the canopy or grilling something.

Ren disappears into his tent for a while when we arrive. He doesn’t come out until we’re deep in the middle of a game of Coup.

More people are coming back from the fairgrounds, giving Ren an excuse to avoid us. Avoid me.

Leo notices my anxiety and after two more games he sidles up next to me. We’re both standing just outside of the canopy, watching Ren mingle with a small group of newbies.

“So,” Leo hands me a drink. “You going to tell me what Ren did that’s pissing you and Sasha off?”

I hide my face by taking a sip.

“That bad, huh?” he lets out a breath shaking his head. “That idiot.”

Leo doesn’t mean it. He is fiercely loyal to Ren, and Ren is protective of Leo. They’ve been friends longer than I’ve known either of them.

“Leo,” I murmur, “I have a secret.”

“I assumed so,” he says. “And Sasha knows?”

“She has the same secret.”

This puts a sour face on him. He looks into his cup as if deciding to chug it all.

“Do you remember when we first met?” he asks.

I tilt my head, wondering where he’s going with this. “Sort of…”

“That party,” he says. “At Shaker’s apartment.”

“There were a lot of parties at Shaker’s.”

“Right after that, Ren went to Phoenix.”

“Oh,” I nod, remembering. “Right. Yes.”

“I had a secret then, too.”

I twist my lips. “Have you told us what it is?”

“Ren knows.”

But Sasha and I don’t.

“Is it hard?” I ask. “Keeping your secret?”

“Sometimes it feels impossible.”

“Yeah,” I nod. “I get that.”

It was late. Later than I normally went out. And I was going to a party. My first party. I had no idea what I was doing. But it was all anyone in the club could talk about for months.

So I went.

The party was in a decent sized apartment. Four people lived there but everyone called it ‘Shaker’s Place’ because he always hosted the parties.

People mingled out in the horseshoe lawn with drinks. Someone laughed loud enough to wake the neighbors and slapped their friend on the back.

Most of the living room space was taken up by two DDR pads hooked up to a tv blasting Soulja Boy, fighting for dominance of sound with the boombox playing Fall Out Boy songs.

A small walkway separated the living room and kitchen. The kitchen was a small lane with bar seating on the other side of the counters. Beyond that was a sitting area full of drunk people hanging out, sharing memes on their phones.

Someone in the kitchen was making drinks. He was tall--taller than most people there. Wavy black hair parted his forehead in a heart shape. He was wearing a suit--like he was hired to cater but no one told him it was a college party.

I walked over as he was squirting lime juice into the shaker. He mixed it up, whatever it was, and poured a lime green drink into a solo cup and handed it to a girl who batted her eyelashes at him in thanks.

I sat on a barstool, lounging my elbows on the counter.

“What would you like,” he asked as he rinsed the shaker. His voice was like butter. Silky. Creamy.

“What do you recommend?”

“Definitely not what I just made for her,” he nodded at the giggling redhead who was now smooshed between two shirtless guys.

“I dunno,” I smirked as I looked back, “Seems like she’s having a good time.”

He pointed to a couch where three guys sat, comparing character sheets for their DnD game. “Those folks look like much more fun.”

I laughed. “Can’t argue with ya there.”

His lips did a little dance; he looked amused. “You play?”

I shrugged. “Once. It…wasn’t a very good experience.”

He began to mix a drink. Something cherry red with a clear liquor. “Tell me about it.”

The way he said it wasn’t like anyone else I’ve heard say that phrase. When he said it, it was a request. A question hanging between his words. He wanted me to talk more.

So I did.

“It was my first campaign. The DM promised it was for noobs to learn how to play. But then his girlfriend joined and it became ‘The Nancy Show’.”

“Ouch.”

“That’s what I said when I died to a Kraken. At level two.”

He cringed. For me. I liked this guy already.

“You should have called the Better Business Bureau on him. Dial 062 for the DnD department.”

“Can…can I actually do that?”

“No. I made that up. Well, the DnD part.” He waved a hand at his misstep. “There actually is a Better Business Bureau, but they do not take civil claims. No matter how many noobs are killed by Krakens.”

I laughed. He slid me a chunky drink, bloodred in color. I eyed him. “What is this?”

“My specialty.”

“Are you a vampire?”

“Only in my LARP.”

I laughed again. And I could barely remember the last time I laughed this much. Depression had been crazy lately.

I took a sip. It tasted just like a cherry. And not the fakey ones they put on sundaes. Real, tart, but sweet, goddamn cherries.

“Oh my goddsss,” I rolled my eyes up and sighed. “This is really good! How did you make it?” I asked, because I hadn’t been paying attention to what he put in it.

“Secret recipe.”

“You did not just say that.”

He gave me a look I couldn’t decipher. Like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. His lips kept closing then popping apart.

Then, I saw his nostrils flare.

Oh.

A single finger climbed up, until he was giving me the sign for ‘one sec’. And then, in unison, his face crumpled and crashed forward, his hands cupped and caught a grating, “HRRZZIEU!”

I guzzled my drink dry, unable to tear my eyes off him.

He peered down at his hands with a frown and then he spun to turn on the sink. And he washed his hands.

I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone wash their hands after sneezing in them.

It was sexy as fuck.

He turned back to me, towel in hand. “Apologies,” he pointed at my empty drink. “Need another?”

Fuck yes.

“Excuse me?”

Oh fuck, did I say that out loud?

“Uhm, I said yes please.” I scooted the cup back to him and he made me another. I took him in: broad shoulders, slim arms, a bit of weight around his midsection. Long nimble fingers.

And on his chest, there was no nametag.

“What company do you work for?”

His eyes flicked up to me, brow furrowing. “Progressive.”

“The…insurance company?”

“Yes.”

“So, you’re not hired help?”

“Here?” He chuckled, “No. I’m in the club.”

I blinked at him. Hard. How had I never seen him before?

“How long have you been a member?”

He finished the drink and handed it to me, “Six months.”

“Why have we never met?”

“Is this your first club party?”

I nodded, shyly.

“I can’t make the meetings anymore because of work. But I usually attend the parties.”

I sipped the rich liquid, “Alright party guy. What’s your name?”

He wiped his hands on a towel. “Lawrence. But you can call me Ren.”

I liked it. It fit him.

“And you?”

“Skye.”

He nodded. He didn’t tell me my name was pretty or how much I do or do not ‘look like a Skye’. He just accepted it. I liked that too.

I finished the drink rather fast. And I started feeling it pretty hard. I watched Ren as he cleaned up the kitchen, even as people swung inside and dumped cups on the counter.

“Are you going to sit here all night?” he asked me. Not in a rude manner. More concerned.

“Should I not?”

He shrugged. “Do whatever you��” he blinked hard and I saw his nostril twitch. “Hhh…” his head bobbed up, arm winging around his face. I got a perfect glimpse of his distorted face, lips parted, eyes fluttering. Then, “HHN-XST-eui!” His entire body bent with it.

Butterflies weren’t just in my stomach. They were all over my insides. I felt my breaths come quick. “That was cute,” I said, not thinking.

Then I was mortified.

Oh gods ooh gods I just fucking outed myself!!

“Did you just call me cute?” he asked, a smirk playing on his lips.

I flushed, not meeting his eyes. “Y-yes.”

“You’re clearly drunk then.”

“I think I might just be,” I giggled.

Concern clouded his eyes and he stepped away. He popped out of the room looking for…something. I didn’t care. I was having a better time than I’d thought I would.

Since I’d moved away from home, I’d been focusing on school. Sure, I joined this club but I still didn’t really know anyone in the group. I was hoping this party would change that.

I’d never been drunk before, nor to a party with alcohol. I was worried I’d be overwhelmed, especially as an introvert running on fumes as of late. But sitting there, hanging out with Ren, laughing…that was just my speed.

He returned with a frown. “Do you have a buddy?” he asked.

“Like a friend? Uhm, sorta…”

“No. A buddy. For the party. Someone you attend with and watch over each other.”

I laugh. “Nope. I have zero friends up here.” I raised my glass, “Except these drunk fucks!” I shouted. The people crowding the couches behind me cheered.

“Alright, alright,” Ren took my drink and grasped my hand, pulling me close. “There is a group of men here--they prey on drunk women who are alone.”

The ebb of panic started to break through the haze of alcohol.

Ren continued, “I’m going to take you home, alright?”

Go home…with Ren. Maybe it’s not what I think. Maybe it is. Either way, I was feeling confident enough to accept.

“Okay.”

Ren nodded and took me into the living room. I followed him at a meek pace. He pointed to another man who was playing Super Smash Bros with two other people.

“That is my friend, Leonardo. The people who just showed up have bullied him in the past.”

Oh fuck. This guy gets bullied? By club members??

I peeked at the man. He looked relaxed enough. Rich brown eyes, matching honeyed hair in a ponytail. Dark, toned arms under a cutoff plaid vest. His face all angles and nose. What a gorgeous nose. A beer sat on the floor next to his foot.

It was hard to understand how this guy could be bullied for anything. He looked like he fit right in.

I bit my fingertip, “Should he come with us?”

Ren looked surprised but pleased. “Leo,” he said. Leo’s smile washed his face when he looked at Ren. He was either really pleased to see him or really drunk. Maybe both.

“Heyyy Rennie.”

I sputtered a laugh. “Rennie?”

Ren just rolled his eyes. “Leo, this is Skye. I’m taking her home with me. She does not have a buddy tonight.”

“Why don’t you be her buddy?” Leo asked. It made me laugh.

Ren leaned down and said, “Dix and Allen are here.”

Leo’s entire countenance shifted. Suddenly his eyes were wide, his face drawn back, and I saw fear in him. He swallowed. “Alright.”

“Would you like to come with us?”

Leo looked so relieved I wanted to hug him. “Please.”

Ren helped Leo stand and my heart swelled with how adorable these two were. Leo stumbled on his way up. Ren caught him, hands winding around Leo’s waist, running up his back, caressing.

Wait. Is Ren gay? Bi? Was it even my business to ask this early?

I waved it off. I wasn’t planning on having sex that night regardless.

Ren lived just down the road. He had walked to the party. He insisted we’d be fine as long as we didn’t act drunk on the way.

Ren’s apartment was very open-floor. I could see the kitchen and two bedrooms both off the sides of the living room as soon as I entered.

I flopped down on an L-couch and groaned. “This is so fucking comfortable ohmygosh.”

Leo rolled next to me, “I knowwww. Rennie gets the best stuff!”

I peered at him, “Why do you call him Rennie?”

“Because he hates it.” A laugh. “And I don’t do it often…” his eyes glinted with mischief.

“You two lightweights stay out of trouble,” Ren called.

Leo and I shared a look. And then we giggled. Incessantly.

“How long have you been friends?” I asked.

“Longer than I can remember while I’m this drunk. You?”

“I met him today.”

Leo barked a laugh. “Are you here to get laid? Sorry if I ruined it.”

Was that Ren’s intention? Did he want…some kind of threesome? I guess he must be attracted to women, in some form, if Leo was saying this.

I heard another sneeze from Ren. Deep, rich, a perfect blend of consonants and vowels.

Maybe I did want to stay…especially if he kept that up.

Leo laughed, “Now that’s a look!” He was grinning at me, amused.

I blush and cough, fist to my lips, “Hm--what?”

“Did I embarrass you?”

“H-How?” Did he catch me reacting to Ren’s sneeze?

“My comment. About getting laid.”

“Oh…” I flicked a finger through a curl of hair, “Uhm, a bit.”

“I’m sorry.”

Ren reentered the room with three bags of popcorn. “I have movies or Youtube.”

Leo and I both voted Youtube.

There was no sex that night. We all sat together and watched stupid videos well into the night. It was glorious. And that’s when I made my first friends in a new town.

“Who’s going to bonfire tonight?” Casey calls.

“Not me,” I wave, “Have fun!”

Sasha is in front of me quick. “You love the bonfire! Leo and I are going. He says he has a surprise.”

I do want to be with Sasha, but now even more I don’t want to go. Leo’s probably going to ask her out. I don’t want to ruin that.

“I’ll hit you up later. I’ll find something to do.”

Sasha gives me a small frown, but Leo glides in and takes a knee, swaying slightly.

“My lady, are you ready?” he sweeps his arm out in gesture.

Sasha giggles. “Sure am~”

Sasha and Leo leave for the bonfire and I’m left alone. I don’t see Ren anywhere. He probably wandered off with a group.

I know other people at camp, though. I join Anya and Riley, who are talking about going on an adventure.

“Got room for more?” I ask.

“Course!” Anya beams.

We start walking away from camp and soon we’re wandering the food fields. Food trucks, tailgate grillers, and stalls litter the area with scrumptious aromas, sizzling pans, and happy customers.

I’m not feeling hungry. I trail after Anya and Riley, not speaking much. Just muttering a “Mhm” now and then, or making ‘I’m listening’ noises.

My thoughts are just streaks of ideas and desires running through my head. Nothing is solid enough to get ahold of and wrangle.

I want to talk to Ren. I want to figure out what is going on between us. I also think of Sasha, and I start to regret not going with them to bonfire. But I would just intrude on her and Leo’s mood. They’re clearly into each other.

Why does that make me feel even worse?

Soon, we clear the food fields and arrive at a rave. It’s dark now, and the crowd in front of the DJ is littered with glowsticks.

Loud music thunders in my ears. People are dancing all around me. I don’t realize Anya and Riley aren’t with me anymore until I’m surrounded by people, inching me toward the stage.

I get to the DJ stand and I get a spot in the middle of a crowd. Music thrums the air.

Heads are bopping to the music. Spaces around me start to fill with people until I can’t see my way out anymore. The crush of bodies is overwhelming. Butts bump against me. Elbows jab me. I feel like I can’t breathe.

And then he’s there.

Ren's arms curve around me, hands pressing my hips. Heat ignites me and I press myself closer. His legs move and I move with him.

Suddenly, it’s like we never parted.

He sways us left and right, my body moves from memory. Our feet sync--and we’re dancing.

His hands find mine and entwine; we’re back and forth, churning to the music, step by step. He lets my left hand go and I instinctively spin out. His hand glides down my spine as he pulls me back in. I circle again and I’m in his arms.

And it’s intoxicating.

The heat of him, the scent. The raw energy of our synchronous bodies.

I look up at him, barely noticing the people staring, making way for us. His eyes glow an ice blue. At first I think it’s the strobe lights but his warmth is burning through his shirt.

It’s not the strobe lights. His eyes are glowing with fever.

“Ren…” everything fades except him. My hand creeps up to touch his forehead.

He jerks back, hands falling away from me. Like whiplash I’m thrown back to that night. The night I left…

“Skye, come back!”

“I can’t,” I stomped the ground in my one-inch heels. “I can’t watch you with her.”

“Skye,” he caught up to me. His hand wrapped around my wrist and he pulled me back. “Why are you upset?”

I spun to face him, stumbling in my drunken haze. I glared, indignantly, anyway. “I can’t…” My voice cracked on a dry sob. “Because I love you.”

I didn’t realize it was true until I said it. The words fell from my lips like water overflowing a cup. I couldn’t not say it.

His eyes flickered, and I saw him shut down. His hard gaze speared me and he released my hand.

“Tell me that when you’re sober.”

My chest burst and I felt that overflowing again. This time, it’s actual water in the form of tears. Streaking down my cheeks.

He didn’t believe me.

I ran. I didn’t care where, I just needed to be away from him. I didn’t care about my stuff. I didn’t care about the rest of the weekend.

I walked out. Out of the campgrounds. Away from Ren. Forever.

The music roars in my ears. Ren’s piercing gaze roots me to the ground. He cuts away, diving into the crowd. People have lost interest in us and are dancing again. I push through the flailing bodies and manage to break out of the crowd.

I didn’t see where Ren went.

He obviously doesn’t want to be found. Anger, white hot in my veins, rushes me away. I head toward the bonfire. Anyone can see its beacon and plume of smoke from anywhere.

I wander around the sparse crowd, unsuccessful in my quest. I pause close to the center, where only a few log benches separate dancers from the flames.

Then I hear it. The jingle skirt! Whoever is dancing is wearing that skirt. Sasha won’t want to miss this!

I glance at the dancers and see Sasha herself. Wearing the jingle skirt. Dancing.

Her hips sway, her arms are held high, above her afro, and she moves like liquid. Small drums and tambourines trill music all around the fire. Sasha is surrounded by a flaming halo as her body moves, melts and condenses, her bracelets singing up and down her arms.

She sees me and nods to Leo, who is sitting on a stump, staring as entranced as I was. She grins.

I decide not to interrupt her. This is my problem. Sasha is having a good time and I don’t need to constantly bring her down with my drama. Faire is supposed to be about letting loose and having fun.

I’m killing the buzz.

I head back to camp, feeling only slightly tipsy. People have already called it a night. Only a few returning from partying wander the lane, drunk or high.

I find Ren standing slumped against a canopy pole, holding an empty shot glass.

“Ren?”

He waves me away. His shoulders bunch during sips of air. His knuckle grinds the side of his nose and his eyes can’t seem to stay open.

Oh. Fuck.

I turn away, staring into the sky, heat running up my body. I can still hear every breath, every hitch as he dissolves into a small fit.

“Hhh-XTSH! HNXT!” the next one is muffled but stronger, “HMPFFFshhh--ieu!”

Words spill from my mouth, “What the hell is with you today?!”

He turns back toward me, mouth twisting as he straightens and faces me. “Have I displeased you?”

“What?”

He sways a little and a small laugh escapes him in a huff of air. His eyes are twinkling with amusement. “Have I displeased you, Skye?” He’s fucking grinning now.

My face heats, “Don’t act like you don’t know what you’ve been doing all day.”

“And that is my fault?”

“Whose else would it be?”

His eyes slant, head tilting in confusion. “Yours…?”

I stomp my foot, angry at him for being drunk enough to give me this shit. “Goddammit Ren!” I spin on him and plunge my arms over each other, seething.

I feel him lean in, breath hot in my ear. “Skye,” his voice is low, almost a growl. “Did you not intend to wear the scent I’m allergic to?”

My whole body goes rigid. Ice floods my veins.

And it hits me. Ren’s not just drunk. He’s high as fuck. His eyes weren’t blazing with fever, they were blazed.

I don’t know what he thinks of my silence but I know now his proximity to me is causing everything. This whole fucking day has been because of me.

What was I thinking??

I wasn’t thinking.

“Hhhtt…” Ren’s arm brushes against me as he brings it up to catch his dipping head, “HSZT!” The sound fills my ears to the brim.

“Lawrence Grayson!”

We both jump at the sound of Sasha’s voice. I whip around to see her angry eyes. She’s still wearing the skirt, its bells jangle as she marches hotly up to Ren. She points indignantly at him.

“What the fuck is your deal? Can’t you just leave Skye alone?”

“Sasha it’s not--”

“You’ve been fucking with her all damn day and I’m sick of it.” Her foot stomps when she finishes speaking. “I think you should find your way to your tent.”

Ren looks at me and I see him sway. He blinks toward Sasha, then back at me.

I lean into Sasha and rasp, “He’s drunk and high. I don’t think he should be alone.”

Sasha growls. “Fine,” she reaches up and grabs a fistful of Ren’s shirt. Then she turns on her heel, “We’ll get Leo. You can stay with him tonight.”

I watch her drag Ren along behind her, him trying not to stumble or step on her feet.

I curl my arms around my chest and rub goosebumps on my skin.

Fuck.

Sasha meets me in my tent later, I assume after Leo picked up Ren. She knows I’m upset. We sit on a blanket while she takes my hair down, removing the pins and braids as delicately as a professional would.

“You didn’t need to deal with him tonight,” she says. “You shouldn’t have had to deal with him at all today. I’m sorry.” She works her skilled fingers through my hair and I lean into her touch. Sasha’s warmth keeps me afloat when shit goes down.

“It’s not your fault,” I say, lids closing as she massages my scalp. “We were assigned the same days. What could you have done?”

“I could have swapped. Ren in exchange for Dix. But…”

“But you didn’t want any of us to have to deal with Dix.”

She nods. I tip my head back to stare at her. Her face still looks gorgeous, even after a hot day of exercise. The makeup has faded, some is smudged, but when her lips crimp in a frown, it’s just so her.

“You did the right thing, IMO.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I can handle Ren.”

She smiles and pulls me up so she can brush my hair. This is Sasha’s comfort habit. When she’s stressed, she loves to take people aside and brush their hair, massage them, work her magic. It feels so nice I almost fall asleep.

“You should do this for a living,” I say.

The brushing stops. I can feel her tensing behind me.

I turn, “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, I just…” she sighs, “Yeah, maybe.”

I feel like I’ve upset her. I’m not sure how. But before I can ask, she sweeps the brush through my hair twice more and sets it down. “All done.”

I turn to face her and I hear her breath catch. I move my mouth to speak but no words come. She’s leaning closer to me. So close it makes my stomach do a flip. So close I can feel her heat.

“Sasha,” I breathe. And I do the impossible. I pull back. “I did something bad today.”

She blinks, confused. “What?”

“Ren’s not sick. He’s allergic to the perfume I’m wearing,” my voice pitches, “The perfume I bought because he’s allergic to it.”

Sasha's lips part. “Skye, what…” she frowns, “You did this on purpose?”

“No!” I squeak. “I --I just grabbed it without thinking! I think I just…forgot.”

She narrows her eyes at me.

I tug a lock of hair, pulling my head into my knees. “I don’t…know…”

“You’re still hung up on him.” The dry sound of her voice makes me look up. “No, I’m not--”

“Yeah,” she turns away, “you are.”

“Sash, are you mad?”

Sasha lets out a breath, then shakes her head hard enough to make her hair bounce. “No. I’m…” she sags, “tired.” She looks back at me with a wan smile. “We should get some rest. Big day tomorrow.”

I know she’s not telling me how she really feels. But I also don’t know how to fix this.

“Okay,” I nod. “Yeah.”

Sasha slips out of the tent and gives me a small wave, “See you in the morning.”

And she’s gone.

#zenoc #snz #snzfic #allergies #illness #oc skye #oc ren #oc leo #oc sasha #angst #snzkink #fluff #LSSR ship #sneeze tease #I really just couldn't wait to get the next one out there #Expect the other one shortly after this because I'm completely infatuated with these chars #LSSR

17 notes · View notes

arsonist-chicken · 2 years

Note

Knock knock, don't mind me, just asking how the festival went! Did you have fun? Did you end up watching that scary band after all? Did you make it home safely? The audience (me) wants to know everything!

Definitely not asking this because I miss you, shush, what are you even talking about?

It took a few weeks, but here's the Nova Rock report for you! ✨🦝🌈 it's only 4400 words, have fun.

Huh, I didn’t go 🥺🥺😭💖💗 over "I missed you" and the withdrawal symptoms you mentioned on discord, haha no, what?

The most important things first: I did have so much fun; I did watch the not-actually-scary band, and we did make it home safely and even without any delays (well except the one who had to travel to NRW with the DB but well) with only a weird little sunburn on my back from my shirt with cut-outs at the back.

We took the night train, so I went to the train station, thought "why are there always such weird people here at midnight", then remembered I was sitting there in my pyjamas with my hair still smelling of the fresh hair dye. I read your new chapter, had to stop myself from screaming, asked my sister + friend (NOT the random lady there) what they thought about the blind cat, we found a little ladybug in our compartment who then continued being in our tent, at the camp side, on the train home, and in my room back at home again. He’s actually flying around my lamp right now (well he was when I started writing this, he’s since left for the outsides).

We went with a whole bunch of people (like.. 20? My friend’s brother and his friends and friends of friends, you know), met two VERY annoying drunk Bregenzerwälder with their Hölzler shoes (who the FUCK wears those shoes to a festival??) and luckily lost them again, but everyone who was with us was really cool and chill to hang out with.

They had to cancel the first few bands because of the deep mud the rain had turned the stage areas into, but nothing I wanted to see luckily (although, go listen to Gloryhammer’s “Fly Away”, very fun), so I just sat there at the camping ground with my phone trying to listen to my zoom class (because of course the one lesson the whole semester I really wanted to be at was that week, but well, at least online); and after we went to a band I didn’t know before but someone said they were good, and they were (Coffeshop Company)! Which is something I really like about festivals, you can just go hang out by the stages for a bit to listen to new bands and see them on stage and if you don’t like them, you can just move along to another stage or sit with others by your tents. AND AND AND!! Oh yeah, we saw Evanescence for a bit, they’re okay. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY. I had been trying to see Rise Against live since I was 14, so 10. Years. now, and now I finally did see them!! And they were everything I expected! They were so energetic and they joked around a bit and the singer pointed out a few signs, and their energy and everything was so good! And their songs are fucking amazing live, they’re SO GOOD. Everyone and their grandmother always insisted on telling me how bad their sound was live, and now I got to judge for myself finally, and they were so GOOD!

BRING ME THE HORIZON BRING ME THE HORIZON BRING ME THE HORIZON! Friday was BMTH day! It was still muddy as hell, like my sister went to the toilets and came back with her whole boots covered up above the ankle in mud, but the organisers really came through and covered the entire stage area with what I learned is called Holzschnitzel (wood chips), so no problems there anymore. We went to see Battle Beast, which – wow, the singer’s voice is unbelievable! She has such power in her voice! We also had some food, my sister dropped a perfectly fine mozzarella stick into the mud (highly relevant info), and my friend and me went to see Maneskin. I wasn’t that excited for them anymore because I don’t like their new music very much, but I thought I’d go see them for a bit, and well – they have amazing stage presence! They just come out and start off right off the bat with such power and energy, I can really see how they pull new audiences in at festivals! The ... guitarist? Bassist? I’m not sure which one the woman plays and I can’t tell the difference anyway, but she had some, uuuh, trouble with her outfit, in that she had a bit of tape on her chest and otherwise a net shirt that kept riding down to her stomach and some tech guy or the singer had to keep pulling back up for her. She also had HIGH heels which I don’t understand how she didn’t fall even once, running around in that, good for her. The singer once almost hit someone with a bottle or something and said, “Sorry if I hit you, my brother, my sister, whatever you are”, which 🌈🌈🌈 They’re, well... I could do with less sexual stuff but it’s their show. It was funny though how within 20 minutes, three of them were wearing almost nothing on top, except the guitarist (?) with his full long-sleeved cowboy outfit and cowboy hat.

We left a bit early and still watched the rest of Skillet 😊 had a snack on the floor while Korn was playing (they’re not bad actually), and then went into the first... like the areas in front of the stage are divided right? We went into the front section for Heilung. Because BMTH was playing right after them and we really wanted to be towards the front for them because well. Bring Me The Horizon 💖 which meant I had to stand there and suffer through 75 minutes of a god-awful boring weird band. They’re… you know, I already talked about them in the blind cat post, I’ll keep it short here: I thought they’d be creepy from seeing their music videos, especially with the red-blinking windmills in the background, but turns out, you can’t scare or creep me out if you just bore the hell out of me first. Their music is so slow it makes me want to scratch my skin off to feel something, they don’t interact with the audience at all, and you can’t understand their lyrics because they sing in I don’t know how many languages, half of them dead. On top of being boring as fuck, they’re also weird as hell, using instruments made of [redacted] and having very unpleasant to watch parts in their show that I don’t think they should be allowed to just act out like that at a festival that allows 8-year-olds in. Yes, the parents are responsible, but like I said – at a festival, you also just randomly walk around the stage area and see what happens even if you’re just passing by to a different area. Actually even forgetting about minors, I’m 24 and I didn’t like seeing that. Anyway, they’re boring, they’re weird and pretentious, don’t listen to them, @ Nova don’t book them again jesus christ.

ANYWAY. FRIDAY WAS BRING ME THE HORIZON DAY. Aka the absolute highlight. They came on stage, you could see how HAPPY they were to be there, they started out with “Can You Feel My Heart”, they’re happy, I’m happy, I feel nothing but joy FINALLY hearing them again after having been rescheduled three or so times. Remember how I said they’d cancelled bands because of the mud, and I said to a friend if I missed BMTH for any reason, I’d cry? Because I’d been waiting to see them since, well. Whenever in 2020 the concert would have been idk man. WELL. Turns out, the security at that festival is abysmal every year (we got checked twice in four days, but god forbid you take a plastic bottle or Tetrapak with you to the stages), and they didn’t close the front area when there were as many people there as allowed. I’m not gonna drag this out with details but long story short, it was okay during the first song but got too bad to stay when the second song + circle pits started (I have… opinions on them, should I elaborate?), we tried to leave but it was very cramped, we got separated, and next thing I know some guy (thank you <3) pulls me up from the floor and helps a security guy get me over the fence, who then drags me away to the paramedics, whom I tell I’m fine, just a bit dizzy, I just want to sit down on the side and watch from there, I can hear “Teardrops” fading into “Dear Diary” aka the song I’d been fucking annoying about being excited to hear, so naturally, they drag me away to the Red Cross tent. Where I just sit for a few minutes getting more and more upset over missing one of the few bands I really, really wanted to see. Anyway, we met two others from our group there too, a guy had twisted his ankle or something and his girlfriend, who – she is SO SWEET, she always asked how everyone was, she’s funny, she gave me Traubenzucker (seriously I still don’t know the English word) and hugged me and said we should just all go out and sit down on the side to watch the rest of BMTH, which we did, and actually suddenly a bunch of our group were there somehow? Anyway, I cried a little more watching them until I calmed down again, and the rest of the show was SO GOOD FUCK. They have such energyand excitement to be there and they go hard on stage, they really do, and the singer’s voice is so nice again now that he’s recovered, there is so much power behind and in his voice when he sings; anyone who says BMTH have become soft or worse or whatever since they have less screaming can fight me (the Florians?). I’m already looking forward to seeing them again in February (covid don’t even LOOK at February you fucking bitch) so much! They still played “Kingslayer” which is always great, “Drown” which is *chef’s kiss*, a few more songs (my concert memory is so bad, the most I can usually say is yeah it was great), and ended with “Throne”, which you know, *all the chef kisses in the world*. Seriously, if you like BMTH and ever get the chance to see them live – GO! They’re SO GOOD live, they’re so happy to be there, their energy takes over the audience immediately, you can scream along or just be there and vibe… They’re just such a great band, in general and to see live (ignoring my situation here, not the band’s fault but the security’s + drunk large guys who don’t look out for others), it’s so fun to be at their shows – oh, everyone who likes BMTH should get the chance to see them live! They’re so GOOD my god I’m excited for the new single tomorrow.

Have you listened to the 30 second thingy they put out already? I can’t get over the way he sings “forever”, someone who actually knows something about music explain to me what it is about that particular way he sings that makes it so 🥺✨💖🍀 Something about the way his voice… vibrates? So to say, and the slight rasp maybe? Not even mentioning the lyrics themselves! This week sure is a busy week for me with a new BMTH song tomorrow plus the BC album on Thursday and then everything else going on as well plus weaselling my way into the playlist with whatever BC song I’ll like the most by then at the drag party so I’ll see what you’ll come up with to bribe me.

Saturday was Electric Callboy day! It was finally warm and sunny and one guy convinced all of us to go to a band no one knew but said were fun to see live, and they were (Liedfett)! I wouldn’t listen to them otherwise but live there, they were fun, and somehow our group turned their band name into a Marco Polo thing. Also, since pretty much almost all of us were there, we asked a guy to take a picture of us and I’m 95% sure the guy was high of some sorts, but the photos turned out well. Also, another guy took a picture of all of us at the camping side once and I don’t know if he was a photographer or something, but he moved around, changed angles and took about 40 pictures, “so you’ll have a really good one!” My sister, friend, and me went to a Ferris wheel they had put up and from the top, you could see across the whole area, which was both huge but also looked smaller than I had expected. A few of us got some food and watched a bit of Jinjer, they’re okay but a bit boring maybe. But but but! After them, Electric Callboy played! Awww Ruby, I wish I had a picture of their faces pretty much anytime they showed them on the screens up-close, they looked so HAPPY, it was beautiful to see! They were so GOOD and so excited to be there and play their show and they always smiled and laughed so beautifully*, it was wonderful to see 🥺 And it was so fun too, they talked quite a bit, once before “Spaceman”, the smaller singer Nico, as Fine taught me, took Kevin to the front of the stage to teach the audience the lalala-ish sound, but the way he did that was to take Kevin by the hand and walk with him to the front of the stage hand in hand while saying something like “Komm mal mit mein Lieber, also der Typ, der kann Sachen machen mit seiner Zunge, ich schau ihm jeden Tag beim Üben zu, haltet eure Freundinnen und Freunde fest, da könnt ihr noch was lernen”.. oder so. Ngl for a second I was wondering if surely he wouldn’t just go ahead and kiss the guy, right? Oh, a few others of our group who didn’t or not really know them came too and they all loved them, some even said they were their highlight of the festival! Which is not at all surprising, I mean you’ve seen them too, right, you know how just… Their energy and fucking around and their easy-to-vibe-with music make it really easy I think for anyone to really, really enjoy their concerts, even if you don’t really know them. I know I already loved them in April when I forgot to listen to more of their songs than I knew at the time before their EC/BC Munich concert, and it was still so much fun. Their stage presence and happy-go-lucky attitude and how obviously happy they are to play their music just makes it really easy to have fun. *I asked Fine, Laura, and Lou if it would be very weird to send them a message or email or something telling them how nice it was to see how happy they were on stage and how beautiful their smiles and laughs were, and got an “you are so cute” in return, but I’m telling you – they were the cute ones with how utterly HAPPY they were 🥺 I feel like I haven’t said a lot besides “it was so nice to see how happy they were” in various shades and slightly to the left but it just cannot be said enough. It was beautiful to see. Maybe I’ll still write them a message or a letter or something. Oh I also saw parts of The Offspring, Bad Religion, Seiler und Speer, Dame, and Deichkind later that day but none really convinced me, so in the end I had an early night (like... midnight “early”).

Sunday was Billy Talent day! Also a few other bands before that, Kissin’ Dynamite are fun to watch and their singer seems like a little shit (I could see him and Joonas fucking around on stage together), a bit of Eluveitie (boring) and In Flames (better than I remembered). We went around a bit before Billy Talent for food and then one booth had just run out of all meats, mozzarella sticks, whatever else, idk they only had fries left so we went to get a pizza, had a discussion in line with some guys about what the pizza names mean, and found out some sinners put eggplant on pizza. My friend works at a zoo and told us they can only feed eggplants to one breed of their stags because not even the pigs eat those. Oooh, Billy Talent were also so fun to watch! I’m not sure why there were so many more people than the day before, maybe because they were the second-to-last band to play? Anyway, very fun! Almost all of our group were there again, I knew about half of the songs they played and it’s just so easy to sing along and see everyone else also sing and jump along and just enjoy being there! Except the couple right in front of us who just spent the whole show making out. Why. Move. The singer made fun of the shape of the stage, talked a bit about other stuff and joked around, they also just have a presence that makes you enjoy their concert regardless of how well you know them, they make it easy to have fun.

Ah, the last band was Five Finger Death Punch, which I didn’t really know before, maybe a song or two in passing, but they were really entertaining to watch. To me – apparently quite a few people thought the singer talked to much or sang weirdly or was drunk? I don’t know, I didn’t hear it, I just had fun with his jokes and I thought his voice was quite powerful too. I don’t really know them but I think they were a good final act to put on.

There’s not much to be said about the trip home, we got up at 5 or so to avoid the “everyone leaving” waves, had some more floor breakfast at the Vienna train station, chatted some more, and on the train everyone fell asleep one after the other, but not before witnessing me almost losing my jacket with no idea how it ended up there and despite looking at it several times before another traveller asked his friend whose jacket that was, and throwing my phone on the floor five seconds later. I had to get off earlier than the others at my uni town, which meant I got a hug goodbye from the only guy still motivated to stand up (feel you), almost forgot my chair, and then almost fell down the train stairs. I was tired okay. Also at like... 8pm or so, a few hours after I’d already showered and thrown everything into the dishwasher washing machine, we finally got the text from the one who had to take the DB to NRW that she’d arrived home, about two hours late, unsurprisingly. I know I complain about the ÖBB a lot and rightfully so I think, but how do you all just live like that regularly?

Remember how you said on discord you’d gotten withdrawal symptoms and I said it was five days and you said, "5 days in which anything could have happened you know"? Well. Nothing happened for me (where is my festival romance huh? BC concert first date idea? Huh, did someone say something?), however. I sit at the camping side with a bunch of others on Saturday noon, enjoying the sun finally being here, when I hear my sister + friend say my name, so I go over to see what they’re gossiping about me, only for my sister to tell me a guy from our group randomly (“randomly”, you should have been there, it was so fucking obvious there was something there, and that’s from me who never notices shit until it’s pointed out to me) asked her if she’s single the day before, she later asked him to do something after the festival and he said he would have asked her if she hadn’t asked first. They’ve had a few dates since then, I think it’s going well.

I haven’t talked about the sunsets yet! Oooh, so that festival is in the Pannonia fields, which basically means in the middle of nowhere on some farmers’ fields which are packed with windmills which at night blink red rhythmically and that looks so cool at night! Just a few dozen windmills in the background blinking red in sync. And the sunsets were beautiful! Just being by the stage, listening to or waiting for a great band to play, and left and right of the stage seeing the sunset over the fields 🥰 (don’t go there to see mountains, the area’s highest one is 302m)

Oooh!! Do you know how I hate phones at concerts a little? Like I get taking a few pictures or short videos, but I’m really annoyed by people recording whole songs or the whole concert wth is wrong with people because the people behind you can’t see goddamn it. I don’t want to be mean to or about teenage audiences, I don’t. It has to be said though, the difference in phone usage at concerts with a primarily teenage audience vs a primarily adult audience is staggering. This year, I’ve been to a Louis Tomlinson, 5SOS, and EC/BC concert and now the festival, and the difference in the audience is huge. At LT + 5SOS, there were so many people there who were constantly recording and watching so much of the concerts through their phones (you miss everything?!), whereas at EC/BC and the festival, people also took photos or recorded but like… very, very few people constantly did so, most took a picture or video of their favorite songs and then put their phones away again. And I have to say, the difference in the energy of the audience is very noticeable. People are just much more into it, just being there enjoying the show, singing and jumping along etc. etc., you know what I’m talking about. I once saw a video of a Halsey show where phones were banned, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that since then every time I see people constantly on their phones at concerts.

It was also so goddamn nice to be – well technically you’re reachable, most people have their phones with them, but in reality, I can just turn on flight mode and only take it off that when I need to find my friends (well and that one class) and ignore everything else for four days. Ideal existence tbh. No uni, no work, no being contacted if you don’t want to, no other adult responsibilities, just hanging out with fun people, sharing snacks, and enjoying good music together, half of the days even in the sunshine. Speaking of sun, why did no one tell me my hat looked stupid, I wore that for the whole weekend 😤 oh, also, I got a BMTH shirt! It’s so pretty and it’s white but somehow still too warm for a 30-degree day. Then again everything is, probably. But I had a clean shirt to wear for the journey home with my dust-covered skirt, that was nice.

I met a woman with really pretty multi-coloured hair at the showers. Once there was suddenly a bridal party at the camping spot asking for a beer for their flunky ball bridal party game and invited us to join and offered glitter tattoos. Oh, the guy who hurt his ankle, some of our group borrowed a… those small things you can put boxes or other stuff on you need to transport and wheel it around? One of those to have the guy stand on and wheel him back to our camping area. We found a really nice spot a bit farther away from one of the stages for when we wanted to see a band but just relax and vibe, maybe have some food there and sit down a bit, that was a good spot, I swear we weren’t just on our feet 12h every day in front of the stages. Just peppering in all the random things here that I’m remembering that didn’t fit elsewhere. We built the ladybug a little home in one of the glass holder nets in my camping chair. You said you missed me. Oh, we camped in the Green Area which is just like, less trash and noise, and by day two, there was a hole in the fence which was quite practical because it made the way to the stage area shorter. By day four, a whole fence thingy had been moved. Also, that area was supposed to be quieter but they had a party area or something that played music with heavy bass until 4am or so, which apparently bothered quite a few people about sleeping, but I found quite soothing actually. Oh, the fiancé/husband of the bride with her bridal party was also somewhere with his friends, I kept seeing them in their pink safety vests vs. the women in the orange ones.

So yeah, the security, paramedics, and non-alcoholic drink situation where not it (they had… Red Bull and water stations, but 95% of the drinks sold were alcoholic – please remember the minimum age is 8, also some people (hi) don’t like to drink, especially not at festivals), but the people I was there with, the bands, how obviously happy they all were to be there, the eating food on the floor with each other, the shared snacks at the camping area, the just hanging out and chatting at the camping area talking about the bands and whatever else really, the “guess what I just saw on my way to the toilets” stories shared, the random people around us, the “travelling together and having food and listening to music together” human experience – yeah, that was very much it 🥰🥰🥰💖✨🌈🦝🍀 Writing all that down took about 2 pages of my happy memories book, 100/10 would recommend grabbing your favorite snacks and a few friends, putting your phones into flight mode, and wandering off to a festival for a few days 🥰🥰🥰

#id in alt text #well the happiness didn’t last long because my flatmate bothered me as soon as I turned my phone back on at the train station but whatever #and I’m angry at myself for missing BMTH because honestly I was probably just being dramatic but I still saw most of them and they are #SO GOOD RUBY SO GOOD I love BMTH with my whole soul I’m not ready for a new album I’m very much ready though to hear it #at the concert in February that I will see in its entirety so help me #oh this got long didn’t it hold on let me look at the word stats – ah 304minutes.#Well word also counts if it’s just open in the background so maybe let’s clock it in at 2h #or so to see if I really got everything plus a bit to 🦝🦝🦝 over you saying you missed me #also you could give recommendations for next years' artists so i nicely begged for BC + Alex Mattson #good for them for going to wacken but i will never in my life go there again #it's five hundred fucking hours away and it's huge which is great for the bands i think but as the audience you're just always so #far away from the stages you practically only see the screens. at least as far as i remember and i was there in 2014 so don't take my word #for it #in conclusion BC please come to a festival around here #there's even one in my area! billy talent have also been there before!#huh actually let me check if you can suggest bands to them too they could do with a bit more in that direction and a bit less #of party pop and techno music #i went there for russkaja and saltatio mortis and they were great! blind channel next?#i'm going to a harry styles concert on monday that i'd also forgotten i still have a ticket for and i'm excited #because his music is good enough and i'm going with friends and we're gonna have a little car roadtrip there again #(i say roadtrip it's 2h or so away but we're going together and we're gonna listen to music and have some snacks so <3)#but i am decidedly not excited about the screaming and screeching 15-21 year olds #very excited to find a spot in the back and just chill and hang out there and enjoy it from there in peace #nova rock report #the-very-rubiest #asks #have fun with that i know I'd hate to read that many long-ish paragraphs but i didn't know where to put the breaks and also tumblr #was acting up about actually letting me post it

5 notes · View notes

catlady5001 · 2 years

Note

prompt: kouda is freaking out because there is a bug so tsu eats it

ooh this was a fun one to write!!

its cross-posted to ao3!

She says yes, and the next day Kouta is dropped on 1-A’s doorstep.

Mina perks up at the doorbell. “Who’s that?”

“Aizawa-sensei,” Tsuyu responds as she opens the door. “Hello, Kouta.”

“Hi,” he says sullenly.

“I’ll be back at five,” Aizawa says, then walks off, hands in his pockets. Tsuyu doesn’t bother to watch him leave, instead directing her attention to Kouta.

“Want to come play Mario Kart?” she asks.

“Sure,” he says reluctantly.

Inside the common room, all commotion comes to a standstill. For a moment, all is silent.

Then, Kirishima exclaims, “Tsuyu! You have a kid?!”

Bakugou whacks him over the head. “He’s not hers, shitty hair!”

“Language,” Mina singsongs.

Bakugou ignores her. “He’s that kid from the training camp.” At Kirishima’s blank look he adds, smirking, “He’s the kid who punched Deku in the balls.”

“Oh!” he exclaims, his eyes lighting up. He smiles at Kouta, who’s been watching this exchange with relative disinterest. “Nice to see ya again, kid!”

“Uh huh,” Kouta says, unimpressed.

“Heya!” Kaminari exclaims, waving briefly before his hand darts back to the controller. “What’s up?”

“Nothing interesting,” Kouta says, with a pointed glance around the common room.

“Hey!” Sero objects. “We’re plenty interesting.”

“Sure,” Tsuyu says, then says to Kouta, “We’ve got snacks in the kitchen, if you want.

“I guess I am kinda hungry,” Kouta says. Tsuyu nods, and leads him away as Mina makes a vaguely disappointed sound.

She lets Kouta have his pick of Bakugou’s secret food stash— she knows Bakugou’s more of a softy than he lets on, and if he’s really mad she’ll take the blame— and she grabs a juice box for each of them.

“Do you want to go hang out more with them, or find something else?” Tsuyu asks. “I could raid Iida’s room for books, or Kirishima’s for board games.”

Kouta shrugs. “I dunno.”

“You don’t have to decide right now,” Tsuyu says calmly. She takes a sip of her own juice box, and waits. Her own siblings have trouble deciding, too, and she’s learned it’s better to give them time to think than to pick something they aren’t in the mood for.

After a minute of deliberation, Kouta asks hesitantly, “Could we go outside?”

“Sure,” Tsuyu says. “Do you want to bring any frisbees or chalk or anything, or just hang out?”

“Chalk could be fun,” he decides.

Tsuyu nods. “I’ll be right back.”

She runs to her room to grab the spare chalk she keeps up there, then heads down to meet Kouta again.

There’s a small courtyard between the two buildings comprising the first year hero classes, below the bridge that connects them. There are benches and flowers surrounding the perimeter, and a bubbling fountain in the middle. It’s peaceful, and Tsuyu has studied here with Izuku on more than one occasion. Kouta is equally as enamored with it, if his wide eyes are any indication. He wanders around for a few minutes, familiarizing himself with the miniature landmarks, before he returns to Tsuyu for the chalk.

“Want me to color with you?” she asks curiously, when he doesn’t run off for the sidewalk.

“Only if you wanna,” he says sullenly, which is kid-speak for yes.

She settles into the sidewalk beside him, and watches as he dumps the bucket of chalk on the ground. “What do you want to draw first?”

“I’m going to draw Deku,” he answers. “You can draw whatever you want.”

“I look forward to seeing it,” Tsuyu says. “I’ll draw my friend, Ochako-chan.”

“Okay,” he says quietly. They each grab a starter piece of chalk and begin to draw. Kouta starts with harsh, bold strokes that start at Izuku-chan’s shoes. It’s then that Tsuyu notices Kouta’s own shoes, which are the same terrible shade of red.

For a while they keep on like that, each drawing their own hero. Then Kouta shrieks, and Tsuyu immediately looks up, assessing the area for danger.

“What’s wrong, Kouta-chan?” she asks urgently.

“There’s a spider on my drawing!” he exclaims, distressed.

Before he finishes his sentence, Tsuyu flicks out her tongue and eats the arachnid in one bite. “Not anymore,” she says.

“You just— you just ate a bug!” Kouta exclaims. “Right off the sidewalk!”

“Yes, and?” Tsuyu asks, an eyebrow raised.

Kouta wrings his hands together, then says quietly, “Thank you, miss Asui.”

“No problem, kid,” she says. “And please. Call me Tsuyu.”

#thanks for the ask griffin!!#asks #ask games #30 min fics #my writing #@ ely I tried your 30 minute fic challenge and it was great;Tsuyu #Kouta #dicker

6 notes · View notes

spfqueen · 8 months

Text

Vipassana

Vipassana means "seeing things as they really are" and is a meditation technique originating from India. It is the process of self-cleansing through self-observation. Impulsively once again, I decided to spend 10 days at a retreat in Asia learning this ancient meditation technique white cut off from all electronic devices and communication with the outside world.

I am a woman of science, I like evidence based, quantitative measurement and proof of theory and statistics. What the heck was I doing at a Buddhist meditation retreat right after my research fellowship?

I've always been drawn to Eastern philosophy. After earning my science degree I traveled to Bali to get a yoga instructor certification. That's where I first heard about Vipassana. I couldn't understand why anyone would willingly sign up for something so torturing. Two years later my own calling came: I felt completely disconnected from my body and disoriented from my goals. I went on the website and started looking for destinations, I filled out the declaration of interest not believing I would go. Vipassana centers exist all over the world, as well as in Greece. The only open place I found within 10 days was in Singapore. I was starting rural in two months so it had to be done asap.

My previous experience with meditation? Excruciating. I couldn't sit still for more than 10 minutes, my so-called monkey mind jumped around endlessly leaving me with negative feelings of failure and dissatisfaction. But wasn't that the goal? To go and learn how to do it.

I decided not to discuss this decision with my acquaintances, as I didn't want their opinion to influence me. I knew exactly how they were going to respond.

Three days before I left I told my brother that I was scared. He replied "It is that because you are scared you have to do it".

Two days before I flew I announced to my mother that I was going to Singapore for 10 days without a cell phone for a meditation retreat. The mother obviously freaked out. "Who organises this, what's the point, why don't you go find a place at the beach to chill instead of flying to Asia to meet hippies".

I packed my suitcase and took a taxi to the airport for a 20h trip. I commuted from the airport directly to the place appointed for pick up to the course location. I was there two hours early. "What am I doing? I have a family that loves me. Why did I have to go halfway around the world to calm my head - I could have chosen to go to a shopping spree instead. This meeting spot could easily be a white slavery organisation, I'd be kidnapped and no one would know where I was."

Slowly, Singaporeans and Indians began to appear with suitcases in hand and a look on their faces saying "I don't know what I'm doing - help me". I must have been in the right place because I looked like that too. They counted us, read our names and we boarded the bus. Half an hour later we had arrived at the camp and received our instructions and schedule for the next 10 days.

Program

04:00 wake up to the sound of the gong 04:30 - 06:30 meditation in our private room or in the hall 06:30 - 08:00 breakfast 08:00 - 09:00 group meditation in the hall 11:00 - 13:00 lunch (this was the last meal of the day) and rest 13:00 - 14:30 meditation in our private area or in the hall 14:30 - 15:30 group meditation in the hall 15:30 - 17:00 meditation in our private room or in the hall 17:00 - 18:00 afternoon tea break 18:00 - 19:00 group meditation in the hall 19:00 - 20:15 video course screening 20:15 - 21:00 group meditation in the room 20:00 lights off

Rules The participants must: Refrain from killing any living creature (including: for eating anything of animal origin. not even the mosquito that's buzzing around you) Refrain from stealing. Refrain from any sexual activity. Refrain from lying. Abstain from any kind of toxic substances. To follow polite silence - ALL conversations (and eye contact) are forbidden. There is segregation of men and women in the area. Physical exercise, yoga is prohibited. No reading, music, writing, use of cell phone and camera is prohibited. Shoulders and knees should be covered at all times, with loose and modest clothing.

Time to explore where I would sleep. Our room had the same size as my room in Athens with the small detail that it was destined for 6 women in bunk beds. How was I supposed to share a room with 5 other Asian girls without talking? The room looked like it hadn't been cleaned for a long time, the WC was two in one, bathroom and toilet. How was I, a sworn enemy of any camping activities going to last 10 days in that hell? I'd heard that many people can't complete the course and give up, but a more stubborn person than me is hard to find. Furthermore, I was a bit far from home (20 hour trip). The outdoor space was surrounded by a fence, hence limited walking area. On the other side of the fence I saw beautiful trees I have only seen in Asian movies. It was beautiful.

Days 1 - 3

The first three days were dedicated to the technique of observing the breath, called anapana. I got 5 pillows to make a little throne and be as comfortable as possible. For the first 2 days western life occupied my mind. I was thinking of captions for my fantastic instagram posts for clicks I'd never taken. I walked around our fenced area to count how many minutes I completed it in (it was 4), so I could repeat it as many times as it takes to walk 30 minutes a day. For self entertainment purposes, I walked barefoot on the grass to soak in the daily midday rain. Remember the rules. Besides, it was so hot that I had to go into every meditation hour in a wet shirt to endure.

I generally don't dream, but after the first day of meditation every time I went to sleep (naps twice during the day and sleep at night) I had very vivid dreams that I remembered clearly afterwards. I started to get used to myself without make up and actually like my face (note that at the time my friends never saw me without winged eyeliner and 10 days make up free was a personal record).

Day 4

On the fourth day I found out that so far we haven't been practicing vipassana meditation. That day we had to pick a sitting position and stay there for two hours without any movement. For two hours you had to harness your mind telling you to stretch your leg, scratch your shoulder, open your eyes. And just when you think you're not going to make it, you do. My leg went completely numb and I had to give it sometime before I was able to walk again.

Every day that went by, I got better at that technique. I had become more relaxed, and more "present". I noticed the trees, each leaf and trunk, the sunrise and sunset, the colors and position of the sun. I felt happier, so much so that I wondered if they were adding any substances in our food.

Slowly, I began to understand the meaning behind each rule. We couldn't eat heavily because it was hard to stay alert for meditation on a full stomach. We couldn't talk because, as they say, "comparison is the thief of joy." Each student was at a different stage in their path and each path is different. Also writing, cell phones and talking were ways we could avoid introspection. Exercise, even light yoga would be distraction as well.

Days 6 - 9

On the 6th day, the vipassana technique began. From then on, three times a day for one hour we had to stay still. Normally you should not label your meditation as good or bad. It is simply what it is. However, I was extremely proud of my meditation session on the 7th day. An hour of sitting went by like 5 minutes. It seemed unbelievable to me. After the session, I went outside, sat on the grass and observed the nature around me. Never in my life, had I ever felt such explosion of joy inside of me before. The feelings were unprecedented. I couldn't remember myself being so happy. I started wondering when was the last time I was happy. The last times I had felt happy were when I had published in one of the best dermatology journals, when I had presented at that American World Congress, when I went on a date with Mr X, Y, Z. It was all external ego boosters. And there, I found myself having created this huge feeling - all an inside job, with no gym endorphins, no shopping, no contact with people around me. I was crying.

I was thinking about The Beatles, one of my favorite bands, who had gone to meditate in India. I was singing "Let it be" in my head and, for the first time, with Goenka's vipassana teaching, the song really made sense.

Day 10

We were finally allowed to talk to each other. I so was eager to ask about their experiences, what had prompted them to come. I learned that Vipassana is quite popular in Asian countries. I was surprised to find out that many came for no particular reason, just for the experience. Some said they were looking for answers, others said they were depressed and wanted to heal. All of them felt grateful that they came. I felt a constant smile on my face which I could also see on everyone around me.

I don't know what exactly it was that prompted me to try Vipassana. But it was the best trip of my life.

Was it easy? Not at all. Should you go for it? No doubt. If I had to put into one single phrase what how felt, it would be "I was put back into my body". I can't help but wonder if I would have handled things differently if I had done vipassana earlier in my life. I made a promise to myself that I would continue meditating and would repeat the course that made me grateful to be me.

#vipassana #meditation #yoga #mindfulness #wellness #buddhism #goenka #singapore

0 notes

shxdowsofombra · 1 year

Text

Recovering

[Charlie]

Charlie was still in the room recovering when he thought he heard someone coming down the hall. He was just hoping that whoever it was wasn’t going to come into his room because if they came in and saw him they would want to try to fix him. His body had healed a majority of the way over night and thought it was okay for him to leave.

[Tate]

Tate walked into the room and saw Charlie. “Are you trying to sneak away?” He asked before laughing. “It’s just me, the doctor said you were resting so I was coming to see if you needed anything?”

[Charlie]

Charlie stopped when the door opened and let out a sigh of relief when he realized it was Tate. “I…maybe…I thought you weren’t going to tell the doctor I was here?” He asks. “Well your stitching did wonders because it’s almost healed and no there is no scarring either.” Charlie smiles.

[Tate]

“Yeah well, I knew you wouldn’t take care of yourself the right way and I wanted to make sure you were okay. Don’t worry, he won’t tell your mom. It’s not like she is here anyway.” He replied. “Oh that’s good to know, I was really worried.”

[Charlie]

“Hey I listened to what you told me. You are the doctor after all.” He teases with a smile. “Oh right she has the dress fittings. Well good because if someone told her then she would tell my dad and he would not be happy and it would cause a big fight and I don’t want to have caused a huge fight.” He says, “Oh did you want to see your handy work?” He teases.

[Tate]

“I am sure your parents just want to know you are okay. I am sure they would be mad for a second, but they will understand that Zach was in a bad place. And you only got hurt protecting me. It’s not like Zach actually wanted to hurt you.” He said before nodding. “Sure, if you don’t mind.”

[Charlie]

“Yeah but he almost killed you. I would have been upset if that happened. My first official boyfriend was killed by a dragon.” He shook his head before lifting up his shirt to show Tate. “See? Almost fully healed and no scarring.”

[Tate]

“Hm worse ways to go.” He joked as he shrugged before looking at the stitches and letting his hand move up the injury. “Yeah, looks good.” He smiled as he pulled away.

[Charlie]

“See I told you that you would be able to do it. Now, I can go back to camp right? I was supposed to meet with one of the teachers about the whole dance camp thing.” He tells him as he went to take his hand.

[Tate]

“You can meet with the teachers later. If you are trying to sneak away, the answer is no. The doctor would have told you if you could or not.” He laughed. “So, you stay until you are allowed to leave.”

[Charlie]

“What really? You are going to make me stay here? I…well what am I supposed to do? Just sit here and do nothing all day? Unless…you rather we play a game if you have time?” He offers up.

[Tate]

“You are in a castle hospital room, one of the nicest I have ever seen. You are fine.” He smiled before hearing the offer. “What game?”

[Charlie]

“We could play 20 questions? As a way for us to get to know each other better. I know we haven’t had many deep conversations just yet and I figured maybe we could start because I want to know who you are and learn more about you.”

[Tate]

“Okay sure.” He nods before sitting in the visiting chair. “Did you want to start?” He asked as he looked across the room at Charlie.

[Charlie]

“You can come sit down on the bed with me, you know. I am not the one that bites…or wait…never mind. I wouldn’t bite you. That is better.” He jokes as he thinks about some questions. “Okay, what made you want to move to this part of the island? Humans aren’t really naive to the siren area that I am aware of…you didn’t travel from somewhere outside of the island did you?”

[Tate]

“I know, but you really should be laying down. That’s the best way to feel better.” He teased before hearing the question. “No, I think I came the way everyone did. A shadow kidnapping you in the middle of the night.” He smiled before thinking about how to answer. “Uh…my ex-boyfriend lived over here. When he snapped, I just stayed.”

[Charlie]

“Oh so then you were a lost boy…I am surprised you never met my dad while over there he was one of the originals. Then again that camp is pretty big so…” He says before hearing Tate’s words. “Oh, I am sorry to hear that. Was he already bitten when you met him or did he get bit when you two were together if you don’t mind my asking.”

[Tate]

“I moved to the e camp pretty quickly. He was already bitten when I met him. That’s how I learned so much. He was older so that’s why I went to school, he just helped I guess. Have you always lived on this side of the island?”

[Charlie]

“Older? Like dad type older or like not that many years older than you older? So you went to school to learn more about it and he was at school too?” He asks, not really sure he understood what Tate was saying.

“Um yeah, I grew up in the castle my whole life. My dad did take me to the lost boy camp a few times before. They never took me to the E camp because I think they thought something might happen to me since I couldn’t control my powers when I was younger.”

[Tate]

“Like a couple of years and no I mean when I told him what I wanted to do, you know be a doctor, he told me to keep going to school. He showed me the school that Hope went to and I just kept going after he died. I didn’t think an island like this would have anything like this.”

“Oh okay, so what is your power? That dream thing you did?” He asked.

[Charlie]

“Yeah there was a lot of stuff I had to learn when growing up as well. Well when I was a baby I almost didn’t make it because well…my powers are dreams but not necessarily good ones. I was able to give nightmares…some of them caused my mom to put herself in rather dangerous situations because of them when she was pregnant with me. They had to put her in a coma so that she wouldn’t sleep and walk while carrying me. It was the safest option.”

“After I was born, I had a lot of trouble controlling them. I would accidentally give people nightmares when I touched them and based on their fears it sometimes resulted in um…they killed themselves by accident. I didn’t want to be around anyone and pushed them away for fear of hurting them. Once I started to be able to control them I realized that I could train myself to give people pleasant dreams and not just nightmares. That’s why I don’t know a lot of stuff. I only recently started doing things around people about a year or two ago…when I knew I could 100% control my powers.”

[Tate]

Tate listened to Charlie’s words and nodded, “Yeah I can understand wanting to isolate yourself to protect them and you. It’s not a bad thing to admit you are still learning. It would be bad if you just decided not to, in my opinion. I still don’t understand why you marry someone you didn’t love though? Your parents don’t seem like the type at all to make you do that by force nor do I think they wouldn’t have asked. So if you didn’t even love her, why get married?”

[Charlie]

“Well since my other siblings weren’t fit or didn’t want the throne. It fell on me and when I was younger my parents arranged that I would marry the princess of another kingdom, that being Rose’s kingdom. It wasn’t a matter of love. I was told it was my duty as prince to marry and produce the next line for the throne. So, I didn’t want to disappoint my parents and make them stay on the throne longer than they wanted to so I got married and tried to love her but in the end I just couldn’t. And then the whole thing with her kingdom coming after ours just made everything messy.”

“Seeing everyone else in the family being able to marry for love after a while…I was scared of what my parents would say since I knew they would count on me. I don’t like disappointing people and they are my parents. When I told them about the divorce there was another fight and so I just tried to stay away from all that. It was a bit much after a while. So, that was when I decided to stay with my sister for a bit and then we threw the party and well…you know the rest from there.”

[Tate]

Tate knew he personally didn’t understand but just nodded, “Yeah I guess that makes sense.” He says as he leaned back against his chair. “Any other questions.

[Charlie]

“How long were you with your ex-boyfriends? Were they all E’s or are they still around? Should I be worried?”

[Tate]

“The last one was a couple of years, and they are still alive for now. And I don’t think so, they won’t be alive much longer so nothing to really worry about.” He shrugged.

[Charlie]

“So then is it a matter of falling out of love with them when they get close to snapping for your own safety or…because a couple of years seems like a long time to love someone and then just…not love them.”

[Tate]

“He broke up with me. I guess he was tired of me watching people die.” He says before nodding. “You have never been in love, at a certain point, you need to pick yourself or that love.”

[Charlie]

“Oh…so then do you still harbor those feelings, I mean if he was the one that broke up with you. I could imagine it is hard to just stop. And what do you mean pick yourself or that love? Why can’t you have both?”

[Tate]

“I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. I can’t explain love or the complications that can happen. You just have to experience it yourself.” He said. “Of course I will always care, that will never go away. I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t be sad when he does snap, but I also respect his decision.”

[Charlie]

“I know familial love. I just don’t know romantic love. I know butterflies are not something you feel when you love someone, it's more of an infatuation I think…or like a crush. Well um…if you want me to be there to support you when it happens or if you need me to do anything for you just let me know.” He tells him sincerely.

“So then for your practice, I know you work with all the supernatural creatures but do you also think that you would be able to help animals? I know my parents wanted to open up a vet hospital on the island for those who have pets that need help. Maybe that might help you with gaining knowledge on the different kinds of shifters here too. It would bring more business being able to treat both shifters and sirens.”

[Tate]

“Well that’s not true, if it’s that real special love those butterflies never really go away. And it will come when they do things that just…make your heart skip a beat.” He said before hearing the question. “Well if it’s shifters that’s great, but if it’s animals like normal animals I don’t think I will be much help. I probably will be sneezing the whole time.” He says smiling. “I don’t really know what to ask you because you haven’t been out much. Did you go to school?”

[Charlie]

“Oh that’s right, you are allergic to animals…even the cute ones. I would be very upset if I was allergic to animals. Our whole family literally loves them.” He teases. “Well I went to school on how to be a royal, the mannerisms and the past rulers, some of them were just…horrible. I was taught how to properly court someone and date properly I guess is how I would put it. Most of the other things didn’t really matter to them I guess. That’s why I never really knew much about E’s or levels…they only taught what they wanted me to know and let out what they thought I didn’t need to.”

[Tate]

“Well then you will love puppy day at the school in camp. I always have to take medicine to even be around them. Even your dog makes me need medicine.” He says before nodding. “Oh okay, I get it. Still doesn’t make much sense since you would have been king of them too, but whatever. I don’t know anything about being royals.”

[Charlie]

“They did the same thing to my mother. She was the one that wanted to learn more about the E’s and the royals insisted that she shouldn’t care about them since they would die anyway. The royals don’t teach anything on E’s because they don’t view them as that important in the long run since they all die. So that’s why they never taught me about E’s. The lower ranks yeah I know some stuff about but they basically erased all mentions of any compassion for E’s and only taught us how to kill them if we encountered them.”

“The royals in the castle aren’t as…compassionate as my parents. That was something I had to learn on my own. So anything about E’s I would have had to ask my mom about but since I didn’t know much about them in the first place I didn’t really know what to ask about. The royals told me not to.”

[Tate]

“Hm okay, and you didn’t want to ask? I mean you are your own person. You don’t need to ask permission to ask your mom something. I mean I knew nothing about this island and still asked. I just don’t understand. I mean we are the same age, what like you are a year younger? I just don’t get how you didn’t ask. You became king, even if for like two day but for two days they were your people and you knew nothing about them.”

[Charlie]

“Because I was trying to appease my parents and that means doing what I was told and not asking too many questions. The royals have tried to assassinate my parents before. If I went digging literally two days into my role as king they would feel threatened. I was never around E’s so I didn’t know just like you didn’t grow up around royals so you wouldn’t know why they do things or how they do things. Everyone just assumes that the purebloods and royals are just these monsters that make E’s for no reason and have that hatred because of the select few that turn people. It took them a while to even accept my brother there.”

“Even Hope knew more than me because she was the rebel of the family and went out and did a whole bunch of things like drugs, went to parties, made friends, went to school…they didn’t let me. And my parents were fighting about something so I didn’t want to bother them. There was just a lot going on in the castle constantly just like there is always something going on at camp.”

[Tate]

“No I get all that, but you have to understand from someone who lives there, works with them, cares about them, it pisses me off a little. You just said your mom had to stand up against them to get them to care. Your mom didn’t know anything about being queen, we all know the stories but we also know she cares about all of us. It just seems like…you don’t really have a backbone. But like I told you earlier you just have a lot to learn. You are kind of like…a child a little bit.”

[Charlie]

“My mom was also in the castle a lot longer. And no she didn’t get them to care they still don’t. She was the only one that does and since she is queen when she does anything for the E’s they are obliged to listen even if they don’t like it. I think of it as being a people pleaser, having no backbone sounds rather…harsh. I mean…I guess but I am working on learning things like you said.”

[Tate]

“Sometimes I wish you would stop making excuses and just say you didn’t ask. I respect that a lot more than the reasons you give. I don’t care the reason. You didn’t ask, you didn’t know. You didn’t care to ask. Okay, I can get over that. Your excuses I can’t. You aren’t pleasing anyone though. You put your mom in danger to heal someone. You knew the consequences and still did it, if you were a people pleaser you wouldn’t have done that because I didn’t ask you to save him. You didn’t love Rose, but because you were afraid to say anything you married her anyway. And if you were a people pleaser you wouldn’t have done that because you knew the second she wasn’t a virgin anymore she meant nothing. You aren’t a people pleaser, because if you were you would have offered to save my ex-boyfriend and didn’t.”

“You just…again are too afraid. You are so afraid you can’t even see you aren’t living. You are making excuses to make yourself feel better when if you were honest with yourself you would have just admitted you didn’t want any of this. I don’t even think you know who you are Charlie.”

[Charlie]

“I didn’t even know about that until we just talked about it. I was trying to please my parents by becoming the next king even if I didn’t want to. And the whole virgin thing isn’t true. My mother wasn’t one when they got married and that didn’t mean she meant nothing.”

“Yeah okay I didn’t want any of it then. I wanted to be able to do what I wanted to do and didn’t because I thought that people would hate me if I did. It’s not an excuse, it is me giving my reason behind why I didn’t do something. I am not saying what I did was right or wrong I am just saying that what I was thinking at the time was that I was doing what was right. You want me to offer to save your ex-boyfriend? The person who you loved and left you…what you think that healing him is just going to magically make him want to get back together with you?” He asks as he looks up at the other.

[Tate]

“If I apologized to you and then gave you a reason, it’s an excuse. No one cares why. They just want to know you are acknowledging it. And the virgin thing is very true. That’s why she couldn’t marry another prince. I am sure neither Hero or her wanted to get together but Grace kept bringing her around camp because she couldn’t go anyway else.” He says before looking at Charlie. “No, I don’t. Because it would do more harm then good. Does the reason make you feel better or did you just want to hear me say no?”

[Charlie]

“She could marry my brother who is still a prince of the kingdom. That isn’t true she was supposed to marry him before he gave up the throne and when he didn’t they put me in his place.” He tells him.

“Most people would say yes because then it could give them another chance with that other person since dying is off the table. I wanted to know if you were one of those people that was why I asked. I heard about Noah and Cameron of the other kingdom. Noah was an E and wanted to leave Cameron, somehow he was healed and they both got back together and then all that other stuff followed. But by curing him, it gave them the second chance they wanted. That was why I was asking. I am not that cruel to be someone asking that to make myself feel better. I am not that shitty of a person but thanks for thinking so.”

[Tate]

“Gosh…even things you are wrong on you are still going to say you are right.” He sighed as he stood up. “I meant did hearing the reason I said no make you feel better. Even if I said yes why would you want that or why would that make you think I was one of those people if I saw first hand what happened to your mom when she did heal someone? Charlie…I don’t know who you need to talk to or who can help but you have some serious growing up to do. It is okay to be wrong, to be an asshole, none of that will make me like you less. I like you. What I don’t like is when you act like this version of someone I want. Because it’s not. I am okay with the ugly sides of you because the beautiful sides are beautiful enough without you forcing it down my throat. You are perfect the way you are. Stop acting like some fucked up version of yourself, because it is a serious turn off.”

[Charlie]

“I never said they were right. If I look back on them a lot of them were wrong but at that moment in time I thought I was doing what was right and clearly it was wrong. Well not that isn’t why I asked. I am smart enough to know that if anyone is given a second chance to be with someone that they love you should take it. If I had a way of healing him because it would make you happy then yeah I would because you would be happy even if I wasn’t. That was what my parents taught me; they taught me to not be…you know what it doesn’t matter.”

He says before getting up. “No, it’s not okay to be an asshole. Why the hell would anyone want to support or love an asshole that is just toxic and supports bad behavior.” His eyes flashed different colors as his body was starting to stress again. “I don’t need to be here, I am fine.” Charlie says, “Thanks for visiting though but I will be fine. You can go back to whatever you were doing.” He says before snapping on new clothes and starts to leave.

[Tate]

“Oh my god Charlie you do not have to be right all the time nor help everyone because no can, or did seeing your mom like that not teach you anything? No, but you know at least an asshole has more emotion than pleasing someone to just please them. You parents didn’t teach you to be this way, you can’t blame that on them when you had them at your disposal when people like me would die to have their parents back to help them with anything. You just said your mom went in a coma for you and you think she wouldn’t have answered questions you had?” He said before seeing Charlie leave. He just sighed in frustration before calling Hope and leaving.

#muse: charlie #charliextate #tate010

0 notes

rnelodyy · 3 years

Text

c!Dream and the rules

(/dsmp /rp, all names refer to characters, not content creators)

I think one of the most striking parts of Exile is something that I rarely see talked about, and it’s Dream’s rules. Or rather, how his rules were made to be used as justification to hurt Tommy.

The thing about exile is that, outside of the initial rule of “Don’t go back to L’Manburg”, Dream never told Tommy the rules, yet constantly operated under the assumption that Tommy already knew them, and had accepted them. The rules also changed constantly, without Tommy ever being notified until he was already in trouble.

The second time Dream told Tommy to put his armor in the hole, he didn’t tell Tommy to do that right away. Instead, the conversation went like this (slightly edited to remove stammering and unrelated dialogue).

Dream: Do you have, uh… something you wanna put on the floor here? Tommy: Yes. (drops two pieces of red concrete as Dream digs a hole) Dre-eam! You’re evil. You’re evil. Dream: Anything else, Tommy? Tommy: Nope! Dream: Oh c’mon, I know there’s something else you wanna drop down here. Tommy: (panicking slightly) No, there… (messages BBH “take this and run”, throws him the disc BBH had gifted him earlier) Um… I don’t reckon there is! (pause) Dream: Okay, are you suuuure? Tommy: YES. Dream: Alright… How ‘bout your armor, Tommy? Tommy: Well, no, this is- I actually earned this myself. Dream: I know you did! Tommy: Leave me alone. Dream: Just drop it in the hole, Tommy. Tommy: Wh- no, NO, you can’t just come and demand things from me! I’ve been exiled, I’ve done your shit, what do you mean?! Dream: (sing-song) Tommy… Tommy: What? (Dream hits Tommy with his axe, taking over half his health) Tommy: (screams, drops his armor) OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY OKAY!

The only rule Tommy was aware of at this time was that he wasn’t allowed to go back to L’Manburg. Dream had taken his armor the night before, but there was no indication that he expected Tommy to do this constantly. Taking his armor upon initially arriving at Logstedshire made some kind of sense, allowing Tommy to keep it would run the risk of him trying to fight his way back into L’Manburg. Taking his new, very shitty armor (seriously it was an iron chestplate and a pair of golden leggings he got from a ruined portal chest) made no sense at all, so the fact that Tommy was confused and refused to cooperate at first isn’t unexpected in the slightest.

And the thing is… Dream was aware of this fact. Throughout the conversation, he never really sounded annoyed, and was actively teasing Tommy at times. This isn’t a good thing btw, it’s a sign that he was fully aware that Tommy didn’t know what he wanted from him, and that that would create a situation where Dream could “put him in his place” as it were.

If you’re a parent, and your kid does something that’s not allowed, without knowing it’s not allowed, you don’t start off with a beating. You sit them down, calmly explain the rules to them and explain why those rules are there, then send them on their way with the knowledge that they shouldn't do it again.

This interaction wasn’t an instance of Tommy acting out and Dream correcting him. This interaction was a trap. Dream set Tommy up to fail by not telling him the rules beforehand, and when Tommy offered even the slightest bit of resistance and asked why he needed to drop his armor, Dream jumped straight to beating him. It’s a powerplay, plain and simple.

This is demonstrated again with the destruction of Logstedshire. Dream got pissed that Tommy disobeyed him by having hidden chests with gear under his house, and retaliated by destroying everything Tommy had built, destroying every item he’d collected, killing his pet and only foodsource, barring him from the Nether, banning everyone except himself from visiting, and telling him to start over from scratch after a whole lecture about how Tommy betrayed him.

Again, I wanna point out some specific lines from this lecture that illustrate my point very well.

Dream: You were lying to me! You were lying to me. Tommy: No- Why was I lying?! Dream: What do you mean, why were you lying?! Tommy: I wasn’t hi- I wasn’t- Dream: You hid things in a chest knowing they were things I wouldn’t want you to have! And you hid it in a way that way I would never find it!

Except Tommy didn’t know that. The contents of the stash were all items that Tommy had obtained previously without any issue (diamonds, emeralds, iron, ender pearls, some pickaxes, and some purely sentimental items like flowers, a jukebox, and pictures of Tubbo and L’Manburg). In fact, the vast majority of them came from Tommy’s aboveground storage, which Dream had full access to, and had looked through before!

Dream also never said Tommy wasn’t allowed to hide stuff, and there was nothing to suggest he didn’t want Tommy to keep secrets from him.

There’s been a theory floating around for a while that Dream knew about Tommy’s item stash beforehand, since it was a very strange place to dig a hole (like, right in front of the house in the center of Logstedshire itself, instead of out in the plains where the TNT wouldn’t damage any structures), and Tommy had previously forgotten to cover up the entrance ladder. While Dream hadn’t looked inside the house, he would’ve definitely heard Tommy place the block back.

If this theory is correct, then this was yet another trap. Dream knew Tommy had a hidden room, and instead of just saying “hey, I don’t want you to have a hidden stash, go put this back and fill in the room” (which would’ve still been bullshit btw), he went COMPLETELY ballistic, destroyed EVERYTHING Tommy had, and while doing it, kept admonishing Tommy for betraying him, said shit like “I thought we were friends”, and even accused him of preparing to attack Dream. Again, a powerplay.

Hell, even the exile conflict itself is this! Tommy was exiled for griefing the king’s property while being a high-ranking official in L’Manburg. Except Fundy, the then-president’s son, CONSTANTLY griefed Eret’s shit after the L’Manburg war, ranging from ripping down one of their towers to “shrink” it, filling another tower with water, and multiple elaborate plots to steal the throne from under their nose. But apparently, between all of that shit and the exile-conflict, the rules were silently changed, meaning Dream could exile Tommy for breaking a couple blocks and placing some rude signs in George’s house. Even the punishment itself was changed without warning, as Tommy went from being exiled from L’Manburg to exiled from “everywhere that’s ever been touched.”

...I was originally gonna make a different point here. I may put it in the reblogs, because I still think it’s very interesting. But, in the middle of writing this essay I had to stop because it was late, then I spent the entire next day packing up because I’m in the middle of a move. It's now the next evening, I'm sat in my new room, on my camping bed, I opened this doc because I pretty much forgot what I typed, I reread it, and then I realized… This isn’t an isolated series of events. This is a pattern for Dream.

Before Tommy first joined the server, there were only three set rules: no stealing, no griefing, and no killing people. Except by that point, those rules weren’t enforced at all. In fact, Dream broke all three at once at one point, by killing George and burning his diamond armor because he didn’t feel it was fair that George got to run around in full diamond when everyone else still had iron.

Tommy joined the server, and broke the rules like everyone else. He stole shit, broke shit, killed George for funsies… and he got exiled for it. Seriously, they dumped him in an empty snowfield for breaking rules that nobody had enforced for weeks. So technically, the Exile-arc isn’t even the first time something like this has happened to him!

During the events that would eventually spark the Disc War, Sapnap stole a bunch of Tommy’s items (including the only Netherite chestplate on the server at the time), and told him he’d only give the stuff back if Tommy helped him with a conflict he had with Ponk. Long story short, Dream tried to intervene and was killed by Tommy and Sapnap, and Dream stole Tommy’s discs to force him to apologize. He then kept the discs, and the Disc War followed. Sapnap, despite being the aggressor and arguably forcing Tommy to participate in the conflict, was never punished.

This proves not only that the rules can change whenever Dream feels like it, but that they’re arbitrarily enforced. Dream refuses to punish his friends for the same crimes he endlessly fucks over Tommy for.

L’Manburg was created in part because of the fact that the rules were unevenly enforced. Tommy, Wilbur, and later Tubbo were repeatedly killed, stolen from, imprisoned, and even held hostage for very minor crimes, while the people killing, imprisoning, kidnapping and stealing from them were able to do so without impunity.

This was also the point where Dream just started making up new rules; there was no rule against having governments on the server, or making a separate area where Dream’s rules wouldn’t apply, so Dream banned governments, and used this new rule as an excuse to kill them, take their items, and tear their land to shreds.

And that’s another thing: the punishments for breaking Dream’s rules are INCREDIBLY harsh.

Kill him non-canonically one time? Your most prized possessions will now be dangled over your head and used to hurt you for the next few months.

Make a country with different laws that doesn’t infringe on anyone’s territory, has no desire to expand, is explicitly pacifistic and open to trade negotiations? You’ll be forced to fight a war you’re in no way equipped to fight, you’ll be betrayed and murdered and have your land destroyed in front of your very eyes until you literally have no choice but to surrender.

Mildly vandalize the king’s house, which nobody else has ever been punished for? You’ll be dragged into court, exiled from your home, and subjected to weeks of abuse until you believe that all of your friends hate you and you actively want to kill yourself.

Hide some stuff in a secret chest? Your only shelter will be exploded, your pet/only food source will be killed, all your items will be destroyed, you’ll be banned from the Nether, and none of your friends will be allowed to come see you.

This is all such disproportionate retribution it’s ridiculous. It’s like punishing someone for speeding by blowing up their car with a ballistic missile.

So to sum up: Dream’s rules are arbitrarily enforced, and he can just straight up make them up on the spot if he feels like it. Sometimes, he won’t tell you a rule exists until you’ve already broken it, and you’re treated as if you broke it out of malice instead of genuine ignorance. And if you do break a rule, and he decides you have to be punished, it will always be a punishment so harsh it doesn’t even ATTEMPT to fit the crime.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty fucking corrupt and tyrannical to me.

When people say Tommy deserved exile, or made Dream spiral into villainy, or abused Dream somehow (seriously I’ve seen this take multiple times and every time it makes my brain melt) by breaking the rules, I would invite them to take a step back and ask themselves, why did that rule exist? Did Tommy know it existed? Was it enforced for everyone other than him as well? Does the punishment fit the crime?

Dream has a bad habit of making up rules, or enforcing old ones that were never enforced before, to punish those who threaten his power. None of the Dream Team were ever punished for anything, despite committing the same crimes as the L’Manburgians. That is, until they founded Mexican L’Manburg (i.e. went against Dream’s rule), at which point they were attacked by Dream and George was dethroned for “not being neutral enough.”

Tommy should’ve faced consequences for what he did. But those consequences should’ve come naturally, and been carried out by the people he hurt. Like, if Dream hadn’t intervened, griefing George’s house would’ve resulted in George griefing Tommy back in revenge. In fact, he DID do that, by turning Tommy’s entire house into granite and putting the Jump In The Cadillac picture on his front lawn.

These are natural, proportionate consequences. Exile was none of that. The Disc War was none of that. Everything that happened to L’Manburg was none of that.

Dream’s rules and how he enforces them are inherently corrupt and tyrannical. To pretend it’s anything but is disingenuous at best.

#dream smp #dsmp #dsmp analysis #c!dream #c!tommy #tommyinnit #dreamwastaken #i had a COMPLETELY different point that i wanted to make but then i thought about it and went w a i t #uhhh if you wanna hear my original point lemme know i guess #anyway c!dream is such an interesting character! i hate him!#little green bastard man #c!dream critical

584 notes · View notes

yandere-mc-yt · 3 years

Text

Yandere DS/MP Slasher/Serial Killer Au

Just throwing out some hcs for a few characters off the top of my head :)

Warnings: Yandere Themes, obsessiveness, possessiveness, stalking mentioned, murder, violence mentioned, love at first sight(?), jealousy mentioned, suggestive

Dream

Alright. Throwing it out there: MANHUNT.

Dream's hunting grounds is definitely some small town with large farms or wooded areas around- just places with with not a lot of people at once.

Loves to stalk his pray for sometime but will always kill them in the same day. He tends to leave his victims where he killed them. Most likely dismembered. He likes dismembering people.

He loves the thrill of the hunt- his sole reason for killing someone is that he likes to hunt for sport.....

....which makes him stalking his darling for longer than a day after he first catches sight of them very strange. Something about this one tickles his fancy and he doesn't know why.

Dream ends up going a whole month without killing a single person becuase he's been so fixated on them and it freaks him out. He makes a sloppy kill for the first time in years..... he blames his darling. He needs to punish his darling.

Poor darling starts getting stalked a lot more and their friends start to disapear left and right- most ending up in the hospital and dying of their wounds. It'll probably take them a while to realize they're being stalked becuase Dream is that good at what he does.

When he can't take being at a distance anymore, they might wake up to a man in a smiley mask standing above them with a bloody hunting knife.

Technoblade

Reminiscent of Jason and the Texas Chainsaw killer. He's just hard to run into unless you're a member of a dumb group of friends going to abandoned cabins or camps in the middle of the woods for clout or something.

Where's a wild boarskull and a lot of animal skins/leather. Wild stinky man with an axe and a lot of bloodlust.

Its not like he goes out looking for people to butcher- Techno will almost never leave his area unless he thinks he absolutely needs to.

And when the last group of foolish young party goers looking for an abandoned camping ground to booze around on gets slaughter quickly, he suddenly has a strong need to step outside of his comfort zone.

One of his would be victims gets away because for some reason when he saw them, Techno fucking hesitated. He's never hesitated. He tracks them down out of his woods tockill them but.

He ends up dragging them back to his home and imprisons them. He's never done this before. Its not even from the voices goading him on.

He's going to keep them for a long time before he figures it out. And when he figures it out? He'll never want to let them go.

Wilbur Soot

A very urban serial killer- probably haunts the local university?

I think its obvious what type of killer he is- hidden in plain sight, charismatic and a specific agenda.

Wilbur's darling was supposed to be just another victim. Another notch on his belt.

He has no idea when he started having seconds thoughts. Maybe it was the strange domesticity- normalcy he felt when he was with them. It almost made him feel sick.

He decides to distract himself with a few other victims until the inevitable day comes when Wilbur takes a half conscious darling to the room where he ended so many other lives.

He's on top of them, gloved hands around their neck and he goes to squeeze. He can't fucking do it.

Now Wilbur is panicking- he has a still very alive person in his hideout that he can't kill. He's not supposed to let them live. He can't kill them.

It comes to him hard as an eliphany while he's having an anxiety attack: he's attached. Infatuated. In love.

Wilbur imprisons them. He has no choice too becuase he's in too deep. They likes him- maybe he can convince them to forgive the blood on his hands?

Fundy

I don't know how to classify him properly off of the top of my head. What makes him different is that what drives him to kill is love to begin with.

Fundy was just some normal shy computer nerd until he bumps into the person that he's convinced is his soulmate the brief second he made eye contact with them.

Fundy was obsessed. He starts stalking them immediately. He learns everything about them, from their date of birth, to their allergies. He also unfortunately learns about all the people that are close to his darling that like them more than in a friendly way.

He's convinced himself if he gets them out of the way, he'll have a better chance to be with them. And simply ruining their reputations by performing a few hacks wouldn't be enough.

The first time he kills one of his darlings supposed suitors he's.... brutal. He has no idea what happens to him. Maybe its becuase he lets it spill that he's doing this for his darling and his first victim mocks him.

It becomes a big habit to practically maul them and when the bodies are found, the authorities think its a freak animal attack.

Fundy is actually surprised that he manages ro cover his tracks so well. When the number to potential obstacles to get to his darlings diminishes, he finally makes his move.

Finally, bashful nerdy little Fundy has found a place in his darling's life. But as a friend. He quickly tries to push his luck with his darling. And he thinks he really has a chance until his darling introduces him to their new partner.

He doesn't even think when he follows the couple home, sneaks in and attacks them both. He's so enraged he just draws a mental blank as he violently tortures and carves apart the last person to get in his way.

When he's done he turns to his darling and switches back over to that shy boy they met before, covered in blood and pleading with them to forgive him. He did this all for them after all. And if he can't have them, then he'll make sure no one will.

#yan dsmp slasher au #yan dsmp serial killer au #yandere dream #yandere technoblade #yandere wilbur soot #yandere fundy #sorry if his seems shorter rip

454 notes · View notes

esamastation · 3 years

Text

Roy doesn't know exactly when the new alchemist joins them on the field.

It's a bad time - they're establishing a new camp in the town and the area is under constant assault, it seems. Small strikes on all sides, seemingly from nowhere, taking out a man there, another there, crippling a truck, taking out a road… The Ishvalans are using some sort of network of tunnels, the brass thinks, and it's Roy's job to smoke them out. So that's what he's been doing, seemingly all week… smoking out the supposed tunnels.

There are no tunnels, though. The Ishvalans are just getting desperate and in their desperation they're figuring out new methods. They have home field advantage and new tricks of camouflaging themselves in the rubble that used to be their home. Ruins of a people, blending in the ruins the Amestrians had made of their houses. They're learning to live with it, to work with it, because it's all they have - and they're getting good because they have little choice in the matter.

No one is listening to Roy when he points it out, though. There's a dismissiveness to the higher ups, when it comes to the evolution of Ishvalan tactics. "What are they doing now, praying for better guns?" As though this war, hasn't already gone on three times as long as originally projected.

Roy is thinking about it, staring at a crooked, unlit cigarette someone had put into his shaking hands, when he's introduced to the new alchemist.

"Good news, Mustang," Hughes says, with absolutely no joy in his cheerful smile, and less so in his cheerful voice. It sounds like he's chewing charcoal. "You're getting partner."

Roy looks up, his mind still in the meeting room, thinking about numbers on a map, how they didn't quite capture the reality of charred skeletons. It takes a moment for what he sees in front of him to sink in.

Another blue uniform, still pressed sharp and bright new under the beige overcoat that's supposed to protect it and it's wearer from the dust and heat of Ishval. What stands before him isn't a soldier though - it's barely a man. It's a short blond boy, no older than sixteen at most, with heavy non-regulation boots and silver watch chain at his hip.

The horror and disgust that wells up it's barely a blip before it's smothered under, oh, of course, and shit, are we here already? Then Roy stands up, puts the unlit cigarette away and holds out his right hand.

"Major Roy Mustang - the Flame Alchemist."

The blond boy smiles, crooked and sharp and just as mirthless as Hughes beside him. "Nick Flamel - the Fullmetal Alchemist." His grip is tight and brief, his hand gloved.

He'd be the newest youngest State Alchemist then. Roy had heard his record had been beaten, though he hadn't really paid attention to who or how.

Hughes looks between them and for a moment his eyes show a certain desperation. Then he covers it up and pats Flamel's shoulder. "Fullmetal here is stationed under you until he gets a hang of things - you'll show him the ropes, teach him what's what."

Keep him alive, is what Hughes' eyes say, and no wonder. Being as young as he is, the kid can't have much in the way of training. Alchemists don't need to go through basic, after all - they're not there to march or shoot guns or stand in lines. Flamel had probably just gotten his watch, his uniform, and a one way ticket to Ishval. To one of the worst, most contested zones at that. Shit.

Did the brass send the kid here to die?

"What's your specialty - metallurgical transmutation?" Roy asks.

"I don't have a speciality, really," Flamel says and pushes his hands into the pockets of his overcoat. It doesn't quite fit him right - too wide across shoulders, a bit too long. They'd either left some growing room, or they just didn't have a uniform small enough. "But I'm damn good at environmental alchemy, which I figure is what I'll be doing the most around here."

Roy blinks. "Environmental alchemy," he repeats.

"I can make the battleground my bitch," Flamel says, his crooked smile sharpening.

And abruptly Roy is already exhausted with the kid. He's one of those, then, a cocky little sumbitch, top of his class and talk of the town, so used to being the top dog of his little bubble that he has no concept of what the real world is like outside that little bubble. Guys like him come swaggering in all the time, all big talk and smug grins, so sure they're going to be carrying their little superiority complexes spotlessly over the finish line that they walk into the first fucking landmine that comes across.

Roy sees himself holding the kid's hand after he gets gunned down, still thinking himself invulnerable, and it's exhausting.

"What?" Flamel asks, suspicious at his silence.

Hughes, giving the kid the exact same look Roy must be, clears his throat. "How about you show us?" he suggests. "So we'll have an idea what we're working with here."

Flamel arches a brow at that and then looks around, light brown - or are they burnished gold? - eyes narrowing in thought.

Their camp is still a mess from the last attack - they're fixing the fences and filling the holes in the road that got busted in the smattering of mortar fire from two days ago. The perimeter is more secure now, for a given value of secure. They'd chosen the highest spot in the town, the temple mount, to give them a high vantage point - better than being penned into a valley. It leaves them pretty damn open though.

Flamel looks over the houses they'd taken over, the tents pitched in the streets and the flag of Amestris hung over the prayer hall, and clicks his tongue. Then he claps his hands together, and crouches down.

For a split of a second, barely a blink, it looks like he's praying.

Then he slaps his hands on the street beneath their feet - and in a crackle of alchemical energy and rumble of displaced earth, the street reforms. The dirt flattens, grows perfect paving stones, shifts to form neat walkways on the sides, even forming gutters. Between one breath and the next, they have a perfect Amestrian city street, formed from the dust of Ishval, surrounded by Ishvalan buildings.

While the soldiers on the newly reformed street let out shouts of shock, Roy just stares, his mind trying to jump hoops figuring out how the kid just did that. Circles in his skin, under his sleeves, inside his gloves…?

Hughes whistles, hiding his wild eyes in a squint. "Nice. You know, it doesn't rain much around here," he comments.

"So?" Flamel asks.

"The gutters aren't really necessary."

Flamel looks at the street he'd made, hands resting on his hips, and shrugs. "Eh, can't hurt," he says and motions at the street. "Anyway, imagine that, but spikes instead of paving stones."

Roy swallows and looks at the kid, who's just standing there, seemingly in no way bothered. Fullmetal doesn't look smug or proud of what he'd done, only grinning a little bit at the way the soldiers throw away their shovels, no longer needed. If this isn't something for the him to even brag about, then…

Roy has in his head an image of the kid doing a field of spikes under a charging assault force, eviscerating people by the dozens, and it's clearly not Flamel's only trick. It's probably not even in his top five.

Fuck, the kid would end up with a three digit death toll by his first engagement.

"Right," Roy says. He isn't sure what his face is doing but going Hughes' expression, it's probably not good. "You can make gutters. How about trenches?"

Flamel grins, his eyes like molten metal. "Try me."

By the end of the week - no, by the end of the day their camp is hugely improved by Flamel. The fence is turned into a solid stone wall, constructed within minutes from the remains of bombed out houses. Another pile of rubble is turned into a watch tower. They have trenches, they have pits, Flamel even adds a moat and spikes around the camp, like they're in an ancient fortress or something. Hell, there's even gargoyles in the corners of the wall.

They go from one of the least secure camps to one of the most heavily fortified seemingly overnight. It's a huge boost to troop morale - not so for Roy's sanity. Flamel doesn't even look winded by the end of his improvements.

"How are you doing the circles?" Roy asks finally - bit of a social Faux Pas among alchemists, especially military alchemists, but he has to ask. Flamel made entire buildings, and he hadn't stopped to draw a single sigil.

"In my head," Flamel says, shrugging. Like that makes any sense.

Roy looks at him and then at the changes he's made, and can't say it's impossible - he can see the results with his own eyes. And they're more than impressive, they're…

Flamel isn't going to be here long, he realises. Whether the brass send the kid here to get rid of him or not, the moment word about Flamel's real abilities spread, he'd be snagged by the first general with any fucking sense. The kid's a powerhouse. Roy is too, of course, that's why he's here - but Fullmetal is a different kind of powerhouse. Just by himself, he would be able to establish a secure foothold in the middle of enemy territory and that's not someone you just let sit idle.

Roy looks at the kid and feels torn between feeling sorry, jealous and a little bit bitter. If only he was a bit higher in rank, he could keep Flamel and make a full use his abilities - and maybe keep him from becoming a mass murderer in the process.

"What was your exam like?" Roy asks. There's no way the kid showed even a fraction of these abilities, he wouldn't be here at all if he had. "How'd you end up with a name like Fullmetal?" From what he'd seen something like Earth Moving or Groundbreaking would've been more apt.

"I made a spear in my exam," Flamel says, not looking at him. "And pointed it at Bradley."

"... And they didn't arrest you?"

Flamel smirks a little and looks at him. "What did you do?" he asks. "I bet you scorched something."

Roy had. He'd been welcomed in on the spot. "Training dummies," he agrees, giving him a pointed look. "Because I don't have a death wish."

Flamel shrugs. "It got me what I wanted," he says and stretches his arms. "So, what comes next?"

Roy looks at their newly secure camp. "Depends on the Colonel, but I bet you'll be doing more road work. We need a clear path in and out of the town."

Even though the town is officially theirs, that doesn't stop the guerilla attacks - but now, with a secure camp, all they needed was a clear path for troops to move in and then it'd be only a matter of time. If the two of them weren't already reassigned by then, they'd be after the supply line was secure. Alchemists weren't wasted in safe stations.

"But that's tomorrow's problem," Roy decides. "Come in, kid - let's get something to eat."

- - -

Nostalgia is doing rounds in my brain.

#Fanfiction #Fma #fullmetal alchemist #roy mustang #edward elric #time travel #Ishval war

456 notes · View notes