#WHAT DO YOU DO when she isolates herself for the better part of the year and refuses to see anyone bc her heart is so unfathomably broken!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yandere-wishes · 6 months

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Hot Take

But has anyone ever stopped to think about the Damsel in Distress? Has anyone ever considered the feelings of the princess locked away in a tower? We all like to make fun of the Damsel in Distress trope but has anyone in the last 100 years stopped to think about how she feels? How worthless she thinks she is because she can't get herself out of that dreaded tower. She can't save herself, she's powerless, and as much as we like to mock her for that. We overlook how this powerlessness becomes such an overwhelming sensation inside of her. So many "if onlys…" swirling around in her head. If only she was as strong as the dragon that captured her. If only she was as cunning as the prince that promised to save her. If only she had a fraction of the combat abilities of the knights. If only, if only.

Not to mention how lonely she must feel and how nerve-wracking it is waking up every day wondering if everyone you ever knew-ever loved- has forgotten you. she's been told to wait for a prince or a knight or some dashing stranger. A harbinger of true love…but what if they never come? What if they have more important things to do than rescue her? The long hours spent in a quiet room with a monotonous view. Withering around in self-loathing on the brink of another panic attack. It's enough to drive anyone crazy.

There's also the part of NOT being able to save herself. She's not cunning enough, not brave enough, not strong enough. And maybe she is, maybe she's all those things but her self-doubt and pity have trapped her in a constant web of "can't".

She can't save herself

She isn't worth being rescued

She's nothing

Destined to rot away in the tower.

And then when/if she is rescued it's borderline impossible to readjust to society. All those years of being utterly alone make it painfully difficult to be around people. She can't read social cues or even understand what half the people are talking about. She misses the tower, the isolation, and the quiet. Yet never wants to return to it. You can forget about her making friends, everyone seems to avoid her, deeming her less because she was captured in the first place. Whispering behind her back about how 'they' would have saved themselves. Or how their heroes would have come to save them so much faster than hers did. Even the king and queen are rigid around her. Not knowing how to act or what to say, but growing increasingly more vexed at her ineptitude to "be normal" again. Our poor princess is convinced she'll always be alone, fated to a life of misery.

Oh, and let's not forget the nightmares. The terrors of the tower crept out of her subconscious each night. Tormenting her when she dares to close her eyes. The endless hallways and countless rooms filled with nothing. The feeling of the cold bricks under her bare feet as she wandered the corridors in a haze of boredom and anxiety. The dragon's there too, sharp teeth on display ready to bite and burn her at the slightest defiance. She can feel his embers tickling her arm. The markings of his claws on her cheek throbbing. She can't rember how many scars he left. How many open wounds that healed wrong.

She woke up screaming that night, just like the three nights before that. Waking up the whole castle. It's fellow residents irritated at her nightly "antics". She stopped sleeping after that. The days aren't much better

the constant feeling that what originally dragged her into that tower is coming after her again, is always at the forefront of her mind. She's skittish, reserved. The queen still doesn't understand why her daughter refuses to be touched. Rejecting every hug she tries to give her. The king can't comprehend why the princess barely talks, stuttering out what few words she utters.

The whole kingdom is gossiping. Repulsed by what their so-called princess has become. The dragon has been vanquished, the tower toppled. Move on. Little do they know both terrors still live on within her. Not to mention their constant negative views of her only feed her self-hatred all the more.

"Why can't the princess just be normal…"

Poor princess, forever trapped, wither by the dragon, the tower, the kingdom…or herself.

No, seriously I think the damsel in distress is one of the most heartbreaking self-reflecting tropes ever made.

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hexiewrites · 2 years

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I’ve been thinking a lot about late-deafened Steve, and what that actually would have looked like. Because the thing is: I love this head cannon. Boy got bashed around so much, ESPECIALLY on his left side, theres no way he didn’t come out of that with some long term damage. And I’ve been thinking about what that means for him, when his hearing starts to go, and how isolating that would be.

Except. Then I keep thinking about Robin.

Give me child-of-Deaf-adults Robin. Robin whose parents met at Gallaudet. Who were confused and upset when the doctor said, relief clear on his face, oh thank god, how lucky, your baby is normal, she can HEAR. Robin who grows up a in a Deaf home with a Deaf family. Who learns ASL before she learns English. Who never learns to be quiet because at home it doesn’t matter, so she can blast trumpet all day long to no complaints, and forever feels uncomfortable in places where she has to try to keep it down. Robin who grows up learning ASL and English and thrives, loves the way her brain works when it’s parsing languages, and starts teaching herself French and Spanish too, blasting day time Spanish soap operas constantly whenever she’s at home, shouting along with the screen. Robin who interprets for her parents, taking on burdens no seven year old should when she’s the one who has to tell her mom the cancers back. Robin who, four years later, gets to tell her dad that the surgery worked. The cancers gone. Moms gonna be ok. Robin who, at eleven, doesn’t know the sign for remission but she signs CANCER-one hand eating at the other like the disease that almost took her Mom-and signs FINISH, signs NONE, signs MOM-OKAY, MOM-SAFE, and is glad her dad can’t hear how loud her sobs are because even she’s embarrassed at the noises she’s making.

Robin who doesn’t quite fit at home, the loud little girl in the odd quiet house (not that her house is ever quiet: if you dont realize you’re making noise you don’t do anything to tamper it), and who doesn’t quite fit at school, when she shows up in kindergarten signing instead of speaking and all the other kids make fun of her for years, call her spazzy Buckley and imitate the signs, crude and heartbreaking and she can’t even cry here because everyone can hear her. Robin who teaches herself to speak without signing, sits on her hands and tries not to internalize the hatred, but her fingers still twitch constantly along with the words. Robin who thinks she’s never going to fit in, and tries to separate out the two different parts of herself because it’s easier, most days, to pretend to be “normal” even though that feels wrong too.

Give me Robin, who knows Steve inside out and who knows what it looks like when someone can’t hear you but pretends they can. Robin who clocks Steve immediately, even though he tries to brush her off like he’s been doing to everyone. Robin who finally takes him home to meet her parents, explaining it all in the car (into his right ear, which is better than the left though still starting to fade). Robin who gives Steve the gift of understanding and hope for the future. Who holes up with him and teaches him sign, slow at first (because Steve has never been good at grammar, and he constantly furrows his eyebrows despite her pleas that eyebrows are important in ASL and he needs to use his face more or he’s going to confuse everyone, it’s the visual equivalent of lilting your voice up like every sentence is a question and it’s weird, Steve!) and then faster as he starts to realize how useful it is, starts to bring her lists full of signs to learn, starts to lean on and cherish the experience of this new way to communicate. Robin, who helps him practice lipreading even though she’s terrible at it. Robin, who finally convinces him to get a hearing aid and lets him sob into her shoulder when the doctor says it’ll help for a few years, but long term there’s probably nothing they can do, and then tells him to buck it up because there are way worse things than being a little deaf and besides, now the Buckleys will just have to adopt him for real because they did always talk about adopting a deaf child or two, if there was ever one in need.

Give me CODA Robin, whose never felt like she belonged until she nearly gets murdered by Russians with her best friend. Who brings Steve into her life, shows him Deaf culture, gives him a place where he fits. Robin who finally realizes that this is her place too, and it’s so much sweeter for getting to share it with the people she loves.

And then, after, give me Eddie knocking on the Buckley door and begging to learn ASL too. Give me Robin’s mom, somehow roped in to teaching him and the party, as they try to learn in secret to make Steve’s life easier (and their own, because ASL is god tier for pulling pranks from opposite sides of a high school cafeteria). Give me Dustin, excitedly telling Miranda Buckley to FUCK-OFF every week for months because he thinks he’s saying THANK-YOU and she finds it too funny to correct him. Give me Eddie trying to surprise Steve and ask him out on a date, but instead of signing HUNGRY, WANT YOU&ME GO AFTER WORK? he signs HORNY, WANT YOU&ME GO FUCK?

And give me Steve, who thinks about it for a long minute (partially because Eddie totally botches the grammar, but partially because he looks so hot, standing there nervous and trying to communicate with Steve in a way that will make him the most comfortable) before he smirks and signs back YEAH, and takes Eddie on the best goddamn first date of his life.

#sorry i just!!! had so many thoughts #steve harrington #robin buckley #eddie munson #steddie #at the end there #deaf steve harrington #disabled steve harrington #CODA robin buckley #asl #stranger things #stranger things headcanons #is that what youd call this #idk #word vomit #hex writes stuff #kind of!#oh and uh sorry about the angst in the middle #i couldnt help it

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christinebloodwrittings · 2 months

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To hunt or be hunted #3

Pairing: Alastor x Fem!Reader x Lucifer Summary: The Vee's had the audacity to try to ransack the Hotel, Angel gets some tea and biscuits, the Terror makes herself present after 30 years of absence. Warnings: Blood, torture, sadism, Valentino's sick ass.

Hazbin Taglist: @sakuraluna2468 @boogiemansbitch @mysterypotatoink

“Who is she? The demon living in between the walls?” his severe tone made Charlie’s legs quiver, Alastor’s smile widened when he noticed. “Dad, what are you talking about?” she still tried to remain calm and cheery, “You know, I thought I was going crazy, but then she delivered tea to my room” ‘Fast, think Charlie’ she encouraged herself, her thoughts going through your bond straight into your ears.

“There’s someone living in the walls?” Angel asked at the same time as Vaggie and Husk, intensifying the princess’s panic, “Dad it’s just a spell I managed to learn, after the extermination I been working on my powers” a half-lie half-truth, but that seemed to do the trick.

Not because Charlie was any good at lying, but because the rest decided not to question her, why would them? Specially her father, who relied on denial, incapable to willingly accept his daughter’s lies, rather a consequence of isolation and desperation to have a good relationship with her, even if that meant that he would have to be lied to.

Meaning, a deep part of him was aware it was a lie, but the rest, decided to let it slide, painfully so.

“Yeah? Well your ‘spell’ needs work, it’s snappy” he joked, his mask better than his fake optimism. “I’ll see to it, dad” then she excuse herself to the kitchen, being followed by a dark figure.

“My dad saw you” she busted inside, closing the door and sealing the noise inside. You accidentally dropped the spoon you were using to sample the salt level of the broth, giving the startle, which the princess earned a grimace in return.

“Technically no, I was using my veil” she huffed, her horns growing on her head, “Did you tell him anything?” she was desperate to know, giving how much her hands trembled, “Only that he looked anemic, which it’s true, then he asked for who I am, twice” There was no point in neglecting lunch simply because Charlie was suffering from a tantrum due to lack of control over her own emotions, and a lie that was eating her soul.

“What did you respond?” she slammed her fist against the kitchen island, breaking the marble underneath, causing one or another shard to bury itself into her soft skin. “Just that it was none of his business” you lowered the heat under the pot, then turned to see the princess attempting to take the little pieces of stone out of her hand.

“This is bad” referring to the situation, she kept hurting herself, until you took her wrist and levitated the shards off and threw them in the garbage. “If you like them so much, why you keep lying? You’ve seen the worst of everyone, I don’t think they will judge you, they can’t anyway” the first aid kit levitated off the cupboard, eagerly opening its lid to reveal alcohol, povidone, cotton and bandages.

“How do you confess such a thing? I have two years left to convince you, and I still haven’t made progress” she spoke as she hissed from moment to moment, feeling the sting of the alcohol cleaning her cuts, then she watched as the bandages snaked from her wrist to wrap itself around her hand, then mimicked with the color of her skin, completely invisible.

“Is it really so hard for you to understand that I don’t need to be saved?” she lifted her sight from her hands to your eyes, “I can’t just give up on you” it’s funny how you understood her urge, but simply couldn’t put up with her selflessness (obsession) sometimes.

“You can, you just don’t want to” you looked over your arm, admiring the reminiscing of your deal tattooed to your skin, like a vine threatening to tear you apart. “Anyways, quit stirring your oatmeal around, you have to eat it” Charlie gave you a pout, you knew she hated it, but since you became aware of her habit, you made sure to give her a heavy breakfast, “But the texture” she whined, getting no reaction from you, “I don’t care”.

When she left, you noticed the deer demon’s shadow attached to the princess’s, you made sure to step on it to avoid an escape on its part.

It gave you a guttural whine giving the strength of your hold, “Tell Alastor that I’ll give him roasted venison’s heart as a treat if he holds his peace” he made a thinking face, then materialized words in the air, saying “My lips are sealed up tight as a drum, chérie” then your ominous buddy slithered under the door and out of sight.

Later in the evening, around tea time, while you were cutting the heart into bite size pieces, you heard a thundering crash, a yell and things breaking. You let your nerves ease, Lucifer was in the building so he could handle things if they escalate to a mortal edge, so instead of worrying you let the meat marinate in a mixture of buttermilk, salt, lemon juice, various herbs, and spices.

“Y/n!” you heard the summon, “Valentino is in the hotel, please…handle the situation” you set the knife down, turned off the stove, “I’m on it” with that you disappeared from the kitchen in a swirl of smoke.

The scene in the lobby was horrible, the moth demon had Angel in his grasp in any way possible, one hand on his chain, two hands handling all his arms, and the remaining one fondling him with the tip of a gun.

The star’s body was bruised up to no end, mouth coughing blood, and had cigarette burns along his hands and arms. Since he had a gun, there wasn’t much the crew could do, approaching Valentino would cause Angel’s death, no matter the strategy any of the present could think of.

In between Charlie’s pleas, Vaggie and Husk’s threats, and Vox’s amused laugh, the hotel’s phone rang. The sound drawing everyone’s attention, Niffty took the old looking phone off its base, “Hello? Oh hi! Yes, he’s here, It’s for you” Vox took a few steps forward, took the phone reaching it to his ear level.

What he heard froze every liter of blood in his body, his hands, the only skin visible, paled as the voice in the other side of the line, was one he thought no longer walked this earth.

“Child” you smiled, he could feel it, “Mistress” a crawling sensation invaded Valentino´s spine, nearly cracked his neck as he violently turned his head towards his friend, “There’s a total of three thousand five hundred and seventy-five employers inside the V tower” he tried accessing his tower security camera system, but there was no connection, there was a complete blackout inside the building.

“Truly the role of overlord turned into a joke” Vox felt a pang in his side and a nauseating sensation,

“Please, please, please, don’t-” begged a voice that turned into drowned screams, “The last time we had a conversation, I taught you a lesson, recite it for me, every word that you get wrong will result into the number lowering 10 employers each” Vox swallowed a lump of saliva, as he felt the cold traveling from his toes to his neck, every bolt in his body fighting to flow correctly as he tried to re formulate a speech from thirty years ago.

“The job of an Overlord-”he lost his words, on the phone he heard it, ten times a crunching sound ten times in a row, “Again” your voice brought him back, “The role of an Overlord sovereign, is not only to torment the souls he possesses. He must be disciplined, sane, cold headed, and have the will to care for those who grant him his position and power” of 37 words he had 6 mistakes, which resulted in seventy deaths, counting in the first ten.

“Do you or Valentino enter in such description?” his ego killed himself when he had to answer, “No”, that made you smile, “What are you now and what you’ll always be?” you had to admit, the view from the top of the tower was exquisite, the warm light from the city reflected on your figure, your axe glowing in the darkness drenched in tears, blood and saliva.

“An overpowered pest” Vox answered, being seen by his nemesis Alastor such a state of shame, being ridiculed in front of the king of hell himself, and what’s worse, his drone was angled in a way his little stunt was streamed live all over hell, that was truly a delicious sight.

“Good boy” Valentino felt sick hearing you take a different modus operandi, usually you were one to jump from nowhere and strike, not to sacrifice ‘innocents’ as a way of extortion.

“Let’s make it fun, mmh? Leave the star be, and maybe I’ll consider not paying your other V a visit” Angel heard most of everything giving that Vox made sure the phone was in between him and the moth, Angel was still on Valentino´s grasp so he was being obligated to hear the slaughter.

“Val” the two overlord exchanged a look, Valentino groaned adding strength to the hold, making Angel cry in pain, “If I hear another sound of his throat I’ll knock down Velvette’s door” the two Vee’s heard their team mate voice at the distance, right in between your warning.

It all fell onto Valentino’s shoulders, but even him wasn’t that dumb, he walked forward with Angel, placing him at arms reach from Charlie, then he let go, “It’s done” you walked far from the door as you heard the bitterness in his voice, “Lovely, now, put Alastor on the line, please” he did as told, as the smiling demon hit him with an amused look on his face.

“Vox” he placed the phone near himself, “I better don’t catch you lurking around in the district” when you wanted to, your voice could be as warm as a fireplace in winter, but also as cold as being buried alive under a snow avalanche. “Understood” he passed the phone to Alastor, shakily so.

“Hello?” Charlie was stunned, Alastor’s mannerisms shifted, she wasn’t sure how, but they did. “Let me know when they leave” he heard the lack of amusement in your voice, the same you had back at his old studio. “They’re out” he said as soon as the door closed.

“Good, you’ll get your reward when I come back” You lowered the trinket that could be called a telephone, however the static of his voice caught your attention, “Vais-je m'entendre avec votre compagnie, ou me laisserez-vous manger tout seul ?” (Will I get it along with your company, or will you let me to eat all by myself?), Alastor caught Charlie then Lucifer’s stare, both surprised at the new voice he used when speaking French, smooth, velvety even.

“Will it make you happy if I joined you?” he wasn’t expecting you to understand him, but it pleased him to no end, “Oui chérie” (Yes darling), his antics made you miss the old times, “Maybe some other time, I am running late for dinner preparations” his smile didn’t faltered, but he was disappointed, “I’ll make sure to leave a glass of wine waiting for you in your studio, maybe in exchange of another song?” Charlie would have your head on the wrong end of her trident if you were to neglect your job.

“Merci chérie, which will that be?” you took a moment to process how attractive his voice sounded, before answering, “Surprise me” then you hang up.

Later that evening, Charlie repeated the way she wished to talk with you, busting the door open and sealing the noise, “What’s going on with you and Alastor?” ‘Straight to the point I see’ you thought while stirring the pesto sauce to fully combine it with the pasta.

“Nothing, merely sympathy towards a comrade” perhaps that wasn’t the right term, but it was what you could think of, “You two had met already?” she made her way to the cupboard, taking out a few plates, “Not directly, but I like to think we both were aware of the other, but simply decided not to engage” it would’ve been deadly to have done so, perhaps for both Alastor and yourself.

“Dinner’s ready, since I am not to be seen, I guess you can take it from here, make sure Angel eats it all” you left her even more confused than when she walked in.

Alastor made his way to his studio after dinner, finding the cooked little bits of venison carefully plated, next to a glass of Pinot Noir wine. He would never utter noises that would degrade his so beloved reputation, but at the first bite, he couldn’t resist letting a small moan escape his throat.

At 3 am, the so called ‘Devils hour’, a knock interrupted Angel’s poor attempt to patch his wounds up, “Charlie, it’s late for ya’ to be…who are you?” he opened the door, finding you, fresh from the shower, it may have been a bit insulting to show up in your ruined working attire all drenched in blood, so you thought best to freshen up before making an appearance.

“I believe you already know that” he recognized your voice, it made his breath hitch, “What are you doing ‘ere?” his courage faltered giving his wounds, but if he was going to die by your hand, he wasn´t going to go quietly.

“I been in your place before” Angel’s eyes fell upon the red tin box, then scoffed, “Yeah sure” his strength faltered, laid his side against the door frame, trying to make it look cool, but failing.

“Whether you believe me or not it’s not my concern, however, those wounds will get infected if not treated correctly, giving your line of work that would be a tragedy” Angel pondered for a second, in defeat he pushed the door to open it completely, granting you access.

“Exactly how you’ve been in my place before?” he asked, watching you take a seat in his bed, taking multiple things out of the box, “You are one of four demons with powers to the level of royalty, you own thousands if not millions of souls, you dared to challenge the fucking Goetia clan and won! I doubt you were ever in pain before” he sat next to you, your image above the rest popping into his head like an epic cinematic of a great villain arc.

He then had to snap out of it due to a sound, “You fucking laughin’ at me?” you held your laughter against the inside of your clothed elbow, making the spider feel embarrassed and a little scared. “I apologize, but your ignorance astounds me” you signaled him to wait, with a snap of your fingers there was a bowl of warm water and a cotton rag, applying an antiseptic to the water before starting to palp softly on Angel’s wounds.

“The correct terminology is ‘were’ dearest, I used to be that kind of demon, now, I’m just here to aid you” Angel found that hard to believe, but didn’t questioned you, rather enjoyed your care.

“Is it true?” after a long time of you washing him, he broke the silence, making you look up from the cigar burns on his hands, “Did you really murdered three Goetia?” that brought you memories, when you were young and hungry for power, almost nostalgic.

“What would make you believe me? Their severed heads or the scars on my body? Because I can only offer the latter” he hissed when the rubbing alcohol touched the cut on his eyebrow, “People say you had their heads hanged on your wall as trophies” you laughed again, people’s bad mouthing can get to be really impressive, imaginative even.

“I would truly be a monster if I didn’t offered my fallen opponents a dignified burial, don’t you agree?” You had challenged three lesser lords to duel, to death of course, which they had agreed to, spoken and in paper, you would never be as foolish as just bust the door open and kill whomever.

“Please don’t speak of my presence here, if you are good, I’ll make cannoli for tea time” he could see that you were in a similar situation as his, being owed, as well as your subtle urgency. “Sure toots, I won’t”.

“Hey, can I ask, why Axe-man?” he spoke, when you were finishing to brush alcohol on the cuts on his back, “The local paper and the New Orleans police named me that, I just didn't want to change it when I got here, and people respect a man killer more than a woman, or that’s how it used to be” he didn’t needed stitching, if Valentino wanted to really hurt him, you’d probably would have to sew limbs together.

“That’s it? I mean…I thought it was somethin a bit more dramatic” you despised (understatement) the Italian new York accent he spoke with, but he was nothing like the Italian mobsters of yesteryear, he walked with the grace of a runway model, proud of his looks, his fame, himself, but masked all his pain and self-loathing within. You felt as if you were staring at a younger version of yourself, so full of life, yet lacking purpose.

“Well at the time no one could think a woman was smart enough to participate in politics, much less kill someone, I embraced that alter-ego over time, it became a second skin…so to speak" it was wise to believe that last statement.

Angel hummed in agreement, getting a good look at you. Yellow-beige skin; the heel of your hand was hard and rough probably because of your lion looking appearance, big fluffy yellow ears on each top side of your head almost disappearing into your hair. Taking out the ears, the long heavy tail, and the black cat nose you have, you could pass for a human, or almost looking similar to Charlie.

He was so tempted to touch your tail, color that matched your skin and the ears, but you got up before he could reach.

“Now, take those pills, every six to eight hours should help with the pain and the swelling, I suggest you take it at a much appropriate time” he watched you as you gracefully poured tea into a white and pink tea cup, leaving it on his night stand along with a little biscuit.

“Thank you” your ears twitched happily, “My pleasure, dear, rest” never, not to any living soul, would you admit that you enjoyed being useful, but it made you feel lighter, like breathing fresh air for the first time.

“By the way, the butler aesthetic suits you, ya’ look hot”

“Thank you, I have to look the part, don’t I?”

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Author note: No matter what type of body you have, you would slay in that outfit!

Part 4

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ranna-alga · 2 months

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I admittedly got into RDR2 five years late and I remember being confused seeing older comments of fans completely dogpiling on Mary Linton (née Gillis - a character who I interpreted much differently than these users did), but assumed maybe people would have grown up a bit since then and understand Mary better. Unfortunately, I still see so many people completely misunderstand and shit on Mary's character and I want to talk about it (this meta will be my opinion AND biased as a Mary defender, but idc)

I cannot stand it when people, particularly male fans, call Mary "manipulative" or someone who just "uses Arthur when it's convenient to her" because that just isn't true, and it really shows that a lot of the people who just trash on her have no idea what they are actually talking about.

Labelling her as someone who uses Arthur just for her own personal conveniences makes no sense when you consider the fact that so many other characters, including members of the Van der Linde gang, have also asked Arthur to do things for them, including requests that are much worse than anything Mary could have asked for (you know, like Strauss for example?). Not only that, but if Arthur rejects Mary's help, she doesn't get angry - if anything, she understands why he may be reluctant to help her. If Mary truly only wanted to use Arthur, she wouldn't have shown how grateful she was for his help and how much she truly did miss spending time with him by asking him out on a date to the theatre.

And to those who criticise her for not being able to leave her family sooner: do you... not remember the time period this story is set in? All of RDR2 (1899 - 1907) takes place before women got electoral equality with men (1928) and during the main story's time, women were very much under the control of their husbands - or their fathers if they were not married. A big reason as to why Arthur wasn't able to marry Mary in the first place when they were courting each other was because her father didn't approve of his outlaw lifestyle (also, I am unsure if Mary ever alluded to her marriage with Barry Linton being an arranged one, but I lowkey got that impression - perhaps her father wanted to severe the relationship between Mary and Arthur completely by arranging a marriage for her with another man who was also from a seemingly middle-class background/very much not an outlaw and ensure the relationship between her and Arthur would end).

Even if she had more of her own autonomy, we must remember that Mary is part of an abusive family unit. She often tries to excuse her father's terrible actions even though she knows how awful of a man he has become over the years. She is isolated and is hopping from one temporary shelter to another (Valentine, Saint Denis, etc) - she is a widow, she cannot depend on her father obviously, she cannot depend on her mother since she died, nor could she depend on her brother Jamie since perhaps she thought that she was meant to be the source of dependency as the older sibling. Mary said it herself in her goodbye letter (if Arthur rejects to help her) that she truly had no one else to turn to. Arthur was literally the only other person she could ask help from and even then, it seemed like a last resort after not interacting with each other for many years before her first mission and her being apologetic for taking up his time.

Mary holds a lot of regret and remorse for how things ended and it is clear she still thinks about what could have been between her and Arthur. When she fully accepts that she doesn't want to continue living such a miserable life because of her family, she makes a big leap in suggesting she and Arthur run away together, a parallel to Arthur's proposal years before, showing that she has grown and no longer wants to accept a life she feels trapped in.

People who criticise Mary for not being able to leave her family + the life she has always known behind should also consider how Arthur is the exact same. He is as much of a victim of this unfair circumstance as Mary is, but we have seen how he couldn't leave the gang life behind. It was what he died for, after all. He failed to meet the promise he made to Mary that he would run away with her after getting some money and ensuring the gang members' safety - which technically isn't his fault since this was pre-Guarma, but Mary couldn't have known about that. To her, he kept making promises he couldn't keep/getting dragged into violent crime life and she couldn't bear to continue having false hope anymore.

It's a shame that Mary has been given such a bad rap by certain fans who have mischaracterised her. Her story is a sad one and so is her love story with Arthur. I will always love and defend Mary (+ the other main female characters of RDR2) and I truly wonder how different her and Arthur's lives would have been if they managed to run away and get married (TB ideally excluded) and how happy they would have been.

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vaxieth · 8 months

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because something really did ask, have a much too long post about my thoughts on laudna’s individual dynamics with the rest of bells hells.

under the cut because it’s almost 3000 words.

laudna/imogen

i struggle to find something to say about imogen and laudna that hasn’t already been said a million times before. the core concept—the thesis—of their arcs, together and separately, is choice. so much of their backstories are defined by helplessness. laudna was chosen and killed because she happened to look like someone else, she was resurrected because she happened to be there. imogen’s mother left, she was burdened with powers she didn’t understand and meant constant pain and isolation. so, they make sure to constantly emphasize that the other person has a choice in everything. imogen tells laudna she only has to come back if she wants to, even though it would have devastated her to lose laudna forever. laudna tells imogen that the gods can’t control her, that no matter what her “destiny” is, if she wants, they can leave and live in a little cottage and raise horses together. the way they love each other unconditionally is all the more incredible given how cruel the world was to them for so long. laudna’s “you make me better” is true for both of them. they give each other a place to be vulnerable and feel all their messiest, worst feelings because they know the other one won’t judge them. they’ll support each other no matter the choices they make.

something i’ve mentioned quite a few times but never gone in depth about is that imogen and laudna do have a fairly significant age difference, and i do think that affects their dynamic. on the one hand, they both have a bit of arrested development—imogen due to her isolation from the rest of gelvaan from 18-26, laudna because she died at 20. on the other, laudna has so much more life experience than imogen. she spent almost 30 years traveling and interacting with the world even if was mostly people trying to kill her, maybe even because of that. the “laudna is imogen’s aunt/mother/older sister” takes were obviously ridiculous, but laudna does canonically look at imogen and see someone young who she wants to protect in a way she never was. she said as much to fcg after the gnarlrock fight. laudna acts as imogen’s rock, her tether if you will, a lot of the time, and part of the reason she can counterbalance imogen’s anxiety is because of the experience that comes with age. for example, during their conversation in episode 49, laudna is able to stay more “rational” and level-headed even when imogen is scared and overwhelmed.

one of my other favorite things about them, specifically from laudna’s point of view, is that with a few exceptions (the gnarlrock fight, her jealousy of frida), she doesn’t seem insecure about their relationship. again, during episode 49, laudna mentions that she knows they haven’t talked in a while, but she didn’t worry because they “transcend words.” she didn’t need outside assurance from imogen because she felt confident in their love for each other. something i love about that episode 39-49 period is that they didn’t interact a lot, but when they did, they slipped right about in the same kind of intimacy they’d always had—imogen holding launda’s hand when they went into her dream together, laudna’s protectiveness of imogen after she interacted with ludinus. but anyway—that confidence is why i believe the transition from friends to lovers was so easy for laudna. laudna’s unsure of herself, of delilah and what she might do, but she’s absolutely not unsure of the love between her and imogen. that’s why as soon as imogen tells her she’s not a bad person, that she wants to be with laudna in that way, she lets herself embrace it entirely.

in conclusion: they invented romance, they’re the best canon pairing critical role has ever had and one of the best dynamics in general, etc., etc.

laudna/orym

oh my god, WHERE to begin? i feel like my take on their dynamic is slightly controversial. at the very least, i get more push back from people when i post about it than anything else, so let me start with this: orym cares deeply about laudna, i will never dispute that. however, orym is uncomfortable with laudna and has been since the very beginning of the campaign. she’s his friend and he recognizes her beautiful heart and resilient spirit, but he’s uncomfortable with her appearance and her messages in his head, with her macabre humor and her deadness. he can’t reconcile that laudna his friend and laudna the dead woman can’t be separated. laudna’s deadness is a part of her, one laudna embraces. orym, for better or worse, is “normal.” he grew up with a loving family and he had a husband and a career. will and derrig’s deaths were an unbelievable tragedy but one that never challenged his place within the status quo. (sidenote: i’ve always wondered if part of orym’s discomfort with laudna come from the fact that her proximity to death is a reminder of the resurrections will and derrig never got.) he sees himself as a follower, someone that doesn’t stand out, then there’s laudna, who does nothing but stand out.

something i find fascinating is that orym is the first person to find out laudna’s backstory, and it affects him so much he can’t sleep that night and takes a point of exhaustion. he even explicitly recognizes the dehumanization she’s gone through and how laudna’s relationship with puppets like pate and sashimi mirror that. yet, he still never apologizes for trying to disguise her appearance, something without even asking. yes, i get it’s tactical and for “safety” (though that argument falls a bit flat for me when there’s also a glowing rock person and a fully conscious automaton in the group, but whatever), but it still hurts laudna. even beyond that, orym always qualifies his friendship with laudna to other person, making some mention of how she’s dead-looking and isn’t that crazy, wow, almost as if he wants some validation that it—laudna—is weird (one he, interestingly, rarely ever gets, given how enraptured most of the other pcs, including guests, and even some npcs, are with her). he does this even in situations he absolutely doesn’t need to like, for example, when maeve says laudna “looks cooler than i thought.” all this just sucks. it’s not that the love isn’t there, it is. it just isn’t unconditional, and laudna deserves better than that.

finally: the delilah in the room. no, it isn’t orym’s “fault” delilah is back. yes, he was also having an extremely bad time during the bor’dor fight and it wasn’t his “responsibility” to save laudna from herself, but laudna is orym’s friend. he listened to laudna tell him the trauma delilah put her through, he fought through hell to save laudna from her, and still nodded because part of him thought maybe delilah could help him and that was selfish. the fight against ludinus is important to of the bells, but for orym, it’s personal. it’s been his mission for six years. meanwhile, laudna is the one with the least enthusiasm about this. she has no connection to the gods. in fact, she actively thinks they dislike her, but he’s willing to sacrifice not just his safety, but the safety of her and all his friends for a cause they never set out to fight for.

in conclusion: i want to put them in a salad mixer together and watch them go around and around and around and around and around, then let them out to scream at each other a little.

laudna/ashton

if i had to explain laudna and ashton’s dynamic in one word, it would be “projection.” i adore their relationship, it’s one of my top 5 c3 dynamics, but oh my god, so much projection, and it’s so interesting because of that. ashton thinks he understands laudna, but in reality, he doesn’t at all. i’m an absolute sucker for characters that look very different on the surface but in reality are much more similar than they know, and ashton and laudna are that to a tee. they are very much narrative parallels especially regarding their feelings of “brokenness” and how their traumas are physical, visual parts of themselves, but the ways they diverge are almost more interesting.

certain people have said that her conversations with ashton are the only time laudna is “honest” or that, at the very least, she’s more honest with him than she is with anyone else, and i couldn’t disagree more. laudna can be a joyful, optimistic person and deeply traumatized with a core anger she hasn’t truly processed. laudna is a high-charisma character, and in my opinion, part of how that manifests is her ability to adapt her demeanor to the person she’s talking to. she speaks gently to imogen the same way she matches chetney’s hyperactive energy when they go sky-sailing. of course when she’s with ashton, who makes no effort to hide his anger and bitterness and doesn’t want her to be soft, she isn’t. none of these laudnas are more “real” than the others, they’re all laudna. what those people, and ironically, ashton themself, don’t get, or won’t let himself get, is that all those things can be true at once.

with ashton specifically, i don’t think they want to believe that because then they’d have to admit that growth and healing is a real possibility because anger is so much easier to deal with. people talk most about orym’s choices during the bor’dor fight most, but i’m fascinated by ashton’s as well. i wouldn’t be surprised if there was a part, no matter how small, that wanted laudna to break, to prove to himself that he was right and laudna was just as broken and fucked-up as them. so, laudna killing bor’dor was almost vindication, evidenced by their “what have i done?” “nothing i haven’t done.” exchange afterwards.

i don’t want this to sound like ashton doesn’t care about launda, they do. ashton cares about her so much, and besides imogen and fearne, is the most unabashedly into laudna’s aesthetic. i love how much they love all the weird shit she does. i love how protective ashton is of laudna, especially during battles and their willingness to go above and beyond for her—he carried laudna when she was dead despite his chronic pain without complaining once and were willing to make a deal with hexum after going through an entire museum heist to repay their debt. i love the moments when ashton sees how much laudna is struggling and tells her, as gently as he can, to take a moment and do what she can to ground herself. i love that when laudna way too dramatically assumes they kidnapped imogen, their response is “that’s very fair.” it’s all wonderful, and i love them.

in conclusion: I LOVE THEM SO MUCH AND I WANT TO LOCK THEM IN A ROOM AND FORCE THEM TO TALK ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS FOR HOURS.

laudna/fcg

laudna and fcg have been getting more attention in the past few days for obvious reasons and that has me rubbing my hands together maniacally because even though they have very little actual interaction, the subtext is delicious.

besides ashton, fcg might be the character laudna parallels the most, especially their struggle with their humanity (if they’re even human at all), which isn’t helped by the constant dehumanization they face from outsiders, including the almost continuous comments they get when they meet someone new. people look at launda and see a horror while they look at fcg and see a novelty (he’s a robot with personality??), and those both suck. i think, for fcg, laudna is an uncomfortable reflection of himself because everything they’re afraid is true about themself is true about laudna. finding out they had a soul was such an important moment for his character (also remember his early campaign habit of calling other people “soul-touched folks”). as a hollow one, who knows if laudna even has a soul. if i’m honest, fcg seems to think less of laudna than the rest of the party (see: him calling her a “former person,” his speech before casting turn undead including, “no offense to laudna but can you please shine your light and wipe these evil, dead souls off the face of this flat planet?”) and that’s probably why. they have such strict ideas about “good,” which has become “godly,” and “wrong,” (“ungodly”), and within that framework, everything seemed to point to laudna as “ungodly,” which is why their empathy towards her is lacking.

the biggest conflict between fcg and laudna right now is obviously their feelings on the gods. the changebringer brought fcg purpose and tangibly helps them on a daily basis. of course they want to share this incredible thing with everyone they meet, especially his friends. yet, time-and-time again, the world has shown laudna the gods don’t seem to care about her. before someone says anything, pike resurrecting laudna doesn’t automatically mean she has to trust the gods. clerics and paladins spent 30 years running her out of towns for existing and trying to kill her in the name of their gods. if the circumstances were different, there’s a good chance fcg could have been one of those people. for fcg, the world is black-and-white. for laudna, it’s all gray. laudna was able to have a conversation with imogen about the ruby vanguard’s message and the purpose of the gods because she understands the need to question things and thinks that’s a good thing even if she doesn’t agree with the conclusions. fcg’s not there yet, and until he is, their friendship with laudna will never be able to progress past where it is now.

in conclusion: please have a conversation, maybe even two or three. it’d be so good for fcg to learn the world’s incredible nuances and for laudna to see how faith in the gods can be an empowering force for good, not just something beyond her grasp.

laudna/fearne

out of all launda’s dynamics, this is the one i desperately want more of. we’ve gotten so little! almost all their moments are interactions between the three witches that tend to center imogen (making the red-string friendship bracelets and comforting imogen after she talked with relvin come to mind) OR center imogen and fearne’s mutual appreciation for laudna’s… everything. one of my favorite about fearne is that, like imogen, she doesn’t think laudna is gross and creepy, she thinks laudna is gorgeous and charming without any caveats. even ashton, who also loves laudna’s laudnaness, tends more towards “yeah, you’re disgusting and THAT’S why it’s great.”

the other main part of their dynamic i want to sink my teeth into is the coin-toss, more specifically fearne’s guilt over the coin toss. regardless of whether you think fearne lied (i personally find that headcanon FASCINATING but to each their own), she clearly feels so many emotions about having to pick whether to save laudna and orym that she hasn’t even begun to unpack. one of the few sole moments we’ve gotten of them was in episode 42 when laudna asked fearne to help teach her to cast fireball, and in it, fearne, unprompted, blurts out, “how’s it feel being alive again?” almost immediately. she also apologizes to laudna, says they’ll fight any piece of delilah that’s still in there, and tells her, “i missed you terribly for that moment in time.” even when laudna gives her the chance to make the conversation light-hearted, fearne stays so genuine, which is all the more-noteworthy because she’s usually so flippant and almost always keeps her real feelings close to her chest.

some other examples of fearne’s guilt include: the 4sd where ashley said part of why she was so protective over imogen during their separation arc was that she couldn’t bear having to tell laudna anything happened to her and just this past episode when fearne’s protectiveness after laudna made her only cast first-level cure wounds on fcg after they cast turn undead.

in conclusion: PLEASE LET THEM INTERACT MORE. THERE’S SO MUCH JUICY POTENTIAL AND I WANT TO SEE IT EXPLORED.

laudna/chetney

i don’t have that much to say about them except that their dynamic is absolutely delightful. i love that we’ve gotten to see more of it in recent episodes, and i hope that continues.

chetney exists at an interesting place between orym’s genuine discomfort and fearne and imogen’s complete enchantment with laudna’s undeadness. he is sometimes grossed out, but he also seems to accept it as a thing about laudna without too much judgment, or at least, that “judgment” is light-hearted in a way orym’s or even fcg’s isn’t.

i love that they’re the characters with the most life experience (even if laudna is technically the fourth oldest, fcg only has two years of memory and fearne is a 100+ but spent 99% of that time in one place) but also embrace being “childish” and silly together, like the entire sky-sail sequence!

in conclusion: *gently holds* i just think they’re neat!

that’s all! if you read this whole thing, you get my eternal love and gratitude. thank you.

#laudna #imodna #laudmoore #orym #fresh cut grass #fearne calloway #chetney pock o'pea #bells hells #critical role #my posts #textpost #i’m weirdly more nervous about posting this on here than on twitter #but i spent like three hours writing and am pretty proud of the result #in case it isn’t clear i want to reiterate that i love ALL these characters #including orym and fcg #but they aren’t perfect #that’s what makes their dynamics so interesting!

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goodoldfashionlovercorpse · 3 months

Text

Soul Love

pairing: Luke Castellan x daughter of Loki! reader

summary: No matter what she turned into, blood was always thicker than water. Luke, however, saw her for more than she did.

a/n: hello! this is part one. i thought there weren't enough loki kid! readers, so i started this. comments and reblogs are appreciated. have a nice day :)

warnings: implied ED, daddy issues, angst, etc.

Camp wasn’t made for her. She knew this, others showed it. A daughter of Loki did not belong at a camp for greek demigods. Despite how inviting “Camp Half-blood” maybe seem by name, it was exclusive to Greeks. Unless you want to end up in the Hermes cabin, and Y/N knew that she’d rather her brothers tear her limb by limb than ever stay there again.Well, there is one way she’d stay. Luke Castellan. Not only was he a son of Hermes, but he was the best swordsman in 300 years.

And yet he looked at her with nothing but love, as if Aphrodite shot an arrow at him herself. He made continuous efforts to include her. When she sat alone outside of the Dining Pavilion, it took the boy mear seconds to accompany her – despite the chants at his home table.

“Hey, how’s dinner going?”

“It’s going…” She played with her food, fearing it a little yet still trying to take bites. She sighed so deep it became its own form. Nothing but gloom and gray sat behind those eyes. Isolation seemed to be her only friend aside from Luke. He was so much more than her; he was a hero and she’s doomed by the narrative. Forced to know not even nuclear warfare could end this world before her father. Yet he understood what he did not know.

“Your hair is turning to snakes. Wanna try again?”

Damn it. “No.”

He poked her continuously. Setting his plate down, he waited – like a predator to its prey – until she finished eating. He knew better than to make her meals more miserable than she already felt, so he sat there waiting for the other plate to empty. Grace wasn’t the sole word he could use for her. Even in a state of distress, she looked as if the love-gods handcrafted her and brought her to life. Unfortunately, the doom of her destiny haunted her mirror. Despite her father and her being shapeshifters, there was always a piece of him in every shape she became.

The pavillion was as loud as the wind, yet Luke and her were as quiet as the moon. Should she say everything she wants or just leave it be? Her father was never one to tell the truth, especially when he said “i love you.” Saying those words with his blood flowing through her veins felt like a crime. A punishful lie. The cries of cousins burning her at the stake. At some points she’d feel ashamed for her pride. Why should she be proud to be his daughter? He has done nothing but try to end the world. He wished nothing but awful things to his children – she is not the exception.

Despite her father being a horrible being, she was his favorite child. She represented everything he was: chaos incarnate. She didn’t pick sides; even if her best friend went to war, she’d stand in between, only adding fuel to the fire. Her dad wasn’t evil, yet he wasn’t good either. He passed his neutrality onto his daughter, then tortured her for it, only to then aid her. Her. Not her siblings, just her. Loneliness and regret filled her for this, but Samirah and Alex never blamed her.

Yet seeing the pure loathing some campers held for their siblings made her uneasy. They hated their parents, yet it was obvious they are their children. They hold the same opinions, never critique their actions, always knowing one story – the Hero’s story.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Luke held her hand as he looked into her eyes. Those eyes. Oh, those eyes… the things they do to her and her soul. Those brown eyes held layers of her regrets and so little judgement. He knew every detail of her mind, even what she did not want him to know. War, Valhalla, Loki, Camp, all of it. He knows all of it. Still, love courses through his eyes. She thinks she’s delusional.

While Luke may accept her, he still doesn’t know every single thing. He knew all, except her part in Ragnarok. Odin didn’t owe her anything, neither did she owe him; she also wasn’t on her father’s side, she knew better than Calypso. Instead, she will stand back and get rid of either side. Destiny wasn’t her favorite thing, it was her greatest detest. No way to undo it, no way to fast-forward it.

Luke wouldn’t leave her be, his eyes showed that he’d follow wherever she’d go. He’d meet her where the spirit meets the bone. “Have i ever told you how well the moon suits you?” Goosebumps raised her skin like a cat. He knew what she thought, yet he knew better than to discuss it out here. He knew all her thoughts, as if he knew her soul once upon a dream.

Before either utter a word, Luke smiled, genuinely. it was the kind of beam nothing could rival. “I apologise if i haven’t, you truly are lovely under the light.” he bit his tongue, aching to comfort her and defend her. It was too early, too much. She was impaled by her the venom in her veins, a feeling he knew all too well. The boy couldn’t complain, though. Although he held distaste for his father, he had learned to forgive and make amends.

He trusted his father when he said "i love you." She never had the option to believe her's. War was all that he’d given her, but war was not love; his father didn't start one, her's claimed it was his love. Even Ares and Athena knew it in their cold, golden blood. A moment of quiet passed through the sand. “I’m sorry that-”

“Do you ever think of Death?” she perked her head towards him, staring deeply into his eyes. Constellations and worlds resided in them. Whatever girl he has is lucky to have him, she thought. Silent prayers hung at her lips like the Gardens of Babylon.

The question was raw. Was he going to really answer it? Should he finish this question?

“I mean, Love and Death are a lot closer than one might think.” He stared at her, willing to listen to her every word even if she was describing a plan to murder him limb from limb. “Not everyone loves death, yet death craves love. To be forgotten – to be completely unloved is to die forevermore. Love adores death, loss gives value to what we hold dear. Orpheus already held dangerous levels of love for Euridice, her death increased his awareness. When she died again, she felt so much love for him, knowing she’d never be forgotten. She lived eons because death and love are adaptive. They feed off of each other. Death is never truly the end, the end is being forgotten. Forever lost in the sands. Never to be loved again.”

Behind her eyes, Luke saw her thoughts. He felt them like bullets on his skin, one so deep you couldn’t mistake it. She looked at the stars not knowing she was one.

Death was valuable to her for other reasons, but she ran from it. Ran from her own hair. Why? He wondered. Valhalla loved her, yet his bones knew that they wouldn’t once a grave had her name engraved. Gods were Luke’s enemy for a while. Still, the boy holds resentment over them. Heavy resentment. Y/n, though? Her father wanted her dead. At least Greek Half-bloods get to have a count down, Norse ones just die. No monsters, just their parents and humans. Monsters are her family; howling behind the barrier are her brothers, willing to take her life.

Perhaps he took for granted his dad sometimes. Even though Hermes started to get involved now, he assured Luke that he would’ve been a father to him sooner had he could. Not once did Hermes go after him or bullied him, only to praise him and aid him in the depths of his mental illness. Hermes may not be the best, but he was certainly not the worse. Luke could never imagine what the Norse gods are like: the children of Thor didn’t pray to him, Odin was barely present — they didn’t even build a camp to ignore their kid, they just let them die.

Chaos followed every demi-god, special the Norse ones, mainly the children of Loki. He was neither good nor evil. Y/n prefaced this during all their talks. To him, Loki was pure evil; but to the most gorgeous creature on earth, he was her father.

Trickery was infused into her soul, unable to leave even if she bore red liquid like a fountain in Greece. Death was her escape, her only vice — yet now her views have change since the moment they met. Life is her, she is life; she adorns his world in her heart. But somehow he still felt so… Powerless. He was utterly powerless when it came to her heritage. She’d accepted it so quickly. Completely unfazed that she had this burden.

Meanwhile, he still had trouble facing his dad. Sure, all has been resolved and war has been evaded, but that’s only for the Greek demigods. His family is, for the most part, alive. But her? Her mom and dad are no where near, her father is out to either kill her or train her, and she’s already suffered the loss of a sister – a loss she dares not repeat.

“That was too much, wasn’t it? It’s not virtuous to praise death. But in this world, what else is there?

“Maybe you’re right. Or, maybe, we can talk about shows, or the gods, or even us.”

“Us?”

Luke swallowed his spit, trying hard not to sweat. Nodding, he looked at the sky. “Us.” He smiled warmly, making the air smells like honey and roses, “my favorite song is Soul Love by Bowie.” He didn’t have to turn around to see her face, the warmth of her excitement felt like enough. She was already more than enough.

#luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #pjo tv show #pjo x reader

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blackopals-world · 7 months

Text

Lost my Head

FemNoble!Yuu x Malleus

FemCelestial!Yuu x Lilia

She had reincarnated once more. Once upon a time, they were very similar. But her rage. That primordial rage. It hasn't disappeared.

(Feeling really spooky today. Feminine rage sounds amazing. Let's get bloody)

Warnings: Murder, cannibalism (does this even count), blood(duh)

The egg was due any day now. She could feel it. After so long it was nearly time.

Yuu gazed lovingly at the jet black egg. The most perfect egg in the world. So shiny and smooth.

It was more oval than round which meant it would be a boy. A beautiful little boy.

A few years ago she found the poor thing after his parents died. She would make it right. She would make sure let their legacy die.

She would do her part to make sure that dragons remain. Humans would not fulfill their mission to slay them all. She may have outlived her parents and she may be young but she would remain.

Now she had an egg.

"I wonder if you'll see me as a sister more than as a mom. It's okay either way. You will be closer to my age than anyone is comfortable with. That's okay too." Yuu held the egg above her in her makeshift next.

She wished she had a better nest but humans found the last one. So many treasures were robbed from her not to mention the pelts she used to keep the nest warm.

How long had it been since she'd seen another faerie? Since he isolated herself here. Since she's left the cave. Since she'd eaten.

It can wait. She'd return when the egg hatched.

But it wasn't safe right now. Not with the war.

But she had hope. It won't be long now. Her Majesty would stop them.

Yuu usually dreamed of nothing. Too tired from attending to the egg and surviving to do so. But that night as she wondered what the queen was like and how nice the palace was compared to a dusty cave she dreamed. She dreamed of a life of fancy dresses, extravagant galas, warm beds, glimmering jewels, and never-ending feasts. The child she hatched by her side was treated like a prince and all was well.

It was a childish dream. One that only a child like herself could make. Even dragons dream of being a princess.

When morning came she stretched her wings and peered out of her cave.

Noise.

Human noise.

She could smell them on the wind.

She couldn't let them find the nest.

Quickly she intercepted them fully intent on driving them away. She flapped her wings to create gusts to blow them away and blew what flames she could create at their feet.

It was foolish of her in the end. To try to stop knights trained to kill dragons much older than her. She was nothing but a fledgling to them.

She escaped with a torn wing and sword in her stomach.

She had to get back. She needed to get o the egg before-

In her cave, a separate knight from the group stood. Shreds of eggshell crushed between his fingers and the scent of blood.

"The she-dragon has returned I see." He said wiping his hands clean.

"My egg..."

"There is no egg."

"My...baby. You killed my baby!" She screamed.

"Don't worry, you'll join them."

The knight raised their sword to the already injured dragon. The faerie was already hysterical as she searched for the remains of her child, her only remaining family.

...

Yuu was very hungry.

Did you know that in the wild some animals will starve themselves while hatching eggs? Snakes being one of them. However if their young die they will immediately go back to eating.

...

In her rage, she didn't remember much of what happened next. She was just so angry. Her claws tore him open. Then the scent of his blood was just so good. And she was so hungry and so tired.

But his eyes. His vacant bloodshot eyes kept staring so she...ate them too. And she couldn't stop so she ate his head.

Blood covered her face like a lion's after digging into a fresh kill. It ran down her face and chest as she licked her lips.

"I ate it. I ate his head. Its all gone. Hahaha! Its all gone! All in one bite! So tasty!" Her mind was gone as well. Never to return.

Hungar and grief melded together and that night a scourge was created. A rampaging she-dragon devoured every human in sight. She fashioned a crude crown for herself out of bone and danced in the moonlight with headless bodies in a mock waltz. She sang and she wept. She called out for her baby and laughed. She had truly lost her mind.

And when morning came. She was leaned against a tree. Her hair matted with dried blood. Her skin dyed red. Her gapping wound open for all to see. And dead as can be.

The general of Her Majesty's army arrived at daybreak to examine the carnage. He didn't see the monster that the humans saw.

He saw a poor little girl, caught in a war and battle not her own. She never wanted any of this.

War mandatory monsters of everyone. At least she went out fighting like a true soldier.

Perhaps now he would look back and say he had done something wrong but he used her. He made her into a martyr an example to his soldiers of what they were fighting for and what they should strive for. Her story became immortalized as " The Red Princess and the Knight Feast"

It was later that day a small pip was found after being stolen after their hatching. It didn't take long for everyone to connect the dots.

The child was adopted by one of the commanding officers shortly after. The kid eventually was named The Red Prince after a haunting event. Maybe it ran in the family.

The goddess knew on sight that the girl was dangerous. Her soul was full of rage, greed, and hunger.

She had chosen not to rest and a soul left unfulfilled was doomed to return.

She was drawn to Malleus. Her son had no idea what was getting into. And of course Malleus fell for her.

She couldn't bear to separate them. She pitied the poor girl. She had no idea who she was but the goddess feared the day would come when she did.

Still, a forthright girl like that who was the very picture of nobility suited her son well.

She told her husband of her fears but Lilia only nodded and smiled. He was ecstatic by the development. He believed she was perfect.

Maybe she was being too harsh. She understood the girl, a mother's love is dangerous after all.

"Sebek, put this annoying man in the trebuchet." The princess said crossing her arms.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! YOU DONT GIVE ME OR-" Sebek clammed up when he was glared at over the lady's fan.

"Do it." She said emphasizing the T in a voice like venom.

Yeah, the goddess knew why Lilia liked her so much.

#noble!yuu #celestial!yuu #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland yuu #malleus x reader #malleus draconia #malyuu #twisted wonderland malleus #lilia vanrouge x reader #twst lilia #lilia twisted wonderland #lilia x reader #lilia vanrouge #twisted wonderland lilia

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crystalelemental · 8 months

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Character Analysis - Carmine and Kieran

I have been trying to write something on this for the majority of the week and haven't been able to organize it in a way I like. So this will not be coherent, but since I've had my second go through the DLC story, I have...a lot more to say on Carmine and Kieran.

Seeking Strength Kieran's big focus by the end is on not being strong enough, and needing to become stronger than you. I think it's largely accepted that this is to defeat you, that he has it out for the protagonist. I disagree.

Consider why strength is important, and when it became clear. The first time Kieran mentions strength, it's in front of the ogre's cave. He talks about wanting to battle, thinking maybe that could impress the ogre. And he loses. Which is whatever, the ogre didn't show. But then it does. To you, and to his sister, but not to him. Internally, the connection is clear: the ogre doesn't trust me, because it sees me as weak.

This goes back even further, though. Think about your introduction to him. Carmine battles you to kick you out, and you win. Carmine's response here is interesting. She comments on everything, and actively makes fun of you if you use a not very effective attack, snarking that you must not know your type matchups after all. She oozes confidence and control, to excess. But when she loses, there's a bit of a fist shake, but rather than anger, she turns away and looks...sad. Losing upsets her, and while she bounces back, that moment suggests a deeper vulnerability and need to seem strong.

And to Kieran, she does. She's constantly in control, and by and large, he seems to follow her pace. If she asks him to do something, and by asks I mean tells, he generally follows through. And he saw someone beat her. There's someone stronger than his sister now. And that's interesting. I think there's a lot more to it, but I'll save that for a later section. For now, the point is, Kieran's always been focused on strength, because he admires Carmine's strength, and wants to be more like that.

I think this recontextualizes your final fight a bit, too. Carmine tells Kieran that he can't make Ogerpon go with him, she has her own will to choose. Kieran still insists he needs this battle, and it seems like the perception of this is "he's ignoring it." But I don't think he is. At this point, he's lost multiple times, each time thinking it's his lack of strength that resulted in him not getting what he wanted. It was, at first, to meet and befriend the ogre. And yeah, he'd still like to. He's still trying, given the stipulations of the fight. But he's also fighting for his sense of self-worth. He feels he's not strong enough, and that lack of strength is holding him back. He's seen his sister lose twice now, yet she's still confident. But he lost, and feels like he's losing more of what little he had to start with.

Belonging and Isolation Carmine's hostility toward outsiders is, as expressed, a matter of feeling like her hometown is becoming a tourist trap. I think what often gets missed in this is that Carmine herself is...fairly traditional. She cares about the customs of the village, the sanctity of the crystal pool, and the prominence of the Loyal Three. She even remarks that obviously she likes the three better, Kieran just likes the ogre because he's a ten year old boy and they're always into weird monster things. She considers integration with the village something important, and deep down, cares about it as a whole.

That's not to say she gets along with everyone. The Caretaker seems more than happy to make the conversion if it helps the town thrive, and Carmine actively disagrees with that. Her hostility is clear to us, and she makes her reason known, but it's not clear how much the villagers seem to understand this. They tend to treat Carmine's responses as part of an attitude problem, more than anything. The Caretaker is pre-emptive in calling out Carmine to get along with everyone. They know she's not happy about it, but expect her to just deal with it, and kinda treat her like they expect problems. Calling them the "Lousy Three" gets an almost exasperated comment about her attitude and a correction, like they fully expect her to be this way, and don't consider the why behind it.

By contrast, Kieran...successfully talks them into abandoning their ancient beliefs and understanding of the past in the course of a single afternoon.

For all the emphasis on Kieran seeming lonely, and I do believe he himself feels that way, Kieran...seems pretty well accepted by people. Think about how significant it is that they're willing to listen to him, with such seriousness, that they'll believe him when he says their understanding of history is wrong.

I think this plays into an interesting dichotomy with the siblings. On the one hand, Kieran is pretty well accepted, but genuinely lonely. On the other, Carmine seems perfectly fine being by herself, and doesn't seem to interface well with the others. But when you look at what they want? Kieran doesn't seem to care that he runs contrary to everything the village stands for. The ogre is cool, he likes that best, and sees little of interest or value in the three. He doesn't really care to integrate with the village. But Carmine does care, and isn't successful at it. By all accounts, she doesn't seem to have friends either. But when a new kid rolls in, and her brother takes an interest in them, she still focuses on him first.

Justice and Fairness Carmine is, at her core, pretty focused on what's right. Despite being more aligned with tradition in her village, when her grandfather reveals the truth, she's immediately furious on Ogerpon's behalf. She has no reservations about telling the rest of the village, until he appeals to her sense of reason, and she understands where the concern might be.

Carmine's reactive, but she's not a fool. She's pretty grounded, but in that way where I think it causes her to miss some things and seem unconcerned with feelings. But she does care about how people feel; quite a bit, really. When Kieran tries to give his ogre mask to you, Carmine intervenes and tells him not to. That's his favorite mask, and he shouldn't have to go without. Besides, practically speaking, we just buy the new kid a mask they like at the festival. It's pragmatic. But it also misses that Kieran was okay with sharing his mask for his friend. She cares about his feelings, enough to worry about him giving up something he cares about. But it's in a more...avoidant sense. More on that later.

By contrast, Kieran seems focused more on fairness. It doesn't matter the reason or intent, you left him out of what you knew. You didn't tell him about the ogre. You ran off with Carmine and pushed him aside, and that's not fair. He was your friend first, and he cared about the ogre first, and it isn't fair that suddenly that all doesn't matter. In that sense, he's very emotional, but doesn't really consider the rational cause of things. It's all about how he feels. This runs very counter to how Carmine is, being very emotional, but focusing more on the practical reason than how she's feeling.

I think you can also see this in how they express themselves. Kieran has no trouble opening up the instant you're on your own with him. He'll tell you all about how he thinks the ogre is cool, and that he was only scared of getting yelled at for going to the mountain. But Carmine legitimately struggles with it. She has a tough time being honest with people, and her sense of what being mean to someone is, boils down to "I didn't hit him." It's as if she doesn't really understand that her words can hurt people, or perhaps why someone would be hurt by them. The idea of "What you're saying was rude" is secondary to the practical outcome. If it's true, it doesn't matter how I say it. If it's what has to happen, it doesn't matter that it comes out as "Kiki, get out of here." Her mentality seems to be that she knows best, and is going to act on that, and there's no reason for people to be upset with her if she's right.

Sibling's Bond In one of the earliest scenes, we get a very good sense for the dynamic the siblings have. Kieran has taken an interest in the player, but barely speaks to them, turning his face away and not even listening to them. Carmine intervenes by explaining what he's thinking and asking for you to battle on his behalf. Kieran shies away, Carmine takes control, and Kieran is more than willing to cede that control to her. In this situation, it works out, as he gets to spend time with a new friend. It is the first, and only, time this dynamic works in their favor.

Every other instance of this particular dynamic coming into play hurts more than helps. When Carmine interrupts you talking about the ogre, and insists Kieran not find out, that's her assuming control like usual. Same with telling him to just leave the next morning. Kieran shies away from staying to help with the mask quest, rather than confront that someone else gets along better with Ogerpon. This is a dynamic they've had for a long while, and there is evidence to prove it.

"I hate when he gets like this." Carmine's clearly annoyed, but the phrasing evokes the sense that this isn't just something that happened before, it's happened often. And she's not happy about it. Kieran running off crying is the only time she really expresses anything truly negative about her brother, and it's telling of what she herself can't handle.

If Kieran's crying, it's because something's bothered him, and as the one who takes care of him, that feels like it's her fault. I talked about how Carmine is integrated with the beliefs of the village, if not its people, but there's a bit more to it. Carmine's generally apathetic about whether people like her, she's more concerned with being right, and doing right. Carmine cares about being a good person. And if her brother's throwing a fit, it's putting her in the position of the bad guy, and criticisms about being nice to him evoke an outrage. "It's not like I hit him" isn't just telling of her lack of awareness for how her words come across, it's indignation that her grandfather is implying she's at fault. Kieran crying is the one thing that she cannot tolerate.

And for Kieran, that makes it a very effective play. Because I keep going, I need to be clear: I am not saying Kieran is being manipulative. He's like ten, and highly emotional. He's not sitting around thinking that if he just cries, Carmine will do whatever he wants. He's just having an emotion, and Carmine has a reaction. It's the dynamic that turns this into a recurring feature of their relationship.

The behavioral term is Negative Reinforcement: an outcome that increases the chance of the behavior occurring in the future, by removing an aversive stimulus. When Kieran wants something, and it doesn't happen, he'll get emotional and cry. Carmine, feeling guilty or responsible, folds to make him stop. The initial aversive - not getting what he wants - is removed as a consequence of his crying, making it more likely to occur again. But the same is true for Carmine. She cannot stand that crying, so when she gives in, the crying stops, reinforcing capitulation.

It's a situation where neither is really at fault. They're both kids, and have that sibling dynamic. Older siblings take care of the younger ones. When you have an older sibling who feels responsible for the wellbeing of the younger, and cares deeply about taking care of them without knowing the difference between "helping them do it" and "doing it for them," you get Carmine. When you have a younger sibling who is particularly emotional and withdrawn alongside them, you get Kieran.

And the DLC is the breakdown of this dynamic.

Another really fun behavioral term: Extinction Burst. Extinction refers to when reinforcement is removed as a consequence of a behavior. Effectively, you decouple the behavior and what typically happens. An extinction burst is the oft emotional blowup that comes as a result of a behavior no longer meeting its typical, expected reinforcer. Think about when your computer won't turn on. How many times mashing the button does it take before you check the power cord? Do you stay calm during that or start cursing it out, maybe worrying that something's broken and desperately hoping it turns on if you just hit it right, or hold it long enough? That's the extinction burst in play.

That's what's going on with Kieran. He's finding his independence, but as part of that, he's learning what it means to have it. Sometimes things don't go your way, and you have to live with that. Even crying won't get the situation to change now, and he...hasn't figured out what else to do. Unintentionally, by handling things for him, Carmine's left him in a situation where he's unequipped to manage circumstance. All he can think is pushing for strength, and battling you over and over and over in hopes that this time, he'll win.

By contrast, Carmine's doing...really well. She adapts well, makes quick friends with the player as well, assumes a sort of leadership role in the quest, and demonstrates the reality that for all her bluster, she does care and is fairly well adjusted. She's had the experience to manage frustrations and setbacks, even if they're difficult, to the point that by the end of your last battle, she can earnestly smile and congratulate you. Her dynamic with you is thriving. And, for a while, your dynamic with Kieran was too, before his perception of inadequacy interferes. It's sad but worth noting: the happiest we see either of them is when they're away from each other.

I don't have any profound thoughts beyond this, nor guesses to how Indigo Disk might play out. But I think it's interesting how they managed to create a story with a compelling conflict, where these is no true "bad guy." I was initially kinda down on the DLC, I felt like the legendary stuff was kinda bland. But I've really come around on these two, and look forward to the next part.

#pokemon #carmine #kieran #teal mask #pokemon scarlet and violet

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quibbs126 · 2 months

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So instead of more stylized Cookies, I drew that cacaolily redo yesterday (I just forgot about posting)

Anyways, so this is Night Rider. She’s replacing my old cacaolily kid, Snowdrop, because I thought I could do better (and frankly, Snowdrop didn’t have a personality outside of being a White Lily clone). So Snowdrop doesn’t exist anymore, and Night Rider replaces her

In any case, let’s get on to Night Rider herself

So basically, Night Rider here goes around Earthbread, seeking out and learning secret, ancient or forbidden knowledge/magic. She ultimately has good intentions in her research, she probably started by trying to look for a way to ultimately stop the Licorice Sea, or maybe to revive Pure Vanilla, but she can get carried away with her research and not think about the consequences of it (which I sort of tried to imply with the sketch, she’s trying to bring the Soul Jam to its fullest potential, but in the process awakening the Beasts). She’s been doing this for several decades and she really only visits her home sparingly; she’s gained a really poor sense of time and always thinks it’s been less time than it actually has

Outside of that, she’s a very cranky and antisocial person. Her decades of mostly isolated research have led her to view other Cookies as either not being able to appreciate the knowledge she yearns for, or that they ask dumb questions about her research. She respects and tolerates her father and the other Ancients (her mother disappeared when she was young, so she doesn’t really have a connection to her or opinions about her), even if she thinks they can fall into those categories. She can actually like people, and she can act like a decent person around them (or if she has to), but it’s pretty rare. She probably wasn’t always like this, it’s just something she built up over the years

Her research means she’s probably way ahead of all the other characters on the plot, like she’s known about the Beasts and faeries for years, but due to her general isolation and always looking for new knowledge, she’s woefully unknowing (that’s not the right word) of what’s going on in Earthbread right now. Like she doesn’t know Pure Vanilla’s back, her mother’s connection to Dark Enchantress, or even that her brother was banished in the first place

She likes her father well enough, she was mostly raised by him and she respects him, even if they value different things. She doesn’t see him as much due to her research, but she doesn’t see it as meaning she has any less connection to him. As said prior, since White Lily disappeared when she would have been young, she doesn’t really know her mother and isn’t sure what to think of her (though if she’s been to Faeriewood, she would have chosen to avoid White Lily’s coffin). Due to her nature of spending so much time away from home, she and Dark Choco barely know each other, but she thinks he’s fine enough. She thinks he’s just following in their father’s footsteps and being a good swordsman and prince back home, nothing out of the ordinary to note. She probably would have a reaction to knowing this isn’t the case

I’m also thinking she uses some sort of shadow magic, in part because of her research (and also because of her name)

I do kind of want to draw a younger version of Night Rider as well, before she started on her endless search for knowledge, since back then she was probably more normal

Can you tell I’ve thought way too much about her? Because I have

Anyways, let’s get on to other stuff

The name Night Rider comes from the night rider lily, since it’s a black flower

Night rider:

So if you can tell, she doesn’t look too much like her concept sketch. That’s because originally when I was making that, she was supposed to be a guy who was a knight that lived out in nature, or something like that. The original Night Rider concept was completely different. But then when I was listening to Unleash the Magic yesterday, it got me inspired to make this new version of Night Rider. If I ever bring that concept back, it’d probably be like her twin brother or something

Anyways, so I made her hair have gradients instead of streaks because I thought it worked better with her colors of red and black. Also Dark Choco sort of has that. Speaking of the red, it’s supposed to be because of the flower, even if the red doesn’t necessarily fit in with the rest of the family’s color scheme

Speaking of colors, my roommate told me she might have too many colors, which is honestly fair. She’s got black, red, purple and green in her design. It was originally going to be black red and purple, but then I wanted a pop of another color for her bag, so I added in the green. Maybe I’ll go back and tweak her colors more. If this becomes no longer applicable to her design, know that I changed it

I realize that her outfit may look a bit odd, as like some sort of bodysuit or whatever, but it was kind of just what came to my head. Maybe it’s some sort of special suit she got during her travels

Her design is probably simplistic, but it’s not necessarily bad. But I may want to tweak it a bit later on, we’ll see

But yeah, that’s Night Rider, hope you like her

#speaking of stylized cookies I kind of want to make the fankids in the stylized way as well #I specifically want to draw Night Rider and Vanilla Lily together #since they’ve got some issues and they’re both Lily kids #I just need an elderlily kid with issues to complete the trio #anyways #cookie run #cookie run kingdom #fankid #fanchild #dark cacao cookie #white lily cookie #cacaolily #cookie run oc #night rider cookie #snowdrop cookie #my ocs #my art

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pielcanala · 9 months

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Love Story (Taylor's version)

Pairing: Any link (but written with BOTW and TOTK mind) reader(gn)

Genre: Romance!!

Word Count: 1k+

.　. • ☆ . ° . • ° : . * ₊ ° . ☆

Link was young when he first saw you. Barely an adult when he had first accompanied Zelda to her birthday ball; the night he met you. Laughter and music filled the room as he stood there next to the princess. Zelda noticed you right away and pointed you out to him.

“ That’s (Y/N) (L/N). Child of the Baron (L/N). “ She paused before continuing. She looked at Link to see if she had his attention. Instead, she saw him staring directly at you. She awkwardly cleared her throat as she continued.

“ If I were to be honest… I’m not very knowledgeable about them. Perhaps it would be a nice change of pace if we got to know them better. Don't you agree, Link?”

Link simply nodded his head in response. He had been captivated by you in a zombie-like way. Maybe it was the way you awkwardly smiled when you greeted people you didn’t seem to recognize or the way you tucked in your hair whenever you listened to other people talk, or the way you played with your rings when you got nervous. How could someone possibly be so normal and yet so lovely? How could you possibly distract him so much that he forgot who he was? How could he possibly forget that he was the Princess’ Knight and you were the child of a common Baron?

“ Well, I’ll be off to my Fathers’ chambers. My father insists we still do the Father-Daughter walk together. You already know how he is, Link. “ Zelda frowned a bit as she walked towards the stairs just outside of sight. The first time he was ever so distracted around the princess; the first time he had ever misheard Zelda. He had never let these types of emotions run free before; had never even indulged in something as simple as a crush before. He just stood there, like an idiot, before pondering what he should do next.

You weren’t stupid; you knew you had caught the eye of the princess’ knight. He had been gawking at you since the moment you got here.

Link was like a legend in high society. He was a man, who just at 13, had out-skilled both of his older sisters and his own father. His swordsmanship and his discipline were unmatched even at such a tender age. There were rumors, of course, as there always were. Rumors like he was secretly a part of some villainous clan, or he wanted to become king, or that he was Zelda’s lover.

The last one caused everyone to become aware of his little stunt at the party. The famous knight in Hyrule's history (who was supposedly Zelda’s boy toy) eyeballing some girl at the ball of the year?

It was strange. As a Baron’s child; you never really got attention from someone of such high rank. Even the royal family had barely started to recognize your family. The only reason why you even came is because your mothers’ business had been somewhat lucrative; barely affording you an invitation.

You quickly hurried off to an isolated balcony. You regretted your decision immediately as it was starting to snow; the castle warmth no longer shielding you from the cold. White covered all of what you saw from the castle’s balcony. Behind you, you heard footsteps. Quickly, you turned around, only to be faced with a familiar person.

“ My Hylia, it's cold out here! (Y/N) (L/N)! ” A younger girl walked towards you as she quickly covered herself with her jacket. You walked towards her; meeting her at the entrance of the balcony. She swiftly placed her drink on the balcony’s handles before briskly giving you her hand. “ Care for a drink? It’s positively delightful! It's Silent Princess tea, ever had it? ” You shook your head and nervously accepted her outstretched hand. she handed you a drink as she picked up hers and brought it to her lips. You recognized her from your own birthday ball; she was the daughter of some viscount down south. Unluckily, you had no idea what her name was.

“ I think Sir Link has taken an interest in you (Y/N)! Do you know how many girls would kill to be you right now? “ She smirked as you nearly choked on the tea. It’s not that you weren’t interested in him. In fact, you had liked him since you were younger. But it was a silly celebrity crush; you never thought it would go anywhere. You turned bright red just thinking about it. You looked down at your tea and turned to face the outdoors.

“ I’m sure he was simply on duty and surveying the area. He is currently on standby after all- “

“ But I’m not seeing Princess Zelda or Sir Link anywhere? ” She cut you off as she looked back at her. You looked to the center of the room and she was right; they weren't there.

Before you could even blink, She quickly disappeared as she giggled and said something about your ‘boyfriend’. You didn’t even have a lover; sending into a confused state as you walked to the edge of the balcony. You sipped on your tea as the snow peacefully fell.

You liked being by yourself; it felt like you could breathe again. But then your thoughts started to run wild. What if Link actually liked you? What if he was in love with you? You smiled to yourself as you let your wildest fantasies run rampant in your mind. Link would propose in front of you to everyone and whisk you away on a passionate honeymoon to the ocean, or he would fight for your honor in some war and give you all of the jewelry you stole because he thought you would like it? You gushed over the thought of someone as important as the Link liking you. You smiled so brightly as you turned around to rejoin the party.

You nearly fainted when you realized a young man was actually walking towards you. More specifically, your celebrity crush Link, was walking towards you. You didn’t even notice the Princess and the King walking down into the party together. That could only explain how Link slipped away from the crowd without stirring too much drama. You chugged down your tea as you nervously looked away.

Link had to restrain himself from speeding up as he saw you turn to him with such a beautiful smile. His expression changed slightly; His eyes softened. Link noticed right away that you didn’t have a jacket, even though it was snowing. His breath fogged as he opened his mouth.

“ Are you cold? “ He asked.

“ Oh! Um no. No not really! “ You skittishly laughed as you rubbed the back of your neck. “ I’m used to it since I spend a lot of time up north. Wh-What about you? “ Great. Your teeth chattered as you tried to make small talk. Not only is your childhood crush talking to you but you embarrassed yourself in front of him. Before you could chastise yourself more you heard a small chuckle. Link swiftly covered his mouth but his giggles were only slightly muffled.

Link walked closer to you, before stopping right in front of you. Before you could question him, he leaned down. You hitched your breath as time suddenly slowed down. It was as if this was the only part of the universe that was still normal. It was as if this moment was the only thing that mattered.

“ Are you sure? “ Link muttered into your ear.

“ yeah um… yes i’m sure. ” you whispered back. You stared at his eyes. Had anyone ever looked at you so gently?

“ Für Elise will be playing soon “ Link stepped back as he offered you his hand. He smiled down at you as you blushed. You held his hand in yours and smiled back.

“ I’d love to dance with you, Sir Link. “

.　. • ☆ . ° . • ° : . * ₊ ° . ☆

This is a little bit of OO!link haha

I had a lot of fun as i really like taylor swift.

Thank you so much for reading and i hope you guys liked it!!

#link x reader #botw link x reader #botw link #legend of zelda #loz #totk #tears of the kingdom #breath of the wild #fluff #romance #totk x reader #love story #taylors version #pielcanala #im so tired #fanfic

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viennacherries · 2 months

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As a sucker for hurt/comfort, I especially adored the 9th chapter of your fic! And would love to read more of smth similar to that.

Perhaps smth like Rolan and Tav, both overworked and tense, snapping at each other and then avoiding each other's company (both because of anger but also mostly out of fear that the other one now hates them. Love me some good old miscommunication🤌).

This one is a bit more self-indulgent but I would also love it if Tav specifically self-isolates while trying to process all of the emotions and wants to hide their own feelings away even from themselves.

just a short and sweet one :)) thank you for your lovely words and for your very cute prompt. i hope you like it!!

SFW

read it on ao3

~~~

"Rolan. It's fine, trust me. I think I can manage. I do actually do magic, believe it or not."

"Just because you can do magic doesn't mean you're good at it."

Tav flinches at Rolan's harsh words as if he's punched her. It's not the first time someone's insinuated that she's bad at magic. People have always assumed that because she's a sorceress she never bothered to try and learn magic 'properly'. It's always used to hurt, when she was younger, but gradually as she's gotten older it's lost it's sting. She knows her own worth, her own abilities.

She's never heard it from someone she cares about.

She's never heard it from Rolan.

It feels like he's stuck a knife in the gut. It feels like he's gone straight for her jugular on purpose to hurt her as much as possible. She pushes down the urge to cry and raises her voice at him instead.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? What, you think you're better than me?"

He scoffs, "of course I'm better than you, I've spent years studying, but what I mean is-"

"Fuck you! Just because you've studied doesn't mean you're superior! How many times have I saved your sorry ass? And you're gonna stand there and tell me you're better than me?!"

It's a low blow and she knows it, but she's so angry she can't find it in herself to care. She wants to hurt him the way he's hurt her, wants to lash out and defend herself and push him away so he doesn't hurt her again.

His eyes narrow, his voice raises, "what the fuck?! What's wrong with you?!"

"Fuck you!" Her voice cracks as she shouts at him, and she turns and storms off, racing out of the room before he can say anything else. She thinks she might hear him call her name, but if he does she can't hear it over the pounding of her heart in your ears.

She barges into the nearest cupboard she crosses paths with, slamming the door behind her and casting an arcane lock. And then she falls to her knees and sobs.

How fucking dare he? How fucking dare he say something like that to her. How dare he act like they haven't shared their hearts and their beds and their lives for the better part of the last 6 months. How dare he tell her he loves her and then tell her she's useless.

She's not upset. She's angry. She's not even sure why she's crying because she's not upset. It doesn't upset her. It makes her mad. She's not hurt.

Why would it hurt? She knows it's not true.

...

Except for the fact that deep down she believes him. Believes that she's not good enough. That no matter how much she studies and pores over texts and practices she'll never be as good as she wants to be. She'll never be as good as him.

He's right, because of course he is. He's better than her.

She sobs harder.

For the first time since they told each other they had feelings for one another, she sleeps in her own room. He doesn't come to find her.

~~~

It's three days before she has to see his face again. She'd been hoping to keep avoiding him for a bit longer, hide herself in her room so she could pretend her feelings don't exist, but eventually hunger wins out and she goes the kitchen to eat.

He finds her there that morning, rooting through the cupboards.

"Tav?" His voice behind her makes her whole body tense. She doesn't turn. "Can we talk?"

"What's there to talk about? I think you made it abundantly clear how you feel."

He lets out an exasperated sigh, "Tav, I didn't- I think you- I think possibly you misunderstood me."

A bitter laugh forces its way out of her chest. "Yes, sorry, please go ahead. I'm sure there's plenty of other meanings for 'you're not good at magic', though evidently I'm too stupid to have picked up on them."

"For Gods- Tav that's not what-"

"Not what you meant?" She whips around to face him. "Of course it is. You think you're better than me. You think I'm useless. And you think that I think I'm Mystra's gift to magic-users because I was born with magic. Guess what, Rolan! I don't! I fucking hate myself! So thank you for making it abundantly clear that you hate me too."

She's pretty sure most of what she said has nothing to do with the argument they're having, now that she thinks about it, but it's too late.

"Tav will you please just-"

"No, Rolan! No I won't. Because you fucking hurt my feelings and I don't want to fucking look at you right now."

As she storms past him to leave the room, she catches a glimpse of his tail, coiled tightly around his own leg, and she feels a stab of guilt.

~~~

The knock on her door later than night isn't entirely unexpected, though it is completely unwelcome.

"Go away, Rolan. I don't want to talk to you."

"It's me, Tav." It's Cal's voice, not Rolan's. "Can I come in? I brought you food."

"... Is he with you?"

He sighs. "No. He wanted to come, but I said no."

She pauses in front of the door. She likes Cal. She believes him.

She opens it. True to his word, Cal is alone, and he's holding a tray with a plate and glass of water on it. It looks like it's Lasagna, and it smells fucking delightful.

"... Can I come in?"

She sighs, and steps back to open the door wider.

He walks past and places the tray down on her bedside cabinet, and as she closes the door he perches on her bed.

"Go on then, give me the lecture."

He laughs, "Gods, Tav, I know Rolan's my brother but that doesn't mean we're the same. I just want to know what's going on."

She huffs. "He was rude to me."

He snorts, and when she glares at him he makes a big show of steeling himself, pulling a neutral face. "What?! Rolan?! Rude?! It can't be!"

There's a long pause while they stare at each other, before they both they both burst out laughing. It's stupid, that she's so angry at him but laughing about it anyway. Cal just has that effect on people.

She sighs. "I don't even remember what we were talking about anymore, but he turned around and basically said that I'm bad at magic."

Cal frowns. "Hm."

"What?"

"Nothing just," he shakes his head, chuckling lightly, "I don't understand why he'd say that, considering he's pretty much constantly singing your praises."

She frowns, "what do you mean?"

"I mean that after you saved Lia and I from Moonrise, when he finally realised he didn't hate you, he admitted he was jealous of you. He said your magic was beautiful and that you were powerful and disciplined. He said you could do with some practice, that you maybe needed some tutoring, but that he could tell you were a sorcerer from the moment he met you. He said he could feel the weave in you, that's how strong you are. That was actually when Lia and I started placing bets on when he'd realise he had feelings for you, because he wouldn't shut up about how great you were, and he didn't for months. So, not to call you a liar, but I struggle to believe he'd say that to you, because he definitely doesn't think it."

She doesn't know what to say to that, so she just stands there staring at him with her mouth hanging open. Eventually he sighs.

"Look, Tav. Rolan is an asshole, without a doubt. But consistently, since you saved us all in the shadow-lands, you're the one person he tries not to be an asshole to. I really think you should talk to him."

The pause is long, but eventually she sighs. She knows he's right, really.

"...Thanks, Cal. Really."

He smiles, "it's fine, honestly. I once went 2 weeks without speaking to him because he told me I swing my sword like I'm constipated."

She barks out a laugh at that, and they're cackling together again.

~~~

She steels herself; takes a few long, deep breaths and rolls her shoulders in hopes of easing the tension. Before she can decide otherwise, she's knocking on Rolan's door.

There's some muffled shuffling behind it, she hears him muttering something to himself, and after what feels like an age the door swings open.

"Tav?" He looks shocked, which makes her feel bad.

"... Can I come in?"

His eyes go soft, "of course you can."

Being back in his space makes her want to cry. She's missed him so much.

"Tav, I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

"No. Let me go first, please?"

He pauses. Nods.

She takes a deep breath. "You really did hurt my feelings when you said that I wasn't good at magic. But in hindsight I think I mostly hurt my own feelings. You're amazing and I spent however long travelling with Gale and I grew up around wizards and I've never felt good enough. As soon as you said I wasn't good it was like I was a kid again, trying to prove that I was worth something. But I worked really hard, I studied, even if it wasn't a proper wizard education. And even if you're better than me, I think I deserve your respect."

Rolan sighs, steps forwards and takes he hands. "Tav. I never said you were bad."

Her face screws up. He's really going to stand there and deny it?

"Yes, you did, you said-"

"I said 'just because you can do magic doesn't mean you're good at it'. I didn't say 'just because you can do magic doesn't mean that you're good at it. I didn't mean you. I meant it generally. Like, there are lots of people who aren't good at magic."

Her mouth drops open.

Oh.

"Oh."

He laughs, "upon reflection, I probably could've chosen my wording better, but I didn't know about- I didn't know you struggled with it. I always assumed you were super confident and realised how strong you are. You're brilliant at magic, Tav. I might be more practiced, but you're far more powerful."

She's crying, she knows she is, but she feels so stupid. He wraps her up in his arms.

"I didn't- I thought-"

"I'm so sorry, Tav. I really didn't mean it like that at all. You're spectacular. You inspire me. I didn't even fully realise how it sounded until after you left."

"No," She sniffles, looking up at him, "I'm sorry. You tried to explain and I wouldn't even listen. I was too busy wallowing. I thought you looked down on me."

He brings a hand up to her cheek, wipes away her tears, and presses a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Tav, you've saved me enough times to leave me eternally in your debt, and yet asked nothing in return. Not only are you strong, you're selfless. How could I ever look down on you?"

She doesn't answer. She buries her face in his chest and tightens her arms around his waist. His tail curls around her wrist and he holds her against him by her shoulders. When he speaks, he whispers into her hair.

"I'm sorry I didn't explain it properly. I was scared. I thought I'd messed everything up. I thought I'd lost you."

"Never."

He laughs, and she realises he's crying now because she can hear how wet it is. "Gods, I hope not."

They hold each other like that until they feel whole again.

~~~

#bg3 #bg3 fanfiction #bg3 fic #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 fanfic #bg3 fluff #bg3 rolan #bg3 fanfic prompt #bg3 requests #bg3 angst #bg3 tav #rolan #rolan bg3

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specialagentlokitty · 3 months

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Negan x reader - people can change

Part 7:

A/N: italics will be sign language

Negan looked at the woman who had spoken to him, she offered him a warm smile before she went back to eating.

“Why doesn’t Ghost train anybody?”

The woman sighed a little, gesturing for him to eat his food.

“Eat first, we have plenty of time to talk after.”

Negan nodded his head, they finished eating and he stood up, helping the lady up and take the tray back to the counter.

“What’s your name?” She asked.

“Negan. What’s yours?”

“Marie.” She smiled.

Marie placed her hand on his arm, and he looked at her but didn’t say anything about it, he just let her decide where they going to go.

She left him over a few bridges, to another cabin and sat down on a chair out the front so he did the same thing.

“You know ghost wasn’t our only leader, when all this started there were camp instructors, a large group of delinquents, a few families.”

“How did you all get here?”

“The dead came from the trees, the instructors panicked and left us all here to fend for ourselves, it was absolute chaos. Then there was Rosco, a leader, and ghost. His second in command. Rosco passed of old age a few years after this started.”

Negan furrowed his brows, and Marie pointed behind him so he turned around.

It was you, standing on the roof of your cabin, your back to them as you just stared out on to the lake.

“When Ghost became the leader, things changed for us for the better, she found more people, farmers, builders, cooks, letting people chose whatever jobs they wanted and were best at. Rosco just thought about survival, that’s it. Ghost thought about actually living.”

Negan kept his gaze fixed on you.

“She taught us all how to defend ourselves. There was three commanders you know, not just two.”

Negan turned to Marie.

“Three?”

“Yes. Echo, Zero and Oris. Oris was the third in command after the other two, he was a young gentleman, respectful and showed a lot of promise, but he struggled in training. Ghost decided to train Oris herself, ensure he could do what it took to keep himself safe.”

“What happened?”

“Well, it turned out Oris was sick, we’re not sure what but he said it ran in the family. To keep him safe Ghost had him assigned to the community, he wasn’t to leave. He wasn’t able to train anymore and he wasn’t ready to go outside and fight.”

Marie sighed a little bit, looking down at the table.

“She carried on training him though, just like always, but… but something went wrong. While training there was a gunshot from nearby, Oris faltered, and she couldn’t hold off her advance, he couldn’t block it, she severed an artery.”

Marie took a deep breath, looking back up at Negan.

“Oris died on the roof of that cabin, she refuses to replace it, so you can still see his blood. She blames herself, despite the fact it was an accident. She’s refused to train anybody since that day, she assigns instructors to train new people.”

“But it was an accident.”

“Taking a life is never easy Negan. Especially not one of somebody you held close to your heart. It’s why she won’t train anybody. Ghost will never get over that night.”

Negan nodded his head and he stood up.

“Thanks.”

He wonder around as the night drew closer, thinking about what Marie had told him.

He had never really considered the thought that a community like this which was isolated for so long would have gone through things as well.

Scouts began to like the torches along the bridges, and he made his way back to his cabin for the night, thinking about what he wanted to do.

He didn’t have any work to do the next day, she he walked past the children’s training school, watching as they were taught how to hold wooden swords.

“It’s just to get them used to them so they aren’t scared.” Adam said.

Negan nodded his head.

“Boss sent me to let you know if you wanted to be trained then I can do it, but it’s up to you, you don’t have to, we don’t force anybody into being trained. Just the basics such as moving around and basic sword handling. Everything else is more intense.”

“Yeah, yeah I still want to learn. Do you know where Ghost is?”

Adam shook his head.

“Not on site right now.”

You were busy for the next few days, the only time people saw you was when you were passing through to collect papers.

You kept to the roofs of the buildings so you could come and go quickly and quietly, and just as Negan went to speak to you you would be gone.

So, he began his training with Adam, simple training for starters.

How to wield a sword like Lakeshore did, how to make sure it never fell from his grip and simple blocking techniques.

He wasn’t allowed to carry a weapon, but he was allowed a practice sword whenever he wanted it, so he kept it on him.

The children loved to come and try charge him when he wasn’t paying attention, and they liked to spar with him as well, along with a few others who were still just learning.

He was starting to feel like this was his community, a place for him, even when the refugees from the others came for safety.

“Hey kid.” Negan smiled.

Judith looked up at him, and she grinned a little bit.

“I thought they would’ve kicked your ass by now.”

“Language Miss Grimes. I’ll have you know I’m doing good here, even got my own job.”

“Yeah? What is it? Annoying people?”

He chuckled a little bit, helping her sit down on some crates and he sat down on the one next to her.

“No, repair man. Even training too.”

“Why?”

“Ghost said it was my choice, thought why not.”

“Where is she? I wanted to show her something.”

Negan shrugged a little, patting her shoulder and he stood up.

“Sorry kid, no idea. Hasn’t been around much recently, maybe ask one of the others.”

Negan went back to his cabin, setting his tool belt and sword down on the table, sitting on the chair with a heavy sigh.

Taking the papers that were left for him he looked through them, grabbing the pencil he was given so he could work.

You knew that the people had arrived safely to the community, and you stood I front of Cole and Luke on the road and they turned to each other.

We need to do something.

You gestured back towards Lakeshore and they followed you to the border, jumping over the ditch that you had dug out.

Once across you turned to them.

“This is not Lakeshores battle Cole, you know that. I am not willing to lose my people for a fight that isn’t our own.”

“Come on boss, I heard it myself, he’s going to kill them all.”

“Then we defend the ones we have here, it’s as simple as that. It is not our job to fight everybodies battles for them.”

You made your way a card is the lake and they followed.

“The scouts want to help.”

“I haven’t given the order, they are to stick to what they’ve been told to do. That’s all, nothing more.”

“Why can’t we help? You’ve helped people before!” Luke snapped.

He walked around and stood in front of you, taking his mask off and he set it aside.

People crowded around, going silent as they watched, and Negan opened the door to his cabin to see what was going on just outside it.

“You’ve gone out of your way to help people before, why can’t you do that now?” He asked.

“Because that never involved fighting in an Al our war with a horde of the dead and people that walk among them. If we do this it puts a target on our backs.”

“So does just sitting here. I don’t think they’ll stop at those communities Ghost, I really don’t.” Cole sighed.

“I have made my choice, that’s final.”

“Your choice is bullshit!” Luke hissed.

You looked at him.

“I have never questioned your before, I respect you and the choices you make. You know that. But this is bullshit, they need our help.”

“And I need my people to be alive.”

“You won’t even consider it!”

“The choice has been made. That’s enough.”

You barged past him.

“You’re a coward, you hide us away here because it’s easier, we could do so much more and you won’t let us.”

You stopped, turning around and you drew your sword and he did the same thing.

“You think this is easy? Having all of these lives under my belt? Having to make the right choices that come at a cost you don’t know at the time. I do what I do for these people, I sacrifice what I do for these people, Lakeshore is my priority. If you want to change that then kill me, take my place, the orders then fall on your head, but you have to know it won’t come easy.”

Negan stepped out, standing between you both, holding up his hands.

“Come on guys, that’s enough, you’re not going to get anywhere and neither of you his going to kill the other. So let’s put our junk away and just walk away.”

You put lowered your sword, running your hand along the blade to put the flames out before you sheathed it.

“This is not a choice I make lightly you two, I know what will happen by doing this, but I will not send you to die.”

“Then you’re just as bad as them.” Luke snapped.

He stormed away and you went in the opposite direction, making your way to a dead end in the pier and you sat down.

Taking your mask off you ran a hand down your face, taking a deep breath as you closed your eyes.

“You don’t have to help if you don’t want to…” Judith said quietly.

“This is your home we’re talking about, doesn’t it make you angry I won’t help?”

Judith shrugged a little, sitting next to you.

“You’re helping us stay safe, we can’t force you into helping.”

“You’re a good kid.”

“Ghost?”

You turned to look at her.

“I know it can be hard running a community, especially on your own. My mom did the same thing for a long time, so did my aunt Maggie. They just wanted to keep the people safe.”

You nodded your head, gesturing with your head towards the cabin.

“Go on, it gets cold at night.”

She frowned a little bit left you alone, and you carried on staring at the water, looking at the reflection of the moon and the stars.

After a few hours of sitting in thought, you got up, making your way to the hall with your mask in your hand and you set it down, leaning over the table.

Grabbing a pencil, you began to draw on the map along the markers they had already placed there.

You weren’t sure how long you had left until they reached Oceanside, and you knew the other survivors would be coming up with a plan.

Walking over to a box you dug through some papers and pulled them out, writing some numbers down on the map at the side so you could erase them after.

“I see I’m not the only one awake.”

“Stop.”

Negan stopped walking, and he noticed your mask laying at the side of the table, but your hood was still up.

“Why’re you here?”

“No reason, just wanted to talk.”

Picking up your mask, you turned around and put it on, then you turned to face him, gesturing for him to come sit down at the table with you.

“Tell me Negan, what’s your stance on this? Do you think we should assist?”

“Honestly if I had to decide, let the fuckers get what’s coming to them.”

“You hold a strong hatred for them, I understand. However, I don’t want you to think of the leader of the saviours, I want you to think as part of community.”

Negan looked at you.

“Why do you wear the mask all the time?”

“Answer my question and perhaps I’ll answer yours.”

“Alright, fine. I’ve heard people talking, a lot of them want to help and are ready to fight. Whether you tell them not too they’ll most likely still go, you can’t control that, they’re not scared of you.”

You hummed a little.

“Do you think that’s the only way to lead?”

“Got me pretty far.”

“Got you locked in a cell with a scar across your throat and on your hand because you were betrayed.”

“Ah, shit happens. I know I had the balls to do what had to be done.”

You stood up again, going back to your work and Negan watched you.

“People do not respect a leader they fear Negan, they simply just fall in line because of fear, it means they’ll revolt when they see a chance.”

“So, how do you lead then?”

“I do what I have to do, I give my people a choice where I can, let them decide what to do. I lead through my community. They are the most important people. A good leader knows their people are well before resting, their people are fed before eating. But I can’t justify sending my community to die.”

He nodded his head, leaning back in his chair.

“Yet here you are making damn battle plans.”

“Leading a community isn’t easy, I need to think of my peoples safety, and when I took this role I knew that. I knew the weight of these lives would rest on my shoulders.”

You flicked through a few more papers, setting some aside.

“Why’re you talking to me about this and not your people?”

“Simple, you have history with them, we don’t. You will offer honest truth. People may not like what you have to say, but you’re honest.”

“You’ve already made up your mind, you did before I even stepped foot in here.”

You lowered the papers, resting your hands on the table, your eyes connecting with his, and he could only make out the faintest (E/C) under the mask.

“I will not force them to fight, it is their choice, but they should have a plan in place.”

“Are you gonna fight?”

“I have to, for my people, with them. You have the same choice as everybody else, fight, don’t fight, that’s up to you.”

“You gonna answer my question now?”

You sighed.

“We wear the masks to hide ourselves, so we can’t be remembered if we’re ever seen.”

“But why do you wear the mask all the time?”

“I’m shamed of the face that I see when I take it off, because it reminds me of things I would much rather forget, and when I die, I’ll become nothing more than a faceless ghost.”

“Well shit, that got dark fast.”

“You asked I answered and that’s the truth.”

“I respect the hell out of that, but ghost?”

You stopped what you were doing to look at him.

“We’ve all done shit we ain’t proud of, hiding your face ain’t gonna change that. You’re still gonna wake up every day ashamed of who you are.”

“Are you?”

“Yeah, yeah I am. I’ve done shit I ain’t proud of, but I survived. That’s what we do, we survive.”

You studied Negan for a moment.

“Tomorrow at sunrise, if you’re not there you won’t get another chance.”

With that, you took some papers and left, vanishing down the quiet streets of Lakeshore while he had to figure out where you wanted him to go

#the walking dead #the walking dead x y/n #the walking dead x you #the walking dead x reader #the walking dead imagine #twd #twd x y/n #twd x you #twd x reader #twd imagine #Negan smith #Negan smith x reader #Negan smith x you #negan smith x y/n #Negan smith imagine

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akariamai · 22 days

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Romeo & Juliet [Part 2]

Pairing: Jacob Black x OC!Swan

Word Count: 1616

Part 1 Part 3

Author's Note I changed a few things to better fit the story. Jacob will be a year younger than Bella. Bella's friends are semi-different than how they are portrayed in the books/movies. Sam and Leah were never in a relationship. Imprinting on children is not a thing. Hope you enjoy the story and sorry it took so long to write the second part of this.

~~~

Sloan and her sister used to be best friends. They were two peas in a pod, but ever since the move to Forks, her strange fascination with the Cullen boy, and the start of her relationship with Edward, their relationship has dwindled.

Bella became more distant and secretive. Sloan understood that a relationship meant change and less time for the two of them, but she didn’t think the relationship would take priority over everything. Bella was in love, that was certain, but she left no time for friends or family. Edward was her world. There was no place for anyone else. Not their dad, their mother, Sloan, or even herself.

Sloan did miss the relationship they used to have. Tranquil car rides to school, mindless arguments over their favorite classic literature, and the late-night talks they used to have. Sloan never realized how meaningful those things used to be until they were gone. It all went away as soon as Edward came into their lives.

Their eighteenth birthday came and went, and Bella was more frantic than ever. The reason? Sloan had no clue. Sloan didn’t know much about Bella these days. She does know Bella was quiet after her birthday party at the Cullen’s house. Something happened, and whatever it was rocked Bella. The days that followed were marked by an absence of the Cullen family, and it barely went unnoticed by everyone except Bella. Bella felt lost without them, but most importantly Edward. Unfortunately for Sloan and her father, they would both come to realize the extent of Bella’s dependence of the Cullens.

Sloan tried to be empathetic towards her sister. She had never been through a breakup herself, but normal heartache does not leave a person lifeless and empty. She had imagined how their first heartbreak would entail, watching sappy romance movies and eating ridiculous amounts of ice cream, it was nothing like this. She had never imagined a boy would leave her sister like a lifeless doll.

Bella would mindlessly stare out her window, day in and day out, as if waiting for Edward to save her from her isolation. It was a lost cause, however, as he and his family moved away and Bella was left with the memories of what once was.

Every night in the Swan’s residence is plagued with the screams of her sister. A good night’s rest was a luxury now and both Sloan and her father felt the effects of the lack of sleep.

“Bella.” Sloan began as she found her sister in the same place as when she left her. “Do you want to go hang out with our friends? We’re going to La Push again. They miss you.” Bella had completely shut down after the breakup. She resembled a lifeless doll waiting for a child to find it and play with it. She spent her days waiting for Edward to come back.

“I miss him.” Her voice was barely a croak. Her lips bleeding slightly as she had not drank the water Sloan had left on her desk.

Sloan sighed. Edward was not worth this. “This isn’t normal, Bella. You need help.” She’ll need to bring up therapy to her father. Bella couldn’t keep living this this. Maybe a change a scenery would be helpful as well.

“I need him.”

“No you don’t.” Bella liked to believe in soulmates. It was a frequent topic of arguments between the two. She believes there is one person for everyone and finding that person is magical and sacred. Sloan should’ve known that Bella would’ve considered Edward as hers.

Sloan didn’t believe in soulmates. The idea that out of thousands of people there is only one that is just right. That seems implausible. “Are you sure you don’t want to go?” Bella stayed silent. Sloan walked out of Bella’s room silently, closing the door on her way out.

~~~

“How’s Bella?” Mike asked as they unloaded the cooler filled with refreshments. Eric and Jessica went ahead and found a respectable spot, while Angela went to snap a few pictures of the ocean waves.

“Not good.” Sloan mentions. “I don’t think staying in Forks is helping either. Maybe there’s too many memories of him.”

“He really messed her up, didn’t he?” Mike has never seen anyone take a breakup as hard as Bella. He had seen tears split over the loss of a relationship or an occasional screaming match between old lovers, but never something like that.

It made him reevaluate the relationship between Bella and Edward. They were too attached. Too obsessed with each other.

He remembered a conversation he’d had with Bella when her newfound relationship became public. He warned her about the way Edward watched her, as if he were a lion eyeing his prey. It may have come off as disdain. He had liked Bella before Edward dug his claws into her, and maybe the disdain part was true to some extent, but Bella had to know the way Edward stalked her when she wasn’t looking. If only he had voiced his observations more.

Sloan nodded. She really needed to have a conversation with her father. Bella needs help that they are not qualified to give. Mike and Sloan went silent as they carried the cooler to the beach. Jessica and Eric had placed the inflatable pools in a half circle. All three of the inflatable pools were heart-shaped. Angela thought it would be a better idea than bringing a beach blanket.

They watched the waves crash onto the beach as they spoke about their aspirations for the future. High school was coming to an end. Much faster than any of them had anticipated. There was a whole world outside of their small town. Were they ready? Were they prepared? They had no clue, but they’ll take it one step at a time.

The group of friends didn’t see the sulking boy wander closer towards them. The conversation ended abruptly as a familiar name was called out: “Sloan?”

They all turned to the boy. “Jacob?” Sloan hadn’t spoken to Jacob since he and his father came to watch the game with her dad. They were both busy with friends and school. They hadn’t found time for each other. “Are you okay?”

“Not really.” He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his shorts.

“Do you want to join?” Sloan offered, “We were just about to crack open a few soda cans and talk about our deepest, darkest secrets.”

The others laughed, and even Jacob cracked a smile. “I don’t want to impose.”

“Not imposing if you’re invited.” Mike chimed in.

“Come on.” Sloan motioned for Jacob to join her. “We brought extra, and it would be rude if you didn’t help us finish our snacks.”

Jacob joined her awkwardly, snacking on the chocolate-covered strawberry Sloan offered him.

“We were just talking about summer plans. Do you have anything planned yet?” Summer was months away, and their graduation was on the horizon. They wanted to do something memorable and fun.

“Not yet.” He admitted. He would probably do the same things as always. Hang out with Embry and Quil, and take care of his father.

“We were thinking about planning a road trip after graduation.” Angela said, “Would you like to join? We wouldn’t want Sloan to be the fifth wheel.”

Jacob was taken aback by the invitation. They didn’t know him on a personal level, and yet they were so kind to him. It might’ve had something to do with him being friends with Sloan.

“Yeah, you should come, man.” Eric said.

“It’ll be fun.” Jessica replied.

Jacob didn’t know what to say. “I don’t know. Maybe?” He needed time to think.

“When we come up with a game plan, we’ll let you know, and then you can decide.” Sloan placed her hand on his shoulder. “There’s no rush.”

Jacob nodded before the conversation shifted once again. Sloan’s friends were nice. They made him feel welcomed. They included him in their conversations, even when he had little to say.

As the day turned to night, the group of friends plus one started packing their things. “See you at school, Sloan.” Jessica waved goodbye as she entered Mike’s car. “It was nice meeting you, Jacob.”

Jacob nodded. “You too.”

“Let me know when you make it back home, Sloan.” Mike said.

“I will.” She replied as she and Jacob entered her car. They watched as her friends drove off.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She interjected.

Jacob began, “I have this friend—well, I had a friend—Sam, and he disappeared for a while. He didn’t tell anyone where he was going. He didn’t call anyone to tell us if he was okay. He came back today, and it was like he was a complete stranger. I could barely recognize him.”

“We’ve known each other all our lives, and he changed so suddenly. He said it would be best if we weren’t friends anymore. That it was 'safer' for me to stay away. What does that mean? Is he in trouble? I want to be there for him. Why doesn’t he want me to be there for him?”

“Jacob,” Sloan said, reaching for his hand and gently rubbing it. “Sometimes people want to get through their problems alone. It has nothing to do with you, but more with him. Maybe he feels like a burden and doesn’t want to pile his problems on you. Maybe he needs to take some time for himself—find himself. Maybe one day he’ll explain everything once the dust settles.”

“I just want to be there for my friend.” He says, “I never thought we would go on without each other.”

Masterlist

#jacob black #twilight angela #twilight eric #the twilight saga #twilight saga #original character #oc!swan #twilight mike #twilight jessica #jacob black x reader #twilight bella #bella swan #edward cullen #twilight edward #twilight fanfiction #Twilight fanfic #twilight oneshot

22 notes · View notes

kyokikia · 5 months

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Im curious, do people even write for uta? Do people like uta at all?? If you cant tell, she's my favorite female character! I dont see anyone talking about her 😭😭

i might write for her if someone requests it (when requests are back open) but she might be the only one piece female i would ever write for so, sorry for that

Has anyone else on here watched film red? I wanna talk about it with someone because its one of my favorite movies, currently listening to new genesis as i speak (ado's singing was HEAVENLY in the movie)

Ado's singing is so heavenly, and she honestly captured the supposed greatness of uta's voice PERFECTLY. I watched the movie in sub so i couldnt hear amalee dubbing uts, but honestly, i listened to amalee's covers of the songs, and i think the dub watchers were robbed from hearing amalee's covers. She covered all the songs PERFECTLY! She did the spell part of tot musica perfectly aswell and i adore Amalee's and Ado's works so much!

SPOILERS UNDER KEEP READING FOR ONE PIECE: FILM RED

I think she's a little crazy but i love her a lot, what she did in the movie is honestly justifiable. I love her design so much, i wanna cosplay her but i got my bills to pay 😭 i'll do it once i get extra money tho, anyway, i feel so bad for her because for years she thought that shanks had abandoned her but turns out she was manipulated into singing tot musica by the people of Elegia 😭 i feel so bad knowing on how much she probably blamed herself for what happened but it wasnt her fault at all

Shanks is so selfless i swear, the way he just chose to take the blame instead so uta wouldn't blame herself and so she could make other people happy with her voice aswell 😭♥️

Watching uta descend into madness, as her mental health and physical state reach its absolute lowest was so heartbreaking (but the movie was so cool to watch!)

As you probably know, the wakeshrooms cause the person who eats them to stay awake until they die, and makes them more aggravated and brings out their negative emotions more, so i can see why she became more deranged as the movie went on. i feel so bad for her she deserves better 😭 i see why she was driven into madness after meeting shanks after all those years

Being kept on that island for so many years mustve been so depressing, so she was in a bad mental state most of her life. Kept alone, isolated with the entire world other than Gordon, not knowing anything going on in the world is so sad

I can see why she hates pirates so much, seeing as she cares so much about her fans (that she would trap them in the sing sing world just so they wouldnt have to deal with pirates anymore and for a 'new era' which she had good intentions with, but honestly it wasnt that great of an idea) she had the idea that all pirates were bad, and seeing all her fans sending her video mail about it probably amplified her hatred.

I took notice on how by the time uta had to sing tot musica, she was in her absolute worst mental and physical state, some of the words were linked together some words were messed up, i think ado captured on how much of a terrible state uta was in by the time she was forced to sing the song perfectly, i adore ado's singing in film red so much

I might've misunderstood uta honestly, i might've done her wrong in this post, i also realize this entire post is a rant but oh well i honestly just wanted to talk about her, anyone wanna tell me their thoughts on film red?

#uta x reader #uta film red #one piece #one piece x reader #one piece rant #kyokikia #uta one piece #op x reader #uta #ado #one piece film red #one piece imagine #one piece x you #one piece fluff #amalee

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finedinereception · 7 months

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the married wizards au has been rotating in my head the past few days…what their first meeting like as Ice King and Magic Princess…does MQ bring home gifts and souvenirs for her 53 penguin children, does any random ever go into a dungeon or a tomb and just find a Archeologist witch carrying a penguin in bjorn…..what do the Wizards in Wizard City think of Magic Queen calling herself Magic Queen, does that imply she’s their ruler??? Man, thank you for coming up with this idea. It’s so good.

aw thank you for the kind words! 💕 these are some fun questions!

their first meeting

magic princess preferred to travel on foot, or at least fly. she could just teleport herself places, but that takes the fun out of exploration for her, and its easy to miss things when youre just zapping around, yknow? that does mean she needs to make rest stops, though, and one of those stops brings her to the ice kingdom one day. shes surprised to find out a cave she was planning to rest in was already a home (albeit a terribly furnished one) occupied by the ice king

ice king, of course, is excited. a princess has just strolled into his home, and shes not immediately leaving! shes staying overnight! time to put the moves on. magic princess is a little more wary, at first. its been about 50 years since simon parted ways with betty and marcy, and his isolation has already affected him, though he has yet to develop his violent temper. he just comes off as very… sullen. he swings between being weepy and being happy and excited like nothing happens.

but this is a fine place to stay. magic princess wont be bothered much, and she can just magic up a bed for herself that isnt a solid chunk of ice. she ends up staying longer than planned, and they get to know each other better. ice king just falls more and more in love- mp is actually polite to him. shes smart and witty and funny, and she has a way of explaining things that makes them easier to understand. she figures out where hes at and accomodates him. sure, she could just be trying to be a polite guest, but… its hard not to fall in love with a woman this perfect. not to mention shes beautiful.

magic princess isnt sure why she sticks around so long. she doesnt need this long to rest up, but she feels safe here. sure, the ice king is moody, but hes never mean, and as she gets to see his good moods more, she finds out hes actually a pretty sweet and funny guy, and very creative and enthusiastic. unlike other wizards, hes actually interested in her pre-war research, and he helps her sort through her notes, even if he doesnt really “get” them.

theyre a match made in heaven, and so a few years later they make things official, and magic princess crowns herself as queen of the ice kingdom.

gifts for the penguins/dungeon diving

absolutely. she cant understand them the way ice king can, but he translates for her. she could just magic up whatever they want, but its supposed to be the thought that counts for a gift, so even if its something silly like a smooth rock or whatever, she’ll go out of her way to pick things up for the penguins. gunther asks for the most complex things. hes got a hell of a snow globe and post card collection by this point.

shes brought gunther dungeon diving once, indeed in a carrier. he didnt really enjoy himself thought, so she didnt bring him again, and the other penguins arent really interested. but yes, if a tomb or dungeon hasnt been explored much, chances are youll go inside and find magic queen in there, surrounded by the torched remains of guards and monsters and writing info in her big, messy notepad.

relationship with wizard city

its super mixed. at first, they hated her. like, whos this out of the blue nobody calling herself a magic princess? WAIT, SHES CALLING HERSELF A QUEEN NOW?

by year 100 of betty taking the queen name, though, theyve basically learned to live with it. she doesnt have actual political authority in wizard city, but shes accepted as one of the most powerful wizards to exist in a LONG time, doubled by not just her raw power but her sheer competency with it, and its versatility.

its begrudging, but they respect her strength. they think shes wasting a lot of her time though, both with her pre-war research and her relationship with a goofy guy like ice king. they definitely kiss up and show respect to her face, but they grumble and complain behind her back.

#asks #adventure time #betty grof #simon petrikov #wizard married au

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