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ladyluscinia · 6 months

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Izzy, Bottles, and Apologies

Izzy's arc in S2 has been a wild ride.

The S1 Izzy enjoyers are feeling vindicated as hell, many people are fully revising their opinion of him, and the people still hating him have a new criticism or off the wall theory daily. David Jenkins LOVES Izzy and is having the time of his life trying to make sure everyone else does too. They had Con O'Neill sing in drag!

And naturally I have thoughts.

This is gonna be a two part post, I think. First, as much as people are celebrating Izzy having realized his arc and come into his own - from the singing to the apparent BlackBonnet shipping - there are some threads they could pull on that might reveal more arc to come. And I am really hoping they pull them, so I'm gonna tell you why you should too!

And second, I have some minor points I dislike and concerns that this might be the end of the arc. Which would be disappointing but I think I get why, so I'm gonna discuss that too.

To start...

---

"How are you handling all this so well?"

Here's the thing about S2 Izzy - while I need to be clear his behavior is not OOC or inconsistent with S1, it is happening rather fast. I'm pretty sure that has a lot to do with out of universe reasons I'll get into later, but in-universe it stands out. Now, he's hardly the only one operating on an accelerated schedule - the timeline for this season is an insanely fast not-even-two-weeks - but Izzy's defining struggle in S1 was fear of change. That was the cause of his friction with Edward, and what made him an antagonist in the first place.

In S2 he's gone through a lot of trauma, yes, but that fear is noticeably less present than I would expect.

Izzy in 2x06 has been cleaned up from his sobbing mess phase for just over 48 hours and he faces Edward with a joke, and then that night sings a moving French serenade to the crew. The next morning he's teasing them about finally hooking up and spends the day offering both Stede and Edward relationship advice.

He's a newly realized man... shedding repression and embracing who he could be. Accepting his breakup with Edward and trying to openly support the relationship that's better for him.

It's fun!

It's also, potentially, a bit of a flag. Maybe not a red one, not yet, but... pink-ish? A bit orange?

Let's look a little closer at those frayed edges.

---

"Well, you see, I have a system..."

There's an exchange from right at the start of the Pilot episode that has echoed through the entire series so far:

"Bottle it up?" -> "No, Frenchie! No, that's the worst thing you could do!"

Not talking to other people, not addressing your traumas... that's the kind of shit that just builds and builds inside you. When the cork eventually pops, the resulting damage can be a lot. Look at the finale of S1, where all of Stede's bottled up guilt and insecurities laid waste to his relationship with Edward, and then inadvertently became the first domino in the Kraken.

S2 is quick to bring this scene back into the forefront. The first time we see the Breakup Boat crew talking in 2x01, Frenchie reveals that "Bottle it up?" wasn't just a random comment he made, but a philosophy of his:

"Ah - well, you see, I have a system for dealing with all the terrible things I've seen. There's a box, in my mind, and I put the things in the box, I lock the box, and then I don't open it again. Works like a charm."

Apparently, Frenchie is the only one it actually seems to be working for.

Now, the show has been drawing some interesting lines between Frenchie and Izzy. From both serving as Blackbeard's First Mate to being frequently shown as a duo - tormenting Navy guys together on Sunday's raid, Frenchie holding Izzy's hand, Frenchie leaning on Izzy's leg in the cell, Frenchie behind him raising the flag in 2x05 - it's fitting that Izzy echoes Frenchie's preferred coping method. First he frames the non-acknowledgement of harm from Edward as just... part of piracy. He's a pirate, so he's fine with it.

And then we get Izzy's little whittled shark reveal and the conversation with Lucius about his leg:

"I don't know what you're talking about. Shark did this... dangling my legs over the side of the ship. Served me right, too."

Lucius calls him out on the unhealthy behavior, and Izzy concedes his point:

"O-kay, that seems healthy. Using a bit of fiction to help cover up your trauma." -> "Yeah, well... not moving on is worse. Twatty."

And to give him credit, he's right in his advice to Lucius. Filling his sketchbook with pages and pages of Blackbeard trauma is Lucius's form of bottling it up - thinking in endless recursive circles about his tumble off the ship and everything that followed. We already know chasing revenge instead of living is bad - Jim and Spanish Jackie established it last season, and Pete just echoed them. When Izzy advises Lucius to move on, that's what Lucius does.

But what Izzy is doing with the shark? That's not the same thing at all. He's lost a leg, grazed a bullet off his own head, and was snarling drunken accusations at himself in the mirror... he's not moving on from that. He's bottling it up with a nice dose of self-blame.

Cutting the legs off the unicorn for not doing it's job right and saying "served me right" about his fictional shark? There's a real dark knot of emotions there.

(Recall, too, that Edward deflected his hurt from Stede's abandonment into a "fictional character" during his chats with Lucius, and that delayed the explosion but couldn't stop it.)

So... Izzy's definitely coping with trauma in a way the show does not advise and often circles back to. Can we see any signs in 2x06 and 2x07?

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The Weight of Things Unsaid

At the very start of 2x06, Izzy gets the thing he spent all of 2x05 mentally bracing himself to never hear - an apology from Edward for his leg. He walks up to initiate conversation and begins talking like nothing has changed. Edward is back in his leathers. Appropriate, given that his penance onesie was nothing genuine, just "how long do I have to wear this fucking thing for?" And Izzy is ready for them not to address the obvious hurt, to just smooth over a few jabs and go back to normal... but even Edward's mumbled little "Sorry about your leg" is so significant and difficult he flees as soon as he gets it out, leaving Izzy to sit, incredulous, with the acknowledgement.

It's still almost definitely not enough.

There was so much between them in 2x01 - 2x03. The writers literally did BlackHands love confessions on both sides. An apology from Edward Teach - a man who historically does not apologize - is a huge first step but still only the first step. The real things unsaid are so much bigger than a leg.

We get something else, too... Edward commenting on Izzy's drinking.

"Jesus. Really putting that away, aren't ya?"

Izzy has had booze a lot this season. He lost a leg and pain meds aren't really an option, so not surprising, but notable. Edward, advocating for substance abuse to deal with bad feelings, calls him a lightweight in 2x01. When they are found with the dead seabird in 2x03, Izzy takes a pointed drink from his bottle, and then 2x04 he spends the entire episode completely plastered. He seemingly sobered up for 2x05 - probably to focus on sword training and his whittling project - but now the bottle is back again before Izzy disappears for several hours.

And a little liquid courage might explain his going all in for the Calypso's Birthday performance.

I do appreciate that the performance on it's face is something completely unexpected for Izzy, but when thinking about it... it does make sense.

We already know music and performance were available on Blackbeard's ship even before Stede. Edward learned to play shanties on the piano somewhere, and singing is a common and encouraged part of sailing culture. Izzy's choice of song to perform is something a lot more emotional, but this is probably not his first performance for a crew.

Makeup, too, is in fashion for men and women at this time, and OFMD has shown it as such before. Izzy has never worn fashion makeup, or tried to be beautiful, but the concept wouldn't be alien to him. Wee John's description of a dramatic party look might even have intrigued him specifically because Izzy has actually done "looks" before - of the terrifying "theatre of fear" kind. The Kraken did have his whole crew in makeup for their raids. Taking the opportunity to embody something a bit more vulnerable and try to bring joy to this crew that took care of him is meaningful as fuck.

And it's still a drag performance!

It's a good pair of moments - before and after Ned. Proof that all this isn't just coping method - that's not what I'm arguing here - and even if Izzy's still bottling up a lot of feelings he's not doing the same full pressure bomb thing as he did in S1. There's been growth!

(This is why the flags are only pink-ish / orange-ish right now.)

Episode 2x07 though... I'm not so sure he's doing good as much as pretending it's all good.

Showing up to make his joke in the morning is a fun moment. I especially enjoy Edward's little "fuck off" with no bite to it 🤣🤣🤣 Reminder they do live together on a ship, so this is likely not even close to the first morning-after that Izzy has gotten front row seats to. But, at least to me, there's also a very performative feeling about it. Izzy being very Look how normal I can be about you fucking your boyfriend, Ed - and Edward picks up on it too. That's why he turns to Stede and whispers "He's jealous" as Izzy walks away.

Izzy continues to make jokes and give advice through the day to our main couple, but he's... subdued. I think his fake chill also disguises that he and Edward aren't on the same page about what they discuss at the docks, hence his poor advice to "listen to it" when the "it" in question is Edward's immediate desire to run away from Stede and become a fisherman. They are talking again, but haven't resumed communicating.

I also think it's relevant that Izzy goes to try and support Stede after Edward dumps him, because we're still waiting for Stede to stop bottling things up. He doesn't talk about Badminton or feelings of inadequacy or even the babiest little olive branch to Edward about "hey my dad kinda sucked too." Edward's two exes are sitting in the bar corner together, thinking about all the shit they won't talk to him about until it kills all three of them. Exciting!

The pressure is building. It has to circle back to Stede in S3. I'm hoping at the same time, it circles back to Izzy, too.

Hoping we get to explore some of his anxiety, and his internalizing negative self-image and blame. At the moment, I think Izzy might have less gotten over his anxieties and more just let go of the wheel of his life entirely, and fortunately had people around to steer him in okay directions. It would be really interesting to explore that more.

(Even if I have some concerns they may not.)

---

Subtle as a Cannonball to the Face

Izzy's character arc was always going to be a long journey - not because he was somehow morally worse than everyone else, or required particularly painstaking growth, or even because there was going to be some great need to "hold him accountable" for S1. No, it was going to be a long journey from an antagonist start for the same reason I mentioned earlier: Izzy's core struggle is fear of change.

OFMD opens with two protagonists recklessly pursuing change in ways that harm themselves, their relationships, and others, and a primary onscreen antagonist resisting change in a way that harms himself, his relationships, and others. There's no easy morality here - they all fuck up. And they all require the entire show to actually figure out the correct balance of change and growth and facing the past.

"I think the three of them are on an arc together that's pretty inseparable." - David Jenkins (Source, 9 Oct 2023)

So... why is there a chance that everything I've mentioned above is going absolutely nowhere and Izzy's arc has been wrapped up with a bow in S2?

Well.

It's late March 2022, the fandom's age is still only countable in weeks, I personally haven't even watched the pilot yet, had only even heard of the show 3 days before... and one of David Jenkins first post-finale statements is telling people to pay attention to Izzy's POV and his and Edward's love story on rewatches (Source, 25 Mar 2022), and then soon after comparing Stede to a homewrecker in Edward and Izzy's toxic marriage (Source, 15 Apr 2022). Lots of links because this stuff was available to the fandom from the start.

By the first half of May 2022 (while poor Mr. Jenkins is still anxiously trying to get his series renewed for S2, since the confirmation won't come until June 1) the takes on Izzy have soured a lot. It's not a "homophobic gay" joke anymore. Now it's "Izzy is the embodiment of colonialism who enforces a racist and homophobic ideal of Blackbeard on Edward" and "pretending Izzy could be canonically gay is homophobic" and "Izzy bought Edward as a slave from the British". Harassing anons have already started on tumblr. No first hand experience with Twitter but I've heard horror stories. These takes are spreading like wildfire through the fandom, with a heavy backing of white fans accepting and spreading anything that sounds vaguely racially-conscious as something they just missed in their privilege and need to listen to POC about. Or listen to other white fans that say they've been listening to POC.

The anchor hoist in 1x09 (that was a complete directing coincidence, as the crew confirmed in late May) is being taken as incontrovertible proof that Izzy is a violent racist, and the relatively small Izzy fandom pushing back against any of these reads is being likened to toxic fangirls declaring Kylo Ren a poor widdle victim because they think violent white guys are so hot their brains fall out. This is happening loudly and in the public forums of social media.

Can you imagine being David Jenkins right then?

This is one of your favorite little guys, who you wrote a silly little homoerotic pirate jealousy arc for. He's kinda cringefail and tends to be a dick, but you cast a guy who you think embodies him with so much sympathy and genuine emotion. You're so excited to explore his direct relationship to the main couple of your series even more. Unfortunately, you and a lot of the cast and crew are also engaging maybe a bit too much in fandom spaces, which very few of you have much familiarity with navigating as creators. AND there's still renewal stress!

If I were him, I too would consider that perhaps my intended Izzy arc was a bit too nuanced and drawn out, and maybe I needed to clear up some misconceptions as soon as I got the opportunity.

Enter S2.

MAX reduced the budget for the season significantly and it shows - particularly in the whole thing having to squeeze into 8 episodes - and I wouldn't be surprised at all if worries over a S3 renewal / S3 budget impacted S2 writing as well. Character arcs got pinched, goals had to be prioritized... and from the looks of the season, "make sure everyone knows Izzy is not a homophobic villain tormenting Edward as fast as possible" came out as a big goal.

I mean they open with a dream sequence that literally mocks the idea of a heroic Stede rescuing Edward from the dastardly Izzy. It's not subtle.

And the lack of subtlety is kind of what's concerning me.

Izzy's arc is (I think) leaving enough threads that they can extend it into S3 with the reveal he's not actually fine and done developing, but they also seem to want his S2 arc to end in a place where maybe he is. Lots of giant signs pointing to him and saying "Look! Everyone likes him!" or "Look! He's also gay!" at the expense of some of his cringefail or dickish charm. My guy had anxiety he dealt with poorly in S1, and I do think they are trying to frontload or adjust the arc so he's basically (or at least seemingly) over that before the next hiatus.

The best way I've seen it described is that the show no longer trusts the audience to pick up what they are putting down, and so they feel the need to really hammer it in. Not necessarily OOC, but definitely de-emphasizing any of his rough edges that were originally just written to not be any worse than the other characters.

This is why Izzy gets shot by Edward in the very first episode for a bunch of complicated reasons that are really good character work and not super hard to discern, but then later they have Izzy point out to Stede why he got shot twice. It's all very "look into the camera and say the themes", because to some degree they are afraid everyone is going to get easily convinced Edward shot him for calling him a namby-pamby that one time.

It makes me worried they are too afraid of misinterpretation to commit to the arc they originally conceived of, even with the finish line in sight in S3.

And, again, I get it, Mr. Jenkins. In October 2022 he made a funny quip and a boner joke on a tweet about Edward's blanket fort and the hordes descended to scream victoriously about how he was cutting down the Izzy stans for their racist infantilization crimes of thinking Izzy would *checks notes* help hold up a blanket. It's a very reasonable conclusion that this fandom cannot read and needs to be spoonfed Izzy's arc.

It just sucks that a toxic section of fandom's misinterpretations appear to have undercut a strong - and, honestly, not that complicated - character arc so much that S2's BlackBonnet arc can be about fuck ups and backsliding, but Izzy needs at least the illusion of having no flaws left come hiatus time.

#our flag means death #ofmd s2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd meta #my meta #izzy hands ofmd #izzy hands #character arcs #ofmd 2x06 #ofmd 2x07 #and here's my associated izzy meta because i love to talk about both my blorbos lol #ladyluscinia #david jenkins

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idcbabyialreadylostmymind · 1 year

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Fire and Water pt.1

Pairing- Ronal x reader

Summary- After a battle with the sky people you ended up on the shore of the Metkayina people passed out, when awakened you did not expect what you found.

Pt.1 Pt.2 Pt.3

A/N- this was a request so all creds to the anon who came up with this they gave me so much stuff so I'll make this into like a 3 part series also pretend that her and Tonowari aren't together anymore also: Texpram Clan info

You were never supposed to be there on the shore of the Metkayina clan, passed out blood leaking from your leg close to bleeding out. But that is what happens when the sky people come.

You are from the Txepram clan you swore to protect your people to protect your home. And that is what you did your dragon, Serci, swiflty she hit her tail on the end of the boat rocking it making all aborad tumble some flipping into the ocean. You grabbed three flaming arrows and lined them all onto your bow, it was balck and red made from the rocks of Txepram, it is sacred made just for you. Pulling the sring back aming at three avatars and let go all peircing right through there heads. You did this as many times as you could, but you were not as lucky as you thought you did not notice the gunman that was shotting at you until he hit your leg, making you fall off of Serci. You swam as fast and far as you could watching as Serci looked for you frantically, setting the boat ablaze with her dragon fire, she let out a distressed screech and before you could call her your eyes felt droopy and soon you passed out.

You were passed out bleeding, drifting farther and farther in the sea, but it was as if Eywa had planned you were lifted from the sea and put onto of an ilu it wasn't long before you were lifted on shore by the someone who rescued you, still passed out he tried to see if you were bleeding and you were. ''Mother.'' The boy screamed out looking at the bullet wound. Soon a tall teal woman emerged an ran to her son. She reached down into the sand next to the injured and examined the bullet wound, ''There is no time to carry her to the hut, Aonung get Tsireya she knows everything I need.'' She explains to the boy who rushes to his sister.

She grabs an abandoned bottom cover on the groud stopping the bleeding, soon a darker blue man rushed to her his family not far behind. ''Ronal what is going on, who is that?'' Jake asked noticing the blood and the strange woman it came from, you had orange and red markings all over you none of which they have ever seen. ''She is of the Txepram Clan they musted of had a battle.'' She awnsered quickly as her daughter finally reached her with her tools. She grabbed a pair of tweezers and dug the bullet out the family around her cringed at the sight.

She soon stopped the bleeding stiching the woman up putting a galze over it and a leaf wrap around it to make sure it is not infected. After the much needed operation Ronal ordered the boys Aonung, Lo'ak, and Neteyam to lie you down in her hut for you to rest. ''So what is the Txepram Clan.'' Jake asked sharing the same look as his family confused. Neytiri heard of them but she doesn't know anything about them. ''Let us talk about it another time I must go make sure that she doesn't die.'' Roanl says making her way back to her hut.

And you healed completly, but you still did not wake. Ronal allowed you to rest there not having anywhere else to put you. But as days went on she noticed you would speak in your sleep nothing really caught her attention most of it was rubbish talk but something slipped through your lips and made her ears perk, ''Do not go to the land of the Metkayina clan.'' you said her transparent eyebrows furrowed, what does that mean, why can you not come here, so may questions ran throughout her mind but she let it go still somewhere in her mind your words were ingraved.

-Present day-

Aonung put the baby down as she fell asleep, he turned his head to you still asleep as you have been for almost a month. He averts his gaze from you and to a boy who had just walked into the pod. ''Hey bro Lo'ak and Kiri are fixing to head out Three brothers island wanna join.'' The boy asked, Aonung looks at you and then the baby both asleep, peaceful. What harm would leaving for 2-3 hours bring? He agreed smiling as him and the other ran to the ilus.

And it wasn't long until the baby woke up, and began to cry noticing it was alone. You face began to move, nose scrunching, ears moving up and down to the sounds of crying, your eyes open and you jump from the cot that you had been sleeping in. You looked around not knowing any of your surrondings. Cut from your thought was the baby. You walked over to it, it was a light baby blue, big blue eyes, nothing like the baby back home.

Meanwhile Ronal was at the beach picking plants that she needed, but then she heard her baby crying. She waited a minute expecting the crying to come to a halt but no. She took a deep breath and looked over where the ilus were supposed to be her sons was gone, she took a deep breath he was so dead when he got home. She rushed to her home and busted throgh the makshift curtians and safe to say she did not expect what she saw. She watched as you picked the baby up and lied her on your chest as you rubbed her back, humming what sounded like a Txepram lullaby. And soon the baby was asleep in your arms, she was astonished to say the least and then her eyes bright blue eyes made contact with yours and it was as if the stars aligned as if you could see right into her soul, you felt you chest tighten as her eyes made you feel small, but somehow you only wanted her to look at you like that more. You breath hitches As you finally connect why you feel this way and then dread seeps into you.

This can't you can't be in love with a Metkayina.

#avatar 2022 #avatar 2 #avatar 2009 #avatar way of water #avatar #awotw #ronal x you #ronal avatar smut #ronal x reader #ronal avatar #ronal #avatar x you #avatar x reader #avatar x y/n

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emillyverse · 1 month

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Some warnings + Chapter 1 Progress!!!!!

HELLO MY LOVELY STARS!!!

You didn't expect to see me updating KoW so soon, did you???

I usually post updates on Saturday or Sunday, but I'll be traveling so I decided to leave the previews today.

In fact, this trip is the warning I have to give. I will be away from my work desk and my materials for a few days (I don't know exactly how many but between one and two weeks), therefore I will not be able to make progress on the Comic during this period.

This is sad I know. But look on the bright side, I'm going to get a lot of rest and return to work with renewed energy!!!

✨YAYYYYYY !!!✨

Anyway, without further ado, let's get to what everyone wants to see:

THE CONTINUATION OF THE OUTLINES OF CHAPTER 1 OF "THE KINGDOM OF WISHES"

( Written by @annymation , design by @uva124 )

Check out part 1 here.

"The two brothers grew up and, with their father's teachings, became powerful sorcerers."

"But when the big day arrived, Florian was crowned king, as Magnus still didn't feel confident and claimed that something was missing in his life; something that gave him strength and courage!"

"It was then that Magnus met Amaya."

"The most beautiful maiden he had ever seen had been found adrift in a boat and taken shelter in the castle by order of King Florian."

"As a form of gratitude for the hospitality, Amaya began to serve the court as a royal alchemist and, as the days went by, she ended up winning Magnus' heart, finally making him feel like he could do...anything".

"Encouraged by his new love, Magnus decided to travel in search of adventure, leaving the kingdom to prosper in Florian's hands."

"But then, a tragedy happened. When Magnus returned to Rosas he discovered that his brother had passed away due to illness. A painful loss for the entire kingdom, which was made worse by Florian not having legitimate heirs"

"Magnus was moved. He could not let the magnificent legacy of his beloved brother and predecessors end like this."

"Feeling confident with Amaya by your side, Magnus took over the throne and changed the way wishes were granted monthly, doing dozens of them a week, making them float back to your Wish Makers, during the night"

The Kingdom was so happy and grateful that they began to name their new rulers with nicknames that reflected their magnificence and passion, thus making them known as King Magnífico and Queen Amable.

"The end".

Sabino: "I admire your taste in complex stories, Asha, but... Hmm...Don't you think this is too complicated for you?"

Asha: "I thought it was a fantasy book, but it's just romance. Yuck!”

Sabino: "Never judge a book by its cover, darling! What you have here is a history book."

Asha: "But he doesn't explain things very well.Where does Queen Amaya come from? And the king's staff?What disease did Florian die from?"

Sabino: "Well, Asha, let's see..."

"First, the queen is very private about her past, we have to respect that."

"Second. That staff is just a souvenir the king got on his travels."

Sabino: "And third. Sometimes bad things just... happen... without explanation."

"And there's nothing we can do about it."

"Unless you move on..."

To be continued...

FORGIVE FOR ENDING WITH AN ANGUISH DRAWING 🥺🥺

BUT DESPITE THAT, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT!

And understood. Remembering that, like Anny, I'm Brazilian, but unlike her, I don't understand English and I'm always using Google translate, so maybe there are some mistakes. But Anny and you are always welcome to point out mistakes and correct me!

That's it for today and until after my little vacation Lmao 😅 I'll still be online to answer any questions or curiosities you may have, or simply to see posts and rewrites in which they mark me. I love interacting with this fun and tight-knit community of Wish Concept Art fans!

Anyway, goodbye!!

Kisses full of light and stars!

~Emy

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missmaywemeetagain · 1 year

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Pink Scarf - Epilogue (Elvis/Austin!Elvis x Reader)

Character/Fandom: Elvis - Elvis (2022)

Requested: kinda

(Read more here--Pink Scarf Series Masterlist!)

Prompt: You are part of Elvis Presley's coveted inner circle, and the currently-disgruntled wife of one of the members of Elvis' famous entourage, the Memphis Mafia. After Elvis' dynamite first performance in Vegas, you find yourself in deep water when his magnetism finally gets to you after all these years. [ Fem!Reader ]

TW: SEX. FLUFF (!!). Cussing. Historical inaccuracies in the Vegas timeline.

Rating: Explicit/Mature (NSFW, 18+, so minors Do NOT Interact) || Word Count: 2.6k

A/N: Oh, lord, here we are. THE END. It seems highly fitting that it all comes to a close on our man's birthday. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELVIS DARLIN') 💗 So here's some tooth-rotting, sexy fluff for you because I love them and I love y'all.

I have heard your requests for a paperback/ebook loud and clear (ahhh, thank you!) and can tell you I am writing bonus material as we speak and working on the process of self-publishing through Amazon. I will warn you that the physical book is gonna be HUGE (my estimate is close to 600 pages with the bonus material added 😂), but that does mean the cost of the physical book will be a little spendy (not outrageous or anything) because of the cost of printing. Just wanted to let you know in advance!

Also, I know in the past that people were interested in me dropping in for a Q & A type thing on Discord or Twitter Spaces to talk about Pink Scarf...is this something y'all are interested in still? (If not, totally okay!) Let me know in the comments if that sounds like something you'd want!

I sincerely hope y'all will stick around for my next projects as I try to get my writing career off the ground. I'm hoping to soon have a website and an Amazon page up and running soonish so you can follow my other works. I'll keep you posted! Y'all are the OG's and the best fans a girl could ask for! 💗

If you so desire, you should now have the ability to tip my blog or different chapters in the story! Of course, no one is obligated to do so! If you do choose to tip, thank you so much! I've never had anyone want to pay for my work before, so this is a big step towards my romance novelist dreams. 💜

Finally, and I can't say this enough, I am so FREAKIN' GRATEFUL for every single one of you babies, honeys, and lil' mamas supporting me out there, YOU ARE EXTRAORDINARY! I didn't in a million years expect this kind of support and response for Pink Scarf, and your reactions, reblogs, messages, asks, and comments you've given me have been a blessing beyond expression. You all are the best community a writer could ask for! Thank you so much for your support and generosity. I am loving getting to know y'all better! I love every single reaction and comment and ask, and I'm sorry if I don't get back to them all as soon as I'd like but know that I love you all and am so excited to be making new friends! And a big "Hey, Y'all!" to our friends from Elvis Twitter, Elvis Discord, and Elvis Instagram--I see and appreciate you coming over to join us! 👀💋

I also want to give a special shout out to my flower, Daisy, @powerofelvis for keeping me sane (relatively lol) and on track throughout this whole process. Thank you for all your encouragement and love (and for listening to me scream into the void), baby! 💜

If you feel so moved, please let me know what you think or how you're feeling (or send me asks)! I know I'm terribly slow at getting to them but I love every single one!

I imagined this with Elvis in mind, but Austin!Elvis works here, too, whatever floats your boat!

Apologies in advance if there are any grammatical errors or TW that I didn't catch.

(I did start cross-posting Pink Scarf to my AO3 account, as well as my NEW Wattpad account. so if you are so inclined, you can check it out/support me over there with kudos and votes and whatnot!)

Graceland, New Year’s Eve, 1969

The mansion you now call home still sparkles with Christmas decorations as you make your way through the throng of friends and visitors, smiling and laughing, sipping on a delicious champagne that you are positive is ridiculously expensive for the way it melts on your tongue. Everyone is rested and in great spirits, as 1969 was a monumentally successful year for Elvis Presley Enterprises and all those involved.

For you, it’s been a monumental year in many ways. You would never have imagined six months ago that by the end of the year you’d be in the midst of divorcing Jack, preparing for your new career as a backup singer, and moving into Graceland with Elvis, who you are wildly, madly in love with.

A whirlwind, to say the least.

Speak of the devil, you feel that telltale rise of goosebumps on your skin, that magical sixth sense you are now so aware of when you know that Elvis is watching you. You turn from your conversation with Joe and his wife Joanie to find Elvis gazing at you from across the living room with a dangerously coy smile playing on his lips and that unmistakable glint in his eyes. The heat of the look sets your body aflame, a flush rising quickly to your cheeks.

Lord in heaven, this man, you think, giving him a furrow of your brow and a disbelieving look back, only this man would be so bold as to want to take me in the middle of a party at his own damn house.

But damn it if he doesn’t even waver, completely uncaring that any of the guests might see the blatantly sexual, heated intensity of his stare. He calls it “that lean and hungry look,” and you cannot help the shiver that cascades down your spine because you know he’s about to eat you alive, party be damned.

And sure enough, he strides across the room as if no one else is here, and saying nothing at all, grabs your hand and yanks you away from your conversation. You briefly catch the look of surprise from Joanie and Joe’s smirk before being whisked away.

“Elvis!” you whisper loudly enough for him to hear you, “We have guests!” You manage to set your champagne flute on a nearby table before doubling your steps to try and keep up with his long strides.

He gives no indication of hearing you, though you know he has. But he is singularly focused, which sends warmth into your core and wetness already pooling in your panties because you know what’s coming.

He surprises you by not even making it up the stairs to the bedroom, instead pulling you into the half bathroom on the lower level. You yelp at the change in direction and then he’s slamming you up against the door while locking it at the same time.

Your yelp quickly turns into a quiet moan because his large hands and luscious mouth are suddenly everywhere, all at once. His lips crush into yours, then burn down your neck, sending fire into your belly, and you can’t help but respond. Your hands fly to his head, raking through his scalp. His hand grips the outside of your bare thigh, hitching it up to his waist, his hand slipping under the hem of your dress.

He rolls his pelvis slowly and deliberately into yours. He’s already rock hard, and the sensation of his bulge pressing into your core through his pants has you groaning a little too loud, considering you have a house full of people. Elvis doesn’t say a word though, he just smirks and places a ring-clad hand over your mouth.

That action alone has you melting into a puddle because you know, you just know how he’s going to take you: quick and dirty.

“You better be quiet, lil’ mama, or ev’ryone’s gonna know I’m fuckin’ ya senseless,” he whispers, his hot breath tickling the shell of your ear. You can smell the musk of arousal on him, the pheromones so strong they are nearly dizzying. He nibbles the lobe of your ear possessively. This action coupled with his words sends sparks showering through you.

You think you might come apart already, and he’s barely touched you.

His brilliant blues are blown black when he draws away. Free hand snaking up your thigh, his fingers first dance over your soaked panties, then dip them underneath the delicate fabric to graze up through your folds and straight to your clit.

Your eyes roll back, his hand muffling the moans that escape your throat involuntarily. He’s so worked up already, he doesn’t tease you long. Two long fingers plunge knuckle deep into your wet heat, the cold edges of his rings making you squirm a little at the intrusion. You begin panting into his hand as he so expertly thrusts and curves them to give you the maximum amount of pleasure as he stretches you out.

This doesn’t last long, though. He’s too far gone and much too needy for foreplay. A deeply primal instinct has taken over the man you love—you can see it written all over his handsome face. And you welcome it, even as you whimper at the loss of his digits when he unceremoniously pulls them out of you. You welcome it as he spins you around, pushing you up against the door. You welcome it gladly as he hikes your dress up to your waist and rips your lacy panties right off your body.

You gasp, hearing the tearing of fabric as your flushed cheek is pressed into the wood of the door, shivering both from the exposure of the air on your bare ass and for what you know is next. Soon after, you hear the clink of his heavy belt and the woosh of his pants as they thump to the floor and then he’s filling you so completely that you are clawing at the door for purchase.

He can’t stop the growl that comes from within when he sinks deep inside you to the hilt, bottoming out quickly. He’s impatient and does not linger, however, instead pulling back and thrusting into you hard, gripping your hips like his life depends on it.

You manage to keep your gasps quiet as he sets a relentless pace. Your entire body tingles, the obscene sounds from your joining sending you hurtling towards the edge of your own release. He knows your body so well, rubbing desperate circles on your clit that, along with the way he’s filling you, already has your legs shaking and abdomen tensing with pleasure.

Neither of you are going to last long. It’s evident as your breathing speeds up and the coil in your belly snaps, causing you to hit your climax hard with a strangled cry. The wave crests fast,and your walls tense and flutter around him. You love how he still can make you see stars, even in these circumstances. His hips stutter, the rhythm faltering, and he follows soon after you with a relieved and gracious groan, pulsing and coating your walls with his arousal.

Heavy breathing is the only sound in the tiny space. Elvis envelops you from behind, wrapping his arms around your waist and burying his face into your hair as he pulls you close. You live for these moments when he’s stripped vulnerable, his love so evident and overflowing, making even a bathroom quickie more like making love than you’d had in over a decade of marriage.

You sigh into him, and he kisses the back of your head. “Sorry about your panties, baby,” he whispers almost bashfully into your ear.

You can’t help but laugh, “At the rate you go through ruining them, you might as well just buy me the whole store, love.”

Elvis pulls out and turns you around, grasping your chin before pulling you into a deep kiss. It has you melting into his arms, but you know you can’t stay there long, not with a house full of people.

The swell of love you feel for this wonderful, talented, charismatic man is incredible. So many years of shared history has made it easy to slip into a comfortable life with him, so much so that you almost forget what your life was like before. It’s not without its challenges, certainly. He is still mercurial, and you still get locked up in your own head sometimes. The both of you are stubborn as hell, especially now that you’ve taken more agency for yourself in this relationship, more than you ever had with Jack.

As you pull apart and clean up, you feel incredibly lucky that things have worked out the way they have, despite so many years of struggles to make your way to each other.

Once put back together (though sure some of your guests will know exactly what was going on in the bathroom), you reach for the door. Elvis stops you.

“I was gonna wait ‘til midnight and make it a big thing, but I just can’t,” he drawls behind you.

“Wait for what?” you ask quizzically, turning around.

You gasp and your heart begins to gallop in your chest as you watch him sink to one knee as best he can in the tiny space. He pulls a little black box from his pocket. You’re afraid your heart might flutter right out of your body at the sight of it.

“You make me a better man, baby. I love you so much it hurts sometimes, and I thank God every day that He put you in my life. I can’t imagine tryin’ to go another day without you by my side. Now, I know it feels real soon, but if we’re honest, it’s been a long time comin’, and I-I-I know you’re still in the middle of the divorce and all, but y/n, would you do me the honor of bein’ my wife?” Elvis asks, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Your heart drops into your stomach. It’s both exhilaration and trepidation all at once, flooding every part of you. Part of you screams with excitement: Of course! Of course! Of course, I’ll be your wife!

But another part is filled with latent fear—fear of being consumed by another marriage so soon, still afraid that this man before you will love you and leave you like the rest. Elvis had said many times over the years that he wasn’t really interested in marriage, and you can’t help but think of that in this moment, as much as you don’t want to.

“Elvis,” you manage to breathe, “I thought…I thought you said you weren’t the ‘marrying kind’? That you didn’t want to be tied down? Are you…are you sure?”

You watch something flash in his eyes for a moment before he looks up at you again. He stands and takes your hands in his. “I-I said that cuz I didn’t think I could ever have you. I knew I couldn’t marry anyone else, wouldn’t be right. You’re the only one I ever truly wanted. I-I-I…you’re my soulmate, y/n. It’s only ever been you, honey,” he says quietly, laying it all out for you, as he pushes an errant strand of your hair behind your ear.

A happy tear trickles down your face. You know he loves you—he tells you every day. But this is so much more than that. You didn’t realize he’d put his entire life on hold for you like this. His soulmate.

As much as it scares you, you know it’s true. He’s right. This inexplicable pull that’s been between the two of you for all this time, the pull you tried so desperately to ignore and forget for so many years, is stronger than anything you’ve ever felt for anyone in your life. Every cell in your body yearns for him, and he feels like home. You fit together perfectly. Now that you’re finally in sync, everything just works.

You cannot ignore the truth that finding your way to each other after all these years feels utterly meant to be. He is there when you need him. He brings out a side of you that you never knew existed—in the bedroom, with your music, your unyielding love for him, even in the hardest moments.

The way he gazes at you now, full of hope and love, makes your knees weak. But part of you is still scared that it’s too soon, that you’ll lose yourself all over again.

Elvis reads your mind, sensing your doubts in that intuitive way of his. “The wedding part doesn’t hafta be right away…I know we gotta wait for the divorce to be final anyway. But whenever you’re ready, whenever you’re comfortable, I’ll be here,” he says, pressing his forehead to yours.

This sends a sense of relief through you, a release of pressure. Finally, you find your voice. “Let me be your everything?” you whisper, taking his face in your hands, your eyes searching his deep and worldly ones.

Elvis knows what you are asking of him, and he doesn’t think twice. His lips curl up into that beautiful grin of his as he nods. “Yes, everything,” he says back.

“Then yes, yes, I will be your wife,” you laugh, through more happy tears.

“Yes?” he asks joyfully, just to be sure.

“Yes!” you squeal as he scoops you up in his arms, pressing his pliant and soft lips to yours.

His hands shake adorably when he slides the tasteful yet extravagantly sized diamond on your ring finger.

And it sits perfectly, as though his ring was always meant to be there. You both stare at it for a moment, your hand resting on top of his.

Squeezing your hand, Elvis looks at you with a boyish kind of awe. “Are you happy, baby?” he asks quietly, his long lashes fanning out as he runs his eyes over your face.

A moment of déjà vu hits you. He’s asked you this before, many different times, and those moments flash through your head, reminding you of your deep history together. The history you now remember and share.

All he’s ever really wanted to do is make me happy, you realize. The thought sends warmth blooming through you.

You look up at him, into that handsome face that you want to spend eternity with. “Oh, I’m more than happy, my love,” you respond. And you are. So much so, you almost don’t believe it. Then you pull him down for a sweet, soft kiss. He drinks you in as if you are oxygen, bringing you closer.

“Are you happy?” you ask as you nuzzle his nose.

“Darlin’, I’m so happy I wanna sing from the rooftop,” he drawls, grabbing your ass. “I’ll marry ya right here in this damn bathroom, if I gotta. Gonna make you Mrs. Y/n Presley. Then I wanna parade you around and let everyone know you’re mine.” He almost growls the last part and presses his long body into yours.

You laugh. “Well, I don’t think we have to resort to getting married in the bathroom, but Mrs. Y/n Presley has quite the nice ring to it,” you say, smiling, putting your hands in his back pockets.

“I love you,” Elvis says unabashedly, suddenly serious.

“I love you, too,” you whisper, kissing him again. “Now let’s go tell everyone how I’m gonna make an honest man out of you.”

He laughs at that, a big and boisterous sound that makes your own heart sing.

And it will do so for the rest of your days.

*THE END*

Please let me know in the comments/DMs/asks if you are interested in me doing a Pink Scarf Q & A type thing on Discord/Spaces! 💗🧣💗

Taglist:

@atombombbibunny @yesimwriting @uselessbutinteresting @mirandastuckinthe80s @dark-as-love

@domaniquessidehoe @im-lame-irl @allybrooke05 @hangmanswhore

@jazmin2211 @kvcssghbjbcd @coldonexx @dudinhahoff @whatstruthgottodowithit @tiredbuthappy @amiets2 @saintmagx

@kvcssghbjbcd @butlersluvbot @babydollie43 @vainbimbo @meladollsims @wstelandbaby @dre6ming @normatural @ash-omalley @xcallmetaniax @galvz-42 @thejezebel @fullmetal-falcon @robinismywife @dre6ming @seaweedbrain00 @amiets2 @mslizziesblog @heisatroubleinapinksuit @calusussss @dont-feel-so-good-peter @rainydayz101 @pizzaisrelationshipgoals

@liaaacantwrite @kittenlittle24 @kaitaesupremacy @butler-trouble @eliseinmemphis @russian-soft-bitch @tattywood

@sassanoe @re3kin @thella @suspiciousmidge @hiddlepiddlediddlewiddle @carolinesbookworld @juggernort @aesthetic-lyss @stitchattacks @donnamarie23 @ab4eva

@fic-over-cannon @lacyluver @littlebitofgreen @paigevis @godlypresley @bugg06 @xhannahbananax03

Reblogs, likes, comments + feedback are extremely appreciated! Please help support your content creators!

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alexisnoir · 6 months

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Our Flag Means Death Fanfiction Recommendations

I haven't read OFMD fanfictions after season 1 but started when season 2 was airing. Now that season 2 is over, I went through few fanfictions I believe many of you may find interesting to read. Most of them are epic long, finished, posted BEFORE season 2 ended or right before it ended. They're modern AU's, different universes, different timelienes. Stories I've found, after reading few chapters I'll be immersed for hours to come. So here's my list, hopefully you'll find something to read yourself if you are fanfiction reader. With few of the stories I'm close to finishing them and others I just started. I have more stories I'd love to share but haven't read them since some are so long and still posting I'm scared to know if they will get finished after season 2. Hopefully they will.

The list with links:

Ed, Actually by BonnetPetit

When newly divorced and newly out Stede Bonnet is dragged to a rock concert by his assistant, he thinks it will be a fun night out and a chance to be more social after isolating himself. Little does he know, he is about to attract the attention of the legendary Blackbeard, frontman of Queen Anne's Revenge.

Their meet-cute hits a bit of a snag when an incident at the concert threatens the nationwide tour Blackbeard and his band are about to go on, putting Stede under a spotlight he never wanted or asked for.

I'm Used to Death by dimplyowl, That_Mothra

The 74th Hunger Games looms over the 12 districts of Panem. In District 12, Stede Bonnet, the son of the district’s only living victor, has been reaped from a pool of hundreds. In District 1, Edward Teach has volunteered for the Games in an effort to help his family. Both know that either death or victory waits for them in the arena. Neither of them expects a third option.

to a good home only by fluffy_miracle

In a world where alphas are second-rate citizens, Ed Teach, a more or less retired omega lives alone in a cozy house that is all his own. He hasn’t dated in years, not since he got out of an abusive relationship with his ex, Jack. He has some health issues that keep cropping up and he knows he will eventually have to deal with them, even if it means getting an alpha.

One day, while checking the classifieds for parts for his boat, Ed finds an ad about an alpha for sale. On a whim, he calls and finds himself with an alpha of his own in the next three hours. Stede is not what he was expecting, but there’s something about the sweet, most likely traumatized alpha that makes Ed want to keep him, even if it’s just to make sure he’s finally taken care of.

The Expectations We Hold For Ourselves by aspenspiratebrainrot

Mary said yes to going to sea, albeit only for two months, and so they go.

Jim, on the run from Spanish Jackie, splits from Oluwande and joins Blackbeard's crew in exchange for his protection.

Lucius, pickpocketing his way through Barbadian towns, somehow finds himself employed as part of a three-person crew.

Three weeks into the two months, The Revenge is attacked by Blackbeard, and Stede's hope of an exciting but ultimately peaceful voyage with his family are crushed. All that's left is for him to bargain for his family's lives, even if that means putting himself on the line.

The Definitive Leda House and the Kraken Verse by Vee (Vera_DragonMuse), Vera_DragonMuse

A modern AU that follows the entire staff of the drag bar named Revenge as well as their partners and the Bonnet children. Features drag shows, late in life coming out stories, romance in many forms, and as much found family as you could ask for.

The Underground by NymsShadow

Recently and amicably divorced Stede Bonnet is slated for a big promotion, when new hire Ed Teach swoops in and steals his job… and then his heart.

Candid Moments by meg_ofmd

Stede Bonnet is married with two kids. He works for his father, but knows this isn't his passion. He loves photography, but it's just a hobby for him. When his favorite photographer, Edward Teach writes a book about his life, he's tasked by his father with publishing it. Edward Teach is married to one of his oldest friends, Jack Rackham, but isn't happy. He's bored with his career and annoyed with his manipulative husband. He meets Stede Bonnet, who is publishing his book, and realizes he may have found his soul mate, but he's married.

Eureka by JaneSane

In the year 1888, Stede Bonnet, twenty seven years of age, holder of a degree in Political Economy (by the skin of his teeth and his father’s refusal to fund any further studies in Classics or History), lived life fairly well on his own terms. He was a little queer in his ideas, and in addition to the arts was an enthusiast in some branches of science. Those with a passing acquaintance, which was the most anyone would claim, called him a decent fellow enough.

Some stories are very explicit, some are less but still hold warning tags, so if you have any triggers you want to avoid, read the tags in the stories!

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 #our flag means fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 #ao3 link #ao3 fanfic #our flag means death au #au

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bookworm-center · 1 year

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Author's Note: I really am sorry I haven't posted in forever, school has been so busy with finals and things about I hope I'll be able to post more during the two months I get of summer (two! what a cop out, honestly). Shorter than I wanted but I needed to post something. Not super book accurate but let's be real, I'm trying to make Inej and Y/n different so...

Previous part below: (I promise it's the right chapter, I don't know why it says chapter 5)

Dirtyhands and the Bloodbender: Chapter IX

Y/n L/n: Ferolind

The boat blows into smithereens just as I sneak towards it. Heat sears through my body as one thought fills my head: "what the hell has Kaz gotten himself into". It took me a second to remember that I'm not supposed to care for him right now, and also MY BODY WAS ON FIRE.

...My body wasn't on fire. I was just panicking, but it still hurt. Flares of pain rush through me. I start to crawl away, arms and legs sprawled on the ground so I could still breathe with all the smoke around.

Someone comes up behind me, pulling me to my feet by my collar. They toss my navy jacket to the side, one I thought was a good idea to bring with all its pockets and hidden weapons. I grab my knife and plunge it into the person behind me as they scream in pain. I don't know what I hit but I can feel blood rush down my back.

I start to walk away when the barrel of a gun is against my temple. "Oh good. We've got Brekker's Bloodbender." I don't recognize the voice. The blurry figure of the person before me looks a little familiar, one of Geel's men I think.

"What a welcome," I say. "I wasn't expecting a greeting party." The gun pushes harder against my forehead.

The man chuckles. It's not a nice sound, more of a cruel little reaction to my attempt at stalling. I don't really need to buy myself time though, only a bit of space. My fingers twitch, pulling the blood off my body and forming it into shards.

My powers are unexplainable to most. Those who know don't understand it either. The best way to put it is that I'm somewhat of a Tidemaker, except I work with blood, not water. I used to be a Durast, back in Ravka, I was just more a soldier than the other Fabrickators.

The shards drive into the man's wrist, as he drops the gun. He's not loud like my other attacker, rather silent as a knife rams into my side.

I try to stop the bleeding, putting my hand over the wound as I blindly shoot into fog. The sound of at least three bodies dropping the ground is enough to pull a smirk out of me.

The world starts to spin, a little too blurred out for my liking, as I sit on the ground. The sound of waves pelting back and forth on the warf makes me dizzy. There's a clicking coming towards me, that sounds a lot like Kaz's cane. I've nearly convinced myself that I'm imagining it until arms scoop me up.

I manage to pry my eyes open. Kaz Brekker is carrying me. His cane seems to be abandoned, coffee brown eyes darting back and forth.

"Apologize to me." I don't know why that's the first thing I say, but when he doesn't answer, I know I mean it even more.

"For what?"

For foolishly trying to protect me. For trying to leave me behind. For making me care for you. Those are all things I think but don't say. Instead I answer with "doesn't matter".

I can't hear him reply, if he even does. I'm far too deep, falling into darkness and shadow, consumed by all my terrible thoughts and memories.

Tag list

@fandomscompilation

#grishaverse #bookworm center #six of crows #kaz brekker #kaz brekker x reader #dirtyhands and the bloodbender

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frogsare-friends · 7 months

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I'm Not Built for Helping Myself

chapter index | part 2 (you're here)

- BELLY -

I don't know what you're supposed to do when someone's hurt. Let alone when they're hurting. That was Susannah's job, and if not her, then Jeremiah. But Jeremiah's the one hurting and Susannah is gone and I don't know if anything will ever be okay again.

"It's alright Jere, you're alright. How about you brush your teeth?" I'm trying to focus on anything but the tears rolling down his face. If I can just get him cleaned up and to his room, I can figure out how to help on the way there. What can you do for something that can't be fixed? Something that can't be made better?

"Come on, baby. Brush your teeth and then we'll go lay down."

" 'm sorry, Bells. I didn't mean to." Jere looks like he's about to start crying again, so I get him cleaned up and both of us into more comfortable clothes. I'm telling him that it's okay — because it is, I'm not a monster that's gonna be mad at my boyfriend for being sick — but he just keeps apologizing.

We're finally laying on his bed when I break the silence.

"Do you wanna talk about it, baby?" I'm not quite sure what to say, but I hope this is a safe way to start this conversation. I hope wrong.

He does start crying again this time, and I feel my heart shatter. Jesus, I can't do this. I can't fix this, can't make him feel better like I know he would for me. I want to give him the world, but I don't know how to. Sometimes I wonder why he even wants to be with me, I can never be for him what he is for me.

"Jere, what happened? I need you to talk to me." But I'll always try to be everything he needs. No matter what.

"That was mom's dress," he answers, in about the faintest tone I've ever heard come from him.

"She gave it to me at Thanksgiving. I didn't think about it, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault Bells," then, "just miss her. Miss how it used to be. Remember when we used to go play dress up with her stuff?"

Of course I remember it, I remember how he'd make me laugh and twirl me around in Susannah's tallest heels. I remember forcing him into her dresses just to make me laugh, I remember Susannah's fake exasperated sigh when she caught us — a smile and grimace hidden behind it, like she was happy but knew it couldn't last — I remember her warning to stay out of her room the week that Mr. Fisher was there. She didn't say that he was the reason, but she never told us to stop, so it was pretty easy to figure out why she had now.

I remember the look on Adam's face when we didn't listen to her, the look on Jeremiah's after I left them to their "private chat." I had tried to tell Mom and Susannah what had happened, but before I could say anything the yelling started. The yelling only ever happened when Adam was in town.

I remember when I used to be obsessed with Conrad. Once, Adam had taken Conrad out on the boat, and, of course, left Jeremiah. I had been so worried trying to figure out why Jeremiah had even wanted to go with him. All I could see was Adam yelling at Conrad, telling him he expects better. When I got older, I remembered that he'd spend his entire trips yelling at Conrad, and only a handful of times at Jeremiah. It used to make me feel bad for Conrad, like Adam liked him less. But really, Adam liked him more, he just didn't care about Jeremiah at all. That didn't make the yelling right, though.

I'm not sure what happened during Jeremiah's freshman year, and Conrad's sophomore, that changed them. But it must've been something bad. Everyone always paid more attention to Conrad, but they were still a team, then. Conrad protecting Jeremiah, and Jeremiah protecting Conrad. One summer they were normal, then the next they weren't. Susannah kept trying to see if we knew what happened, but they didn't tell anyone. It got more normal after that, but it never went back to what it was. I was always too scared to ask, too scared to hear what had finally crossed the point of no return. I had heard them fight before, they'd say the meanest things — even though it was more Conrad's arsenal than Jeremiah's, I knew Jere could bottle it up for longer, knew what he had to say could hurt more — I was scared to know which one of them had said it. Maybe it had been both of them.

I didn't wanna know, but I had never been so curious.

#tsitp #jeremiah fisher #the summer i turned pretty #tsitp jeremiah #belly conklin #conrad fisher #belly x jeremiah #tsitp belly #tsitp conrad #tsitp spoilers #tsitp fanfic #tsitp s2 #tsitp season 2 #tsitp show

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thefreakymunson · 2 years

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Hey! So I totally haven’t been binge reading all your Eddie fics for the last hour… anyway, first and foremost, I’ve gotta let you know they’re all fucking wonderful. Secondly, I was actually hoping to request something if you’re still accepting requests? I got the idea of Eddie with a Cop!Reader who is tasked with protecting him all throughout the boathouse & Jason gang ordeal. Reader is his age (but graduated on time unlike someone…) and they’ve been a sort of crush of Eddie’s for a while but now they actually get to interact. Whatever else is up to you, hope you have a great weekend! <33333

Tysm!!! <3

This was not how you expected to spend your weekend. Not by a long shot. You never expected to be holed up in a boat house with Eddie "the freak" Munson, but you've had shittier jobs in your line.

You had only been a cop for two years now, having graduated and went straight into the academy. This was your sophomore year and you were excited to be able to finally be allowed on the field. And who would've thunk it that your second job ever would be protecting your high school weed dealer.

"What the actual hell are you doing here?" Eddie asked when he seen you sitting in your cop car outside of the boat house. It was dark out so he felt a bit safer stepping outside.

"Official police business, Munson." You nodded, "Also know as keeping you safe."

"Safe? How did you know where I was?"

"Do you forget that we went to school together? I know where you got your weed from. Once they said they couldn't find you, I knew exactly where to look."

"So are you going to turn me in now or what?" Eddie sighed.

"No. Listen, I know this town is...cursed. And I've seen the body. I know you're not capable of doing something like that." You sighed, "You're a little weird but...if that wasn't the work of something supernatural, then I don't know what is."

Eddie visably relaxed a bit as you followed him back to the boat house. He held the door open for you and allowed you to walk in first.

"You got a gun?" Eddie asked.

"Locked and loaded," you nodded.

"Good. Because I'm going to need you to either shoot me or shoot that fucker Jason." Eddie sighed, "Does the other cops know where I am?"

"No. I'm actually off duty right now." You nodded, sitting down on the bench to the left of the building.

"So what...you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart?" He snorted.

"Something like that." You nodded, "You were nice to me in school. Not a lot of people were nice to me then. Now that I'm a cop, even lesser people treat me like a human. I just wanted to pay you back for it."

"Thanks," Eddie said, almost in disblief, "But I don't want you to risk your job just to protect me. If this...whatever is coming after me, it just needs to be me and me alone. I don't know if I can fight for both me and you at the same time."

"You won't have to," you nodded, tapping your hip where your gun was holstered "I'll fight for the both of us. If some unknown creature comes after us, just run."

A few hours had went by and it was the middle of the night when you looked over at Eddie. You had been talking and chatting, hopefully getting his mind off of everything that was going wrong in his life.

"You know Munson, I used to have a crush on you." You blurted out, causing him to stop in his tracks as he looked over at you.

"Say that again?" He plucked the cigarette from between his lips, "I don't think I heard you right."

"You heard me right," you snorted, "In our freshman year when you and your band played at the talen show. Corroded Coffin was the name, wasn't it?"

"Still is," Eddie nodded.

"Yeah. I thought you were the coolest kid in school." You grinned, "I still have one of your guys' shirt. I wear it to sleep at night. It's comfortable."

"You still have that?" His eyes widened as he walked closer to you, "Which design?"

"The one with the demon wings surrounding your name." You smirked, "Best $10 I've ever spent."

He stared at you in shock and awe for a moment before he cracked a smile.

"You realize the irony of this, right?" He snorted.

"Yeah. I'm a cop admitting I had a crush on a drug dealer." You snorted.

"If we get out of this alive---"

"If we get out of this alive, Munson, you're taking me to dinner." You said, making him laugh.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fanfic #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #thefreakymunson #fluff

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weekend-whip · 11 months

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My brain has been starved of aftershock, finalfrontier, another ship content as of late. Give me your brain rot.

Welp, since it's the last day of May (here), and tomorrow begins Pride, I'll tell you that I've been filter feeding on an Aftershock mermaid au :V

Jesse is one-fourth mermaid—his mom is a half-mermaid, and his father is full human. He's still trying to figure out what scenario led them to get together, but he's not ever gonna ask.

Non-full mermaids can switch between having a tail or not by the "get wet get fins/get dry get legs" rule. Touching water will initiate a transformation; the speed of the transformation differs by individual/situation.

Jesse prefers to be on land, but mainly stays in the ocean due to his sister—an attack by fishermen caused her great injury, to the point that it's easier for her to remain as a mermaid than a human, so Jesse sticks around to keep her safe and protected and all that jazz.

He's also something of a siren, and loves to sing—not to lure anyone to their doom, just that he likes the sound of his own voice. However, he always makes sure he's absolutely alone when he does sing, because...well, he can't have some unsuspecting human catch wind of his irresistible notes. Bad times all around.

...this doesn't stop local ocean artist/musician Cole from overhearing Jesse one day, leading to him to constantly coming back to the beach to sketch Jesse singing on his little rock in the sun. Cole wants to talk to the mermaid, but like, you can't just talk to a mermaid.

Time passes and on a foggy morning, Jesse sings while a ship he can't see is passing by, with Miranda swimming not too far away. The ship turns out to be a fishing boat, and after hearing Jesse sing, manages to snare Miranda and Jesse in their net. Cole, just chilling on the beach when he suddenly can't hear Jesse anymore, realizes something's wrong and heads out to investigate.

He manages to free both mermaids without incident (haven't decided if there's a confrontation or it's a stealth mission) but either way Jesse goes feral over protecting Mira until Cole demonstrates he means no harm by freeing her from the net, followed by freeing Jesse too. Miranda reveals that they can at least understand one another and Jesse drags her away.

Couple days later, Jesse brings up some treasures and flowers from the ocean to thank Cole for the rescue with, and they finally start to talk and whatnot. Jesse reveals that he can turn human, and Cole...does not react as surprised as Jesse expected, but he's also okay with it (guess he's just that chill), so it's all good.

After that they have a bunch of "dates", with Cole showing Jesse some of the stuff he's missing on land, and Jesse telling Cole about oceanlife + making him some awesome seafood meals...however, Cole refuses to swim with Jesse. Jesse can't figure out why.

So yeah they get closer and Cole reveals that he first became aware of Jesse when he heard him sing, which freaks Jesse out because he think he's "hypnotized" Cole into loving him and proceeds to try and get away from him.

They meet again later, with Jesse explaining what he thinks must have happened...and Cole insisting that it can't be true. Jesse protests this until Cole grabs Jesse and jumps off the pier with him in his arms, plunging them both into the water.

...turns out Cole's been half-mermaid the whole time too, which is why he found none of this bizarre + how he handled the fishermen so easily + why he was always at the ocean to begin with yet never wanted to swim + he was immune to Jesse's song in the first place, confirming that he really did fall in love with Jesse for Jesse

Cole then dumps his whole lore about his mermaid mom being killed by poachers and how his dad tried to use his mermaid-ness to get into show business, driving Cole away from both his dad and the ocean. There's a whole thing here but I'm keeping it to myself in case I do write this one day ahahaaaa

But anyway, they're all happy that they can be together with no issue and they swim around and kiss and then maybe there's a sequel hook with Cole readjusting back to the ocean or something.

......haven't really thought about anyone else for obvious reasons lmao but I have very strongly decided that Jay is a blue octopus with yellow rings, and Jamie is a yellow octopus with blue rings. People get them mixed up and proceed to regret it.

Olivia, of course, is a shark. Haven't decided which Shark. Bridget is her annoyed narwhal sidekick.

Kai and Nya are also half-mer; Kai has a shark tail, Nya a dolphin tail. Have not decided what their situation would be; I just don't want go with the obvious routes :P

Zane, in a twist of irony, is a full human. He's Cole's confidant for Cole's life on land, and believes in Cole's "mermaid tales" because he's met one himself (Pixal).

idk what Lloyd's doing but he's probably some wildly poisonous form of half-fish. Even if he can transform there's always something creature-y about him snksnksnk

#legacyverse #the ninja legacy whip #cole brookstone #oc: jesse marvell #aftershockshipping #oc x canon #cole x oc #mermay #k1ng boo #asks from nice people #i've actually written a few smatterings of scenes and doodled a sketch #which is a lot for something i had on a whim #so yes i blame the brainrot

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webbedphantom · 5 months

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BEAT TACTICA!!

Took way longer than I expected, but that's probably because I'm an idiot and decided to do every quest-

Anyways, full spoiler breakdown below the thing

Okay, so I called a lot of the twists for the third kingdom ahead of time. Like the second I saw Eri, I was like "She's gonna die," and when they kept covering up the ruler's name in static, I was like "It's Toshiro's shadow"

But like even though I kinda called it, those moments still hit me hard. Like I didn't think the creepy principal would push her in front of a train, or that she'd survive only to have her spirit broken.

And while I kinda saw the God thing coming too, I didn't think the Shadow was a fake created by him, or that Erina would turn out to be TOSHIRO'S PERSONA LIKE WHAT???

(Though that does mean that my whole concept of Arsène becoming his own person is now substantiated in canon, so that's neat)

Also the Velvet Room becomes a Train because shut up it's cool

The final kingdom was a bit of a slog, though probably because I'd been marathoning the entire game for several hours with no sleep, but still doing a boss rush, broken up by lengthy combat arenas is like... like the most padding that has ever padding'd.

Still I did it, beat all those refights, and even did the bonus quests to unlock everyone's ultimate skill which was SUPER NOT WORTH IT FOR EVERYONE BESIDES JOKER AND TOSHIRO BECAUSE LITERALLY ALL OF THEIR GUNS DO MORE DAMAGE

(And I'm pretty sure Joker would've been in the same boat if I grinded to get his best weapon)

Granted, that's my fault for not putting points into the amplifiers, and spending a lot of time fiddling with Personas to get the best weapons possible, but still like c'mon! Why would you ever want to spend like 75 SP for a big blast when I could just use my gun and do like 10-15 more damage??

Granted, the AOE on those attacks came in handy sometimes, but because by the time I unlocked them for everyone (because yes you still have to put points in for them after doing the quests), I was at the final boss, so there weren't a lot of enemies to blow up

Final boss was a good time though! Had some fun gimmicks, a cool design, actually made me think for a bit, didn't last too long, had great music, all the good stuff you'd want from a final boss. Certainly better than Midnight Suns final boss, I'll tell you that much-

AND THAT ENDING FINISHER HOLY SHOCK

I thought Strikers had a good ending with them doing an All Out Attack on the final boss, but this-!! OH MAN, this a whole other level of cool

Literally an entire shonen anime fight scene to cap the whole thing off, everyone gets a moment to shine, Joker uses his grappling hook in some very Spidey-esk maneuvers, Erina has a Super Saiyan moment, turning into her Persona form to blast away some gears, it is EVERYTHING I could've ever wanted.

The ending was really sweet too. I had a feeling Erina wouldn't be coming into reality, as much as I wanted her to, but they had a touching good bye, Toshiro exposes his father's crimes and breaks it off with his "fiance" on live TV, the team has a cute scene in Leblanc, and then after the credits-

ERI SHOWS UP

We don't get to see much of her sadly, nor much of their reunion, but it still really tugged at my heart strings, as all Persona games are apparently required by law to do now.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Tactica. Is it worth $60? Honestly not sure. It's definitely short for an RPG, but there's definitely some extra content to keep you coming back. I'm looking forward to replaying the game on hard whenever I eventually save up enough to get my own copy (gotta play that DLC at some point)

So, while I do recommend it, especially if you're into Tactics games, maybe try to get it on a sale if you're planning to get the DLC. $60 was already pushing it, but $80?? Yeah, no thanks-

Strikers is still my favorite spin off though. Doesn't even come close.

PLAY STRIKERS I SWEAR TO GOD

#ooc - out of costume;#p5 tactica spoilers #persona 5 tactica spoilers #p5t spoilers #anyways ima go to bed now-#again four hours of sleep #I'm amazed I stayed up this long

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freedomarrow · 9 months

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“ So you're really setting off now. ” It's inescapable coming face to face with the large boat meant to ferry Leonardo off to Jugdral. A part of Pelleas wants to accompany either him or Edward, but he should stay put, no matter how much his blood sings for him to be there for either one of them.

He knows this feeling. It's the feeling of missing someone. He has felt it a thousand times, but experience does not make the feeling any weaker each time it creeps up.

“ I feel just as I did when watching you all depart for battle back during the days of Begnion's Occupation. Every fight after that too... It was a while before I could go into battle at your sides. And even then, I didn't accomplish much. But you're going off again, and I'm staying back. The feeling of deja vu is a little overwhelming honestly. ”

Breathe, Pelleas. Breathe! He takes a deep inhale and exhale before getting to the point... or well, as much to the point as Pelleas can manage anyway.

“ Every time it happened, I was left wanting. But I was also a little afraid. What if you all never returned to me? What if I had sent you all out to your deaths? Not that I'm the one doing anything here, of course, but... I still feel a bit like that, I suppose. That must be why I wanted to join you all. So I wouldn't feel so burdensome... or so lonely either for that matter. ”

A pause. The sea breeze makes him feel a bit sick today even just at the port.

“ What I mean to say is... I hope you return, Leonardo. I'll be waiting for you. Even if I can't be there with you, my thoughts are with you. ”

Just as he is going through his belongings one more time to make sure he did not forget anything, a familiar voice awakens him from his realm of thoughts and brings him back into the reality around him.

Just as expected, his eyes meet those of his former king as he turns, a light smile emerging on his face at the sight. To this day, Pelleas seems to struggle to believe that someone would be happy to see him, but Leonardo truly is. After all... once he can finally convince his soldier brain that this is NOT a breach of authority, he does think of the man as a friend. He did not start out with the Dawn Brigade - and the archer imagines he does not consider himself a part of it - but the link, the unbreakable bond that both sides mutually depended on, was very much there. And as far as the blond is concerned, still is.

For a while, he remains silent, letting the other speak his heart.

"Sire... Pelleas." This takes a while, huh. "I don't feel like any of us ever perceived it as you sending us to our deaths. And... as unfortunate as it is, sometimes that's simply the duty of a king. Should Daein ever go to war again, it will be Micaiah's obligation to do so... all the more reason to ensure it never happens, as far as I'm concerned."

His expression grows a shade brighter as he continues. "You're a good man, you know? The fact you care about such things is proof of that. That alone, in the eyes of many, makes you a better king than someone like Ashnard was."

He shakes his head, the smile then fading a notch as his features grow sadder. "It's a shame you can't go... Your magic would be a great asset, I think. And... well, I can't say I don't know anyone on this ship, but... it'd be nice to have one more familiar face. But of course... I don't blame you or anything. Staying will be rough, too, probably. Take care of yourself."

Finally, he nods. A shade of his smile returns, however faint, as he remains serious. "I'll do my best. I anticipate there will be fighting... but I'll do my best to return to everyone."

#【 i have my orders ⁎ ic 】#【 i grow fond of the faces around me ⁎ ask 】#【 heavy rests the crown not tailored for you; a weight that crushes easily ⁎ support: pelleas 】#((Pelleaaaaaaaas))#((thank you for the ask N! they :pleading_face:))

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4ragon · 1 year

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Eh fuck it, since we don't know how long Twitter is going to last, I'm going to start randomly posting my thoughts on random ass video games here. Here's all the shit I've been playing a bunch recently.

Portal Reloaded: I legit don't know if this is an official Portal dlc or just a mod, but it's free, and it's so much fun. Do you like Portal? Do you want Portal Hard Mode (TM TM TM)? Get this funky little game. It's not quite as funny as the OG, but man are the puzzles Tough.

Divinity Original Sin II: Have I played Divinity 1? No. But I am having a ton of fun with this thing. I was not expecting to enjoy myself so much, especially considering my hatred of games with the fucking hotbars, or whatever that little UI thing is at the bottom. At the very least, it's turn based and not real time so I don't find it nearly as obnoxious. I've also been A) doing Multiplayer, and B) using a mod so that I can take all 6 of the named characters with me, which unfortunately does have the tradeoff of making the game a little too easy at times. Also, since you're not suppose to be able to have all of the characters in one playthrough certain characters just straight up will not speak to each other? Which is kind of disappointing. Come on, guys, it's a 60 hour game at minimum, it doesn't have the kind of replayability you think it does.

Professor Layton and the Last Spector: Oh, so THAT'S why plvsaa is like that. I was not expecting to adore these characters as much as I thought I would, but they are just so much fun. I haven't technically been playing, since I'm watching my friend's playthough on twitch, but the puzzle difficulty range is so wild to me. Anything from "What color is the umbrella" to "do some fucking AP Geometry fucko," which I feel like I'd find a bit frustrating, though I guess the worst of it is optional.

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (Not Finished): Can't give my final opinions here, but at minimum, the 3D graphics are a huge downgrade. I hate when visual novels decide to switch to 3D graphics. It's never going to be as charming as the sprites! Story-wise, I'm still deeply invested, and theorizing to hell and back is so much fun now that I'm getting into the swing of How Layton Games Do.

Zero Escape 999: Guys. This game drove me absolutely bonkers. I'll love any murder mystery visual novel put in front of me of course, but something about this game... Admittedly, it took me a few hours to get invested. I found the amount of talking a bit exhausting, especially when SO MUCH of it was dedicated to things like "Let's walk through this whole room trying doors, talk about it, and then start trying new doors." Like I don't need to know the logistics of "we're locked in a boat." I don't need to know where everyone is at all times. But once I went through one full playthrough, and could skip a lot of those boring logistical issues, I got SO into trying to figure out what was really happening. They really did give us the exact right amount of information to start figuring out what the Actual Plot was.

Zero Escape Virtue's Last Reward (Not Finished): I'm enjoying myself so much, but somehow, everything kind of feels like a downgrade? The 3D graphics (especially the lip flaps) suck ass, and there's so much stuff that feels like it's pulled from Danganronpa. Guys, I liked Danganronpa. I liked Zero Escape because it WASN'T Danganronpa. I don't know, I've hit my first real ending, so I'm hoping that it's just still waiting to impress me, but the main conflict just feels less personal this time around.

Dragon Age: Origins: I love playing watching my roommate play this game and then letting me make all of the narrative decisions. I just. I hate the gameplay, but the story is fun as heck. There are some weird writing choices, clearly, but the characters are fun to talk to and that's all that matters. It doesn't give me as strong found family vibes as other RPGs, but I still love them anyway.

Disco Elysium: You all know my thoughts on Disco Elysium. I love you Kim. Mostly, I'm just wondering what the fate of a potential sequel is going to be. I both want it and don't, but at the end of the day, if the original creators aren't able to wrest control from that game studio, I just worry the heart isn't going to be in the next one.

#j #i should be working #but i also was up at 4 am being Very Sick #so i think i can goof off a little today

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casspurrjoybell-25 · 8 months

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November - Chapter 26

*Warning Adult Content*

- Cooper -

Cooper could tell Oliver was quietly worrying about him leaving for his fishing job.

He was still freaked out after watching 'The Perfect Storm' despite all Cooper had done to reassure him he'd be fine.

Cooper understood how Oliver felt though because no matter how many times the older man reassured himself that his boyfriend would still be here when he got back, he was afraid he wouldn't be.

Cooper knew he was asking a lot of Oliver to be without him for months after he had just moved here.

Oliver was snuggled against Cooper on the couch, playing with a loose thread on his boyfriends flannel shirt.

"I know you said you don't have a lot of down time when you're fishing but can we try to set up a time to call each other? I want to make sure we keep in touch."

A sense of dread settled in Cooper’s chest.

"Uh, Oliver? You know there usually isn't cell phone service all the way out on the ocean, right?"

"What?"

Oliver sat up and looked at Cooper, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Once we get a certain distance from the shore, we're too far away from any cell towers. I'll have cell service again when we dock every month and I'll see all of your texts then. I can call you and spend the entire day and night on the phone with you until we head back out to sea."

"So I'll only be able to talk to you three times while you're gone?" Oliver asked, a note of disbelief in his voice.

"Yeah," Cooper said, avoiding his boyfriend’s eyes.

"I'm sorry. I thought you knew about the lack of cell service. I guess I assumed you've been on a cruise or something and experienced it then."

Oliver was quiet and Cooper didn't know if he was going to yell at him or get up and storm off.

Was this going to be their first fight?

Cooper knew this was probably his fault for not being clear about everything but he didn't want Oliver to be upset with him.

When Cooper dared to glance over at Oliver, he was slumped down on the couch, looking completely dejected.

It pained the older man to see his boyfriend’s pretty chestnut eyes without any light in them.

Cooper reached over and took Oliver’s hand, gently brushing his thumb over the back of his knuckles.

"I'm sorry. Are you mad at me?"

Oliver sighed and shook his head.

"It's not your fault. The situation just sucks. Is there anything we can do? How does the boat communicate with someone on shore if there's an emergency?"

"By satellite. So we're covered for crucial communications, like information about the weather and we can get help if we need it. It's tough to be away from our families for that long, but all the guys just deal with it."

Cooper smiled and tried to joke with Oliver.

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?"

Oliver leaned forward and buried his face in Cooper’s chest.

"It does but I hate it. I'm going to miss you," Oliver said, his voice muffled by Cooper’s shirt.

The older man wrapped his arms around his body’s slender frame.

"I know. I'm going to miss you too. More than you know."

- Oliver -

Less than two weeks later, the day had finally come.

This time, Cooper was leaving out of a port in Seattle, so he didn't have to fly anywhere.

Oliver drove his boyfriend to Seattle the night before and they spent one last night together in a hotel before he had to be at the pier in the morning.

Oliver was dreading the moment Cooper would get on a ship and leave him behind but he tried to focus on the surprise he had for him.

He wasn't content to do nothing about their communication situation.

He did some research and found out there were satellite phones that could be used in remote areas, like in the mountains or out at sea.

Some of them only had texting capabilities but he bought one that could make calls too.

After parking his car, Oliver walked with Cooper to the pier where the fishing vessel was docked.

It was bigger than he expected.

There were a few other large ships docked nearby and the pier was bustling with activity and people all around but Oliver didn't care.

Cooper didn't either because he set his bag on the ground and turned to face Oliver, taking both of his tiny hands in his.

"I wish I didn't have to say goodbye to you."

"I know. But I'm optimistic that it won't be that bad."

Oliver gently let go of his hands and shrugged off the small backpack he was wearing and then opened it up and took out the satellite phone.

"I got this for you so you can text and call me when you get a chance. It's all set up and ready to go, and I put all of your family member's phone numbers in it too."

Cooper stared at Oliver, his eyes wide and his mouth open in shock.

He looked down at the phone and took it, shaking his head.

"These phones are expensive. I know one guy who has one and he paid over a thousand dollars for it. And you have to pay for a subscription to the satellite service, which isn't cheap either. Oliver... I don't know what to say."

Oliver smiled at him.

"Well, I have an incredible boyfriend who won't let me pay rent, so I had a chunk of money laying around."

Cooper surprised his boyfriend by lunging forward and throwing his arms around him, squeezing him tight and lifting him enough that his feet left the ground.

"Thank you," Cooper mumbled into his hair.

"Put me down," Oliver laughed.

"There was no way I wasn't going to buy it. I need to be able to text you more than once a month and I need to hear your voice."

Cooper set him back down but kept his arms around his waist and kissed him.

Oliver pressed closer to Cooper, kissing back deeply enough that he couldn't breathe.

Oliver’s hands were in his boyfriend’s hair and he could smell him and feel his beard tickling his face.

Oliver tried to memorize all of it.

He couldn't believe it was going to be four months until he got to see him and touch him again.

He was getting choked up but he convinced himself to keep it together and not embarrass them by being a teary mess.

Cooper's lips left his but he continued to hug Oliver tightly, swaying them in place.

One of the guys near the fishing vessel called Cooper's name and Oliver knew they couldn't put off the goodbye any longer.

Oliver steps back, giving Cooper space to pick up his bag and straighten out his clothes.

Cooper smiled at Oliver but his eyes were wet.

"Promise me you'll still be here when I get back? I know this is a lot for a brand new relationship and I'm scared of losing you."

"You won't lose me. I'll be counting down the days until you're back. I'm not going anywhere."

Oliver reached out and took one of Cooper’s larger hands.

"I love you."

"I love you too. So much."

Cooper kissed him again and when he pulled away, Oliver held onto his hand until the last second, until their arms were both stretched out and they were forced to let go.

Oliver watched the man he loves board the fishing vessel and he stood there until it left the port and was a speck in the distance.

Then, he turned around to go back to his car and start the long drive home, with nothing waiting for him except an empty house.

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catonator · 10 months

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Games I beat in 2023: Return of the Obra Dinn

So last week I finally played Return of the Obra Dinn. It's a wonderful collection of wacky 1800s English accents that punctuate a set of boring paperwork. Kinda like working as an amateur actor.

I was not really sure how much I'd end up liking Obra Dinn coming into it, and coming out of it I'm not really sure how much I actually liked it. But during everything between those two extremes I was completely sucked into the game like a pie around your mom. Lucas Pope really has somehow managed to turn cold bureucratic processes into exciting adventures, which is a funny contrast to Jonathan Blow, whose games are ostensibly grand adventures but are actually about as fun as filling out forms at the DMV.

To me, a sign of a great game is when I compeletely lose track of time and end up playing for 3+ hours in one sitting. Obra Dinn managed just that, and it's genuinely just because the game doesn't handhold you at all and lets you do all the thinking. Oh and because it's hard to find a cutoff point thanks to the terrible pacing, but I'll get to that later. The game really doesn't hold your hand when it comes to the meat of the game, which is just connecting the corpses you find to the names in the manifest. You'll basically never hear a name mentioned by anyone, and barely even ranks, so putting two and two together really does take some brainwork. Sometimes you don't even get a clear idea of what happened to someone! It makes every successfully solved name and fate only that much more exhilerating, since it doesn't feel it was an inevitability.

So if you haven't played the game yet, I'd recommend leaving now, cuz I'll take a cruise right to spoilertown (home of street racing enthusiasts) to bitch and moan about shit I didn't like.

For a detective game, the narrative is kinda flimsy. A part of it is that unlike a typical example like, say, Ace Attorney, the game's puzzles are less focused around figuring out a complex set of events and motives and more of a series of unfortunate events. That kind of means that game lacks an overarcing mystery that'd really drive the players to explore all the ship's secrets. There's a penultimate chapter behind a closed door that you can only unlock after figuring out every other fate in the game. You'd expect it to have some grand twist about the nature of the incident, but going into it I didn't really have any questions, and the chapter didn't really have any answers either, like an argument with your girlfriend.

I also mentioned the pacing, and the game's really strangely frontloaded. Getting through all the scenes of carnage on the boat takes a little over 3 hours, and there's barely any stopping points inbetween. Most of the deaths don't leave bodies, and instead you have to find a new death through a vision of another. Once you've gone through the grim inception, you're guaranteed to have most of the fates still unsolved, so the meat of the game is actually wandering around the boat, poking roadkill with a stick for a second time to see if you can squeeze out any more droplets of info or other strange substances out of the scenes you've already seen. This and the aforementioned lack of payoff really makes for a game that's fun to play, but disappointing to beat, like a competitive game against your girlfriend. It could've benefited from some more pacing and a better throughline, with a more linear division to chapters, for example.

But despite that, I still keep thinking about the game during my off hours, and that's just thanks to how fun it is to solve the names and fates inside the game. So with the sale still ongoing, you can pick it up for cheap and beat it with a smile on your face. Like your girlfriend.

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imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl · 3 years

Text

Unexpected Places (Pt. 04 of 11)

Pairing: Ivar the Boneless X Reader/Bjorn X Reader

Word count: 3 K

Summary: As a princess, you've lived in a golden cage all your life, always a piece on someone else's game. But everything changed when the Norsemen came crushing down on Wessex, like waves in a violent storm. Their king spared your life and decided to take you with him to his kingdom, in what felt more like a rescue than a kidnapping. There, you were not only confronted with a completely different culture and lifestyle, but also with two of his sons. The oldest one has his eyes set on you, but it's the youngest one, Ivar, who gets who claimed your attention since the first sight. And he seems to have an unnamed interest in you. Of course you hoped whatever that was would pass, but when unexpected feelings start to flow a different way, things begin to change.

<- Previous part (03)

Next part (05) ->

{Vikings Masterlist}

Fit For a Princess

You're listening to the chattering between Aslaug and Helga, looking at pieces of jewelry at the market place. You say something every now and then, but you can't shake away Ivar's stare. On the last days, two weeks or so, he's right there, sitting across from you on every meal, eyes burning through you. Hvitserk said he's studying you, still expecting you to snap, to decide you had enough of all this and want to go back home. To Wessex, where your older brother now rules. And Ragnar already said he'd take you back if you wanted, so there's that.

But leaving Kattegat hasn't even crossed your mind, not before and not now. How could you trade all you have here, and slide back into the invisible chains you had on? It wouldn't be just stupid, it would be the death of you. You're finally understanding who you are, the things you like, the kind of people you like. In England, you had to play a specific role, because everything was political. Here, you're just who you are. And you do what you want to do. This is true freedom.

“I really like this one,” Helga says, as your eyes wander through the many rings, earrings, and necklaces. “I'd like those two as well.” She continues as you pace around, further away from both women, turning the corner and then walking to another store. The pieces they have here are all made of metal, delicately bent into beautiful shapes. You caress a bracelet with the tip of your fingers, wondering if it'd look good on you.

“Don't waste your time with these cheap things.” The voice, that you now recognize immediately, makes you turn around. Ivar comes from among the people, only stopping when he's standing next to you.

But despite his attention being on the jewelry, your eyes are on him. “You're tall.” It comes out suddenly, because he never stood beside you like this, so you couldn't have noticed.

“Well, you're tiny.” Ivar glances at you, playing with one of the rings. “Anyway, you shouldn't be looking at these things. They won't suit you very well.”

Giving the old man an apologetic look, you randomly pick a bracelet. You don't get why Ivar is being rude, but, judging by what Hvitserk had told you, his brother isn't one to hold back. He says what he thinks, it doesn't matter how mean it may sound to others. You're still trying to figure out if this level of brutal honesty is good or bad. “I really like this one.” Searching on the small bag attached to your dress, you take four coins, way more than what the bracelet is worth, handing it over to the man and putting the bracelet on. The silver color is beautiful, and the drawings carved on it remind you of the pattern you saw on one of the boats that brought you here.

Ivar rolls his eyes exaggeratedly, sighing. “You are such a kind princess.” Dropping the ring, he starts walking side by side with you when you set in motion through the market. You weren't expecting that.

“King Ecbert was king of Wessex. This isn't Wessex.”

“(Y/N)! Wait for us.” Aslaug calls and you stop, giving her a look and a nod before turning to face Ivar, who towers over you.

“Therefore, I'm not a princess anymore.” Shrugging your shoulders, you give him a small smile.

“That's a shame, isn't it?” He lowers his voice, leaning closer.

“Not really.” Shrugging your shoulders, you give a little step back, putting a strand of hair behind your ears before giving him a little wave, walking back to where both women are.

After they're done shopping, as you walk back home, the clouds push themselves apart just enough for the sunlight to appear. That makes you stop, taking in the warmth on your skin, but it soon disappears.

“Hey, (Y/N),” Hvitserk calls, coming from the beach with his father, Ubbe and Bjorn, who's walking behind them. “We're going to meet some traders. Wanna come?”

“Why not?” You mumble, elbowing Hvitserk when he's close enough.

“Go put on some pants then. We're riding there.”

“Oh.” It's so absurd it's stupid, how you can't seem to do the simple things people know by heart here. “I'm not very good at riding.” Whispering, you tell him, not wanting anyone else to listen.

“I'll help you out.” He nods, tilting his head to where Bjorn is. “Without cracking your head open in the process.”

Smiling you nod before heading inside to change out of the dress. You're just about to head out when Aslaug tells you to grab a cloak in case it rains later, so you have to make another trip to your room. But soon enough you meet Hvitserk and the others again, reading the horses.

“Which one is mine?”

“Over here.” Hviserk guides to a beautiful white horse. “Give me your leg.” He says, and for a moment you furrow your eyebrows, but soon enough you understand what he means. Raising your leg, Hvitserk grabs your calf and you push yourself up, successfully mounting on the horse with his help. It feels funny to be this tall. You have ridden before, but most of the time you used a carriage. There was no need for a princess to ride on the back of a horse at Wessex. It's wild though, and you've grown to love wild things. “Keep your feet like this on the stirrups at all times. Don't put of your feet all the way in or it might get stuck if you fall. If you touch her with your ankles, she'll move forward. Pull the halters and she'll stop. The same thing goes to pull her left or right, but since we'll ride together she'll just follow the other horses.”

“Got it.”

“Your ass might hurt at the end of the day, so be prepared.” He warns before jumping to the back of his horse. “If it'll help you feel more steady, you can hold on the saddle, but trust me, you'll get the hang of it once you lose the fear of falling.”

“Have you ever fallen from a horse before?” As you speak, the small group starts moving, and your mare does the same, keeping their pace, slow at first until everyone starts galloping, and all air leaves your lungs. You hold tightly to the saddle, scared at first, but you remember what Hvitserk just told you. If you let the fear of falling win, you'll never learn to ride properly, and you'll never enjoy it. Slowly, you let go of the saddle, holding only on the halters, making sure it's loose so she'll feel free to run.

And the sensation is amazing. The wind makes your hair whip your face over and over, and you lightly shake your head to get rid of it. Glancing at Hvitserk, you mirror his position, a smile creeping over your lips. The landscape, green, blue, and gray, passes by in a blur, and you try to take it all in. It's beautiful, breathtaking. Almost literally, because when you finally stop, you're struggling to catch your breath.

“You ok?”

“Yeah.” You answer, and Hvitserk nods before moving to stand next to his father and brother. You see a small troop approaching, riding up the hill.

“You're quite good at this,” Bjorn says, guiding his horse away from his siblings and near you. “A few more lessons you'll be riding like a true Viking.”

“I really like it. Its... Thrilling.” You're finally calming down, and your thighs ache a little bit.

“Wanna see the traders coming?” Turning his horse around, he gestures at a cliff, not too many miles away. “We could go up there, it'll give us a nice view.”

“Isn't it a little high?”

“The horses are used to it. C'mon.” Without waiting for your answer, he starts galloping away.

Glancing at Hvitserk, you hold the halter tightly to keep the mare from moving. “You think I should?”

“Sure, it has a nice view. But if you feel like the trail there is too much you come back here, alright? The horses are used to it but you're not.”

“Alright.” Touching the mare with your ankles, you loose the halter and she immediately moves, following Bjorn's horse. It doesn't take much until you're deep inside the woods, the horses now trotting. Bjorn keeps silent, giving you a few glances since you're slightly behind him.

“That way.” He says, and you just let your ride follow his. The smooth ground soon starts changing, with more rocks, and becomes unravel. When you see a steep slope, with apparently nothing to hold on to, you pull the halters, making the mare stop.

“I think it's too craggy.” You speak up, getting Bjorn's attention. “I don't want to fall on my first try.”

“She's used to this kind of inclination. You'll be fine.”

Considering it and also what Hvitserk said, you decide to leave the cliff viewing for another day, when you feel more secure on the horse. “I think I'll pass, Bjorn. Maybe another cliff where I can go on foot.”

“Don't be a pussy. It's not that craggy.” Then, he kicks his horse hard and it sets in motion. It doesn't surprise you, but when the mare moves as well, following him, you're startled, and in the sudden change, you let the halter fall.

Holding on the sell, you can only watch as Bjorn's horse easily climbs the slope, at a fast pace, and yours do the same. But when it suddenly turns left, around a huge rock, you lose your balance, and since there's nothing to hold on to, both your feet escape the stirrups, and you're pulled to the ground hard. Losing your breath, a sting on your ankle makes you yelp as you roll down the slope, only stopping once the ground is flat again. Rolling on your back, you take deep breaths, trying not to move the left leg since the pain is spreading through your foot and calf. “Damn it!” You exclaim, removing the hair from your face.

“(Y/N)!” It takes only a few seconds until you see Bjorn kneeling by your side. “Are you alright?”

“I just fell from a horse and rolled down a hill!” You speak fast, the pain on your back making itself aware. “Of course I'm not fine!”

“Let me take you–” He says as he starts to pull you up.

“No.” You cut him off, slapping his hands away. Bjorn has done enough for today. If he wasn't trying to be a freaking show-off, this wouldn't have happened. “Go get–”

“(Y/N)?” You hear his voice and breathes out relief. “I heard a yell.”

“Over here. Lying on the ground.” Annoyed, you cover your eyes with both hands. “Can you please see if my ankle is broken?”

“What happened?” He asks in a low voice, and you uncover your eyes to see him jumping to the ground, kneeling next to your stretched out leg.

“Bjorn made his horse bolt up the slope and mine followed.” You explain, giving him a hard glance, groaning when Hvitserk lifts your leg to remove your boot. “Easy there!”

“Sorry.” He mumbles. “But calm down, it's not broken, just sprained.”

“Shit.” Taking a deep breath, you sit up taking off the other boot as well and throwing it at Bjorn. “You can't keep yourself from getting me hurt, can you?”

“Me? Everything you had to do was hold on. The horse–”

“I'm not a Viking!” Bursting out, you look up at him. “I'm not some shieldmaiden, I'm still trying to fit in here and learn things. You can't expect me to follow your pace.”

“I just–”

“Bjorn, you should get back. Help father with the traders, I'll take her back to Kattegat.” Hvitserk interrupts him, and Bjorn leaves after a grunt, saying something you couldn't understand.

“And he thinks he has the right to be pissed!” Lying back down, you groan. “I think this is a sign to stay away from him. Every time he's in the situation, I get hurt.”

“Alright, c'mon.” Hvitserk pulls your arm until you're seated again. “You need to put some ice on this ankle, let's go.” Hvitserk takes your mare first, tying her up with his horse before mounting and pulling you up to ride with him.

Despite the slow pace he keeps, your back still hurts. Resting your head on his back, you sigh. “Why are you so quiet?” You ask after a while.

“I'm thinking about the right words to tell this to mother. She won't be happy.” He answers, a hand resting on his thigh as the other holds the halter. “She's not very fond of Bjorn already.”

“It was partially my fault too, I think. I let the halter slip and had nothing to hold on to.”

“You're know Bjorn likes you, right?” Hvitserk suddenly says, and you pinch your eyebrows together. This thought hasn't crossed your mind. “That's probably why he did that. That's how he... Gets a woman's attention.”

“Would you do the kindness of telling him it's not working?” Muttering, you rest both your arms on his back folding them as if his shoulders were a table. “Actually, I've been meaning to tell you... I met Ivar at the market place today.”

“...And?” He asks after a few seconds of silence.

“Nothing, just... It was nothing, really.” It's hard to understand exactly what you want to tell Hvitserk. You just can't seem to put your feelings or thoughts together. “I was looking at these things and he said they wouldn't suit me.” Stretching out your arm, you show him the bracelet. “I bought this there.”

“That's nice. But cheap.” Rolling your eyes, you remember Ivar said pretty much the same thing.

“He also said I'm kind. But that was probably in a mocking tone, so...” You get into Kattegat, and Hvitserk greets some people. “I don't know.”

“I believe it's safe to assume Ivar doesn't hate you.” Hvitserk slows down the horse when a group of kids run by. “If he did, he wouldn't put himself on your way like that... Or look at you the way he does.”

“And how does he look at me?” The words come out slowly because you're not sure if you want to know.

“The only thing I can say for sure is that he never looked at a woman like that.” You finally get to Ragnar's house, and Hvitserk asks a man to help you down. Once you're safe on the ground, he jumps off, telling the man to take the horses. “And I mean it in a good way.”

He puts a hand around your waist, helping as you jump on the right foot until the table in the main hall. “Do you think he–”

“What happened this time?” Aslaug asks, her voice already giving out that she's not happy.

“Twisted ankle. She fell from the horse.”

“Take her to her room, Hvitserk.” The Queen mutters, saying something to the girls who were following her. “And carry her this time if that isn't too much to ask.”

“Alright.” He replies, picking you up with a hand on the small of your back and another under your legs, quickly finding the way to your chambers.

Giggling, you give him a look “I love when your mother–”

“Careful with the teasing this time. I might just drop you to the floor and I don't care if your a princess who fell off a horse.” The fake angry tone makes you laugh again.

“My bad, Prince Hvitserk.” You snap back, rolling your eyes.

Aslaug has her maids help you bathe first, cleaning the dirt that is attached to your face and hair before lying you on the bed again and applying a piece of fabric with cold water on your ankle, keeping it elevated with some pillows. She isn't happy to know the whole story, despite you assuring her it's alright now. You could've died, she said, breaking your neck. But it's useless to worry about what could've happened. The best thing to do now is to focus on the ankle, which she said will be better in a few days, and let the whole incident go.

Later that night, you give little jumps to the main hall to eat something. It's just Ubbe and Bjorn, seated on a table at the corner. Nodding at them, not wanting to chat with Bjorn at the moment, you sit at the edge of the table in the middle, your back turned at both men, taking the jar and pouring yourself something to drink.

“How's your ankle?” Ubbe asks, and you look over your shoulder.

“It's fine. I'll be able to walk normally in a few days. But my back still hurts.” Completely ignoring Bjorn's existence, you turn away from them again.

Drumming your fingers on the table, you wait for the Queen's maids to bring your meal. When you feel someone moving behind your back, you assume it's them, and place your cup further away to open some space. But instead of the bowl with rabbit stew, a necklace is put down before you. And it's absolutely beautiful, with three blue stones surrounded by a golden metal, delicately molded around it. It's different from anything you've ever seen in Wessex. Taking it in your hands, you see Ivar dropping to the seat next to you, and you turn to look at him.

“What is it?” You ask, unable to hide the smile that comes to your lips.

“A necklace.” He simply says, and you roll your eyes at his tone. What a way to ruin the mood.

“Yeah, I noticed.” The smile slowly drops as your eyes go back to the piece, fingertips caressing one of the stones.

“This was made for a princess. Not those cheap things.” He gestures at your bracelet, and you giggle.

“Well, this is absolutely beautiful.” Glancing at him, you find he was already staring. “Is it for me?” You inquire in a lower voice, not wanting to make any assumptions that might embarrass you.

Ivar nods, lightly pushing your shoulder. “Turn around. Let me put it on.”

Doing as he says, you turn your back at him. Ivar takes the necklace and places it around your neck, and you hold your hair up so he can close it on the back. Once he's done, you let the hair fall before turning to face him, folding your left leg and carefully laying the wounded ankle on the bench between you and Ivar. “How does it look?”

You wait for an answer, but it doesn't come. Ivar's eyes were fixed on the necklace, but slowly, they come to meet yours. Tilting your head to the side a little, you feel heat spreading through your cheeks.

Shaking your head lightly and looking down, you take a deep breath. “Have you heard that I fell from a horse this afternoon?” You're glad you got your brain to function, changing the subject. “Twisted my ankle.”

Ivar's stare falls to your bare feet on the bench, the skirt of your dress pulled up to your knee. “Mother told me it was someone else's doing.” As he speaks, Ivar gives an angry stare at where his two brothers are, and it's obvious who he's looking at. “But I think you'll survive.” You feel his fingers caressing your skin, from your knee and down through your calf, so softly you wonder if he's really touching you.

“I will.” You assure him, biting back a smile.

“Ivar,” Ragnar calls, and it does take a while until you both look at where he's standing, near the thrones. “Your mother wants to speak with you.”

“What now?” He asks, annoyed.

“I don't know. Go ask her.” And he disappears.

“Guess I'll have to go.” He glances at you, grabbing the clutch.

But before he can push himself up, you grab his arm. Perhaps you shouldn't do it. Perhaps this whole thing is just some kind of joke he's pulling on you, but still, the necklace is beautiful and he was... Kind. So you lean closer to him, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for the gift. It's very beautiful.”

Ivar is frozen, even after you let go of his arm. He stands there, blue eyes locked on yours. Slowly, painfully slow, a smile comes to his lips. And it feels different. True, genuine. “You're welcome, princess.” He whispers before pushing himself up to his feet and walking away.

You're still a little dazed when the rabbit stew comes, and you can do nothing but play with the spoon. But heavy footsteps get your attention, and when you look at your side, you catch a glimpse of a very angry Bjorn disappearing inside.

He saw everything. And it takes you by surprise to notice that, the moment you laid eyes on Ivar, you immediately forgot Bjorn and Ubbe were here. Everything just... Faded away, and there was nothing else, just you and him. And this is not the first time it happens.

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