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#to be fair my mind has not known peace for a WHILE
anna-scribbles · 2 years
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my mind has not known peace since I read this line from chapter 11 of one does not love breathing by @wackus-bonkus-maximus
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oncomingnight · 3 months
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ྀི ⊹ ╰₊✧ ゚ .𝒀𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆! 𝑹𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒚𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒙 𝑭𝒆𝒎 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓ྀི ⊹
-♡⁠˖ 𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝑰'𝒎 𝒆𝒄𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰'𝒎 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒖𝒑 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒚𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟔 𝑺𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒎 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒎𝒆, 𝑰'𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄 𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒐𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝟖𝟎'𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆. 𝑰 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒂𝒚 & 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕.
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Ezra was the guitarist of the well known five-man group, 'Corrupted Minds'. He co-founded the band during the early 1980's alongside his good friend, their creativity resulting in the group growing to five and gaining a prominent title in the rock scene. Not only that, some notoriety also bubbled up due to several instances regarding band mates brawling with hecklers or other members of popular rock/alternative groups.
Ezra could be some as an intimidating man of some sorts, but that assumption was only built upon his darkly framed appearance, never the actions he went through with, whether they were committed in public or private. He was known as the calmer one of the bunch, despite the lewd, sometimes even frightening tattoos that adorned his body and the quite obvious fact that he had his fair share of lace and leather decorated groupies.
Expanding on his charming behavior, he's extremely keen on keeping up with you. In other words, he's incredibly attentive towards your likes, dislikes, wants and needs. Even during your first meeting, it was severely apparent that he was it for you, he seemed to understand you as astronomers do the sky. He can't remember any other time where he's felt as protective over anything as he is over you, the mere thought of anyone disturbing your peace drives him up the wall.
Back on the topic of the band gaining some notoriety owed to many fights that the group had involvement in, most of the brawls were in your defense. There were a handful of low quality videos that circulated during the early 80's showing Ezra ferociously pounding his fists against whoever offended you at the time. Any articles depicting the horrific injuries the person suffered, their dozens of stitches or police reports are immediately wiped off by the band's management.
He's quite shameless when it comes to his tactics he uses when proving not only his love but devotion towards you. In his opinion, there's nothing to apologize or feel sympathy for when he hasn't done anything wrong. Anyone that says they wouldn't commit 'crimes' or step outside of their moral beliefs for their lover are either lying or are complete cowards.
His words not mine.
You're constantly by his side which in turn results in you spending quite a large amount of time with the rest of the band as well. He's extremely fond of having you around the studio or venue while they're either recording or rehearsing, especially if you give him a congratulatory kiss after he finishes a show.
Ezra strongly believes that you saved him from the haunting thoughts that clouded his mind as well as his unfaltering addictions to several substances. Your boisterous laugh, the unwavering gleam you have in your eye while looking up at him, the way you tightly hold onto him (even in your sleep), how proud you seem to be after he does something he's never been praised for.
No one has loved him the way you do.
"you know, you're my reason for changing, I'm not like who I used to be." He's no longer self destructive, he no longer believes he deserves ever demeaning glare or degrading term thrown at him for a simple mistake he's made. You make him feel normal, which he's never felt for most of his life. Not only that, but you make him feel as though he's truly worth loving, sure, he's had girls tell him how amazing he is in the past but it meant nothing coming from them. After all, they were only a fleeting moment, they weren't here to stay as long as it was up to him.
Despite how emotional he can be, he isn't always like that. He's an extremely confident man that smirks in acknowledgment of his reputation when the time calls for it.
He is very soft spoken even when saying something with an aggressive tone. Nothing could ever make him raise his voice at you, the only time he comes close to it is when you were in a dangerous situation. Though he raises his voice, it's never directed at you and he always expresses his anger in mutters. There are several instances where he has gotten into a bar fight because someone mentioned you during an argument just to set him off. Ezra isn't afraid to use anything near him as a weapon in a blind rage, whether it be shot glasses, whiskey bottles, his boot against their face, his fists, his fingers reaching to gouge their eyes out.
anything.
"stupid son of a bitch, thinkin' he can just throw that bottle over here...almost hittin' you."
He believes that you deserve only the best in absolutely every sense. Ezra is the type of boyfriend soon to be husband to spoil you every single day. Whether it be with gifts, dinner or trips, it really doesn't matter, he'll give you anything you ask for. Though, he knows you're far too cautious and shy to outright ask him, he purchases everything he knows you'll take an extreme liking to without you having to say anything.
Ezra is really touchy when it comes to you and he doesn't feel the slightest bit of shame over that. His silver ring covered hands circle around your waist whenever you're sitting on his lap, spooning with him or if he's just hugging you from behind as you cook a meal for the both of you.
On the topic of cooking, one of his favorite places is in the kitchen, it's basically in his top three.
1. By your side
2. On stage
3. In your shared kitchen
He absolutely adores watching your face with intense intent as you take a bite out of the pesto pasta he made with ingredients from your shared garden.
His band members quite obviously noticed how much of a good change you were for Ezra's character, he seemed to be much more open to talking in interviews than he was before, he's smoking a lot less, he doesn't even touch alcohol anymore, if anything, he's disgusted by it. He wants to be better for you. Another example is that you guys have a garden together for fuck's sake, who would've thought THE Ezra Taylor would be tending to a garden while also being tied down to the love of his life. Though, they're not complaining, as a matter of fact, they're glad to see him so radiant. They also frequent your house to taste test Ezra's newest recipes, they mainly want to eat the cooking you whip up when they come over, they swear you make the best dessert.
Ezra is an extreme fanatic of anything involving horror to the point where he collects horror game instruction manuals, graphic manga, dvds and photograph/art books created by his favorite horror writers and directors.
He always talks about you during podcasts he's featured on or interviews involving other members of the band. They'll often jump in on what he's saying about you, often adding in, "He's absolutely whipped, man. He doesn't even hide it!" "I've never seen him like this before, you know? It's nice, though." "Y/n is a nice fit for him, she's a sweetheart and she's always here to support him." He gets extremely happy when he's able to converse to whoever will listen on the topic of you, "yeah, i just really love her, man. She showed me just how great I can really be and i try to show her just how much i truly love her every second of every day. She deserves it."
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pastel-peach-writes · 2 months
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Fire Comes From Within II | Korra x Reader
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╰┈➤ PLOT: In what's supposed to be the night of your life, you let the Avatar feel your wrath.
╰┈➤ WARNINGS: Cursing, Angry Reader, 4000+ Words, Rivals to Lover, (One-sided) Enemies to Lovers, Part Two, No Use of Y/n, Not Proofread
PART ONE
⍣ ೋ Enjoy!⍣ ೋ
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"Where is she?!" your voice boomed through the halls. The doors to the locker room swung open, hitting the walls and then recoiling, almost smashing your teammate Yi in the process.
"Where's who?" Yi asked. The girl scrambled to match your strides, you were too in a fury to notice.
"You know who. I'm going to give her a piece of my mind. First, she's going to steal my spot on the Fire Ferrets then she's going to obliterate me in a match I'm supposed to win?" you scoffed. "She's the Avatar, she's not even supposed to be competing in the first place."
"Oh, come on, Lightning, you know she earned her place fair and square. She's not even using all of her abilities."
"I don't care!" you shouted. You turned on your heels to face Yi square. Your body was trembling with anger while your eyes expressed the pain you were trying your best to hide. "I tried out for the Fire Ferrets. I made it in and I was going to replace their teammate until she stepped in and ruined everything. My spot is on the Fire Ferrets, not the Elemental Mixers."
Yi frowned, her big brown eyes dimming as she stared into yours. "So, you don't want to be on the Elemental Mixers? You never did?"
"What? No, I just–"
"No, it's okay. I get it. I hope you can find your peace, Lightning." Yi left before you could get another word in.
With a yell, you turned away. That same fire in your chest made its return. Yet again, another thing ruined by Korra. You loved the Elemental Mixers, you did. But your heart was with the Fire Ferrets. It always has been and always will be.
As you came to, you noticed Guo's frame. He wasn't too far away in the halls and was talking to some person from another team. You hoped he didn't hear you yell, but the person he was talking to eyed you and then looked back at him
You groaned to yourself as Guo left the person. The male with the long brown hair looked at you displeased, his lips in a frown.
"How much did you hear?" you sucked in a breath.
Guo shrugged. "Just about all of it. Did you mean it?"
"Guo, you know I love being on this team. I think of you guys as family--"
"Did you or did you not mean it, Lightning? I don't have time for your games."
With your eyes fixed on him, you noticed the sternness in his eyebrows. Usually on the thicker side and friendly, they seemed to have thinned out and expressed a massive amount of disappointment.
"I mean it, Guo. I'm sorry--"
He interrupted you once again. "I'm sorry," for the first time since you joined the team, he called you by your name, "you're off the team. Someone on the Elementals doesn't express their hate towards other players or their own team. As you said, we're a family. A family that loves each other and protects each other.
"I saw how you broke Yi's heart. I watched the fear in her eyes as she watched you storm and rant about whatever the heck you were ranting about this time. You're off the team, officially, for unsportsmanlike behavior."
"Oh, come on! You can't kick me out. Like you said, we're family. Family doesn't kick out family, Guo."
The older boy shook his head. "It's clear to me now that you were never family, just a pretender." And like his "sister", Yui, Guo left without you getting another word in.
In the hall, you've captured the attention of some ongoers. Most of them you didn't care about, but then your eyes landed on bright blue eyes and deep skin.
She just had to be there whenever you're at your worst, doesn't she?
You walked through the crowd of people, brushing past them and glaring into Korra's eyes as you met her in the middle of the crowd. "You ruined everything for me, Avatar," you grimaced. "You've stripped everything I've ever worked for and known of from me in just a matter of weeks. You're a rookie. You shouldn't have all these favors and things handed to you just because you're the human the spirits chose to master the four elements."
Korra didn't say anything. Her expression was unreadable with her blank eyes and stone face.
"I hate you, Korra, and I hope karma bites you in your ass."
--
You didn't know Guo was serious about kicking you off the team. After the match, win or lose, the pro-bending teams were having a party to celebrate the end of the season. One of the teams rented out an old-school ballroom to host the party.
The party was electric, similar to the party a couple days ago, but the energy was significantly higher probably because all of the hard work was over.
You had to attend this party, it was the party of the season, but Guo got your name off the list. When he had time to do that, you had no clue.
You sat outside, high upon the marble steps to the ballroom. Guards stood by the entrance of the building, dressed in slick black suits and glasses like they were someone important.
Many partygoers and pro-benders eyed you and spoke to plus ones about you sitting on the steps. Though everyone eyed you differently, some with sad expressions and others with anger, they all spoke about the same thing.
"I heard they got kicked off the Elemental Mixers." "Do you hear that they got into it with the Avatar?"
"I heard them and Guo were in a relationship and had a messy breakup."
"That's not even what happened!" you exclaimed to a woman no more than 3 years older than you. She stuck her tongue out, her arm tightly wrapped around the girl. The two of them swayed their hips up the stairs, giggling to themselves.
"Why don't you just leave?" Mako spoke, making your eyes snap from the side of you to in front of you.
On the steps below stood Mako, Bolin, and Korra in their best party wear. If you weren't extremely pissed at them, you might even say they looked good.
Might.
You shrugged and faced your body away from the three. You didn't know why yourself, but you weren't going to tell them that. They knew enough about you already.
Mako let out an irritated sigh in replace of your silence. "Fine, don't tell us. Staying out here is just going to make you feel worse about yourself. Plus, you can't stay out here forever. You're going to get cold eventually."
"Goodbye, Fire Ferrets," you said, your gaze still not on them.
The three of them sighed in unison before walking up the stairs. Korra kept her eyes on you as they walked, but you didn't care enough to notice.
"I feel bad," Korra whispered to her teammates once they reached the door.
Mako scoffed. "Are you forgetting the part where they tried to trash talk you and then expressed utter and complete hatred towards you?"
Bolin nodded, agreeing with his brother. "Yeah, and you're the Avatar. No one should hate you."
"But that's the thing," sighed Korra. "They hate me because of who I am or at least what I represent. Because of my abilities, I've taken everything away from them. They trained their whole lives for a spot on the Fire Ferrets and all I had to do was flash a pretty smile towards Mako."
Mako scoffed again, more flustered this time. "That is not all you had to do."
Korra shrugged with a grin. "It's pretty much it."
"Pretty smile or not, you earned your spot on this team. They're jealous and will have to deal with it." Mako put his hands on Korra's shoulders. "You're the Avatar and it's unlike you to shy away from that. Don't let someone hating your destiny dim your light."
Korra stared into his eyes, her blue eyes sparkling. Bolin stood beside them, glancing between the Avatar and his brother. Mere seconds later, Korra laughed in his face. She took his hands off her shoulders, laughing harder.
"Wow, you almost sounded wise for a second," Korra snickered. Mako huffed with red cheeks. He turned his body away from Korra with a grumble. "I'm gonna go apologize, but that was good, Mako!" Korra announced as she ran down the stairs. "You should be a comedian!"
Korra's pumps clicked and clacked against the marble steps. You could hear them above the commotion from the party. You laid an arm along your lap and rested your chin in your other palm. You did your best to ignore Korra, feeling her presence directly behind you, but the Avatar was as stubborn as she is powerful.
"Hey, Mixer," her voice carried over. "Can I sit here?"
You kept your gaze away from her. Why would you give her the chance to look into your eyes, the gateway to the soul, and find something to make fun of you for? Something to use against you and make you feel even shittier than you do now?
From the side of you now, Korra sighed. She sat down a few feet away from you. Her legs stretched down the bottom of the steps and crossed at the ankle as she leaned back on her hands. Just like you, she avoided your gaze. Not because she was worried about what you discover about her, no. But because she didn't know what to say yet.
She came over to apologize but she didn't think of the words to say. How would she bring it up? Should she come out and say it or should she make a segway into the apology?
The orange sky with pink ribbons captured her attention. There were barely any white clouds in sight and the golden rays of the sun made the white and gray marble steps sparkle.
A breath moved past Korra's lips. "The sky looks nice."
On your side of the steps, the sky was a murky blue. The clouds were dark, almost resembling a storm. The moon wasn't to be seen, so there was no light to illuminate the clouds or sparkles of stars. You scoffed, taking in the bleak sight of the sky. "Yeah, right. It looks like the Wicked Witch is coming."
"Huh?" Korra veiwed the sky to her right, where you were sitting, and snickered. "No, not over there." A hesitant hand reached out to turn your shoulder but quickly retracted. "I mean over here." She pointed at the sunset.
Taking a gander at her side of the world, you tilted your head to the side. Nice was barely scraping the bowl to describe the sky's beauty.
The colors were warm and soft strands of clouds danced across the sky. The inviting warmth of the sun's rays invoked peace within you. You had to take a deep breath to really captivate and absorb Nature's gift. The sunset wasn't just nice. It was perfect.
After minutes of comfortable silence, you spoke. "What are you doing here, Korra?" The sunset was becoming enveloped by the dark sky, but for some reason on Korra's side of the world, it wasn't as dark. "You should be inside."
Korra shrugged. "I wanted to apologize. I think I understand why you hate me."
Understanding? Korra? The hot-headed Avatar, known for holding a grudge, was apologizing to you after you initiated all the arguments you've shared? The action was out of character. She should be trying to pick a fight with you like you have for the entirety of the season.
You shook your head, watching the sun disappear behind the horizon. "You have nothing to apologize for." You should be the one doing the apologizing yet you couldn't find yourself to.
"I took your spot on the team. I overheard your conversation with your teammate and then again through the grapevine. I never thought about the lives I affected by taking the open spot on the team. Some say it wasn't fair for me to be on their team, but I thought it was being I was the Avatar," Korra scoffed. "I mean, a lot of stuff is about me being the Avatar, but I realize there's another side to that.
"I didn't try out or train to get my spot on the team. I showed up and was accepted practically on the spot. I was so happy to be a part of something that uplifted benders. I didn't think about the dreams I would be crushing."
You grumbled. You picked at your outfit and returned your gaze to your side of the world. It was dark just as it was before.
Korra sighed at your silence. She mimicked your actions and picked at her blue dress while watching the clouds move across the sky. "We don't have to be friends, but this thing between us needs to stop. It won't be worth it since I won't be on the team anymore."
"What?"
"I'm leaving. Most of this information is classified so don't tell anyone, but my duties as the Avatar are going to rise significantly as time passes. I won't have time to be on the Fire Ferrets, no matter how much I want to. It's only right that my spot goes to someone who earns it. You."
You shook your head. You met her eyes and searched for insincerity or hints of a joke. Her eyes, instead of the words previously described, were the opposite with a genuine gaze and a slight smile on her face. "I don't get it. You hate me."
"No," corrected Korra. "You hate me. I never hated you, just found you mildly annoying." There was a chuckle that followed after. Without staring at her in a fit of rage, the sound of her laughter was actually... pleasant. You wouldn't mind hearing it again.
"Ha. Ha." You adverted your sight. You rested your chin back on your palm. Become a part of the Fire Ferrets and for real this time. An actual tryout, a chance. It would finally be your time to shine. "What about your teammates? You may not hate me, but they hate me for hating you. How could I try out if they won't let me."
"Oh, trust me," a devious smile spread across Korra's lips, "they'll let you."
--
It took careful consideration, around 6 minutes, before you agreed to take Korra up on her offer. Honestly, you thought yourself to be a fool to reject another opportunity to be on the Fire Ferrets.
Though it took a lot of convincing on Korra's side to allow Mako and Bolin to let you try out, your tryout went well.
You hit every target, fired Earth disks when told, and showcased your agility. The brothers were impressed, obviously, but them accepting you into their team wasn't what surprised you. It was the team disassembling just minutes after you were accepted.
It was just your luck to want something so badly, get the opportunity to have it twice, just for it to be ripped out from under you.
Your rage towards disassembly was justified but not targeted towards anyone. The classified information Korra was talking about the night of the party? Yeah, apparently there were people out there taking away Benders' abilities. And being close friends with the Avatar and benders themselves, Mako and Bolin had no choice but to help Korra out.
Days into fighting Amon and discovering his plans, the Krew realized they were taking on more than they thought. Every hour, Amon was recruiting new members. Now his small group of around 20 expanded to nearly 100. The Krew was outnumbered.
"We're going to need more help," Asami informed her friends. The Krew stood around a map spread out on a table at the Air Temple. "Preferably someone agile, has a history doing combat, and is lightning quick."
Korra quipped a brow, smiling at the side of her mouth. Agile, history of doing combat, and lightning quick; Korra knew just the person.
It seemed like Korra was going to be doing a lot of convincing this season. The Avatar thought you would be eager to jump at the opportunity to fight side-by-side and to use your bending for something other than professional bending, but she was wrong. You flat-out refused to join her Krew.
"It's the same story," you informed the Avatar. You two were sat at a ramen place, slurping on noodles and drinking locally made tea. This wouldn't be your first time hanging out with the Avatar. In fact, since your joining and then well, leaving the Fire Ferrets, you two found out that you like each other more than you wanted to admit. "I get the chance to work with Mako and Bolin then it gets torn away from me. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. But fool me three times? Nuh-uh." You slurp up another noodle before continuing. "Not doing it."
"Oh, but come on," Korra whined. "There's no way for you to get kicked out this time! There's no one else in the running for your exact spot and there isn't going to be another worldly crisis taking the brothers away from you. Swear!"
You shook your head as you continued to chow down on your ramen. "Nope. Not happening. Find someone else."
"But there isn't someone else!" Korra pounded her fist on the table. The action shook the table, a thud echoing throughout the wood. Your cups and bowls rattled as the table continued to move. "There is no one as fantastic as you, Lightning. Guo said it himself, Mako and Bolin saw it, and even I did when we were competing. You're letting your fears take control of your life. You didn't have any fears when going against me and trash-talking, and I can kick your ass faster than anyone on this planet."
Through a smile, you scoff. "You wish, Avatar."
Korra rolled her eyes, her smile matching yours. "Come on, Lightning. If you can take me head-on, you can take on these Equalists. My crew and I will be right there fighting beside you if that helps anything."
From your seat across from her, you could see the eager determination in Korra's eyes. She was serious when she said there's no one else to take your spot and that her team needed you. Even through all the petty arguments and digs, Korra saw the best of you. The you that you refused to see sometimes. There was no need for competition if you were on the same team as your rival. Plus, how badass would it be to fight beside the Fire Ferrets? Oh, Kei was going to blow her lid.
"Fine," you prepped another bite of your ramen. "I'll help you guys out but as a guest, okay? I'll fight alongside you until the Equalists are gone, but once they are, I am too. I'm going back to pro-bending."
"Yes!" Korra bumped her fist in the hair. A grin spread wide across her cheeks and her eyes into upside-down C's. "You won't regret this, Lightning. Swear."
--
Your fight against the Equalists was your first with the Krew, but it definitely wasn't your last.
As you fought alongside them, you saw progress in your growth and how you fought. Bolin was the perfect role model to look up to and his positive happy-go-lucky attitude was infectious. There were even moments when Bolin taught Korra some Earth-bending moves and you were invited to join in on the lesson!
Sure, you were more focused on Korra's muscles than improving your skills, but that was a price you were willing to pay to be a part of the Krew. Speaking of Korra and her muscles, you two definitely grew closer as the years went on.
Since she was your top rival, you would train and spar with her the most. In the beginning, it was a bit annoying. Now that Korra could use all four elements, mostly three in the early days, she was hard to beat. She would use your own Earthbending tactics against you and then blast some fire your way just to annoy you. But now, years later, it was second nature.
Sparring with Korra will always be tough no matter your skill level, but she taught you great defense and offense. You were lighter on your toes which was usually hard for an Earth bender, increased your flexibility and hand-eye coordination.
"Is that all you got, Lightning?" Korra taunted. She used two fingers to shoot a fire stream. She was careful to let the fire blow a few feet away from your calf. She wasn't trying to burn you, you were too cute to burn. She wanted to let the heat annoy you and get you irritated.
Her Earthbender, who wasn't hers just yet, was cute when ticked off. Well, in a sparring sense. Korra blamed your early relationship for her finding you cute when sweaty and threatening to beat her into a pulp. Your threats were empty. She knew this and it's exactly why she wants to poke fun.
"Korra," you growled, moving out of the way of her attack. "What did we say about using fire?" You stomped your foot and a boulder rose from the Earth. With the circle of your forearm, the boulder grew in height. You swiped your arm across your chest. The boulder dashed in front of your body, you pivoted your standing foot and struck the rock toward Korra with a kick.
Korra laughed. She used dainty fingers and hands to pull two streams of water up her body and then towards the boulder to stop it from colliding with her body. "Nothing! It's free game!"
You groaned to yourself. It was times like this that made you miss your shared pro-bending days. Life was so much easier when Korra was restricted to her waterbending. You punched the racing boulder twice and it exploded into two halves. You took the first half and propelled it towards Korra. As expected, she took the rock and shoved it into the ground behind her. The rock acted as a wall.
With her back turned toward you, you took the other half and shoved it into the ground opposite of the first half. Korra spun on her toes as the ground shook beneath them. With a smirk, you collected other rock walls and built a makeshift shelter around her.
"Oh, really?" Korra called out. She turned around herself, surrounded by the walls made out of rock. She shook her head, rolling her hands in a balling motion to gather air. "This is so easy to get out of. Why did they even do this?" Using the air she collected, Korra spun up into the air. The walls busted from the movement, falling flat to the ground.
The Avatar's ponytail whipped around her head as she continued to spin 8 feet into the air. Up in the air, Korra couldn't help but notice you weren't to be seen. The Avatar landed on the slab you used for the roof, her eyebrows knitted. "What--" she scoffed while circling herself. "Lightning?"
A gust of air is violently taken out of Korra as you tackle her from the side. She cried out a groan, and you two pummeled into the ground. "Hah!" you war-cried.
The two of you rolled around in the dirt. The sounds of rustling clothes and leaves filled your ears. Korra grabbed onto your wrists as you two tumbled down the faint hill of the training grounds. "Spirits, Lightning, stay still!"
"No!" you laughed out. As you continued to fight and wrestle on the way down from the hill, your sweaty faces dirtied from the earth you two insisted on rolling in. Finally, with an accidental jab to her ribs, Korra decided she'd had enough.
She grunted, pinning your back into the patch of grass. Her hands formed what some would call a white-knuckle grip around your wrists. Her teeth were gritted, beads of sweat rolled in between her eyebrows and down the side of her face. She's almost seethed from childish horseplaying until she sees your laughing face.
Your laugh expressed a childlike joy. It reminded Korra of Jinora and Ikki playing pretend. They would frolic around the temple, using tablecloths as princess dresses. They took sticks or cooking utensils, whichever were available at the time, and used them as wands. As they stood and jumped around furniture, their giggles would echo throughout the Air Temple.
That sound, their laughter, soothed Korra even on her toughest days. On the days she disliked Mako and Asami. On the days she couldn't figure out airbending, Jinora's and Ikki's laughter would be heard from down the hall and remind her that everything would be alright.
Since the girls considered themselves to be "too grown" to play princesses, Korra assumed she would never find a sound to invoke that emotion within her again. That was until she pinned you down on the grass, your arms in the grip of her hands, and her thighs on the sides of your body, she heard it.
Your belly flexed and relaxed with your laughter. The sun beaming directly into your face didn't stop you from laughing and squirming from underneath Korra. "You should've seen your face! Oh, my Spirits, I wish I had that photographed."
Korra sat back, removing her hands from your arms. Though she was holding you down anymore, your back remained on the grass. Korra watched with an embarrassed yet fond smile on her face. "Yeah, haha. Let's make fun of the Avatar," she chuckled.
"Please!" you opened your eyes, the apples of your cheeks bright from your smiling and laughs. "You had it coming. You know how I feel about your unfair fire bending."
"'Unfair'?" exclaimed Korra with a laugh.
"Yes, unfair!"
"No, 'unfair'! You are my rival, Lightning," she poked your chest. "You're the only person I practice my firebending with. What, you prefer I get rusty and only use my firebending on the bad guys?"
A sound that was similar to a giggle escaped your throat. "Yes, actually. That would be best. Or, y'know, go train with Mako."
Korra rolled off your body and lay beside you instead. You missed the squeeze of her thighs around your stomach, but considering you were breathing easier now, it might've been for the better. "Absolutely not. Mako doesn't get cute-upset like you. He just gets upset like a dad. It's not a pretty sight."
You snickered. "Dad Upset" would be the perfect word to describe Mako's disappointment. Arms crossed over his chest, lips in a scowl, and his eyebrows so close together, they looked like one with a huge dip in the middle. "That's pretty accurate actually." You wiped your glistening forehead with the back of your palm. "So, you think I'm cute?"
Korra shrugged, a flustered smile threatening to break through her cool facade. "Yeah. That okay?"
Taking your gaze from the bright white clouds that were traveling across the vibrant blue sky, you meet the different vibrant blue of Korra's eyes. "Yeah, as long as I get to think you're cute too."
If Korra's flusteredness ever showed on her face, you didn't see it. The moment your sentence ended, she was grinning with a teasing sparkle in her eyes.
"I knew it! I knew you liked me. See," Korra laid on her side and rested her head on her palm. "I thought so when I kept catching you staring at me that morning of the big tournament, but I wasn't sure. I mean, you were so angry with me over nothing!"
The mention of your "hating Korra" arc struck a cringe from deep inside you. You slapped your hands on your face and groaned. "Please, don't mention it. I regret that whole situation every day."
"Nah, nah, nah," Korra laughed. "Don't regret it. If it wasn't for your angstiness, you wouldn't have gotten kicked off the party list and we would've never spoken on the steps. Without that conversation, I would've never thought of you to help out for Amon and we wouldn't be here... talking about the crushes we have on each other."
You let out a sigh, dragging your hands down your face. You wanted to tease her about using the 'c' word because when did you ever admit to having a crush on her? You just said you thought she was cute. But, nevertheless, you let it slide. You slipped your hand into hers and squeezed her calloused hand. "Yeah, whatever..."
Korra snorted. She poked your cheek with her other hand as the teasing sparkle in her eye morphed into a teasing smile. "You like me. I bet I kept you up at night." You closed your eyes with a heavy sigh. Korra only laughed. "I bet you thought about my arms wrapped around your body because, let's be honest here, you were not subtle with your staring."
"Korra," you warned.
"I wonder how long it took you to realize how many times I crossed your mind. I wonder when you realized the shift of hatred to 'Whoa, I'm in love with the coolest girl in the universe'."
"Korra."
"Oo!" she giggled a little. "I wonder how many times we got so close in sparring that it made your heart race. Tell me, Little Lightning," she hadn't called you that nickname since your rival days. "am I making your heart race right now?"
"Korra, if you so much as drag that finger down my cheek as you tease me, I will not hesitate to have a piece of Earth come from the sky and crash down on you."
The finger that was just barely touching your skin froze. It retracted, its owner pouting. "Well, gee. What a party pooper."
You laughed. With the squeeze of your hands, you two decided to spend the rest of the afternoon resting on the grass and cloud watching. Her hand felt perfect in yours and all it took to get here was a pro-bending match, failed Fire Ferret attempts, and a whole lot of rivalry.
Fin. | WC: 5,051
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sacred-algae · 3 months
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I don’t think Jaskier is fully aware of the fact that Geralt is It for him.
I know we aren’t getting Geraskier, (they’re still canon to me) so at this point I just want my blorbo to be able to move on and be happy instead of fucking miserable but the more I think about it, the more I realize that even if he does get chance to be with Radovid… I don't think he would ever be truly happy.
Yes, he could love him, and be happy that he's being treated well, and worshiped and valued, and everything a good relationship should be. Yes, he'd learn to move on as much as he can… but that’s only as much as he can. Geralt will always be with him. Geralt will be a filter for which he perceives affection and how it's given out and received. Everything will relate back to him.
Geralt is love for Jaskier.
It would be doomed. As much as he could learn to love somebody new, it would take far too long to be fair, and even if Radovid fully understood and stuck around because he knew Jask was trying and didn’t mind, even if Jaskier does love him—It’s doomed.
He couldn’t do it. Because everything they do reminds him of Geralt even though they weren’t even together… but he can’t escape it. It could even be years down the road with zero contact with Geralt (because that’s the only way he could truly even begin to move on) and he would be miserable.
So he’d leave Radovid. Because it’s not fair. And he’d decide he’s better off having one night stands and casual affairs that last no longer than a month for the rest of his life.
And maybe he’d go back to Geralt. Because he sure as hell can’t live without him if the past however long it’s been has taught him anything.
Geralt would be so mad at him for leaving but it’s not like they haven’t gone a long time without seeing each other/not contacting each other before. It’s just been a while since then… And Geralt needs him too, how could he say no? He missed him horribly.
And I think at that point, Jaskier would tell him why he left. Geralt deserves to know. Because at this point, if Geralt will take him back, what’s unrequited love? It doesn’t matter. He should have known it wouldn’t matter. And really, he should have done this a lot sooner, maybe he could have gotten some fucking peace—
“You should have.”
“I should have what?”
“You should have done this sooner.”
“Yeah, that’s literally what I just said. Why are you— Geralt? What are you— Gods, that’s unfair, don’t look at me like you’re about to—”
Kiss me.
He should have done this much, much sooner.
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spasmsofthought · 10 months
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you fell hard, I thought good riddance (j.s. x reader)
An angsty thing inspired by “Best” by Gracie Abrams. (I wrote this at work cause I had the free time and couldn’t help myself.) Let me know what you think! (Probably some inaccuracies, especially if you squint - my step-dad may have done a career in the Navy, but I did and will not lol.) Wrote this all at once, so please have grace for any spelling or grammar mistakes. xo 
Next
https://open.spotify.com/track/5HO2RD12vZ5NcIdAULo43M?si=0ce82485daa44829
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Jake knows what he did. 
While not at the forefront of his mind, it weighs on the deepest part of his consciousness and he’s reminded of what he did in what feels like the most random moments. 
When he’s swallowing the last drops of beer in the bottle that’s pressed to his mouth. Or when he’s standing on the beach as the waves are softly rolling against the shore and it’s quiet. Or when he ends up on the couch watching crappy television at 3 a.m. because his flashbacks are keeping him awake and the moment his eyes close, he feels like he’s startled awake because a brightly-colored ad is flashing on the TV screen. 
He sees you every once and a while, he thinks. Whether it’s when he’s tipsy at The Hard Deck and sees someone turn the corner who looks just enough like you from the back. Someone can laugh just the right way down the hall when he’s in the office at work and he has to do a double-take to make sure it’s not you that’s laughing. 
He’s never actually, though, confronted with your physical presence until he finds himself at a joint military exercise in European waters and you are on the same carrier. He’s walking into the cafeteria after a morning of training exercises and immediately zeroes in on you. Once he’s aware of you, he can’t look away. 
It takes a moment for your senses to catch on. (To be fair, the cafeteria is not really known to be an oasis of peace. It’s loud and busy. You’re sitting with friends anyhow.) Your eyes flit to the area where he’s making his way in and he can tell the moment your mind makes sense of what you’re seeing. You glance at him for one long moment, and then you turn towards your friends and stay that way until you all leave. The only thing that has changed about your demeanor is the frown that settles on your expression throughout the rest of your meal. 
He thinks you look even better now than you did back then. 
He thinks he took you by surprise. That you’ve gotten so used to not seeing him around on your deployments and where you’re stationed that you didn’t think you would need to brace yourself on this go around. 
Jake knows what he did and he feels terrible. He didn’t then, but he does now.
Seeing you in actual flesh and blood makes him remember. 
He remembers your utter devotion during your brief time together. 
He remembers that the first time he approached you, he made you laugh. The kind of laughter that leaves a person gasping for air and makes their eyes water. You fell hook, line, and sinker. He remembers the way you would try to make time and space for him whenever you could, despite how busy you were trying to progress in your career. He remembers how he didn’t do the same. 
He remembers that on your off days, you would come over and stay the nights. He remembers the smell of you when you would climb into bed next to him after showering. And when he couldn’t sleep, when his mind was churning and taking him back to things he just wanted to forget, you would sit next to him on the couch at 3 a.m. as he turned the television on. When he closed his eyes, he knows you were the one to turn to TV screen off so he didn’t wake up. He remembers how you would kiss him: sweet and complete and open, always moving in step with him. 
He remembers how wholehearted you were when you were with him. Giving your whole self, all the time. 
Even when he would say sharp, caustic words that would make tears form in your eyes, even when he shut his bedroom door so he wouldn’t feel responsible for making you cry, you stayed. 
He remembers the way you stayed. 
And he remembers how his half-hearted attempts, quarter-hearted attempts really, to draw you back in eventually ran you dry. You were willing to do so much, and he wasn’t really willing to do anything. He was young, but he knows that’s not an excuse now. 
He remembers the light in your eyes changing. He remembers the way you stopped coming over. He remembers the way you didn’t have the courage to tell him you wanted to leave. 
He remembers that you held onto him until the bitter end. 
He knows you won’t talk to him. Every time you see him on the carrier, you make a point to avoid him or walk the other way. He knows you probably resent him (there’s a reason he can’t find you on any social media platforms). He understands why you don’t seem to want anything to do with him. 
So, he investigates. He does what he knows how to do best: he talks and charms and weasels his way through the crowds of people on the carrier. Making his way from one group to another, day and night, Jake gleans for information and eventually finds what he needs. He knows your bunkmate’s name now (and their shift and their position, and even where they like to hang out and what time they prefer to go to the gym). 
You may never read it, he knows. You may can it or tear it up and throw it out into the ocean. You may even wait until you can set it on fire and watch it burn. 
But he knows he has to try. 
So when he finds your bunkmate, he hands them a piece of paper and tells them it’s for you. It’s small and doesn’t take up much room. Your bunkmate only nods, a look of confusion passing over their face. He says it’s important that it be delivered to you. Those are his only instructions. 
If he had the opportunity to talk to you in person, he might have the chance to elongate. To say more, be more. But he might not ever get the chance to do that, so he’s going to take what he can get. 
You pass your bunkmate between shifts: you’re just getting back for some sleep, and they’re heading out. They say there’s a piece of paper you need to read on your pillow. Hand-delivered, they say the instructions were. No follow-up is required. You wait until they leave. Until you’re left alone. 
You open up the folded-up piece of paper. 
This is what it says: 
I’m sorry. You deserved better. 
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tolkienbrained · 2 years
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when i first heard about yoshiden i was like ok cool ship but it doesn't make much sense but THEN i started thinking about it and found and absolute goldmine.
first off, we all know or at least can tell that one of the main overarching themes in chainsaw man is the subversion of common shonen tropes (which fujimoto does wonderfully, mind you) such as "the perverted main character". denji is a subversion of this trope for many reasons which should be discussed in a different post but how wonderful would it be for the sex-crazed women-obsessed character to realize that, oh, maybe women aren't the only option and end up with a guy? i say bisexual denji rights. although to be fair it's true that so far there hasn't been any indication for this in the manga, i don't think denji is at the point where he has realized exactly WHY he's so obsessed with women (cough mommy issues and touch-deprivation).
linking that last point a bit with the Yoshiden Thesis™ we have the fact that a lot of his affection for makima in the first part was most likely linked to this deprivation of love as he grew up and possibly to his lack of a mother figure while he was growing up. and of course makima herself instigated this affection and knowingly manipulated denji. most women denji has known until now have used him, and hurt him in different ways (or just have been older women that shouldn't be messing with a sixteen-year-old anyway). in fact, the ONLY genuinely positive relationship with a woman denji has in part 1 is with power, and it's completely platonic. and it's not only women who have hurt denji, most people in part 1 (with some notable exceptions (aki and power my beloveds)) were not interested in denji, didn't want denji, just cared about chainsaw man and the chainsaw devil. yoshida is someone tasked with protecting DENJI and making sure DENJI gets to live a peaceful, happy life. he has shown a willingness to put up with denji's ridiculousness and has even seemed amused by it. it's too early in part 2 to honestly tell, but we could even say he cares about denji (or possibly will soon since fujimoto needs more characters to break denji's heart even more, fucker).
once again coming back to the "women-obsessed, sex-crazed" part, denji being deprived of affection made him grow up thinking that was the only way to show affection and love, possibly because of how media and society, in general, are very sexualised. a lot of his arc in part 1 was him realizing this isn't true, as shown in his relationship with power and aki. it would be a nice finishing touch to that arc for him to realize that not only are platonic affective relationships possible and just as important/fulfilling as romantic ones, but how romantic relationships also aren't just limited to women and sex by falling in love with yoshida.
of course all of this is talking from a fandom/fanfic standpoint. these are just the reasons why i personally love the ship and consume content on it, and i'm in no way saying "this is definitely going to be canon!!" lol. i went a bit off the rails here but i'm just obsessed with yoshiden rn.
TL;DR yoshiden FUCKS and would go greatly along denji's arc and the themes in chainsaw man.
EDIT: oh my god i just reread this and i mean fucks as in it's very cool not as in they're fucking each other i'm crying LMAO
EDIT2: seeing the recent chapters all of this is most likely going down the drain but i'm still shipping yoshiden idc
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machiten · 1 year
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thats my seat!
academic rival scaramouche x gn!reader headcanons
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warnings: scaramouche(bro is a whole warning), foul language(it's scaramouche we're talking about here so), reader is mentioned to have bad eyesight, fights, angst, academic validation, bad parenting
barely proofread lmao im tired, it's 3:15 am and im starving. there will be a chapter 2 ofc i just wanted to post something goddamn my blog has been empty for so long (4 days) didn't have a way to keep track of the word count but it's kinda long. anyways hope u enjoy!!
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oh god
when i say rival, i mean full on brawls on the school hallway
so let's say you've been top of your school since day one. your name has always been at the top of the score board every exam, always class representative, and well known as a smart kid ever since you steped on school premises.
you work hard to keep your grades up, your parents pay enough attention to your succesful brother and none for you
having a successful brother plants high expectations on you. i mean, he did very well, so why cant you? you both have the same blood running through your veins. your parent's praise, that is all you've ever wanted. and yet you're not even informed if there's a family outing, leaving you in your house alone
it has been like that for years
not until one day, you enter into the classroom and someone else is sitting in your chair. someone unfamiliar is sitting on your chair.
"hey, excuse me. i sit there." you pointed at what is supposed to be, your chair. "what, i dont see any names on it." Ok, what. when you finally look up to the culprit, my goodness. Fierce purple eyes that looks like it holds the entire universe, his skin as fair as a maiden, lips plum as a springs fruit, a beauty mark at the underside of his right eye, and his hair a unique color of indigo that is cut in a weird jellyfish-ish hairstyle. while yes, he looks ethereal, not gonna lie (if he had longer hair you might've mistaken him as a girl) his personality certainly does not match his elegance. an annoyed look currently adorned his face, as if you disturbed his peace.
"done checking me out? i know im hot, i get that look everyday so dont ever think you're special." and now it changed into a cocky smirk. the nerve! not only is he sitting on someone else's chair but it seems like his head is getting bigger too. "well excuse me, i havent seen your around school until today so im guessing that you're the transfer student our teacher talked about last week. but do you mind finding a new spot, i sit there." you glared at him.
"no i like it here. here's a better idea, why don't you find a new spot. im the new student here, show some courtesy."
"no- what, go away thats my seat!"
"alright everyone, settle down- oh, i see that the new student is here already," the teacher finally came in the classroom, cup of steaming hot coffee in his hand. Everyone sat down on their seats while you are still standing up waiting for this person to look for another seat. Lmao guess what, he didnt move.
"(name), c'mon sit down. i know getting a new friend is exiting but we have to greet the new student properly. now go find your seat."
"wait but sir--"
"sit down, (name)"
"yeah that's right (name), sit down" a voice beside you spoke. you looked over to the new student adorning a triumphant grin at your loss. and so you are now forced to sit at the back, barely seeing what's in front because of your poor eyesight, and wearing a vengeful spirit.
epic first meeting
the seats in the back are okay, its breezy and you now sit next to xiao (his music taste is so good) but yeah, you cant really see the board clearly so you get notes from mona at the front
at first, it was a one sided rivalry. how hated how rude and bratty he was and at that time, he didnt seem too care (like he get those everyday). but then he started fighting back and oh boy he hasn't had this much fun in years!
the way you retort back to his harsh words is so amusing to him. usually, no one would dare talk to him in a degrading manner but then you came into his life, claiming that he's sitting on your chair, and it was never the same ever again.
now, he looks forward to everyday. he rises up earlier so that he can sit at your chair first, he keeps looking at the classroom door everytime someone enters (in case it's you so that he can give that shit eating grin), he loves how your face gets messed up when he wins an argument, he loves how small your hands are compared to his when you have a brawl in the hallways, and most of all, he loves it when you give him the shit eating grin when you win something (he says he let's you win sometimes because he pitied you, but is it really?)
to him, this is fun, amusing, entertaining. but to you? you've never felt this much hate in a human being, ever.
scaramouche is smart as fuck and he demonstrated that loud and clear
he aced the math test that the teacher gave that wasn't even taught to him
in presentations, he speaks loud and clear and you can really understand the point he's making
he doesn't really like group works (you noticed) but if he was put in a group, he does most of the job flawlessly
sports? oh of course. he's really good at baseball (pitcher). he's also good at other sports but not as good as baseball
oh and pray that you don't get him as your opponent in debates, you will be grilled like a brisket
did i mention he sleeps in like 70% of his classes? it's not like the teachers can do anything about it. he excels in everything, at least let him sleep as a gift
the only times he would be awake is when he pulls on your strings
but of course, you're also good in all of these, that's why you both are rivals
you fight almost everyday for the top spot (and for your original seat) to the point where its a daily routine to everyone else to see you both pinching and arguing in the classroom
He doesn't have any close friends (ahem childeahem) and it's either bc ppl are intimidated by him or he just doesnt give a fuck about friends
maintaining grades is one thing, winning against him is another
you are very intellegent, yes, but you work very hard for your grades every night. losing sleep studying for upcoming quizes and making sure your projects are perfect. unlike him who doesnt even try
you havent seen him study once
and it makes you see yourself lower. you're both equally in par with your grades but thats when he doesn't even try. what happens when he takes everything seriously? what if he studies as hard as you do? where will you stand then?
but when you got 2nd place for the 3rd time this year, he took it too far
"what the hell?! this is the third time!" you looked at the results in the bulletin board expecting to see your name in first place. you studied hard, right? so then why,,,
"oh oops, looks like i did a little too well again this time. aw and i didn't even answer some of the questions because i felt bad for beating you the last two times." a snicker is heard behind you and sure enough, piercing indigo eyes is looking at yours in pure pity. "thanks i guess. are you happy now? that's three times in a row!" aether beside you is now having a deadpan expression, expecting the worst. 'alright here we go again'.
"oh yes very, you know what makes me even happier? your declaration that you're inferior to me. why do you even try anyways, it's clear to everyone that im better. you're just wasting your time burying your head in your books and notes when we both already know who's coming at the top. imagine not meeting your parent's expectations." he's now looking down on you, beating you up with words that you know damn well are true. but that doesn't mean you're not gonna fight back.
"what."
"oh you know, maybe if you tried harder, the cost of your education might be worth it for your parents. honestly, if i we're them id--"
before he could finish his sentence, a loud echoing smack is heard all across the hallway, making everyone's attention turn to the commotion. scaramouche head is now turned the other way, his cheeks beginning to flare from the hit as he glared at the culprit, you. "you motherfucking bitc-!" you tackled him and due to surprise, he fell back. aether is now alert, shouting your name trying to get you to your senses.
you gripped scramouche's collar, rasing his head from the floor and slamming it back down. "you're an asshole, you know that?! i try my best everyday and this is what i get?!!" he fights back, hand on your arm that's trying to get a hold of his hair and another on your neck, holding back your weight.
"you don't know what it's like!! you will never know what it's like being compared to your brother everytime they get a chance!! you dont know what it's like going home to nothing but words of disappointment when you did everything you can to get their approval!! you will never know what it's like for your efforts to go to waste!! you will never know the feeling of being kicked out of your own home and live in a run down apartment!! i work day and night, i lose sleep everyday, i barely have anything for myself to live, and now i have to deal with your ass every single day too?!!"
"(name)! calm down, hey-!"
"fuck off aether!"
every word you spat pricked scaramouche's heart and made him struggle from your assaults. this isn't fun anymore. he knew a bit of your situation, kazuha told him. but he never knew it was this bad. all he knew is about your parent's expectations. he didn't even attempt to fight back this time and just defends himself from your blows. 'shit, i took it too far.'
"you dont have to remind me of my incompetence! i already know, i know damn well i will never be enough!! you're right, why do i even try, right?! you're so fucking annoying, doing everything so effortlessly, like school is a nuisance!! can't i take a fucking break?!!" at this point, you cannot control your tears from falling into his cheeks, rolling down his porcelain skin.
"what are you--?!"
"why can't i be a genius like you?! why dont i have everything that you have?!! i did everything i can, what am i doing wrong?!" you are now saying intangible words that no one can decipher because of the mess of emotions you are feeling at that moment. you're about to deliver another blow when someone held you back.
"(name)! you're doing too much! thats enough!!" goddamn she is stronger than i thought, scaramouche deals with this everyday?? aether pulled you away from the tangled mess that you and scaramouche managed to create. you're struggling his hold but after a bit, you slumped down having no more strength to keep going, sobbing quietly. "...(name)?" aether said.
"...i am so tired of everything, why do i even keep trying. i.. i just want to make my parents proud..." sniffles could be heard from where you are being held my aether's arms. aether supported you from the groud and led you away from the scene and the prying eyes of other students. before you both can disappear completely, aether turned around and gave scaramouche a threatening glare. "i know you both bicker a lot but you took it too far. you are an asshole and you better change that attitude of yours or i will send you home even worse than your condition right now." and you both are gone.
scaramouche is still sitting on the floor, his arm supporting his weight, bruises are forming in his skin while he's craddling his cheek that is now very noticeably red and flaring from the slap you served him earlier. he doesn't know how to act, really. should he apologize? should he just walk away and like nothing happened? should he report you for physical abuse? he didn't know anything.
what he does know though is that he fucked up, big time. he knows that you'll never want to see his face ever again, he knows that nothing will be the same again, and he knows thag the feelings he has will never be reciprocated, after what he's done.
he actually just found out recently, when someone from the other class was making fun of you and he didn't like it one bit, he's the only one allowed to make fun of you, everyone back off. scaramouche can see the crowd dissipating, no longer interested since the main action is gone. he sat there on the floor the whole time, rethinking his life choices, wondering if he said things differently instead of those. would he be seeing you tomorrow? will you still argue with him about nonsensical bullshit? can he still hold your hand whenever you pinch him?
he heard footsteps and before he can look up, someone had smacked him in the head.
"what the fuck-!!"
"i want to say 'are you okay', but to be honest you kinda deserved that." a mop of ginger can bee seen hanging from someone's head.
"fuck off childe, and why did you smack me?!"
"because you deserve it. but y'know, it's nice having front row seats seeing you ruin your life because of that toungue of yours. aether's right you're an ass." he helped scaramouche from the floor, dusting his uniform from the filth. "ill take you to the infirmary." scaramouche can only nod, feeling lethargic after all that energy spent.
he hopes to see you the next day, acting like nothing ever happened.
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part 2
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Your Astarion works have got me in a choke hold, I swear- and I'm feeling angsty right now 😅
So there's that dialogue in game, where Astarion tells you that he was locked in a coffin for a year and just- imagine ascended astarion punishing Tav in a similar fashion, and it's only after he frees her/them that he realizes what he did.
Tav meanwhile, is understandably an inconsolable mess and starving and has no idea what to do.
Okay so anon this request literally had a mind of its own and decided it would be great to just do the ascension scene but for tav cuz Astarion fucked up lol
rated M
Warnings, spoiler about Szarr family line, cult cult this is not good, trauma
1k words of PAIN
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"Astarion! No, please! Please, don't do this! I'm sorry!"
Astarion has not stopped staring at the portrait of you hanging in the grand hall, The Hero of Baldur’s Gate. That painter you saved gifted you this as payment for saving him twice.
His eyes fall to your sweet closed smile, your beautiful handsome face captured in this frame.
"You promised!"
He promised he was nothing like Cazador… He isn't anything like Cazador, Astarion loves you. Oh, he loves you more than you can comprehend. However, he has to be fair even with his beloved.
His hand makes a fist as he tries to make excuse upon excuse for punishing you the same way that twisted bastard punished him. This… This is the lowest form of punishment he could give you. You had to be punished!
He releases his hand when feels blood, opening his palm to see the blood seeping out from the cuts.
Astarion eyes closed, you must be starving by now. In ten days he will release you. Just a few more hours. Then he will have you in his arms.
A thrall runs up to him, bowing, "My lord!" Panicking and out of breath.
"What is it?" He can't brood in peace.
"The– The coffin," Astarion raised an eyebrow, "It's missing, my lord."
"..." He turns calmly towards the thrall, "Gone?" He grabbed the fragile human by the neck, "I gave you one job to watch over a single coffin and it suddenly is gone!?" Astarion's fangs bared and eyes glowing with murderous intensity, "I should skin you alive!"
"My deepest apologies, my lord! I was caught off guard by–" Words choked out as Astarion's grip nearly asphyxiated the life out of them, "A vampire came from nowhere! She–"
"She?" Astarion dropped the thrall, "Explain quickly."
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You were there locked away in the attic all alone with nothing but the creaking of old wood and the scurry of rats to fill the silent void. The darkness, Gods, you tried to picture anything in the darkness or sleep it away with dreams but all you had were nightmares. You cried, pleaded, but with no answer not even a ‘no’ in response. There was nothing, isolation, emptiness, a small space that felt like it was closing in, to the point of swallowing you whole.
Astarion told you for ten days you will be sealed away. This is the lowest form of punishment he could give you after what you did.
He lied to you and broke his promise, you should've known better but you are a naive fool.
Then the coffin opened, your arms covering your face as you had not seen the light in a while.
"Come on!" A little girl's voice.
You burst out of the coffin like a scared creature on all fours, your claws red with your own blood from scratching, but the warding seal had locked you away. Breathing hard, you barely can see before her young voice centers you.
“Easy there,” She reaches out to touch you but stops unsure if you want to be touched, “You’re not trapped anymore.”
Incognita the reason for your punishment: you stepped between Astarion and his murderous judgment to kill every last Szarr. Including one who disowned her family.
She is innocent! You showed proof and defended her.
"What—How are you here!? No, better yet you shouldn't be here!" Panicking as the girl waves it off.
"I wasn't going to let that asshole hurt you!" She helps you out of the coffin, "Here, drink this. Then follow me." Handing you a healing potion bottle but the liquid is clearly not a potion but blood. "I'll explain everything along the way."
The niece of Cazador Szarr found you as she has been watching within the walls of the Crimson Palace the new owner and thralls with spawns alike walking about.
Her uncle is dead and a new master has claimed his home.
She hates Astarion, though doesn't fault him completely for how he is. Cazador knew well how to make monsters.
"Thank you." You say as Incognita guides you through the deeper sections of the crypt. Your mind on the monster you love-- loved… Should no longer love.
Astarion, what has happened to him?! He swore never to hurt you the way Cazador has hurt him, broken him, yet the proof is the coffin with his magic to seal it.
A broken seal… He is going to know someone let you out.
Once outside the Crimson Palace, she takes you to the sewers. There is a hideout she found abandoned and has been using for some time. She explains that found a way to get out of the city and that she wants you to join her.
"He doesn't deserve you!" Defending her case once inside the hideout, "You aren't like the others, are you?" She has seen it. Astarion is cruel to you yet loving to you, it is confusing and all types of wrong in her eyes.
"To love is to be changed as they say." You are not sure you could explain to her why you stay, though it is not by choice these days.
"... Isn't that supposed to be in a good way?"
You laugh dryly, "Yeah. It is supposed to be." When you look at her you can't see why Astarion wanted her dead, sure you know why but she is nothing like her family members. Her diaries told as much. She tried to rename herself, tried to be better than them. The girl fights with her nature. A child vampire is not looked upon kindly and most vampires see them as wild creatures who need to be fed too much.
You protected her because it was the right thing to do.
"We can run away." She offers.
You smile, "You can run. He will track us both down if I run with you." You grab a piece of paper from the many on the wall, "Find the Devil's Fee, tell them I sent you. Tell them you will only speak to Hope. She can help you."
"What about you? You can't go back there." Confused as you remove a simple necklace off of your neck and put it on her, "(Name), what are you—"
"This is an amber with the blood of Lathander inside. May his blessing find its way to you."
The girl touches the warm amber and then looks up at you, "Is this a goodbye." You nod at her statement, "Find a cure. Live a proper life."
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Astarion would and could rip the city apart to find you. If the search had not ended with a messenger bird delivering a letter with your handwriting and a location, Astarion might have started doing so. Instead, he moves swiftly to meet you.
Meet you in the ruins of the temple of Bhaal, there are bodies everywhere of what seems to be cultists who were trying to restore the temple. Runes everywhere, blood magic, glow whispering the abyssal language.
All of them speak in half nonsensical rhymes, but all with a theme about a prodigal child.
The temple smells fresh with death and blood, the symbol of the skull long gone and now a statue of a bat with ruby eyes is crafted into the stone.
"Never again will they control me." Your voice echoes, there you stand in the pool of blood.
The blood smells sweet, sickly, and wrong.
"Astarion," Your back facing him, "Thank you." You gaze up at the statue, "There is only one way to stop evil in this world." A conversation when he suggested controlling the cult of the Absolute rather than destroying it, "To control everything. To rip freedom from them." The room glows, the power raw, and has him dropping to his knees, "You showed me the powerful do not protect the weak. They enslave them! Forcing us to crawl, beg, and suffer!"
You summon forth your gift, the beast consuming your body and morphing you into a bat-like creature.
"I will never live in fear of anything, especially of you!"
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writesick-lover · 4 months
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Jabberjays and Mockingjays
Coriolanus Snow x reader
⤞ My masterlist ⤝
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Summary: You meet Coriolanus Snow during his service as a Peacekeeper in the 12th district. The 10th Hunger Games were forgotten, Lucy Gray was gone and Snow is now stuck with someone who promises a fair company. What looks like a happy ending can easily turn into an ugly betrayal. All it takes is a click of a device.
A/N: Happy holidays everyone! Stay safe, lots of love and if you like my work feel free to like reblog and comment! :)
Also if you want to ask me anything -> /ask 
♦️ ♦️ ♦️ ♦️
Coriolanus Snow served his time in District 12, mostly bored out of his mind. He tried to accompany other Peacekeepers to the bar every evening in search of at least some fun, just for his eyes to find the podium and fall on the victor of the 10th Hunger Games. He gritted his teeth as Lucy Gray left the podium, performing another of her songs like always. Not a glance spared his way.
Instead, she threw herself onto a nearby chair, stuffing her mouth with a small piece of meat she got for her performance. Her fingers dug into the bone. Her lips were smeared with grease. A wave of disgust rose in him, sending shivers down his whole being. She was a victor. How could she live like this? How could she just come back and live her ordinary and poor life after what she has been through? And how could she treat him like a ghost? After what he had done for her?
While there was disgust in Snow, there was never an ounce of anger. After all, if it wasn't for Highbottom, he would be in Capitol holding his prize, knowing damn well he played the same games as she did. That's just how it was. And if Lucy Gray hadn't known how to play the game, she wouldn't have been a victor. But the game was over, Lucy Gray was rather forgotten and so was he, now stuck in the poorest district, forced to do the dirtiest work, his ego hurting every time he looked around, knowing very well he did not belong here, at least not like Sejanus seemed to.
It was a sunny day when Snow creeped out of the centre of the 12th and towards the flower-covered Meadow. His heart was beating out of his chest as his legs carried him down the hill to a lonesome tree, watching over the rest of the woods down in the alley. It was where he spoke with Lucy Gray for the last time. He came unarmed, relying on the completely abandoned stones under the tree. Yet, they weren't. Not really.
"You can go keep peace where it's actually wanted," a voice from above made him jump up. His right hand immediately reached for the absent belt on his hips. He almost forgot he didn't bring his gun, didn't think he needed it. As his eyes slowly scanned the tree trunk from the roots to the branches, he noticed a sly smirk flashing between the greenery of the tree's leaves. The intruder seemed to be amused by his scare. He couldn't help but frown in confusion as a disobedient smirk already sat on his lips. How did he not notice?
"Got you good, huh?" the person spoke once again, now their voice coming from in front of him, accompanied by an intentionally loud thud that made him jump once again, this time his palm reaching for his heart.
His widened eyes scanned the person that now stood steadily on the ground, already knowing they had to be from the Covey. The pieces of colourful fabric that covered their body, matched with the green of the forest and the occassional bright colour of the flowers. The crown on their head was made of early dandelions. And the fact that no one in their right mind except the Covey would dare to stray so far away from the District's centre, gave Coriolanus a clear answer who this person was.
But Coriolanus knew he was an exception as well. He also dared to stray this far away.
"Do you greet everyone like this?" he breathed out the air he was holding in his lungs up until now.
"No, just lost peacekeepers who seem to get in the way," you shrugged, already taking him in from head to toe. No weapons, but white hair cut into a buzzcut which would sort him into the peacekeeper's family immediately, if his uniform wasn't giving that out already. It made you scoff.
"You shouldn't be here," the peacekeeper's voice broke the silence. "I could call the others if I wanted to," he threatened, but it only made you laugh out loud, your melodic laughter catching the attention of the birds around.
"What's so funny?" you looked back at the man in front of you, only to find his composure completely serious, almost as if he meant everything he said. "You cannot do anything here," you spoke, the giggles still hearable in your voice. "You shouldn't be here as well,"
"But neither should you," the blond repeated once again.. "Covey is way lower in the alley, you barely come here,"
"They barely do. Let's say I come here a bit more, alone," your voice got lost in the breeze around you as your last few words turned into a whisper. Nevertheless, you straightened up your posture, waiting for the peacekeeper's next words, ready to flee if needed.
"Coriolanus Snow," was what came from between his lips. Your eyes widened. "That's my name," Coriolanus felt like he had to explain, based on your confused expression. "Y/n," you let out, not believing your own ears. A mischievous smile painted his lips, "Well, Y/n, what now? I like to come here alone too,"
If someone had told you a peacekeeper would accompany you through your days in the Meadow, you would laugh into their face. There was no way. But Coriolanus turned out to be different. He started to talk to you about how it was in the Capitol. You started to teach him how to survive in the wild. 
"Don't eat that!" you scolded him once as you walked through the trees, hiding from the hot flames of the sun's beams. "That's nightlock! You could be dead in a minute," you found yourself screaming, smearing the juice of the berries on his hands, trying to get rid of the deadly fruit.
"I... didn't know. They looked like the berries you showed me the other day," he said, stunned, staring at the dark purple on his hands.
"They do, but they are not. Let's get you cleaned," you grabbed his hand, the paint smearing your hand too. You dragged him deeper into the woods, the trees thickening. But they were no escape from the hotness now, its source coming from your hands intertwined together, his piercing gaze burning the tips of your ears.
You soon found out you were drawn closer to the convicted ex-citizen of Capitol, and he was too, something you never imagined, even in your wildest dreams.
"If you could be anywhere but here, where would you go?" he asked you once, his curious eyes watching you. "I would just disappear to the woods," you hummed. You didn't notice his subtle smile dropping. "What about you?" you asked Coriolanus, taking in his strong features in the setting sun. The orange brought a bit of warmth into his usually cold stare.
"Woods sound nice. But I don't think it's my forte," he mumbled, his eyes already stuck on you. "I will have to be careful about the nightlock. And what would I do when you leave?" his fingers crept up your neck, sending shivers through you, but you let him, wondering how far they would dare to go.
"You could come. I would have shown you everything," you found yourself whispering once again, but he could hear you.
"I think with you I could," he whispered back, the breeze bringing his voice to you before it was locked between your lips, moving against each other, dancing like the leaves in the wind. There was no more Lucy Grey on his mind, and maybe he was actually willing to throw away his Capitol dream for a time in the woods with you. Because he didn't think he had a shot at coming back to the Capitol. 
After a while, Coriolanus brought a friend of his, Sejanus. And although you found yourself a bit bitter about it, he started to become your company more and more by day. But he also started to grow closer to your heart. 
"What would you do if you could go anywhere you wanted to, Sejanus?" you asked in the middle of the night, hanging from the tree as Sejanus looked up at you.
"I would go see my parents," he spoke softly. And then he added, "I can't visit them and I wish I could. But it's okay. I am fine with where I am right now, as long as I am free from the Capitol," 
Your eyes darted to the blond but Coryo just laughed. 
Sejanus didn't.
Coriolanus leaned himself against the wooden cage full of birds they came to catch. You couldn't remember the name, but he told you they were mutts, destroying nature, creating mutations.
"We will run," Sejanus started. A silence fell upon you three. Then a subtle click sounded in the air and Sejanus continued. "I spoke with some people from the district. We will rescue Lil and escape through the loose fence," Again, all of you fell silent. Your heartbeat rose. "What?" you whispered to the night but Coryo cut you off. "You won't survive a minute there, Sejanus, you're from Capitol-"
"I'm a good shot," you watched Sejanus turn to Coriolanus, both their glances determined to convince the other. A good shot. You thought, soon enough realising. The rebels have guns.
"Why are you saying this?" Coriolanus asked out loud, his voice cold. 
"It's us, together, remember? You are my friend," you watched Sejanus' lips spread into what looked like a smile in the moonlight. You couldn't help but smile too. This might be your chance.
"There is a new bird in the woods. I think I saw it before, but I don't remember where," you commented on one of your casual walks with Snow a few days later. He arched his eyebrow but didn't act surprised at all. Yet, he still asked. "Really? Which one?" he said, almost uninterested, lost in his thoughts. "That one," you stopped in your tracks, making his stiff body bump into you. He hissed before looking up, his fingers unconsciously wrapping around your wrist. 
"Oh, you mean Jabberjays?" he whispered, making you gasp. You found yourself backed up against the tree trunk, your left wrist pinned against the hard bark, Coryo's hand already on your collarbone, slowly sneaking up your neck like a snake. Your right hand automatically fell on his hip. 
"Yes, Jabberjays," you repeated, your face brightening, hearing something click. Suddenly, your voice spread through the air, repeating the same word billions of times. "We were here to capture them, remember?" Coryo spoke through the mimic of your voice, so similar, you almost thought your mouth must have kept on going. Your hand travelled to his arm, and down to his fingers, holding something. You hugged his hand in yours slowly picking it up, while withholding eye contact, his bright blue eyes sending cold down your body as usual. 
"And this is how you set them off, right?" his fingers let go of the device under the touch of your fingers. "This is what they used during the revolution," your voice was now all quiet as you turned the device off. "They used it to spy on people,"
"On rebels," Coryo nodded, drawing closer.
"Are they spying on us now?" you looked up, stopping him with your gaze. He looked up, staring at you intently, switching between your eyes and lips.
"Could they hear about our escape?" and before you could ask anything else, his lips were on yours once again, their warmth contrasting to his always freezing gaze. His hand around your neck, becoming tighter with every graze, his movements more passionate.
"Coryo," you breathed. He smirked at the nickname but didn't answer and shut you up with more kisses. "Coriolanus," you tried again but to no avail. "Coriolanus Snow," you finally spoke out loud, making him groan.
"You need to go," he frowned at your statement. "Duty calls?" you smiled a bit at his state, his eyes widening as he realised he was about to be late. "See you by the tree," were the words he spoke before he rushed out of the woods. Leaving you alone, with the small device still in your hand.
You waited. You waited for days, but there was no sign of Coriolanus nor Sejanus. You almost forgot how it was to spend your days alone, sitting in the crown of the tree, your only company the birds flying around. Suddenly you took notice of the Jabberjays and Mockingjays, spending your time saying something, making Jabberjays say it back and watching as the Mockingjays repeated the intonation of your voice.
But after a few hours, you couldn't keep on going. You found it foreign and scary, how well the Jabberjays repeated what you wanted them to. Their eyes were empty, looking almost pointless when they didn't have anything to repeat. But one day, there were no Jays to keep you company. There was no sun, no breeze. Just silence. Everywhere.
You found it disturbing. For the first time in your life, you willingly made your way to the centre of District 12. But you found it empty just the same. Except for the square by the hanging tree. And then you realised. 
You wanted to run away badly, kept ordering your feet to turn around and flee, knowing you were never the type to digest the hanging. But you didn't stop, no, you kept going until you arrived, standing in the audience on one of the stairs above the crowd, your eyes darting to the boy standing under one of the branches. His dark eyes screamed in fear with dark messy curls falling into them, occasionally silencing his already silent pleads. Your stomach turned. Sejanus.
But why? Why would they hang him? He was a peacekeeper, he did his job well. The only thing you knew was unpopular with the peacekeepers, was befriending the district's citizens. But they all did, they were all poor just the same.
There was a woman on the other side of the tree. You recognised her. Her husband was hanged a while ago, you heard. Her name was Lil? One of the rebels. And you started to understand. 
You found Coryo pretty quickly. After all, he was standing right under the tree. Gun in his hand. His eyes trained somewhere in the distance. At you. Coriolanus Snow kept his composure, not an ounce of expression on his face. How could he stand there? Without moving? How could he not protest against the death of his friend? Wasn't he, too, supposed to run away with them? Run away...
You were brought back to the night Sejanus told him about the plan. There was a click, a cage full of birds you couldn't remember, until Coriolanus told you days later, that Jabberjays, they are able to copy exactly what you say if you use the device to record. The device you held in your hand, tied to the birds sitting on the tree.
Peacekeepers keeping peace under it with two rebels about to be hung. Jabberjays and Mockingjays, all together, one created by Capitol, the other by the district. Your fingers moved in your pocket, you heard the click as a thick rope was thrown over Sejanus' throat. 
"No!" he yelled out. "Ma! No, please, Ma! Help me Ma!" his screams filled the air, sending shivers of terror down everyone's spine. Except Coriolanus Snow, who didn't move, his eyes stuck on you, your hand, the black device in it. Small tears formed in his eyes as the sound of rope tightening filled the air, the sound of wood falling to the lower platform, Sejanus' screams never falling silent, filling the branches above his head.
The Jabberjays screamed, the Mockingjays mocking them and with the return of the wind, you were gone, away from the district, away from the lonesome tree, away from Coriolanus Snow, away from the device created by Capitol.
♦️ ♦️ ♦️ ♦️
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my favorite art piece
pairing: knight!steve harrington x fem!princess reader
wc: 777
warnings: none. tis' a clean story.
summary: knight and princess talk about the visiting duke over oil painting.
A/N: another story to my knight!steve series. alone together is the first one but you could read either one standalone.
masterlist
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“was hoping i’d find you here. was beginning to worry you climbed the palace walls again and i’d have my head chopped off.” a male voice entered your quiet art room.
barely a glance over your shoulder you knew who was stepping behind you. the gentle clang of his armor and weapon reverberated off the high ceilings.
“i’d never let them do such a thing. can’t waste a pretty face away.” the smirk evident in your words.
the footsteps and clanking stopped just over your right shoulder, “they don’t write sonnets about this face for nothing, princess.”
an unprincessly snort left your nose, “oh do they? you must recite some to me one day. would adore to hear.”
steven hummed, “what is your focus on today, princess? you mostly paint when stressed.”
focused brush strokes paused, ignoring the way your heart beat just a bit faster that he knew something so small about your ticks. “not always. it’s just when… inspiration hits me. and perhaps it may be when i can’t control something.” resuming practiced strokes, a band of fury hidden beneath a poised grip.
“might i inquire what has you… vexed?” steven took two steps over, now in your peripheral.
shades of periwinkle and indigo mixed, “if you must. but mind your words.” speaking slowly, fully concentrating on your work.
“would this have anything to do with a certain duke? one who happens to be visiting for the week?” you ignored the gentle venom of the word duke.
“lord hargrove’s arrival has been known for many days. though his intentions of travel have not been stated until the day of his arrival.” seeing shades of red while adding spots of white.
“i’m guessing-“ “marriage! lord hargrove is here for my hand in marriage. in request of my father and his, for the good of our kingdoms.” stains of paint dripped down the canvas in tears.
“marriage,” steven repeated, you could imagine the slight snare on his face at the word.
“yes, marriage,” a deep sigh from overuse of the word, “to a man i don’t know and is expected to wed in the spring. no choice in the matter.” rinsing your brush in the murky paint water, tapping it against the lip before pressing it onto a cloth.
“not quite fair to expect that of you.” steven grabbed a stool close by to be placed beside you. he was now sitting shoulder to bicep.
you couldn’t help your scuff, “i’m but a woman. they only tolerate us cause we can be sold like sheep and breed like a calf. a single syllable from our lips can bring us death. seen not heard.” your once melancholy painting transforming into a brutal storm, one that brings sailors to the ocean floors.
dropping your brush beside your easil, you finally turn to sir steven. his back straight with knees bent at the perfect angle, a slight spread to the long limbs. forearms resting on thighs while mindlessly tugging at his fingers, head dipped with untamed strands of hair flinging about.
you spoke before you could stop, “let me paint you.” speaking quietly not wanting to disrupt the peace.
steven’s head picked up and met your wondering eyes, “pardon?” a pinch to his brows.
you cocked your head, “let me paint you. would cheer me up.” standing to your feet in search of a spare canvas.
“princess-“ “please? i wish to paint the face people pen poems and sonnets about.” trying to feed his ego.
you heard the deep sigh but saw the little smile before he could wipe it away, “your wish is my command, princess.” starting to move before you rushed over and rested a palm on his shoulder, “stay. the lighting is perfect.”
he peered up, long lashes framing normal brown eyes that held something special. his patches of silver armor cool under your warm palm. “just sit like before, but keep your head up.”
“am i getting a portrait done by the lovely princess y/n l/n? i must be the luckiest man alive.” his sword clicked off the wooden stool leg.
you started collecting more oil colors, “i would say so. and i would also say i’m the luckiest princess alive since i’ll get to stare at you while detailing my work to perfection.” 
satisfied with your supplies and making sure they stay put, you begin your simple outline in black chalk. the simple task is a distraction from your loose words and hummingbird heart.“quiet flattered, princess.” princess said in a low tone that forced you to suppress a shiver. “only the best for my favorite knight.” saying the words only to yourself.
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animusicnerd · 1 year
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Briar Valley Lore Dump!
Notes: This is in honor of Diasomnia chapter coming out. Most of the information my lore is from is from twst, disney, or general faery lore. This is for my Lilia story that I'm currently planning and this is honestly just for shits and giggles. This will change when I actually post the story but for now, it is an intro guide to all the world building that I did before Diasomnia chapter came out. I don’t mind getting questions since it will help flesh out this world a little more so don’t hesitate to message me about this!(This is also long btw so click at your own risk.)
The Draconia family is the second family to rule Briar Valley. It was once ran by a different fae family but the Draconias staged a successful coup d'état and gained the throne.
The Valley has been in two wars against the neighboring human kingdom due to humans wanting to expand their land for resource purposes. Both times Briar Valley has won and although the kingdoms used to have a friendly relationship with each other that is no longer the case.
The first war was caused by human greed for land and resources while the second also included revenge for what the faeries had done to them.
Many humans have immigrated into Briar Valley due to discrimination from their fellow humans. The Fair Folk of the Valley tend to stay away from them but most look down on them, but it was better than being hunted and being burned at the stakes. Little human towns are spread throughout the kingdom's lands.
Malleus's grandmother stepped down from the throne a little before the Second Human-Fae War started and his father was crowned king. After ten short years, he passed away and his mother came back to rule as queen regent in Malleus's place, who is technically the current King of Briar Valley.
The kingdom is most active at night as most of its residents are known to be nocturnal. The Briar Markets are busiest around this time and buyers often have to be careful when bargaining. The Fair Folk do not lie but their words can have double meanings so you might end up losing your first born child or buying a cursed item. Gold coins are accepted as well.
The kingdom is surrounded by forests and mountains so they are very rich in natural resources. Magic is also used in everyday life.
Not all villages are under Briar Valley but all pay a tithe for protection purposes, especially after humans arrived and desecrated their lands.
Maleficient was the one to overthrow the first ruling family and made peace with the first humans who hailed from the Queendom of Roses. Her daughter, Malleus's grandmother, was the one who went to war with them for disrespect to the lands and its residents after King Stefan went mad for more power.
Briar Castle as located at the highest peak of Briar Valley. With mountains acting as a natural barrier, leaving and entering the castle is near impossible without the use of some sort of flight magic. The Northern and Southern gates are the main ways to leave the castle but there are also hidden tunnels that lead down to the base of the mountain for the royal family, nobility, and any other residents in the castle. Secret passageways are also in the castle but are known to very few people.
While the Draconias may rule Briar Valley, there are seven noble families in Briar Valley in total that includes the Vanrouges, the Aldens, the Amaris, the Rannulfs, the Lavinias, and the Altairs. Each family specializes in something and all have pledged their loyalty to the Draconias when they first started to rule.
Courting rituals in the Valley often start with giving away a precious or sentimental item to each other and exchanging letters. Times are varied but most couples seem to exchange letters until the twenty-fifth moon where they meet in person (often times, it's not the first time they meet each other) and discuss their futures. Once again, timing and how these rituals go vary because of different cultures among the fae but most seem to start with exchanging an item of some sort.
Faeries tend to age at a slower rate than humans but most are fully-grown by the time they are a hundred years old. Unlike humans, faeries get stronger with age and they are also immortal. However, they are not un-killable and iron is one of the only things that can truly hurt them. Humans have used iron weapons against their wars with them. Knowing their true names will also have them in your control but that is usually the case with weaker faeries. Big names like the Draconias or the other noble families would not be affected by that as their magical prowess goes far beyond than just their names.
Fairy circles also tend to act as a teleportation tool. Although most faeries don't use it themselves, many humans or other beings that have stepped into one have reported having been teleported to the nearest fairy in the area. It's more of an annoyance to faeries and non-faeries alike but some of the Fair Folk do use it as a trap to make deals that are often in favor of them alone.
Faeries love music! Most often know how to play at least two instruments on top of knowing how to sing. Humans must be careful as the allure of their songs are very strong and they could end up dancing until someone either pulls them out or they die.
It is also good to note that you should be careful of what food you are being given as most of their food can put you in a deep trance and make you their servants or it can just kill you.
Fairies also tend to dislike humans as most of them do not like magic and tend to think of it as unnatural when it is very much natural in Twisted Wonderland. If a human has magic, they often offer teaching them how to wield their powers in exchange for something which could be your child or just some fresh honey.
If you noticed that a lot of deals involve children, it is because it is very hard for faeries to have their own. It is not impossible but it could take hundreds of years to produce one child to continue a family line and siblings are usually a hundred years apart. However, they often dislike being with someone that is not a faery as some considerate it a disgrace to their bloodlines or their lovers could die of old age, sickness, etc, while they continue to live on. They do make deals not involving children though.
Faeries do not lie because they can't. Most of their words and actions are carefully thought out to avoid being tricked by others and it is always best to think before you speak to any of them. You also have to be respectful and offending them could have grave consequences for you and your entire bloodline.
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dnickels · 7 months
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RE: 5x05. I have no idea how much I'm supposed to read into this, but that has never stopped me before:
It's VE Day. Havers is back in England. The post office, telephone system, communication infrastructure etc all still work. So where is Cap's sense of urgency coming from? He knows the full name and regiment of a serving officer, a letter will get where it needs to go, they're very good about that over there. Yes, Cap's been waiting, but its been six years, he can wait a little longer-- hang out in the bushes until he sees Haver's car drive away and bang on the window, if he insists on being an insane person (<3). Figure out where he's billeted. Japan hasn't surrendered yet, so I suppose there's a chance Havers could get shipped to Burma or something and potentially die there, but he's not going to go straight from the cocktail reception to the troop ship, especially if everyone there is about to get "Hitler defeated"-levels of drunk. ("They're all red tabs, surely decency and decorum--" they are going to roll those old soaks out of there in wheelbarrows)
The urgency isn't because Havers might die. I think Cap knew his time was short.
He's a middle aged man in tolerably good shape, all that ration food aside. He make good time on his morning jogs, and his biggest ailment is 'creaky knees'. "Widowmaker heart attack out of nowhere" isn't an unheard of COD for someone who seems otherwise fine, especially someone who has been under a fair amount of stress (six years of wartime, including the fucking Blitz would do a number on my heart) but his sudden relocation makes me pause. It's only been about a year since he got relocated away from Button House, right? What was all that about? It's presumably still requisitioned, given that they're throwing a swanky victory party there and Heather Button is nowhere to be seen, but has the weapons program been disbanded? Or was there some reason to pull the CO out of a high-stress position and send him to the beach to take potshots at seagulls? (I am being glib here-- the coast was NOT a stress-free place when you can see your enemy just across the Channel). I genuinely forget what he said he was doing in season three-- was he even still in the army at all, or did they send his ass to the Home Guard? Even they got a campaign ribbon.
I think Cap made one last push to get to the front, and while its very clear that this dingus should under no circumstances be on the front line (<3) they humored him with a medical-- and found something really troubling. Or maybe he went in of his own accord, the old flutter, or maybe it was just a routine checkup. Either way he got some very serious news, so sorry old boy, just one of those things, could be any day now-- best make sure your affairs are all in order.
Hence the single-minded desire to meet, once last time. Everyone else clearly drove-- did he walk all the way from the train station, down the country lanes? Did he feel a little short of breath scaling all those walls? Did every set-back and stressor make him more determined-- just give me a little more time, just a little more time...
It could also be that he just got yelled at so hard he died of it, which is almost certainly how I will go, but that was my immediate impression and it has not left me, nor have I known peace. I know there's a few holes in my theory but I haven't talked myself out of it yet. For me the kicker is that he experiences at least ten devastating emotions in the last moments of his life, but "surprise at entering cardiac arrest" does not appear to be one of them. It looks more like grim acceptance. Stoic in the face of death-- a soldier to the end.
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mysticalsoot · 6 months
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someone to (not) watch me die
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mistki and dsmp dr? tears.
➸ note; um so i got one too many dsmp crimeboys edits on my fyp that inspired this monstrosity. i don't often cry at whatever I write, especially while writing it but I'm still recovering so.. fair warning. its based off my dsmp dr with @lillylvjy so that's why its very very very canon adjacent. anyways, listen to I bet on losing dogs by mitski while reading (have it on repeat) if you want an extra lil sting. also I uh may have used this photo on a diff fic before but if I did, no I didn't!
➸ pairing; c!lmanbur x gn!reader
➸ summary; wilbur's been distant lately but when you finally convince him to spend some time with you, your life takes a dramatic turn. he doesn't always keep his promises.
➸ warning; hurt absolutely no comfort, MCD !!! incredibly implied suicide/assisted suicide (going into a battle knowing he's not coming back), swearing probably, overuse of baby (sue me), reader kinda wants to off themselves at the end but uh who wouldn't? implied age gap
➸ age-rating; 15+
➸ wordcount; 2k
main masterlist // part 2
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it wasn't uncommon for wilbur to be distant with you, he always had his moments where he was less than loving. but he always had his moments, the nights where he'd come home after a day of work, crawling into bed and holding onto you like his life line. he'd kiss all over your face and murmur sweet words and praises, how much he loved and adored and appreciated you.
yet, the next day when you woke up, he'd be back in his office, working by lamplight and only responding with hums and refusing eye contact. it was torture for you. getting him again, held in your arms and so close to your heart only for him to walk away. to turn off his warmth and shove the cold into your face.
there came a day where you wouldn't seek him out anymore, you'd let him come to you if he so desired. but he often didn't, and when he would exist out of his office once in his adult life, he'd simply complain about the war or his enemies or his father or his brothers. if anything, more complaints slipped past his lips than a simple 'i love you'.
of course, you wondered if it was your fault, if you did something that turned him off from you, made him shut you out. yet you also wondered if he found you to be a bother, or something that only held him back. granted it was known he was a bit older than you, it didn't really matter but maybe it finally got to him. where he internalized it and thought it would lessen his chances of being elected or keeping office for the country of L'manburg. you thought it was stupid, but it wasn't so out of the picture.
the day started out like most others, you'd tend to yourself, eating and showering and doing something to keep your mind at peace. often baking or crafting, or going out to the flower fields to check on what has newly grown. you began to get restless, hearing wilbur from upstairs. he's pacing and mumbling to himself. most likely frustrated with something new, something he must be writing. something with lmanburg. something that has nothing to do with you.
but you want to mend things, you want to heal things or at least build a temporary bridge between the two of you. you're desperate for closeness again, and while you'd never admit it to him; you could never love another like he. you simply couldn't find the same type or amount of love in your heart for another person. another insane man like him.
so, you set out to pick a bouquet of his favorite flowers, pruning them and putting them in a vase you both made together early on in your relationship. you filled it with water and sugar, placing the cut flowers in the vase and tying a ribbon around the glass and making a bow before starting your trip up the stairs and into his office. you sigh softly before knocking on the door.
you hear shuffling for a moment, drawers opening and the sound of paper rustling before wilbur sighs deeply, "come in, love."
you open the door, stepping in and closing it behind you, his face held in his hands on his desk. he lifts his gaze to catch on you as you set the flowers on his desk. his gaze softens on you, almost sad and mournful and you can't quite place why.
a sour, sad smile curves on his lips, "what are those, dear?" he pats his thigh, beckoning you to him. he hasn't done that in months--but you'd be a fool to decline, so you quickly run over, sliding into his lap and resting against his chest.
"flowers for you," you sigh, nestling your nose against his neck, his hands coming up behind your head to rub at your hair.
"why, baby?" his voice cracks softly and he leans his face down to your cheek, kissing the soft skin before nuzzling his nose against the shell of your ear.
"a reminder that you can't throw me away," it comes out as more of a whine than you would have liked it to, but as always, you become vulnerable around him. there isn't much you can hide.
he's silent, his body tensing up at your words as he combs his fingers through your hair. his breath shakes, but he hides any emotion he must be feeling too well for you to pick it out.
"I haven't thrown you away. you're my baby, yes?" he croons softly, his lips ghosting over your temple and cheek, placing kisses as a silent truce.
"then why do I never see you?" you huff, pulling your body closer to his as a way to soak in the attention. or to receive comfort. you are his baby, but you aren't strong enough to admit it.
"I'm busy, that's all, love. I'm here now, aren't I?" he sucks in a breath after he speaks, hands now both in your hair and on your back, trying to give you that comfort you seek.
"you should come to bed earlier tonight. just.. I want you to be around me, for once."
you can tell he takes a moment to think, gears turning in his skull as his fingers trace on your back, ghosting over the skin.
"I can try," he breathes softly, his face in your hair, and his hand held on the back of your head.
"do you promise, wilbur?" you whisper, pressing your hands into his back.
"I promise," he kisses your forehead, holding your face in his hands as he keeps you in front of him, "I have some more work to do, I'll see you later, okay?"
he brushes stray strands of hair out of your face before placing a few kisses around your face, landing a final sweet kiss to your lips.
"okay, okay," you whisper, like a promise to yourself as you step out of his lap, walking to the door and standing there for a moment before turning to face him.
"enjoy the flowers. i love you, okay?" you smile softly, and he meets your eyes, an apology held in his irises that you can't quite register fully.
"I love you too. i will, I always do," he smiles sweetly, waving at you as you leave his office and head downstairs. you're partly thankful he has work for a bit more, you had plans of going to nikis bakery to pick up a few pastries for the two of you to share and your hope is that he'll be done by the time you're back. so you slip on your shoes and take the walk towards town square. it's nice today, the leaves are falling all ready to crunch under the feet of L'manburg's citizens. the wind brushes your cheeks, chilling the skin and bringing that familiar fall redness.
you always enjoyed fall walks, and it always brought you joy but the prospect of spending time with wilbur this evening put an extra pep in your step. you wave at any familiar face, smiling softly and greeting all of the sellers at their booths. you don't notice your sister not being at her flower shop, or Tommy not tending his fireworks stand in front of it. you don't notice many of the things that are painfully off about the day, your happiness clouding your judgement.
you quickly slip into nikis bakery, looking down at the case of the daily pastry specials, before choosing two of her cinnamon cookies and two of her pain au chocolat. they're both yours and wil's favorite, and while you'd adore sharing, wilbur is often possessive with his sweets. so it's best to get two of each.
you smile to yourself as Niki packages each pastry and she giggles at your happy demeanor.
"feeling extra peppy today, huh?" she smiles, ringing up the pastries and asking for payment. you pay quickly while nodding, smiling so wide and happy.
"yeah, I finally got Wilbur to agree to come to bed early. so I have plans for a bit of a date night. i just hope he sticks to his promises," you grin, taking the pastries gratefully into your hands.
"he sticks to his promises, when it comes to you. I have a good feeling," she nods as she speaks, a few moments later you both bid your farewells to one another; fully knowing you'll be back for a bread order on Sunday.
you took the long walk home, wanting to take in more of the nature around you, and to give wil some extra time to work. you knew he'd go over what he promised, but you hoped he'd pay his promise due.
plus, the scenic route was always more enjoyable. so the longer way will do, the flower fields grazing your ankles. the sun setting gently, casting a golden hue across the land, the soft shadows of buildings and trees painted on the grass. it was beautiful, almost like you were walking through a painting.
you finally made it home, opening the door and shutting it behind you. not noticing wil's work boots being gone from their spot on the rack. you giggled as you held the pastries in your hand, calling out for Wilbur.
"Wil? my love! i have sweets from Niki!" you hurried up the stairs, peeking into the bedroom before looking over the banister at the downstairs; nothing. you hum, walking over to his office, opening the door to still find anything but him.
you frown, "wilbur?" you call again, turning to walk out before your eyes catch on his desk, the now empty vase held on the desk without a flower in sight.
you looked closer, there on his desk laid a note and a rose from the bouquet you put there the same morning. you opened the note after a moments hesitation and you skimmed the words, eyes widening and tears falling as the message set in your mind.
'my darling,
you'll always be my baby.
yet, there's more for me, just not here.
- yours, wilbur.'
you dropped the pastries, and then the letter, slumping into his desk before shuffling through every single drawer and pile of papers. tears cascading down your cheeks.
"no, no, no, no-" you try desperately to convince yourself or a cruel joke, searching for more answers somewhere in his desk. it must be here, mustn't it? he was always one for dramatics so surely there's another secret note.
you spend the next hour tearing through his desk, tearing apart his office before you admit defeat. laying your head on his desk and letting yourself crack, you let it all out. tears and sobs and cries and screams bounce against the bookshelves that line the walls of his office.
there's a knock at the door, and after a moment of contemplation, you dazedly take the stairs down to the foyer, opening the door and being greeted by Phil. by Wil's father.
"Phil?" you start, ready to ask if he's here to tell you where wil is, that it's some sick joke he'll apologize for and never pull again-
"you know, don't you?" he pauses, avoiding your gaze, "we found his body, he left this for you."
he hands you an envelope and you take it, nodding to him as he speaks soft words of condolences and a goodbye. you shut the door, letting yourself fall against it as you stare at the folded envelope, wondering if it's worth the trouble to open.
what more could he possibly say?
but also, what more could it hurt?
you open it gingerly, sighing softly as you sniffle, wiping your eyes gently.
as you unfold the letter, out comes a wedding band, tied by string to another ring.
the ring you told him you wanted as your wedding band.
it clatters to the floor and you break again, letting out loud, pained sobs as you cry and shake on the floor, eyes unable to peel themselves from the rings that now lay on the hardwood below.
the note falls beside the metal rings, a simple phrase scratched into the parchment; 'in another life, my baby'
you want to burn it, to scream and curse the universe.
but then you wonder how much trouble it'd be to join him.
taglist; @lcvejoy @lillylvjy @ella-fella-bo-bella @lotusanonymouse @willgoldszn @whos-nicooo @zebonos
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orionsangel86 · 7 days
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A Final Farewell
A short story about Death and Dream, set after the end of the comics. MAJOR comic spoilers for the canonical comic ending and what happens. This is pretty sad. But perhaps cathartic? Fair warning: I was a weeping mess whilst writing it, so maybe bear that in mind?
The way is long and hard. The baron lifeless landscape stretches to the horizon and beyond. The sky is a deep dark void. Starless, sunless, empty. You may wonder why you continue to trudge along the silent road into eternity, never truly knowing what lies ahead of you. But you are never alone. She walks beside you even now, never letting go of your hand. You do not fear her. You have known and loved her your entire life, and she has loved you just as long. The way is long and hard, but the sunless lands welcome you with open arms and a promise of eternal sleep in the dark.
Death sighs as she sinks her feet into the glittering sand of a sunless beach. Waves crash against the shore in a soothing melody that sings of peace, calm and contentment. a figure sits up ahead, gazing out towards the black ocean beyond. The wine-dark sea of ancient times that all beings dream of at some point, and all find themselves facing in the end. A sea that promises nothing within its depths but eternal blissful peace.
She sits beside him and catches a small smile on his lips. There is no light here, in her realm, but they can both see each other perfectly clearly.
“Hello, my sister.”
Death smiles sadly. “Technically, you can’t call me that anymore.”
He hums to himself in contemplation.
“Perhaps not. But then again you visited me, and I have never known you as anything else. So my sister you shall still be whilst you are here.”
Death turns to look at him. He is relaxed, smiling, and less rigid than he ever was in life.
“I can accept that. My dear brother.”
Morpheus, for we can no longer refer to him as Dream, grins at her. It is an expression he rarely ever displayed in his long life. She supposes he truly is happy to be here, in her realm, among the dead.
“So why are you here?” he asks her.
Death sighs. She doesn’t even really know the answer to that herself. Whilst she may always be within her realm, guiding the souls of the recently deceased to their final resting place (she is doing so even now as she sits at his side), she never really lingers once she drops them off. Her being here in her former brothers eternal peacetime is somewhat out of character.
“Perhaps I missed you?” she answers finally.
“You should not. Even now your brother sits on his throne, in his realm, watching over the dreamers. You should be there for him, at this difficult time.”
Death feels a tremble in her lip. She knows this. She does not need him to speak it.
“I will be there for him. As I was there for Despair. But you must know I was ever so fond of you, as you were, even at your most insufferable.” She nudges him gently and feels him sway and nudge her back. Morpheus was never a tactile creature, but he reaches for her now, and drapes a thin arm around her, pulling her into him. She goes willingly and sighs in his arms.
“Did you ever visit her?” He asks after a short silence.
She knows immediately who he refers to. The first Despair, whose death was violent, and sudden. “Once.” She replies thoughtfully.  “She asked after you. She told me she was worried. That you appeared in her mirror. Even then, all that time ago.”
Morpheus nods solemnly. “I expected as much.”
She sits there for a while, in the cradle of his arms, listening to the distant waves in the dark. When she finally sits up she realises her face is wet with tears. Morpheus reaches out and wipes them from her cheek with his thumb.
“You should not cry for me my sister. I am at peace.”
Death huffs out a small laugh. “Even I can suffer grief my brother.” She sobs.
He smiles sadly. “I would not see you distressed. But I am proud to have been loved by you.”
Morpheus leans forward, and kisses her brow. Then he lies back in the sand and closes his eyes.
“Farewell my sister. Go with my love, and look after Dream. He will need your guidance, and all the love you hold for me.”
She nods and stands up, shaking the glittering black sand off of her jeans. She turns away from Morpheus and wipes her eyes. When she looks back, he is gone.
Death takes in a deep breath and looks out again at the ocean, feeling the breeze in her hair, the sweet scent of salt and spray, and feels the weight of her grief deep within her. Grief, after all, is simply love in another form and she loved him so very much.
Even now she is everywhere, guiding the souls of the dying and dead, taking their hands and holding them through their pain. Even now she walks through her realm, and beyond, through the many worlds of the living across the universe, and she lets herself be soothed by all those lives that she has touched, who love her as she loves them. As always, she carries on.
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tiredspacedragon · 1 month
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Thing about me is that I'm a huge softie. I want everybody to get happy endings and be alright in the end. And that's great for fluffy headcanons. But when I actually buckle down and think about my ideas for how things would go post-canon, it's a little rough. Because the point of Marendar is to kill Toa, and to have it show up and be defeated or change sides or what have you before doing any Toa-killing would just be a cop-out (especially after 10+ years of irl buildup). So that means some Toa gotta die. But who?
On that note, here's a potentially gruesome poll. Pick whichever option you think should happen most, and add anyone else you think should bite it in the tags.
Would have added options for surviving, non-zombified Toa from the Red Star, and Nobody <3, but alas, ran out of room. Also, Krakua isn't here because he has to survive to do the whole "lone guardian of an island fortress" thing and send Vakama that Kratana-induced vision he got back in Time Trap. So his survival is guaranteed. Everyone else, not so much.
Some anti-propaganda (reasons they all should die *evil laugh*) below the cut:
Toa Nuva: Would there be a bigger gutpunch than this? The flagship characters, the six heroes with one destiny! But that destiny is complete now, they don't need to be kept alive anymore. Imagine how much it would shake things up to take them off the board, how ruined the survivors would be if only a few of them went down. Wouldn't it just be so juicy?
Toa Mahri: They're one down already, so it's not like you'd be breaking up a complete set. Besides, we all know they're built for tragedy at this point. Jaller and Hahli could fall together. Hewkii could go down in front of Macku's eyes. Nuparu could sacrifice himself using one last invention to stop Marendar, perhaps making up for the perceived sins of the Vahki and Boxor. Kongu could accept death as it takes him, at least now he might see Matoro again.
Toa Hagah: These six are prime candidates, aren't they? Important enough for it to hurt, for us to care, but not so important that they aren't expendable. Never truly frontrunners. Named characters it's safe to kill. What more could you ask for? I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out Greg had planned to kill them so he'd never have to describe Gaaki, Bomonga, Pouks, and Kualus' appearances. Plus, Norik dying just after getting to see Varian again? Or even just before? Doesn't it hurt so good?
Takanuva: He only needs to live long enough to end the civil war between the Great Beings, but after that, if Marendar is still in play, he's fair game. What do you say? It would torture him more to see his friends fall while he lived on, but there is something poetic to "Takanuva, the first and greatest Toa of Light, whose life burned brightly, but quickly."
Yesterday Questers: These three are like the Toa Hagah, but even safer. Named characters, important enough for their deaths to matter, but brand new, without much audience investment. Besides, they're asking for it, aren't they? Ancient Orde, the chip on his shoulder as old as he is, could finally know peace in oblivion. Perhaps Zaria's death would finally clear his guilty conscience. And Chiara... Does anyone actually like Chiara? Would anyone miss her? Are these questions she asks herself? And wouldn't it hurt to hear her ask them in her final moments?
Varian: Talk about tragedy. Thousands of years, locked in a tube, dead to the world. Unaware time is even passing. And when she finally awakes, it's only to die. A waste of her character, perhaps, but if you don't mind fridging, it would piss off Norik somethin' fierce.
Tuyet: Doesn't she deserve it? And you know, Marendar does track Toa Power, and there's no greater source of that than Tuyet and the Nui Stone. It would be gunning for her. And it would be so deliciously ironic. All that power, all the effort she put in to get it, and it would be utterly useless to save her in the end. Her dreams of empire ground to dust in seconds, right before her eyes, as Toa Tuyet dies one last time.
Helryx: Think of the poetry. Marendar, the Toa's bane. What more worthy opponent could there be for the first Toa's last stand? It practically writes itself. Helryx has done her duty. The will of Mata Nui has been carried out. This is her perfect chance to go down fighting on her own terms, not as the leader of the Order, but as a Toa once more.
Lesovikk: This guy is Orde and Zaria but worse. He wants death so bad. And what else is there left for him to do? Karzahni is dead. His Matoran are found. What, will he become a Turaga and gift his power to the next generation of Toa? Will he wander the woods and care for the animals? Will he find joy and beauty in living? Lame. He misses his team so bad? Let him join them.
20-odd nameless mooks: By far the safest option. A Toa-killer would be pretty pointless if it never killed any Toa, but nobody said it had to be anyone we cared about, right? This is the best of both worlds. A pile of bodies to make Marendar a credible threat, but nothing and no one of consequence lost. A perfect solution, right? Just uh. Hope you don't have any OCs in here.
Mutants: The Dark Hunters are scattered, vulnerable. If these lost souls haven't found the greater group yet, they'd be easy to pick off. Good options too, right? Actual characters, so their deaths have some weight, but not major ones, so they won't be missed. Guardian was killed off in Reign of Shadows for those exact reasons. Why not have Savage, Spinner, and Prototype carry on the tradition, and tie off some loose ends in the process?
Shadow Takanuva: Sure, it might suck for their home universes to lose their Takanuva like this, but hey. If you have a whole army just sitting around, might as well put them to use, right? The fight could be interesting to watch too. Shadow might be the only element Marendar has no countermeasures for, since Toa of Shadow were never meant to exist. Maybe this is how it's finally beaten, after taking several alternate Takanuva down with it, of course. Besides, Melding Teridax flattened several of them already, so it's not like they were all making it home to begin with.
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dejinerate · 9 months
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Fic: All's fair in Hyun and War - Part 1
18+/MINORS DNI
Pairing: Hyunjin x Reader (Fem)
Descriptions of: eventual sexual themes, brat, dom, softcore, mischief
Rating: this chapter is isn't explicit, but there is delicious smutty smut ahead
This is my first time writing a fic, lemme know what you think!!
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Hyunjin has some audacity today.
  “Time to wake uuuuUUUp~, ” he half yells in a sing song voice, jolting you awake. Against your will. On a Sunday. On your only day off of work. He giggles to himself, thinking he’s the most hilarious man alive at the moment. 
He clearly has a death wish. He knows how much you love sleeping in… but no, no, today.. Hyunnie chose violence. That giggle foreshadowed evil things.
 You somehow were able to remain completely still even though your whole body took a screenshot when he yelled his good morning. It was a stroke of luck that you were already sleeping the opposite direction from him, so he couldn’t see your face when you were so rudely interrupted in your peaceful dreamland. He would’ve known immediately he succeeded in his mission. Knowing he can’t see your face, you quickly open your eyes to glance at the clock, and absolutely lose your mind when you see 6:00am glowing on the display. How dare he. This is foul play. You shut your eyes again, and try your best not to shift your position in any way, still pretending to sleep. Perhaps, just perhaps you’ve flown under his radar…. It would be a first. Maybe he’ll actually behave and leave you be. You keep still. You hear silence. That’s not good. 
“Hmmmmm…  heheheeuu ~” 
He’s plotting. A plotting Hyunnie is never good. He’s cooking up something in that wild, mischievous mind of his. You feel the bed shift, and he gently moves the covers off of him as he gets up and slowly walks away, the sound of his footsteps faint on the carpeted floor. Fuck. He’s trying to be quiet. Intentionally. This is bad. You can already feel his chaos without even glancing at him. Also… He didn’t touch you, which is his normal way of greeting you every morning... He’s such a chaotic sleeper though. You always fall asleep holding each other, but he somehow moves so much in his sleep that you never know which body part might be draped across you and the entire bed by the time you wake up. He probably dreams of all of his dancing, practicing choreography moves in his sleep… That’s one of the little Hyunjin quirks you love so much about him though. Everyday always has something different in it because of him.
Always something unpredictable.
Today is one of those days. 
You don’t usually wake up before him…  He naturally wakes up earlier than most sane people do, as per learned habit, since his work schedule starts so early. It’s asinine to you that he can’t sleep in, even on a day off. It's not like him to jolt you awake with his voice… On a normal, non-chaotic Hyune morning, the first thing he does is re-shift his disoriented, sprawled out sleeping position so he can scooch over to you and mold against your body, hands quietly searching for you under the covers. He loves gliding his warm hands across your waist, reuniting with his most beloved part of your body, and pulls you against him without a word. His fingers lovingly graze across your skin, burning, as he lingers on the dip of your hip. It’s as if every morning he’s re-familiarizing himself again, with the hills and valleys on a map he’s worshiped a million times. As if sleeping deprived him of his home. He knows every crevice of your shape. Every curve. Every scar.
While holding you from behind and spooning your small frame, he buries his face into your hair, which is his favorite smell, and makes small sleepy sounds of content. His body heat sears against you with his bare chest pressed against your back. You always have to wear your tiny silk shorts and flowy lightweight tanks as pajamas, since he usually is a human heater. Even though his body temperature runs pretty hot, he loves feeling how much heat your body gives off when you sleep. By this time, you’ve usually stirred awake, and once he knows you’re no longer dreaming, he kisses you twice on the neck and whispers good morning. You both stay there, blissfully comfortable, surrounded by the intimate stillness of the morning. He holds you for awhile and traces your skin, quietly talking about what he dreamed of, until he has to get up to start his day. He always ends morning cuddles by placing his hand on your cheek and turning your face to him so he can give you a loving, lingering kiss. He whines a little when he knows he has to get up and get ready, wanting to keep his mouth on you, but you know he can't be late. "Hyunnie... you gotta get up." Frustrated groans leave his throat, "Do I really have to? I just wanna stay like this, baby... Five more minutes." He pleads with you, as if he's waiting on you tell him to forget about work and stay in bed all day. When he's feeling particularly stubborn, he tells you that no longer feeling your warmth against him is the worst part of the day. Holding onto your heat is his lifeline, he says. He's so dramatic. You love his romantic side, though. He pours his love to you effortlessly, every single day. As if it was his favorite hobby. This is something you've always admired that he can do, without any hesitation. You never have to ask for reassurance from him if he loves you, he just shows you, and tells you, as if he has some kind of freaky psychic powers where he can feel exactly what you need. It never ceases to amaze you how attentive he is. How he takes care of you.
"You have to get up, I'm afraid. I'm sorry my love." He always sighs in defeat, knowing you're right. His schedule wasn't lenient, and he didn't have much time to spare before he had to get ready and rush to work. When you begrudgingly have to untangle your bodies from each other, he always tells you he loves you. Always. Before he does finally leave the door, he comes back in the bedroom and leans down to kiss your forehead and tells you "I'll be back home tonight, beautiful. Promise me you'll take care of yourself today. I'll call you on your lunch and check in on you. Be good for me, alright?"
"Yes, sir." You say in return. "I'll be good for you."
"That's my girl."
After he leaves, most times you end up just falling back asleep, until a reasonable time of day comes for you to wake up for work.
... You hear the sound of Hyunjin putting his shirt on. This snaps you out of your day dreaming. Back to the present situation at hand, where *none* of that wonderful morning routine is currently happening.
Dammit. You’re wide awake now. The lack of his warmth this morning is achingly apparent. 
 How completely irritating it is that you didn’t get your morning affection… He better be making up for it somehow. A wicked thought crosses your mind. A perfect thing to bring up in a playful pseudo-argument later.
 He walks away from the bed while humming whatever tune he woke up with stuck in his head. You wait before shifting any part of your body, listening intently to his sounds. The walking stopped. He’s paused in mid stride at the opposite end of the room. Shit. You hear him snicker to himself, and his footsteps are coming to your side of the bed. You hear him quietly lower onto his knees into a squat. That fucker. He’s gonna watch your face. You just know it. You can’t move now though, it’ll be a dead giveaway if you try to hide your face under the covers. You try your absolute hardest to pretend you never woke up. Slowing your breathing, becoming completely limp... You know, of course, that this doesn’t always fool the all knowing Hyunjin. He magically knows when you’re faking sleep. Every. Single. Time. It's infuriating. It never fails. You feel him hover over your face. The sound of his soft breathing feels an inch away from your ear. Panic. He's analyzing you. Your breathing speeds up slightly, against your will, but you don't cave. Not yet. You don't dare move. You're not letting him win. But then, the sound of him shifts, and he walks away again, as you hear his feet shuffle away.
That was too easy....
Surely he's not giving up on his mission. That's not Hyunjin. But from the sound of how far he is now, he’s probably heading to the bathroom to take a showe-
“Wakey wakey, Miss Hwanggg~!” The sounds of curtains are flung. 
Before you have time to react… Rays of light suddenly burn under your eyelids. Scorching, blaring light from the morning sun. You scrunch your eyebrows, startled, and yell quite a few curse words as the sun completely ruins your plans of winning the battle, forcing you to squirm away from the piercing intrusion. You throw a pillow at him blindly as a reflex, without any ability to aim, which misses him as you hear a soft thud against the wall.
This pisses you off even more. That man is a dead man. This particular wake up method is most definitely the fastest way to wake you up, but it’s also the most guaranteed way to get you mad and feisty. That little shit. He knows how much you hate it. He cackled mischievously in the distance and the sound of the blinds moving fills the air. More light pours in that you can’t get away from. More curses fly from your mouth.
"HYUNJIN!"
He teases you with a deep chuckle.
“Awwww, my poor baby. Did I wake you?” His voice drips like honey, as if he’s innocent of a crime. 
He starts moving towards you again, slowly, ready to tussle.
 This means war.
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