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dreamnants · 4 years

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(I wanted to say thanks for the folks who’ve been taking an interest in my dumb swap AU and helping me develop it more especially with Zuke!

For some reason, I forgot to mention my AU’s name is Chiaroscuro Reflections.

As a small thank you, I decided to sit down and try actually writing something set in the AU. This is my take on what happens after the auditions and leading into the DJSS. There are things I want to improve on, but if I don’t post it, I probably never will.

Hope you enjoy~)

"It was rigged, I tell you!"

"May, I was hoping we could discuss the audition after our meal?"

"But you agree with me, Nadia! It was complete bulldozer! BULLDOZER!" Mayday protested, ignoring the looks their table was getting from the few other customers from how loud Mayday was.

Nadia only sighed as she carefully cut another bite-sized piece of her half finished burger.

"Indeed I do, but..." Nadia waved her knife in Mayday's general direction."I wanted to enjoy a meal not being reminded what transpired an hour ago?"

"Yeah, yeah, but it just...NRGH!" With that, Mayday took a sip of her strawberry milkshake in a vain attempt to quell her frustration. At least it was soothing to her throat from her yelling.

As if knowing Mayday wasn't going to shut up about their disastrous audition result, Nadia shook her head and carefully put down her plastic cutlery to non-verbally show she was paying attention.

"Well, if I must say something to make you feel better, I heavily disagree with Tatiana's opinion about you having no future in show business. You are one of the most passionate artists I've ever met. Sure...I did call you pedestrian at one point, but...I have long changed my opinion on that."

Mayday managed to crack a small smile at that. "Awww, thanks, buddy."

Nadia rolled her eyes playfully as Mayday finished off her milkshake with a loud slurp.

"Come to think of it, have we taken a look at the footage of our audition?" The older woman pursed her lips slightly, a bit of her contained irritation slipping out before it returned to a neutral one. "Even if it is associated with a bitter memory, it still is our first appearance on television."

Mayday perked up in realization."Oh shoot! You're right. I think they might have uploaded it on the internet by now..." Mayday put down the empty cup to pull out her phone. After a few moment of scrolling around, Mayday smiled as she found the footage."And...here it is!"

Mayday lifted her arm with the phone up while Nadia carefully moved the tray to the side so she could lean her upper body to look at the small screen.

"Okay, so it was still unfair we got rejected, but man, at least they got some really good shots of us!"

"Indeed."

The good mood between them quickly faded when the shot changed angles to feature them from the front, giving them a good view of behind them. There, the Qwasa meter filled as they performed until the meter stopped at just below full capacity.

Both band mates stared, pausing the video at the blinking red light.

"Wait, what?!"

"That..."

"Nadia! We filled the Qwasa to almost full capacity!"

"Come to think of it, it was strange they did not tell us how well we powered the Qwasa before they gave us their judgement..."

"This was totally rigged! How could they scrap us when we outperformed all the other contestants!?"

"I cannot believe they got away with such...ignorance," The understatement of the words laced in Nadia's usually elegant tone was forced, as if she was trying hard to not let her anger slip."But what point would they have to reject us?"

As if the universe was conspiring against the two, a familiar voice caught their attention.

"People of Vinyl City, this is Tatiana.”

Through the speakers littering the city, the words echoed throughout that both could hear them from inside.”

"In light of the recent abysmal performance of a certain duo that we all had the unfortunate pleasure of having to sit through, I would like to announce that rock music is hereby banned from future Lights Up auditions."

The words cut through Mayday like a knife. She wasn’t sure what Nadia was thinking

"For a better prospect at winning, we suggest that you stick to what works: EDM."

"Remember, we strive through...ORDER. Order leads to progress in Vinyl City."

"That is all, have a pleasant evening."

The ordinary closing words contrasted the magnitude of Tatiana's decree, seeming as Tatiana was closing a traffic report, not banning an entire music genre.

Tatiana had just banned rock from Vinyl City.

As it dawned on Mayday on what exactly this meant in the light of their unanimous rejection, and the anger began to swell once the numb shock wore off, her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of something crumpling, followed by a splashing sound soon accompanied by a cold jolt on her neck. She turned to the source of the noise to discover it came from her band mate crushing the water cup in her hand. The twisted vessel of hollow paper and Nadia's right hand was dripping wet from the contents erupting from her death grip, but Nadia didn't seem to notice or even care she'd splashed water over their table and herself.

Her green eyes were glowing with burning fury that made them glow even in the cheap lighting of the burger joint, her lips twisted into a sneer that bared her teeth. Even though Mayday was not the target of her ire, she wouldn't deny being unnerved by the sight. This wasn't her first time being exposed to Nadia's unbridled anger, but it always caught her off guard when it happened.

As if the floodgates had opened and her true frustration finally exposed through the cracks, the best way to describe such a sight was Nadia simply erupted.

"THOSE....THOSE...PEDESTRIANS!" Yelling in a volume contrasting her usual calm and elegant one, she slammed the fist still gripping the unfortunate victim of her angry clenching on the table, causing the guitarist to jolt up in surprise and the tray to bounce slightly. "They had the gall to reject us under clear bias," Another pound on the table, catching the attention of the establishment. "...and NOW they decide to ban an entire genre of music on a whim based on their belief we played horribly?!" Nadia finally let go of the crushed cup, now twisted horribly into a shape that reminded Mayday of a banana. "They either are blind, deaf, or perhaps both to claim WE offended people with our music! If anything, THEY were the only ones offended by us wanting to play a supposedly outdated genre!"

Finally remembering she was also supposed to be angry, Mayday exploded herself. "I know?! Can you believe it?! We need to do something!"

"What do you propose we do about this then? Because I certainly have some suggestions if you do not!" Her mouth was still in a scowl, her eyes still burning, face contorted with anger barely contained.

"I don't know right now, but I know there's always something you can-"

And for the second time tonight, Mayday's train of thought was promptly interrupted, this time by the lights suddenly flickering before completely shrouding the entire joint in darkness. From a quick look outside from their window, it was the same for the rest of Vinyl City.

"Mayday, do you sometimes wonder if the universe conspires against someone?"

"Maybe."

A minute later, the corner of Mayday's eye caught a sign outside flickering back to life. The NSR logo displaying among the relative darkness still covering the city. In fact, on closer look, the lights on in the darkness were all the NSR store signs.

"This..this can't right..." Mayday heard Nadia's voice, disbelief with a tint of indignation lingering in her words. "Are you saying...that NSR only supplies the backup power to their artists?"

Mayday only stared, a voice in her head screaming in anger. For the audition. The banning of rock. And now the blackout?

"May?"

Jolting to her feet, Mayday grabbed her guitar and slung it over her shoulder as she rushed outside. She vaguely registered Nadia calling out to her, but she wasn't listening, scrambling through the darkened Vinyl City.

The only other noise she eventually registered was the sound of Nadia's footsteps chasing after her.

#no straight roads #nsr #nsr swap au #chiaroscuro reflections

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ilovefanfics2019 · 4 years

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Her own path

Part 3: The plan and scars

Warnings: Some angst. Mention of attacks and killing.Bad flashback. Mention of injuries. Mention of cuts and bruises. Mention of a knife. Mention of scars. Some fluff between mum Kurogiri and reader.

Characters: Shigaraki, All For One, Mum Kurogiri, Dabi, Toga and mention of the rest of the league.

Description: The league disscuss the plan, mum Kurogiri comforts the reader and the reader has a flashback.

Also: Y/n = your name and f/c =favourite colour.

Side notes: By the way this story is set after Eri is rescued. So I know All For One is ment to be in prison but he got out of prison somehow (shhh is for the story).

I hope you enjoy this one and ask me if you like to be tagged for the next ones 🥰

Kurogiri was almost to his room when a certain black hair male with purple scars stopped him in his tracks.

"What do you want Dabi" Kurogiri sighed out, he was tired and want to go to bed.

"Boss needs all of us for a meeting" grunted out Dabi who was fed up with having to tell everyone in the league the same message, lucky Kurogiri was the last one he had to tell. They both made their way to the meeting room where the others were waiting.

"Now that everyone is here we can discuss the plan for defeating All might" Shigaraki announced turning towards All For One.

"The plan is simple so there is no way for you idiot to mess it up" said All For One make sure to emphasize on the words 'mess it up' to make sure they understood that they were not to mess up this plan like all of the other plans they have messed up.

All For One then gave a signal to Shigaraki to explain the plan to the others. "In two days time UA will be hosting a festival for all students and staff to celebrate their so called achievement they have had so far". Shigaraki paused to make sure they that the were all listening. He then continued on.

"But during the festival the brats of 1A will be at the stadium helping to set up a stage and fireworks for a show later on in the evening. This is when we attack them" Shigaraki explained but then was interrupted by Toga.

"Why are we attack them? Aren't we ment to be attack All Might to get rid of him?" Asked Toga with a confused look on her face.

"Use that useless brain of yours and think" Dabi sighed whilst hitting Toga on the back of her head.

"All Might will be blending in and socialising with the other teacher, if we attack the 1A kids especially the broccoli head boy then All Might will show up to help save them like he normally does" explained Dabi.

"And that's when we attack him" exclaimed Toga.

"No you guys will be distracting the brats of 1A by attacking them" declared Shigaraki.

"Then what will you be doing" demanded Toga. Shigaraki let out a evil chuckle whilst lowering his head.

"Me my dear band of idiots will be keeping an eye of the one who will attack and defeat All Might for good" Shigaraki then paused before raising his head to meet all of the other eyes in the room that were watching him.

"My dear daughter ... Y/n" he shouted making Y/n's name echo around the room. The room was silent after the echo disappeared untill a voice broke that silence.

"What happens if she doesn't want to do it?" Kurogiri mumbled out. Shigaraki turned to face his companion.

"She has no choice it is her destiny after all" insisted Shigaraki before contine on.

"And if she refuses then ... she will die" declared Shigaraki whilst looking at his hands.

"Just like her mother" he deeply chuckled making everyone in the room feel uneasy.

The next morning Kurogiri went to check on Y/n and to bring the young girl some breakfast. He knocked on the door gently before opening only to see the young girl still asleep. He chuckled quietly as he closed the door gently behind him before setting the girls breakfast on her desk. He then made his way to her to shake her awake gently.

Y/n's pov

I was awoken from my slumber when I felt someone gently shaking me. I slowly sat up whilst opening and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Once my the sleep from my eyes was gone I saw Kurogiri in front of me, his eyes looking at me softly.

"Morning sleepyhead" chuckle Kurogiri.

"Morning" I yawned out. He chuckled as he helped me out of my sheets that I became tangled in during the night, due to me tossing and turning through the night with nightmares. I went to the bathroom to relive myself and to get dressed whilst Kurogiri made my bed. After returning from the bathroom dressed in a f/c vest top, grey/black shorts and fluffy white warm socks I sat down at my desk to eat my breakfast. Whilst eating Kurogiri checked the gash on my back and gave it a clean bandage.

"I wasn't sure if you were still in pain but I brought you some more painkillers to take if you are" Kurogiri told me whilst handing me some water. I gladly accept the water and took some painkillers as I was still in a bit of pain. After thanking Kurogiri and finishing my breakfast I threw on a creamy coloured cardigan which Toga had giving me one day and sat down on my bed with Kurogiri.

"So I just wanted to tell you the plan will be happening in two days so Shigaraki and All For One won't be training you, as they want you to rest so you will be at your best on the day" Kurogiri explained after telling me the plan. 'Well that nice of them. Not!' I thought. Then I just signed as Kurogiri started to brush and style my hair for the day.

"Why me? Why can't he just do himself" I questioned, sighing Kurogiri replied with.

"I don't know sweetie you really do deserve better than this" he said sadly. We both fell silent whilst Kurogiri countined brushing my hair. After Kurogiri styled my hair into two plats I turned to face him with tears starting to escape out from the corners of my eyes, before launching myself at him into a hugging position. Kurogiri stroked my hair and back in a comforting way, whilst I buried my head in the shoulder of his outfit bursting out into a full on crying session. Kurogiri keep comforting me and whispering soothing and caring words to me.

After a while of Kurogiri comforting me I finally calmed down. He left to take the dirty dishes away after asking me if I was okay with him leaving which I gave him permission to. After a moment of silence I went to the bathroom to clean my face up. After drying my face I looked into my bathroom mirror to examine myself.

I started by examing my legs which were exposed due to me wearing shorts. The cuts on them that were made yesterday were now healed over and will soon start to fade away to join the past cuts that once too littered my legs. The bruises were still visible but they will too soon fade away. My arms that are covered by the sleeves of the cardigan that I know have cuts and bruises similar to my legs, will have the same faith as the cuts and bruises on my legs. The bruise on the right side of my torso however will take a while to fade. The cuts on my face have already started to fade leaving no trace behind. The gash that I know is on my back however will leave behind a scar that will add to the memory of why I should not disobey my father, just like another scar I have. This scar is on my face that runs across my nose and serves as a terrifying remind never to use my Decay quirk on a certain person. Let me explain.

Flashback

One day when I was 6, Shigaraki and All For One was trying to train me to use my Decay quirk. Keyword 'trying' as I was refusing to use it. Anyway after they kept trying to get me to use it, I start to get very frustrated and annoyed so I did use it but not on the fake dummy that I was ment to use it on. No no I used it on the person that was annoying me the most. Can you guess who it was? No not All For One although I was think of doing that. But no the person I used it on. Was my so called devil of a father. Tomura Shigaraki. Lucky for him I only Decay apart of his hair but he was still furious. He grab a very sharp knife and he slashed it across my nose creating a large cut. I was terrified after that and he made me promise not to use on him again which I never did. Overtime it healed but left a scar remind me of that promise.

End of flashback

After looking at myself in the bathroom I exited and sat down at my desk and started to draw and imagine what my life would be like if I ever left the league. I internally chuckle whilst think 'that would never happen' as I would never have the courage to run away from Shigaraki.

Third person pov

Little does the young girl know that after a special discovery she makes and a plan in two days time will change her life forever.

#bnha x y/n #bnha x reader #my hero academia #my hero academia x reader #my hero academia x you #bnha kurogiri #bnha shigaraki #bnha fanfiction #child reader

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capricornus-rex · 4 years

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A Legacy Begun (9)

Chapter 9: A Padawan’s Trial | Cal Kestis x Reader

Summary: After a long time of running and fighting, you and Cal decided to finally settle down after all these years to raise a family. However, it was never a life of peace whilst the shadow of the Empire looms over your heads.

Prompt/s in play: Anon prompt (found in Chapter 1 link) + fic idea

A/N: Didn’t have the time to switch on my PS4 just to customize a saber lol so I went to saberforge.com and used their 3D Saber Builder instead. Here’s what i made for Cassidy Kestis’s saber!

Also posted in AO3

Tags: Scruffy! Cal Kestis, Daddy! Cal Kestis, Adult! Cal Kestis, Jedi Family, Jedi Offspring, Force-Sensitive Offspring, Settling Down, Rebel Alliance

Chapters: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 | Previous: Part 8 | Next: Part 10 | Masterlist

9 of ?

1 BBY

Your slender fingers wove Cassidy’s bright, scarlet locks into tight, chunky braids. You hummed her favorite lullaby—a force of habit—as you secured the end of the braid with a band. She skipped towards the mirror hanging on the wall and let her fingertips glide over her hair.

“Is that how you like it?”

“Yes, Mommy, thank you!”

“You’re welcome, darling,” you received your thanks in full payment of a kiss and hug from Cassidy. “Go fetch your things now. Don’t forget your jacket, okay?”

“Okay!” she hopped down from her bed and started rummaging through her cabinets for stuff that she’ll bring in the trip.

You excused yourself and exited her bedroom, Cassidy was too excited to coherently reply to your permission. The ten-year-old’s heart was racing, her mind imagined so many things that could possibly happen, and she began visualizing what the place would look like.

Due to her excitement, she didn’t realize that she had taken a bit of her time in packing. She had gone through a raincheck of the contents of her backpack thrice now. She hastily slung the bag on her shoulders and snatched her crumpled poncho lying on a pile.

“Coming, Mom!” she announced, speeding out of her bedroom to join her parents at the door.

She slipped her both her hands into you and Cal’s hands, the three of you left your homestead and trekked towards the Mantis waiting a few meters away from the house.

The ship’s entry ramp unfolded, Cassidy lets go of your hands when you’ve reached a certain distance between the ship, her backpack bobbed up and down in every step as she ran towards the luxury cruiser.

“Aunt Cere! Aunt Merrin!” Cassidy squeaked happily, attempting to fit both women in her scrawny arms.

“Cassidy! Look how big you’ve gotten!” Cere chuckled, her hand patted Cassidy’s head and then hovered it to the empty space to emphasize the girl’s height.

“Any longer and you might just out-tall me—if that’s even a word!” Greez came in waddling into the scene. He had all four of his arms open for Cassidy and she gladly threw herself into them.

“I grew three inches this month!” she bragged, then proceeded to tease him by tussling the non-existent hair on his head to further establish her taking the lead in this height race she has with the Lateron.

The captain grumbled, uncertain to the crew whether he was joking around or is genuinely frustrated that the once-tiny Kestis kid is getting taller and taller each month. You and Cal eventually caught up with the crew, greeting each other with embraces and claps on the shoulders or backs.

“She’s quite excited,” Cere’s eyes rolled to the side, referring to Cassidy who was now busy checking out the terrarium.

“Yeah, let’s hope the entire ordeal doesn’t deter her,”

“She’ll be fine, [y/n],”

Revisiting the engine room and then spotting the lone white cot on the side brought back a lot of memories, it’s as though a long time has passed since you and Cal slept here. It had become an extra room since the three of you have made a home by the forest in Zera III.

You approached the now-empty workbench, you weren’t used to seeing it bare, having only the non-slip mat left—it was eventually returned to its former, cluttered glory when Cal settled the toolboxes specifically for this trip.

“Everything she’ll ever need is right here,”

“Where is she?”

“With Greez at the cockpit,”

“Oh no, is she pestering him to teach her how to drive?” the idea seemed rich, you’re already imagining the Lateron dealing with the redheaded handful that is your daughter.

Cal’s mockingly pensive look and a quick glance to the direction of the door meant “yes.” The two of you laughed among yourselves, Greez’s shouts from the cockpit amplified the comedy that was playing out in your heads. When the laughter died down, you surveyed the quarters.

“Is it just me or did this room just got narrower?”

“Feels pretty much the same to me,”

“Yeah, brings back memories,”

Cal leaned closer to you, his warm breath blew on your shoulder and the hairs on your nape pricked up.

“Oh yeah, which ones?” he purred suggestively.

“Very funny,”

He teased you some more, brushing away the hair over your shoulders to expose your neck for his lips to brush against.

“Cal, not while she’s here,”

“We can always lock the door—say it suddenly jammed,” he nibbled your earlobe as his hand searched for yours to intertwine with.

He continued to suckle your neck, a weak yelp escaped your throat—his eyebrows flicked up upon hearing it, his lips curled in satisfaction as he continued prod the tip of his tongue to the crook of your shoulder. Your arm began to move by itself, reaching for the railing as support—you knew what your body was trying to make you do, with your only weapon being your willpower, your hand gripped the edge of the table instead.

“Well? How about it, love?” he sniggered.

You didn’t know why it pained you to pull yourself away, just when your body was beginning to heat up. You twirled to face him, looked him in the eye and gathered the guts to tell it to his face.

“Might I remind you that we have our daughter on board,” you steeled your voice, when you saw the puppy eyes being deployed, you bit your lip and fiddled with the buckle of Cal’s armor. “But later—when she’s sound asleep.”

A glint in Cal’s eye shone brighter than the white dwarf star found in Zera III’s sky. Amused, you stood on the tips of your toes to plant a tender kiss on his lips. You playfully clapped his chest with both of your hands before walking out of the quarters.

You switched on the holotable and typed the coordinates of Ilum. The message reflected on Greez’s computer and he charted the Mantis to its course.

“Now en route to Ilum!” the Lateron captain announced.

The family lounged in the holotable couch, Cassidy knelt behind Merrin in an attempt to braid her platinum hair which has grown dramatically over time—the length had already reached the center of her spine—and bantered with her father.

“Hey Dad, did you and Mom go to the Gathering together when you were younger?” Cassidy finally secured the twisted braid with a pin fastened to the back of Merrin’s head.

You and Cal exchanged glances, something warranted your eyes to meet. Then Cal quickly turned back to his daughter who now sat beside him on the sofa.

“No, we didn’t, unfortunately,”

“Would’ve been great if you did!”

“Yeah,” Cal trailed off, then returned his glance to you, a rather shy smile traced along his lips. “It would.”

The Mantis’s speed had slowed down, indicating your arrival in the planet’s orbit. Cassidy rushed to the cockpit. In her excitement, she stood between the seats, leaning closer and closer until she gets a better view of the ice-white planet that filled the roundness of her black pupils.

“Whoa, kid! Settle down, we’ll get closer in a few seconds!” Greez grumbled, both amused and overwhelmed by the kid’s wild hybrid of enthusiasm and excitement—honestly, he couldn’t tell which of the two anymore.

“Cassidy, you’ll hit your head once we get atmospheric turbulence,” Cal softly scolded as he assisted in flying the ship.

Cal cautioned her to buckle up and she ran to the nearest seat she could find—the chair opposite of Cere’s. The Mantis quaked as it cut through the thick clouds and heavy sheen of the snowstorm. Greez knew exactly where to the land—in the same spot behind a rock wall against the direction of the wind.

The child hopped out of her seat and sprinted towards the quarters where she had stashed her backpack. She moved with such brisk in the same fashion that one would be in when the phrase “This is not a drill” rings in an alarm. She slipped into the beige poncho with dark grey sleeves which she inherited from Cal. Despite the height she prided herself with, the poncho’s length fell to her shins—had she been shorter, it would have been a robe!

It didn’t bother her though, for she knew that it would keep her extra warm. She popped out of the quarters, the flap of the poncho billowing as she waddled about excitedly.

“Where’s Mom?”

“She’s already in the Temple,” Cal took her hand and the blizzard’s air wafted into the ship, sending literal chills down everybody’s spine.

“Cassidy,” the child glanced over her shoulder to the call of her name. “May the Force be with you.”

She repaid the greeting with a smile and then headed out of the ship. The coldest wind to have ever existed blew onto her already-numbing face, specks of ice pricked her freckled cheeks, and snowflakes have already adorned the twists of her braids as they billowed in the harsh winter gale.

“This blizzard is just the beginning, Cassidy! But don’t let it discourage you,” her father lectured as they stamped through ankle-deep snow—in Cassidy’s case, it’s calf-deep.

Her arm shielded her eyes as she felt the hand of her father on the small of her back, guiding her through the trek towards the entrance of the temple. A great mound of snow, perhaps meters thick, divided Cassidy and her kyber crystal.

“There’s no way we’re getting through this path,” Cal hinted, indirectly urging her to think for herself.

Admittedly, she didn’t anticipate that she’d be challenged head-on this soon. This didn’t discourage the Padawan, she unstrapped her backpack and fished out her own pair of climbing claws—she punched the wall, driving the metal nails into the rock face caked with ice and snow, and started scaling upward.

“Attagirl,” Cal muttered under his breath.

He watched his daughter scale the ice wall, Cassidy had become more acrobatic and lithe with her movements—something that she has utilized greatly to her advantage as she grew up with her training.

The beads of sweat freeze over her pores the second they come out, the closer she got to the top of the ice wall, the heavier her body felt.

“No…! Not now, not when I’m so close!!” she growled through clenched teeth, tugging her one arm out of the wall and then burying the claws again a few inches above her head to hoist herself up.

Come on, Cassidy! Pull up!

She coaxed herself mentally, a stripe of frosted sweat dripped along her temples until she finally reeled herself upward, scuttling through the snow to bring her body to the flat surface. She spotted a pair of boots planted on the soil, when she shot her head up, it was Cal; apparently, she was too caught up in reaching the top of the wall that she didn’t realize her father had beaten her to it. But it wasn’t a race, this was a trial—a trial that she had to face alone.

“Good job,” the emotion in Cal’s voice had unusually become stricter, almost sounding like Jaro Tapal. “We’ll be expecting you inside.”

Without awaiting a reply from her, he disappeared into the opening of the wall—Cassidy followed him into that opening and found an empty room. Another spherical entryway was found in the opposite side of the chamber; easily enough, she figured out the pulley mechanism to trigger the lens to open up, pooling the wall with golden light.

Cassidy followed the path that led to the platform overlooking the main foyer of the temple. She finds both of her parents by the ledge—her mother sitting erect yet relaxed while the father stood tall and proud, their backs turned against another lens.

As the daughter approached, her eyes widened at the sight of the largest crystal she’s ever seen—suspended from the ceiling, at the center of it all, white fog swirled in front of her as she exhaled her gasp.

“Impressive, and to think the main path had been blocked,” you began without prompt, drawing the attention of the girl to you. “But in this temple, you’ll find trials more challenging than the last. Finding one’s kyber is easier said than done. This whole place will test your mettle. Not only will the Force guide you to your crystal, but it will try you—constantly. Your training and skills are your only tools through this obstacle. We will keep a close eye on you, but everything you have to do—you do it alone. You do understand this, don’t you, Cassidy?”

“Yes,” she stiffened her demeanor and steeled her voice. “Yes, Master.”

“Good. May the Force be with you, my child.”

You channeled the Force towards the pulley mechanism, the latch tore off from the port and the metal cover rumbled to reveal a beam of the same warm, golden light. Cal aligned the giant crystal to the light, reflecting and extending the ray of light to the archway that has been frozen solid by another wall of ice. The ice transfigured into water at the mercy of the warm light and then turned to mist the instant it crashed against the snow.

That was Cassidy’s cue. Her Gathering had begun.

Marching through that archway felt like going through a portal to another dimension. Stagnant, cold air wafting through her freckled cheeks was her greeting, and the chill of the cave was her host. The spaciousness of the cavern took her breath away, freezing her lungs as she inhaled and relished in the unforgiving beauty and mystery of Ilum’s ice caves.

Surveying the vastness that stretched in front of her, no sign of her would-be crystal yet. Her eagerness has betrayed her.

“Come on, Cassy, keep moving,” she coaxed herself.

Cassidy aimed the center of the caverns with her eyes, then carved a path on her own towards the inner conclave—with her objective in mind—and disturbed the snow with the soles of her boots. There was an invisible line that she followed—she believed that it was the Force guiding her; but while she’s grateful of the guidance, the anticipation of a challenge, of a test, dangled in the back of her mind.

A rather narrow stone bridge appeared before her. It was fragile—almost too fragile, in fact, that the slightest blow of wind made the rock crack and dust off tiny debris and snow. But on the other side of the beam was much more stable ground, she didn’t think that the sight of such would be so attractive.

“Only one way to find out,”

She puts one foot in front of the other, her pads of her toes touch the first inch, she cautiously brings the other foot next without putting too much of her weight; in a feathery grace, she stretches both her arms for balance as she treaded through the balance beam.

The sound of the bridge giving way was trying to discourage her, but with every light step she takes, she brushes away the thought. Not long enough, she’s made it to the end. Cassidy exhaled sharply upon her realization, but the stone was already crumbling beneath her feet, and so she sprang away a split-second before half of it collapsed, falling into the foggy abyss.

“Did you hear that?” you snapped from your meditation—a way of tracking where Cassidy probably is at the moment.

“She’s fine. I can feel her footsteps from here,”

“I know. But this could possibly be the first challenge she’s faced so far,”

At her arrival of the empty conclave, the statues—caked with snow and whose details have been eroded over time—welcomed her with their hands clasped together. Fascinated, she takes a step closer, examining their details and textures, looking past the snow that obscured their features. This conclave was also the center of a crossroads; each path seduced her with the same end goal, but what they don’t show her is what lies between the crystal and her.

Like any other youngling with the thrill of harvesting their kyber, she wasn’t thorough with her thought process. She’s unconsciously imposed a challenge upon herself when she began going in and out of each pathway. The longer she finds herself losing her bearings, her anxiety, frustration, and impatience combined became louder. The snow and the cold air delivered these emotions to you and Cal Kestis.

“Do you sense it, [y/n]?”

“Yes, so many,” you replied as-a-matter-of-factly. As tempting it might be, you restrained yourself from connecting with Cassidy through the Force.

Let her learn. Let her do this alone. You chanted to yourself, training yourself do what’s on your mind.

It felt like the air had formed ice inside Cassidy’s lungs by now, after running around in circles for a good chunk of time. Vexed, she kicked a wad of snow against the tip of her boots; her little tantrum had allowed her to blow off some steam and thought of her Plan B.

Feel, don’t think. Cassidy recalls the words of her mother.

Keeping herself grounded, she closed her eyes, and concentrated—just as you taught her. Through her mind, she entered each one and saw what they have laid—dangling the prize in front of her like bait to a fish—using her instincts, she assessed them one by one. The moment her eyes shot up, she knew exactly where to go.

Inside the tunnel, it was dim but at the corner of her eye, a mischievous twinkle played with her vision but she never doubted it. She knew what it was. Cassidy followed the gold spark until it revealed itself—hanging by the point of a stalactite like a droplet waiting to fall. A meters-wide gap separated her from the natural enclave where the crystal awaited her.

“That’s it. I know it!” she gasped.

Cassidy didn’t waste any time in heading towards the crystal that calls her. It was the only thing that filled her clear, dark irises. She proceeded to traverse the hostile terrain. Sprinting to her left side, the rock pillars became her stepping stones, bringing her ever closer to her objective. The ridge wall at the end of the path connected her to the enclave.

Due to her over-excitement, a jump done too soon nearly cost her life. Her own climbing claws had her literally hanging on for dear life. Her startled cry ricocheted between the icicles, the echo caused the icy chimes to jangle in a tone-deaf song, the wave of anxiety that sourced from the young Kestis girl alerted her parents.

“She’s found it,” Cal declared.

You could only imagine how Cassidy is holding up right now. That cry that the walls of the cave relayed a different message, but one thing is clear: she’s in the middle of a struggle right now, and she only has herself to depend on.

“Come on…” you mouthed, barely a noise parting from your lips.

Cassidy scaled the porous ice wall, digging the claws deeper through the layer of snow until she could hit something solid. Her arm hooked on the ledge, pulled herself up and squirmed farther away until she’s gotten her body on the ground. Her head angled up, the crystal glimmered so brightly like starlight that she had to blink away for a moment, and then returned her gaze to it afterwards.

Her legs dragged on, summoning herself towards the crystal. When she got close enough, the crystal nestled between her fingers and she gave it a good, quick tug. She let the yellow shard roll on the whole of her palm, her heart leapt and she felt the air in her lungs warm up. She exhaled until her breathing transitioned into a triumphant laugh.

“I got it…!” she annunciated.

The second half of the challenge was finding her way back. Seeing that some portions of the path that led her here were only a one-time use; she retraced her steps—except the stone bridge that gave way, she had to think of another way. Fortunately, she was able to improvise another bridge by Force-pushing a boulder on her left side—landing it into a clean incline for her to slide down on.

From there, things were now easy for Cassidy. She hiked the snow-caked path and found the archway from whence she came. The sight of the giant crystal in the foyer washed relief over the young one, she kept her head high in search of her parents. They appeared before her, proud smiles riddled their faces to welcome her back.

“Well done, Cassidy,” you beamed.

“You have found your kyber crystal, despite the challenges that the Force bestowed in your path. Now, it’s time for you to construct your saber.”

Her parents regrouped with her on the ground level, she followed them to the entry blocked by the mound of snow. You and Cal glanced over your shoulders, fixating your eyes on your daughter.

“Together?” Cal invited.

The child beamed, she tucked her knees and extended her arms—mimicking the posture of her parents—and mustered all the Force she could gather in her being to blast away the mound of snow that barred their exit.

The storm had subsided when they got back out in the open. The family returned to the ship, and they were greeted back by the crew members, Cassidy was especially excited to show off the tiny yellow shard that rested between her fingers. Cal beckoned her to the workbench in his old quarters and showed her the toolboxes filled with components.

“There’s so many to choose from! How will I know which one is the right one for me?”

“You meditate on it as you build, trust your feelings. The Force will help you,” he directed. “It will guide you to what is best for you.”

“Okay… I’ll try, Dad,”

“There’s a good girl,” he kissed her forehead. “I shall leave you to it now. May the Force be with you, Cassidy.”

First, she dug through the container of components. For each and every part she examined, she selected the ones that might have struck something in her, much like a magnetic force that attracted her to it. When it was apparent that she’s finished choosing the parts—from the sleeve down to the emitter—she laid them out in a neat, straight line one by one, with the kyber crystal at the center of it all.

She took a deep breath, relaxed her entire body and began reaching out to the Force for assistance. Even with her vision shrouded, the components moved to her whim—they fittingly connect with one another. Her crystal nestled underneath her switch, the sleeve and pommel latched together. When the final click came from the emitter, she opened her eyes and found the finished product lying in front of her.

Shaky hands cradled the completed hilt, her thumb trailed towards the switch—she hesitated for a second before pressing it—the yellow beam that hissed out of the emitter startled her, but she quickly smiled it off and stared at the golden glow of her very own lightsaber. Finally giving it a feel, she waved it carefully in the narrow space, it hummed to the motion of its owner and she fancied a single basic spin with it.

Her heart jumped with joy, butterflies fluttered all over her stomach, and she celebrated this victory within herself. She couldn’t keep her eyes off of the bright golden beam.

“I did it… I DID IT!!” she squealed from the room, not knowing that her entire family overheard her little celebration.

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freddiesaysalright · 5 years

Text

Beautiful Mess Part 11

A Brian May x Reader Fic

Summary: Reader works in a bookshop. She meets Brian May and they have an instant connection. It seems to be a fairy tale romance. But, things are seldom what they seem.

Word Count: 3.5K

Tag List: @psychosupernatural, @someone-get-a-medic, @bensrhapsody, @deakyclicks, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession, @minigranger, @crazyweirdocalledfriday, @mrs-jack-murphy, @not-john-watsons-blog, @simmisblog, @mirkwoodshewolf, @assembledherethevolunteers, @thosequeenboys, @lv7867, @maymacca, @rethought, @brianslittlepet, @jinxy93, @stephydearestxo, @mrcleanisthicc, @7-seas-of-fat-bottomed-girls, @readinghorn, @lookuptotheskiesandsee, @reedusteinrambles, @borhapqueen92, @1204-moonchild, @bohemiansweede Let me know if you’d like to be tagged for the epilogue!

A/N: The last chapter! There will be an epilogue though, so it’s not quite over yet! I love epilogues...I’m just trash like that

Warning(s): Some steamy stuff in there, but nothing explicit.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

Part 11 here we go!!!

The only thing keeping your spirits up was the prospect of reuniting with Brian. The months apart had been difficult. Watching Richard deteriorate was nearly unbearable. You were almost relieved when he actually passed because his quality of life at the end was nonexistent.

“Ma’am, what can I get you to drink?” asked the stewardess as she leaned over your seat, pulling you out of your thoughts before that memory could pain you.

“Red wine, please,” you told her.

She nodded before moving on to the person behind you.

You looked out the little round window of the plane. Rain pattered against the surface, soft and light. No real trouble for your journey.

You were flying out of London to New York. Then from New York to Boston. That’s where you would meet Brian and the band on their tour. You decided to head out the day after Richard’s funeral. You needed to get away from everything for a while. The shop, the Kimballs, everything that reminded you of what you’d lost.

As a raindrop slid down the window, you thought of the irony that the day of Richard’s funeral was a rare, sunny day in London. It also made a comment from Charlie hit extra hard.

You watched Richard’s parents as they buried their son. The sunlight gleamed off his casket as the clergyman spoke. You couldn’t hear the words. You had all your love for Richard stored in your heart, and you didn’t need a spiritual meaning to it. Your eyes were fixed on Charlie and Susan.

Susan wept quietly into her handkerchief, dabbing at her eyes every few minutes. Charlie, however, seemed absolutely stoic. His face was expressionless, his eyes trained on the priest. His grief was apparently beyond tears.

You cried on and off throughout. You had cried with Richard and for Richard as his days dwindled, and you did it mostly alone. He asked his parents not to come to Switzerland, so they wouldn’t see him so weak.

As the service wore on, you sniffled. In his first moment of action, Charlie took your hand. But he still looked firmly forward, even when he gently squeezed your fingers. You blinked and a tear rolled down your cheek.

When they were lowering Richard into the ground, Susan began to sob quietly. As they covered him, she clung to you and her husband, and you supported her, fearing she might collapse. You tried to whisper some comforting words to her, but you were certain she never heard them. Finally, Charlie just wrapped her up in his arms and held her to his chest.

With one final blessing, it was all over. Susan couldn’t stand to be there, so she laid a gentle hand on Richard’s headstone before following the crowd out of the cemetery. You remained behind, looking at Charlie, who still had a stony look on his face.

“Papa?” you said. “Are you ready to go?”

He turned his back to you, facing the headstone. With a trembling hand, he touched it, running his fingers over the engraved words, particularly the years of Richard’s life.

“Papa?”

“It’s going to rain,” he said, looking resolutely up at the cloudless sky. “It’s going to rain.”

His voice rang in your ears as you sat on the plane now. Was Charlie at last letting his grief out? So much so that even the sky wept with him? You hoped so. Only the sky could convey the actual depth of that kind of loss. And he needed to let himself feel it.

You took a deep drink of you wine to swallow the lump in your throat.

The plane began to roll down the runway. It picked up speed right along with your heart. At last, you were escaping this sadness and flying to the person who made your heart happiest. Brian.

It was in the wee small hours of the morning when you finally arrived in Boston. The band had sent a car for you, and you thanked the driver as he put your luggage in the trunk and helped you into your seat.

You had never been to Boston before. You had visited the US years ago, but only New York City and Washington, DC. Those were extremely fun trips you and Richard had taken shortly after the announcement of your engagement. You were thankful the band had already been to those cities, and you would not have to face those memories.

Boston was beautiful. It was historical and unique. And much cleaner than you remembered New York being. The hotel was an upscale one in the heart of the city. You pulled up, and outside, you spotted Roger. He was smoking a cigarette and leaning over a girl who was pressed up against the wall. You heard her giggling as you emerged from the back of the car. When the door closed, he turned around and looked at you.

“Oh, evening, Y/N,” he said sloppily.

“More like good morning,” you returned with an amused smirk.

“What time is it?” he wondered.

“It’s four,” you said.

He faced the woman again. “Well, then. Time to get to bed, eh, love?”

“Thought you’d never ask,” she replied with a wide smile.

He flicked his cigarette away and started to lead her in.

“Wait, Roger!” you cried. “Could you tell me which room Brian’s in?”

“Six fifteen, I believe,” he said, wrinkling his brow as the thought. “Yeah, that’s it, ‘cause I’m next door and I’m in six seventeen.”

“Thanks, Rog,” you said.

He offered a mock salute.

“Good to see you, Y/N.”

With that, he disappeared inside. The driver finished unloading your bags and closed the trunk of the car.

“Anything else, ma’am?” he asked.

“No, thank you,” you replied, and handed him a tip.

A bellhop from the hotel came out and took your trolley of bags, following you into the elevator, and then down the hall to Brian’s room. You felt a bit nervous as you approached. You wondered if he’d been missing you or if he was having too much fun to think much of you. You realized it was absurd to think that way because of course Brian missed you. You shook your head.

The door was just barely cracked open and you smiled. He was waiting for you. You lifted your bags off the trolley, tipped the bellhop, and then pushed the door open.

The room was incredibly quiet, and you wondered if Brian was even there. Then, as you came further inside, you saw him. He was lying on the bed, fast asleep. The copy of Emma you’d loaned him was on his chest, his fingers just brushing the spine. You almost laughed. He must have fallen asleep reading.

You set your bags down and took a moment to just look at Brian. You had missed him so much these last few months that it seemed unreal to be in the same room as him now. You wanted to wake him and greet him properly, but he looked so at peace in his sleep. His mind was usually so active, you felt the only time he really got rest was when he slept. But you also knew that if you were in his position, you would want him to wake you.

So, you approached the bed. Kicking your shoes off, you crawled carefully over to him. He stirred, his head turning toward you and you smiled. You slowly put one leg over both of his so you could hover above him. Then you inched the book away from his hand and put it on the nightstand. In classic Brian fashion, the shirt underneath the book was mostly unbuttoned, leaving his chest exposed.

You pressed your lips to his warm skin, trailing from his collarbone all the way down to where the buttons were done, which was nearly to his belly button. He moaned softly beneath you and shifted.

“Y/N…”

You kissed his chest again.

“Yeah, baby?” you questioned.

Suddenly, he sucked in a sharp breath and his eyes snapped open. He stared, wide-eyed, at you for what felt like several long minutes. You just smiled at him.

Without warning, he grinned, grabbed you by the shoulders, and flipped you onto your back as he rolled on top of you. He showered you with kisses as you shrieked with laughter. It hit you how foreign it sounded. You couldn’t even remember the last time you laughed. But it felt natural with Brian, especially since he was kissing you everywhere his lips could reach.

“Brian!” you cried with a giggle. “My goodness, baby!”

“I - missed - you - so - fucking - much!” he said between kisses.

“I missed you too!” you returned happily.

He slowed down, placing a tender kiss to your lips. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him closer. He relaxed against you, his hips settling between your legs as your lips moved together in harmony. You moaned into his mouth before he pulled away.

“Fuck, I missed you so much,” he panted.

“I missed you too,” you assured him again.

You put your hands on either side of his face, stroking his cheeks with your thumbs. He was so warm and comfortable. So beautiful to look at. He turned his face to press his lips into your palm before looking down at you again.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Perfect now that I’m with you,” you breathed back.

He half smiled, but looked hard at you.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for the funeral,” he said.

“Don’t be,” you returned. “It was fine.”

He moved your hair off your forehead and your eyes fluttered closed to his touch. It was like coming home to be in his arms and touching him again. Just to feel him. Really there. His scent and the sound of his voice was like an old familiar tune. A song you knew by heart. You opened your eyes to see him again.

“What do you need from me, dove?” he asked.

You smiled. It was a question you appreciated.

“D’you want to talk about everything?” he continued. “Or do you want to be distracted?”

“Distracted, please,” you said. “I don’t want to think about anything but you.”

He chuckled as he pecked your lips. “I can think of a few ways to make that happen.”

His tone sent a thrilling shiver down your spine.

“Well, by all means, get started,” you teased.

You hurriedly stripped each other of your clothing. Rushed, desperate kisses were placed across each other’s skin as the need to feel as close as possible took over. Your lovemaking was hasty and quick, chasing that release together after so much time apart. Brian was even a little rough with his thrusts, so you were seeing stars by the end of it. The absolute passion of being together again was overwhelming. You did forget everything except for Brian as he took you.

As you both came down from your highs, sweating and breathing heavily, he rolled off of you, but still pulled you under his arm. You rested your head on his chest. His heartbeat was quick and loud.

“I love you,” you sighed.

You felt him kiss the top of your head.

“I love you too,” he replied.

As you lay in the afterglow, weariness began to creep up on you. Your eyelids felt heavy and drooped closed.

“Brian,” you said.

“Yes, dove?”

“Hold me.”

“I am holding you,” he chuckled.

“Tighter,” you insisted.

He squeezed his arm around you gently. You snuggled as close to him as possible. There, in your spot over his heart, you slept more soundly than you had in months.

Brian remained awake. He watched you as you slept, and he saw the effects of the past weeks etched onto your face. It was like you hadn’t slept at all since he left you in the airport that day, and were finally catching up on it now. While you were still incredibly beautiful to him, the bags under your eyes and lines on your face told him what you didn’t say.

What you had been through was unimaginable to him. How long you were a nurse for Richard. What he must have looked like at the end. What his last words must have sounded like.

You told Brian over the phone that Richard passed away while you sat with him. You’d been holding his hand and felt it go limp. You heard his last breath leave his body. Brian shuddered at the thought. The pain it must have caused you. Brian would never forget the way you sounded when you called him. It was worse than a wounded animal.

He was relieved when you said you wanted distraction. As much as he loved being there for you, he wasn’t sure how much more tears he could take. It broke his heart to see you cry, so to see you now at peace was something he would hold onto. He was sure more tears would come. But for now, you could be happy. If not happy, at least content.

He dragged his fingers up and down your arm. He felt your body further relax into him as he did. That made him smile.

“Rest, dove,” he whispered into your hair. “Just rest now.”

Before too much longer, he drifted off behind you.

You and Brian stirred awake at the same time a few hours later. You smiled lazily up at him. Being with him made it feel like more than your body was rested. Your soul was rested too.

“How’d you sleep?” he asked.

“Amazing,” you replied, leaning up to peck him on the lips.

“Good,” he said. “I’ll have breakfast ordered to the room. Is that alright?”

“That’s perfect,” you said.

He started to roll over and reach for the phone, but you stopped him.

“Wait!”

“What is it?” he wondered, shooting you a puzzled look.

“Kiss me again,” you requested.

He happily obliged. You felt like you were being a bit annoying, asking to be held extra tight and then for another kiss, but you needed him. He grinned so widely, you were assured that he didn’t mind.

As he ordered the food, you leaned back against the pillows. You looked out the window and saw the bright blue sky and suddenly felt a bit of a lump in your throat.

“Alright,” Brian said. “Should be up in about ten minutes.”

You continued to look out the window.

“It’s going to rain, I think,” you said.

Brian followed your gaze. He didn’t argue that the sun was shining. It was like he read your mind. No. More like he read your heart.

“Well, it’ll help the flowers grow,” he replied.

You smiled at that.

Breakfast came and you enjoyed it together. You had real time to catch up now, and it was nice to feel sort of normal again. He told you he’d gotten you a backstage pass for the remainder of the shows, which excited you. Seeing Queen live was such an experience and you wanted to live it over and over again.

“So, how’d Cat take the parting?” Brian asked as he sipped his coffee.

“Honestly, he was more cross with me for leaving Switzerland,” you said. “He loved it there. But, I think he’ll be happy with grandma and grandpa for a while.”

He chuckled. “I’m assuming that’s Charlie and Susan?”

You nodded.

“Is that what our children will call them too?” he wondered.

You stopped, mid-bite into your bacon, and looked at him.

“Our children?” you repeated.

“Yeah, when we have them,” he said with a shrug.

You smirked. “When were you thinking of having children?”

“What, you don’t want them?” he asked.

“No, I do - especially your children - I just didn’t realize you thought about things like that,” you admitted.

“Of course I do,” he replied as if it were obvious. “I think about our future together a lot.”

Your smile widened.

“To answer your question,” you said. “Yes. Mama and Papa will be grandma and grandpa to our children.”

He kissed your cheek.

“I think that’s wonderful.”

After breakfast, you made love again, and then showered together before joining the band for the day. You went with them to the venue, which was massive, and Brian explained how the whole lighting rig worked and the behind the scenes aspect of the show. You were thoroughly impressed.

The whole tour was impressive. Travelling with the band was thrilling. The best part was spending every night with Brian and growing in your relationship even more. He was attentive to you throughout. Your grief for Richard came up at odd times. It was like a window you tried to keep closed, but every once in a while, it sprung open, letting in the wind and the rain. In those moments, Brian just held you close and let you feel it. As time wore on, the window was easier to close.

Brian had unknowingly restored your hope. When Richard died, you felt like everything was pointless. But when Brian talked about your children, or getting married, or mentioned anything about how your lives might look going forward, you felt purposeful again. Life was still to be lived, and you had an excellent one in store with Brian at your side.

When you returned to England after the tour, you and Brian decided to live together. He moved into your flat with you, and you found that having him there made it feel more like a home than just a place to live. You had Cat there as well, and you both agreed he truly ran the household. You marveled at how much this little cat affected your life. You owed him a lot.

Your sorrow for Richard began to ease, especially once you started helping Charlie out more. Your primary job was still at the bookshop, but you filled up a lot of the space that Richard left. It oddly made you feel closer to him. Once your life found its rhythm again, the pain subsided, and you let yourself feel the joys you experienced.

A year and a half after Richard died, you and Brian were lying together in bed. He was preparing to go on tour yet again. This time, you would not be joining him. You had nothing you wanted to be away from now. As fun as your last trip was, it was too long to leave the shop again.

“I’m going to miss you,” you told him, running a hand through his curls.

“I’m gonna miss you too,” he returned.

“You’ll be the one having all the fun,” you teased. “Seeing all the cities and going to all the parties…”

“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” he protested. “Parties are sort of awkward without you.”

“Because women come on to you?”

His face flushed and he looked away.

You laughed. “Brian, I trust you,” you said. “Although, I can hardly blame them.”

The red on his cheeks deepened and you giggled. You traced his nose with your finger, trailing over his cheekbones as well.

“You are good looking,” you said. You regularly felt the need to remind him of this.

“Thank you,” he replied.

“If only there was a way to tell those women I’ve snatched you up already,” you sighed, a light tone in your voice.

“We could get married,” he blurted out.

Your heart skipped a beat and your hand went to his chest. You stared at him and he met your gaze, looking hopeful.

“Before I go,” he continued. “We could get married.”

“Brian, are you...are you proposing?” you asked breathlessly.

“I - yes, I am,” he said.

He sat up. You followed suit, a smile spreading across your lips.

“Think about it,” he said. “We already live together and that’s great. We’ve been together for nearly two years. We’ve been through so much and we know we can -”

You cut him off by grabbing his face and pulling him in for a deep kiss. He wrapped his arms around you and held you against him.

“You don’t have to pitch me,” you assured him. “Nothing would make me happier than being your wife.”

He grinned and kissed you again. You smiled into his lips. It was freeing to have this choice. He wasn’t forced on you. You wanted to marry him. You had found absolute love and you wanted to declare it to the world. Brian once told you that he was yours. Well, you were his too. By your own free will, with your whole heart, you were his.

“I don’t have a ring or anything,” he sputtered when you broke apart.

“It doesn’t matter,” you said, shaking your head. “We’ll pick out wedding bands and go to the courthouse this week. I just want you, baby.”

His eyes searched yours for any doubt. Any hesitation that might linger. He found none.

“I love you,” he said.

Tears stung your eyes. This time, happy ones.

“I love you too, Brian,” you replied. “I’ll love you forever.”

“Yes,” he laughed. “Forever.”

And you did.

#Brian May #brian may x reader #brian may imagine #brian may x you #Queen #queen imagine #queen fanfic #queen x reader #queen x you #bohemian rhapsody #BoRhap #borhap imagine #bohemian rhapsody imagine #gwilym lee #gwilym lee x reader #gwilym lee imagine #gwilym lee x you #beautiful mess series

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barpurplewrites · 7 years

Text

Helpmate - Chapter 4

Previous chapters HERE

Tadita’s return was heralded with the sounds of hunting horns and much cheering. The leader of the Amazons formally welcomed her guests and announced a feast of celebration for the successful hunt and their guests. There would be no chance of making a deal until the feast was done so Belle and Rumple retired to their tent as the village became a bustle of preparations. Once in the cool shade of the tent Rumple looked over Belle’s face and arms and frowned.

“You’ve caught the sun, Wife.”

It felt natural now to call her Wife, so much so that he was beginning to forget that the band of gold on his finger was only for show.

Belle laughed; “An easy thing to do on this island. Am I horribly red, Husband?”

He shook his head and conjured a pot of soothing balm. Belle looked at it and bit her lip. He realised the problem, she would need a mirror in order to apply it herself, but he had warned her many times the danger of looking glasses. Her hand touched his arm and she gently asked; “Would you, please?”

He nodded and tried to push away the nervous feeling squirming in his guts as Belle hand slid slowly from his arm. A vivid memory of his fumbling attempts to perform a little task like this for Milah rose in his mind. She’d sworn at him for getting balm in her eye and generally doing a poor job. He had to do this well, or Belle would be uncomfortable and unhappy. He steeled himself, he was no longer a trembling spinner, and Belle was not Milah.

He knelt in front of her and popped the lid off the pot with his thumbnail; Belle caught it and held it in her hands as she tilted her chin to offer him her face. He clucked his tongue as he assessed the red patches over her cheeks, forehead and on the tip of her nose.

“I should have conjured a parasol for you.”

“I imagine our hosts would have seen that as a weakness. Oooh that feels good.”

He told himself that her little sighs had nothing to do with him, it was just the balm bringing her sun singed skin relief, but for a moment he allowed himself to imagine that it was his touch that was making her so happy. A smile tugged at his lips, this was nice. Too nice for a monster to be enjoying, his hand faltered and fell to his sides.

“All done, Wife.”

Belle opened her eyes and found Rumple still very close to her. The air was thick between them as she whispered; “Thank you, Rumple.”

For a split second she thought he was going to kiss her, but he rose sharply to his feet and turned away. The twitchiness was back in him as he began striding back and forth across the tent.

“I, erm, need to warn you about Amazon feasts.”

Belle grinned; “Are they as wild as the books in the library make them out to be?”

Rumple twisted on the ball of his foot and gapped at her. Her grin grew at the look of shock on his face. He rolled his eyes, but his smile was proud; “You read every book on this place you could find, didn’t you? Even the salacious ones. What would your father think of you?”

She shrugged; “Probably the same as everyone else, that you are perverting my mind by encouraging my education.”

He clutched his chest in mock shock as merriment twinkled in his eyes, “What an evil Beast I am to encourage a lady to use her brain.”

She pouted at him as she did every time he called himself a Beast. He acknowledged her disapproval of the term with a slight bow of his head and then cleared his throat.

“The books might have exaggerated a tad, but this will not be like a royal ball. You’re going to see things that no lady of your up-bringing will ever have been exposed to.”

“Then it’s a good thing I will have you there to look after me, isn’t it, Husband?”

Rumple grinned and bowed with a flourish, he was certain that there was something else he should have warned her about, but he couldn’t recall it at the moment. Oh well, it couldn’t have been that important.

The alcohol! That was what he had meant to warn Belle about before the feast started. Amazon mead was more potent than its Enchanted Forest counterpart, although you couldn’t tell that from the sweet taste. Now as he helped her stumble back into the tent Rumple tried to work out just how much she had imbibed, he’d only refiled their cups three times, so how was she this tipsy?

“You are a light-weight.”

Belle sniffed and rolled her shoulders, all appearance of inebriation vanished from her.

“No, I’m not. I only drank one cup, I kept switching cups with you.”

Rumple’s jaw dropped. That would explain when he was feeling a bit muzzy. He knew his limit and had kept to it, or so he thought. Belle was unpinning her hair, the locks falling over her shoulders. Without thinking he picked up a brush and moved behind her to attend to her hair. The soothing movement of the brush through her tresses distracted him for a few moments before he thought to ask; “Why would you want to appear so drunk?”

Belle looked at him over her shoulder; a sly smile appeared on her face.

“Hum, oh it’s a trick I learned from my father. Tadita agreed to begin negotiations for our deal in the morning. I want her to think that I am hungover so she’ll assume she has the upper hand.”

He giggled, not one of his unsettling twittering giggles, but an honest sound of glee. Belle gasped in surprise as he swept her into his arms and spun her around.

“Oh you delightfully devious woman!”

She joined him in giggling until he set her back on her feet. He stayed close to her his hands resting easily on her waist. Belle smothered a yawn and Rumple stepped reluctantly away.

“You need your rest, Wife.”

With a flick of his magic he changed her clothes into something more suited for bed. Belle tilted her head and hummed appreciatively, it took him a second to realise that she was looking at him not the linen nightgown he had created for her. He discovered why when he glanced down at himself, he too was dressed for bed in a tunic shirt and loose trousers.

“Oh. Sorry about that. Mead and magic don’t mix.”

“I think it works just fine.”

Belle took his hand and pulled him towards the divan. The mead must be clouding his judgement more that he had thought because he followed her without protest. They lay down, curled on their sides facing each other, a perfectly respectable distance between them breached only by their joined hands. Belle was chewing on her bottom lip; Rumple recognized the sign, no matter how tired she was she had questions she needed to ask. He waited knowing that sleep would not happen until she was satisfied.

“Was the woman they proposed as you wife last time Taidta’s second daughter?”

He tucked his arm under his head and hummed a positive response, “Kalua, how did you work that out?”

“She stares at you like you are a prize she narrowly lost. I don’t trust her.”

Rumple chuckled; “Is that jealously, my Wife?”

Belle’s fingers tightened around his and she met his eye, a steely determination in her gave; “Yes Husband it is,” she shuffled closer to him and lowered her voice, “I realise that this is a pretence between us, but I am not happy about some woman looking at you like you are a piece of meat, a trophy for her to take.”

He knew he should move away, remind her in no uncertain terms that this was a charade in order to secure a magical item and no more, instead he raised her hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles.

“You are a very strange woman, Belle, to care for the well-being of the Dark One so deeply. I trust your instincts; we will keep a wary eye on Kalua.”

Belle pulled his hand to her mouth and kissed his fingers, “Thank you, Rumple, for listening to me.”

Unbidden by either of them, their feet tangled together and for a long while Rumple thought Belle had fallen asleep, but suddenly she spoke again, slumber heavy in her voice; “I wish this was real.”

“What was real?”

“Us. I like being your wife, wish it was real.”

The intoxication of the mead fled his system as Belle sleepily snuggled into his side and drifted to sleep. Rumple gently stroked her hair and wondered if she would remember her words come the dawn. An hour later and he was sure she was deep asleep before he whispered into the dark; “I wish it was real to Belle.”

#rumbelle #fanfic #dark castle

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nessietessimalnua · 5 years

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SCORE - research notes

SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY

Marco Beltrami - PIANO TUNES WITH THE WIND - MALIBU (LOOK INTO): Sound travels through the wire faster than the air, results in a reverse echo - no effect needed (find film used for) - The gunman - columba (instrument), intrigue - following a mystery,

ROCKY

Jon Burlingham, film music historian - Leonard something or other Bill Field, organist - Wurlitzer

MAX STEINER - king kong - orchestra music in a movie?? It completely changed the movie - what was before unexciting and studied became terrifying with the addition of music

ALFRED NEWMAN - horns and woodwinds - 20th century fox logo

David Newman - a flow, like speaking: it fluctuates

John Debney

James Cameron - spot session, trying to communicate the sound they hear in their heads, etc. - most directors don't know how to convert emotions into music, so the composer has to act as a 'therapist and go through the mish-mash

BEAR MCCREARY - try to figure out what their insecurities are first,

MERVYN WARREN

MYCHAEL DANNA

HANS ZIMMER - always the blank page,

RACHEL PORTMAN - change in the direction in the scene, often a prompt for when music will come in (quote);

CHRISTOPHE BECK -

Joseph Trapanese - invent a clever way of introducing something familiar

Motif - group of notes that might highlight what a film is (close encounters)

Beethoven - took a motif/theme, spin it out : 5th symphony

Simple hooks, feels like a pop song, casting them in different lights

HOWARD SHORE: "by using motifs, it helps you to understand the relationships in the story - when you hear a certain motif, you connect it, and it actually helps you follow the story." LOTR AS AN EXAMPLE "By the time you get to the end of the film, when you play that music in its full glory, it's already familiar to the audience. We're kind of building our way up to that main course."

ALEX NORTH - a streetcar named desire (background of ballets and shows - first film score incorporating jazz in writing)

The Pink panther,

JOHN BARRY - James Bond. Came from a band - band sensibility to movies,

big band was cool, swung, felt like a guy that could do anything - no spy/secret services without a reference to James Bond, just like Morricone with spaghetti westerns

ENNIO MORRICONE - Kill you with a melody - The good the bad and the ugly: guitar into the western environment - still the sounds of westerns 50/60 years later

BERNARD HERRMANN - THEME FROM VERTIGO: mystery - little phrases that circular madness to them that worked really well - everything driving you forward in a sick, disastrous way

psycho - tricked you into thinking you saw way more of the violent acts in the scene that actually occurred

TOM HOLKENBURG -

HEITOR PEREIRA

MARK MOTHERSBURG - rugrats on a toy piano

Any instrument is valid if it improves the music

Anything can be music

hurdygurdy - instrument

DARIO MARIANELLI

PARTICK DOYLLE

TRY TO FIND THE GENERAL RHYTHM IN THE SCENE - SEVEN MONTHS PRODUCING THE SCORE, DIFFERENT TYPES OF DRUMS (MAD MAX) - DRUMS UNIQUELY RECORDED, COMBINING TRACKS, AGGRESSIVE, - " don't care what it is, if I make a track, it has to i’ve me goosebumps myself"

"Goosebumps"

PROF. SIU-LAN TAN: different aspects of music are processed by systems in the brain - multifaceted - melody pitch, tempo and rhythm, -- physiological reaction - reward center, dopamine, react to music. Film music and orchestral music is of great interest to scientists because of it's ability to emote: film music isn’t something we pay conscious attention to and yet it has such a powerful impact on us - an audience's eyes can be drawn to different parts of the screen with music that matches certain characteristics being shown on the screen - for example a rising pitch with something that's rising: UP - first time we see the balloons - important visual motif and theme - interesting to see that music can be part of the choreography of our eye movements ET - Vast expansive music with the taking off of the space ship - go from big music to small - reminding us who's going into the spaceship, it's very sad, these are farewells - this fanfare that's very triumphant, saying we're looking at it from Elliot's view point, it's not a loss, it's almost like saying "Mission accomplished" - film music, so powerful, so un-captureable to scientists

QUINCY JONES - everything you see, you here (used to be) - eyes doing the same things the ear was doing

JERRY GOLDSMITH - planet of the apes: using modern techniques, reapplied it into drama - rubber balls being bounced in bowls, metal bowls, CHINATOWN - four pianos, etc. - ballsy

RANDY NEWMAN

JOHN WILLIAMS - jazz pianist - JAWS - crazy experiment - engine, accelerate - if we didn’t have that theme, we wouldn't know what was happening - spots and places music in the movie - only wanted music to announce the arrival of the shark STAR WARS - huge impact - theme - symphonic score, rediscovered the classical orchestral film score, good and bad, beautiful themes for romance and heroes, the Darth Vader theme - so marshal and broad - "oh boy there’s something not good here"; helps discern characters SUPERMAN theme - krypton theme: mysterious, av-ante garde, way of surrounding pieces with other pieces INDIANA JONES raiders of the lost ark - spends more time on those small bits of musical grammar so they seem inevitable - plethora of parts ET - film music has changed because film has changed, what it needs to do - end of ET - wide space of just music, JURASSIC PARK -

air studios - pick a studio ‘cus it's appropriate to the sort of sound you want to make - churches - haunted, etc. DAVID ARNOLD. - CASINO ROYALE - acoustics, choice - hundreds of mics - how close/how far you wanna feel from the music.

ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS - live sound, less absorbent material on the walls - great reverb, Beatles, Return of the Jedi, lord of the rings, mission impossible - different layouts for different sounds - Rogue Nation, changing music at different cuts to fix problems/change it up

film making styles have changed, so has film music

19702 - synthesizers and punk

DANNY ELFMAN - short musical ideas that become big musical ideas - Tim Burton, batman - only one rule: there are no rules -

THOMAS NEWMAN - difficult to develop what the sound it - like Danny elf man, developed his own sound - Shaw shank Redemption. American Beauty - marimba, sets the tone of the film, sets you a little off balance, captured the way of ding uncertainty - establish a key center, things will then weave in and around that baseline - creates a texture that lives behind the orchestra, yes could write orchestral scores, but sometimes a film needs something more intimate. prevailing mood, slap it on an image and let it sit for 2 minutes - cold, emotive piano

HANS ZIMMER: unconventional rock swagger to film screen - GLADIATOR - brutality, violence where the notes are placed, intensity - woman's vocals over the orchestra - shaped cinema - took the string section and made it like a guitar - they're playing rhythm - PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - like led zepplin payed by an orchestra; DARK KNIGHT - blurred the line between giant symphonic and orchestral - constant pulse - powerful, exciting - INCEPTION - it's like a new morning, washes over you in waves, music just piles up - left with a big question.

People who aren't film composers being asked to make film scores - can bring so much authenticity to sound music - sounds are extremely contemporary - SOCIAL NETWORK - disturbing lyrical piano - human and technical, emotionally dark, - ATTICUS ROSS and TRENT RIZZLER

unconventional image and unconventional sound - so much greater than the sum of their arts beautiful chaos far more experimentation, freedom, Technology has made it possible for every composer to be a producer - at the core of it is the tune

STEVE JABLONSKY - Lockdown theme - first introduces french horns into the score, mixing them up a bit, bringing texture to the piece, you want your intention to be clear - the horns give it more of an emotional weight - you want to make sure the emotions you mean to grab the audience are strong enough, make bold statement

ALEXANDER BELSPATT

FOX STUDIOS - LA, stronger sound, London, softer sound -

HARRY GREGSON-WILLIAMS -

WARNER BROS. STUDIOS - JOHN (PAUL??) DEBNY -

music - the most human and emotive thing we have

ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL

BRIAN TYLER - if everything was perfect in music, everything would sound terrible - fast and furious 6 - you can feel when a cue is working the audience - goes to watch audience reactions when watching the movie, helps him for future films - get a sense of how did this work, do they scenes move people - will run into a bathroom stall, will see if anyone is humming or whistling the theme - feels like he affected them on a level they're not aware of -

TYLER BATES

MOBY - the one art form that doesn't technically exist - you can't put your finger on music - it's just air waves moving a little differently

Film music being used outside of film - Remember the Titans - Obama, whatever the audience felt in the theater was resonant again

HANS ZIMMER - LAST PEOPLE ON EARTH THAT FREQUENTLY COMMISSION ORCHESTRAL PIECES - WITHOUT THEM, ORCHESTRAL MUSIC WOULD DISAPPEAR, WOULD BE A CULTURAL LOSS TO HUMANITY, - we all have fragility, when i play you a piece of music, i completely expose myself, and that's a very scary moment - i love i love i love what I do -

music plays such an important role in a film

film music i one of the great art form of the 20th and 21st century

RYAN TAUBERT - SCORE

James Horner - titanic - sketch out on synthesizer

#research #research report #year 3 #ba3a

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