#its not her fault he entered into it in the first place bc he clearly did before he met her | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tomwambsmilk · 1 year

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I am now realizing I don't think I've ever really explained my Succession-Inferno analogy but it is something near and dear to my heart so. Buckle up I guess!

The whole thing is premised on the idea that Logan holds a lot of characteristics traditionally ascribed to the devil in literature. He's an excellent liar (far better than anyone else on the show), he goes out of his way to destroy relationships between other people because he can't stand it when people love others more than they love him, he presents himself as "uncle fun" to outsiders, he actively revels in sowing discord and conflict and betrayal whereas everyone else merely tolerates it. At the same time everyone around him treats him like a god. He deserves all their love, he is The Father who has created all they see, reality is manifested by his will and is simply whatever he wants it to be, he is all-knowing and all-powerful. But because their god is actually. you know. evil. the fruit of his continued power (and their continued worship of him) is nothing but misery and lies.

In Dante's Inferno, Dante goes on a journey through Hell, guided by Virgil. Virgil represents two things: the knowledge of morality necessary to understand what's happening in Hell and avoid being taken in by it, and the moral support and courage necessary to complete the journey. Dante journeys through nine circles that are meant to represent sins of increasing moral degradation. The first is limbo, who's actually just people who weren't bad at all but were never baptized and so can't go to heaven. That's where the pagan moral philosophers - including Virgil - are. After that, it's Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and finally, Treachery. The order is very intentional, and rooted the belief that the early sins (sins of the flesh) are the easiest ones to fall into and ultimately are not as serious as the others - but, they also serve as gateways to the more serious sins. Each circle has sinners being punished in ways that are metaphors for the impacts of their sins. The devil sits in the ninth circle of hell, Treachery, where everyone (including the devil himself) is frozen in ice. The devil has Brutus, Judas, and Cassius in his mouth, and he chews on them for all eternity. Everyone around him betrayed someone they had an obligation to; the worse the betrayal, the closer to the devil they are frozen. The furthest away are those who betrayed their families (Cain); then those who betrayed their countries (Antenor); those who betrayed their guests and those who sheltered in their homes (Ptolemy); and finally, those who betrayed their masters, lords, and benefactors, which includes the three in Satan's mouth.

If Logan is Succession's Satan, then two things follow. First, Waystar becomes a metaphorical Inferno, where climbing the ranks to get closer to Logan requires climbing through the circles of hell and participating in greater and greater moral degradation. I think the character this most applies to, because we actually get to see his corruption arc over the course of the show, is Tom. And his arc, I think, arguably fits with that journey into hell. Season 1 gives us Gluttony and Greed, especially in 1.06 when he takes Greg to the restaurant and gives his spiel about how great it is to be rich. We also get his general obsession with nice things and with stuff, something which the Roys don't have, and something that seems to fade in Tom as his arc progresses. Season two gives us Wrath and Violence (Safe Room etc.), and Fraud (the cruise line scandal coming out). And then finally, at the end of season 3, we get Treachery. And I find it very very interesting that immediately before committing the act of Treachery, Tom asks Greg if he wants to make a deal with devil - something which turns out to mean both a deal with Logan, but also the act of betraying Shiv. Up until this point, you could argue that Greg had been riding along on Tom's coattails on this journey-through-hell - but the line "What am I going to do with a soul anyways?" means that, for the first time, he's actively consenting to what's happening. Sure, he doesn't know what's going on - but the line itself implies that it simply does not matter to him.

The second thing that follows, though, is that while Tom and Greg and the old guard have journeyed down to where Logan is, his children have been there all along. They grew up in a world characterized by Treachery, Fraud, Violence, Wrath, Greed, and Lust. Their arcs aren't about them becoming corrupted; their arcs are about whether they can escape the corruption they've always lived in. Everyone is frozen in that same ice together, but the ways they got here were very different.

Finally, the Virgil character is very important, because he doesn't have a corollary in the Succession half of this analogy, and that highlights what none of these characters have. None of them have a strong moral compass, and even if they did, none of them have the kind of support and moral courage to resist the allure of temptation. This is far more devastating for the Roy kids, though, because they've never had the opportunity to encounter a Virgil, whereas everyone else had to pass through Limbo - where Virgil is - before they could start going through hell. Or, in other words, with Tom et al. at some point there was an active choice to reject the moral compass and reject the moral support, which the Roy kids never had. But once you reject your moral compass it's hard to get it back again, hence why the further you get from Limbo the harder it is to find your way back.

#succession #didnt include this in the main post bc I didnt want it to be too long BUT #I also think there's an interesting tomshiv angle here #where. if shiv has been immersed in this world of corruption and moral degradation her whole life (ie frozen in that ninth circle)#is there really a world where they can be together and tom doesn't end up in that same corruption?#shiv isnt the one who corrupted him. not at all. but her whole world is corrupt and so entering into it is the only way to get close to her #its not her fault he entered into it in the first place bc he clearly did before he met her #but once he marries her he ends up even more committed and its even harder to get out #I also think there's an interesting angle re: dante journeying through hell to get to beatrice #who represents true pure selfless love #BUT he can make it through hell bc he has Virgil. so he DOESNT get sucked into the corruption and he DOESNT get stuck in the ninth circle #and HE gets to pass through the other side of hell and head towards heaven #I have a creative writing piece I started forever ago where tom has to take a dante class in college and over the course of the show begins #rationalizing his choices as part of a journey through hell where on the other side is beatrice ie: love #bc he's so invested in being in this world and his marriage is part of the world #and then finally realizing oh fuck actually im in the ninth circle and there is no beatrice on the other side #there is no redeeming quality here and I dont think my marriage can be saved #and that leads into to the choice to betray shiv #because you're already in the devil's domain and you have no virgil to help you out. what else can you do #not that the situation justifies his actions. but it creates the moral apathy required to go through with it #bc genuinely I do not think he would have betrayed shiv like that in season 1 or season 2 #so the question is what about him changed #and I think the progression of his corruption arc is a big part of the answer to that question #not the whole answer but it is important #maybe I'll finish it one of these days lmao

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not-a-big-slay · 2 years

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Until it doesn't hurt

kaz brekker x fem! reader

summary: betrayal leaves some wounds behind, but even more questions when you can't figured out from whom it really came from

warnings: none

A/N: alrighty, here it is! this one is long, but kaz and reader finally meet like properly meet, so i hope you enjoy it. it was really fun to write this one, even though i feel like dying, bc its 100 degrees here *cries but in a cool way*

part:6/?

previous part: part 5

next part: part 7

masterlist

taglist (if you wanna be added, say so in the comments):

@chickencouncilrep

When Nina promised Y/N they'll see each other again amongst rats, she meant the street rats, not the rich ones. Seeing the mysterious girl walking through the door was the last thing she'd expect while visiting her old friends, she wouldn't even think of such thing. The moment their eyes met they matched each other's surprised faces. Silence began to play and to get it off stage, one of them had to speak.

"Y/N?" Nina decided to be the brave one and spoke with a furrowed eyebrows, setting aside the piece of cake she was enjoying to stood up. Y/N wanted to say something, but Jesper entered the room with Wylan under his arm. All four of them exchanged glimpses before Jesper asked what was this about. "You know her?" Nina said and pointed her finger at the girl. She looked differently than she did on that boat. Her hair was clearly washed and her clothes were darker, they didn't look like she was a normal tourist, but rather someone who wants to hide in the shadows and that was never good.

"You know her?" responded Jesper, motioning his own hand to Y/N, but keeping his confused look on Nina. She looked between Jesper and her. Usually, when Nina is speechless, she had tons of questions in her head and couldn't decide which to ask first, however, right now she was desperate to have one, because she didn't know how to find answers in this situation, or what answers she even sought.

Silence replayed itself again with uncomfortableness as a guest. Could Y/N be an old friend of Jesper's? She never really knew her friends' past and Y/N said she travelled from Novyi Zem. Could it be his childhood friend? Maybe she visited Jesper and kept quiet about it, because Jesper warned her about dangers of Ketterdam?

Y/N broke their eye contact to answer: "No, we just met on the way here. Same boat." Wylan nodded while Jesper looked more confused. "Wait, what? You're not from around here?" he asked and Nina felt Y/N's heartbeat pick up. Not much, but difference was there, she was nervous. "I grew up here, but I moved out few years ago." she answered calmly. Nina knew she wasn't lying. She assumed she's a tourist and Y/N never confirmed it, that was Nina's fault. "And now you're back because of business...?" she stated and the girl confirmed with a nod.

"What business?" Wylan voiced his confusion and Jesper gladly handled it: "Y/N here, is a hitman.". It almost sounded like he's proud of that. Wylan didn't seem to be satisfied and looked even more confused, telling he's afraid by his heart, that she had come for him. Would Jesper be that stupid to brought a hitman with a mission to kill his lover into his lover's house? thought Nina rhetorically, but with every second that passed, she became to believe it more. She stopped herself to finally speak: "Wait, Jesper, how do you know her?"

They talked about her in 3rd person, as though she wasn't standing right there. "I've met her at today's game. A pro, she is. Let me borrow her money in exchange for a place to stay tonight." Jesper came clean, still having an arm around Wylan, who sighed in dissapointment with Nina, her rhetorical question becoming real. Only Jesper could bring a total stranger to stay overnight to avoid debt. We all should take a knife to bed.

Y/N clearly noticed what their thoughts were and lightly laughed at their reaction. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill any of you." she reassured them with her words and Nina reassured herself with checking her heartbeat. She wasn't lying, good. "That's exactly what a killer would say." Wylan rolled his eyes at Jesper's stupidness and let go of his boyfriend's grasp to sit on the sofa covered in black and red velvet. Jesper scoffed while Y/N giggled: "You can lock me in my room tonight if you wanna be sure.". Like that would stop a skilled hitman Nina thought. Y/N was way too nice to her liking. If she was lying, which she wasn't, it would have been a decent act to earn their- or at least Jesper's- trust, but right now, she was either dumb, planned something worse or really was pure, which was impossible to be if she grew up in this city. Nina decided to not care and give in on her potencial act.

"That won't be nessesary." she smiled at the girl and sat back down to finish her cake. Y/N gave her a small copy of her gesture, then Jesper lead her into the guest's room. He returned without her and sat next to Wylan, capturing him in his arms again, while Wylan groaned in irritation, but he still gave in and rested his head on Jesper's chest. Nina smiled at the sight of that, letting a small tear of nostalgia to form in her eye. She was over Matthias, buried him in his homeland, getting the closure both of them needed. The two reminded her of them, when their hate turned out to be an undying love for one another. Yes, she missed his touch, his lips, his laugh and and his eyes full of love given only to her, but she wasn't sad anymore, she cherished their moments and memories and soon her grief was replaced with happiness.

"Can't believe you didn't realize it sooner." said Wylan after Jesper told them the events of the game tonight and how Bernar and Harvey tricked him. The merchling had his head rested on the top of the couch with closed eyes and his hands crossed on his chest. He looked asleep, but was listening to every word his partner said. Jesper looked insulted by his words and hit his shoulder. "It wasn't as easy as you make it out to be." he defended himself and Wylan nodded, not interested in starting an argument. Nina poured herself another glass of wine, waiting for the right time to start a topic written on everyone's mind.

"So, Y/N..." she started to adress the elephant in the room, gaining looks that confirmed what she suspected. "Yeah, she seems fine." shrugged the owner of the house, returning to his previous position. "She told me she's here for some business." Nina confessed and sipped from her glass. "Probably to kill somebody, nothing serious. It's her job after all." It almost sounded like Jesper defended her. How one poker game can bring people together. Nina only nodded in agreement: "I told Kaz about her, just to be safe.". Wylan shot his look onto her when Kaz was mentioned. She assumed it's been a while since those two crossed paths, she knew Jesper sometimes went to the Club, but Wylan was a merch now, he didn't have the time to visit Dirtyhands, nor he has the desire probably. It seems he still gives Wylan the creeps.

"You did? What did he say?" Jesper asked after he looked around. Y/N didn't come down after Jesper showed her the room and was possibly already asleep, but she still thought it was a clever idea to check if she's not listening. Eavesdropping was a trait Nina could imagine she had. "He didn't seem to care. I can't blame him though, I didn't know much about her and I didn't mention her name." she replied, taking another sip. "Why didn't you?" Nina looked at Wylan and shrugged: "I don't wanna make his job easier. If he's concered, he found out already."

Wylan stared into the air for a moment, then nodded in agreement, as if the air reminded him, what is Kaz capable of. Jesper streched and signed while standing up. "It's nice to know you visited him first, really shows your priorities." he picked up a wine glass of his and poured the same wine Nina was drinking. The red matched the color of his coat perfectly and he soon brought it to his lips to taste it. "Like the Club? It's renovated a little bit." he said after the liquid slid down his throat. Nina shook her head with a smile, she missed them, and of course cared about them more than she cared of Kaz. At least they aren't the huminized version of a pain in the ass.

"Yeah, I noticed. Do you still work there?" she asked in return. Jesper sat back down before asnwering: "I..don't really..know. I come around sometimes and either he gives me something to do or not. And he doesn't reach out to me when he plans another heist, so I'm not sure.." he revealed, looking at the floor, scratching his head. Nina knew about Kaz's weird trait, he wanted to keep Jesper around, but he would walk naked into The Emerald Palace and team up with Rollins before admiting that. He did the same with Inej, she uncovered this first, but never said anything to him.

They continued to talk until Wylan called it a night. Nina wished good night and then retired into her bedroom, but before doing so, she stopped before Y/N's door, her hands already slowly opening the entrance. The blue eyes took a while to adjust in the dark and settled it's gaze on the bed. Y/N laid peacefully, relaxed in every part of her body. Nina checked her heartbeat if it's steady and she's not just pretending. The reality happened to be the first choice, so she closed the door the same way she opened it and made her way to her own bed. There's nothing she should be worried about. She didn't trust the girl yet, but her suspicion grew smaller and smaller.

But it wasn't completely gone..

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The room Jesper have led her in was straight out of her dreams. It seemed like Wylan pulled her biggest desires out of her mind and shaped them into reality. The beige carpet made her feel like she was walking on clouds, footsteps becoming a myth on that surface, her bed could hold all of the slaves she had lived with and she would still sleep comfortably, white and gold walls ran up high and held a big distance with each other, crystal chandelier sent light to shine around the room, acting like a sunlight at sunset. Y/N walked in, feeling bad for disturbing the perfect stillness of the room with her movement. "It's all yours." was what she heard from Jesper's lips before the sound of doors closing welcomed her in. She was quick to take off her shoes and feel every part of the room with her bare skin.

She washed herself in a bathroom connected to her boudoir, almost as big as that. Warm water drops raced down on her body, washing away stress and tenseness she had left. Her left hip's pain became more bareable and after a hot bath it almost dissapeared. When she returned to her bedroom, she found a fresh pair of clothes on her bed, neatly folded, probably from one of the housekeepers. She put on the white shirt and plain pants, then finally tested the quality of the bed. When her weight dropped on the matress, she thought she might fall through, but it caught her smoothly, gently stroking her body. She knew that if this bed was everything she'd own, Y/N would be the happiest person in the history of the universe.

Ater exploring her room for a while she began to make her way back downstairs and join whatever conversation the residences were having. Her foot took the last step down when she heard Jesper telling the events of the Poker game. She smiled at Wylan's reaction, because she realized the old men's plans before, knowing it was a bit obvious. Y/N started walking slowly towards the room, but stopped at the mention of her name. Eavesdropping have become her instinct when she started with this job. It often told her where would her target be in certain hours and made her job therefore easier, so it was no wonder that she called on it now. They talked about her said business in Ketterdam, something she told Nina on the boat. She wanted to enter the room after that, calm that they weren't planning on to kill her in her sleep, but quickly erased that thought.

"I told Kaz about her, just to be safe."

That made her breath halt, while her heart started beating harder. Kaz knew she's back? Did he knew before she saw him? Y/N started to feel the panic that visited her before returning and she braced herself with a wall beside her. She became oblivious to her surroundings, focus hooked on their voices. Nina's next sentence calmed her enough that her breath reborned again. He didn't know she is here. He must have thought it's just a random person on a business, probably at some disctrict by now, closing of a deal. That relaxed her a bit, but it didn't last long. If he didn't know then, he definetely knows now. Kaz saw her, Y/N saw him, they looked in each other's eyes, she even said his name, only confirming it was indeed real and not a dream.

Or rather nightmare.

In the next few minutes she found out Jesper worked for him and she felt the panic only getting bigger. Kaz must've found out about Rollins and wanted them all dead. She couldn't blame him for that, she wished that too, but she became now afraid of sleeping inside Kaz's former employee's house. The fear of being killed in her sleep reminded itself on her mind and got bigger. They talked more then, but Y/N ran upstairs, only the bed could help her now. She closed the door and sat on the matress. She still quite couldn't believe he's alive. She knew that when Rollins took all of the victim's money, they probably died of hunger, thirst or an illness. He survived, maybe Jordie did too. And they were still stuck in this horrible city. They made it.

Suddenly, Y/N felt an urge to see him again. She needed to see them alive, breathing, talking. She wanted to hug them tightly, apologize for everything her play family has done. She wanted to ask him about everything, how they survived, what has happened after they went broke. Mostly, she needed to hear his voice, saying her name, her real name this time, she needed to feel him, his hands around her as they hugged, his breath on her neck, his lips on her forehead, she needed every part of him, tonight. Y/N got up rapidly, walking in the clouds to quiet her thoughts, screaming at her to find him. She began to form a plan just to see him. After the house falls asleep, she will sneak out, go to the club and find Kaz. The idea of seeing him again brought her a surprising amount of happiness she haven't felt in a while, but with happiness there was a worry he isn't that excited to see her. She hushed the worry away, looking at the positive for once, after all, it's what he used to tell her.

She rested on her bed, pretended to be asleep for a long time, until Nina came and checked on her. She probably thought she's asleep, because she heard the door shut not long after they opened. Y/N got up after a while, being sure everyone dozed off. She grabbed her black hood she used to disguise herself on every job and walked towards a window. It was higher than she presumed to be before she looked out, but it wasn't really a problem. Once she made her way down, she started to go back the way Jesper and her came here. It was late at night, but she knew brothels and clubs were at their most busiest hour.

Y/N stayed in the shadows when she passed the Kaelish Prince building and walked over the East Stave. She wondered around for a long time she began to give up on the Crow Club and cursed herself for pretending that she knew where that was earlier. She took a turn left, tiredness eating her whole, when she saw it. An entrance with a black crow inside a black circle. If that wasn't it, The Barrel had a bird fetish to name their clubs after them. Y/N observed the building and went to find a way in without going through the entrance. She didn't like being seen and rather found a small hole where she would go unnoticed. The girl saw an opened a window high up, and decided that would be her way in. She learned to climb on this job early and used it often.

She clunged to the wall next to her entrance. Her feet silently dropped in without wasting time and soon she was standing on a low pile carpet, very different than the one in the merchant's house. She straighten her spine slowly, reassuring no one is in the room. She looked around the room, small with a table and chairs, and a map of Ketterdam hunged on the wall. She wanted to examine it closely, but a door opened when she made her first step.

Y/N wasn't ready to see him. She thought she might prepare for it more, but when she saw his surprised face staring back at her, she realized she could never prepare for seeing him again. Then they stood like statues, similary to how they stood in The Emerald Palace hours ago. She didn't even realize how late it actually was. He moved his eyes all over her body and she watched their every move, while trying to move. She didn't want to be interrupted like they were before, so she had to move, quickly. After she felt her body shift forward she began walking to him, wanting to close the space between them.

"Kaz." she said and almost gave away her desperation for him. Her body was closing the gap quickly, but a sharp pain threw her on the side and against a wall. She looked at her chest due to a force pushing in and was met a with golden crowhead. As her eyes made their way up, she saw his face, less surprised, however, and more angry. Y/N opened her mouth and her breath escaped through. She felt like she wanted to say something, but her mind was busy reading from his look and couldn't form a word. He was mad at her, that's what she could desipher, but she didn't know why he attacked her. She leaned her back more into the wall and her hand pushed the crow head off her chest. She then reached out her palm to touch his face, maybe to calm him down, but was stopped by his hand squeezing her wrist tightly. He forced his walking stick onto her neck, shoving her onto the wall once again and started chocking her. That shocked her. She fought for her breath, but he was only pushing harder, making her light headed. She was running out of patience and it was being replaced by anger. If he was so mad, they can just talk, no need for him to choke her.

She kicked her knee up, striking him in the stomach. His hands pushed back and she spinned his cane vertically, getting off the wall. Before she could act, a hard object hit her in the jaw and she stumbled to the side. Another hit was coming, but she caught the crow before it made contact with her face and pulled it towards her. Kaz made a few steps forward unwillingly and Y/N used it to punch him. She didn't wish to hurt him, but he wouldn't listen to her, so she had to make him. She threw her hand forward, but Kaz dodged her punch, but Y/N didn't wait and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pushing him to a wall. He hit his head and without his cane, he was off balance. She came to him to throw the last hit, but he caught her hand and spinned it behind her back. She let out a groan before her face was pushed against a table.

Y/N tried to stand up, but every time her face lifted off the table, he hit her against it again, harder. When she imagined feeling his hands, she didn't expect this. She tried standing up one more time and this time she wasn't met with anything pushing her back down, she stumbled back. Kaz stood on the other side of the table, hands supporting him, his head low. She looked at him, feeling the side of her head throbbing, a hot liquid coming down her face. That went great for a reunion.

"What are you doing here?" he mumbled, his voice rough and full of hate. It was the first time she heard him speak and it gave her goosebumbs, it sounded nothing like the old Kaz. The question flew over her head, she shook her head:"You're alive...". He looked up from the table and she had goosebumbs once again. He was threataning, like his eyes could shoot poison and watch her slowly die. Now she was the one to lay her eyes on his body, on every piece and imperfection she could find. "Do I look alive?" he said once her eyes were drowning in his again and it made her eyebrows connect. What did he meant by that?

"What are you doing here?" he said again. Y/N couldn't answer reasonably, only say the absurd reason she snuck out of a mansion to wander around The Barrel, desperate to find The Crow Club. "I came to see you." she almost whispered, still taken aback by his appereance. It reminded her of Rollins somehow, and that scared her to the core. Kaz chuckled, but in no way it sounded funny. He pushed himself off of the table and began to walk around it and towards her. She took a few steps back before realiting what she was doing, so she stopped. He walked slowly and paused in front of her, not very close, but it still intimitaded Y/N. She noticed his gloved hands, curious why he wore them inside. She quickly looked back in his eyes, as if he commanded her to do so.

"Well, here I am. Here's what you did to me."

Y/N knew both of them changed over the years, she was expecting it, but she could still find similarities between her younger self and her now, but in his case, there was none. The boy that brought her a single flower everyday he visited and that gave her a bracelet made out of his clothes was now making her afraid and hurting until blood shows up. No, he didn't look alive.

He was very much dead.

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ddaeng-danvers · 3 years

Text

lake house

pairing: anakin skywalker x reader

genre: fluff

summary: in which anakin doesn’t turn to the dark side and padme gives you a lake house

warnings: canon-typical violence, death, pregnancy

word count: 2610

a/n: i literally did this in one sitting bc i’m stupid and it’s so bad, so please do not expect a masterpiece,, for reference this is the nightgown i refer to at the end ----,, also this was slightly inspired by an ask i sent to @etherealsanakin the other day so here is that -----

masterlist

Anakin had been staring out the window of the Council room for what felt like hours, but you were sure was only a few minutes. His gaze was strong and hard. It wouldn’t take a force-wielder to understand something was on his mind. You knew he’d been agitated since his placement on the Council without becoming a master, but you knew there was more to this story. You held your tongue until you saw a single tear roll down the side of his face.

“Ani, my love what is bothering you?” You crouched down next to his seat and wrapped his hand in your own. He squeezed your hand.

“The Chancellor, he’s,” He closed his eyes and took in a shaky breath. “He’s the Sith Lord.” You let silence fill the room, before placing a chaste kiss on your and Anakin’s entwined hands.

“Have you told anyone? Anyone on the Council?” Anakin nodded ever so slightly.

“I informed Master Windu, and he told me to stay behind. That he would handle it.” He closed his eyes for a moment as if to better gather his thoughts. “I’m feeling, confused. I’m not sure of my place in all this.”

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean, Ani. Are you talking about the Order?” Anakin pulled his hand away from yours and pressed his palms to his face.

“The Chancellor promised me powers. Powers greater than any Jedi has ever possessed. The power to save you, from whatever it is I keep dreaming about.” Everything slowly started to click into place. Asking Anakin to be his representative on the Council. The nightmares and visions. Why no Jedi could sense a Sith Lord right under their noses. It was all the Chancellor’s manipulation. All of it. You stood up from your crouched position and stood in front of Anakin. You brought your hands to either side of his face and touched your foreheads together.

“My love, I need you to listen to me right now. And I need you to trust me. Can you do that?” Anakin smiled and his eyes curled up, sending a few stray tears down his face

“I always trust you.” Your heart warmed at his confession.

“I know you feel conflicted right now. You aren’t sure where your alliances truly lie.” Anakin nodded as if answering the question. “But if the Chancellor is a Sith Lord like you’ve said, he’s been manipulating you. Anakin, he wants you to join the dark side, and I know that’s not what you want. I know that’s not who you are.” Anakin stays silent, waiting for you to continue. “I have my criticisms of the Order, just as you do, but they want the best for you, I promise.” You place a kiss on the top of Anakin’s head. “I love you. I love you so much that I won’t let the Chancellor make you the man you’re not.” Anakin stands up from his seat and turns to look out the window.

“I love you too, Y/N. I-I just don’t want to lose you. I can’t”

“And you won’t. I’m right here.” You bring his hands to your cheeks. “I’m not leaving you.”

“I want to aid Master Windu,” Anakin admits.

“Then let’s go.” Anakin smiles up at you and grabs your hand. You both run from the Council room to the hanger, and grab a ship to fit both of you. The journey is short. As soon as you land, you both jump out and begin running towards the Chancellor’s office. While running, your each out for Anakin’s hand and grab it. “I’m not gonna lose you Ani.” Anakin looks at you, his expression still serious.

He simply says, “You won’t.” Before you knew it, you ran into the Chancellor’s office. The window had been shattered and blown out. Master Windu held his lightsaber to the Chancellor’s throat. The Chancellor was laying in front of Master Windu, his hands up in “peace”.

“You are under arrest, my lord.” Master Windu proclaimed. You and Anakin have released hands since entering the room but chose to remain close.

“Anakin, I told you it would come to this.” Anakin looked down at the Chancellor. A man he thought he could rely on, a man he thought he could trust. A man that turned out to be a liar. “I was right. The Jedi are taking over.”

“You are mistaken, Chancellor!” You exclaim.

“The oppression of the Sith will never return. You have lost.” Master Windu adds.

“No, no. You have lost!” The Chancellor yells as he shoots force lightning towards you and Master Windu. The lightning strikes you before you have a chance to ignite your lightsaber. You fall to the ground, and attempt to hold out. Anakin stands there, confused and conflicted yet again. All of his senses are overwhelming him. He trusts you, with his life. But the Chancellor had promised him the power to save you, and he couldn’t afford to lose you.

“Anakin!” You yell over the noise. You cannot hold out much longer, the Chancellor is too powerful. “He is lying to you, Anakin. He can’t help you!” Moments later, the Chancellor shouts out a response, still shooting out lightning. You are writhing on the floor.

“I have the power to save the one you love!” Ironic, Anakin thinks, as he’s shocking you with lightning. “You must choose!”

“Don’t listen to him Anakin!” Master Windu shouts out. You can barely hear what’s going on, too focused on keeping yourself conscious. The pain suddenly stops, and you try to pull yourself off the ground. Anakin leans down and helps you to your feet. You pull away from him as he pulls out his lightsaber.

“I trusted you, Chancellor! I trusted you, and all you did was lie!” Master Windu stepped aside slightly as if he knew what was to come. “You’ve done nothing but lie. And you hurt the one I love.” With that, Anakin swung his lightsaber and struck the Chancellor. And the Clone War was over.

---

Immediately following the Chancellor’s death, Master Windu sent you and Anakin to the med bay to treat your injuries. They were relatively minimal, considering the nature of the attack. Anakin stayed with you the whole time, he refused to leave your side. You suspected he blamed himself for waiting so long to step in.

“My love I know what you’re thinking. This isn’t your fault.” Anakin looked at the floor and shook his head.

“I let it go on for far too long, love. I shouldn’t have just let you lay there on the-”

“Anakin.” You interrupted. “You killed the Chancellor, you resisted his manipulation. The war is practically over.” Anakin squeezed your hand.

“You flatter me, Y/N.” The medical droid spoke up, reminding you of its presence.

“Y/N suffered minor burns and will make a full recovery.

“Thank you, 2-1B.” The droid held up its hand as if it had more to say.

“However, during the scan, I have found the Y/N is pregnant.” You feel your heart sink to your stomach. Was the baby okay? Had anything happened to it when you were attacked?

“Is the baby alright” Anakin spoke up.

“Yes, the baby is healthy.” 2-1B responded. You stood off of the bed and moved next to Anakin. He looked at your face before moving his gaze down to your stomach.

“My love, this, this is wonderful.” Anakin envelops you in a hug, squeezing you ever-so-slightly. “And the war is ending, this is perfect timing.” Anakin’s smile seems to increase tenfold with every passing second.

“Anakin, we’re still Jedi. What’re we gonna do?” Anakin smooths down the back of your hair and runs it between his fingers. “We’re not gonna worry about anything right now. All right?” You nod. “This is a happy moment. The happiest moment of my life.”

---

In the weeks that followed, Jedi and their platoons were sent to resolve any remaining conflicts. Luckily, the Council, recognizing your and Anakin’s efforts that ended the war, were absolved from duty.

Padme visited after the final negotiations concluded, and the treaty was signed. At this point, you were only a month or so along, and still found it easy to hide it from others. However, you’d spoken with Anakin the other night about plans for the future. What were you going to do when you couldn’t hide it. And clearly, you’d both broken the Code. You both came to the conclusion that your best bet would be asking Padme, a trusted friend if you could use her planet as a refuge.

“Padme!” You exclaimed as you opened the door to your quarters. You both gathered each other in a hug, having not seen each other since the Chancellor’s death. As you separated, you invited her in. You took a seat on your bed, as she gave Anakin a brief hug before sitting down.

“How have you both been?” Padme asked. She looked concerned. It’s clear she’d been worried since hearing about the nature of the Chancellor’s death.

“We’ve been doing well. Actually-”

“Y/N’s pregnant.” Anakin blurted out. As much as you were annoyed that he spoiled the announcement, you couldn’t be mad at the lovestruck expression on his face.

“Congratulations!” Padme stood up to give you another hug. Anakin stood up as well and placed a comforting hand on your back as you and Padme separated. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Yes, actually.” Padme looks at you, ready to listen. “The Order prohibits attachments, which clearly we have not abided by.” Anakin laughs softly. “So, as things become more obvious, we’re going to need somewhere to stay. We wondering if-”

“Of course you can come to Naboo!” Padme interrupts. “You two are always welcome. You can stay in one of my family’s lake houses, we don’t have much use for them anyway.”

“Thank you, Padme, truly.��

---

Eventually, it was time to present your situation to the Council. You and Anakin had decided to leave the Order so you could raise your family in peace. You had had enough fighting for a lifetime. You never wanted to become a General in the first place, but the war threw many of your plans out the window.

The only Council member who knew of your situation was Obi-Wan, who was incredibly accepting (and also very excited to be an Uncle). He promised to do as much as possible to lessen any consequences given by the Council.

Anakin grabbed your hand and pressed a kiss to your knuckles before you entered the room. “Everything will be okay, my love.” As you stepped into the room, you were met with the many faces of the Council. The Masters that raised you, trained you. You owed your life to these individuals, and it would be difficult to part with them.

“Master Skywalker, Master Y/L/N,” Master Yoda begins. “A request for us, you have?”

“Yes Master Yoda,” Anakin begins. “If I may be blunt, Y/N is with a child.” Several Council members made audible expressions of surprise, but many also looked as if Anakin had made the most obvious statement in the galaxy.

“You really think we weren’t aware of your attachment?” Master Windu chuckled. “The pregnancy, however, is a surprise.” Master Windu looks around at the members, who all nod their heads. “But we are willing to excuse this ignorance of the Code because of all you two have done for the order.”

“Thank you, Master Windu, but Anakin and I were planning on leaving the order to raise the child.” Many members begin to whisper among themselves.

“Many we ask why?” Shakk Ti, your former master asks.

“Master Ti, I think we’ve all had enough fighting for a lifetime.” Many members smile and chuckle at your comment. “I own the Jedi Order my life. But I am ready for another chapter of my life.”

“Granted, your request is.” Master Yoda replies.

---

You, Anakin, and Padme head to Naboo only a few days later, and Obi-Wan is there to send you off.

“You must send me holo-vids once the baby is born. I’m not sure how often I will be able to visit.”

“Of course, Master. We wouldn’t let you miss anything.” Anakin smiles.

Obi-Wan pulls you into a hug. “I wish you the best of luck, Y/N. I remember when you

were just a youngling, and look at you now.” Obi-Wan’s memory makes you smile. Some of your earliest memories were of the older padawans playing with you and your youngling clan in the Creche. It’s sweet to know Obi-Wan was one of those padawans.

“Thank you, Master Kenobi.” You look up to Anakin. “I’ll be with Padme, I’ll let you two say goodbye.” Anakin looks at his former master for but a moment before wrapping him up in a hug.

“Thank you, master. I’ve never thanked you enough for putting up with me all these years.” Obi-Wan chuckles.

“It was a pleasure, Anakin. It was a pleasure and an honor to train you. And I wish you well. Take care of her.”

“I plan on it.” With that, Anakin boards the ship to Naboo with you and Padme.

Upon landing, Padme excitedly shows you around the house her family is gifting you. The house is modest. A few bedrooms, a couple of refreshers, the perfect home for the (growing) family moving in.

“We can’t thank you enough, Padme.”

“It’s really no problem, let me know if there is anything else you need. I’m just a holo-call away.” With that, Padme left you two alone. You continued to move about the house. With what little possession you and Anakin had, there wasn’t much to decorate, you hoped that would change over time. You eventually ended up in your and Anakin’s room. It wasn’t much, but it was yours, and that’s all that mattered. However, when you opened the closet, you found it fully stocked. You’d always admired Padme’s gowns, and it seems she left you some of your own. One, in particular, struck your eye. A blue silk nightgown with pearls at the neckline. You slip in on, thankful to be out of your Jedi robes for one of the first times in your life.

You make your way out onto the balcony overlooking the lake. Anakin is already there watching the sunset. He senses your presence and turns around.

“Love, what are you wearing?” He asks, a smirk rising on his face. Anakin holds out his hand and pulls you to him. He looks from your eyes to your lips and kisses you.

“Padme left all kinds of things in the closet. I thought I’d try one on.” Anakin smiles.

“I’ll be sure to give Padme my thanks.” Anakin pulls you in closer and kisses you harder. He eventually pulls away to breathe. The happiness on his face is contagious.

“You look happy, my love.” Anakin lays his forehead against yours.

“It’s because I am, love. Maker, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. We’re here, together, and the baby will be able to grow up here.” Anakin places his hands on your stomach, and his expression changes quickly.

“What is it love, is something wrong?” His expression of surprise changes to one of content.

“Nothing it wrong, Y/N. I’m not a med droid but I think I sense two force presences in there.”

“Two? Two as in-”

“Twins, yes, twins! Twins Y/N!” Anakin picks you up and practically spins you before setting you down and embracing you again. “I love you so much, Y/N.”

“I love you too, Anakin.”

#anakin skywalker #anakin skywalker imagine #anakin skywalker fluff #anakin skywalker x reader #anakin imagine #anakin fluff #anakin x reader #star wars #star wars imagine #star wars fluff #star wars prequels

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philtstone · 2 years

Note

20 from the touching list and dealer’s choice for pairing!!!

#20 -- bandaging/stitching up an injury

you can also read this on ao3! this got egregiously long and i may eventually just post it as its own fic but also i have no regrets bc ive been thinking of this concept since i made this clown post like 2 weeks after fatws ended. technically part of this verse but can definitely definitely be understood just fine as a standalone. yeehaw!

"Ah ... shit."

Bucky's been in his fair share of dingy motel rooms, and this one ain't so bad as far as they go. Sarah checked for bed bugs before the kids wiped out and didn't find anything. There's a more than functional toilet, with complimentary soaps. The carpet only smells like piss a tiny little bit.

"It's got ambiance," Cass had declared at the door, ever good-natured, rubbing at his eyes exhaustedly under lopsided glasses even as he held tightly to his mother’s hand. AJ had fallen asleep in the backseat of Old June after the commotion on the interstate, and hadn't woken up even when Bucky maneuvered him out of the car and carried him the three flights up to their rented room; he'd asked, from his squished-cheek position against Bucky's shoulder, "'S'it got a TV?"

It hasn't.

Bucky keeps wanting to apologize. He's not sure what for. It wasn't technically his fault that the house got jumped by armed goons. It wasn't technically his fault that Sarah's front hallway is currently full of broken glass, or that the ever-enduring Ram has finger-shaped dents in the hood, or that they had to leave a bunch of knocked-out suits in the backyard for poor Ms. Gloria or the fuckin' state troopers to find. They were all still breathing – he made sure to stop and check. Since Sarah drove past state lines he's only had to take a second and re-anchor himself in his own body once, which is a great, fantastic improvement from the last time he ended up taking out a truckload's worth of strangers without explicit knowledge of who they were or why he had to engage with them, but God, he will be miserably, stupidly happy when they can finally get a lock on wherever Sam is, and figure out why the latest megolomanic supervillain came for Captain America’s family.

Meanwhile, there's an open wound in Bucky’s side that he hasn't noticed until now.

He’s slipped into the motel room's single bathroom, and has to crane his neck awkwardly to get a proper look at it. It's already kind of gummy. Tacky against his fingers and torn shirt. Pretty short across, though deep enough that it's clearly been bleeding sluggishly under his jacket for the last few hours. Not an active problem, though his favourite grey long-sleeved is ruined, which is annoying, and in his newfound awareness the place where the farthest side of his ribcage, almost on his back, got caught by something -- stray bullet, most likely, though that glass he was thinking of is definitely a contender – is stinging more than is reasonable.

It'll be gone by tomorrow. Bucky's already resigned himself to the fact that he's not sleeping at all tonight, so that other part's fine too.

"Bucky?"

"Uh --" He clears his throat, compulsive, straightening up to face the bathroom door and fumbling with the first aid kit he found behind the toilet basin. Sarah's quiet voice is as full and melodic as it always is. "It's -- yeah?"

Sarah says, in the same muted voice,

"Can I come in? I saw some mouthwash in the cabinet and like, I need to rinse my mouth out or I'm not gonna sleep a wink."

"Oh -- sure, I mean, of course."

She enters, soft on her feet. He hovers, trying to maneuver one antiseptic-wipe-holding hand up and around under his shirt without making too much of a big deal out of it. The angle is stupid-awkward, as if whatever did it did so out of an ironic sense of spite. He keeps his head down, and asks, matching her earlier tone,

"Are the kids okay?"

Short-form sigh, the sort she makes so often. Sarah's no stranger to complicated circumstance.

"They're holdin'. Asleep now, probably be a bit freaked out later. You know how things catch up with you."

Bucky lets out a humourless chuckle in spite of himself and nods, listening to Sarah fumble with the bottle cap, pour the liquid out, and take that kind of measured sip people do when they don't wanna make weird mouth sounds around others. She spits, quiet-like, into the sink. Rinses her mouth out. Turns around.

"God, that’s disgusting. Anyway, there's one of 'em on each bed, so I thought --"

"It's fine, I can just take the fl --"

"-- Jesus Christ, Bucky, you're bleeding!"

Her voice climbs in volume at the same time and pace of her widening eyes; in a second she is much closer to him than before in the objectively too-small bathroom, hands hovering.

"It's fine!" he says hastily, trying to keep his own voice level; the last thing he wants to do is wake the boys up after the day they've had. "Sarah, seriously, this is not a big deal. It'll be gone by tomorrow."

"How -- why didn't you say anything --"

But she's reeled it in. From shock to pragmatism in the flip-switch of a heartbeat, and he didn't even realize that he'd been worried about freaking her out until something about the practical way she's looking at him makes him sag, instinctually, against the peeling wallpaper of the bathroom wall.

Still,

"I didn't notice," Bucky admits, eyes flicking over to the stained yellow shower curtain. He tries not to grimace at himself. Sarah tucks a loose braid behind one ear and he sees her lone remaining earring glint. The other got lost somewhere, status unknown, she said in the car she didn't care much anyway 'cause they were department store knock offs from a Black Friday sale.

He had noticed when she first came in that she'd changed out of her dirty clothes, but kind of in his periphery; now that she's right in front of him, it's extremely difficult not to full-body register her silhouette. She's lost her familiar plaid and the yellow t-shirt beneath it, and is dressed in a thin camisole and old bicycle shorts she must have dug out of the Goodwill donation bags perennially stored in Old June's trunk. The camisole is a pale off-white, bright against the dark pouch of her midriff it's ridden up to expose, and the soft slopes and curves of her shoulders and breasts. The bicycle shorts are -- well.

He swallows, reaching through patchy swatches of pre-war memory to access his mother's stern voice, then his grandmother's, then the hairy-chinned nun who always yelled at Steve for being a shit altar boy, and hell, even that one Rabbi down at the corner of Fourth. Pull yourself together, Barnes.

Sarah says, hesitant, but not disbelieving,

"It doesn't hurt?"

"Not much."

Her lips purse together in a flat line and Bucky has to work hard not to stare at them. She raises a considering eyebrow. "So you were, what, plannin' on prancing around the next few days with a bloodstain under your armpit?"

"It's not under my armpit," Bucky says, maybe a little defensive. Then, "I was gonna toss the shirt."

"While you're still bleeding?"

"Mostly slowed up."

"You'll ruin the only spare clothes I could find in the trunk."

"It's --"

"Don't give me that, Bucky Barnes. You’re the one who told me we’re trying not to attract attention to ourselves. Like, I don't know about you, but I'd notice if someone walked into a Waffle House lookin' like a Tarantino film."

Bucky doesn't know if he wants to sigh or laugh.

“It is not that bad.”

“Uh huh.”

He closes his eyes, wincing but steady. Sarah usually makes him feel steady. Even with the bicycle shorts, and the dizzying proximity, she does.

"You're taking this all really well," he comments.

"Baby, I am a pro at compartmentalizing," Sarah says. "Just now? I'm perfecting a lobster mac recipe in my head."

Bucky gives in to that laugh. "I can't reach it properly," he admits.

"May I take a look?" Sarah asks. It's gentler than before. Maybe that's what gets him.

"I -- yeah. Yeah, alright."

She walks the two steps around him and he tugs the hem of his shirt to his ribcage, stays silent when the fabric pulls against torn skin. He can feel the wound, small as it is, open again when he moves. He tries to use his other arm to hold his shirt up, but nearly elbows her in the nose.

“Shit, sorry –”

“No, it’s fine, I’ll just –”

He gives up, feels his stomach flip. Before he can think too hard about it he has yanked the shirt up and off over his neck.

Sarah is silent. He keeps his eyes ahead, tense in the anticipation of her touch, in anticipation point blank. She's seen the seam, where the prosthetic meets him. This is different.

"It's not very fun to look at," Bucky says quietly. "I’m sorry if it -- scares you."

She's at his side, still, but in direct view of the faded scarring along his pectoral and scapulae, hiding the internal plating and wiring that made the first arm possible and even marginally functional. Shuri replaced as much of that as possible, realigned the whole thing so the chronic pressure lessened and the ergonomics improved. The new arm is lighter, the scar tissue rehabilitated somewhat; most of the time, any associated pain is either weather-related or phantom. He can say, truthfully, that looking at it doesn’t make him feel sick like it used to. There is a big gap between less now and not at all.

Sarah tilts her head, and there is a minute movement where he thinks she might be biting her bottom lip but can't be sure. Another braid spills over her shoulder, loose in her ponytail. She got new ones last month. They're the really long kind, hanging all the way down her back and swinging around when she moves. They're stunning on her. Everything is stunning on her. He's a fool, and it's true.

"Antiseptic?" she asks. But there isn't anything different about her voice.

Bucky clears his throat, against the ball stuck somewhere in the back. "I -- yup." He digs around through the first aid kit open against his thigh, then holds up one of the packets. He watches Sarah's full mouth twitch, and is unsure why, until she slips the alcohol out of his hand and tugs on one of his gloved fingers.

"You wanna take this off too, Luke Skywalker?"

That was courtesy of some kid at a gas station near Mississippi. So much for staying under the radar, but it's been making AJ go bonkers all afternoon, probably even a good distraction from the gunfire and very real danger, so Bucky cannot help himself, and smiles crookedly at her in response, his cheeks warming.

"Oh. Forgot."

"It's fine." He tugs the glove off his hand and hears the tear of the wrapper around the alcohol swab. "Weird seeing you with it on, though. You never wear that at home."

Home, he thinks. The concept, like Sarah, is dizzying.

"So," he manages, praying his voice comes out steady. "Lobster mac?"

"Uh huh. Key is, you never use warm milk when makin' the roux."

"Isn't that the case for any roux?"

"You really listen when I talk, huh?" And her tone's joking, but Jesus if he doesn't want to choke out the world's most pathetic yes, yes, every word when her warm fingers press over his skin and it's like every muscle in his chest jumps to meet them in response. She was in the coat closet, with the children, when a gunshot went off and shattered the porch door because he knew how to move out of its way like muscle memory. She was there when he ducked left then right then grabbed a man in the exact place required to crush a trachea but didn’t, only disarmed him and pinned him to the papered wall fast and hard enough that he’s going to wake up considerably concussed. She saw him move in precise, inhuman movements, like he has never had reason to showcase to her before. Sarah’s careful palm presses over his ribcage, and Bucky feels his eyelids flutter of their own accord.

"Anyway,” Sarah says, “your lobster's gotta be a good one."

"Of course."

"C'mon, don't be laughing. You never had bad lobster?"

"Honestly, I've only ever had your lobster."

"Okay, I see the ambiguity there --"

"No, no, I didn't mean --" He ducks his head, sure she can see him flushing, "Sarah. Ms. Wilson. You know your cooking's the best thing in all Louisiana state."

"Mmmhmmm. Okay white boy, nice save."

"So, what, no spices?"

"Excuse me," she tears a bandaid open with her teeth and his brain short-circuits just slightly, "I can't be giving away my whole recipe like that. Bad for business."

Sarah works in sure, precise movements, cleaning up the blood and covering it just enough that it won’t stain anything overnight. She is entirely practical, and efficient, doesn't press too hard, nor too soft, firm yet unquestionably gentle against his body in a way that is not really necessary.

"Shit," he says suddenly.

Sarah stills at once, thumb pressed over a muscle in his back midway through smoothing down the tape.

"What?"

"I missed therapy today," Bucky realizes.

Well; yesterday. It's well past midnight now. He looks down at her. Sarah looks up, clearly slipping into problem solving mode. She does it the exact same way Sam does, he’s noticed. She says,

"Oh! I -- well, do you wanna check in, maybe?"

"Check in?" Bucky repeats, a little stupidly.

"Like, text her, explain why you missed it, so she's not worried. I can uh, leave the room."

A beat. Two. Bucky bursts out laughing.

It’s this messy, dissolving thing, leaking out of him with an edge of hysteria, and Sarah’s not far behind.

“So she’s not worried –” he manages, half a groan, hand on his face because yeah, the boys are still asleep in the next room, and they’re here together in the single shared bathroom like an evolution of the strange domestic daydream he’s been living in every few weeks when he shows up on her doorstep. Her giggles continue, syrupy, poorly muffled, even more hysteric than his own. Maybe some of that compartmentalizing has been breached. He keeps on laughing, bent over, objectively too close to her and gasping with it. It’s only when she brings a wrist up to wipe at her eyes, still more or less incoherent, that he notices it, and reaches for her hand without thinking.

“Hey,” he says, still breathless, “Your elbow, Sarah.”

“What – oh?” Her arm’s shaking, entirely the aftershocks of the adrenaline. This is something he knows. “It’s just a scrape." Her voice shakes, with the laughter and other things. "Bumped weirdly against the car door.”

“Here. Come on, we still have bandaids.”

She’s shockingly compliant, usually so stubborn in accepting help in anything, even less when it's personal. She lets him extend her arm and turn it over, holding it carefully over his jean-covered knees so they are not quite touching. With assured movements to match Sarah’s own Bucky takes the last antiseptic packet, dabs carefully at the raw skin, doesn’t quite wince when she hisses. His right hand is large where it cups over her elbow, and he tries not to notice the kick of her pulse against his thumb, or the fact that her dark skin has erupted in warm gooseflesh, or his own unfamiliarity with administering this kind of care to another person.

“There,” he says, when he’s done, feeling a little bit like he doesn’t recognize his own voice. The bathroom is quiet around them, as if the whole world’s narrowed down to just their two and the toilet seat.

“Wasn’t very bad.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he hears himself say. “Now we’re even.”

It’s like it's trying to crawl out of his pores, sometimes, the impulse impress her. To be -- normal -- around her. She is so kind to him. All the time, like it's as natural as breathing. It is like nothing he has experienced in perhaps his whole life. She quirks a smile, pretty and softening for all that she’s just wiped the blood off his back and been chased out of her home by strangers, and he’s hit with that dizzying feeling again – the need to apologize. There’s something sacred about that house, and Sarah and her children in it. The idea of its walls being breached is terrifying to him at a conceptual level he doesn’t really know how to parse out. He thinks Sam might be the only other person who’d get it, and even then, Bucky doesn’t know if he has the guts to bring it up. Because here Sarah is, letting him touch her, and here he is, wanting. Desperately. It leaves him rudderless, and yet with every passing day feels simpler than before.

Sarah extracts her hand from his to tuck a braid behind her neck again, and to toss the small handful of bloodied gauze into the toilet. Moving on instinct, he gathers up their opened first aid detritus, picks his sodden shirt up off the floor.

"Can I tell you something?" she says, after a moment.

Bucky nods, holding his bloodied shirt close to his abdomen.

"So like, earlier today? When those guys showed up? Gotta grab Captain America's sister, whatever. You were in the backyard, remember."

"Of course."

"Painting that awful shed."

"Yeah."

"Took you thirty seconds to get from there to the front, where I was." She takes a deep breath, like she's shoring herself up to say something. He can see her chin wobble -- the slight tremble of her hand. She has to be the single most incredible person he's ever met, he thinks, and he has met a lot of people in his miserable long life. "Those thirty seconds you weren't there," Sarah says, "I was scared."

Bucky stares at her. Even in her borrowed clothes she smells of that coconut she so favours, and he can feel the puff of her breath against his bare arm, flesh and bone like any other man's. His head is still buzzing, though maybe from different things now.

He says, voice rough, “I could stay up, in case the boys have nightmares.”

“You’re thinking of my babies right now?” she asks, in a strange tone.

He should kiss her, Bucky thinks. He should pick her up and press her against that peeling wallpaper and –

“I just thought –”

“Mama?”

AJ’s voice, plaintive and carrying the edge of panic, sounds from just the other side of the bathroom door. Sarah startles; Bucky jerks to his feet and nearly knocks over the first aid kit. For a split second, their eyes lock, wide and heady and caught. Then she curses and stumbles her way out of the bathroom. Her hands close to herself again, held aloft, ready to comfort, dulled again with the mundanity of living.

“Mom –”

“I’m here, I’m here, baby, just in the bathroom. You know how folks gotta pee in the middle of the night. You’re safe, AJ. Is Cass asleep? He’s right here? Okay. Okay, we’re all together. It’s fine.”

Bucky slumps back against the wall, groaning through his teeth, feeling like he’s just been jolted out of a full-bodied dream. He scrubs a rough vibranium hand over his face, tosses his ruined shirt into the garbage can, and pulls his phone out to see if Sam’s back online. He’s not. Bucky’s phone is newly cracked in the top right corner. Sorry I missed today, he texts, to Raynor’s number. Urgent family thing. Tell you next time.

Then he straightens up, rolls out his shoulders, and pads his way into the bedroom, ready to fold himself into the scuffed fold-out chair in the corner and keep watch on the door until morning.

#lol i cut SO many additional bits out of this.#which is just becoming par for course on these prompts #as always i am very nervous about characterization but i cant look at this another second #who knows #my writing #bucky barnes #sarah wilson #sarahbucky #sarah x bucky #the falcon and the winter soldier #aj wilson #cass wilson #tfatws #marvel #fleur de louve #fleurdelouve #touches prompt meme #tfatws fic #i found a dream

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mandoalorian · 3 years

Note

hi i’d like max x reader where he’s having very stressful day at work like everything that can go wrong does go wrong and the reader is his gf and bc of all this stuff going wrong he forgets that she’s supposed to visit him at work so she comes in and starts talking about her day and how great it was and then he just shoots up and goes to hug her and starts kissing her and playing with her hair and she’s like ??? cause this never happens and he just lays his head on her lap and he rants about his day and she listens and she tries to comfort him as best she can thank u 🥺

Rough Day At Work [Maxwell Lord x Reader]

Author's note: Oh. my god. This is a long one. I write a lot of Maxwell fluff but this one is by far one of my favourites. It's a journey of pure, unadulterated sweetness with a sliver of comedy. And it's set at Christmas— perfect to get you in the festive mood! Reblogs appreciated because this isn't showing up in tags.

Word count: 6.5k

Warnings: food mention, drink mention, brief allusions to sex, Maxwell is ~stressed~.

Rating: PG-13

Masterlist in pinned! Requests open x

Maxwell Lord had his fair share of bad days. Things almost always went wrong in his line of work, but it was almost never his fault. He could always squander up an excuse or find someone else to blame. But today it was one thing after another.

He was late. He had a meeting with the board team first thing but as the Christmas traffic filled the bustling roads of DC, he had already missed the first twenty five minutes of the conference. He practically fell out of the black limo that drove him to work every morning, plodging his feet through the thick layers of snow. It was so deep this morning, the ice cold water seeped through his leather Armani shoes and even through his favourite cashmere socks. The ones with little purple polka dots. He shivered uncomfortably as the clumps of ice sat in between his toes, melting, and so every footstep made an obscene squelching noise. He didn't have the time to fuss around and change his shoes. The bottoms of his tailored pants were dripping. He bolted through the glass revolving doors of Black Gold Cooperative, trailing a pool of water behind him. His receptionist Anna, and his assistant Raquel, stood up abruptly, their eyes widening as they saw their boss in such a hurried frenzy.

"Mr Lord! You have your nine o’ clock meeting and it’s now nine twenty-” Raquel raised her hand and called for him, but he didn't bother to stop in his tracks.

"Yes Raquel, I know!" Maxwell yelled after her, already tapping his feet impatiently as he waited for the elevator. "Cmon, cmon…" he grumbled as it slowly made its way down from the 25th floor to the ground floor.

When Maxwell entered the board meeting, his cheeks were a rosy pink from the cold winter weather. His eyes were glazed and the waves in his dark blonde hair were falling out of place. He had styled it perfectly this morning, the same way he did it every morning. You had even helped him, brushing through his locks when he had hopped out the shower. But now he looked as though he had just run a marathon, breaking out in a cold sweat. He swore if he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror, he'd have a heart attack. But surely, the day couldn't get any worse. Right? Maxwell had made it to the meeting, albeit late. At least he was there.

Wrong.

"I am so sorry." he scrambled, plopping his briefcase down on the table and slipping past the many occupied chairs. He slumped down in one eventually, pulling out in a notepad and pen. "Bad traffic," he huffed. "Can someone give me the lowdown?"

He eventually looked up to see his company. Twelve older ladies in pink button down dresses and white frilly aprons, their hair tied back into matching low buns. Maxwell froze up, his gaze wandering from woman to woman as it slowly began to sink in.

"Mr Lord…" the woman at the head of the table said cautiously. She looked just as baffled. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I've worked for Black Gold Cooperative for five years now but never did I expect to see you in person."

Maxwell looked back at the other girls who were all nodding in agreement, beaming with excitement. "Uh." He didn't know what to say, but instead, he placed his pen and notepad back into the inside of his suit jacket pocket and stood up. "I think- I think I'm in the wrong meeting." he announced.

"We are the body of staff who are responsible for the cleanliness and hygiene of your company sir. We spend ten hours a day washing and tidying every surface, every inch of this building. We take great care of it." one of the ladies spoke up and Maxwell became even more confused. Although clearly, on a day like this, it didn't take much to confuse him.

"The cleaning staff have meetings in here?" He wondered out loud, immediately regretting the words as soon as they left his lips. He didn't want to come off as rude. "I mean, I'm your employer. Pft, of course I know that you have meetings. And I'm glad you do so. It's good to take direction!" he was doing that motivational voice he used on television, making the 60 year old cleaners swoon with admiration. "I- I should get going but. Uh, yes. Lovely to meet you all."

"Mr Lord!" A lady with ebony hair and crinkles by her eyes stood up, handing Maxwell his briefcase. He nodded appreciatvely and walked to the door where her hand met his arm and stopped him in his tracks. "Could I get your autograph, please? I'm just a huge fan of your infomercials."

Maxwell checked the time on his wristwatch. Almost half an hour late, but he couldn't deny one of his cleaners. Once upon a time he wouldn't have bothered giving them a second glance yet he leaned over the table and signed his name on a sticky note. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Pamela," she beamed brightly.

"Nice to meet you Pamela, have a good day." he pat her shoulder and went open the door when another voice yelled his name.

"Mr Lord!" a woman with white hair stood up, a grin pinned on her face. "I'm Doris," she introduced confidently, but her voice was shaky with her old age. "I remember when your father was on the television. I used to clean for him too, you know? Oh, he was such a lovely gentleman. And you look more and more like him every day. Such a handsome man, you are."

Maxwell stiffened up, his hand grabbing the door handle so hard he was sure his knuckles might've turned white. "Oh," was the only thing that could really leave his lips. He wanted to leave.

"Mr Lord, your father I mean-, every Christmas he'd give little old me a kiss," she recalled, her heart blooming at the memory. "Of course I wasn't old then. I was young. And beautiful."

Maxwell exhaled and nodded his head, unsure of really what to say or where this conversation was going. All he could think about was the board meeting that he was already extremely late for. Maxwell pushed down on the door handle and Doris let out a long dramatic sigh, making Maxwell pause once again to hear what she had to say. "I haven't been kissed like that, by a man as attractive as your father, in years." she sighed longingly, fluttering her eyelashes.

That was when Maxwell realised. He sighed quietly, his eyes scanning the room. All the cleaners were staring at him, expecting him to make his move on poor old Doris. Then, he turned back to Doris and offered her that familiar Hollywood smile. The same smile that the whole world was used to seeing on five o'clock television. He took her hand and brushed a soft kiss over her wrinkled knuckles before gently dropping her hand again. There was no denying the pink blush that coloured her cheeks. The action earned a few squeaks and squeals around the room and while they were all babbling with excitement about what they'd just witnessed happen to their friend Doris, Maxwell took the opportunity to run.

He did finally make it to the meeting. He squeezed past his business associates, trying to locate his chair around the table. In the process, he knocked over a cup of coffee. It spilled all over Maxwell, and one of his colleagues. Maxwell's pale blue suit jacket was now stained with brown espresso, and he knew it would take more than just a few washes to get the stain out. He muttered a small 'sorry' before finding his seat and taking out his notepad and pen. Just as he finished writing the date at the top of his piece of paper, the director of the meeting called it quits and everyone flustered out of the room.

All this had happened and it was only ten in the morning.

Luckily, that was the only meeting of the day and he knew he was going to be spending the rest of the day in his office doing paperwork. That was easy enough. Maxwell padded into his enormous office which took up the entirety of the top floor at Black Gold Cooperative headquarters. He shut the double doors, finding peace in knowing that there was no need for anyone to come in and distract him. Maxwell tugged off his blazer and hung it on the back of a chair. He unclipped his suspenders that held his tailored pants up, and threw them to one side, along with his shoes and soaked socks. He padded into the closet at the back of his office and shuffled out of his pants, changing into some grey sweatpants.

He smiled, beginning to feel warm again. Wearing the sweatpants reminded him of you and it made him feel like he was at home. He remembered a few weeks into your relationship; your surprise when you caught a glimpse of his wardrobe. Not a single piece of casual wear in sight. You wondered if Maxwell Lord had ever known the comfort of sweatpants and so, that afternoon, you went out and bought him a pair. They changed his life. Maxwell would always favour his suits, that's just who he was, but he would love to wear the sweats when he wanted to lounge about in the house.

He was tired. His hair was still damp, the dark blonde waves curling at the nape of his neck and falling out of place every time he tried to remedy it. He still smelled vaguely of espresso, and was still haunted by the interaction of Doris the cleaner. He pursed his lips together into a thin line at the memory of kissing her hand.

Maxwell walked over to his desk and sunk into his chair, holding his head in his hands. Finally some peace.

Until there was a loud knock at the door. Maxwell swung his head back and groaned. "Come in!" he shouted, quickly composing himself for whoever wished to see him. It was his blonde assistant, Raquel.

"Hi sir!" she beamed, waving her free hand and placing a glossy catalogue on the table.

"Raquel." Maxwell nodded politely, sitting up and looking at the catalogue she had positioned before him.

"For the Christmas gala," she explained, flicking open the pages and pointing out different things. She'd carefully highlighted and labelled everything she wanted to show him, making it easier for his conveience. "I was thinking huge black and gold balloons with the company name on. Gold confetti. Banners and streamers hanging from every corner. A buffet, and every table cloth will also have the company's name on, printed in small, glitter ink." Her loud and chatty voice was giving Maxwell a headache.

"Yeah, balloons with Black Gold Cooperative written on really scream ‘Have a Very Merry Capitalist Christmas’." he sighed, slowly looking up at her. She blinked a few times. "Well Raquel?" he quizzed, growing irritable. It wasn't her fault, it's just everything was beginning to build up. She blinked again, dumbfounded by his comment. "Is that what Christmas is about to you?"

"W-what do you mean?" she asked nervously, removing her hand from the catalogue and taking a step back from his desk.

"What about red and green balloons? We'll have a Christmas tree in the ballroom. We could even make it family friendly and hire a Santa Claus for the kids to meet." Maxwell suggested. "And no weird company merchandise."

Raquel blinked, not saying a word. It had never really dawned on Maxwell how much you had changed him. His staff realised practically instantly— from the moment he came into work after the first time you had spent the night, it was like he was a changed man. He held the door open for people, he wished people a good morning. And as your relationship with him developed, you opened up a brand new side to him. He became more affectionate and caring for those around him, a feeling he had shut off from the world for his entire life.

He had never cared for Christmas, never cared as much to host a Christmas gala either. His father died during the festive season and it hadn't been the same without him. His mother didn't do much to celebrate. Maxwell had everything he always wanted; all the new toys and fanciest designer clothes. But it meant nothing to him without his father. Christmas meant nothing to him without love. That's why it all changed when he met you. You finally brought love back into his life, and everything felt whole again. You completed him. You taught him how to enjoy events and celebrate. You taught him happiness but most importantly, you taught a cold and broken man how to love and be loved in return.

The Christmas gala was your idea. One night, around a month ago, you and Maxwell were both lying in bed together. Maxwell had expressed to you that he wanted to do something special for his staff at work. Over the past few years since he had met you, he'd slowly been softening with the people around him. Christmas time was no different and his staff were always jolly to receive a hefty bonus from him. But they didn't expect anything more.

You came up with the idea of a gala, and Maxwell couldn't help but smirk a little when you mentioned it. He knew that your suggestion was deeply rooted into the fact you had always wanted to attend a gala, wear a beautiful dress and have your hair and makeup done. More importantly, you wanted to go to a gala with Maxwell and have him by your side looking as handsome as ever. The prospect excited you so much. With Maxwell, you knew that you wanted for nothing. That he could give you anything and everything. But you would never ask. You wanted him to know that for as long as he was with you, you had everything you needed.

Normally for Maxwell, gala’s were a place for adults only. Bars that served the best alcohol and a place where men who were just as rich as him would meet and schmooze. Before you, gala’s were a fine opportunity for Maxwell to meet a lady and take her home. That's all he enjoyed them for. But you had taught Maxwell that there was more to life than wealth, women and good champagne. He was so sure you'd love the idea of turning the gala into a family friendly party, and he was certain that his employees (the likes of the cleaning staff, for example) would love the ability to bring their families to such a high class event.

"Don't worry Raquel," Maxwell smiled. "Forget about the party planning for now. I know someone who would love to organise the Christmas gala." Today was tough, but everytime he thought about you, he couldn't wipe the grin from his face. He was one lovesick puppy. "Could you bring me a coffee?"

Raquel nodded and picked the catalogue back up, padding out his office without saying another word.

At around twelve o’clock, Maxwell was about to take his lunch break- but the phone on his desk began to ring. "Maxwell Lord." he introduced himself, holding the phone to his ear. It was the CEO of Powergrid Electrics, an electrical company in Rome. Rude and unhinged, the boss man reminded Maxwell of a version of himself that he had left in the past.

Maxwell had almost sealed an amazing deal with the company, but it had seemed that the CEO hadn't received a vital part of the contract. Trying to regulate the anger that was building up inside of him, Maxwell shakily put the phone back on the hook and called his second assistant, Emmerson, into his office.

"It's impossible," Maxwell furrowed his eyebrows together in bewilderment, after explaining the situation. He scrambled amongst the papers that were stacked mountain high on his desk. "I put it in the envelope and had Raquel send it off to Rome last week. I remember… I know I didn't forget. I never forget." he said, trying to sound as composed and confident as possible. There was no mistake in the worried little warble in his voice, though.

Emmerson, Maxwell's second assistant, wasn't sure if he was going to regret his next move. "Sir," his voice was timid and small. Maxwell's eyes snapped up to meet Emmerson's and Emmerson felt his heart rate increase rapidly. Emmerson reached over Maxwell's desk, picking up a folded piece of paper with a sticky note on top that read 'For Raquel: give to Rome'. "Is it possible that this is the missing part of the contract? That maybe, you might have just, forgotten to give it to Raquel?" he said slowly, trying to beat around the bush as much as possible.

Maxwell slowly reached over to the slip of paper, unravelling it like he was scared to see what the contents would reveal. He sighed out loud when he realised he had, in fact, forgotten to give Raquel the document, and there was no one to blame but himself. He ran his fingers through his hair, contemplating what to do next. He didn't want to believe he was out of options. He wasn't one to give up, especially when it came to the sanctity of his business.

"I need you to go to Rome." He said immediately and Emmerson's jaw dropped.

"I- I'm sorry?" Emmerson quizzed, confused and still slightly afraid of how impulsive Maxwell was being. "With all due respect, can't you just call Rome and ask for an extension on the deadline?"

Maxwell scoffed. "Call Rome? I can't just call a country," Emmerson was about to interject to explain that wasn't exactly what he meant but Maxwell didn't allow it. There was something about the way Maxwell's brain worked… he didn't get where he was today from taking the advice of his assistants. "You will go to Rome and give Powergrid Electrics the remaining part of the contract yourself. I trust you."

"But sir-" Emmerson raised a shaky hand.

"Oh, I see, you're worried about accomodation," Maxwell assumed, chuckling lightly. "I'll get you a five star hotel and give you a spending allowance of three hundred euros a day, how does that sound? No need to fret. Hurry along now."

"Mr Lord," Emmerson deadpanned finally, causing Maxwell to look up at his assistant in bewilderment. Emmerson was still afraid of his boss, of course, but he knew he had to stand his ground. "I can't go to Italy."

There were a few beats of silence. "What?" Maxwell questioned. "Don't be ridiculous. It's a free trip of a lifetime. You have an easy job to do. You can spend the rest of the day souvenir shopping. I don't care. Just get the contract delivered." He ordered.

"No." Emmerson put his foot down.

"No?" Maxwell repeated, raising his eyebrows like he was due an explanation.

"Mr Lord, I didn't want to say anything because it seems… you've had a lot going on today. But my girlfriend, Katherine, she's due our baby. See, we're having a son. I'm not sure if you knew… I mean, you probably didn't know. But, I promised Katie- uh, Katherine, that I'd meet her at the hospital after my shift. I wish I could help you sir, I really do. But I love my girlfriend and I've been waiting nine months to meet our son so if you please-"

The old Maxwell Lord would've burned red with rage, firing poor Emmerson on the spot, right then and there. How dare he question Maxwell. How dare he deny Maxwell. How dare he choose his love life, his family over his job. But right now, Maxwell couldn't help the small smile creep upon his lips. He was overjoyed, just wishing Emmerson had told him of the amazing news before now.

"Congratulations," Maxwell said, his voice quiet but his eyes gleaming. "On the addition of your family. That's really great."

Emmerson stood as still as ever, blinking a few times. He waited for Maxwell to snap and finally lose it. He was waiting to get the sack. But nothing. "Uh, thank you, sir." Emmerson replied hesitantly, like he wasn't sure what to expect from Maxwell.

The following few moments of silence, Maxwell spent thinking about you. He thought about how radiant you glowed this morning and how he wished he didn't have to leave your side. You were the love of his life and quite frankly, since meeting you, he understood the priority of choosing love over wealth. He finally had someone he could hold onto during the dead of night, someone to ramble to about his feelings, someone he could kiss and love and cherish forever.

Maxwell Lord finally loved something more than his business and that was you. Emmerson coughed awkwardly, breaking the silence and Maxwell flicked his wrist up, checking the time on his gold Rolex. It was almost twelve thirty.

"Why are you still here?" Maxwell grinned, swinging his hand to point a finger towards the door. "Go! You have a son to meet!"

"Sir, I don't finish until five o’ clock." Emmerson replied, stiffening up.

"No no no! Go home, go see your girlfriend, please." Maxwell stood up and shook his assistants hand. "I have no doubt you'll be an amazing father," he said genuinely. "And I'll have Y/N send over some flowers and a donation after the birth."

"You- you're really letting me off work early?" Emmerson beamed and Maxwell nodded his head enthusiastically. "Oh how can I ever thank you?"

"I hear Maxwell is a popular choice of name for baby boys right now," the CEO charmed and Emmerson let out a small but genuine laugh. "Now go! Tell Katherine I send my love."

"I will do, thank you sir." Emmerson grinned, grabbing his jacket from the coat rack and merrily running out of the office.

Maxwell sunk into the plushness of his leather chair, still unable to escape the smile that played on his lips. He imagined the possibility of you, the love of his life, carrying his child. He thought about how beautiful you would look, how you'd glow, and how he'd simply give up everything to take care of you. Make sure you had everything you needed during your pregnancy. He imagined building the nursery with you and picking out some books on parenting, studying with you so he could ensure that he'd be the best father ever. He'd never wanted kids. In fact he hated the idea of having little mini Maxwell’s running around and causing fuss and torment, but the idea of you raising them alongside him made his heart flutter. He was certain of the unconditional love you’d have for them. Similar to the unconditional love he had for you.

His eyes darted back to the unsent report on his desk and he sighed. Guess I have to call Rome after all. He thought.

Maxwell was counting the minutes until he could go home and see you. He wanted nothing more than to curl up on the sofa with you, the fire on, and watch one of those cheesy Christmas movies you liked so much. He heard the doors to his office open, frustration racing through him as he prepared himself for the next bout of 'things going wrong'. He'd normally yell at someone if they entered his office without knocking but he was so tired. So so tired.

When he saw you, he swore his heart stopped. There you were, his blessing in disguise. His angel. You were wearing your red winter coat and knee high brown boots, and you plopped your purse and a bag on one of the many side tables in his office. You took off your gloves and pulled off your wooly bobble hat, stuffing them lazily in your pocket and offered him a happy smile. He scrambled to his feet, not taking his eyes off you for a second and ran up to you, sweeping you off your feet and spinning you around. You squealed, grabbing onto him for your life and he put you down, pulling you into a tight warm hug.

"You're freezing cold." he grimaced, pulling your hands into the pockets of his grey sweatpants in hope they'd warm up.

"It's snowing again." you whispered happily, smiling into his neck. He was delighted, having you in his arms and being able to smell the familiarity of your shampoo and perfume. He knew for sure now, he was going to be okay.

"I can see." he replied, moving one of his hands up to your face and padding out the pearly snowdrops that were balanced in your hair. "I am so glad to see you sweetheart." he hummed, sending vibrations through your body. You felt your heart blossom in your chest at his sentiment.

"I told you I was coming this morning," you giggled, eventually pulling away from him and taking your arms out of his pockets. You cupped his face and ran your fingers through his dark blonde hair, fixing it as best as you could. "I brought us lunch." you told him, fishing into the bag and bringing out boxes of pastries and cakes. "From that bakery we like."

Maxwell gasped and you looked up at him confused. "Baby, I completely forgot you were coming."

"I hate to say Max but you do look a little disheveled," you folded your arms across your chest and checked out your boyfriend's appearance. "What's with the sweats and… where is your tie and suspenders?" Your eyes met his feet on the floor and they widened almost comically. "Max! Where are your socks and shoes?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "Long story." he took your hand and pulled you over to the couch, pulling you onto his lap. You wrapped your arms around him and he placed a hand on your thigh, pushing under your skirt and rubbing comforting circles into your skin.

"Tell me everything." you replied and he looked up at you with nothing but adoration in his brown eyes.

"Traffic jam on the way to work because of the snowstorm last night, and the streets were so busy with it being so close to Christmas. We couldn't get parked out front so I had to get out of the car and walk through five inches of snow to get into work. I was already late for my meeting. Soaking wet and uncomfortable," you let him ramble on, watching intently at the way his expression would change as he recalled different events in his day. You began to play with his hair, seeing that he was getting flustered at the memory of it all. "I was late for the meeting, I ended up in a whole different meeting. I didn't know the cleaners in this building even had meetings!"

"The cleaners?" you chuckled, shaking your head in disbelief. "You sat in on a meeting with the cleaners?" Maxwell nodded sollemnley and you nudged him playfully. "I love that."

"Well, I didn't. They're all lovely women. But this one cleaner, Doris…" he fumbled around with his fingers. "I ended up kissing her." you pulled away quickly, knotting your eyebrows together. "No! No not like that," Maxwell said quickly, pulling you back onto his lap and wrapping his arm around you. "She's like 90, said she used to work for my father and every Christmas he'd give her a kiss. She'd start talking about how she's never had a kiss from someone as handsome as my father in years. So I gave her a polite one, on her hand. And baby, I ran. As fast as I could, I had to get outta there."

You smiled. "Max, you probably made her day. That was really sweet of you."

He brushed off your comment, taking a dramatic exhale and continuing his story. "Finally got to the meeting, spilled coffee over myself and one of my associates. But by the time I had finally settled, the meeting was over. So I went back to my office and changed out of my wet, cold, coffee stained clothes and sat down. Raquel came in. She was planning the Christmas gala but it all sounded so… corporate. Not what Christmas is about at all," he explained and you nodded in agreement. "Anyways I suggested that we change the gala this year so it's family friendly. In the spirit of Christmas."

"Oh Max!" you beamed, snuggling into his chest. He smiled to himself proudly, knowing that he had made you happy.

"You good with that?" he chuckled, running his fingers through your hair.

"Yes!" you squeaked, pushing yourself back up and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. "I have so many ideas."

"That's great honey," he laughed. "Because I told Raquel to forget about the gala. I figured you could plan it. You're great at stuff like that, and I know how much it means to you. I want the gala to be perfect for my staff and their families, and I trust you more than anyone else in the world."

"I can't wait," you smiled merrily, already weighing up the different ideas you had in your head. "Was Raquel okay with you taking the party planning duty away from her?"

"I think so," Maxwell replied. "She has a lot on her plate, being my assistant and all. It's a busy time of year and I think she'd appreciate having less to do."

"Well, it really does sound like you've had an eventful morning."

"Oh, I'm not finished," Maxwell grimaced and you braved yourself for the impending chaos. "Rome called and told me that the CEO of Powergrid Electrics only received half of the binding contract. So I was going to send Emmerson to Rome because I needed that contract in the hands of the CEO by midnight tonight. But Emmerson told me he couldn't. His girlfriend is having his baby today. A little boy. So I let him go home early."

"Emmerson's going to be a father?" you gasped and Maxwell nodded. "That's so wonderful! I should send him some flowers."

"I already told Emmerson you would." Maxwell grinned.

"Oh a baby boy too! How lovely. We have to go meet the baby when he's born. Please please please." you whined, fluttering your eyelashes.

"Okay darling." Maxwell pressed a kiss into your cheek.

You stood up and brought the bag over to the couch, taking out the little boxes and handing them to Maxwell. You opened them up and started to eat, as you told him how your morning had gone.

"After you went to work, I cleared up and did the dishes that you had left from breakfast. Max, I was soooo tired from last night," you blushed and his mouth twisted into a proud smile. "So I went back to bed and slept for another hour. Then I got up and took a bubble bath. Oh!" you scrambled around in your purse, taking out a fresh Polaroid and showed him it. It was a photograph of his white long haired cat, Lady, with bubbles balancing on her head. "She kept me company while I was in the bath." you smiled and Maxwell laughed.

"She looks so funny with the bubbles on her head." Maxwell took the Polaroid from your fingers and admired the cat. He was never particularly fond about animals, or having pets, but you loved them. In the first year of your relationship, Maxwell asked what you wanted for your birthday. As always, you told him that you didn't want anything materialistic, that he was all you needed. But you did tell him about an animal charity that you were so passionate about. He remembered leaving you at home and telling you that he was simply 'heading out'. He had planned on visiting the charity and making a donation in your name, as part of your birthday present. But he didn't leave the shelter empty handed.

A white fluffy cat with long whiskers and big blue eyes. Her eyes reminded him of sapphires. She mewled and padded towards him, her tail waving happily as she rubbed her cheek on his leg, circling around him. "Ah, she's a darling," the lady who was showing Maxwell around told him. "Unfortunately, she's been here with us longer than any of the other cats. She's not that good around people. But I must admit, she likes you a lot. In fact, I've never seen her so confident around another person before."

Maxwell dropped to his knees and tickled her head. She began purring erratically, rubbing her face along the edges of the rings on his fingers. "Nobody wants her?" Maxwell asked, not taking his eyes from the happy kitty. He picked her up, ignoring the white cat hair that malted onto his suit. She rubbed her soft face against his cheek and sniffed his cologne.

"No." the lady replied sadly. Maxwell smiled.

"I'll take her."

And that night, Maxwell came home with a new addition to the family. You were overjoyed, but no one was happier than little Lady Lord who had found her fur-ever home.

He placed the Polaroid on one of the side tables, promising you he would find a frame for it. "How was your bath darling?" he cooed, pressing his lips along your jaw.

You giggled, nuzzling your head into his shoulder. "Relaxing, lit some candles, done a little reading. After my bath I got dressed and tidied up the bedroom. I turned on the radio and they were playing Christmas songs. Oh! WHAM have just brought out a new one, it's really good. Hmm, me and Lady played for a little while and she let me brush her hair. Jeeves offered to drive me to the bakery but I really wanted to walk in the snow. Get some fresh air. And now I'm here! With you!"

It was safe to say Maxwell's morning was a lot more chaotic, but he was comforted knowing that you had been relaxed while he was going through all the antics.

"Your morning sounded amazing, darling." he kissed your forehead and you felt butterflies erupt in your stomach.

You let his lips brush over your skin, fall down to your nose, and eventually take place on your own lips as he leaned his forehead against yours. You giggled, his hair falling out of place again slightly and tickling you as he kissed you. You pulled him closer, encouraging him to deepen the kiss and laced your fingers in his hair. He pulled away to catch his breath but peppered small yet passionate kisses along your jaw and down your neck.

“You’re being so affectionate,” you smiled, eyes sparkling with love.

“What can I say? I like to kiss you.” Maxwell exhorted and leaned in again, pressing another kiss into your lips. This time he swiped his tongue along the plumpness of your bottom lip, begging for entry. You pulled off him and he moaned. “Whaaat?” He pouted playfully and you rolled your eyes, earnestly laughing at how cute your boyfriend was.

“We shouldn’t do this at work,” you giggled.

“Baby we’ve done a lot worse than just kissing on this sofa, if you remember.” Maxwell charmed and you felt your cheeks heat up as you nodded slowly.

"The highlight of my day though, is being here, with you." you promised.

"Yeah," Maxwell hummed. "Me too."

"I'm proud of you." you said out of the blue, putting your sandwich down and wiping your mouth. Maxwell looked at you, confused. "You've had a bad morning. But you acted so selflessly today. Everything from signing autographs in your office to kissing that old maids hand, giving Raquel less work to do and letting Emmerson be with his girlfriend. You… you surprise me everyday Max. And I fall in love with you more and more everyday."

"I remember when we first met… I would've never dreamed of doing any of this." Maxwell admitted sheepishly.

"I know, I remember," you recalled. "I fell in love with the man you were then, but I somehow think I love you even more now."

And with that, Maxwell pulled you into a kiss. The curve of his nose nudged against yours and his hands pulled you into his lap, knocking the boxes of food onto the floor as you straddled him. "I love you so much." he announced.

Maxwell rarely said I love you's. But that was okay because you knew he loved you from his actions. You knew he loved you from the small kisses he'd give you on a morning, and the way he'd pull you into a hug every evening after work. You knew he loved you from the way he'd shelter you from paparazzi and squeeze your hand tight whenever you felt overwhelmed. Actions spoke louder than words. But coming from Maxwell Lord, hearing those three words struck you like a bolt of lightning. They were just words, but they meant everything to you.

He meant everything to you.

Permanent taglist~let me know if you want to be added: @supernaturalgirl @phoenixhalliwell @ah-callie @luvzoria @stardust-galaxies @wickedfrsgrl @goth-topic @nerdypinupcrystal @wonderfulfluffer @kiwi-the-first

#max lord x reader #maxwell lord #max lord #maxwell lord x reader #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader

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halfhappyhooligan · 4 years

Text

a voltron au? in 2020? it’s more likely than you think

look. LOOK. i know that voltron is stupid and we hate it but lets be honest: everything up until season 3 was pretty good and had lots of potential !!

today i was rewatching voltron and a thought struck me: what if, instead of shiro being cloned, he was chipped and turned to the side of the galra?

so here it is, i did not blink since i thought of this

(warning, i have not seen voltron in a while and this is just knowledge i have stored in my moss brain and stuff i know from rewatching the first season)

au where shiro goes evil bc of what happens @ end of season one instead of the clone thing bc 1) haggar rly could not have made thousands of shiros after bumping into team voltron like what twice? its hella improbable and 2) just… weird

so instead they insert a chip in him that helps them spy and control him just like kuron (the clone) did minus the unlikely storytelling

eventually after the convo with sendak when he was in the pod trying to temp shirp, he does have thoughts about helping zarkon

(“im already infiltrated with the arm, i could just speed up the process by leaving now. save the team the trouble of investing in a leader that’s doomed to fail from the strart.”)

shiro ends up leaving team voltron in season 2 after zarkon goes crazy w the black lion n stuff

^^ this adds to Keith’s reasoning of joining the Blade of Marmora (shiro is his main stability and one of the main reasons he even stuck around with team voltron, so with shiro gone and keith questioning his place as the leader and paladin of the black lion, he decides the BoM is just.. what’s best for him)

obviously lance isn’t happy with this (“you just told me that i’m a valuable member, now you don’t think YOU are? what logic is that?”)

ofc keith goes anyways

lance becomes paladin of the black lion

allura takes on the red lion

who has blue lion? ...idk this isn’t that thought out (maybe matt after pidge finds her family) (which will happen earlier in the plot since we can forget about the miniplot of black no longer responding to shiro)

enter lotor only this time he has a sidekick and what omg its shiro wow

shiro has that bigger version of his arm that was once offered to him

he’s stronger and scary, but his eyes aren’t the same, he has the strength of a galra but lacks the passion

in the fight between lotor and zarkon, (and after, of course lots of self doubt and questioning) shiro comes between them and convinces lotor NOT to kill zarkon

then zarkon kills lotor

everyones like oh shit bc surely someone who’s life was just spared wouldn’t kill the person who seems to have the most power

but he did. bc he’s zarkon. and he’s fckn crazy.

shiro doesn’t go back to team voltron bc its too much too easily

instead he takes the place of lotor in the group of gals

he convinces them all to rebel against the galra

eventually they teach him all about quintessence and all the shit lotor had planned that they can’t do anymore

(lotor wasn’t harvesting alteans in this universe bc what the heck even was that subplot that had little to no relevance to the main storyline?

instead he was trying to find a way to technologically bring back alteans (kinda like how allure’s dad was originally preserved in s1)

i know nothing about How Stuff Works and i dont remember much about quintessence n shit but the basic idea is that when tying in some of a persons artifacts with technology stuff and some quintessence then boom. a weird route from astral projection land to the team is created and ppl can come back or smth idfk

but lotor was never able to get the comet so shiro decides he and the gals will get that comet and try to bring back as many alteans as they can

^ all this while infiltrating as many galra fleets as possible + saving planets under galra empire

they personally visit every planet that lotor was in charge of and release them from galra control

they are able to bring back an altean (its romelle) and she talks abt her friend who lives on the balmera and they go to the balmera and its revealed that it was shay’s great grandmother so romelle asks where shay is and shay’s family is like with team voltron of course

they take her

obviously team voltron, the BoM and the Rebels r very hesitant to make contact but they decide to try it out

keith refuses to meet, instead he’s on the team that stands guard

reunions !!

romelle and shay hit it off and hunk makes a dinner much like roselle’s past (allura and coran also hang out and they all vibe)

lance talks to shiro abt everything to do with keith and shiro is like dude do u??? like him?

and lance is like what? no ofc not—oh shit.

and keith ✨overhears ✨

pidge matt and shiro catch up n shit

meanwhile keith is like Hey Lance Uhhhhhh What The Fuck

they end up being like hey since we’re all here and we hate zarkon what if we make a plan to end the galra’s reign Right Now

so they do

and y’all.. it’s hella baller plan

except something is going wrong and in the middle of an attack zarkon is able to get the upper hand

due to haggar’s magic and lance’s mental and emotional instability, zarkon is able to get in his head

everyone is trying to talk him down but they’re all under a lot of pressure

allura is also conflicted bc she wanted to be black lion bc she wanted to rub it in to zarkon’s face that she was stronger than he and that she could beat him at his own game

but the negativity and instability feeds into zarkon’s power and makes him and haggar stronger as they pull in voltron to finally take over the team and regain their status as the most powerful alien race

hunk realizes this and is like okay can y’all stop being negative? its clearly affecting them in a good way and it makes us an easier target

and pidge is like im literally a child pls i don’t wanna die i just got my family back it can’t end like this

shiro realizes what’s going on and he goes to save them

he uses all his energy, pulling in the positive memories (everything: first learning about space, becoming a teacher, meeting adam, meeting keith, first making team voltron, his friends and family--all of it) to push back zarkon and haggar’s powers and battle once more in the astral realm

in defeating zarkon, shiro loses his life

afterwards keith enters the ship in a hurry and is like where the fuck is shiro where’s my brother what did you do what happened

and team voltron is like hey man.. we are so so sorry

and keith cries because the last thing he ever said to shiro was mean

lance feels like its all his fault since he was supposed to be a good leader

they talk about separately while hunk pidge and allura discuss

krolia is like keith we, ur family, are here for u

and axca is there and shes like um?? hey?? sry for trying to kill u bro

and he’s like i absolutely do not wanna talk i just lost my closest friend

they talk about it later

axca tells keith abt shiro finishing lotor’s work and abt bringing people back and well..

they use the methods to help keith visit shiro in the astral realm

shiro is like oh uh hey i was just having a drink w adam we r happy

and keith is like shiro u fuckhead why would u sacrifice urself

shiro sighs bc cmon keith you KNOW why “remember what i always said? we can’t focus on what went wrong..”

“we’ve got to figure out how to make it right” keith finishes

keith breaks tf down crying and screams apologizing

“i love u shiro. ur a like a big brother to me.”

and shiro is like yeah i know and ilyt but hey. everyone’s safe and happy. im safe and happy. & you deserve to be too. you don’t need me anymore.

so the galra rule is over and everyone goes to their respected planets

romelle and the other alteans as well as some galra babes hang in earth

romelle and shay r in an apartment together and have a garden

allura realizes she may not have been the strongest leader for voltron, and couldn’t stop zarkon on her own but that physical strength doesn’t define her as a whole

her heart is strong enough to care for everyone, so thats what she does

allura starts running an inn for alteans filled with painted sceneries like altea in case anyone ever needs a reminder of home

when lance reunites with his family its a real tearjerker

rachel finally gets her jacket back and veronica is like So.. Axca 👀

the McClain’s host a huge party for everyone and it’s filled with lots of hugs and loud music and even tho lance was way too tired, he danced all night

he wouldn’t trade his family for the world—genetic and chosen

when hunk reunites with his parents they don’t let him out the house for hours, he tells them all about his new best friend shay as well as hundreds of his favorites stories from space

they are so, so proud of him

hunk spends the next days playing minecraft and animal crossing with pidge, giving their brains a rest from being on hyperdrive for 3 yrs straight

when pidge gets home she finally gets grounded by her mom, only being allowed to leave the house to see her old teammates

(same for matt and her dad)

(her mother cries so hard when they opened the door to the home)

the holt family holds movie nights filled with popcorn, cuddles, and tears

keith moves in with the holt family, and finally accepts that he has a home as well as a family

he often goes on trips with the BoM but mostly just stays on earth

after a Team Voltron sleepover in the altea inn keith and lance decide to get an apartment together and live their lives in love and in peace

everyone gets together once a year in celebration of shiro and the sacrifice he made for them

they use the ship to visit Astral Shiro and once they even met adam

everyone laughs and catches up and just... live their lives

everyone is happy

pls ignore any and all errors lmao

again, just a thought !! maybe i’ll write a fic abt it idk for sure but yeah

feel free to add anything <3

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engimono · 3 years

Text

@casecmplx: and finally,,, reverse + [ soothe ] for mm!naegi and sayaka bc I like pain :) // sent from: ultimate affectionate gestures compilation

NOT EVEN HOPE'S APOSTLE WAS UNSUSCEPTIBLE TO MISTAKES !

every passing moment further fanned vexation’s flame, burning him from the inside out as naegi’s fingers buried themselves into the back of his hair and curled hard in barely bridled frustration. his crouched posture was riddled with stress, sitting at his desk alone with his eyes squeezed shut to better focus on the issue that was at the forefront of his mind. the warriors of hope’s ongoing project was ambitious but the future foundation’s persistent interference made him concerned for its success. memories of the final class trial had hope’s peak academy flooded back to him, re-examined as a missed opportunity to rid himself of the survivors when they were all in the same room and subsequently prevent their decision to join the future foundation’s contemptible crusade against hope itself. in hindsight, in accordance to the rules of the killing game, none of them should have lived --- no one except sayaka maizono, as per his own imposed bias.

it was because of her that the others had been able to leave and re-enter the outside world. she had been much too soft-hearted to let any harm befall her classmates, even if her safety was already guaranteed and secured by his own hand. it was the very same kindness which had made him smitten with her in the first place, a wholesome sense of benevolence that had been consistently showed to him throughout the killing game and thereafter. even now, replaying the events of the final trial in his head, he couldn’t find it in his heart to hold her accountable for the others’ actions and their subsequent escape –-- it was his fault and his alone. he should have been more rational, exercised greater prudence in order to better secure their future. he should have acted differently.

the sudden touch on his shoulders viciously tore him from his reassessment of the past, tension tightening his entire body out of reflex before his head lifted to confirm the identity of his newfound company. her effect on him was almost as immediate as his initial surprise. the harsh creases that previously defined his expression no longer bore the same intensity, replaced with soft affection for the former idol as his jaw unclenched and muscles relaxed underneath her gentle caress. fingers uncurled themselves from his hair and lowered, numb to the forceful grip’s residual ache and no longer caring to direct his anger any more --- not when they were together. without inquiring further or even announcing her presence, maizono had clearly seen fit to tend to his outward dismay and she once again proved that her intuition was as acute as ever.

even after all this time, she never ceased to amaze him.

❝ thanks, sayaka. ❞ a tender timbre cradled her name, akin to an intimate whisper as naegi’s chin lifted upwards to meet her eyes from his lower vantage point --- throat bared, blissfully content. newly unoccupied fingers reached upwards to trace along her arm, thumbing over the sleeve and pressing through the material to ensure that his appreciation was made known. ❝ you always know exactly what i need most, don’t you ? ❞

#casecmplx #c: sayaka maizono #｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ANSWERED #｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ V; vii. MASTERMIND OF MISFORTUNE #((pain. disgust. 24/7 maizono appreciation hours. it's all here in this verse))

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macklives · 5 years

Text

homestuck recap

i hated this so fucking much bc my 2 am bitch-ass didnt want to read a recap thats probably longer than any slowburn out there

anyways here it is

also, uhhH sorry im using this as a end of session discussion bc that shit gets explained in her as well. and im not writing up more recaps of a recap so this is where im done for the day. (by done for the day i mean last nights session, im still doing a liveblog soon. i just wrote this yesterday)

also that this is long

you dont have to read it, theres nothing of importance

ive been coping with humor to get me through it

neato.

have fun with what i suffered through:

why was “beta” the only thing unhighlighted?

like did i miss a page???

OH its the beta version of HS thats why

damn its like 5 pages and thats it

mmh

well youll all be happy to know im clicking every single one of these links again bc i like looking back like ahh i remember that. good times. also in case i forgot some shit existed.

do you think andrew had fun writing this? or was he like “fuck”

thats a lot of fucking package talk. good thing im not confused as of now and remember it pretty clearly. of else, this early on in the recap, id be screwed.

god remember when i did an analysis on each item and what it did

i feel as if i have the technology engrained inside my head right now

cruxite, alchemeter, all that jazz

flashbacks are starting up already

yeah, that was the good part in homestuck where i knew 100% that i probably would continue on this liveblog in its entirety, ngl

that one explosion scene. bc it kept me going.

OH W A IT SHIT

i just realized how the intermission spades probably fucking foreshadowed the whole jack revolts thing and gains the ring, which was also technically JOHNS fault considering he slashed up the doll in the first place

my god, i guess thats the only good aspect of the recap. looking back at things and realizing the missing pieces.

oh that makes sense for the whole “this prototyping had no effect on the enemies, since he was already in the medium” i didnt actually think about that

little did rose know where that would get her right now

oh yeah

there’s still the whole entire lab terminal thing and how mom basically knows the place exists. i guess we’re still venturing onto that and itll come up later when we find out how mom knows SO MUCH about the game.

still think shes some weird spy or secret agent

i kinda love her ngl

anyways, theres literally no reason for skaia to produce a cloning machine. so technically, they only sent the meteors in, right? so who put the cloning machine in if not mom?

oh yeah that impact was nerve wrecking asf

and still at this point in the comic i called dave fuckboy red

huh, how times change

i hated reading that whole paragraph ngl, the frustration just kicked me in the boobs again

yeah nobody else got tornadoes, huh?

OH that makes also much more sense

bc she did prototyped them before she entered the medium.

i gotcha

man one of my favorite edits i made, rose hitting that meteor with a bat

are you

telling me

the exiles structures they arrived on were in the form of the items the kids used to enter the medium?

THE EGG

THAT EXPLAINS “EGG”

of course it was 413 years ago. that was never explained. simply vague “many years in the future....” but i expected no less from this

man serenity is the most wholesome character in hs no doubt

damn thought andy here was really gonna spoil us jade’s planet

okay cool, im glad i now have the layout to the whole “their stations went to the coordinates of the home button” shindig

man i honestly dont know what else to say besides “yeah cool recap” when i already pretty much know what went down? ofc im looking into each link and shit and adding in things when i see fit, but otherwise its just me going “ah good times” yknow

the whole meteor thing kinda makes sense now?

we’re still missing a few pieces of info but we’re getting there, folks

oh yeah that reveal

god jade and dave have it in the shits for parents huh

bro isnt the best and jade has a fucking dog

who lowkey

is doing better than bro

who knew a fucking dog is a better guardian than bro lmfao

dreambot = terminator. im telling you.

sorry im still on that idea and it will never leave unless i have the actual proof in front of me that its not going to become a thing. meaning, ive finished hs and theres still no terminator dreambot or either andrew himself gives me a canon letter with “the robot is not arnold, mackenzie, pls just let it be”

why is the entire game session highlighted

i swear to god if this is like to a second recap or smth of the whole game session i may fucking CRY

okay thank god its just a design of the skaia layout

which is honestly cool

idk why its blurry tho but i can at least see the layout now. which is honestly how i pictured it anyways.

yeah, john did make a huge impact in his friends’ life and i find that so fucking touching

yep. got that. everything loops around. cool.

especially when the trolls come in. god we havent even gotten to that recap portion yet, we havent even gotten to the INTERMISSION

pls can this be the halfway point to the recap

AT LEAST

so they were exiled after the whole jack: ascend thing, right? considering theyre way in the future. man no fucking wonder.

speaking of jack

man that whole dad and jack interaction was gold, ngl

OH THAT EXPLAINS THE RING THEN

and wow, andrew’s really giving us the best female content huh. andrew is the true god of equality and diversity.

also hey, i didnt realize that wow. so PM tricked the queen in showing the parking ticket to be able to take the present from jack. she’s a smart cookie, that one..

she and PM basically snitched on jack and it was the best thing that has happened to me so far

oh yeah okay

but why did AR panic over bec? bc thats something we havent learned yet, right?

anyways

exile town, the only town which should exist. facts. i dont make the rules.

noice

i love PM being queen. like.. thats canon now. shes an actual queen.

yeah that was a fun game and the consorts were cute

fuck yeah the dick head

hate them even more now that i know john was killed because of them

anyways, i wonder what dick move dave’s denizen did? maybe thats why its filled with lava bc the denizen was like “fuck it. make the land red. kill them all”

UH WHAT

WHAT

OH MY GOD HOW DID I JUST FORGET NANNAS LETTER LIKE THAT LMFAO

THEIR TITLES WERE THERE THE WHOLE TIME!

so i still dont know what they mean but i can gather it has something to do with the game giving them abilities. considering dave is the “knight of time” and he can go back in time. whack.

which means john can either control someones breathing or simply wind. and rose is... like that one girl in the winx club who does the sun shit. bc whenever i think of light powers, i think of stella.

and jade is space. witch of space.

nice

i have no idea what that means ngl

okay finally

we’re at the trolls

maybe this recap will end soon

i remember when i thought they were internet bullies

yesss

someone asked if i basically knew the trolls were on a different veil than the kids, so not presently with them, and i know lol. i was making a joke before btw. jsyk. dont think im incompetent to forget these things when sometimes i choose to forget it so i can add in a joke

it be like that, i annoy many

then again, pls dont assume im trying to say im not incompetent bc im also a fucking dumbass and DO forget shit and i have no excuse

imagine being so bored on the meteor, your last resort is speaking to aliens

ngl me if i was ever trapped on a meteor and could potentially do that

nah ik its bc its their only hope at helping with their session or whatever tf CG said to john. but there was BOUND to be a conference meeting between them like “okay guys. humans. that needs to be sorted out” and you just hear CG screaming in the background

i cant wait to meet them honestly bc im growing on all 4 of the ones we’ve seen already. and on top of that, i know what they look like and i know theyre not THAT bad, just a little on the crayy zee side sometimes

but theyre trying

OH MY GOD

I GET IT

FUCK

DOES THAT MEAN THE INTERMISSION IS *APART* OF THE MAIN FUCKING STORY??

AND SPADES IS WV FOR THE TROLLS

GOD D A M N

wow

i didnt expect that. but maybe the signs were there and i was just willingly choosing to ignore it or smth bc “haha couldnt be, right”

flashbacks to how i thought the trolls were humans

anyways, i guess he got his revenge on the kids version of “snowman” ie the black queen. but really

he did not have to do that. he could have cut off the finger and fled. but he decided “nah, lets implode her” so the loml is dead and all i got was a catchy song

i knew they were different types of “bullies” but now i just have to replace bullies with uhh

trolling strategies

anyways, this is cute. i love how they’ve come to be friends through mutual frustration. good part in the comic.

i wonder why it explodes

more importantly

....

terminator time?

this was my favourite sequences of dialogues in the whole entirety of homestuck. that is to say the back and forth thing that the kids went through to become a sort of wingman for the other.

absolutely gold.

all except AT’s rap.

GC was the only smart one with the linear shit

anyways fuck he still has to kill the denizen now but apparently its hard to beat for a sleeping dick head so

that will be fun for the future

john will probably need to kill A LOT of imps to get there

yeah rose is a badass bc she slayed that thing with needles of all things

OH and the white queen was the cursive

damn did AR ever do the whole guide process to a kid yet? maybe he will with dave, idk

oHHH

i fucking SEE

thats why he said DNA

to use it and replace all the life forms in the ocean

fucking neat wow

man that sounded sarcastic but im genuinely impressed bc all i got was bullshit as i read jaspersprites log

so thats the secret. it was “meow” bc that somehow translates to the genetic code she needs then. and that code apparently took fucking years to write as well. sick. whack. oh man.

derse is very pretty, ngl

and wow shit

“dave had already been awake in his tower all along without realizing it” how tf does someone just

do that, awake in both places at once

i didnt even fucking realize that fact as i read that pesterlog wow

ah yes, around the time things got confusing

okay so the capsule makes sense bc at first i didnt know it was a fucking time capsule so i got confused as to how it just apparated the game lmfao

the more you know i guess *twinkle*

i find that a neat concept tho

like the whole whatever you prototype affects the imps and shit

yeah so that whole “he had no advice” basically impacted his future

no shit dave wanted to reset things bc he probably thought he caused some sort of bad butterfly effect and killed his best friend

fuck calsprite thats all im gonna say

i read that first sentence and i think i got an aneurysm

and then everything else just made me sad again

i mean good thing he fucking did amirite?

we got pain at first but now we got cool shit like idk

fucking DAVESPRITE

damn idk how that works

will rose have like two minds now? or will this be some steven universe fusion shit?

“and understood their meaning” course well i fucking didnt so could you pls elaborate, rose?

okay but then what the fuck did he use that was inside the fucking box

bc i thought he used his knife?

im only every going to refer him as that now, thank you andrew

alright okay..

god that was a lot

i dont know what will happen once i click on those links but i am going to see that for myself bc i refuse to add ANYTHING ELSE

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phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess · 5 years

Text

why doesn’t the current employment system work?

easy, it’s a half-assed one-solution-fits-all approach made by rich people who have NEVER used the employment search system.

How does it work?

You want centrelink? You get assigned a job-search centre, there’s always 4-5 in even small towns now. It’s a lucrative business.

You’re told ‘search for 20-40 jobs per month’ based on your area. They have to be jobs you could reasonably do (one or two assholes made sure the whole system was tightened bc they’d apply for things they had no qualifications for).

These are entered online, on a special governmental site. Failure to locate the right amount gets you a strike, or more than one.

Which is hard because there are only so many jobs in smaller towns, right?

So let’s say you have no luck, you hand in the 20 for that fortnight, and ‘report’ online to centrelink that you are following the rules.

They also make you do mandatory courses such as the 2-day ‘Resume Writing Course’ that you can do up to twice in 6 months. It’s as stupid as it sounds, and you learn nothing but that you hate the place.

Also, 3-day mandatory ‘Communication with People’. How to talk to people. Literally. 3 days of your life gone. Gee, wish I’d done some sort of degree around literally talking to people and using analysis... hmmm...

They do not Recognise Prior Learning, at all. Because each person they make attend gets them more and more money.

New rules allow for them to identify a job you HAVE to apply for -even if you must write a new resume and cover letter. Which, in some cases, is a little fair. Maybe you’re using one from years ago.

New rules can make them demand you call the HR of a certain place in front of them, to prove your resume went in, and to ask about the position. Of course, this will slap you on the Hell No list, but at least they’re satisfied.

New rules allow them to make you change your existing resume -e.g. they can demand you remove your degree/qualifications to make you more attractive to retail employers (always wary of taking on someone who might move on quickly).

That only works for 6 months these days.

- - -

After 6 months, they send you on a Work-for-the-Dole assignment to a local charity.

They’re supposed to do risk assessments, and follow up on allegations of groping weirdoes and pedophilia (looking at you, Salvation Army*). But they don’t. [ *that person who did it was literally the Community Member of the Year until the truth of what the local SA was covering up came to light. Fucking creep of a man, so many flags that Jesus absolved him of.]

That nonsense injured two members of my family directly, as well as others; at the same place, at different times, and both were deemed ‘our fault’. Despite that the first incident involved an unqualified asshole making a teenage boy hold a fridge, then deliberately dropping the truck tray fast so it yanked the ligaments in the kid’s shoulder so badly it took 6-12 months to heal with physiotherapy.

And the second time, a bookshelf held up with STICKY-tape was broken by a customer, and fell off slamming into my knees and feet, causing untold agony... resulting in a fractured patella in one knee and severe bruising/clicking/weird shit that persists even a year and a half later... but that was my fault.

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

In short, each person is assigned up to 55 hours per fortnight that they have to undertake with a charity of some formation. OR ROADWORK - they can also make you do roadwork. Like they tried to do to the just-healed teenage boy the minute his medical exemption period was up, even though he couldn’t raise his arm all the way yet. It’s Making Money, not Helping People Find Jobs.

They also made an app, that the person attending MUST download (even if you have to delete just about every single other thing on the cheap phone to make room for it).

It’s called Jobapp or some shit. Basically, when you get there the manager or head volunteer (often tech illiterate) HAS to print a QR code for you, and only you.

You sign into the app, this takes a while bc it’s not well designed and cuts out often. Finally, you find the hard-to-locate-and-ambiguously-named part where you can ‘sign in’ as being at your ‘activity’.

If you’re there all day, and you will be, there are Two Codes.

You scan them to separate locations in the app. And boom, you’re registered as there. It only takes one missed QR code or app failure to land you in shit, though.

And then you spend all day cleaning, on the till, arguing with people over op shop items bc they feel certain prices are too high even if it’s less than a third the real price. And you’re not allowed to sit or chill or anything... unless you’re a volunteer. They can get away with murder.

So that goes on for six months, slowly draining the will to live from your bones.

All the while, you still have to do the 20-40 jobs things and find time for their Training Modules that you already did but hey, you’re a moneymaker. Sometimes they will NOT count the training days towards your Total 55hours per fortnight, so you lose the one free day a week you had...

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

It sucks... but I think the other thing we should mention is that this doesn’t really exclude any jobseekers.

Disabled? Elderly? Medical Issues? Can’t speak english very well? Other issue?

Get in there. We get paid to supervise your activity!

Like, there are a lot of people doing job seeking activities who are unfit for the position they are forced into. For many reasons.

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

The thing I found laughable was that they could apply for you, without your knowledge, and if that resulted in an interview you HAD to go. If they feel you tanked the interview, they can penalise you...

There are ways to tank an interview, though. Trust me. Especially for telemarketer interviews, just have an awkward phone manner, like you’re trying but it’s Weird. And boom, no. [Not that there’s anything wrong with that job, but they signed me up for it without my permission and some dangerous clients worked there, I would not have been safe, they didn’t care tho].

Also, you can’t apply for certain positions for someone with a degree. Our ability is measured in the way we respond to the questions and assessment requests... you can force us to apply to them, but trying to write in for us is just ridiculous.

They might also call and call and call anyone on your applied-for list that they directed you to apply for... which of course, can tank your chances. Very annoying.

And if you get a job, on your own merit, they take credit for it immediately. I assume there’s a bonus or something.

- - - - -

The agency I was sent to, MaxEmployment, was actually THROWN OUT OF ANOTHER STATE FOR COMMITTING FRAUD AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT.

So naturally, QLD said ‘yeah, let’s have that one’.

M.E. allegedly used to claim they had held mass training events with 80+ people every few weeks, doing those awful little courses listed above. Except, on inspection by confused governmental officials..,. they discovered the room would barely hold 5-6 people including a trainer. Therefore, fraud.

Also, M.E. has failed to catch fake-ads (resulting in free 2-hour work ‘trials’ for a certain cafe that went over a year, fraud) and even sent an unaccompanied 15 year old girl to a fucking BROTHEL after identifying a clearly-not-for-an-admin ad for ‘an admin’ at that location.

IT’s always MONEY.

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

If you are in charge of the poor, the ill, the desperate... then it should not be for money incentives. You should get a flat wage and that’s it.

Why? Because then people who are actually able to do the job, and willing to help people, will do it. Not just people who see dollar signs when they look at the tired, the unemployed and the ill.

And they need to actually fire bad people.

Let me tell you about this woman I had to deal with in a 6 month break from my fucking uni degree due to illness. Automatically, they threw me into job seeking. I didn’t have a voice for like 2 months, but that didn’t matter.

This huge, hulking, rotund potato of a woman, balding ranga and a face as mean as a bulldog’s arsehole... was my caseworker person. She was a nightmare.

I would find 20 jobs, and hand in the sheet, she would yell at me, that I was being smart and she wouldn’t accept that. I once applied for nearly 65 jobs in one fortnight out of desperation, because she kept having my centrelink cut off without warning if I refused to complete another sheet.

The other caseworkers never stopped her. The manager would not hear my complaints or concerns. She could do what she wanted.

And she knew I could not stop her. The one thing about the situation that kept me apart form others there was that, if I absolutely couldn’t take it, my parental unit said we would ‘manage’ until I went back to uni the next year. Others were unable to do that, and so, this absolute cunt of a woman... held sway.

She had no class, no charm and no people skills. She screamed at the top of her lungs at a tiny asian lady who a) didn’t have a great grasp on english at the time, and b) did not understand all the big words this self-important ranga was using just to sound intelligent.

Apparently the solution to ‘I do not understand’ is raise your voice, to screaming, and get angry. NONE of her colleagues even looked up at her. Jesus, if one of my colleagues was yelling like that I’d have dragged them out of the room by their fucking hair, like what the HELL was that about.

Was she stopped or fired? No. Was she transferred to some unsuspecting town? Yeah.

I don’t trust organisations who will not admit they hired the wrong person, and fire them. It means they’re hiding shit.

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

TL;DR - The whole system is a disaster.

They claim more people are employed, but they also count people on those mandatory work-for-the-dole things, which skews the unemployment number to less than it is.

It is exhausting to deal with and its no wonder so many fucking people are so depressed death seems like the only solution.

And it was all thanks to a handful of people rorting the system; the idiots up top went into red-alert levels of panic and upended the system to punish people.

AND THAT’S NOT EVEN FUCKING TALKING ABOUT THE NEW BASICS CARD SYSTEM

which is nonsense

sure, limit what people can get to groceries and certain stores, including op shops or whatevs. can’t get smokes or alcohol on the cards...

have to have ID for the cards...

but like, you think people won’t find ways to get the smokes, drugs and alcohol they want? you’ve just ensured that they either pawn their things, or do degrading acts to get those things...

so give yourselves a moralistic high-five, people who decided this system was a great idea (primarily bc they and their family/social circle will never need to use it), because you’ve cause d so many more problems than you solved...

#those damn cards may actually cause an increase in DV too #same way the fucking baby bonus did

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check-comma-please · 6 years

Text

SO I DID A THING…

This is basically a timeline of major events in OMGCP That I created, at first to help myself, but then I decided “why not post it? Other people may find it helpful”. Not going to lie, the Check Please timeline can be a little confusing, considering the comic is still taking place in 2016. Obvs that’s not Ngozi’s fault bc the updates take time, so it’s understandable that the comic isnt present day… anyways I’ve done extensive research on the following information. And I’m like 95% sure that it’s all correct but some things are speculation and assumptions. I’ve used blog posts, tweets, and the actual comic to figure out the below information. It’s not a big deal and maybe it doesn’t matter to you, but idk it really interests me and maybe it will interest others????? Like I said before, a lot of this is speculation so FEEL FREE to correct me on any false info. ALSO!!! If any of you have links to the canon confirmation of some of the things that I’m not 100% sure about, PLEASE link them to me. FINALLY, if anyone wants me to link them to some of my references for this, then just ask and I’ll be more than happy to send you them. So with that: these are (what I consider) to be the major events in the time line of Check Please! Hope I got it all right!

**Edit!!!!: I messed this up originally. I screwed up some birth years and now I’m back to fix them. So don’t be alarmed if you reblogged this and now its different. Im like 99% sure that I’m changing it to all true info.

Birthdays

Jack- 1990 (birthday august 3)

Kent Parson-1990 (birthday july 4)

Holster-1991 (birthday unknown)

Shitty-1992 (birthday dec 19)

Ransom-1993 (birthday march 28. I am very confused because according to the wiki, ransom was born in 1994. However, a tweet from Bitty on March 28th, 2015 says “happy 22 birthday rans!” which would place his birth year in 93. Also a very early piece of artwork says that ransom is 20 in the beginning of his sophomore year, which further indicates being born in 93. Long story short? Don’t believe everything you read on the wiki)

Lardo- 1994??? (birthday unknown but according to the wiki, Lardo is currently 23 years old as of April 1st, 2018 (when I’m writing this). However the wiki can not always be trusted. We know her birthday is around Ransoms but we don’t know when exactly. Her and Rans has a combined birthday party (Keagster) on Easter Sunday 2015 (which technically was April 5, 2015….Idk if I should be that technical but whatever) so I’m kind of assuming that her birthday is around Late March/Early April….as for her birth year? All we are told is that she is a sophomore with rans and holster. so I’m assuming that she was born in 94 because its the easiest assumption to make, but i could always be wrong)

Bitty: 1995 (birthday may 5)

Nursey: 1996 (birthday feb 14. There is not a ton of supporting info that suggests Nursey was born in 1996. The wiki’s reference is a tweet from Ngozi, replying to a private account so I cannot view the tweet. Basically I don’t have a great argument for Nursey being born in 1996 so once again, I’m ASSUMING. Please send me any info that you have on Nurseys birth)

Dex: 1995??? (Birthday October 26/27, I’ve seen both dates. However I’ve yet to find ANY canon confirmation that either of these dates are his birthday. Everyone just kind of says that its his birthday?? Idk if anyone has canon info or something please link me to it because I can literally not find anything about Dex’s birth. Also its been pointed out to me that he could be born late in 1995, however I originally assumed he was born late in 1996. It depends on wether he was held back a year or pushed forward.I have no clue it honestly could be either.)

Chowder: 1995?? 1996?? (October 11. I’ve seen people on tumblr saying it’s on the 10?? Idk according to Bitty’s tweets its on the 11th. Also the birth years?? Its the same situation as Dex… He could either be born in 95 and held back a year, or 96 and pushed foward )

2008: Jack and Kent are both 18, playing in the Q

Spring 2009: Jack and Kent win memorial cup. Jack overdoses. Kent is drafted to the Aces.

Fall 2009-Spring 2011: Jack is in rehab/ coaching peewee/taking SATs

Spring 2011: Aces win cup( Ngozi tweeted saying that Jack enters Samwell after the Aces win the cup, If Jack graduates in 2015, then he entered SMH in Fall 2011, therefore the Aces winning in Spring 2011)

Fall 2011:Jack enters samwell (21) Along with shitty (18, turning 19 in dec) (grad class 2015)

Spring 2012: SMH is in the ECAC and are knocked out at some point after the first round. Jack is named captain for the 2012-13 season

Fall 2012: Ransom (19) , Holster (21), and Lardo (18) all enter samwell (grad class 2016)

Fall 2012-Spring 2013: Now this is all kind of fuzzy. Sometime between the Aces winning the cup(Spring 2011) and before Bitty enters Samwell (Fall 2013), Kent Parson comes to the haus to visit Jack. However we can assume it happened at some point during Jacks sophomore year (Fall 2012- Spring 2013) because in a blog post (or was it one of Bitty’s tweets? I can’t remember. Anyways) Holster says that “He [Kent] remembered my major” so clearly it was sometime after Holster, Rans, and Lardo all enter samwell, and were there to meet KP. Unless KP visited during Jack’s freshman year and Holster was just there for some reason??? Seems unlikely and unnecessarily complicated. So let’s just say that KP came during Jacks soph year)

Fall 2013: Bitty (our beautiful ray of sunshine) enters Samwell (18) along with minor characters, Ollie and Wicks (grad class 2017)

Spring 2014: Samwell knocked out of ECAC championship. Johnson graduates and Bitty gets his dibs

Fall 2014: Nursey (18), Dex (17??18???once again, unconfirmed), and Chowder (17??18??) (aka the frogs) all enter Samwell (grad class 2018). Jack (now 24) is looking to be drafted. Kent (also 24) shows up at Epikegster (December 2014). Bitty (now 19) has crush on Jack. (I really don’t know why I included their ages in this part I just sometimes forget how old Jack actually is)

Spring 2015: Shitty is accepted to Harvard Fucking Law. SMH makes it to final four championship, but loses. Jack signs with the Falconers. Ransom and Holster are made Co-Captains for the 2015-16 season. Jack (24) and Shitty( 22) graduate. Lardo and Chowder get their dibs. Jack and Bitty kiss after graduation.

Summer 2015: Jack spends 4th of July with Bitty in Georgia. Later that summer they start dating.

Fall 2015: Whiskey and Tango (tadpoles) enter Samwell along With Ford (grad class 2019) Jack and Bitty tell the team about their relationship (December)

Spring 2016 (as of April 1st, 2018, the comic is currently taking place in Spring 2016): Jack is given an A on the Falcs (assistant/alternate captain). Ford is appointed as manager for the 2016-17 season. SMH is knocked out of ECAC tournament in the first round. Bitty is made captain for the 2016-17 season. Lardo(22), Ransom(23),and Holster (24??25?? depends on his birthday.) all graduate. Nursey, Dex, Ollie, and Wicks all get dibs. Bitty turns 21. The Falcs win the cup. Jack and Bitty kiss and come out to the world.

Currently Jack and Kent are both 26, Holster is 24??25?? (Like I said I don’t know when his exact birthday is. If his birthday is after the events of the year 3 finale, then he would still technically be 24) Shitty is 24, Ransom is 23 and Lardo is 22, Bitty is 21, Nursey is 20, and Chowder and Dex could both either be 19 or 20 (like I said i still don’t know whether they are 95′ babies or 96′ babies, since I only have birthdates and not canon birth years. ALSO!! It should be noted that since there are no canon birth years for Chow or Dex (at least that I know of), there is no way to be certain of their ages. I mean, theoretically, Chowder could be older than Bitty, and just entered college late. Same with Dex. But just to make thing easier on myself, I’m going to assume that all of the frogs are around the same age.)

The comic is currently taking place in 2016, two years behind real time. IF it was present day (April 1st, 2018) in the comic then

Jack: 27

Kent: 27

Bitty: 22

Ransom: 23

Holster:24/25 (depending on his bday)

Shitty: 23

Lardo: 23/24 (depending on her bday)

Nursey: 22

Dex: 21/22

Chowder: 21/22

Now Bitty’s tweets….

At first I was really really really really confused about how Bitty’s tweets work in the timeline. But Its actually really simple??. Bitty’s tweets start in June 2014, basically right after the end of Bitty’s freshman year. They pretty much all follow the correct timeline (the most recent tweets are from May 2016, about Rans, Holster, and Lardos graduation). Basically if you see a tweet, the date stamp on it correlates directly to the comic. I’m not sure if Ngozi just had the entire comic figured out two years ago, and tweeted everything back in 2016 (which seems far fetched) OR if Ngozi just changed the date on her computer back to 2016 and then sent out the tweets (which seems much more likely. Still, this is all speculation ). It doesn’t really matter though because regardless, the tweets line up with the timeline. I HIGHLY recommend reading all of Bitty’s tweets before Ngozi locks the account again for year 4. They add so much more to the story and are basically just extra details that make the comic even more immersive.

And I’m pretty sure that’s it?? Until of course year 4…. but yeah once again don’t take my word as law. Also, like I said already, if I got something wrong, please just let me know. Also if I said something confusing, just ask. :)

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leonawriter · 6 years

Text

Something @radioactivesupersonic has said about how it doesn’t make sense if the Garrison is an ‘evil’ organisation, and to look at its employees, reminded me of a comparison that could be made.

See, I have an example of an actual ‘evil’ organisation where you can judge it by both its actions, and its employees.

Both Shinra and the Garrison are largely military.

Shinra has the army and SOLDIER and not only that, but weapons development as well (among other things). The Garrison, however, is tied to another organisation (likely the US government) that has authority over it.

The Garrison’s military status involves training their cadets and other officers to be able to defend themselves, and also to fly in defensible ways to avoid obstacles in space (such as an asteroid field). There might be weapons training, but whereas in Shinra that would be expected to be put to practical use, in the Garrison I’d say that it’s most likely for the sake of building discipline, the same reason anyone goes to a martial arts class.

Shinra’s science division is openly feared by other employees, and makes SOLDIERs and other staff members uncomfortable. The head of this department is someone who sees people as potential projects and experiments, and once they are, they are no longer people. Regardless of whether or not Sephiroth actually is Hojo’s son, Hojo still abused him in this way, and did not give the kid any love or support, and did not allow the boy to grow up in a loving, supportive atmosphere. Hollander, another leading scientist, has a very similar attitude. These experiments are kept from the rest of the company barring the President, and when subjects escape, they are hunted down with extreme prejudice.

The Galaxy Garrison’s scientific minds are a part of the infrastructure of the Garrison, and highly regarded by pretty much everyone. One of the leading scientists is someone who has a family - one that loves and respects him, and his children are highly defensive of him, ready to go to great lengths to get him back. Just as important is the fact that - despite Katie’s own negative experience with it - the Garrison has a school which openly teaches about the newest developments, keeping the youth educated. Katie also shows that she is able to be proud of the developments that her family are a part of discovering.

When someone disappeared from Shinra’s employ, we have various examples of how people reacted to this news. The first two disappearances less relevant to the third; with Zack’s disappearance we have Luxiere and Kunsel sending emails saying how they would help - Luxiere saying that Zack should ‘let himself be captured’ so that Luxiere could use a potential higher rank to get him out, and Kunsel offering to help in any way that he could. The rest of Shinra itself had to either work against itself (the Turks) due to this technically being a case of acting against orders, or... well, the army literally gunned Zack down. It’s as simple as that. And we don’t know what happened to Kunsel.

When confronted with the disappearance of Shiro, Matt, and Sam, the Garrison... well, instead of an impersonal email saying ‘killed in action: name here’, there was a TV broadcast which allowed everyone to know an admittedly edited version of the truth that was acceptable for the general public to know. Which clearly wasn’t acceptable to everyone, since we then see Katie breaking and entering into Iverson’s office, and yet... Iverson lets her go with a warning, a slap on the wrist for bad behaviour. What’s more, the Garrison isn’t at fault for the disappearance of their people, and when one of them - Shiro - reappears, they take safety measures to ensure that someone who is clearly in a state of panic doesn't injure them, but also that Shiro doesn’t injure himself.

Important to note: the worst things that Lance, Hunk, and Pidge are afraid of when assaulting the Garrison camp that’s been put up to investigate Shiro’s crashed Galran fighter, is that they’re going to get into trouble. At seeing their actual teachers out there and racing after them, they are afraid of being caught, but they do certainly not seem afraid of being killed. If the Garrison was a front for an ‘evil’ organisation that was going to experiment on any alien tech they could get their hands on, then the kids would have noticed something more going on than ‘why aren’t they hearing [Shiro] out’ and ‘aw man, I think that was Prof. Montgomery’. This show is not that subtle when it comes to pointing out when something suspicious is going on. Also, when they get away, the next thing we know of the Garrison is... Iverson and someone else being confused at the ‘Flying Blue Lion, sir.’ Which is both humanising and also indicative of ‘these are not the kind of people who are going to shoot it down to examine it.’

Something else we’ve talked about in chats is how compared to both the Garrison and the Galra Empire, Shinra’s tactic of draining the Planet in order to get power is far more like Zarkon’s approach of harvesting quintessence than the Garrison... literally just going out places to be excited and nerd out over new science. That’s literally the first thing that we see Garrison scientists do. Sam and Matt Holt being excited to explore and gain new knowledge.

So... I’d say that even though it’s not great all of the time, FFVII does a decent job of portraying how, through the average employee, the general workings of Shinra are suspect and that it is not a safe place to work, and that it’s not a safe world to inhabit because Shinra is in control. People are afraid of the scientists, the people we see as heroes are seen questioning their loyalty to the company (Zack, in the first chapter of Crisis Core) while still working for it, and those who talk or act against the company are dispatched and killed rather than talked to (CC, VII, BC).

The Garrison on the other hand encourages learning, the upper ranks are seen as human and not people to be afraid of unless you give them good reason to be angry (Lance’s team in the first episode not working as a team, the future Paladins stealing away someone who should have been in quarantine), their memories of being back on Earth and thinking of the Garrison are fond, and good. Sneaking out does not seem to have major consequences, and if it does, none of Lance, Hunk, or Pidge are all that bothered by them. Keith, who is expelled from the Garrison, is not hunted down, and does not seem to be afraid when coming face to face with Garrison scientists and a full camp of assorted others. The Garrison is often shown in warm lights, associated with good memories, and we have not in five entire whole seasons even heard of a single person protesting at the Garrison’s gates. Which, I’m sure we’d have had someone mention if that was a thing people did, if there was anyone who thought the Garrison was doing anything inhumane or non-ethical.

Basically... we have examples, actual examples of what it’s like when a military-scientific organisation does unethical things, and how that affects the protagonists, as well as everyday people. For VLD, this is... not one of those cases. We never see any of those signs or symptoms of something being wrong in the system. VLD is also not that subtle, and it’s easy to pick out when something is going wrong.

With that said, I think the intention is that the Galaxy Garrison is supposed to be a hero-backing organisation that may well come further into play in future seasons (hopefully sooner rather than later) and that will come to Earth’s defence for the sake of ‘this is the right thing to do, and why we’re here’ rather than the shady group that’s supposedly going to experiment on anything different and strange that some people seem to think it might be, or might have been at one point.

#ff7 stuff #vld stuff

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yoon-kooks · 7 years

Text

Lie- Part 14

Pairing: Jimin x Reader

Genre: Angst / Fluff

Summary: There was a time when you loved him and he hated you. Now you hate him, but does he love you?

Parts: 0 // 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // FINAL

During your lunch break, you sat alone in the library to study for one of your upcoming biology exams. On most days, you and Jimin would eat together, but he also had obligations with his dance group at least once a week during lunch. You’d be lying if you said it wasn’t a little lonely without him, but it was also good to have some space away from the boy. Always being so close to him, you wondered if Jimin ever thought of you as a burden, something holding him back. Because that was the last thing you wanted to be.

“Hey, you’re Y/N, right?” You jumped at the sound of two girls interrupting your reading on natural selection. They looked and sounded familiar, but you weren’t sure of how they knew you.

You nodded slowly as they helped themselves to the two empty seats next to you at the table.

“We saw you walk home with Park Jimin the other day?” the girl with the messy bun said. You assumed she was talking about how you had waited for Jimin after his dance practice. She and her friend must’ve been the same girls that had been fawning over him during that time.

“What’s your relationship with him?” the ponytail girl added with a nudge of her pointy elbow into your arm. You certainly did not appreciate their attempt at being chummy with you. If anything, they were only talking to you because they knew you were close with Jimin.

“We’re friends.” You rubbed your arm.

“Just friends?” Messy Bun raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

“Yeah.”

“So you’ll gladly support me if I asked him out on a date, right?” Ponytail spoke in a passive-aggressive cheerful voice and batted her long eyelashes at you. She looked ready to pounce at any second if you didn’t give her the response she was looking for.

You didn’t answer. Of course, you wouldn’t support that. Maybe you would’ve been supportive if the girl actually took the time to get to know Jimin, or at least showed any kind of respect towards you. But there was no way you were going to hand your friend over to someone rude like that.

“Aww, you have a crush on him too, don’t you?” Messy Bun thought she was so smart. It might’ve been the truth, but she or her friend knew nothing about the kind of relationship you and Jimin had. It was already a very touchy subject for you, and they definitely didn’t have any right to take jabs at you about it.

“Jimin rejected you, huh. Let me guess—friendzoned? It’s okay, we won’t tell anyone!” Ponytail said in an awfully loud and obnoxious voice. You noticed other students were popping their heads up from their books to see what was happening. Attracting attention was something you always tried not to make a habit of, but the two girls weren’t helping at all. You just wanted them to leave you alone.

“I never rejected Y/N.” You felt a set of warm hands on your shoulders. That alone was almost enough to bring tears to your eyes. Jimin had said ‘no’ to your face so many times over the years. So many times, that you had lost count and almost accepted the fact that you and him would never be anything more than friends. And yet, there he was, lying through his teeth in front of everyone only for your sake. “In fact, we’re going to Big Bang’s concert together this weekend.” He waved bye to the girls before grabbing your biology textbook in one hand and your hand in the other to pull you away from the mess.

“Jimin,” you called as soon as the two of you were out of the library. “You didn’t have to lie for my sake, you know. Everyone’s gonna think we’re dating now…”

“Y/N, don’t worry about that,” he said softly, pulling you to a stop. But his own eyes were filled with worry. “Those girls were messing with you because of me, right?”

You shook your head. The girls might’ve approached you merely because you were associated with Jimin, but that didn’t make the situation his fault. It wasn’t his fault that the girls were rude. Nor was it his fault that you were too weak to stand up for yourself. And you hated how he automatically blamed himself and took responsibility for it.

“Let me know if something like that happens again, okay?” He looked at you as if the whole situation had hurt him as much as it had hurt you. But you couldn’t just ask him for help and interrupt one of his get-togethers with his dance friends. That would only make you a burden to him.

“Jimin, I’ll be fine.” You had to be strong.

“Are you sure…?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” You smiled at the boy and tried to change the topic quickly. “So what was that about a Big Bang concert?” You weren’t sure if he had just said that to put up a façade in front of those girls and the rest of the students in the library, or if he was serious. Because you had always been under the impression that he wasn’t into idols.

“I won a pair of free tickets, so let’s go together, okay?” His eyes brightened up.

“Thank you, Jimin.” Part of you felt like he was only trying to make you feel better after being bullied, but a larger part of you wanted to believe that he was actually asking you out on a date. Either way, you were grateful that he would always be there for you whenever you needed him.

Out of nowhere, you wrapped your arms around the boy, trying to take in as much of his warmth and comfort as possible. You knew it was only a matter of time before the boy pushed you away like he had whenever you got too touchy. Except this time, he didn’t. He just let you hold him for as long as you wanted. He knew exactly how much you needed him in that moment.

You were aware of how selfish it was, but you didn’t want to let go.

After you hugged Jungkook goodbye, you entered your apartment and tossed your bag to the side before hopping onto your bed with your phone. The first thing you did was check the text Yoora had sent you earlier during your date.

9:06PM Yoora “hey i know its late but lets meet up”

9:39PM Y/N “ya sure! come over anytime~”

9:40PM Y/N “i just got back from a date with kook”

9:45PM Yoora “ok”

Yoora only lived a few minutes away from you, so your apartment had always been the designated meeting place for nighttime chats and gossip. Surely this time was no different. She probably just couldn’t wait to share some good news about her and Jimin. Then you could tell her about your fun date with Jungkook. And everything would be fine.

You opened the door as soon as you heard a knock, but to your surprise, your friend didn’t look excited at all. You could only think of one explanation for the puffiness and redness in her eyes. She must’ve taken your advice and asked Jimin out only to be rejected. But that was only half of the reason for her tears.

“Hey what happened?” You pulled the girl through the doorway and sat her down on your bed, handing her a box of tissues. “Is it about Jimin?”

“Y/N, you knew.”

“I knew what?”

“You knew he’d reject me.”

“How could I have known that?”

“Y/N, Jimin’s your childhood friend, isn’t he?”

You didn’t say anything. Jimin had clearly told Yoora your secret. But before you could even be angry at the boy, you were terrified of losing Yoora’s trust. Your mind flooded with regret—you should’ve told her yourself before she had to find out the hard way from Jimin. The damage could’ve been limited, but now you couldn’t even blame Yoora if she walked out on you for good. You were a terrible friend.

“How could you not tell me about that?”

“I just couldn’t!” You could never bring yourself to tell Yoora that the love of her life used to be the love of your life. If you had told her Jimin was your childhood friend, there would’ve been no way to leave out the fact that you had also been so in love with him. And although you had told yourself that you no longer had those feelings for the boy, you were certain that your history with Park Jimin would’ve been enough to build tension in your friendship with Yoora.

“But you still encouraged me to ask him out when you knew he had feelings for someone else?”

“I was only trying to help you and him by-”

“Well thanks. You literally ruined everything.”

“Yoora, please-”

“Honestly, it’s whatever. I just wish you didn’t lie about it to my face.”

“I wasn’t trying to lie… I just wasn’t ready to tell you yet…”

“Y/N, am I not your best friend? The least you could’ve done was trust in me.”

“I’m so sorry, Yoora…” Those were the last words to said to your friend before she slammed your door shut on the way out. But you knew that apology would never be enough.

Before you knew it, a whole week had passed since your fight with Yoora and the Bangtan concert in Seoul was approaching. At that point, you were expecting to go to the concert alone, rather than follow through with the original plans to go with your friend.

All you could do was sigh. First you had lost Jimin, and now even Yoora wouldn’t speak to you. And it would probably only be a matter of time before Jungkook left you as well. You felt so alone.

But you had no one else to blame but yourself. If only you had been more open and honest with your friends. What were you actually trying to accomplish by keeping everything a secret? Were you really trying to protect them? Or was it only to protect yourself?

Buzz! You lifted your head from your pillow to check your phone, somewhat expecting it to be someone with the wrong number.

6:06AM Kookie “are you excited for tomorrow???????????!!!!1”

6:09AM Y/N “whats tomorrow?”

6:13AM Kookie “the concert!!😡😡”

6:14AM Y/N “lol im kidding”

6:15AM Y/N “ofc i remembered the concert!”

6:16AM Y/N “and why tf are you up so early??”

6:18AM Kookie “im just anxious😳😳”

6:21AM Y/N “for the concert and tour?”

6:22AM Kookie “yA! and im just excited youll be in the crowd~”

6:24AM Y/N “but its not like youll actually see me in such a large stadium😂”

6:25AM Kookie “ill find you bc youre special🙈🙈”

6:27AM Y/N “k im taking your word on it😂”

6:28AM Kookie “wait!! at least tell me what section youll be sitting in?”

6:30AM Y/N “thats cheating! what happened to finding me bc im special??”

6:31AM Y/N “lol jk thats bullshit. ill be standing in the pit😘”

6:34AM Kookie “okaaay got it👍👍”

6:35AM Kookie “actually ima go back to sleep now😪”

6:36AM Y/N “me too bc someone wOKE ME UP”

6:36AM Kookie “😪😪😂”

But as much as you wanted to fall back asleep, you couldn’t. Whether or not Jungkook really meant it when he said you were special, his words stuck with you. He never failed to put a smile on your face, and you were just so grateful that he hadn’t given up on you yet. What did you ever do to deserve a boy like him?

And from his messages, you were reminded that you weren’t alone. Even without Jimin or Yoora around, or even Jungkook when he left for tour, somehow you knew you’d be okay. From somewhere, you had gained that strength.

Buzz! You wondered what else Jungkook had to say, or if he forgot to mention something earlier. But it wasn’t a text from him.

10:23AM Yoora “um hey”

10:24AM Yoora “im really sorry i got upset with you about the jimin thing”

10:26AM Yoora “i mean, im still kinda upset but i get where you were coming from”

10:27AM Yoora “i know you meant well and ill forgive you if you forgive me”

10:28AM Yoora “we were gonna go to the concert together, right?”

You just stared at your phone screen in disbelief. You’d never thought Yoora would forgive you so easily. Not that you were doubting your friendship, but you thought you had really fucked up. You didn’t expect her to be the one reaching out to you because you thought that would’ve been your responsibility. Yoora was nice and had always been a great friend, but part of you knew something else was up. Someone had talked her into making up with you. He himself hadn’t spoken to you in what felt like ages, but you knew it was Jimin.

#bts scenarios #bts imagines #bts fanfic #bts angst #jimin #bts #bts fluff #bangtan #jimin x reader #jimin fanfic #lie

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queen-scribbles · 7 years

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Levyn Character Info

Name: Levyn Gladewind Race: Human Class: Warlock Patron: Archfey

-------------------------------------- Vital Stats Height: 5'9" Weight: 150lbs Hair: black, shaggy Eyes: light blue Age: 20 Alignment: Neutral Good Identifying Marks: small scars and stains on his hands and arms from failed spells, one longer scar from a bladed weapon that runs the length of his right forearm -------------------------------------- Skill Stats Strength--15 Intelligence--15 Dexterity--16 Charisma--20 Constitution--17 Wisdom--9 -------------------------------------- Languages Spoken: Common, Elvish, Halfling Skills: Arcana, Deception, History, Investigation Armor/Weapons: light armor, simple weapons

Weapons of Choice: quarterstaff/Book of Shadows Armor of Choice: Light-weight leathers Background: No one spotting the scrawny young man wearing rather threadbare clothes and carefully keeping to himself would suspect he comes from nobility, though they could hardly be blamed for that. Levyn's family are nobles, but only just. His parents rank barely a step or two above "the common rabble", which has led them to guard their reputation with the jealousy and ferocity of a dragon at its hoard. Decorum and behavior and remaining scandal-free were the backbone of all lessons he learned growing up, with heavy stress put on not embarrassing The Family. Unfortunately for his parents, if they wanted Levyn to grow up a model citizen, they shouldn't have dragged their eight year old son to Baron Randall's Winter’s Crest celebration. It was much too 'adult' a party to hold a child's interest for long, which led to Levyn wandering around until he met someone closer to his age: Trinne Amell, one year older and likewise dragged to this party by parents who thought it would be a good opportunity for her to practice her manners. Emboldened by their friendship, the two children quickly set about causing mischief(mostly Trinne's idea) until they got caught(mostly Levyn's fault), and got in trouble(equally shared). His parents scolded him the whole way home, and saw Trinne as a bad influence. Levyn saw her as his only real friend. He and Trinne stayed friends as they grow up. Best friends, in fact, almost more like siblings. Much as his parents considered Trinne to be a bad influence, with her utter disregard for rules and societal convention, her family was higher in the pecking order than they were, so they tolerated the friendship for the tenuous link to the upper echelons it provided. This only lasted until Levyn and Trinne were teenagers, and Trinne told him she was planing to run away. She hated all the rules of high society, wanted adventures, to go do her own thing. Before she even asked, Levyn offered to help. He might not want to go adventuring himself, but he wants her to be happy. When her parents found her and dragged her home, the whole story came out, and Levyn's parents told him he wasn’t allowed to see her anymore. He tried to sneak out to visit her anyway, got caught by a servant, and his parents sent him to study under an uncle who was a wizard, hundreds of miles away. He has no talent for being a wizard. None. He's terrible at it. But he loves studying, so he spends a lot of time reading and sketching the places in the books. He's especially fascinated by stories about the Feywild and its inhabitants. Reads anything he can get his hands on about it. By his third or fourth year with his uncle, he would give a limb for the chance to go visit the Feywild. It takes a few years, but he gets his wish, no limb sacrifice required. His uncle(not a particularly scrupulous man) offers him the "opportunity" in search of an especially rare item dear Uncle Eldred needs for a powerful spell. Levyn's so giddy at the prospect of visiting the Feywild he doesn't wonder about the dangers, or why his uncle won't go himself if this is so important. Why send an apprentice, and one who isn't a particularly skilled wizard at that? He enters the Feywild with only a pack of supplies and both a verbal and sketched description of the item he seeks. "It's rather powerful," Uncle Eldred warns. "So you probably won't be the only one interested in it. But I need you to bring it back, my boy. It's vital I have it if I hope to outdo that braggart Irving." He gets completely lost immediately. Not that it matters, really; it's not as if he had the first idea where to start looking for this thing anyway. He wanders around for who-even-knows how long, both incredibly lost and incredibly fascinated by everything around him. After several hours--days? he's not really sure--of exploring(involving at least one close call each with werewolves and fairies), he stumbles into a glade in the middle of a forest with the ruins of what was probably once a small shrine at one end. There's a half-eroded carving of what he assumes is the patron goddess on one wall, long hair and flowing robes, her eyes pale green gemstones. He finds the item he's looking for in the ruins, covered in moss and laying with several other artifacts by a broken altar. He takes it, of course. He can feel the power buzzing through it, but there don't seem to be any spells or enchantments binding it to the shrine. And he's not attacked by anything, or struck down by magic when he leaves(doesn't even feel anything weird), so he figures it's okay. It's not okay. Everything seems fine for about a week after he returns to his uncle(and heaps of praise for actually succeeding, which Eldred didn't think he'd do), until he receives a visitor. She calls herself Lady Ember, and is rather plain-looking; dark red hair, average height. But her eyes are an incredibly pale glass-green that's slightly unnerving, and there's a sense of power about her that's almost mesmerizing. Once they're alone, she smiles disarmingly and asks if he recognizes her. He shakes his head. "And now?" she asks, dispelling her enchanted appearance with a flick of her wrist. She's clearly fey and hauntingly beautiful; hair longer, fading from the dark red at the roots to blonde at the end, features angular yet delicate, her dress shifting shades of green with highlights of faint red and yellow in her gossamer train. She's closer to familiar now, but he still can't say he recognizes her. "I am Lilia, Lady of the Green Glade," she says with a thin smile. "If you don't recognize me, perhaps you're more familiar with my realm." She holds out a scrying orb so he can see into its depth. It shows a forest, the majority of it withered and decayed, and he stammers out that he didn't see anywhere like that during his visit to the Feywild. Lilia's smile turns cold. "Because it looked rather different before your visit. A vibrant forest, with a well-kept glade and a small shrine. A shrine housing a collection of artifacts." That's where the cold, sinking feeling hits his gut. "And not a willy-nilly horde of trinkets like you mortals keep," Lilia continues. "It was carefully curated to sustain the barrier that protects my realm from corrupting forces. Your actions, thief, weakened the magic and now corruption runs rampant, striking down trees that should live another century or more. However, I am a reasonable woman, and will seek no vengeance if you simply return what you stole." it's an incredibly generous offer, and Levyn knows it, one he would take advantage of in a heartbeat. If he could. Whatever spell or ritual Eldred needed the artifact for consumed it. Lilia is not happy to learn this. "Well, then. Until you can find a suitable replacement to atone for your grievous error, I think your soul is fair trade for the soul of my forest." He tries to protest--he's a lousy wizard(ask anyone), he wouldn't know where to start looking, will almost certainly get himself killed. Can't they work out something else, like a few decades of servitude? Lilia rolls her eyes and mutters something about mortals and their excuses before taking his face in her hands. Her eyes briefly glow a brighter green and there's an unmistakable surge of power between them. "The deal is struck," she says with a smile(not kind, but not malicious). "Powers easier to call upon than a wizard's tricks for you, your soul for me. This bargain stands until my forest does once more." She restores her enchanted form and leaves. Levyn's uncle kicks him out when he hears what happened. So he goes home to see if his parents have anything they can spare to help. However, his uncle wrote them, which gets there before he does, so when he arrives he's promptly and coldly informed he's no longer their son. Not if he's going to dabble with forces he can't control and go haring off to the Feywild. They can't afford to have that kind of recklessness attached to the family name. He next visits Trinne's family, hoping she'll want to go adventuring with him. He finds out she ran away again two years after that first attempt he helped her with and they haven't seen her since. He's welcome to try and track her down himself if he thinks he'll have better luck. He does just that. He's already looking for rare artifacts, how much more difficult can it be to also find one specific woman in the entirety of the world? He takes the last name Gladewind for his adventures, since he can't use his family name any more, and sets out to find the best friend he hasn't seen since he was fourteen. He figures she'll be happy to join him on an adventure where the only plan is to travel and look for powerful artifacts. He's not wrong, of course, but he has to find her first. Virtues: Curious, always trying to do better, cares deeply about the people close to him Flaws: Easily distracted by the promise of knowledge, bad decision making skills Other Traits: Loves a good mystery, socially awkward, artistic(charcoal sketches, primarily)

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Yes, my artist!Jowan headcanon bleeds into yet another ‘verse. I can’t help it, I’m very attached to that particular headcanon. Also, I’ve changed my mind three or four times about his alignment, bc I keep reading different people’s summaries/simplifications o the alignment chart and feeling conflicted. xD The closest I’ve ever found for a Jowan faceclaim is Diego Luna, who isn’t 100% perfect, but he’s good enough.

Given my lack of familiarity with D&D, coming up with the patron was the hardest part. I knew I wanted to do archfey(tho if anyone could accidentally stumble into a Fiend pact it would be Jowan), but then had to decide which archfey. Came really close to stealing Artagan from Critical Role using Titania before I found a reddit thread of five or six people talking about the archfey they created to be their warlock’s patron and went “K, Imma do that” and thus, Lilia.

#queen rambles #levyn the warlock #i feel like i need a tag for all these dnd characters i can't stop making #i have a PROBLEM

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weholyperfectioncollectorme-blog · 6 years

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Car Title and Insurance?

"Car Title and Insurance?

If I finance my car under just my name can I then title it under both mine and my mother's name and get insurance using her address?

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://financeandcreditsolution.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr