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rinkkuma · 1 month

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୨୧ SOUR GRAPES

don't get me wrong, i've never exactly liked you.

ft. satoru gojo, yuta okkotsu, suguru geto, yuuji itadori, & megumi fushiguro

tags. a tiny bit ooc satoru, very light angst, gn!reader, mostly fluff ! / author's note. inspired by the song, sour grapes by lesserafim :3 (also its insane that theyve literally almost debuted two years ago) essentially just feelings in denial kinda!

SATORU is naturally a smooth talker, so he personally believes that he has never actually had a crush on anyone. sometimes he unintentionally flirts with people. one time, a waitress seemed to be super flustered, but all he did was order. (it was his tone of voice, but he's super unaware.. and maybe his stupid, handsome face) so, when suguru and shoko asked him one day if he had a crush on you, he was confused why they would think so. in their perspectives, satoru's tone of voice was softer around you, he wasn't just mindlessly “flirting” with you, his compliments seemed genuine. and to top it off, you are always the first person he looks at when he cracks a joke. satoru himself noticed this but had no idea why he had done this. he also felt his heart race around you. and his face felt hot around you. despite being flirty, he had never actually dated anyone, so the feeling was new to him. maybe a little more convincing from suguru and shoko was all it took for him to realize that he did like you.

YUTA and you are childhood friends, and people often mistake you for a couple. even your friends ship you. yuta nervously laughs and says, “we're practically siblings! we've known each other since we were little.” you on the other hand, feel dejected when he says this, because you maybe kind of had a fat crush on him. truthfully, yuta himself feels that he may have been developing feelings for you over the past few years, but has been terrified to say something because he didn't want to ruin your years worth of friendship over his stupid feelings. he had a nightmare one night that he had confessed to you, and you looked at him with a puzzled face and told him you thought of him more as a brother than anything. he comically woke up sweating and sat right up, thankful that it was just a dream. that whole day, yuta seemed off. seemingly avoiding you, and if he couldn't, it was minimal interaction. after a few days of yuta's odd behavior, you decide to confront him. yuta mindlessly mumbles some random things that you couldn't understand, but towards the end, he suddenly confesses. yuta himself looks surprised at what he said, and he awkwardly says, “oh.. just, uh.. pretend you didn't hear anything if you don't feel the same. it was.. an accident.” you laugh and tell him you have felt the same all these years, and he breathes a sigh of relief. you and yuta went on a date the next day.

SUGURU is typically kind, calm, and gentle with everyone, but with you? he seems to be slightly more snappy and has a cold tone of voice. it's not like he's being rude or mean to you; he just seems irritated. whenever you laugh at one of satoru's jokes, you swear his eyes are rolling to the back of his head and he is loudly sighing. maybe it's because you're annoyingly pretty and your laugh is so cute that he's annoyed. or maybe the fact that he's not the one making you laugh. and don't even get me started when it's just the two of you. awkward silence. you could hear crickets chirping, a pin drop, and the subtle breathing. you have tried multiple times to start a conversation and maybe break this romantic tension, but he has always just dryly responded and kept the conversation one-sided. and this wasn't just a few times; it was daily. every single day, satoru and shoko randomly leave, and you've tried tagging along before to avoid the awkwardness with suguru, but they quickly run off before you get the chance to ask. it was painfully obvious to satoru and shoko that you two had liked each other and hey, maybe if they keep leaving the two of you alone like this, one of you will crack and confess. (spoiler: it was suguru first.)

YUUJI has always thought you were an amazing person. romantically though? he thought otherwise. but, oh boy, one day when he saw you with a guy he had never seen in his life, his mind changed immediately. he quickly thinks to himself, “you're not even dating in the first place. don't get jealous. dontgetjealousdontgetjealous.” yuuji nearly loses it when he sees the guy hug you. he uses every cell in his body to resist running up to the guy and maybe or maybe not swinging at him. after a few eye twitches deep breaths, he starts to walk in your direction as if he were casually passing by and coincidentally ran into you. when he makes eye contact with you, he smiles before saying, “oh, hey y/n! watcha doing here?” while his smile seemed a little forced, you brushed it off. you wave back to him and tell him that you saw a cousin of yours after not seeing him for a few years. relief immediately washed over yuuji, and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.

MEGUMI is oblivious. his face is clearly flushed, and his words are slightly jumbled whenever he's around you. this became even more clear when one day, yuuji and nobara had interrogated him about why his face is always red around you. which of course, he denied. he simply says, “it was hot out, that's all.” they see right through megumi's “lie.” yuuji and nobara both look at each other before bursting out laughing. “it's literally winter, fushiguro.” megumi rolled his eyes and moved on with his day. (he was secretly praying they didn't make a big deal about it, but he knows damn well they probably did) yuuji and nobara on the other hand, ran to tell you that it was quite literally confirmed that megumi liked you too! after they told you about what they had just witnessed, (mind you, they were speaking fast as hell so it was hard to understand, but you got the general idea) they started dragging you towards megumi's location. they didn't even give you a chance to oblige against it because they couldn't let this chance go to waste! they've been watching the tension between you and megumi for the past few months, and they were sick of it! and oh boy, when you were finally face-to-face with megumi.. it was awkward. like 3 minutes of awkward silence. but, it ended with megumi asking you out, so hey!

inspired by this prompt list <3

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lunarw0rks · 6 months

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Rachel!!

the way you wrote "Interruptions" 🤟🏼😪-

I've seen what you've done for other people and I want that too.

Please sir can I have more Alejandro x f!reader thots and feelings.

Make it nasty only the way you do.

a/n: sorry, this has been sitting in my inbox for weeks. hope you enjoy what i decided to write! I had a plus-sized reader in mind for this, but it's not a major part of it. the language is still inclusive!

PACIFY | ALEJANDRO VARGAS

⊹。°˖➴ Synopsis: Hooking up with your ex means you're still separated, doesn't it?

⊹。°˖➴ Pairing: Alejandro Vargas x Fem!reader

⊹。°˖➴ Warning(s): nsfw (18+), exes to lovers, ex!husband!Alejandro, mild angst, smut, oral sex (r.), p/v (unsafe) sex, slight dom/sub dynamics, breeding, kinda??/talk of pregnancy, tension w/ happy ending | W.C: 2.6k

꒦꒷ MAIN MASTERLIST ꒷꒦ ALEJANDRO MASTERLIST ──── ☆ read "Interruptions" here!

You tried your best not to think about him.

Not because of ill-treatment or the bickering. Your wounds were still too fresh. His schedule was too unpredictable, more than the gamble he took every time he left home. At first, you were convinced you could handle that life — wondering if your husband would come home in a body bag every time he ships off.

It was easier this way. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the breakup was mutual. The phone call he got in the middle of the goodbye was ironic enough; yet another relationship milestone interrupted by his tireless career.

The low heels you wore clicked against the pavement; your brows furrowed as you reviewed an important email. The expression of disdain had become a permanent picture on your face ever since you two split.

You'd never admit it out loud, but you missed being taken care of.

Being alone wasn't all it was cracked up to be. And, because of your own stubbornness, you were reluctant to accept any more of his financial help. That meant rent and a search for better employment, which was no easy task.

But you got lucky today. An offer for a decent job; one you could budget properly with. With a chew of your lip, you pressed send and opened your car door, awaiting his reply.

You: Need to pick up my laptop.

The text was simple enough, but nothing ever was, was it? Instead of a message chime, your phone vibrated. His name flashed on the screen underneath 'incoming' and you could feel your eyes roll before you told them to.

Raising it to your ear, you huffed. Before you could get a word in, he spoke first. "It's nice to hear you breathe." Alejandro's voice comes through the static, reminding you of how audible your attitude had been. You didn't mean to be, but a text reply would have done the trick.

"Did you see my text?" You ignore his snide humor, tapping your fingers along your car window.

"Of course, I did. It's against the law to call my wife?" He chuckles and you feel as though he's with you; the mornings lying beside one another, his worlds tickling your eardrum.

Ex-wife, not wife. It wasn't official yet, but that was a habit you were still determined he break. "Do you know where my laptop is, or am I wasting my time, Alejandro?" You ask, shifting with impatience.

"Always so eager," he clicked his tongue, "it's in your old office. See? No need for dramatics." You rolled your eyes again, this time voluntarily.

As if he wasn't the mascot for melodrama.

You were completely dreading this short trip. For now, all you could rely on was the little voice assuring you you'd be 'in and out' of there within minutes.

It was only when you stood on the porch, that you realized you forgot to take the doormat as well. You urged yourself to remember that when you were out of here in five minutes. A petty realization, but a realization, nonetheless.

The oversized front door swings open, and there he is. "You don't need to dress up for me, amor. You hate me, remember?" He let out a tsk, shamelessly looking you up and down.

With a wave of your hand, you stepped inside without waiting for him to move. "I don't hate you, and you shouldn't joke about that, Ale." It was true; you didn't hate him, not even a little bit. His facetious humor was only amusing when it didn't inspire guilt.

Ignoring the pang in your chest, you said, "I had a job interview, hence the outfit." You glance at the living space, still familiar despite its void of all your belongings. "That's why I need my computer; then I'll be out of your hair."

His hair did look nice. Still silky and trimmed from a recent barber visit, you'd assume. His essence smacked you in the face, the suave cologne and aftershave — as if he'd cleaned up purely to tempt you.

Never would you give him the courtesy of admitting his success. Not verbally.

You walk toward the hall in the way of the office, but his arm stops you. Hovering over your abdomen, it's then you realize how close he'd gotten. "I put it on the table. Saves you the trip, no?" Another sarcastic comment. Big surprise.

"Ah, my savior, saving me the fifteen steps into the office," you match his tone, indeed spotting the laptop and charger left on the breakfast table.

It's not a bad favor, these heels couldn't have been less comfortable. He chuckles a bit, as if dismissing you, but never removes his arm. It lingers there, eventually giving your hip a squeeze. Not possessively, not carnally — it's an attention-grab.

"Forgive me, cariño, I know I've been..." He cuts himself off early, regathering his scrambled thoughts. "You look good. Today and— and always. I'm happy for you."

You raise a brow subtly, instinctively mellowing your voice. "For what? The job?"

"Something like that," Alejandro replies with a shield of vagueness, rubbing the flesh he'd squeezed. You hadn't moved despite how close he was. And it was more than the position you'd taken; so much more.

You open your mouth to retort again but fall short. "Listen, Alejandro..." He continued fondling your hip, slowing to a stop when you began speaking, tilting his head.

The rest of your words refuse to come out under the scrutiny of his warmth, and he knows it. You shift around a bit, feeling vulnerable the longer you stare at one another — how many words are being said with one abiding look.

His lips ghosted over your temple, the tip of his nose against your hair. Alejandro breathed in the scent of your shampoo, getting remnants of your perfume. Two smells he missed, more than he'd care to admit out loud.

By night two of you were gone your pillow was void of it. Right now, it was like savoring your scent all over again — while you were looking your best.

Your tense shoulders relaxed, falling into old habits when your head leaned against him. "I should be going," you breathed your words, a slight hitch in your breathing from the contact. It wasn't like the feelings and desires faded the moment you split; they were as fresh as the wounds.

A hushed dismissal enters your ear in a purr, sending chills across your body. His breath roams down the side of your face, wrapping around until it reaches your lips. “Do it for me.”

It’s akin to the first time you hooked up. His lips swallow yours, a moan escaping you when his tongue swirls around. You turn to face him fully and cup his cheeks, “we shouldn’t be doing this.” Despite your protests, you don’t fight another kiss.

“It’s our house, isn’t it?” You only nod into his shoulder, rocking your hips under his touch. Alejandro’s palms run down your shoulder blades to your tailbone, giving your rear a squeeze. “Answer me, cariño.”

"Yes." You whisper, pressing your lips against his jaw, urging his roaming hands to end their pause.

Caring about right and wrong fleeted to the back of your mind, while he moved to the front of it — consuming every passing thought you'd had of him for months.

His hands resumed after a hum of approval, while yours worked at unbuttoning the stuffy shirt you were wearing. Eventually, you gave them a yank, not paying any mind to the fabric fraying. The warmth from your skin could practically be felt, feeling free once you were left in a bra.

Through the kiss, he took steps backward while you followed at his mercy. He backed through the doorway of the master bedroom, keeping you connected by the lips.

The bedroom welcomed you, as did the bed you were being pushed into. Once sleek and cornered, now wrinkled sheets beneath you as you squirmed. “Missed seeing you like this,” his lips caressed your navel, traveling south as he pulled off your bottoms, rolling them down your legs.

He lay between them, giving glances through his lashes. His arms hooked around your thighs, keeping the squirms to a minimum. You reached down and ran your fingers over his hand, “Alejandro.” You weren’t sure why you said it either; he hadn’t even gotten started. It was more of a declaration than a gripe.

His stubble tickled along your inner thighs, hot breath on your core the closer he leaned in. “Do you want me to stop?” He sneered after you’d whined his name again, a smirk tugging the corner of his mouth. The answer was no, and you weren’t sure how to feel about that; it was like he had you under his spell all over again.

You despised being so weak for him, but that’s just how you liked it. Your body told the story, quivering and wet from the mere ghost of his breath on your heat.

“No, I don’t want you to stop. But, we—” You declared with the remainder of your willpower, and that was all he needed to hear. With the rustling of some sheets and a dizzying spin, you were on your stomach. Even after all this time, he managed to leave you stunned and needing more than what you were given.

He hooks his fingers around the waistband of your panties and tugs at them, making you twitch from the intensity. After his direction, you’re on your hands and knees, gazing down at the familiar sheets. The hands redirecting you aren’t rough or mean; they’re salacious.

“The thorn in my side.” His chuckle is a mock, cut off a lick on your core. “If only she could see herself now.” Your reaction, as small as a shudder, did more than enough to prove his point. You squeeze the silky sheets, suddenly feeling the intensity of his mouth on your pussy. He angled himself underneath you, tilting his head to swirl around your sensitive clit.

You jolted forward, instinctively clenching your thighs shut. Alejandro’s buff hands worked quickly, prying them open once more so he could enter you with his tongue.

His head bobbed in a fluid motion, the messy slurps growing louder throughout the room. You couldn’t leave it at this; if you were going to be pathetic, you were dragging him down with you. Your attempt was risible when you said his name again — attempting to sound firm, despite ripping at the seams from only his foreplay.

A pitiful plea is muttered from your lips, halting his feral tongue. “Hm? You’re making demands now?” His tongue clicks and they are obvious jeers, daring you to roll over and slip your pants back on. But, of course, you didn’t. You were no match for his natural charm; the reason you were in this damn situation at all.

The stars must have been aligned that night because his banter didn’t worsen. His ferocious mouth ceased entirely, and several seconds passed with some shuffling around. For a moment, you were expecting to flip around and find him fleeing from his own bedroom.

Until his palm collided with your ass, a ceaseless sting radiating off the pricked flesh. Before you could do so much as a jolt, Alejandro clutched your hip to hold you in place. “You may boss me around out there, cariño—” his other hand gripped the base of his cock, abruptly filling you with every inch, “—but not here.”

If it weren’t for his fingertips digging like daggers, you would’ve fallen face-first into the mattress. His thrusts were sharp and paced, messily lubricated by his saliva that he hadn’t bothered to lap up.

You wanted to scowl at his cockiness. But he was right. If there were a mirror, you’d see how craven he turned you.

His hips clashed with your backside, a constant slap echoing throughout the room — and surely the rest of the abode. You mewled beneath him, figuring it was better to savor the pleasure while you still had it. There were few things that went right in your marriage; intimacy was one of them, no denying it.

Your body knew it, and deep down so did your mind. Though, even when he was deep inside you it was tempting to bicker, you knew you wouldn’t get much of a sentence out. Alejandro knew all of your sweet spots, which ones to caress and which ones to exploit.

When your back tensed into an arch, his length hit even deeper. “Ángel, what’s wrong? Can’t relax when I’m inside you?” He leaned forward, chest against your curved back to ensure his words resonated deep within your ears.

As much as you cursed yourself, you nodded weakly. The warmth of his breath on your ear disappeared. Following, his palm rested between your shoulder blades, nudging you forward until only your hips were raised; a position that left you an undeniably gladded mess.

He quickened his pace but continued to bottom out inside you, slinking an arm around to stimulate your clit. His fingers spread you apart, matching the whirlpool motion to the intensity of his thrusts. “You’re close, nena.” It nearly sounded like a warning; could have been, if you weren’t clenching around him so tight.

Considering he hadn’t hooked up with anyone in months, you were actively draining his restraint. His stamina prevailed — but his willpower? Not so much. Alejandro’s ab muscles constricted tight, burning from the strain of rutting into you. And you, currently enduring the clutter of an approaching climax; that coil tightening, the rough pads of his digits, his deep fill of you.

It all hit you at once, your fists balled into the sheets as you felt the sensations overtake you. Your walls quivered around him, propelling him into his own climax. As your ears buzzed, you faintly heard his raspy ramblings that he pumped through. His thrusts slowed but remained deep as you milked him dry.

Alejandro muttered a curse and pulled out of you, pressing a kiss to your jawline. Some things never change. As the pleasure fizzled, you recognized the tepid sensation of his raw finish. The repercussions of him finishing inside you should’ve been more daunting, but they weren’t.

You attempted to flip over but he’d quickly settled beside you, caging you with his chest against your back. “Was that okay?” He mumbled against your warm skin as wet lips pecked your shoulder a few times.

His voice alone nearly drew a shiver, growing especially hoarse during pillow talk. “Which part?” You breathed, instinctively tracing your fingers along his scarred arms. Your words were half sarcasm, while the other part of you was still catching up.

“Very funny,” you could feel his smile against your flesh, followed by the slight nip of his front teeth. “You know what I mean. This. Wouldn’t be so bad, hm? A family?”

Part of you wished a wave of regret would wash over you, with waves thick enough to thrash some sense into you. They never came. Something felt right about being tangled in bed again; foreign but right.

“No,” you murmured, catching the last of your breath. “It wouldn’t be. But, I thought you hated being bossed around? You think our baby wouldn’t do the same?”

Alejandro snickered and massaged the hip flesh he left slightly bruised, “Only by you.” You gave his bicep a light knock, and he physically saw the spark return to your eyes. The one you had before all the petty resentment and venom.

Whether or not parenthood was a fix meant little; there was no denying your chemistry.

If anything, tonight was a breakthrough — despite its unconventional beginning. Through all the new unknowns, there was one thing you knew for sure. You weren’t going anywhere.

₊˚⊹♡ ʚɞ ⁺˖ ⸝⸝ divider cred. - cafekitsune

#mw2 #call of duty #mw2 fanfic #mw2 alejandro #alejandro vargas x reader #alejandro cod #alejandro vargas #alejandro vargas smut #alejandro mw2 #alejandro vargas x you #alejandro x reader #los vaqueros #task force 141

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leupagus · 7 months

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I've never had a mystery plot so completely mapped out in my head that was so secondary to the actual Plot of a fic, please ask me all the questions about Oscar Underwood and Matthew Lannisford

(This is more of the conclusion to the Shipping Forecast trilogy, which at least now I have the excuse that I've been acting parent to my nephews this week and good lord jesus children are exhausting, how Ellie manages her kids AND managing Hardy is a mystery for the ages)

They duck back into her car just as the rain really starts in, hitting the roof and the windshield like a million angry football hooligans after a loss. "Christ, somebody ring Noah," Miller laughs, tugging at her hair elastic. "I think I've got a — yeah, here." She twists round in her seat to pull at something behind her.

Hardy gives her room to half-crawl into the backseat, the bottom of her shirt riding up to show a flash of stomach, the sweet give of her waist. He looks away, toward the house. "Do you think he's lying? About knowing about Underwood and his son?"

"I think," Miller grunts, "That he's been lying to himself for over a decade, and probably longer than that, and at this point it's impossible to tell what he thinks is true and what he doesn't. And of course, what he thinks is true might not even be true. Got it!" she adds, and flops back into her seat with a wrinkled towel. She begins patting gently at her hair, the rain still bright on her cheeks and neck. "This case is like one of those Russian dolls, you know, the wooden ones? Every time you think you've cracked it, there's another one waiting for you."

"Matryoshka," Hardy offers, watching her. Her nose is getting red, the way it always does when she's cold. "Turn the bloody heater on, would you?"

"Fine," she grumbles, and shoves the towel in his face.

"Thanks very much."

"Oh, it's barely damp. And your hair's going to go all sticky-uppy the way you hate if you just let it dry on its own." She turns the ignition and fiddles with the heater; a moment later lukewarm air blasts at their ankles. "God, this bloody car. Can you get me a raise so I can buy something from this century?"

"This is a 2005 Volkswagen," Hardy feels compelled to point out, but obediently scrubs at his scalp.

"So all right, say he's telling the truth, that he had no idea Underwood and Matthew were an item. Back in the 90s, that sort of thing — Matthew might never have said. Fathers and sons and all."

"We're still basing all of this on the idea that they were an item," he says. "There's no proof either way. They could've just been work colleagues."

Miller makes a considering noise. She's staring out through the windscreen, unseeing. "They were both out. Despite what Matthew's dad claims, we know neither of them made a secret about it. In a town like this, back then? Options would be limited."

"So you think they started shagging because they couldn't find anyone better?" Hardy can feel the sharpness in his own voice, but he can't seem to do much about it. The towel is scratchy against his skin, too rough, and smells of her shampoo.

"Maybe, or — I don't know." She doesn't seem fazed by his tone, but then she rarely notices it these days. "Underwood loved someone. Desperately, the sort of love that makes you do desperate things. Before he died, he wrote that letter, hoping whoever it was he loved would find it."

"Meaning what, exactly?" he demands, the towel creaking in his fists.

She turns to look at him, eyes large and dark and horribly beautiful. "Sometimes the right option is the only option you've got," she says, and Hardy can hardly breathe round the stone in his throat. Then she scowls at him, her gaze roving, and snatches the towel back. "You're still dripping, I just got the upholstery cleaned, come here," and she encases his whole head and shoulders in the towel while he protests, rubbing at him like he's a wet dog who'd got mud on the carpet.

"Bloody hell, Miller," he grumbles, once she's done to her satisfaction, and she smiles at him and puts the car into gear, taking them back toward home.

#broadchurch motherfuckers #ficcage of interest #debating on whether or not I incorporate another sideplot in which Ellie buys a sailboat #and bullies Hardy into making baggywrinkles #(h/t auntieclimactic for that one)#do I want ellie to have a sailboat or do I want to have a sailboat? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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anxiously-going · 2 months

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Hey @beauty-grace-outer-space look what I found

Jim froze in his tracks as he and Len existed the diner.

Leonard put a hand on his back, knowing the blank on his friends face. "Jim, you ok?"

"Yeah," he answered robotically. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get back to campus." And with that Jim turned on his heels and took off.

"Whoa, Jim, slow down," Len called. He practically had to jog to keep up with the blond.

Jim didn't seem to hear him. He continued forward, one foot in front of the other. Breathing in and out. Vaguely he was aware of the adrenaline rushing through his system, making his heart pound in his ears. Breathing in and out. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. Breathe in and out. It was just a trick of the mind, he was seeing things wrong, that was all. Breathe in and out. If it had been possible, he might have thought his pounding heart would bruise the inside of his ribs. Just breathe in and out. Bones was with him. Bones would help. He just had to make it to campus first. Breathe in and out. Breathe in-

"Slow down, Jimmy!" The voice called. Jim came to a screeching halt, Bones almost collided into him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to avoid me."

"Jim?" Bones hand was on his shoulder.

Jim nodded and turned back to the voice, the one he was never supposed to hear again. "What do you want, Frank?"

Leonard felt his own blood run cold at the name. He'd hoped he'd never have to meet the man who had kept Jim up with nightmares more than a couple nights during their days in the Academy.

"I came to see how you were doing," Frank replied conversationally. "I hear your first mission didn't go so good. But I guess it couldn't have been that bad, seeing as you got a ship out of it."

"What do you want?" Jim said again.

"I already told you-"

"Cut the crap. You don't care how I'm doing, so why are you here?"

Frank's face hardened, almost imperceptibly. Leonard pulled Jim back a step. "You've got no right to talk to me like that, boy," he spat. "Not after everything I've done for you. You wouldn't even be here if it were for me!"

Jim nodded. "So you came looking for payment."

"You still owe me a good bit for sending my car off that cliff," Frank answered. "It shouldn't be a problem for you to pay off now that you finally have a real job as a fancy Starfleet Captain."

Jim fought the urge to step back as Frank moved closer. "I don't owe you anything," he answered, hoping he sounded braver than he felt.

"You destroyed my property, boy!"

"That car never belong to you. You couldn't have sold it legally if you wanted to."

"You ungrateful-"

Jim stumbled back as Leonard pushed himself between the men.

Frank laughed. "You really gonna let someone else fight your battles? You never were much of a man that way were you? Always running off to hide and cry. You haven't changed a bit, have you? I bet you still cry yourself to sleep."

"Walk away," Leonard said coldly. "Walk away right now, and don't you ever come near him again."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll make you wish you had."

Frank closed the space between them. "Are you threatening me, boy?"

"No, sir. I'm warning you. It's courtesy I won't extend again. So I suggest-" he stepped forward, forcing Frank to give up ground "-that you turn around and walk away. Because I promise you, if I ever see your face around here again you will regret it. I will personally see to that. Do I make myself clear?"

"Talk like that can get you kicked out of the Fleet," Frank retorted without any strength behind his words.

"Try it." He glared down at the man for a moment longer before turning back to Jim. "You alright?"

Jim nodded, "Yeah,- Bones!"

Leonard spun and ducked out of the way of fist. With a crack Frank hit the pavement. He squatted by the man as he peeled himself off the ground. "There's an urgent care about three blocks that way." He pointed away from the campus. "They'll help you file a report if you really want to."

Leonard stood again and put a hand on Jim's arm. "C'mon."

The men walked on, half slumped against each other, drained from the sudden lack of adrenaline.

"What if he comes back?" Jim asked quietly. "He's not one to make idle threats."

"Then we make the first move. We'll go file a report of harassment, if he tries coming on campus security will pick him up."

Jim nodded. "Thanks for sticking up for me."

"I promised I would. Hey," Len stepped in front of the younger man. "He's never going to touch you again. He can't. He can't ever reach you again. You're safe, Jim, I promise."

"Thanks, Bones," he croaked.

Len sighed and pulled him into a hug. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Let's go get that report taken care of."

#jim kirk #leonard mccoy #star trek aos #my writing #i knew i had written len meeting frank

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crownofstardustandbone · 7 months

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Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

Hello love, thank you so much for sending this!!

First up is a story I wrote not too long ago "Mercy Mercy Please (The Monster in Me)" which is a Theo x Liam Teen Wolf fic that is an enemies to hate fuckers to lovers story with 20k words of dirty, nasty, kinky dub-con hate fucking lol I love this one so much because I haven't written this dynamic before and these two are just PERFECT for it.

Next up is "Prussian Blue" which is a Clark x Bruce superbat story in which Bruce gets irradiated to lethal levels and Clark frantically tries to find a way to stop him from dying, while also being forced to confront the depths of his feelings for Bruce. I love this one because it's angsty (big surprise LOL), but also because of the relationships I built between Clark and Alfred, and Clark and Bruce--I think they're well characterized and engaging. Plus I did a SHIT TON of research into the acute effects of radiation sickness and the treatments for it, which is where the title comes from--Prussian Blue is a pretty standard treatment for radiation poisoning!

My next one I'll talk about is hands down my favorite thing I've written in the last few years because it's so unbearably tender. "Ribs Cracked Open, A Home Made Within" is a Geralt x Jaskier story that came about because I had this idea that with his extra mutagens, Geralt would probably be hypersensitive to the point of pain, and wondered what that would look like within canon. I also really wanted Geralt to be handled with care and affection and tenderness because we never really see that in canon, and when someone is so hurt by the world and so self loathing, I desperately crave stories where they get to be treated tenderly.

Next is "Handful of Aces, Pocketful of Nines" which is a Holden x Bill Mindhunter story that came about after a rewatch while I was high and had my brain go galaxy mode and see them as a ship 😂This story follows canon and is filled to the brim with yearning, internalized homophobia, and so much angst it'll break your heart! I love this one because it's got so many tropes that I adore, and I think is a very compelling story of two people who don't know how to love each other, but also don't know how not to love each other.

Finally, is "Unbroken" which I consider to be my Steve x Tony magnum opus lol This story is my baby--I spent two years writing it, during which time I was in grad school, working full time, doing an internship and trying to get homework done. It's angsty and full of pining, hurt/comfort, whump, and all the other tasty tropes that I adore. It's a complicated story about a complicated relationship--Steve is found in the ice during Tony's childhood and comes to live with the Starks where he serves as a friend and protector for Tony. Tony loves him, and when life intervenes, they're married to protect Tony from being given to Obie--but that doesn't mean things get any easier. I do honestly think that this is the best thing for stony that I ever have and ever will write, and I hope more folks give it a shot despite that underage tag lol

#my fics #my writing #thiam #superbat #geraskier #bill x holden #stony

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ladyanidala · 6 months

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20 Questions for Fic Writers

@sleepingbeauty21 thank you for tagging me!! This looks like a lot of fun!! :D

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

46! (That's wild, dude)

2. What's your total A03 word count?

Total AO3 word count is 127,857.

3. What fandom's do you write for?

Almost all of my fics are for Star Wars, but I do have four that are in the Attack on Titan fandom! (Still gotta watch the end of the show, rip)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

We're Not Needed Here - 709 kudos (oh crack fic, my beloved <3)

Her Step Forward - 155 kudos (this is my first published fic on AO3, and I love it, even if I'd rewrite it differently now, haha)

(Galactic) History in the Making - 125 kudos (this is an Obitine proposal fic! Qui-Gon meddles too, and it makes me happy)

Though Darkness May Be Our Companion, I Will Watch Over You - 121 kudos (this is a Merrical fic that I wrote after I either finished playing or watching a gameplay of Jedi: Fallen Order. I love those babies :') )

Sparring with Buir - 110 kudos (Korkie and Obi-Wan spar after reuniting on Mandalore.)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! I like to interact with everyone who reads my stories. I like building community!!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oooooh, that's a hard one. I don't write super angsty endings, bc everyone deserves a happy ending, dangit, but the one fic that does foot the bill is Ghost Star, Are You Very Far? This is a fic centered around Kata Akuna and her love for stories. Sounds cute, yeah, but BROOOO there's some angst in there, I promise.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

The happiest ending? That's a hard one as well. The one I love the most is Tequila. Very cracky, and very fun to write.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, not really (and that's not an invitation to start, lol)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No, I don't write literary pornography. It's all kinds of damaging to your brain (see increased anxiety and depression rates) as well as the rest of the body (see erectile dysfunction). Click here if you want to see more of my reasons.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No, I don't. My brain honestly has such a hard time making characters from different universes meet like that. They stay separate in my head XD

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope! (And again, not an invitation to start XD)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes!! The beautiful @sleepingbeauty21 is translating We're Not Needed Here. Check out No Nos Necesitan Aqui!!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Kinda?? My brother helps me out and writes some things in my fics sometimes, but I've never done an intentional co-authored fic before.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Anidala, hands down. I love them so much :')

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I doubt that all my WIPs will get finished, does that count? XD

In all seriousness, my very first WIP - that's still unpublished - is sitting in my docs folder, just begging me to write more, but I feel like I'm at an impasse. I don't know where to go from where I stopped, haha.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Ummmmm, my ability to keep characters in character when I write crack??? Idk, dude, I just put stuff on a page and people like it enough XD

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I definitely don't describe things as well as I want to. I often feel like I'm jumping from point to point in my writing without connecting it on paper. It all connects in my head, but it comes out clunky on paper.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Would that I could :') I'd LOVE to become fluent in German or Spanish one day and write a fic!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Star Wars!!

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Oh, dang, that's hard XD Ask me to pick a favorite child, why don't you? :P For the sake of finishing this, I choose Tequila again, lol. I love it so much XD

Tagging: @screwtornadowarningsimsouthern, @clawedandcute, and anyone else who wants to join, I don't speak to too many people on here XD

#star wars #fanfic #fanfic writer #ao3 #anakin skywalker #obi wan kenobi #ahsoka tano #obitine #kata akuna #merrical #calmerrin #jedi survivor #nightsister merrin #cal kestis #padme amidala #anidala #tag game #this was fun

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x-authorship-x · 1 year

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your shisui pairings have me so excited for the real ship and shisui is so crush-able (crush as in like-love 🙈) can you tell us what/how everyone woild think of him like that? Validation for shisui please haha

Shisui is extremely...crushable... 😅

Also you've really done it now, Anon, because I can talk for hours about Shisui as a character but LOVING Shisui? It is my fandom-given CALLING

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned something like this in an A/N somewhere before, maybe in my College AU Squad2polyromcom (and murder mystery), but I'll do it again anyway

So *cracks fingers* it's time to make you love every Shisui Ship combo

Let's start of with the Squad:

Kakashi: oh god he's feeling an emotion. He didn't sign up for this, the Icha Icha isn't even helping distract him because Shisui just thinks it's funny and he's laughing with those dimples and rolling his pretty eyes and ignoring the filthy looks everyone is shooting them. And it's terrifyingly easy to image an honest-to-kami life like this, not just the vague blurry impression of remaining alive between missions, because Shisui is easy. He understands and he pushes but knows when to stop, he quirks sardonic smiles at Kakashi's fucked up humour and he never resents Kakashi for the things he can't give up, like his mask and his borrowed habits and his guilt. He survives Kakashi being, well, Kakashi- and he doesn't just survive it, he seeks him out, he seems to enjoy Kakashi, and- Shisui is strong and fast, all won through skill, but with an ace up his sleeve from the unfathomable power behind those eyes. Kakashi... has been saved by Shisui more times than he's had to do the converse and it's... Comforting. That Shisui isn't looking to Kakashi, Kakashi who is so broken and has mishandled so many things, to fix it, to guide. He follows Kakashi like an equal, waiting but never demanding, and Kakashi... breathes. That's what makes it so terrifying; that being with Shisui is, for the first time in Kakashi's life, so much easier than being without him.

Raidou: Meeting Shisui had been... A trip. Here was this rising star of an already legendary Clan, someone with genius and achievements to rival Hatake Kakashi - and Raidou knew first-hand what a dick he could be - and the ANBU higher-ups thought it was a good idea to match him in a team with a minor-clan assassin and a civ-born 'doorman'. Brilliant. Raidou would admit he'd been braced for the worst, defensive and professional and wary of dramatics. And it sounded so cliche and uncomfortable - if Raidou ever got around to admitting as much out loud - that Shisui just wasn't like that. His smiles were genuine, even at the start when Raidou brushed him off with barely-concealed suspicion, and the admiration for Raidou's jack-of-all, patchworked skillset wasn't concealing distain or condescension. It took time for Raidou to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop, longer than many of their fellow Shinobi would've had the patience for, but... They grew closer. There were things Shisui, raised in the centre of a historic Clan and so far ahead of his peers, didn't even consider; he asked why Raidou clung to the Konohan Standard Taijutsu, forgetting that it was all Raidou had ever had the opportunity to learn, and then, when the reason was pointed out, he blushed a mortified red and spent the next few months helping - with aid from his Sharingan - Raidou put his own flare on it. He didn't know why Raidou loathed bloodstains on his uniform, because Shisui's Clan sorted their own laundry whilst Raidou had to soak and scrub his own. He told Raidou the extensive history of the Uchiha that he'd been drilled in as a child... And then listened, dark eyes gleaming and intently focused on Raidou's face, as the other plucked at the inconsistencies and pondered over truth and bias. Shisui had been raised, no matter how sweet and earnest he was as a person, from privilege - rich in history and wealth and with an advantage as a Shinobi but... With no childhood, no simplicity, such little choice, and maybe Raidou was learning things about himself too - but he never looked at Raidou like he was less. Their Squad was chaotic, with Kakashi and Genma and Tenzo - although the latter was unwittingly complicit so much of the time - and Raidou caught Shisui's laughing gaze as the two of them looked on. Something shared zapped between them, an understanding and a knowing, and it was suddenly they who were united against the world. And maybe it was hopeless and messy and nothing more than a stolen moment like this, maybe Raidou - the civilian born boy with a scar on his face like a stamp of his shortcomings - had finally grown too big for his boots because - he wanted. Kami, how he let himself want.

Genma: Genma was a lot of things but a coward wasn't one of them. It was a point of pride, in fact, since assassins were so often viewed as the dirtiest in their world, killers who lacked the strength for a straight fight and who lacked the courage to show themselves from the shadows... Idiots, all of them. They were Shinobi, not samurai, and Genma's hands were only as dirty as his fellow Elites, maybe even less so. He didn't hide what he was, the lengths he went to in the name of his village and people, and he didn't waste time hurling playground slurs when he could be getting the job done. Being in a Squad with others who understood that...was, frankly, a small miracle. Kakashi was as fucking professional as they came - discounting his rampant, off-the-clock instability, but Genma was to blame for some of that so he wasn't gonna say shit - and Raidou was his partner in crime. They'd failed Minato, and they'd failed together - there was a bond there, of knowing and guilt that they'd never shake free of, and it was there to stay. Tenzo... Was fucked up in a different way but he kept going and Genma admired his guts, even more than his impressive skills. And then... Shisui. Genma had pissed off a lot of people in his life, civilians and Shinobi both, but Shisui was the last person Genma wanted to mess with. Kakashi was constantly prickly, so prodding harder didn't usually amount to anything but a sour mood and a swipe, and Raidou ditched him for a bit if Genma pressed too hard in his direction; Tenzo was a kicked puppy and even Genma had standards. But Shisui? Shisui just fucking took it. He laughed and complained and didn't move an inch. He deflected, blushing mottled red where he'd once been miles of perfect skin, and he hissed and bickered and he went precisely nowhere. He was light and friendly and patience and earnest... And ruthless. He was death so fast that the eyes couldn't even follow him, he was blood dripping from a tantō edge and the nightmare presence watching over them all, ready in a heartbeat to whisk them away from certain death. He looked at Genma, dark eyes burning even without the Sharingan, and plotted their assassination without censure and he never shied from either of their own darkness. Genma had lost his mother and sister the night he'd failed to protect Minato, he'd gathered a second family of friends around him but these things were never permanent... But Shisui... He was an expert at Permanent. He'd been a kid when he'd planted himself protectively in front of his kid cousin and he'd not moved a muscle since. He'd been in ANBU only a few years shorter than Kakashi and he'd sworn, with the rest of them, not to leave until he did... And he'd stayed strong to that, not just suffering through but staying alive-alive. And his eyes- Genma played with people because it was better than risking himself and fucking up for real. And he played with Shisui more than he'd ever done with anyone, pushing harder when Shisui did nothing to put space between them, push and push and- it was vulnerable in its own way. Because Genma hoped, somewhat desperately where no one could ever find out about, that there wasn't a limit. That Shisui, fastest Shinobi alive, would stay put.

Tenzo: this might be a little briefer but I feel like I've covered these two a bit more than the others (namely, the ship ficlet in And All The Stars Seemed Closer) but: Shisui was always there. Tenzo's whole life had been beyond his own control, he had been a tool forged outside of his own making and, when he was free, Tenzo was...untethered. Shisui, in a strange way, was as familiar to Tenzo as much as he was foreign; he'd been raised for the will of the Uchiha Elders, errand boy and then pawn and, now, soldier. But he'd kept a hold of himself, rebelled in small ways and smuggled Hsi cousins away for dango instead of the promised training, had bypassed the clan guards to sneak Kakashi to an old Uchiha healer to ensure his eye wouldn't become infected, had ignored summons from the Elders only to claim that he never received them. It was little things that combined into a larger picture and Tenzo, who had been gagged and leashed his whole life, knew nothing except that he wanted Shisui to teach him how to live like that. And Shisui had. They went for dinner and ate dessert beforehand, they lay in fields and Tenzo was coaxed into picturing the most interesting shapes formed by the clouds, Shisui's shoulder a source of warmth where he lay so close by. He taught Tenzo to smile again, small but organic, and he soothed him through panic-stricken tears. And Tenzo didn't know a lot still, even less so about how to negotiate with the tangle of emotions lodged deep in his sternum, but this felt... Different to Kakashi-senpai and Genma and Raidou. It was companionship and admiration and gratitude and hope and- the urge to reach out and feel the curl of that dimpled smile for himself. It was knowing, with a shuddery warmth so different but also the same as a patch of sunlight, that these discoveries wouldn't be the same if Tenzo didn't do them with Shisui. And that was something to discover in itself.

🥹

Others: there are more ships but, since quite a lot of context is based off HOPE AU, several characters haven't been introduced yet so idk if they'd do anything for you guys?

Kisame: I literally just posted a Soulmate Prompt and also he's had a lot of limelight in UDB so I cba 😅 BUT we're talking star crossed, they've both been betrayed but Shisui fought back and stayed loyal whilst Kisame fled and has found new purpose thanks to Shisui, we're talking Shisui sees Konohan loyalty in Kisame and Kisame appreciates the Kiri viciousness in Shisui, they are ride or die and Kisame wonders how far Shisui will let him in, what would happen if he pressed even closer... If he kept following wherever Shisui led...

Shizune: Shizune was raised on stories that both loved and loathed Konoha. Having met Shunshin no Shisui, the man who had been thrown into the very depths of the village's rotten core and somehow torn both himself free and revealed the perpetrator, Shizune would admit to being...curious about the Konoha that inspired such devotion. That Shisui was sharp, dark eyes made liquid in the firelight, and could meet her remark for remark, well. Shizune couldn't help but wonder, as he pushed forwards to breathe his counter argument so close to her mouth, what being the focus of the loyalty of a man like Shisui would feel like.

Anko: it's a hate crush. He's pretty and perfect and she knows he's fucked up but people don't seem to realise it, they haven't seen shisui tear into someone in an interrogation cell and they haven't seen the angry furrow to his mouth in an argument and they haven't tasted the tang of blood on his teeth when words didn't cut it and kissing the stupidity out of him was the only option. Frankly, anko didn't want anyone else to know any of that either.

Asuma: see my Shisui/Asuma marriage ask prompt from earlier, it's better than I could convey here.

Gai: There were few people who could meet Gai and match him blow for blow, fewer still who could continue to do so on a regular basis, and even less who would take such genuine pleasure in such a routine. Gai was not a man to conceal truth from himself, he faced challenges every single day and knew that the genuineness of his effort was bettering him, even if the projects themselves were no further forward. Befriending Kakashi had been akin to approaching a wounded, feral animal - and, indeed, it remained a worthwhile but troubled dynamic - whilst befriending his Genin teammates had been a lesson in moderation and humility. Genma and Ebisu were people different from himself but fundamentally akin, enough for fondness to form but not for the ease of close companionship; Gai loved and valued them but he was under no illusions that they would ever have been extremely closely knit in their personal lives. Meeting Shunshin no Shisui, however, had been...illuminating; he had sought Gai out first. He wanted to train and knew that such improvement required an extremely dedicated partner... In Shisui's eyes, that could only mean Gai. He'd been frank in his reasoning, gratified instead of disconcerted by the suggestions Gai had immediately launched into, and he'd been shockingly warm when he'd held Gai's hand between his own as he thanked him. They'd met and it had been... Revitalizing. Gai, with no one but Kakashi able to keep up these days, hadn't realised how much he'd missed having an equal. Shisui was admiring whenever he was bested, determined as much as good natured, and he continued so as the days passed. Gai's luck did not wear out; Shisui kept matching him. And, more than that, it wasn't a secret. Gai had instinctively called out a greeting to him, when he'd spotted Shisui in the marketplace whilst completing his handstand laps, only for Shisui to laugh - joyfully, never meanly - at the sight of him and shout that he'd see him at the usual time, uncaring for the disbelieving gawking going on around him. Gai had learned, from his sensitive boyhood to his emotionally-intelligent but matured adulthood now, to allow the negatives of those around him to wash over him and not linger, something his peers struggled with. Shisui, one of the most notorious Uchiha, seemed to have similarly mastered this skill. He didn't shy from Gai or attempt to tone him down. He didn't fade away or lose interest. He matched Gai, move for move, and Gai was determined to take another step forwards!

Ao: PFFFFT-

Just a little something-something to make the shipping worse~

Anyway, hope you enjoy this, anon 👋✨

#torship #torship talks #ask #anon #hope au #shisui/kakashi #shisui/raidou #shisui/genma #shisui/tenzo #shisui/kisame #shisui/shizune #shisui/gai #shisui/anko #shisui/asuma #shisui shipping

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aobawilliams · 6 months

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20 questions for writers

I was tagged by @marcellebelle! Thanks for that!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

15!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

69,471 (eheh, nice)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

So on AO3 I got My Hero Academia, Detective Conan/Magic Kaito and Before the Coffee gets cold. Outside of AO3 I got some Naruto, FMA, One Piece, Bungo Stray Dogs, wips too (and there was that time I was writing crack fic about Mob Psycho here on tumblr with Panda, that was fun). There's probably some other I've forgotten too- oh yeah there was some Hetalia at some point.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Noisy as the dead (495)

Who The F- Is This (432)

Nothing Wants To Suffer (375)

Who am I beating up? (131)

What it takes to survive (72)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I tend to but lately, I haven't really kept up with it. I am sorry. I should get to it at some point soon, but be aware every comment is read and enjoyed.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Morituro, probably? Considering both All Might and Izuku died so, yeah.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I like to think it's Before The Coffee Gets Cold - The Sisters, since this fic is about closure after death.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Oh! I got once a hate comment on who the f- is this, to which i answered with an essay or two. I probably shouldn't have but also it was really fun at the time. Otherwise I don't believe I do.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I can barely write romance, smut is way out of my reach. I also don't really have any interest in writing any, to be honest.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Crossovers are probably right after Time Travel in term of things I love. Not one I've written but special mention to that one time I dream about Zabuza from naruto/Reigen from mob psycho as a ship.

Don't know if it's the craziest but I had a The Rising of the Shield Hero/Naruto one started once, there was also that Detective Conan/My Hero Academia one started with Panda that the idea was so good. We should get back to it, one day.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

*squint* I don't think so (unless it was done without my knowledge) but strong maybe back in my ff.net era. Though I did translate some fics myself before (it wasn't done very well, but I did try back then, and it did help me a lot learning english. Problem was I'm not good at grammar stuff.)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Once again, there was that cracky Mob Psycho one here somewhere. Also, some projects with Panda that are really good except words hard for both of us.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

...yeah no idea right now, come ask me another time. (It tends to change on the day, but also right now I'm on a no-romance streak so, better luck next time)

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

*crying* all of them.

Okay so, first of all, a wip is never dead unless I decide to bury it. Which doesn't happens. I still have hope one day I'll get back to them.

Right now I really want to work on Dad For All and the DCMK NOC AU except, word hard and planning harder. But I'll get there, one day, even if it's in 10 years.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I honestly got no idea? I probably got some I'm just not sure what it could be.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

word hard. Also no idea how grammar works beyond "whatever feels right to me".

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Eeh, I probably wouldn't do it because it's bothersome having to look up a translation while you're reading a fic, unless it's something that fits with the context or just a few words here and there. Also switching languages in the middle of thinking is so hard to do, why would you do this to me.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Naruto, back in uuuhhhhhh probably middle school. It was a long time ago. Nothing is left of what I could have written then. (Also close to that time period was D.Gray-man).

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Huge huge huge fondness for Before The Coffee Gets Cold - The Sisters, probably because Im very fond of that universe and also when grief is explored and closure is sought. I also really like the flowers have water.

Who the f- is this and Noisy as the dead are my funny projects though, I have lot of fun working on them.

Tagging! @achairwithapandaonit @grolahvol @figurativepieceoftrash @bloustorm @fanfiction-artist-prototype @guesst and uuh really tbh anyone who sees this and feel like doing it! I just picked a few people off the top of my head but I know there's a lot more of you seeing this.

#tag game #sometimes i write

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iamprchung · 1 month

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The X-Couple: EBE's Are Wild!

x-FBI boss Skinner's orderly life explodes when his new roommate, the shadowy Cancer Man, throws a wild poker game. Their apartment transforms into a chaotic alien nightclub, filled with cigar-chomping grays, furniture defying explanation, and a three-fingered cyclopean guest reeking of regret. As bewildered Agent Scully arrives to investigate prank calls, Skinner desperately tries to maintain order while Mulder prepares to crash the party – all amidst the cacophony of a poker game gone... extraterrestrial?

The X-Couple

Episode One "EBE's Are Wild"

PR Chung & Victor Skynard

Crystal City, Virginia

Walter Skinner's Apartment

1:28 a.m.

Skinner awoke to a blinding light filling his bedroom, the building shaking violently, and when a humanoid creature scurried across the foot of his bed he knew immediately what was happening—

The Friday night poker game had kicked into full swing.

Before he could get his pants up and zip them the sound of music began blaring from downstairs.

* "I got a van that is loaded with weapons, I'm ready to go... The sound of gun fire off in the distance- I'm getting used to it now..." *

He jerked the bedroom door open and hurried down the stairs to the sight of two small grays dancing on the ceiling, others were bouncing around the smoke-filled living room, jumping from the sofa to the coffee table and back again.

A group stood giggling in front of the television, pointing at the mother ship in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

Startled, he stopped, looking at a dining room table that was littered with poker chips, overturned Mountain Dew soda cans and a strange sparkling substance that appeared gelatinous.

The table was surrounded by cigar smoking grays, and seated among them was Cancer Man, the Bounty Hunter to his right.

"Oh, come on!" Skinner shouted over the music at Cancer Man. "For God's sake, you didn't give them Mountain Dew again, did you?!"

Cancer Man lifted his chin, gazing through smoky air over his cards. "Yes, as a matter of fact I did..."

Two grays skittered past Skinner toward the bathroom. Noxious fumes harassed his nose as they passed by.

"My God, it stinks in here," he exclaimed, "I'll never get this smell out of the furniture."

"You've done it before," Cancer Man called over the sound of music. "You'll do it again."

"No way, they go now. I'm tired of these creeps destroying my home- they go now, or you go."

"You can't threaten me," Cancer Man declared, "I've watched Presidents die…”

As if on cue the grays broke into hysterical laughter, or the alien equivalent considering the shrillness of the sounds emanating from their bodies. Skinner started forward, tripping on something. He looked down seeing a crumpled Barney costume lying on the floor.

"What the hell is this?"

"Oh, that... It's the only way I could get Lord Kinbote past the doorman." Cancer Man explained.

It was then that an immense three fingered hand clamped down on Skinner's shoulder. He turned to see a nine-foot tall, drunken cyclopes Lord Kinbote, who emitted a monstrous belch so strong it blew what hair Skinner had back.

"Barge coming through!" Cancer Man cracked and the grays giggled wildly.

"Sorry about the mess in the fichus, Skinner," Kinbote rumbled as he weaved his way past the man and back into the living room.

The bathroom door opened, the two grays running out- their bulbous heads knocking together hard as they tried to fit through the door at once. They giggled hysterically and ran up the wall to join the other two dancing on the ceiling.

Skinner opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted by knocking at the front door.

* "She came from planet Claire. I knew she came from there, she drove a Plymouth satellite, faster than the speed of light..." *

"Back off!" He shouted over the B-52's as three grays scurried to open the door. Heading them off with an icy glare, sternly pointing them back out of sight.

Opening the door barely a crack, he peered out into large angry green-blue eyes.

"Scully?"

"Sir," she replied tightly, her face a wash of irritation.

"Uh..." he felt grays clamoring at his back trying to see around him into the hall. "What are you doing here, Agent Scully?"

* "Planet Claire has pink air, all the trees are red. No one ever dies there... no one has a head..." *

"I…"Scully hesitated, scrutinizing the scene; the man before her oddly wriggling his body in the mere few inches he had opened the door, the blare of music coming from inside and the sound of high pitch... squealing. "Am I interrupting something, sir?"

Grimacing, he wriggled again appearing to kick at something behind him, followed by the sound of a high-pitched squeal.

"No," he casually declared, "and you don't have to call me SIR-" shouting the last word he broke off abruptly shutting the door.

Scully heard a shrill squeak muffled by the door. A moment passed, and the door opened again, a mere inch, Skinner peering out at her.

"What do you want, Scully?" he asked, sounding exasperated.

"I received several prank calls tonight," she answered promptly, businesslike and with all the irritation returning to her expression. "I had them traced... They came from here, sir."

He glanced back into the apartment, three grays were jockeying for the cordless telephone, giggling, and pushing buttons furiously.

Skinner cursed under his breath.

* "That's great it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes and airplanes and Linny Bruce is not afraid...!" *

"Are you having a party?" she asked having to raise her voice over the increased volume of music being issued from the apartment.

"No," he said and winced, "I mean I'm not," he felt a gray scramble up his back, "someone else is!" He pulled back trying to get the gray off his back before Scully saw it, but it was too late.

She gasped as two grays popped their egg-shaped heads out the door and another peered down at her upside down from the top of the doorway.

* "...offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline... It's the end of the world as we know it!" *

"Back! Back!" Skinner scolded them, yanking the one off the door. "All of you get back!" Getting them away from the door again he turned back to Scully in the hall, her face was pale. He shrugged, "okay, so, Mulder was right, what can I say?"

Her jaw was slack.

Two men carrying enormous delivery cases of pizzas walked up to Skinner's front door.

"Pizza delivery for Wally Skinner," one announced.

Skinner growled.

* "It's the end of the world as we know it!" *

"Sir, what is going on?" Scully demanded stepping back as a gray hand clutching twenty-dollar bills jutted out the door past Skinner.

He glanced down, the grays had his wallet.

"I didn't order any pizza!" he yelled trying to snatch the money out of the alien hand, missing.

"Pizza! Pizza!" Little voices began squealing behind him.

"Oh, the pizza it's here, good..." Cancer Man pushed his way through the ecstatic and hungry crowd of grays. Joining Skinner at the door, he asked, "you don't mind, do you, Wally? I'm running a little light with this poker game and all." Ignoring Skinner's glowering, he looked at Scully, "Agent Scully, how nice you could join us... twenty-dollar minimum tonight."

Scully's cell phone started ringing as pizza and money changed hands.

"Hello?" she answered pressing a finger in her ear, wincing against all the noise.

Feeling ill, Skinner watched Cancer Man and the aliens cart the pizza into the apartment and his money counted by the delivery guys as they walked away, throwing puzzled glances over their shoulders as they went.

"I can't hear you... Mulder?" Scully called loudly into the cell phone. "I know. I got them too... Uh..." she glanced at Skinner, "yeah, that's where mine were traced to also... What?... No, I'm not at a bar... I'm— I'm at Skinner's apartment, actually."

Skinner's eyes went wide.

"No," Scully urgently said into the phone, her eyes darting back to Skinner. "No, Mulder, you really don't need to come over here... it's-it's.... No... Mulder?!" She clicked her phone off, turning to Skinner slowly. "He's coming over here."

"What? Why?"

She looked at him, blinking. "Please?" she exclaimed, motioning toward his apartment.

* * *

* "We're gonna' rock this town, we're gonna rip this place apart. We're gonna' rock this town, rock it inside out..." *

Coat flapping, puffing breath, Mulder marched up the hall to Skinner's apartment. The muffled sound of the Stray Cats drifting into the hall. What on earth was going on? He thought, completely perplexed by the strange prank calls he had been getting since one this morning which had been traced to of all places his former boss' apartment.

Mulder leaned toward the door, listening.

The music was definitely coming from inside.

* "You look at me once, you at me twice, look at me again..." *

He knocked...

* "... and there's gonna' be a fight-!" *

The music cut out abruptly.

There were muffled scurrying sounds, shushing noises and then a suddenly sharp squeal. A long moment went by before he pounded again, " I know you're in there," he called through the door.

It opened. Holding a large garbage bag, Skinner looked back at him, his expression sour.

"What do you want, Agent Mulder?"

"I want some answers." Mulder replied pushing his way inside the apartment. He looked around. The place was clean, not one sign of anything out of the ordinary had been going on.

"Answers about what?" Skinner asked him.

"About these prank calls I've been getting since one this morning," he announced rashly. "And what was going on when I talked to Scully. She said she was here, where is she?"

"She left a while ago."

Mulder frowned. "She's not answering her cell phone."

"Maybe she's home in bed, like you should be." Skinner shot back.

"I was in bed until I started getting crank calls from an obvious party," Mulder countered. "What's been going on here, I heard music when I walked up?"

"Nothing's been going on."

"There was music when I talked to Scully too."

"My neighbors were having a party."

"But the music was coming from here."

Skinner shook his head. "You must be mistaken," Mulder opened his mouth to protest, but Skinner opened the door for him. "I need to get to bed, if you don't mind, Agent Mulder?"

"Is that why you're taking the garbage out at four in the morning?"

Skinner hissed. "We've been down this road before. There's nothing going on, Mulder. Now if you don't mind..." he motioned toward the open door. "

Mulder headed for the door, pausing. "You want me to take this on my way out?"

Skinner glanced at the bag in his hand. "Uh, yeah, and here," he reached behind the door turning back with two more bags in each hand. "Take these too."

Mulder took the huge garbage bags and Skinner shut the door on the perplexed looking young man. Seconds later, the kitchen door was thrown open. A frazzled looking Scully stumbled out, countless grays tumbling out behind her followed by a haggard looking Bounty Hunter who was holding ice in his hands.

A smug Cancer Man strolled out, unscathed by the last five minutes they had all spent in the compact space of the kitchen.

"All right," Skinner boomed at them, "that's it. Party over. Everyone out - and that means you too," he added spotting Lord Kinbote trying to stealthily reclaim his hiding place behind the fichus.

Tiny middle fingers flipped in his direction as the grays blew raspberries at him.

"Let's not be rude to our host," Cancer Man told them and drew on his cigarette. "It's been a long night and there is always next Friday..."

Skinner hissed, watching the grays jumping up and down excitedly at the news of another party.

Scully, smoothing her tussled hair down, stopped by Skinner on her way out the door. "Sir, I suggest you get out of here," she told him.

"I can't," he answered hanging his head. "I have a lease."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Continued... "Vea Evictius"

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#The XCouple #walter skinner #the xfiles #xfiles #xfiles fanfic #mulder #scully #skinner #skinner scully fanfic #the x files #The X-Couple #fox mulder

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veterveter · 4 months

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Finally gathered teh courage to watch the Berlin trailer and... big cringe. i don't like the whole vibes of it, i don't believe them when they say its gonna be better than lcdp. i don't care about the new gang and andrés? i have a feeling they gonna ruin his character with this. i'm honestly glad that sergio and martin are not part of this. the only thign i'm looking forward is ralicia. (sorry for the negativity, maybe it's gonna be the best show of the century lol)

Heyheyhey!!!

Let's talk about your thoughts before I talk about mine: thank you first of all for popping by ♥️ Do come back if you'd like once you've seen the show, I'd love to hear if you still feel the same 👀 And I pretty much agree on everything you said. I don't feel like Martín would fit the tone they're going for with this show, they'd probably relegate him to being like, a fun sidekick cracking jokes or something - pass. Let me keep one half of the ship I still really like as a character. Ralicia could have actual potential though, their history seems of interest, so I hope they at least give us something there.

Other than the incessant need to turn everything into a franchise and milk audience goodwill until it runs dry, I think there's very little need for this to be about Berlín or set in the LCDP universe, if they don't really care about following up or building up on... anything, really. But I hope I'm wrong! Maybe I'm misjudging them! Maybe the advertising has done them dirty! In which case I'm so sorry to be a downer. I'm trying my hardest to not hate it on principle.

And for want of something positive to say, the smallest compliment sandwich you've ever seen: the bit they posted a couple days ago at Fontana di Trevi seemed a little promising? That was more of the vibe I wish this show had, haha.

They really want to hype up the new banda and I'm always unironically heartbroken when they call this Andrés's golden era and his dream team (I cannot remember the wording but you know what I mean). Maybe I'm overly invested and clinging too hard to the parts of pre-established canon that I like, so sue me. I know I should be taking this much less seriously and I might even enjoy it; instead I'm fretting over how I can possibly fit all these different Andréses into one person for writing purposes - let alone remaining invested in him as a character. I've already said this before, but S5 already did a world of harm in how much I like him, so.

I've had nightmares about this show, actually :D In one, they declared in the advertising that his third wife was the love of Andrés's life and if I want to know how he really felt about Martín, I should watch the show - and then proceeded to never mention him again 🔪

And haha you needn't apologise to me for the negativity - if the show turns out to be amazing, feel free to call me a fool :) Though I'm sure Pedro can carry quite a lot even if it's bad. I watched Gran Hotel last summer.

Anyway, I hope you take care, anon!! Do come back to me if you'd like, and have a lovely rest of the year :)

And buena suerte.

#asks #anon #Berlín 2023 #still calling it that yes

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kiliinstinct · 6 months

Text

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for tagging me! @celestialtitania

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

56 and uhh.. wow. I guess if we include my Genshin account that would be 58? Wait! My Psued also has some so the total is actually - 74! Damn, that's more than I was expecting actually.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

This is also going to take some calculating...

okay, the total from my mainaccount and it's pseud and my genshin account: 388,886. Kinda blew my mind to see that total lol

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mainly Fairy Tail, but I've dabbled in Yu Yu Hakusho, Yuri On Ice, Naruto, Legend of Zelda and have begun to write for Genshin Impact!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Imma count this down- first being the lowest to the highest.

Soft Caress with 234 Kudos

Wake Up Call with 474

Have You Missed Me? 390

Flame's Desire 702

Mistletoe Claim with a total of 1284 Kudos. (and i still don't understand WHY!?)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

It's 50/50. I like to reply when I can, but sometimes I'm in a rush or busy (or half asleep) when I see the comment and then completely forget about it until later. By then I feel awkward replying. ^^;;

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uhh, I haven't.. ended.. the angstiest fics yet. But, since you're looking for an ending, I guess Sun in the Rain ? Since it's dealing with grief and loss of parents?

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

How is this even harder for me to think of? Uhm, maybe I'll go with Fire Sprite No. 5 ? But there's a few others up there, I think.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I'll be honest, hate is very rare on my fics. (And I'm very grateful for it.) Usually I just have people pressuring me to update and guilt tripping me rather than outright hating on a fic. And some of the hate I received years ago is just funny to me. The worst one I ever got I just ignore because it was hardly worth my time.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes and.. the smut kind? (I do not understand the question o.o)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Only one! And for some reason I never posted it to A03 .. that's weird, I could have sworn I had. Anyway! The Forgotten Temple was a NatsuxLevy fic crossed over into the world of Breath of the Wild that I wrote for a friend. It's the only crossover I've ever done.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Once that I'm aware of! The Matching Scale had one person come to me to let me know someone had stolen it, but the fic was deleted days later. There's one other multi-chapter out there that's based off of it, but that writer got my permission to use the plot before they posted it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've been asked 3 different times if someone could translate, but never saw the end result of that. I'm totally down for people to translate my work if they ever wanted to though. Just so long as it's credited and linked to the original.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes.... and no... and.. yes? Okay, there's a few of them but they're not finished so I was never able to post them... Ahem...

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

... Favorite? I'm supposed to have one all-time favorite? Seriously? No. Can't be. There's no way. I've got too many to pick one above all else.

My current Hyper Fixation is TravelerxXiao from Genshin Impact. (Though I'm partial to AetherxXiao rather than Aether's twin sister version of that ship.) Nalu is the one that gave me the most inspiration in Fairy Tail, but I also have a few crack ships that I adore in FT as well, Like CobraxLevy (Or FreedxLevy.. or.. there's a lot of Levy ships don't judge me.) and GrayxLoke. Then there's Sesskag in the Inuyasha fandom... Zelink in Zelda... Zutara in ATLA... and let's not get me started on characters I ship in books or I'll be here all day/night.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

As far as I'm concerned, every single published wip that I have not listed as discontinued WILL BE FINISHED. I'm determined to ensure they are. As for the unpublished ones though.. there's two that I don't think are going to make it outside of the planning and partial writing stage.. which is kinda sad to think about, but I simple can't add more to my plate than I already have.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm told I'm good at keeping characters ic even in au settings, so I guess I can see that's a strength, but covering the emotions and inner workings of a characters mind is probably where my biggest strength is. If there are any others.. well.. you tell me?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Description- especially if I'm mixing it in dialogue- or trying to remember when I need to at least give the reader some idea of how a character looks. I get so worried about over describing that I end up not describing enough at all! It's a problem.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Eh, if it's like.. for the setting, where some characters use a different language and don't know the main one, I think it works if done well. Especially if you're trying to show someone who's bilingual. If it works for world building and has been done well, then I'm not going to complain. Asides from that, I usually avoid it and get thrown out of the story when I see it .

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Yu Yu Hakusho and Inuyasha... on an old old old account that you will never, and I mean NEVER, find.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Uhhh... there's that word again. How can I just pick one child over the other? (Flame's Desire.) I can't just pick favorites like that when I have children running around all wanting attention from me - (Flame's Desire.) It would simply be unfair to pick one above the others when they're all so near and dear to my heart - (Flame's Desire.)

Anyway, I'll go with Flame's Desire, as well as the current Genshin Fic I recently wrote and am still editing so it's not posted yet. lol

Tagging, but you don't have to do it.

@pencilofawesomeness @thehylianidiot @genavere @classysassy9791 @phoneboxfairy @grayseyebrowscar @cobrakiin @sandwitchstories @teleiapotami + anyone who wants to steal this

#Kili Talks #fanfiction asks #a03 asks #thanks for tagging me!!

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halothenthehorns · 11 months

Text

Chapter 10: I BREAK A FEW ROCKET SHIPS

Jeez, already half done and the quest only just now officially started. I can't get over how strangely short these books are.

PJOPJOPJO

"Zombies made you hungry?" Percy cracked a grin at her. "Really Rachel?"

"I've heard an awful lot about those magical fridges," she nodded seriously. "Show me around Perce?"

"There's not much to show," but he very reluctantly set the book back aside and agreed to show her out.

Thalia watched them go with a guilty sense of relief. She was well aware Annabeth used to be greatly jealous of Rachel, but they had recently made friends, and Percy had never looked twice at the frizzy redhead after he and Annabeth kissed under that lake.

No, it wasn't guilt her little sister's boyfriend was off smiling, reluctantly, but one that had been missing all morning with another girl.

It was guilty relief for Percy being gone for just a moment. Not pissed at her this time.

She didn't know what else she could do to help but hope Rachel eased the tension that hadn't left his face since he remembered Annabeth going over that cliff.

So distracted was she intently watching the door, ears trained for the slightest peep of unease that she might need to intervene if Percy lost it again and their Oracle needed a save, she didn't notice someone flopping down in Percy's abandoned seat until he spoke to her.

"You knew I didn't belong here too, didn't you?"

She dragged her eyes away from one pseudo pain in the butt little brother, to a blonde-haired, blue-eyed guy from California with a scar on his lip watching her with that same inquisitive face that asked every day why the sky was changing colors and when he could watch it happen again.

Halcyon Green was nuts, a mad old demigod out to torment them... She remembered how different her dad had been the second time he'd come around, more formal, and how Jason used Roman god's names so casually... it wasn't possible...

"Huh?" She asked, realizing he'd said something else.

"I asked if you were okay," he murmured gently. There was a wavering to the way he spoke now, his curiosity reigning in here most of the time, but occasionally like now still slipping into the stiff, confused tones of when he'd first come down here. He most definitely came across as a concerned leader asking after a prisoner of war right now.

"No," she admitted. "You're like a ghost to me," she put on a brave smile that didn't fool him one bit. "Don't worry about it. Yes, I suspected something was off about you, but it's so strange and unique. I can't fathom how you've survived so long on your own. Percy, well, the gods shouldn't have allowed you to be your age without you being at camp. It'll be explained later. Something about you is..." she couldn't finish, she didn't know how to articulate the insane possibility before her.

He looked disappointed, but not surprised.

"If Rachel has a gut feeling about you then I trust her," she waved vaguely to where Alex and Magnus were having another ASL study session. Annabeth's cousin whom she'd never mentioned, family whom she was never comfortable talking about. She was being foolish, Oceanus was to dense to have connected lost relatives together on anything more than an accident. "We'll figure out what your story is Jason, I promise the Hunters will search the corners of the globe to figure it out when we get out of here." Nobody should have to live like Percy was now.

"Thanks," he whispered, but there was no hint of relief in his troubled, stiff mouth. She swallowed as he kept watching her, as if still waiting for her to spill the rest of her secrets to this mirror of a stranger.

It wasn't possible, it couldn't be possible.

Beryl Grace had said he was dead...but she was a drunk who went crazy on her own beauty for catching the same god's attention twice...the very same god?

"You can stay," Thalia said firmly when Rachel and Percy came back eating ice cream cones. Will and Nico had gone back and forth too, though the Norse kids hadn't. They'd also been snacking the entire time they were here and hoarding food in all pockets of their clothes, so clearly that silent conversation had taken precedence this time. "Drag that beanbag over here, I don't bite."

Jason stalled, gave her a cautious smile, and then did exactly that as he dragged the woven cushion to her other side without unraveling a single seaweed from it.

Thalia's suspicions weren't soothed though, as something clicked into place when she turned a curious frown on the Son of Hades. 'You knew too'... Had Jason just been talking about Rachel? If Jason was the very same Jason back from the dead, could Nico have something to do with it? That boy was always off doing his own thing...if he knew something-

Alex laughed flamboyantly as always at the new chapter title Percy read. "One is never enough with you!"

"Break them how though?" Jason asked the real question while his scar wiggled at his twitching smile. "Over somebody's head? The security for yelling at you?"

"Can you set those on fire?" Magnus grinned along. "The one thing I would have thought would be safe from Percy's talent."

Thalia was to busy trying to muffle a laugh at the look on that Nemon Lion's face when Percy had thrown space food in its mouth to laugh along, but it wasn't exactly subtle. Nico wasn't going anywhere anymore than them, and Percy's distress was her priority right now.

"Oh, oo," Will started bouncing in his seat in excitement and Nico watched him with interest, "did you know Colin Cantwell designed the ships for both Star War's and A Space Odyssey! I hope they have a replica of one of his models in there!"

"They redid the Odyssey in space?" Nico asked blankly. Will's smile somehow got brighter every time he found out he got to show Nico something new.

"You see what I've had to go through," Percy waved at them while looking pleadingly at Rachel for some sanity to insist they don't linger on these silly things.

She merely smiled back, and said, "do you have any idea how expensive those are Percy? I'm so proud of you!"

"You're all hopeless," but he couldn't help laughing along too.

I tore across the Mall, not daring to look behind me. I burst into the Air and Space Museum and took off my invisibility cap once I was through the admissions area.

The main part of the museum was one huge room with rockets and airplanes hanging from the ceiling. Three levels of balconies curled around, so you could look at the exhibits from all different heights. The place wasn't crowded, just a few families and a couple of tour groups of kids, probably doing one of those holiday school trips. I wanted to yell at them all to leave, but I figured that would only get me arrested.

"Speaking from experience?" Rachel asked.

"I've never actually been arrested," Percy vaguely answered. Gabe had threatened to send him to juvie on more than one occasion, and that wasn't a threat he'd ever taken lightly.

"You could have just pulled the fire alarm," Magnus reminded, "always a surefire way to get people to evacuate."

"I wanted all those people to flee the state, they would just huddle around the building and get more people there," Percy huffed.

I had to find Thalia and Grover and the Hunters. Any minute, the skeleton dudes were going to invade the museum, and I didn't think they would settle for an audio tour.

"Not everyone shares the same hobbies," Will nodded seriously.

"Someone needs to tell Oceanus that," Percy grumbled.

I ran into Thalia—literally. I was barreling up the ramp to the top-floor balcony and slammed into her, knocking her into an Apollo space capsule.

"I bet your dad has a piece of himself there every day and brags to all the other gods about it," Nico grinned.

"I'm pretty sure he claimed once at least half of NASA were descendants of his," Will agreed.

Grover yelped in surprise.

Before I could regain my balance, Zoe and Bianca had arrows notched, aimed at my chest. Their bows had just appeared out of nowhere.

When Zoe realized who I was, she didn't seem anxious to lower her bow. "You! How dare you show thy face here?"

"Never crossed her mind for a second he was innocently and conveniently on a field trip there?" Magnus smirked.

"No," Thalia rolled her eyes at being on the same page as Zoe, again.

"Percy!" Grover said. "Thank goodness."

Zoe glared at him, and he blushed. "I mean, um, gosh. You're not supposed to be here!"

"Geez, who knew you'd get the kid in the divorce," Percy told Thalia.

"You were saving that joke when he was held by Polyphemus, weren't you?" Thalia grinned.

"That's not the point," he scoffed.

"Luke," I said, trying to catch my breath. "He's here."

The anger in Thalia's eyes immediately melted. She put her hand on her silver bracelet.

"If anyone deserves to be bashed in the face with that shield, it's him," Alex nodded in savage agreement.

Thalia was doing so again in here, but Percy and Jason suspected that troubled look contained more hurt and memories than a bashing was forthcoming.

"Where?"

I told them about the Natural History Museum, Dr. Thorn, Luke, and the General.

"The General is here?" Zoe looked stunned. "That is impossible! You lie."

"Why would I lie?

Percy spoke in tandem with the book, and Thalia couldn't stop a laugh at the exact same level of indignation.

Jason gave a concerned whistle though. "Her mistrust of you runs deeper than I originally thought, I don't even know if it's safe for you to be on this quest. She might desert you at the first chance."

"Don't care," Percy said at once. If he had to dog, track, and hopscotch his way after their every move he would just to get one step closer to finding Annabeth.

Thalia frowned at Jason, wanting to defend Zoe, but knowing she couldn't yet. It wasn't a wrong assumption, just incomplete data of who her predecessor really was.

Look, there's no time. Skeleton warriors—"

"What?" Thalia demanded. "How many?"

"Twelve," I said. "And that's not all. That guy, the General, he said he was sending something, a 'playmate,' to distract you over here. A monster."

Thalia and Grover exchanged looks.

"We were following Artemis's trail," Grover said. "I was pretty sure it led here. Some powerful monster scent... She must've stopped here looking for the mystery monster. But we haven't found anything yet."

"Zoe," Bianca said nervously, "if it is the General—"

"It cannot be!" Zoe snapped. "Percy must have seen an Iris-message or some other illusion."

Jason felt a flicker of unease why Zoe seemed so adamant of where this guy should and shouldn't be. Was it all distrust of the boy being unreliable, or did she have some actual knowledge she was withholding?

"Illusions don't crack marble floors," I told her.

Zoe took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. I didn't know why she was taking it so personally, or how she knew this General guy, but I figured now wasn't the time to ask.

"For once I have to agree," Magnus gave a surly nod. The one time he understood why someone couldn't just spout the answer already.

Jason's unease only rose though what she wasn't saying about this guy, and hoped it hadn't gotten anybody killed.

"If Percy is telling the truth about the skeleton warriors," she said, "we have no time to argue. They are the worst, the most horrible... We must leave now."

"Good idea," I said.

"I was not including thee, boy," Zoe said. "You are not part of this quest."

Percy winced without surprise, he hadn't needed Jason to remind him he was unwanted, and Zoe wasn't going to make it easy on him. His conviction to gawk these Hunters like a satyr was as strong as ever.

"Hey, I'm trying to save your lives!"

"You shouldn't have come, Percy," Thalia said grimly. "But you're here now. Come on. Let's get back to the van."

"I accept that," Percy sighed with a reluctant smile at Thalia. At least she wasn't calling him a liar and telling him to leave too.

She gave him a much quicker smile back and let out another breath of ease. Percy had never been good at holding grudges against his friends.

"That is not thy decision!" Zoe snapped.

Thalia scowled at her. "You're not the boss here, Zoe. I don't care how old you are! You're still a conceited little brat!"

"You never had any wisdom when it came to boys," Zoe growled. "You never could leave them behind!"

Thalia looked like she was about to hit Zoe.

"That's not a match I want to see," Will winced. If Percy and Thalia had nearly destroyed their camp, those two probably would have leveled the state.

It would never come to that now, and Thalia swallowed old, bitter tears how much she still hated Zoe for being right about that. She wouldn't learn her lesson any time soon either, she wasn't leaving here without her friend.

Then everyone froze, I heard a growl so loud I thought one of the rocket engines was starting up.

Below us, a few adults screamed. A little kid's voice screeched with delight: "Kitty!"

"I'm guessing it's not the cute baby sabers back?" Magnus asked uneasily.

"What are the odds of Space Kitty on display?" Rachel sighed, knowing chances weren't in her favor.

Something enormous bounded up the ramp. It was the size of a pick-up truck, with silver claws and golden glittering fur. I'd seen this monster once before. Two years ago, I'd glimpsed it briefly from a train.

"Does everything in the past come to bite me in the ass?" Percy demanded.

Thalia didn't answer, which felt like an answer he didn't want to hear anyways.

Now, up close and personal, it looked even bigger.

"The Nemean Lion," Thalia said. "Don't move."

"It's not a t-rex!" Will yelped.

Nico let out an impressed whistle though and whispered the Nemean Lion's card stats, that had been the first rare card he ever got. "What's this have to do with dinosaurs?" He found himself being gratefully distracted from his past to ask. He wondered if Will heard the curiosity in his voice, he loved dinosaurs too and had slept in more than one museum in a spinosaurus exhibit.

Will gave him a promising smile and said, "it's another movie you have to watch."

He was clearly compiling a list in his head, and Nico couldn't think of a downside to that for a moment...right Tartarus.

The lion roared so loud it parted my hair. Its fangs gleamed like stainless steel.

Rachel's eyes widened in awe, and her hands spasmed in frustration she couldn't be reaching for something to sketch that image right now.

"What did his breath smell like?" Alex asked with interest.

Percy considered for a moment with a wrinkled nose. "Tires, catnip, and death."

"An extravagant new cologne I'm sure," Thalia snorted.

"Does he chase cars down the freeway?" Nico asked, keeping to himself how smug he used to be when he played a hellhound against this card as a sacrifice move to summon Cerberus, though he'd never do that to Mrs. O'Leary now. They might be terrifying playmates.

"I didn't ask," Percy snorted.

"Separate on my mark," Zoe said. "Try to keep it distracted."

"Until when?" Grover asked.

"Until I think of a way to kill it. Go!"

"That's a great answer," Jason begrudgingly approved.

I uncapped Riptide and rolled to the left. Arrows whistled past me, and Grover played a sharp tweet-tweet cadence on his reed pipes.

"Is he trying to distract him with bird calls?" Magnus yelped.

"Not a bad strategy," Nico smirked as he imagined a skeleton bird hopping around.

I turned and saw Zoe and Bianca climbing the Apollo capsule. They were firing arrows, one after another, all shattering harmlessly against the lions metallic fur. The lion swiped the capsule and tipped it on its side, spilling the Hunters off the back. Grover played a frantic, horrible tune, and the lion turned toward him, but Thalia stepped into its path, holding up Aegis, and the lion recoiled. "ROOOAAAR!"

"I don't need Grover's translation for that one," Will muttered.

"Hi-yah!" Thalia said. "Back!"

The lion growled and clawed the air, but it retreated as if the shield were a blazing fire.

For a second, I thought Thalia had it under control. Then I saw the lion crouching, its leg muscles tensing. I'd seen enough cat fights in the alleys around my apartment in New York. I knew the lion was going to pounce.

"Confirmed, Percy likes watching the kittens wiggle their tails," Thalia, as usual, seemed the least concerned about the whole impending doom of them all almost dying, especially herself.

"You've clearly never heard an actual cat fight," Percy shook his head with dread in his stomach. Those deep cat hisses with their fur on end that sent shivers up his spine, their claws ripping off chunks of ear and matting themselves in blood. It was brutal, and Thalia would have been a goner.

"Hey!" I yelled. I don't know what I was thinking, but I charged the beast.

"There's that phrase again," Jason said in exasperation. If this guy ever thought before he moved he might be unstoppable. Even as an impulsive lunatic he was pretty close.

Rachel looked at Percy in admiration his heroics were such an ingrained part of him and tried to map out a color wheel in her mind which would best be used to depict that.

I just wanted to get it away from my friends. I slashed with Riptide, a good strike to the flank that should've cut the monster into Meow Mix, but the blade just clanged against its fur in a burst of sparks.

"And dropping a rocket on its head will do the trick?" Alex asked, though she could now easily imagine why all the breaking came into play.

"Why was a Fury one of the easiest things to kill and she still terrified the piss out of me?" Magnus asked. He'd really like it if each of these things stopped having a gimmicky way they needed to die! Especially another magical beast...as he wondered about those wolves again- nope. One trauma at a time, and Alex was already studying him again for the new stress in his voice.

The lion raked me with its claws, ripping off a chunk of my coat. I backed against the railing. It sprang at me, one thousand pounds of monster, and I had no choice but to turn and jump.

"Plunge to the death the sequel?" Nico muttered. He was proud of himself though he was no longer sitting like a jaw-dropped idiot Percy hadn't managed to fell this beast in one swoop. It wasn't even because he was distracted wondering what his sister would have had to say about Percy being there before they were interrupted.

I landed on the wing of an old-fashioned silver airplane, which pitched and almost spilled me to the floor, three stories below.

An arrow whizzed past my head. The lion jumped onto the aircraft, and the cords holding the plane began to groan.

The lion swiped at me, and I dropped onto the next exhibit, a weird-looking spacecraft with blades like a helicopter. I looked up and saw the lion roar—inside its maw, a pink tongue and throat.

Its mouth, I thought. Its fur was completely invulnerable, but if I could strike it in the mouth...

"Throw your sword in there!" Jason and Alex yelled at once.

"Do I look like I do javelin events for fun?" Percy protested. "Then I'd be unarmed until it came back!"

"That's a really good idea though Percy," Thalia said with a brilliant smile. She didn't even sound insultingly surprised. Who knew looking into the maw of death could ever cause a good idea? "I promise I won't tell PETA on you."

"You're one to talk, Huntress," Percy chuckled along now.

The only problem was, the monster moved too quickly. Between its claws and fangs, I couldn't get close without getting sliced to pieces.

"Zoe!" I shouted. "Target the mouth!"

The monster lunged. An arrow zipped past it, missing completely, and I dropped from the spaceship onto the top of a floor exhibit, a huge model of the earth. I slid down Russia and dropped off the equator.

Thalia winced now though, at the casual reminder Percy had dropped off the face of the Earth and Annabeth was still out there losing her mind with worry.

The Nemean Lion growled and steadied itself on the spacecraft, but its weight was too much. One of the cords snapped. As the display swung down like a pendulum, the lion leaped off onto the model earth's North Pole.

"Grover!" I yelled. "Clear the area!"

Groups of kids were running around screaming. Grover tried to corral them away from the monster just as the other cord on the spaceship snapped and the exhibit crashed to the floor. Thalia dropped off the second-floor railing and landed across from me, on the other side of the globe.

Alex tried her hardest not to bust out laughing the two were the opposite of polar opposites of each other back then when they were after the same goal. The problem was they were too similar.

The lion regarded us both, trying to decide which of us to kill first.

Zoe and Bianca were above us, bows ready, but they kept having to move around to get a good angle.

"No clear shot!" Zoe yelled. "Get it to open its mouth more!"

The lion snarled from the top of the globe.

I looked around. Options. I needed...

The gift shop. I had a vague memory from my trip here as a little kid. Something I'd made my mom buy me, and I'd regretted it. If they still sold that stuff...

"Thalia," I said, "keep it occupied."

"Oh come on, now even you're doing it!" Magnus groaned. Annabeth wasn't even in danger and he was still on the edge of his seat, wide eyed to hear what was next. He hadn't even freaked out over a metal-coated lion being around, that much.

Alex was almost disappointed he finally seemed to be adapting to this world. She missed his dumbstruck face almost as much as she enjoyed watching him get invested in these.

She nodded grimly.

"Hi-yah!" She pointed her spear and a spidery arc of blue electricity shot out, zapping the lion in the tail.

"That is one way to keep it occupied," Rachel agreed proudly.

"And help it decide who to kill first," Jason said faintly.

"ROOOOOOOAR!" The lion turned and pounced. Thalia rolled out of its way, holding up Aegis to keep the monster at bay, and I ran for the gift shop.

"This is no time for souvenirs, boy!" Zoe yelled.

"I don't know what she's on about," Alex scoffed, "I would kill for a lion throw rug right now."

"I don't think The Air and Space Museum sells those," Magnus helpfully reminded. "Unless there really is a space kitty on display and we've been lied to about a lot more than aliens."

"I'm withholding judgment," Alex shrugged.

"Why is it every time I come up with a plan people are calling me crazy or think I'm fleeing?" Percy protested.

"No faith," Will agreed sympathetically. He didn't even know what Percy was up to and he knew it would help.

I dashed into the shop, knocking over rows of T-shirts, jumping over tables full of glowin-the-dark planets and space ooze. The sales lady didn't protest. She was too busy cowering behind her cash register.

There! On the far wall—glittery silver packets. Whole racks of them. I scooped up every kind I could find and ran out of the shop with an armful.

"That explained nothing!" Magnus groaned as he looked at Percy in betrayal.

For once though Percy wasn't disturbing the water or them with it as he read he was so invested in this, and his nose was still scrunched up like that cat breath lingered in memory, so Magnus wasn't too put out Percy wasn't trying to give them a play by play detail of how fast he'd been moving by launching them into the wall again.

Zoe and Bianca were still showering arrows on the monster, but it was no good. The lion seemed to know better than to open its mouth too much. It snapped at Thalia, slashing with its claws. It even kept its eyes narrowed to tiny slits.

Thalia jabbed at the monster and backed up. The lion pressed her.

"Percy," she called, "whatever you're going to do—"

The lion roared and swatted her like a cat toy, sending her flying into the side of a Titan rocket.

"Hopefully not ominous," Percy muttered as he glanced at her now, though she hardly looked winded at the old injury.

Her head hit the metal and she slid to the floor.

"Hey!" I yelled at the lion. I was too far away to strike, so I took a risk: I hurled Riptide like a throwing knife. It bounced off the lion's side, but that was enough to get the monster's attention. It turned toward me and snarled.

Percy swallowed and reminded himself not to clench his fists. "Are you two happy now, I threw the sword!"

"Yes, please continue taking my advice," Alex nodded sagely.

"No, because now you're right and you don't have a weapon and you're about to be Meow Mix," Jason sighed.

"There's no pleasing everybody," Will snorted.

There was only one way to get close enough. I charged, and as the lion leaped to intercept me, I chunked a space food pouch into its maw—a chunk of cellophane-wrapped, freeze-dried strawberry parfait.

"Everybody loves parfait," Percy proudly announced like that explained everything.

It did not, but Percy didn't give them the chance to argue the point as he kept reading in the same way.

The lion's eyes got wide and it gagged like a cat with a hairball.

"Naww," Magnus said with a genuine smile like he actually found that cute.

"You have clearly never heard a cat hack up a hairball," Percy shook his head. "It's disgusting, and I almost feel bad for doing that to him. I once was him."

I couldn't blame it. I remembered feeling the same way when I'd tried to eat space food as a kid. The stuff was just plain nasty.

"Fascinating," Alex declared, and then got up unprompted and left the room. There was a few beats of silence, the sound of gagging and then a toilet flushing, before Alex flopped back into her seat beside Magnus and assured, "and agreed, that stuff should burn. Continue."

Percy decided to take her advice again before anyone else got brave enough to subject themselves to that.

"Zoe, get ready!" I yelled.

Behind me, I could hear people screaming. Grover was playing another horrible song on his pipes.

"Remind me to record some of Grover's songs to add to my playlist," Rachel smiled his music would fit perfectly to how Percy kept describing her taste.

I scrambled away from the lion. It managed to choke down the space food packet and looked at me with pure hate.

"Snack time!" I yelled.

It made the mistake of roaring at me, and I got an ice-cream sandwich in its throat.

Fortunately, I had always been a pretty good pitcher, even though baseball wasn't my game.

"Basketball is throwing something into a hoop, same principle right?" Nico asked.

"Nico, you poor guy." Percy looked at him mortally offended now. "What planet are you from to think such a thing?"

Nico wasn't particularly offended, he was used to not getting the majority of what the other Camper's said, and for once it didn't sting like fresh scorpion pit venom to hear that coming from Percy. It still didn't feel great either.

Will smoothly intervened, "and you wouldn't know the horn from a stirrup in a saddle Percy, moving on."

The blank look on Percy's face proved Will's point enough he did as asked while Nico gave him a grateful smile. Will's heart skipped a beat, and for once he was grateful nobody had ever listened to him about putting saddles on those Pegasus when riding.

Before the lion could stop gagging, I shot in two more flavors of ice cream and a freeze-dried spaghetti dinner.

The lion's eyes bugged. It opened its mouth wide and reared up on its back paws, trying to get away from me.

"I have tamed the beast!" Percy cheered, fist-pumping the water with the book in hand and shooting up a geyser into the ceiling, creating another crack. It made dust dribble down on them for a moment, but Percy kept reading without concern.

Lucky him, he probably wouldn't die if this place collapsed. None of them were so sure if their protection would linger outside these walls.

"Now!" I yelled.

Immediately, arrows pierced the lion's maw—two, four, six. The lion thrashed wildly, turned, and fell backward. And then it was still.

Alarms wailed throughout the museum. People were flocking to the exits. Security guards were running around in a panic with no idea what was going on.

Grover knelt at Thalia's side and helped her up. She seemed okay, just a little dazed.

Zoe and Bianca dropped from the balcony and landed next to me.

Zoe eyed me cautiously. "That was... an interesting strategy."

"Hercules should be begging you for tips," Thalia proudly agreed, though she was grateful she'd kept the comment to herself back then. Percy smiled at her, when she wasn't so sure he would have back then.

Not to mention Zoe might have stabbed her on the spot.

"Hey, it worked."

She didn't argue.

The lion seemed to be melting, the way dead monsters do sometimes, until there was nothing left but its glittering fur coat, and even that seemed to be shrinking to the size of a normal lion's pelt.

"Take it," Zoe told me.

I stared at her. "What, the lion's fur? Isn't that, like, an animal rights violation or something?"

"Only if you don't use the whole animal," Magnus grinned, "the rest of the animal melted, don't let what's left go to waste Perce."

"Duly noted, especially if one of Artemis's girls are telling me," Percy chuckled.

"It is a spoil of war," she told me. "It is rightly thine."

"You killed it," I said.

She shook her head, almost smiling. "I think thy ice-cream sandwich did that.

"I would concur with Zoe," Thalia pretended to shiver in revulsion just to keep up a charade to Percy her old dislike. "I was concussed at the time and saw you poison that poor kitty."

"Payback for the time my mom once tried to take in a stray and it pissed on my bed," Percy said innocently, though in honesty he'd never held a grudge and had snuck it out scraps when Gabe kicked the animal out after it pissed on his pillow too.

Fair is fair, Percy Jackson. Take the fur."

I lifted it up; it was surprisingly light. The fur was smooth and soft. It didn't feel at all like something that could stop a blade. As I watched, the pelt shifted and changed into a coat—a full-length golden-brown duster.

"Howdy, howdy, howdy," Alex burst out laughing, she'd loved Toy Story as a kid.

"It's to bad you never got a hat to go with it," Thalia said with a strange smile, it almost looked forced. That getup had saved his life, and it made her sick to her stomach just thinking about mocking him for it now.

Nico gave Percy a forlorn smile as he said, "I can't imagine why you ever gave that up," though he was glad he had. As if this could get any more perfect, cowboys and pirates all bundled up into one Percy.

Percy gave him the same strange look as ever like he was speaking a different language. Nico flushed and looked away with guilt, he hadn't meant to provoke Percy's memories. Thankfully he didn't flip out, so it wasn't something else he was going to inevitably be blamed for.

"Not exactly my style," I murmured.

"We have to get out of here," Grover said. "The security guards won't stay confused for long."

I noticed for the first time how strange it was that the guards hadn't rushed forward to arrest us. They were scrambling in all directions except ours, like they were madly searching for something. A few were running into the walls or each other.

Will was the only one trying to suppress a smile at that, he felt bad for the mortals, but not bad enough he wanted Percy getting caught.

"Oh my gods!" Alex burst out laughing hardest of all. "I will pay that satyr to teach me that!"

"On yourself or innocent civilians?" Magnus asked sincerely.

"Why not both!" She beamed.

"I'm sure he'll get right on that," Percy agreed.

"You did that?" I asked Grover.

He nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "A minor confusion song. I played some Barry Manilow. It works every time. But it'll only last a few seconds."

"The security guards are not our biggest worry," Zoe said. "Look."

Through the glass walls of the museum, I could see a group of men walking across the lawn. Gray men in gray camouflage outfits. They were too far away for us to see their eyes, but I could feel their gaze aimed straight at me.

"To bad you couldn't feed them to the lion," Thalia scowled, she still remembered her heart skipping a beat every time those menaces showed up.

"Go," I said. "They'll be hunting me. I'll distract them."

"No," Zoe said. "We go together."

I stared at her. "But, you said—"

"You are part of this quest now," Zoe said grudgingly. "I do not like it, but there is no changing fate. You are the fifth quest member. And we are not leaving anyone behind."

"It only took you literally saving her life to admit it," Rachel chuckled as she offered to take the book from Percy.

He seemed reluctant to hand it over. He hadn't gotten any news about Annabeth in this one, what Luke was doing to her, how she was recovering. In this instance he didn't think no news would be good news. He'd figure out how to work a fax machine for a few letters again, take a pigeon message, anything!

If he started kicking up a fuss about wanting to read this though, he was worried he'd start losing it over everything again. He really was trying so hard to keep it together, so he passed the peeling, purple, battered, and bruised, key to his heart over to her.

#pjo #reading the books #fanfiction #Percy Jackson #Thalia Grace #Jason Grace #rachel elizabeth dare #zoe nightshade #will solace #nico di angelo #alex fierro #magnus chase #hoo #percabeth #fierrochase #solangelo

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