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shipwreck-letters · 3 months

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Chapter Thirteen: Point of No Return

Word Count: 3,741

Summary:

--- …. ……w̷̘̳̭̞̳̳̥̠͎͕̯̘̜̫̼͔̍͒̽́̍̂̄̌̃͑͛̔͋̕͜͠͝ä̵̧̨͍͍̟̜̮͚̠̯̖͖̮̼̼̫̞͕͔̮̐͊̋̊̀͗̍͜͝͝ͅk̶̡̧̧̛̤̲͇̫̠̲̭̞̭͓̬̜͔̺̱̣̯͕̼͖̳̦̞̙̖͎̹̞̖̽̃͛͐̽̎͑͗̈͐̆͂̌͂͆̈͑͜ȩ̷̨̢̨̨̛̺̳̘̥͓̲̝̰̟̱̻̣͖̤̪̘͍̗̮̱͉̘̙̇̌̓̈́̅̈̓̂̽̒̂̈́͗̆̀̐͋́̈́̿́̕̚̚͜͜͠ͅͅ ̶̡̢̧̢̻̺͕̠̭̻̟̭̙̤̤͖̲̪̗̤̺̳̦͕̆͊͑̈̏̌̾̑́̉̈̎̋̿̈́͑̉͗̃̆͋̓̓̄̿͜͝ư̵̡̧͖̙̲͓̟̙͖͗̏̾̃̆̍͑̚̕̕͝p̶̧̡̭̫̥̯͈̩̭̼̹̹̣̱̗̱̽̀͒̊͑͛̌̆̈́̑̀̍̀̅̊͗̈́͜͠ …………Through you, I can feel. I am watching, I am waiting…I will have my day, and I will swallow the ş̷̹̤̜̮͔̠͍̎̍̈́͗̎͋̿͘u̷̧͍̳̜̦̮̰̤͉̤̖̪̻͘ǹ̸̛͚͕̰̦̈̇̆. Wake up.

A wave of sleep inertia morphed into an awful bubbling in Kiso’s stomach; He jolted upright, hand slapped over his mouth, throat scorched with a rising sickness.

A bucket was shoved into his hands as Kiso’s eyes squeezed shut and he retched, lurched, and emptied his empty stomach into the bucket. A groan that was not his own came from the other side of the room; A small room it was, as the volume bounced back immediately.

“Told ya that would happen. Right on schedule, too. Never a good feeling, I’ll give it that.”

Kiso shuddered, spitting and licking his teeth with another jolt. He blinked away his grogginess, coming to two realizations consecutively as he gazed down at his shaking hands.

He was somehow still alive, despite his last memory and waking thoughts. The corruption was….Gone.

Yes, it was completely gone, but a faded mark was left behind on his skin; Like a form of vitiligo, it was wavy and asymmetrical, winding up into his sleeves. Kiso slowly curled his fingers into his palm, collecting his rapid heartbeat until it slowed, and then dared to look up.

“Ah, welcome back to the world. Malice-free and just a teeny bit worse for wear, no Yiga-doing this time.”

There were three people in the room. (Four, including Kiso). Kiso blinked back blurriness in his eyes as a hand rested on his knee, another grasping his fingers. “Malice…Fascinating. Can you hear me?” Kurre’s voice echoed, and Kiso made a quiet noise in reply.

Kurre went through with a basic check-up, as Kiso pieced together his surroundings in bite-sized chunks. The room was small, underground; Voices echoed off the bumpy stone walls, illuminated by red-gold paper lanterns. If he had any doubts, the banners of inverted eyes all stared at him inanimate. Boxes and crates, a few brooms and cleaning tools were cast around haphazardly.

Ahead of him, Sooga hunched from an old box, his uniform and hair wrinkled and damp. He massaged his forehead beneath his mask, and Kiso found it hard to look away. He couldn’t tell what had happened, and could hardly remember.

And his eyes flickered away to a very tall and plump Yiga lounging in the opposite corner; He wore gray clothes embroidered with burgundy and red, a flared collar, puffy sleeves and pants; His curly black hair was wrapped up into a tall ponytail, bits of loose curls falling around a sharpened Yiga mask unlike any other Kiso had seen. Whether it was the mask or his extravagant day-clothes, Kiso pushed his back to sit up straighter in the man’s presence.

“No concussion, but one more mishap and you might have a broken bone. Doesn’t it hurt here?” Kurre jabbed at Kiso’s ribs, and he jolted, gritting his teeth and holding back a hiss.

“Mm-hm. It’s making you run a fever, too. Master Kohga?” Kurre glanced over her shoulder.

“Huh?”

“That washcloth. May I have it, please?”

“Oh, sure.” Kohga pushed himself to stand on two feet, swiping a white rag from an empty bucket as he sauntered over to the two of them. Kiso clenched his jaw tightly as he craned his neck up and up, fingers twitching at the pain in his chest as he inhaled.

“You were into quite a sticky situation, wouldn’t ya say?” Kohga asked, tapping his chin. He leaned down in one quick motion, and held Kiso’s chin firmly, lifting his head and eyeing his neck, his throat, and finally his forehead.

“Something sticky, indeed.”

Kiso’s heart beat rapidly in his ears. Kohga must have sensed it; His head tilted the other way.

“Aw, don’t be so nervous, kid. Let’s start easy, nice and easy. What’s your name?”

Uneasily, Kiso whispered his name. His chin was still in a pinched grip. Kohga hummed.

“You’re a lucky rabbit, Kiso. Making it alllllll the way out here, Yiga territory, covered head to toe with malice. But you didn’t make it on your own, didja? You had a little help?”

For half a second, Kiso’s eyes darted towards Sooga, and Kohga laughed.

“Sooga’s always been a soft-heart, I’ll give ‘em that.”

Something finally passed the barrier of pain and sickness, and finally clicked within Kiso’s mind. “You’re the….Chief.”

Oh, he was so dead.

The man waved a finger around, finally letting go of Kiso. “Chief, ultimate-leader-extravaganza…Though I’ve always liked the ol’reliable…Master Kohga.”

Double dead.

“...I didn’t mean to trespass. Not like that…I had nowhere to go.”

“And why’s that, Kiso?”

“....I told my sister that I’d rather die than serve the King. She didn’t like that very much.”

“No,” Kohga let out a bark of a laugh. “No, they usually don't.” He rubbed at his own chin, stepping back. “But what am I going to do with you…?”

Sooga lifted his head, glancing between the others before he tried to stand on uneasy, wobbly feet. “Master Kohga, I-”

“Sit.” Kohga snapped his fingers, his boisterous voice suddenly sharp and serious. “You’re not off the chopping block either, Sooga.”

For a short moment, Kohga hummed and stared down Kiso, and Kiso tried not to fidget under the scrutinous gaze. As chaotic and dangerous as his third eye was, it granted him the ability to read emotions clear as day; Something he clearly struggled with as his eyes cautiously shifted between Sooga, Kurre, and Kohga.

“Lots to unpack here,” Kohga finally said, drawing Kiso’s attention back immediately. “Lots indeed….I need a snack break.”

His hands clapped together and a new Yiga suddenly appeared, a handful of mighty bananas in their grasp. “Master.”

Kohga grabbed a hand of bananas as he spun on his heel, and the Yiga spared a glance to Kiso. Kiso tilted his head, and gave a short wave.

…The Yiga raised their hand and returned a nonchalant salute before disappearing, and Kohga spoke up once more.

Kohga lounged across the single chair in the room, legs kicked over the side, a peeled banana in his hand. He tossed that one to Kurre. “Ladies first.”

He took a second one- “Catch!”

Kiso snatched the banana hurtling towards him at breakneck speed. Kohga hummed in approval with a tip of his head. “You passed the first test. Eat up.”

Kiso blinked slowly, watching Kohga with apprehension still. His heart was waiting for danger, for trouble- His nerves were bundled with the high-strung feeling of escape; He couldn’t let his guard down now, not after all that had happened in the past few days. He turned towards Sooga and silently outstretched the banana to him.

Sooga stared at it, head moving slightly as he looked from Kiso’s hand to his eyes. Confusion, perhaps.

“It is yours.” Sooga said quietly, pushing Kiso’s hand back. “You are starving.”

Kiso couldn’t tell what it meant to starve anymore. The feeling in his stomach and heart ached in his head; It was all the same. Everything was falling apart. Still, Kiso unpeeled the banana and took a tentative bite.

Once Kohga had made it through about four or five bananas, he let out a great sigh and aimed his finger towards Sooga.

“Let’s take it from the top, shall we. Sooga, with you. What’s the whole deal about this ‘investigation’ I’ve been hearing about?”

Sooga heaved to his feet, slow and exhausting, and dropped to one knee with a restrained grunt. It seemed like he had been preparing for this moment.

“Master Kohga, there is troubling news brewing within the castle. The king of Hyrule is preparing to unearth the ancient Sheikah technology from the old texts. He will rip through each region of the land in search of every piece. If the legends are true, the Yiga Village is compromised. We may have to prepare to move. Again.”

Kohga’s feet, lazily kicking before, suddenly stopped as Sooga finished. Kiso was tempted, so tempted to read his aura; Was he nervous? Angry? Scared? But he knew better. Somehow, Kohga had removed the malice on his body, and left only scars behind. Let sleeping dogs lie.

Let the hands remain buried.

“Well, that’s not good. When’s it starting?”

“Soon. I do not know all the answers, but I am handling this investigation. That explains my absence. Most of it.”

Sooga’s head tilted towards Kiso. “I found him after my mission in the highlands. He is no spy. I have confirmed that.”

“Oh, I already know that. I knew the second you had crossed the village lines. The Sheikah don’t spy anymore; It’s Hylians now, and they reek.”

Kohga slammed a fist down onto his leg. “Besides! We are not moving again! Half of our furniture was left behind, you know? We’re running out of places. This is our last time running. Find out what that wrinkled raisin is sticking his nose into. This-”

He pointed a finger at Kiso. “-Is the last time we let an outsider join the Clan!”

Kiso’s eyes widened. Did that mean-?

“You both know what to do about this one. All of that hard work you can handle. I believe in you, yada yada.” He spoke to both Kurre and Sooga, who straightened up at his command.

“Master.” They both nodded, and turned their heads to Kiso. Kiso’s heartbeat was all he could hear drumming in his ears.

“I get to stay?”

“Consider it your lucky day.” Kohga raised from his chair, his shadow stretching and falling over Kiso.

“However! By joining the Yiga Clan now, you hereby forfeit all ties to the Sheikah and Royal Family for now until eternity. No take-backs, no outs. You’re roughed up, banged up, so I won’t make you fight me for initiation. But know this-”

With a whoosh of wind, Kohga was in Kiso’s face. His hand came down, the size of his palm engulfing Kiso’s shoulder entirely. There was nothing Kiso could do but listen, focus.

“I don’t take kindly to traitors. Your sister may have let you off the hook, but you’ll be fighting for your life if you try to pull the hood over our eyes. You’ll go through me. Will that be an issue?”

The words settled on Kiso like ash, scolding and lingering. He shook his head once, jaw clenched.

“Great.” Kohga flicked Kiso’s third eye, ignoring the pained hiss from Kiso. “See me again after you heal up. You too, Sooga. We have some things we need to work on before you kill yourself trying to use those abilities.”

With a wave of his hand, Kohga vanished with a cloud of red, gone in a trace. Kiso still felt a pierce in his chest, a tumbling of emotions he wasn’t sure what to do with.

Sooga let out a long, drawn-out sigh, and Kurre cleared her throat.

“Well- Welcome to the, uh, village, I guess!” She rattled her hands, but no one was excited.

“Look on the bright side. You missed the initiation that includes challenging Master Kohga. That alone would give you bruised ribs and sore joints.”

“I almost died, I think.” Two or three times, but who’s counting.

“Yes, but you made it! And now, you have lots to learn. For now, let’s get out of this broom closet. Please. I’m getting claustrophobic.”

---

“There you go,” Kurre bundled up the oversized clothes in her arms, and brushed a stray lint off Kiso’s new sleeve, secure and snug around his body. “You look fit for the part. Oh, don’t forget this.”

She passed over a familiar piece of cloth. “Until you can make your own.”

Kiso wiggled his toes, feeling the pull and bend of the red tabi. His eyes passed over the cloth, and then up to Kurre. He felt exhausted; Holding up the walls that were slowly crumbling, though not from trust--Fatigue and illness. “You’ve been really nice to me. More than I think I deserve.”

No one else had treated him with such friendliness in the tunnels; It was passing glances, murmurs and whispers. But Kurre had extended generosity beyond their experiment; One that didn’t even work.

“I’m a nurse, it’s in my instincts.”

“I thought you were a doctor. Scientist.”

“Scientist, doctor-in-training.” Kurre said with what must have been a wink; Her shoulder moved up slightly, her head tilted. “Really…I just want to make sure you’re okay. I watched Master Kohga remove that corruption; I saw the monster you described, and then some.

I once helped treat someone bitten by a Lizalfos, but I did not check up on her after she had left the clinic. I don’t want to make that same mistake again. I must do better, so I will be checking on you every now and then. Don’t forget to stop by, too.”

Kiso tied the mask behind his head, fingers running over his hair slowly. “Does this mean we’re friends?”

“If you’d like to be, then yes. Friends.” Kurre nodded. “You should get some rest. Just walk the way we came, you’ll find the sleeping quarters.”

Kiso felt another ache in his chest. It was a goodbye, it felt like losing something all over again. He didn’t dare ask if she’d return; He didn’t want another promise that couldn’t be kept.

And instead of returning the way Kurre had specifically shown him, his eyes followed the way of the lanterns above, strung along lumpy cavern walls. His hands found one another, and he could see the sheen of blue along his bandaged hands as the world warped around him.

His feet landed in cold sand sinking around him. The moon was poised high in the sky, shadows of Gerudo Town sparkling in the far distance. Kiso’s breath came out in shudders, clouds evaporating into the denim night. Kiso trudged through the desert, something wound in his clothes kept him from freezing. It was warm enough that he could empty his mind out, laying out all the pieces of his catastrophic week bare and flat.

He wondered again what Impa would be doing, as he walked the wilderness. He wondered where Vyn would be, and if his parents were watching. He wondered where Pan had run off to, in the midst of chaos. He wondered what this new life was going to be like.

Only whispers, clutching of necklaces, and sneers were made in Hyrule Castle when someone mentioned the Yiga Clan. Thieves, bandits, traitors…Exiles.

But Kiso had seen Sooga; Stoic and of few words, but honorable and dignified. Kurre was eclectic, but kind. Master Kohga, the Chief of them all, seemed rather silly (and yet dangerously deadly).

The Sheikah had the capability to be hospitable, but Impa told many stories of the Shadow Folk; Ghost stories stemming in the farthest basement of the castle. There was an interrogation chamber somewhere beneath the foundation.

Kiso had a feeling he was soon going to learn the true meaning of Shadow Folk.

Isn’t this what he wanted?

…Not like this.

A tall structure stood out in the darkness; An old, fallen building made of carved stone. Sand trickled out until it had blown over into flat ground again, and Kiso shook out the remnants in his shoes as he walked into the angled shadows of the canyon walls and ruins. There was a four-post shelter, a second floor open to the elements. Kiso collapsed in the farthest corner, legs folding.

“I’ll be waiting where the light touches the ground, where the red star burns our enemies.” Kiso let his head drop to his knee as Vyn’s voice haunted him again.

“Where are you?” He asked, no energy left to be angry, to cry. “We were supposed to do this together.”

A shadow passed beside him, and then a shade of lavender entered his vision. Kiso outstretched his hand to Pan, letting her tongue flicker over him and his new clothes. She circled around and began to wind along Kiso’s arm; Her heavy weight dragged his arm down.

“You’ve…Gotten bigger. Have you eaten well?”

It seemed so. Pan rolled off Kiso, and swayed her head along to something behind him. Kiso followed her gaze, and down to the ground.

“What…? Oh. New friend?”

A fat, fuzzy tarantula apprehensively crawled near, lifting its front legs a few times at Kiso and Pan. Pan lowered herself closer to the ground, tongue flicking, eyes focused intently. The spider waited for a beat, and then mosied on to Kiso.

“You made a friend that you didn’t try to eat?” Kiso hummed in disbelief, opening his palm to the creature that tapped his fingertips, and then moved on to investigate pebbles. Pan made a show of curling across Kiso’s lap as if to show the spider that she was brave enough to cuddle, and Kiso chuckled.

And then a woman’s voice like a spider’s fang spoke very closely.

“So. You are the new footsoldier that I saw earlier. I have been waiting to meet you.”

Kiso froze, pulling Pan close. Did the spider just talk?

Pan raised her head up, and Kiso dared to follow; Through a broken gap in the second floor, someone was perched, peering down with a long red scarf flowing above Kiso’s head. Her mask was sharp along the sides, four points on each side, painted orange and black just like a tarantula.

The seconds passed finally moved Kiso to speak. “Who are you?”

“I am Tulsi. That is Stella.” She pointed a spindly finger at the spider. “May I sit?”

Kiso blinked, and moved over to make space. He watched Tulsi fold her legs and slip through the gap, landing without a sound on the floor. She wore armor similar to Sooga, though missing yellow accents on the chest.

“Are all the Yiga really, really tall?”

A strange sound made Kiso’s neck cold; She had laughed. “I am taller than most Yiga, but yes. You still have plenty of time. Eat your vegetables.”

“That’s the secret?” Kiso’s eyebrows knit together.

“Partly. You will find the other secret soon enough.”

Kiso sighed, turning his head away. Tulsi’s head tilted, but she kept quiet. A moment passed in silence, Stella investigating Kiso’s feet with mild curiosity, and Pan slithering around Tulsi with a steadily flickering tongue.

“How…How does this work?” Kiso asked, bringing his legs closer to his chest. Tulsi waited for more. “What do the Yiga do? What are you training for?”

“This is new, this schedule. It did not used to be this way. The village was lively, with children and busy work….A common community. Now all children must be trained, becoming what the Sheikah and Hylians fear. We must rebuild the village from dirt and sand, where no one has quite acclimated. You joined at a difficult time.”

“But…Why? What happened?”

Tulsi’s head turned down to Kiso in silence. “We lived in solitude very far away. The trees were magnificent, the fruit was plentiful, and the rivers were as common as grass. It was not perfect, but it was our home. I was born there, and I was there for its destruction. The royal family found a landmark in those woods, and they needed their princess there for prayer. If there is anything they despise, it’s darkness in any capacity; Shadows give them nightmares. The Yiga are the true Shadow Folk, and they did not like us so close to their holy shrine. With bloodshed, we were driven out yet again. Do you remember that?”

“Me?” Kiso’s eyes widened. His brain reeled, flipping through memories and past conversations, but all he could do was shake his head. Tulsi hummed.

“Perhaps you were not born yet. Or too young to remember. I am too old to remember dates; 25 years ago, I think. The new Blademasters were just babies, now made to grow up in this harsh climate. The old footsoldiers and Blademasters were slain; Master Kohga made a decision then, as we found our new home. If something should happen again, as it usually does, we will be prepared.”

Kiso frowned, his eyes raising to the stars. “You shouldn’t have to do that. That’s not…”

“Fair? Of course not. And fear is all they know, instability and failure to their golden image draws them to harsh actions. That is the way of the Sheikah these days, no?”

“Maybe the old ones. My sister never waged war on anyone. My cousins are researchers with Sheikah technology.” Kiso kicked his feet, throwing up a hand in frustration. “We should be working together! This is stupid!”

“One day, perhaps. The new generation fights for justice, and freedom. I like that of you.”

Kiso bit his cheek, his mind returning to somber places. But Tulsi had been as kind as Kurre, maybe she could give advice, too. “What am I gonna do about my friend?”

“What is there to do?”

“We made a promise. We were supposed to be here together.”

“Promises are easily broken. You have made your loyalty with the Yiga, now you must carry on without them.”

It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but deep down, he knew it was true. “What if something happened to them? I’ll never know, will I?”

“A prevalence here. Unfortunately. Many orphans, outlaws, ex-prisoners. Shadows sent away by one reason or another.”

Tulsi moved to stand, her long legs folding under her as she rose. “You must move on; No good to chase ghosts. You will go insane.”

“These ghosts are all I’ve ever known.”

“And you will know again. You are alive. Heartbreak and happiness will always come back in waves.”

“...You sound really confident about that.”

Tulsi extended a hand to the ground, to Stella. The spider made a circle, before passing Kiso and Pan to crawl up Tulsi’s fingers.

“I am 300 years old. I have mended hearts and broken them. The journey is never linear; You are so very young, and this is your first loss. But you are alive. That is the best part.”

With her other hand, Tulsi wound her scarf around her neck, and around Stella perched on her shoulder. “Training begins at sunrise.”

Tulsi turned to him, and bowed her torso. She nodded her head towards Pan.

“And goodnight, both of you.”

As Tulsi left, Kiso could hardly believe what had just happened. With wide-eyed realization, he pulled Pan close, looking up to the sky in awe.

“We have three friends.”

#trying out new things #i wish i was an artist to draw fun chapter banners but alas we make do #botw #breath of the wild #hyrule warriors age of calamity #hwaoc fic #botw fic #loz fic #abzu's writing #yiga clan #yiga oc #fic time; reaping hook #sooga #master kohga #fanfiction #writing #multichapter #reblogs appreciated

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ourlordapollo · 23 days

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Ah the late spring "I know that the majority of people are going to interpret me as a woman no matter what I do, so it wouldn't it be better to be 'normal' and at least reap the privileges of being being an acceptable, pretty woman than to be the ugly little gender freak that I usually am" gender crisis

#'ugly' is a loaded word like even when im at my dykiest i still reap the benefits of being thin young able-bodied and white-passing #but at my dykiest im still devalued for being ugly #anyway yhis is personal but idc if you reblog

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jewishbarbies · 1 year

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#g talks #this is about THE suzanne collins #because she made reaping day July 4th #like????#suzanne would hate all of you #anti taylor swift #swifties dni #mine #/mobile #/okay to reblog

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achilleslyre · 1 year

Note

I only know of this one: https://www.tumblr.com/sasukesun/676203526673907712/wait-i-did-it

HAHA thank youuuu yesss that has some of the ones i was looking for on it eheheee !!!!

#there was this one post a while ago i saw that i don’t think i reblogged and im so mad i didnt bc now i’m reaping the consequences 😞😞#and i dont remember which accnt reblogged it in the first placee #but this had some of them from it at leastttt eheheee ur so good to me anon #saving my life here #frfr thank u for sending this #i mad appreciate it #asks #anon

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lovevalley45 · 1 year

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the eternal struggle of constantly being bored with my lockscreen

#alli says shit #i changed it to henry hogfish fanart for the reaping season but now i'm bored n have to look thru my reblogs for new naddpod fanart #maybe i will make a collage. a static fanvid if u will sdjkkj

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queerregulusablack · 2 years

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Sitting back and watching people who fucked around Find Out like ‘what were you expecting’.

You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.

#I'm not reblogging the rant again there's no point but like #yo you've been warned. over and over again #Fandom: *sowing* ha ha this is great #Fandom: *reaping* hey what the fuck #old man yells at cloud

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foxpunk · 4 months

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hmmm okay i have to say i both agree and disagree with this post about the writer for dawntrail and the werlyt questline

like, i agree with the assessment of the original post that "ew that writer redeemed gaius" is simply untrue and not necessarily a basis for saying he'd handle dawntrail with the mindset of "colonizer sympathizing" or anything

....however i will say that OTHER stuff in the werlyt questline aside from gaius himself indicate that dawntrail--an expansion that i am ALREADY LOOKING AT WITH TREPIDATION AS A LATINO--is just...not gonna be handled well. (there's also PLENTY in the other expacs and questlines that make me feel this way but thats about different writers and is for a different post)

just to give one example, the main gripe i have about the werlyt questline is the premise itself. the story and character beats are 99% fantastic. the premise of "orphaned children get indoctrinated into joining the invading army" is a realistic and grim premise that would have served as an EXTREMELY solid foundation for the entirety of the questline to rest upon and examine. it would have fully backed up everything the post is saying...IF we were, yknow, ever actually Shown the indoctrination part. "why do you want to See that happening" some may ask and i counter with "i dont but thats how making a story is. showing has more weight than telling."

here are some things we are Told by characters in the werlyt questline: gaius adopted these kids, and his beliefs (at the time) got instilled in them, a few scenes of them in the army interacting mostly neutrally with gaius as their superior officer

here are some things we are Shown actually happening: a flashback of the kids gleefully discussing joining the army that--VERY RECENTLY, violently, and traumatically--orphaned them because it Might make gaius proud, gaius telling them to Not do that and trying to actively stop them from doing that, a ton of horrible abuse they all go through under someone else's command, and all of them dying anyways

can you see the issue here. showing does more than telling. when your premise is, allegedly, built on "orphaned children get indoctrinated into joining the invading army" proper time and weight needs to be put into establishing the indoctrination bit, or that weight has to settle into the rest of it which only leaves you with "orphaned children (gLEEFULLY?!) join the invading army" which is batshit insane without further context. regardless of what you Wanted to set up and what your Intentions for the story were, you're left with the horribly paced complete disconnect between being Told these kids were violently orphaned by an expanding imperial force and then Shown them sitting around smiling wanting to join said imperial force. and when another major point is supposed to be "gaius is reaping what he sowed" and you rush through and don't actually SHOW him sowing, then the reaping part is gonna seem more skewed on average to your audience. because the amount of weight you are putting into these narrative points is skewed.

even if they were working with constraints for how much content you can put into one side questline and what major beats needed to be in there, it's still horrible choice of focus. dark as it may be, rather than being Shown the scene of them happily discussing joining the army and Told that gaius and some other horrible shit were a factor in that decision, i would've rather just been Told that they gladly joined of their own "free will" and Shown why that is. actually Show us a scene where gaius probably doesnt even consider what he's doing as indoctrination. after all, at the time he believed he was fully in the right. that he was saving and protecting the people he was invading.

show is the sowing so the reaping hits harder. cause like. if you had literally just changed that one aspect of Where they chose to show and tell it would've really elevated the werlyt questline from "has good story beats and Potential to be good" to "has well done story and character beats and is actually good"

#this isnt super coherent or concise or anything its 430am and im not making this for people to reblog or take seriously #im thinking out loud #anyways #tldr i agree that the intent is supposed to be this is gaius reaping what he sowed #and the implication is supposed to be that his beliefs were deeply impressed upon these kids #but intentions and implications do not mean the story was actually set up well to convey this #''gaius's actions had horrible consequences but we're not gonna show you his actual actions only how fucked up he is about the consies''#like. thats simplifying it sure but its true and conveys well how skewed the weight of the narrative is.#its not about what gaius does or that the consequences arent enough its that we are not...shown the actually weighty part #and it makes the kids seem like poorly written misconstrued facades of what orphaned victims of imperialism actually are #ky speaks

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bottomvalerius · 1 year

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we really just gotta stop negatively stigmatizing age regression because genuinely it’s what 80% of this site needs LMFAOOOO

#rambling #like you can reap all the benefits of creating a safe small space for yourself #thay is private and between you and possibly other adults #and doesn’t need to be public or involve online fandoms to make it ‘meaningful’ LMAO #(there’s also a difference between like CHILDRENS media like Bluey & older teen shows like on Disney XD)#(but even those have it’s limits and also you’re essentially reaping the same benefits lmao)#not letting anyone reblog this because I know how some of y’all react LMFAOO

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forbidden-sunlight · 3 days

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yandere!ceo with villainess!reader [part three]

warnings: mentions of infidelity, non-consensual surveillance, delusional and obsessive thoughts, workplace toxicity, verbal abuse or harassment

There might be potential triggers in this piece. If you do not feel comfortable with reading it, please hit the 'back' button on your phone or laptop and find something much more pleasant to read than a potential series of unfortunate events. You are responsible for your own Internet consumption.

Reblog to support content creators ❤️

Hey guys and welcome back to part three of this series, created in collaboration with the talented @deathmetalunicorn1! I know a lot of people have asked for this next segment, and it is finished after a lot of edits and two rough drafts back-to-back!

Just so everyone knows, I am going to be focused on another project starting in June, so please be patient in the meantime and do not flood my inbox with requests or asks as to when the finale of this series will be posted.

Now that this little announcement is out of the way, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show :)

Part One

Part Two

You could not wait to have your first sip of caffeinated bliss since seven o’clock this morning when you left for the office. The presentation was almost finished, all it needed were a few more checks on some references after a much-needed lunch break. The catering company had texted you that the foodstuff had already been delivered to your department as soon as you walked inside the coffee shop. You were about to send a review for their business when a notification on another app popped it. The purple app with a clapperboard icon that only you could see because it was directly connected to Being X. This was how you received the viewer ratings for each episode so far. But…why were the results for this episode already in? Shouldn’t it have happened until later?

Swallowing the lump in your throat, your shaking pointer finger tapped it. A creme-colored screen appeared with the words congratulations, congratulations, congratulations written in bold cursive lettering. Beneath it were numbers. Stats about the ratings.

You quickly scanned them, seeing that today’s episodes had exceeded the requirements to move forward with the next segment and not a reset with negative comments from the audience or a sarcastic message from Being X to have better luck next time on the fifth loop and a smiling emoji at the end. But why and how did this even happen when you just arrived on the set?

“YEO JUNG-HWA, HOW COULD TALK TO ME LIKE THAT?! YOU’RE EMBARRASSING ME!”

Ah. You would recognize that voice anywhere. Hyeung Mun-Hee. Of course she is having a clandestine with the male lead instead of answering her phone to come into work and help out with the project after her lover pushed the deadline to Monday morning instead of next month. But raising her voice in public, and from what it sounds like, she’s actually arguing with him? Well seeing the two main actors in this drama world having a spat when their chemistry is supposed to be flawless and the epitome of true love would rank in high ratings. If they saw the villainess catching her fiance in the act of seeing another woman behind her back and pouring hot coffee over the female lead’s head, the act wouldn’t reap even half of these glowing online comments that keep popping up every few minutes.

“I have an order for Park ready?”

The universe is smiling down on you today.

You thanked the barista profusely as he carefully handed you one of the coffee holders, asking if you’d like help with carrying everything to your car. You gladly took up on his offer, secretly slipping a tip into his hand afterwards before heading back to the office.

By four o’clock, the quarterly income statements were triple-checked and emailed off to Yeo Jung-Hwa. Tomorrow’s workload included the inspection of the company’s financial software, and the firewalls with the head of the IT Department.

All the more reason to be lazy for the rest of your Saturday, curling up in some blankets and comfy clothes, watching a cooking show to pass the time until Caretaker Lee knocked your door, informing you that dinner was ready. You immediately followed her downstairs to the dining room, seeing everyone else in the Park family waiting for you with warm smiles.

The evening’s dish was bibimbap, a bowl consisting of meat, vegetables, and white rice. The side dishes with sliced green onions and kimchi. Small talk was exchanged between glasses of wine and bites of Caretaker Lee’s delicious meal.

Your younger brother wasn’t quite ready to have alcohol yet despite his claims that he is of age to drink. Your mother shared a funny story she heard about at the salon. Your father rarely said a word during dinner, but the loving gaze in his eyes told you everything you needed to know. Sometimes you hoped that all of it was real….but having too much hope will only make someone go insane. And you had no intention of being trapped in this hellhole for another loop. Being X? Fuck you.

The rest of the weekend went by in the blink of an eye. Everything went well, and you attached a copy of the inspection reports in another email to the male lead before finally falling asleep at almost midnight.

You couldn’t be blamed for being a bit cranky on Monday morning after arriving at the office with a large to-go mug of coffee in hand. At least you hoped so. You were not in the mood for any drama, and your team seemed to pick up on the vibes very quickly, diving into their tasks and only asking you questions if it was absolutely necessary.

For someone who skipped out on work this past weekend, Hyeung Mun-Hee looked like shit. She kept looking at her phone more often than usual with a crazed look in her eyes, biting her thumbnail until it bled. Wow. Okay, the fight with the male lead definitely bothered her a lot. Maybe it’s because it was the first argument she ever had with him?

You did not know and did not have the energy to care. You preferred to channel it into being productive and as polite as possible, especially when your face popped up on the online meeting with all the other heads, including Yeo Jung-Hwa. To your surprise, he had nothing but high praise for your team, promising to bestow a proper reward for their hard work.

Funny how he didn’t mention Hyeung Mun-Hee at all or accused you of stealing the credit since he knew she wasn’t in the office helping with crunching numbers and running tests on the software.

The male lead is actually not being a total dumbass in a time loop. What are the odds of that actually happening?

Regardless, the day ended on a pleasant note and you decided to treat yourself to a pastry on the way back home. But as you waited in the drive thru, your phone binged with a text notification while you were scrolling through some reels for knitting ideas. It was from Yeo Jung-Hwa. He wanted you to join him for dinner on Friday evening. If it didn’t work for you, he is available on Saturday afternoon for lunch.

The place would be entirely up to you. You know his preferences, so he isn’t too worried that you would make a mistake. At this point you weren’t sure if he’s complimenting your powers of observation or it was some backhanded insult.

No matter how much you wanted to delete the message and pretend that you never received it, refusing the male lead’s invitation is also a bad idea because you were stuck playing the role of Park Seo-yun, his fiancée who is supposed to be head over heels in love with him. If the real one were here instead of you, she would immediately jump at the chance to reclaim his affection before her engagement could be annulled.

The car behind yours honked and you saw that the drive thru was clear. You quickly drove up to it, placing your order in, then headed to the window. A few minutes later you had your treat in hand but you didn’t take a left and merged with the traffic heading towards home. Instead you parked your vehicle in the adjacent lot and glanced down at the text again. You didn’t want to sound like a teenage girl, and responding in a cold, professional tone would probably piss him off or lower the audience ratings. After some deliberation, you decided to settle for the following message:

All right, if that’s what you want. How about the Lotus Pavilion? I heard it’s really good but haven’t had the chance to go there. What do you think? 🌸 😊

The Lotus Pavilion is a five-star restaurant that not only boasts of a fine dining experience for the wealthy to enjoy at their behest, it’s also where Yeo Jung-Hwa frequently visit during the drama with the excuse that it is close to the male lead’s home, which is complete bullshit because Park Seo-yun in the original script got kicked out of their VIP list for inappropriate behavior; what really happened is that she caused a scene after catching Yeo Jung-Hwa and Hyeung Mun-Hee sitting together, calling them out on their affair, and the establishment wanted no connection to such a scandal.

Since you got booted from there in the previous loops, why not see what this place has to offer for this world’s villainess who hasn’t caught on to her fiancé’s philandering behavior yet?

It would be interesting if anyone realized that the male lead’s usual companion wasn’t with him that night~.

Yeo Jung-Hwa was simultaneously startled and ashamed to see the name of the restaurant you had wanted to go to. The Lotus Pavilion? It wasn’t too bad, but he knew you wouldn’t like the elitism atmosphere at all. You preferred to relax in a cozy cafe or indulge in the home-cooked meals that your housekeeper made. He knows you so well, yet why would you want to go here of all places? That was where he took Hyeung Mun-Hee all of the time! His eyes widened in realization. Wait. Is it possible that you have been aware of his affair with that woman for this entire time, and you chose not to say a word about it because you were afraid it would affect his reputation just as much as yours? Or that he would call off the engagement so that he could marry Hyeung Mun-Hee?

If he were still an idiot, then yes he would have. But he has changed for the better, and all because he had been suspicious of your behavior. Now he understands that there is more to you than meets the eye and why you’ve chosen to hide your true self from everyone. The business world can be a cruel and unforgiving place to thrive professionally; kindness and generosity in a leader were all well and good, but noblesse oblige did not snuff out the competitors or pay the employees their hard-earned paychecks.

You possesed intelligence, ambition, integrity, and a strong work ethic. All of the qualities needed in a team leader as well as someone who is to be married into his family in the near future.

Yeo Jung-Hwa felt his face burn at the idea of seeing you walking down the aisle in a beautiful gown, smiling brightly and eyes shining with happiness. Yes. He will go through with the engagement. He will become your husband and the sole breadwinner so that you wouldn’t have to stress about deadlines or meetings, converting that boundless energy into nurturing your children in a loving home.

But before these fantasies could become a reality, he needed to rebuild the foundation of your relationship. To gain your trust and sever ties completely with Hyeung Mun-Hee. He’s already taken the first step to putting distance between himself and that woman by blocking her phone calls and avoiding her entirely at the office during work hours. It might have only been a day, but it is progress in the right direction.

The reservations for The Lotus Pavilion were made in less than two minutes with explicit instructions on your food preferences. Failure was not an option or else he would personally speak to the manager about his staff’s lack of training. The maitre’d stutter over the phone as he tried to reassure him that everything will go according to plan before Yeo Jung-Hwa hung up. Soon, he thought with a smile. Soon everything will be alright again between Park Seo-yun and I and we will be happy.

You really wished Friday evening hadn’t come as quickly as it did. The work week went by in a flash, and before you realized what was happening, you had entered the main lobby on the first floor and informed the maitre’d that you were here under the reservation of your dinner companion. Her shocked expression told you everything, much to your chagrin. That son of a bitch made no effort to hide his affair with the female lead in this place, and now that you were with him tonight ...well, this is going to turn into a big mess if you weren’t too careful. There is still the possibility of being kicked out of here for causing a ruckus.

Question is, will it help the male lead realize that he must break things off with you and put his energy into mending things with Hyeung Mun-Hee? Couples who can’t communicate their feelings to each other properly are doomed to fail. Moreover, their romance is the driving force behind Love and Fortune. Without these two characters, this world would not exist.

And how you wished for its destruction every goddamned time you were forced to relive these scenes when Being X disapproved of your acting.

Although the name itself is a bit misleading because the restaurant’s interior design looked nothing like a pavilion from those historical dramas, you did have credit to whoever came up with the idea of planting a cherry blossom tree in the center of the first floor. It wasn’t completely in the way for the kitchen staff or clients, and it gave off an ethereal glow thanks to the low lighting from the ceiling lamps, almost as if the tree was possessed by a spirit or a goddess of love.

When the reservation was found, you followed a waiter up the stairs to the second floor and all the way to the back where the VIP section for the Lotus Pavilion’s wealthiest clients could enjoy a peaceful evening away from prying eyes so long as they were willing to pay the fee. Sitting at a table for two with a view of the city was Yeo Jung-Hwa, looking amazing as ever because of plot armor and he’s the male lead. No matter what is going on in this world, he’s always dressed to the nines. If he wants to go out in style then so be it.

Was the day’s exhaustion catching up to you or did his eyes actually brighten when you made eye contact with him? No. That can’t be right.

“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” You said as you gracefully sat down in the leather chair. You thanked the waiter under your breath as he carefully scooted you in before he pulled out a notepad. You ordered ice water and the evening’s special mocktail. Yeo Jung Hwa raised an eyebrow. “No alcohol?” He said after the server disappeared back towards the door. Or was there a bar here? It was too dark to tell.

You shrugged. “Didn’t feel like it.” You said, folding your hands in your lap. “And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company tonight? I was certain that you had…other plans.” You watched him swallow thickly, the fingers coiling tighter around the stem of his wine glass before he lifted it to his lips, took a few sips, and set it back down. He then grabbed the menu sitting on his left, offering it to you.

“Please select what you would like tonight. There is no need to be worried about paying for your own meal. It’s my treat.”

“I would have paid for it even if you had not offered to do so.” You said lightly. “Nor did you answer my question.” You plucked the menu from his outstretched hand, opening it to see the evening’s specials recommended by the chef. “But I suppose that doesn’t matter, does it? That was then, this is now.” You looked up at him with a quirked brow. “Or should I be concerned? I am to be your wife, and any matters regarding the conglomerate could be stressful to the employees, and to you, even myself who is a team leader in the Finance Department.”

His eyes widened. "Do you need to take any time off?” He asked suddenly. “I will gladly give it to you! You need to take care of yourself!"

You blinked. Well, that was an answer you had not expected from the cold-hearted CEO of this drama world to say to his villainous fiancee. Suppose you’ll take it with a grain of salt for now? After all, Being X has allowed some leeway in your assigned role. Why wouldn’t the puppetmaster do the same thing for one of his beloved actors?

“Thank you for your concern.” You said. “If I need to take some time off, I will submit a request in advance so I won’t cause any trouble for the team.” You watched Yeo Jung-Hwa exhale a sigh in relief before he reached for his phone, tapping on it for a few moments before he put it back on the table face down. Then it kept vibrating every couple of minutes until he grabbed it again and presumably shut it off, just right when the waiter came back with drinks. Yeo Jung-Hwa ordered a Hanwoo steak with rice, steamed vegetables and an American side salad. You asked for the same thing, but requested a thicker slice of the meat and doubled the size of the side dishes, if the chef would be so kind as to do that. Also dessert. You couldn’t top off a meal without something sweet, and everything looked delicious. You were pretty hungry after working hard today~.

"Are you really going to eat all that? Wouldn't you like something lighter?"

You paused, turning towards Yeo Jung-Hwa in astonishment. Did…he really just say that? This son of a bitch actually has the fucking nerve to make a comment like that in public? Humiliation and anger boiled in your veins simultaneously, and you could hear the other patrons whispering. Their assumptions, their spiteful comments, even how Yeo Jung-Hwa is engaged to a glutton instead of one of their daughters. Unbelievable.

You inhaled a deep breath through your nose, and exhaled through your mouth before you looked back at the waiter with a tight smile. “If it’s all right, could you put my order in a carry-out box?” You flashed a black card at him. “The fees won’t be an issue, and I’ll add an extra tip to you and the staff for accommodating me.”

“Wait, what are you-”

“I am going home to enjoy my meal without being judged.” You said icily, your smile still stretched across your lips. “I will not apologize for ordering as much food as I am because I did not have much time today to enjoy my lunch, no thanks to an emergency meeting that you arranged and taking Hyeung Mun-Hee aside in my office as she is being negligent of her work again. Even after I gave her a lecture, she still had the nerve to believe I was bullying her, and said I would be the one on her knees begging for forgiveness once her lover had heard about it. Tell me Yeo Jung-Hwa, who in the world would put such thoughts into her mind?” You laced your hands together, resting your elbows on the table. “As my supervisor, I am asking for advice as to how I should discipline her.”

“....”

“Well, thank you for a lovely evening, Yeo Jung-Hwa. I’ll see on Monday morning.” You said, taking the plastic bag from the waiter who had returned your card. You shoved the card in your purse and left the restaurant. You heard him call out to you, but you ignored him and unlocked your vehicle. Your arm would have been grabbed a second sooner if you didn’t quicken your pace, opening and slamming the driver’s side. You turned on the engine and drove off into the night towards home. Well, your temporary sanctuary anyway.

About an hour later you had retreated to your room, brushing off your father’s concern for the tears that were trickling down your face in favor of a much needed self-care session. A hot bath with burning incense and music playing in the background, comfortable clothes, and your meal that you hadn’t gotten a chance to try. Caretaker Lee was kind enough to deliver it on a silver tray with a steaming cup of hot cocoa next to your dessert. She always knew how to make you feel better and unashamed of who you are.

A complete contrast to a certain someone who hasn’t stopped texting or leaving you voicemails when you’ve refused to pick your phone. Asshole.

Frustrated and hungry, you unlocked your device and shut it off. You threw it on the bed and turned on the television, tray on your lap and your attention now glued to the opening credits of a high stakes baking competition.

Yeo Jung-Hwa was embarrassed with how you acted this evening. Why were you so mad? Yes, he knew you had a big appetite but he did not know that you had skipped lunch because he can’t install cameras in your office!

And why would Hyeung Mun-Hee say something like that to you?! Is she trying to broadcast their relationship to the conglomerate when he’s told her to keep her mouth shut about it? If it’s known that he, the leader of his family’s empire and an engaged man is having an affair, the stocks would plummet! He would be ruined, you would be ruined!

Can’t she understand that I do want to mend our relationship, and she has the nerve to walk out on me like that?! He thought, anger swelling up inside of him and ready to burst from his chest as he lifted his hands to card through his hair, tugging at the roots in frustration. God, he needed a stiff drink after this fiasco.

He informed the server to put his food in a carry-out box as well, paying for the meal that he didn’t get to enjoy while trying very hard to ignore the other patrons as they whispered to each other about what they had seen tonight. The scene you had caused.

He returned home, ate his meal and retreated to his office with a second drink in his hand. He booted up the computer and tapped into the camera feed. Yeo Jung-Hwa’s heart lurched uncomfortably. He had expected you to be asleep or reading or kitting or watching television, not crying in your father’s arms!

Yeo Jung-Hwa leaned back in his leather chair, widened violet eyes unable to tear away from the screen as he watched your shoulders tremble in your father’s embrace. The head of the Park family rocked you back and forth, whispering softly in your hair. Gone is the fearless leader and in his place is a loving, concerned parent. Someone he wanted to be after having children with you…but was that even possible now?

He hadn’t meant to upset you, to make you cry. His mind was now clear, all of the anger gone and out of his system. In retrospect, you were not wrong with how you acted. He was the one who acted inappropriately, making a callous comment about your appetite when he hadn’t meant to say it as an insult. It was an honest slip of the tongue!

His hands trembled, now suddenly terrified that your father would be the one to call off the engagement and arrange you to marry someone else. No. No, that couldn’t happen! He wanted to be with you! He wanted to make this relationship work!

He exhaled a shaky breath, taking another swing from his glass before he set down on the table. When he did so, his phone chimed with a notification. Another phone call from Hyeung Mun-Hee.

His thumb swiped across the screen as he declined the call and turned his attention back to you and your father, praying that his worst nightmare would not be made a reality on Monday morning.

That he still had a chance to make things right.

“Am I overreacting? Did you not hear me when I said he took that woman to our favorite restaurant, and she made a scene?! It’s a good thing no one actually posted a video about it, and I heard about this incident from a reliable source, or the situation could have been a lot worse! What? No! No, this will not be a determinant to our plans. Have a little faith in me! I need to go. I have an important call to make. I’ll see you soon.”

Taglist: @suiana @f4turemom @ixchelhernandez4 @sleep-all-day-everyday @the-cat-queen-peasants @slowlyswimmingmoon @obsessedwithromance @mochinon-yah @cerisearan @julietdelamare @nunezs-stuff @sourlove @yandere-writer-momo @yandere-dark-cupid @persephone-kore-law @faux-ecrivain @cassanderasblog @marooseshawnash @diannaflight @tonightwrites @majestichugs @detectivesparrow @beardedblizzardexpert @valeriinee @vee-love @vivyolite @somerandomdere @ghostdoodlen @tired-of-life-86 @hotnbloodied @yourdoorisunlocked @stingywiththeirusername @lanxianschoenheit @witch-of-the-writing-desk @victoria1676 @lu-zo-san @facelessfionna @dreamlessnight @c4xcocoa @ozzgin @aiimee9 @solandis-does-stuff @sarcastic-cookie @reiivven @reallysparklychaos and anyone else I might have forgotten because this list got so long since the last update. Thank you so much for your support!

#forbidden-sunlight #yandere x reader #yandere #yandere male #yandere manhwa x reader #yandere oc #yandere oc x reader #yandere!ceo #ns.fw #cw dubious consent #cw verbal abuse #tw verbal abuse #cw work toxicity #tw work toxicity

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stuck-in-the-ghost-zone · 2 years

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literally what is the point of life if i cannot make things

#srry gomna delete this ina minute but i ha v to fucking scream #im so. useless @ literally everything like.#all i do is sit here and listen to shitty music and cry and go to my stuoid job that i hate and never accomplish anything #tell myself 'yeah ill draw when i get home'and then picking up my tablet pen makes me want to kill myself #even when i can bring up the stupid energy to make something it turns out bad and gets a total of 3 reblogs all from myself like.ok cool #guess ill die #'dont tie your attention to your insecurities' ok cool nice to hear from you and your hundreds of nice comments and likes and #gruhhggghghhh #ive never made anything good in my life and anyone who says otherwise is a liar #like. theres no scientific hard evidence so like. even when ppl r like noooo ur sooo talented uwu its like #so fucking surface level pandering bs like. ok if that was true why does nobody like. ever look at it or think about it or anything #yeah I think my stuff is cool but a huge part of making things is sharing them with other people snd ehen other ppl r like. yea ok cool die #its like. wow i never want to create anythjng ever again #im just not good enough and i never will be and all of my ideas can be done by someone way better thsn me so whats the poin in even trying #i will simply just tell my ideas to peoplewho r better than be and watch them reap the benefits without anything in return ever #guess ill fuvking die

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communist-ojou-sama · 5 months

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I hate having to drag these kinds of discussions into the public in front of nonblacks but it seems like the constant shameless behavior on this site has forced my hand, so let me be very clear about this:

In the past, anti-imperialists on this website have rightly made the analytical point that all citizens within empire to some extent reap its benefits even second- and third-class, and how this is especially true in the case of a global website like the US.

In response, a clique of mostly bourgeois black bloggers and their enablers have weaponized their identities to silence critiques of black USian complicity in US imperialism and any analysis of the specific ways in which all USians benefit from US imperialism.

As a result, it's become necessary to make my own voice clear as a black communist. This narrative of total and infinite black USian victimhood is false. It is lazy. It is perverse, and it is shameless. If any of you were true black nationalists, true pan-Africanists, then you would put anti-imperialism before your own personal feelings and look at how the movement of black people toward the middle class, which has been substantial over the past few decades even as we remain the poorest demographic, has come first of all at the expense of people of our own skin color in the global south, or how as much as the auspices of choice are constrained, the informal economies that keep the poorest black communities above the absolute depths of destitution are intimately related to the drug trade that US uses to sow chaos and mass murder throught Latin America. But you all (and I'll do you the grace of not naming names) aren't ready to have that conversation, you just want to weaponize white guilt against anyone who pisses you off and invoke the suffering of our venerated ancestors to win internet arguments. Fucking shameful.

My nonblack followers should feel free to reblog this if they feel comfortable doing so. I have long felt this issue has needed to be addressed.

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cosmicschmidt · 6 months

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UNTIL I FOUND YOU (3)

PART 1, PART 2

Coriolanus Snow x fem!Reader

Synopsis: When the 18 year old Coriolanus Snow recieves the news that he has to mentor a tribute in order to claim the Plinth Prize, he expected everything but not a shy girl from district 12 to claim his heart.

Word count: 2,7K

Warnings: Reader pretty much just replaces Lucy Gray, Lucy Gray does not exsist in this (I´m sorry), some things might not fully add up to the movie plot ´cause I only saw it once and that was two weeks ago, use of Y/N, it´s implied that the reader is shorter than Coryo, small swearing, simple inhumane Hunger Games topics, mention of a wound, brutality!!

Reblogs and requests are always welcomed <3 (just like pointing out grammatical mistakes :))

Previously…

"Wait-" Y/N grabs a hold of his free wrist.

"Can you get us some food? Please? We´re practically starving."

Coriolanus just nodded at her quietly, the space between the both of them growing as he pulled away from her. The girl suddenly feels empty without him standing next to her like a shield that´s been protecting her has been taken away.

The reporter - whose name seems to be Lucky Flickermann - now turned back to the cage ends his live report,

"The 10th annual Hunger Games are soon approaching, so come down to the Zoo and see the Tributes before it´s too late." he does a dramatic pause.

"And I mean, too late," he adds with a small smirk.

"Capitol news."

"I´m Lucretius.", he looks up to the sky before stretching out his hand and catching a coin.

"Lucky Flickermann." with that the live report ends.

Y/N´s words ring in Coriolanus´ ears for the next few hours, during the lecture and confrontation with Dr. Gaul, the second he reached the cafeteria, he put as much food as possible on his plate, filling it with various goods.

Multiple students chatter around him, but he´s not up for a debate about whose tribute will win, never the less just a simple conversation, the thought of it alone brings Coriolanus discomfort. So his eyes scatter across the filled room, and when he spots a small empty two-seat table he walks over to it and sits down.

As he takes a seat he waits for a second, the feeling of someone watching him never leaving since he collected a plate and filled it with a bunch of food, the view of it alone causing his stomach to erupt into quiet rumbling.

With a quick look around, checking if someone is watching him, he takes hold of the blue napkin and places it on his lap, his hands spring into action and he places a few cookies into the blue fabric.

"Trying to fatten that poor girl up, so you can finally start taking bets?" a voice right across from the small table pulls him out of his thoughts. Before him stands Sejanus, a look of anger displayed on his face, while his hands hold him up on the table.

Coriolanus stops in his tracks, Sejanus´ tone something he does not need right now.

"You think, they´ll give these kids a schap if we don´t give them a reason to do it." although it was meant as a question, the way Coriolanus´ tone changed throughout speaking made it seem like a simple statement.

"How do you think your Tribute will have a chance if he can´t eat." the mention of Marcus causes the look in Sejanus' eyes to soften, Coriolanus knew what to say in order to convince his… friend.

A short moment of silence washes over their conversation, Sejanus lets out a sigh before sitting down on the still-empty chair, his eyes not finding the blue eyes that bore into the side of his face.

"He was my classmate. Back in 2…" Sejanus says in a low voice.

In return, Coriolanus takes a look across the room.

"It's not your fault he's there-" Coriolanus speaks up, shaking his head a little.

"I know. I'm so blameless I'm choking on it. My father bought him for me you know, at the reaping… just so he can show me, that I could never go back to 2." Coriolanus stays quiet, as he watches the Brown haired boy tear up, guilt eating away at him.

"But being Capitol is gonna kill me," he adds, his head shaking slightly, his gaze empty.

"So do something about it." Coriolanus cuts in, his expression stern.

He just continues filling the napkin with a few slices of a sandwich, the look on his face challenging Sejanus to do the same.

"You're quite the Rebell." the brown-haired boy laughs out, before he whipes his nose, blinking once then twice in the hope of no tears falling.

"Oh, I am. I'm bad news." the blonde replies, a teasing tone to his words. All Sejanus can do is chuckle softly, before his own hands grab a soft napkin.

Both of them find themselves getting closer and closer to the 'zoo' where the Tributes are held against their will, displayed for everyone to inspect. From far away, the mentor of the girl from District 12 was able to make out the crowd that formed around the metal bars.

Coriolanus can't help but let his eyes wander, his blue orbs desperately trying to catch a glimpse of Y/N, as he takes big strides away from Sejanus as both of them part for the purpose of finding their tribute.

"Marcus!" he heard in the distance, but the voice was blurred.

Coriolanus can't focus on the rest of the words that leave Sejanus' mouth, as his eyes linger on the metal bars that separate him from her. He finally spots her, his tense shoulders relaxing a tad bit. The left side of her body is pressed against Jessup's, while Y/N's hand lays on the side of his neck. Both of them sitting on a rock with their backs to the crowd.

Coriolanus can tell that her mouth is moving, yet he can't seem to grasp onto what she's whispering in the ear of the boy who sits next to her. The blonde can't help but clench his jaw at the scene unfolding before his eyes, as his hands wrap a notch tighter around the food-filled fabric.

"Y/N" he speaks up, finally trusting his voice enough to do so.

The H/C-haired girl's eyes catch her mentor's quiet whisper, her head snapping to the side facing him. The small simile that spreads across her face does not go unnoticed by Coriolanus, as she brushes off her clothes. With small, yet quick steps she finally closes the distance between them.

His hands twitch beside his body, the urge to feel her skin against his resurfacing, as their eye contact never fades.

"You remembered?"

"Hmm?" Coriolanus hums, his eyes not leaving her face, she throws him a questioning look at his speechless expression.

"Oh right, right. I got this for you." he quickly says, the weight of the food in his hands leaving the second he places the napkin in her hands, their fingers touching for a split second, sending a shiver down his back.

Y/N herself can't help but feel her face warm at the contact, but she hides her face a little as she looks down at the meal in her hands. Within seconds she unwraps the cookies and the sandwich slices.

"Thank you, this will help us a lot."

"Us?" the boy from the Capitol mutters under his breath, wondering why you would even think about sharing the food he just gave you.

"Common, Jessup, eat," Y/N says with a nod of her head, her hand offering him a piece of some expensive-looking dish.

"'m not hungry," he mutters under his breath, his eyes staring daggers in Coriolanus' direction.

"No I insist, you have to eat." she pushes the food into his hands, and he throws her a thankful smile alongside a nod, yet before he walks back to the rock they sat on, he throws Coriolanus another look.

The mentioned boy holds the stare, and as Jessup turns away, his eyes land on a small wound that rests right underneath his ear. His brows furrow in confusion.

"What happened to his neck?"

Y/N gulps, her eyes not finding his.

"Bat bite. First night on the train." she nods sadly, her mind going back to when it happened.

"He didn't sleep a wink on the journey, making sure to keep the bats off so I can get some rest…" The girl's words grow quieter, her eyes trailing to the left as they find a Capitol girl making fun of the girl from District 10.

Y/N frowns when she observes the 'mentor' taunt her own tribute, holding a water bottle in her direction only to withdraw it when she reaches out to grab it. Y/N clenches her jaw at the sight.

"I learned in twelve that hunger is a weapon."

"Your friend over there sure knows it…"

"She's not my friend she is.." he thinks for a second, "..Poison with perfect teeth."

The girl from District 12 lets out a laugh, yet it's not fully genuine, her eyes fall back onto the food in her palms, a sickening feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. Meanwhile, Coriolanus grabs a hold of the metal bar, as he leans forward looking down at her.

"Are you going to share everything that I give to you with Jessup?" he asks, his breath fanning along a strand of loose hair, their close proximity making it possible for him to whisper.

"Why?" the girl's eyes widened in confusion at his question.

"Think I can collect my strengths so I can strangle them in the arena? Coriolanus, I can not kill these people.." she hisses out, her words make her look almost helpless, and again the blonde feels the urge to reach out and grab her hand.

"But I might have a chance to help you," he replies quickly, his eyes somehow holding ambition.

"There is a possibility that I can make some suggestions to the game makers, I might even be able to let the audience send gifts into the arena. Food and water…" he mumbles assuringly, his head nodding along his words.

"Listen, the people can donate to you, so you have to convince them to like you, which they already do. You're the first to volunteer, ever, and for your sister too, that kind of stuff catches attention," he says enthusiastically.

"I don't want to talk about that, what I did there was no choice, I had to do that. Don't you understand?" she asks slightly taken back, her brows furring in bewilderment.

"Besides, I've seen the arena, there's nowhere to hide, what's the point in winning the audience over? The guards say you get money if you get more people to watch, and you say you want to help me… which is it?" she asks unsure, her eyes boring into his, as she rests her own hand on one of the cold metal bars, awaiting his response.

Coriolanus' mouth parts, yet no words escape, before his gaze lands on her hand, so close to his, and before he can stop himself his palm engulfs her smaller hand.

"Both," he states with confidence, as he gives her a firm nod, letting her know that he truly means it. Y/N breathes out in relief, as she nods back at him, the warmth of his calloused hands bringing her comfort. Yet, she wiggles her hand out from under his slightly tightening grasp, taking a sandwich and taking a bite, her stomach screaming at her to finish the whole meal.

As she continues to chew, she catches Coriolanus looking at the food in her grasp, when she catches his stare, he expeditiously averts his gaze, looking around as if she didn't just catch him ogling. Without a word, she takes one of the cookies and hands it to him through the bars.

"Oh, no thank you." he refuses to take the baked good from her.

"Saw you staring, just take it," she says with a shrug of her shoulders.

He hesitantly takes it from her, as the both of them lower to the ground in order to eat while sitting.

"Thought there was plenty of food in the Capitol," she asks, although it did not sound like a question, more like a fact that she simply stated. Her eyes are still on the sandwich in her grasp, while Coriolanus himself breaks the cookie in two, eating the first half of it in one bite.

He lets out a laugh at her statement, her words throwing him years back to the war.

"You know one time during the war, I ate a whole jar of paste. Just to stop the pain in my stomach." Y/N scrunches her nose in disgust.

"Well, how was it?"

He thinks for a moment, a smile forming on his lips, "Pasty." he laughs out, and Y/N can't help but let a giggle slip out as well before she muffles it with another bite of the food. Coriolanus' eyes stay on her, his eyes glimmering in amusement.

But the small moment dies when the girl looks away, her head turning slightly as she looks over her shoulder, the blonde's eyes follow hers.

"Little Wovey… she's so sweet… wouldn't hurt a fly… she reminds me of my sister…" she says, her head turning away from the little girl that currently rests against her district partner who looks deep in thought. Y/N swallows thickly at the thought of her little sister, now all on her own at home, having to watch her only relative die in the games. The thought alone causes the corners of her eyes to burn, yet she won't allow herself to shed one tear, not one, she promised her.

"I'm sorry…" the blonde whispers, as his face holds concern and guilt, he sends her a small assuring smile in order to lighten her mood.

"You seem like a good man, Coriolanus," Y/N claims.

Coriolanus slightly shakes his head, his eyes everywhere but never meeting her own. It seems like he's about to say something, but Y/N interrupts him.

"It would have been nice to meet you under different circumstances," she quickly adds, her eyes on the almost completely eaten sandwich, while she fidgets with her fingers.

"How about… we make a deal," he replies.

"A deal?" she asks, her eyes snapping back up to meet his blue ones.

"Yes. After all of this… I'll take you out on a date," he says with a serious tone. His hand reaches through the bars as it wraps around one of her wrists.

She laughs out at his 'deal', "Yeah, exactly, have a drink or two, very funny." she laughs again in disbelief while rolling her eyes at his attempt to lighten the mood, although that's pretty impossible.

"I'm serious."

"Have you seen these people? I don't stand a chance, I'll be dead within minutes in the arena, I never learned how to fight or hunt, my chances are practically zero." she huffs out, her free hand wrapping around his hand that is holding her other hand, attempting at pulling him off.

Yet his grip tightens, "I'm being serious like I said before, maybe I can change some rules, bend some even, I don't care, we'll go on that date," he says again.

Just as Y/N opens her mouth, a response at the tip of her tongue ready to be released, a scream erupts through the air.

Brandy, the tribute that had been taunted by her mentor, grabbed the bottle out of the glass, as she took hold of the mentor's collar pulling her closer with an angry yell. With a quick smash, she shatters the bottle into pieces and uses the remains as a weapon, forcefully stabbing it into the side of her neck. The already red-dressed girl is now covered in more red.

The screams alerted every individual around them, as other people screamed in horror at the brutality.

Y/N can't help but gasp in shock, just like Coriolanus she's back on her feet, her eyes trained on the girl on the ground gasping for air.

Coriolanus runs up right to the other mentor's side, using his hands to put pressure on the wound as a horrified expression spreads all over his features.

"It's okay. it's okay, I'll get help," he mutters out of breath, frantically looking out for someone who would provide what she needs.

"Somebody help us please!" after his plea, the sound of guns firing runs through the air, and with a thump, Brandy holds onto her stomach before hitting the ground, dead.

At the sound of shooting, Coriolanus hides his face underneath his arms, shielding himself from bullets that could hit him at any given moment. As he slowly raises back up, the horrified expression returns to his face, he watches the life drain from Arachne's face, her skin growing paler.

"Oh…no, no.." he rasps out, the events leave him speechless, and before he can register it, Peacekeepers roughly grab him by the arm and pull him up from the ground away from the lifeless body.

Taglist: (Crossed-out can’t be tagged)

#coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow x reader #the hunger games #hunger games x reader #peeta mellark x reader #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tom blyth #tom blyth x reader #finnick odair x reader

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thecatchat · 6 months

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Ace the bat hound becomes a ghost dog because he's such a good boy and dedicated to justice. Inspired off of this post here.

But, instead of being found out by Danny, it's the batfam's usual mystic contacts, like Constantine, that discover and reunite Ace and the Bats. Constantine muttering about how annoyingly resilient the particular brand of ghost is. From the infinite realms, Ghosts from there are a headache and a half to get rid of but portals, information, and really anything about it is far and few between since no one's been able to get into contact since some fight a couple centuries ago (Dark being sealed away). Justice Leauge Dark promises to let the family know if they hear anything or find any relevant information about the Infinite Realms, but since literally nothing has been heard from them in so long, no one really knows anything off the top of their head about it.

While Ace is technically supposed to be hidden away at home, he ends up sneaking along one day to help deal with Joker after the clown kidnaps Nightwing and/or Robin (Damian). The photos and videos of the event are blurry and smudged, but word of mouth gets around, and soon, the entirety of Gotham is celebrating the return of Bat Hound the Ghost, the very good boy back from the grave.

Meanwhile, things are going great for the family, just having Ace back makes everyone feel just a bit better (because Ace is a full ghost with a core and is helping to filter the currupt ectoplasm called Lazarus Water with physical touch). Jason is over more often and enjoys flopping on the couch with Ace for a quick snooze, Dick is over the moon to fight with Ace by his side again, Damian makes sure Ace is properly introduced to the rest of the animals that live at the mansion, Tim actually falls asleep semi-regularly now after Ace starts bothering him about being awake, and everyone else is reaping the benefits of having a bat trained dog that seems to be able to sniff out when they need a dog to pet.

Then these guys in white show up.

Ace had seemingly been on edge all night and when it was time to turn in for the night and let Signal come out for the day, Ace follows along, not listening to any command to stay home. Some of the others stay ready in the cave but they let Signal and Ace go out with the promise to call the moment something big happens.

Now, up until then, Ace's powers had been tallied up to: intangibility, invisibility, and occasional hovering/heightened jump. Every other exercise responded out as normal dog (except for the whole being dead thing). Maybe slightly higher emotional intelligence, but some dogs are just Like That. Through some tests, they do find that Ace has a new found hatred of Lazarus Water, but they don't find any obvious weakness that isn't a banishment spell which is as worrying as it is a relief.

So when these white suits start shooting using guns that glow the same green as Ace in Signals' vision and the shoots hit? Ace yelps in pain before seemingly barking out some kind of energy ball? And barreling into a wall so hard it cracked from another shot? Every single alarm that Signal can think to trip gets set off.

But not before one of the suits (one of the many suits, they're terrible fighters but there's just so many of them and two of them) takes out something that looks like a thermos and points it at Ace.

Within a second, Ace is gone.

Signal is so shocked he almost gets hit himself by the dozens of shots of energy blasts now aimed at him. He can't get to the white van in time before it speeds off.

----

I'm going to end this part here. I'm going to continue this in the reblogs but I also want people to take a crack at this story themselves! If you're inspired by this please put your thoughts or stories in the reblogs or tags!

#dpxdc #ace the bathound #dcxdc #dp x dc prompt #continued in a reblog #feel free to continue

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shoyostar · 7 months

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VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL .ᐟ┊HQ SERIES MASTERLIST.

you’re still the boy that i’d pick! ( 18 + )

⌗ friends w/benefits!kita, suna, aran, atsumu & osamu / f!reader.

status. on break, irregular updates.

soundtrack. vacation bible school — ayesha erotica.

genre. smau + written narrations. smut. university!au.

taglist. open — comment or send in an ask to be added.

cardinal rule number one of university; don't fuck your classmates. unless they happen to have something you want.

premise. ‘friends with benefits’? more accurately fuck buddies with perks. you don’t fuck just any guy with a dick, and you certainly do not chase after men.

you don’t chase, they just come to you on their own terms and you get to fool around as you please, reaping the rewards for a little fun. and it’s all no strings attached, right?

“hold on, how do you know suna?”

“suna? suna who? i don’t know anybody by that name.”

FEATURING: internationally regional // kuroo tetsurou HATE club

NOTE. episodes marked with ᝰ.ᐟ mean it has narrations! episodes listed here are subject to change. this series is very narration heavy, most episodes will have narrations.

SEASON ONE.

[ 🖇️ ] EPISODE ONE. — take notes for me, man.

[ 🖇️ ] EPISODE TWO. — another rager thrown down the hall.

[ 🖇️ ] EPISODE THREE. — and where are you going? ᝰ.ᐟ

[ 🖇️ ] EPISODE FOUR. — meet me upstairs. ᝰ.ᐟ

[ 🖇️ ] EPISODE FIVE. — it’s not THAT serious.

[ 🖇️ ] EPISODE SIX. — is he really that good?

[ 🖇️ ] EPISODE SEVEN. — my favourite player.

more episodes TBA.

reblogs are appreciated .ᐟ ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

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maidragoste · 6 months

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Chapter One: The Reaping

The Hunger Games AU

Katniss!Jacaerys x Peeta!Reader (I labeled it that even though Jace's backstory is different from Katniss's but he and Reader will be the star-crossed lovers of district 12)

Chapter Two Chapter Three

I really hope you like it because I'm so excited to write this au!

Please let me know what you think in the comments, as always, likes and reblogs are appreciated too 💖💖

My inbox is open so I'm always willing to read your headcanons, opinions and answer your questions.

Disclaimer: English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes.

Jacaerys entered the Victors' Village, not that he was a victor. In fact, his name had never come up in the reaping. But he and his brothers lived there since his uncle Larys took care of them after his father died in the middle of an explosion in the mines while working.

The teenager quickly quickened his pace while adjusting his grip on the only two squirrels he had brought from all the ones he had hunted during the morning with Baela, his best friend. He may not have needed to hunt for food anymore but he was one of the few people in District 12 who knew how to hunt. Some people had depended on bartering with his father to bring a plate of food to his table. His father would not have wanted him to leave those people abandoned, so every day he sneaks into the forest with Baela to look for deer, rabbits, squirrels, birds, fish, or any type of edible vegetable or fruit. He always gave the best goods to Baela, after all, she had more mouths to feed with her mother, her twin sister, and her two little brothers. But the rest he exchanged with the merchants or even sometimes he practically ended up giving away his merchandise due to the low price that he was willing to accept from the families that he knew did not have enough to eat to prevent them from ending up asking for more tesserae. Uncle Larys had never told him but Jacaerys knew that he thought he was a fool for doing that.

Jacaerys hated the silence in the village but it was no surprise considering that of the twelve houses there, the only house that was being inhabited was his uncle's. Of the seventy-three Hunger Games that have been held so far, there have only been two victors from District 12 and the only one still alive is Larys Strong.

Jace hurried into the house trying to ignore the heaviness in his stomach.

“I told you Luke would throw up again this year! You owe me!” was the first thing Joffrey, his youngest brother, said when he saw him.

Lucerys, or Luke as his dad had nicknamed him, was the middle brother, and every year he had the worst time during Repairing; which was the moment when the District escort went up to the podium and then took a random piece of paper from each glass urn, one containing the names of all the boys between twelve and eighteen years old and another with the names of the girls. This was how the tributes were chosen for each Hunger Games. Like any coherent person in District 12 Luke feared being chosen as a tribute and unlike Jacaerys he could not hide his fear.

“Take this to the kitchen,” the oldest of the brothers asked, handing the squirrels to Joffrey before running to the bathroom.

When Jacaerys entered he found Luke hunched over, holding the toilet bowl. Ignoring the smell of vomit he hurried to his brother's side and with one hand began to rub soothing circles on Luke's back while the other brushed the hair from his face. He doesn't know how many minutes they stayed like this until the youngest finally stopped vomiting.

"I'm sorry, Jace" Luke apologized with a broken voice and tears on his cheeks, clearly feeling ashamed for being in the same position for another year. "I really tried."

"Hey, you have nothing to apologize for," Jacaerys denied as he helped him up from the floor. "It's okay to be afraid. Only an idiot wouldn't be afraid."

"Joffrey is not afraid," the youngest murmured after cleaning his face.

Joffrey must have been the only thirteen-year-old in District 12 who wasn't horrified at the thought of his name coming up in the Reaping. Jacaerys believed it was because Joff thought he would be able to win the games just by being a relative of a victor. Also, of the three, Joff seemed to want Uncle Larys's validation and attention the most. In these three years living with him he had never told them that he loved them but Jace thought that he should at least care a little about them because otherwise he could have let the authorities take them to the community orphanage instead of taking care of them.

"I told you, an idiot," Jace said, managing to get a small laugh out of Lucerys. "Listen, Luke. Everything will be fine. You never asked for a tessera so your name is only on four pieces of paper."

In the first year when you started to be part of the Reaping, they put your name only once in the bowl. But every time you have a birthday they add another paper with your name on it. If you do not ask for any tessera then it is assumed that you will reach the age of eighteen with only seven papers.

Jacaerys always tried to reassure his brother, and also himself, saying that the chances of his name coming up were low compared to all the people who had to ask for tesserae to be able to eat.

"Lucerys, Jacaerys, start getting ready for the Reaping" Larys ordered from below. There was no need for him to shout as the house was silent.

"Take a bath, you stink" Jacaerys mocked, ruffling Lucerys's hair before leaving him in the bathroom.

"Happy Hunger Games! and may the odds be ever in your favor!" greeted Effie Trinket, the District 12 companion, with the same excitement as in previous years.

While Effie gives a speech about what an honor it is for her to be there as a companion, Jacaerys's eyes meet Baela's. She smiles at him and he struggles to return it. Baela is so brave, he doesn't know how she isn't trembling with fear knowing that her name is at least twenty times. Maybe in recent years she was no longer asking for tesserae but before Jacaerys moved in with his uncle she had.

"Ladies first!" said Effie announcing that it was time for the drawing. She approaches the urn with the girls' names and then reaches deep inside and takes out a piece of paper. You can feel the tension in the air and for a moment everyone seems to hold their breath until Effie opens the paper and I read it "Y/n Y/l!"

Shit. Jacaerys knew you. He had seen you more than once at the bakery when he went to buy or exchange his merchandise with your father. Not only that but you two share classes together at school. You weren't friends. But you were still there for his brothers when he was too devastated by the death of his father to care about anyone else. You were the one who stopped some idiots from bothering Luke at school, you were the one who helped Joffrey with his homework to prevent him from repeating a grade, and you, in the only conversation you ever shared, reminded him that he was important to the District, that his brothers needed him, that he could not abandon them, that his father would not have wanted to see him as a ghost in life, that he would have wanted him to help the people of the District.

Jace had to go say goodbye to you, his gratitude may be three years late but he needed to thank you for taking care of his brothers when he had failed them and remind him that he had a purpose.

Jacaerys watches you move towards the stage. Your posture is straight, your chin up and your steps are firm but he can see the uncertainty in your eyes. You still look pretty in your pink dress, it wasn't glamorous at all—no one in the district wears glamorous clothes—but in his eyes, you stood out. It's probably because, unlike other girls in the district, your clothes didn't hang off and your bones didn't show, you didn't look like someone who was malnourished.

Maybe with your beauty and if you had a good interview you could get lucky and captivate a sponsor, he thought. He hoped that this year his uncle would try even harder to bring home a winner.

Once you are on stage Effie asks for volunteers. Of course, no one offers.

“Now it's time to meet our male tribute!” Effie announces, rushing to the boys' urn and pulling out the first piece of paper she sees, “Lucerys Strong!”

This must be a nightmare, Jacaerys thought. They were supposed to be safe, they had never asked for tesserae. He was snapped out of his stupor by hearing Joffrey's desperate cries calling for Luke as his brother began to walk with fear and tears in his eyes to the stage. Jace didn't even think about it, he broke out of his formation and started running after Lucerys.

“I'm a volunteer!” he shouted when the peacekeepers grabbed him, wanting to take him away from Lucerys. “I volunteered as a tribute!” he repeated, standing up straight, once they released him.

"Magnificent!" Effie exclaimed, happy because there was finally some action in the District. "But you are supposed to present the winner of the reaping first and then ask for volunteers…"

"Just let him up," the mayor interrupted her sharply, clearly upset by the situation. He knew Jacaerys because he always bought strawberries from him and Baela.

“No, Jace!” Lucerys said with a trembling voice, still shaking her head. “You can't!”

“Go to Joffrey” the eldest brother ordered firmly, he wanted to hug Luke but he was afraid that if he did he would also start crying and he couldn't do it knowing that the cameras were filming everything. He couldn't appear weak. “Go,” he repeated, pushing him aside and heading to the stage without looking back.

Jacaerys' brown eyes meet yours and the heaviness in his stomach increases. He would have to kill you if he wanted to come home, you, the person who pushed him to move forward after her father's death. He had never thanked you and much less would he do so now knowing that in a few days, he may be the one who ended up killing you. Obviously, luck was not on his side but if you died he really hoped that it would be another of the tributes who would end up taking your life. If it became him and he managed to win the games, Jacaerys was sure that there would not be a day in which he would not think of you.

"Wonderful!" Effie exclaimed once the young man finished climbing the stairs. "What's your name?"

"Jacaerys Strong," he answered.

"I'll bet my shoes he was your brother. You didn't want him to steal your glory, did you?" The companion's smile disappeared before the furious looks of the victor and the tributes. "Good! Let's give a big round of applause to our new tribute!"

But no one applauds. The entire District demonstrates its disagreement with its silence. Not only that, but many people begin to bring the three middle fingers of their left hand to their lips and then point them at Jacaerys. He looks shocked as they give him that gesture. It was not a common thing to be used in the District but every once in a while, someone would do it during funerals. It was a gesture of giving thanks, of admiration, of farewell to a loved one. The same gesture they had made at his father's funeral. Jacaerys feels a lump form in his throat. He can't help but look at you, this was thanks to you, if you hadn't reminded him that the District needed him like they needed his dad then maybe he would have continued in silence staring into nothingness, living mechanically instead of starting to help people like his dad used to do.

The mayor begins to read the Treaty of Treason. Once he finishes he instructs you and Jace to shake hands. Jacaerys notices that your hand is a little smaller than his and he feels warm against hiss. You catch him off guard when you squeeze his hand as if to encourage him. He returns the gesture even though he knows he shouldn't, it wasn't the time to become friends.

Tag: @valeskafics @agqrtz

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