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metabolizemotions · 9 days

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The timeline is broken 😭

The structure both worked n didn’t work? I think it’s really more for Tully than Vic, cos Vic already has sufficient backstory, n buildup -only a trigger is nec. Esp that late into the last season when we’re eager to see where the characters r going, not where they’ve gone or rehash some things? 704-5 worked well cos there was a balanced focus on the main not guest characters. Also imo flashbacks work better when anchored by familiar events, not vague period of multiple timeframes while jumping back and forth to the present?

I think due to the time crunch they want to condense the indiv arcs into single episodes. Like 703 for Travis with his dad, 706 for Vic & Tully with Morris, 707 for Maya with Mason.

The non-linear structure did allow for building a sense of history with Morris n the emotional impact that came after. It was a better way to incorporate the story of the guest actors, and it allowed for the inclusion of as many of the main cast as possible. The team hasn’t been really like a team since Maya was captain. There hasn't been any sort of real, shared n lasting experiences.

Imagine if we had a format like that that tied a season together, instead of the captainship n political drama, n tonally different n sometimes inconsequential scenes strung together to make up episodes, which went on to make up seasons. 704-6 r better than 701-3 imo, in an already better season, despite some issues. Sadly only upon cancellation r they focusing their resources n efforts to make it more dynamic n cohesive... n we didn't get more much-needed fresh takes from new writers n directors sooner...

We got to see the progression of how Vic came into her own as the leader for Crisis One. How it led to her emotional burnout n compassion fatigue - she truly cared for people, taking on their pain, while not being able to release her own unresolved pain or seek help when she needed it. A reality of mental health professionals, of women, esp woc.

The Travic scenes are the best scenes in a while now. It resonates the most when the writing felt true to the characters. Underneath the goofiness, they tell each other brutally honest truths. Like how they fought over their way to cope with trauma - Travis feeling the full brunt of the grief over Michael's death n struggling to really move on. While Vic quickly tried to move on after Ripley cos to let herself feel the pain fully was impossible. Or when they talked about the blatant racism/ homophobia or microaggressions each faced n how they buried instead of dealing with the pain.

Their friendship is my fav of the show and it took a backseat for a long time. Barrett n Jay have great chemistry n they always crushed it in their scenes - the emotional ones, the funny ones... But Travis hasn't been Travis, Vic hasn't been Vic, n Travic hasn't been Travic. The show tends to put relationships on hold and isolate characters n shoehorn their actions to fit the multiple new storylines they start, but don't always follow thru. A waste of the talent of the actors. When given good material like this, see them shine, case in point - Barrett here.

In a way it also felt like part damage control.

Tully thru Boris's eyes...

A rose-tinted look at a relationship built on conflicts which the show is working around instead of facing head on? Just like how OOC Vic was written in s6 when it came to Maya. It's like they realized they went too far, n now they are retconning instead of ever addressing their attitudes n actions towards Maya.

Filling in some blanks to substantiate their relationship in the lead-up to their wedding? It's valid for the shortened season - to some extent. They had been writing them as very selfish n egoistic people. Now they want to show their better sides to make people like them as a couple ... so the show can end in a big celebration of them? But just showing their good side doesn't work for me if they don't also acknowledge their darker sides.

Basically a chief n a captain ganged up to haze a junior colleague for months. An ex-battalion chief watched on n mocked - the same person who rallied the team behind him n gave him a job when he had none; the same person whose job he tried to steal. But after the extended saga, only Maya should apologize repeatedly?

I find it hard to root for Tully as a couple. The same reason why I don't find Beckett's arc fully earned. If they want to move on, yet keep making Maya be the only one addressing her own actions directly after she faced devastating consequences. While finding other ways to justify/ explain away/ minimize/ ignore/ retcon etc the actions of the others... It just makes for a very conflicting watch.

// b/w the new mayor n Ross? Also is it considered her growth? Since the brief Maya's "sit-down" of immediately shutting her down and calling her insubordinate... To when she later reconsidered and praised Andy about the "mutiny" which she jumped to conclusions to reprimand with no context... To now being okay with insubordination towards her boss cos she thought she was fighting for the right reasons... ?

Is that subtle subtext again? Is it me or is the writing for her confusing? Or is she a conflicted person who's not very self-aware?

#i like merle n boris #but they have better comedic than romantic chemistry?#their 704 coffee scene was gold #the comedy would prob win me over #more than #either declaring undying love for each other #or extended sexy time or kisses #it's more of a love that created chaos all around #than a love despite all odds?#again not angry #kind of tired with the narrative #of “strong female ch”#just given plot armors #instead of acknowledging their complexities as humans #got long again #station 19 comments #station 19

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ichayalovesyou · 11 months

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Tomorrow & Tomorrow & Tomorrow

SPOILERS AHEAD

Oh man you guys! I really enjoyed this episode! I loved it way more than The Broken Circle but I did not love it as much as I loved Ad Astra Per Aspera but that episode was so a cut above the average (as in in the running for best episodes of Trek ever written caliber stuff). That it hardly seems fair to say so because this episode was an absolute JOY to watch! Lol! I love a good time travel romp!

I remembered enjoying Paul Wesley’s Kirk in A Quality of Mercy but I wasn’t sure whether I was just riding the high of the previous season or whether he could pull it off twice. But he did and I really really like his interpretation of Jim. I honestly like it a lot better than Chris Pine’s if I’m super honest with y’all.

I mean he UNDERSTOOD the assignment! He was definitely at his Kirkiest when they initially arrived in the 21st century that body language and cadence was on point despite him not looking too much like Shatner. I mean hats off to the writers too for that one. The passion for chess without being overly cocky. The all of it!

There was something about the hot dogs scene and letting La’an have the bed in the hotel that felt very Tarsus IV even tho that might not have happened in this timeline. It’s still very James Kirk of him. Not to mention the whole bit where his type is overachiever, kinda uptight but also dark and mysterious and dare I say a little out of his league folks. Whom he charms without being pushy into warming up to him and letting their guard down. Also THANK YOU to the writers and to Wesley for recognizing Kirk Drift and acknowledging our boy is a hopeless romantic and NOT a babe hound.

I called the La’an/Kirk thing way before it happened because of it. And from what was implied in the Ready Room interview with Paul Wesley it sounds as though we might get more La’an & Jim content in the future which I certainly wouldn’t object to! Although we are skirting the edge of when Jim & Carol Marcus supposedly met so that might get a lil complicated but the seasons (because they’re sorter) might not be 1:1 with years so they’ve got some wiggle room to work with.

I love seeing the cinematic parallels between Kirk & Jim’s love interest stuff in SNW that clearly draws them to each other later on. Chapel is a lot like Kirk and Spock is falling for her pretty hard. La’an is a lot like Spock by the time we meet him in TOS (not too similar to SNW baby Spock though) and they fell for each other pretty badly too! For example, both La’an & Spock are terrified of Kirk’s insane driving skills (or lack thereof lmao)! But enough about Jim & the whole K/S kitten caboodle! This episode is about LA’AN :D

Holy shit did La’an need what’s been happening with her in these past couple episodes. She got to face her generational trauma headlong, she got to see a mirror in Kirk and further realize the value of enjoying the fleeting and precious joys of life. By both convincing this alternate timeline version of Kirk that her version of the world is worth saving (also not the “Sam’s alive?” 😭 because his older brother dies unexpectedly and tragically in both timelines DONT TOUCH MEEEE, also not the potential Kirk bros content going forward also 😭). To eating the damn hot dog, and presumably letting Kirk talk her into taking the bed and just ugggggh.

And then HE DIES! They fridged Captain James T. Kirk of all people for HER character development lmao how’s THAT for a twist. Historically it’s been the other way around how’s that feel for once Jimbo? Damn!

Sera was an interesting villain, she was a good twist honestly felt like something was up with her the minute she had pics of that romukan ship. Also, I love all the self referential like, “yes we acknowledge this changed a little bit” stuff that’s happened. Like the Temporal Wars are why the Eugenics war is supposed to start around *now* and not the 90s like previously stated and Sera has been trapped trying to fulfill her mission for 30 years. Or how clearly Jim thinks everybody calls his brother George and only he gets to call him Sam when clearly that’s not the case lol. It’s nice little touches like that that really make me feel validated for having faith in the writers when nitpickers complain.

Also PELIA! She’s an art thief?! Incredible! Hilarious! Brilliant! No notes! Although it JUST occurred to me that because La’an went to Pelia before the whole “preventing the timeline from changing entirely” bit does THAT mean that La’an can at least talk to Pelia about what happened?! Because it’s implied La’an is who inspired her to become an engineer and that’s still part of our prime timeline! Maybe it’s like a Guinan and Picard situation! I think La’an should get to sob into the arms of our funky little klepto engineer grandma as a treat instead of breaking down alone in her room, please and thank you!

Anyway, baller episode! 9/10

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keyboard-mang0 · 2 years

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Lost and Found

Part 3!

Genshin Impact x Child! God! Fem! Reader

Not sure if I can still call it impulsive, but it’s definitely still a dumb idea for a cult au with a child reader! Not imposter, and inching slightly more into SAGAU kinda.

Reader is referred to with she/her. Not proof read. If you see typos, no the fuck you don’t.

Notes: Major thing to note, the “Favored” refer to the main team of four in the game, the “Auxilary” is the nickname I gave to my off team that I needed to make for the part of Spiral Abyss that you needed two teams for, and “Vessels” are just any playable character. I used my own Favored as I’m the one writing. They are a healthy balance of “Characters I own” and “Characters I pray to RNG to just fucking give them to me GAME”. Other then that, Warning of religious themes, likely out of character moments, more child crying, and misplaced feelings of guilt. Enjoy!

<~Part 2 Part 4~>

Word count: 3,552.

The work of an outrider is far from simple, to scout the surrounding area of your home, help those in need of it, guide the lost to safety, and of course fight off the dangers that threaten those under your charge. Being an outrider has many duties, and so Amber takes her work very seriously, her bow in hand, Baron Bunny at the ready, and the sheer resolve that no problem can shake her confidence.

That is until a man appeared before her from thin air.

Startling the young woman, the man looked down at her, a twisted mask covering his face as he looks her up and down, humming to himself. He nods as he pulls out a pair of sealed envelopes, holding them out to her.

"Give these to the names written on them." Xiao demands as he pushes the letters into her free hand.

"Wait, who are-?" Amber starts, however she's quickly cut off.

"Do not read those yourself under any circumstances, do you understand?" Xiao's voice sounds slightly hurried and forceful as he glares into her eyes.

"Um… yes?..." looking down at the pair of letters, she can't stop the small gasp at the Qixing seal that holds both envelopes closed.

"Good, then I must say my goodbye, and be going. Goodbye." Xiao states finally, then with a gust of wind, he's gone.

Staring into the empty air that the man had disappeared into, Amber's gaze gets pulled back down to the letters, flipping them over to read the names they've been addressed to. Her eyes widening at the selected recipients.

"Well, I wonder what news this could be." She thinks aloud, turning on her heels in the direction of Mondstadt, back to the Favonius headquarters.

<~~~~>

Mornings in the Jade Chamber are ordinarily, not a terribly busy time. Secretaries and maids arriving to carry out their work day for the Tianquan. Organizing papers, light cleaning, making sure the lady Tianquan has eaten before starting work. Mornings are their time for quiet conversation and preparation for the more difficult times of day. Which lends to the irregularity of this morning.

"What do you mean she's gone?!" Ningguang shouts at the guard that was unfortunate enough to be the one to deliver the news.

"I-I mean we can't find her, Lady Tianquan! We've already checked the room the maids said she had slept in, top to bottom, and it was empty!" The guard explains, eyes locked on the floor to escape the seething gaze of the Tianquan.

The woman pinches the bridge of her nose, "then where's Captain Beidou?" Her voice alone gives way to her annoyance at the situation.

"We aren't sure, Ma'am! She is not in the Jade Chamber either." The guard slowly tries to inch toward the door, their resolve to stay through her annoyance waning.

A low groan slips from the Tianquan as she drops her hands to her sides, "alright, I'll be back, return to your post." She states, walking past the man towards the entrance. Not pausing as a secretary walks in step beside her, "yes?"

"I just wished to inform you that the Adventures Guild has accepted your commission, and that Miss Katheryne will see to it personally." The secretary reads over a paper in her hands.

"Good, then our Inazuman guests should be receiving the news about Y/n soon enough, and we can expect our first guest by this evening or earlier, anything else?" Ningguang hums as she opens the door to leave.

"Yes, rather strangely, Miss Ganyu is late for work this morning, can't imagine what's keeping her, I can't remember the last time she was late." The secretary looks up from her paper to see Ningguang wearing a small smile.

"If Ganyu isn't here either, then there's probably nothing to be worried about, but I will be going just to be sure, see preparations for both the Mondstadt and Inazuma guests are being made, while I'm gone." Ningguang steps out the door as she speaks, the secretary giving a bow to the empty doorway before turning to begin her work.

The early morning sun is warm, a light cool breeze carrying the salty scent of the ocean further in, trips down to the harbor during clear mornings are always pleasant. Too early for the echoing chorus of work, but late enough to see it just beginning.

Yujing Terrace however is still yet to rouse, the wealthiest of Liyue not needing to rise as early as the rest. The empty courtyard proves the perfect place as echoing voices reach Ningguang's ears.

"I'm not sure if I would count this as a breakfast." Ganyu's voice echoes.

"Why not? Some spice to help wake you up is good for you!" Beidou, of course not even the early morning can stifle her energy.

"I just don't think spicy stir fry is a good choice for a growing girl." Ganyu says, sounding half focused on the conversation and half on something else.

A loud whimper echoes as Ningguang turns a corner to find Beidou and Ganyu both sitting at Y/n's sides, take-out boxes in hand, and Y/n's face rapidly flushing as she takes a bite of her food.

"So, it's good, right?" Beidou pushes, smiling brightly at the girl, who looks on the brink of tears as she shakily smiles back.

"It's good." Her voice is strained, her teeth slightly clenched, as gold streaks slowly escape her eyes.

The taller woman throws her head back to laugh at the girl's reaction, Ganyu instead looking away to hide her own laugh before making eye contact with Ningguang.

"What are you three doing out here?" Ningguang steps closer, crossing her arms as she gives a stern look to Beidou and Ganyu.

The captain's smile does not waver, "what's it look like? We're eating." She answers cheerfully, shoveling food into her mouth for added effect.

"I happened to bump into them on the way to the Jade Chamber, so I thought it best to stay with them for a bit." Ganyu shrinks slightly under Ningguang's gaze, sheepishly patting Y/n's head, more to calm her own nerves than the little girl's.

The white haired woman relaxes as a small sigh slips from her, shifting her full attention to Beidou, "but why did you leave without telling anyone? You caused quite a little panic by just disappearing with Y/n." Her arms remain crossed as she waits for the other woman's response.

A small voice interrupts the women, "because I was hungry, miss Ningguang." Y/n looks up at Ningguang, the flushed tint of her face slowly ebbing away, but the glint of gold still sitting in the corners of her eyes.

Stopping to look her over, Ningguang notices the girl is still wearing her strange ragged clothes from yesterday, however much cleaner. Making the faded colors and numerous tears all the more prominent. The scarf she had previously covered her face with now sitting loosely around her neck. And where her hair has once been a tangled mass of dirty knots, now it has been cleaned, brushed out, and tied into a pair of neat buns on either side of her head.

Beidou interrupts her study of the girl, "I tried to find something to eat in the Chamber, but for such a big house, you hardly keep anything edible in there. I mean come on, Ning, you live like that?"

Irritation takes over the woman's expression, glaring at the sitting captain, "Preparations to host take time you know. If you have a problem with it then help."

Y/n hums looking down at her small box of food, holding it up for Ningguang after a pause, "are you hungry, Miss Ning?"

Turning her gaze down to the girl, Ningguang stops her eye from twitching at Y/n using the nickname Beidou devised to annoy her. "Thank you, but I'm fine-" she stops mid sentence as she looks into the box, turning a scrutinizing look to Beidou. "Why did you get her jueyun chilies?"

Still smiling, the Captain pats Y/n's head between the buns, "Little Rat, here asked to have the same thing I was getting."

"Little Rat?"

"Yea! Don't you think these buns look like rat ears?" Beidou's hand moves from patting the girl's head to poking at her hair. A laugh bubbles from the girl, pushing Beidou to return to patting her, "plus I saw her scamper. You'd put real rats to shame, wouldn't you?"

Y/n's laughter is all that stops Ningguang from growling at the other woman. Her eyes flicking to Ganyu, who has suddenly found the clouds far more interesting than before. "Well since all of you are already out of the chamber, I have a couple plans for how we can start the day." Ningguang sighs, pulling the trio's attention to her.

She lifts the box of food Y/n had handed her, "first, we're stopping somewhere to get Y/n something to eat, that won't leave her in tears."

<~~~~>

"When you said we would get Little Rat new clothes I didn't really think this was your plan…" Beidou sat leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest as the small gaggle of tailors took measurements of Y/n. Pre-made outfits being held up to compare then passed around and swapped for new pieces.

Ningguang sat in the waiting chair beside her "she needs more than just a couple dresses, Y/n said her only belongings are those weird rags she's been in this whole time. She needs a proper wardrobe."

"I get that, but isn't this a bit much? She's still so young, there's no way she'll be able to wear anything you get her now by next year." Beidou groans, pulling a flask from her belt, which is quickly snatched from her hand by Ningguang.

"Watch your drinking around Y/n." Ningguang doesn't look up as she just places the flask back on Beidou's belt.

"What? Why?" Beidou's eyebrows furrow in annoyance.

"She's already started mimicking you. Don't give her bad habits." Ningguang moves a warning look up to the captain.

Returning her arms to where they had been crossed over chest, Beidou grumbles under her breath.

"Don't be such a baby, I'm going to be careful with my smoking, so it's not just you." Ningguang snaps her attention back to the tailors.

"Let go!" Y/n shouts, her hands clinging to the scarf, the attendants let go of the cloth at Ningguang snapping her fingers.

Beidou rushes to the girl, pushing past the attendants, kneeling down to look the girl in the eye, and gently putting her hands on Y/n's shoulders. "Hey hey, Y/n, it's ok." She shushes the girl, quickly wiping away the thin streaks of gold on her cheeks.

Ningguang kneels down closer to eye level with Y/n, "do you not want a new one?" She asks gently, the girl only shakes her head in response.

"My parents gave it to me. Right before… before I…" tears form in her eyes as Y/n speaks, and the girl quickly throws herself at Beidou as quiet sobs escape her.

The two women share a look before both move to enclose their arms around Y/n. Ningguang gently shushed, and Beidou quietly hummed. Neither moving to try and force the girl to stop her tears, just holding her close. Both think about how much they still don't know about her, but she needs care, and Archons be damned if they don't give that to her.

The rest of their shopping visit went on with little trouble, a short word from Ningguang and the tailor attendants continued their work, more carefully around Y/n's scarf. Quickly ending the visit with an armful of bags and an order placed for even more later.

The sun hangs higher in the sky, greater warmth washing over the three as they step back into the Liyue streets. Ningguang hums as she looks around, turning her head back to where Y/n is practically perched on Beidou's shoulders. "It looks like it's around noon, so I should probably get back to work. If you two wish to stay out, go ahead." She says, the pair look around absently before Beidou awkwardly attempts to look up at Y/n.

"What do you think, Little Rat? Wanna go back to drop off the bags then come back out?" Beidou smiles each time she says her nickname outloud.

Y/n hums for a moment, "ok!" She smiles and hugs closer to the Captain.

"Well then it's decided, lead on, Ning!" Beidou's boisterous energy has giggles coming from the girl, and the nickname earning her a scowl from the woman beside her.

<~~~~>

Climbing the steps to Yujing Terrace voices echoing plenty. Guards and citizens milling across the courtyards and gardens. But it is one voice in particular that stands out.

"Come on! Come on! Paimon wants to see what Miss Ningguang wants!" A shrill childish voice shouts.

"Settle down, the secretary said Ningguang was out, so we are just going to have to wait." A young woman's tired voice answers.

"Which reminds me! Why couldn't we wait in the Jade Chamber?" Paimon groans.

"Because whatever it is Ningguang wants to talk about must be important if she got the adventurers guild to use teleporters just to send a letter." Lumine absent mindedly responds, eyes scanning over the crowd in search of the Tianquan in question. "So we'll wait here so we can find out sooner."

Almost as if on cue, Ningguang steps from the crowd, eyebrows furrowed slightly as she leans close to the Traveler. "Get up to the Chamber now. This is not the place for our discussion."

Confusion surround the world-wondering pair at her words, "but Paimon thought it was really important." Her high voice rings in an attempt to be quieter to match Ningguang.

"Very, but not something for the public, so go, I'll catch up." Ningguang says with finality, turning away to signal for the pair to leave.

Beidou smiles as she nods in greeting to Lumine and Paimon, Y/n quietly staring wide eyed at the pair, even after they had already left.

<~~~~>

The sound of porcelain smashing against the ground echoes in Lumine's ears, the loss of weight on her fingers not dawning on her yet. Eyes locked onto the two women in front of her, Ningguang seated at her desk as if this were a mere business transaction, Beidou leaning against the side of the desk with her flask still firmly planted against her lips.

"You… you're being serious?!" Paimon shouts, floating closer to the desk before hesitating.

"Completely. The Creator is in Liyue Harbor, she has been taken in as a guest of the Jade Chamber until further notice." Ningguang states, sighing as she eyes the shattered teacup.

"But you don't want anyone to know? Not even the Archons? Not even her?" Lumine's voice is quiet, the news still echoing in her mind.

Beidou finally pulls her flask away to breathe, "well we don't actually know if she's aware of her own divinity, or not."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Lumine's attention shifts to the captain.

"We have learned that the reason we couldn't find her in the year following the ceremony is because she was purposefully put into hiding." Beidou explains, setting her flask back at her hip.

Ningguang continues for her, "according to her, she was told by an abyss mage that she would get in trouble if she was around humans too much."

"The Abyss got to her!?" Paimon screeches, her words setting the Traveler on edge behind her.

"Another thing we don't know. They might have, or it could have been the actions of an outlying mage, we don't exactly have a way to find out." Beidou turns her attention to the door to the office, almost as if on guard at someone intruding.

"So where is she now then?" Lumine looks between the two women expectantly.

"Yea, can Paimon meet the Creator?" Paimon pitches in, drifting back to float around Lumine's head.

The two older women share a glance before looking back at the pair. "You can, but there are ground rules." Beidou states, pushing off the desk and starting towards the door.

"First, you will by no means refer to her as the Creator to her face. Second, you will not speak of her identity to anyone outside of a select number of her Vessels. And the most important one, that is admittedly mostly for just you two. Never under any circumstances at all, for any reason so much as mention having come across the Creator to even a single one of the Archons." Ningguang gives each rule, her eyes carrying a threat not missed by the pair of Wanderers.

"Ganyu should still be with her, let's go." Beidou calls out before opening the office door.

Paimon wastes no time, zipping through the air after the woman to escape the Tianquan's threatening eyes. Lumine however hangs back as Ningguang stands to follow along.

"If I may… if she was really hiding on purpose. How did you even manage to find her?" Lumine asks quietly, Ningguang nodding to show she heard.

"We arrested her." Her voice calm as if there was no problem with her words at all.

Lumine couldn't help but gawk a bit at the woman's reply, "you… what?"

"It doesn't matter. Look, Beidou stopped so she must be in that room." Ningguang brushes the blonde off as she widens her steps to catch up.

A giggle echoes from behind the door. Beidou smiles to herself as she pushes the door wide open.

Inside a child with h/c hair hops in place where she is seated on a large bed between Ganyu and Xiao. E/c eyes almost sparkling when she sees Beidou in the doorway. However upon catching sight of Paimon and Lumine, she shrinks back slightly, partially hiding herself behind Ganyu. An action that has all four people standing in the door pause in surprise.

"Um.. Y/n, this is-" Beidou starts to introduce the pair before being cut off.

"Lumine and Paimon." Her voice lacking the meekness it had the night before, but still quiet.

The Traveler perks up slightly, taking a step closer, but stopping at the way Y/n moves further behind Ganyu. "You recognize us?" She asks quietly as she tries to look more relaxed without getting closer.

The girl nods slowly, a small glint of gold beginning to peak at the corner of her still visible eye. Her voice lowers back into her meek whisper, "I'm sorry."

Paimon slowly drifts closer, covering her gasp at the gold beginning to drip down her cheeks. "You don't have anything to be sorry for." Paimon talks quietly, as she comes closer, e/c orbs lock onto her.

"But… but I…" Y/n starts before feeling a comforting weight on her head, looking up to find Beidou smiling down at her with the woman's hand patting between the hair buns. Y/n sniffles slightly before wiping her face on her shirt sleeve, still looking sad, but no longer in tears at Lumine "I didn't finish helping you.. i-in Inazuma."

Lumine can't hold back the small gasp she lets out, a year ago the warmth in her heart that pulled her across the distant islands disappeared. A year ago she found herself in the middle of a conflict she wasn't sure how to deal with alone. And now here sits the girl that had been guiding her the whole way. Apologizing as if she had a say in the matter.

Lumine inches closer, kneeling down by the bed before slowly offering a hand to the girl. "You have nothing to be sorry for, ok? Just like Paimon said!" She smiles gently as the wide eyed girl moves closer to her, gently placing a hand in Lumine's, and giggling when the older girl gives it a shake.

Ningguang smiles at the scene, her gaze dragging across each person before stopping on Xiao. The Adeptus, seeming to feel her gaze, turns to meet it. The pair both move to a separate corner of the room before speaking. "So you finished delivering those letters?" Ningguang whispers, eyes on the child now smiling with Paimon.

"Handed them off to one of those Knights and left before Lord Barbatos could catch wind of me." He whispers, stoic expression unchanging as he takes in the room.

Ningguang sighs, "so you didn't give them to the actual recipients?"

"What use would those Knights be if they can't deliver a simple letter? I'm sure it will be fine." Xiao groans annoyed.

Ningguang pinches at her temple for a moment before loud laughter pulls her attention again. Y/n kicking and wiggling in the air as Paimon tickles the girl, and Beidou holding her up like she's weightless.

"Oh well look, I've caught a little rat!" Beidou laughs, Paimon smiling wide as she drifts to dodge Y/n's flailing limbs. Lumine and Ganyu both take the sight in with soft smiles.

Another, softer, sigh slips from Ningguang "well, if they don't, I guess planning a trip for us to go to Mondstadt wouldn't be the end of the world."

Post reading notes: I honestly came so close to dragging things out even more just to slip an OC in there for the funsies. But ultimately decided to go the route of a random bit of dialog that I’m not sure why I remembered. Namely of Kathryne saying she uses the teleporter network to move between the nations.

Taglist: @twstfan-san @saltysugarysembei @universal-rose @qluvrv @jaynahh @heavenlyfloof @thetwinkims @victoria1676 @beemarkie @definitely-a-keqing-simp @inlovewithwaffels @qinxin02

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flydotnet · 7 months

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Can't Have Shit in Okinawa

WHUMPTOBER 2023, DAY 8: “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier.” Overcrowded ER | Outnumbered | “It’s all for nothing.”

I didn't go into this Whumptober expecting to write so much comedy or comedy-adjacent entries, but oh well, may as well embrace it now.

I took the ER prompt because all of the others sounded too… hardcore for me, I guess? I'm way too damn soft. Even then, I decided I may as well make it humorous. Not sure I'm into the spirit of Whumptober this year.

I only recently realized that I had never written anything KojiMaki in my entire life… which is weird, since would you ask me, I'd tell you they're the best romantic character dynamic in all of CT. Yeah, I know, the bar is cosmically low, but it's true, right? Good parallels, actual chemistry, agressive support… it's got it all. WY really fed us well, man. They're not my fav ship (as my stupidly high number of MatsuYoshi fics will happily demonstrate for me), but they're the best written one imho.

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Can't Have Shit in Okinawa

Summary: It's not because your date has ended in the ER that you can't bicker about it with your partner!

Fandom: Captain Tsubasa

Word Count: 1K words

AO3 version available here.

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It’s not where their date was supposed to end; but sometimes, you simply don’t have control over what happens. Sometimes, a last-minute idea from your partner brings you a good surprise! And at others, they get hurt and you end up in a spot that’s not quite as fun.

Or, like, the complete opposite of fun.

“I thought the emergency room was meant for that. Emergencies.”

She’s lost count of how many times her boyfriend has sighed since they’ve arrived here.

“It’s meant to be, at least. You’ve never been in one before?”

He stares back at her, very much unamused.

“I was unconscious the only time I did, how was I s’pposed to know they sucked ass?!”

“It’s a well-known phenomenon! I didn’t think I’d have to explain that to you!”

“Maybe you should’ve asked before, then!”

“Where else was I going to bring you anyway?”

“I dunno, just a regular doctor would’ve been fine!”

“You were bleeding buckets, you idiot!”

“Yeah, and?”

“Well I wasn’t gonna fix that myself, now, was I?”

“You could’ve, I dunno, tried!”

“I’m no doctor!”

“It’s just a damn scrape, Maki! No need to worry so much about it!”

“It’s a bleeding gash the depth of a ping-pong ball, Kojiro!”

“That’s the weirdest comparison I’ve ever heard.” He looks around. “Oh fuck, they’re all staring at us.”

“Gee, I wonder why.”

Don’t get her wrong, she loves him to bits, but her boyfriend is the loudest person on Earth. Oh, and also, he’s a world-famous soccer player. As in, “outstanding name in a list of outstanding names” famous. The guy is a world champion and stuff. That may not help much, in their case, because it did not grant them a priority queue, and also, people do stare at them. A lot.

The ER, as the legend foretold, is cramped and overcrowded. There are people who are here for all sorts of stuff, from terrifying bug bites the size of a softball glove to what Maki can only assume to be people who should’ve just to their local pharmacy. There’s always at least one of those and they will always get called before you, the legend also says.

Among the things Maki has in common with her boyfriend, one of them is a natural knack for impatience. She hates standing in one spot and waiting for things to happen. Powerlessness is an annoyance at best and a deep-rooted phobia at worst. Right now, luckily, it’s just a lot of annoyance at things being horrible, frigidly slow.

In short: the ER, with its awfully slow pace and dozens of people screaming, crying or even chatting very loudly on their phones, is stuff of nightmares for her. If she was here all on her own, a part or her would be terrified, yes – on the other hand, she happens to be here with someone else, who barely seems to care that they have to be there waiting on uncomfortable plastic chairs to begin with.

She glances back at Kojiro. He seems mildly bothered by everything around him, the now rust-coloured towel still on his thigh. Occasionally, he takes a sharp inhale mostly through his right nostril and looks even more mildly bothered. People are still staring at him.

“That stupid thing’s stopped bleeding anyway,” he says as he leans back. “Can we go back to your place, now? Fuck this ER shit, I can do a zig-zag stitch too.”

A mother with her snot-filled kid is glaring at him, her face oh so offended.

“You’re not for real, right?”

He now actually looks displeased.

“What? Do I look so, I dunno, like a brute that I can’t sew?”

“That’s not what I said! I’m just sayin’, you’re no doctor, so don’t stitch your own wounds close!”

Kojiro responds to that by getting his phone out.

“Eh, whatever. There’s probably a tutorial for that on YouTube.”

Maki can only gawk at him. That guy is considered the cream of the crop in his category but man can he be awfully stupid. She loves him for all of his highs and lows, but he’s really dense as a brick when he wants to. Also, for all of his ranting about his friends from the national team being self-sacrificing idiots, he has the tendencies as well.

Actually, come to think of it… Maybe if she tips the scales, she could make him realize how bad it’s getting. That’s what couples do, right? Communicate. They communicate so things don’t explode in a big ball of fire.

“Hey… Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah?”

The woman with the snotty kid are called. Their turn may finally come soon; which, God, not too soon. The air here is stale, cramped and overall suffocating.

“If I was gonna do the same thing to you, which is having a bleeding gash the depth of a ball and say it’s no biggie, I’m gonna stitch it myself, what would you do?”

Now, he looks downright pissed.

“Why’re you even askin’ me that? It’s damn obvious!” His shoulders rise even further. “I’m bringin’ you to the hospital no questions asked!”

“Yeah, that makes sense, right?” She pokes his chest. “So why won’t you get it through your thick skull, hmmm?”

His anger changes into surprise.

“Dammit.”

“See? Not hard to understand! I’m worried and I don’t want you hurt even further, so be a good lil’ kitty and stay put until we get called!”

“Did you just call me a kitten because of my—”

“I’ll call you a tiger again when you’re back on your feet and not profusely bleeding in my backyard!” She breathes out and tries calming down as best as she can. “I know it’s annoying, I don’t like being here either, but it’s for your own good, I swear. And, if you don’t wanna think about yourself… then think your mom would be much more reassured to know you got to see a doctor and got it stitched right!”

He scratches the back of his neck a little sheepishly.

“You’re right there, I guess.”

“I just know you, after a while!” She leans against him. “You should stop being all rough like that. You’re supposed to also lean on me when you need help.”

He leans back in the other direction, his head softly landing on top of hers.

“…Yeah.”

Eventually, a nurse comes and calls their names – finally.

#whumptober 2023 #no.8 #overcrowded er #captain tsubasa #fic #kojimaki

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buckevantommy · 1 year

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2022 Tumblr Top 10

1. 2,472 notes - Sep 24 2022

ryan, at the start of every investigation: i believe in ghosts and have brought all this cool equipment with me to try and prove the existence of ghosts once and for all

*somethin spooky happens*

ryan: NO i am LEAVING i am walking AWAY from the scary noises and shadows out the corner of my eye GOOD DAY SIR

2. 421 notes - Oct 23 2022

watching Knives Out for the first time after seeing it all over my dash i thought daniel craig’s character would sound like james bond british i was not expecting gay cajun vampire sidepiece

3. 256 notes - Apr 6 2022

Stede shows his wife his model ship and she exclaims how she hates the ocean and doesn’t want a ship [re:Stede’s dream] then we cut to Blackbeard gleefully saying “this place is amazing” while picking up Stede’s model ship i see your writing Eliza Jiménez Cossio and i applaud you

4. 169 notes - Apr 6 2022

5. 129 notes - Apr 1 2022

non-binary character whose story doesn’t revolve around them being non-binary and they don’t encounter bigotry and they’re portrayed by a non-binary actor and written by non-binary writers and are also a bamf my beloved

6. 80 notes - Apr 2 2022

so blackbeard wants to meet this new interesting pirate to break up the monotony bc he’s bored af of the same old same old pirate life and not only does this shiny new pirate decline to meet with him he also insults him. dude unwittingly insults the most fearsome pirate in the world and instead of being angry or wrathful blackbeard is just upset that this new shiny pirate doesn’t want to meet him so then he saves said pirate from certain death and proceeds to fanboy over him. no one is doing it like this guy.

7. 60 notes - Apr 15 2022

season 2 needs a parallel of the Jim’s Nanna scene where Ed visits his old mum and introduces her to Stede like: this is Stede. he’s my.. friend. because they’ve mended some stuff but haven’t quite made their way to being Together (yet) and his mum gets A Look in her eye the more time she spends with them because She Knows and she’s quietly rooting for them to sort their shit out and tries to tell Ed and he says: it’s not like that. we’re just co-captains.

8. 55 notes - Apr 4 2022

9. 52 notes - Apr 11 2022

Izzy putting his head between Blackbeard’s legs to try and help but failing to free him getting frustrated and giving up spouting how Blackbeard knows everything before running away. this scene is about gay sez.x.

10. 50 notes - Apr 1 2022

you need to watch season 1 of ofmd twice: the first time is to see everything as it happens with virgin eyes. the second time is to bask in the queer that is canonically everywhere.

#tumblrwrapped #ofmd #thoughts #tumblr top 10

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wisteria-lodge · 3 years

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Archetypes: Sorting Hat Chats

I’ve been asked about my rationale for naming different primary/ secondary combinations. I did this originally as a tool to help me sort characters - I wanted to see how these types tend to be used, so I could more easily see what subversions looked like. I'll run through my thoughts, but know there’s a lot of variation within each category. But even WITH that variation, I do think that each one has its own specific energy that makes it interesting to talk about. An explanation of the terms I'm using.

DOUBLE LION “THE REVOLUTIONARY”

Pretty straightforward. The Lion primary knows something is wrong, they know it in their bones even if they can’t articulate it, and they’ve got to go out and do something about it. Probably charging at whatever power structure is directly in front of them. It’s unlikely you find a character leading a revolution who isn’t a Double Lion. These guys are intense, inspirational, single minded.

The villain version of the Lion primary tends to be the person who “went too far" or "became the monster they were trying to fight.'' But I think that the much more interesting Lion primary villain trope is the Traitor. Since Lions work from their feelings, and their philosophies can’t necessarily be articulated or linked to individuals outside of them - they can definitely have their head turned while still feeling moral about it.

One of my favorite examples of this Revolutionary archtype is actually Christian Bale‘s character from Newsies. He’s the spark that starts the unionizing revolution, but 100% needs his Badger and Bird lieutenants to keep him focused and keep him from defecting

LION SNAKE “THE ROBIN HOOD”

These guys are similar to the Double Lion - they will recognize a cause or injustice revolutionary style - but Robin Hood doesn’t go up and bang on wicked Prince John’s door. His move is the snake secondary one: confront the problem indirectly. Undermine the regime by stealing tax money and re-distributing it to the poor. Be simultaneously Robin Hood the outlaw and Robin of Locksley the noble, infiltrating and getting information. The Lion Snake is more likely to work within society (or deliberately separate from society) versus just breaking everything down.

LION BIRD “THE LAWMAN / THE VIGILANTE”

The fact that the Lion Bird can either be the Lawman or the Vigilante shows off the very clear hero/villain split you get with Bird secondaries. We also see this with the Snake Bird (simultaneously the Mastermind and the traditional Villain) and the Double Bird (either the Scientist or the Mad Scientist.) This is why I think I had such trouble naming the Badger Bird. I wasn’t leaning into the duality of the Bird secondary enough. The Badger Bird can be the King Arthur, or he can be the Mob Boss, and he’ll look kind of similar either way.

The Lion Bird also has that Lion primary conviction and drive, but they want to follow up on it with investigation, evidence, and plans. I actually think there need to be more stories about Lawmen turning into Vigilantes and vice versa. Because Lion Birds are their Cause no matter what external alignment gets attached to it.

LION BADGER “THE LINCHPIN”

This is my own sorting - although when I came up with this name I still thought I was a Double Bird. The linchpin is the pin-axle thing at the center of a wheel that prevents the whole thing from falling apart, and I think it's a good way of talking about the energy of this combination. The Badger secondary means they’re a lot less single minded than the other Lion primaries: their power comes from being part of a group. They become the emotional “heart” a lot, and have a way of quietly keeping things together just by existing. They can be leaders, but a Double Lion will lead from up front while a Lion Badger will lead from in the middle (if that makes sense.)

I do think it’s really funny that this is a common sleeper villain trope. Peter Pettigrew, Prince Hans, and Randall Boggs of Monsters Inc. all became integral to a group, and then exploit their position within it. They’re kind of the evil bureaucrat. Maybe that's a good trope for children’s media

DOUBLE SNAKE “THE TRICKSTER”

This is another straightforward one. Double Snakes are in it for themselves (and maybe like three other people.) They're going to be clever and tricksy about how they get what they want, and will not mind doing things backward and unofficially. And they won't mind if you know that's what they're doing. There’s something very unapologetic about the Double Snake which makes for very attractive characters. They are consistently voted the sexiest... and when they’re villains they’re fun villains. You know what they want, and what they want is not that complicated. I think that’s a big reason for the appeal of Snake primaries in general. They’re the easiest primary to understand and explain.

SNAKE LION “THE LANCELOT”

I used to call these guys “The Rebel,” which... is too generic, doesn’t really mean anything. So I started thinking about the Lion secondary as the Knight secondary, and I liked that. Double Lions are the Crusader Knight, riding for their Cause. Bird Lions are Grail Knights, riding for their own personal truth. Badger Lions are Champion Knights, here to help the helpless and defend the innocent.

And if that's that case… Snake Lions have to be the Knight Errant, the knight who rides for his lady. It is that simple. Lancelot might be a Knight of the Round Table, but he’s riding for Arthur the person, not Arthur the King. And for his lady, Queen Guinevere. I feel like his dilemma is one that’s common to a lot of Snake Lions: what happens when they’re forced to split their loyalty? It’s tragic, but Lancelot can’t have Arthur and Guinevere simultaneously.

(At least not until my awesome Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot OT3 which I will totally write at some point :)

SNAKE BIRD “THE MASTERMIND / THE VILLAIN”

The classic. We see a little more of the Bird Secondary split, and well… this is your stereotypical villain. They want power. They’re going to use an elaborate plan to get it. There’s a lot you can do with this sorting, but I actually do think it’s fun that whatever you do, this slight undercurrent of villain and/or mastermind… never quite goes away.

SNAKE BADGER “THE LOVER”

The Love Interest sorting. Chances are very good that if there is a love interest (who does not serve some other role in the story...) they're going to be a Snake Badger. Devoted to one person, solving problems by caretaking. This is the Badger secondary who is likely to have the smallest group, which is just going to make them look excessively devoted to their friends. This type is pretty gender neutral, which is fun. A lot of female love interests, but also your Mr. Darcys and Peeta Mellarks.

One of my favorite things about this trope (mostly just because I think it’s funny...) is that if you write a character who is not supposed to be a love interest, but who is a Snake Badger... subconsciously I think people are going to read them as a love interest anyway. Looking at you Jaskier, Horatio, and even Captain Barbossa.

DOUBLE BIRD “THE [MAD] SCIENTIST”

I think that (especially if you aren’t a Bird Primary yourself) your response to hearing a fictional Bird Primary’s motivation is kind of …huh. That seems random. Or oddly specific. You get your Hannibal Lecters, whose entire motivation is... wanting to eat people while drinking nice wine.

Double birds seem especially unusual, just in terms of society. They are Bird secondaries and they interact with the world through gathering data, but their Bird primaries mean that data can literally lead them to any conclusion, no matter how potentially wacky. These guys consciously build themselves from the ground up, and that can make them kind of detached - either in a logical way, or an unmoored way. They're written as either really stable, the rational mentor figure. Or really... not. And that’s how you spot a Bird villain. They’re not after money/power/safety, they’re after something weird.

BIRD LION “THE GRAIL KNIGHT”

This is the trope of Perceval or Galahad, questing after the Holy Grail chalice... which is really just meaning, and truth. It’s a personal quest. Grail Knights tend to ride alone, and a lot of the things that concern them are metaphysical, to do with identity, purpose, things like that. You can have extremely different Bird Lions, but I do think there is a sort of spiritual core there. Doctor Harleen Quinzel sees freedom and truth in whatever the Joker is doing, and then once she recognizes his hypocrisy, has to go build her own meaning.

I actually think these guys are pretty easy to spot because of that Lion secondary. When they change direction, they change direction, and there’s probably a period of despair between the direction changes. I’ve talked about how Bird Lions having a habit of falling apart pretty dramatically, and that’s where this idea comes from.

BIRD BADGER “THE SURVIVOR”

A rare sorting, but an interesting one. I call this one “the Survivor” or “the Last Man Standing” because, well, they seem to be. They seem remarkably stable. This is the Bird primary least likely to be a villain, and maybe the sorting least likely to be a villain. I think what’s going on is that they are grounded and integrated in whatever community they happen to be in (because of that Badger secondary), but they can define themselves and rebuild themselves in the Bird primary way. This makes them uniquely suited to building a new version of themselves for whatever situation they happen to find themselves in.

Maybe a better name for these guys would be “The Adapter.”

BIRD SNAKE “THE ARTIST”

Like all Bird primaries, these guys are inspired by their own projects and their own worldview, but because of that Snake secondary, Bird Snakes have a more easy-going ‘take the world as it comes' kind of energy. They are “the Artist” because everything they do is art: they want to use themselves and the world around them, put all of that towards whatever their Bird primary happens to be interested in.

You can have villains like the Nolan Joker, or the Talented Mr. Ripley, who kind of turn the world into their own personal philosophical social experiment. Or Scotty from Star Trek whose meaning is solely the well-being of the Enterprise. Maybe they just like traveling, and that's all they need. (It's a way for the Bird primary and the Snake secondary exist very happily together, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was pretty common.)

DOUBLE BADGER “THE PEACEMAKER”

Badgers are interesting, because while I think they’re generally regarded as “correct,” they’re also seen as kind of boring. That’s the case with both Badger primaries and Badger secondaries, which means it is doubly reflected in the Double Badger. They often get written as simplistic, the sweet Jane Bennet type who loves everybody and caretakes everybody and just wants everybody to get along.

They are often the targets of what TV Tropes used to call “Break the Cutie.” What could be more interesting than making this character, who wants to be happily part of a community, be forced to build protective models, be all tortured and angsty? I actually think we’re seeing a return of the Double Badger as an interesting character in their own right, with people like Aziaphale, and I'm here for it.

BADGER LION “THE PROTAGONIST”

What can I say? There are a lot of protagonists that are Badger Lions. They want to help the group - so we know they're the good guys - and then they charge and make stuff happen. Lion secondaries are very useful in fiction - you drop them into a situation and stuff just happens. I also think of this as the Starfleet officer sorting - because if you’re a Starfleet officer, either you are the sorting, or can model it really well.

I will say that this is kind of the stock Protagonist sorting, the way that the Snake Badger is the stock love interest and the Snake Bird is the stock villain. There’s just something sort of generic good guy about this one, which is why I want to see it used as a villain sorting more. Badger villains - mostly people who define ‘human’ very narrowly - are insanely terrifying.

BADGER SNAKE “THE ADVISOR”

Possibly “the Power Behind the Throne.” This is another one I had difficulty pinning down. I called it “the Politician” for a while, which unfortunately came off as a little bit more negative than I meant it to, since I think this sorting has a lot in common with Lion Badger, the linchpin of a heroic team. The difference is that Lion Badger takes on that role kind of unconsciously, while the Badger Snake does it very consciously.

Their loyalty is to the group, but their skill set is all about subversion and different ways of going around the group, which is why there’s an interesting contradiction at the heart of Badger Snake. A lot of real life Badger Snakes struggle with feeling like “bad people" and it's too bad. These guys are ridiculously powerful and competent when they are sure of themselves, and I love seeing them in action

BADGER BIRD “THE KING / THE MOB BOSS”

Another difficult one, despite (or because) I really like them. I was calling them “the Architect” because “The City Planner” sounded too boring… but that’s what they do. They’re all about the community but they problem-solve the way all Bird secondaries do, by prepping, and gathering knowledge. I talked more about this in the Lion Bird entry, but Bird secondary seems to have this villain split going on, and that’s what I see here too. This is a controversial love-them-or-hate-them sorting, and I think that’s why. There’s a lot of room in whether or not you see this sorting as villainous.

#sortinghatchats #masterpost #wisteria sorts #archetypes #writing #long post

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fruitcoops · 3 years

Note

Hi!

It's the anon of the Remus knockout fic. Could you write a mirror fic?

Yep! For anyone who is curious: a mirror fic is when you take the premise of one fic, then translate it to a different character with minor alterations. This one has the same theme as Knockout, where Sirius was knocked unconscious after a bad hit. This is also the first half-and-half commentary fic I’ve ever written!

SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for injury, minor blood, fighting, and unconsciousness

“Lee, are you seeing this?” Frank asked, excitement building in his voice.

“I am, Frank! There’s a melee on the ice—it looks like the Lions and Snakes have finally let their cork pop after that dirty check on Lions captain Sirius Black! Oh, what a hit on Malfoy by O’Hara! That’ll leave a mark,” Lee laughed. Several whistles blew, loud and shrill over the roaring fans. “Let’s get a playba—wait. Hang on a second, Frank, is that—?”

“There’s a player down,” Frank confirmed, sobering immediately. “Lee, I think that’s Lupin, but he’s not moving.”

“Black is waving medics over and it looks like the Lions have put their fists away for the moment. Snape tries to start something again, but—oh, shut down by the refs. Right to the bench for him.” They fell quiet as another person hurried onto the ice. “That’s Hestia Jones, Gryffindor’s newest addition to the training team. Lupin always speaks highly of her, so he should be in good hands.”

Noise rippled over the stadium after a period of suspended silence. “Is he moving? He is! Lupin’s conscious again, and nobody is calling for a stretcher, which is a great sign.” Frank paused for a moment as Hestia and Sirius helped pull him upright. “And Lupin’s heading toward the locker room with about half the team on his heels, mostly under his own power.”

“I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief after that,” Lee said. “I don’t know about you, but I never like seeing fights go bad. How do you think it happened?”

“Let’s take a look.” The jumbotron picked up just after number 8 on the Snakes collided with Sirius in a late hit, nearly knocking his helmet clean off; in mere seconds, the two teams were on each other in a pack of fury. Remus went after number 8, one of the enforcers—they tussled for a moment before a hard hit from his opponent knocked him flat on the ice.

“Lupin’s fiery, but he was well out of his weight class there,” Lee said, shaking his head. “It seems like no permanent damage was done, though. We’ve got enough Lions and Snakes in the boxes that both teams are going to their second strings, Frank! Back to you!”

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Sirius’ heart pounded in his ears as they headed off the ice, moving as slow as possible to avoid damaging Remus on the off-chance something serious had happened. Hestia’s arm was a steel bar around his lower back; Talker, James, and Leo flanked them until they reached the boards, and each of the Lions put a gentle hand on Remus’ back when he passed them.

“I’m alright,” Remus said as they stepped into the tunnel, his head drooping forward. “ ‘m okay.”

“Can you help him get his pads off?” Hestia asked quietly, finally making eye contact with Sirius while they helped him sit on the PT table.

He nodded and gently guided Remus’ hands away from the straps and buckles, undoing them from muscle memory as he kept a careful eye out for anything they may have missed. Remus half-smiled, though more pain had overtaken the dizziness. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Sirius winced at his voice crack, but removed the heavy pads without missing a beat. “How’re you feeling?”

Remus shrugged one shoulder. “Hurts. Nothing out of the ordinary, though. Can you call my mom?”

“They’ll be here soon, I bet.”

“Did you see them?”

“Earlier, yeah. They’ve got seats in the middle.”

Hestia tapped Sirius’ hip and he reluctantly moved aside to let her run through the concussion protocol, though he didn’t let go of Remus’ hand and grabbed a nearby paper towel to clean up some of the blood on his lip. “You look good to me,” Hestia said after a few minutes. “A little banged up, but nothing scary. Get some rest and water, and you’ll be good as new.”

The paper covering the table crinkled as Sirius sat down, rubbing small circles on Remus’ lower back. “Do you want to stay here or head back to the bench?”

He made a face. “Stay here, I think. I’m kind of wobbly.”

“I’ll grab your water and be right back, okay?”

Remus nuzzled Sirius’ collarbone with a sigh, then kissed his cheek. “Thanks, hon.”

As soon as Sirius was out of the PT room, he leaned against the wall and blew out a shaky breath, running both hands through his hair. He had been too preoccupied with recovering from the late hit and shoving Snape to stop Remus from engaging with the Snakes’ enforcer; all he could do was watch as they traded one, two, three hits before Remus dropped. Dropped like a stone, and took Sirius’ heart with him.

Nobody else noticed at firs—both teams were a brawling wreck at that point, and for all of his hard work Remus was still one of the smaller guys out there. It was a miracle Hestia had even heard him calling for a medic as he gripped Remus’ hand and fumbled through hoarse pleas for him to open his eyes. He had been so pale when Sirius pulled his helmet off, save for the blossoming reddish-purple mark across one side of his face.

Hestia had let him stay while she worked, speaking clipped and clear by the side of Remus’ head until he mumbled “hear you” and “hurts”. It took another half-minute before he looked at them, and a dozen lifetimes before his breathing went back to normal under Sirius’ palm.

He’s okay, he told himself for the umpteenth time. He’s okay. He’s awake. Hestia’s got him.

Sirius walked to the bench in a daze, hardly glancing at the game while he collected their waterbottles and braced himself on the back of a chair for a moment. “How is he?” Arthur asked, worry lacing his tone.

“He’s okay. Bruised and dizzy, no concussion.”

“Deep breaths, Cap. Deep breaths.” Sirius inhaled slowly, then exhaled with a shiver. Arthur gave his shoulder a light squeeze. “There you go. Everything’s alright.”

“That was fucking terrifying.”

“Sit down for a second, yeah?”

Sirius shook his head. “Gotta get him some water. Christ. Okay, I’m okay. Don’t know if you want me back out—”

“No,” Arthur said firmly. “We’re ahead, and your boys don’t look like they’re going to let the Snakes take it back.”

“Thank you.” Sirius pressed his lips together as the delayed fear rocking through him began to abate.

“Go on, son. I’ll update the others if they ask.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face before heading back down the hall with both waterbottles, trying to calm his racing heart to the sounds of quiet voices coming from the PT room.

“Sirius!”

“Hey, buddy.” Sirius bent down to catch Jules in a hug and felt tears prickle back up in his throat as his ribs were nearly crushed beneath skinny arms. The second he straightened, Hope and Lyall pulled him close in a flutter of worry.

“Is he still awake?” Lyall asked.

“Hestia’s got him,” Sirius confirmed, running a steady hand through Jules’ hair. “He’s up and talking, no concussion. I was just getting him some water.”

Hope looked like she was on the verge of tears, but she nodded. “Thank you. Can we see him?”

“Yeah, sure thing.” Sirius lifted Jules onto his hip—the kid wasn’t letting go of him anytime soon—and led them down the hall, then knocked before pushing the door open the rest of the way.

Almost immediately, Remus was mobbed by both his parents. “I’m fine,” Remus assured them as Hope inspected the bruise on the side of his face. “I should know better than to start fights with—”

“You didn’t start it,” Lyall interrupted. “That was a late hit and the refs should’ve called it before things went that far.”

“Oh, lovey,” Hope murmured, cupping his face in her palms. “We are so happy for you, and we one hundred percent support you, but please think before you punch people twice your size.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Remus laughed as she kissed his forehead. “Where’s Jules?”

“Here.” Jules wiggled free of Sirius’ arms and crept over, then clambered up onto the table and tucked himself against Remus’ ribs with a sniffle. “Don’t do that anymore.”

“You got it,” he promised; Sirius lingered on the outside of their group hug before Remus reached out and dragged him into his other side. “Family hugs include you now, remember?”

“I need all my boys in one spot,” Hope added, giving him a light jostle.

“You guys are welcome to stay as long as you like,” Hestia said from the doorway as she propped it open. “Cap, Loops, coach might want to see you after the game.”

“How much time do we have?” Sirius asked without extracting himself from the net of affection.

“Eh, maybe five minutes? We’ve scored two goals in the past ten, so I don’t think it’ll drag on too much longer.”

“Sirius, how are you feeling? That hit looked pretty hard.” Hope gave him a concerned look, as if she was expecting him to also drop unconscious.

“I might be a little bruised in the morning, but I’m fine,” he said.

Lyall narrowed his eyes, then nodded. “Good. We need you.”

“I won’t be in for the rest of the—”

“We need you here,” he clarified, patting Sirius’ back. “Right here.”

Remus caught his eye and smiled softly; Sirius swallowed around the lump in his throat and relaxed into the hug, resting his temple against the top of Remus’ head. He was okay. They both were. They all were.

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mr-and-mr-diaz · 3 years

Text

Buddie Fic Masterpost

Prompt😂Updated 06/13/2021!

I can’t believe I’ve written enough for this fandom that this actually seems warranted but here we are!! For those who want to keep track, here are all the Buddie fic I’ve written in one spot, and I’ll update as I add more:

NEW! All My Buddie Drabbles In One Places

This is where I put my short buddie drabbles for when you need just a quick Buddie bite, no commitment, no long stories :) Enjoy! <3

The Best Wingman

Summary: In Josh’s first date since being attacked, Buck and Albert come along, each bringing a date of their own for a big old triple date of mutual support and fun. Of course, now that they've offered, they both need to go find dates...

I wrote this as part of a larger idea and also to indulge my deep love of Shy!Buck.

ROAD TRIP!

Summary: A glimpse into Hen, Eddie, and Buck’s 20-hour road trip to Texas in the fire truck during the crossover.

This moment had such potential for fluff and funny road trip hijinks, so glad I got to give it a fic treatment :) Contains season 4A spoilers

The Way To A Man’s Heart

Prompt from @agentmarymargaretskitz and @justsmilestuffhappens: Eddie & Christopher move across the hall from Buck and Buck is smitten. The 118 tell him to bring over baked goods.

This was pure fluff. Tooth-rotting cotton candy.

Have You Ever Heard of Scrabble?

Prompt: Can someone write me a Buddie with Christopher fic continuation of them having a family night while playing Scrabble? With fluff. I believe that would be an adorable fic.

You were 100% percent right, it does make an adorable fic! Contains season 4A spoilers

Home

Prompt from @the-wardrobeintocamelot: ABO-verse, Chris snuggling and scenting omega!Buck whenever possible because he smells like love/home/family. ❤️❤️

My very first ever ABO fic ever, also first for the Buddie fandom. I’m so happy with how it came out and I’m even more happy with how many people love it! Y’all are the best!

A Good Friend

Summary: The missing scene when Eddie comes to pick up Chris from Buck's place in 4x08 because we were so robbed!

I renamed this “Missing Scene--Eddie Comes To Pick Up Christopher” on AO3 so don’t be confused when a different title comes up. It gave me a cathartic chance to fill in this missing scene as well as air a bit of grief for how harshly Taylor dealt with Buck, telling him he’s a shit friend, despite teh fact that three seconds later she calls him for help which is something we all do to shit friends, right...? Contains season 4A spoilers

The Damned Disgrace

Summary: When Maddie is kidnapped by the infamous Commodore Douglas of the Royal Navy, Evan Buckley and her lover Chimney Han enlist the help of the only crew that dares to go against him: The Damned Disgrace, led by the fearless and terrifying Captain Robert Nash.First impressions are leery though. Captain Nash's first mate, Eddie Diaz, takes an instant dislike to Buck, doubting his motives and his ability to be of any use to the Disgrace's crew.

There aren’t a huge amount of us Buddie Pirate AU lovers, but this is still my indulgent fic for that AU because it works really well, and I truly believe that the firefam and buddie fits well in most scenarios like a ship (lolz). It also gives me a place to indulge my love for an au where Sharon hasn��t died, where Lena is still around and they are both in love with each other. I’ll update this one as often as I can!

Instinct

Prompt: ABO-verse: Omega Buck not having his safe space at his loft, starts hanging at eddies more, nesting there. Eddie buying softer blankets, etc for buck. But doesnt comment on ti, not to freak or embarrass buck.

My second Buddie abo fic! I started to write this and then writing did that thing it does where the story spirals out of control and it deviated ever so slightly from the prompt. So glad to see how many people enjoyed it! Contains season 4A spoilers

Eye of The Tiger

Prompt from @agentmarymargaretskitz: Buddie + “Your hair is really soft.”

Eddie Diaz realizes that Buck is the exception to yet one more rule... This one kind of popped out of my head onto the keyboard in a big PLOP. One moment I was looking at the prompt and the next I was looking at the fic, just like that! Please enjoy! Contains season 4A spoilers

Surprise!

Prompt from @justsmilestuffhappens : But- but what happens when Buck or Eddie say I love you to the other and not realize what they said until the conversation is over or they're in another room or leave huh?

This is what happens 😂 Enjoy!

The Other Two Halves of My Heart

Prompt: Okay but that surfing gifset is so goddamn cute... any thoughts on a sweet buddie + christopher ocean outing??

I loved this prompt! And I decided to write a fic where Ana and Taylor do exist, but aren’t dating buddie. Seriously when they aren’t trying to be shoehorned into romances that just don’t work they can breathe so much more as characters. It also gives them the leverage they need to shove these two oblivious assholes together. Featuring surfing and Soft Eddie Diaz. Enjoy! Contains season 4A spoilers

#buddie #buddie fic #evan buckley #eddie diaz #9-1-1 #9-1-1 on fox #buck x eddie #buddie fic prompts #fic masterlist

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canonicallysoulmates · 3 years

Note

Just saw your post about the post phase 1 Marvel movies and the meme you used for CA:CW. So I'm here to ask and get you cancelled. What did you think about the movie? Are you Team Stark or Team Rogers?

........................................................I knew this day would come......okay, let's get me cancelled!

I hate this movie, I hate this movie with every fiber of my being. Watching it was torture, it as the longest 20hrs of my life. It was like living out one of those very confusing math problems I started this movie at 10am somehow 6pm rolls around and there are still 2hrs left! Coño cómo?! I watched this with my mom, and when we checked how much time was left we were left looking at each other like 'que carajo what twilight zone bullshit is this?' It's one of those Marvel movies that I am so glad I did not waste my money on, I wish I could get a refund for my time but I made my choice and I shall now have to deal with it.

I hate this movie for many reasons but I'm not gonna make y'all wait any longer for what you're really here for because I know what y'all really want to know is whether I am Team Iron Man or Team Captain America. When it comes to the political aspects ie. the Accords, I am Team Neither.

Now, I cannot get into a comprehensive debate about the Accords because the writers did a shitty ass job, in a 2 and a 1/2 hour movie that felt like a lifetime, at explaining what exactly the Accords are in the movie universe. Emphasis on the movie universe, because I have seen debates go on in this motherfucking fandom where some people will bring up aspects from the comics Registration Acts but we're not talking about the comics okay, we're talking about the movies! And they're two fucking different things! And the movie did a shitty ass job at explaining what the Accords are, and that's one of the reasons I hate this movie: that it's so badly written.

But back to the point, which is where I stand on the teams when it comes to the politics, I am Team Neither because ultimately they were both idiots on how they handled this, and I think they both have good points like yes the Avengers and other superheroes should 100% be held accountable if they fuck up, the fact that they are superheroes and the "good guys" doesn't mean that their actions shouldn't have consequences but at the same time Steve's mistrust of the government and concerns that the team and others could be weaponized are also valid so I think they both have good points when it comes down to it and the smart thing to do - and in my opinion what would have made a much better film- would have been to come together and make like a counterproposal, decide on amendments, try to ensure they can get a representative so they have a voice on the table.

So, there you go when it comes to the Accords I am Team Neither however when it comes to the characters and their actions I am 1,000% Team Tony. At the end of the day he wanted to do what was best for both people and for his team, he wanted to keep the team together because he knew they were stronger together, and he was thinking long term not short term.

And then there's Steve who is an asshole in this film and completely lacks self awareness, cause there's a scene in the film after they've found out about the Accords where Steve goes "that's because he already made up his mind" about Tony and I'm just like bitch so did you, pot meet kettle, Rogers you knew from the get go that you weren't going to sign those papers don't go acting different and then like- here's the thing Steve has some very good points when it comes to the Accords but one of his points is that the UN is filled with people with agendas and agendas change which true but also motherfucker you yourself have an agenda! The whole Sokovia mess is an example that they cannot be trusted to hold themselves or each other accountable because inevitably the time will come where they'll want to protect their team mate like we see in this movie Steve do with Bucky, or how he wanted to protect Wanda because he looks at her as if she were a child not an adult. Steve, you lot are not exempt from having your own agendas and biases.

And through pretty much the entire movie, he has this whole my way or the highway attitude like this man does not know the meaning of compromise in this film, and he has such tunnel vision for Bucky- and listen! listen, listeeeeeen, I get it, I don't judge Steve for making his bestie a priority; I understand that Bucky is incredibly important to Steve, that he's the one person who's gonna look at him as just Steve and not as the Steve Rogers, I get that he carries a guilt over what happened to his friend, I understand he misses him, I understand all of that and respect the ride or die game but goddamn he was so focused on being a good friend to Bucky that he forgot about everyone and everything else and was a shit friend to Tony.

Actually a lot of people in this film were shit to Tony for no goddamn reason but Steve was such a shitty friend not telling Tony about his parents, that was a shitty ass thing to do and listen! I know what some of y'all are thinking you're thinking some version of 'he wanted to protect Tony' shut the fuck up. No, no, that's an excuse and it's a cheap one, you know damn well that was a shitty thing for Steve to do and y'all know damn well you would have reacted the same way Tony did if someone who you thought was your goddamn friend knew about something horrible that happened to people that were important to you and they never told you; that kind of shit hurts, and finding out someone you thought of as a friend doesn't care about you as much as you care about them hurts.

And y'all know goddamn well how emotions work, you know emotions aren't gonna wait for the rational brain to kick in don't some of y'all go playing dumb as if you didn't know this shit. Same way deep down all of y'all know Tony was holding his punches, that man gave Thanos a fight and got some blood if he had wanted to kill Bucky he would have. Don't none of y'all motherfuckers try to play games and act like you don't know this info.

Steve was a shit friend to Tony. Period. The least he could have done is have some empathy or compassion towards Tony when he saw his parent's being killed- and I swear to motherfucking god to the person who is getting close to their keyboard thinking of saying he showed compassion by not killing him back the fuck away from your motherfucking keyboard what did I tell you about playing stupid, this is properly tagged, stay in your fucking lane. Some of y'all be acting as if it were still 2016 and we're gonna be talking about that too, anon wanted my opinion on this film so now I'm going off.

Back to what I was saying, in some ways Steve wasn't a perfect friend to Bucky either cause he kept looking at Bucky and thinking of the guy he used to know but Bucky's not that person anymore, he's been through a lot of shit and it feels at times like Steve didn't fully realize that.

I hate Steve in this movie, I wanna punch him in the throat; he's an ass, he thinks he's above the rules, he's unaware of his own flaws, he might be a good friend to Bucky but that's it. I don't blame Steve though I blame the writers cause they're the ones who wrote him this way; moving on from Steve, I wanna talk about Wanda real quick, I don't hate the character of Wanda but I do hate the way she was written in this film, I hate that the writers expect us as an audience to look at this adult and think of her as a defenseless child who should be exempt from consequences, I hate that instead of actually doing something with her and exploring some interesting dynamics they just give her an AI boyfriend and a pinterest quote which sounds nice but falls flat especially considering she says said quote as she uses her powers (which is what people are afraid of) to send her love interest down several floors of a building. They could have done so many cool and interesting things with her, shame they didn't.

Another thing I hate about this film is what it did to the fandom, and how it was promoted because it was very much promoted as a pick your fighter, pick a side type of movie and after this movie came out I feel like the divide between Tony fans and Steve fans grew toxically and the effects are still seen to this day like some people really do be acting as if it were still 2016 and attacking others for what side they went with or for who their fav between the two is, and I'll be very honest a lot of the hate I have seen has been directed towards Tony and Tony fans. I hate that, I hate when TPTB deliberately pits fans against each other cause it just encourages a toxic environment.

Let me think was there anything that I liked about this film- wait, oh my god talking about all these other things I hate almost made me forget the thing I hate the most about this movie: it's pointless. Its existence is unnecessary; the biggest aspect of this film isn't the politics of the Accords, it's Steve and Bucky and how far Steve is willing to go for Bucky and have him by his side...but Endgame exists. The end of Endgame turns this film pointless, because the only true point of this movie is the relationship between Steve and Bucky that's the biggest takeaway from the whole thing, but then you have the end of Endgame where Steve just leaves Bucky.

I hated this film before I saw Endgame but after.....I never plan to watch Civil War again but if I did I'm pretty sure I'd self combust cause I'd be so angry I'd scream every time Steve appeared cause that son of a bitch ends up leaving; tears the whole team apart only to end up leaving his friend behind in the end.

I hate this film, I hate everything about it, well that's not true I love the Tony and Peter stuff, but aside from a couple of things I hate this movie, someone give me time stone I'm eliminating it from the timeline.

So, there you go those are my thoughts on CA: CW.

In conclusion, I am Team Neither on the Accords, Team Tony on everything else, Steve I still like you but this movie demoted you in my eyes and makes me wanna punch you in the throat.

#i clearly had a lot to say #anon do you see the pandora's box you've opened #anti captain america civil war #anti civil war #anti cacw #steve rogers critical #pro tony stark #mcu negativity #mcu fandom critical #wanda maximoff critical #anti steve rogers #i'm not anti steve but i did say this post would be properly tagged #non spn #anon #ask #long post

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unohanadaydreams · 3 years

Note

I would kill for some awkward sex headcanons with your faves. Who has trouble getting it up? Who applies the condom on wrong? Who yells out the wrong name in the heat of things? Also, who cums in your eye and y’all have to come knocking on 4th division, blinded as you are by the wet ass money shot 👁👁

I can not express how much I fucking love this ask. Here are your unfortunately spicy takes below. @tater-tati come get your juice. please don’t get it in your eye. <3

Features: smut. not the fun kind but the funny kind. sometimes the sad kind.

Who has trouble getting it up?

1. As Nodt. Not only is he scared of death, but of ‘the little death’. He fucks like its the last thing he’s gonna do and will probably not have the courage to go all the way anyhow. RIP to anyone who wants to get nutted in. Your man gets soft the moment you ask him to cum.

2. Mayuri Kurotsuchi. It is truly painful how much this man wants to be above sex. He takes anti-depressants just to flaccid and Logical when you won’t leave him in peace. He’d be first place, but he refuses to permanently fuck with his huge wrinkly brain (tm).

3. Jushiro Ukitake. Poor guy just gets really worn out some days and either can’t start or fizzles out before he can finish. Just reassure him it’s fine and allow him to finish through with his fingers and mouth so he can salvage his dignity and it should be alright.

4. Ulquiorra Cifer. It’s not something with a firm explanation or cause. Sometimes he just can’t keep in the moment or the bodily feelings he has will just...leave. There’s really no tell or situation that keeps these bouts of numbness from happening, so sex can be a real roll of the dice. He’ll shrug it off and continue on without his third leg (wing?) though.

5. Ryuken Ishida. He’s become very adept at shoving the majority of bad thoughts and feelings down with keeping his mind on work. Unfortunately, this means sex can be a struggle when visualizing how busy he is gets in the way of visualizing you on top of him. Isn’t usually a problem since sexual escapades with him don’t usually involve his dick. (Kink master works around emotional and bodily problems: more at 5.)

Who applies the condom on wrong?

1. Byakuya Kuchiki. He isn’t ignorant about sex per se, just the particulars of casual sex, since he was groomed to be a squeaky clean figurehead. And you can’t really produce an heir while using a condom, can you? He doesn’t even know to where begin. He takes the unopened condom with absolute confidence despite his ignorance and pointedly does not look at you when you fix his handy work, which is so heinous you have to use another one. (He fucking bunched the extra latex at the base for some reason, leaving the head of dick no breathing room and it ripped.)

2. Keigo Asano. He’s just extremely nervous and keeps putting it on too quick, catching it with his nails, and ripping it each time. He makes a joke about how his cock is just ‘sort of a monster hahaha’, but he is getting sweatier and more desperate and oh no, oh no, he is getting soft.

3. Gin Ichimaru. Absolutely is on purpose. He knows how to put on a condom thanks to being forcibly detained by Unohana and given a menacing demonstration on a banana after pressuring a 4th division woman to fuck raw. Purely scumbag tactics.

4. Riruka Dokugamine. What, like she’s supposed to know? What’s she supposed to do? Watch porn or something? Disgusting. Learn how to do it yourself. She screams into her pillow later because she absolutely googled how to put on a condom and just fucked it up.

5. Like, every Arrancar. Szayelaporro is the only exception. Ulquiorra commits to learning after the first fumble. Grimmjow doubles down and insists its fucking dumb in the first place. Luppi refuses to wear one unless it’s an appealing color and probably flavored. Nnoitra hates it on principle--its like you’re trying to oppress his dick or something?? Harribel says--with a completely straight face--that the pull out method will be fine.

Who yells out the wrong name in the heat of things?

1. Momo Hinamori. She apologizes the moment she realizes and is fucking horrified. Really, she has no feelings for [redacted] anymore. She doesn’t know what happened. If she could, she’d go into witness protection.

2. Shunsui Kyoraku. Especially if you’re not romancing something heavy and are a one night stand. He tries to laugh it off, rubbing the back of neck and shrugging like it’s a ‘what can you do?’ moment. If you are romantically involved he will get drunk and depressed about it later on--just another reason he doesn’t deserve you.

3. Shuhei Hisagi. He might be thinking about the Seireitei Bulletin or about that party later tonight that you were both invited to and blurt out a name. Like, ‘holy shit titstitstitstits also the captain invited me to drinks later holy FUCK wow that feels soooo good -chan you fucking goddess fuckfuck oh right Captain--’, kind of train of thought. He boards the apology train and makes all the stops--flowers, heartfelt words, physical affection, an alright song cover with his guitar.

4. Uryu Ishida. In his defense, you were roleplaying and he simply called out your character’s name. This will happen a lot. It’s pretty hot, actually.

5. Isshin Kurosaki. It doesn’t happen a lot but sometimes he calls out his first wife’s name and it’s just something you have to live with. Just sad and unfunny and horrifying.

Who sends you to the 4th division via indecent blinding?

1. Renji Abarai. King of awkward good intentions, he leads your blind ass to the 4th division and waits by your side like a puppy waiting for punishment. He just gets really excited and forgot aiming was important. You insist it wasn’t as bad as the time he shot his load up your nose, though.

2. Akon. In his defense, you were playing with VR headsets and he shot his load in good faith while getting an imaginary face full of 3D anime waifu titties. He can’t imagine taking this to his captain and rushes you to the 4th division before anyone in the 12th can spot him.

3. Nanao Ise. She holds a lot of stress, so when she lets go, the result is usually a ridiculous amount of squirting. She leads you down deserted streets and disappears when anyone shows up, leaving you standing while blinded for like minutes at a time. She would rather die than have her peers find out and leaves you at the 4th division the moment they’ve written you down for intake.

4. Rangiku Matsumoto. She really likes to ride your face and it is simply not her fault that you aid and abet her. Of course if you’re going to play slip’n’slide so often, something is bound to go wrong. She leads you down to the 4th and if she sees someone she knows she’ll call out like ‘haha, guess what?’. It is the second time this month.

5. Shukuro Tsukishima + Gin Ichimaru. They didn’t do it on accident. Gin probably did it out of boredom, just to see you squirm and try to make your way to the 4th with him assisting....barely. Shukuro does it because you tried to tease him about his cooking or something and this is revenge. Have fun finding your way to the 4th by your own power.

#smut #bleach headcanons #this was so fucking funny to do #some of these were immediate fill ins #thats how confident i was #mars speaks #tater-tati

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rahleeyah · 3 years

Note

IMAGINE if you will. to go along with the below anon and your POV fics. And I mean this with the utmost respect for you and your ideas. YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION!

BUT BEWARE BESTIE. It ends in the middle because in my mind I don’t know where it would go from there. How would liv and Elliot interact in a professional setting but they are together and their personal lives? What would they talk about? This is new territory for them and I can imagine them being super private about their relationship in the workplace and not wanting to show too much.

Feel free to end it for me! Or rewrite as a whole fic. I can’t and could never capture the characters as well as you. LOL 🤣🥰

They hire someone else to replace Morales and this guy only knows the basics of what happened the year before with Wheatley. He knows the case, that Morales was the mole, and pretty much just what he had seen on the news.

The squad doesn’t talk about the Wheatley case much and is focusing their attention on their new case. They’ve all been working crazy hours and this new guy knows bell and Stabler, being the leads, haven’t been home at a decent time in days.

Bell has made comments here and there about her wife being upset at her, but knows it’s the job and this stage of the case doesn’t last forever- but they still don’t see eye to eye on it sometimes. The rest of the squad goes around talking about their lack of social life while laughing and discussing where they’re going to happy hour later-if they get out soon enough.

This guy has noticed though that usually, Stabler just smiles laughs and goes along with the squad but rarely offers any information himself. In fact, he doesn’t think he knows anything about Stabler’s life outside of the squad room. Not that he hasn’t asked about what the deal is, but usually people tell him to mind his business or to get back to work.

Until one night it’s just him, Sloot, and Washburn and he hears two kids arguing in the entryway about (enter problem here) and a woman telling them that they’ll figure it out when they get home. he assumes that this woman is their mother. They all said share similar features and the younger one had even exclaimed that she was when arguing with her about why he didn’t get his way.

She’s leading them into the squad room while looking down at her phone and the older child is carrying a substantial amount of Chinese food. Sloot and Washburn are going over something on the computer and haven’t noticed this woman walk in with her kids so now guesses he has to deal with it.

What is this woman lost? Who comes in here with a couple kids? He had never seen her before and from what he was told this location was pretty secure.

By now Washburn and Sloot have finished their conversation and he asks this woman if he can help her. It comes out just as exasperated as he feels and she is clearly shocked at the greeting she is getting. The two go back-and-forth, with this woman being understanding, for a little while before he notices that Washburn is behind him laughing. Even more annoyed now he turns around to snap at Washburn. But before he can, Washburn greets this woman and it’s clear that he knows her.

He greets her as Captain Benson and regret is immediately etched on his face. He will knows he will get shit for this later or worse if Stabler and Bell find out. Being disrespectful to a senior officer is a big no-no around here. How was he supposed to know this woman was a captain? Who was she and who are these kids?

It was just then that the younger one high-fives Sloot before turning to his mother and asking where his dad is. Sloot looks at the woman and responds to the child that he should be back soon. They were out following up on a lead and are expected back any minute. Shit. He knows Bell and Stabler are out but for once never made any connection. He can hear Washburn continue to laugh as the confusion is clearly written on his face. Washburn makes some comment about how he’s going to hear it from stabler when he returns.

The older child has since put down the food they brought for everyone and unlocked his phone to scroll through various apps. Everyone’s head turns in the opposite direction towards the door when it slams open and their commanding officers walk through the door. It’s clear they’re both upset. But whether it’s from exhaustion or their lead not panning out, no one is certain.

...

ANON!!! 🙌🙌🙌🙌 FUCK me this is good lmao

Ok ok ok so new guy let's call him Taylor. Taylor's standing there, looking at this woman he doesn't know, this Captain he has just insulted, however inadvertantly, this Captain who turned up with her hands full of Chinese and her kids.

Bell and Stabler, they're grumbling together as they come walking up, not paying much attention to anything else, but then Bell catches sight of the woman, and she offers a tired little smile.

"Reinforcements?" She asks as they approach. She reaches out, shakes hands with the Captain.

"Dinner," the Captain says. "There's enough for everybody," she adds, and shoots Taylor a knowing look. He wonders if she can see that his face is hot from embarrassment.

"You're a saint," Stabler tells her, steps up to kiss her cheek. He reaches for her hand, too, gives it a little squeeze while he's at it.

Holy shit, Taylor thinks. The kid was asking about his dad and then here's Stabler, kissing the kid's mom. This woman, she's his wife, and those kids, they're Stabler's kids, he thinks, and shit, how did he not know? Not know that Stabler was married, not know that his wife's a Captain, not know about the kids? Yeah, Stabler never talked about his home life, but shit.

"Hardly," the Captain laughs. Bell is busy dishing out the food, and she and Washburn and Sloot are ignoring Stabler, and his woman, and the boys. Taylor knows he should, too, but he can't help but watch. He's a cop, it's his job to be curious.

"We brought you a toothbrush!" The little one pipes up, holds up a toothbrush still in its packaging, proud.

"And a clean shirt," the older one says, not looking up from his phone.

It's just so...nice. Since Taylor's been there, Stabler's been a hard ass with a smart mouth, quiet sometimes, cocky sometimes, but he's never been soft. Just now, though, with his family, he looks warm. At peace.

"We just wanted to see you," the woman tells him softly. Stabler reaches out, tussles the little boy's hair, but his eyes are locked on the kid's mom. On the wife he hasn't seen for two days, the woman he clearly wants, but can't have in the middle of the station, in the middle of a case.

"One more day, Liv," he says. "We're close."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," she tells him, and Taylor's thinking that's probably true. She's a cop, too. She knows what the life is.

"Stay," he says. "Eat with us."

And so they do; they all stand around the table together, Washburn and Sloot and Taylor and Bell and Stabler and his Captain and his sons. Noah and Eli, Taylor learns their names, sees how comfortable they are with the rest of the team, how kindly Bell treats them. How no one else seems to think this is weird. It doesn't last too long, tho.

"I'll walk you out," Stabler says, and herds his family from the room. Mom is holding Noah's hand, and Stabler has one hand at the small of her back and one hand on Eli's shoulder. Taylor wonders if he walked them out just to get a chance to kiss his woman in private. Probably so.

"Listen to me very carefully," Bell says to Taylor once the Stablers are out of sight. "You do not ask him about his family." Her voice is deadly serious. "That man's had a hard road, he doesn't need you getting all up in his business."

"Doesn't look too hard to me," Taylor says. "Beautiful wife who loves him, two nice kids, he's got a clean shirt and none of the rest of us do."

"You don't have any idea what you're talking about," Bell says, shaking her head. "I'm just telling you, leave that man alone. And don't let him hear you call her his wife. I don't wanna have to break in two new detectives after he beats your ass."

And that makes no sense at all, but Taylor isn't stupid enough to go against his CO, no matter how curious he is about all this. So he won't ask, and he won't use the word wife, but he's got questions, and he's gonna bide his time, and keep his eyes open.

Stabler comes back, and he's actually smiling. He's had a hard road, according to Bell, but even if that's true, he looks like he's found his feet. Good for him, Taylor thinks.

"All right kids, back to work!" Stabler calls cheerfully.

It's gonna be a long night.

#anonymous #e.o #e.o thoughts #THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS I WANNA DO WITH THIS WHAT A GOOD IDEA ANON

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supercantaloupe · 4 years

Text

on Aelwyn Abernant, the Reformed Villain Squad, and redeeming teenage antagonists

an analysis on antagonist character development in Fantasy High. spoilers through sophomore year and (mildly so) the most recent roll20 oneshot. essay under the cut bc i am very long winded

the turnaround with Aelwyn in s2 is handled so well i cant get over it. she was such a major antagonist in the first season and just. despicable. she had no pathos. we hated this bitchy older sister who tried to kill Adaine and her friends and raise an evil dragon, and when she gets knocked on her ass and thrown in jail, we cheer.

and then s2 fucking starts saying “hey she’s in jail still if you’d like to look into that” and pursuing that thread ends up being almost as comedic an idea as it is a reluctant one; it’s also quickly shunted to the background as soon as more pressing leads present themselves, to the point where we almost forget about her until Adaine is kidnapped and then the first time you see her it’s just. viscerally upsetting.

she’s bad. she did evil. she got what she deserved.

but she already got what she deserved. last season.

she got her ass handed to her by a bunch of 14 year olds including her little sister (how embarrassing!). her plans were thwarted. she got punched in the face and made fun of. she already got her punishment.

it just……immediately registers as over-the-top Wrong to be told “hey, remember that antagonist you beat last season? she’s still being punished for that, except it’s way worse than just going to mumple.”

and there’s that reminder that like…this is a teenager. a child. who has been manipulated and abused. which is a really fascinating look at this character we used to see pretty much unilaterally as a one dimensional bitchy villain.

i mean we got a more in depth look at Penelope’s and Biz’s motivations in s1 (Penelope being the popular rich girl sorceress obviously hungry for power and the alllure of the high school clout that is being prom queen, but also we know that her having to turn on her best friend Sam Nightingale as part of the scheme was something she was reluctant and not happy to do; and Biz being that predatory incel creeper type dude besides just a nerd with computers and a lack of social graces). and they were as much willingly active in the plot as Aelwyn was. yet in s1 they really never do bother to explore Aelwyn’s motivations. i remember after watching s1 but before s2 that was one of my biggest lingering questions: why tf was Aelwyn involved?

well. she was manipulated and abused. her terrible parents raised her in an awful environment that conditioned her to Listen and Obey and Behave and Be Perfect, and then Kalina helped cinch the noose around her neck with threats and coersion into the KVS Kaper and the NMK crown debacle. she doesn’t freely choose any of it; she’s coerced, manipulated, abused.

and she already got justifiably punished for her bad actions in s1. the torture is almost literal overkill. it’s just……there’s this immediate turnaround in sympathy and view of the character. on first watch, it’s viscerally upsetting to see her getting so brutally punished for actions she already faced consequences for, and on rewatch, it makes your skin crawl to know she’s being tortured for terrible things she had little choice in carrying out. and tortured by some of the very same people who coerced her to behave terribly in the first place, to add insult to injury.

and it’s still fucking frustrating when they rescue her and her memory gets reset and she goes back to her parents because it’s like “well shit, she’s evil again, and we just wasted all that effort for nothing” but it’s also sad cause we know she’s running back to her abusers and she isn’t happy about it but doesn’t feel like she has a choice. and it’s sadder still that what eventually inevitably gets her to turn to good for good (i.e. away from her parents) is just. a full dissociative mental breakdown.

(but then she survives and it’s gonna be good!!! until Adaine dies in her fucking arms. which is. almost funny. she’s been through so much shit and that isn’t something that Brennan would have just. preplanned. like a written in plot point. no, that was just an unpredictable consequence of the battle. what a juicy fucking moment. she’s been through All That Shit™️ and has finally turned to fight for good and her sister just fully dies in front of her. yeowch)

and she turns out okay in the end. she comes out the other side alive and whole and supported by her sister and her friends, with the hope of a future and recovery. there is an acknowledgement that A) she can and will grow from her mistakes and damage, B) it’s going to be really hard, and C) the post-s2 one shots both prove that she’s doing okay now. hell, she has a whole squad now of other former-teenage-villains-turned-good-guys. she has friends now, Ragh and Zayn, with common ground, and a secret handshake and everything. they’ve all grown from the mistakes of their past into better, happier, healthier people

and about Zayn and Ragh. we’ve seen a lot of characters, protagonist and antagonist, teenage and adult, PC and NPC do some really fucked up shit and get punished for it. but why do they get happy endings? why are Aelwyn, Ragh, and Zayn the only members of the RVS and not someone else like Biz or Penelope or Dayne?

well, the latter two are dead by then; but then again, Biz and Ragh were also killed by the Bad Kids in s1, and subsequently resurrected. (Zayn died too, but was neither killed nor revived at the Bad Kids’ hands, so i’ll get to him in a sec.) and there are plenty of adult antagonists the Bad Kids face who are killed and left that way by the Bad Kids without second thought: Johnny Spells, Coach Daybreak, Captain Wicklaw, the Abernant parents (presuming Arianwen doesn’t survive in the forest for very long, which i doubt). why do some characters get second chances while others don’t?

in the case of Zayn, his death was pretty much out of the Bad Kids’ hands, and they later found out he was manipulated by Daybreak into being bad anyway because of his sad living situation. he was a pretty minor antagonist in the scheme of things, and when we re-meet him as a ghost in the s1 epilogue, he’s pretty obviously remorseful for his actions. and dying seems like a steep enough punishment to me for the shit he did to contribute to the KVX caper; returning as a ghost, free from the trappings of his unfortunate living life, he now has the room and freedom to grow into a better person.

in the cases of Daybreak, Spells, Wicklaw, and the Abernant parents: these are bad people who should know better. these are fully grown adults who actively choose to do evil. whether they think it’s the right thing to do or not (in Daybreak’s case), whether they think it will benefit them and don’t care about anyone else (in the Abernants’ case), or whether they don’t care much at all and are just doing shit because they feel like it (in the cases of Spells and Wicklaw), these are all adults who consciously make the decision to do terrible things and hurt other people. of course Johnny Spells, who is generally a punk thief and thug, is not on the same level of bad as Angwyn, who kidnaps and tortures his own daughters for political gain, but the point remains. these fuckers should know better. they’re grown ups. they had their chances to be good and they chose not to heed them. their minds are set on bad actions and they are a continued danger to other people as long as they are alive. when they die, the Bad Kids do their damndest to make sure it stays that way.

now, in the cases of Penelope and Dayne: these are teenagers who actively chose to participate in an evil plot. Penelope, Dayne, and Biz were all fully cognizant of what they were doing trying to raise KVX back to his former power. why? well, to some extent, we can only speculate. i suspect Penelope was just one of those Regina George bitches who is rich and popular and powerful and obsessed with power and popularity within high school as if that’s the end-all-be-all of existence (which, like, when you’re currently in high school, is a somewhat understandable worldview i think). Dayne being her boyfriend and a musclehead jock probably falls into a similar line of thinking. they are actively and willingly trying to cause harm, and teenager or not, must be stopped. they’re killed, anyway, during the Climactic Battle™️ anyhow; it’s not like the Bad Kids were going to gain anything at that point by keeping them alive.

now, Biz: Biz is the creepy Nice Guy incel type, sees woman as a prize he deserves to win, yadda yadda. he does, like Penelope and Dayne, actively choose to help KVX. there might be something to be said about his motivation the Bad Kids discover after the arcade battle by detecting his thoughts (that being to upload the captured maidens from the palimpsests to “call the shots” himself) is an altered memory; whether this was his original motivation from the start or not, i’m not sure. but the Bad Kids do kill him – and then resurrect him for important, time-sensitive information. and they beat it out of him – he gets two of his fucking fingers blown off. and Riz reattaches them once they have their info, and they realize his memory is altered. of course, the Bad Kids don’t know at this point that the altered memory was something he, Penelope, and Aelwyn had planned and agreed on and done to themselves, but this points to something important in my opinion: the Bad Kids, and the narrative/show as a whole by extension, acknowledge that external manipulation affects how guilty someone is in a crime.

which brings us to Ragh. Ragh, introduced from episode 1 as the meathead jock. Ragh the archetypical one-dimensional high school bully. Ragh who works with the harvestmen in effort to (ostensibly) end the world/provoke international war. Ragh, whose low intelligence but high loyalty and internalized homophobia led him to be fully swayed and blindly led by his coach and captain, who have actively chosen to do evil. Ragh who is killed in combat by the Bad Kids and resurrected for information, not Daybreak. Ragh, who the Bad Kids realize was probably not aware of exactly what he was being made to do and how bad it really was. Ragh, who by their kindness in sparing his life and directing him on a better path, becomes a well-rounded character and an active ally to the Bad Kids during and after prom, an invaluable companion during their quest in sophomore year, and overall a really good friend and person.

(it might also be worth considering the case of Jawbone here, too, who started out a very minor antagonist in a fight but ended up becoming a major NPC because the Bad Kids talked to him, found out he came from an unfortunate situation and set of circumstances, and showed him kindness in offering the school guidance counselor position, a kindness that isn’t really owed but given anyway and ends up changing his entire life for good.)

and then, Aelwyn, whose case is already discussed above. so, why is the RVS what it is, why them but not others?

if you’re familiar with Avatar: the Last Airbender, you’re probably familiar with Zuko’s character arc, and how it’s often lauded as a masterful example of developing a villain into a hero over the course of a narrative. what makes Zuko’s arc so well done and exceptional is that he starts out as a kid in a bad situation under the influence of bad adults seeking to do bad deeds, but he later realizes the error of those ways, actively removes himself from that situation despite the difficulty and danger in doing so, goes through a lot of shit and reflects on his past mistakes and learns from them, and then actively chooses to fight for good in the end with the help of close, trusted friends, found family.

this, i believe, is the same in the case of Fantasy High and its treatment of the RVS. its members, like Zuko, are all teenagers who came from shitty situations and were manipulated by evil adults to do bad. they are punished for their bad actions, and they learn from their errors and mistakes. with the kindness and help of good people, friends and chosen family, they are able to escape their abusers and bad situations and grow into their own people. and they actively choose to improve themselves with that help and fight for good.

Fantasy High, through the arcs of Jawbone, Zayn, Ragh, and especially Aelwyn, asserts that it is not your fault if you come from a bad situation and are forced to behave badly as a result. it does not pretend that you are absolved of any responsibility for those actions; quite the opposite, as even though they were externally manipulated into their evil actions, all of those mentioned characters face tangible consequences for their actions and later express remorse for their mistakes. but Fantasy High also asserts that even if you have made great mistakes in your past, even if you came from a bad situation beyond your control, even if you were manipulated and abused, with care and love and support and a hell of a lot of work and effort, you can improve your situation and find good, happiness, peace, you can thrive. evil adults who should know better don’t get redeemed. teenagers who aren’t coerced but actively choose evil don’t get redeemed. but abused kids deserve another shot at happiness. with enough work, and some love and help along the way, they can get there, even from the lowest imaginable point, from rock fucking buttom. it’s possible.

#fantasy high #fantasy high spoilers #dimension 20 live #dimension 20 #fantasy high sophomore year #fantasy high freshman year #d20 #dimension 20 live spoilers #brennan lee mulligan #aelwyn abernant #zayn darkshadow #ragh barkrock #sasha reviews #hello tumblr. tonight i bring you a 2.3k word essay. tomorrow? who knows #i'll just throw myself into the nearest river if this doesn't show up in the tags this is fine #this one's for y'all in my notes i see u and i love u here's some content #the first half of this is mostly copy pasted from my discord ramblings #i didnt intend for this to be as long as it got but yknow. i never do and it always is #so thats why the first part of this is written differently from the rest of it lol

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michibikionmain · 3 years

Text

Ik the drama with Tommy and Tubbo is like cool and all on the Dream SMP but can we PLEASE talk about the other arc that’s going on??? Because despite the super jokey name, Mexican L’manburg is SUPER interesting from a story point alright? And so are the people in it.

IK Eret is kinda doing a redemption arc thing, which like cool good for him I love him, but the redemption arc of everything in Mexican L’Manburg is slightly better written and more compelling imo. Like consider... everyone that’s a citizen in Mexican L’manburg right now has done horrible things or been associated with horrible things on the server. Quackity helped get Schlatt elected and was his vice president. Sapnap was a loyal solider to Dream, killing and causing chaos at the drop of a hat for him. George also assisted Dream in wars, but also from a story perspective just sat by and essentially ignored all the struggles going on in Manburg while he was supposed to be part of the cabinet alongside Quackity before becoming King for literally being so separated from the country he was supposed to help run that Dream saw him as the most neutral person on the server. Karl hasn’t exactly done anything bad/redemption worthy, but he is desperate for attention and affection from anyone and to be recognized.

What do all these characters have in common? A need to prove themselves, whether it be their goodness to others, to themselves, or just their own worth. They all need a new start that they’ve created with Mexican L’manburg. Quackity lost Schlatt, who he’d canonically been in an abusive relationship with, and while he’s the new vice president of L’manburg, he still clearly feels torn up over what happened in the Pogtopia and Manburg war. Sapnap believes/has realized that Dream has just been using him as a war pawn and that he doesn’t care about him according to his outburst to Tommy, and now he has to deal with the crippling reality that all those horrible things he did in the name of friendship were done in the name of essentially nothing as he deals with that sense of betrayal. George is in a similar boat, but he also has the struggle of realizing that the reason Dream made him King wasn’t because he trusted him with the power to rule, but because he trusted that George would be a compliant idiot and do whatever he told him, and now his power is removed because Dream doesn’t trust that he can take care of himself and follow Dream’s directions without hesitation. Karl has been on the sidelines for all of the Manburg war, trying to get involved anywhere he could, but no one took him seriously and he was essentially pushed to the side until the final battle in the war where he was used more like a meat shield/extra body to have around than an actual ally.

This is also helping lead into a humanizing arc for Dream. Since he stopped streaming the SMP, a lot of his character’s thoughts have been a mystery to the audience, and the fact that he’d rarely been appearing on his teammate’s streams meant we only ever got to see him through the eyes of those who saw him as an enemy, which is never a good look. Especially Tommy, who he has a historically bad relationship with, to the point of Tommy basically just seeing him as a stereotypical bad guy on the server. But this arc? It’s changing that, even if we still don’t directly see his perspective. We see Dream experience actual anger at what’s happening. Literally the whole thing going on with Tommy and Tubbo and the exile is because Dream was furious that Tommy griefed George and demanded retribution. He was never properly angry during the revolution, only wanted to hold onto L’manburg for the sake of power. He had no proper stakes in the Manburg/Pogtopia war, and only got involved for the fun of chaos. But this? This is personal to him, a direct attack. War isn’t fun now, it’s personal and so he’s going to make it personal for everyone else. However, he doesn’t realize that by making it personal, he’s left himself exposed. The logic he usually uses to handle war isn’t as ruling as before and he makes multiple slip ups. Similar to the story Technoblade used to compare Tommy to a tragic hero, Dream’s hubris has become his downfall.

He says he doesn’t care, not really, and that everything has been for power, severing the threads of friendship he has with some of his only remaining allies. He’s not completely alone, but almost all of his friends and allies have left him now, not that he had many to begin with. The Badlands emancipated themselves from the SMP Lands, most of the new members joined L’manburg, Wilbur died, Techno retired and became an anarchist, his fiancée is part of the cabinet in L’manburg--his greatest enemy nation--, he ruined his friendship for now with Sapnap and George. All he has left is Punz, who only sticks with him because he’s being paid a massive amount, and Captain Puffy, who’s loyalty isn’t even set in stone because she has plenty of loyalty to people outside of the SMP lands and is likely to side with friends over her country in conflict if it came to it.

He’s slowly losing his power and control over the server, and that’s also partially of why he wanted the disks so bad. If he can’t use people to get what he needs, he’ll need material items to accomplish his goals, hence him calling the disks his now. Dream is definitely still the villain and in the wrong right now, but his humanity is showing, and it’s leading to some of the most compelling personal conflict on the SMP in my opinion. Sure, he’s fighting normal L’manburg and what not too, but he’s mostly fighting with Mexican L’manburg, his friends, all of them trying to prove themselves in one way or another.

I probably has a different perspective of the overall story than a lot of people because I didn’t get into the lore watching Tommy or Wilbur’s perspectives of things, but GOD if you take the time to look into it the other characters are so fuckin cool.

#dream smp #dream smp spoilers #Dream Team #dreamwastaken #sapnap #georgenotfound #quackity #mexican l'manburg #karl jacobs #Oops #Its a long post sorry yall #i just have SO many ideas and thoughts about this arc and NO ONE is talking about this #ik the tubbo and tommy stuff is cool but we are SLEEPING on this storyline that we've needed for a while!#i've barely seen any works talking about this #so yknow what? ill do it myself #if u have thoughts PLEASE DM ME IM DESPERATE #Im also making much fanart but that takes longer so zzz #mcyt

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whenimaunicorn · 3 years

Text

The Heart of Admiration - Part 7

Charles Vane x OFC

In which some things are left unspoken that perhaps should be said, and others are uttered that definitely should not have been.

Prompt: “Looking for mermaids?” Content: introspection, sex-negative attitudes, crass objectification, angst, angst, angst. Catch up here.

Notes: I’m embarrassed to admit how long it’s been since I posted the last part, so I’m not even going to look up the date. Especially since this chapter resumes right where the last one left off! I hope you can remember what was going on with all that “Mrs. Vane” nonsense, because none of the other characters are letting Hope (or Charles) forget it... Also, fair warning, this ends on an cliffhanger, but I do have most of the rest already written and hopefully will be able to put it out in a more timely manner. Words: 2300

It's so much worse than she had thought. Bad enough that Captain Vane might now have the impression that she feels some romantic inclination towards him, but to learn that it’s spread to the entire crew, too? Jack’s words have set her to brooding all the more intently. Hope barely even noticed him depart.

Because . . . she doesn’t feel that way about Charles Vane. Does she? What face could she be making, that Jack thinks he sees longing in her eyes when she contemplates their captain? A ridiculous notion.

And yet. Hope has never believed in lying to herself. A capable woman faces all of the facts head-on. To do otherwise would leave a lady trapped. Outmaneuvered. Society thrives on the soul-numbing lies it requires women to tell themselves. And Hope’s most fervent promise to herself was to leave that sort of thing behind.

No self-deception, then. When she thinks of Charles Vane, her chest warms. His presence on deck sets her heart beating faster, and the effect is not solely due to his authority, is it. He doesn’t speak much, but when he does she listens eagerly, interested in every rare glimpse into his mind.

Bother. Jack might be onto something.

Those stray thoughts she suffered through in the wee hours last night may not only have been sparked by Vane’s unusual proximity. The warmth in her body spreads lower.

When she turned to piracy, leaving Society, she abandoned its restrictions. This included a short period in which she satisfied certain curiosities. So her maidenhead is gone. Its passing was . . . anticlimactic. She hasn’t thought much about sex since then. Pities the women required to perform that marital duty on a nightly basis, if she’s being honest. And she’s quite motivated to keep to her course now, a life of independence that will hopefully culminate in the acquisition of a small fortune sufficient to set up her own comfortable retirement by the time age starts to stiffen her joints.

She’s surprised, then, to find the notion hidden in the depths of her mind that with Vane, such intimacy could be different. The way his hand had molded itself around her thigh last night, the feel of his arms around her and his breath against her neck when he’d smelled her perfume. Her body had responded so much more vigorously than expected.

But it was probably just the drink. And reactions such as those are always fleeting, aren’t they. Such feelings are not an acceptable reason to risk her respectful place on this crew by tumbling into bed with its captain.

Hope turns away from the rail, puts her back to the sea and gathers her thoughts into a forceful summary of conclusions. Yes, it seems she is harboring a certain affection for Charles Vane. But it’s manageable. Not something she is going to allow to interrupt her plans. If she can just figure out how to wipe the dreamy schoolgirl look off her face that certain perceptive members of the crew have apparently noticed, she should be fine. Because it’s not like her feelings are returned. He would have made a move by now. She remembers her early suspicions, that Vane might be attracted to her, but things had settled, quite comfortably, between them since then. She’s almost embarrassed to have been prideful enough to have thought it.

That issue being settled, she marches herself back up to the helm to adjust their course and sets her thoughts to things that are truly important.

~*~

Fellows pulls through; the cache is there, and no soldiers in sight. They make quick work of hauling it all onto the Ranger. The sun is slanting low by the time they’re done; they’ve had to swing around the long way to avoid being spotted by anyone that could later connect their ship to the theft.

Days like these remind Vane why he’s so grateful to have such a skilled navigator, who can locate their position so precisely that they can leave the sight of land and come back in at such an exact, advantageous angle. Swoop in on the cache from nowhere, and swoop right back out again. They’re like ghosts today.

Rich ghosts. He’d never hear the end of it if he ever drove her away with his clumsy, misguided affections.

Vane knows he will have to be very careful tonight. Their ship could not be seen returning from the location of the cache, and there was not enough time to return Mr. Fellows home from a more roundabout angle before sundown. Which meant their guide was spending the night on the ship, bunking with the crew, and Hope . . . Hope would of course be sleeping in the captain’s quarters with her “husband.”

Vane exhales, fingers gripping the railing as if the wood might impart some of its steadfastness. To have had her unexpectedly in his arms was one thing. A pure, heavenly moment that had caught him by surprise. It was quite another to know that she was to spend the night with him again. How could he possibly stay calm, and feel her body just beside his, in his own narrow bed?

It would be a simple thing to sneak a hammock into his quarters, of course. He feels his face burn a bit as he becomes aware that he’d like to pretend that particular solution had just never occurred to him.

Hope’s smart. She will definitely think of it herself, anyway.

~*~

Hope finds herself down by the guns. It’s not her turn to help with the cleaning and re-setting, but she doesn’t want to be anywhere near Fellows, or Vane, or the boisterous crew in the mess. Besides, she likes being seen doing extra work; helps combat many of the prejudices about a lady on board. She settles in next to Stevens, one of the handful of her old Starling crew that had been accepted with her into the Ranger’s fold.

“Mrs. Vane,” he says by way of greeting just as she starts the scrubbing. He doesn’t say it like the other crewmen had. There’s scorn in his voice, and perhaps a hint of a question.

Hope scowls. “Not you, too.”

Stevens nods, as if she’s passed his test. They work in companionable silence for a while, until the only other man on this deck stretches, stows his tools, and exits via the ladder. Probably sneaking off now that Hope has effectively taken his spot. Only then does Stevens speak. “Been hopin’ you’d come talk to me.”

Hope looks up, without pausing her work.

“Seem to be finding your place here.”

“Everyone has use for a good navigator.”

“More than that. Look like you’re fitting in.”

“Do I?”

“Or is this just what you do. Make people like you. Find your way to the top, the inner circle, even if you’re just making the best of it.”

There’s a bitterness to the way he’s speaking, but Hope doesn’t feel like it’s directed at her, necessarily. Stevens has always had friendly feelings for her, that’s why he followed her to this crew. She decides to say very little, invite him to say a little more. “Can you blame me?”

“Guess not. You’ve always had a way with people.” He glances at the hatch, though there’s no one there. “Big take today,” he comments.

Hope grunts in agreement.

“Biggest we’ve had, since leaving Nassau.” He puts a little more oil on his rag. “Big enough to make up for the Starling.”

Hope’s hands stop moving. She forces them to continue. “I . . . hadn’t thought of it that way.”

Stevens sniffs, a sudden rush of nose-clearing air. “We have. Me and some of the boys.”

He has to mean the rest of the Starling crew. There’s four more of them, those that Vane hadn’t seen a need to punish for her brother-in-law’s stunt, fine seamen who hadn’t seemed like a mutiny risk to Jack when he recruited them out of the splinters of that disbanded crew. Hope had even vouched for them.

Apparently Jack can’t be right about everything.

“With your help, Hope, it’d be easy.”

~*~

Vane’s quiet contemplation is interrupted by Jack’s voice. “Looking for mermaids?” he asks, joining his captain on the deserted stretch of deck and staring down into the dark waters alongside him. The ship is safely hidden in a cove, and most of the crew are down in the mess for their nightly meal.

Vane replies with a rather rude gesture.

“No, there’s only one maid you’re interested in.”

Vane looks up sharply.

“Has a nice ring to it, ‘Mrs. Vane.’ I suppose that’s why the crew can’t seem to stop saying it.”

He grunts. “Torturing her.”

“Maybe just a little.”

Jack lapses into silence, but Vane is certain that won’t last for long. Maybe he should walk away now, avoid the question that is sure to be coming next. However . . . Vane can’t stop asking it of himself, either. So he may as well just let Jack say it.

“I’m out of more subtle advice,” Jack says. “And you never were one for subtlety, anyway. So here’s this: if you want her, just take her already.”

Not exactly what Vane thought he’d hear. He shifts, looks more squarely at Jack, and plays dumb with his reply. “I have.”

“Not onto your crew. It’s obvious how much you want her in your bed.” He’s eying Vane closely.

Is this what Jack thinks of him? He’d always pegged Jack as a bit of a romantic, seeing how well he treats Anne. He’d been bracing himself for a conversation about deep feelings. Not this crassness. “And as a member of my crew,” Vane growls in reply, “she’s got full rights here. I can’t have her by force.”

“Who says you need to force her?”

This is not what Vane wanted to hear, either. The last thing he needs is to build up a false hope. “Lay off, Jack. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He turns squarely back toward the water.

“You really can’t tell.”

“I’ve tried flirting with her, Jack. When we first got her. She rejected me quite squarely.”

“Sometimes I wonder what it is you consider to be ‘flirting,” Charles, when most of your experience is with whores who already know how your coin spends.” Or girls looking to yoke his power, but at least Jack was kind enough not to mention that part. “Is it possible your approach lacks a certain . . . art?”

“Don’t say you’re offering to teach me,” he growls.

Jack’s hand flutters in the air. “You’re a lost cause anyway.”

“I’ve already resolved to never try again.”

“But why?” Jack leans over the rail, seeking his eyes. “She’s as smitten as you are; I don’t see how you can’t see it.” He sighs. “You’re too much alike, too proud and too timid, both at once, to see what’s right in front of you.”

“I know what’s in front of me,” Vane retorts, choosing to ignore the accusation of cowardice. Because he likes Jack. He’s let him get away with worse without rearranging his face over it. He can let this one go too. He takes a deep breath, and feels himself scowling. “I’m not going to say anything to her. Leave it, Jack. You weren’t there this morning. When she woke up and found herself in bed with me . . . she made her lack of interest abundantly clear.”

Jack is shaking his head. “I can’t believe that. More likely you’ve scared her off with your extreme stoicism. How is she to know of your interest, if you’re not giving any signs of it?”

Vane looks over from the corner of his eye. “If I’m not giving any signs, then how can you be so certain that you know my heart?”

Jack claps him on the shoulder. “Because I know you too well, Charles. I know your tells. And you’ve gone through too much trouble to capture this bird.”

Vane growls his disagreement with that choice of phrasing.

Jack keeps barreling on. “Yes, yes. She’s a great value to the crew. But that’s not why you took her.”

“Don’t say it like that.”

“Is that not what you did? You saw what you wanted, and you got control of her. We didn’t have to come down so hard on the Starling. But you needed to stake your claim. Now I feel like we’re all just holding our breaths. I’ve never seen you like this. You took her, I don’t understand why now you won’t take her. Tough as she is, she’s too much a maid to be the one to take the initiative. She might even be a virgin still. In need of a strong, experienced hand like yours to guide the way.”

Vane grunts, he can’t help it. He’s been trying so hard not think this way, but Jack’s words bring unbidden images to his mind. Hope’s wide eyes, looking up at him from his pillow. The softness of her flesh; the sounds she’d make if he—

Jack’s still talking. “God knows you both could use it. And she won’t be getting it anywhere else, not with you looming over her as you are. So why don’t you get on with it? Scoop her up and throw her in your bed. Hope’s not more than a bird you’re keeping in a cage if you keep going on like this.”

“Is that what I am.” Hope Wickham herself materializes from the shadow at the end of the deck. How long had she been standing there, listening, fuming? Long enough, judging by the look on her face. Charles Vane feels his heart sink down to his knees.

On to Part 8

Taglist is open: @navigatrixnarrations @ladyhubris @summertimesadness101 @23orso @n3rdybird @bitchyikes

#charles vane x ofc #charles vane imagine #black sails fanfic #the heart of admiration fic #charles vane x hope wickham

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alderaani · 3 years

Text

run baby, run

Here’s my gift for @starwarsfandomfests, written for @cinderwing64! Written for the prompts clone wars found fam and ‘haunted house’, taken quite literally here. mild content warnings for murder, horror, blood mentions, but I’ve kept it as non-explicit as possible.

Summary: After getting stuck in deadly rain, Ahsoka, Rex and Anakin have to take shelter in a house the locals have warned them is haunted. As they find out, they've been warned for good reason...

Featured characters: Ahsoka Tano, Captain Rex, Anakin Skywalker.

Also on AO3

He never listens to her.

“You never listen to me!” she says aloud, unfolding one arm to fling it out in emphasis.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Anakin says, not sounding sorry at all. “I thought that I was the master here. Back me up, Rex. Aren’t I the master in this speeder?”

There’s the sound of platoid peeling off leather as Rex sits up, then his helmet appears over the top of the front seats.

“What?” he grunts, the sound of his voice bleary.

Ahsoka takes full advantage of this failed trump card.

“If you’d just let me talk to them for a minute longer I could have -”

“ Snips,” Anakin snaps out. “That’s enough.”

She huffs and falls backwards, staring out at the darkened landscape and choking down the sharp words in her throat. He never lets her have the last word either.

“But I -” she begins, but still doesn’t get to finish, because that’s the exact moment that Anakin decides to cause an accident.

There’s a judder, a squeal, and then a horrible weightless moment where Ahsoka is tossed into the air and leaves her stomach behind her. Something shatters, metal grinds, and then there’s a short flash of distant road, wheeling stars and orange rock. She lands headfirst into a shrub, screaming the whole way. Then there’s darkness. Then there’s silence.

For a moment, she’s honestly not sure if she’s dead or alive. Then her head starts throbbing and she knows she’s fine. Or...well. Fine-ish.

She groans.

“Snips?! You okay?”

“Fine. Did you just crash the speeder?” she asks, staring up at a dark sky framed by leaves.

“ No ,” comes Anakin’s disgruntled voice. “It just stopped.”

“And then you crashed it,” Ahsoka presses, gingerly detangling her montrals from stray branches and pressing her hand to the tender spot on the back of her head. “I can’t wait to tell Master Kenobi about this one.”

As Anakin grumbles, she pushes up onto her hands and tries to peer out of the foliage. Her elbow’s stinging and it feels like someone’s been playing knuckle bones with her teeth, but she thinks she’s relatively whole. Little miracles.

The sky blots out overhead, replaced by a white helmet and a familiar dark visor.

“You need a hand, kid?” There’s a twig trapped in the rim of Rex’s bucket like an ARC antenna and a long smear of dirt down his chest plate. The tilt of his head is firmly unimpressed.

She takes the gloved hand that he offers her and is gratified by the little grunt it takes him to heave her upright. Fives won’t stop calling her short-stack, but she’s definitely grown.

When she’s free, Ahsoka puts her hands on her hips and takes stock. They’ve skittered a fair way off the road, the speeder sitting in a deep gouge from the moment the repulsors had failed. The hood is smoking faintly, and one headlight is smashed, the other cutting a swathe through the night. A small pair of yellow eyes flash in the beam as it pauses, startled, then scuttles on into the surrounding dark.

The wind is harsh up here, stripping over the top of the canyon they’re driving alongside. She can see as far as the drop, where the lip of the rock descends unfathomably into black. The moons are so large here, pale and unblinking overhead. Their solemn, heavy gaze makes her feel like an interloper.

She shivers, hard.

Anakin has already dragged the speeder out of the dry dirt enough to examine the underbelly, his tongue nestled between his teeth. She can tell by the frown carved into his forehead that he’s worried. This situation is exactly what they’d been warned against. There’s a bank of cloud low on the horizon, coming in sharp on the wind.

Soon it will obscure everything, and with it will come the rain.

“I told you we should’ve brought the speeder with the top,” she says abruptly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“And I told you the specs weren’t as good,” Anakin retorts. He’s trying to keep the bickering light, but she can hear the thread of tension lurking underneath, their unfinished argument souring the air. There are disadvantages to knowing people too well.

Then there’s a hiss as he disconnects something. He swears.

“Someone’s tampered with this!”

Ahsoka scrambles around the side of the speeder, and sees what Anakin is pointing at - a panel of wiring inside one of the booster cylinders, cut neatly in two.

“Someone in the village?” she asks, casting her mind back to Trusca and the squat red-stone buildings with their narrow arrowslit windows, and the people, so tired and lined, who looked like they’d been carved out by the canyon dust. The way the whole place felt like it was trying to turn away from the sun.

“Those bastards!” Anakin mutters, digging into some of the mess with a screwdriver until it sparks. “I bet it was the mayor. Did he seem suspicious to you?”

“He seemed suspicious of us, ” Ahsoka says, rolling her eyes. In that sense it’s rather hard to point the finger at any one of the people they’ve met today. “I did think it was odd nobody apart from Audita could point us towards the rebel hideout, though. Maybe he was a little too nervous.”

Maybe Audita was too willing to help them, given the attitude of everyone else. Not that it makes much difference either way - when you only have one lead you have to follow it, even if it might be false.

She knows she sounds bitter. She knows that she should be above it, but sometimes she’s so tired of being treated like a weapon. Master Obi-Wan is always recounting stories of his youth, of courtly misdemeanors and silly faux-pas, of immersing himself in other cultures. She knows, objectively, that it wasn’t always like that. That he’s only recounting the best bits. But when she contrasts the Republic’s propaganda image of the GAR as a beloved liberator, compared to the reality of the suspicion and reluctant cooperation of the last few weeks, she longs for a meaning of ‘Jedi’ that she’s never really known.

Anakin snorts. “He will be nervous when we get back there.”

The wiring sparks again and the lone headlight dies.

“Any word from the others, Rex?”

Rex sighs, the sound heavy and tinged with relief. “All the other patrols have reached rendezvous without issue, Sir.”

“Good.”

Ahsoka can make out Anakin leaning backwards onto his haunches. He’s giving up then. Her montrals curl at the ends a little as she shrinks back into herself. They’re a very long way out.

“Can any of them come and pick us up?” Anakin asks.

“Negative. Rain’s started where they are, set to blow right over us in two hours.”

There’s a ‘blimp’ sound as Rex pushes a button on his vambrace and a map springs out of the dark. He shifts, and then a gloved finger appears over a section of the canyon.

“By my best guess we’re somewhere around here. About two kliks back from the gorge there’s farmland. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a storehouse, but if not...closest building’s over here. Villa Portamorte.”

Ahsoka feels her stomach drop. “Isn’t that the place where -”

“Yeah,” Anakin says, pushing up to his feet. “It is. Isn’t that a coincidence? How far, Rex?”

“About five kliks. And if you ask me, Sir, we’d better start walking.”

Now that Rex says it, Ahsoka can taste it too - the swelling damp on the breeze, the metallic tang of the acid rain that burns through all but the hardiest life on this rock. It’s coming this way, inexorable and unyielding. There is no surviving it.

They look at each other. They look at the sky.

They start walking.

“Um...didn’t someone die in there?” Ahsoka says, staring up at the huge sprawling villa that’s emerging from the mist like the great hull of a ship. Her voice echoes off the cobblestones; she cringes.

“If we don’t hurry up, we’ll die out here,” Anakin says, glancing upwards.

He’s not wrong. She can taste the fog at the back of her throat, the acid sitting there like the beginnings of heartburn, the kind she gets when she has to eat ration bars that don’t have a high enough meat content. A few drops have already fallen, small precursors to the deluge, and the small prickling red patches they’ve left behind smart every time she moves.

The loose shutters on the arched, gaping windows slam in the gathering wind.

“Think there’s a broken window on the upper left, Sir,” Rex says, already reaching for his grappling hook.

“Or,” Anakin says, calling his lightsaber to his hand in a way Master Obi-Wan would smack him for. “We could go through the front door?”

Rex grunts, drops the hook, and continues on. Ahsoka exchanges a glance with Anakin behind his armoured back, a momentary truce so they can raise their eyebrows in shared concern.

What’s up with him? Anakin’s say.

He’s not telling me, her own say back, and then they have to jog to catch up with him.

They make their way up a great, sweeping staircase and onto a veranda that gives a brilliant view of the angry, swollen sky. They hear it then, a first rolling boom of thunder, followed by a gust of wind that nearly blows Ahsoka off her feet. The front door of the mansion is huge, carved and imposing. In the light of Anakin’s ignited lightsaber she can make out twisting vines and fat fruits, and over the top of them, a painted skull that gleams sickly in the blue light, the colour faded and peeling in places.

They do that here, marking buildings that have seen death and leaving them empty for two years and a day to give the spirit proper time to settle and leech from the walls. The figure rises to six when the death has been violent.

Nobody has entered Villa Portamorte in a decade. Apparently sometimes the dead just don’t want to leave.

Ahsoka locks eyes with the death mark and shivers, shrinking back towards the countryside.

Anakin has no such hesitations and lifts his saber to the lock. Then, suddenly, she feels it; a dark, black presence that has nothing to do with the weather, that sits heavily on her mind and passes over her vision.

There’s something in there.

“Anakin, don’t -” she says, and gets there too late.

As the two halves of the mechanism drop to the flagstones with a dismal clatter, Anakin levels her with an unimpressed look.

“Do you want to climb in the window too?”

She smiles weakly and can’t help glancing up, towards the broken window. Then she trills, a high, frightened noise that makes Anakin jump into the opening stance of Djem So and Rex draws his pistols.

“There’s something in there,” she hisses, and then she blinks, and the figure she’s sure was there has vanished. “I thought I saw...never mind.”

Anakin follows her eyeline and relaxes, frowning at her. “Is your head feeling alright?”

“Fine,” Ahsoka sighs, swallowing her nerves. “Maybe it was just some curtains.”

Rex puts a hand on her shoulder and squeezes as Anakin kicks open the freed doors and a wave of stale air escapes out into the wind.

“You okay?” She asks him, taking in the tired slump to his shoulders, the defeated tilt to his helmet, the way he seems just a little bit smaller. He’s been too quiet ever since they left the village.

“Yeah, kid,” he says, his hand squeezing again, just an undercurrent of warmth in his voice. “Be better once we’re inside and out of this, though.”

She takes the hint and breathes in, trying to steady the way her gut lurches as she follows Anakin over the threshold. There’s a flash of something in the back of her mind as she walks into the darkness, another prickle of awareness, like there’s someone’s eyes on the back of her head.

More sweeping staircases greet them, the white marble almost glowing in the dark. Up above she can make out the arches of a wrap-around gallery, also marbled, and on this level, moving holopaintings watch them from the walls. As Rex secures the doors behind them and Anakin moves deeper into the gloom, standing candelabras flicker to life, ringing the walls in dull orange light.

“Now that’s not creepy at all,” she mutters, one hand going to her saber.

“Relax, Snips,” Anakin laughs, turning away from the stairs and gesturing them through one of the side doors off into a dining room where the table is still set, several chairs knocked backwards like the inhabitants have just gotten up in a hurry. More candelabras light their way, casting black shadow across the thick carpet of dust. “Don’t tell me you let those old women in the market freak you out that badly. They’re just superstitious - these are just motion sensors.”

Ahsoka purposely doesn’t look too hard at the lights as they creep past, and further on, they end up in some sort of drawing room, where there’s more disarray and dark stains on one of the couches. There are two doors at either end, and between Rex and Anakin they decide to stay put.

Outside, the rain has started. The villa creaks around them, the shutters continuing to bang, the rain pounding against the roof. The lights flicker with every strong gust, and Ahsoka can still feel it, eyes fixing on her where there should only be darkness.

Anakin is sort of right - she can’t stop thinking about what they told her at the market, while they were being stonewalled and she’d resorted to pointing a random spots on the map.

“Such a lovely family...all of them gone, right down to the youngest. And they never did discover who did it...won’t find anyone from this town out that way…”

The lights gutter again as she picks out a spot on the floor and wraps her arms around herself, leaning her head back against one of the unstained couches and relaxing, despite herself, as she listens to Rex and Anakin talk in low voices.

“So...you gonna tell me what’s up?” Anakin asks, punching Rex lightly on the pauldron. He still hasn’t taken his bucket off, suggesting that he, at least, still thinks this is an active zone.

Rex sighs, the sound crackling. “Just got our total losses from the drop in the northern hemisphere on our way here, that’s all.”

When he says the figure, Ahsoka winces and shuts her eyes. She knew it had been bad, but…

“Oh,” Anakin says. “Once we’ve gotten these rebels on side we’ll avenge them, Rex. I swear it.”

Rex doesn’t say anything, but there’s the creak of shifting plastoid, a beat of silence, and then Anakin’s talking again.

“So, uh - I saw Bylluran Athletic were playing last week. You gonna bring the blue hair back this year?”

Rex laughs and says something back, but Ahsoka’s eyelids feel so heavy, her body feels so limp, and before she knows it she’s drifting, lulled by the rumble of their voices and the patter of the rain.

She’s being hunted. She hides behind an upturned couch, her breathing clouding in the dark. Still-warm blood sticks between her toes, and she tries, tries not to think about who it belongs to.

The radio is still playing into the silence, her mother’s favourite songs looping over and over. There are footsteps in the rooms overhead. Then there are screams. Then there is silence. Her legs are cramping but her father told her not to move, made her promise to stay until he came back for her.

She stopped being able to hear his voice a long time ago.

Eventually she can’t stand it any more, and presses up onto her knees, peering over the upturned lip of the couch-base.

Then the door creaks on its hinges, and a sliver of dim light creeps across the floor. It slides across her face, and in the gap a figure appears.

It’s - it’s -

They trusted him! She loves him, and he’s -

Walking towards her, a vibroblade glinting in his hands, his smile too calm, his eyes so blue, telling her to just come here, he’ll keep her safe, but she can see the lie on his face and then she’s -

Running, running, through the halls, jumping over lumps she doesn't want to see too closely, sliding across unnaturally wet floors and tugging on the doors but they’re locked, he’s trapped them in like eopies in a pen and there is no way out.

She’s running up the staircase now, her heart in her lungs, and she knows why he’s here, what this all must be for - there’s only one thing it can be for - and she loses him in the back hallways, wriggling through the a gap in some of the walls they’re renovating and tumbling out into bedrooms where the paint’s still drying.

In the family wing the hem of her mother’s skirt peeks out from behind a doorway, and she’s done this to them by bringing him here, by trusting that blood-feuds could be ended by love and she was wrong -

She skids into her parent’s room as she hears him come up the main stairs, fumbling for the secret drawer and the combination lock she knows by heart, and then her hands are closing around the contents and she’s running again, sensing more than seeing the shape of him behind her.

He catches hold of her skirt and she lashes out with one hand, her nails drawing deep gashes down the face she’s cradled so many times. He screams and she’s in her bedroom, prying up the loose floorboard with her letter-opener, stuffing things in and stamping it back down, backing towards the window and knowing she only has seconds, that she’s not going to give him the satisfaction of dying by his hand.

And then she’s slicing the letter-opener across her palm before she jumps, glass shattering around her, and before she hits the ground all she’s thinking is that she’ll have her revenge.

Ahsoka jolts awake to Anakin leaping to his feet, lightsaber ignited in hand. All the lights have gone out and her head pounds, her vision blurring.

“Did you hear footsteps? I heard footsteps,” he’s saying, and Rex is at the other door, a subtle glow on his visor as his night vision activates.

He curses, the sound carrying in the quiet. “There’s prints here, Sir.”

Ahsoka sits up, following where he points. There’s a single set of tracks in the dust, a line of bare feet. They come up to where she’s sitting, stopping scant centimeters from her curled up legs. There are no prints that walk away.

Ahsoka can still feel the blood between her toes in her dream.

She swallows down the lump in her throat and gets to her feet, just as running steps patter across the floorboards above their head. Anakin gives a shout and gives chase, ignoring her shriek of protest and Rex leaping through the open doorway after him.

The door bangs shut on his heels.

“Ahsoka!” Rex bellows through it, hammering on it with his hands. “Ahsoka, are you okay?”

The doorknob twists and doesn’t open.

She doesn’t answer him. She’s too busy staring at where the lights have come back on, where there are more footprints appearing in the dust. They pad back towards the second door and stop on the threshold, twisting back towards her.

“What do you want from me?” she whispers, and in answer she feels slight pressure tugging at her clothes. Rex is still pounding on the door, and then Anakin joins him, but the sound feels muffled, and when there’s the distinctive hum of a lightsaber being swung, it makes no impact on the door at all.

“Alright then,” Ahsoka mutters, staring into the long dark. “Guess I don’t have much choice.”

The footprints lead her on a winding pathway through dilapidated rooms and empty halls. Everywhere the furniture is upturned, in places smashed and broken, and the further they get the more the familiarity creeps up on her.

She’s been here before.

She ducks under half-constructed beams and over a rotting hole that’s opened where the floor wasn’t finished, then steps over stains in carpets that once must have been plush, and soft. There’s no way to tell in this darkness, but she knows that once they were blue.

All the way she can feel that presence on her, those eyes she cannot see. They burn into her skin, pushing down on her mind. If she concentrates she can almost see it, a slender figure in skirts bunched up at the knees, stains on the soles of her feet, but then she has to navigate the broken furniture, and when she looks up again it has gone.

Her heart beats out a horrible, jamming rhythm in her throat as she walks.

They end up in a bedroom. She knows which one; the shattered window panes sort of give it away. The acid in the air is thick and horrible, and even the moisture has slowly started to eat away at the walls, blistering the paint and in some places devouring it entirely, setting teeth into the exposed plaster beneath.

The furniture here is the most damaged, fragments of paper strewn across the floor. Different footprints mark the dust, heavy booted and bleeding into each other, like someone has circled it many times before.

“You want me to find what you left? Why?” Ahsoka breathes, but there’s still no answer. She feels the warmth of approval in the back of her skull though, and those phantom tugs start pushing, nudging her over to a corner that she can still remember the shape of from her dream.

Lifting the floorboard is much easier with the Force than with a letter opener, and underneath she finds a small bundle nestled in the dirt; a key, slightly rusted now, a letter yellowed and patchy with age, and a small velvet pouch that she doesn’t open.

She lets the floorboard fall back into place and swallows to try and settle the way her breath is trembling, the way her stomach rolls, and when prompted, follows the footprints back through the dust, through the corridors and down the stairs.

When Anakin sees her and shouts they abruptly vanish, and then her master’s arms are around her, demanding to know what she saw. She sags into him, boneless and shaking.

"What the kriff, Snips? We were losing our minds out here! Did you see what did that?"

“I - no,” she rasps, because it’s technically true, sagging with relief to have Rex at her six and Anakin at her front again. “I couldn’t get the doors open so I just - followed the footsteps.”

“You didn't see anyone?”

“Not exactly, but -” she starts, but then gravel crunches on the veranda outside and there’s the hum of voices, and both she and Anakin draw their weapons, Rex’s safety clicking off next to her montrals.

The door creaks open, a shaft of light slanting over the marble. The rain has stopped. A long haired figure steps in.

“Who the - Oh! It’s you guys!” A familiar voice shouts from the doorway. “That’s a relief, I was worried you’d gotten caught in the rain when you didn’t make the rendezvous.”

“Audita!” Ahsoka shouts back, a further wave of relief flooding her belly. The rebels have found them. They’re not alone. “We uh, kinda did. You guys use this place? I thought it was meant to be haunted.”

The girl from the village appears in the doorway, protective rain helmet tucked under one arm. There’s a man behind her, his face obscured in the half light.

“That’s the story, sure, but it works in our favour. There’s a bunch of tunnels under the house that’ll get us to our camp, come on, we’ll show you!”

Anakin peers over Ahsoka’s shoulder, still holding onto her. She wouldn’t ever admit it, but his grounding touch and bright light in the Force is the only thing anchoring her and stopping her from running as far as she can from this place.

“And who’s that with you? Show yourself!”

The man moves into the light, and Ahsoka’s heart stops.

Piercing blue eyes, a sharp nose, and four long silvery scars stretching across one cheekbone.

It’s him. He’s still here.

She hears none of the small-talk that follows, the introductions and explanations, nor does she remember the route they take to the cellars. She’s at the back of the queue as they lower themselves through a trapdoor one by one, and before she lowers through it she turns back, meeting the eyes of the girl that watches her from around a doorframe, a letter opener in one hand and her skirts in the other.

Her eyes are black like space, black like night.

Avenge me, she hears like a bell in her mind. Avenge us.

Ahsoka nods, once, then follows her master into the dark.

#truly i loathe the text post box on this stupid website #why will you not import my italics #anyway #halloween fic #starwarsfandomfests #star wars #star wars the clone wars #ahsoka tano #captain rex #anakin skywalker #alderwrites #unbeta'd as fuck i just needed to finiiiiiiiiish #not particularly proud of this one and had a crisis it was too mature but bon appetite lads

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