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twiceasfrustrating · 3 years

Text

Out in the Countryside

Rating: Teen and Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: F/M

Fandom: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!

Relationship: Lucifer/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Main Character/Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Leviathan/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Leviathan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Main Character/Satan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Satan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Asmodeus/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Asmodeus (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Beelzebub/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Beelzebub (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader, Belphegor/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Belphegor (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Reader

Characters: Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Leviathan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Satan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Asmodeus (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Beelzebub (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Belphegor (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)

Additional Tags: Poly!MC, Picnic, fluff, hand-holding, implied drinking, Beel carries you, kissing these idiots being dumb but lovable

Summary: Sometimes you just wanted to have a nice day out with all of your boyfriends. You had the brilliant idea to go out for a picnic and enjoy some time away from the usual busy life you all lived. The brothers decided to indulge your wish, so into the equivalent of the Devildom countryside you go.

There was a lot of walking involved with picnics. You had never realized before how much walking really went into getting away from civilization. Not even a city, just some form of civilization. Then again, you had never seen the countryside in the Devildom before, so it wasn't fair to expect yourself to know that information beforehand. Well, maybe you should have, considering the human realm wasn't that different.

You had been left in charge of carrying the blanket, even after insisting you could carry something else. The brothers refused to let you, sitting that the baskets (yes, multiple) were heavy because they had to bring enough for eight people (one of which was Beel and his bottomless stomach) and one was full of dishes. They were objectively stronger than you, so there was no reason to have you exercise your limited human strength. The only brother not in charge of carrying a basket was Belphegor, who they worried would fall asleep on the spot if he had to use too much energy. Even Beel was allowed a basket of food in addition to the one for dishes (granted, it was one that had specifically been made so that he could eat it while walking because you all knew that was going to happen, but still).

The choice not to burden Belphie quickly proved to be a smart one, because he was soon yawning as he walked and you worried he would start literally sleeping walking.

You held the blanket against you in much the same way he did his pillow and went up to him, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Jus' tired..." His words slurred together, showing just how true that statement was.

"Yeah, this walk is pretty exhausting." At least one person agreed with you. Everyone else seemed to be doing just fine. It almost made you angry because that meant they had been right about you carrying extra weight and how it would have been taxing on you. Stupid correct logic, "Hey? After we all eat, would you like to take a nap?"

The look he gave you told you that was a definite yes, but he clearly missed your intentions.

"I meant, would you like to take a nap with me? Maybe I can let you use my lap as a pillow?" You knew how much he enjoyed doing that, and you did too.

His eyes turned to you and a little "Mhm" left him. He could never turn down a chance to take a nap with you.

Still, he looked tired enough that you worried about him, so you reached out your hand to hold his and make sure that he wouldn't wander away if he did start sleepwalking. He gladly entwined his fingers with your own as you both walked along.

You both stayed like that until Lucifer spoke up, "This is our destination."

Your attention shifted, looking out ahead of you rather than on making sure Belphie was still awake. All you could do was stare in awe. It is so powerful that you find yourself letting go of the youngest brother's hand and stepping forward to get a better look at what lies before you.

The Devildom countryside was nothing like what you expected. You weren't sure what it was you expected, but it wasn't flowers. Actual flowers! Not that you recognized whatever type of flora they were, but here they were. The scene of the meadow against the pale red sky was hauntingly beautiful and all you could think of was enacting the scene straight out of a movie where you frolicked in the field. You looked at the brothers with wide eyes, begging to be allowed to go enact your plan.

Lucifer nodded, "They're safe for humans." He held out his hand to take the blanket from you, which you gladly let him.

With a twinkle in your eyes, you ran away from them and toward the field of flowers, immediately feeling how the petals softly brushed against your exposed legs. Upon closer inspection, something about them reminded you of multicolored spider flowers dripping with morning dew and dandelions with exaggeratedly large puffs. As you danced through the meadow, the dandelion puffs broke free from their stems and floated off into the sky. You stared in wonder as they flew in the wind and were carried off somewhere far away. It was moments like these where it was the clearest that the human realm and the Devildom had many similarities you never had time to think about.

The brothers watched you from the place you had split off from them, seeing how you enjoyed your first exposure to wild Devildom flowers. Your blue sundress fluttered in the same wind that carried away the puffs, making you stand out against the brilliant sky behind you. Each of them found it hard to look away and help set up the picnic like they had planned. The contrast in color made you look like a painting.

Satan paused from helping lay down the blanket to watch the wonder unfold on your face. He looked over to his next youngest brother, "Asmo, you helped her pick the outfit for today, didn't you?"

"Only the parts you can see." But those parts were still divine, "She insisted the rest of it be a surprise."

"You did well." He added before going back to helping spread the blanket.

Everyone else nodded in agreement. It was a simple outfit, but it gave them all terrible ideas about what to do with you. How else was a demon supposed to react to seeing such an innocent-looking human other than wanting to corrupt them?

"Can someone set out the food?" Beel wanted to do it himself, but he knew he was likely to eat it before anyone else could enjoy it.

Belphegor looked at him in sympathy, feeling how hungry his twin was in his own stomach, "We need to finish setting up first." He wanted to sleep though. The walk over had been exhausting and it was hitting him the hardest, "You should go check on her." He suggested, since keeping Beel away from the food was the smartest option.

"Huh? Why does he get to be the one to check on her?" Mammon burst into the conversation, "I mean- Ya should leave that kinda stuff to yer big brother. No reason ya gotta go out of yer way."

"Lmao. You're dating her and you still act like a tsun." The third-born couldn't help but laugh at how much of a trope his brother was.

He placed his hands on his hips, "Shad'up. No one understands that otaku talk of yers anyway."

"Then why are you so offended?" Levi mocked, not missing the fact that his brother clearly understood the jab well enough to know it was insulting.

"Enough." Lucifer ended the conversation before their bickering could draw your attention, "Unless one of you wants to play guard between Beel and the food, I think letting him go is the best option."

They looked at each other, knowing neither of them wanted that particular responsibility. Levi turned back to his job dejectedly while Mammon grumbled a "whatever" under his breath.

Belphie gave Beel a sly smile, knowing exactly what he had done. The redhead gave him a grateful nod before looking out to where you were now sitting among the flowers and walking toward you. He found you stroking the petals of the flowers, trying to understand how they felt soft to the touch even though they grew in a harsh environment. He sat beside you, drawing your attention to him instead.

"Oh, Beel." You pulled away from the petals and leaned against his towering frame, "Am I taking too long?"

"No." His gaze drifted down to you, seeing how peaceful your face was looking out across the field, "They're almost done getting everything ready."

You balk at his words, "Done? I didn't even help."

"Well, you looked like you were having fun. None of us wanted to bother you."

"But I should still help." You felt bad that you had left them to do all the work when you were the one that suggested a picnic in the first place.

"No one minds." They loved watching you enjoy yourself so freely. It had quickly become something akin to a hobby to them.

"I mind." It made you feel lazy to not help them set everything up. This was a relationship, so you should contribute to it as much as they did.

He didn't really know how to comment on that without undermining your feelings. It was clear you were upset about being allowed to walk away without contributing anything. You probably shouldn't have assumed they would wait for you to come back to set up, this was their date too, after all.

He couldn't think of anything to say to you, especially with your face as sour as it was. Instead of trying to use words, he reached out for a flower and plucked it from the ground. With a smile in his eyes, he placed it behind your ear.

"Watching you is nice." He gently stroked your cheek with the back of his fingers as he lowered his hand again, "Seeing you happy is the best part of a date."

The heat that rose in your body and up your face felt like it would cook you alive. You buried yourself into his shirt to hide the giddy, embarrassed smile that you were now wearing, "You can't just say stuff like that."

"Why not? Did I say something wrong?" The worry in his voice was saddening.

"Never." You shake your head and sit up ever so slightly so you can place a peck against his cheek, "Do you think they're done?"

His hand moved to his stomach, realizing for the first time since he joined you just how hungry he really was, "I hope so."

"Well then," you raise to standing and brush the dirt and pollen from your dress, "Shall we go back now?"

Nodding once again, he shifts in his spot so he can stand up. However, as he gets to his knees, he stops and looks up at you. His arms open wide And you know exactly what he's thinking about. With a shy smirk, you fall into his arms, sitting awkwardly on his bicep and trying to balance yourself.

Beel places his other hand against your knees to keep you steady as he stands up and lifts you straight into the sky. You giggle widely as you raise higher and higher, seeing how more of the area unfolds before you with height. Now you can see how the sea of colors you were just sitting in weaves together and how far it seems to stretch out.

Your eyes widen in awe, "It's amazing..." You can't really explain how beautiful the meadow is. It's not like the ones in the human realm that look delicate and fair. No. This one looks dangerous, those dew stricken petals reaching out to link each flower to its neighbor.

"You like it?"

"I love it." You couldn't imagine seeing this in the human realm. The flowers were just too unique.

"Whaddya think yer doing over there?"

You both turn to look toward Mammon, who is yelling at you from where the picnic has been fully set up. Clearly, he isn't a fan of being left out from a single intimate moment.

"I think that's our cue." You tell him, looking down but holding on tightly.

"Uhn." He turns on his heels, carefully keeping you perched on his arm and listening to you laugh at the unusual way to travel.

As you near everyone else, you both get a few looks of confusion, some of jealousy, and one from Belphie that lets you know that whatever just happened was all according to his plans. Of course, it was. The youngest brother couldn't go a day without planning something. At least it wasn't nefarious this time.

"I'm glad you both decided to join us." Lucifer said, glance drifting from Beel you, "Do you need help getting down?"

You debate for a moment of you can get down by yourself. You figure Beel would set you down if you asked, but that's not as fun as having to make Lucifer reach up to you for once, "Please?"

Stepping forward, the eldest brother places his hands against your waist and slowly lifts you back to the ground. As your feet touch the dirt below, he notices the flower in your hair, placing a gloved hand under your chin and lifting your head so he can get a better look at it.

"Yes?" You ask, wondering what he could be thinking about.

"Nothing." He bends down at the waist and presses his lips against yours, his tongue quickly assaulting your own and making your head swim before pulling away, "You look beautiful."

The haze is short-lived as he pulls away and you can only admonish him, "Lucifer! This is a group date. None of that." Quick kisses and pecks were one thing, but trying to rile you up was off-limits.

The grin that crosses his face is fully aware of what he did, but uncaring because he got what he wanted, "Of course." Even if you complained, the goal was that he wouldn't be outdone by his younger brother in your eyes. Of course, some of the others saw through him, but the only opinion that mattered on the issue was yours.

Asmo took the opportunity to skip up to you from behind and wrap his arm around your own, "Sit next to me, Darling~" He tugged at you gently to try and lead you to a spot on the blanket.

Of course, he was the first one to actually ask you to sit with them. He had no compunctions over trying to get you to pick him first and foremost. He would respect your boundaries, but he still wanted you as much as everyone else.

"Gladly." You let him guide you to the blanket and sat down where he indicated. That still left your other side open though. You pay the spot next to you and looked up, "Levi? Will you join me?"

His orange eyes sparkled so much that it almost looked like he was going to cry. Why would you ever choose a disgusting otaku like him? That was probably what he was thinking. That was also exactly why you had to explicitly choose him. You loved him as much as the rest of his brothers, but he didn't seem to believe you. Every now and again, he needed a reminder that you had chosen him just as much as anyone else.

He gladly sat on your other side and the rest of the brothers fell into different places around the small banquet. Beel looked uncomfortable as he was forced to only look at the food in front of him. Belphie, ever the good brother, passed him an entire basket of food and told him to start with that while everyone else took the chance to grab from the pile in the middle. That basket lasted about as long as it took everyone to make their first plate.

"We brought wine if you would like." Satan held up the deep red, unopened bottle for you to see.

You looked at him skeptically, "Didn't we learn that I can't handle that stuff already?" That was kind of how this entire mess started in the first place. Not that you regretted it in the long run, even if it was a nightmare to deal with at the time.

He shook his head, "This is from the human realm. At least, I assume you have some tolerance for it." Although, none of the brothers would mind another incident like the one from that night. In retrospect, some of them found the memory endearing and were mildly curious how much further it could go now that you weren't confused about your feelings anymore.

But... this wine wouldn't do that to you, "Please pour a glass." It really was the ideal of a picnic date. Not that anything about this date was traditional, but it was definitely your ideal. There was nothing better than just getting to spend a day with your boyfriends and enjoying each of them. They really did find ways to spoil you and make you so very happy that this was your life now.

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lifeofkaze · 3 years

Note

hello i have fallen i love with your charlie fic (❤❤!!) and i want to ask if you could you write some angst where barnaby has a crush on mc and they're super oblivious and later they start dating someone else ans barnaby realizes he lost them?

My dearest anon, let me say: I AM SORRY. Writing your ask took me forever (literally, lol) even though I had it in my head the moment I got your asks all those months ago. But I never felt the right inspiration to actually write it down until today. Today it just hit me. I do hope you're actually still around and reading what I made out of it.

I'm really truly sorry. 😅

So, without further ado, I present to you:

Missed Chances

Barnaby Lee x Reader

Barnaby Lee wasn’t the smartest kid around.

He was by no means dumb, he just wasn’t as clever or booksmart as most of his peers, a fact he was well aware of. But it didn’t bother him that much, really. He had found his means of getting by during classes and ever since distancing himself from Merula Snyde back in their third year, he had been able to gather a circle of friends around him he could fall back upon.

There was popular Penny Haywood for Potions, shy but gifted Ben Copper for Charms, and ever so patient Rowan Khanna when he had troubles with Transfiguration.

Barnaby’s favourite study sessions, however, were those for Defense Against The Dark Arts. Not because he was particularly bad at the subject; on the contrary, he was a skilled duelist and most charms and jinxes came naturally to him. No, the real reason those lessons were his favourite was because it was you who was teaching him.

Ever since he’d been drawn into your close circle of friends, his above average DADA marks had been plummeting, since he kept getting distracted during class. The professors weren’t impressed but neither surprised at his apparent lack of academic skills and under normal circumstances, Barnaby would have tried everything in his power to prove them wrong, that he could do better, that he wasn’t as stupid as everyone made him out to be.

But when you offered your help in catching up on the subject, Barnaby had changed his mind. You were always top of your DADA class and what better way to spend some time alone with you while listening to your beautiful voice explaining the differences between a curse and a hex.

Barnaby knew most of the things you were telling him already, so he had ample time to just watch you talk during your study sessions. He knew no one else could get so excited over dark creatures and cursed objects like you did. The way your eyes were sparkling when lecturing him on the differences between a werewolf and regular wolf had him enthralled every single time and the proud smile you gave him when he answered one of your questions correctly never failed to make Barnaby’s heart beat hard in his chest.

He would have loved to see that smile more often, but he made sure to let his real knowledge of the subject shine through sparingly. He was afraid that if he got too good, you might want to drop studying with him and that was something he couldn’t risk; spending time with you had become the highlight of his day. No one he knew rivalled the warmth you radiated and the unbroken faith you had in him, a sentiment that was completely new to Barnaby.

When the big news of the Celestial Ball was announced, it was all his peers could talk about. What to wear, how to look and who to bring were the questions dominating all of the four common rooms.

Barnaby never had to think twice who he wanted to be his date for the dance. He thought about how to properly ask you out for days on end; you were no common girl after all. You were the most extraordinary girl he knew and thus deserved an extraordinary invitation. But when he finally plucked up the courage to ask you out, you looked at him sheepishly.

“That’s so sweet of you, Barney. I’m so flattered, really. But I already promised Rowan and Ben to go with them. You know, just as friends.”

His heart sank at the words. Why hadn’t he acted sooner? Maybe people were right about him being stupid after all.

Seeing his disheartened look, your face changed into something softer. “But I’m sure Rowan and Ben wouldn’t mind if you came along with us? As another friend?”

Barnaby beamed at her. “I’d love that. We’re going to have such a great time together, as friends,” he added, not quite sure whom he wanted to reassure, you or himself.

He would probably never forget the night of the Celestial Ball when he saw you in the dress André Egwu had designed for the first time. Rowan and Ben had arrived at the ball before you and when you stepped into the Great Hall all on your own, Barnaby’s breath stopped for a moment.

You were dressed in a beautiful, burgundy dress with intricate patterns embroidered around the neckline. Your waist was accentuated by a small belt and the skirt of your dress flowed around you in several layers of fabric. You looked like an ethereal being to him as you walked through the crowd over to him, Rowan and Ben, your skirt trailing slightly behind you.

His eyes didn’t leave you for the whole evening even for a second. He could hear you laughing when you danced with Rowan and Ben, the sound like silver bells to his ears. When he asked you for a dance with him, your hand just happened to fit perfectly into his and your bright smile made Barnaby forget everything else around you and him. He did take great care to not step on your dress, however. You looked so perfect, he didn’t want to ruin it with his own clumsiness; although he pretty much doubted anything could have taken away from your beauty.

When the Celestial Ball was over, Barnaby took the chance to walk you back to your common room. You had your arm linked with his and marched in step with him. As he was taller than you, it required some effort on your part, the strange walking rhythm making you giggle. The sound had Barnaby’s heart beat faster.

Barnaby was almost reluctant to let you go when you had reached the concealed entrance to your common room. He wasn’t quite sure what to do; all he wanted to do was put his arms around you, drawing you as close to him as possible and never letting go again. But he hesitated; what if you didn’t feel the same?

To gain some time, he cleared his throat. “I had a lot of fun tonight.”

“Me too,” you smiled at him. “I’m glad you came along. You just have the most fun with your friends, right?”

The word ‘friends’ put a damper on the butterflies that had been swarming in Barnaby’s stomach until this point.

“Yes, friends,” he echoed, “because we’re friends.”

A look of confusion crossed your face for a moment. “Are you alright?”

“Of course I am,” Barnaby lied quickly, glad that the flickering light of the torches hid the blush spreading on his cheeks. “Just exhausted from dancing, I guess.”

“Oh, alright. I’d better get to my common room then. Good night.”

There was a short, awkward pause, before you smiled at him, waved and vanished into your common room. Barnaby sighed; at least for night, he had definitely botched his chances.

Ever since the Celestial Ball and the anticlimax of its ending, Barnaby had made it his mission to convince you there was more to him than being your friend. He’d ventured into the library on his own and gathered together all books on romance he could find and read every single one of them. Most of them, especially the older ones, had given him quite some headaches, but he knew you enjoyed reading old love stories, so maybe they had some useful information to offer. How someone could spend their free time reading things like Jane Austen for fun, however, remained a mystery to him.

And apparently, the tips he had sourced weren’t that helpful either. Barnaby tried it all, he complimented you, he brought you flowers and small gifts that reminded him of you and tried connecting with you over things he knew you loved. Whenever he saw the chance to ask you out he tried. But as soon as he had gathered his courage, you had already promised one of your numerous friends to go with them instead. It was exasperating, really.

All the while, the study sessions with you continued. Barnaby had stopped pretending to be as oblivious as he made himself out to be in the beginning; he knew it was risky, in case you might want to drop studying with him if he got better, but he was too addicted to your smile at this point. No matter how hard his day had been, a smile from you and everything else was forgotten.

Barnaby wished you would finally notice just how much he adored you, but as long as he could spend time with you, listen to your voice and hear your laughter, everything was fine with him.

Until it was not.

He had noticed you were distracted lately and not as talkative as he was used to. Today’s Potions class was no exception. Professor Snape, who was even moodier than usual, was lecturing the class on the importance of knowing potion recipes by heart.

“You will not always carry a textbook with you,” he droned, “and while I wouldn’t trust half of you to brew a potion even with proper instructions, maybe some of you will be able to produce something remotely resembling a proper concoction by sheer luck. If I see one piece of parchment on the table, you will clean your classmates’ cauldrons after class. Begin.”

Dreading the next two hours of guessing which ingredients to use in what order, Barnaby glanced over to you. But you hadn’t been listening to the instructions, it seemed. Your attention was focused on a piece of parchment in front of you, hastily scribbled lines running across it. Barnaby tried catching a glimpse but when you noticed, you blushed deeply and quickly covered the parchment with your hand.

Barnaby, however, wasn’t the only one who had noticed the piece of parchment. Before you could do anything, Professor Snape had appeared next to you and snatched the parchment out of your grip.

“I thought I said no notes allowed, or didn’t I express myself clearly enough for your convenience?” he snarled.

“No, Professor, you misunderstand,” you gasped, “these aren’t Potions notes, it’s private. Can I please have it back?”

You reached for it, but Snape jerked his hand up so it was just out of reach. “That gives it even less reason to be present in my classroom,” he said coldly, a cruel smile stealing onto his face. “Let us share with the rest of the class what is distracting you from my lesson.”

Your cheeks were glowing bright red as Snape started reading the content of your note.

“Do you like me? Yes or No. Circle your answer,” he read out loud. “How droll,” he sneered over the chuckle of your classmates, “I suggest, next time you concentrate more on your potion and less on your silly personal bearings. Perhaps the result will be more decent then. 10 points from you and detention tonight.”

As he swept past your table, Barnaby noticed your hanging head. You had your hands clasped tightly together in your lap and seemed so small all of a sudden that he felt furious. Even though Snape was his head of house, he had no right whatsoever to embarrass you in front of everyone like that.

“Are you okay?” he asked you gently.

Not looking at him, you shook his head. “Why did he have to do that?” you whispered. “He could see I wasn’t taking notes. There was no need to read it out loud.”

“There wasn’t,” Barnaby agreed. He hesitated for a moment before reaching out and lightly placing his hand on your arm. “He’s just a big, old, mean bat. Everyone says so.”

You sniffed, a small smile already spreading on your face again. “That’s true. Thank you.” You covered his hand with yours and squeezed it lightly. The touch sent jolts of energy through Barnaby from where your hands connected. His skin was still tingling when you turned towards your cauldron again, breaking the contact.

“Who was your note for, anyway?” Barnaby asked, trying not to sound as if this wasn’t the question burning red hot on his mind.

You looked at him wide-eyed. “I can’t possibly tell you.”

“Why not? Do I know him?”

Blushing again, you could only nod before dropping your gaze.

“It’s someone I’ve been friends with for a while now, but I don’t know if he feels the same. I don’t want to ruin our friendship by making a stupid move.”

Barnaby held his breath. You couldn’t possibly be talking about him, could you?

“How could it ruin your friendship?” he asked. “If he’s your friend, he’s your friend and nothing can change that.”

He took a deep breath. “Maybe you should just tell him,” he said deliberately casually, “who knows, maybe that friend of yours has been feeling the same for some time now, too.”

You looked up at him in surprise. “You think so?”

Barnaby nodded in agreement. “Definitely. Just try your luck, maybe you’ll be surprised.”

After the class was over and you had parted ways for the rest of the day, Barnaby counted the minutes until the evening when you had agreed to meet for another study session before your detention. He was positively bouncing with energy ever since lunchtime. You had come over to him with a nervous smile on your lips to ask him to meet up with you later.

“Chances are, I’ll need to tell you something,” you had said with a shaky laugh before joining your other friends for lunch. Barnaby had swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to look unfazed, but his insides had been burning with impatience ever since.

That was why he had arrived earlier than usual at the library that evening. He picked all the books out you would be needing and stacked and restacked them several times at the table you were usually working on.

It felt like an eternity until you finally entered the library, each second dragging into an eternity of its own. Barnaby saw you first. You stood in the entrance to the grand room and all of a sudden the library seemed to be a little brighter just by you being there. You scanned the rows of bookshelves with your eyes and a wide smile appeared on your face as they fell on him, waiting for you between books and quills in your favourite spot.

You quickly bounded over to him, a spring in your step that was a stark contrast to the miserable mood you had been in this morning. Before Barnaby even had a chance to ask what made you so happy, you had flung your arms around his neck in a tight embrace.

On instinct, Barnaby put his arms around your waist and held you for a sweet moment that he wished would last forever. He could smell the flowery scent of your perfume and breathed it in deeply, trying to commit every last detail of how you felt in his arms to memory. He was sure you had to feel his heartbeat; how could you not with how hard it was hammering against his ribcage?

“He said yes, Barney! He really said yes!” you squealed, not caring one bit about Madam Pince’s indignant shush.

The sheer happiness coursing through his veins turned into ice that froze him from the inside in a matter of seconds. Confused, he loosened his hold on you and pushed you far enough away from him to look you in the face. The joy visible on it almost broke his heart.

“What?”

“My crush!” you beamed at him. “I followed your advice and asked him out, just now! And he said yes!” you repeated, hugging him again.

“You’re the first person I wanted to tell,” you said. Barnaby could feel your breath on the skin exposed by the open collar of his shirt. He hated himself for the shiver running down his spine.

“Why?” was all he managed to whisper in response.

“Because without you, I’d never have the courage to talk to him upfront. It’s all thanks to you that I have a date now. You’re really the best friend I could ask for.”

Every word you spoke was like a dagger pushed up to the hilt into his broken heart, every second he saw you smile at the prospect of going out with the boy you wanted to be with - the boy that wasn’t him - a twist of the blade until he felt like he couldn’t breathe anymore. His heart, that had beaten so wildly just moments before when he had held you in his arms, could have stopped beating right there and then; Barnaby doubted it would have felt much different to the consuming emptiness he felt at this very moment.

You were rambling on and on about where you wanted to take your date and what you would wear but Barnaby wasn’t listening. He didn’t even know who you were talking about; all he knew was that it wasn’t him and that thought was louder in his head than your words could ever be.

“What do you think of that?”

Barnaby realised you had come to the end of your explanations and expected an opinion from him. He forced himself to smile apologetically at you, when all he wanted to do was scream.

“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that,” he croaked out.

Your brow creased. “Are you okay? You’re so pale all of a sudden.”

“I’m good,” Barnaby answered with a hoarse voice. He cleared his throat and started again. “I’m good, I just caught a cold, I think. I should go see Madam Pomfrey later.”

You made a sceptical sound and raised one eyebrow. “If you say so. So what do you think? Is Madam Puddyfoot’s Tea Shop a good idea or not?”

Barnaby had never heard of this tea shop before, but he’d go to Knockturn Alley for a date if it only was with you. “It doesn’t matter where you take him. He’s lucky he gets to go with someone like you in the first place.”

“That’s sweet of you to say.”

“I’m just happy you’re happy,” Barnaby said and even meant it, in a way. He just wished the source of your happiness was him and not somebody else.

You hugged him once again and he was glad that you couldn’t see the pained expression crossing his features for a moment. “You’re the best, Barney. I’m so glad to have you in my life.”

You let go and turned towards the table laden with books Barnaby had so carefully set up. “Shall we?”

He sat down with you and watched as you started taking out your notes on objects cursed with minor jinxes. Your eyes were sparkling even more than usual and even now, you were so beautiful to Barnaby it hurt.

With a sigh, he concentrated on what you had to say for a change. His time spent daydreaming about you was over for good now, so he might as well do what the two of you were here for and study.

No, Barnaby Lee wasn’t the smartest kid around.

But even he knew that when it came to you, he had missed too many chances.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #harry potter hogwarts mystery #barnaby lee #anon ask #fun fact #this is exactly what happened in game for my mc lizzie #went to the celestial ball with barnaby #and ditched him afterwards #whoops #and for talbott of all people #because yknow #that old let us date the quidditch kids discussion #but we're not getting into that now

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gb-patch · 3 years

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Ask Answers (March 3rd, 2021)

Here’s our latest batch of anon ask answers! Thanks for waiting for them.

Will there be a 'Our Life' game for each season? Please say we're getting a winter one!

As of right now we’re only planning on making two, summer and fall. They take quite a while to finish and we’re not sure where we’ll be when the second OL is truly wrapped up. But it’s not impossible we can do a third. Though, four Our Life games is probably not super likely, honestly, aha. Maybe the third game, if we make one, could be switch between winter and spring or something.

What engine/engines do you use to make your games?

We use Renpy for all our projects!

For version 1.2 of OL, did you make any changes to the DLC? If so, could you post a changelog detailing what exactly (or at least a general overview)? If it's not too much trouble, could you also elaborate on the bugs/errors you fixed in the base game?

There aren’t really any changes to the DLCs, except for the voiced name DLC getting an expansion. We fixed very few small typos and added a couple extra lines. Unfortunately, we don’t have a list of exactly what all the little fixes were.

I've been playing OL and I love the characters! As soon as Baxter showed up, I knew I wanted to learn more about him! Would you consider adding him as a prospective LI in the future?

Yep, Baxter (and Derek) will be getting his own romance story as an optional DLC late in 2021! Glad you like him.

Hellooo! First off I'm a huge fan of the game and can't stop playing it. However, I was wondering about how much domestic life with Cove we'll get to see in step 4. Meaning the time before the wedding and the time after. In my game Cove and I talked about having children and I was hoping that would be an option in step 4. Either way, I cannot wait for the release and I send my best to everyone working on the production :) thanks!

I’m sorry, there’s no children or scenes after the two are married. There’s sort of endless possibilities for what that future could be like, so we unfortunately can’t depict it. You only get scenes before they’re married and, if you get the wedding DLC, you can see the day they get married. It ends there, though. But thank you for the well-wishes!

Hello! I was just wondering, so step 4 is going to be similiar to the prologue/epilogue scenes of the game. Is the Wedding DLC going to be one long scene too or will that have moments? (I love the game by the way, its ruined all other visual novels for me in the most wonderful way <3 )

Yeah, Step 4 and the wedding DLC will be like the prologues/summer ended parts of the game. There won’t be separate Moments you can play in any order. I’m really happy you like the game so much!

You said that the OL MC's birthday can't be in summer, but what if you headcanoned it to be?

You can headcanon it as being in summer! There just aren’t birthday events in the game even if you do know your MC was born in summer. We had to leave those out, since some people might not want their MC to be born in summer and then they’d miss out on extra birthday scenes because of it. It wouldn’t have been fair.

Hello!😺 I absolutely love your game!😻 I can't wait for DLS with Derek and Baxter. And I wonder if Baxter could have seen Cove and MC at the party during their first failed dance? Or is Baxter only paying attention to who he's dancing with, or is he not dancing with anyone at the soiree at all then?

Baxter isn’t really paying attention to the couples on the floor. He’s just cruising the outskirts for someone available to dance with him. So he doesn’t get any memories of the MC or Cove at that party if the two just dance with each other. It’s great to hear you like the game!

time-wise/step-wise when does the nsfw dlc take place?

It’s not super strict in terms of an exact of weeks/months, but generally it’s sometime not long after the end of Step 3.

Heya! I'm currently obsessed with Our Life (I played through the entire game on Valentine's Day, hahaha– ha... hah), and I have one silly question: if I start playing Step 3 with the less... "romantically inclined" interest levels (Fond & Disinterest), is there still a chance of getting a romantic ending with Cove? Can Cove and the MC realize "they're the one for me" in just one summer? Or... are confessions off the table completely unless at least at Crush level? Thank you in advance!

So happy you’re having fun with it! In OL1 deciding that Cove is your friend means he’s truly only a friend. You can’t decide you have a crush partway through. But we are considering doing things differently in future games.

hey i have some questions about our life

a) is there a way to be friends with that mean bowlcut kid or is he always... like tha

b. what is coves ethnicity?

A. He is always like that, haha. At least as a kid, he does grow up to be different~

B. Cove’s mom Kyra is white, but Cliff’s race doesn’t come up and players are able to headcanon it. So Cove is half white and half whatever you prefer Cliff to be.

how do you get to the two mc cut-in scenes from the new update?

Hiii! I'm doing another playthrough (it's only like my 100th time playing through the entire game) after the 1.2 update, and I was wondering how to get the new art? I also really love all the new stuff, thank you for working so hard and creating such a wonderful game :)

You can check our our CG guide on Steam for that! Thank you for the kind words.

Sorry to bother you, but I have a question about the Patreon moment. Will there be initiative settings there too? And if there aren't, will the MC lead the whole thing or will Cove lead at certain points too? Thank you~

There will still be flexibly in what you’re comfortable with and whether you want Cove to automatically do things or for choices to always be involved :]. And you don’t need to apologize!

Hello!! I wanted to ask a couple of questions about Our Life:

1. Will we able to buy all the DLC via Steam or will there be some of them only available in Patreon? Just to know if I should create a Patreon user XD

2. Will Our Life: Now and Forever be about the current MC, Cove and the other characters or will it be a game with a New MC, new romantic options and new characters?

1. There will be a Patreon-only NSFW bonus Moment. But all the normal planned DLCs will release on Steam.

2. Our Life: Now & Forever is about new characters- new MC, new family, new LI, etc.

just some small bug I noticed: even if you didn't ask Cove to dance, if he asks you at the Soiree in Step 2 later and you say yes to dancing, the MC acts like they got to dance with Cove again even if it was the first time.

Thank you for the report on that! We thought it was fixed, but I guess it didn’t work.

I was messing around with the new update and I noticed that all the hands in the firefly CGs have the same skin tone regardless of what you put in, (with the exception of the really dark skin color) is this a glitch or something?

The skin tones aren’t the same. It’s just because they’re out at night with only fireflies for light that it makes each image look dark and therefore similar. But if you line them up together it’s clear how there are changes in every option.

How long did it take to plan out and write the story for OL? Not including the programming, art stuff, or the DLC chapters, I mean just planning and writing the base game story alone. The base game story seems hefty as is, and then on top of that there's the changes to scenes depending on MC's and Cove's personalities and relationship, I'm curious how long that took

It took basically the full development time, aha. I’m someone who doesn’t fully outline a project before start and instead continues to come up with stuff as a project progresses. There were new parts to the story being created right up to near the launch. So, starting in 2016 or so to later 2020, with some breaks/hold-ups throughout that time.

Hello! I'm really, really enjoying Our Life: Beginning and Always, it was the kind of sweet, wholesome content I needed during these past months. I had a quick question, will you be making any female characters for the MC to romance? In this game or any others like it? I'm a lesbian and I'd love to have a female love interest with such well written romance as yours! Thank you so much.

Thank you for the nice comment! Our Life: Beginnings & Always won’t have a female LI since we didn’t want to treat other gender options as second fiddle to the male lead. But we have just started full production on Our Life: Now & Forever, which will have a starring female LI! There’s a silhouette glimpse of her Step 1 self here~

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

Thanks everyone for sending the questions :D

FAQ If you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Bl

#our life #Our Life Beginnings & Always #ask #gb patch #gb patch games #long post #Our Life: Now & Forever

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asmo-ds · 4 years

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Hey! I saw requests are open! Could you please write a scenario for Satan where mc is one of his favorite authors but since mc writes under and alias, Satan doesn’t know it’s mc, until one day he comes into their room to see them passed out on a desk, and their laptop open the their third book that is still being worked on. Please?

It’s a trilogy?

Fluff

Description: After months of discussing his favorite author and their books together, Satan stumbles upon a sleepy MC with a little secret ~

When I arrived at the Devildom and found out Satan enjoyed literature as well, I was more than thrilled to share and discuss books with him. We liked all the same themes, writing styles, and even authors.

One day he walked in talking about an author he’d been following for a few years. When I asked about the name he gave me the name I never expected to hear from him.

He had answered my question with my pen own name, M. Charleston. He came in holding the first two books I’d written as a part of a series I named “the scarlet series”. I acted stupid but deep down when he talked about theories I was able to debunk them as I was the person who had created that specific fictional universe.

I decided that in order to preserve our bond and leave it unchanged I would keep quiet about my pen name and move on as if nothing had happened.

Satan was absolutely hooked on my books though, buying all the books i’d ever written and talking about how we should go to the human world and get them all signed.

Discussions about my books always gave me new ideas to put in the third and final book of his favorite series. I spent countless nights writing until daybreak just so I could make him happy and surprise him. Tonight in particular i had gone to my room early and decided to start writing for the fourth sleepless night in a row.

Throughout to writing session I was yawning and could feel myself slipping into slumber, until I could now longer deny the need to let my heavy eye lids fall and whisk me away to some dreamland.

Satan POV

I became a bit concerned when MC left the dinner table early, excusing themself to go sleep. I decided to peek in on them to make sure they weren’t upset about anything.

I knock once. “MC? It’s Satan, I wanted to check on you”

I knock a second time. “MC if you don’t let me in I’ll open the door myself.”

I knock a third time. “Okay i’m coming in you better be decent!”

I open the door covering my eyes just in case MC was indecent, but I heard nothing but soft snores and decided to open my eyes. MC laid with their head on the keyboard of their laptop, pressing the “g” button continuously, ruining whatever document they had opened.

I chuckle lightly. I go through and delete all the sleep typing and stop when I see words. I recognize the name of one of the characters from my favorite series in their paper and decided they wouldn’t mind me being a bit nosey.

Carefully I pick them up and tuck them into bed, turning back towards their computer and deciding to read their writing. I reached the first page and read

“Book Three of the Scarlet series by M. Charleston” (haha get it MC anyways moving on) I grow confused realizing they’d been writing a third book for the series. I ponder what they could possibly be doing with it.

Perhaps MC was going to send it to M. Charleston and sign a deal to split profit for their work. Or maybe they had decided to take up one of Levi’s hobbies of writing fanfiction. Reading through a few pages though I came to a realization.

Sleeping in the bed behind me was M. Charleston.

My best friend had listened to me rave about the books they’d written and played stupid this whole time. I sit there, dumbfounded for a moment, before deciding to lay next to MC so that the second they woke up I could interrogate them and find out why they’d lied.

MC POV

I peel open my eyes, feeling my soft blankets wrapped around my sleepy form, and an unusually warm and stiff pillow next to me. I think nothing of it in my tired state and wrap my arms around it, laying my head on it’s soft stomach. I only realized it was a stomach when I heard a heart beating fast just above it.

I look up to see Satan blushing and covering his face with the back of his hand, trying to look anywhere but at me.

Flustered, I shoot up spitting out apologies faster than I’ve ever spoken before.

“Good morning to you too Miss/Mister Charleston.”

My blood runs cold hearing the name slip out from between his lips. I feel faint as my head begins to fill with thoughts of the worst case scenario.

Satan is going to stop being my friend now. I lied to him for months he has to hate me now. I feel tears welling up in my eyes and hear him gasp, reaching forward to wipe my tears with his thumbs.

“Hey, hey calm down it’s alright, everything’s okay,” he gently soothes me. “I’m a little curious as to why you’d hide it after all my fawning over your books though.”

I wipe my eyes and begin to explain.

“I was afraid that it’d ruin the bond we’d created before you found my series. I was so scared you’d realize I had written those books and no longer look at me as a friend.” Throughout the confession I snuggled and wipe my eyes.

I look up to see Satan holding back a laugh. When he sees i’ve noticed he doesn’t hold back and let’s out a loud laugh. I slap him on the chest letting out a laugh of my own.

“I won’t ever see you as just M. Charleston because to me you’re my beautiful wonderful best friend: MC.” He kisses my forehead making us both more flustered than before.

“... You didn’t have to get all sappy, Satan-“ “Oh shut up”

#obey me satan imagine #satan obey me imagine #satan obey me #om! satan #obey me imagines #obey me x reader fluff #obey me fluff hc #satan obey me fluff #om! satan fluff

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liliplayschoices · 3 years

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So, I finished playing Open Heart, Second Year

I have a lot of thoughts about small details that I liked or disliked, but my overall impression of the book is... mediocre.

It was far from the worst book ever, but it wasn’t good, either. I was bored during most of it, waiting for the story to pick up, and it never really did. I’m not angry or anything, but I’m certainly not super excited for book 3.

The writing was honestly not that great. There were waaaay too many subplots that didn’t go anywhere at all. They multiplied the subplots and ended up with a weird mess of ten thousand things happening at once, and never getting a proper development or resolution because there wasn’t enough space for it. I mean, take the Panacea storyline for instance. They were kind of the big bads of book 1, but the resolution of them being sent to court was like... mentioned briefly at one point and that was it. And it was the same with all the subplots. Esmee and MC only had a short conversation about what Esmee did, the conflict between the surgeon and Esmee was handled super quickly and then they were cool (despite him harassing her and her breaking his hand? like, those aren’t small grievances), Bryce’s conflict with his parents was handled in an off-screen phone-call, MC barely seemed to experience consequences from almost dying and watching her friends die...

Also the end of the book was extremely rushed. Suddenly, weeks and weeks passed by?? the hospital closed and opened back up again immediately?? the last three/four chapters were SUCH a mess that it barely left an impression on me to be honest.

It was honestly a mess, and I don’t accept the excuse of the rewrites at all because I don’t believe the story changed that much. I mean, we all know what the rewrite was about: not killing Rafael, and giving characters other than Ethan some screentime. So the core of the story probably didn’t change as much. So yeah they have zero excuses for this mess. Plus, having to rewrite because you were being racist isn’t an excuse to do a poor job lmao

Some random thoughts about the book:

- I don’t understand why the fandom hated June so much? Like yeah she did one questionable thing by reading up on her colleagues but... I remember when everybody was playing, thinking she must be a horrible person to deserve such hate, and... she’s really not?

- okay so I don’t know how hospitals work in the US. But it bothered me that they could close the hospital and then open it again after a few days?? Like, wouldn’t they have like... sold most of their equipment? I don’t know, it’s a detail but it was weird xD

- As much as I don’t care about Leland, the story with him and his wife is awful... The part where he talked about having to check himself to prevent from touching her out of habit... God that was sad. I’m in a long-term relationship, and that moment made me realize that I don’t even think of all the times I just casually kiss or hug my boyfriend, and the thought of not being able to do it made me genuinely tear up a little. So yeah anyway I hope this might take more space in book 3 because it’s actually a really sad, but compelling story! Hopefully, if PB get their act together, they’ll focus on fewer plotlines to give them enough time to develop, and I hope that’s one of them.

- To be completely honest, before reading the book, I thought people were exaggerating a little when they were talking about the overbearing presence of Ethan in the story. And... yeah I get it now. I don’t hate his character at all, but... it was too much. Waaaay too much. I never romanced him but I enjoyed his and MC’s relationship in book 1, the way it was a mentorship but also they appreciated each other but also annoyed each other. It was a really fun dynamic, and it was completely gone in this book. Instead, there were romantic undertones everywhere that made me a little uncomfortable seeing as I’d never romanced him in the past. I genuinely hope PB does better for the third book because I don’t like the fact that this book made me go from “oh good I like them together!” to actually rolling my eyes when Ethan came on screen.

- I really loved Esmee! I didn’t spend a lot of diamonds on her but I still really liked her, so I hope we’ll get much more of her in the future!!

- I headed into this book knowing I would chose Bryce over Rafael (I romanced both of them in book 1) because I knew Rafael spent most of the book off-screen with a girlfriend. But honestly, it still hurt to barely ever see him, and to have the book completely ignore the fact that he was ever an LI. I’m not going to go in depth into this because you all know about the situation around the treatment of his character. But reading it was truly a bad experience for me.

This is only part of my thoughts on the book, and it got long and convoluted so sorry about that xD Feel free to come talk about it with me because I have a lot of thoughts hahaha

#open heart #open heart second year #playchoices

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jokertrap-ran · 3 years

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(未定事件簿) 莫弈 [剧情: 第2章] [Tears of Themis] Mo Yi Private Story Translations (Chapter 2-6)

*Tears of Themis Masterlist / Mo Yi’s Masterlist / Mobile Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Mo Yi’s Private Story tag is #Tears of a Personal Psychiatrist. *Chapter 1 can be viewed here!

Location: Mo's Mental Health Research Center

After the questioning session, Mo Yi and I both came to the conclusion that Li Yu had been lying.

But a coffee shop with a huge influx of customers wasn’t really the place to be talking about things like this, therefore, we both returned back to Mo Yi’s Research Center to continue our discussion about Li Yu.

MC: You think Li Yu’s lying too? I was worried that maybe I was just overthinking things.

Mo Yi: Of course; the contradictions on her person were obvious enough, but before that...

He poured a cup of tea, gently nudging it towards me.

Mo Yi: Humor me and my selfishness a little, would you? Can I hear what you think about this first?

MC: Sure. You can also help me see if there are any loopholes in my own conclusions.

Mo Yi: Okay.

MC: The story that Li Yu told was very distinct, and very confusing.

MC: The “Five-step trapping method” was perfect and complete without a single fault or flaw; so much that it was to the point of being fake.

MC: But;

Mo Yi: But, what?

MC: Maybe she wanted to put the focus on the five-steps. That’s why she glazed over the more important details of the questions.

Li Yu’s slightly panicked expression flashed through my mind, making me frown.

MC: Firstly, she’d secretly downloaded the social application that everyone around her had been using out of curiosity; intending to try it out for herself.

MC: The system recommended Wang Chen to her after she had filled in the APP’s information collecting questionnaire. That’s when they both had their first contact with each other.

MC: ...But if that’s the case here, then some of her previous statements as well as some of the things she did will be, logically speaking, contradictory of itself.

Mo Yi: Oh?

MC: At that time, I had asked her if she usually used social software like this. Her answer was no.

MC: She'd also added that she had only wanted to take a look before deleting it immediately after.

MC: If so, then why would she waste so much time filling in that content-heavy questionnaire? And even then, why truthfully so?

Mo Yi: Maybe it's just a mandatory requirement from the software itself? Or perhaps Li Yu's just the type of person who's so serious that she's stubborn to a fault?

MC: ...We can't rule out that possibility either; but this isn't the only strange thing at this point.

MC: How would Wang Chen have ever known about that one unique line of hers if she didn't set up her own profile page?

MC: Even if the system was able to match people in accordance with their interests, even taking it a step further and connecting the two who both love the same title.

MC: This is still a line unique to herself. So just how will someone else, not to mention, a stranger, even learn about it all so easily like that?

I looked at Mo Yi, seeking his opinion.

He nodded.

Mo YI: Any other suspicious points?

MC: Yes. The second strange thing about all of this is the reason behind her suicidal scars.

MC: Li Yu said that those wounds were inflicted after they had broken up, because she couldn't bear to leave him; and used this as a way to convince him to get back together with her, but...

MC: But the end-goal of all PUAs tend to be the complete emotional obedience of the girl.

MC: In order to attain this goal, they'll have to be the one to take the initiative throughout all their interactions together and take control of their relationship. This is the only way that PUAs can guarantee that the girl will be put through the "Five-step Trap" according to every dictated step, until they completely fall apart in a desperate mess.

MC: But in Li Yu's case, this dynamic appears to have been switched since Wang Chen was the one making the compromises. This fails to fall in line with the usual PUA line of thought.

Mo Yi: But then, what if Wang Chen’s motive was to crush Li Yu’s self-esteem? He did accomplish that in the end after all.

MC: No. Generally speaking, when the girl reaches the state where their self-esteem has been all but crushed, they'd have already built a high level of emotional dependence with the PUA.

MC: Only through doing this, will the PUA be able to make a mountain out of a molehill with the girl's mistakes, using it to completely destroy their personality.

MC: Let's suppose that Wang Chen wished to use how she had "previously tried to break up" as the mistake to amplify; if so, then,

MC: He'd have to first ensure that Li Yu's emotional dependence on him is at a high enough level that she'd definitely want to get back together with him after breaking up; but…

I recalled what Li Yu had said back then.

MC: Li Yu suggested a breakup because she couldn't stomach how Wang Chen was also simultaneously dating many other girls. This goes to show that she has still maintained her sense of reason.

MC: Under these circumstances, there is a higher chance that Li Yu wouldn't get back with him. On the contrary, Wang Chen blocking her seems to be the more reasonable response here.

MC: If I were in his shoes, I'd much rather maintain the romantic relationship we have going between us and continue "brain-washing" Li Yu, rather than to run the risk of losing my prey.

MC: This way, all the previous work I've done doesn't go to waste, am I right?

MC: Besides… How should I put this…? The way she presented herself already exposed her.

Mo Yi: ……

MC: If I'm not wrong, that shiny thing under her eyes was probably to make her lower eyelids appear plumper to sell the "teary eyed" look.

MC: And judging from the color of the scars on her hand… I'd say that that was special effects make-up at play.

Having said that, I couldn't help but to sigh, feeling conflicted and semi-dejected about it all.

After hearing my explanation, Mo Yi's mood appeared no worse for the wear. He lowered his eyes as he thought on it for a while before the sides of his mouth slightly lifted.

Mo Yi: It looks like you don’t need me to explain anything anymore; you’ve already thought this whole thing through.

MC: Did you conclude that Li Yu was lying through these factors too?

Mo Yi: Not completely. The reason why I deduced as such was mainly through her moods and state of being as she spoke.

MC: Her mood and her state of being?

Mo Yi: Correct. It's normally a difficult feat for someone to remain completely impartial and rational when it comes to someone else, or another matter.

Mo Yi: This is especially true for PUA Victims. As they sink deeper and deeper into the web of lies that the opposing party weaves, they'll end up losing their judgement towards reality in exchange.

Mo Yi: If you study the self-accounts of these victims in detail, you’ll come to realize that most of them veer more towards “feeling” than “reason”.

Mo Yi: It is hard for them to take an impartial stance and completely tell someone else about the PUA techniques that they’ve been subjected to.

Mo Yu: But Li Yu was different.

I don’t know what thought had just slid into his mind, but his lips quirked up in a hint of mockery.

Mo Yi: The logic and explanation she gave was clear; the important points were all clearly highlighted. All the steps of the “Five-step Trap”; it’s progress, is clearly shown in her story.

Mo Yi: Also, Li Yu didn’t have any emotional fluctuations while she was re-telling the entire story, asides from the couple of times where she displayed some un-interesting waterworks, if it even counts.

MC: ...No wonder she gave me a weird sense of disconnect when I talked to her; It’s just as if she’s...

Mo Yi: As if she’s a third-party, who’s telling a story that has absolutely nothing to do with herself. It doesn’t hurt, nor does it tickle; but she has to put on an act by faking emotions.

MC: That’s it; that’s just how it feels like! Although she’d occasionally break out into tears at the table, I can’t really feel that she’s actually upset or anything like that.

MC: But based on what she said, she’d obviously already gone so far down the hole that she even contemplated suicide. If so, then how can she still be so calm?

Mo Yi: That’s precisely the case here.

MC: ...I’ve still got to give Li Yu a pat on the back for being able to make such an almost realistic lie.

MC: Truth to be told, if I didn’t notice the way she had presented herself and held onto a shred of suspicion, it’d be hard for me to say for sure that I wouldn’t fall for her bluff.

Mo Yi: Actually, what Li Yu said wasn’t entirely a lie. It was something fabricated from truth.

MC: A lie fabricated from truth!?

His words held such profound meaning that it shocked me the moment it came out of his mouth.

MC: Wha… Sorry, Dr. Mo; I really don’t understand what you’re getting at this time.

Mo Yi: It’s a very clever and high-handed way of doing things. I’d never have thought of this either, if I hadn’t noticed her little slip ups during her conversation.

Mo Yi: Earlier, you said that she had presented many loopholes when speaking of the details pertaining to the matter throughout the conversation; correct?

MC: Yes.

Mo Yi: Knowing all of the specifics detailing the “Five-step Trap”, yet nothing about the details when it comes to daily life.

Mo Yi: There's only one way this sort of narrative will appear in PUA-related cases.

MC: How?

Mo Yi: Most of the so-called "relationship mentors" use this sort of narratives to share their "hunting methods" with others when writing their own accounts.

MC: Dr. Mo, are you saying that Li Yu is...

Mo Yi: That's right. I think Li Yu should be someone from the PUA group herself; a staff member who’s responsible for converting the experiences of the Mentors into actual text.

Mo Yi: She put several cases to her knowledge to use by piecing them into a story. And it’s precisely because she’d haphazardly pieced them together, that the logical loopholes came to be.

Mo Yi: I think that the truth that binds all these stories together beneath the lie should be that Wang Chen had found a girl to target through a social media platform.

Mo Yi: Disguising himself as his persona of a “poet”, he approaches his target through an extremely targeted approach, succeeds, and everything goes smoothly without so much as a hitch.

Mo Yi: But the good times didn’t last long, for the girl realizes just who he really was and asked to break up; Wang Chen could only accede.

Mo Yi: This story should have ended here, at this point; but a story like this isn’t captivating at all, so she added suicide to the fray.

MC: Captivating…? So, you’re saying that Li Yu is knowingly trying to get us to investigate Wang Chen by guiding us to him?

MC: Hang on… I remember that she’d asked about the whole incident with He Kunpeng before she left, which means...

MC: Li Yu came charging headfirst at us! The groups that both she and Wang Chen hail from should be the very same one that we’re looking for!

Mo Yi: Correct.

MC: But if that’s the case, then wouldn’t it mean that the progress of our investigation has already been exposed?

Mo Yi: Probably not; Li Yu wouldn’t have asked you over and over again if you’d found any important leads otherwise.

Mo Yi: This is similar to how that chat group has suddenly disappeared; I think the other party is only aware of our actions.

Mo Yi: It’s just that this time, they got the information from somewhere or another that we were looking for a PUA Mentor who had hurt female students before, so that’s why...

Mo Yi: Rather than being a sitting duck and awaiting their own doom, how about taking the initiative and making the first move? Maybe abandoning this “pawn” that’s already been targeted will be able to save the rest of this game of chess.

Mo Yi: And Wang Chen just so happens to be both the one we’re looking for, and the “pawn”.

He expressed his deductions slowly and impactfully, answering several of the questions that had been nagging at me along his train of thought.

MC: So, we’re still going to investigate Wang Chen?

Mo Yi: Of course. A “pawn” he might be, but as long as he’s been on the chessboard before, he’ll have definitely left traces in his wake.

MC: If that’s the case, then let’s make the best of our time and act fast.

I enthusiastically voiced my assent and invited him to proceed on together, but he had suddenly gone quiet.

He looked at me quietly for a while before he finally spoke. But the words that left his lips were akin to a basin of cold water that had been set outside in a cold winter’s day, bearing a cold and biting chill.

Mo Yi: It'll be for the best if you don't take part in the upcoming course of action.

☆⋅⋆…⋅─────────── ⋆⋅✾⋅⋆ ───────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Previous Part: (Chapter 2-4) | Next Part: (Chapter 2-7)

#Tears of Themis #Mo Yi #Translations #Otome #Mihoyo #未定事件簿 #莫弈 #Private Story #Tears of a Personal Psychiatrist

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hotchocolatelovesyou · 4 years

Text

Straight men, Patience and Jeremiah (Ethan x MC, Ethan x M!MC)

So.

I wrote something dumb about Ethan x m!MC, when MC discovers that Ethan left.

We are all disappointed for the last chapter but it’s still the third chapter, so let’s have some faith.

I’m sorry if there are some mistakes and if there are some explicit terms, but MC is not exactly in the right mood so why not?

it’s loooong and I’m open to all feedback!

+ English is not my first language so please be kind 🌸

MC’s name: Alejandro Amanti.

Warning: explicit language

(here we go)

Alejandro didn’t have exactly a good day and wanted to be alone. He was afraid that if he met one of his friends, he would let his disappointment vent on them.

Ethan was gone. He didn’t even say goodbye, he just fucking left.

Alejandro scoffed at the thought. Coward.

Couldn’t blame him, though. Not really.

It happened a second time… they had sex again.

This time felt different though, even if in a really good way.

The first time it happened, it was a big Skyfall of all the emotions that they had to limit. But now? These ‘emotions’ felt way more powerful. Alejandro couldn’t exactly tell why or what in particular changed, but he was sure that Ethan noticed that difference too.

Maybe, that was the reason why Ethan left.

But… really feelings were so hard for Ethan to understand that he had to fucking fly away, both literally and metaphorically? C'mon now. He was one of the most brilliant doctors on planet Earth, that wasn’t plausible.

Alejandro felt dumb, narcissistic and egoistical just by having that thought.

Then again, if that wasn’t the reason, why? Alejandro himself brought up the topic of going to Africa and help the ones in need but Ethan answered that he liked a lot the idea but he was ‘too busy here to do this type of humanitarian work’.

Anyway, the second time happened because Alejandro noticed a detail in the diagnosis of an eight years old child. She was adorable: every time she smiled, she showed her dimples. She looked like princess Tiana from the Disney cartoon, he told her so. The day after that she had a really cute tiara on her curly hair. Everyone honestly loved her and felt like they had to protect her.

Sadly, she was getting worse and worse every day, she couldn’t stop coughing and she was losing too much weight, too fast. She was so small…

The doctors didn’t know what to do, Ethan was too busy and so stressed by his patients that Alejandro didn’t want to ask him any help. He searched and searched and searched for days. Then, one night, he finally got it.

Alejandro noticed the particular breathing she had by listening to her while she was sleeping and well… he did his job.

Her family showed him extreme gratitude and um, the news that dr. Alejandro Amanti solved the problem (“another one? The dude is a genius”, “why doesn’t he mind his own fucking business and let the rest of us do the job for once?”) fastly flew in the hospital. The little girl gave each one of the people who helped her a hug before living and her parents left in a similar style, obviously happy to have their baby healthy again.

Ethan heard the news too and, of course, of fucking course, he made sure that Alejandro knew that he was proud of him. To be honest, he didn’t even do anything in particular: he simply smiled at him, his eyes showing true affection.

Those fucking eyes.

They met accidentally here, the same bar where Alejandro was now drinking, the same bar that let their flame finally breathe with freedom for the first time ('freedom’? Not exactly but whatever). Ethan congratulated with Alejandro, the pride he felt was very visible in his gaze.

Things then started to be confusing, in Alejandro’s mind.

They were alone, both living earlier, and Alejandro just had to close his eyes to feel again Ethan’s lips kissing him with such kindness that he might have melted right there, his back gently pressed against his bedroom’s door, their tongues caressing each other. Well, at least in the beginning. He actually woke up with some bruises the morning after, the feeling of Ethan’s possessive hands still lingering on his hips and thighs. It could have been a really good morning if only he didn’t wake up alone, his pillows still carrying Ethan’s perfume.

It was so tiring, loving Ethan. So fucking tiring.

Alejandro had been initially scared of it. Not only he had a crush for someone who basically was his boss, but he… he wasn’t even sure it was just a crush anymore. When he finally had started to accept that maybe, maaaaaybe, he in fact loved Ethan, the older man acted like an idiot.

Every single time Alejandro tried to take a step towards him and, possibly, a relationship between them, Ethan caressed his cheek and made more than ten behind.

But Alejandro wasn’t an idiot, Ethan’s eyes weren’t a mystery anymore for him.

He was surprised that, at this point, he could read Ethan’s state of mind by just looking at them. It was pathetic, honestly, but Alejandro truly studied Ethan. His gaze, his expressions, the way he walked, his gestures. He knew exactly when the switch between 'notorious professional doctor’ and 'sarcastic dumbass’ happened, it was a slight change that, however, made the whole difference in the world.

Also, Ethan was different every time he interacted with someone. If Ethan interacted with his colleagues, he was almost cold and distant. Although, if he had a friendly-ish relationship with some of them, his behavior was more relaxed and he cracked a smile more easily than normal. If Ethan interacted with his patients, he was almost as reasonable as a machine, thinking the most plausible diagnosis, but being warm at the same time, especially with children or shier patients.

God, he loved him. Fucking Ramsey.

Alejandro took another sip of his beer.

The next day would have been his free day, he could afford to get drunk. He didn’t know how exactly he’d come back to the apartment but he didn’t care.

That night was for him and his broken heart only, fuck everybody else. Fuck Ethan, in particular.

He chuckled, whispering lightly to himself “cheers to us cowards”, before drinking a long, long sip of his beer. So long, he finished it.

“Aren’t you one of the doctors?” asked the barman when he ordered another one. Alejandro nodded slightly before taking it, not even watching him. He was always kind, alright? Just once, he could afford to be a dick.

“Are you sure you want another beer? You look you wanna get drunk, is that safe for you? Like, don’t you have lives to save or some shit like that?” Alejandro was going to snap at him but thought better of it.

Just tonight, just once, he wanted to be left alone. Tomorrow morning he would be the good old Alejandro again, all smiles and kindness.

But right now, he just wanted to get really drunk in peace.

“Yeah, not tomorrow though. I’m gonna move right there if that’s okay. Would you take the next drinks to that small table from now on? Nice, thank you.” He didn’t even let the barman open his mouth, he just silently slipped to a really small table for two, in the corner of the room.

He kept drinking, alone, his mind couldn’t stop thinking about a particular shade of blue.

Fucking coward, he thought again.

Truth be told, he was no better than Ramsey. He just… fell in that shit harder than him, maybe. Probably. Alright, for sure.

He didn’t even know if Ramsey fell at all, his only hope lied in all the emotions he could read every time their eyes met, there was something somehow soft and tender in them every time Ethan looked at him.

God, he missed his old him, when he firmly believed that all that romantic bullshit about reading eyes was, in fact, just that: bullshit. Apparently, it wasn’t.

He truly got it bad, huh?

Alejandro ruffled his hair, annoyed with everyone and himself.

He was a coward too. When he found out about Ramsey, he wanted to punch things and scream and… and cry. He had never felt such rage and disappointment, Alejandro shivered at the memory of it.

Even if he was empty now, he wanted a single night of letting things go. Just before the next morning, when he would start pretending everything was fine again.

I’m going to get my shit together, but not now.

He wanted to call him and tell Ethan that he was a piece of shit (if not worse) but… he didn’t. He ended up taking his rage on his bedroom, smashing things and throwing things at the wall, yet, he didn’t call Ethan.

Alejandro thought about some of the reasons why he didn’t actually call him.

A part of him was saying that he didn’t call Ethan because he was trying to, uh, be superior, because he was tired of being treated like that and blah blah blah. Deep inside, he knew that wasn’t the truth.

He didn’t try to contact Ethan because he was scared: what if Ethan wanted him totally out of his life and refused to answer him in any way? What if, in case Ethan answered somehow, he’d explicitly tell him that nothing could ever happen between them?

He didn’t even realize he finished his second beer, lost in his own thoughts. He was starting a third one, already opened, when someone knocked on the table. He didn’t care enough to do anything about it.

It was the barman, giving him another beer and taking the ones he finished.

“I don’t wanna anyone on my conscience, do you have a friend you can call after you’ve done?” With a grunt, Alejandro raised his gaze from the old wood.

“I’m in my twenties, I can take care of myself if I want to.” The barman highed his brows, not impressed at all.

“And, uh, do you want to?” Alejandro scuffed and raised his hands, shifting on the chair.

“Do I look like I want to?” He didn’t answer him, taking the time to put the empty bottles on the counter before coming back to him.

“Alright. Yo, Jacob, I’ll let you handle things for a few minutes.” With that being said, the barman took the free chair in front of him and sat down, pressing his back to the wall and facing the counter. It was Tuesday night, the bar was almost empty except for a few other people, with an old rock song in the background.

The man sitting in front of Alejandro was in his late forties, probably, and was very attractive. It was clear that he liked to take care of himself because his graying hair was gelled and his arms were really toned. He had a good profile, Alejandro watched his side while the older man lighted a cigarette. He took an ashtray from a table near them, making himself more comfortable on the chair before saying something.

“I’m Jeremiah.” Alejandro slightly inclined his beer towards him.

“Alejandro.“

Jeremiah smiled before starting singing the 'Ale-Ale-jandro, Ale-Ale-jandro’ from that old Lady Gaga’s song. The younger man rolled his eyes.

"Really? Very original.” Jeremiah smiled a little bit more, before taking a hit from his cigarette.

“So what’s the deal? What is going on?” Alejandro took a sip before answering, but he stopped because something wasn’t exactly right.

“This is water,” he stated, starting to be really irritated.

“You downed two beers, one right after the other, and it’s pretty late, I’m not sure you noticed. Do us a favor and drink some water, would you? Now, who broke your heart?” Alejandro shook his head before putting his arms on the table, his chin resting on his forearms.

“A fucking doctor.” Jeremiah exhaled the smoke, moving his head to tell him to continue.

“He believes that nothing can or should happen between us because we are colleagues - well, not exactly - or some shit like that, and it would be unprofessional and it could ruin my future and his career and blah blah blah. Same old 'it can’t happen’, you know? Now he is so fucking away and I have a lot of shit going on even without him so who cares, right? It’s not even-” Alejandro was tracing some nonsense on the table with his finger while speaking but when he realized that he was invisibly spelling 'Ethan’ with his index, his voice stopped and couldn’t continue.

Jeremiah pretended not to notice.

Maybe I truly should start switching beer with water.

“So it’s a man, huh?” simply pointed out Jeremiah. Is that the part he focused on?

Alejandro was starting to feel sleepy. He straightened his position, his back heavily leaning on the top of the chair, too tired to be annoyed.

“Don’t go all homophobic on me now, it was you who came here. I like vaginas too, does it makes you feel better?” Jeremiah laughed wholeheartedly at that, causing the other few clients’ heads to spin in their direction with curiosity.

“We are in the same boat, son. You don’t have to worry at all” reassured Jeremiah, with a wink, before tapping the cigarette to make the ash fall.

“Well, did you call him or something when he left?”

“I didn’t even fucking know he left!” replied Alejandro, rasing from his old position with a burst caused by his exasperation, starting to gesticulate.

“The night before? His dick deep in my ass. And then I woke up alone and with him on a fucking airplane!” He was way more annoyed than he supposed. He thought he released his anger by that point but evidently, it wasn’t like he believed.

Jeremiah gently shushed him, almost like if he was dealing with a dozing child. Well, Alejandro did feel somnolent, so…

“He isn’t straight, is he? This is how straight men usually act. First, they whisper you the loveliest things then they come back home smacking their heterosexuality to everyone’s face. I had an experience like that and fuck, it hurt."

Alejandro felt very sympathetic, even if he didn’t think that was his exact case. He rested a hand on Jeremiah’s forearm.

"I’m sorry.” Jeremiah shrugged it off, biting his lip with half a smile.

“I’m happy now, don’t even worry about it. Keep talking though, I’m interested.”

“He isn’t straight. Well, I didn’t ask him explicitly but it’s not like he goes out screaming that he is a straight man. And he is single. Plus, he knew what to do when he-well, in the right situations. He’s just… so fucking professional.” Alejandro sighed, a hand messing his hair. He was really tired. What the hell did he think? Everything was a huge mistake, everything.

He took a long sip of water, intending to empty it to sober up even if he didn’t feel drunk at all, just done with the world. It almost looked like drinking water was the only right decision he had made that night. Well, drinking water and spilling his heart with a stranger.

“Then why didn’t you just call him?”

“To tell him what? 'I love you even if you’re a fucking idiot, please came back’? Hell no. And… and he’s doing something noble and brave, out there. He’s helping people who need support. I just-I truly can’t. But fuck if I don’t want to.” A moment of silence followed his words. When Alejandro looked at Jeremiah again, he was scrapping his beard. What remained of the cigarette was in the ashtray.

“Gotta be honest, I’m still trying to understand why you don’t wanna contact him. I mean, no offense, but all you said? It sounded like bullshit. You could send a message or whatever else if you wanted too. I mean, with no pressure or anything, he’d answer at the right time. So, let’s be honest here, what is truly stopping you?"

Alejandro bit his lip, unsure.

Admitting the truth to himself was one thing; it was easy and silent, a secret between him and himself only. But stating it out loud? God, he cringed just at the thought of it.

Whatever. Jeremiah wanted an answer? He’d give him one.

"I'm afraid he might reject me..." Alejandro only successeded in whispering it. Jeremiah was watching him intently, allowing him to take a breath before continuing. He felt embarrassed and also a little pathetic.

"Besides, I have to respect his space. I don’t like the idea of it but if he needs space and time to think…”, Alejandro sighed before proceeding, “that’s what I will give him and even more.”

Jeremiah was completely facing him, a cheek on his hand, listening actively.

“You really like him, don’t you?” asked Jeremiah.

“I love him.” The older man smiled with affection, leaning a little bit more towards him.

“It looks like you’re a bit confused, son. But you know what? I’m actually sure you know what to do. The problem is that you don’t wanna do it.” He started getting up while speaking and raised his arms up his head to stretch.

“It’s funny 'cause”, Jeremiah put the chair back to its original position, “I’ve always thought that doctors were hella brave, you know? You guys are badass."

He’s so wrong it’s almost adorable.

"Don’t let fear dominate you, Alejandro. Don’t ignore it, either. Go home and sleep, you’ll find a solution. Personally, my advice is to have patience. I think that whatever happens between you two is your business only. If you guys love each other for real, then you’ll find a way.” Alejandro sucked the inside of his cheek, unsure. Jeremiah made sure that he made eye contact, shifting his weight on the table, then he kept speaking.

“The truth will come out one day, somehow. It doesn’t matter how good you guys are at keeping your relationship a secret, it will happen. Does it really matter? What even is life without love?” Jeremiah stopped for a second, noticing that his tone of voice was becoming louder. He raised his chin to say goodbye to a client who was going home, then Alejandro got his whole attention again.

“Do you love the man? Keep fighting for him. It will be a long journey, full of disappointment and sadness; you’ll be on the verge of giving up many times. I’m telling from experience, love fucking sucks sometimes but damn, it’s worth it.” Jeremiah sighed, his eyes shifting on the wall, probably recalling some memories.

“Honestly? You’ll never learn how loyal and devoted you can be to someone until you fall in love.” He met the younger man’s eyes again.

“Alejandro, if you truly love him, if he loves you too but he has his head up his own ass, you should help him fight his fear. He’s probably way more scared than you are.” Alejandro was surprised, he had never really considered Ethan worried about something else other than his job and his patients.

That is unfair. He worried about you, too.

“That is, though, the moment that he disrespects you or your decency as a human being is being discussed, you’re out of there. Am I clear on the last part, son? It’s his loss then.” Alejandro felt the urge to hug this man and punch something at the same time.

Why things about them were always so complicated? Why was he the one who had to be patient if Ethan was an ass?

He wanted to switch off his heart for a while. There was no time for all these feelings, thoughts about blue eyes and all the romantic bullshit.

I probably wouldn’t, though, because I’m an idiot in love with someone who’s even a bigger idiot.

In the moment of silence that followed, Jeremiah asked him if he should have called an Uber for him and, with a smirk, told him that the beers were on the house.

“I’ll handle it, don’t worry. Um, actually, I want to apologize if things looked a little embarrassing.” The barman smiled at him, placing gently a hand on his shoulder.

“You are way more than welcome to come back, whenever you want. Just, don’t try to get drunk next time. Not for this shit at least, alcohol is never a solution. Deal?”

Alejandro blushed a little, well aware of how dumb and desperate he might have looked like.

“Deal. And thank you, seriously. Thank you.” Jeremiah winked at him, moving to go behind the counter again when Alejandro stopped him.

“Hey? Sorry if it’s too personal but I was wondering. Uh, what happened with the straight guy?” Jeremiah smiled brightly, his eyes shining not only because of the lights in the bar.

“I married him."

Alejandro felt like a complete idiot because, really, he should have noticed the simple golden ring on both Jeremiah and the man behind the counter’s annular.

When Jeremiah came next to Jacob, who was not only a colleague but also his husband, he didn’t waste time to slap his butt and give the other man a fast kiss on the lips.

He left the bar feeling way better than how he initially entered.

If Alejandro did end up writing a message to a certain doctor with blue eyes that night, it was his business only.

If Ethan didn’t answer, breaking Alejandro’s heart a little bit more, that was his business too.

But you know what? He had to have patience and he was more than ready for it.

Ethan was worth the wait.

#dr. ethan ramsey #ethan ramsey #ethan x m!mc #m!mc #open heart #choices open heart #choices: open heart #OH #OH2 #pixelberry #pixelberry choices #choices #playchoices #ethan x mc

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khoicesbyk · 4 years

Text

The Nanny Affair.

The Vacation Of A Lifetime. Part 4.

Author’s Note: This fanfic right here is based off of the preview for Chapter 14. This will be four parts. First part is what happens before they get to Italy. And the second, third and fourth parts will be what happens once they land. So! Talley Ho! *in my Sherlock Holmes voice*

Song and Story Inspiration: You Mean The World To Me-Toni Braxton

***Rated: Mature 18+. Contains sexual content and strong language. You know? The usual from me. 😁

***Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters.

***Characters: Sam Dalton (LI) and Krystal Parker (MC) (And final appearances of my TRR MC Shanelle Dawkins and LI King Marquise.)

***All Characters and names (except MC) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 2,836 words.

I got one more! It’s Part 4! (Sorry! I feel like Dr. Seuss. 🤷🏾‍♀️)

It was the night of the gala at the Cordonian embassy in Naples. And for Krystal; the night went from magical thanks to dancing with his majesty King Marquise; to absolutely humiliating thanks to Sam and Sofia being jealous because of that very dance.

As she laid across her bed; the tears flowed like a waterfall. She couldn’t believe that Sam would something like that to her. Especially when; she did everything that she could do to convince his majesty to accept the proposal. In that moment; she was furious. She was frustrated. She was humiliated. She was heartbroken. But mostly; she was done! She’d had enough! She was not gonna take it anymore.

“That’s it! I’m done! I quit! I have had enough! I won’t let him do this to me! Not after everything that I’ve done for him!”, she said to herself through the tears. She was determined to quit. Even though; she’s crazy about her boys and doesn’t want to leave them to that vulture of a future stepmother; she was done! This was the final straw. That’s when she heard a knock at her door.

“Ugh! Now what?”, she thought as she dried her tears. When she opened the door; there he stood. The cause of her pain. The reason she was rightfully and righteously furious. The one person who held her heart. There stood Sam with an apologetic look on his face; that she knew all too well.

Sam couldn’t believe it. King Marquise had accepted the proposal. And it was all thanks to Krystal. The same Krystal; that he had just accused of nearly ruining his chances of getting King Marquise to say yes. He actually raised his voice at her. His kitten. His Krystal. If there was ever a time for him to feel like a complete and total ass; now was it. “Oh my God! She…she actually did it! And I…oh God! I…”, he thought to himself.

His behavior was unacceptable and he was quickly realizing that he had to fix this. He had to apologize to her. But right now, he was consumed with the news.

As they got ready to leave; Queen Shanelle walks up and asks him. “Mr. Dalton can I speak to you for a moment?”

As they stepped away from the crowd; her face twisted with fury as she says to him, “now you listen to me and you listen closely; I watched Krystal when she left the ballroom; and went out on the terrace. She was happy and smiling when she walked outside. And when she came back in; she was everything but happy and smiling. And if I had to wager a guess; I’d say you and that barracuda you’re stupid enough to call a fiancée, are the reasons why she looked so devastated.”

“Your majesty I—“, he started to say before he was cut off by Shanelle, “I’m not finished! Now look I can’t tell you who to marry and I’m not trying to. But what I am telling you is that; you need to fix whatever it is you broke with Krystal. And the reason why you need to fix it; is because the deal that my husband has agreed to depends on it!”

“You can’t be serious, your majesty!”, he told her.

“Don’t let the crown fool you, Mr. Dalton. I have more pull than you and your betrothed seem to think I do. All it takes is one word from me to him about the way you acted towards Krystal; and that speech he made will be for nothing! And you AND Ms. Russo will have to deal with the fallout, if you get my drift.”, she replied to him.

Before he could form a retort; she says to him, “even though you don’t deserve it; I’m going to help you out. I’m hosting a women’s luncheon tomorrow; while you and my husband are signing the contracts. And I want Krystal to be there. She can act Dalton Enterprises’s official liaison at the luncheon. All you have to do is: convince her to do so. Now, how you do that is up to you. But; whatever you decide to do; you’d better make it good. Your company’s name depends on it!”

Sam was floored by Shanelle’s request but in his heart; he knew she was right. “Yes your majesty. I’ll find a way to get Krystal to attend.”

“Good! And don’t worry about your boys. Seeing as how other children will be there; those two are more than welcomed to attend with Krystal as well.”, she told him. He nodded to her as a response. “Have a good rest of your night Mr. Dalton. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow afternoon.”, she told him.

As she walked away; his parents and brother walked up. “Hah! My boy! We’ve done it! Now all we is Adrian Raines on board and the Nightingale Project will be secure for generations!”, his father exclaimed with glee. Dalton Senior was as giddy as a school boy on pizza Fridays. “Now I don’t care how you do it! I don’t care how long it takes! And damn sure don’t care what it costs! But son! You’d better get Krystal WHATEVER IT IS she wants! She has just saved us all! So, she deserves to have whatever she wants and needs! And it’s up to you; to make it happen!”

“Yes sir! I’ll get it done.”, he responds to his father. “Where’s Sofia?”, Sam asks.

“Currently being chewed out by her dad.”, Robin answered. Sam felt bad for her but even felt worse for Krystal.

After saying goodbye to his family for the night, Sam was soon on his way back to the hotel. With his tail tucked firmly between his legs; Sam was trying to come up with a way to both apologize and to convince Krystal to be at the luncheon tomorrow. Which was no easy task; seeing as how he knew that he was the LAST person she wanted to see right now; but he still had to try.

As he got to her door; he steeled himself for the rightful and righteous onslaught he was about to face. He just knew that she’d be in a rage when she saw him. But when she opened the door and he saw how blood shot her eyes were; his heart sank to the ground.

“Don’t tell me; let me guess: you’re here to further humiliate me more than I already am, right?”, she asked him in a flat voice.

“No I’m not. I’m here to…to…apologize for the way I acted tonight.”, he replied.

“Ohhhhhhhh! So you’re here to offer me some hollow ass I’m sorry, right? I don’t even know why I’m even bothering to look at you; much less listen to ANYTHING you have to say. But since you’re the one paying for this room and I’m stuck in a foreign country with no other way home; come on in…boss.”, she said as she let him in.

“You’ve got 5 minutes! Starting now!”, she hissed.

Once inside; Sam turned to her, took a deep breath and said, “I have no excuse or excuses for the way I behaved towards you tonight. I lost my temper as well as my mind; when I yelled at you. I took every ounce of jealousy, frustration and anger I had in me out on you; when I had no right nor business doing so. Especially when you did absolutely nothing wrong. This may seem and sound like it’s hollow but I swear to you; when I say that I am truly sorry I mean it, Krystal. I don’t deserve your forgiveness and I damn sure don’t deserve you. But Krystal; I am begging you for the chance to prove that I that I can earn both.”

In that moment; she HATED him. Rightfully so. He deserved it. He deserved every bit of fury she had in her.

She glared at him with tears of anger and heartbreak in her eyes as she says; with her voice raised, “You’re right about that Sam. You DON’T deserve me or my forgiveness. You deserve that harpy you’re “engaged” to. You deserve to see your boys unhappy whenever they’re around her. You deserve to want more but are to scared to reach for it because; you don’t want to upset dear old daddy! You don’t deserve all of what I’ve given you! All of what I’ve done for you! I have given you all of me and more and it is never enough! I am never enough!”

He started to interject but she stopped him as she continued, “I’m…not…done! And you wanna know something else: I’m tired of all of it! I’m tired of you telling me one thing but; doing another. I’m tired of you saying that you love me but running scared when it’s time to prove it. I’m tired of being so close but not being able to touch you. I’m tired of missing you when you’re gone. I’m tired of my heart fluttering when you look at me. I’m tired of constantly needing you. I’m tired of wanting you to touch me. I’m tired of not being able to kiss you whenever I feel like it. I’m tired of being crazy about you. And God knows that I’m tired of…being madly in love with you!”

With tears flowing; she finished with, “Because; it’s not enough. And I’m starting to believe that it never will be. I will never be enough for you Sam Dalton. And you know why? Because; Sam Dalton doesn’t want me. At least not the way that I deserve to be wanted.”

At that point; she was out of breath and struggling to not break down crying. He wasn’t angry at her; he couldn’t be. He caused this. He put her through hell and has been oblivious it until now.

The pain was too much to bear. He had to fix this. He broke her and now he’s trying not to lose her. “Krystal please listen to me. You know that you’re enough. Hell, you’re more than enough! And I know that I don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve your devotion. I don’t deserve your time. I don’t deserve to watch you make my boys the happiest I’ve ever known them to be. I don’t deserve to see how much you love and care about them. And I most certainly don’t deserve your love for me. I know all of this. But I am pleading with you…hell I am begging you…don’t give up now.”

She stared at him and said, “why not? Why shouldn’t I walk away? Why shouldn’t I just leave you alone forever? I’ll tell you why! Because we both know that the minute I walk away; is the minute you’ll be on my ass! Giving me false hope once again! Telling me that you want me! That you care about me! That you need me! That you love me! And yet; all you’ll do is treat me like I mean nothing to you! You treat me like I’m some toy on a shelf; that you only play with when you’re horny and you want to get your rocks off then you put me back on the shelf! Like my feelings and emotions don’t matter at all!”

She took a deep breath; which was also an attempt to calm the tremors that were starting to rise; before she continued, “God! You know? Your brother maybe a 100% Pure Grade A asshole but; in the end he was right. Because in the end; I’m the one who winds up getting hurt. You get to walk away Scott free; while I’m left to pick up the pieces of my broken heart, life and soul. Sam; we both know that you’re gonna end up marrying her. And you wanna know what’s worse? What’s worse is you will make sure that I’m sitting right there watching it all happen!”

“Krystal I would never do that to you!”, he told her.

“Oh no? Aren’t you the same person; that had me plan your engagement party to her?”, she shot back at him.

He went silent; which caused her to scoff at him and say, “yeah. I thought so. God! You just don’t get it, do you? I love you Sam! More than you will ever know! Hell I am in love with you! More than I could ever explain! I will do anything for you! I will do anything just to be with you! And don’t get me started on those two boys! You know how much I love and care about them! You know how I always want to be with them! You know I would do any and everything for them! But! Once again; none of it is enough for you…”

She walks past him and heads out on her balcony. She was exhausted. She had just poured her heart out to him. As she gazed out onto the city; she had secretly hoped that he got the message she was trying to send. That’s when he joined her on the balcony.

“Krystal…look at me.”, he told her before she turned around to face him. He searched her eyes for what seemed like an eternity.

“Everything you said. It’s true. All of it. I have been a selfish, self centered, self absorbed and a completely cowardly son of a bitch to you. I’ve been so wrapped up in trying to make sure that I have something to leave my boys; long after I’m gone. I could say over and over again that I never intended to hurt you; but that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’ve hurt you, badly. And I swear on my wife…that I wasn’t trying to; but none of that matters. All that matters is what I say and do from now on. If you let me.”, he told her; before wrapping his arms around her. After a second or two; she returned his embrace and buried her face into his shoulder.

He rubbed her back in an attempt to stop her shaking before saying to her, “I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to go back to what my life was like; before I met you. I need you! I love you! So please hear when I say; that I am begging you not to leave. Because I know that you want to. And you have every right to leave me. But; I’m begging you for a chance to prove that you don’t have to leave. Because; Krystal you mean the world to me. You are my everything. I swear the only thing that matters to me. Outside of the boys; that is.”

She looked deep into his eyes and said, “I should…I should wash my hands of you; but I can’t walk away from you or the boys. I wanted to. Before you showed up; I was preparing myself to walk away and be done. But I can’t. Not now! Not ever! I’m not going anywhere, Sam. I’m staying right here. Because; you will be mine! Sofia be damned!”

He brought her lips to his. He wanted to taste her. He needed to taste her. She was like an addiction to him. The kiss was tender at first but soon turned blazing. He had to have her. She was perfect in his eyes. She could’ve shot someone in front of him and he would’ve acted like; she didn’t do a thing.

She broke their kiss to ask him, “will you stay with me, tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”

“Always kitten. Always.”, he replies as they headed back inside. Once inside he scooped her up in his arms; and carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently and then joined her. Once she was resting in his arms; he held onto her for dear life.

“Now that I have you; right where you need to be, can I ask you a question?”, he asked her. She nodded against his shoulder.

“Her majesty is having a women’s luncheon tomorrow; and I wanted to know if you would go as Dalton Enterprise’s representative?”, he asked her.

“I would love to!…if she actually was having a women’s luncheon tomorrow. But she’s not.”, she replied with a giggle.

“What do you mean?”, he asked her, clearly confused.

Krystal rolled her eyes good-naturedly and said, “I texted her as the boys and I were on our way back here to the hotel; and told her all about what happened. Let’s just say that she was not a happy camper with you. And she was even more disgusted with your fiancée. So we came up with this idea. She would give you a push in hopes that your mouth would do the rest. Looks like we were right.”

He shook his head with a chuckle and said, “yeah, I guess you both were…”

They kissed each other sweetly and were soon off to sleep.

@lucy-268 @txemrn @choicesficwriterscreations

I hope you have enjoyed my little series!

😘

#choices #choices fanfiction #pixelberry #choices stories you play #fanfic #khoicesbyk #choices tna #sam dalton #the nanny affair

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crazy-loca-blog · 4 years

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Personal thoughts on… 2019 releases (Part II)

Note: As the title says, these are just personal opinions on Choices books and chapters. Of course, you may agree or disagree with them, I only use this platform to express my thoughts on what I read every week.

Welcome to the second part of this three-part post. As I said in the first post, I will include current releases and books that were released on 2018 but finished in 2019. The list is organized in alphabetical order and it doesn’t include the VIP Books (as I don’t have access to the feature) or the seasonal books (as I’ll talk about them in another post, after all of them have been fully released). You may see Part I here.

PS: I’ll do my best to upload Part III today (Dec. 31), but I can’t make any promises because I won’t be home on New Year’s eve.

Desire & Decorum, Book 3 (August 4, 2019 - December 1, 2019): This is the only wedding book that made real sense to me this year… and it’s definitely my favorite wedding book of the year. It was the perfect closure for a series that didn’t convince me that much at first, but that I learned to love over time. We had this whole new plot with Harry that was a little weak, but at the same time it was a smart move, as it helped to keep a balance and to not overcharge things with the wedding. But can we just talk about the final chapter? It was simply adorable, I loved every part of it (honestly, I haven’t heard of anyone complaining on the final chapter yet). If I have to criticize something, I’d say the writers went too far with Mr. Sinclaire. The man went through hell in the first two books, I thought they would give him a break in the third one… I was so wrong! But overall, I really liked this book, the new characters such as Harry, Briar’s mom and Hamid’s mom gave some fresh air to the story and new plots such as matchmaking Luke and Anabelle’s sister were a nice twist. I’m pretty happy with this book.

High School Story: Class Act, Book 1 (October 8, 2018 - January 14, 2019): New cast, same school. I couldn’t actually say if I like or dislike this book more than the previous series because I actually feel it’s just impossible to compare them. The writers had a very difficult work to do, as they needed to make this cast different from the HSS one within the same environment, and I’d say they succeeded. Not only you can see the problems are different, but also the way they address their relationships is different, and it’s quite evident that they are younger kids that are transitioning into their teenage years more than teens thinking about graduating and going to college. We also went from this super popular MC and being prom king/queen to a MC who embarrasses himself/herself quite often and whose friends (except for Rory) are probably amongst the most unpopular kids in school. Finally, the fact that the story focuses in one specific school area (the theatre club) was a pretty smart move to not make this story a mess. So overall, it’s not one of my favorite books, but I enjoyed reading it and I appreciate the writers’ effort to make this series different from the first one.

High School Story: Class Act, Book 2 (February 11, 2019 - May 20, 2019): This is the theatre book where theatre is not seen anywhere. I’m not sure if this is the weakest book in the series (I think I still need to realize how Book 3 will end in a few weeks), but I admit I had to review the chapters’ summary because I couldn’t even remember what the book was about. The plot was simply lame, there are no big highlights in the story, we spent like half of it in the middle of a fight between Rory and our twin because they both want to be school president (can we talk about the fact that Maria is graduating?) and we appeared on TV. Our MC simply didn’t shine or did anything truly remarkable during this book. If it weren’t for Ajay’s parents’ divorce and the role our MC played on supporting his/her friend, this book would have been easily forgotten.

High School Story: Class Act, Book 3 (October 30, 2019 - Present): Honestly, I’m not a fan of mixing both HSS gangs in Book 3. It feels weird not to be able to control a MC that I was able to manage in the past. I also understand all the hype for going to London, but did we really need as many people as we see in this book? Where are people like Natalie or Danielle? I mean, I don’t like them, but they’ve belonged to this group since day 1. Anyway… I’m guessing this is the way the writers found for us to say goodbye to this series. After six books, I think it’s the perfect time to put High School Story to rest for a while, before it becomes a mess. Even though there are some chapters left, I can already tell what my favorite thing about this book (and this series) is: the issues these kids have to face in their personal lives are serious stuff. In the past, Rory’s mom had cancer and Ajay’s parents got divorced, and now we talk about Skye coming from an abusive family and our twins trying to find their roots. That was enough. I don’t think we needed Rory and Ajay facing new problems in this book. Instead, I would have preferred to see Rory working with Maria or Ajay dealing with the fact that he became “the man of the house” after his parents’ divorce. The idea was to see them “growing” throughout the series; unfortunately, this hasn’t happened yet.

It Lives Beneath (October 10, 2018 - January 30, 2019): This is the only book in the list I haven’t read… and there is a very specific reason for it. When It Lives In The Woods was first released, I noticed that a lot of the screenshots people were posting included spiders… a lot of them. As an aracnophobic myself, I just couldn’t even begin the first chapter of that book. Then, It Lives Beneath was released and I noticed that there were some characters from the first book, so I said “mmm… maybe I do need to read the first book because it might be linked to the second one”, so I never read it. However, I have to agree with the fandom on the fact that we need more mystery and horror books in the app. Sure, I’m a sucker for romance books, but at the same time, I’m totally capable to understand that we need more diversity in terms of books. So I’m totally waiting for this series to be revisited in the future, the fans deserve it.

Mother Of The Year (August 30, 2019 - Present): This God-tier book is one of those gifts that you don’t expect to be that nice, but it ends up being a treasure. It definitely climbed up in my personal list and went straight to the Top 2 of my favorite books in the app. Nobody had much hope on this story, but we ended up meeting an adorable daughter, a mom that was a warrior, three LIs that were simply adorable, one of the best BBFs that Choices has given us and Luz Mendez, probably one of the best characters in the app. Overall, the plot and the characters (even the evil ones!) were so real and relatable that I have to admit I went through every single possible feeling while reading the book… I laughed, I cried, I screamed, and I got mad at times. And of course, my heart broke when we realized that this was a standalone book. But do I really want it to become a series? I’m not that sure. There is a part of me who wouldn’t like to see a second book because the ending was so precious that I wouldn’t like it to be ruined with a second book. On the other hand, I love the story so much that it makes me sad to realize we won’t be getting anything new from these beautiful people. However, I think the story is perfect to make a Christmas or a Halloween special, focused on the kids… maybe even a summer book! This book definitely deserves to be revisited in the future.

Nightbound (April 24, 2019 - July 31, 2019): I’m not surprised by the end of Nightbound, but I’m definitely sad. I had problems trying to understand the book at first because I’m not the type of person who’s into supernatural and magical stuff (I have to admit this also causes me some problems even when trying to understand the plots in books such as Bloodbound and The Elementalists, despite I think those are good series). I may even have to replay it to fully understand it. But there are some things that are pretty clear to me: the book is well written, the book is good, the book has awesome characters and most importantly, the book is DIFFERENT, something that this fandom has been asking for a long time now. So I was quite shocked when the writers said the book wasn’t doing as good as they thought. Does this book deserve a sequel? Absolutely! Even though I think it got a proper closure, I also think the plot has a lot of potential that could be explored. As that won’t be happening, I really hope to see some of these characters in Bloodblound 3, just as we saw Cal in Bloodbound 2.

Open Heart (February 22, 2019 - June 7, 2019): Sorry, but right now I think my opinion will be completely biased because this is my absolute favorite book in the app. There’s just nothing I don’t love about it. The balance between the romance and the professional stories is one of the bests (if not the best) in the app, the characters are well written, the medical plot is interesting and it addresses many of the current conflicts in health care… it’s just a masterpiece. On the romantic side, it doesn’t matter if you go straight to Bryce or Jackie or if you preferred the slow burn with Rafael (actually, can he be considered a “slow burn”?) or Ethan, the writers took their time for the MC to befriend them, we got to deeply know these people (except for Bryce and Jackie… I’m so waiting to know more about them!) before making a choice, and not all of the romance stories ended up with happy endings and fairy tails, so yeah… it’s my perfect book. Can’t wait for the second one!

Passport to Romance (March 20, 2019 - June 19, 2019): Probably my biggest disappointment of the year. The idea behind this story seemed nice, we could have learned about so many places, we could have laughed about so many of the troubles that people travelling on a budget face, we could have had a series instead of a standalone book. Instead, we got a MC who was always late, who seemed to be quite irresponsible with her job, who lived a life of luxury and who suddenly became BFF with people he/she had just met. Come on, they were nice people (even though at some point I just wanted to make Elliot disappear), but again… we had just met, it’s not like you can’t live without them. On top of that, I can’t even remember how many times this gang violated some rules… sure, Yvette was happy, but it might have cost you an expulsion from Europe, which is not nice if you’re a travel blogger. Let’s add up the non-sense of some situations. I know that books are supposed to be a mix between fiction and reality, but I think they went too far this time. I mean… why would the coach allow Ahmed to travel with a group of strangers instead of travelling with the rest of the team? Especially if he’s a professional athlete and he’s competing in an important championship... sorry guys, but there’s nothing I can rescue from this book.

Platinum (May 30, 2019 - September 19, 2019): This is definitely one of my favorite stories this year, and sorry… but I will never get over the fact that this is a standalone book. This book is so unique in so many ways… for the first time, we heard voices and we heard people singing… we also got Avery and Raleigh, two LIs that were gender customizable… the secondary characters were gold… the plot was so cliché but so attractive at the same time… and I could continue. Reading it every week was a real pleasure, you were actually waiting to find out what would happen the next week, and at some point, it seemed like it was the only book that people talked about. However, creating this book was expensive, and well... that just sucks. It would have been so nice to see our MC touring with her friends, taking new risks, visiting new places, and receiving the rock star treatment that she deserved. This book still has a solid fanbase (especially in Tumblr), so it’s just sad it won’t be revisited in the future.

#playchoices #choices stories you play #desire and decorum #high school story #high school story class act #it lives series #it lives beneath #mother of the year #nightbound #open heart #passport to romance #platinum #hss #hssca #ilb #moty #nb #oh #ptr

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umccall71 · 5 years

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Chapter 13

Characters:Prince Liam x (mc) Lady Saige

Rating:Mature Content includes profanity, sexual content,talks about depression.

Word Count:3949

Disclaimer: All characters used are sole property of Pixelberry. I am simply borrowing them for entertainment.

Summary:After a summer of a Lifetime Prince Liam thought he could have it all. He was carefree, free, and sharing time with the woman of his dreams. When life as easy a balancing act between love and duty, he realizes his truths are lies, wrong is right, and decisions do have consequences.Lady Saige never imagined she would be one of his consequences. When an act of utter horror throws her world into a tailspin.

Warning: This series contains subject matter of depression and hopelessness .The story may trigger certain individuals. Please be advised. If your reading this series you are acknowledging you are at least 18 +.

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

It had been a month since Constantine requested that Liam take over as king as he was stepping down for health reasons. Liam was unwavering in his stipulation that only Constantine and Regina are out of the palace before his coronation. He wanted absolute certainty that Saige would not have to share her new home with her attacker for one night.Liam reveled in his role as her husband and protector. This was tantamount to anything else… keeping her safe.Liam has just finished up a call when he eyed Saige coming down the stairs at Lythikos.

“Are you getting ready for your appointment?”, Liam inquires.

“Yes… I’m meeting with Dr. Ashton in 30 minutes.”

“You seem a lot more relaxed since you found someone new…. I know how important your group meetings and therapist was back in Texas.”

Saige nods in agreement while biting her lip, “it’s … been helpful. Especially… since the news of you becoming king.”

Liam wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. “Are you still in agreement with my taking over as the next monarch of Cordonia?”

Saige perched on her tiptoes and kissed Liam’s chin. “My love… I am all in with you becoming king. I know this a part of who you are. I respect that your willing in spite of everything to step in ….. in your father’s place… in your brother’s place.”

“I’m glad to hear that you are on board. You do know if at any time it becomes too much. I will not go through with it.”, he looked at Saige lovingly.

Saige felt such an overwhelming love, respect, and dedication to this man that changed her life in such a brief amount of time.She thought how she spent years on her own, fending for herself… now she can’t picture life without him.

“Liam, you have nothing to worry about . I’m fine. I am getting used to the new doctor you found.”, she smiled tenderly. “Thank you for finding her and her willingness to come here to meet with me.”

Liam kissed her fervently and not wanting to let go but he reluctantly pulled back after several minutes.Liam rested his head against hers, “ I hate leaving you Saige… but I know your in good hands. I have a meeting at the palace to confirm some details for the coronation. I wish I could stay here and be present for your appointment, but I want you to be comfortable with speaking freely.”

Liam placed a kiss on Saige’s forehead and bid her farewell. He turned back as he reached the door. He smiled tenderly and blew her a kiss. “ I will see you shortly my love..I love you .”

“ I love you so much Liam.”, she smiled and waved him off.

Liam arrived at the palace an hour later prepared to draw a line in the sand and stake his position in regards to the events of the coming weeks. Liam arrived at the study and was met by Bastien and Constantine with a host of advisors.

“Good Morning everyone… lets get down to business.”, he say at the head of the conference table.Liam surveyed the room before opening the briefs that were laid out in front of each of them.

Constantine seemed proud in that moment to watch his youngest son take control. “Liam, there’s a lot of decisions that need to be made before the ceremony. We cannot have your reign threatened by any sign of instability.”I would….”Liam quickly shot a warning look at his father, “my perception in the eyes of other leaders is not a concern you needn’t have at this time. I can assure you… my decision of how to lead… will not be swayed by you. In fact, your focus should be on making sure the staff get you and Regina packed up to start settling into your new home.”

Constantine scoffed, “you were not serious about me leaving .. I would think you would want to have me close by for my counsel.”

Liam steepled his fingers, eyes honed in on his, he leaned back and crossed his legs, “Would you all leave me alone for a private moment with my father?”,Liam barely spoke above a whisper but the room cleared out in a matter of moments.

Bastien glanced between the two men, cautiously moving toward the door. “Sir… are you wanting me leave as well?”, he spoke hesitantly. “If you fear my lashing out again, I can restrain myself Bastien.He won’t die… at least not today… at my hands.”

Bastien left the study, closing the door behind himself.

Liam locked eyes with Constantine sending a coldness through his nonverbal communication. “For some reason you seemed to think that I was asking you to leave...no it is a requirement… you will not darken a room that my wife May come into. The only job you have is figuring out how not to die too soon from your Cancer. This is non negotiable, you heard my terms for taking over… now deal with them!”,he spat. “Did you really think I would want to take any advice from you.. especially knowing the type of animal you are?”,Liam spoke through clenched teeth. “The coronation is in 3 weeks, you need to be out in two. I need to make sure my wife can come in and make decisions for her new home.You will be gone from this palace whether you like it or not. Which is far better than you deserve you derelict.”

Constantine’s nostrils flared, he bit his words back avoiding the pending confrontation. “What exactly are you wanting from me Liam?”

Liam stood from his seat and walked around to face his father, mere inches from his face, “ I want you gone from my orbit… you violated the woman I love and you expect what… a thank you?! I want nothing more than for you to pass on the reigns to me and disappear in the sunset while you cease to breathe.”Constantine stood to walk out, he stopped short to speak, but Liam halted his words with the raising of his hand.

The advisers and Bastien filed past Constantine as he left the room. Liam took a deep breath, firmed his stance and commanded that the advisers complete their briefing. “We need to lock down the decisions for the coronation and I also need to meet with the royal tailor … I need to make sure the dress for Saige is perfect for the Coronation.”The advisers looked at each other a bit confused, Bastien nodded, “yes sir”, being the only one in the room to know the relationship.

The meeting went on for a couple more hours, Liam deciding music, food, decor, processional,and privately the moment he would announce to the royal court once he’s crowned king that he had his Queen.

Saige sat in the parlor of Lythikos speaking to Dr. Ashton. She spoke freely about transitioning from life in Texas to being married to a prince, now crowned prince, and in a matter of weeks he would be crowned king.

“Saige… what do you think about the impending transfer of power? More importantly you becoming Queen?”, the doctor asked.

Saige contemplated her words momentarily before answering, I am more concerned with Liam taking his place on the throne. I mean… not many people know that we got married or even that we were dating”,she shrugged. “I don’t want to make this about me… it’s about that generous man that takes on the weight of the world.”

The doctor scribbled some notes, “Saige, you do realize that as Queen you will have certain expectations… right?”

“Yes I know, and the bad dreams will subside soon once we have our own space.” The doctor interrupted, “you have been having bad dreams… what about?”, she leaned forward listening thoughtfully.

“ I guess with a life in the spotlight.. that so many people will be assuming things about me. Like I am not fit to be married to Liam, like I am beneath him , people will think they can do things to me and against me.”

“Saige there will always be a subset of people that have a mindset of what the life of the upper echelon should look, act, speak, interact like ...they don’t know you … but they will.”, she touched Saige’s hand encouragingly.

“ I’m willing to do what needs to be done to grow into the role, but I… i'm nervous.”,she wrung her hands.

“About?”, the doctor asked.

“What if I can’t … if I can’t give Liam a child… an heir? I don’t want anyone , especially his family to treat him like he’s made a horrible mistake. I want to make him happy and proud. Liam is the first man I ever considered a lifetime with, a future, a family… I can’t disappoint him.”, the stress evident in her eyes.

Dr. Ashton eyes were widened, “I can’t see Prince Liam thinking anything other than you being extraordinary in his eyes…. you are a strong young woman Saige facing a big responsibility. You have to remember that you are you first, his wife second, and Queen third. Allow yourselves to depend on each other ...to be open… to be vulnerable… to just be human without the weight of the crown. There will be enough of that stress and insurmountable expectations outside of the two of you.”, she smiled at Saige.

Saige flashed a soft smile feeling a little bit better after speaking to Dr. Ashton. She walked her out to the door where she ran into Liam coming up the stairs. A huge smile spread across her face. Dr. Ashton appreciated being a witness into this private moment seeing the love shared between them in just a few seconds. “Your highness… it’s wonderful to see you again.”, she bowed.

“Dr. Ashton… no need to be so formal here. I am happy with the help you are providing.” They waived to the doctor as she drove away.

Liam and Saige spent the rest of the evening in their suite with a light dinner before turning in for the evening. They both lounged around, Liam wearing pajama pants and Saige wearing pajama shorts and a tank top with her hair pulled up top in a messy bun. Liam stared smiling into her ocean blue eyes as they curled up watching a movie. Saige glanced at him smirking, “what are you staring at Liam?”

He just basked in the feeling of love he has for his soon to be queen.”I am just happy to see you so relaxed and just enjoying our time together.” He squeezed her close to his chest as they watched a romantic comedy. Liam never fancied himself a connoisseur of any particular genre of movies.

“Liam it’s great to just be here with you… doing nothing… just being together.”, she grinned softly.

Liam leaned down and gently kissed her lips, he whispered, “you know you make me the luckiest man alive”, he nipped her skin beneath her ear. Liam’s fingertips traced lazy circles across her bare skin of her shoulder, her thigh, drawing likes against the fabric of her tank top. He suddenly started to tickle her teasingly. Saige rolled around in a fit of giggles, pure uninhibited laughter filling the room . Liam could never get enough of hearing that sound. They ripped around in laughter until the playfulness turned into exploratory passion.

Liam and Saige quickly pulled at each other’s clothes until they rubbed against each other completely bare. Liam’s erect manhood danced across Saige’s ass as he pulled at her tender skin from her neck leading a fiery path down her shoulders, her back, he playfully bit her ass cheek before landing a resounding thwack.

He flipped her body over, she laid on her back, arms over her head being held in place by his large hand , while the other grazed her breasts, her stomach, her thighs, he then parted her thighs allowing access to her moistened center. “Aww , Love… your so wet for me already. Is all of this for me?”, he teased in a low growl , seducing her with his eyes, his lips, his hands, and most impressive hardened length tapping at her entrance. “Do you feel that?... that’s all from you love… it’s what you do me”,he let out a laugh pondering what he wanted to do to Saige.

“Do you want to talk to him, let him know how much you want him… thrusting inside your hungry sex. You crave it don’t you?”, she started squirming in anticipation, “yes”, she stumbled breathlessly to get out of her lips. “Do you want to taste it on your pretty little mouth my love?”, he moaned softly playing with her slick folds with his hardened tip. “Yes… oh Liam please”, she pleaded. In that moment he released her hands and sat up on his knees knelt over her. Saige’s lust blown eyes devoured his body as she positioned herself on her stomach raising her head to meet eye level with his cock.She planted a kiss on the tip, she slightly parted her lips granting his length access to protrude her mouth feeling the welcoming warmth of her hollowed cheeks, she smirked as she swallowed more of his length with each stroke of his treasure passing her lips.

Saige locked eyes with Liam watching as he relaxed and then tensed each time he felt the build of pleasure about to erupt. He bellowed her name as she delivered skillful erotic conversations with her lips, her tongue flattened and curving under his shaft as he moved his hips meeting her mouth pleasingly.

“Fuck Saige, that feel fucking amazing.”, his hips bucked as he fought to hold back his release.His hands trailed down her arched back massaging and gently gliding down to her ass. He leaned slightly, just enough to reach her soaked core, throbbing, waiting patiently to feel him stretch her , fitted to him like a glove.

Liam's fingers felt the slickness from her wet folds, he rubbed them from her ass down to her clit. He teased her by slowly slipping one finger inside of her, massaging that special spot as he curled and hit repeatedly. Soon it was joined by a second digit both delivering agonizing pleasure as she pushed her ass back and forth, trying to adjust and ride his fingers. Liam’s thumb rubbed slow circles on her clit while his fingers developed a partnership learning how much she was enjoying feeling him inside with his fingers, but she really wanted the complete occupation of her sex by his massive length.

Saige hummed in approval swallowing his cock as he hit the back of her throat, “Damn… that’s my girl… just like that. You certainly know what I want.”, he spoke through uneven gasp . Saige was under his spell as he pumped away while she smirked pleasuring Liam. She spun beneath him , lying on her back, still bobbing away at his cock. She parted her thighs wider, arching her back off of the bed. He knew that she was mesmerized in the feeling of her wanting hole being filled by him, but he wanted to share in the feeling of his mouth on her nectar sliding down her lips and thighs from desire.

Liam leaned forward meeting her sex with his eager mouth, he gently tugged on her lips before flipping to his back , her frame now hovered over his face, she’s sucking effortlessly, as he parts lips with his tongue massaging her womanhood. Liam ran his tongue the full length of her sex front to back, as if he were a starved man savoring his last meal. His tongue swirled , sucked, delved into her lips before finding his way to the pearl of her clit.

Saige grinded her hips into his mouth, her core tightening as if a dam about to break. Saige tickled his cock with the tip of her tongue as she so desperately wanted to lose it . “Oh Liam … please don’t.. don’t stop”, she breathed out. That was music to his ears as his picked up his pace, lips locked around her clit as he slid his two fingers in her again working every inch of her pleasure path.

Saige was pushing down on his fingers and his tongue, wanting to feel him paint her inner walls. He knew she was close, he felt her walls tightening, constricting around his fingers. He knew it was near when her lips were pulsing around his tongue. Liam uttered beneath her, “cum for me love… show me what I do to you”, in that moment her body jerked and convulsed as she came undone on top of Liam. She locked her lips tighter around his throbbing shaft. Liam met her mouth thrusting up letting out low groans each time. Finally he couldn’t take it and he flipped Saige onto her back, pulling her body to be centered on the bed as he opened her thighs and thrust into her hard with one fluid motion.

Saige bit her lip from the welcomed intrusion. She loved feeling Liam make love to her and please her. She had no comparison to go by, but she felt he was made to pleasure her, she thought this must be what love feels like, this physical, emotional,exhilarating connection between two people that want to share their lives together.

He allowed her a brief moment to adjust, “oh my love… your so tight, I love feeling you and filling you”,he panted as he delivered long, sensually, stimulating strokes building a fire in her belly from the overwhelming sensation of the pleasure he was made to share with her. “Do you like that?”, he whispered and moan as he sucked on her neck and the sensitive spot by her ear. She rolled her hips into him as he drove deeper into her wanting hole . “Yes… god yes”, was all she could get out of her mouth.

Liam felt like he couldn’t get enough of her, he laid chest to chest with her, he gripped her ass cheeks as he thrusted repeatedly into her savoring every stroke they shared. His body towered over hers, he had a perfect combination of dominance and gentile love as they made love. Liam pushed off his toes digging into the mattresses his ass tightened as he too neared his climax.

Saige tried to focus on his smoldering eyes as they made love, but her body was no longer her own. She felt like a siren connecting with her god. She gyrated against him, barely able to move with the welcome weight of his body atop her own. “ Liam… I’m about to …”, she panted struggling to speak. “Cum for me Saige.. I want to watch you come for me baby “,he groaned sending her body over the edge as he felt his length coated with a wetness from inside her. Liam drove himself deeper, harder inside , riding her orgasm out to the fullest. He couldn’t tear his eyes away as blue eyes met blue eyes in passion. He plunged his tongue in her mouth and they tangled together as she continued to come undone. She screamed into his mouth that fought to muffle the sounds of her pleasure. In that moment she met her third release, this time joined by Liam in his own release. Saige cried out, “I want to feel all of you in me Liam, I want your seed in me. I hope we make a baby tonight”, the words crept out before she realized what she saying, but she also realized that she would welcome having a child with him.

Liam felt his heart explode with the love in hearing that she too was open to the family they wanted to share . Liam continued to thrust deeper through his release determined to share all he had in that moment. His lips found hers again and he smiled softly as he kissed her, pulling at her bottom lip. They both wouldn’t move trying to come down from the high of this night. Soon Liam laid aside Saige as he stroked her arm, the curve of her waist , her hip before he kissed her nose. She looked so relaxed and peaceful in that moment.

Liam took a hesitant breath before he gathered his words to ask her, “Saige… did you mean what you said while we.. were making love? That you wanted to try for a child?”, he waited with bated breath.

She rolled into his side, burying her face in his chest for a moment, “Liam, I don’t regret what I said. Your the only man I have ever even considered giving myself to wholeheartedly, let alone thinking of the family I want to share with you, if… if that’s what you want too”, she rose up to face him, she cupped his cheek kissing him lovingly. I guess it felt so real when you were making love to me. I’m not going to say it doesn’t scare me a little, but I’m opened to the possibility of having your child.”

“I was so young when we lost my mother, so I can’t really say that I am fully prepared or have any real reference, but I am willing to try.”, she sniffed back tears that were threatening to spill over.

“Saige.. I have never wanted someone as badly as you. I never saw a path forward to being in love, wanting a life and a family with anyone. When I see the mother of my child… it’s only you. I couldn’t fathom sharing this experience with anyone other than you.”, Liam too become misty eyed talking about creating a family. “I couldn’t feel closer to you than in this moment.”, he pulled her close. “ This is the moment I want to cherish… the moment we decided that we want a family, a real family.”, Liam smiles wide just as Saige began to drift off. “ Are you hungry love… I’m gonna get snack.. be back shortly.

Liam sat up in the bed before he slid his pajama pants and a T-shirt on heading down to the kitchen. The chateau was dark, only a few wall sconces lit up the path. He quietly tiptoes down the grand staircase when his attention is bought to the parlor on the way to the kitchen. He doesn’t try to see but the door is slightly ajar. His curiosity is piqued when he hears a familiar male voice coming from the parlor. The voice is not loud, but resonates in the quiet .

He’s interrupted from his thought when he heard a woman moaning… he heard her voice dominate and commanding, “fuck me Drake, I don’t want to be able to walk tomorrow.. your cock is huge… make me feel every bit of it “, she moaned. Liam stopped dead in his tracks and cranes his head around the small opening,

“Drake… is fucking Olivia?Where the hell have I been ?”, he whispered and slowly backed away from the door continuing to the kitchen wondering what the hell he walked in on.

Upstairs while Liam is getting a snack Saige begins to slip into a dream state. She dreams of being in a bed after having given birth to Liam’s child.There is a pair of outstretched arms to the baby… only the arms don’t belong to Liam… but Constantine. “Noooo… get away!!!” Saige’s body jerks up fighting to catch her breath , quiet tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. Saige rolls to her side trying to compose herself before Liam’s return.

********

@ao719 @sashatrr @elles-choices @hopefulmoonobject @carabeth @indiacater @jared2612 @lauradowning29 @blackcoffee85 @3pawandme @wughhumans @whenyourheartskipsabeat @syphaxs@romanticatheart-post @smalltalk88 @gibbles82 @choices97 @furiousherringoperatortoad @custaroonie @marietrinmimi @jovialyouthmusic @ownworldresident @thesootsprite @drakesensworld @fantasy-of-fiction

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malyceaduncastellan · 5 years

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Another random Open Heart rant: Ethan x MC slowburn

WOW. Okay. Just need to settle down for a bit because Ethan fucked me up today.

First, Naveen TOTALLY ships MC and Ethan and I love it x)

Second, the fact Ethan thinks MC is the only one he can trust with all of this? YES. YES. MC IS BITCH. MC’S A FUCKING CUTIE PIE AND PROBABLY ONE OF THE KINDEST MC EVER.

Third? Hum, his diamond scene? Guys? Just how much does that hurt? I like that Ethan doesn’t try to act like nothing happened. Something happened between him and MC. He even KNOWS something is still happening but he’s not letting himself go once again. And it hurts him like crazy.

Wanna let me rant again? Honestly, I’m good at analyzing all of this so I’ll do it. I don’t think any LI so far in the books loves MC as much as Ethan does. I’m not saying it won’t happen, but so far, that man is the only one who’s fully acknowledging there truly is something between him and MC.

Not to be mean, but Bryce and Jackie seem more like hook-ups for now than anything serious. Kyra and Rafael? Barely see them enough to have built anything. So well, I know about what you say when it comes to this : “Nanana, forced LI blablabla” Well I’m not there to dwell on it pals, sorry, not fair to you guys.

What I mean is, you’ve been complimenting PB about this AMAZING SLOWBURN for a week (it’s not stopping anytime soon with what we got today) but why is it so well done?

Personaly, I think slowburns are boring. I mean, intended slowburns. Like, for real. I’m not one to spend much time on people getting together in my stories. I can develop relationships, make a crush obvious, make you ship my characters but this won’t be what defines their relationship.

And I think this is exactly WHY this one is so good. When I spoke about how Ethan had a good character evolution before, it’s actually part of it. MC’s also a really good character when you think about it but for now I’ll let this case open for later.

What makes a relationship? Hugs, stares? Maybe thoughts or feelings? TUDUD, you’re wrong. What makes a relationship is actually the people who compose that relationship. Their own story, beliefs, past and thoughts, and whatever links all of that.

Ethan and MC’s relationship is unconventional to say the least. They share a secret that was first kept exclusively by Ethan. Having this discovered forced Ethan to open. He needed MC to understand him so he would have them as an ally.

Before, yelling at MC, or belittling them for the likes of it wasn’t a problem, because they were an intern, not “Someone” to him, this I developed earlier. In addition, MC and Ethan share something : They don’t give up. Never. Or, at least, they don’t want to give up. That sets their relationship as a friendly one, with professionnal and personal respect for both parts, and mutual understanding.

Then we’re going on the romantic aspect of that relationship. Ethan ain’t someone to get close to anyone. If anything, having to become close all of a sudden to MC... Well, I’m pretty sure it messed him up big time. Ethan didn’t have anyone who challenged him emotionaly speaking. Naveen’s case is making him desperate and then MC’s showing up and understands everything? Gift from heaven.

On both sides, there’s this kind of duality:While MC craves for Ethan’s recognition and for his approval professionnaly speaking, they’re personnally connected with him and it makes him more human, less frightening : MC is becoming bold with him lately. He’s not just the boss, the role model or the inspiration, he’s a man who needs help and goody two shoes MC’s willing to see him as what he really is to achieve that.

Ethan, on the other hand? Completely forced out of his comfort zone. First, he’s the boss, he’s the one controlling everything, including MC, all of the other interns, his patient’s case, the diagnosis team, the intern competition... He’s the man, a man of capacity, a man of decision. And on the other side? He doesn’t control anything. MC’s an intern but an intern who knows his secret, he can’t suddenly order them around for anything for suddenly they’re equals. MC’s the one leading their relationship actually, he doesn’t control it, he’s merely under the influence of it. Suddenly by his side is someone caring, confident and competent enough they can’t help him, someone’s who’s seen him truly.

MC’s totally controlling that relationship and I think Ethan’s been telling himself he’d let them. And by letting himself go he went into “dangerous” thoughts and he let MC in way more than he thought he did, hence the “What are you doing to me?” from last week. He never meant for this relationship to cross that line and I’m beginning to believe he didn’t realize how far it had gone until that night in Miami.

On MC’s side, I could find you proof the same development happened but honestly MC’s more an open book for us so I won’t develop.

Therefore, they built this relationship on the evolution of it. They went with the flow, MC dwelling more and more in Ethan’s life and Ethan’s letting them in, leading them to THIS situation where MC asks for honesty and the only honest response is that a line was crossed.

But THIS is why that slowburn is good. Because the characters are feeling it. They’re hurting about it. There is SOMETHING. Something that hurts, something that slightly burns. Something they can name, something they can talk about, something they know they will lose the fight to.

“We’re doctors, we fight the inevitable” I mean, Ethan doesn’t believe a word of what he says. He can try and force himself to stop crossing those lines but he knows there’s a chance he won’t be able to. MC needs honesty for it’s well deserved, because there is something and nothing’s happening yet and they know this something can change in a nick of time.

The slowburn is working because they know they’re in one. They’re characters before they are a relationship and both their character make it so they perfectly know something lit a flame, the flame is still burning swiftly, it’s only a matter of time until grows and only a matter of time until it bursts.

They both want more, and because they’re characters and we can relate to them, we want more to, making the slowburn efficient.

That’s it, I’m done for that one.

#open heart #ethan ramsey

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silver-wields-a-pen · 5 years

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Illthdar High: An au fan fiction

Monday Morning Imogen tried not to focus on the stench of sweaty socks and body odour as she sucked face with Salem behind the gym bleachers. They had ten minutes before the first bell which meant five minutes before Coach Phanuel would walk in with his Egg Mc Muffin and coffee. She memorized the gym teacher’s morning routine as soon as she realized they needed a place to meet up in secret. If anyone in the school knew she was making out with the loser who thought he was a vampire, it would ruin her reputation. She still wasn’t entirely sure why she had let this go on as long as she had. All she knew was that she and Salem ended up alone at some party a few weeks ago and kissed. Since then, she’d made up a lot of excuses to sneak away and meet him for another make-out session. He was a surprisingly good kisser. Most guys Imogen kissed got way too eager with their tongue, making for a very sloppy and wet technique. Salem did not. And he's kinda cute… for a dork who likes to spend his time playing fantasy dress up. Imogen opened one eye to check her watch. 7:55. Already? She pulled away from Salem. “It’s almost time for class. We should go,” she said, trying to hide her disappointment by reaching into her messenger bag for some lip gloss. Sure enough, she could hear Coach Phanuel’s humming coming from down the hall. “Remember––”

He stopped her by grabbing her hand and gently placing a kiss on top. “I know, I know. I won’t tell a soul,” he finished. She pulled her hand away. “Don’t make me regret this more than I already do.” She left at a brisk walk before he could notice the blush colouring her cheeks. She hated how much she enjoyed the way her hand tingled where his lips had been.

~*~*~ “Hey man, where were you?” Rhovan asked as Salem walked up to their table in the cafeteria. He was sitting with the other members of the band, Date and Xyl, as they discussed the upcoming talent show. They had little success on agreeing on the set list. Rhovan kept arguing for more solos and Xyl had to point out that even Date had a difficult time screaming over the drums.

Date, as usual, was only half paying attention. He mumbled a quick “Hey,” before returning to scribbling lyrics on the nearest napkin. “I… had to get something from my locker,” Salem lied, taking a seat next to his friends. “Well, you don’t have much time left before the breakfast line closes,” Xyl pointed out. “I’ve already had my meal.” He smiled wide, so they could see the red tint of his teeth as he pulled out the flask he always carried. It had taken Salem ages to find the perfect juice product to give the desired effect. Hawaiian Punch was the perfect substitute for blood.

Xyl and Rhovan both rolled their eyes. “Look, I’m just saying it doesn’t work with our image,” Xyl said to Rhovan, returning to the argument Salem interrupted. “Of course it does, man. Tell him, Date.” Date looked up at his name, blinking back confusion. “What?” “Aren’t you even listening?” Rhovan asked, running his hands through his electric blue hair. “This concerns all of us,” agreed Xyl. Date sighed in a long-suffering manner, flicking his long dark hair out of his face and turning his black-lined eyes towards the bickering duo. They should know better than to interrupt him when he was in ‘the zone.’ How could they perform without his lyrics to inspire and direct them? Still, he knew these idiots well enough to know that they wouldn’t shut up until he paid attention to what they were saying. “Fine, I’m listening. What?” ~*~*~ Vyxen watched her brother join his friends from across the room as she finished her own breakfast. All of her meals were plastic wrapped and separated from everyone else’s. Today it was a rock-hard blueberry muffin and a clementine on the side. Her allergies to nuts and gluten made it difficult to eat out anywhere, and she always carried her epi pen just in case. “Do you want your chocolate milk?” She turned to her friend, Raemina. “No, you can have it,” she replied, distracted and having just made eye contact with Rhovan. Beside her, Nyima wrapped her sweater more tightly around her shoulders and shivered. “I wish they’d turn the heat up in here. It’s always so drafty!” Vyxen shrugged as she took the carton off Raemina’s tray, noticing Jingyi watching from the end of a table where he sat by himself, trying not to take up too much space. “I know you said he's not,” she commented to Nyima, “but he is totally checking you out.” “He's not,” Nyima insisted, glancing at Jingyi and blushing.

Raemina snorted, but didn't take her eyes off Rhovan across the room. “You can practically hear his thoughts, he's so transparent.” She wished Rhovan was like that.

“Yup,” Vyxen agreed, nodding. “He thinks you look pretty—which is given because you are—and he wants to ask you out, but he's a boy, so he's freaking.”

Nyima ducked her head and glanced at Jingyi again, trying to see what her friends did. The bell rang and Jingyi sprang up from his seat and said, “I’ve gotta go,” to no one in particular and dashed out of the cafeteria.

Nyima's face burned with sympathetic embarrassment as he nearly tripped over the garbage can.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid.” He looked at Nyima to see if she saw and grew flustered when he caught her looking and ran out. Raemina, finally dragging her eyes away from Rhovan’s glittering aqua eyes, just shook her head. “You know, I’m no expert on love but even I can tell that he has a thing for you. You should talk to him.” Nyima choked, pausing mid-way up from her chair to stare at Raemina with wide, terrified eyes. “I couldn’t,” she mumbled, getting up and fiddling with the contents in her plain, dark blue backpack to give her hands something to do. “I wouldn’t know what to say. You guys know I don’t do well under pressure.” “She’s right,” Vyxen agreed with Nyima, sipping her chocolate milk as she stood up and gathered her backpack. “I wouldn’t be able to just walk up and talk to a guy like that, that’d be too scary.” “Like how you can’t even function when Date is in the same space as you?” Nyima asked with a little grin, eager to push attention away from herself. Vyxen deflated. “I tried to talk to him once. He didn’t even know my name. I’ve been in the same class with him since third grade and he's been coming over to my house to hang with Salem since middle school,” she lamented sadly.

Nyima gave her a hug. “Boys are dumb.” “And anyways,” Vyxen continued as the three of them shuffled into the hallway to join the throng of students heading to class, “if it was so easy, Rae, you would have done it a long time ago.” Raemina sighed again, thinking of long blue hair. She could not think of any reason to defend herself for not approaching Rhovan other than the same anxiety the other two were feeling. “Yeah, you’re right.” ~*~*~ “We’re gonna have another late practice tonight because the JV girls can’t get their act together. Seriously, I don’t know how any of them think they’ll ever make Varsity if they can’t even get a back handspring,” Zercey complained, rolling her eyes. “Mmm,” replied Scyanatha, only half listening as her friend chatted on their way to class. “And then Friday is the talent show, so all day afternoon we’ll be preparing for that. Oh, which reminds me, one of the club leaders is sick with mono or something, so we need someone else to judge. Could you help?”

That got her attention. “Judge the talent show?” she repeated, a smirk forming on her face. “I’d love to.” Zercey snickered, knowing what her friend thought about the so-called ‘talent’ at their school. Zercey was captain of the cheer squad, and their friend Imogen was class president, which meant between them, they were always in charge of events at the school. After all, someone with taste needed to make sure the rest of those losers didn’t mess it up for everyone else. Scyanatha usually preferred to sit on the sidelines while the others ran the show. Doing the heavy lifting was not a good idea when your manicures cost as much as hers did. Imogen caught up with them halfway through the hallway. “Scy’s helping judge?” she queried having just overheard the last bit of the exchange. Zercey nodded, and she smiled. “This is gonna be fun.” They got to their door of their English class only to see Seth, Scy’s boyfriend, casually leaning against the doorframe. “See you in class,” Imogen said as she and Zercey shared a knowing look and walked in to take their seats. “Hey babe,” Seth said, grabbing Scyanatha’s waist. Without waiting for her to respond, he drew her towards him and pressed his mouth to hers. The combination of the mint from his toothpaste and the spice of his aftershave stung her nostrils in a way that always got her worked up.

She returned his kiss hungrily, knowing full well that they were drawing stares and loving every second of it. Let them look. He's all mine. When they finally drew apart, Seth kept his face close to hers. “Are your parents still out of town?” he asked huskily, still looking at her lips.

She nodded, knowing what that meant.

“Good. I’ll come over after practice.” He gave her one last kiss and then walked down the hall with his practiced swagger. “Take a picture, why don’t you,” Scy snapped to the janitor who was making a big show of not looking at the two of them; Trenfal, she thought his name was. Her hair whipped behind her as she strode into the classroom. ~*~*~ Down the hall, Rhoe glowered at the history teacher Mr. Culvers as he rambled on about some stupid, dead president. Principal Chiyoko’s sickly sweet voice hadn’t even finished ringing through the sound system for the morning announcements before he cut in, eager to get the day’s lesson started. I can’t wait to graduate. God, I need a cigarette. Of course she had one not even ten minutes ago. Every morning before class Rhoe and her only friend and ally, Cowan, shared a smoke behind the school parking lot. They'd taken up the secret habit a year ago after he stole a pack from his house without his mom knowing. Now he was in another class with some other deadbeat teacher and she had to sit through an hour and a half of Mr. Culvers delighting in the sound of his own voice. In front of her, Rhovan beat two pencils against the desk as if it were the plastic and metals of his drum kit instead of beat up wood. Rhoe kicked the back of his seat to let him know just how she felt about his music making. He stopped the drumming, but not before shooting her a dark look from over his shoulder. “And, since this chapter is also the last in its section, in pairs, you’ll all pick a relevant topic and create a project around it,” Mr. Culvers stated in an overly exuberant tone, either not noticing or ignoring just how lacking in excitement his students were. “The person to your left will be your partner,” he carried on talking right through the groans. “You will each pick one ancient city and complete a presentation about it by Friday.” More groans followed, and the plaid clad teacher finally took note and frowned. Ancient history was deeply fascinating and he couldn’t believe that he got landed with a class where not even one student, not even one, was interested. Time to sweeten the deal. “I will excuse the best presentation… from the mid-winter exams.” He watched as the whole class’s posture instantly changed, finally paying attention. “I will expect you to give the presentation in front of the entire class, so be sure you know what you’re talking about,” he added with a wide smile, speaking almost directly to Seth. The kid thought he was slick by having other people do his work, but he didn’t know the ‘nerds’ he hired ended up slipping in ridiculous sentences and facts throughout the work. Seth never bothered to proofread things before he turned them in, which was a big mistake on his part.

Seth narrowed his light brown eyes at his teacher and then narrowed them even further when he looked to the side to see the weird Emo kid they placed him with. He couldn’t honestly even remember this guy’s name and now he was supposed to work with him? This was utter bull. “So what do you want to do?” he asked none too nicely, only to be ignored entirely by the black-haired teen beside him. “Hey,” Seth continued, sounding more unfriendly by the second and not used to being ignored, “I’m talking to you, moron.” “What?” Date drawn out of his daydream, cast lazy grey eyes over to the irritated rich boy. “Did you need something, your highness?” he drawled, not particularly interested in this conversation and not having heard a single word the teacher or Seth said. “Were you listening to anything?” Seth exploded, drawing the eyes of the surrounding students. “Nope.” Date replied without missing a beat, his lips quirking up when Seth swore under his breath.

Things were no cheerier across the room. Since neither Rhoe nor Rhovan had anyone sitting with them, they were paired together. It thrilled neither of them. “We can meet up later at your house to talk about the project.” Rhovan said, finally breaking the intense staring competition the two were having, opting to take the high road for the sake of his grade. “Why my house? I don’t want you in my space.” Rhoe scowled at him, wishing she had a cigarette if only so she could put it out on his forehead. “Because your brother will be there to make it easier to deal with you.” Rhovan snapped, turning back around and pressing his nose into his book to have an excuse not to talk to her anymore. He already knew this would be a nightmare. He’d rather pair up with Date, even if he knew that he’d be doing all the work if he was. That would still be preferable to the brat sitting behind him. It would be a long, miserable week. ~*~*~ The chemistry teacher, Mr. Uwe’s, eyeglasses fell down the bridge of his long, slim nose. He pushed them back up now as he addressed the class. “Pop quiz!” he announced to a lot of groans. Nyima took a deep breath, nerves already flaring at the idea of a pop quiz. She studied, but she never liked things sprung on her at a moment’s notice. She pushed her book into the cubby hole under the table and waited for someone to pass the papers out, chancing a glance at her friends to see if they were as surprised by the sudden quiz as she was. Vyxen was two tables over from her, sitting beside a bored looking goth kid named Cowan and obsessively straightening her pens and pencils. She organized them so they were all lined up and sorted by color. She probably wouldn’t need them all for this class, but it was better to be prepared. She was one of the few students who didn’t zone out when Mr. Uwe droned on about a subject and she liked all of her notes color coded. Raemina was a seat in front of her, sitting straight-backed and with a pencil at the ready, her game face on. Nyima knew she wouldn’t have any problems, Rae was the smartest kid in their grade. Moving of their own accord, her blue eyes traveled to the scrawny, but handsome boy sitting next to her. Jingyi had his eyes on the board, picking a paper out of the pile before passing them behind him to Cowan. He didn’t look nervous and Nyima wondered if he was good at chemistry. Maybe they could study together? Like a study group! That way she could invite him to the group instead of inviting him to study with her alone that made things seem safer. His blue eyes suddenly moved across the room and landed on her and Nyima aborted the idea as her heart almost beat out of her chest. No! She tried to will the redness away from her cheeks, he would think I was stupid if I asked. Jingyi was having a similar sort of breakdown. It was risky to try and look at Nyima in this class, the potential of getting caught was too high since he shared a table with one of her friends. His eyes moved on their own though and oh gosh, he knew she’d seen him look at her. She was so pretty, it wasn’t even fair that she existed and she probably thought he was a total creep now. He cursed himself, thinking of the horrible things she must think of him and filling out his worksheet with bs answers just to look like he was busy. “Hey, can I borrow a pen.” Cowan asked Vyxen, watching as the girl paused and seemed to have some sort of mental stroke as she looked over her well-organized writing utensils, debating which one she could sacrifice because she knew by now he wouldn’t give it back. He’d been doing this all year and it was the only thing that amused him enough to carry him through the class. She was too nice to tell him no, but she was such an organization freak that the idea of parting with one of her pens and utterly ruining the color system she had going bothered her. He tried not to snicker too loud when her shoulders took on a defeated slump and she handed over a dark blue pen. “Thanks, I’ll remember to give it back,” he lied, immediately sticking the end of the pen into his mouth to chew on. He could see her twitch out of the corner of his eye. As he turned to the front of the class, he felt someone’s eyes on him. Looking around, he made eye contact with Xyl, who was watching the interaction with a smirk. Cowan gave him a nod and then turned his attention back to Mr. Uwe as the teacher handed him the quiz.

Xyl watched Cowan for another moment more under the curtain of shaggy hair that mostly obscured his face. The two men were on friendly terms. Or at least, as friendly as Cowan got with anyone besides Xyl’s sister, Rhoe. Those two hung out all the time, skipping class and sneaking cigarettes when they thought no one was paying attention. But Xyl knew, he’d been watching Cowan for a while now though it was quite a task to do so. He couldn’t envision what his sisters would say if they found out. Rhoe would accuse him of creeping on her friend and most definitely tell Cowan all about it, and Imogen would be disgusted and twitter about it to her stupid friends, and soon the entire school would know and he’d have to flee the state and change his name. But… but he could still look. Just so long as he didn’t get caught. ~*~*~ Zercey batted her eyelids at the handsome, young English teacher, Mr. Bracken. It was all for show, of course. Zercey enjoyed getting the other girls' backs up, but that wasn’t the only reason she did it. She and Lerki hooked up several times now, but he never admitted he was actually interested in her. He was almost always flanked by other women throwing themselves at him, and even though she knew they did nothing, it still made her jealous. Two can play at that game, she decided. Lerki sauntered into the room, throwing a wink at an underclassman in the second row. She fluttered and blushed, ducking her head in embarrassment as he passed her and took his seat at the back of the class, pausing briefly to chat up a pretty blond girl on his way. His ego stroked when she stuttered out a response, face turning as red as the shirt she was wearing. He all but fell into his seat, sprawling long legs under the desk and turning his dark blue eyes to Zercey, watching as she attempted to flirt with the clearly annoyed teacher. Seeing her try to make him jealous was adorable, it almost made him want to pinch her pretty cheeks. He threw an arm over the empty seat next to him, glancing at it before turning his dark blue eyes to Zercey with a pointed look and a smile that could make panties drop, or so they told him. Zercey hated that it was working. She let out a huff, but collected her expensive, designer bag and marched to the back of class, sitting in the seat Lerki directed her to. She really shouldn’t let him have so much power, she usually liked to keep her boy toys in their places, but dammit, he was just so stupidly hot. He knew it too and his grin widened when she did exactly what he wanted her to.

“Good girl,” he purred, letting his eyes wander over, drinking in the sight of her in her miniskirt and heels. Lerki liked to think she’d put them on with him in mind. “Hey gorgeous,” he whispered, leaning across the aisle until he could smell her Chanel perfume. “Maybe after school today we could…”

The sound of Mr. Bracken ‘accidentally’ slamming a pile of books onto the front desk cut off whatever Lerki intended to say. He had good ears and he’d had to listen to those two exchange horrifying comments for the entire semester. There was only so much he could take this early in the morning. I knew it was a bad idea to take a job in a public high school, Mr. Bracken bemoaned internally, I should have just waited for that position in the local private school to open up next year. I don’t deserve this level of nonsense. “Good news!” He put on his best smile and tried to ignore the creepily dreamy looks some of his students sent him. “Today I will assign everyone the book they’ll use for their book report!” Internally he delighted at the sounds of their groans and suffering. “I hope you all like medieval literature!” Scyanatha rolled her eyes, but didn’t even bother to glance up from her pale pink smartphone where she was scrolling through the comments on her latest selfie. This class was stupid, and it was ridiculous that she had to take it. Why would she ever need to read books anyways? She would be a model and marry Seth. This course was nothing but hindering her future. Didn't Bracken know how many selfies and self-promotion she could get done in an hour? Like… a lot. Instead, she was stuck here and the hotness of the teacher didn’t make up for the mind-numbing boredom she felt. At least she wasn’t alone, she stretched out one of her long legs and nudged Zercey’s back with the top of her lacy, Jimmy Choo heel. She flashed her cell phone when Zercey turned before quickly dropping it back below her desk and out of sight to send her a message in their group chat. Scybaby: so when r u gonna to put mr blond sexy into his place? Starflyer4: Working on it! Scybaby: u no he’s into you… obvs… just stop playing his game! Starflyer4: I’m weak to blonds Scy! U kno this ImoL0v3: As much as I agree with Scy (he’s so into you) this project is like 40% of our grade. Pay attention. Scybaby: not doing it… seth can def pay 1 of the nerds to do it 4 me. we have better things to do with our time ;) ImoL0v3: Gross. Scybaby: jealous? u no Seth has some hot friends, I can totes hook u up ImoL0v3: Those creepy college bros? Pass. Starflyer4: Can Seth actually pay people do to the project?! Imogen was amused, if not a little exasperated. She had no doubts that Seth could wave some money around and get all of their projects done and it sounded exactly like the sort of thing he’d do. It was almost tempting to see if he’d also get someone to do hers, but as class president she was going to be watched closer than the other students. She’d have no choice but to do it herself. Maybe Salem could help. Medieval literature should be right up his alley. It also gave her an excuse to be in his presence without Scy and Zercey both freaking out over it. She cast a glance to her two friends, both only breaking away from their cellphones to look up at the board and pretend to pay attention. She could ask Salem for help, but she’d definitely have to do it outside of school. Even with an excuse it was too risky to be around him where others could see. She couldn’t even imagine how quickly her reputation would go down the toilet if anyone found out she talked to him.

By @guardians-of-las-vyxen

#Writeblr #Illthdar fan fiction #Au fan fiction #high school au

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ash-beaumont · 6 years

Text

Melancholy (Nathan x MC)

Summary: “But I must admit I miss you quite terribly. The world is too quiet without you nearby. I go to bed early and rise late and feel as if I have hardly slept.” - Lemony Snicket

Word Count: 1702

She misses him when she finds small note cards lodged inside the pages of her books. He'd read aloud to her, often pretending to be each character with different voices and accents to match which he assured her is "exactly how they perform this at the West End." She severely doubted this, but she liked it when he would let his guard down a little to act ridiculous in front of her, and she'd inevitably fall asleep with her head on his lap, his hands brushing through her hair. And he'd write quotes that he loved, lines that reminded him of her, followed by 'this is where my beautiful, harmonious voice put you to sleep. please don't read ahead without me!! - N.' She has more than a dozen shoved deep in her nightstand drawer, under pamphlets and pencils and notebooks. She can't bear to look at them.

She misses him when she walks past large murals, her thoughts wandering to what he would think of them. It was a small game they liked to play with each other - sending a piece of artwork, a passage, a quote from a song - with a 'what do you think this means?' She couldn't count the number of photos she had of blurry book pages, of him standing in front of paintings in cafes which he often sent with long, nonsensical artistic critiques.

"What do you even mean by the 'pigment composition is inadequate?'"

"I don't know, maybe I'd tell you if you were here with me."

She'd send him little doodles of horribly drawn stick figures when class didn't hold her interest as much as he did, and she'd try stifling her laugh as he'd compliment her 'bold vision' because 'honestly the world hasn't seen an artist the likes of you before, they should hang that in the Louvre. Are you sure you still want to be a journalist?'

Sometimes they'd go to an obscure university lecture for fun, and when it would end, she'd turn to him, "Do you have any idea what just happened?"

He'd look so deep in thought, and she'd wait for him to say something profound, but then he'd shrug anticlimactically, biting his lip to prevent himself from smiling, "I honestly have no clue, but most of the research was conducted in Florence. Will you go with me?"

She'd sigh, linking her arm in his.

"Okay, no to Italy then. Maybe France?" he'd suggest.

"I don't think I want to go anywhere with someone who doesn't understand the nuances of ornamental plant breeding."

It's a while before she starts sitting in those bookstores and coffee shops again, but she sees traces of him in each painting, in each novel, like he has left a small piece of his soul in everything he touched.

She misses him when she goes grocery shopping. He'd purposely walk down the aisles with a flourish just to hear her laugh, waving his list in the air, and she'd follow, teasing him about his apparent overzealousness about artisanal ice creams and raspberries. He'd roll his eyes and smile, and the minute they'd get back to the clubhouse, he would arrange small bowls of ice cream for her to taste.

“Is this really necessary?” she'd ask, and he would lean on the counter, making small twisting motions in the air with a spoon, and she would sigh dramatically as she opened her mouth.

“So?”

“Oh my god, this tastes amazing,” she'd close her eyes because who knew twenty dollar ice cream could taste so good, and she'd feel his lips on hers, his fingers brushing against her cheek.

“It does.”

Sometimes they'd pretend to host a cooking show with terrible French accents; he did most of the cooking while she commentated, and he'd chase her around the kitchen, both of them laughing, after she had somberly discussed his unfortunate ravioli making technique in her best documentary voice.

She thinks it’s strange how some memories become so deeply tied to objects, to places - and as she cries over a bowl of ice cream one night - food.

She misses him late at night most of all, remembering the nights when they were both quiet, and she'd rest her head on his chest and he'd hold her closely to him. There wasn't much to say sometimes, but being near him felt like she was releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Nights when nothing existed except the both of them in his room, when she desperately wanted him and he wanted her too, and she could lose herself in the feeling of being cared for.

Nights when he'd play an old waltz because of course he had taken classes, and he'd bow almost theatrically, his lips brushing against the back of her hand, his eyes looking as if they wanted to swallow her whole. She'd laugh at first, at her own awkward uncoordinated steps, at his attempt of a posh, aristocratic accent, but then she would rest her head on his shoulder as they swayed together, his arms around her waist, his breath against her ear as he'd whisper how beautiful she looked. And when his hands would linger, when she'd feel his eyes following her, she understood for the first time why people fell in love so quickly.

Nights when they'd both sit in the corner table on the third floor of the library, papers and books and coffee cups scattered between them, and it was only a matter of time before she'd read something that she had to tell him about, or she'd find him glancing at her instead of revising, or he'd tell her in hushed conversation an elaborate story on why the librarian had circled the floor multiple times, and they knew that from that moment on that they might as well give up on trying to study.

Nights when she'd read aloud her articles and he would act as her captive audience. She'd assume he was only pretending to listen and she couldn't blame him either, considering new floral arrangements in the public square wasn't a particularly riveting subject, but as soon as she'd finish, he would comment on all the parts he found interesting. Sometimes it would make her teary eyed and he'd look on, alarmed.

“Why are you crying? Did I say something? I take back what I said about not wanting anemones-”

She'd tackle him in a hug, his back landing on her bed, and she'd prop herself on her elbows, her nose touching his. His eyes would search her face, his fingers gently brushing through her hair, and she'd mumble, “you actually listened?”

And he would look confused, brows furrowed, “Shouldn't I have?'”

She wanted to say yes, but she was all too use to people pretending she hadn't said anything at all, so she'd bury herself into his sweater, and he'd understand, because somehow he always did, and would wrap his arms around her.

Nights when they'd sit outside in the grass under a blanket, his arm over her shoulder, and he'd tell her about where he came from, the places he had been to, where he wanted to go next (and he would turn to her and whisper, 'of course you'd be there with me') and she realized that she liked him best here, when he wasn't pretending to be anything, and she wondered as she brushed his hair away from his eyes, how many other people had seen him like this.

Nights when she was vulnerable, an accumulation of tears and stress and anxiety, and she'd apologize that he had to see her like that, but he would only squeeze her hand and quietly remind her that he didn't mind, that he didn't want to be anywhere else, with anyone else. Just because she was strong for everyone else, he told her, didn't mean she couldn't be vulnerable herself.

Sometimes his words keep her from sleeping, in fact, she can't remember the last time she's had a full night's sleep, because she's not sure if he said them out of concern, or if it was a way for him to relish in just how much she trusted him.

She keeps herself occupied with the newspaper and her internship, with going to football practices, concerts, and art openings. She takes it day by day, hoping that the shame, the guilt, and the insecurities will go away someday. That she'll let someone in again without having to fear an eventual betrayal. But sometimes her thoughts naturally gravitate towards him.

She can't help but see him in everything, everywhere. What would he say, what would he do, where would they go. Whether he'd laugh at her horrible pun, whether he'd agree with her new piece in the newspaper, whether he'd be impressed that she learned how to cook without burning anything.

She wonders what she would ask him if she ever saw him again. Did he care about her at all, even for a little bit, or was everything a lie from the very first moment? She's not sure if she wants the answer to that question, because she doesn't know what would be worse. That he did feel the same way the whole time, that he cared about her just as much as she cared about him, but it was doomed from the very beginning. Or that he lied, and every touch, every smile, every moment was carefully, delicately crafted, and she was naive enough to have believed every single word of it.

She doesn't want to worry her friends by telling them, she's decided that she has already put them through too much, but regardless of how hard she tries, she can't hide how tired she looks.

She smiles for the first time in several days when she comes home to find a mug of her favorite tea waiting for her after class with a note in Zack's neat scrawl, 'I hope you enjoy, meet me and Grant at the dog park at 4?' and she decides to go, because she figures it's time to take a step forward when everything in her heart is trying its best to pull her back.

It's far too soon, too painful to remind herself that the person she fell in love with maybe didn't exist at all. So she tries to forget, and maybe she will, and one day she'll wake up and no longer miss him.

#nathan sterling #nathan x mc #playchoices #tf/ts/tj #the fear of sharing my writing is all consuming

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monokuroo · 5 years

Text

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Or at least post-Valentine in my part of the world. I hoped you have a wonderful date with your significant other.

But if you’re like me who’d rather hang out with my 2D husbandos (yes I have a sad layf lol), then let the eligible dads of Dream Daddy be your date!

If you tell me 2 years ago that I’m going to play and love Dream Daddy, I would probably laugh my ass off.

Released in 2017 by Game Grumps, Dream Daddy is a dating sim where you can customize your ‘dadsona’ and as the name suggests, you can date different kinds of dads. There are 7 dads in total but let’s start by making the dadsona who will date these dads.

At the start of the game, you’d be prompted to customize a dad to your liking. Think of it as the simplified version of the Create-A-Sim menu in The Sims.

So here’s my dadsona, Bae Summers.

Isn’t he good-looking? I loved that egg nipz shirt! hehe

Once you meet all the dads, it’s time to date! You have to message them on the game’s version of Facebook, the Dadbook. Each dad has 3 dates that need to be passed. Aim for S or A rank to ensure a good ending.

Or, if you’re like me, you can turn to guides such as these https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1085165969 and https://allgamers.com/article/2932/dream-daddy—guide-to-unlocking-all-dad-endings.

You’ve done all the things above and now you’re ready to push that message button. So the next question would be…

Who is your Dream Daddy?

You’ll see mine at the end. 😉

Craig Cahn

The main reason I got this game! After watching Kelsey from this video I had the urge to get his end!

MC’s college buddy and partner-in-crime. But when they meet again, Craig is already a responsible father of three.

Wait, there’s more.

He’s also a businessman, running a sports business. Also, he’s a health junkie. He trains every day, jogging around the neighborhood with his baby strapped on his body. To top it all, he coaches his twins’ softball team. Such a busybody.

Bae: My ultimate sexual fantasy is you. 😏😏😏

Craig’s ending, his route, heck even his kids did not disappoint! I would play his route again and again just to see his daughter River. She’s, like, the cutest kid in this game!

Seriously, though, I’m shipping MC with Craig because their bond is something. I love the whole bromance to more-than-bros going on. The confession scene at the end is sweet and cute. Too bad the game’s pretty short. I would have liked to see more of these two.

That third date, though. 🤩

Another reason to love Craig’s route is that, unlike the other dads, he has none of those minigames. So you can just safely play through this route without worries of a failed date.

(There’s a mini-game where Craig invites you to do the treadmill. But in my game, it didn’t appear on his route. Rather, he invites you when you are in another dad’s route.)

Mat Sella

Mat is the owner of the coffee shop in the neighborhood. He loves music, coffee, and his daughter Carmensita.

After ogling at Craig, I’m not sure I’d like Mat. But there’s a certain charm to his awkward personality. Like how he looks flustered when meeting people, which, at first glance, is totally unlike him.

Bae is so thirsty I kennot. 😂

But Matt’s really sweet and thoughtful to everyone. Contrary to his belief that he doesn’t like crowds, he’s rather good at taking care of people. It’s nice to see him complimenting MC’s personality. Together, they look like cute awkward teens and that’s…adorable.

The last date and the scenes leading up to the ending are so sweet. I loved how they get so flirty with each other. Mat is just giggling and flirting with the MC. That’s the happiest I’ve seen him in the game.

Brian Harding

Brian is MC’s rival dad. From the first time Brian and MC meet, this dad keeps on one-upping our MC. So for the rest of the route, they work through their rivalry thing.

Hence, this route contains the most nerve-wracking minigames! Brian invites the MC in different activities such as playing golf and fishing. And since, MC is competitive as ever, you as the player have to win them all!

So if you’re planning to get all of Steam’s achievements, I can only wish you luck. I admire you for having the patience I can never have. Because you’ll need a lot of it to finish Brian’s minigames, especially the golf part.

As for Brian and MC as a couple, I find it hard to see any chemistry between them because of their constant rivalry. But once I realized what Brian is doing, I found it cute. It’s nice to see them sort out their differences in the end.

Also, his daughter, Daisy, is a bit of an uptight at first. She keeps on correcting Amanda’s jokes which had me rolling my eyes a lot of times. But Amanda’s really chill so she teaches Daisy to be a bit more laid-back. Then, the two of them makes an adorable pair of siblings.

Robert Small

Robert looks wild and gruff, someone giving off a dangerous vibe.

MC’s first encounter with him is when he and Amanda visit Mat’s coffee shop. There, Robert checks out MC, staring darkly from the corners of the shop. I admit, he gives off a creepy vibe on that scene.

If MC decides to go out at night, he’ll go to a pub where he’ll be properly introduced to Robert.

Anyway, the other characters call Robert as an enigma. He’s such a mystery to everyone due to the cryptic way he speaks. You can never EVER get a straight answer from him. I can’t help but roll my eyes every time he speaks like that…

One of those rare moments that get him to speak what he really thinks.

…I guess I really am no good with people like him because it feels like he’s belittling other people with the way he speaks.

Surprisingly, I loved the ending. Robert did have some baggage. But I think he has the most realistic ending. I appreciated his no kiss-and-tell personality because at least he’s really clear with what he wanted in his relationship with MC.

Another surprising part of this route is Mary. It is already weird to have her hitting on MC on his first night in the neighborhood. Being friends with Robert, she is not someone to be messed with.

But Mary’s actually a really good friend. She doesn’t look like it, but she cares for Robert. And I appreciate her for that.

Damien Bloodmarch

When I watch Let’s Plays of the game, whenever players meet Damien, they’ll all have the same reaction — “Vampire Dad? No way!” But whenever I scrolled through the comments, everyone says that Damien is just misunderstood.

Those mixed reactions are really intriguing.

Damien dresses and acts like a Goth and has a love for the Victorian Era. Because of this, he gives off a standoff-ish vibe.

Damien is a sweet and romantic guy. Underneath his classy look lies a cute cinnamon roll. He proves that you can’t judge a book by its cover. His route is like watching a slow and old-school romance unfold. Like, how he prefers handwritten letters (with seals!) over Dadbook messaging.

And I loved how everyone could tell that they’re sooo in love with each other to the point of teasing them. I even love the part where Amanda saw them kissing in front of their door because that’s like a reversal of their position as dad and daughter.

Also, he’s a fudanshi. 😏

He has a collection of SasuNaru fic? 😏

Hugo Vega

Hugo is Amanda’s teacher. Being a person of authority, he’s pretty uptight.

Hugo is, well, nerdy. Other than teaching middle and high schoolers, he writes scholarly stuff and he’s very knowledgable with high brow lit.

He’s knowledgable. Period.

But he has another hobby: wrestling. He’s got a room of wrestling things. And it goes without saying that he knows a lot about it, a huge fanboy. That and those teach-me-wrestling-moves had me 😏.

Thing is, I enjoyed Hugo and his son, Ernest moments more in Damien’s route. Unlike Damien’s son, Ernest didn’t really show his appreciation for Hugo in his dad’s route. Meanwhile, in Damien’s, due to certain events, the relationship between Hugo and Ernest have a big leap. They have a more familial atmosphere around them in the end.

Or maybe, Ernest is busy on other things…

Joseph Christiansen

I have mixed feelings about this dad.

Joseph freaking Christiansen is a youth minister at the church. He’s the husband of Mary and father to the freakishly looking kids, Chris, Christian, Christie, and Chrish.

My initial reaction when I meet him and his family: YOU’RE TELLING ME YOU CAN DATE HIM!?

Just look at their names. I feel like I’m committing a sin.

Also, he spends most of his route being extra sticky to MC, like being sweet and clingy. I could definitely picture him staring longingly to MC, giving off mixed signals.

It’s uncomfortable knowing Joseph is married to Mary. She’s not the nicest neighbor. But after playing Robert and Damien’s routes where she is a good friend, she’s grown on me.

AND NOW I’M SNATCHING HER HUSBAND.

You’re being such a good friend MC. 🙄

So other than the names and his wife’s existence, Joseph intrigues me in the previous routes. During Amanda’s graduation party where MC talks to each character, Joseph asks MC to hang out with him anytime he’s free. He’s not telling MC that in a casual way. It’s more of like this:

… which is like silently pleading MC to notice him.

When MC did, he so brilliantly dumped him.

Which brings me to another reason why this route brings me discomfort.

Joseph’s best end is in the opposite direction with the other dads. After flirting around, he’d tell you that he’ll go back to his wife. And that’s perfectly okay. That’s a good thing, mending a broken family.

But it feels like MC is subjected to a needless embarrassment and rejection for someone who’s only stringing him along. He’s just a rebound, a one-night stand.

I couldn’t help but compare Joseph with Robert, because of their internal issues and how they treat MC. Thanks to this, I ended up liking Robert more, mainly because he’s very clear with what he wants and puts a distance from MC as he fixes his life.

Now I kind of regretting leaving Joseph for last since it taints a charming game. It’s like Joseph lives in a different world, far from the sweet worlds of the other dads.

===

So to answer my question above:

Craig is the love of my life in this game. Though I loved everyone, in all fairness. I just especially loved him. Even MC agrees,

For my favorite in the game – Craig > Damien = Mat > Robert = Hugo > Brian > Joseph. Or it can actually be Craig = Damien = Mat = Robert = Hugo >Brian >>> Joseph.

Everyone is farrrr better than Joseph. lol

So who’s likely to be your date among the dads of Dream Daddy?

As of this writing, Steam is having its Daily Deals and Dream Daddy is included. Snag this game over there and have a fun post-Vday celebration!

Next post will be my one and only reason to play Dream Daddy.

The Eligible Dads of Dream Daddy #dreamdaddy Happy Valentine's Day! Or at least post-Valentine in my part of the world. I hoped you have a wonderful date with your significant other.

#Dream Daddy #Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator #Dream Daddy: Dadrector&039;s Cut #English VN #Game Grumps #visual novel game

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justanotherdumpingground · 5 years

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Rant on RCD

Normally I don't rant about stuff because doing so feeds negativity, but Red Carpet Diaries continues to nag my mind. I know it's a story most people, including me, hate, but I also think it had potential. Note: In this post, I'm using the name Jessica to refer to the MC, as that's her default name. Also, this post is pretty much personal opinion.

Initial Expectations

For starters, I don't mind the concept about being an up-and-coming actress trying to work her way up to stardom, the underbelly of the film industry, and the relationships she builds up from the bottom. In fact, it has the potential to have some variety if it focuses on building up one's career from the ground up properly, like gradually climbing from the bottom and learning a lot from experience along the way.

Reality

The execution, however, destroyed my expectations. Even though my interest in this story started decreasing since about Chapter 5, Chapter 8 is when I officially dislike this series because of Markus von Groot upgrading Jessica's supporting role to a lead one in Tender Nothings without much effort shown. This reeks of Mary Sue vibes that also makes me dislike her as quickly as I dislike the series, which dragged too long with little substance along the way. After all, it shouldn't be easy to get a lead role, and to see Jessica doing it without getting through so much of the trouble actors go through sends a bad message that you don't have to do much to get to the top. This applies to all professions instead of just acting.

I also notice people's complaints that the HWU characters are sidelined, but since I've never played the game, I wouldn't want them to hog the story. What they could've been is having the same level of significance as the HSS characters from the original app: supporting characters at the most while the new cast continues to dominate the spotlight, just like the HSS series in Choices.

One character I utterly despise is Markus von Groot. He shows unprofessional behavior towards others like attacking them for their insecurities, wasting resources and other people's efforts by rewriting scenes at the last minute (hypocritical of him because he claims to value practicality), and valuing property over people. I also hold him responsible for making Jessica a Mary Sue and singlehandedly ruining my enthusiasm for this series. He's also a pretentious snob who looks down on others for not having the same level of "intelligence" as him, which points out to his massive ego. Not to mention that his disorganized way of directing the movie shows how useless he is in the end. It was good riddance that he never came back for Tender Nothings.

The last scene of Chapter 12 is, without a doubt, controversial. Thank goodness the writers changed Victoria's reaction from a physical attack to a verbal one, but the damage had already been done, and I blame Pixelberry for daring to write such a scene like this in the first place while not doing so to acerbic male love interests. Now, this comes as a shock to others, but when I first played the scene, the person I was angriest at wasn't Victoria, but Markus. Honestly, Victoria has the right to react angrily at betrayal, whether real or suspected, though having her physically assault Jessica is too much. As for Markus, there's trouble brewing among the cast members, yet he gets mad not because of a quarrel breaking out but because a priceless painting gets destroyed. I get that such a painting is valuable, but diffusing tensions, which he never did, is a much higher priority than a broken painting. Can't he just take a good look at the mirror and realize all the blunders he committed towards other people? It doesn't help that he insulted the actors and studio executives evaluating his work, which he has no right to do. That makes him the ultimate asshole in the scene.

Inner Circle, particularly the Love Interests

I like that all of the love interests are unique in their own ways. Each have their own personalities, backstories, and struggles. Matt wants to prove Hollywood that he can be a versatile actor. Seth talks about getting rejected for his ideas. Teja has to put up with feeling unappreciated for all the hard work she has done. Victoria struggles with sexism and ageism in an industry that treats women as expendable despite the skills they've built up. All these prove that they are much more than meets the eye.

As for which love interest that fascinates me, that would be Victoria Fontaine. She's the best LI in the series as well as the only one I like, though moderately. Look, I know she started with a rocky relationship with Jessica, but that doesn't mean I excuse the bad things she has done. In fact, I disapprove of her mind games during Jessica's audition. Even if characters are supposed to be flawed, they should make amends for their mistakes, and she's no exception, such as burying the hatchet, which is what she did (albeit in a premium option). She also acknowledges her own shortcomings, such as criticizing the tension between them as unprofessional. She even apologized immediately for the verbal assault when she had the chance. What seals her as the only love interest I like is that she's aware of reality's harshness and gives good advice on celebrity life and some scenes for Tender Nothings, in part because she has a good amount of depth in many of her scenes, whether free or premium. For example, she works in an industry where women are treated as commodities with a short shelf life. Directors and tabloids judge her by her appearance and disregard her acting skills, prompting her to prove them wrong, swallow her pride when working with Jessica, and surprisingly make efforts. It doesn't justify her initial hostility, but what it does is that it gives sense to her actions. It's far too easy to demonize her just because of personal bias against certain character "types", but doing so is a disservice to her character by assuming she's a one-dimensional character, which she isn't and shouldn't be. After all, she provides the harsh reality of the film industry looking down on women.

Knowing Pixelberry's disregard for its female characters, my anger's directed at the writers for doing her a grave injustice, such as giving her a very negative first impression, delaying the progress of her storyline in favor of unnecessary screen time with Matt, and paywalling her, up to and including her involvement in the movie. All because of her gender and Pixelberry's blatant pandering to their target audience without regard to the story's quality. This post essentially sums up Pixelberry's mishandling of such a well-crafted character. I get that Pixelberry is ultimately a business, but in an app explicitly titled Choices and focused on telling stories, nothing can justify this mistreatment of a character with a good deal of depth in her just for the sake of pandering to your target demographic.

Unfortunately, all love interests have uneven screen time. Matt continues hogging the spotlight even though most of his screen time is pointless fanservice. Seth and Teja don't have a lot to offer, while Victoria has the least, and not enough to progress the story in a meaningful way. Honestly, Pixelberry made a mistake by adding too much screen time for Matt without addressing him as a character. Sure he's nice, but most of that screen time should be given to other love interests, particularly Victoria because of her story having a slow progress. By lavishing all attention on him at the cost of other love interests, Pixelberry has created a self-fulfilling prophecy that discourages players to pursue other love interests not favored by Pixelberry, and this has been going on in various stories.

As for Chazz, he's the only member of Jessica's inner circle that I dislike. For a best friend, he comes across as unreliable, such as lying about his house and job to his own best friend. I get that there are times that he's helpful, such as giving moral support to her when she was down, but his job as her agent means he has to be sincere at all times, even if it means giving the unflattering parts of his life and career.

Book 2

Fast forward to Book 2, and we get a warning about mature themes in this book. Sounds exciting that RCD will tackle serious issues in the film industry inspired by the #MeToo movement, yay?

Unfortunately, it's badly executed. At first, it seems alright. Viktor Montmartre established himself as a threat by attacking Jessica and using his power to make her career and even life as miserable as possible. After all, that's what a villain should be portrayed as. However, he more or less remains on the background while using Tommy Phelps as his proxy to do his dirty work, which makes it hard for me to think of him as a real threat throughout the story. Even worse, the last third of Book 2 turned the book from a mildly interesting plot regarding an important issue into a nostalgia filler for characters I don't know. Not only does this left me confused, but disappointed. In the end, it irritates me that Viktor Montmartre receives a mere slap on the wrist by being hounded by paparazzi. Why can't he be put in jail instead? It's a huge disservice to people who have experienced this kind of stuff, considering the amount of effort and pain they went through to get their story heard.

Even the love interests were done dirty. Matt, who spent Book 1 proving his versatility as an actor, ends up in an action movie again, even though he's playing the villain this time. Look, I get that action movies are his specialization, but would it be better if he tries something that doesn't throw his efforts to waste for once? It doesn't help that him starring in the same movie as Jessica means he ends up hogging the spotlight again until Chapter 10. Seth finally gets to work with Teja, who gets to direct her own movie. Unfortunately, they end up bickering like kids while expecting Jessica to take one side over the other. This is a far cry from their personalities back in Book 1, where they were sensible and addressed serious issues of their respective careers. It's like the writers decided they no longer cared for both of them and screwed their personalities. Victoria is shoved aside to a movie of her own and given no storyline, rendering her superfluous, which is another huge disservice done to her, especially since it's revealed that her experience resembles Jessica's the most. That could've given her some opportunity to help Jessica in a major way while not imposing her as the main love interest. All this happened just to build up Thomas Hunt, a character from the HWU app, as a love interest. As someone who has never played that game, I wonder why he should be a love interest even though he already has a story that paid its due, especially since he may already have a love interest to someone who isn't Jessica in some people's games, which made me uncomfortable. Not to mention that she never knew him on a personal level in Chapter 10. It was a no-brainer for me to reject him.

Chazz does yet another thing that proves how much I dislike him. Instead of quitting when his own best friend got attacked, he quitted when Matt got injured even though he wasn't responsible for Matt. If he is really Jessica's best friend, he would've quitted right after she got attacked. Some friend...

As for the HWU characters finally becoming supporting characters during the last third of Book 2, it gets ruined by the Viktor Montmartre arc, which addresses an important issue, getting sidelined. It gets worse with Thomas Hunt becoming a love interest just to pander to nostalgic HWU players while ignoring the important issue that is sexual harassment in the film industry. Look, I get that there are people who have played HWU who want to see more of them, but it shouldn't be done at the cost of the storyline, especially one that addresses an important issue.

And what about Apricott Persimmon and Chadley Fortnum? Honestly, I agree with this post that Apricott's insecurities should've been hinted at early during her debut and developed throughout her screen time instead of dumped at the last moment possible as a buildup to a premium option. Doing so would've given another perspective from a sheltered individual, especially one serving as a foil to Victoria, who clawed her way to the top instead of being born and raised in fame like Apricott. I also think her method of "I'll help you if you help me first" makes it hard to understand and sympathize her or even convince players to pick the premium option to accompany her. Chadley's okay, though I think he can be a better friend by standing up to Tommy and Apricott.

What could've been done to make it more interesting

Make the protagonist a veteran actor trying to disprove the tabloid rumors about being washed-up a la Victoria, or even make her the protagonist: I know the latter's controversial because not everyone likes Victoria, and doing so means altering her character in some ways, but I find the idea of a veteran defying the odds a more interesting story than that of a newbie rising to the top. To be honest, I prefer playing as a character who starts out having flaws in behavior and skills and doing their best to overcome them.

Work with the HWU crew since Book 1: I admit that working with the HWU characters in the last third of Book 2 was fun because of how helpful they've been, especially Holly Chang. Then it struck me: Why wasn't this in Book 1, where Jessica could've been at least content to get a supporting or minor role and sticking with it? Having her work with the HWU characters alongside the love interests would've been a better way to use them, like with the HSS old guard. That would've at least pleased HWU players who expect to see more of them. I think their lack of real involvement in Book 1 is one factor in the series' failure, which contributed to demands for more of their appearance in Book 2. Unfortunately, their growing prominence derailed the #MeToo-inspired plot by sidelining it. Since I prefer having the protagonist being a veteran instead of a newbie, have her work with them as a last resort to prove the tabloids wrong while addressing important issues of her time.

Get rid of Markus von Groot: The previous point brings me to the conclusion that Markus is ultimately unnecessary, in addition to being loathsome. I've already mentioned the reasons why I hate him, though I started disliking him when I first played the last third of Book 2. Ironic because he doesn't appear on that part.

Do not make Thomas Hunt a love interest: No offense to those who are romancing Hunt, but his setup as a love interest raises too many red flags on creepy older men taking advantage of younger women. A mysterious note in your room telling you to meet that person in a dark, secluded area? What could possibly go wrong with that? Another factor is that Jessica didn't know him on a personal level during the bridge meeting. Look, I get that he's not a bad guy like Viktor, and he's a capable director, but Jessica was still suffering from the attack, and Hunt hates Viktor as well, so the latter should've known better than to meet Jessica in a secluded place. Not to mention that as a HWU character, Hunt has no business hogging the spotlight, let alone as a love interest.

Stick to one tone: After reading this post, I couldn't agree more on the weak points of RCD. The weak execution of the harassment issue and the shift in tone despite its original presentation as a light-hearted take on Hollywood is proof that Pixelberry is desperate to keep making it lucrative no matter the long-term results and costs.

My thoughts on Book 3

Honestly, I was furious at the announcement that there will be a third book and Pixelberry continuing such a horrible series just because it was "popular" with the "silent majority". If this book eventually gets released, I'll just play it as a diamond mine and for Victoria Fontaine and the ocelot. If I'm feeling optimistic about it, which I'm not, all the love interests have equal face time, I get to see more of Holly Chang, and Markus von Groot never appears. Unfortunately, the more I think about RCD, the angrier I feel, bringing me to the conclusion that it's a lost cause and irrefutable evidence of Pixelberry's mismanagement of time, resources, and effort. If it weren't for the few characters I like in this series, I would've shunned Book 3.

#choices stories you play #choices red carpet diaries #choices rcd #rant alert #anti rcd #anti red carpet diaries #anti thomas hunt #anti hunt #anti markus von groot #anti chazz #anti chazz javellana

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