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danikamariewrites · 14 days

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She Belongs To Me

Mob!Azriel x reader AU

A/n: sorry it’s been forever since I added to this little series. I think this is my favorite story I’ve written for mob!Az so far and I’m really proud of how it turned out!

Warnings: possessive Az, uncomfortable interactions with a man

Twirling once more in front of the floor length mirror you smile, your signature mini black dress hugging every curve perfectly. You pull your lipstick from your mini purse to touch up the darker shade that paints your lips. You decided to go with a clean simple look for the night. You were probably going to sweat it all off later anyway, but you still wanted to look cute for Az.

You were finally going to the club in Velaris Azriel just bought ownership in with Eris Vanserra. A new business deal between the two families. If you had tried to go to this place with Feyre and Mor before you started dating Az you would’ve been turned away at the door, but tonight you’re V.I.P’s. Not that you three ever cared about that stuff before. Just one of the few perks you get.

Azriel exited the lengthy walk-in closet you now share, sliding his usual black suit jacket on. The top buttons of his crisp white shirt undone, showing off his swirling tattoos. Popping your lips and capping the lipstick you turn to face Az, giving him a small smile. He returned your look with a smirk that conveyed his admiration and want for you.

Striding over to you Azriel holds your chin between his beautifully scarred fingers. His eyes dart over your face as they always do. Like he’s committing every part of you to his memory. “Breathtaking. You look breathtakingly beautiful as always, my love.” Azriel says softly. You smile brightly at him. Taking his other hand in yours you give it a loving squeeze. Running your thumb over the ridges of his scars.

“You look breathtakingly handsome as well, baby.” Azriel smiled bashfully, dipping his head to prevent you from seeing his obvious blush. Resting a hand against his strong chest, pushing up on your tiptoes you press a kiss to his freshly shaven jaw. You hold your lips against his skin longer than you normally would, taking in his scent and the feel of his soft skin.

Pulling away you make sure to check that you left behind a lipstick stain. Marking him as yours as he’s done for you on a o many nights. Azriel’s smile hasn’t left his lips, the want gone from his eyes and replaced with pure, unfiltered love. Without hesitating he grabs your hand, intertwining your fingers. “Let’s go,” his voice airy as he pulls you out of the bedroom.

Entering the club you couldn’t help but be in awe of it. The place was nothing like the shitty college bars the three of you went to. The music was appropriately loud, a V.I.P section, a bar stocked with expensive liquor bottles with names you’ve never even heard of before. The lighting perfectly dim, bright enough to navigate your way through the crowd.

Azriel pulls you towards the V.I.P section. Climbing the platform you spot Mor and Feyre with Rhys already enjoying bottle service and a comically large plate of nachos. You notice Rhys giving Azriel a tight lipped look, like he’s not happy to give Azriel the news he’s about to deliver. Azriel slips his hand from yours, kissing your temple. “Go sit love, I’ll be right there.” He whispers.

Without another thought you throw yourself onto the booth between your friends. You start a mindless conversation, Feyre bitching and making fun of how Gavin has been acting since you left. Cassian joins you, coming in from parking the car. Feyre eyes his muscular figure. You know she’s been taken with Cass since the day he picked you up for your first date with Az. And you’ve been trying to push them together for months now, tired of the obvious flirting.

“Hello ladies,” he says seductively, “where are my brothers?” He asks, taking Feyre’s glass from her to take a swig of her drink. She lets out a dramatic gasp, reaching for her drink back. “Over there,” she giggles as Cass pokes at her.

The four of you look over to find the two having an animated conversation. You could tell Azriel was tense from the way he kept rolling his neck. Az made his way over to you, pressing a kiss to your cheek, whispering, “I need to take care of some business with Eris. I’ll be back before you know it.” When he pulls back you give him a small smile and nod. He turns and Rhys follows. Cassian gives him a nod, knowing what his duties are while Azriel is away.

Cassian stood, hands clasped in front of him with that stoic ‘don’t you dare fuck with me look’. The fun, carefree boy gone. You loved pushing Cass and Rhys’s buttons when they’re acting as your bodyguards. Hiding from them in department stores, pretending to run from them. Tonight, however, was not the night for your shenanigans. Cass would never risk the girls and neither would you.

For a little over half an hour you, Mor, and Feyre enjoyed drinks and endless nachos and chicken fingers. Cassian, with his hawk like gaze, notices you looking for your waitress. “What do you want?” He asks, holding his hand out to keep you seated. You smile at his overprotective nature. “Just another drink,” you shake your empty glass at him, clinking the ice.

��I’ll get it for you.” Cassian says, desperate for you to stay put. You give him an exasperated look, “I’m a big girl, Cass. I can get it.” Before he can protest you head over to the bar for the V.I.P section.

Ordering your drink you check the time on your phone. It’s been almost an hour. Eris has never dragged a meeting on this long, even if it was urgent. Letting out a sigh you lean on the bar, tapping your manicured nails on beat with the music pulsing through the club.

A throat clearing sounds next to you, making your shoulders tense like Azriel’s when he receives unpleasant news. With lowered brows you turn to face the source of the grating noise. A man, of course, in a wrinkled button up shirt and dress pants that clearly aren’t tailored. His proximity and scent of his cologne making your nose wrinkle.

“Can I help you?” Your voice flat and uninterested. The man smirked as he leaned on the bar next to you. “Just thought I’d come say hi. I saw you with your pretty friends over there, maybe you’d like to join us.” He gestures to a booth behind yours. No drinks, so they must’ve just arrived. Being with Azriel has taught you be very perceptive of people and your surroundings. Not that your boyfriend was paranoid, he just wanted you to be able to spot danger.

You roll your eyes you look back at the man in front of you. “No thanks.” You say curtly, no longer interested in entertaining this man's delusions.

His eyes roam over your body, one of his brows rising as he smirks. The look made you want to vomit on his cheap shoes. “Come on now sweetheart,” he brushes a finger down your cheek and you quickly take two steps back, his touch slimy and foreign. His demeanor changes quickly, anger flashing across his face as he steps toward you. No must be a word he never hears, whether that be his selective hearing or not.

Out of the corner of your eye a dark mass moves with lightning speed. Gripping the man's arm Azriel twists and pins him to the sleek wooden bar. The man lets out a whimper of pain. Pathetic.

“Do you know who I am?” He growled. “Answer me,” Azriel said with more aggression, shoving the man further into the bar. “Yes,” his voice barely above a whisper thanks to how squished his face is.

“Then you know I protect what’s mine. If I ever see you in my club again you will regret it. Get out.” Azriel let go and Rhys swooped in, guiding the man and his friends to the exit before a fight could break out.

You fling yourself into Azriel’s arms, shaken by what just happened and the what ifs had Azriel not shown up. He ran a gentle hand up and down your spine, holding you tightly to his body. “It’s alright, my love. I’ve got you, I’ve got you.” He coos. Taking a deep inhale of his comforting, warm scent you look up at him.

“Are you alright?” He asks, worry clouding his warm hazel eyes as he takes you in. Searching his memory of you from earlier that night to make sure nothing was out of place. “I’m ok. My dark knight came to the rescue.” A genuine smile pulling at your lips as your fear melts away. The comfort of Azriel’s familiar touch washing away the memory of the unnamed man.

“Do you want to go home? I can have Cass bring the car-’’ You press your finger to his lips to stop him. “Absolutely not. I haven’t danced with you yet and we’re having fun. I’m not going to let some asshole ruin what’s supposed to be a celebration tonight.” The guilt for not being glued to your side hasn’t left Azriel’s face yet. “I promise my dear, I am fine.”

Azriel finally relaxed, pressing his forehead against yours. “I’m sorry Eris kept me for so long. I’m yours for the rest of the night, I swear it, my love.” Azriel slowly kisses you. Wrapping his arm around you Az leads you back to the booth.

Sitting, he pulls you on to his lap, trapping you with his arms as he kisses and bites at your jawline. Making sure he’s marked you appropriately, the twin to your still vibrant lipstick stain decorating his tan skin.

#acotar #acotar fanfiction #acotar reader fic #acotar reader imagine #acotar imagine #azriel x reader #azriel acotar #azriel shadowsinger #azriel x you #azriel fic #azriel imagine #azriel au #azriel fanfic #acotar azriel #azriel #mob!azriel #mob!azriel au

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symbiomancy · 4 months

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MASSAGE —ryomen sukuna

summary: Step-brother Sukuna is good with his hands. Why not take advantage of it when no one's home? It's just an innocent massage, after all.

cw: stepbrother!sukuna, stepcest, grinding/thigh riding, pet names

wc: ~1,1k

also on ao3

“You’re good with your hands,” you say one afternoon when it’s just you and him. Your mother and his father are at work, Yūji is meeting up with friends to go to a movie, hell, even the neighbors might have left town—it’s just you and him.

Sukuna looks up from his phone, face impassive.

“My back hurts. You’re good with your hands. Simple math.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen how you sleep; how do you even bend like that? It’s unnatural.”

“I’m very flexible.” You hold out the bottle of massage oil to him and shake it impatiently. “Please?”

He considers it for a moment, then rolls his eyes and places his phone on the small table next to the couch armrest. You grin, bright and wide as he accepts the bottle.

“Sit,” he says, spreading his legs, half-expecting you to pull out the ottoman underneath the coffee table. Instead, you straddle his thigh, facing away from him. He jostles his leg for good measure and you almost tip over, latching onto the thigh you’re sitting on to not fall. A laugh bubbles from his chest, low and smooth and rich.

“Dickhead,” you mutter, sitting up straight again.

“I can refuse service if you’re not nice to me, you know.”

You sigh, long and drawn out. “I’m sorry. Please, can I get a massage?” Though you don’t wait for his reply and hike your flimsy shirt over your head, draping it over his other thigh.

Sukuna allows his fingers to skim the length of your spine, from your tailbone up to the base of your skull, feeling the grooves and dips of the vertebrae under his fingertips. He maps out the beauty marks littering the expanse of your skin, tries to commit it to memory.

“Where?” He tips a small amount of massage oil onto the palm of his hand and rubs it around his palms. It smells like vanilla.

You place your hands on your waist and press your thumbs on either side of your spine. Sukuna makes a sound of confirmation in the back of his throat and pushes your hands away, placing his thumbs where yours just were. He presses down, hard, and you make a sound, somewhere caught between a hiss and a moan, hands clamped around his thigh again for stability.

He begins working the knots in your lower back and then you moan, actually, audibly moan—it slips from your lips so freely and he likes it, he wants to hear more of it, drawn out and loud. He needs to hear it again like he needs water. The sound sends a jolt straight to his cock. It twitches beneath the layers that separate it from your pretty pussy. Oh, it’s pretty, he just knows it.

His hands slowly glide up your sides until his fingertips ghost the curve of your breast. He hears the hitch in your breathing—like music to his ears, he wants to hear it over and over and over again until it's committed to his memory—but he doesn’t withdraw his hand. Instead, he lets his hand explore further, cupping your breast from below, a finger swiping over the nipple. You buck against his thigh with a low whine.

“You like that, baby?”

“Y-yeah.” Your voice cracks and you hastily clear your throat.

His other hand finds your other breast and he swipes a thumb around and then over each nipple. A small, broken gasp escapes your lips. Your back arches, grinding your covered pussy against his thigh. Sukuna stills, flexes his thigh muscles, and eyes the not-so-subtle circling motions of your hips.

“Yeah?” He palms your tits, pinches the nipple between his thumb and forefinger. You recoil, back arching even more, pussy dragging against his thigh, nails clamping into his flesh so hard Sukuna sees white for a fraction of a second. He can feel the damp patch on your panties and he breathes in slowly to keep his composure from slipping, from pouncing on you like an animal in heat.

He repeats the motion and he’s rewarded with another gasp, this one half a whine, and you fall back, resting against his shoulder.

Sukuna adjusts himself and leans his chin on your shoulder. His mouth rests at the shell of your ear now.

One hand dips from your chest, travels down towards your navel, dragging the massage oil along. He can feel the stutter in your breathing in the still and tacky summer air. He doesn’t stop, goes lower, lower, lower, stops where your skirt begins.

His hand finds purchase on the plush of your thigh, fingers sliding up, under the fabric, and stop just shy of your underwear. You buck your hips again, desperate for any friction.

“What?” He teases, his hot breath caressing the side of your cheek. “Need something?”

“Please.” You nod rapidly. “Please.” Your breaths are heavy, eyes bleary, mid fuzzy with desire.

“Good girl,” he murmurs against the shell of your ear.

Your cheeks warm at his words—so warm and so close he can feel the warmth radiating from your skin. His fingertips ghost over your clothed pussy, just barely applying any force, then over the hem of your skirt, up your body, dragging along the grooves, leaving goosebumps in their wake. His hand finds its place on your breast again, so soft and plush and he breathes in the sweet scent of your strawberry body wash, nose pressed into the junction between your neck and shoulder. Fuck, you’re intoxicating. His cock twitches in his pants, throbbing like he’s about to cum in his shorts—

Voices.

Strange voices draw him from his reprieve. They filter in through the open windows, a female voice arguing with Yuji’s.

Then there’s a key jiggling in the lock on the front door.

Sukuna snatches your top from his thigh, presses it to your chest, and gently pushes you upright. You stand on shaking legs for a moment before the click of the front door’s lock sends you dashing towards the stairs across the room. You reach them just as the door swings open, three voices filtering inside.

“Dickhead!” You shout before you disappear up the stairs and slam your bedroom door.

Yūji pauses as the door falls shut behind him, Nobara, and Megumi, and crosses the few steps from the hallway into the living room. He looks at Sukuna, lying on his stomach on the couch, scrolling through his phone. “What did you say this time?”

Sukuna scowls and grabs a decorative pillow to chuck at Yuji’s head. “Mind your own business, brat.”

banners from @/cafekitsune

#jjk x reader #sukuna x reader #ryomen sukuna x reader #sukuna x you #jjk x you #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen x you

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mizuseyebrows · 3 months

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the boy and the imp pt. 2 —teen!mizu x f!reader

warnings: not proofread, sword fight, nicknames/pet names (baby). she/her pronouns for mizu (mizu's pov). reader still thinks mizu's a boy. horny teenagers.

includes: bratty, arrogant fem!/afab! reader. bold, arrogant teen!mizu. they're around 16-17 word count: 5.7k

summary: after two years, you came back to eiji's gyoka. you and mizu get a little bit turned on after another sparring ;) (nothing explicit happens)

a/n: I read some mizu's hcs about her getting excited while sparring so... I decided to use that

木枯らし || Kogarashi

Time passed, maybe a year, maybe two. Neither the samurai nor his daughter had returned, but the memory of ‘cute’ was still present in Mizu. She caught herself cherishing something as insignificant as that word, it had made her feel good and she didn’t want to forget it. She also caught herself looking at the forest from time to time while training at night. That day, Seiu arrived from nowhere, so who said she couldn’t arrive that same way again?

And the worst of all is that Mizu still didn’t know her name. She didn’t know what to call the girl who sometimes haunted her head. It was funny how a word like ‘cute’ changed her completely. She had a very rough attitude and it was amusing how she still remembered that detail with a grin from ear to ear.

Sometimes she would also find herself wondering how she was… if she was fine.

Mizu could only think about her looks, how her facial features screamed elegance but her eyes hid that mischief and malice that had led them to fight. She was as beautiful and dangerous as a katana. Or like a poisonous flower, even like a carnivorous one.

She was pretty and scary at the same time.

There was something very captivating in her eyes, in how she looked at her like if a dark secret was hidden behind them.

Suddenly one day, Mizu looked for firewood in the forest shivering because of the kogarashi wind. It was almost nightfall and she had to return soon to train. In recent months, other warriors came to hire Master Eiji’s services and she saw them secretly. She studied their techniques, their postures, their breathing, everything she could register in the darkness of the night.

The only thing she didn’t expect to find was that when she returned to the house and went in to look for her katana, she would be surprised to see you again.

There you were, sitting and wearing a black hakama and uwagi. Your face had changed. Your eyes were deeper and your body seemed much curvier than before. You had grown up to become an even more beautiful girl than before, but you also looked dangerous. It was a mix of gentleness and malice.

The moment you locked eyes with Mizu, you smiled at her. Oh, that smile…

The smile was so beautiful that it made her blush. She looked at you a moment more, and then her eyes went to that boy next to her. He was handsome, very handsome, and from his clothes she could tell that he was a samurai.

She looked at you again with a hint of jealousy in her eyes, but she quickly changed her look and looked away.

You giggled and stood up to walk towards Mizu. Mizu was taller and bigger, you wondered if there were marked muscles under her clothes. Her face was now longer and thinner, and her eyes were now more slanted and threatening.

“Hello again…” you greeted with a velvety voice.

Mizu could see that you still had that sly smile from two years ago. She would recognize that voice anywhere. At the moment you were in front of her she couldn’t believe it. It seemed like a dream.

“Hi there,” she said with a blush and her eyes went to the boy next to her wondering how they are connected, probably that was her brother.

You glanced at the boy and then at Mizu again. “He’s too handsome to be a samurai, huh?” You teased, with a giggle.

That caught her off guard. She let out a small laugh as she stared at the boy with a hint of jealousy. The boy was indeed attractive and it was interesting to see him next to you.

She nodded her head up and down slightly for confirmation of your words. “I agree…” she said softly with a teasing tone and a playful smile.

“Are you still training? Or are you tired of burying your katana in bamboos?” You asked in a mocking tone, crossing your arms.

Mizu rolled her eyes slightly. Still with a slight blush on her cheeks as she remembered the past. She couldn’t hide how embarrassed she was.

“I’m definitely still training.” She replied softly and her eyes narrowed at her teasing. “I can beat you this time.” She said teasingly with a mischievous smile and a playful tone.

“Honey, not even after training for a hundred years you could beat me.” You smiled, raising an eyebrow. “You have a long way to go to surpass me.”

Mizu smirked slightly. This girl was as arrogant as always. She liked your attitude.

“Honey, that is what you think…” she said in a teasing tone. “I can still beat you. I have become better.”

There was that little spark in her eyes when she spoke to you. She was starting to enjoy their bickering.

“I bet you don’t even know how to hold the katana properly yet.” You continued to mock, scanning Mizu from head to toe. “Did you at least improve your technique?”

Her eyes narrowed with that mocking tone that caused her to blush slightly. “Shut up…” she said playfully. “You know very well I know how to hold a katana.”

Mizu was also looking at you with a teasing look and after a while she said.

“What? You don’t want to see how much I developed now? You are scared of losing I guess.” She was trying not to fall for the mockery.

“Why do you think I don’t want to see how much you’ve ‘improved’?” You emphasized that word, without stopping with your mockery.

Your mocking attitude was something that Mizu strangely remembered with affection about you, she found it amusing. However, she wasn’t going to let you insult her that way.

“You are mocking me because in reality you are really scared of fighting against me again.” She replied with a mischievous smile and a playful tone. “You are afraid of getting beaten, huh?”

She looked at you with a certain smugness in her face, the spark of her eyes was brighter than before. She was ready for that rematch.

“What a confidence you have now…” You raised an eyebrow. “Could it be that the pride and arrogance have gone to your head and that’s why you think you can beat me?” You laughed brightly.

Your demeanor was indeed cocky and that was another thing Mizu liked about you. It brought this special spark into her.

“I’m not thinking that I can beat you. I know it,” she said in a mocking tone, raising her eyebrows and with a smirk on her face. “You can say whatever you want, I know you are scared of my progress. I won’t be easy to beat this time.”

“With that cute little face it will be easy to beat you at any time.” You grabbed her chin with her fingers and shook Mizu’s face, making a mocking pout. “Just tell me when you want me to kick your ass.”

The moment you grabbed her chin her face felt like it was on fire. She tried to keep herself calm, but her expression of outrage was clear when she saw your mocking face.

Mizu tried to remove your hand but she wasn’t strong enough to do it. She was somewhat offended but at the same time she found it very adorable.

“Shut up.” She replied softly, trying to keep herself quiet as she looked at you with an ‘angry’ expression but her eyes sparkled with a hint of cuteness.

You laughed softly and released Mizu’s chin. At the same time the young samurai boy stood up.

“Looks like I have to go now, but I’ll stay here in Kohama until the katana is ready. If you’re so sure you can beat me, I’ll come one of these nights, so you can prove it to me.” You smiled evilly.

Mizu felt a burning sensation in her cheeks and almost sighed. It was a strange sensation, maybe it was the feeling of having been so close to you. She couldn’t explain it.

The idea of you coming to fight her in the future made her feel a spark of excitement and impatience.

“I’ll look forward to it,” she said in a teasing tone, trying to hide her blushes with that mischievous look in her eyes.

“Look hot to get your ass kicked.” You winked at Mizu as you walked towards the door. “Although you’re not that far from look that way.”

At you comment her blushes became more visible on her face. She felt her heart beating fast as she saw you walk towards the door and the spark in her eyes became bigger as she did so.

Your attitude was always so tempting and now she was more attracted to you than ever, she would look forward to fighting you again, she wanted to see you once again, she needed that rematch.

She felt a little proud about the attention she was receiving, although at the same time something else was growing inside her. She could feel it as a strange feeling of affection and admiration, like a small flutter in her chest.

It was clear that you didn't lack a way with words that really made her feel like a fool.

Two nights passed, but Mizu was still looking forward to you showing up. She has been training like crazy to be prepared enough to defeat your arrogant ass. She wouldn’t rest until she won.

The nights had passed slowly, she was anxious and eager for you to appear. The spark of excitement was still in her eyes and she felt her face warm with that same feeling she had before.

Now she wanted to see you more than ever, she had been waiting for you to return at any moment. She hoped that your battle would be soon, she was already thinking about what moves she was going to make and how she would beat you.

As Mizu took a break from training that night, a person emerged from the shadows of the forest. Was dressed completely in black, they could hardly be distinguished in the darkness. But it was you. Of course it was you.

“Is this how you train? Sitting around doing nothing?” You sneered, approaching the courtyard of the house. You seemed to blend in with the night.

She saw you emerge from the shadows like a mysterious shadow and she felt a certain excitement.

For a moment she thought it was one of the ghosts that roamed around the forest. However, when she recognized that annoying voice that she liked she immediately relaxed.

A mischievous smile spread across her face, she couldn’t contain her excitement.

“I’m resting!” she replied with a teasing tone, feeling very amused with what was happening. Her heart had started to beat faster at the sight of her.

It was an exciting situation, with you finally being there after the days went by so slowly. Mizu sat on the grass as she continued to gaze at you with a curious expression and a small playful smile on her face.

“Let’s finally make our little rematch and end this story once and for all.” She stood up and walked towards you, her eyes sparkled with that same playful light.

“Ow, do you have something else to do that won’t dedicate your entire night to me?” You bend onto the fence with your hands, looking into Mizu’s eyes. “Or are you so nervous that you want me to defeat you quickly so you can run away with your tail between your legs?”

She couldn’t hide the smirk on her face when she saw you. You were being playful as always. It made the situation more interesting. Mizu couldn’t stop staring at you and she began to feel that strange sensation of fluttering again.

The idea of her defeating you made the excitement grow even more. She was enjoying the situation very much as she continued to look at you and then her eyes narrowed a little bit in a playful way.

“I would never run away like a coward.” She replied mockingly.

“Oh, but you should, darling…” You whispered, studying Mizu’s entire face now. “I will destroy your ego.”

With each whispering of your voice her body felt warmer. She had never noticed how your voice could sound so seductive after so long without hearing it. This only made the excitement grow.

She felt a strange tickle when you said this. She felt like she was melting when you called her ‘darling’. Her facial expression changed slightly as she heard those words.

A funny smile spread across her face and she replied back in the same playful tone. The comment made her smirk slightly, she wouldn’t let you win that easily.

“You may defeat me, but not my ego. You’re going to fail; this is going to be fun.” She said in a more teasing tone.

“So you are aware that I will defeat you?” You scoffed with a slightly raspy tone. But you only spoke like that to continue provoking her.

Your words seemed to have hit home. Mizu had to admit that your response had hit her hard. She would have preferred that you had been arrogant as before. Your tone had changed, making her feel different things.

Her smirk vanished and she felt her body warm up even more.

“I… Well…” she was trying to think of something to say, but she couldn’t. After a long moment of silence, she spoke. “…I’m not going to lose that easily.”

“Good answer, baby.” You mocked and giggled happily and reached your hand to the belt over your obi, to take the katana by the handle. “I borrowed a sword, so this will be better than last time.”

The way you laughed sent a shiver down her spine. It was that special spark that made her want to get close to you.

As you reached your hand to your obi she felt the desire to get closer to you, to touch your skin. She quickly forced herself to stop and her eyes narrowed again as her heart began to beat faster and faster.

The fact that you had borrowed a sword made it a little more interesting. It excited her to be able to face you with more equal weapons.

Her face lit up with that spark as she replied to her. “I like that, this makes it better. I can’t wait to see you use that sword.” She said with a playful tone, smiling excitedly at you.

“Then come, handsome man.” You moved away from the fence. You would have more space outside the courtyard.

The way you called her ‘handsome man’ made her blush a little… or a lot actually. She couldn’t deny how she felt with that teasing and a bit of flirtatious comments. Mizu was starting to feel a nervous excitement and her breath came out heavily and fast. The butterflies in her stomach were becoming stronger and she could feel her heart beating faster and faster.

The feeling of your eyes on her made her feel a bit uneasy but she liked it, that mocking and teasing attitude always fascinated her. She couldn’t keep her eyes off you.

With a teasing smile Mizu followed you outside the courtyard. There was more space to move now and she felt more excited. The tension of the clash grew as your bodies moved closer. She couldn’t contain her excitement anymore; she was ready for that fight.

“Be careful, there’s no running away this time.” She said in a teasing tone.

You ran towards Mizu, after unsheathing your katana, to attack her with a diagonal attack; dangerously pointed towards Mizu’s neck.

She wasn’t surprised by your sudden attack; she was used to your aggressive style. However, that didn’t mean that she wasn’t feeling nervous and excited, especially when you came so close.

Once again she found herself attracted to you in a certain way. Your beautiful face and body, your way with words and your playfulness always left her enchanted. And she also knew that you were a strong opponent, that added to the attraction.

With a quick movement she defended herself and deflected the attack with the blade of her katana.

The clash of both katanas produced a spark. Both leaned towards each other, without separating your swords. “You got faster, hm?”

Mizu was able to deflect the attack and this made her feel proud. When she heard that compliment that excitement had grown even more. Her body was feeling warmer as she felt a certain warmth in her chest. She couldn’t help but to grin from ear to ear as she felt her heart beating fast from being so close to her.

The spark of the clash between the two swords was interesting but the spark of her eyes was even more fascinating. She was staring directly into your eyes as she leaned towards you in that position.

“If I became faster, it was because of you.” She replied in a teasing tone, but the words were true. “I’ve learned a lot from our previous fight.”

“Ha! So you did take my comments into consideration…” You nodded gently and swung your katana again to push Mizu away.

She had taken into account all the comments you made during your previous fight but there was a certain part that she wasn’t able to control at all. It was the feeling of closeness that was starting to bother her.

Her heartbeat accelerated and the shining of her eyes was getting more intense. The feeling of her breath was also getting warmer with each passing moment.

However, she could not allow that feeling to distract her in the middle of the fight. She had to stay focused and be alert. The strike was faster than before and it managed to push her back.

“Although you should still bend your knees a little more.” You smiled and approached to attack Mizu’s side.

As her blade made contact with your katana, she felt her whole body ignite. She quickly pushed you backwards before they both could get too close. It was an emotional reaction. The feeling of the closeness was starting to affect her in a more intense way.

They were both standing at a distance again and Mizu was feeling more nervous and excited than ever.

When you approached her again, she was quickly knocked down by the mid-air stunt. She fell onto the ground with her whole body feeling that burning sensation that was increasing inside her.

“Cat got your tongue? You’re not so talkative today…” You gripped your katana tightly, waiting for Mizu’s attack.

“Well, it’s better to keep all my words for a real fight.” She replied back with a playful tone, showing that she wasn’t going to be distracted by the playful attitude.

She would not let your teasing affect her and she attacked you with great strength, slashing her katana against you in a way that made her blade move to the side and take the first blow.

“Huh, a real fight.” You repeated, blocking Mizu’s attack. “What is a ‘real fight’ according to you?”

“A fight between the two of us where we both give ourselves our all and where I knock you down on your knees.” She said with a bit of mockery in her tone as her eyes narrowed.

The tension between both of you had increased at a noticeable rate, the desire to get closer to you had grown even more. She could not stop herself from making her fall for you.

The duel lasted for several minutes, without either of them gaining an advantage. Both were sweating and panting, but none of you did not give up. Each one felt a deep respect and an intense rivalry for the other. You two knew you were fighting against a worthy adversary, and that only skill and luck would decide the outcome. At one point, Mizu saw an opportunity and launched a vertical blow, aiming at your neck.

You reacted in time and deflected Mizu’s katana with yours, but lost your balance. Your sword fell to the side and your body lay there defenseless. Mizu approached you and put the tip of her katana on your throat, claiming victory.

You looked at Mizu with a mixture of admiration and frustration. You knew you had lost, and that you had to accept your fate.

“Amazing…” You whispered.

Mizu was breathing heavily and felt excitement and nervousness in a way she had never felt before. She felt her heartbeat getting faster and she couldn’t stop herself from staring at you in a more intense way.

The sight of your body lying so close to her was overwhelming. She nodded slightly, showing her appreciation for the compliment.

“Just like I told you, I won’t let you win this time.” She said with a playful tone, enjoying the feeling of triumph.

“You still have some mistakes but… I see that your arrogance is justified.” You laughed cheerfully, staring at Mizu from the ground.

“At the end I’m the one who is standing here and that is what matters.” She replied back with a playful tone.

The moment of victory was intense and she liked how her body responded in those moments. She was very proud of herself for beating her. The smile of triumph did not leave her face and the teasing voice came again.

“I also have to point out that you are quite good too.” She said teasingly as she looked at you with a flirtatious expression, without noticing it.

“Quite good? Now you’re going to offend me like that?” You raised an eyebrow playfully. “What if I let you win?”

“You can’t say that after I beat you like this, honey.” The look of triumph did not leave her face and her body was still shaken up by the intensity of the fight, the adrenaline still running through her veins. “Besides, you would never do that. I know you too well by now.” She replied, with a small grin.

She was enjoying the playful banter between you two. It only increased her desire to do this again as often as possible.

“It was a fair victory. And admitting it doesn’t make me lose dignity, I’m better than you at that.” You decided to tease Mizu from another angle, closing your eyes and smiling conceitedly.

“There you are wrong,” she replied back with a mocking air. “Your defeat happens to prove who’s the best.”

The victory had increased her ego and confidence much more than she expected. And she felt more and more confident now that she was able to defeat you.

“Oh yeah, is there someone better than me here? Because I don’t see them anywhere.” You opened your eyes to look everywhere, pretending that Mizu did not exist at that moment.

“It’s right here, you just can’t see her.” She replied, being playful with her once again.

Mizu approached you, releasing her katana. She sat suddenly on your lap, trapping your legs and holding herself with her hands on each side of your head.

“You want me to remind you who just defeated you?” she said teasingly, leaning over your face.

“Wow, you really are insolent, young man.” You laughed playfully, placing your hands on Mizu’s wrists. “Who told you you could sit on me?”

“I’m not sure if you realize,” she replied back with a smirk. “I am the winner and I can do anything I want.” She replied with a cheeky smile.

She couldn’t help but to smile because the position you were in now was making her very pleased. Her body was shaking and there was a strange feeling that was growing inside her.

“I beat you at that fight,” she reminded you in a playful way and leaned a bit closer to you.

“Alright, let me go. I should go back to town.” You continued smiling mockingly and trying to free your legs, feeling a little nervous for Mizu’s closeness. You were enjoying it, but couldn’t tell if this position was something good or bad.

“I don’t think so; you are not going anywhere until I say so.”

Mizu’s body was feeling the tension growing and she was feeling more excited by it. She was close enough to the point that her breath was being felt on your face. The feeling was intense, she felt her body get warmer.

“Now, admit it. I beat you and I’m better than you at that,” she said with pride in her voice.

“I’d rather die.” Was the answer you gave her, still smiling. “If you don’t let go of me now, I’ll have to take you down.”

When you said those words, her body felt a shiver throughout her whole body. “Is that a threat from the one who just lost?” came her answer in a teasing tone, and she moved her body a bit closer to you to test your limits.

“It’s a promise, baby.” You whispered with your face close to Mizu’s. “Now, let me go and I won’t have to hit you, hm?” You smiled brightly, feigning innocence.

The banter was only getting hotter and her heart was beating faster. She was also feeling more and more nervous because she couldn’t control her body.

You were also doing an effective job of teasing her in return and her body was reacting to it.

“Oh? You think I didn’t notice how excited you were when I put myself on your lap? I can see you liked that.” She replied with a teasing tone as she moved her body on your legs, her breath was even more present.

You evaded her question and laughed softly. You grabbed Mizu by the sides of her body and managed to knock her to the ground, climbing on top of her now. “It’s not about whether I liked it or not, it’s about you letting me free.”

“Not going to happen.” She replied back with a playful tone, trying to hide the nervous laugh that escaped her

Feeling your weight body on top of her was something she had definitely not expected, but she did not fight it. She felt how her heart beat faster and faster and her body was responding to it in a strange way.

“Can I say something silly and cheesy?” There was no trace of your playful voice, now there was some caution behind your words. Were you nervous?

The sudden and unexpected change in your tone caught her attention and she couldn’t stop herself from feeling more anxious. She felt her heartbeat increasing in an intense way, it was beating quite fast with a lot of excitement.

“Of course,” came her answer back in a soft and pleasant voice.

“Your eyes…” You whispered, staring at her. “They remind me of the first day of winter. Cold and threatening, but also with a dense layer that hides something… Secrets, wounds, a vibrant and warm personality yet to come…”

The words you said made her stop for a moment. For some reason she felt that the atmosphere between you two had started to become different, it was strange and at the same time it stirred a feeling deep inside her.

Your words only caused that feeling to grow even more; her breathing and her heart beat were increasing.

That answer was unexpected, there was something about you that made her tremble more and more. The way you were looking at her and described her eyes was making her heart beat a lot faster.

She could not stop herself from blushing and turning her face a little away, she was trying really hard to maintain her cool.

“Wow… that was very poetic…” she replied with a shy tone and a blush starting to form on her cheeks.

You grinned from ear to ear charmingly, blushing violently. You looked away a little, trying to compose yourself. “I have also been educated in the art of words.” You cleared your throat and stood up, fixing her clothes. Your hands were also shaking slightly because of that confession that you didn’t know where it had come from.

She was still feeling the nervous feeling that was growing inside her. The words had certainly shaken her up quite a bit. She was not used to having someone speak to her in such a special way.

When you looked away, it made her feel more excited. She felt like she had to see your eyes and your expression, she wanted to see what your reaction was after those words.

“So, do you admit that I am the better swordsman?” she tried to joke a bit, hoping to hide the feeling that was growing inside her. Trying to divert that tense atmosphere that had formed between the two of you.

Your glanced at her with a little smile. “Just for today I will give you the pleasure of vindication: you were a better swordsman than me.” You nodded. “For now.”

“For now? I already beat you once, I can easily do it again.” She said confidently, trying to act confident but not being able to hide how her body was reacting to those words.

Her legs felt weak because of it, she was almost unable to stand. The words you said were something that kept her thinking.

“We’ll see about that. I don’t think my brother will let me come again without him but I could try.” You sheathed your katana and then stared at Mizu.

“Oh right, I almost forgot about your brother. I bet you wanted to take me down so you could show off in front of him, hmm?” she said with a playful tone and a shy smile.

You reacted to the comment about your brother but decided not to say anything about it. You just giggled.

Your laughter sounded so cute that made her heart skip more beats. She stood up without taking her eyes off you, also arranging her clothes. She tried not to show that her legs were unstable.

“You know…” she said quietly with a soft voice and then looked at her for a moment with an almost seductive tone, and she had no idea where that was coming from.

“What?” You sighed softly, wanting to hide her blush.

“Nothing…” she said back with a teasing tone, trying to mask how she was feeling.

She was starting to really get confused and mixed with all these feelings that were growing inside her. She didn’t know what to do, it was a whole new experience for her.

“Are you sure?” You approached her, looking at her curiously.

She felt her body trembling with excitement. She suddenly felt the need to touch you without knowing where that sensation was coming from.

“Yes… I’m sure…” she said in a voice that was a combination of nervous, excited and seductive. “I just wanted to say that you have pretty eyes too.” She said softly and then brushed your hairs back behind your ear.

You felt like you would combust at that moment, feeling Mizu’s fingers behind your ear. “O-Oh, thanks.” Again you looked away and walked away, clearing your throat. “I should be going.”

Mizu could not believe these emotions were taking over and her body was responding to this strange tension between both of you. And she couldn’t stop herself from touching your hair again. Her fingers combed through a bit more.

“Before you go, can I ask you something?” she asked softly with a shy look in her face.

“Sure.” You nodded gently, staring at Mizu.

“Do you feel it too?” she said with a low, husky voice that was also mixed with excitement and nervousness.

She looked at you with a shy and innocent look in her eyes, as if she was a girl in love but she felt like her heart would go out of control. Everything was a disaster inside her, she felt like she needed to do something about this feeling.

“This thing between us right now. Can you feel it too?” she asked back.

“What thing between us?” You whispered, leaning your cheek against Mizu’s hand.

The blush that she had before was now increasing even more. Your face was very close to her and she could feel your breath touching her palm.

Your answer caused her mouth to become dry, the feelings inside her were making her almost breathless.

“This thing, the strange, unusual feeling between us. You feel it too, right?” she said softly, this time she was leaning her face closer to hers.

“What should we do about ‘this thing’?” You also spoke in a soft tone, watching Mizu approaching you.

Your words caught her off guard. She was already starting to feel the need to do something with this feeling that was making her tremble, but now she didn’t know what to answer.

She reached her other hand to your face which she used to lean her own face closer to yours. She was almost breathing on your lips now.

You closed the distance and planted a kiss on the corner of Mizu’s mouth, almost touching her lips. “I really have to go. Maybe we can meet again, maybe.” You whispered against Mizu’s face and pushed her friendly, laughing.

She felt the kiss and the feeling increased even more, to the point that she had no words. She was just staring at her with a timid look in her eyes. She couldn’t believe that everything that was happening was real.

“See you soon, loser.” You started walking towards the forest, with a silly and pathetic smile on your face, feeling like at any moment you would scream with excitement.

Your friendly joke left a smile on Mizu’s trembling lips. She tried to regain her bearings and calm her nervous body down after the kiss… That kiss.

Now she knew that all the feelings and mixed emotions were not just in her head. They were very real and so overwhelming. She took in a deep breath and shook her head to clear her head a bit.

She was completely fucked… She didn’t even ask you your name again.

“You sure are a loser, Mizu.” She laughed at herself and turned around to go to Master Eiji’s house again.

sorry for taking so long, I didn't find the motivation to finish this -cries in adhd-. I want to write a third part.

THANK SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT IN THE FIRST PART ❤️❤️❤️

#mizu x fem!reader #mizu x reader #mizu x you #blue eye samurai #mizu #mizu blue eye samurai #mizu bes #blue eye samurai mizu #bes mizu

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keldabekush · 5 months

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do you have any favorite fic recs that are fox/coruscant guard centered? there are a couple i've found that are really good but a lot of the fox tag is him in a more minor role with the focus on like cody or rex or jedi etc

Yeah i have a few! Here are some that i keep rereading - I'm putting them under the cut!

Politicians In My Eyes by jaigeye

Fox looks down at his armor, awash with blood. There are no identifying marks on him anymore. He's as red as Coruscant

CHTHONIC by catboydogma

Not even two days later, Fox revised his opinion. This wasn’t a disaster. This was a Grade-A, first order, fresh off the hot plate fuckfest. Fox’s day had gone something like this: lay in bed. Get up. Knock back some of the sludge in the mess masquerading as caf. Go through forms. Fill out forms. Bust open a closet in which the Senators for Uyter and Kinyen had both managed to get “stuck” in. Go through more forms. Fill out more forms. Get called up to the Senate dome to tell a Senator that no, the Guard did not address noise complaints. Find that the stack of datapads on his desk had somehow tripled over the last two hours. Despair at the state of his inbox. Etcetera, etcetera. And then.

dead dog (bye-bye baby blue) by batchmates

The way it happens is simple: at some point during your service in the Guard, you’ll lose time. The thing wiping the Guards’ memories gets sloppy and Fox remembers the order not to let Fives leave the surface alive. It changes everything and nothing at all.

Life During Wartime by chermit

Commander Fox has a lot on his plate: managing his Corries, filling out piles of forms, dealing with obnoxious Senators, and not thinking about the way he keeps waking up covered in other people's blood. All that considered, he really doesn't have time to deal with being investigated by the Captain of the 501st and the Head of the Jedi Order for two separate murders he (probably) didn't (want to) commit. But Fox is a soldier, and good soldiers follow orders, so when does he ever get what he wants?

Commander Fox's Guide to Touring Coruscant by kakashikrazy256

The painkiller he had been giving just half an hour prior is still working fine, leaving him relatively...alright. Nothing hurts particularly bad, but there’s a fuzziness layered over everything, making it hard to think too hard on anything beyond the first thoughts running through his head. Go inside. Find the rest. Sit down. Drink. Don’t say anything stupid. Don’t get caught. And...and just be there to properly enjoy the company of his brothers. Don’t forget these memories. / Fox gets injured but decides to keep it secret for the sake of his batchmates. For the prompt 'is that a bloodstain?!'

their days are darker by always_a_slut_for_hc

After the death of ARC Trooper Fives, an altercation at 79's leads Wolffe to spend his leave snooping around the Coruscant Guard. Fox assumes he'll drop it and leave the Corries to their fate; it's what everyone else has done. He is very, very wrong.

The Last Reason by meerlicht

Cody has a scar now, and it’s the only thing that differentiates him from Fox appearance-wise. For one, they both have the same circles under their eyes. Fox assumes that’s what comes with being a Commander. Their hands are the same, too, damaged and bruised at all times. But the biggest difference Fox sees when he looks at Cody isn’t the scar. It’s the rage. Cody doesn’t wear that same rage. Fox’s hands ache with the need to punch something. Or: Fox dealing with Senators, little brothers, the terrifying ordeal of asking for help and a menace called Quinlan Vos.

#ask #answer #fic rec #commander fox

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strawberrymochin · 22 days

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Springtime Fushiguros♪

Context-: exploring the memories of childhood of fushiguros, marking the spring time of you and satoru gojo.

Gojo's cooking skills-: gojo cooks for the fushiguros while you are away. (Disaster)

Gojo frowns not being able to locate a pan in the kitchen. Megumi sighs at the sense of foreboding, it's already been 20 mins gojo's rummaging through the kitchen, just to find a single pan to cook. He could simply ask Tsumiki or Megumi but the guy believes in self reliance, thus asking help from the kids would feel like a betrayal to himself.

He wants to make you proud, by cooking for the kids, serving them the utmost savoury finger licking heavenly food. (Without the help of anyone)

'Tshh,' says Tsumiki drawing her brother's attention, 'Don't you think we should help gojo Sensei?' she whispers, keeping her voice low. 'And do you think he would agree?' replies Megumi fretfully.

You are out for work today, a rare occasion in this household. You work partime in a marketing firm that advertises a buisness good or service making it reach its desired market sale.

It haven't been much long since you joined this company, before moving in with gojo satoru you used to work 9 to 5 but now that you have the kids to take care of, you convinced your boss to work half-day. He agreed since you were only a part time employee. You normally go to work after the kids go to school and return before their arrival.

However today is a bit different, the work load is enormous for a special deal whose ad is supposed to be out tomorrow, which resulted in your boss asking you to do overtime. You agreed instantly, since gojo wasn't going on any missions today and the kids were on a special holiday. Moreover your boss has been too kind to you to refuse.

Gojo has reassured you that he won't need any help, even though you insisted him to call if he faces any problem. He didn't wanted you to work while stressing about them. Even after that, you had given atleast 3 lectures on how to take care of the kids, where the cooking materials are and about their likes and dislikes.

'How about you sneak in the kitchen, take the pan out of the shelf while I keep him occupied on something else?' Megumi raises a brow at Tsumiki's idea. He thinks it's waste of energy but agress anyways.

Both go according to the plan, Tsumiki drags gojo outside lying someone was on the door, while Megumi sneaks in the kitchen getting the pan out from the shelf.

'There's no one 'miki! You sure you heard someone?' Megumi hurries trying to place the pan on the counter at the sound of gojo's approaching steps, 'yes! Sensei! I'm sure. Why don't you come and check again!!' Tsumiki pulls gojo's hand dragging him to the front door again, when 'Megumi, what are you doing?' gojo asks nonchalantly as Tsumiki's eyes widen.

Megumi quickly places the pan on the top of the counter shutting the shelf sneaking out of the kitchen, when gojo picks him up in his lap, a pissed expression in his face.

Gojo's was nowhere near the kitchen a few seconds ago. He was standing with Tsumiki in the living room. Now Tsumiki is standing alone in the living room creeped out.

He drags a shocked megumi to the living room and settles him on the couch. He goes for Tsumiki next, settling her beside Megumi.

'you guys think you can surpass me? Tsk tsk tsk, I'm the strongest—' Megumi interrupts before gojo could finish. 'Did you just—teleported from the living room?'

'yup.'

'wow. So you can teleport! Can you do that too Megumi-chan?' says Tsumiki fascinated as megumi stares at his Sensei.

'megumi can do that too one day, if he works hard to keep up with me....and you have to now that you promised.' gojo ruffles megumi's hair annoying him again.

'now, you two don't interfere when I'm cooking, I gotta make y/n proud and prove i can take care of you guys without any lectures.'

Gojo strolls back to rummaging the kitchen, as the kids watch, turning their heads from the couch.

'megumi can do that too one day' said gojo to Tsumiki. 'I will do that too.' thought Megumi, he might not like his Sensei much, he might strongly believe he's unserious and annoying but he can't ignore the fact that his Sensei is the strongest. And it's the only thing he truly admires. He promised gojo to work hard and keep up with him. He promises to work hard again but this time not to gojo, but to himself. He will work hard and become like his Sensei one day.

'Would you like pizza instead?' gojo said apologetically. He ended up burning the Ginger chicken rice and salad he was making. The kids were starving till the pizza arrived.

The kids accepted the their fate, desperately wishing you to comeback and never go back. Atleast that meant good healthy food that actually tastes good. Megumi made a mental note never to learn cooking from his Sensei.

When you arrived late in the house expecting the kids fast asleep, you were instead greeted by a whining megumi, who was having digestion problems.

That's it. You are never leaving the kids with him again.

'Atleast, I fed him on time!'

'Yeah, and you fed him pizza, which is the reason he's having stomach ache. You said you would make them something healthy.'

'I did.'

'Then—wait don't tell me you—' you rush into the kitchen to see a burnt cooking pan and a couple of dishes stacked in the basin.

'well, it wasn't burnt, just a bit overcooked—that it turned black.'

'yeah, into ashes.'

'But love, i atleast tried.'

'Aww honey! You're so sweet. Now go do the dishes. Without breaking anything.'

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cienie-isengardu · 3 months

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[MK1] Bi-Han & Kuai Liang. Good brother? Evil brother? Nah, just different reactions to trauma, part 1

Author's note: the first part is not directly focused on Kuai Liang and Bi-Han as characters but at the worldbuilding, our knowledge about Lin Kuei and tradition that shaped Sub-Zero & Scorpion, and Liu Kang's acceptance of things as they are.

Lately it feels like Lin Kuei fandom split into either Bi-Han’s supporters or Kuai Liang’s supporters and the dispute over who is a good brother and who is not is an ongoing issue. This is greatly upsetting because both men have their share of flaws that sometimes fans exaggerate to demonize one or another. For me though, the brotherly conflict is not about who is good and who is bad, not even who is right and who is wrong, but about how two men groomed since childhood to be a living weapon deal with the trauma in totally opposite ways. As in, one is rebelling against the tradition and the other willing to uphold the system.

With Smoke, the adoptive yet no less traumatized brother, stuck in the middle of that.

Bi-Han and Kuai Liang being survivors of a great psychological and physical abuse is the most true for previous timelines, however hear me out - just because Lin Kuei falls now under Liu Kang’s authority it does not automatically erase the possibility of both brothers experiencing things that no child should. To better illustrate my point, let’s take a moment and look at the Empress Sindel and Umgadi system.

Sindel in general is presented as the ruler who does not seek an open conflict with Earthrealm and whom Liu Kang openly admires. As Fire Lord said himself, Sindel was destined to “rule Outworld firmly, but fairly” and it is her rule that brings peace to the otherwise conflicted Outworld

Liu Kang, story mode: Its past has been difficult. Though the last thousand years of Empress Sindel's reign have been a true golden age... the memories of that strife still linger.

and

Sindel's Bio: Her early reign marked the start of a new Golden Age.

That is what the character's Bio and the main story mode outright says or implies about Sindel.

But then intro dialogues bring a different side of the beloved Queen. The people infected by Tarkat illness are exiled, their property confiscated by Sindel’s edict

Kitana: When you became ill, your assets were taken? Baraka: As required by your mother's edict, Princess.

and in result forced to slowly die in poverty far away from healthy citizens. Those who sympathize with suffering infected people and won’t “report them for quarantine” are treated like criminals, as was seen when Li Mei and her men disrupted the Royal Family’s procession while leading arrested and tied up people.

The bad treatment of infected people, according to Mileena and Baraka endings, will improve thanks to the new Empress, who not only reaches a hand to suffering but would go so far to reveal her own illness to reduce social stigma against the sick. Mileena is seen as hot-headed, violent and not the best material for a Queen compared to Sindel, the supposed wise and kind ruler or even compared to her younger sister, Kitana. But it is the brash Empress that would actually make an effort to change her Empire for better.

Similar things can be said about the Umgadi system, which forces Outworld families to give up their first-born daughters for a training that will turn their children into living weapons to uphold the Royal Family’s rule

Liu Kang, story mode: Umgadi, like Tanya, are warrior priestesses... Selected from the first born daughters of Outworld. From infancy, they are trained to defend the royal family."

The daughters in question will never know their biological family or where they were born to ensure their absolute loyalty to the Royal Family, even though not every candidate will finish their training. Once they obtain the title of Umgadi, they can’t marry or be in a relationship, we have no idea if they even are paid anything for their service. So far Li Mei is the only known woman to leave Umgadi, and she did so due to the death of Sindel’s husband for which she was unfairly blamed. And again, the tie-in material implies that the change to Umgadi system will happen because of Mileena, who is willing to reform an organization that is deeply rooted in Edenian tradition, not the “kind and good” Queen Sindel.

So just because a character is set on the Good Guys Side, it does not mean the said character is crystally good with no flaw at all or that breaking up with tradition is inherently evil, because the tradition alone is just a system of beliefs, practices or behaviors established in the past and passed down from one generation to another within a group of people or society and not a determinant of being good or bad.

Now, the important thing - Umgadi and Lin Kuei are very similar organizations. The similarities are especially true for old timeline(s) Lin Kuei, as we have more or less idea how training adepts looked through the ages. However, what we learned through sources about Liu Kang’s version of the clan still brings a lot of parallels to Umgadi - and I think we all can agree that objective speaking, the Umgadi system is very unfair to first-born daughters and benefits only the Royal Family.

Through the story mode and intro dialogues, Liu Kang does not question the nature of the Umgadi system. Quite the opposite, the intro between Geras and Tanya suggests that Umgadi was Liu Kang’s innovation

Geras: The Umgadi was one of Liu Kang’s best innovations. Tanya: My order sprung from his mind?

A man who does not see anything wrong with enrolling little girls into never-ending servitude to the Royal Family, logically thinking, won't question the process of making Lin Kuei warriors nor the nature of their duty.

In previous timelines, Bi-Han and Kuai Liang as children were kidnapped and forced into the life of assassins by their own father (original timeline) or unspecified Lin Kuei member, presumably grandfather (alternative timeline). Their choice was to adapt to this hardship or die and so they survived and both became great warriors on their own. The fandom has been torn about their brotherhood for years, as if Bi-Han was a good brother or not. Personally, I do not think this was even a matter of one brother being inherently good and another inherently evil, as both men are the result of the abusive environment in which they grew up. And I truly can’t stress this enough - Bi-Han and Kuai Liang were survivors of great abuse and pathology more than anything else.

Now, in Liu Kang’s timeline Bi-Han and Kuai Liang were born into a place of power, as both are sons of Grandmaster. Sub-Zero as the oldest was meant to inherit the leadership once his father would pass away, or possibly abdicate. So in theory, Fire Lord improved the living of both brothers. However, the same as the previous, both men weren’t given a choice, as Lin Kuei clan is bound to serve Earthrealm while their existence is kept in secret.

Liu Kang said: “The Lin Kuei is a centuries old clan dedicated to Earthrealm’s defense” while Sub-Zero’s Bio adds “As the Lin Kuei's Grandmaster, Sub-Zero leads his ancient warrior clan in the defense of Earthrealm from external threats. For centuries, it has been their solemn task” and this is the tradition that will define the whole life of Bi-Han and Kuai Liang. Because they, as sons of Grandmaster, were expected to uphold and continue that service.

We do not have a full picture of how Lin Kuei daily life or training looks like in Liu Kang’s timeline, but the sources give some idea. And so we have an examples from story mode

Scorpion to Kung Lao: We're trained differently. It takes years to master our ways."

and intro dialogues

Sub Zero: The Lin Kuei are trained from childhood.

confirming both brothers were prepared for their role as Earthrealm Defenders (Liu Kang’s Special Forces) since they were children. Scorpion’s words alone brings another vital clue, as “trained differently” is what distinguishes both brothers from Liu Kang’s chosen Champions. We could see a glimpse of that during the Lin Kuei mission in Ying Fortress, as both Sub-Zero and Scorpion did not hesitate to kill their enemy and Kuai Liang’s “fit of rage” illustrates well how brutal Lin Kuei can be in a fight.

As story mode and intro dialogues point out, Lin Kuei weren’t trained for the glorious yet honorable Mortal Kombat Tournament, as members of this clan have never been chosen to represent Earthrealm

Kitana: Why are Lin Kuei never Earthrealm champions? Sub-Zero: So that Outworld doesn't lose every tournament.

but they were trained to eliminate any threat to Earthrealm’s safety, be it by killing or capturing those whose activity concerned Liu Kang. As could be seen with the Lin Kuei brothers mission to capture Shang Tsung.

Intro dialogue Sub-Zero vs Reiko adds another detail about process of making Lin Kuei warriors:

Sub-Zero: To kill, one must be cold-blooded. Reiko: My veins are as iced as yours, Sub-Zero.

Thus we may assume Lin Kuei training was not just about a physical aspect but psychological one as well. Both brothers were prepared from childhood to kill - while that was never demanded from Earthrealm Champions. In story mode Liu Kang said:

“No tournament participant has ever been grievously injured or killed."

and

“I would never send my champions unwittingly into mortal kombat."

so I assume the reason Liu Kang send his Champions to search for Shang Tsung was A) threat of the sorcerer that wasn’t supposed to learn magic in the first place and B) they were in Outworld, so he couldn’t call for Lin Kuei without Sindel’s knowledge.

Another detail about Lin Kuei comes from Scorpion vs Nitara intro dialogue

Nitara: Had you ever known hunger, you wouldn't judge us. Scorpion: I have, and I will.

and though we don’t have an idea if Kuai Liang was forced to endure hunger due to training - as happened in old version of Lin Kuei according to Mortal Kombat novel by Jeff Rovin:

Many young people died during training: some could not hold their breath for five minutes and drowned, others weren’t fast enough to avoid the weapons of the masters, some starved or froze or dehydrated when they were stranded, naked, in deserts or on mountaintops and told to make their way home. But those who survived were the Lin Kuei.

Or was that a reference to economic problems of Scorpion’s clan, which at some point faced so great famine that it touched even the son(s) of the ruling family. Whatever the case, it gives us a sense of hardship endured by Lin Kuei members.

This leads us to another detail - father’s teaching (tradition) mentioned by Kuai Liang and Tomas through the story mode:

Kuai Liang: Glory? We fight for duty.

and

Tomas: Our clan doesn't govern. It serves.

while intro dialogues adds

Raiden: The Lin Kuei won't be allowed to govern. Sub-Zero: We will not be frozen out, Raiden.

Furthermore it is important to note that every Liu Kang’s Champion had their own life outside the fighting - Johnny was an actor, Kung Lao and Raiden were farmers, Kenshi was Yakuza on path to redemption and saving his clan. Lin Kuei? Not so much, as Bi-Han’s Bio points out Sub-Zero leads his ancient warrior clan in the defense of Earthrealm from external threats. For centuries, it has been their solemn task.

After the Tournament, the Champions easily will return to their life - in the case of Johnny, benefit greatly by making his own movies based on the events, while the Lin Kuei would come back to the never ending training in preparation to defend Earthrealm and repeating the cycle by pushing their children into the same service. And it would go like that for generations, if not for the Titan Shang Tsung’s meddling that interrupted the “natural” order of things.

Let’s establish another thing - namely Lin Kuei duty in recent centuries.

Sub-Zero’s Bio suggest the Earthrealm hasn’t be threatened in generations:

But Earthrealm hasn’t been threatened in generations, and Sub-Zero sees no point in limiting his clan to preparing for dangers that may never come. Under his leadership, the Lin Kuei will come out of the shadows and fight for its place as one of Earthrealm’s great nations.

This lack of need to dispatch Lin Kuei to eliminate threat is supported by intro dialogues:

Reptile: The battle against the sorcerers was your first real fight. Smoke: It was a baptism by fire, Syzoth.

and

Kenshi: How is it you haven't been to Outworld? Scorpion: Earthrealm's defense has never required it.

However Bi-Han alone suggest something else:

Story mode: After years of idleness, it pleases me to again face kombat."

And so do the information about their mother:

Sindel: Both your parents were excellent fighters. Scorpion: I can only hope to live up to their example.

Sindel in another intro says, she knew the previous Grandmaster

Sindel: I knew your father. He was a great man. Sub-Zero: Yet he never understood the Lin Kuei's potential.

So I think it is safe to assume Sindel was familiar enough with Bi-Han and Kuai Liang’s mother to praise her skills and is not just praising her out of politeness. But the thing is, Kitana’s intro confirms the Lin Kuei warriors weren’t chosen for the Mortal Kombat Tournament, so how did Sindel know if their mother was an excellent fighter? That to me suggests she either witnessed it outside the Tournament or it was reported to her and the latter may imply Bi-Han’s mother took part in eliminating the threat on Liu Kang’s order, maybe even in Outworld. We know from source material that Outworlders do not tolerate Earthrealm’s unauthorized activity on their land. However in the story mode alone, Sindel herself admitted that Liu Kang’s “interventions have kept Outworld at peace for centuries”

while the vast tie-in material agrees that Sindel’s Court is full of intrigues and dangers - both to the Queen and her daughters. So, if Liu Kang is a close friend of King Jerrod and Queen Sindel, it doesn’t feel that far stretched to think Lin Kuei could be dispatched to ensure the Royal Family's - and in greater perspective - Earthrealm’s safety.

Now, if there was no need for Lin Kuei service in the latest generations, why a woman

considered to be an excellent fighter - thus presumably in great shape

who also happens to be wife of Grandmaster - thus presumably having access to the best medical care the clan could offer

died in some unspecified time before main story happened? That doesn’t sound like a natural death, as Bi-Han and Kuai Liang are what? In their 30s at the worst? Which gives the chance she was a middle-aged woman, not an old person who dies out of age. The Grandmaster alone, also an excellent fighter, died in an accident, though story mode does not tell us what kind of accident it was supposed to be. Did it happen on a hunting trip? During mission on Liu Kang’s order?

So again, for a supposedly peaceful time, it seems like Kuai Liang and Tomas are those who did not have much part in Lin Kuei activity - in contrast to Bi-Han and presumably their parents.

Going further, the sources claims Lin Kuei clan is dedicated to defend Earthrealm from external threats, and indeed Lin Kuei warriors fought against vampires (Nitara’s people)

Bi-Han, story mode: As a boy I heard tales of battles against your kind. I had thought them tall ones.

and apparently their might is know in Outworld

General Shao: Finally, the chance to test the Lin Kuei's mettle. Sub-Zero: It will end with your humiliation.

However Lin Kuei apparently took part in solving the internal problems too, if Sub-Zero vs Kenshi dialogue is something to go by:

Kenshi: My ancestors say they've tangled with yours. Sub-Zero: Has it occurred to you to ask them why?

For a quick summary, through the sources, we learn that Lin Kuei:

were meant to serve, not govern

trained from childhood not just to be an excellent fighters but to be capable of killing

do not have a life outside their duty the way Earthrealm Champions do

endured hardship (hunger)

each generation is trained to perform their duty

and presumably, even in supposedly peaceful times, the fighters may not survive to an old age nor die in a natural way (the fate of mother and Grandmaster).

So I think that objectively speaking, we can agree that Lin Kuei does not benefit much from its service to Earthrealm, while Liu Kang got an excellent Special Forces that kept Earthrealm safe for centuries.

[Next part] Bi-Han and Kuai Liang and how Lin Kuei training affected who they are.

#mortal kombat #lin kuei #kuai liang #bi han #sub zero #scorpion #liu kang #sindel #umgadi #sorry for the introduction to worldbuilding through sindel and umgadi but this is the best example #why characters being on good side shouldn't mean they have never wronged others #and why being a lin kuei is not an easy thing #even in liu kang's timeline

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blackautmedia · 8 months

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Tears of the Kingdom and the use of Hands

It's frustrating how well Tears of the Kingdom incorporates repeat imagery of hands in some form. It has a lot of this great concept with it, but never really capitalizes on it or uses it in any thematically interesting way since the storytelling is so underwhelming.

From the start of the game, Link's separation from Zelda shows him reaching out and trying to grab her hand and failing to make contact, a scene that's mirrored at the end of the game when you have a moment to dive after Zelda and make the catch you failed to do at the start. The game makes sure to have a button prompt section specifically for touching her hand.

Link of course loses his arm and gets...magic emergency surgery (the disability lens of how Link is portrayed in Tears is an entirely separate conversation. Hoo wee...) and from the beginning of the game Rauru and Link are bonded together with Rauru's arm fused to Link's body. My issues with the Zonai as a race aside, this is still another part of the motif.

During multiple conversations between Zelda and Queen Sonia during the memories, they deliberately draw attention to having Sonia reach out and hold or touch Zelda's hands to emphasize the sincerity and love she's expressing. Sonia verbalizes the connection she feels not just as family but even notes how she can sense the similarities in Zelda's powers.

Honestly, for all the issues in how underwhelming Totk's storytelling is, I genuinely love these little moments with Sonia. I think they likely did it to get around possible limitations of creating nuanced facial expressions they couldn't capture easily, but I still found it very effective by helping the player relate to the sense of touch.

The completion of each temple is marked with a show of loyalty with the newly awakened sage and some variation of handshake or hand contact.

All of this makes it more of a wasted opportunity that they had a scene where Mineru is touching her late brother's hand for the first time after being in slumber for ages and they do nothing with it. You could have her tense up, maybe have her run both her hands across the top of Link's hand after getting to experience some form of touch from her brother for the first time.

There's also the fact that Mineru and Link both have the unique experience of altering their bodies and selves in service of being kept in slumber for a long period of time to carry out the responsibility of saving the world. Both of them carry the emotional weight of having to leave behind their friends, family, and the world they knew all in service of this grand plan with Zelda behind it all and yet they never capitalize on any of this. Pretty much nobody else can really relate to this situation and it'd make a great storytelling point to focus on her.

Back to the hands though, we all know the most iconic enemy in Tears of the Kingdom are the gloom spawn, which everyone calls the Gloom Hands.

The end of each shrine you're met with a Statue of Sonia and Rauru greeting you with hands held together as they stand as one.

Hands and the constant element of contact to convey significant moments would be effective in a story about community and the connection and strength that comes from cultivating it and organizing. There's also the obvious connection of unity.

TotK kind of have an aspect and theme of community care or try to lean in on that idea, but it's also messy and undermined when taken with *gestures at everything else*

I dunno. I think the repeat imagery of hands is a really thoughtful choice to convey climactic moments of these scenes. I just wish there was more actual meat to the story to give it some weight.

I've considered doing an addendum video to my Gerudo discussion talking about TotK's storytelling and maybe some of the things that come to mind with the portrayal of Ganon and the Zonai, cuz boy do they have some...implications.

#tears of the kingdom #totk critical #totk spoilers #legend of zelda #princess zelda #queen sonia #king rauru #totk rauru

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luvhu9hes · 1 month

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Everywhere, Everything (Analisa Au!)

ANALISA AUGILARS PROFILE

Basics-

NAME: Analisa Aguilar

BIRTHDAY: March 7th 2003 '21'

BIRTHPLACE: El Centro, California

HEIGHT: 5’5

PIERCINGS: 2 lobe piercings, bellybutton piercing, eyebrow piercing

HEALTH: Low Iron

MAJOR: Sports Management, she's always loved sports and has a scholarship for her lacrosse skills

FACECLAIM: Darianka Sanchez (or others from pinterest)

LOVE INTEREST: Luke Hughes

Fun Facts-

She is the middle child, her older sister Lillia is 24, and her younger brother Silas is 16

Her older sister is her biggest role model, she used to copy everything she would do and it would drive Lillia insane

Her younger brothers friends always had crushes on her growing up (she thought it was sweet, but Silas hated it and threatened to fight his friends if they even looked at her funny)

She lived in California until she was 11

When her family lived in California, they didn't have a lot of money, so she spent a lot of time with the community center youth programs, where she found her love of art and learned how to play lacrosse

Her favorite things are; art, lacrosse, baking, Dominic Fike, her camera, raspberries, rom coms, and soccer

Loves and I mean LOVES swimming, and the beach

Secretly made out with Mark Estapa in the bathroom at a frat party her first week of college, before her and Luke ever admitted their feelings for each other. The only people who know are Lillia, Ethan, Rosie (Ana's best friend) and Luke (He looked so betrayed when he found out about it)

She met Rosie her freshman year and they've been best friends since.

She met Luke her first day of 8th grade in michigan, they bonded over being nervous, Luke was always nervous because he thought people would realize he wasn't like his brothers and wouldn't like him because of it, and Ana was nervous because it was her first day at her new school.

The minute the Hughes family met her, the immediately fell in love with her.

She became a big part of the Hughes’ lives after they met her, always going to games, and having family dinners together, they were practically her second family

She was there for Quinn and Jacks draft days (the internet went crazy)

The boys try to keep her out of the spotlight and away from the hate that comes with it, but she still always finds herself blowing up on social media

She spends every summer at the lake house with the Hughes’ and their friends (they let her invite Rosie and her siblings so she's not alone with a bunch of hockey guys all summer)

Due to her summers at the lake house she's gotten very close with Trevor and Cole (her and Trevor are absolute menaces)

She is a certified party girl she loves how they give her an opportunity to just let loose, they also give her an extra sense of confidence

Her love languages are physical touch and acts of service, she's never been the best at putting her feeling to words, so she uses the two to show how she feels

Ana loves reading, it's hard for her to sit down long enough to enjoy books sometimes, but when she can it's like heaven.

Considering her camera is one of her favorite things she is CONSTANTLY taking photos on it, she actually has 2, she has a camcorder, and a polaroid camera

She has a box of polaroids in her dorm room that she likes to go through at the end of the year to look back at her memories

Luke introduced her to the UMich hockey team, and they're all besties at this point (things were awkward between her and Mark at first, but they're so close now)

Ana shares a dorm with Rosie, but spends most of her time at the hockey house

Because of her friendship with Luke, Silas always credits Ana for him getting into hockey

Ana can sleep anywhere, like she could be at a party and fall asleep standing up (Luke has a collection of pictures in his camera roll just of all of the weird places and positions she's fallen asleep)

Ana loves board games/video games, and has forced all of her friends to have game nights every Wednesday (everyone pretends to hate it, but she knows they all love it)

Ana is the most competitive person ever, whether it's from lacrosse or her love of games, she's always been so competitive.

She honestly has a shopping addiction (she'll never admit that though)

She loves coffee and tea, iced in the summer and hot during the winter

She is an avid poster on social media, mainly tiktok and instagram, but she's certainly considered starting a youtube channel a time or two

Ana takes after her sister and if very protective of those around her and can easily stick up for herself

She's a passenger princess, driving scares her if she's being completely honest

Only gets called Analisa when she's in trouble

She has two instagram accounts @/anamaguilar is her main account that everyone follows, and @/anabannana is her private account with only her friends and family

She's 100% the type of person to just randomly get at tattoo on impulse

Notes:

ahhh okay I'm glad to finally get this out, im not sure what took me so long to put this together, but everything for this series will be found under the tag "Everywhere, Everything Au!" Analisa has some similarities to me but otherwise she is my fictional baby and i have so much love for her, and i hope everyone else will love her as much as i do. I would also like to address that in certain pieces I will be writing about Ana and Lukes past because i just have so many thoughts floating through my head about baby Ana and Luke!

All love - Chaela

#luke hughes imagine #luke hughes fic #luke hughes #hockey #jack hughes #hockey imagine #quinn hughes #umich hockey x reader #nhl imagine #hughes brothers #ethan edwards imagine #mark estapa #luca fantilli #trevor zegras #Everywhere Everything Au!

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small-sinclair · 6 months

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Headcons of Slasher Band!au (House of Wax)No One Asked For

By: @arkunder

Lester has a bag of Hot Cheetos by his drums. During the show when Bo is talking, he munches on them.

Jonesy comes out on stage sometimes. She is the official #1 Fan of the fan club. Out of them all, she has the most fanart along with the raccoon (see below out that).

If the stage has a cat-walk, Bo uses it to his advantage to flirt and drive girls crazy. He’ll kneel in front of a group, his hand touching someone else’s, and he’ll take her hand, kiss it, wink, and keep singing. He loves it.

They once bought Girl Scout cookies in the middle of the show.

Lester ordered food in the middle of the show and asked what the other two wanted. During break, they are cheese fries and burgers in front of fans.

Vincent likes looking at fanart. He’ll sign the signs and art if he has the chance. Sometimes, if the art is really good, he’ll buy it if the fan or get information from them (like kofi or something) and commission something.

When Bo is drunk, he starts singing “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. They have an unofficial cover of that song.

Lester has little raccoon charm for luck. He also has the raccoon squashmellow sitting in front of the drums. The fans worship the squishmellow raccoon. There’s merch, fanart, tattoos— this raccoon has a grip on the fandom.

Vincent has a base that is clear and made from glass (which he made), and he has one that looks like wax melting.

Bo once stopped the show and had the lights turn on because there was a guy trying to force himself on a girl. It ended with Bo himself dragging that guy out and threw him in front of a moving car.

At the end of certain shows, the brothers go off stage and meet up where there’s no cameras or fans, no eyes or anything, and do a group hug. Lester in the center of the hug, Bo on the right, Vincent on the left, they do one big hug to celebrate their hard work.

Whenever Bo lets Lester sing, Bo lets him sing a sad/slow song. The crowd absolutely loves to hear him sing and will actually go silent to hear his hypnotic voice.

It’s not a kid-friendly show, however, if their is a kid in the front and one of the boys sees them, they’ll give a pick or drum sticks.

Before the show, they play a video/psa going over crowd safety. There’s this part:

Bo: Make sure you look for your nearest exit if there’s an emergency, you dumb fucks.

Lester: And, please, don’t fight people. It’s not nice and is a crime in every state. :D

Bo: Unless you fight me. Then it’s not a crime.

Vincent, signing: It’s still a crime.

✨Bonus✨

All the slasher bands have a week where they play at a venue. It’s called Seven Bloody Nights. During this, the bands raise money for children hospitals, homeless shelters, animal shelters, crisis relief programs, mental health services and community, cancer research— it’s a great event with horror and gore and music!

Going off that, the last night, all the bands play together and make a masterpiece BANGER of a song. They put aside their hatred for each other and drama to play something that Vincent, RZ!Michael, and Brahms wrote. Jonesy even puts help into with her paw print, the Approval Mark. Even the legendary Michael Myers (Grandpa Myers), the one who started this event in memory of his sister dying to cancer, plays with the bands!

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rhaenyra-storms · 2 years

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falling in love with a servant | Aemond Targaryen

Summary: Aemond falls in love with servant! reader (headcanons)

Warnings: aemond has some inappropriate thoughts

A/N: i just felt the need to write some headcanons to this, so enjoy

Masterlist | Request

Aemond never expected himself to fall in love with a servant

To be fair, he didn’t expect to fall in love at all. By being the second-born he was always in the shadow of his brother and marked with the scar, he didn’t think many ladies would even allow themselves to like him

You were different though, from the first day you came into his service

He had gotten used to people turning away when his scars came too much into focus, but you didn’t

One day you were even willing to help him put some ointment onto his scar

The only thing he was able to focus on was the softness of your hands

He had expected you to shy away, like most people, but you didn't

Then he started up a conversation with you and he felt understood for once

Your conversation went beyond questions about his needs or what your next job would be

Aemond even found himself laughing every now and then

When you left that day, he felt even more lonely than usual. Especially since he had been sure he didn't need anyone to be around him

After that day, he found himself asking for you even more often

Simple tasks he usually did alone, he was asking you to help him. Maybe it was a bit selfish, to make you work more, but he often kept you in his chambers with a new conversation

And then he started offering wine and cakes to you whenever you stayed a bit longer than needed

He was able to see you every day, but somehow, he didn't seem to get enough of you after a while

It was starting to pain him to go to dinner with his family alone instead of having you serve it to him in his chambers

Aemond found himself looking for you in every hallway sometimes and looking forward to every minute you could talk to each other

One day, he asked for you specifically to bring him his dinner

You were a bit surprised to bring two plates to the prince's room – already suspecting he might have a female guest over

When you served his food to him, he cleared his throat before asking you to stay and eat with him

His offer surprised you but it also excited you

So you had dinner together, a very good one as well

Aemond was interested in your life and you always felt like he was glued to your lips

Even after the dinner, he asked you to stay for some wine

Aemond felt quite enamoured with you, with every new word you spoke to him. How could he feel so comfortable around you? Someone that came from such a different background?

All the wine made Aemond forget all about your different origins and positions, so he kissed you

Maybe it could have been a drunken mistake, but you liked kissing him and one thing led to another

From then on, your nightly meetings became more frequent

And whenever Aemond spotted you in the hallway or serving his entire family at dinner, he thought about having you in his bed again – naked and waiting for him

Aemond had been falling for you for a while but it was even more clear to him when he started taking his eyepatch of around you almost constantly

Your evenings consisted of exchanging stories and memories

Sometimes, you made out in dark hallways or Aemond secretly took you with him on flights with Vhaegar

Whenever you had free time in your shift, you watched Aemond train

It would always pain Aemond though that he could never marry you

And that he couldn't openly admit his feelings to you.. it would be fine to call you his mistress, but feelings weren't allowed

You were always trying to have dinner together whenever you can

Whenever the family travelled somewhere, Aemond tried to take you with him

Even through the war, he tried to keep you safe

He would make you stay in his chambers in the Red Keep whenever he went out to fight and make sure someone guarded his room

In general, he tried to protect you from any dangers

He always tried to keep you hidden from anyone that might want to hurt you to hurt him and he was willing to love you in secret for years to come

Whenever a new proposal came up, he would turn it down to keep himself more available for you

Aemond was sure that nothing else mattered as long as you could visit him, be around him the entire day and you could love each other in secret

#aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen #hotd #hotd imagine #aemond targaryen headcanons #aemond targaryen imagine #aemond targaryen fic #aemond x you #ewan mitchell #aemond imagine #aemond one eye #aemond one eye x reader #aemond the kinslayer

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zoeysdamn · 6 months

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A/N: so. @corpsebasil got me on a chokehold with knight!Nikolaï AU and now I live for that. It inspired me SO MANY THINGS (mainly crushing angst or filthy smut), but you know me: when writing, I choose the ✨angst✨uhuh So here's a following scene of this one-shot that absolutely destroyed me; I'm here to finish the job (read it first, you won't regret it)

Running after lost time

Echoes of rumble from outside resonated within the stone walls of the chapel. Yet, inside, everything was so silent. Dead silent.

Kneeling on the cold ground, not even the heavy lump in your throat could make you move. It was like the heaviness of your broken heart was keeping you here, unable to move, in front of the wooden coffin. The tears had dried a long time ago, but you could still feel the deep mark they had left on your cheeks. Now, the tears seemed to be blocked in your throat. Not that you would be able, or wished to speak, anyway. Your voice too, had disappeared after screaming for so long, out of grief, anger and pain. That was all that was left of him, it seemed.

Breaking the silence of the chapel, someone cleared their throat.

“They are waiting.”

You didn’t move. The rigged surface of the wood beneath your fingers was the only thing mattering right now. The feeling was probably the only thing that made you able to not cry again. Just maybe.

Footsteps carefully came closer – but thankfully, they stopped at a good distance from you. Like they knew if they came any closer, you’d probably lost it. He was maybe a humble captain soldier that came back from war, but Dominik wasn’t a fool with a death wish.

“They are waiting,” he repeated.

“I don’t care,” you muttered, voice broken from the endless crying hours.

The soldier winced. He knew he should be insisting; that the crowd, the army official, the priest, even the royal family were waiting outside of the door, for the funeral service to begin. To pay their respects to Sir Nikolaï, national hero fallen in combat.

But right now, he couldn’t bring himself to make you move – who was he to force you to do anything right now?

Still, the sense of duty remained. For his sake.

“The ceremony should have started half an hour ago, princess”, he reminded you in a firm tone.

You could have his head for how he spoke to you. But under the firmness of his demand, you sensed the lingering pain. He, too, has lost a friend after all.

Still, you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Your own pain was too overwhelming to allow you to feel anything else – including empathy.

It had been Nikolaï that had made you alive ; his presence, his laughs, his touch… without him, you simply couldn’t continue to live like you used to. How could you continue to do this without him?

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you tried to hold back the tears that had started to form again at the memory of Nikolaï. “They’ll wait,” you rasped. “I can’t – I need more time…”

The soldier felt his own throat tighten at the sound of your broken voice. He couldn’t see your face, hidden under the black grieving veil, but knew how deep the sadness had marked your traits for the past few days.

A new rumble from the crowd outside echoed, and your hands clutched on the cloth draped on the middle of the coffin. The double-headed eagle, proud symbol of Ravka, distorted under your trembling hands. A ray of light, guided by the stained glass, glinted on the rough edge of the ring adorning your hand.

The jewelry that had held so much hope during his time away weighted on your finger. The green stone was a painful reminder of his absence – despite what he promised when he gave you this ring that night. When he had promised to come back to you, when you had held on each other, loving each other so intensely after you exchanged your vows –

“His brother will be here,” Dominik noted out loud, interrupting your spiraling thoughts. The snarl that escaped you was very much unladylike.

“Then he’ll wait too,” you spat.

“Princess–”

“He will. Wait.”

This wasn't appropriate to have such bitter thoughts. But right now all you thought about Nikolaï's brother was an angry one. Why wasn't he the one who died, instead of Sir Nikolaï ?

Just as quick as it came, the idea was brushed away; still, the thought remained, anchored deep into your mind.

Nikolaï has spoken to you about his brother only once: a general in the army, who despised him and had very little contact with — but still his brother.

And the thought that Vasily should have died instead of Nikolaï would never truly leave you. Some nights, you'd even pray, beg to the very Saints who had been witness of your union, to take Vasily's life and bring your beloved back.

But despite the pain, the anger and all the tears, a part of you knew this would never happen. A rational part of you knew, that eventually you'd have to open those chapel doors, face the crowd, and go throughout the funeral with your head held high. You knew, that someday you'll have to leave the castle to live as a recluse widow. There wasn't anything left for you anyway, once Nikolaï's coffin would be buried.

Sniffling, you tightened a trembling hand on the rough wood.

"Open the doors," you let out in a shaky whisper, much to Dominik's surprise. "But…in a minute please, I— I just need a little more time with him…"

Bowing his head, the soldier stepped away respectfully. He'd give you all the minutes you'll need.

After all, even if he wanted to bury Nikolaï and pay a last respect to his captain and friend, the Princess needed this.

After all, you needed to grasp those precious minutes, of the time with your husband that had been robbed from you.

Brb I'm gonna cry in a corner now

#shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov x reader #nikolai x reader #nikolai lantsov x you #shadow and bone imagine #knight nikolai #knight nikolai lantsov #angst

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sotwk · 1 year

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Unnecessary Guardian (Legolas x FReader fluff drabble)

Summary: Legolas insists on secretly guarding his dear friend on her first patrols as a new Mirkwood Spider Hunter. (A/N: Reader does not actually appear in the story, but is alluded to as "She".)

Prompt: Story inspired by the Anonymous share received below:

Word count: 790

Rating: General Audience

Content: Fluffy implied romance, brotherly banter and ribbing, OC Mirkwood Prince, Feren

Warnings: None

To Read on AO3: Link

Dedication: For Anon: Thank you for inspiring me to write my first-ever drabble! I hope your job training continues to go well, and that having Legolas as your imaginary guardian gives you strength and confidence. <3

Divider credit: @firefly-graphics

Unnecessary Guardian

Third Age 1254 Spring

Mirkwood

“It will be the last time I ask this favor, brother. I swear it,” insisted Legolas, twisting his body to narrowly avoid collision with a hunter ducking back out of the crowded armory shed.

Gelir rolled his eyes as he yanked a sheaf of arrows from the weapons rack and slid it into his leather quiver. “And last week, you swore it would be the one and only time.” With the younger prince stubbornly on his tail, he marched out to the assembly grounds, where over half of his unit had already gathered.

"I misjudged how long my protection would be needed."

“Needed?” Gelir barked a laugh as he strapped on the last of his gear. “If your conclusion from that patrol is that she needs anyone to protect her, then you must not have been watching very carefully. And that, honeg, would only render your gallant services even more unnecessary.”

Protests died on Legolas’s lips, silenced by the truth. His mind flashed back on the memories of that first attack, when a spider the size of an aurochs charged at your party from an underground lair. He had been following high above in the trees, as close as he could get without defying Gelir’s orders. He barely had a chance to raise his bow before your arrow found its mark dead center in the spider’s cluster of eyes. Hit in its most vulnerable spot, the creature collapsed writhing, leaving it to be finished off easily by the knives of your comrades.

“She outshot Feren at the range yesterday,” Gelir said, snapping Legolas out of his daze and making him wonder if his brother had snuck into his thoughts. The prince grinned and brandished two fingers at another hunter standing within earshot. “Twice.”

“Two times out of five rounds,” Feren called out with a shrug. “I got her in three.”

“Still a worthy achievement, from previously never being able to best you,” Gelir hollered over at his second-in-command. “She is learning and growing by leaps and bounds. I for one am eager to see how quickly she will rise in rank.

“Well, she should be arriving any second now,” Feren interjected, throwing a pointed glance at Legolas. “I would suggest heading off, unless you are willing to answer what I can only assume would be a string of uncomfortable questions should she find you here."

Legolas grabbed Gelir’s arm before he could walk away to join his unit. “Please.”

Something in the tone of his voice must have moved the older prince, because he stopped short to study him for a long pause. “All right,” Gelir finally said. “You may come along, like a sneaky little stowaway. Again.”

He tutted and held up a hand as Legolas’s expression cracked into a jubilant smile. “But only IF you admit that you are doing this not for her, but for you.” The Captain of the Spiderhunters grinned and clapped a hand on his arm. “Your attempts to feed me such frail lies is just insulting now, honeg. Solid, convincing lies, those I can respect. But this one is weak.”

Legolas raised his chin and fought vainly against the flush creeping up his neck.

“I believe she benefits from having me--”

“Tsk, no. Try again.”

Legolas hissed and turned away, clutching his head in frustration. Gelir was not one to magnanimously let an opportunity like this pass, not when he had him cornered like desperate prey. Any moment now, you were likely to appear at the clearing, and he would be caught without an excuse for being all this way across the kingdom, so far from the Elvenking’s Halls where his duties lay.

Legolas let out a slow, deep breath, then drew it slowly back in. “I…care about her,” he mumbled grudgingly, but as he released these words, a hard knot in his chest seemed to loosen with it. “I just want… I need to know she will not come to harm out there.”

At last, a smile that actually looked proud and sympathetic flickered on Gelir’s face. Reaching out with both hands, he grabbed his brother by the sides of his face and lightly knocked his forehead against his. Then just as quickly, he gripped him by the shoulders and gave him an affectionate little shake.

"Be more careful about staying out of sight. Only Feren and I are wise to this and we will cover for you if need be, but do not make it harder for us by inviting suspicion.”

“Annon allen. I am in your debt,” vowed Legolas, already backing away and preparing to make himself scarce.

Gelir laughed and waved him off. “You are still a fool! But that is a problem I shall help you fix another time.”

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#legolas x reader #legolas x you #legolas fanfiction #lotr fanfiction #feren #the hobbit fanfiction #the hobbit #lotr #legolas greenleaf #sotwk fanfiction #gelir fanfiction

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sparkarrestor · 1 year

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Headcanon: Thomas, in-universe, is a ghost story.

We all know that Thomas's arrival to Sodor was a complete accident. He was never suppose to be there, and the LBSCR clearly didn't know about it until after the war. But they went ahead and marked him down as "Lost in war service" anyways, and the only reason Thomas stays on Sodor at all is because they didn't want to change their records, so sold him, which is a really shallow response anyways, but an entire class was withdrawn in BR days for bookkeeping reasons, so I suppose anything can happen. But what about all the other Brighton engines, and more specifically, all the other E2s? From their perspective, Thomas (Or 105) just went missing in 1915, and they never saw him again (Given that no one told them that "Hey your brother's still around, we just sold him to some backwater island railway lol"). It gets to the point that the other E2's create a ghost story surrounding Thomas and his disappearance from the LBSCR, as a warning to those ungrateful with their lot in life (I'm sure Thomas was just born with the "I wanna get out of this yard!" shtick lol). It could even help work in the "Ghost of Timothy" story, but as the other E2's just misremembering Thomas's name. They only knew him for a month, I doubt they'd have many memories of him lol. And who knows, maybe that ghost story was the one Percy quoted in Ghost Train, which would be really weird if Thomas learns that there's a ghost story about him.

+10 points if the story somehow makes it all across the world, and Thomas became famous world-wide before the RWS lol

#ttte #ttte thomas #ttte headcanon #Spark's Headcanon #thomas would be more offended that they forgot his name than anything else #lol #Also Stepney probably knew that story #and just had a huge brain-wave once he realized what class Thomas was during his visit #and he STILL tells that story to new engines #just to get on thomas's nerves #Beachy Head is just scared of Thomas now

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minefield-of-a-ninja · 1 year

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*GIF by TV Land

Save Tonight

Casual sex, road gigs, and trysts — they are one-of-a-kind and one-time-only things. Here's a helping of my favorites!

Angeles - Jensen Ackles x female reader/you

Summary: “It started with being in the same place at the same time, friends in common, similar interests in music and movies. Then you touched his knee and laughed when he said something funny – and the look in his eyes left you hot and shivering.”

Warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY

Words: 1,600

Crazy On You – Dean Winchester x female reader

Summary: You’ve had a shitty day, but this beautiful, unfamiliar boy will make it all better.

Warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, Impala Sex, there’s a knife but not in a bloody way

Words: 4K

Deep - Dean Winchester x female reader

Summary: Dean shows you more about pleasure than ‘deep’.

Warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, Dean being perfect, sensual massage, Dean being the best lay ever, biting, Dean being a fairytale prince, the jockey is my favorite sexual position, try it, it’s amazing, talking during sex, gratuitous use of terms of endearment bc it’s Dean

Words: 3K

For Whom The Bell Tolls - Soldier Boy x female reader

Summary: In the books, Soldier Boy calls out the names of US states when he fights. What if live-action Soldier Boy made his sex partners list all 50 states and the federal district in alphabetical order before he lets them come, and if they slip up or pause for too long or say anything other than the name of a state in the correct order, he withholds and makes them start over?

Tags/warnings: 18+ ONLY, condescension during sex, edging

Words: 2100

Foxholes - Annie Hawkins x Bobby Singer/Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester

Summary: Annie recalls time spent with each man and what their facial hair told her about them.

Warnings: mature language and references to sexual activity

Words: 340

Hide Your Love Away – Dean Winchester x female hunter reader

Summary: Mutual hunters seek comfort for a night and a lifetime of memories.

Warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, ass play

Words: 3,600

Lifting the Veil - Choose Your Own Winchester

Summary: You’ve been missing something of paramount importance - until now.

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, infidelity, squirting

Words: 1230

Mirror, Mirror - William Butcher x female reader

Prompt: Butcher filthy talking while getting busy i feel in like an alleyway or the service hallway in a bar or similar. Somewhere crowded and dirty, like actually dirty

Warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, rough sex, dirty talk, public sex, Winchester brothers cameo bc this is Kripke’s world, reader is female AFAB

Words: 1,500

One Night Only (23 in 1) - Dean Winchester x Mila (OFC)

Summary: While on a job in the middle of America, Dean enjoys a rigorous night of mutual gratification with a local art student.

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, ass play, shower sex, dirty talk

Words: 5,500

Plus One - Dean Winchester x Vanessa (OFC)

Summary: Vanessa hates weddings until she meets a handsome stranger who agrees to help her mix things up for the night.

Warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, fingery things, squirting, and Dean has no refractory period bc this is fic

Words: 9,600

Spark, Flicker, Blaze - Dean Winchester x female reader

Summary: Somewhere along the line, her life became something she didn’t like. On her 35th birthday, she makes a decision to change all of that.

Warnings: 18+ ONLY, overly descriptive orgasms, Dean’s the best birthday present ever

Words: 2,200

Territorial Pissing - Soldier Boy x female reader (1st person POV) x William Butcher

Summary: My decades’ long crush on Soldier Boy was squashed when my career as a journalist taught me the real Soldier Boy story. Now, my career brings me full-circle. I promise this is not a Magic Dick trope.

Tags/warnings: 18+ ONLY, mmf threesome, Dom/sub, rough sex, ass and clit slapping, name-calling, sex with murderous misogynists, bruising, like I said it’s rough, forced orgasms, Butcher refers to himself as Daddy and Soldier Boy mocks him for it, rimming, anal sex (both m/f and m/m), come marking, squirting, choking/breath play, showering, sensation play (cold), Butcher checking in (bc we all know Soldier Boy won’t), illicit drug use, bondage

Words: 8K

Wait Till My Brother Gets Home - Winchester brothers x female reader

Summary: She wants to lose control.

Warnings/tags: 18+ Only, rough sex, hair pulling, mfm spit roast, bruising and chafing during sex, W*ncest adjacent

Words: 2,450

Wrecked - Jensen Ackles x female reader/you

Summary: After the show, alone in a dark corridor, he shows you exactly what that song means.

Warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, biting, Jensen Ackles in that fucking CBGB t-shirt and hat and the wallet chain WTF dude

Words: 1,050

#dean winchester smut #soldier boy smut #sam winchester smut #billy butcher smut #master list shuffle 2023

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just-here-with-my-thoughts · 27 days

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Welcome To The Outpost: Part 2.1 - Last Chance

Fandom: The Bad Batch Characters: CT-9904 Crosshair, Clone Commander Mayday, Clone Trooper Hexx, Clone Trooper Veetch, Lieutenant Nolan, Assorted Imperial Troopers Word Count: ~3045 Read Here on AO3

Synopsis: The Imperial relief ship finally arrives, marking the end of the squad’s long posting on Barton IV. Mayday is surprised to see a CT-99 listed on the crew roster.

Read Part 1.1 - Frozen Read Part 1.2 - Rise From The Ashes Read Part 1.3 - Lost Battle Read Part 1.4 - No Way Out Read Part 1.5 - Rock And A Hard Place

“COMMANDER!”

Veetch’s yell was enough to summon Mayday at a run. He weaved through the stacks of crates to where his squad member was bent over the computer console, tapping excitedly.

Veetch turned with a wild-eyed grin. “Transport is incoming.”

The young clone stepped aside, letting Mayday see the screen for himself. Disbelieving, Mayday scrolled through the transmission, reading and re-reading until he was sure it wasn't a joke.

“Go get Hexx,” he ordered, voice shaky with something between excitement and dread. “This is it, lad. We’re getting out of here.”

Veetch was off like a shot, the lethargy of their long posting dissipated as ready as snow in the sun. Before long the three clones were clustered round the screen, avidly reviewing the transmission.

It’s concise – what Mayday has come to expect from the Empire.

[Cargo retrieval ship scheduled to arrive 1600 Galactic Standard. Ensure all stored goods are ready for transport.]

What it doesn’t say is the bit that Mayday reads between the lines. That he and his boys are finally leaving Barton IV and all its bad memories behind them.

Hexx was reviewing the ship’s manifest with a frown.

“Says they’re bringing a contingent to secure the depot whilst the cargo is transferred,” he said with a dour tone, “but there’s no clone troopers listed here.”

Veetch leaned in to peer over his shoulder. “There’s one,” he pointed. “CT-9904.”

“The only one,” Hexx muttered.

“A CT-99?” said Mayday mildly, eyebrows raising towards his hairline. “I didn’t realise there were any left in service.”

Veetch glanced at him in confusion. “What’s different about a CT-99?” he asked.

“Defective clones,” supplied Hexx. “But still combat-worthy.”

“He must be one of the last ones,” said Mayday. “Well, a brother’s a brother. I’ll see if I can pin him down when they get here, find out what his view of this new Empire is.”

Hexx snorted. “If he’ll talk to you,” he said. “I’ve heard the 99’s are notoriously difficult to work with. Only interested in others like them.”

“You’ll keep those thoughts to yourself,” said Mayday flatly, his commander’s tone brooking no argument. “If the rumours are true, and the Empire are phasing out clone troopers, those of us that are left need to stick together.”

“What do we need to do to get ready for the ship’s arrival?” asked Veetch, the plaintive note of hope in his voice almost painful to hear.

Mayday straightened with a humourless smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Better get out there and sweep the snow from the landing zone. First impressions count, boys. Let’s make sure this place is looking spick and span before the transport arrives.”

The wry sarcasm in his voice made the other two grin.

“You don’t mean that, Commander,” said Veetch, pulling on his helmet and tightening the fabric coverings.

Mayday huffed a laugh. “Sure I do. If the ship skids on ice when it lands and crashes into the depot, none of us are getting out of here.” He clapped a hand to Hexx’s shoulder, then copied Veetch in gathering his helmet.

“Come on. We’ll do this together.”

Mayday’s expectations hadn’t been low enough.

The narrow-faced Lieutenant who disembarked the transport had immediately started making demands which betrayed that he hadn’t bothered to read the briefing about the Barton IV depot.

“Your orders were to protect this facility and its cargo, yet this outpost is grossly unguarded. Where are the rest of your men?”

“Dead,” answered Mayday shortly. The man would have known that, if he’d read the brief. He glanced at his two remaining troopers, nodding in their direction. “Hexx, Veetch and I,” he said slowly, keeping his voice low and calm, “we’re all that’s left.”

To his mind, it was impossible to miss the sombre line of empty, damaged clone helmets lined up on the crates behind them. The lieutenant’s pale blue eyes slid past them, glazing past the evidence of their loss to settle in a scowl directed at Mayday once more.

“Your failings will be dealt with later,” he said haughtily. “For now, I am in charge until the cargo is transported.”

Mayday bristled at the man’s tone, bit back the reaction. Instead he settled for a sardonic smile, glancing at Hexx and Veetch with a barely-concealed eye roll. “I feel safer already,” he drawled, confident that his two troopers shared his thoughts. He couldn’t wait for this so-called Lieutenant to discover the realities of the outpost.

Sarcasm was the wrong approach. The small man’s pinched face narrowed further, mouth puckering in evident anger. “Look here, clone, you will speak to me with respect.”

The change was immediate. Hexx and Veetch, leaned back against the crates, straightened. Mayday dropped a hand to his side from his crossed arms, a flick of his fingers telling them to stand down.

“In my experience,” he said, drawing himself deliberately to his full height, “respect is something to be earned.”

Fourteen months of hardship had only weathered confidence into Mayday’s tone.

But he wasn’t prepared for what the Lieutenant threw at him next.

“Yet the Empire assigned you to this desolate rock, where you let the majority of your squad get killed.”

Mayday stiffened, a dark glower spreading to his face. He knew his own failings; knew the decisions he had made during the Clone Wars and since that had sent good soldiers to their deaths. The guilt of ordering patrols during the blizzard six months into the Barton IV posting haunted him.

Everything had gone wrong after that; but the rest of it could have been avoided. The rest of his squad died because the Empire ignored his requests for support time and again.

“Tell me, Lieutenant,” he said when he had control of his voice once more, “how many missions have you commanded?”

The smaller man’s shoulders rose towards his ears with a defensive, embarrassed glower.

“That’s what I thought,” said Mayday softly.

Inside his chest his heart raced, adrenaline demanding his aching body take action. Instead he dragged his gaze away from the lieutenant, trying to make it seem like the man was beneath his attention.

“Boys, why don’t you help the new boss get situated?” he said, an order rather than a suggestion.

Wordlessly, Hexx and Veetch slipped past him. Hexx turned briefly, a questioning hand sign thrown his commander, but Mayday signalled for him to leave. He cast a pointed glance towards the dark armoured figure who had shadowed the lieutenant silently throughout the confrontation, rifle stowed at his back but seemingly tense and ready to fight.

Hexx merely nodded and turned to follow Veetch, less than gently escorting the Imperial lieutenant away from the sheltered space behind the stacked storage crates.

Once they had the space to themselves Mayday turned his attention to the silent sniper, assessing. The man was taller than Mayday or any of the brothers he had ever served with, yet he wore clone armour, albeit a dark-painted variant. It was enough to confirm this must be the defective clone from the ship’s crew manifest.

Mayday straightened, wondering how best to begin his overtures towards the newcomer. He’d never met a CT-99 before, which would have given him pause enough, and that was without knowing how deeply the man’s loyalty to the new Empire ran.

He decided that was the first thing he wanted to know. Forcing himself to relax back against the crates again, he stared into the impassive green visor and asked, “You, uh, know the lieutenant well?”

For a heartbeat he wondered if it was the right question. Then the sniper spoke, voice laden with acid.

“For about two hours,” he said, the derision in his tone clear.

Mayday huffed a relieved laugh. “Two hours too long, I bet,” he said, having decided he’d had enough of the man after only two minutes.

The only reply was a noncommittal ‘hmm’. Deciding this was better than meeting a severe response that berated him for disparaging the Imperial officer, he pressed on.

“So, what did you do to get stuck with this mission?”

“Just lucky, I guess.”

The bite of sarcasm drew a genuine if bitter laugh from Mayday.

Lifting the portable heater, Mayday shuffled it forwards a few steps and dropped it in front of the other clone. The glow of the device did nothing to dispel the shadows that seemed to cling to the black-painted armour and shroud the sniper in darkness.

The 99 barely looked at him. Or perhaps sharp eyes were following him from inside the helmet – there was no way to tell. The man didn’t move; hadn’t moved, even to relax a little when the lieutenant departed.

“The name’s Mayday,” he offered after a pause.

The silence that followed was so long that Mayday was sure the other must be ignoring him, wishing for the conversation to end.

Then, so softly it was almost lost; “Crosshair.”

The commander raised his eyebrows, then let them fall back into a frown. The clone had been so slow to give his name, said it so uncertainly, that Mayday found himself wondering if it was the first time he had spoken it aloud since The Order reduced them to mere numbers in the eyes of the Empire.

“Crosshair,” Mayday repeated, and he gave weight to the name, added conviction. Desperately hoped that this small act of connection would bind the CT-99 to him in something approaching brotherhood.

He summoned a dry smile, and gestured around him with a flourish. “Well, Crosshair… welcome to The Outpost.”

“Why aren’t they loading the kriffing cargo already?” snarled Veetch in disappointment.

Hexx shared his younger companion’s frustration. The three remaining squad members from Barton IV were more than ready to leave, but the newly-arrived Lieutenant Nolan had other ideas. The Imperial Troopers who were with him with were filing from the ship and making their way into the depot. It seemed clear that a quick turnaround was less important than meticulously checking each crate for signs of tampering – as if the clones had any motive or desire to do such a thing.

They were stood in the shadow of the damaged storage building, fairly certain that it would keep them out of the way of the industry now overtaking the base, but they were hailed anyway.

“Hie, clones,” called a voice, neither friendly nor welcoming. Hexx glanced at Veetch and gave a weary shrug before stepping out from the sheltering wall, setting his body against the driving wind as they crossed to the Imperial Trooper.

“Yes?” he asked, scraping the thin reserves of his patience for some measure of politeness.

“Show my men where they’re bunking whilst we’re here.”

Hexx barely contained his derisive snort. “What?”

“The barracks area. Show my men the way through that maze of damned crates you created in the main building.”

“They’re not your barracks,” said Veetch uncertainly, hovering beside Hexx’s shoulder.

The Imperial Trooper stepped closer, looming into Veetch’s personal space. “Seeing as most of your squad is dead, I’m guessing there’s plenty of spare bunks. Go and show the others where to stow their kit.”

Veetch surged forwards in anger, but Hexx caught his arm before he could do anything.

“Yes sir,” he bit, making his voice as much like Mayday’s derisive drawl as he could manage. His commander had set the tone for this encounter in the words exchanged with Nolan; Hexx would follow suit.

He hauled the younger clone away with him, tightening his grip when he felt Veetch fight against him.

“What are you doing?” hissed Veetch, a shaky, outraged whisper. “You’re not doing what he said? After that?”

Hexx shook him hard, fingers pressing bruises between the seams of his upper arm armour.

“Listen here,” he spat, leaning in close to the younger trooper even though his voice would be perfectly clear on the com. “This might be our last chance off this forsaken rock. I’m not going to spoil it by losing my temper with these prissy Imperials. So suck it up, Veetch, and we can finally get out this kriffing hell-hole.”

“But the others… Dene and Recon and Helix and Axis-”

“-Are gone.” Hexx’s voice was flat. “But we’re still here.” He sighed, loosening his grip on Veetch’s arm, transferring his hand to his shoulder instead to grip with supportive pressure. “If you were older you’d have learned this during the war. There’s always another mission. Another posting. Some of your brothers get left behind. But they’d want you to go on, so you fight another day, you keep living for them. You hear me?”

Veetch wasn’t listening. His focus was over Hexx’s shoulder, gaze fixed on something distant. Then his hand flew to his com.

“Commander! Raiders spotted inside the perimeter.”

Instantly Hexx’s hands went to his blaster, spinning to follow Veetch’s gaze, dropping into a battle-ready stance.

“Over there,” Veetch told him, gesturing, and Hexx nodded.

“I see. Come on, kid. Let’s not let the Commander down now we’ve got an audience.”

The two clones sprinted for the perimeter breach, weaving between Imperial Troopers who stood around, slower to react. Veetch’s blaster fire lit up the hard-standing, arcing towards the raiders who broke from cover as they realised they had been made.

“I’ve got the west,” came Mayday’s voice over the com. “The sniper’s taking the east tower.”

They closed on the raiders, the cluster of enemy combatants quickly splitting up to try and escape. One of them crouched to the ground, steadying their rifle before taking a shot.

Veetch stumbled, veering out the way to take cover behind one of the base’s low barricades. The shelter was a brief respite, chance to catch his breath and look to Hexx for their next move.

Only Hexx was no longer at his side.

He was sprawled on the ground, throat torn out by blaster-fire.

The world narrowed. Inside his helmet, Veetch struggled to draw breath. By rote he raised his hand, activating his com.

“Hexx is down.” He was surprised at how calm his own voice sounded. His throat constricted around a thick lump of sorrow, but somehow it hadn’t stayed his words.

His fingers trembled beside the com button, feeling like he should say something else, not knowing what.

Confused shouts and blaster fire sounded as the Imperial Troops joined the combat. Veetch poked his head up from behind cover, quickly surveying the battlefield. The Imperials weren’t used to fighting in the dark and low visibility of Barton IV snowstorms. He was.

“Thee raiders heading towards the shuttle at zero-one-five,” he reported, and then he was on the move again. Two of the raiders peeled off in one direction but he was closer to the third – he stuck on them as they skirted round the lowered ramp to the far side of the shuttle.

He slowed to a jog as he neared the shuttle. The raider hadn’t noticed him; Veetch found himself softening his footfalls in the hope of ambushing his target.

An explosion. The light craft was consumed in intense nexus of fire which blossomed outwards with the strength of an inferno.

Veetch felt the wave of heat hit him first. Then lethal shrapnel pinwheeled from the wreckage to pierce his body, and he didn’t feel anything at all.

Crosshair left the chaos of the base and its burning debris field behind him and followed the spattered path of blood behind the buildings, the dark red stains stark against the snow even in the early twilight of the bad weather.

He blinked and squinted inside his helmet, trying to banish the bright dots dancing in front of his sensitive eyes. Even through the heat sensor, the after-image of the exploding shuttle had been seared into his retinas.

Normally, if there was an explosion on the battlefield, he knew the cause. Wrecker would give him a heads-up.

The attack on the outpost had been an ambush, and he'd had no time to avert his gaze from the sun-bright nova which engulfed the destroyed craft.

Now he slithered down a snow-slope, traitorous memory supplying unwanted thoughts of the last time he had fought on terrain like this. His head had hurt then, too, an intense pinpoint pressure at his temple. He had wondered if it was a migraine, the kind Hunter was prone to.

There was nothing there now but pitted scar tissue, shiny and stretched from the ion burn. At least this time the headache was due to the bright light, nothing more.

His descent brought him to a lip of ice and he dropped lithely into the channel below, landing on his feet. Blessed, cool darkness enveloped him, soothing to his overstrained eyes, but still the blinking afterglows remained and prevented his low-light vision from kicking in.

Crosshair drew the torch from his belt and flashed the beam ahead. The crevasse opened into a tunnel which bored into the mountain-side, winding round a corner and out of sight.

"A snow skiff took off down the western ridge," called a voice from behind him. He turned and looked up to see the reg commander following his route down the snow-slope, crouching at the top of the drop. “The rest must’ve fled on foot into the mountain pass.”

"Wrong," was all Crosshair said, casting his torch back towards the tunnel.

The commander dropped next to him and followed his gaze to a slick of red on the rocky floor.

"So that's how snuck past our defences," he breathed, his voice grim.

"We should go after them," said Crosshair, starting down the tunnel.

"Hang on," said Mayday quickly. He caught Crosshair’s arm, stalling his advance. "You'll freeze to death if you head out there. You think it's cold now? You've got no idea how it gets after true nightfall.” He didn’t fight Crosshair as the sniper shook himself free, instead folding his arms across his chest. “Besides, I've got brothers to bury."

The hitch in his voice was worse than sorrow. It was resignation.

Crosshair hesitated. He’d watched the clone trooper run alongside the shuttle, and barely given a thought to whether he had survived.

“Fine,” he said, his voice a thin, displeased whisper. He shifted his stance, resting the rifle on his shoulder. “But Nolan isn’t going to like this.”

Read Part 2.2 - Broken

Officially on Part 2 - now canon-compliant instead of pre-canon!

RIP Hexx and Veetch :(

Here's a reminder of the Angstpril prompts that @kybercrystals94, @the-little-moment and I are sharing; mine are the ones in red! :)

Here's @the-little-moment's stories:- Day 1 - Homesick Day 4 - Longing Day 7 - Bad Dreams Day 10 - Phantom Pain Day 13 - Learning The Truth Day 16 - Emotionally Distant

And @kybercrystals94's stories:- Day 3 - Broken Hearted Day 6 - This Isn't Going To Work Day 9 - Trust Issues Day 12 - A Little Too Late Day 15 - Confrontation

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