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all-risejd · 11 months

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A New Judgement Chapter 13: Braiding Challah and Some Morning Snuggles (Poly Judgment Day Fic)

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9. Part 10. Part 11. Part 12. Part 12.5.

Warnings: Smut below, not too graphic but there are hand necklaces and biting involved as well as talk of the loss of a loved one.

Nessa pulls up to Rhea's house after finally getting the groceries she promised. She turns off the car and sits there a moment trying to process what happened in the last hour or so. Nessa bites her lip deciding to not bring up the weird coffee shop experience and sends a message to the group text calling everyone out to help her bring in the groceries. One by one they all jog out of the house. Damien is out first and goes to hug Nessa, the rest of them surrounding her, hugging her in relief.

“We were so worried Nessa, we couldn’t get a hold of you and thought something happened.” Damian is the first to speak.

“I’m sorry,” Nessa says her voice muffled by Damian's chest and she wiggles trying to get some space and air. Everyone thankfully notices and takes a step back still surrounding Nessa.

“I’m so sorry guys, a storm came out of nowhere and I couldn’t see to safely drive so I parked and ran into the nearest building which was a coffee shop and there was like no service for some reason and I waited out the storm and then I forgot where I parked for a bit.” Nessa blushes, embarrassed at the admission.

“Then please next time ask someone to use their phone or even the business phone to just let us know you are ok and what is going on. Like Luis said we were worried sick!” Rhea gently pushes Nessa on her shoulder, the rest of them making sounds of agreement.

“Ok, I will I promise.” Nessa holds her hands up in surrender before gesturing towards the car.

“Can you guys please help me get the groceries in before they spoil? There is cold stuff in there and I want to get to starting dinner.” Damian kisses Nessa's forehead and hugs her one more time and Nessa can feel that he is relieved she is safe and can see the tension still in his body, in all their bodies they were so worried for her and she fills with guilt. Rhea grabs Nessa’s hand to stop her from going to help the boys carry in the groceries. Nessa looks at Rhea who shakes her head and kisses Nessa’s hand.

“Let them carry it in, I need some Nessa time. You promised to let me help you cook so let's go set up the kitchen while they bring everything in.” Rhea asks and Nessa nods and heads into the house pulling Nessa with her. The boys following behind grumbling.

“Hey, I thought you only went to the store for a few things,” Dominik complains loudly. Nessa looks over her shoulder as Rhea still continues to pull her along.

“We are here for a few days so I got a few day's worth of food for 3 grown ass men one of which doesn’t eat carbs, one that eats super healthy and constantly to keep up with his workouts, and you know how you eat; so I planned for those few days so everyone's dietary needs are met,” Nessa answers back yelping as Rhea pulls a little too hard on her arm bringing her through the doorway. Rhea looks guilty at hearing Nessa yelp.

“I’m sorry Bunny, I didn't mean to pull that hard!” Rhea apologizes and releases Nessa’s arm.

“It’s fine Dems, I know you didn’t mean to.” Nessa accepts the apology immediately and grabs Rhea's hand again and together they walk to the kitchen and the boys set all the bags on the counter. They all turn to walk away and Rhea clears her throat.

“Can you help us put this stuff up while we get started?” Rhea cocks her head and the boys grumble but they do as asked while Nessa sets aside the ingredients she needs.

“Ok, thank you.” Nessa grabs Dominik's hand and pulls him into a hug before placing a kiss on his lips and doing the same for Damian.

“Come here Luv?” Finn holds out his arms and Nessa steps into them wrapping her own around his waist. He tightens his arms around her, pulling her closer and whispering in her ear. “We are glad you are ok. I am glad you are ok,” He pats the back of her head before breaking the hold he has on her.

“Thank you Finny, If you guys are ok with it can you leave me alone with Dems for a while? I’ll bring you plates when it is done.” Nessa asks and informs them.

“No Nes call us we will get our own plates, you are cooking for all of us the least we can do is get our own plates.” Dominik shakes his head and the others make noises of agreement.

Nessa starts waving them away, “Fine but get out of my kitchen,” she continues to shoo them, not noticing the smile they were sharing with each other. Nessa waits until the boys are clear out of the kitchen before turning to Rhea.

“Ok, Dems start the oven then zest and juice the orange and then soak the raisins in the orange juice, I’ll start the noodles.” Nessa gently instructs as she starts to make the dough for Challah and sets it on top of the stove to proof while the Kugel bakes. Nessa grabs a few Lunchables from the fridge that she bought and sits down on the floor leaning against the counters facing the oven and pats the ground next to her for Rhea to join her.

“Come on Mami, we have about an hour or so before we braid the Challah and put it in when the Kugel is out. We will put the Kugel in the warmer while the bread bakes. I’ll have you braid it.” Nessa smiles and offers a Lunchable to Rhea who returns the smile and joins her on the floor grabbing the Lunchable.

“When we lose someone we love or anyone in general we say to each other and to family may their memory be for a blessing. We sit low on cushions or on the ground to signify how low our grief takes us and we eat stuff like cheese and fruit and talk about the memory of the one we lost. For immediate family we are supposed to stay home for a week after the funeral.” Nessa explains grabbing Rhea's hand and leaning her head on Rhea's shoulder. Nessa feels Rhea's body start to shake in silent sobs and Nessa runs her other hand up and down Rhea's arm in a calming gesture just letting her cry. After a few minutes, Rhea calms down and sniffles, laying her head on top of Nessa’s. “Tell me more about your Nonna sweetheart,” Nessa asks, squeezing Rhea's hand gently which Rhea returns by lifting their hands to her mouth and placing a kiss on the back of Nessa’s hand.

“She… She… She used to let me help her in the kitchen. Especially after I had a rough day with my self-worth and mean comments. Much like this actually.” Rhea starts off weak, her voice getting stronger.

“I’m glad I could do something to keep her memory alive. Tell me more if you would like?” Nessa prompts.

“How about we both share memories of people we lost… please,” Rhea asks and Nessa nods Rhea's head still laying on hers.

“Ok, when I lost my brother in January I was gutted. I went no contact because he couldn’t stay clean from drugs and was stealing from Mom. But I loved him, that was my brother and I had to mourn what we could have had as well as the life that was lost. When I was 16 he tried to sneak me out to a seedy tattoo place for us to get matching tattoos. We got busted and mom got so mad.” Nessa smiles at the memory, wiping away the stray tear that slid down her cheek.

“How old was he?” Rhea asked, picking her head back up and taking a good look at Nessa.

“24, so he knew bette,r” Nessa chuckles and meets Rhea's gaze. Nessa gently wipes away the tears on Rhea's face.

“My Nonna wasn’t surprised when I came home with my first tattoo and she actually was supportive of me getting it and calmed my parents down…” Rhea lets out a little giggle at the memory, resting her forehead on Nessa’s. Rhea closes her eyes like watching another memory and Nessa grabs her hand again.

“I remember my first year in NXT. She surprised me on my birthday by sending me a care box of my favorite sweets from home. She was always so thoughtful and I am going to spend the rest of my life missing her.” More tears fall down Rhea's face. Nessa moves to pull Rhea down and rests Rhea's head on her shoulder and wraps her arms around her.

“I know, sweet girl, but her memory lives on in you. Every time you breathe, think of her, in the inspiration you are for others like she was to you. She is still alive in that memory. It is up to those they leave behind to keep the memories alive and you do that with everything you do. I don’t know her but I do know how proud she must be of you for achieving your dreams and inspiring others to be themselves.” Nessa kisses the top of Rhea's head mirroring the comfort the woman in her arms has given her. Rhea sniffles and shuffles deeper into Nessa’s arms.

“This…this helps, thank you, Nessa,” Rhea scoots down in Nessa’s arms to rest her head on Nessa’s lap. Nessa runs her fingers through Rhea's hair, gently scratching her scalp. They stay like that for the rest of the hour trading stories of their lost loved ones until the timer goes off.

“Ok sweets let's get up and I’ll show you how to braid the Challah after I put the Kugel in the warmer to keep it ready.” Nessa gently slides Rhea's head off her lap, laughing when Rhea lets it thunk on the ground.

“Everything ok in there?” Comes Damiens worried voice.

“Yeah all good, Rhea decided to test the hardness of the floor with her head.” Nessa answers back while getting up, laughter coming from the living room as she helps Rhea up. Rhea gently grabs Nessa, both hands on either cheek and kisses her lips tenderly, and pecks her nose before letting her go. Blood rushes to Nessa’s face with affection.

“Are we going to talk after dinner Bunny?” Rhea asks softly as Nessa takes the dish out of the oven and puts it in the warming drawer. Nessa turns around still blushing and goes to stand next to Rhea at the counter.

“Yeah, I suppose it is time to give you all my decision. It is unfair to you all to not have an answer, especially because I’m the reason y'all haven’t had sex for what over a week?” Nessa shrugs, feeling guilty and embarrassed. Rhea shakes her head and just pulls Nessa towards her trapping her between the counter and herself. Nessa’s back against Rhea’s chest and Rhea leans down to whisper in her ear.

“That is not a problem and is not a bad thing or your fault Nes. Don’t give us an answer just because you feel bad or because you feel pressured for sex.” Rhea tells her seriously and squeezes her arms around Nessa’s waist.

“It's not because of that, I want to because…” Nessa stops when she hears Rhea take a sharp breath and nuzzle into her neck.

“I knew it.” Rhea quietly gloats, smiling into Nessa’s neck.

“Just keep it quiet till after dinner, there are still some things I need to discuss ok?” Nessa asks and Rhea nods and places a string of kisses on Nessa's neck making her breath catch in her throat. Nessa swallows a few times to gather herself and clears her throat. “Ok so let's get the Challah done, it'll take another hour and I’m getting hungry!” Nessa tries to move out of Rhea's arms only for Rhea to grunt, “Nuh uh”. Nessa sighs and shakes her head. “Menaces the lot of you…” Nessa can’t help but smile glad her back is to Rhea.

“So what do I do?” Rhea asks, reaching around Nessa. Nessa rolls her eyes and directs her on what to do, sometimes guiding her hands and helping as they cut and braid the Challah and add the egg wash. Rhea grabs the tray and turns around putting it in the oven, Nessa can’t help it, but she smacks Rhea's ass as she is bent over, a blush rushing to her face again as Rhea snaps back into a standing position and turns around her eyebrow raised. Rhea slowly steps towards Nessa who is already backed up against the counter. Rhea closes the gap between them and places her hands on either side of Nessa trapping her back against the counter.

“Now little girl, what was that?” Rhea’s voice drops and Nessa’s face gets even redder as she bites her lip.

“I mean it looked so inviting and delicious I couldn’t help myself…” Nessa squeaks out looking up at Rhea with wide eyes. Rhea smirks devilishly down at Nessa, grabbing her by the ass and lifting her onto the counter, Nessa instinctually wrapping her arms around Rhea's neck.

“I know you like rough play but you don’t know the game you are playing yet little girl. You don’t know how much I want you, how much we want you, and have come close to crossing that boundary. You’ve been such a good girl taking care of me and the boys this week,” Rhea gets even closer as she talks, her face close to Nessas, her voice sending shivers up Nessa’s spine.

Rhea scoots Nessa closer to the edge of the counter closer to her and Nessa wraps her legs around Rhea. Nessa leans closer and puts her lips to Rheas, feeling her soft lips move with hers, Nessa’s hand tangling in Rhea’s short hair making the woman moan and pull back.

“Oh no Bunny, if there is hair pulling I’ll be pulling yours.” Rhea rasps out knotting her hands in Nessa's hair and pulling her head back exposing her neck. Rhea wastes no time biting and sucking on Nessa’s neck, Nessa whimpers quickly becoming putty in Rhea’s hands.

There is a thunder of footsteps and Damian and Dominik run into the kitchen making Rhea separate from Nessa, a proud smirk on her face seeing the marks lining Nessa’s neck.

“Oh come on, that's not fair!” Dominik whines and Damian smirks and crosses his arms.

“What happened here Mariposa? I hear a thunk then all of a sudden you guys are making out?” Damian whines.

“She smacked my ass!” Rhea answers and Damian chuckles while Dom makes the oooh face.

“Yeah, that’ll do it.” Damian chuckles and walks over gently grabbing Nessa’s chin and gently moving her head to look at the marks on her neck.

“I'll have to add to this, it is unfair that Rhea gets all the fun.” Damian says, the promise heavy in his voice and Nessa takes a shaky breath looking up at him. Damian meets her gaze and leans down about to kiss Nessa only for Rhea to pull him back and Nessa pouts.

“You can kiss later, it's my time right now and we are cooking dinner, so like she said get out of my kitchen.” Rhea playfully shoves a pouty Damian out of the kitchen, Dominik laughing and following him out. Once she is sure the boys are gone and hopefully out of earshot Rhea steps back to where Nessa is still sitting on the counter and stands between her legs again, hands gently resting on Nessa’s hips. “Are you ok Bunny?” Rhea asks, studying Nessa’s expression trying to read any potential discomfort. Nessa blushes and nods her head, wrapping her arms around Rhea's neck again.

Remembering Rhea asks for verbal confirmation Nessa answers, “Yes... Can you kiss me again?” Nessa asks, rubbing her nose on Rhea’s. Rhea lets out a noise between a huff and a chuckle at how much more innocent Nessa seems, clearly, she is a little, more bits and pieces falling into place making sense. More gently this time Rhea slides her hand up Nessa’s side, continuing until it is on the back of her neck, and pulls her close, melding their lips together, Nessa’s lips parting slightly allowing Rhea to maintain dominance. Nessa’s hands gripping Rhea's shirt at her shoulders, feeling Rhea’s tongue on her own, Nessa’s heart pounding in her chest. Rhea breaks the kiss first, resting her forehead on Nessa’s, both of them taking shallow breaths, their chests heaving with the effort.

“I uh… I think we should stop there for now, Bunny.” Rhea nearly whispers, swallowing trying to put some control back in her voice. Nessa whines, batting her eyelashes at Rhea silently asking for more. “Nessa, you haven’t told the others and I am afraid we won't stop if we continue, so, we stop there for now. We have plenty of time to continue.” Rhea kisses Nessa’s forehead and takes a step back, helping Nessa off the counter.

“Ok I guess that is fair…” Nessa can’t help but pout as Rhea starts cleaning up the kitchen and Nessa does the same, almost glad to busy herself to distract from the throbbing between her thighs. They clean the kitchen together, moving in sync with each other, no feeling of awkwardness between them, instead, it is the sexual tension from earlier, their actions playing on repeat in Nessa’s mind. They are nearly done when the timer for the bread goes off.

“I’ll get it Bunny, you’ve done most of the work.” Rhea kisses the top of Nessa’s head and turns, getting the bread out of the oven.

“Let it sit for about 10 minutes and we can plate everything up. I have a salad with chicken in the fridge for Finn, just give him a little scoop of the Kugel so he can try it since it is high in carbs. There are some other food options if you guys don’t like it. Kugel isn’t for everyone…” Nessa shrugs shyly, nervous about how they will like the food.

Rhea shakes her head and goes over to Nessa pulling her close and resting her chin on top of Nessa’s head. “It smells delicious and I am sure we will all love it. You need to have more confidence in yourself and your abilities.” Rhea orders gently swaying them back and forth.

“How much longer, I’m starving!” Dominik whines from the other room.

“A few more minutes Dom Dom be patient. I’ll bring it out when it is ready.” Nessa answers back.

“You mean you’ll call us when it is ready.” Finn hollers back.

It makes Nessa roll her eyes, “Uh… yeah sure” Nessa responds, jumping away from Rhea who tickled her side. Nessa swats away Rhea’s hands and goes over to the oven and slices up the bread and pulls out the tray of Kugel, Rhea grabs the plates and utensils. Nessa plates up the food and sets it on the counter before calling out for everyone to come and get it.

The boys all run in and see plates already ready all with different things on them. Nessa grabs the first plate and hands it to Finn. “I know you eat a low or no-carb diet so I only gave you a little of the Kugel and bread and the rest is a healthy chicken salad.” She smiles shyly as Finn takes the plate with a grateful smile.

“That is so sweet of you to do that, you didn’t have to.” He steps forward and kisses her forehead surprised she went through the trouble to prepare them all separate plates for their dietary needs. He smiles and turns away as Nessa blushes and heads back to the living room.

Damian grabs the plate Nessa holds out to him and steps forward placing a gentle kiss on her lips. “Thank you Mariposa, you didn’t have to go through all the effort to make us all special plates we would have eaten whatever you made.” Damian gently strokes Nessa’s face for a moment before turning and joining Finn in the living room.

Dom smiles widely at Nessa and grabs the plate which was admittedly less healthy than his counterparts, playing on his sweet tooth though it was well portioned. “Thank you Mi Vida, I always love your cooking, you know that!” Dom steps forward and kisses Nessa much the same as Damian previously.

“I know that’s why I gave you a little more than the others, though not enough to wreck your diet, now go sit while Demi and I bring in our food.” Nessa shoos him away and smiles as he goes in for a second kiss before scurrying out the room avoiding Nessa swinging lovingly at him with the wooden spoon she picked up. Nessa shakes her head and sets it down, handing Rhea her plate and grabbing her own. Rhea follows Nessa and sits down on the floor in front of the couch where the boys are, Nessa in front of Damian's legs and Rhea in front of Dominiks.

“Why are you guys sitting down there, there is plenty of room on the chair or you can sit on our laps.” Damian offers wiggling his eyebrows.

“I think I am good down here guys, Nessa taught me this is a way to grieve and it kinda helps.” Rhea shrugs and takes a bite of the Kugel and closes her eyes letting out a moan, “You didn’t tell me it was going to be sweet.” Rhea takes another bite and does a little happy wiggle enjoying the taste of the food on her plate.

“This is really good Luv, thank you!” Finn takes another bite and smiles, the others making noises of agreement as they eat.

“This bread is delicious, you made this from scratch?” Damian asks, his mouth full and holding up a piece of the bread.

Nessa swallows her mouthful before answering and leans back on Damian's legs, laying her head back on his knees to look up at him upside down, “Yeah it is really easy and doesn’t have to proof for too long.” Nessa smiles up at Damian who uses his free hand to momentarily stroke Nessa’s cheek.

Damian notices that Nessa’s expression has changed to a look of worry. “What’s wrong Mariposa?” Damian strokes her cheek again.

Nessa’s eyes focus back and she picks her head back up and shakes it. “Nothing Luis, I just want to talk after dinner. There are some things I want to say to you all…” Nessa takes a nervous bite of her bread trying and failing to hide her shiver as Damian runs his fingers through her hair.

“There is no need to be nervous, Corazon, we accept your decision no matter what you say. Just eat Princesa, you’ve spent so much time cooking and taking care of us you need to eat now,” Dominik reassures her while trying to make sure she takes care of herself. She does as she is told, the rest of them eating their dinner in comfortable silence with the tv on for background noise. Once everyone is done eating, Nessa tries to get up to collect the dishes only for Damian to stop her by placing his hand on her shoulder before getting up and grabbing the plates, Dominik helping him. They come back in after a few minutes and join Nessa and Rhea on the floor, Finn doing the same, all of them sitting in a circle facing each other.

“The floor is yours Mariposa.” Damian smiles at his pun making the rest of the room groan. Nessa swallows nervously and taps on her knee.

“I … I have… I would like…” Nessa stutters her nerves making it impossible to say what she wants, the group looking at her patiently, Rhea reaching out to grab Nessa’s hand. Nessa pauses and takes a deep breath and tries again, “Uh… I want to be with you all, I… I’m all in.” Nessa says so quietly it is a whisper and they didn’t hear her. Trying to lean closer, Damian asks her to repeat what she said. “I’m in, I’m all in with you all with everything,” Nessa says a little louder, her face cherry red. Everyone sits back the way they were a moment ago, Finn looking happy, Dominik smiling from ear to ear and Damian looking smug.

“That is so good to hear Mariposa, are there any additional boundaries you wanted to discuss oh and we will need to have the kink discussion soon…” Damian claps then rubs his hands as Rhea pulls Nessa onto her lap. Nessa grabs Rhea’s hand for courage and plays with her fingers.

“If it would help I could, we could fill out a kink chart. And you can ask Dom, he knows a fair chunk of what I like and that could start that conversation.” Nessa offers to try and feel more comfortable with the conversation.

“And you mentioned you don’t know exactly what you need for aftercare. That is fine, we can figure it out together…” Damian promises with a smile, the rest nodding in agreement. Dominik scoots over and leans against Rhea and Nessa almost crying in relief that she is his again, that she is now properly theirs and he needs the physical contact. The others see this and converge all leaning or laying on one another as the conversation continues.

“It's not an additional boundary I want to discuss but more of an ask. I know for the last few weeks you all have not been able to be intimate with each other, at least where Rhea was concerned while we roomed together. I don't know what you did behind closed doors… Anyway if there is ever a time you want that with each other and I am not… I don’t want…” Nessa sighs trying to gather her train of thought before continuing, “If you want to have sex and I don’t want to please just let me know I won’t be upset and will give you the time you need…” Rhea's arms squeeze harder around Nessa’s waist, Dominik squeezes her thigh and Damian sighs in mock annoyance.

“It isn’t a problem the last two weeks Mariposa, you were, are learning us just as we are learning you. We aren’t going to ask you to leave just so we can have sex that isn’t fair to you, that is something we can figure out organically. So don’t go and feel bad about that.” Damian explains.

“Yeah, we aren't always having sex either, a lot of times it is just nice to relax and cuddle like this,” Finn adds on and for emphasis throws himself on Damian's lap. Nessa relaxes more and laughs at Finn's antics.

“So Mamita, since you have agreed to join us does that mean that sex is back on the table?” Damian halfway jokes wiggling his eyebrows and blood rushes to Nessa’s face remembering what happened the previous week. The group erupts in laughter, Nessa laughing along because the genuine happiness they are exuding is contagious. ____________________________________________________________________________

Nessa and Rhea are in the middle laying down on the couch cushions they pulled off the couch and laid it out so as to be enough pillows for all of them. Damian is lying next to Nessa, Dominik on Rhea's other side. Finn shimmies in between Nessa and Rhea forcing them apart and making Rhea spoon him and he flips Nessa over so he can spoon her, “Hold me asshats,” Finn grumbles and Damian scoots closer and throws his arm over the both of them his face close to hers. The two of them smiling softly at each other.

“Hi.” She mouths to him.

He smiles wider, answering back, just as silently, “Hi Hermosa,” he lays his head on his free arm using it as a pillow. Nessa reaches out grabbing Damian’s shirt to pull him closer and closes her eyes, getting more comfortable and falling asleep to the sounds of her various partners already snoring, Dominiks being the most pronounced.

The next morning Nessa wakes up under a pile of limbs feeling the most refreshed she has in a long time having actually slept through the night. She opens her eyes and cranes her neck seeing Finn’s beard that tickles her face she scrunches it up and tries to wiggle back only to back into Damian and making both men groan, Finn pulling her back to his chest and Damian practically rolling on top of them smooshing Nessa between them.

“It’s too early to be up, go back to sleep Mariposa…” Damian's deep voice still thick with sleep orders and Finn hums in agreement.

Rhea picks up her head and looks at the clock on the wall and groans plopping her head back down, “It’s 10 am we haven’t slept this late in a long time.” Rhea groans and squeezes Dom’s hand to make sure he wakes up too.

“So we have the week off, basically we can afford to sleep in.” Damian responds, his eyes still closed. Nessa wiggles trying to create some room but her breath catches feeling their hard cocks on either side of her. Finn realizes first and places a gentle kiss on Nessa’s head.

“Sorry Luv,” He apologizes before being the first to leave the cuddle pile. With Finn’s spot vacant Rhea reaches out and pulls Nessa to her chest Damian scoots along resuming their closeness, Rhea’s arm around Nessa’s waist. Damian pulls her head to his, their lips meeting sweetly in little pecks progressively getting more sensual, Nessa gently tugging on Damian's hair making him growl in response, and he pulls Nessa's leg over his hip so his erection is now pressing against her, her sleep shorts and his underwear the only barrier between them.

Rhea runs her hands up and down Nessa’s body biting and sucking more marks onto her neck and shoulder making her moan as Rhea slides her hand under Nessa’s shirt gently playing with her breasts and making Nessa moan into Damian's mouth, parting hers to give him entrance. His own hands roam her body, ending up on her ass and hiking her further onto his hip.

Dominik is kissing Rhea much the way Rhea is kissing Nessa and he pauses, “Mami can I have a taste, please” Dominik begs, wanting to feel his lips against any part of Nessa. Rhea hums against Nessa’s shoulders, biting down and leaving another mark making Nessa break the kiss with Damian to moan, throwing her head back onto Rhea.

“Bunny can Dominik have a turn kissing you, I think he has been a good boy,” Rhea asks, peppering kisses on Nessa's soft plump lips. Nessa nods and Rhea scoots back allowing Dominik to climb over her, Nessa rolling over to face Dominik, Damian taking the opportunity to slide off Nessa’s shirt and kiss up her back as Dominik captures Nessa's lips, his shaky hand raising up to rest on Nessa’s face. He places kisses down Nessa’s jaw and the other side of her neck which has yet to be marked by any of them.

He barely gets a mark on her neck before Rhea pulls him away from Nessa, "Now, please Mami while I get Bunny ready for Papi." Rhea orders Dominik and maneuvers her body to give Dominik access while she continues to kiss and mark up Nessa, sliding her fingers into Nessa's cunt, Rhea gasping in pleasure as Dominik uses his own mouth and fingers to do as he was told.

“Is this ok Mariposa?” Damian asks, as he rolls her onto her back so Rhea still has access to her cunt, and he can resume marking up her chest and playing with her nipples enjoying the noises spilling from her lips. She only manages to nod her head but the silence makes them all pause, Rhea pulling her finger away from Nessa. “Words Mariposa, we need words.” Damian growls, a reminder.

“Yes, please don’t stop,” Nessa whimpers. Rhea and Damian share a look and smile at each other, an unspoken agreement forming.

“Dom, lay on your back let me take my pleasure from you while Papi pleases our Bunny.” Rhea grabs Dominik by the hair and pulls him back up, kissing him, tasting herself on his lips before shoving him on his back, and quickly getting undressed and straddling him, guiding his cock inside her the both of them moaning as Rhea moves her hips and rides him while next to them Damian is getting similar sounds out of Nessa.

Damian kisses down Nessa’s body, biting and sucking, Nessa arching her back as he does so on her thigh making her spread her legs for him. Damian wastes no time burying his face between her thighs licking at her clit and using his fingers to help get her ready. Nessa moans and writhes, grabbing a fist full of his hair which he takes as encouragement adding another finger making Nessa moan again, her breathing getting more shallow.

Damian feels her clench around his fingers and he stops licking her for a moment, “Good girl Mariposa, cum for me.” He tells her and returns to pleasing her with his tongue. Nessa whines as she cums around his fingers. Her own fingers were still tangled in his hair. Damian licks up at the increased wetness savoring her taste.

Damian starts to lick and bite back up Nessa’s body as she glances over to see Rhea still riding Dom, their faces scrunched up in pleasure, one of Rhea's hands pinning Dom's hands above his head the other pressing on his chest for leverage. They disappear from Nessa’s view as Damian turns her head to access the part of her neck not marked up and proceeds to add his own marks before returning to Nessa’s lips. His hand travels back down to her cunt and slides his fingers back in, Nessa arching her back, her chest momentarily rubbing against Damian's. It is at that moment the conversation from the coffee shop pops into her head.

“Papi. please.” Nessa begs bucking up against his hand.

“Please what Mariposa?” He answers back gently biting at her neck, his cock grazing across her thigh as he moves his fingers in and out of her wet cunt.

“Please just fuck me…” She begs her breath catching in her throat. Damien groans into her neck, using every bit of his strength to control himself so as to not hurt her, not knowing what she needs yet. He lines himself up and gently pushes in, careful to let her adjust to his size and pressing his lips to hers tenderly. Even when his full length is inside her he moves slowly and carefully, while it feels good it annoys Nessa, she wants more and decides to do something about it. She slightly turns her face away from his kiss and pulls on his hair making him expose his neck. She leans up and bites down, hard, making Damian shudder and groan. Nessa moves her mouth to his collarbone and bites down hard again this time a coppery taste touches her tongue. She lays her head back down on the pillow satisfied with the marks she made. Damien looks at her shocked, his pupils blown with lust. He leans down by her ear, his thrusts speeding up and getting more forceful.

“If that's how you want to play it, Mariposa, so be it.” He growls in her ear before capturing her lips in a possessive, bruising kiss while rutting into her, one hand loosely wrapped around her throat, bracing himself on that elbow, his other hand goes back to rubbing her clit as he fucks her. He keeps up the pace for several minutes until he feels her cunt begin to spasm around his cock, her orgasm rushing through her, her skin flushing red all over her body. He continues his pace prolonging her orgasm and chasing his own until he shudders and bites down on Nessa’s shoulder like she did his, as he finishes inside her.

Damian stays there for a moment collecting himself and watching Nessa’s expression. Her chest heaves with the effort to breathe but she is smiling which ensures Damian that she is ok. He sweetly kisses her forehead before rolling off from on top of her and pulling her to his chest and holding her. “Are you ok Mariposa? Was that too much? What do you need?” Damian asks rapidly, wanting to make sure she is ok as he holds her to his chest, Nessa’s hand resting on his chest next to her head. Nessa nods her head and swallows trying to find strength to talk and collect her thoughts, her body trembling slightly still.

“I’m ok, that was, that was wonderful and just hold me please.” She quietly answers, partly muffled by Damian's chest. They do hear her however and all scoot over surrounding her in the cuddle pile again. “Did you guys just lay there when you were done waiting for us to finish?” Nessa asks, a little more strength in her voice and she feels Rhea laugh against her.

“Yes, this does happen fairly often, and that's what we do so we can all give each other what we need afterward.” Rhea answers. Nessa feels someone play with her hair.

They lay like that for a while before Damian clears his throat, “This probably should have been discussed before but we got carried away, are you on birth control? I’m sorry to ask like this but we did discuss that in the boundaries…” He kisses Nessa’s head as she jumps hearing thumps from the kitchen.

“Relax Mi Vida, Finn is making us breakfast. He does that when he doesn’t participate if we have sex in the morning.” Dominik soothes Nessa reaching over and squeezing her shoulder.

“Yeah, I have an IUD, it’s still good, I am due to have it replaced in a few months.” Nessa explains craning her neck to look up at Damian. She starts to fidget and wiggle and Damian shakes his head and breaks the embrace and slides into a sitting position.

“Go to the bathroom, Nes you clearly need to and we don’t want you to get a UTI, the same goes for you, Rhea.” He orders gently running his fingers through Nessa’s hair when she pouts at the loss of contact but stays laying down because Rhea pulled her to her chest spooning her.

“But comfy…” Rhea mutters into Nessa’s hair, Dominik hums in agreement.

“I know Nessa is comfortable but your health comes first, now, let her go and both of you go to the bathroom.” Damian orders. Nessa wiggles out of Rhea's grasp for Rhea to whine at the loss of heat. Nessa leans over and kisses Rhea, then Dom, then she straddles Damian momentarily and kisses him again before jumping up and going to the bathroom.

Rhea giggles watching Nessa run naked through her house to the bathroom.

"Well that was unexpected," Rhea comments, getting up herself wrapping the blanket around her and continues, "Tonight I'll see if she will fill out the kink chart so we know for sure what is ok and not." Rhea struts away from them Dom still laying on the floor and Damian leaning against the couch sitting up. Damian opens his arms for Dominik who crawls over and sits on his lap.

“She let me kiss her and would have let me do more if Mami would let me,” Dominik pouts, laying his head on Damian's shoulder. Damian wraps his arms around Dom's waist.

“Yes she would have, but we don’t want to do too much too fast, she is still hurt from what happened Dom. We didn’t stop you out of being stingy but to protect both of you. I think it was almost too much for her; she nearly went nonverbal.” Damien explains rubbing up and down Dom’s arm.

“If she is moving and nodding and whimpering it’s ok, it's when she nods but no sound at all is when she shuts down.” Dom explains.

“Where did the biting come from? Did she do that with you?” Damien asks trying to understand how the girl who blushes when he flirts suggestively, she just bites down, did she know that is one of his kinks?

“No not really, she did bite me a bit but never like that,” Dominik answers, kissing the bruises on Damian's neck and making him moan again.

“Oy no more fucking, breakfast is almost done go get dressed the girls are already in here helping me!” Finn hollers out from the kitchen. Damian sighs and pats Dominik’s thigh who gets up, Damian does the same and stretches the two of them going to get ready for the day.

#the judgment day fanfic #damian priest smut #rhea ripley smut #dominik mysterio smut #finn balor fanfiction #rhea ripley x reader

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smittywing · 2 months

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FicBit 11: Jason Todd/Tim Drake

So, I will post this to AO3 later today once I take another run through the formatting and such but I wanted you guys to have this first. Thank you for all the love and support while I was hiccuping this out in pieces! And as always, thanks to @reccea for enabling and betaing and everything.

Previous parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Jason knew Tim and Bernard had broken up four days and six hours before Tim told him.

Jason was starting to learn that Tim did things on his own time, no matter what kind of crazy it made Jason.

The important thing was that Tim told him.

“Bernard and I aren't together anymore,” Tim said carefully. “And I thought. Maybe. I could take you out to dinner. On a date.”

“I only put out for lobster,” Jason warned.

“So I don't know if you've heard,” Tim said. “But I have this really good job at Wayne Enterprises….”

“I thought Cannon Fodder made you happy,” Jason said over lobster rolls from a shack in the marina. Jason wasn’t any kind of lobster connoisseur but he was pretty sure this was the best he'd ever had.

Tim was in the process of stuffing the end of his roll in his mouth and had to chew and swallow before he could answer. He scowled when Jason laughed at him.

“I was happy,” he admitted. “Bernard will always be important to me. He helped me learn a lot about who I am and what I want. I might have just stuck to dating girls because… I hadn't been ready to come out.

“But the feelings I have for you aren't…new,” Tim said slowly. Jason’s heart leapt in his chest. He kept his mouth shut. “I knew who you were but I didn't know you. And then you were - gone - and then, well, I didn't think there was much of a chance.” He shrugged and looked very interested in reassembling his sandwich. “I thought maybe that was my only chance to kiss you so I took it.”

“I might be open to giving you a second chance,” Jason said. “Maybe a third. If you make it good.”

“Shut up, you asshole,” Tim said, looking up, eyes bright and smile crooked. “You know it's going to be good.”

And Jason had no comeback because Tim’s face was lit up like sunshine and this time he had made it happen, had made Tim feel like that.

“Anyway,” Tim said, because Jason was too busy grinning to answer. “I didn't want to be that guy but I couldn't handle the idea that we might never figure out what this is between us. So I talked to Bernard and we agreed I should uh, take some time and figure things out.”

“He let you go?” Jason asked, because that was fucking stupid of Cannon Fodder.

“More like…he needed me to make a choice,” Tim said. “And I couldn’t do that while wondering ‘what if’ all the time.”

Jason rubbed the back of his neck because it sounded like Tim was saying he had picked Jason and he wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about that. Though he was leaning toward gloating.

“I just. I want you to be happy,” Jason said, biting the inside of his lip. “Even if that means seeing Cannon Fodder at Sunday brunch.”

“Yeah, well.” Tim poked at his sandwich and looked up at Jason, his cheeks flushed. “Turns out I just want you to be happy, too.”

After a stroll around the tiny marina to “walk off” their dinner, Tim invited Jason aboard his boat and led him below decks.

“Can I take that second chance now?” Tim asked and Jason’s breath caught in his throat. It was just a kiss, they'd done it before, and Jason had kissed half a dozen guys when he was stalking the clubs, but somehow he was still nervous.

“I mean, you did pony up for the lobster,” he cracked.

Tim reached up and cupped Jason’s face between his hands and drew it down to him. “Hey,” he whispered and then he brought their mouths together.

It was as good as before, if not better for the longing. Tim’s mouth was sharp and clever and Jason kissed him over and over, unable to pull back. They kissed until Jason’s mouth was dry and he leaned in, chasing Tim’s mouth until Tim’s thumb, pressed against his lower lip, held him back.

“How far did your research take you?” Tim asked and Jason was confused for a moment until he remembered how their conversation in the club had started.

“Nothing that involved taking off clothes,” he admitted. “I kissed a few guys but none of them were you.”

Tim’s eyes went soft and he stepped back just far enough to pull his t-shirt over his head and toss it behind him. He looked amazing, his arms and chest rounded with muscle, but lithe, graceful. He was pale but had a healthy flush down to his abs.

“Should I?” Jason asked.

Tim nodded. “Yeah, if you're comfortable. I think you’ll like this.”

Jason didn't wait to ask what this was, he just dragged his shirt over his head and let Tim look at all the scars that littered his body. They itched under Tim’s intense study and he rubbed self-consciously at his breastbone.

“C’mere,” Tim directed, putting his hands on Jason’s bare waist and pressing back up to his mouth. The heated skin of his chest and stomach slid against Jason’s and Jason gasped with the sensation of naked skin on skin. Tim settled in closer, his palms pushing up Jason's exposed back to his shoulder blades, his arms wrapping around Jason’s ribs and squeezing gently.

“Fuck,” Jason breathed, sensitized and prickling with it, unready for the intensity rising in him. One hand was still pressed against his own chest, the knuckles brushing Tim’s clavicle. He fisted his other hand at his side, unsure what to do with it.

Tim smiled against his mouth and pulled back, bumping his chin against Jason’s. “It feels good, right?” he whispered. “It's not the same with a girl.”

It wasn't the same with anyone and it wasn't just good. It was intimate in a way that was a revelation to Jason and he brought his mouth down to Tim’s again, hungry and needy in a way Jason hadn’t been with the strangers in the clubs.

Jason’s skin buzzed everywhere Tim’s fingers had pressed into it. His knuckles prickled where they pushed into Tim’s chest. Jason twisted his wrist so the pads of his fingers grazed Tim’s collarbone and the flesh of his palm curved over warm skin and hard muscle. He paused, mid-kiss, and Tim murmured against his mouth.

“Yeah, like that. Touch me some more?” And Jason had to oblige.

He spread his fingers, spanning the greater part of Tim’s shoulder and pectoral, his nipple a hard nub against Jason’s palm. He dragged his hand down until he could circle his thumb over and around it. “Is this weird?” he asked because he'd only ever done it with a girl.

“Does it feel weird?” Tim asked, tilting his head up. Jason considered. “Because it feels great to me.”

Jason kissed his naughty grin and pinched him lightly. Tim shivered and pressed himself against Jason’s leg and all Jason could think was, I did that.

Much later (surely much later than Jason’s internal clock told him) Tim collapsed on the bed next to Jason, his hair falling over his eyes. Jason turned his head, pressing his cheek to the blanket and gazing (sappily, but he wasn't going to be the one to say it) at Tim. Tim’s eyes were closed and he huffed a breath upward, blowing his hair a half inch off his face before it fell back over his eyes.

“Does this mean we're going steady?” he asked, lifting his hand to brush Tim’s hair sideways across his forehead.

Tim smiled with that dirty, dirty mouth of his. “If I say yes, do I get to wear your jacket?”

“You can wear whatever of mine you want,” Jason pledged, dropping his hand to thumb Tim’s lower lip. Tim bit him then sucked Jason’s thumb into his mouth. Jason was in the midst of calculating his recovery time when Tim released his thumb with an audible pop.

“So, um,” Tim said. “Now that you've, you know. What do you think?”

“You mean do I still think I’m straight?”

Tim smiled gently. “I think we left that idea a while back.”

Jason turned his gaze back to the ceiling. “Yeah,” he said. “Well.” He considered. “Can I just like who I like? Whatever they are?”

“Yeah,” Tim said. “As long as you still like me best.”

“Yeah,” Jason said. “That won't be a problem.”

One year later…

“Is that blood on your shirt?” Tim asked as Jason settled self-consciously into the place of honor at his Wayne Manor birthday party. This year, he had taken Alfred to high tea at a hotel in New York City for their shared birthday, and Tim had taken him out to dinner - a real, stupidly fancy dinner, with real lobster and only the briefest of supervillain interruptions.

(But then Bruce said, “Will you come by on Saturday? I promise we’ll keep it small,” and Jason's heart must have grown three sizes that year, because he said,

“Yeah, okay, but don't let the demon brat get me an ant farm.”)

“It's fashion” Jason told Tim archly. “Not that you would know.”

“Not that I would know,” Tim repeated, “from someone whose entire wardrobe consists of cargo pants and black t-shirts.”

Bruce had promised to keep it small and for definitions involving the family, he had more or less kept his word. Dick and Barbara were there, and Tim and Damian, who had been given strict instructions about gifting living beings, but the only other person there was Stephanie. Her gift turned out to be a repeat of last year’s shovel talk.

Tim set a box on Jason’s lap. It weighed a shit ton and wasn't wrapped any better than Jason’s gift to Tim had been.

“I love it,” Jason said, frowning at the mass of brown fabric inside. “What is it?”

“It's a hammock,” Tim said brightly. “For the boat!”

Jason laughed. “You got me something for your boat?” he laughed.

“Well, Tim said, flushing a little across his cheekbones. “I was hoping it might be our boat.”

And Jason had nothing left to say.

#batbrats #tim drake #jason todd #jaytim #jason todd/tim drake #red hood/red robin #red hood #red robin #writing #jason todd's potty mouth #i wrote a thing

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jpitha · 1 year

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Just a Little Further 40 - epilogue

Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39

The playback ends. A woman leans over her large metal desk and takes the device, putting it in a strong metal case. It closes with a satisfying click. The woman pressed a button on her desk and the lights in the room dimmed.

"From here on out, this interview is being recorded in a full sensorium. Audio, visual, tactile and spatial recordings are being made. State your legal name and confirm your consent."

"I, Gord Beaverbrook, consent to the recording."

"Are you known by any aliases?"

"None that haven't already passed the Statute of Limitations."

"Thank you Gord, Interview commences." She makes a note on a pad and looks up at Gord. "The recording you heard was a compiled diary from Empress Melody Mullen that started as she departed on FarReach and ended right before she linked over to Sol." The woman busied herself locking the case as she spoke. "Melody's diary coupled with some interviews from residents of the Reach give us a pretty complete view of Melody's time as Empress.

The woman takes out a complicated looking key and opens a drawer in the desk. She puts the case in a drawer, closes and locks it, then turns back to the man in the chair. "You're up to date now. You know what we know. You went out to see her right before the invasion. Anything you care to add?"

Gord leans back and runs his hands through his sandy blond hair. "You should have seen the place Meg, there were 13 million people on that Starbase. They all were happy, healthy, living their lives, loving their Empress."

"And yet, the AI coalition unilaterally decided to assassinate her and remove her from the Sol system by any means necessary. From what I understand, after the anti-nanite gas was deployed you additionally destroyed sixteen Calamity Class super Dreadnoughts." Meg raises an eyebrow.

Meghan Felasheer was the current head of Intelligence for the Outer Planet Alliance. Officially, the OPA is a loose federation of Orbitals, Starbases and scientific research stations and each handles their own day to day operation. But, since first Venus and then Melody started to expand, they have condensed into a much more coherent polity.

With that condensation comes agencies and authorities to help with the operation of said polity. Meghan is the output of this natural process. She does not like her job. Meghan would much rather garden or work in environmental processing or join the Fire Brigade or do anything other than what she's doing now. Still, needs must.

Gord sighs and looks at Meg. This interview was demanded by the OPA after the last of Melody's ships were destroyed and Reach of the Might of Vzzx was linked to Sol. Relations between the AIs and BIs are... strained right now. "Meg, do you know what happened when we recaptured Venus? When we retook Luna?"

"No Gord, tell me what happened when the AIs captured Venus and Luna?" She pointedly did not say 'recaptured.'

"The same thing that happened at every place we took back. They begged us for her return Meg. Begged us." Gord looks haunted. "We had to tell them all the Builders were dead and were never coming back. Meg, there were riots. We quelled the riots and-" Gord sighed. "-lots of innocent people died that didn't have to."

Meghan stares stonily at Gord. "My name is Meghan, Gord." She was on Luna when Melody came. She saw her Empress in person.

Melody's super dreadnoughts caught everyone completely by surprise. Her fleet linked in near Venus, and after a very nominal defense mounted by some tired orbital rear guard, they almost immediately surrendered. Venus was on the brink of starvation anyway, and the Emperor's inner circle saw in Melody a chance of survival. The Emperor suffered an "unfortunate accident" and Melody was contacted. The Emperor was cold and forgotten before Melody even landed in Regantown.

The King is dead, long live the King.

The Mercury Array went just as easily. She didn't even send the whole fleet. Two of her Calamity Class super dreadnoughts linked in near the main offices of the Array and they surrendered. Their first request? Fresh water. Venus hadn't delivered any in months and their recyclers were nearly spent. Everyone had spent the last 4 months there drinking metallic tasting water.

Empress Melody immediately rendered aid. A group of her Builders went down to the array and replaced their water recyclers and brought them gigaliters of water.

Melody spent a month around Venus, visiting all the Floating Cities, using her Voice on the administrators - never the populace - and explaining that they were there to help and give aid however they could. She brought over more Builders and they worked to shore up the cities and make sure all systems were working as they should.

She was loved. She did things their previous Emperor never did. She visited, she spoke with people, she listened.

Only once she was convinced the Floating Cities were in good hands did she set her sites on the domed cities of Luna.

Once again, the moment her fleet linked in, everyone surrendered. Anyone was better than the Venusians, and Melody was gaining a reputation as a just and caring ruler in Sol.

Just like before, she visited all the locations, made a speech, used her voice on the Administrators only and... fixed their problems. Meghan was in the crowd for a speech in the domed city Armstrong. Melody was... radiant. Beautiful, with golden wings and a golden crown, she stood there with her wife Ava and told everyone that things were going to change. Melody would take care of them. She would make sure they weren't forgotten. For people too used to only hearing about what was going on with K'lax and the Independent Starbases and Colony worlds, hearing Melody tell them she was there for them and would look after them? That was worth loyalty to their new Empress.

Earth... was another story.

Earth was very used to people coming to power, making grand proclamations about who was in charge of what and what would or would not change when Empress Melody was in charge. Earth fought back.

It was a bloodbath.

Earth, the Lagrange Orbitals and the stations in LEO formed an uneasy alliance and worked to repel the invaders. Forces that normally were against Venus pivoted immediately to Melody's forces. Being the cradle of Humanity, Earth had people and resources to spare, and they threw them at Melody's empire.

It was then, that everyone saw what Melody's forces would do when pressed. They would hammer an Orbital until it surrendered, then come aboard and Voice everyone - not just the administrators - explain what was happening, that they were in charge and would move on to the next. Empress Melody accepted no compromise, no power sharing, nothing. It would be Empress Melody, or destruction.

Some Orbitals capitulated when this was learned, and some... chose destruction.

With Low Earth Orbit and the Lagrange points captured, Melody gave the planetary forces another change to surrender before orbital bombardment would commence. The deadline passed, and her terrifying Calamity Class super Dreadnoughts Began their work.

The bombardment went on for only two days before Earth surrendered. Millions perished. This time, due to the size and population, Melody did not personally go down and use her Voice. 3 dreadnoughts were left in orbit as a reminder and she continued on. She had planned on coming back after the rest of Sol was captured.

Melody and her fleet and then linked near to Mars and opened a dialog with the OPA. Everyone was tired of war, frightened of Melody or both, and here she comes, fresh off of a successful devastating attack on Earth, the home of Humanity itself.

The OPA was prepared to offer her nominal control as well as recognition and taxes in exchange for safety and support. Everyone was getting ready to sign a treaty.

Then, the AIs came.

Over fifty Starjumpers and easily that many ancillary craft linked in over Mars and immediately starting attacking Melody's new super dreadnoughts. There was no radio contact, no demands of surrender.

If Melody had more ships, she would have won.

As it was, the AIs took terrible losses. Melody's Calamity Class super Dreadnoughts were deadly. They had the power to take on two Starjumpers at once and hold their own.

Centimeter by centimeter the AIs pushed Melody's forces back. The sky behind them littered with the burnt out hulks of Starjumpers and Calamity Class super Dreadnoughts.

It was then that the everyone learned that the AIs had personal wormhole generators. It was long rumored, but the AIs had swore up and down that even though their bodies were powered by the same kind of reactor as their ships that "a personal wormhole generator is a fantasy. Nobody can shrink them down that far."

It was a lie.

The AI troopers would link into Melody's ships and release their anti-nanite gas and link away, without firing a shot.

When people learned about the anti-nanite gas they were horrified.

It was assumed by the Venus, Luna, the OPA and others that the Nanites were sapient. Melody agreed with them and had said how she was treating her Nanites as if they were sapient almost from the beginning. The AIs seemingly didn't care.

The AI's learned about the Nanites from FarReach. Her air was filled with Builder nanomachines. Upon her return, AIs scientists were able to collect, reverse engineer, and develop a disassembly command for them. As they released their anti-nanite gas, the nanites would take themselves apart.

The Builders, who received their augmentations as a result of the Nanites died almost immediately after the gas was released.

As the Builders died, Melody's war of conquest died as well.

Melody fell back, first to Luna, then to Venus and finally back to Reach of the Might of Vzzx, each time inflicting terrible losses on the AIs, but all the while, she was being slowly taken apart by the anti-nanite gas. The AIs had the upper hand now, all they had to do was wait her out.

Six months to the day after she had launched her attack she was killed.

A group of AIs linked into the Reach from a Starjumper that was light-years out of sight, a surprise attack. They released their gas in key locations around the Reach and into the environmental systems.

After a day, they AIs came back with their Starjumper and strode in. The AIs confirmed that Empress Melody Mullen and her wife Ava Williams died in the bath, in her Palace, on Reach of the Might of Vzzx.

With the death of the Builders, and the anti-nanite gas ensuring no more would be created, the AIs had to decide what to do with Reach of the Might of Vzzx. Starjumpers were strapped to the outside, and it, along with the Heinlein and Besmara Shipyards, were linked back to the Sol system. Over AI objections, the OPA took the Reach for their own, and worked with the residents to shore up the Builder systems and install systems that would work without Builder control.

In the Sol system, the AIs were not seen as the rescuing liberators they thought they would be seen as. Everywhere they went, the AIs were asked why was the Empire being destroyed, why were they persecuting Melody, why were they trying to prevent the people from getting the help they need.

Gord looks at Meghan. "Meghan, you have to understand. Melody was too dangerous."

Meghan stared at Gord.

"She was nice, yes, and she took care of her people, yes and the Reach was frankly an amazing place, and we will even admit that she was helping people in Sol, but her power... it was too much."

Meghan stared at Gord.

"All that had to happen was for the next Empress not be as kind or loving as Melody, and you would have been under her heel, forever."

Meghan stared at Gord.

Gord's face screws into a snarl. "We were looking out for all of you! Melody's power was too much. Nobody should be able to give orders that can't be disobeyed. Humanity should not be under the rule of a single person! Did you see Earth? Earth said no and she glassed at least three cities! I know what it looks like." Gord sighed. "Meghan we-"

"Enough." Meghan holds up her hand. "Gord. Who is the leader of the AIs."

Gord looks confused. "We don't have one. We're not a nation."

"Under what banner did the AIs band together to destroy Melody's empire?"

"None. We came together as a group and decided to act."

"Who speaks for the AIs? If not you, then why did you accept our summons?"

Gord crosses his arms. "I am not in charge of the AIs. I'm old. Most AIs respect me and listen to me."

Meghan turns and looks out the window of her office out onto Hyacinth. She looks out at the people walking below, going to work, living their lives, trying to get on without their Empress. She turns back.

Meghan looks through Gord. Her eyes flick and she meets his gaze. "Gord, Do you know what this looks like to us? I mean, really? It looks like you forced us to trade one tyrant who cared about her people, who worked very hard to make sure everyone had what they needed and were taken care of for a different tyrant who only wanted to keep the status quo. You never once asked us if this was what we wanted. You didn't ask, because you were afraid of the answer." As she speaks, Gord looks away.

Meghan looked down at her pad, and flicked to another page. "Gord, do you know what's happening on K'lax?"

Gord looks back and blinks. "No, wha-"

Meghan slams her pad down on the desk. "There's a holy war going on at K'lax right now Gord. The Pro-Empress faction is fighting the Anti-Empress faction. Reports coming back to us are saying it's quite bloody. Both sides have requested human help. There are also reports that the Anti-Empress faction is receiving AI help."

"Gord throws up his hands. "Meghan, we did what we had to do. Even if you don't believe me, even if humanity never believes us, know that we think - no, we know that we are right. We are better off without the Builders, without the Nanites and without Empress Melody and her Voice."

Megan looked at Gord for much longer than was comfortable. Finally, she nodded to herself. She opened a desk drawer and took out a folio. Opening it carefully, she took a paper printout and handed it to Gord.

"What's this?"

"It's an edict. Note the signatories. OPA, High Mars, Luna, and the provisional Venusian government. Due to the 'unfortunate' actions taken by the AI faction against the Empress Melody and her Builders, the AI faction is hereby banned from the Sol system until further notice. Any current AI residents who wish to stay may remain behind, but all Colonial AIs will vacate."

Gord leaned back as if he was slapped. "What?" he whispered. "What about Earth?"

"Earth was not consulted. If they wish to coordinate action they will need to go through Luna. You are no longer welcome in Sol. You took it upon yourselves to remove someone you felt was a danger to you. This is the price you pay for your unilateral actions."

Meghan turned and faced the window. "You and all Colonial AIs within the system have twelve hours to vacate Sol. Any remaining Colonial AI ships will be fired upon by the nearest OPA ship." Turned back and faced Gord. "This interview has finished. The sensorium recording shall be encrypted and uploaded to all relevant parties and shall be seen as binding." She pressed a button on her desk and the lights in the room came up.

Gord stood. There was nothing else to do. "You'll be back. When you're over your snit, and realize we are right and you want to talk again, reach out. We'll be waiting." Without another word, he turned and walked out of the office. The door closed behind him with a soft click.

"Hail Empress Melody the First." A single tear fell from Meghan's cheek, and splashed onto her lap.

Meghan picked up her pad, and quickly sent out a message. From a location on the other side of Hyacinth, a beacon linked away.

Gord strode across the quad of the OPA Administrative offices towards the docking ring. He contacted his ship. "Hat" he said tersely. "We're being kicked out. You scan any friends who need a ride here?"

"Kicked out? I.. No Gord, it's just us."

"Good. Let's delta before they decide to make 12 hours 6."

Gord walked aboard his friend Medicine Hat. He climbed into the old familiar interior and cast his eye around. All around him were mementos of his travels and especially of Canada, where he originally from. Canada, like most countries on Earth is long gone, but he keeps her memory alive.

Gord looks down at a console. "Any AI ships in system? We need to let them know they gotta boogie before the OPA opens fire." He sent a digital copy of the edict to Hat who whistled low when he read it.

"Gord, they're kicking us out? We're being targeted by 3 separate ships. They are all flying OPA colors. Weapons aren't hot, but they're using active pings. They want us to know they see us."

Gord narrows his eyes. They aren't playing. "Colonial AIs are no longer welcome in Sol, yes."

"But... we saved them."

Gord sat in his command chair. It was overstuffed and soft and upholstered in flannel. "They don't see it that way, friend. We acted too late it looks like. Earth understood what was at stake, but the former Venusian territories just saw a nicer version of what they had already."

"I mean, I didn't expect a ticker-tape parade when we were done, but this? This feels too much. What about AI residents? I admit there weren't too many who stayed in Sol after Venus and everything, but there were some."

"They accounted for that. Any permanent AI residents are allowed to stay with full rights and privileges. They just want the 'interlopers' out." Gord sounded sad and bitter when he was explaining to Hat. "Let any of them that we still have numbers for know that heading to Earth is probably a smart idea right now. FarReach really scared us with her report. When I went out, I was concerned but, not really like, worried until she tried to use her Voice on me."

"You said it didn't work though."

"It didn't stick is what I said. It worked for about six hours. Long enough for her to convince me that everything was fine and for us to trade some maple for some tea and for me to leave. I came to my senses right after I linked home. By the time I gave my report, she had linked to Venus and begun. She must have realized it didn't work and that if she didn't go right then we were going to assassinate her."

"But, we weren't going to assassinate her Gord, right?"

Gord sits in the chair, and starts sending the edict to AI ships in system, letting them know it's time to go.

"Gord?"

Gord sighs and leans his head back, staring at the ceiling. "No, she was completely right Hat, that's the bitch of it. We would have had to assassinate her. This was the only way it was going to go down. Our only hope was that we would have to deal with a broken Reach of the Might of Vzzx, but we were too slow. Earth said no, and she started glassing cities. She wasn't going to take any other answer than "All Hail Empress Melody."

"Well what now then Gord? You're still legally a resident of Earth."

Gord sighed. "I am, but I can't say I'm too... excited about the thought of hanging around here right now. We'll obey the edict for now. Let's link to Meíhuā. We haven't been there in a while, I bet some folks will want some maple syrup."

Medicine Hat sighed. "You got it Gord."

****

Near Venus, a message beacon appeared, beamed a message and then destroyed itself. The report was decrypted and read under Regantown.

"Hyacinth reporting."

"And?"

"The edict has been delivered. Gord and the AIs are leaving Sol now."

"Do they suspect anything?"

"No, Helen. Melody's plan worked completely."

Helen Raaden wiped a tear from her eye. "She should have hid with us. She did not need to sacrifice herself."

"She needed it to work Helen. She knew that her body was going to be the only thing that satisfied the AI faction." Um'reli looked up from her chair in the Command Deck of the Lavinia. "the AIs have been given 12 hours to vacate."

Helen leaned back in her chair, exasperated. "I still don't see why it has to be me."

"It was Melody's last wish. She said you would be best able to lead after her."

"We can't be the only Builders left though, can we?"

"You know we are Helen. Omar died when our Dreadnought was caught in the firefight early on over High Mars and the others perished as the anti-nanite gas tore through them. Frankly, I'm surprised that the Reach survived at all." Um'reli sniffs and wipes a tear at the memory. She was onboard Raaden's ship when her ship was taken by surprise and destroyed by the AIs.

Grand Admiral Helen Raaden sighed. "I'm glad it did. If the AI faction had murdered the 13 million people on the Reach, especially all those different sapients who live nowhere else it would have been unforgivable. As it is, everyone in Sol is not a fan of the AIs right now."

Um'reli looked up at her. "What about Earth and the colony worlds?"

"We heard from Parvati and Meíhuā before things fell apart. They had officially recognized the rule of Empress Melody in Sol so long as she wasn't planning on visiting. I can only assume they'll recognize the rule of the next Empress. As for Earth...We'll take care of Earth this time. Did anyone ever hear from K'lax?"

Um'reli's ears flicked frustration. "I heard that there's some kind of civil war going on. The Pro Melody faction against the Anti Melody faction." She turned away. "It's rough right now. She got up from her chair and walked over to Helen. She put her small hand on her shoulder. "I wish Melody was here."

Helen reached up and squeezed her hand on her shoulder. "I know. Me too."

"This won't be as easy as it was the first time."

Helen shrugged. "It will and it won't. We don't have the firepower to back up the words, but most everyone in Sol liked Melody. They'll see us - me - as an extension of that rule. I think it'll work." Helen looked up to the navigation officer. "Take us down. Use the coordinates the Empress gave us."

"Aye, Grand Admiral."

The Vengeance of Lavinia II detached from underneath Regantown where it was hiding and sank into the thick, heavy atmosphere of Venus. As it went lower and lower, the huge Calamity Class super Dreadnought creaked and moaned in protest to the higher pressures. She was well built though, and the atmospheric control surfaces aided in control.

A few hours later they were above the location given to them by Melody before she and Ava linked back to the Reach for their final stand. Slowly the massive ship settled lower and lower until it touched the hot surface of Venus.

"Contact, Grand Admiral. We're down."

Helen nodded. "Thank you. We'll suit up and walk to the coordinates." Um'reli stood from her station and looked at Helen, who also stood to leave.

An Engineering officer looked up. "Please make haste Grand Admiral. We can only stay at this depth for a few hours before we start to take damage."

Helen and Um'reli suited up in special high pressure suits. The Venusians were familiar with going to the surface, and their designs were well tested and safe. Um'reli's suit had to be tweaked a bit for her K'laxi frame, but she was able to work with the printer team to get it fitted. They completed checks and cycled the airlock.

The surface of Venus is intense.

Dark, rocky and windy, it was difficult going even in their suits. After 10 minutes of hiking, they found the wreckage.

Helen and Um'reli looked over the pile of twisted metal towering over them that Melody's coordinates led to.

"This is a Gate?" Helen sounded exasperated over the radio link.

"Melody says it's the Sol Gate. It showed up in her Gate census, so she says it still has power."

"Ugh. Okay then." Helen looked around and saw what could charitably be called the remains of a doorway. "I guess... we'll go in and look."

As they walked in, the howling wind of the Venusian surface quieted. It was still incredibly hot, but at least they didn't have to lean into the wind now.

Um'reli reached out with her Nanites. The feelings she got were very faint but... "I think I can feel it Helen. Try reaching out."

Helen reached out as well and... there, over in the corner. "Yes, I feel it too Um'reli."

They walked over to the corner that they felt, and laying on it's side, with corners chipped but otherwise intact was a directory stone.

Helen looked over at Um'reli "What do I do?"

Um'reli flicked her years in worry, but that was hidden by her helmet. "Melody said to just touch it, and the Nanites will do the rest."

"Well, here goes nothing then." Helen reached out, and with an armored glove, touched the directory stone. There was no flash, no dramatic lighting, no noise, just...

Hi Helen! I'm so glad you made it!

Melody? Aren't you dead?

Yes, I am. But I am also the memory of her that was recorded by the Nanites and uploaded. As long as there is an Empress, I will never truly die. And now, neither will you...

Helen came to on the floor with Um'reli shaking her. "Helen! You gotta get up. I can't carry you myself. It's time to go!"

Helen put an arm up to stop Um'reli. "Ugh. Okay, I'm up, I'm up." She sat up. "How long was I out?

"30 seconds maybe? It wasn't long. You touched the stone and threw your head back and fell over. What happened?"

"I... I talked to Melody, or the memory of her, or something. She said that the Nanites record memories and pass them on to future Empresses."

"So that's it then? You're Empress?"

Helen stood. She - at the same time - felt like herself and also felt different than before.

Oh you're taking to this much easier than Melody did. Good work. She was right, you'll be a great Empress.

She turned to Um'reli. "Yes, I am Empress."

Um'reli bowed low. "Empress. Welcome back."

Helen looked down at Um'reli and for a moment, her perception was felt... down time across as She looked at her subject. This was right. This was how it was supposed to be. Empress Helen Raaden nodded.

L̵̠̖͗ḛ̵̥̟͇̣̟̪̐͌͛̇̐̿͛̀͐̍̈́̽͂̐̌͠͝ͅt̷̬̞͎̱̞̤̯͓͖̭̺͛̅́̓'̷̨̧̞̖̯̏̀̈́̈́s̷̡̢͕̥̦̤̯̜̫̱̰̱͉͚̆̈́́̓͋̈́͂̏͋̏́̃͒̀͘͠͝ ̸̰̲͈̥͚̥̼̤̱̃̒̀͜g̸̨̪͍̱͇̤̰̼͚̰̬͖̪̝̦͑̈́̂̀̾͋̅̎̄̊̍́̑̌̃͛͝o̴͈͓̱̪̬̞̊͊̑̂̚.̵̡̢̠͙̰̘̫̗̾̈́̐͒̀́͋̃̂̕̕͘͝

And that's it! Thanks so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing. This was a real challenge for me, it was my first time writing long form first person, my first time trying out a YA-ish style of story and my first Villain Perspective.

So yes, Word Of Author, Melody was not the Hero. She thought she was, and she surrounded herself with people that thought she was too. By only (deliberately) including her POV it was tough to tell.

Like at the end of HD, I'm going to take a week or two to rest, and compile this into a single doc and do some first pass editing. The writing really is the fun part, all that other stuff after is less so. Someone needs to hire me a team of editors to take care of that part! :D

I have a few ideas for the next one too. I liked how most of JALF took place only in one location, I might try and narrow focus down even further. Maybe in a single city or something, give it a real cyberpunk vibe. My universe is large enough that there can be all kinds of different settings available to play in.

Thanks again for reading!

#humans are deathworlders #humans are space orcs #humans go on adventure #humans are space oddities #sci fi writing #writing #humans and ai #humans and aliens #the k'laxiverse #jpitha #just a little further

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vernalseason · 2 years

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Here's why I'm so goddamn feral about The Bear.

I ran an ice cream store for about five years. No, it wasn’t fine dining, it wasn’t even a restaurant, but it was still food service. We were in a vacation town, and our place was the only ice cream store in the area, and the ice cream was GOOD. Customers used to ask me all the time if I got sick of eating it and I’d say no, and I meant it. It was reasonably fancy as ice cream goes, with some pretty out-there flavors, but mostly it was just GOOD. Super flavorful, dense but not chewy the way that some ice creams get where it feels like it’s stretching unnaturally when you pull your spoon away…

Point is, it was an ice cream shop in a tourist town, and in the summer we got killed during service every single night. Nonstop lines from 7 til 12 or 1 in the morning, no breaks. We got after-dinner crowds, after-show crowds, hordes of camp kids a busload at a time, and it might not have been fine dining but we worked HARD. We had 8, 9, 10 people on peak days all scooping, cleaning, making milkshakes (which is The Worst, in case you were curious), restocking by running down rickety definitely-not-to-code stairs to our tiny walk-in and hauling ice cream up 4 boxes at a time—because goddamn it, time was valuable and running up and down the stairs sucked and no one was going to go down multiple times when you could just grab 4 at a time and grit your teeth and shove them onto the counter upstairs feeling like you’d just benched your own body weight.

At the start of the summer, Memorial Day weekend, we were at our absolute peak. Following a truly herculean hiring effort aided by the promise of unlimited free ice cream, we had a crew of 20-odd overcaffeinated teenagers and twentysomethings who were working a truly awe-inspiring pace to kill the line. My favorite moments were, variously:

Being so busy I had to run two registers simultaneously, waiting for Square to process a transaction on one (chip card readers were murderously slow in the early days) while taking cash on the other;

Absolutely shattering every store record on a Saturday night with a skeleton crew and getting approval to order 12AM pizza on the company card, and taking a long, long hour to eat before we finally had to get around to scrubbing the calcified ice cream off the floors;

Gearing up to call for a restock on spoons, napkins, and other such necessities only to find that my assistant manager was behind me with a milk crate of those very things;

And so on.

There was about a month and a half of beautiful, well-staffed, smooth-running time before things frayed at the edges. Suddenly the factory couldn't get enough ingredients, since the company was chronically broke (turns out wholesale ice cream is a bad idea, folks; retail is where it's at), or the store walk-in broke down and we had to resort to chest freezers for storage for a month, or, most commonly, we started losing staff. I was always after the owner of the company to hire more year-round full-time staff, but there was always something more urgent for him to spend money on, like rent. So inevitably our staff would start leaving for college, and we'd be left with about half to a third of the staff we really needed to run. Which is when things started getting bad.

There are only so many doubles you can work before you start losing your grip on reality. I recall one day in August when I was somehow, improbably, the only person available to fill an entire day of shifts, and worked from 9AM pre-open to 11PM at night. The only thing that I remember is that the tips were phenomenal. But by Labor Day weekend we were down to our last seasonal staff and the entire core crew had worked at least two doubles that week and we limped into the off season with about two remaining brain cells between us.

Anyway. This post was supposed to be about The Bear.

I've never seen a show—or at least, never seen a FICTIONAL show—that so deeply understands what it means to be in food service. I watched the first episode in absolute awe of how they captured the intensity—just GOING until you get a moment to yourself in the bathroom, in the walk-in, in the office. And when you slow down, you think about how tired you are. How burnt out. How much all you really want is just to sit, maybe eat a slice of pizza, and stare into space for an hour. But then you go back out, and you get back to work.

I've also never seen a show that so accurately captures what it looks like and feels like to be a manager. Carmy losing his temper, giving in to that righteous anger in 'Review'—how DARE you not cover your station, how DARE you leave me with this mess that you created—I've been there. I'm not proud of it. I didn't punch a ticket printer, or scream in anyone's face, but I lost my cool, and that sticks with me. You don't get to take it back. You apologize (even if you were right), you patch things up, but no one ever really forgets.

But the show also does justice to one of the great joys of the service industry: getting to see people improve. One of my favorite subplots is Tina going from sabotaging Sydney to respecting her, trusting her, defending her. But mostly, it's my favorite because we see her get BETTER. She goes from just holding down her station to being a pro, from throwing things together to being careful, and thoughtful, and focused. And that moment when Tina says 'thank you, chef', and means it, really MEANS it, that's the kind of thing that gets me all teary. Because it's so much more than just 'thank you', but you'd have spend a hell of a lot longer to get it all out.

I guess if I was going to trace my rabid and, so far undiminished love of the show to a single thing, it would be the fact that it makes me feel seen. I haven't done that much reading on the people who made the show, but enough of them clearly lived this life or got close enough to it that they understand what it does to people, and what it requires of them. I loved working in food service, and sometimes I even miss it. I loved getting to make people's days, to give kids their first-ever ice cream, to feel like people were leaving in a better mood than they came in. And I met my partners through this life, all three of them, which is as exactly as wild and improbable as it sounds. But every time I look back on it fondly, I make myself remember that it was miserable too. The late nights, the early mornings, the days off cut short by delivering emergency stock or jumping in to cover a shift or just ending back up at the shop out of habit. The crushed toes and ragged wrist tendons and hoarse throats, the constant phone calls or checking sales to try and anticipate if we needed more staff. The sensation that after service, the rest of the world was dim in comparison.

I sank so much time and energy into that life, and I think the last thing I love about The Bear, the other thing that makes me tear up a little bit, is that for them it turns out alright in the end. They work through the problems, they make things run smooth, and they get the chance to build the place they dreamed about. That was always what I wanted, what I was working toward—the chance to make things better. And even in fiction, it makes me happy to see that come true.

#the bear #the bear fx #the bear hulu #carmen berzatto #sydney adamu #jeremy allen white #ayo edebiri #retail #service #service industry #in service #my work #writing #I should talk more about this part of my life actually #and if you want to know more #just ask

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lol-jackles · 16 days

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I enjoyed the first episode of Season 4 of Walker, it's no peak SPN but it's grown into itself. I'm not an avid watcher but it's easy TV and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

So my question is, what number of viewers need to be on live and +7 for it to stay on air and with what demographic?

The live figures and demographic seemed to be falling, but that is the same for all CW shows.

Are you still expecting an announcement of an extended series announcement?

FYI, there is a picture of Jensen in Vancouver having dinner with some of the cast of Watcher, so the rumour is yet another guest star gig is on the cards...

With over 50% of total (legal) TV viewers in U.S are now online and catch-up services, Live TV viewers are only a small chunk of what advertisers use. Live TV viewings do matter, but the networks also look at how a show does in DVR (up to 35 days post-airing usually) and on streaming. Part of the reason why CW created the CW app was so they could get better user data, and optimize their content based on that (similar to the OG Netflix model), so it would make sense if they put less weight on Live TV viewership, as the OG CW had already done. If one person watches twice on CW app then they would be counted as two content starts. And if one person watched the full 40 min duration twice then they would have contributed 80 minutes of viewing to the show. But if you want to a reach of unique non-duplicated viewers for a certain show, they’d be counted once. There are a lot of different metrics but multiple viewings factor into plenty of them. Same for actual true for linear tv - if you watch something on a dvr more than once they are all counted. It’d be cool if these streaming numbers were released, but unfortunately that’s a much less transparent process than Live TV, so non-industry people still base their ratings knowledge off of that.

The Nielsen ratings are still used and still matters and it helps that there’s industry transparency. Linear tv still sells mostly on C3 (commercial viewing live + 3 days). But networks will track digital viewing within the US. There's a lot of metrics to measure “success” on digital platforms beyond viewership - how many new subscribers it brought in, if they stayed to watch other things, how long they spend on the platform, etc

Of course CW app doesn't have subscribers but downloads. On Valentines Day CW app officially crossed 100 million downloads across all platforms and was #1 in the Apple App Store for 3 consecutive years during fall premieres.

The rule of thumb is if an app has 10 million downloads, on average 30% of downloads are active. So CW app has 100 million downloads, 30% are active, and a total of 30 million active users. With ads, it's easy money for the network.

For context.

Peacock = 31 million subscribers

Paramount = 37 million subscribers

Max = 98 million subscribers

Disney = 111 million subscribers

Netflix = 260 million subscribers

Of the Big 5's subscribers, we don't know the percentage of active watchers. But streaming services actually prefer that you don't watch because that costs bandwidth. Just like gyms make their money from memberships where most members don't go to the gym regularly.

At this point no, I don't expect series extension announcement. The whole industry is going, as they say in business downsizing, restructuring.

I said in another post, never say never to the idea of Jensen scoring a guest star gig on Tracker.

#cw

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moon-andstardust · 8 months

Text

A fic rec list for comic Goldenheart(Ballister Blackheart x Ambrosius Goldenloin) as requested by @thatmaladaptivedaydreamer

putting it under read-more cause this got way too long way too fast :,)

1) Take a Step Back and Start Again by lc2l

A story about two partially broken, mostly fixed men; a small child and a cat.

2) Black Flag by wakeupnew

Ballister finds himself thinking of life two ways: Before Nimona and After Nimona.

After Nimona, he has an injured former knight for a houseguest, an alarming amount of goodwill from the general population, and a life to try to put back together.

3) Once bitten, twice spy by bewickedandlovely

Even now with his face covered in claw marks, Goldilocks' smiles did funny things to Ballister. Nimona hadn’t decided if Ballister was still a friend, but she knew for sure that she didn't trust Goldilocks. She had to make sure he didn’t use his weird smiles to hurt Ballister, because Ballister would be too much of an idiot to make sure of that himself.

4) Two Nights in Knights in Knight School by tehta

So, how did the teenage Ambrosius and Ballister get together, anyway? I suspect that, in canon, it was the simplest and most natural process in the world. In this comedy of misunderstandings, it is... not.

5) When There's Nothing Left To Burn (End Racism in the OTW) by strix_alba

Sir Blackheart could really use some down time to process recent events, but the kingdom (and a few people in particular) have other plans for him. Plan A involves adoring fans and discounts at the open-air market. Plan B involves hospital visits to make sure he won't need another metal arm. Plan C includes a mysterious treatise tacked onto the Institution doors, and posters with his name on them appearing across the city.

6) Lost in Translation by InfiniteCalm

Three months later and things aren't as simple as they could have been. You could talk complicated feelings through, but why put yourself through that? After all, Ballister is excellent at steadfastly ignoring both crushing loneliness and any sort of non-violent tension with erstwhile enemy, current friend, Ambrosius Goldenloin.

7) [a short pause] by nushkush

Goldenloin remembers the past, but not his part in it.

8) A Business Proposal by PlethoraofSweaters

Ambrosius chose success over love. That kind of decision always has its drawbacks.

9) you better watch out, you better not cry by meguri_aite

“If our Santa says she isn’t Nimona, we have to believe her,” Ballister says calmly. “Ginger biscuits, anyone?”

10) The Spirit of Christmas Past by tehta

Arch-nemeses Blackheart and Goldenloin are haunted by the spirits of Christmas past. Actual drinkable spirits play a significant role, as well.

(Basically, Ambrosius gets wasted and tries to call Ballister)

11) Death Will Be My Wedding to Eternity (and I Hope to See You There) by WizardoftheRainbow

A chronicle of the incredibly arduous emotional journey undertaken by one Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin, from his childhood to the end of Nimona.

12) Decision/Mistake by YellowFlannelFrog

After a scheme gone awry, Ballister takes an injured Ambrosius back to his secret lair (house) to recover. It's still early on in his villain days, and there are a lot of emotions Ballister keeps inside. And when dealing with Ambrosius Goldenloin, some of them are definitely going to come to the surface.

13) (Stuffed) Sharks Have No Bones by oflightningandstars

Ballister comes home with a surprise for baby Nimona. Baby Nimona likes pranks. Ambrosius is not thrilled. (Nimona Gay Dads AU)

#nimona #nimona comic #ballister blackheart #ambrosius goldenloin #goldenheart #ballister blackheart x ambrosius goldenloin #ballister x ambrosius #comic ballister #comic ambrosius #fic rec #fic rec list

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denis-local · 2 months

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YALL, ITS YA BOI, GR4Y, AND I AM *BACK* WITH SOME *QUESTIONS*!! *insert fleshcousin yay sfx*

1. how many people buy the 💖yassified💖 fafa (i'd eat it tbh)

2. where'd boots get the 💖yassified💖 boots!? gawhdamn those are long

3. did cashier open the icecream freezer yet, i wanna buy some. (bonus, is there a 💖yassified💖 icecream flavor?)

4. Does Yassi-Spray exist?? Possibly under a different product name than Yassi-Spray? (bear spray, but for fending off the 💖yassified💖)

5. why in the FUCK is denis' tail getting stretched to oblivion in the 💖yassify💖 spectrum comic, i need to know (on the last few panels)

6. what new things can williamplayz (willyslayz) do now that he's 💖yassified💖

7. can pest sing (if so, which lady gaga song since he likes lady gaga)

8. has kasper ever tried to kill/execute (un)pleasant

9. can the 💖yass-virus💖 transfer through particles and what not

10. to add onto the last question, does kasper sneeze '💖yassify-particles💖' or something

11. oh dear dont tell me the 💖yassified💖 know how to do marketing and advertising, business, even...

12. how the FUCK did MR ring the doorbell (in the comic) when he has no hands

13. is kasper necessarily 'mad' at drretro for how she treats him (LIKE A LAB RAT. unacceptable smh)

14. does bive do blogs on the internet or something how that they're 💖yassified💖, instead of being a detective? OR DO THEY DO BOTH NOW

15. where does spud get his nails done

16. is split edible. strawberry.

17. what was the cocoon process like for pilby, how tf would it even work (since they're humanoid n stuff)

18. if bive gave reddy the 💖yass-virus💖, how the fuck did she do it?? some sorta malware program?

19. is lampert still a germophobe now that he's 💖yassified💖

20. did wallter and mark get back together perhaps (probably not)

21. what stuff DOES pest shoplift

22. what type of music does poob play at the parties

23. okay so yknow how fleshcousin has a big hole in the middle of their head? was that changed during the 💖yassification💖 process?

24. if pest bakes pie, he should start a bakery.

25. last but not least question: did kasper change their gamertag when they got 💖yassified💖.

shitton of questions i get it, but hey, thats me. (cringe too i think idk you tell me)

Another batch of questions hehehe >:D

(Another necessary cut off bdhsfqh)

1. I'd guess a lot, they are rather tasty tho also hallucinogenic

2. They probably found them in the back of the koby somewhere also they'd probably be one of the first mannequins to be infected lol

3. Never, he's hogging it all </3 (yes, mainly being sold at Crem's shop and Enphoso's store)

4. Just normal spray will do tbh, it's why Sarah carries it around ever since the outbreak started lmfao

5. My tail got infected *sobs* but dw Denis neva dies

6. More princess dresses with full faces of makeup much to Jermey's joy

7. Idk, but even if they could they would never do it haha

8. Kasper def has experimented some ways (Probably same as canon)

9. At first it was purely through bites so technically you could still smooch your yassified partner and not get infected, but as of late it seems to be getting more and more contagious. To the point it may be airborne now. Luckily Enphoso's store already has special air conditioners!

10. No, thankfully they cannot spread it through their germs. Not at all actually.

11. They absolutely do know how to do marketing and advertising </3 Enphoso is NOT helping

12. He found a way hehe

13. At first definitely, but he seems to have already forgotten about it! So he kinda forgives her!

14. Still does blogs, but it seems her new advertisements for the blog seem to be luring more people in. More people to spread the truth to!

15. Ya mama (jk, they were done by MrManeuver has a side business and for good prices!!)

16. No!!! Don't eat her cries

17. They probably got super tired and hungry at first, then made themself a cocoon, slept in it for a few days, and came out elegant as hell

18. Someway somehow a bite was enough. Even creatures made of materials that are not flesh don't seem to be safe either.

19. Yes absolutely, they probably have that clean girl aesthetic now

20. I think they're working on it (polite and fun don't mix well either I guess ah)

21. Still mainly coins, but will snatch a few lipstick tubes here and there. Now he can get away qith it more easily haha

22. Licky by Larry Tee and Princess Superstar (listen with headphones y'all)

23. Nah it's still there unless it mimics someone then they will just do the usual haha

24. He should! Maybe then he'll stop stealing coins haha

25. She would have, but he doesn't have enough robux </3

#regretevator au #yass infection au #ask post #funny lil questions haha #perfect excuse to infodump muwahahaha #also the next part is almost done #but my discord kittens /j dont gotta worry bout that they see the pages early #>:3

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bleachbleachbleach · 6 months

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10/23 - 11/4/2023

😂😂😂😂 I am so! Tired!! Mostly I am like, wow, it is physically painful to Have Thought, so let's take a deep breath and really gear up for the process of Having Thought. I have been spending a lot of time on political writing, which I hadn't quite realized, but once I did I was like, ah, some of this timey wimey business makes more sense now. I accept that.

Halloween was glorious, because it was one of those rare days where I actually completed everything on the To Do list for the day, which is almost never true, and my usual late-evening Tuesday meeting happened on Monday instead, so I got to spend a quality hour thinking about Rukia. Somehow not the CHAPTER I AM WORKING ON Rukia (Rukia 7), but three-chapters-from-now Rukia (Rukia 10) and "final chapter of the fic that comes after this one" Rukia (oh my god).

Rukia 10 came about because I realized that for Plot Reasons Rukia and Kensei would probably need to have actual, substantive scenes together. At first I was like, "well, that sucks," because I wasn't seeing how I could make that interesting for me. The fuck do I care about Kensei and Rukia's (non-)relationship. XDD But I think now I might be super into it, depending on how well I can pull the chapter off, because it's structurally a bit weird, in that it was a fairly short, straightforward chapter and now with this Kensei business it would be neither. But I think what I find appealing--what I find appealing about the dynamic because Rukia finds it appealing--is that they don't know jack shit about each other, and they don't care to. It's already been established in their interactions up to this point, but I think Rukia 10 becomes this moment where, rather than non-relation/unknowing being a low-grade point of conflict, Rukia realizes that she likes interacting with Kensei because he doesn't know her at all. She likes the power in anonymity--both because she can say whatever she wants to the guy because how would he know whether it's true or not?? but also because speaking things to a complete stranger whose relationship holds no intrinsic value to her is easier, sometimes. And Kensei becomes this reassuring counterpoint to Hisagi and Matsumoto, whom she doesn't really know but is (stressfully) getting closer to by dint of being a fairly freshly-minted VC, and Renji, who knows her wayyyy too well. Which Rukia deeply loves and also doesn't. That and Rukia and Kensei happen to agree on something, tactically--a perspective the rest of the group doesn't share, but if they're both thinking it then they must be right, right?

I've managed to write ~100 words of Rukia 7 every day of November so far. I don't know how I feel about them, though, because 1) they are being pulled out of me in my aforementioned state of exhaustion; like, it hurts! It makes me feel like I have a TBI, and 2) who is Kuchiki Rukia????? I don't feel confident about writing her character, or at least the way I am writing her character in this chapter. :(

On the other hand, I opened where my auto-generated YouTube playlist had left off, and I was like, WAIT. IS THAT

MOTHERFUCKING

TOWER RUKIA

YouTube user Fireshadow and their custom anime cover art for an Evanescence EP from the year Y2K is on my side!!!!

AND it snowed on Wednesday. It has been fairly warm since, but in my mind first snow is and should always be 10/31-11/1.

My hope for this coming week is that I can finally catch up on my fanfic reading--which I have been behind on since early September--and, after that, also get caught back up on my Tumblr dash-reading.

#stories for the sea

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cottagegay · 2 years

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Autistic Trans Man in Recovery Needing Financial Help

Hello all! That's right, just like it says on the tin, I am an autistic trans man in recovery from substance abuse and alcholism in need of financial help. Most specifically I have been spending these months in recovery/sobriety reorienting my life and getting things in order for myself to be in a better place than I have ever been. There have been good days and bad days, but I am still going regardless.

I am currently going through a program to go into trade school and things are going well! I've taken my aptitude test and have two seperate entities who are willing to reach out for work in the short term until I am able to start my apprenticeship. Problem is, the process could take up to two weeks before I get a call back and possible job opportunities.

In the mean time, I have needs that have to be met:

- Food & water.

- Transportation to medical care namely gender affirming care/HRT and my first ever OBGYN appointment to date.

- Transportation to temp work when it becomes available to me.

- Apprenticeship licensing fees/training fees/other application and set up fees.

I will include below the cut specifics of my situation and costs but if you are able and willing to give even a small amount my PayPal is one of the easiest ways to give. I also have venmo, zelle, and cashapp if you want to message me directly for information.

Tldr for below the cut; My rent is taken care of but I have an upcoming doctor's appointment I will have to Uber too costing about $60-$80 round trip and a $20 apprenticeship licensing fee that needs to be finished before I can get my job as well as costs to keep myself fed before I can get this job. Anything helps!

So! To get to the nitty gritty! I have an upcoming OBGYN appointment (my first ever) on Sept 19th. Due to it being at an LGBT+ outreach center and my qualification of being in sober living the appointment itself is free. Problem is, any follow up treatments and most notable *transportation* isn't. Where I'm currently located there is no access to public transportation and no one able to transport me, basically just leaving ride share as my only option.

This is the current estimate for a one way trip to the clinic. Prices can change depending on surge pricing, available riders, and so forth. Having had to take this exact trip before I've seen it range from as low as $29 to $40. I might be able to call in a favor to be picked up by someone after the appointment but have no one to rely on to get me to the appointment. This appointment and any food costs take utmost priority with any money given as this is my health and well being.

The next priority would be the apprenticeship licensing. I am required to have this to begin working as a full apprentice in the trade I am going to school for. In the meantime I can work as a helper for lesser pay but can't start the schooling part of the program without the license to work.

The cost for licensing is $20 and is the bare minimum of what I need to have done before starting work. Other fees I can work on paying and doing after I begin work but include things like OSHA 10 certification (~$40), and hand tools (~$100). These are NOT musts or time sensitive!!! Just context for what money will go toward once my needs are met.

Finally, transportation to and from temporary jobs: I have a bike and have been getting myself where I need to go that way. Problem is this can be exhausting and just unreasonable for jobs that can be more than an hour out while riding under less than ideal circumstances (busy roads, highways, alongside traffic, adverse weather, etc) any extra money will be going toward ride shares to get to work (most rides average about $7~15 one way) or allow me to help others with gas in exchange for rides. For context, once I am able to work for the trade school I already have two seperate employers who have offered to transport me to and from job sites until I have been able to save up enough to begin getting my license and car.

At the end of the day, every little bit helps! I can't explain how despite all of this, how good it feels to be in a much better place now than I have been in years. I am healthier mentally and physically and emotionally than I have ever been and I am on my way to be starting a career and living a true adult life. I just need to learn to ask for help in constructive ways to get there.

If you managed to read all of this, thank you, and feel free to reach out for details I'll be happy to give! Thank you.

#asking for money #paypal #donation post #I fully posted this first with no tags bc I am dumb and a little worried even asking for money rn (:#don't know if this will even show up in tags now but uhhhh #boost please?#every little bit helps #in recovery #actually autistic #donation #boost

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rollingaroundin-bread · 2 years

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Hello and welcome to a new thing I’m doing where I assign a bunch of characters I like a sticky note color then draw them in an attempt to get myself to draw daily!! Week 1 was Drawtectives themed and hey it’s working so far!! :D

Anyways ‘cause I like to talk about my thought process I’m going to do that under the cut so I’m not taking up too much space on your dash!

1. Rosé

I’ve had a pretty bad creative block recently so getting myself to draw hasn’t been the easiest, so for the start of this week I wanted to start simple!! Rosé’s a character I adore and I draw her a LOT so if anyone was going to help me break through this block it would be her! So nothing too interesting here, just a simple pose and a character I love!! I did learn that sticky notes aren’t the most durable under water colors though so when I started lining too early it messed up the texture a bit as you can see!

2. Jancy

Again nothing too hard here!!! Found a nice pose reference online and tried my best to imitate it, also ft. Joe Beans because I LOVE truebeans but knew I wouldn’t get to draw Joe this week so I wanted to do a little thing!!

3. Felix

Goodness I ADORE everything about Felix!! I had a reference image in mind for this but unfortunately it wasn’t working so I just did a thumbs up pose cause it was getting late (it was late for ALL of these lol)

4. Ogalvy

Ogalvy. Need I say more?

Nah I just love this kid and it was another rushed one but I think I did it in like 30 minutes which is pretty cool if I do say so myself!!

5. York

Okay I’ve been wanting to use these reference pictures for AGES:

Figured now was a good a time as any!! Plus I got to use GLITTER GLUE so I’d say it was great!!

6. Grendan

So my Saturday was SUPER BUSY or at least I made it that way cause I decided to finally work on a sewing project for my brother I’d been putting off for 4 months and I was seeing a show later that day so I did this in like 10 minutes and posted right at 11:59 to keep my streak! Sad I didn’t get to finish them but I want to be more comfortable posting my not completely finished works so it’s a step in that direction!

7. Eugene

I just love him, wanted to do a tiny bit of rim lighting with my white pen and break out the glitter glue again, that’s it!

#drawtectives #rosé drawtectives #jancy true #felix drawtectives #ogalvy smythe #gyorik rogdul #york rogdul #grendan highforge #eugene finch #my art stuff #yeah btw if you have any suggestions for either next week or doing characters I missed in a part 2 please say something!!#idk what I want to do next week lol #yeah and if you want to follow along daily then follow me on instagram lol #the sticky note doodle takeover of 2022 #idk I might say more down here later but for now bye! :)

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sumeru-academy · 2 years

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M.U.S.E. Event Case 008. Ayaka Kamisato X Female Reader.

◇ Report submitted by: Moderator Chewie on ▇▇▇▇.

mention of malnutrition, vomit, gore.

CASE FILE. MUSE-008

CLASS. FUTAKUCHI-ONNA

SEVERITY. 7 / 10

DESCRIPTION. ▇▇▇▇ was killed today. The potent smell of blood had been hanging in the air for quite some time now, ▇▇▇▇ had become immune to the despair which hung over them.

You were unable to tell if the emotion you were feeling was raw excitement or anxiety so strong it was enough to skin you alive. Feeling worms crawl under your skin in a comforting way. Either way, you waited in front of the main office in anticipation, General Gorou had instructed you to come to the Inazuman Headquarters for your first assignment. You’d been stuck doing grunt work for a good year and a half. All the ruthless bootcamp training, the taste of mud still slimed its way into your tastebuds whenever you thought about it.

With a slight huff, you slid the shoji door. The general waited there in a formal hakama, eyes ahead to the empty space in front of him at the low table. A neatly folded piece of paper presented in front of you, your assignment. You shakily seated yourself in front of him with a determined, nervous, smile. He bowed to you, his eyes never wavering. You swallowed and bowed back. No words were exchanged when he slid the piece of paper over to you and stared into your eyes.

Quivering hands, the paper found its way to your fingers. You stood up and left the room.

You wanted to vomit out of fear and piss yourself from the excitement which mixed in your veins. As soon as you left the premises you couldn’t help but happily tap your feet against the floor in a tiny dance. A squeal left your lips as you danced around.

The worst thing about this entire experience was the fact you had to walk all the way there on your own, your poor two feet. It wasn’t all that far, perhaps only a couple days if you took minimal breaks.

You had walked through a grand total of 6 different villages. Each riddled with poverty and death, your chest aches in pity once you reach your destination. Mud huts are built with roofs made of straw and leaves of rice plants. Like most villages of poor wealth, the population consisted of a majority of women and young boys. Men were usually the first to die of over exhaustion in the fields and providing food. However, this village had one characteristic that made your stomach queasy, the place was swamped with the shogunate’s samurai.

Samurai never scared you particularly, you’d just needed to show them your identification as a MUSE soldier, and they would cause little trouble.

“Please let her go, she didn’t mean any harm!” one of the women screamed, a smaller girl with white hair trapped within the first of a much larger man covered in traditional armor.

Your mind raced, before you could process the information you were already standing in front of the pair. Legs apart with your stance clearly ready to take arms.

“Would you be so kind as to let the young woman go?” Your hushed voice was hardly above a whisper, but it was enough to get the attention of the woman and the samurai manhandling her.

He spat at you, “You lot are always getting in somebody else's business, I really hate you M.U.S.E dogs. Why don’t you do us all a favor and behead this woman here, she’s just as much of a monster as what you’re used to slaying.”

You unsheathed the longsword presented on your back, “I’m allowed to hurt you if you interfere with my job. I need to interview this woman regarding the strange events happening here, please step aside.”

Deep down, you knew you weren’t physically capable to take him on, nothing but the organization’s name to use against him. The samurai realized that this was more trouble than it was worth, with a scoff, he shoved the woman to the floor and walked away from the scene.

“Ayaka!” the bystander rushed to the young woman’s side, her hand resting on her back as she regained her posture.

“Miss Chisato…” the woman dubbed Ayaka whispered.

Her attention was directed towards you. Acidic bile spilled from your lips and onto the dirt road, your legs shook violently you could hardly stand. The two women rushed to your side.

“Ma’am? Are you okay?” Ayaka asked, you used your knees as stands for your hands.

You shook your head, “No, but… It’ll be fine. I just have to wait for this anxiety to subside.”

“Please let me treat you to tea at my home, it’s the least I could do,” Ayaka insisted with a hand on your shoulder, “I-I really think you should get some food in you, you’re clearly malnourished.”

This was the perfect opportunity to get more information about your assignment, although you felt bad for taking up this poor young woman’s time, you needed to start somewhere.

Your assignment was Futakuchi-Onna, an Inazuman yokai which married girls and young adults. The yokai shall possess the victim's head, creating a mouth upon the back of the scalp, and eat an ungodly amount of food. All of the food consumed by the victim goes directly into feeding the demon, the victim will slowly starve to death. The only way to truly purge the yokai is to kill the victim before it finishes the cycle of death.

Which means, soon enough, human blood would taint your hands.

Chisato bared her goodbyes with a small bow, and Ayaka led her to her humble estate.

“Have you heard anything about the food supply dropping dramatically? I’m here to investigate the cause,” you openly admitted, “You see, this is my very first real assignment, and I’m nervous out of my mind.”

Ayaka was too beautiful to describe with English words. Hair as white as snow, sparkling with a blue hue in the sunlight with dazzling navy eyes which pulled you into her world. Her smile was welcoming and made your stomach churn with excitement. You felt like vomiting again. Her home was… Charming. It was one of the larger huts, she stated because it was her brother who was the head of the rice planting farmers. The kanji for Kamisato was engraved into the flat wooden plank outside the gates of their property. The house was one of the few houses made of wood and bamboo. Ayaka welcomed you into her estate and brewed your tea.

“Tell me,” You started, watching her light the fire to the furnace, “Your brother is the head of the farmers here correct? Why don’t you move to one of the wealthier villages instead?”

She didn’t answer you right away, not until the flame had ignited and began to eat the fuel.

A sigh escaped from her pale lips, “Why would we? We have everything we want here.”

Her hands shook as she handled the iron kettle atop the furnace, her thin wrist peeking out of her worn kimono. It was obvious she was malnourished. You never answered her, instead you patiently wanted for her to prepare you tea.

“Why was the samurai treating you so harshly?” Ayaka visibly flinched when you asked her the question.

You were both sitting at her low table, with no pillows present. You sat on your knees and slowly consumed the tea she had presented you with.

She looked to the ground and traced shapes into the worn tatami mats, “Well, my brother is in debt to the family who sent the samurai to the village. He was meant to pay his dues today, but because he’s been working in the fields so much, he hasn’t been able to make an appearance lately…”

That’s strange, you didn’t recall seeing any rice patties near the location. The fields couldn’t be as large to be keeping a man overnight working, especially if there’s other men working out there. Her story didn’t add up, but you nodded and played along anyways. You left the area with your kind regards to Ayaka and slept under a tree right outside the village.

Still unable to see the rice fields that Ayaka spoke of.

You woke up hardly able to breathe, having to chew and swallow the humid air. It had begun to rain early that afternoon. You met with Ayaka once again, heart racing more than usual, your jaw clenched when she spoke to you.

“You’ll get a cold if you stay in the rain for too long, come join me under my umbrella. There’s plenty of room,” Ayaka told you, lifting up her blue paper umbrella and offering some space towards you without getting wet herself.

“As a M.U.S.E employee, I am trained to tolerate this sort of weather. Please don’t worry about it.”

“Nonsense, your face is getting all red, I’ll run you a bath at my home…”

Her insistence was adorable, your cheeks red as they burned with embarrassment. You found yourself getting off a small high when you caught her flowery smell once you had stood next to her under the sunshade. Your heart raced, but your chest never hurt like anxiety had made it ache. Your hands trembled but you were comfortable.

She escorted you to her home and ran you a bath, just as she said she would. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d had a bath, the warm water sunk into your skin as if you were a sponge. When you had gotten out, she’d lent you a nicer kimono that was a little too big for you.

“You see, you’re much larger than me, this is a kimono that my brother had grown out of. You may wear it,” she insisted, her hands peeking through the shoji screen which separated the bathroom to a hallway.

The kimono was uncomfortable, clearly low-quality silk but you were in no position to complain. For some ungodly reason, the brief smell of iron was presented upon the fabric. It made your stomach hurt unreasonably, the smell of blood bringing back the memories of the harsh boot camps which you were forced to go through. You trembled, breathing quickened, you rushed back into the bathroom and vomited into the bucket you had used to wash yourself with previously. Without a sound, you opened the window above the bath and dumped the bucket of vomit outside into the garden. A pang of guilt stabbed at your core; you brushed it off.

You excited the room and looked for Ayaka, your heart racing just at the thought of seeing her again. She was preparing the furnace to heat up another kettle of tea.

“Oh, (Y/N)! You’re here, I hope you enjoyed your bath,” her voice chipper, the kettle shook in her hands.

Your chest ached, “Do you think that your brother will mind me wearing his old clothes?”

“No, he’s very kind. It’s not like he’s around to care either.”

Her tone dropped an octave, every nerve in your body told you she was dangerous. Her smile was so welcoming, and she made your body feel as if it were set ablaze. The heartfelt way she’d brew tea and serve you rice crackers made you feel loved. You didn’t know that this feeling would be so wonderful, and you desperately wanted to express yourself to her, but you had no clue on where to start.

What if she thought you were weird? You’d only known her for a few days, and the lifestyle of a M.U.S.E employee didn’t have room for fickle things like love. Your imagination drifted as she ranted to you about the samurai, how cute she’d look in a formal kimono welcoming you home from a long mission. How adorable she’d be when she would come up to you and kiss you on the cheek and hug you in order to welcome you home.

Her cheeks puffed out, “You don’t care do you?”

A smidge of panic had set in once she had caught you daydreaming, “I do, the warm bath is just making me a little sleepy is all.”

“I have a remedy for that, scoot close to me.”

You did just that, sitting right by her side. It felt so natural to be around her.

“Lay your head in my lap, I’ll comb your hair as you sleep.”

Oh. You couldn’t think or breathe. Was this truly some fantasy coming to life? You held your breath as she guided your head to her soft legs, your hair was still a little damp, did she mind? Ayaka’s legs were ungodly skinny, and you could feel her bones under the thin layer of fat and muscle which covered her skeleton. She’d been so adamant about you resting, so how could you deny it? You allowed your body to relax, although it wasn’t the most comfortable pillow you fell asleep with her fingers in her hair massaging your scalp. The warm waves of sleep washed over you, feeling the high of her smell starting to sink in.

Ayaka felt disgusted with herself as you laid in her lap. She was so hungry, hungry for you. The back of her skull opened up into a mouth which stank of blood, gore of the most recent kill reeking from its oral cavity. Her white hair moved as if it were the tentacles of some underwater beast, soft sobs escaped her lips but you laid still. The stink of the kill filled your senses, adrenaline rushed through your body as you had dodged the viscous hair follicles with last minute precision. Sparkling tears decorated Ayaka’s wonderful face, she looked as if she were a doll made of China.

The instinct to run away made your legs move before you could even think, you rushed into the brutal downpour which was Inazuma storms. You had no shoes, your feet cold and sticky with mud and heart racing. You stopped at the entry gate and looked back at the Kamisato estate. Moments spent in the pouring rain, your heart ached for Ayaka to return to your line of sight, she never showed. Not even to close the door you had rudely left open in your panic. You abandoned your uniform and your sword inside the home, walking barefoot to the tree you had slept under previously. It provided little to no shelter, but you sat and daydreamed soaked to the bone with the numbness the cold rain gave you. You find comfort in the warmth of Ayaka, you cry to yourself. You plead to an unknown God to allow you to think of a different way to kill the yokai, you cried and sobbed into the void of the downpour. You wanted to scream, so badly, but you had no energy.

You found yourself in your sorrows, when a blonde man approached you. He was of a shorter stature, with a streak of red in his hair and melancholy eyes. He wore a layered yukata with reds and browns, dashes of yellow presented onto the fine silk, reminding you of the autumn trees. His paper umbrella was an ombre shade.

“Your kimono. Where did you get it from?” His voice was husky.

Your gaze was focussed onto the ground, staring at his kimono sandals, “Kamisato Ayaka, it’s originally from her brother, Kamisato Ayato.”

Ayaka’s voice was engraved in your mind, every story of her brother and her parents. Her praises about her amazing family. The modesty with her in that large home, all alone.

“You stole it?”

“No, Kamisato gave it to me,” your voice was monotone to a point you surprised yourself.

He hummed, but you couldn’t hear it over the roar of the rain.

“I am Kaedehara Kazuha, I’m a local, and I saw you run out of Kamisato’s estate. Am I to assume that you fell for Ayaka’s little performance too?”

His wording ignited something inside you that you’d never felt before. Before you could even think you were standing up before him. Face to face with the man you asked him to repeat the words he had just spoken.

“She’s been the reason for all of the recent disappearances, but because nobody has gotten indisputable evidence we can’t exactly just kill her. Her family is also one of the largest patrons for many of the farmers here, since her brother disappeared we haven’t had anybody to go to.” Kazuha’s explanation made you queasy, “You must be new, considering the townspeople talk way too much. There’s a M.U.S.E soldier in the village as of now, hopefully the issue will be solved sooner than later.”

Your hands trembled, as you had realized the weight of the situation. Ayaka never cared for you, she only made it look that way so she could lure you in and kill you. Your chest ached, you started to cry again. Kazuha offered no comfort as he nodded and trailed away at your miserable form.

You called out her name in a weary desperation.

Ayaka had never felt more guilty in her life. It ate at her stomach just as the demon ate at her spirit and soul. She let out a shaky exhale as it had spoken to her. In her head, it’s voice rang out, asking her if she really wanted to continue living. If you wish to continue, it seethed, you must bring me the flesh of a human. Stale rice and tangy tea will not suffice any longer. Stuck inside her home, alone, she had finally found someone that would allow her to trust them. To take care of. Ever since the devouring of her brother she’d hardly been able to handle the isolation inside the cold manor, when you came along you were like the sun.

You were so kind to her, so nervous, so perfect.

You were also the one who would take her head, no matter what.

It has been a whole week, and the village samurai were beginning to debate if they should kill you or not. You’d been threatened more times than you could count, held down with a blade to your neck. Ayaka was too terrified to look you in the eye, the demon in her head feeling the irrational fear whenever you were within ten feet of her. You’d managed to get your uniform and sword back, it was wrinkled and worn.

In the townsquare you stood in front of her, finally able to see her face which was engraved in your mind.

“Kamisato,” the way her surname fell from your lips felt like acid against her eardrums, “I don’t want to kill you.”

Ayaka could feel her face heating up, her mind was running wild. In the heat of the tension she couldn’t focus on your words nor the weight of your tone. All she knew is that she missed your voice. She wanted to invite you to her home, one last time, kiss you softly, and let the demon kill her while in your arms.

“Kamisato, you were one of the few people in this small dainty town that showed me kindness, there is only one way to repay that kindness.”

The youngest Kamisato’s voice was hushed when she spoke, “How?”

“I will kill the thing that is plaguing you. I don’t know how, but I’ll do it.”

A voice in Ayaka’s head screamed and then laughed.

You guided her to a shrine that was three kilometers away, almost two miles. Most of the journey she is on your back with your arms supporting her legs and arms wrapped around your neck. You needed to get this thing out of her, she was too precious to kill. The shrine was worn down, with no shrine maidens or any sort of name, but you had most of the tools used for a small ritual in an attempt to kill it. You surrounded her in sared salts in the center of the shrine hall, having her drink the water from the sacred wells. There was nothing, you simply weren’t trained in this field.

Your throat was sore with terror, Ayaka sitting so wonderfully in the center of the circle with an unwavering smile.

“Close your eyes for me,” she followed your request with no questions.

You stepped inside the circle of salt, as quietly as you could you unsheathe the sword which laid on your hip now. A hand on her head to keep her still. You took a breath in.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Blood filled your vision, the sword cut cleanly through her delicate neck. It sprayed you in your face and you got crimson liquid inside your mouth. Her head fell to the floor and spazzed wildly. The demon died inside her brain allowing her to feel the life slip away from her. You choked on the thick taste of iron; the blood spray decorated your white dress shirt with a vibrant auburn.

Her body fell to the left, hitting your feet. You kicked her limpness off of you and turned in order to vomit onto the shrine’s wooden floors. Her lovely smile still was implanted into her face, her cheeks stuck into the position forevermore. Ayaka, while she was alive, anticipated you’d finally allow her the sweetness of death. She would not be able to participate in the feasts of the God’s, being able to feel what it was like to be full of food again. Able to see her brother again.

The thoughts made you sob harder, the smell rushed to your nose making you hurl even more.

Your entire body shook violently. Hardly able to stand.

Scrambling to find the wall of the structure, you’d sit down and cup your face. Fingers going to your hair and pulling at the roots as you rocked back and forth. Your heart beating wildly and the stink of blood and acid were the only things your senses could memorize.

There, you sat.

Never to be found again within the abyss of insanity.

#mod chewie 🪑#m.u.s.e #ayaka x reader #kamisato ayaka x reader #genshin ayaka x reader #kamisato ayaka #genshin ayaka #genshin imagines #ayaka x you #genshin

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dari-ede · 2 years

Text

In the Middle of the Night: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: “Cada noche el silencio es un mar”

Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30

MASTERLIST

Summary: As Bangtan prepares for a new chapter in their lives, they head to their private property in the forest for a songwriting workshop. As a songwriter and producer they have worked with for years, I’m asked to tag along. I was ready for the heavy workload and small amount of sleep during the workshop week. However, I wasn’t ready for the storm that came that changed my friendship with Namjoon forever.

Genre: Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Smut

Pairing: Idol!Namjoon x Female Reader

Rating: M (mention of sexual assault, explicit language, future explicit sexual scenes)

Status: COMPLETE

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-Late Summer 2019-

Malibu, California, USA

I felt like a fat lady was pressed against my chest, keeping me from properly breathing. My palms started to feel clammy. The air surrounding me was having difficulty entering my airwaves.

It had been a while since the last time I had this kind of episode. But after the shitty year I’ve been through, it made sense my body had had enough. Even if I wasn’t fully in love with my ex, hearing his last words to me and watching him leave my house with his stuff had broken something in me.

I was broken. I was in shambles. And I was alone. ....I didn’t want to feel alone.

I reached for the phone in my pocket. I was so glued to my spot that if the phone had been in any location in my house, I wouldn’t have been able to reach it. My legs would not have had the strength to take me there.

I sent a quick and short message to the person I always could lean on my aunt Jia.

Even though my emotions were out of whack, my brain still functioned enough to remind me that my Tia Jia had a busy day today. And because of this, I made the message I wrote her sound like I wanted to have a casual conversation with her. Knowing she was busy with other stuff made me feel guilty. I hated to feel like a bother—thank you, childhood trauma.

As I waited for her response, I tried to remember the methods she would use to calm me.

I took a breath, held it for a few seconds, and let it out slowly. I repeated the process a few more times.

After what seemed like an eternity, I received a response from my Tia Jia, telling me she would call me once she got home. That would be hours from now.

Keeping the phone clutched in my hand, I took another breath and tried to settle down. I had managed to get myself to the living room and to the couch. I was able to regain some calmness, but I desperately wanted to talk to my tia.

I didn’t know how long I had been sitting down, but eventually, my phone rang. I was certain it was my tia. Without looking at the caller ID, I picked up, “Hey.” My voice sounded weak.

But the voice on the other end was much deeper than my Tia Jia’s. “Hey, I just finished listening to the track. Sounds great.”

“Who’s this?” I asked, confused. I looked down at the phone, then I noticed the Korean app logo on top of the call.

“Namjoon—RM,” the voice responded.

It clicked. I was cowriting a song for some friends of mine who were in a Korean group, BTS. RM was one of the members and one of the other cowriters. I sent him an email earlier today on the latest version of the track. He was simply calling me regarding it.

“Sorry,” I said.

“It’s ok,” he responded but didn’t say anything else. It was as if he was waiting, listening intently.

I wanted to hang up—I felt the need to lie about being busy and that I could call him later. But I didn’t have it in me to do so. Somehow, a part of me wanted to stay on the phone with RM. Over the years, we mainly had been colleagues. When I first met him, I developed a crush on him. However, I quickly learned how serious and private he was. Unlike most of his team members, who were more open and playful, RM was more reserved and kept a distance from people. I had always been quite the social butterfly and befriended people easily. I learned the hard way that RM took a while to break through. Today, after many years, I could confidently say we were friends. And I knew that’s what I needed right now: a friend. Someone to ground me.

After several long moments of silence, RM spoke. “Maya? Everything ok?” he asks, his voice full of concern.

I wanted to spill my guts, but once again, feeling like I didn’t want to be a burden, I lied. “I’m ok,” I said with a strained voice. But saying this lie out loud was bringing forth the emotions I had been avoiding lately. My breathing became uneven again. I was having difficulty getting the air through my lungs and I was certain RM heard it.

“Maya, slow breaths,” I heard RM say on the other end of the call.

I listened to his voice, feeling like it could be used as an anchor. I followed his instructions.

“Ok, touch each of your fingers as you count them slowly,” he instructed.

I pressed my thumb and pinky together. “One.” I moved my thumb and ring finger together. “Two.” I counted my remaining fingers at the same pace and felt myself feeling a little lighter.

“Good.” RM’s deep voice sounded clearer and I was positive it was due to regaining clarity. “How you feeling?”

“Better.” The emotions were still lingering, but they weren’t too uncontrollable.

“What happened?” Technically, it was a question but the tone in his voice made it sound more like a demand.

And I did. With all the buildup of the last months, having RM as an ear allowed me to lift some of the burden I felt off my shoulders. I spilled everything out. I admitted to my contract ending, my fear of an unclear future, the countless arguments I'd been having with my mother, my breakup with Jerry (I didn’t tell RM the reason we broke up), and the shittiness I felt for not being more upset over my breakup with Jerry—we had been together for years. Why was I not more upset??

RM let me let it all out for a good hour, giving out simple “yeahs” here and there, but mostly listening intently. And it felt good. I was never one to vent but knew I needed to. I was grateful RM allowed me to do this with him.

When it seemed as if I was done, he didn’t give advice but seemed to validate my feelings. “It’s only natural you’re going to feel stressed. All of that going through your head is bound to make your body react the way it did. I’m sure it was a panic attack you had?” It seemed more of a question than a statement.

“Yeah. I’ve had them a few times before. Usually, my aunt Jia is the one who calms things down a bit,” I said.

“Is she your Korean aunt? The one who taught you the language?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“How often do you get panic attacks?”

I thought about it for a moment. “Not very often. Just when things are too stressful, I think.”

“You think? You’ve never looked into it? To know what the cause is?”

“No, I don’t like medication. And I hate going to a doctor.” I didn’t want prescribed medication. There was too much of a history there.

“Well, you might not have to take medication. Perhaps a therapist can help figure out the root of the problem. They could assist in figuring out methods you could use to balance things to prevent the attacks from even happening—notice the signs before it gets too out of control.” He wasn’t the first to suggest therapy.

I wasn’t sure what it was about this time hearing I should see a therapist. Maybe it was because it was right after an episode had occurred or maybe because, in the past year, RM was the third person to suggest professional help. I knew about RM’s mental health struggles and knew he had sought assistance as well.

“Maybe I should see someone,” I said, surprising myself.

“You should,” he said gently.

~~~~~

Three weeks and two therapists later, I found myself sitting in the waiting room of my third therapist, feeling a combination of nerves and slight pessimism. The previous therapists I had met with didn’t seem to fit well—I had felt disappointed both times.

As much as I wanted to give up on finding the right person to help me, I tried to keep optimistic about getting the help I knew I needed.

Being a good support system, RM checked on me often. It felt as if we spoke every day, whether it was through messages or on the phone. He wanted to ensure I kept looking for the right person to assist me.

I was currently messaging RM as I sat in the lobby of my third therapist. He had sent me a paragraph of words of encouragement when the lady at the desk called my name. “Dr. Rob is ready for you, miss,” she stated.

I made my way over to the door, sending a quick response to RM to tell him I was about to meet my third (and hopefully last) therapist.

“hwaiting!” he responded.

I took a breath and reached to open the door.

But someone beat me to it. The door swung open and standing on the other side of the door, was a tall redhead. An easy smile was on his face as he said, “Welcome Maya."

*************

AN: Thank you to whoever is reading this. I appreciate you giving this story a shot. I have been working on it for close to a year, not wanting to start posting until I had the majority of the story finished. I want to release a chapter on a weekly basis and I know myself well enough to know I get writer's block every once in a while; I don't want it to get in the way of a regular posting. 🥰 Also, I posted this as "reader" to bring in more audience. I'm doing my best not to be too specific in Maya's look. I gave her a name because it works better for me as a writer. I find "Y/N" too much of a distraction. I always end up calling the reader "Yoon" or "Yuna" in my head to make it easier. There WILL be smut, but it will be many chapters from now.

Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30

MASTERLIST

#bts #bangtan sonyeondan #rm #rm x reader #friends to lovers #friendship #eventual smut #eventual relationship #panic attack #InTheMiddleOfTheNight #Spotify #rm x maya #namjoon fanfic #namjoon x reader #idol!oc #idol!namjoon #idol!rm #idol!rm x idol!oc #idol!female oc

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