#she just immediately understood why he was living in the walls and loved him for it | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

glenechoslasher · 1 month

Text

"Here With Me" ||

Arthur Morgan x GN!Reader

Rating: None

Asked by @photo1030

Ok, I gotcha….what about the first time someone tells Arthur they love him? Could be reader, m or f, or an existing character?

Oh I like this idea a lot and think it’s such a bittersweet feeling for Arthur, I won’t get into the meat of it, but you know how he feels about people calling him ‘a good man’, or just how Mary ended up treating him before she left. This man deserves the world, okay?

It had been an age since he heard those words, never had he thought he would actually ever hear them uttered to him, nor did he think he'd ever find the courage to mutter them aloud again to any living soul. He found himself undeserving of any kind words, living the life he had, he knew there'd be a mark upon his soul, and anyone foolish enough to accept him as he was, well they were just that: foolish.

But there you were, admiring him from afar for so long that it almost felt like a fever dream when you two met. He'd brushed anything off at first, just thinking that whatever the weird spark he felt was just in his head, he always ignored those gut feelings because he felt that they didn't deserve to be had. But slowly, those large thick walls were chiseled away one by one over time.

When you had decided to tell him how you finally felt, he wasn't sure what to do, he sat there unblinking, staring directly at you. What was he thinking? Why was he just… sitting there? You knew he wasn't one to delve into his feelings so openly, but your admitted confession had meant a lot to you, so your leg bounced up and down due to your nerves. You knew Arthur well enough that if you rushed him or made him feel like he needed to supply an answer right away, it wouldn't work out so well for either of you, but that didn’t stop you from assuming the worst.

As you sat there and allowed Arthur to think your confession through, you sat back and thought of all the ways he'd changed your life and the way you saw things, but most importantly, he always looked out for you, even when he felt that he shouldn't have gotten you involved in his life to begin with. Boldly, you reached across the wooden table that sat in the camp, the smell of fire and booze hung heavily around you, the lingering gang members that were awake were too drunk or tired to pay you two any mind. Your hand was placed on his, you didn't need to exchange words, you felt that he understood how you felt and why, well, you hoped he understood.

Arthur was good at thinking of others, though he wouldn't care to admit it, always thinking of what was best for you, but never what was best for himself or you both. He was a stubborn man, but it was one of the many reasons you did love him.

His silence wasn't odd, you preferred that he sat back to think things through rather than immediate dismissal, it meant that he was considering your words more than anyone could realize. But you loved to hear him speak, that gruff voice that you could never get enough of, and he graced you with the sound of it.

“You uh, you sure you'd wanna love a man like me? You know what that means, don'tcha?” He asked you, his eyes stared at you beneath the brim of his hat. The light from the fire illuminated half of his face and he looked so beautiful, like a painting that was created with love and carefulness with each stroke.

You just nod in response to his question as you sit across from him, a small smile across your face. “I do, yeah,” you say with a small breath of laughter. “I wouldn't say it carelessly, Arthur. Loving you with all of the ups and downs it comes with is something I'm willing to live with.”

Arthur listened to you once again, his jaw slightly clenched as he held back what he truly wanted to say, which would only be dismissing himself, and you smiled at his ability to bite his tongue.

You couldn't help but chuckle at how his face contorted with so many emotions at once, and he just looked up at you with a hard stare, but it softened as soon as he locked eyes with you.

“No matter what I say, you ain't gonna listen to reason, are you?” He asked you, his tone more gentle this time.

You shook your head. “Nope. I've made up my mind. As grim as it seems, this world doesn't promise us anything, so why not take what time you have and enjoy it? You deserve it, Arthur.” Your grasp on his hand tightened, showing him you weren't going anywhere, he was stuck with you.

The gunslinger swallowed, how mouth suddenly dried as he nodded to your words. “It's… been a while since I heard ‘em, figured I never would again. But… it's nice to hear ‘em, ‘specially comin’ from you.” Arthur offered a smile as he continued to look at you beneath his hat, not wanting to give away just how happy you'd made him. Not yet.

“I love you, that's all you need to know,” you assured the man, “you don't have to do things alone, you never had to, okay? Let me share your burdens with you, and if you don't wanna say it back yet, that's okay. I ain't going anywhere.”

Arthur just nodded again, the smile widened, stretching his lips. “‘Course you ain't, wouldn't let you if you tried,” he said with a chuckle that followed.

For now, those were the only words you needed to hear from him, you knew that with time and patience, that man who was so closed off to the world would allow you a glimpse of his heart.

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan drabble #arthur morgan writing #writing drabble #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption 2 arthur morgan #red dead writings #tinalbion writings #arthur morgan imagine #arthur morgan x reader #gender neutral reader

192 notes · View notes

faatxma · 11 months

Text

Meadow Garden III

Pairing: King George III x Reader

Synopsis : An unplanned guest is making an appearance.

Warnings: None

It felt like time froze, you could only hear his heartbeat and his name being shouted outside of the Observatory. You knew that everything happened for a reason, and that the Queen of England was only seconds away of finding her husband all over another woman might be the end for the both of you.

You came to your senses as he did it, you placed your hands on his chest to push him away and create space between, the two of you.

But George had other plans and tightened his arms closer around you.

'GEOR-' Queen Charlottes voice halted when she saw you two in a rather intimate position. You looked up to George to see his reaction but he was only looking at you. It felt like his mind was all clouded.

'George' you whispered harshly trying to get his attention which you finally got, so you took the chance and slipped out of his arms.

'Your Majesty' you said as your curtsied. She didn’t reply and you could feel the tension in the air.

It felt like you couldn’t breathe properly. Out of all places she chooses to come here. I mean that’s her right, she’s his wife and the Queen of England.

'While I’m at Buckingham Palace all alone being changed like a doll, during our Honeymoon thinking you rather enjoy the company of stars, it seems like your reason to stay here in Kew was something perhaps someone else.’ She said gently placing her hands in front of her skirt.

George was walking towards her trying to explain 'Char-' he started but was interrupted, 'and here I thought you were in company of some whore which I’d have understood, really but what I see is something else ready to elaborate?'

‘Charlotte, this is the woman I’ve told you about.' He said giving her a gentle smile.

‘Oh, that’s her?' She screamed excitedly making her way to you. You were truly confused about her sudden change of mood.

Before you could even react he grabbed you hands excitedly. You looked at George trying to somewhat get an answer but all he did was laugh heartily.

‘It’s nice to meet you I’m Charlotte, George has told me a lot about you.' She said showing you her gorgeous smile.

'What?' You were truly confused and overwhelmed.

George noticed that immediately he came to your side walking you over to a bench. Charlotte followed behind sitting to the right off you. George knelt placing his hands on your knees try to make you relax.

'I’m truly sorry, I didn’t mean to come off as mean. I thought that he might be with someone else here, trying to mend to his heart differently. But George me when we met that there is someone he already loves, and I believe that’s you right?’ She asked.

Your breathe hitched, and you were totally confused.

'Yes' you said but it sounded more like a question. George giggled at your reaction he moved himself to sit to your left side. Placing his arms around your back, pulling you into his chest.

'But how-'

'I told Charlotte at our first encounter, that I couldn’t marry her. I mean she also didn’t want to marry me, I caught her trying to go over a wall’ George said.

'I have someone i truly care for who lives here in Britain. We only exchanged words through letters after he came to Germany, and to be closer to him I kind of accepted this arrangement.’ You were stunned about what you just heard from here.'

'Wait so you guys didn’t marry?' You asked.

'No, the wedding has been postponed until further notice but the public believes that we are.' He said frowning a little bit.

‘That’s why you kept making Reynolds come by?' You muttered tear eyed.

He nodded kissing your forehead gently.

'He was already accepting that you wouldn’t respond to any of his letters, but I had a feeling that you somehow would reach out to him. The way he was talking about you really made me see that, if you were meant for each other you would find your way back to each other.' Charlotte said placing her hands on your arm.

You smiled at her mouthing a small thank you.

'We need to figure something out for the two of you. But first I’ll let you guys enjoy some time alone.' She said getting up and giving me a small wink.

Before we could even say anything she walked out quickly.

'I would actually like some alone time' George whispered into your ear seductively. You stood up walking to the table with all the blueprints. You didn’t turn to him all you did was slowly unbuckle the buttons of the back of your dress.

'Would you please help me, my love' you said innocently looking over your shoulder trying not to smirk at the noticeable bulge in his pants. He didn’t waste any time, walking over to you quickly and pushing you closer to edge of the table.

'I’m ver good with buttons' he growled.

'How good?'

'Let me show you.'

Taglist : @loveanimals0000 @iveraly @ayasinterlude

@navs-bhat @omgsuperstarg @minaxcarter

@hueanhdang @xjessxex @motheroffae

@kpoploverxx-12 @remuslupinwifee

@taliakoster @lomlhs @jaydaaasworld

@alexizodd @ajordan2020 @helen06dreamer

@lollulrooofl

#king george bridgerton #bridgerton #bridgerton fanfiction #king george x reader #king george iii #queen charlotte #bridgertonedit #fanfiction #young queen charlotte

652 notes · View notes

xlovelybluebellex · 2 months

Note

Thought of this just now but what about a alastor x toddler reader that likes cartoons but Alastor doesn't like her watching TV so he turns it off and it leads into a tantrum

I’m warning yall rn, I personality hate Cocomelon. I’m sorry if this offends you, but I’ve decided Alastor already hates tv, but cocomelon is so much worse.

Radio’s Not Dead

You sat in front of the TV, the Cocomelon theme song playing. You clapped along in an amused manner, the bright colors and nice sounds were relaxing.

You smiled, looking down at your favorite stuffed fawn, Deirdra, who sat right next to you. Her previous light pink color, now grayed and muted by time and love over the years. But in your head, she was as lively as ever and enjoyed the show.

You didn’t know why you liked this show when little. In fact, when big, you hated it with a passion. It was just so irritating to you, with the terrible music and the obvious questions. But then again, that was just your big mind.

In your little mind, it was so much different. The questions felt comforting, simple. You could easily tell what was happening and you basked in the predictability. It helped soothe those terrible anxieties. And the music, oh the music. It was soft, yet upbeat. Something your little self could comprehend.

So in short, anyone who wasn’t in your situation wouldn’t understand. The show was calming to you, in a way you couldn’t explain. So imagine your frustration the second you saw that previous bright screen vanish. All that was left was a black void.

You angrily turned, seeing Alastor standing with the remote. “Papa!” You whined loudly, turning to him fully. “Now, now darling! You know how I feel about this…aggravatingly colorful and loud box.” He said, a wide smile spread across his face.

You pouted glaring up at him. “Not fair!” You whined, trying to grab the remote. You gripped his pant leg, roughly tugging on it. But to Alastor, it was like dealing with an angry kitten.

“Y/N. You know how Papa feels about pulling.” He said, a bit deeper this time. A sign he was losing patience. His aura grew colder, and you could make out the faintest red hue in his eyes. However, at the moment, you didn’t care.

“No! TV!” You whined, yanking harder and looking up at him in irritation. “Last warning, fawn.” He said, his smile growing less and less genuine. In fact, you were a little scared now. Too bad you’d already gone too far.

“No!” You screamed, throwing yourself back. “No, no, no, no!” You yelled, angry tears forming as you glared at him. He seemed less angry now that you’d stopped pulling at his clothes, but he still didn’t look happy.

You flailed on the ground, grabbing a nearby toy and chucking it at him. Alastor dodged with ease, even catching the toy. “Nice try, darling! You almost hit me!” He said tauntingly, only fueling the fire.

You wailed loudly, fresh tears falling whilst trying to find Deirdra. Then you drew a blank when you realized that’s who you threw. She was the only nearby toy.

Your anger disappeared, a whimper escaping your mouth. “P-Papa…Deirdra?” You whined, holding your hands out for her. He let out a ‘hmm’, putting the toy behind his back. “I think some timeout time is in order, don’t you?” He asked, setting his microphone in front of him.

You blushed a little, embarrassed from your previous outburst as you nodded with a sniffle. He held his hand out, smiling wider when you grasped it and stood.

The two of you walked over to a corner in your room, Alastor making a small stool appear. “Now take a seat, my dear. I’ll return when your time is up.” He said brightly. You never understood his lack of real emotion unless it was love for you.

“How long?” You asked timidly, sitting down and wiping at your ruddy cheeks. “That is for me to know, and for you to not worry about.” He said, tapping your nose and going off.

You sighed, turning to the wall.

——————————————————————————————————

”Times up, my beauty.” Alastor spoke, stepping behind you. You immediately turn, jumping into his arms. He pat your head, rubbing your back as you let out a few more tears. This time, of regret.

Alastor lifting you up, letting you sob into his shoulder as he walked away. He made his way out of your room, curiosity compelling you as to where you were going. You decided to shrug it off though. You were with him, that was what mattered.

Alastor walked up a few stairs, a gentle hand still rubbing your back. You leaned into him, sniffling ever so softly. He finally stopped going up stairs, opening a door. You pulled away, looking around to see his radio tower.

“Like it, darling?” He asked, taking a seat on the small couch. “M-Mhm..” You said, hiccuping a little from your tears. He cooed, kissing your face and running a hand over your face.

“No need for tears now, sweet one. We’re going to have some fun!” He chirped, fixing your hair. You nodded, blinking owlishly. You had no idea what he had in mind.

“But first,” He started, pulling out a familiar grayish pink toy. “I think someone missed you.” He said, making Deirdra ‘kiss’ your cheek. You gasped, pulling her close and hugging her tightly.

Alastor chuckled softly, amused at your childish antics. “Thank you.” You said, holding her. “Such polite manners. You’re welcome, my fawn.” He said, kissing your forehead.

You giggled sitting up while waiting for him to explain what you’d be doing. “Now! Papa’s going to show you the magic of radio!” He said, taking you off his lap and sitting you on the couch.

You tilted your head curiously, watching as he set up the station. You’d never dealt with radio, having died not so long ago. You had no idea what he’d have in store for you.

A soft tune started over the radio, smooth jazz filling the room. You sat closer, listening and smiling softly. It was…lovely. The music was upbeat, but not to the point it was unbearable. It had a slow tempo, which helped calm things down. It was beautiful.

“See? Isn’t it better than that terrible box?” Alastor said, patting your head. You shrugged, but the smile on your face told it all. You held Deirdra, laying down on the couch as Alastor took a seat in the faux leather chair to do some work.

Perhaps radio wasn’t dead you mused, silently drifting off to the music.

A little shorter, but I did my best!

#age regression #sfw agere #sfw littlespace #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel agere

99 notes · View notes

ofstarsandvibranium · 1 month

Text

Shall I Count the Ways: XLVII

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Pairing: Spencer Reid x F!Reader

Summary: You and Spencer are best friends. You’re in love with him and he’s in love with you, but neither of you know it nor decide to tell the other about their feelings. All the love is there, just hidden in the things you say and the things you do with one another.

Series Masterlist

A/N: ...hi. i know it's been a while but i'm back on my criminal minds/spencer reid shit. so i'm going to FINALLY finish this series!

47. "You've rendered me speechless."

You sigh over the phone, "I don't think this is a good idea, Spencer. Cat Adams-"

"I know, I know. But this'll be the last time I deal with her. After this, she can't hurt me or anyone ever again. This is the last time."

"If you're sure."

"I am. In the meantime, keep your phone on you at all times just in case I need to get a hold of you ASAP. You never know what Cat will try to pull."

"Alright. Be safe."

"Always," Spencer ends the call, pocketing his phone, and entering the interrogation room.

_______________________

Spencer was getting impatient. He was tired of Cat's games but he knew had to do this. He knew that he was the only one that could beat her in the end. So he had to play the game.

Which led him to here and now. He's fervently kissing Cat Adams against his apartment door when the door swings open...to reveal you.

Your heart immediately drops to your stomach. This has to be a dream. Spencer wouldn't do this to you. He'd never-

"Why're you here?"

"You texted me to meet you here," you pull up your phone to show him the text. But he didn't text you that all.

"I didn't send that," he looks back at Cat, "Why did you bring her here?"

"To chat. Obviously, I want talk to your girlfriend here," and glances back at Spencer, "about you." The woman gives a dark chuckle, "I'm Cat. The woman that Spencer can't seem to stop thinking about," her hand rakes up his arm and he pulls away. She rolls her eyes and looks back at you, "She's a little cutie."

"What do you need to tell me about Spencer that I don't already know? We've known each other for decades."

"Yeah?" Cat smirks and tilts her head at you, "Did you know he likes to throw women against a wall and threaten to kill them?"

"That-No. I-"

"Tell the story, Spencey. Don't skip out on the details." Cat plops into one of Spencer's chairs and watches with a maniacal grin on her face.

"Cat was pregnant at the time and I knew that and-"

"The next day, I miscarried," she stands, placing her hands over her belly.

"Wh-What? That's not true," Spencer looks at her in disbelief.

"It is. Check my medical records."

"Why am I here?" you ask, pacing around Spencer's living room, "Whatever sick bullshit the two of you have going on, I don't want any part of it!"

Cat playfully pouts at you, "Aw honey. You had a part in it as soon as you started dating."

You sit at the couch and look up at her, "Why?"

"To show you he's not the person you think he is. You may have known him for over a decade, but you don't really know him. Not like me."

You look down at your lap, hands clasped together tightly and knee starting to bounce. Spencer knows this happens when you get anxious and his heart clenches at the situation he's pulled you in.

"Maybe you're right. I-Honestly, I never understood how he ended up with me when there's other women, smarter women out there for him. I-I can't compare."

Spencer immediately sits by your side, "No, don't-don't say that."

You look up at him with teary eyes, "No matter what I do, Spencer. I don't think I'll ever be good enough for you. And Cat's right. I guess I don't really know you like I thought I did." you stand up and grab your things, "We're done."

You run out of his apartment and Spencer tries to you, but Cat steps in front of him with a big smile on her face, "I win."

_______________________

You're back at the BAU waiting for Spencer. He steps off the elevator dejectedly and you immediately wrap your arms around him.

"Wh-What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry!"

Spencer looks around at his colleagues, "What's going on?"

"We figured out that it wasn't a coincidence that Cat decided to do all this as soon as you and Y/N started dating. So we brought Y/N and let her know our plan."

He looks at you in disbelief, "You've rendered me speechless. I thought-"

You shake your head, "I told you, Speedy, I won't let anything break us apart."

His arms around you tighten, "I thought I really lost you."

You softly smile up at him, "I'm here to stay, Spence," you lean in and peck his lips, and it makes everyone around him smile.

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid imagine #f!reader #fem!reader #female!reader

53 notes · View notes

astranauticus · 1 month

Text

orv 🤝 asteroid city

stories about stories that left a surprisingly large impact crater in my brain

anyway some more (frankly far too extensive) thoughts under the cut for an au i dont forsee myself drawing for again (cw: mention of suicidal thoughts and lots of talk about death)

for anyone reading this who hasn't watched asteroid city: it's a movie documenting the making of an in universe fictional play called asteroid city written by conrad earp (kdj) directed by schubert green (hsy) lead actor jones hall (yjh) who plays augie, very emotionally repressed guy whose wife (lsh, kinda) just died and is trying to figure out how to tell his children about it. anyway jones shows up at conrad's house for auditions and the two fall in love, then conrad dies from a car crash 6 months into the shows run and jones is left to play a character mourning the death of his wife while irl mourning the death of his lover and it drives him up a wall trying to figure out if he's doing conrad "right" (hence 'i still don't understand the play')

anyway for this au like everything that happens in the movie also happens i think but the character motivations are a little bit different like in the movie conrad earp writes the play before he ever meets jones hall so we don't really know why it's Like That but i think in the au kdj is either like. having suicidal thoughts or just fully believed he wasn't gonna live for very long in the like cptsd symptom kinda way lmao. so like it's not really that he wrote the play to help yjh process his own death (i think if that were the case the message of the play would be way different lmfao) but it's more like he just had death and grief on the brain and was also writing stuff. and like the answer he arrived at was that he didn't actually arrive at anything in the end. sometimes tragedy just happens and there's no meaning to it you just kinda have to live with that. like i know this is not how the process of play production works but if there's one change to the original movie plot in this au i want to make it's that kdj still dies by car accident but before the script is 100% finished or after he's been talking about rewriting the ending or something because i think he also doesn't figure out an answer he's satisfied with in the end about like death and grief and mourning. like you just know that in kdj's ideal world his loved ones wouldn't mourn him at all if he dies because he doesn't want them to be sad because of him and maybe he still hasn't fully 100% internalised that he has people who would care if he dies. anyway i think yjh kinda understands like subliminally that kdj was trying to Say Something with the play he just isn't sure what because he's looking for An Answer like some kind of meaning to everything that's happened but the point is there isn't one and if there is kdj hasn't found it either lmao. and like i think hsy understood immediately like as soon as she heard the news of his death she's figured out what kdjs thought process behind the play was and like she's absolutely not holding it together as well as she appears but she also sees yjh driving himself insane every night trying to find The Meaning or whatever and like whether or not she even agrees with kdj aside this is the only way she can think of to help him get out of that hole bc she can't exactly tell yjh like 'the point is that there is no point you just have to live with The Everything' so she's just trying her best to make him understand on his own. idk i just need someone who's watched asteroid city to see this and tell me if ive gone completely insane LMAO

#omniscient reader's viewpoint #orv #kim dokja #yoo joonghyuk #han sooyoung #joongdok #art i made #my contribution to the time honoured jdj fanwork trope of kdj pairing yjh with lsh against his will #that one last hsy looks so much like qiao ling from lc what the fuck #took some liberties with the outfits and the poses bc #ok honestly for most of this i was just drawing whatever felt right based on my memories of the movie like i only looked it up near the end #so i can get all the lines right #and also. im not drawing that fuckin outfit margo robbie was wearing in that scene christ alive #god some of the anatomy is so wack

28 notes · View notes

jewbeloved · 1 year

Note

Feels good to be back.Hello again.I have a request:

How would Butters,Kenny,Pip,Kyle react to their S/O watching Bluey(Australian kids show)?

Butters, Kenny, Pip, and Kyle with a s/o who watches Bluey💙🐾🐶📺

I never watched Bluey before myself, and I only saw clips of it so I hope this is accurate.

I'm currently going through a writers block at the moment so I apologize If the characters' scenarios on here aren't long as usual.

Warnings: None

Gender: Neutral

💛 Butters Scotch 🧁

His parents probably never let him watch the show because they said it was too childish for his age 💀

You on the other hand, had the show all set up on your television and you invited Butters over to come watch it with you.

Butters knew about the show but he just never got to watch it, he's glad that he gets to watch it with you though!

You had other kinds of shows on your TV but you both mainly watch Bluey as another way of spending quality time together.

Since his parents won't let him watch it when he's at home and not able to go to your house to see it because he's grounded (again), he secretly watches the show on his phone.

He probably even spends the whole day watching it because of how entertaining and addicting it is 😭😭😭

You and him often do get teased by his friends for watching Bluey but you both don't give a damn, y'all both love this show and nobody is gonna stop yall otherwise.💛💛💛💛💛

🧡 Kenny Mccormick 🥭

He literally has no idea what that is-

He's not able to watch that very much shows on the television tbh.

He probably heard about it when he found you and his lil sister Karen watching it on your phone together.

Karen literally enjoys watching the show so much! She begs Kenny to come watch it with her as well.

When he watches it for the very first time, he immediately understood why you and Karen were so head on watching this show so often.

Whenever Kenny's parents were in on their usual drama, he would watch Bluey as a stress relief to melt away all his worries. He of course wouldn't mind watching it with you as well, since it helps his stress 10x more when you're here.

And when he's not able to watch it for whatever reason, you invite him over to your house to watch it with you instead.

He also wouldn't care If somebody told him that Bluey is a childish and lame show for him, he believes everyone can freely watch whenever they want. 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

💛 Phillip Pirrup 🐣

He is absolutely a big fan of the show.

He would have pictures of the characters in the show on his wall in his room like any fan would.

But as usual, he also gets bullied for liking the show anyways. But he's delightful to be able to share his moments of watching it with you 😊

You both mostly watch it at his house, since you apparently don't have a TV yourself in this scenario 😶

You ain't broke or nothing, you just live in a house without a TV alright? Stop asking questions >:(🫠

But anyways, similar like Kenny. Phillip also can't stop watching the show himself, he barely even gets up to go eat a snack or drink water because he's mind is too focused on watching the show.

You'd have to be the one to provide him with food and water, or you would just drag him away from the TV so he can take a rest for a while.

He would also be the type to be on social media and post related Bluey stuff on it and even memes as well.

While also forgetting that his classmates also use the same medias he uses and he gets bombed by them for that.

You and him probably agreed on being on a site where they couldn't bother you both, such as discord.💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

💚 Kyle Broflovski 🥝

You full on forced his boy to watch the show with you 😳

He has heard about the show but never really cared or paid attention to it as much, Because he preferred to watch Terrance and Phillip instead.

In the first few minutes of watching it, Kyle was merely confused on why you were so addicted to watching it a lot.

I mean he watches Terrance and Phillip a lot too, but never this much as you do with Bluey.

But he just lets you do your own thing even If he doesn't understand this show.

He later on grew comfortable with seeing it more often, but he would never admit it. Instead towards his friends.

"Hah! a Jew watching a Australian gay dog like show! Hahahahah!"

"Shut the hell up Cartman!" You and Kyle both screamed at him and he zipped his mouth closed quick.

Damn, If Kyle became that defensive when Cartman was teasing him for watching the show, Kyle must've grown to its liking.

But he still denies that he doesn't watch the show, he just doesn't want to admit it okay? 💚💚💚💚

HOLY COW I HAVE LIKE 50+ REQUESTS IN MY INBOX NOW?!

That's so overwhelming when I think about it...😭😭

243 notes · View notes

drewsbuzzcut · 1 month

Note

https://www.tumblr.com/drewsbuzzcut/745856429890682880/httpswwwtumblrcomdrewsbuzzcut745848594872123

i’m so sorry i can’t remember, does dallas give nick the letter she wrote? if so does nick ever read it? could we get his POV of reading the letter and maybe what he does after reading it?

He does read it! When she goes to Buffalo to visit Owen, he reads it back at umich. (The bolded italics are the parts of the letter)

To whoever gets to love Nick next,

Nick shakes his head after reading the first line. The first line and he already feels like his heart is being ripped out of his chest. He doesn’t want another girl, he wants Dallas.

He will pretend to like something you love just to make you happy. Don't get mad at him for hiding the fact that he doesn't like it. Just love him for wanting you to be happy.

Nick’s lower lip wobbles as he tries to hold himself together. It’s so bittersweet to see Dallas write about what basically started this whole fight. He’s happy that she understands why he lied about those silly things, but it came with a price. One that he wishes he didn’t have to pay.

Nick loves hockey, so you have to love him as a hockey player. No matter all the insane expectations that come with it, or how he'll drive himself up a wall just to be great at something he loves.

A scary emptiness settles in his chest when he realizes she’ll never be by his side to support him doing the thing he loves. Nick won’t be able to look up in the stands and see his June bug cheering with her pretty smile. He won’t have the love of his life to talk to about his fears. It shakes him to the core.

Nick is such a goofy person- even when it's time to be serious. I think it's because he loves to see the people around him smile, so don't get annoyed by his untimely silliness.

He’s going to miss Dallas so much. Nick doesn’t think there’s any point in life if he’s not living it with her. He’s never been so understood by someone and there’s no one like Dallas. She’s truly one of a kind.

If you ever get the opportunity to be given a gift from Nick, prepare yourself. He's one of the best gift givers I have ever met. It just goes to show how easy it is for him to remember everything about someone he loves.

Nick immediately thinks back to the first Christmas they ever spent together. Dallas was so happy opening her presents and even more happier watching him open his presents. It’s the first time he’s truly felt at home while actually being away from home. It was meant to be the first of them forever spending the holiday together, but now it just feels meaningless.

Cherish the vulnerable moments. Don't take his feelings for granted; they're a big piece of him and that type of information is hard for anyone to confess to someone they're scared to be hurt by.

And yet, here Nick is, tears trailing down his cheeks and chest heaving with sobs. He never thought their relationship would end like this. He never thought it’d end.

I love you Nick, and in another universe, in another lifetime, our love will have been enough.

He stares daggers at the tear stained paper. Their love is enough. It has to be. There’s no way he can just give up when he loves her so much. Dallas is the love of his life in every lifetime and he’s going to prove it to her.

#nick x dallas

21 notes · View notes

yummynomnomyummy · 3 months

Text

I Know There's a Smoker Inside of Me Somewhere

I just got to 1000 words on this fic I'm writing. It's based in a hc I saw on tiktok. It's not very interesting atm but I figured I'd share it anyway.

Lawrence couldn’t stop thinking about him. His face, his voice, his name. Adam.

With how much he thought about Adam, Lawrence always figured he should know more about him, but he knew next to nothing.

The blackmail photographer had been learning about him for days before they met. So he had already known so much about the doctor, but Adam didn’t talk much about himself, at all.

The blonde wished he had, then there would be more of Adam to hang on to. More that Lawrence could carry with him through life.

After he got out of that bathroom and to a hospital to recover, he and Allison knew they needed a divorce. They didn’t want to make things harder for their daughter, Diana, who had also just survived one of Jigsaw's traps. But they mutually agreed that staying together would just damage her - and them - more.

Lawrence wished that Adam could be here with him through the divorce, he could have been such a good stepdad and supporting figure.

The doctor was driving his daughter and soon-to-be ex-wife over to the house she had found for herself, (they still only had one car though.)

“Mommy, Daddy?” Diana’s voice spoke up above the radio. Gordon turned down the volume and spoke in a sweet voice, despite his thoughts dripping with grief.

“Yes Diana? What do you need, sweetie?”

“Are you two getting a divorce because of what that man did?” They knew immediately what ‘that man’ was referring to. Jigsaw.

“No, honey.” Allison spoke up, “We knew that a divorce was necessary long before that man was a part of our lives. He just..” Allison paused not really knowing how to explain the whole thing.

Lawrence stepped in for Allison, “When that man did what he did, we figured that it was better to do this now than put it off any longer.” He left out the part that he no longer wanted to be with Allison after he had fallen for another man, even if that man was probably dead now.

Allison explained to Diana that they both still loved her very much, and that would never change.

Lawrence dropped the two of them off at their house and started driving back to his own. He looked at the gas meter and groaned as he realized he would need to fill up his gas tank.

Pulling into the gas station he got out of the car so he could walk in the building to buy the amount of gas he needed.

“Yeah. Thanks.” He muttered to the cashier after giving him the money. The doctor looked up and spotted the cigarettes on the wall behind the counter.

He chuckled to himself, using the laughter to cover up his want to cry. Adam had smoked. Lawrence never understood why anyone would smoke, it was so bad for you.

Having a medical degree, he knew how many diseases were caused by smoking. Spoiler alert: nearly all of them.

At the same time, he considered buying some. He knew Adam had smoked, and he wanted- no, needed some of Adam with him. He had barely anything to remember him by.

Lawrence had a blue flannel shirt, like the one Adam was wearing when they first met. He was saving up money for a camera, but he had no idea the kind that Adam used.

Maybe he could buy some. Not smoke them, just to kind of have.

"Hey, could I have some Marlboro Reds?" He asked the cashier. He didn't even know if that was the kind that Adam smoked. When they were in the bathroom together he just seemed happy that there were cigarettes there.

"Sure man." He turned around to grab a pack and threw them on the counter between them. "$3.75."

Lawrence pulled the money out of his wallet and handed it over before he grabbed the pack. Back in the parking lot he threw the pack in the cupholder before he filled up his car and left.

He glanced at the pack in the cup holder occasionally. He hated that he had no idea whether or not Adam smoked that kind. He hated how little he knew about this man that obviously had such a big impact on him.

It was like he was missing a piece of himself. And the knowledge he could never get was the only thing that could fill the Adam-shaped hole in his heart.

He was never going to smoke them He told himself. He just needed a little bit of Adam with him.

When he got back to his house he debated leaving the pack in the car, but ultimately decided to take them with him, maybe keep them in his nightstand.

Lawrence grabbed his cane, put the cigarettes in his pocket, and got out of his car, wincing as he accidentally put weight on the leg without a foot.

Back in the house, Lawrence sighed and took his coat off. Now that Allison no longer lived there, and Diana was at her house that week, the house seemed incredibly empty. Like it was missing something.

Lawrence knew having Adam there would make it seem so much less empty. He would greet Lawrence every time he came home, and be there to listen to his struggles with the divorce.

He would have loved to have Adam living with him. It might’ve taken some getting used to on Adams part, given that it seemed like he was used to much more run down, minimalistic living. Lawrence remembered Adam saying something about his "shithole appartment" when they were locked in the bathroom.

Lawrence walked by his daughters empty room, his cane clacking against the hardwood, and tried not to look in. When he reached his own doorway he leaned against the doorway. He still wasn't used to having a prosthetic foot.

"Stupid prosthetic." He muttered. "Stupid Jigsaw. Stupid bathroom. Supid…" He paused and sighed, "Stupid Adam."

He didn't really mean it, but he tried to convince himself he did. He wanted to forget all about the trap he was in, so he didn't have to feel the ache of missing Adam, of not fulfilling his promise.

But he felt the pack of cigarettes in his pocket and knew he would never be able to. He walked over to his bed with moderate difficulty and sat on top of the covers.

#lawrence gordon #chainshipping #light angst #saw 2004 #saw franchise #sawposting #queer

24 notes · View notes

blue-aconite · 1 year

Text

once in a lifetime || m.g

Summary: Once in a lifetime. This was it. This was his chance. His chance at that epic story that his grandparents had.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1073

Pairings: Mickey Garcia x f!reader

Authors Note: Based on the fake title fic game! Thank you @a-reader-and-a-writer for the title and thank you @writercole for beta’ing.

Mickey remembers sitting on the porch swing with his abuela, drinking lemonade and listening to her stories. Tiny legs kicking back and forth, smiling without his front teeth. He had been a curious kid. Eager to learn, to find his place in the world.

His absolute favourite story was of how his grandparents met. The hardships they had faced and how his abuela’s parents never approved of his abuelo, not even when his mother and her siblings were born. Mickey had always dreamed of finding a love like that. A love that would last a lifetime.

The Navy had complicated things. He loved his job. He couldn’t imagine doing anything else. But it did put a strain on his personal life. He had dated and had a few relationships, some more serious than the other, but in the end, they all left. None of them were willing to let go of their old lives to create a new one with him.

He knew that it was his fault. If he had worked a regular job, maybe they would have been willing to stay. He didn’t fault them. The constant worrying while he was deployed, the moving around when he got a new assignment. None of it was easy. He understood why they left. But it didn’t mean the heartache was any easier.

The dream of having a story like his grandparents’ to tell slipped further away as the years went by. Eventually Mickey stopped looking for it. He couldn't have everything. He wanted an epic love but now he’d settle for a comfortable one.

The uranium mission changed things. After a two weeks well deserved leave, where Mickey had gone back home to spend time with his family, the Dagger Squad had been called back to Top Gun. All of them had been offered a permanent position at Top Gun, led by Maverick. Their mission had impressed the higher ups and thus, the Dagger Squad found themselves building their lives in Miramar.

And that’s when Mickey met her. He really had Natasha to thank. The two of them had been shopping one day when Phoenix had dragged him into a small café for lunch. With aching feet and glad to be sitting down, Mickey had looked around the small room, observing the many plants and photographs on the walls until his eyes landed on her.

She had kindly asked for their order and Mickey had been so tongue tied that Nat kicked him under the table. But she had only smiled at him, written down their order and turned around to leave.

Phoenix had laughed once the girl was out of his immediate vision and he had returned the favour and kicked back. He told her to shut up and mind her own business. Natasha only rolled her eyes and said to ask for her number. But he never did. Nat had other plans, as Mickey would find out two weeks later when she showed up with the cute barista to a bonfire night, introducing her as a new friend. Turns out that Phoenix frequented the café and had made friends with the girl behind the counter.

That was months ago. He had kept his distance that night but she had wound up at his side and he surprised himself by holding an actual conversation with her. And then it only went from there.

They exchanged numbers and hung out frequently. She never made fun of him and his Star Trek obsession or any of his other interests. She was the one person he could call in the middle of the night, just to talk. It was easy being with her, there were no expectations.

Mickey realised he was in love with her after three months. He just knew. The way he looked for her in a crowd. How his heart sped up when she laughed or how the butterflies threatened to escape when she touched his arm. The comfort of being in her company, listening to her ramble on about her latest interest.

He had called his abuela in a panic, asking her advice. She had only laughed and told him to tell her of his feelings. But how? What if he ruined things? They were friends, good friends, the type you don’t find very easily. He wanted to keep that. But keeping his feelings to himself was killing him.

After a bottle of vodka and a lengthy discussion with Bob and Payback, Mickey had gathered his courage. The next time he saw her, he would tell her how he felt. Bare his soul to her and hope for the best. Hoped that she loved him too.

The next time happened to be at the Hard Deck, on a Friday night. The squad celebrated the arrival of a weekend off and she joined them for drinks after she got off work. She had greeted Mickey with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, making him blush. The others made fun of him but he blamed the beer.

Payback roped him into a game of pool, which he lost since he couldn’t help but to look for her everywhere. He tossed his stick aside, marching over there where she was sitting with Bob and Nat.

Mickey knew he would never get another chance like this. She was right there, right in front of him. His palms were sweaty and he swallowed the rest of his drink to calm his nerves. Could he do it? Could he take this chance? He thought back on what his abuela had told him, that some things only came once. Once in a lifetime. This was it. This was his chance. His chance at that epic story that his grandparents had.

He blurted out the words before his brain even caught up and, mortified, he realised that everyone had heard him, as the conversation died down around them. But like this first time they met, she only smiled. She reached for his hand and pulled him towards her where she was seated. Her smile was like sunshine and Mickey never wanted to be without it.

“Took you long enough, mi amor. I thought you would never say it.”

Mickey could barely breathe as she pulled him down to slot their mouths together, hands automatically cupping her face. The sound of the squad cheering around them was vague. All he could feel was her smile against his lips.

Taglist: @writercole @wildbornsiren @antiquitea @imjess-themess @therebeccaw @hederasgarden @fuckyeahhangman @princessmisery666 @a-reader-and-a-writer @princessphilly @anniesocsandgeneralstore @yanna-banana @angstybluejay @shaded-echoes @green-socks @call-sign-jinx @ereardon @bobfloydsbabe @seresinhangmanjake @luminousnotmatter @top-hhun @ayorooster @crescentwolf @indynerdgirl @gigisimsonmars @kkrenae @khaylin27 @hollandorks @somenamewithepineapple let me know if you want to be added/removed

#fe writes #top gun maverick fic #mickey garcia x reader #fanboy x reader #mickey fanboy garcia

138 notes · View notes

buckybarnesss · 10 months

Note

Imagine a world where all of the TW characters were given time and space to unpack their trauma. Where we saw Scott and Derek actually get to bond over how Peter hurt them both, how Isaac and Stiles could relate to seeing a parent become someone they no longer recognized. Just. Imagine.

the fact derek hale was never allowed to talk about his trauma will forever make sad, frustrated and angry. he is probably one of the most traumatized characters to grace television but he's not allowed to acknowledge any of it.

the other day, on the teen wolf sub reddit (believe i know. it's a sickness that i keep going back) i talked about how it bothered me how it is peter and jennifer that get to talk about paige. in visionary, peter is telling a story. paige isn't really a person to him and we know there is no way what peter tells stiles and cora is the whole truth. for her part, jennifer has mythologized paige's death and almost sanctified derek for committing the virgin sacrifice that allowed the nemeton to have enough power to save her when kali left her for dead. it's partly why she's so obsessed with him. in a twisted way derek saved her so paige is just a means to an end.

meanwhile derek doesn't even get to so much as say her name or confirm the real story when he was the one who had a relationship with paige. he is the one who knew her as a person, loved her and mourned her. .

someone in response to my saying that was like yeah well derek's not just gonna talk about his trauma. he's not that kind of guy.

and i'm like why not? characters suffering is not the only interesting way to tell a story.

if derek's story was to eventually evolve than that could've been part of it. opening up and healing.

imagine how powerful it would've been if derek was able to reach out to scott in the wake of allison's death and be able to tell scott about paige, that he understood all to well what scott was going through. imagine how much character growth that would've been for the both of them. derek finally able to reach out to someone emotionally and for scott to reach back finally able to set aside his issues with derek to see him as a person.

the missed opportunity that was cora hale. we could've learned about talia and laura and pre-fire peter via a couple of conversations between her and derek. there wasn't even a proper reunion between the two. (the fact most of our information about talia hale comes from gerard fucking argent still pisses me off).

malia was also a missed opportunity. derek had what? maybe one real scene with her? malia's character development should've been related to her reconnecting with her father, readjusting to being human and her figuring out what it means to be a hale by blood and what that legacy meant to her. not putting her immediately into a romantic relationship with stiles. derek could've factored into that. specifically regarding loss and guilt.

like derek finding out he had a cousin and malia finding out that just because she doesn't really care for peter doesn't mean there aren't other hales she can possibly have a relationship with.

isaac and stiles being bitchy to each other is fun but it's jealousy based due to scott. i think they could've overcome this eventually. imagine them hating theo together???? beautiful.

scott and isaac. i love them. adore them. but i will forever be pressed about that scene where scott throws isaac into a wall. like, fuck off. it was weirdly out of character for scott. instead of all the stuff about allison they could've talked about their dads. scott weirdly doesn't talk much about rafael and that bothers me because rafael mccall needed to be read for fucking filth (i am a child of an alcoholic so this may be a me thing). like we saw how much stiles hated rafael mccall. it would've been interesting for isaac (who was living with scott and melissa) to in turn be protective of him.

we had a whole episode of kira having a life changing field trip with derek and i wanted more that okay. that was a dynamic we needed more of.

i maintain lydia and derek's relationship would've been like two reality show judges. two beautiful people dealing with a world of plebs. lydia martin making derek hale have a spa day was a missed opportunity.

jordan parrish and derek hale being the personification of "someone is going to die." "of fun!" meme from parks and recs.

derek hale (and everyone else on this show) should've been allowed to unpack some of their trauma suitcases.

the fans wanted found family and the show took us by the hand and said "no. xoxoxoxo"

#my blog #teen wolf #this escalated

49 notes · View notes

olivia-anderson-fanfic · 7 months

Text

How to train your Drake, Ch2

TWs for this chapter: self-harm (for religious reasons), religious trauma (also for religious reasons), lies, manipulation, and possessive behavior (god this fantasy religion is putting them THROUGH IT), child abuse (going to count it as being for religious reasons because it's being done by a god)

Stay safe everyone!

Previous part

Tim lay stretched out on the ground, Marinette tucked into his side, fast asleep. He would love to join her, but he knew that he couldn’t. If he dared to drift off, he would shift into his true form, and he was pretty sure that Marinette would wake up if a slightly warm ‘fae’ were to suddenly become a scale-covered dragon.

He would be fine, she couldn’t immediately kill him, they were both on holy ground and she was without weapons and armor, but everything would change. The moment they left Plagg’s altar, they would be enemies, and Tim didn’t want to have to kill her.

So, falling asleep was definitely not in anyone's best interest.

Besides, he didn’t really want to sleep at the moment, he wanted to enjoy the feeling of a warm body pressed against him and soft hair threading through his fingers. It was a new sensation, he rather liked it.

For about as long as Tim could remember, he had been alone.

Dragon children weren’t, really, supposed to be left behind. If anything, it was quite the opposite, they were supposed to be doted on by their parents like any other part of their hoard. There were quite a few stories of dragons being blocked from leaving once they reached maturity, their parents’ possessiveness over things they viewed as ‘belonging to them’ preventing them from truly being able to let go of their kid.

As far as he knew, there were no tales about a dragon child being left to fend for themselves. Not without intervention from knights, hunters, or salesmen, at least.

He would love to joke about how he was special, but he didn’t want to think about it. Why he was, apparently, uniquely unlovable to the point where his own parents hadn’t even tried to hold onto him for a few years. Why not even their possessive natures had been enough to make them stay, because in their eyes he was worthless in the most literal sense.

They hadn’t left him with nothing, at least. He’d been abandoned in a castle, teeming with rats and bugs that had mistakenly wandered inside in hopes of a place to hide from the elements, and he was able to survive on those.

Sometimes, humans would wander in, curious about the castle in disrepair in the middle of the forest or perhaps searching for their friends, and Tim would get to drop down from the rafters and eat an actual meal. He didn’t quite like it, though. The animals would scream for their lives, yes, but he actually understood what the humans were saying, and that made it far more difficult.

Still, he needed to eat.

It wasn’t a great life, but at least it was a life. And, with little else to hold onto, why wouldn’t he grab the one thing he actually could and not let go?

That was how he lived for years.

Until he found the room.

Sometimes, he wondered if it had appeared there by the god’s wishes, because he could have sworn he’d known the castle like the back of his hand, and yet he was face to face with a door that he’d never noticed before. It was hidden partially behind an alcove, though, in a part of the castle that he avoided until he was hungry enough (he would claim that he was trying to cultivate the population of animals there so he might have a ‘stockpile’ when things got dire but, in reality, the high walls and cold floors just made him even more aware of how alone he was), perhaps he had just missed it.

Regardless, he stumbled in and found himself in a surprisingly warm room. A stone structure against the far wall, framed in a window, towered over him. The stone was painted a deep black, with green cat eyes dotted around, just enough to show it was supposed to be a pattern, but so few in number that each eye felt slightly out of place. It was unsettling, especially since, no matter how he moved, he swore that each and every eye followed him.

A dagger of sorts lay innocently on the table, the blade curved in a way that reminded him of the tool that humans sometimes used to harvest crops.

“Well, are you just going to stand there or what?”

He jolted, immediately looking around for the source of the sound, only to find a man sitting atop the altar, one leg crossed over the other lazily, the sun framed perfectly behind his head, like a halo. His slitted eyes were mostly hidden behind his shaggy blond hair, but that didn’t mean that Tim would have mistaken him for a human. The proportions were just slightly off, with too-long arms and legs that bent in strange places and a sharp-toothed smile that was far too wide for his face.

Tim outclassed it in size, and yet somehow, somewhere, he knew that he was the one that was in danger here. The line of the being's shoulders was too relaxed. Even it knew that it had him beat.

He started to take a step back, and almost immediately a chorus of screams rang in the back of his mind, almost sending him to the ground with the force of it. He stumbled a few steps forward, desperate to escape the sound, and yet he wasn’t relieved when everything cut out, tremors running under his skin despite the warmth of the room.

He looked up at the being, and its smile only stretched ever wider.

“What? Cat’s got your tongue?”

Tim could only manage a pitiful squeak in return. He had never really tried to talk, had never had much use for it, and making a sound now only scraped at the walls of his throat. He shook his head, unsure what else he really could do.

The stranger looked at him for a moment, considering, its head tilting more and more to the side by the second. It wasn’t until his head was just past being completely upside down that it seemed to click, his head snapping right back into place, a Cheshire grin stretching across his lips.

“Ohhhhh,” he practically purred, hopping down and crossing the room in far too few steps. “I see.”

A set of too-cold hands came to hold him beneath the chin, and Tim tried to flinch back, but fingers dug between his scales before he could, and he didn’t want to risk having them torn out.

“You have no one – no one to teach you the ways of this world…” the being clicked his tongue, shaking his head, almost chiding. “What a shame, a baby dragon shouldn’t be left alone.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Tim thought that he was trying to be soothing and comforting, but it came off as mocking.

He didn’t catch onto the offense in Tim’s expression, still smiling, always smiling, though it was slightly softer, less immediately threatening. Somehow, that was worse.

“This just won’t do! Come in, come in!”

As if Tim had a choice. He was dragged forward, into the room, the being hopping up onto the table with ease so Tim could get as close to the altar as possible, the stone of the table digging into his chest.

Finally, the fingers detached themselves, and Tim hissed at the feeling of his scales shifting back into place.

He was either not heard or ignored, the blade shooting up through the air, right into the being’s hand. Despite his strange proportions, the size of the blade suited him perfectly, like it was always meant to be there.

“Now, listen, I’m a good guy, but I can’t help you without getting something in return. Those are the rules. Just one of the downsides of being a god with infinite power, they had to nerf us somehow,” the being (god?) shrugged, though he didn’t seem all that broken up about it. “You know how it is.”

He wasn’t sure he did, but it wasn’t like he had much of a choice, anyway. His arm lifted up of its own accord, tugged along like a puppet on strings. Tim thought, dully, that his arm fit perfectly in the god’s hand, too.

And then he realized what was going to happen.

He tried to break the god’s grip, but it was strong, far stronger than anything Tim had ever felt before.

“Now, most dragons bite or claw their own skin, but I’ll do it for you, today. Something cleaner, just to get you used to it.”

“Do-n-t, ple-ease,” he said, his voice shaking. Maybe it was the disuse, maybe it was the fear. It didn’t matter, all that mattered was that he didn’t want to be stabbed, in the arm or otherwise.

To his surprise, the god stopped, the blade hovering right over Tim’s wrist. He didn’t seem happy about it, though. His smile hadn’t been nice to begin with, and now it was more of a baring of teeth than anything.

“‘Don’t’?” the god repeated, his tone innocent, as if he had genuinely thought he had misheard.

Tim shook his head, his eyes wide.

He sighed, shaking his head. “How about this? I’ll do this and, if you don’t like it, I’ll leave you alone. Priest’s honor.”

Tim hesitated.

The god had stopped, when asked, which suggested that he needed permission of some sort to do this, but there was nothing guaranteeing that he couldn’t hurt Tim, just that he couldn’t force him into an offering.

Which meant that this was, probably, the lesser of two evils.

And, hey, it would leave after this, at least.

“Come on, I promise you’ll like it,” the god tempted.

Tim had his doubts, but he nodded regardless.

He wasted no time, immediately dragging the knife down his scales, as if expecting him to take it back.

Blood spilled onto the altar, and the god smirked.

Tim wasn’t sure why he was so happy, because his arm stung.

He blew a puff of flame at him in retaliation, but the being didn’t even seem to notice. “I know, I know, it hurts. But watch this.”

Tim was nearly bowled over by a wave of… well, he wouldn’t call it ‘pleasure’, per se, that implied something specific, but it was certainly a nice feeling. Like when you scratch an itch that you had been previously struggling to reach. Like your needs had been met.

His arm was still bleeding, and it still ached, he knew that distantly, but he almost didn’t care about it. This was the best he had felt in quite a while, why would he care?

The feeling receded after a few minutes, leaving him almost desperate to go back to that contentedness.

The knife disappeared before he could try.

Tim made a whining sound in the back of his throat. He just wanted things to be okay again. And the being had said that he got something from it, too, so why was he stopping him?

“Now, now, we can’t have you bleeding out, now, can we?” He – Plagg, a voice in the back of his mind supplied, his name is Plagg – said, back to that chiding tone, but there was a softer note to it, too. “What kind of patron would I be if I let you die?”

Tim was still affronted by this entire arrangement. The guy had just stabbed him, and now he was preventing Tim from stabbing himself? Talk about hypocrisy. Give him his free will back.

“I guess you wouldn’t understand what a ‘patron’ is…” he chuckled, tipping his head to the side, thinking hard. “Alright, how about this: I’m, basically, your owner. You are a part of my hoard. I make sure you’re all nice and happy and, in return, I ask nothing more than for you to be mine… plus a few blood offerings here and there, just to prove that you’re still okay with the arrangement.”

Tim’s head shot up to look at him.

He would… belong to someone?

That sounded right.

Hesitantly, he nodded.

Plagg’s smile seemed to soften, and a hand rubbed the top of his head.

If Tim leaned into the touch a little bit, then Plagg didn’t say a word.

And, so, for the next few years, Tim would tear open his arm, and would be met with a feeling of contentedness that was unmatched by anything he could get naturally.

And, sure, Tim didn’t love the feeling of his skin breaking under his own teeth, he still had to psych himself up to do it more times than not, but the feeling he got after an offering was pretty much the best he could remember having, so he did it probably more than was strictly medically advisable.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t all smooth sailing, if you could even call what he had that to begin with.

Because food became a problem.

There simply wasn’t enough of it. Not for a growing dragon, especially not when he expended so much energy healing from offerings – the wounds would be sewn shut by magic, but his blood would take ages to replenish itself – and, if he didn't act soon, he was sure that he never would be able to. Meals became less and less filling, and his exhaustion and hunger were so intense that he would often feel them even through Plagg’s blessings.

Finally, he realized that he needed to venture outside of the castle.

And it wasn’t as if the forest would supply him much food. Sure, there was a plentiful amount of animals there, but Tim was too big, and would often find himself struggling to chase after anything. There were too many trees, dotted around sporadically, and his prey wouldn’t have to try too hard to weave their way through them until Tim was just a tiny speck, left in the dust.

What he had needed, really, was a wide-open field to catch prey in.

Enter, the town.

Or should he say enter the town, because that was what he had done.

The humans had plenty of livestock, anyway, surely they wouldn’t miss a few cows here and there?

Apparently, humans were just as territorial and possessive as dragons. Good to know. Though he wished he could have found out… any other way, really.

But there he was, gliding over the trees’ canopy because he couldn’t flap his wings without them hurting due to the teensy-tiny-little arrow lodged in his side. Hunters raced after him on the ground, hissing curses at both him and themselves, still trying to shoot him down every time they could catch a glimpse of him through the trees.

Slowly but surely, he was losing them.

But he was also losing steam, and he needed to lay down somewhere and rest. He couldn’t, though, because they also knew that he was injured and would need to stop sometime soon, and if they knew that then they also knew that they could wait to find him on the ground and ambush him.

So, he couldn’t stop.

He also couldn’t keep going. He was going to crash. Every beat of his wings made him want to scream again, which would only hurt his raw throat more, which only made it worse –.

And that’s when he came across it.

An altar.

He wasn’t sure whether or not it had always been there, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, because he knew a sign when he saw one. He threw himself onto the stone, letting the blood spilling from his side drip onto the table, praying for help.

The woman wasted no time before appearing in front of him, though calling her a ‘woman’ was a little bit inaccurate, to be honest. She was too tall to be a human, first of all, the only reason her head wasn’t poking above the treeline was that she was ducking to hide herself. An orange foxtail poked out from behind her, swishing this way and that languidly as her eyes roved him over, taking everything in.

And her eyes. The moment Tim met her gaze, he regretted his decision to ask for help. Her eyes glimmered with something utterly wrong, dancing with too much glee for someone who was watching a person bleed out, and yet also, somehow, detached. There was no real investment, just cruel amusement and intrigue.

Trixx. The goddess of stories and – more importantly – tricks.

“He-lp me,” he begged, his voice cracking, just like it had the first day he had met Plagg, and yet this was different. He had learned to speak, but all the screaming had torn his throat raw.

“Aw, the little boy who’s been alone all his life will die alone, too, how sad.” Her eyes flicked to the side. The hunters were still searching for him, getting ever closer. “Or, perhaps, you won’t die alone, and that makes it worse, yes? Tragic.”

And, though the woman had declared it all ‘tragic’, it certainly didn’t seem like she was upset about it. If anything, she seemed to be almost giddy.

“I don’t want to die.”

“No one does,” she said, utterly uncaring, moving as if to pat his snout in a condescending manner… only to reel back as if she had been burned. Her eyes cut to his right arm, where the scales were just barely out of place from all of the times he had torn into it, then to his left arm (Plagg had told him to never use that one, though he wasn’t quite sure why) and its smooth gradient of red to black scales, and something unreadable crossed her expression.

“Oh,” she said. “You’re Plagg’s…”

Tim could only nod. This was true, after all. He belonged to Plagg in the same way that the castle belonged to Tim. Why would he ever disagree?

She giggled, a floaty sound. “I see, I see. How about this: I’ll help you, but I want half of you in return. Deal?”

Tim wasn’t sure whether or not it worked like that. If he didn’t belong to himself, did he have the ability to give himself away?

But he didn’t want to die.

So, even with a sinking feeling in his gut and something in the back of his mind screaming that he was making a mistake… he said yes.

For a moment, she smiled.

And then she was gone, leaving him alone, and yet there was definitely still something nearby, making the air heavier than it was supposed to be.

Magic wrapped around him and suddenly he was a person, with arms and legs and blood still spilling from a wound in his side. He panted, because the wound suddenly felt far worse, now that he had less blood to lose, and every pant made the arrow inside of him shift without scales to hold it in place. His fingers tried desperately to grip the stone beneath him, tearing the skin under his nails, but it did nothing to ground him, it just hurt.

He knew, instinctively, that he should be running.

But he couldn’t.

“What?” A voice nearby said, and he looked up at the hunters, terror gripping his heart.

Only to find the same horror mirrored in their own expressions.

“It’s a kid,” one of them said.

“It’s an illusion,” said the other, though he didn’t sound sure, and he shifted to hold his sword with both hands, as if he was scared he might lose his grip on it otherwise. “It’s a monster.”

Tears stung his eyes and he lifted a shaky, bloody hand to wipe it away. “I – I’m sorry,” he said, though it didn’t even really feel like himself. His mouth had moved, but he hadn’t asked it to.

The townsfolk looked at each other.

A voice in the back of his mind hissed the word ‘Now!’

… Tim wasn’t any less strong or fast in his new ‘human’ form.

But he wasn’t more strong or fast, which was why he was hesitating, standing outside of the room that held Plagg’s altar. There was still blood caked under his fingernails, something in his teeth that his tongue just couldn’t seem to get out, but he wasn’t going to waste time washing up.

No, he was going to waste time with his hand on the knob.

Or not, it swung open of its own accord. Plagg stood in the middle of the room, his hands behind his back.

Tim did not want to get closer.

But he did anyway.

The door slammed shut behind him.

“Hey, kid,” Plagg said, his tone deceptively cheery, though that wasn’t particularly surprising for the god. “How’s your day been?”

Tim swallowed thickly. “I almost bled out –.”

“Where?”

Tim looked down. The arrow was still sticking out of his side, even if he couldn’t really feel it anymore. This was probably a bad thing, but he was sure that angering a god was worse.

So, he motioned vaguely to his side.

This wasn’t the right answer, apparently, because Plagg’s eyes narrowed considerably. “No. Location-wise. Where’s your blood? Because that belongs to me, you know.”

Tim couldn’t bring himself to answer. He knew that Plagg was already aware, the god wouldn’t have shown up without prompting otherwise, and that the best thing for him would be to simply fess up and pray (ha!) that Plagg showed some mercy. But his new tongue felt heavy in his mouth, and he didn’t say a word.

Plagg scoffed. “I see.”

He leaned forward, and though he was supposed to be far away – too far away to reach Tim – he found a face hovering mere centimeters in front of his own.

“All you have to do is denounce her,” Plagg said, his tone sickly sweet.

As if what he was suggesting wasn’t just as likely to get Tim killed as not denouncing her.

At least, with Plagg, he knew he was going to die now. If he were to cross Trixx, he would simply be stuck laying in wait, anxiety eating away at him until he would eventually find it a mercy whenever she tired of playing with her food and finally put him down.

Of course, it wasn’t an easy choice, to essentially agree to die, so he continued staring at the ground.

A clawed hand grabbed him by the hair and pulled, dragging his eyes up to meet Plagg’s.

“Fine. Well, my altar is right there, I suppose I can prevent you from ever betraying me again. A fitting punishment, don’t you think? You owe me quite a bit of blood, you know.”

Plagg’s other hand grabbed the arrow in Tim’s side, and his breath caught in his throat. Even just the slight adjustment made pain shoot up his spine, and he didn’t even want to think about what it would be like when Plagg followed through on the threat.

He squeezed his eyes shut tight.

It was completely quiet, save for Tim’s sniffles. Anticipation pressed down on him from all sides, he almost wanted to twist and simply rip the arrow out himself, at least then he’d have some semblance of control… but Plagg had all the power here. Literally. And Tim didn’t want to know what would happen if he dared to anger him further. There were worse ways to go than bleeding out on a cold castle floor.

And then Plagg sighed, removing his hands entirely.

“Let’s fix this up, okay?”

Tim peeked an eye open, unsure whether to expect a trick of some type. Maybe Plagg, too, wanted to mess with his head, as a kind of revenge. Surely, it had to be fake. Tim had betrayed Plagg, why would he be granted mercy?

Yet, he was.

The relationship between the two of them had been… different, after that. Closer. Outside of the first time, Plagg hadn’t shown his face, but now he consistently showed up in ‘person’, even going so far as to strike up conversations with him. Which was strange, considering their circumstances. Tim was pretty sure that Plagg had only kept him around to prove a point, though he couldn’t imagine what that point could even be. Tim still donated to Trixx (her offering was too good to pass up, even if it made Plagg’s expression twist into something truly ugly whenever Tim came home ‘smelling like her’), he didn’t think that Plagg had ‘won’ at all…

But he wouldn’t deny that it wasn’t nice. To have someone dote on him, if even just a little bit, if only to make sure that he didn’t get too injured by the numerous knights and hunters who started to frequent the castle. To have someone that was willing to take the time to teach him to read properly. To have someone that could teach him complex runes and how read, write, and (most importantly) use them.

Or to have someone that would, sometimes, give him advice.

Plagg was there, once again, sitting on the table.

Tim wasn’t sure when he’d gotten there, but he wasn’t sure it mattered anyway. It wasn’t like the god was going to acknowledge him before his meal was done.

His pupils were blown wide – whether this was to help him adapt to the darkness of the room or because he was content after his meal, Tim didn’t know. He licked the blade clean, and Tim was reminded of a storybook he had once stolen, and the child characters within it that had clamored for the spoon their mother had used to stir the cake batter with.

“Hey, kid,” Plagg said eventually, opening his palm, the blade tipping out of his hand and falling back down onto the table carelessly.

Tim stiffened just slightly at the sound, his gaze flitting to Marinette. She was still sound asleep, her face tucked into his shoulder, an arm thrown over his stomach.

Plagg’s contented smile stretched wider. “She’ll stay asleep, don’t worry about that. What happens between a person and their patron isn’t for outsiders.”

He hummed thoughtfully, and then dragged Marinette closer to himself, his lips coming to press a kiss to the top of her head. She didn’t stir in the slightest.

Plagg, however, made up for her lack of response by being as dramatic as possible: “Ugh, gross. You know, you’re lucky you’re mine, and she’s lucky she’s yours. I was about to smite you for doing… that near my altar.” He mimed throwing up. “Seriously, don’t do that again.”

Tim smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, Plagg. In my defense, what was I supposed to say? ‘No’?”

“Yes!”

He gave an amused huff, rolling his eyes. “She wouldn’t have felt safe enough in any other room, though.”

Plagg snorted. “Yeah. Wonder why that is.”

His smile fell. “She can’t know.”

“She’s going to figure it out sooner rather than later. Trixx’s –” the name was hissed out like a curse. “– blessing is keeping her suspicions at bay, but if she catches you in a single lie, even about something small, even if you’re just messing around and joking, the whole jig is up.”

Tim knew that. Of course, he did. He’d honestly thought he’d accidentally slipped up when they’d been joking about how it was an affront that she was doing her job as a knight and trying to ‘protect’ him. He’d accidentally agreed that she was evil for being a knight, too caught up in the fun to realize that he’d slipped until the words were out. But she had interpreted it as him simply not liking knights (admittedly, not untrue, he hated all knights that weren’t her), thankfully.

He couldn’t bank on that happening again.

“I just… I need her to get attached before I reveal myself to her,” he said. “She needs to see me as a person and then, when I reveal myself as a dragon, she won’t be scared.”

“The betrayal might sting more that way,” Plagg said.

He cringed. “It’s my best shot.”

Plagg’s eyes gleamed in the darkness.

“Perhaps not. There is one way to guarantee she’ll stay with you…”

>>>>>

Next part

Tag: @jeminiikrystal

#wowwwww thats a lot of backstory @ me wtf #maribat #timinette #timari #timmari #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #though she didnt show up much here #tim drake #red robin

14 notes · View notes

szallejhscorner · 8 months

Text

King of Diamonds - Part VII

The air was cool around us, and Yukinari shivered. I was pretty sure that it wasn’t the temperature inside the dim building that made her do that. Seven days ago, she had lost her only son during a Hearts game, and this was the second time she’d play for her live.

With the tiny difference that this time, I’d make sure she survived.

“It’ll be okay”, I whispered quietly enough so the other players around us wouldn’t hear. So far, seventeen people had gathered in what used to be the hallway of Nanzan Elementary School, with colorful drawings still hanging on the walls. But I could see that the building had been altered, with additional walls that most likely hadn’t been there before the Borderlands, probably so the area would suit the game better.

Yukinari wrapped her arms tightly around her chest, her gaze wandering from side to side anxiously. She kept her voice down, afraid that it’d be another game turning people against each other. “How could you know?”

“I can’t”, I lied. “But I have a good feeling about this. It helped with my last games as well.”

I knew, of course, that this would be a Six of Spades. Four doors leading to four different trials, ranging from easy-peasy to impossible. Within the last day, I had made sure to memorize every one of them, so I’d be able to choose the easiest door for me and recommend it to Yukinari. Although this was designed to be a single-player game with no restriction for the amount of people joining, I wouldn’t let her do this alone. It was a silent promise I had made to myself three days prior, when we’d first met in the Camp.

Yukinari just shrugged, not at all convinced. “Why didn’t you bring your boyfriend here? The blonde, haughty one?”

Her description of Chishiya made me laugh, a sound so foreign to this atmosphere that several people turned their heads. Not that I cared. “We try not to enter games together”, I explained, trying to stick as close to the truth as possible. In fact, Chishiya had found much more interest in a Ten of Diamonds than this game here, and I would bet anything that he actually enjoyed himself a lot there. Reading the rules on the board had been so confusing to me already, I barely had understood the game at all. It would be heaven for him. “You know better than anyone… There might always be a game leaving only one winner. We don’t want to risk that.”

She nodded, understanding immediately. Did she regret getting into her first game together with her son? If so, she didn’t say. “Clever. It would make me scared, to be honest, not knowing what happens to my love… But I get why you’d do that. Although…”

Pausing for a moment, she ran her hand through her hazel curls, unsure if she should continue. In the end, she decided against it, and I turned around and left her with her own thoughts, while I examined the people around us. It felt so wrong that most of them would probably run into their death, and I’d walk through the door, jump over a few obstacles and continue to live. Then again, I tried to remind myself again and again that I had been there, just like them. I had managed to survive games without knowing the solutions either, and I earned this. Maybe it wasn’t exactly allowed to help someone else through, but if it was true what Myoka had told me, than no one would punish us for manipulating a bit here and there.

I glanced at the phone in my hands, stating that the face recognition had been finished and that the game would start in less than a minute.

One more person hurried through the entrance and quickly grabbed a phone, before the familiar jingle stopped all the hushed conversations around the hallway. Every pair of eyes moved to the phones, and the computer voice begun to explain our challenge for tonight.

GAME: PARCOUR.

DIFFICULTY: SIX OF SPADES.

RULES: CHOOSE A DOOR AND MASTER THE TRIAL TO REACH THE FINISH LINE. IF YOU SUCCEED, IT’LL BE GAME CLEAR.

That was all we were told. Nothing hinted at the fact that the blue door would reveal a challenge that was just impossible, no matter how skilled you were, and that the green door was basically nothing but an empty corridor, easy to walk through.

My wrists begun to itch and I scratched them thoughtfully, remembering the King of Hearts just too well. No matter what, it seemed that this game would haunt me until I took my last breath. But the four doors seemed so familiar, and for a moment I felt as if I was sitting on that electric chair again.

“Breathe”, Yukinari whispered to me, as if I’d be the one who needed the reassurance. “It’s a Six… That’ll be doable, right?”

Her voice was trembling, and I nodded, unable to find my own voice for the moment. I took a deep breath, then another. This was not the King of Hearts. I would not be responsible for other people’s lives, and no one would rely on another person. I would not be punished again for helping my team to win. My heart wouldn’t stop again.

“It will definitely be doable”, I finally answered after clearing my throat. People around us were still discussing which door might be the best, and I watched how the first one, a dark-haired man with dirty clothes, hurried through the red door. Not the empty corridor, but the easy trial. He’d make it if he wasn’t utterly stupid.

Someone else tried to open the same door, but it was locked, most likely because the first player was still in there. Unwilling to wait, he chose the blue door instead. I knew he’d be dead within seconds.

Five more people went through the doors, and I didn’t bother to pay attention to most of them. Instead I focused on Yukinari, the wrinkles in her face more and more noticeable as anxiety around us rose. We didn’t know what happened on the other side of the doors, and we didn’t know who would wait behind the finish line. We did hear screams of horror through the closed doors, though.

Even with my knowledge, it was easy to get more nervous with every person leaving.

Yukinari reached for my hand, and I took it. She was far older than me, she could actually have been my mother, and I assumed that she wanted to see me as some kind of replacement for her son, Masaru. Was this the reason I had the urge to get her through to the end? As some kind of apology to my own family, which I’d never see again?

I shook it off and squeezed her hand, turning her focus to me. “We should go now”, I suggested as only a handful of players remained around us. “What do you think? Green or red, I’d say.”

My statement was met with a questioned look. “Why?”

Shrugging, I took a step towards the doors and tried to sound as casual as possible. “It’s a feeling in my guts. Something I can’t explain… But it helped me through the last games as well. I can’t ask you to trust me, but if I had to bet…”

“Okay. I trust you. So…” Yukinari took a deep breath before letting go of my hand, “I’ll take green and you take red?”

I nodded, glad that she chose the easiest door on her own. Simultaneously, we headed for the doors, giving a last nod to each other before we entered.

The handle of the red door felt slightly wet, probably from sweaty hands that had touched them before, and I wiped my hands on my pants as soon as I was alone in the next room. There had been no images on the board back in the hotel, but clear descriptions of the trials, so it almost felt familiar to look at what stretched out in front of me.

Similar to a children’s playground, a chain bridge was hovering not more than thirty centimeters over the ground, which was filled with only a few centimeters of water. After the bridge, a dozen wide stone slaps leaded to the other side of the room. Easy enough even for small children, with only one little detail to make it harder: the water was charged and would immediately kill me.

I couldn’t prevent a grin from appearing on my face when someone called my name. My face snapped to the right, only to see Yukinari waving to me. Just now I realized that the doors didn’t lead to different hallways but one huge room, and the four trials were parted by nothing but the deadly water.

“Your guts were absolutely right!” Yukinari called to me, and I could see the obvious relief on her face when she hurried to the other side, where all four paths connected to one big platform. A handful of people lingered there already, either sitting on the ground or leaning to the walls. And as my face turned to the left, I found the other players.

Since the water was so shallow, their corpses were easy to make out. Some swam in there, face turned up with horrified expressions, others had fallen into the water face-down. Those were much easier to look at.

The trial to my left was still manageable, but incredibly hard. Almost everything was hanging in the air, forcing the players to use their arms to haul themselves across the distances. The last obstacle was a long balancing pole, and this was where most people had died.

But the hardest trial was nothing but unfair. Over a span of what must have been ten meters, just a single pole reached out of the water. No one of us would have been able to jump that far.

The bridge of my trial swayed from side to side as I stepped on to it, but the railway was made from solid wood and it only took a few seconds to cross it. I was a bit more careful on the slabs, but there was plenty of space to place both my feet on them, and within mere minutes, I made it to the end.

On the very last slab, just as I was about to jump onto the end platform, I heard a frustrated cry from the other side of the room. The next player had opened the blue door and was facing the single pole out of reach. It must have been easy for him to assess the whole situation with so many corpses lying in the water, and a single glance was enough to see his eyes flicker through the room, trying to search for some kind of loop hole.

“Come here”, Yukinari whispered, reaching her hand out for me to take. She pulled me towards her and half-hugged me, her eyes following mine. “We don’t have to watch”, she added, but we both knew that was a lie. Neither of us could look away, and I couldn’t tell if it was the hope for that guy to survive or the morbid fascination of death that forced us to stare.

On the other side, frustration turned into anger. “Don’t look at me like that! Help me!” he shouted, but what could we have done? I knew the doors were locked from this side of the room, so we couldn’t go back and open his. And waiting for another player would be fruitless – the blue door was now locked until he got to the finish line. Hopeless.

Yukinari squeezed my shoulders harder when the guy turned back to his door, took a last breath, ran to the edge of the platform as fast as he could, and jumped. We all held our breaths and time seemed to slow down while he aimed for the pole, crossing a distance I never thought anyone would be able to jump. And then, he actually made it.

Squatting down to balance himself, he landed on the pole, breathing hard and face pulled into a grimace of concentration. I wanted to cheer for him, but he was not finished yet. Instead, he was now facing a much bigger problem: our platform was the same distance, although he had no chance to take a run this time. He frantically searched the air for anything he could hold on to, a loose wire or a piece of wood, but there was nothing. Only the corpses around him in the water, and touching them would be as lethal as touching the water.

While Yukinari finally averted her eyes, I continued to watch as he crouched down even more, pressed his heels into the pole to get as much pressure as possible, and jumped again.

It was clear from the very first second that he wouldn’t make it. Another woman from our side reached out a hand to help him while his eyes widened in panic, knowing he was about to fail, and it was the worst she could have done. In the same moment he took the offered the hand, the guy’s feet touched the surface of the water and his body twisted in shock. The electricity was conducted to the woman’s body as well, and they both fell into the water, dead within seconds.

“Stupid…” someone behind me muttered, and finally, I was able to look away.

We waited for the remaining four players to cross the trials, and none of them chose blue. Only one decided to take the yellow door, and she died at the very first obstacle. The other tree made it, and the exit opened with a feint click.

Half of the players were dead, and not a single word was spoken as we left the elementary school through a back door. I barely noticed how one of the others grabbed the single Six of Spades card that had been placed on a metal table and ran away with it. It didn’t matter who owned the cards; I knew that. The first stage would end as soon as every game type had been cleared at least once. So let him have his little trophy if it made him feel better. Right now, I wasn’t too eager for the face card games to start anyway. I wasn’t ready to lose Chishiya yet.

Yukinari breathed out heavily next to me and pulled me into a tight hug. “We made it! We’re still alive! I can almost believe it. Six more days to live in this rotten apocalypse.” She gave me a wink, adding: “I should always follow your guts. They seem to know what’s best to survive.”

I snorted. Maybe it wasn’t the best choice according to survival to accept Citizenship, but that was something I would never speak out loud in front of a normal player.

“Wanna return to the Camp?” Yukinari asked, but I shook my head. I had done enough to save her life for now.

Kicking away a stone that lay in front of me, I muttered: “I’ll look for Chishiya. He must have finished his game, too.”

“Keeping my fingers crossed that he’s made it through!”

Waving as a goodbye, we parted at the next corner. Yukinari headed for the Camp, where beer and weed would await her, and I tried to remember where I’d find the Arisugawa-no-miya Park, the location of Chishiya’s Diamonds game.

He had told me that the game would take place on a boat, since the park had a quite beautiful lake, and even though it must have took me half an hour to get there – after I’d taken the wrong turn twice – I could see the lights from the boat reflecting on the water surface. It was a beautiful sight with only the stars and moon as the other light sources and the rest of the park being completely dark. I found a bench close to the lake and sat down, kneels pulled to my chest to fight away the chilly night air, and waited.

Once in a while, I’d see shadows walking past the lit windows, but I couldn’t make out any details. It surprised me that the game took that long, and I couldn’t help but wonder if everything went alright. It was a Ten of Diamonds after all, probably the most mentally challenging game of the first stage. And most people were still new to this, so how likely was it for them to succeed?

Then again, Chishiya knew the rules and how to clear it, and he wouldn’t have chosen a game he couldn’t survive. Not if he could work towards becoming the King of Hearts in the new future.

“Oh, Shuntarou…” I muttered, “where have we gotten ourselves into?”

Inevitably I thought about the conversation we’d had with Rikki almost a week prior. She had suggested that I’d lead one of the Clubs games, since the balanced ones seemed to suit me best. I tried to imagine being one of the Face Cards. People would fear me. They would be fascinated by me, like I had been viewing the Face Cards as some kind of alien creatures. Not one of them. A monster, maybe.

I understood why Rikki felt so appealed by becoming the Queen of Spades. Having so much power over others probably felt like a drug, an addiction that made you want it more and more. And most Citizens weren’t afraid of death, at least not any longer. They knew that it’d await them eventually, and they were ready for it. Rikki was ready to be slaughtered like the King of Spades had been killed, but she planned to take hundreds of others down before that happened. The thought repelled me, but I had to acknowledge the strength that came with such a mindset.

And the more I thought about it, the more I was sure that I was not ready yet.

Before I could think about this any longer, I noticed the boat had started to move towards the shore. Finally, the game must have come to an end, and I got up as a ramp was led down and the first players started to exit.

Their faces were mostly hidden in the darkness, but the air around them was tense. Spending hours in such a hard game must have been exhausting, and it was easy to imagine the relief of having ten days of rest now.

And then, being the last person to leave the boat, Chishiya strolled towards me with his hands tucked in his pockets, a sly smirk on his face. As soon as he was close enough, I threw myself into his arms and buried my face in the fabric of his hoodie. Chishiya’s hand moved to my hair, ruffling it softly with a chuckle.

“Missed me?”

“You have no idea.”

I took a few seconds to simply stay there before I felt ready to step back, looking into his moonlit face, smug as always. “That must have been hours! What did you do, stall the game to torture the other players?”

“Got me there. Whoops.” His grin grew even wider, and it was still there after I pulled his face to me for a quick kiss.

Reaching for his hand, we both started to walk, and I let Chishiya direct the way since he’d know better where to go. “You’re an asshole, do you know that?”

He squeezed my hand, muttering: “Oh, I’m perfectly aware.”

I almost asked about his game, but somehow the silence felt too comfortable and it would have probably caused me a headache anyway. And I knew that Chishiya wouldn’t be interested in the Six of Spades, since he had briefly scanned the layout back in the hotel and knew everything that was of interest for him.

Instead I listened to the sounds around us, of animals scurrying through the bushes and the shadows of bats hiding the moon for split seconds. The moon was just bright enough to light the path in front of our feet, and when the lasers appeared on the sky this night, I didn’t even flinch. Chishiya noticed, giving me a quick glance with a raised eyebrow, but he remained silent.

He didn’t pull away his hand when we entered the hotel, where I had to blink several times to adjust to the bright lights. Many people were still awake, lots of them just coming back from games, others still eating or talking together, recalling the games of the day.

It made me proud that Chishiya didn’t bother all those people seeing us holding hands as we walked to his room, and no comment came from him when I slipped out of my shoes and jeans and into one of his shirts. No reminder that snoring and excessive cuddling were forbidden here, or that I shouldn’t steal all of his clothes.

I crawled under the blanket, waiting for it to get warm, while I watched Chishiya put off anything but his shirt and boxers. He eventually joined me, and it immediately became much more comfortable, so I couldn’t resist snuggling up to him.

“You didn’t brush your teeth”, he muttered dryly, and his unfazed voice made me laugh.

I kissed his skin and closed my eyes with a smile. “Neither did you.”

#chishiya #alice in borderland #chishiya shuntaro #aib chishiya #shuntaro chishiya #king of diamonds

15 notes · View notes

timpac-capstone · 5 months

Text

Week 10

I finally did another digital drawing, this time using Adobe Fresco on an iPad Air 2. This piece was actually way more relaxing to draw than the last time I tried drawing digitally on Krita using my roommate's touchscreen laptop because nothing was glitching out. Everything worked perfectly this time and the Apple pencil felt very intuitive in my hand. I still struggled to get my line work to look nice and I'm not sure if the process in which I colored and shaded my drawing was the way most people do it but after finishing this piece I walked away wanting to do more digital art which is a victory in itself.

When I walked out of Manga in New York I finally understood the importance of how the presentation of an art piece can add to the overall experience of the audience member. This was a quick sketch I did in Adobe Fresco of how I was planning to display my animation. I'm thinking of getting one of those old TV carts that I would often see in elementary school where it had a big CRT TV that was hooked up to a VCR. The VCR is just for display because I'm not sure how to put my animation onto a VHS tape and even if I did it doesn't really add anything but I was planning on displaying my animation on the CRT TV. The reason the setup is like this is because this is the same setup that the two brain cells have when they are watching Dillon's embarrassing memories. I will also have two bags that will be labeled Embarasing Memories and Good Memories, after the audience member is done watching my animation they will write one happy memory and one embarrassing memory on an index card/cassette tape and throw them into their respective bag. I'm not 100% sold on this idea but it is a good start.

youtube

My professor recommended that I watch more animated short films that weren't just from previous alumni to broaden my horizons in terms of storytelling in a short animation and the way animation is used as well as its quality. I saw 10 animated short films but I'll only talk about the ones that stood out to me starting with This Actually Happens A Lot by Tom Law. I remember my professor asked me to explain why I love animation so much and I showed her the transformation sequences from Ben 10 (2005) and I just said "I mean just look at that". But she didn't see the same thing I did and said I needed to look deeper for the reason and I feel this short gave me that answer. Animation makes the unnatural feel natural without needing to explain why it is the way it is. In this short, we see that the male character's social anxiety is causing him to stick from wall to wall and be suspended in thin air. Obviously, this doesn't happen in real life but I didn't question it, I accepted immediately that this is how this world works and because of that I'm more in tune with the author's message instead of fighting the way he presented it, creating a much more enjoyable watch. If this was live-action I would be more interested in how they did the effect rather than what the point of this character being suspended in mid-air is supposed to represent in the first place.

youtube

Resilience by Yunie Choi gave me a new perspective on the horrors of war and life after death. They used animation to do a timelapse of a decaying corpse over the course of several hundred years and it is quite beautiful to see how life moves on without you. The use of colors and interesting animal designs really add to the beauty of this animation.

youtube

This guy, Manu Mercurial, does a lot of YouTube tutorials for animation but I haven't seen his animated projects in full before. I thought it would be topical for me since we are both interested in the subject of memories. He very much took a very different approach from what I was thinking of doing but I still think it was a good watch to see how people visualize revisiting their old memories

youtube

I like Afternoon Class by Osro for the same reason I like This Actually Happens A Lot, I don't question why this kid's head turns into several heavy objects but I have an immediate connection to it because I understand the feeling of trying to stay awake in class. Also, the use of sound effects is excellent in this short.

youtube

I put Forget Me Not by The Lonely Star Studio on here because it shows that even with terrible voice acting and mic quality I can still appreciate the animation of this short which has also been a huge stressor.

youtube

Bounty by Arrowmi is on here because it has the opposite problem of Forget Me Not it has amazing voice acting but the art style and animation are pretty rough. It's not bad but it's not super pretty to look at either. However, it was still able to tell an intense story of an ex-bounty hunter and suck me into the world despite its noticeable drawbacks.

Going back through my old script ideas, I had this one part where at the climax of the story the main character would wake up in a car sitting next to his dad. He's in shock because his dad is supposed to be dead and yet here he is just driving nonchalantly, the main character knows this is a memory but he decides to ask his dad a bunch of questions to see if his dad would still be proud of him if he were to meet him as an adult. I feel that this entire scene I made was inspired by this Spiderman story I found 2 years ago on Instagram in which Peter gets 5 minutes to talk to Uncle Ben after years of being Spiderman, this story really connected with me when I first found it because what I want the most in life is to just ask my dad "am I doing good". There are a lot of things that I struggle with; not being masculine enough, I'm almost 23 and still haven't had a girlfriend, and I constantly wonder if I picked the right career choice. I don't know if my dad struggled with the same things but I assume that he didn't and I often feel that if he were to meet me as an adult he would be disappointed. I know that most likely he would say that he is proud of me despite all my shortcomings because that is what parents are supposed to do but the fact that I will never get that answer kills me. I decided to read all 3 parts of this story to get a better idea as to what led up to this Uncle Ben interaction and it was pretty good, if you watched Spider-Man 2 it hits the same story beats. Lately, I've been thinking of scrapping the two-brain cell idea and instead animating the car scene I described earlier on its own.

REFLECTION:

I'm really happy that I finally found a groove into digital art and I'm hoping this will finally jumpstart some animation this week. I'm also glad that I watched all those animated short films, they all had their unique quirks and drawbacks that you don't normally get to see in professionally animated TV shows. I also want to explore the idea of being able to talk to a dead relative for a brief period of time before you never see them again.

#Youtube #animation #digital art #pokemon #trapinch #animated short film #spiderman

5 notes · View notes