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oleander-nin · 1 year

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Yandere Rottmnt Headcanons

Tw: Mentions of kidnapping, death, killing, breaking bones, revenge, possessive and obsessive behaviors. Please procced with caution. If you notice any other possible triggers that are not listed, please tell me so I may add them. Thank you.

Words: 1873

Mikey:

Restraints/Obsessive. Hints of monopoly as well

Gets really upset if/when you reject him. He’s the baby, he always gets what he wants.

Tries to talk through everything with you, wants you to see his side and just agree with him. He just ignores all arguments towards letting you go.

Doesn’t like to use more physical punishments on you, but wouldn’t go farther than breaking bones if he feels like has to.

He’s also the least likely to kill. He believes everyone can change, and tries to set them straight. Lets them off with only a few broken bones and missing fingers. Will kill if he has to though, he would never let anything happen to you.

Clingy, likes to always be touching you in someway and gets upset if you try to push him off.

Uses his mystic chains to tie you to him or other things so you can’t leave him.

Guilt trips you a lot. After all, he only wants what's best for you. You just need to let him do his thing and stop resisting.

If you say or do something he doesn’t like, he’ll try to ignore it at first. You probably just made a mistake, no biggy. Keep going and you’re going to get hurt though.

Drugs your food if you make him really mad. Mostly sleeping pills, he doesn’t have much access to anything else.

Speaking of food, he loves it when you cook together or you cook for him. Will literally force you to be in the kitchen with him, you aren’t leaving till it’s done.

Absolutely adores everything about you, will hit someone if he hears them talking bad about you.

Isn’t as jealous as his brothers. You belong to him, so why would you ever think about being with someone else?

Uses his mystic powers to keep you near him. Probably figured out how to soul bond y’all together so you can’t leave him no matter what.

Is probably the most delusional of all his brothers. Genuinely believes he’s not doing anything wrong.

Paints you a lot. Like, before he took you. You arrived to a gallery full of paintings of you. Likes to paint you a lot still, gives them as gifts sometimes to prove his love.

Full heartedly believes you are the greatest thing in the world, and he is the only one who is even slightly deserving of your love. It’s his entire life mission to prove it.

Doesn’t like your friends very much, he thinks they aren’t worthy of your attention. Threatens them a lot, but doesn’t really go farther than that.

Escaping Mikey would be difficult, he’s always attached to you somehow. It’s worse if you get that soul bond, you’re never going to be able to get rid of him.

If you did successfully escape him, he’d search high and low for you, not stopping for anything until he’s found you and brought you home. He can’t survive without you, and you without him. He’ll make sure to keep the chains tighter around you this time.

Donnie:

Possessive/controlling(didn’t know what to call it) and protective. Sight obsession.

Thinks he’s the best thing that could ever happen to you and is convinced you need him as much as he needs you.

Makes a schedule for you, as well as a nutritional diet that he insist(forces) you to follow. Try and break the schedule/diet. I dare you.

Slight touch aversion, but less so. He read somewhere skin to skin contact will help bonding, so sometimes(when he's feeling okay), he will do physical touch. Gets mad when/if you seek out touch from others if you’re a very physical touchy person.

Tends to stare a lot. He just wants to admire you. Never really makes eye contact though, his eyes just wander on you.

Low empathy for when you cry or complain about a punishment. He thinks it was a necessary evil.

However, he is really smart and thinks about his punishments. He wants to find the best way to break you without breaking you.

Gets mad when you get mad at him. Uses silent treatment as a punishment when upset, but gets pissed if you do it back to him.

Would eventually mutilate(cut off or severely break/damage limbs) you if it came down to it, but tries his best to wait it out as he knows he’d lose all progress with you and that would just be annoying(plus he really does not want to hurt you. He loves you, just let him love you. Stop trying to leave.)

Refuses to accept that something is his fault/he is wrong(unless glaringly obvious, but he still won’t really admit it).

Likes to know what you’re doing at all times, mostly to make sure you’re safe and has SHELLDON watch you when he isn’t physically able. Puts a tracker on you ASAP.

Knows what he’s doing is wrong, but at the same time, he doesn’t? Like he knows you don’t like it and it’s illegal, but he doesn’t care

Drugs you at any sign of retaliation and will tranq you if you try to leave.

Wants to be the center of your attention at all times and will throw a fit if you don’t give him the attention he thinks he deserves.

Gets extremely Jealous very easily, but usually waits until you’re gone to deal with it(will kill/mutilate someone who gets to close). If he thinks it’ll benefit him, he does it in front of you. Usually just a last resort to get you to behave.

Will kill everyone close to you if it comes down to it. Or, well, his tech will. He’s too busy to do it himself.

Stalks you before kidnapping you, mostly just to learn everything he can. Bugs your house and hacks cameras when he isn’t physically there.

Raph:

Monopoly/Protective. Slight worship

Wants nothing more than to see you happy and be the reason for that happiness

Constantly worried about you. You’re so fragile, and helpless. What if you’re hurt? Raph needs to be there for you at all times.

Very emotionally dependent on you. You’re an emotional crutch he can’t let go.

Babies you. A lot. Acts like you can’t do anything on your own.

Is afraid to hurt you, and treats you like glass. Doesn’t even let you use a knife in the kitchen, bribing Mikey to help you or doing it himself.

You can be upwards of 6'3"(190.5 cm) and weigh over 200lbs(90.72 kg) of muscle, and he'd still treat you like a small child.

Likes to carry you a lot and gets sad if you fight it.

Gets frustrated really quickly when you fight him on things. He’s just trying to keep you safe, so why do you keep arguing with him?

Wants to shield you from the dangers of the world, you’re too precious to be with the rest of the world. They might hurt you.

Is more worried than jealous. While there's always that nagging feeling you might fall for someone else, the constant fear of you getting hurt is stronger than the jealousy. It doesn’t really matter though. Both end with you by his side, and the person who tried to talk to you far far away.

Likes to keep you in his line of vision. If he can see you, he can save you.

Freaks out when you get mad at him, feels like he failed. He’ll usually ignore it though. You hating him won’t stop him from loving you and protecting you. He’ll still be sad and try and make it up to you.

Talks to you about his worries, and likes you listening. It’s what drew him in really. You cared about him, so he cares about you.

Would hurt someone without hesitation if they so much as looked at you the wrong way. No ones allowed near you if you’re hurt, he has to make sure your safe.

Is almost as clingy as Mikey.

Holds you close and tight to the point where you can barely move. He’s just protecting you with his body is all.

Is constantly scared you’ll disappear, so he’ll randomly just scoop you into a bone crushing hug to make sure you’re still here and not a dream.

While he holds you tight, he’s also the most lenient with punishments, opting for a long talk rather than locking you up somewhere

Escaping Raph would send him into a frenzy, his anxiety spiking so bad Savage might even make an appearance.

Keeps a tighter hold on you when he gets you back, vowing to never let you go again.

Leo:

Extremely manipulative/protective. Hints of removal.

Wants you to rely on him and only him. Wants to do everything for you, it makes him feel needed.

He’s observative, you can’t get anything by him.

Knows immediately when you’re planning something and is very quick to shut it down.

Is also really jealous, but unlike Donnie, he’d just kill them then and there, not really caring if you see. It’s not like you could leave him after all.

Is pretty clingy and gets really upset if you don’t let him hold you. He desperately wants to be near you at all times and keep you in his line of sight. Gets cranky when he hasn’t seen you for a while.

Stalks you a lot before he jumps to kidnapping, tries to see what you like so he can provide it for you.

Has a journal in his room filled with everything he’s noticed about you, and has it all memorized.

There really is no escaping him, he will find you. And when he brings you back, there will be hell to pay.

He’s fast, has portals, and I’m pretty sure 2nd strongest canonically.

Is really good at using your weaknesses and insecurities against you for his own benefit.

Wants to be the only thing you think about.

Wants you to idolize him and see him as your hero.

Would 100% make a fake danger scenario so he could save you and prove he is the best for you.

Gives you some leeway with being bratty, but push him too far and it’ll get dangerous.

Is not very patient and can get fed up with you not reciprocating his love pretty quickly. He doesn’t understand why you don’t love him. After all, hasn’t he proved he’s the best for you?

Most likely to do physical punishments. Say something wrong and all of a sudden your shoulders dislocated. Nothing more than broken bones however, he doesn’t want anything to go wrong. He doesn’t like seeing you hurt but doesn’t know how else to get the results he wants. (He does not want to hurt you, but he knows it works so he does it as a last resort for when the manipulation is ineffective. If you don't try to leave or fight him, you'll be A-okay.)

Gaslights and guilt trips tf out of you, wants you to only believe what he tells you.

Before he kidnaps you, he slowly isolates you from everyone you know. Deletes numbers, threatens friends, etc.

Only really trusts you around his brothers, but even that’s iffy.

He shows you the basics of medical aid(if you weren’t already knowledgeable) because he likes it when you help patch him up. After all, your his S/O, don’t you want to make sure he’s okay?

Really likes it when you make eye contact with him, but understands if you can’t. The eye contact makes him feel special, but is okay with you looking behind him/somewhere else on him or near him.

A/N, isn't important: I used this to help deciding their personalities. Check it out for more details. I only mentioned the parts that specifically applied to them, but it's still a great reference if you plan on doing something yandere related. If you don't trust links, look up "yandere types wiki". Should get you to the same place. I sincerely hope these headcanons made sense, my brain tends to jump around and I barely even know what's going on in there. These will probably be added to and slightly changed as time goes on and I get a better read on their personalities. This is supposed to be a gender neutral reader, so if I make anything too masculine or feminine, please let me know. If you have any question, comments, or concerns, please don't be afraid to reach out. All criticism is appreciated, constructive or not.

-Ollie

02.07.23

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explorevenus · 1 year

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piercing porcelain, crimson sap ♡ vampire!steddie x reader (pt. 1)

recommended listening - dracula (nate sees cassie) - labrinth

this part is generally sfw but the bulk of this series will be nsfw (18+) - so minors dni !!!!! or i will call ur mom

word count - 5k

description - in a fantasy world, reader is from a small, remote village. for many years you have been drawn to the mysterious mansion in the woods, the very same mansion you were warned against visiting for so long. you’ve tended to the neglected garden since you were young, growing attached to the strange, abandoned structure, only to one day find out the mansion isn’t as vacant as you’d thought...

tags/warnings - vampire!steddie, dark!steddie, innocent!reader, fem/afab!reader, pet names, no use of (Y/N), stevie is a lil cold at first but he warms up i promise, eddie is v manipulative lol, implied hypnosis, no smut yet but i promise it’s coming, fantasy elements obvi

a/n - ok i know this premise is done to death and like somewhat out of left field for a fucking stranger things fic but HEAR ME OUT. HEAR ME OUT OKAY. i am a SLUT for sexy mysterious vampire boys and i’ll be DAMNED if i don’t turn steve and eddie into sexy mysterious vampire boys at least once before i die. thank u for understanding and if u see this and it flops no u didn’t ♡

taglist - @urlbitchin

my masterlist ♡

part 2 coming soon ! lmk if u want to be added to the taglist :)

fic below the cut, thanks for reading and i hope u enjoy ♡

-venus ♡

Growing up in the woods, you were always taught to avoid the decrepit old mansion that hid away in the shadows of the tall trees, a warning you would heed with great caution as a child, but not so much as you grew into your teenage years.

You were 15 when you first felt the urge to rebel, or rather when you first failed to fight it off. Restricting yourself to only the outside of the property, to make yourself feel better about your choices, if anything, you had set off along the overgrown path that winded northeast and just down the valley, into a remote corner of the wilderness where the decaying building loomed tall, quieting the forest around it.

Based on all the horror stories you'd been told over the years, you expected to find the place teeming with evil spirits, or perhaps grotesque monsters; but, it was silent as could be, utterly vacant by the looks of it, and at first, rather underwhelming. You thought to yourself that maybe that was the point of all those hyperbolic cautionary tales that the elders passed down, to build up this great big image of what evil might be hiding away here, only for the purpose of letting down those expectations later. You were ready to give up and walk home, disappointed by your findings (or lack thereof), when you caught sight of a beautiful jungle of plants out of the corner of your eye-- they were bursting through the gaps in an old iron fence. It was a long forgotten garden, and as luck would have it, plenty of the plants there were invaluable for your alchemical endeavors.

Every now and then you would slip away and return to the garden, mindlessly sifting through the salvageable ingredients, and as the years went on you'd made a habit of tidying up the weeds where you could, too. Your interest in alchemy hadn't fully extended to an interest in gardening, so you weren't the most experienced by any means, but it was amazing what the smallest loving touch could do for a long forgotten place. Not to mention, the ridding of the weeds allowed the more sought after plants to properly flourish. It became your own private place, your own little slice of heaven, untouched by anyone but yourself. You loved the community you'd grown up in, but you felt an immense comfort near that strange mansion.

In your adulthood you only began to spend more time at the property, caring for the precious plants and dreaming that the mansion was yours, dreaming that you were not a village witch thieving ingredients for a living but the mistress of a beautiful household, gardening for pleasure in her overabundance of free time. It wasn't so much the material that you wanted, no, but the freedom-- freedom from the dangers of the woods, freedom from that constant worry of being unable to provide for yourself, for your village. It was nice to fantasize sometimes.

On this particular afternoon, it was overcast when you were readying yourself to leave the village, so you saw it fit to bring an umbrella. The prospect of rain didn't bother you a bit, or change your plans to visit the mansion at all-- it had been too long since the last rainfall, so both yourself and the plants were sorely needing it anyway. You lifted the hood of your soft cloak over your head and stepped outside, flower basket in-hand and toting a leather backpack full of various gardening supplies.

Cutting through the trees to that fading old pathway, little rocks and twigs crunching ambiently beneath your boots, you looked up at the grey sky above to see that it was only continuing to darken on the horizon. Thick black clouds loomed in the distance, swallowing up every last bit of sunlight and visibly unleashing buckets of rain upon the northern end of the mountain range, and they were barreling closer at a rate highly noticeable to the naked eye. You briefly considered turning back, but decided to stick to it anyway, given the worst case scenario was having to walk home drenched.

That old iron fence creaked loudly in greeting as you entered, even louder than usual due to the moisture in the air. You closed it softly behind you and made your way over to the patch of nightshade that you'd been tending to. You propped your umbrella up on the stump of a nearby tree, crouched beneath it, and got to work pulling up weeds as little droplets began to fall around you. The petrichor was delightful and comforting, and the rainfall softened the earth enough to make it just a little easier to uproot things. It didn't take long for you to settle into a comfortable autopilot mode as the droplets became gradually larger, and more plentiful.

Eddie and Steve liked this kind of rain.

Any kind of rain was favored, of course, but today was unmistakably a treat. The clouds were so dense and blackened with excess that no sunlight could hope to shine through. There was much excitement to be had on darkened days such as these, for a creature of the night-- the ability to roam during waking hours provided an entirely new insight into the lives and routines of their prospective cattle, and as a bonus, the moisture in the air tended to strengthen certain scents.

But, in a more wholesome light, it was quite nice to reminisce in the long faded memory of their own mortality, to pretend, if even just for one afternoon, that their hearts may beat with vitality as they once did, that their bodies might once again hunger for fruit or pastries instead of thick red blood. It was a perfect day for a stroll, Eddie thought, and if they were to happen upon something suitable to dine on in the process, well, that's all the better...

Unfortunately, for his own skeptical reasons, Steve didn't seem to agree. He felt that it was too much of a risk to be seen by anyone, that it would blow their cover, and perhaps his paranoia was not entirely unfounded, though Eddie hesitated to give in. Not only had it been a while since the last good rainfall like this, but it had certainly been far too long since they'd found a new plaything, and Eddie was becoming... rather restless. The last few cattle they'd brought in hadn't really wowed him, as they were chosen more out of necessity and convenience than pleasure, and in turn, it took hardly any time at all for him to grow bored with them. Eddie needed something new, something exciting to keep him entertained for much, much longer than that. The weather provided the most enticing opportunity to stalk around, it was a shame that Steve was so adamantly against it. He could really be no fun sometimes.

Eddie was sulking around the mansion while Steve worked away in the upstairs office-- he had taken the additional waking hours as an opportunity to get ahead on his obligations, which was quite characteristically responsible of him, but Eddie couldn't bring himself to sit still, knowing that such a golden opportunity was being wasted. He could only rearrange the liquor cabinet so many times, let alone the furniture-- the exterior of the mansion was to remain untouched, to maintain the illusion of vacancy. With each passing second, the temptation to slip out for a bit to hunt while Steve worked was picking away at him.

Tossing the idea around, just for fun, of course, Eddie approached the nearest window and drew back the heavy red curtains for a peek outside-- just a scan of the property couldn't hurt, right?-- and as his mocha eyes followed along the treeline surrounding the property, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but he froze in place as he picked up on an intriguing scent. Curiously, Eddie cracked the old window open, letting in a draft of the cool, fresh air, and just as he'd hoped, it carried with it the sweet smell of living flesh. The stars couldn't have aligned more beautifully-- there was a human nearby.

To avoid alerting Steve, Eddie quickly sealed the window shut once more, slinking away up the stairs for a better view from the windows in the master bedroom. They were bigger than the ones in the hallway, had a much higher vantage point, and more conveniently, faced the single overgrown path that led to and from the property. Truthfully, he hadn't expected to find much-- Eddie didn't really consider himself lucky, and he knew that the powerful scents carried by the humid air could sometimes be deceiving.

Still, just as he'd done before, he drew back the curtains and cracked the window, peering outward, noting that the human's scent was stronger here. It was floral and saccharine, like fresh lavender and juicy peach, laced with ribbons of intoxicating iron. Eddie's lashes fluttered as his eyes slid shut in delight, and he allowed himself a moment to breathe in deeply with an open, slightly watering mouth.

His eyes opened again and immediately caught sight of movement on the ground below. Eddie couldn't believe his eyes at first; crouched beneath an umbrella in the garden was a pretty little witch, muddying her slight hands in the thick weeds with no evident knowledge of the mansion's occupants. She wore a pale pink cloak that matched her boots and her umbrella, the white frills of her dress poofing out from beneath it, pointed elven ears peeking through her hair. Eddie could hardly fathom leaving the girl out in the rain-- after all, she must be freezing...

Eddie briefly considered asking Steve for his opinion, but had a sore feeling that he knew what he would say, and it wasn't likely to be in his favor. Deep down, he knew that it might be a reckless move, but the aroma in the air was all too enticing. With every passing second he was losing grasp of his better judgement. The temptation was far too much, and so it was that he gathered an umbrella of his own, and decided he would rather ask for forgiveness later. His sleek black dress shoes went from tapping elegantly across the hardwood floors to sinking into the wet earth. While he wasn't exactly thrilled that his expensive shoes had been exposed to the elements, he knew that the reward could be well worth it. Conveniently, too, the softness of the ground masked the noise of his movements, allowing him a bit more time to observe the girl in her relaxed state. Eddie approached the little elf slowly, not wanting to frighten her. She was so absorbed in her work that she hadn't even looked up.

In all honesty, the girl's unmoving focus and lowered guard brought a little smirk to Eddie's face. Finally, he asked aloud, "My, sweetheart, aren't you cold?" His voice was so warm and sweet, but somehow chilling, too.

You startled, freezing in place as your eyes raked up the length of his body before you-- he was so tall, with long legs clad in nice black slacks that fit him sinfully well, and contrasted to his pale white skin in a way that gave him a nearly unnatural glow. His alabaster face was framed by wildly curly, dark hair, tucked into a messy low bun behind his neck. You couldn't find the words to speak-- he was certainly stunning, a sight for sore eyes, but you had definitely not expected to see anyone out here, let alone in this weather, and it was even weirder that he was able to sneak up on you.

"Oh, you poor thing, you're shivering..." The mysterious man frowned, crouching to your level, fingertips tracing along the underside of her jaw. Little did you know that he was feeling for your pulse. "Why don't you come inside and warm up, hm? We'll get you out of this rain and into some dry clothes."

Inside...? You were only puzzled further-- as far as you knew, this mansion had been vacant for decades, and it certainly looked the part. The garden was far from the only section of it that had fallen into disrepair. The circumstances of this situation were overtly suspicious, but there was something about him that just made it so hard to say no. The mysterious man was equal parts haunting and alluring, comforting and hazardous. Before you could say anything, he reached forward to wrap an arm around your shoulders and then began to usher you indoors.

Shutting the heavy oak door softly behind you, the man rested a hand on your shoulder from behind. "May I take your umbrella?" He kindly asked.

"T-Thank you," You blushed, shakily handing your umbrella over to the man, suddenly being washed over by a feeling of guilt for dripping water all over the beautiful hardwood flooring. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't know anyone lived here--"

"Shh, it's quite alright, angel," He soothed, hand sliding from your shoulder to your collarbone as he stepped forward, and twisted around to face you. Every movement he made was so enchanting, so graceful, you nearly tripped over yourself as he was stepping out of his muddy shoes. "I appreciate the company. It's not often we get visitors out here."

You were then given absolutely no time to ponder the implication of the word 'we' as the man asked for your name. Somewhat warily, you gave it to him. He hummed contentedly, testing the name out on his tongue, and he was very much pleased with how it felt.

"How pretty," He mused. "And how sweet of you to take such good care of our garden... it's nice to meet you. I'm Eddie."

You were immediately flustered at the praise, cheeks flushing bright pink as your eyes darted somewhere else, drinking in your surroundings-- perhaps the outside of the mansion was falling apart, but the inside was truly beautiful. Dark, but beautiful. Intricately carved wooden furniture decorated the space, fine paintings adorned the deep blue walls which flickered a warm orange with cozy candlelight, and the ceilings were so high that it made you feel particularly small. It looked almost regal.

Eddie gently reached for your hand, bringing you swiftly back to reality. "Why don't you come upstairs and we'll get you out of those wet clothes, hm?" He asked, but he was already leading the way-- again, there was something unnaturally persuasive about him, and it went far deeper than his unparalleled beauty. You rounded a corner and began to ascend the winding staircase, the fine wood creaking softly beneath your steps.

Clearing your throat nervously, you finally mustered up the courage to speak. "Do you live alone here?"

Eddie shook his head, leading you down a hallway at the top of the staircase. You followed obediently. "I have a roommate, an... old friend, named Steve," Eddie explained over his shoulder. "He's working away in his office, but I hope we see him soon. I would love to introduce you."

Of course, Eddie was well aware that your scent would soon breach the door to Steve's office, that it was only a matter of time until he'd follow it through the house until it led him to the both of you. He knew Steve would be angry with him, but he also knew Steve would have a hard time saying no to such a pretty meal laid out just for him. Eddie was willing to take that risk.

One of two thick oak doors creaked open before you, revealing an immaculate master bedroom. The windows were blocked with heavy black drapes which matched the dark, plush bedding, complimented by the stained wood floor. The walls were painted a deep, navy blue, shrouding the room in darkness save for the soft light of a bedside lamp crafted of Tiffany glass.

"You have a beautiful home," You spoke softly, eyes fixated to the many intricate details of the space that seemed endless, every flick of your eyes uncovering new treasures to be admired-- paintings, trinkets, candles long burnt down and dripping hardened wax down their bases.

Eddie chuckled, gazing at you out of the corner of his eye as he rifled through the closet for something you could wear, though it was hard for him to make a decision. You looked so adorable in your soft colored clothes, even drenched in rain and speckled with earth, and he sadly didn't have anything that matched your gentle appearance.

"Thank you, doll. You're very sweet," He finally replied, and as the words left his lips he noticed your polite manners. You observed your surroundings quietly, hands clasped in front of you as you made the noticed choice not to overstep, not to touch anything without permission, not to look too closely at any one thing.

It came as a surprise to him when he felt his cold heart swell. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt such a way about someone he'd tricked into his home for a quick meal.

He brought his attention back to the closet, giving up on his own side and choosing instead to rummage through Steve's-- yet another decision he might come to regret, but at least Steve was more likely to own something soft and colorful. Almost immediately his eyes landed on a thick yellow sweater that would surely warm you up. Eddie plucked it off of its hanger and turned to hand it to you.

However, you were lost in an oil painting on the wall, wide eyes glassy with wonder as you looked over each brushstroke of a glowing crescent moon over a stream of rushing water. Eddie and Steve had acquired that painting so long ago that Eddie couldn't even remember where it came from or who painted it, but just how mesmerized you were by the piece was art enough for him.

Eddie cleared his throat to gather your attention, holding the sweater out for you. "Here, this should help you warm up," He smiled, careful not to bare his teeth. He didn't want to scare you off now. Only moments ago he simply wanted to bleed you dry, but now he found himself wanting to taste you, savor you, perhaps even keep you.

Oblivious, you took the garment from him with a smile, amazed at how soft it was. You thanked Eddie quietly before turning around to shed yourself of your dress, undoing the thin ribbons that secured it in the back before letting it slip gently down from your shoulders. You stepped out of the soaked piece carefully, thankful to your past self for choosing to wear tights and thin shorts beneath it, and as you pulled the cozy sweater over your head you delighted in the near immediate warmth that came with it. Shortly after, you gathered your dress from the floor and turned to face him.

"Thank you. Is there somewhere I can hang this to dry?" You asked.

Eddie tried to conceal his smirk as he answered you, "Well, I would say you could hang it on the clothesline, but..." He gestured toward the window which was concealed behind the thick drapes, but the sound of fat rain drops pattering against the glass was clear. "You should stay inside until the rain lets up, hm? I'd be happy to light the fireplace for you."

"I don't know... I should probably get back to the village in case the storm gets any worse," You spoke reluctantly, casting your gaze to the floor in disappointment, a move that was not lost on Eddie. "I might need to help cover the crops. I don't know what we'll do for the winter if our harvest is flooded."

Your disappointment communicated a couple of things to him-- one, you truly wanted to stay and spend time with him, and two, it was likely you'd be easy to convince to do just that. Of course he understood your plight, though he hadn't really considered the struggles of everyday, living, breathing people in a long time, but selfishly...

"Well, how many people live in your village, sweetheart?" He asked. You looked up at him, tilting your head quizzically. He chuckled, clarifying, "I don't get out much. I wouldn't know."

You had to think for a second-- you'd never really counted-- and when you landed on an estimate you were comfortable with, you obliged. "I don't know exactly... 45 or 50, maybe?"

Eddie hummed, crossing his arms casually. "That's a lot of hands. I'm sure they'll fare just fine without your help for a few hours, yeah?"

You pondered for a moment, just beginning to part your lips to accept his offer to stay for a while when another voice cut through the air, disapproving and materializing out of nowhere: "Eddie... What do you think you're doing?"

While you startled at the unexpected voice, jumping slightly where you stood, Eddie could only grin, turning slowly around to face the man in the doorway.

Only logical, you surmised this was the 'friend' Eddie had told you about earlier-- he was tall and athletic, square jaw and long lashes with fluffy brown hair that wisped over his face. The top two buttons of his white shirt were undone, revealing a thatch of dark hair over his strong chest. Your mouth dried-- the two of them were strikingly, devilishly handsome, especially together, and suddenly you felt your cheeks heating up with confusion over your own feelings and embarrassment for causing a problem.

Eddie's response cut your internal dialogue short. "Stevie! There you are," He greeted innocently. "Remember how you mentioned the garden looked like it was coming back to life? Well, I found the culprit," He joked, gesturing to you as he introduced you by name. Your face burned even hotter.

"...And you found the culprit wearing my shirt?" Steve asked.

You felt your heart sink into yourself. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't know-" You stammered, but Eddie raised his palm to quiet you and spoke for you instead.

"Come on, Steve, look at her... Poor thing got soaked in the rain! Besides, doesn't she look adorable in yellow?"

Suddenly you felt hot for a different reason. You looked down to the floor to hide your face-- little did you know they could both hear your heart pounding. Still staring at the floor, you spoke up again, a little louder this time. "Um, I'm sorry for intruding... You can have your shirt back and I'll just go. I didn't mean to cause any problems."

As you looked up to make your way toward the door, you accidentally locked eyes with Eddie. An unexpected wave of calm washed over you, stopping you in your tracks.

"Nonsense, sweetheart," Eddie said. "You're not intruding at all."

Steve gave him a look that missed you completely, a look you wouldn't have been able to read anyway in your trance-like state. You couldn't really manage to speak, let alone interpret the silent communication between two men who were obviously so close with each other that the most subtle physical cues could speak a thousand words.

Eddie put a hand on your shoulder. It was cold.

He smiled at you confidently. "Would you mind giving us the room for a moment, doll?"

Your feet were carrying you to the door before his words even fully sank in. Your gaze lingered on Steve for just a moment as you passed by him on your way out-- he was intently watching you go, arms crossed as he leaned against the door frame. You weren't sure how to feel about that.

Plopping down to sit at the top of the staircase, you tugged at the sleeves of the yellow sweater and wondered what kind of conversation they were having. It was overtly obvious Steve didn't want you there, but Eddie seemed quite sure of his ability to change Steve's mind. Having just met him less than an hour ago, you didn't know him well enough to trust his judgment on that.

A tall grandfather clock ticked rhythmically down the hall, echoing each passing second. You picked idly at your tights just to pass the time, hoping Eddie's offer to light the fireplace for you would still be in the question, should Steve decide you could stay. You could faintly hear the timbre of their voices muted by the thick wooden door, but you couldn't make out what was being said or even discern the emotion behind it. All you could do was sit there, practicing your patience. Part of you wondered if you should just leave the sweater in your place and go, if it weren't for the fact your dress was still in the bedroom and you had no idea where Eddie put your umbrella.

You were too absorbed in your thoughts to notice the hallway had quieted. Apparently you were also too absorbed in your thoughts to notice the sound of the bedroom door opening.

"You do look rather cute in that sweater," A voice startled you from behind. Clutching your chest, you turned to face the source of it, surprised to find Steve. He was noticeably calmer and offering you his hand to help you up. "I might just have to let you keep it."

Shocked, you blushed as you took his hand, rising gently from where you sat. His hand was cold too. "T-Thanks," You stuttered. "I'm sorry if I caused any problems-"

"You didn't," He cut you off with a warm smile. "I promise. The apology is mine-- I'm sorry for coming off the way I did. You didn't do anything wrong."

"There you go, Stevie," Eddie chimed in from the bedroom doorway. You were beginning to sense a pattern that they had a unique ability to sneak up on you. "See? I knew you could play nice."

Steve shook his head, giving you an exasperated look that communicated quite well to you that Eddie was no stranger to successful persuasion such as this. "Let's get that fireplace lit, shall we?"

Guiding you down the stairs by your hand, Eddie trailing close behind, Steve led you to the parlor and encouraged you to make yourself comfortable as he knelt before the fireplace, stacking nearby logs of firewood into the soot-stained enclosure. Eddie was quick to replace Steve's hand with his own, leading you over to the couch. He offered to brew some tea for you, which you eagerly accepted, and as he made his way to the kitchen you found yourself sinking into the soft couch and watching Steve turn the gas valve at the bottom of the fireplace, striking a match to set the lumber alight at last.

Steve sat on the couch to your left, leaned coolly against the arm. The light from the fire cast a flickering orange glow over his handsome features.

He asked you about how you'd found yourself here, what measures you'd taken to revive the garden and what your village was like. He seemed hesitant to tell you much about his own past, other than that he came from a family in the city that he wasn't particularly close with. You let it slide, figuring there was much more to it than that, and you didn't feel comfortable prying.

Soon Eddie returned with a hot cup of tea, cautioning you to be careful of its temperature before he handed it off to you. You hadn't asked what kind it was, but it smelled delightfully earthy and herbal and a little bit minty, sure to chase the chill from your bones. You thanked him with a polite smile as he sat on the couch to your right, cradling the warm porcelain in your hands.

The three of you continued to chat, learning more about each other as you all became comfortable and opened up a bit. You learned that Eddie plays guitar-- he promised to show you sometime. You learned that Steve used to be an incredible athlete. You learned that the two of them met in school, that they hated each other at first, but have since been inseparable for a longer period of time than either of them could recall. You told them about your family, about your aptitude for horticulture. You promised to teach them how to care for their plants.

The conversation came to a comfortable break, the parlor draped in silence other than the pleasant sound of wood crackling in the fireplace. You were a sip or two away from finishing your tea when Steve leaned forward, tucking a stray lock of hair behind your ear as he asked, "Do you believe in the supernatural?"

It was an odd question that seemed to come out of nowhere. You nodded slightly. "I mean... yeah. Living in the woods for so long, I know quite well that there are many things on this Earth that nature couldn't possibly explain." You quietly sipped your tea.

"Does it scare you?" Eddie smirked, planting a cool hand on your knee. Suddenly you were feeling nervous under the pressure of their attention. You finished the last of your tea, leaning forward to set your empty mug on the coffee table.

"Not really," You replied, eyes focused on the fire. "Everything in nature requires a balance. Light and dark, hot and cold..."

"Predator and prey?" Eddie added.

You tensed a little bit, nodding. "Sure, that's a great example. It's all Gaia's will."

"Even if you were the prey?" Steve asked.

"Y-Yeah, I mean, of course," You hummed, wishing now that you hadn't finished your tea so fast. You needed something to fidget with. "It's all Gaia's will," You repeated.

Eddie's hand repositioned from your knee to your thigh so smoothly that you almost hadn't noticed. "Hmm... What about pain and pleasure?"

Steve's yellow sweater was beginning to feel rather hot on your body. Your breath hitched in your throat. "Absolutely," You answered innocently, although your voice shook. "It all contributes to a delicate balance."

You weren't stupid. You knew where they were going with this... or at least you thought you did. Oddly enough, as you'd answered just moments before, you weren't scared.

Maybe if you'd really known what you were in for, you would have been.

#stranger things #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie x reader #steddie x you #steve harrington x reader #eddie munson x reader #venustext #vampire steddie #vampire steve harrington #vampire eddie munson #sintext

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 17 days

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I feel like it isn't talked about nearly enough that Harry freed Kreacher.

And I'm realizing that's because no one else, literally no one I've talked to in this fandom in the last seventeen years, interpreted the scene that way. But when I first read DH, I picked up on it immediately.

Because Harry unequivocally does free Kreacher when he gives him Regulus' locket, and I think that's so important. I get why you might disagree, because they never actually state in the dialogue that Kreacher is free. It's all subtext. You might also say that jewelry is different from clothing, but I don't think we have enough examples to rule it out. (Lucius was tricked into freeing Dobby with a sock that wasn't even his. Far as I'm concerned, if you can wear it, then it counts.)

Harry freed Dobby without hesitation, and why wouldn't he? The sweet little guy was miserable, trapped in servitude to the evil Malfoys. But Kreacher? He was the racist little bastard that betrayed Sirius, Sirius, to the Death Eaters, and had a hand in his death. Of course Harry hated him. Even in OOTP, the point is made that Kreacher cannot be freed, even if Sirius would love to be rid of him, because he simply knows too much information, and they need to keep him bound in service so that he can't pass it on.

In this, we see that Harry's status as an ally to the House Elves is conditional. He wasn't even raised in the magical world like Ron, there's no reason for him to see Elf Slavery as okay, but he just accepts it as part of the magical world because the elves are "happy" and writes off Hermione's campaign as one of her many obsessions. Ron didn't take it seriously, so neither did Harry. He was happy to free Dobby, but to him Dobby was a special case.

Then comes the tale of Regulus. Harry is told all about a Death Eater who had a change of heart for no other reason than because he loved Kreacher, and Voldemort tortured Kreacher, leaving him for dead. Harry cannot fathom it - after all, this is Kreacher. The monster who betrayed Sirius. But Sirius mistreated Kreacher at every turn, something that Harry laughed off because Kreacher was so unpleasant - but it doesn't change the fact that Sirius was literally Kreacher's master, and he regularly abused him. It's not like it's Kreacher's fault that Sirius was abused himself, or that Sirius had to return to Grimmauld Place.

Seeing Kreacher utterly break down was uncomfortable for Harry, because it forced him to confront an uncomfortable truth that conflicted with the worldview he'd set up for himself about the Elves - and about Sirius. Even twenty years later, Kreacher is still attempting to self-harm after failing to follow Regulus' orders, and it's safe to assume Regulus didn't tell him to do that.

At this point, Hermione breaks down too, and she asks them - Harry and Ron - to see what she sees. "Oh don't you see how sick it is, how they've got to obey?" And for the first time, Harry sees it. On a grand scale, he sees it. It's raw, it's awkward, it's painful to confront. But Harry comes to realize that Hermione is right. (As in most things.) Slavery is not okay, no matter the context. The House Elves should be free. Not just the nice ones like Dobby, but even the nasty ones like Kreacher. Because he sees Kreacher trying to "punish himself" just as Dobby has done many times...and I think it hits Harry that no one deserves that.

So he takes a chance. Because freeing Kreacher is still a risk. It gives him back his autonomy. He knows all kinds of information. He knows that Regulus stole the Locket, and that Harry is hunting for it too. If Kreacher were to turn around and backstab the Golden Trio, if Voldemort learned what he knew, everything would be lost. And Kreacher could do that. But Harry chooses to believe that he won't. And he recognizes that even that risk is no excuse to keep a slave.

Cause here's the thing. Even if jewelry "doesn't count" (highly debatable imo) that doesn't mean Harry would know that. So far as he knows, he's giving Kreacher something to wear, and he has personal experience with what that means to Elves. The entire scene reads like Kreacher is being freed. Call it a headcanon if you must but I have believed this for years.

Yes, Kreacher stayed in Grimmauld Place. Of course he did. He loves it there, that's his home. Where is he going to go? And yes, he continues to serve Harry after this and even calls him "Master." Because that's what he knows. I'm not saying Harry broke the conditioning. That kind of thing would take years. If she'd been allowed to, Winky would have carried on serving The Crouches after her dismissal. But the important thing is, Harry gave Kreacher the locket. Whatever enchantment it was that bound Kreacher in service to Harry would have broken when Harry gave him the locket.

I know everyone loves to mock the moment at the end when Harry's first thought after defeating Voldemort is whether or not his slave will bring him a sandwich, but, guys. It's a throwaway line about a sandwich. Harry isn't going to order Kreacher to do it. At most he's going to ask. Kreacher is old, and pretty set in his ways. Deprogramming might not even be possible for him at this point. But everything we see of their relationship following Regulus' tale shows Harry respecting Kreacher as a friend, not a slave. He gave Kreacher his autonomy back by freeing him, and, when Kreacher made the choice to stay, Harry treated him with kindness.

This is actually blowing my mind because for so many years I just took this as a given but I realized I'd never seen anyone else talking about it and it turns out I'm in the minority for interpreting it this way? It just seemed so straightforward to me...

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malsmemes · 2 years

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☁️ 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬 ☁️

from the band ghost !!

❛ Tonight we're summoned for a divine cause ❜

❛ Smells of dead human sacrifices ❜

❛ Our father who art in hell, unhallowed be thy name ❜

❛ Now celebrate the end ❜

❛ She was an evil woman with an evil old soul, her piercing eyes emotionless a heart so black and cold ❜

❛ 'Tis the night of the witch tonight ❜

❛ Evoke the king of hell ❜

❛ Strike the death knell ❜

❛ Say, can you hear the chimes? ❜

❛ Hear our desperate call ❜

❛ I offer everything they seek ❜

❛ This grave hill stinks of death ❜

❛ We Focus On Your Death ❜

❛ I'm waiting for the night to fall I know that it will save us all ❜

❛ I'm waiting for the night to fall when everything is bearable ❜

❛ In the night I am real ❜

❛ You have the power ❜

❛ You wear the crown ❜

❛ You are cast out from the heavens to the ground, blackened feathers falling down ❜

❛ You will wear your independence like a crown ❜

❛ Two star-crossed lovers reaching out to the beast with many names ❜

❛ He is the shining and the light without whom I cannot see ❜

❛ You're the possessée of avarice ❜

❛ This oasis is a poison well ❜

❛ This oasis is a poison well of rotting carcasses that clog the deep ❜

❛ Ever since you were born you've been dying ❜

❛ All those things that you desire you will find here in the fire ❜

❛ Put your hands up and reach for the sky, cry for absolution ❜

❛ Cry for absolution ❜

❛ The world is on fire. And you are here to stay and burn with me, our funeral pyre ❜

❛ You're so God damn frail ❜

❛ Devoured by shadows we cling to the light ❜

❛ ‘neath heavens torn asunder, you call on me ❜

❛ Are you on the square? ❜

❛ Are you on the level? ❜

❛ Are you ready to swear right here right now ❜

❛ Are you ready to swear right here right now before the devil ❜

❛ Now all your loved ones, and all your kin, will suffer punishments beneath the wrath of God ❜

❛ They're still coming after you and there's nothing you can do ❜

❛ Every day that you feed me with hate I grow stronger ❜

❛ If I could turn back the time I'd make all right ❜

❛ How can it end like this? ❜

❛ There's a sting in the way you kiss me ❜

❛ I don't wanna end like this ❜

❛ Don't you forget about your friend death ❜

❛ Don't you forget that you will die ❜

❛ Someone's flesh is rotting tonight ❜

❛ What you've done you cannot undo ❜

❛ Still, your soul will suffer this plight like your father in hell ❜

❛ Can you see me longing for you forever? ❜

❛ Within your heart, a story to be told ❜

❛ This is the moment of just letting go ❜

❛ Through benediction you tried to rid your mind of malediction ❜

❛ I know you need it now to make you feel alive ❜

❛ It ain't over now, and I ain't talking about forgiveness ❜

❛ It's the cruel beast that you feed ❜

❛ It's your burning yearning need to bleed ❜

❛ You keep a casket buried deep within ❜

❛ You try to mask it but fall back in sin ❜

❛ You wanna shake it off but you're stuck inside ❜

❛ Call out in the middle of the night, for when else would I hear you? ❜

❛ Fall out in the cold starlight, I can save you if you do ❜

❛ You will never walk alone. You can always reach me ❜

❛ Call me when you feel all alone ❜

❛ It's been a long time coming ❜

❛ Though my memories are faded they come back to haunt me once again ❜

❛ Now it's time for me to strike again ❜

❛ I'm dying to see you, my friend ❜

❛ I'm with you always ❜

❛ Remember always that love is all you need ❜

❛ Tell me who you wanna be and I will set you free ❜

❛ There's a darkness at the heart of my love that runs cold, runs deep ❜

❛ Will you spill the wine to summon the divine? ❜

❛ Suffering for the lord is not an easy thing ❜

❛ You shine like the sun and the moon and the stars in the sky ❜

❛ The past is spun like a yarn and mangled with flesh and blood and bones ❜

❛ You've been playing around with magic that is black, but all the powerful magical mysteries never gave a single thing back ❜

❛ It ain't always what it seems when you cling onto a dream, it ain't always there to please you ❜

❛ That glitter wasn't gold as opposed to what they told you ❜

❛ But he's the guy you wanna do and you know that it takes two. Luckily he wants to do you too ❜

❛ Through all the sorrow we've been riding high ❜

❛ Not just another bloody Mary ❜

❛ It was just for fools ❜

❛ You go down just like Holy Mary ❜

❛ Your beauty never, ever scared me ❜

#ask meme #Ask memes #roleplay meme #sentence prompt #roleplay memes #sentence prompts #rp sentence prompts #rp memes #rp sentence starters #lyric memes #sentence starters #ghost #no one cares bc no one reads the tags to these posts but my fave ghost song is mary on a cross :)

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superloves4 · 4 months

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The Flame we Held (Fëanor son of Melkor AU) - Chapter 2

Relationships: Melkor/Mairon, Melkor & Fëanor, Mairon & Fëanor, Fëanor/Nerdanel Summary: Miriel made a deal with Melkor, she'd be able to bear children but in return the dark lord asked for her firstborn. When he gets imprisoned she believes herself to be free of her promise but Melkor shall claim his prize. TW: no major tag besides the kidnapping A/N: Still some angst, we'll get the softer part next time!

Masterlist and on Ao3

Melkor never thought back to that deal, in fact he might’ve forgotten all about it had it not been for the present situation.

His anger had simmered for every year spent trapped in Mandos, he had things to do, kingdoms to conquer, orcs to rule, Mairon to return to, he couldn’t stay trapped for all three ages, he had thrown plans at his metaphorical wall but none could be used, as long as he was chained none were achievable. Well, at least he could trust his brother to keep his promises, he knew some of the others would be pleased to keep him trapped there forever, if not even happier to throw him to the Void, but dear, affable, awful Manwë, wouldn't let them do as such.

So he turned inwards, that was what Manwë had hoped for him, something about how if he simply spent more time thinking about his evils he’d realize how wrong he’d been or whatever, but Melkor was firmly set on using his time to plan for his release instead. He would destroy everything his brother had created.

He searched in himself for some insight but for years he had nothing to show besides disappointment.

Nàmo’s halls were deathly boring, he could perhaps sense a few dead elves, it honestly offended him that there were so few he was certain he’d gotten rid of more, alas.

Flames.

Small, but even when they flickered, Melkor knew they were strong.

Those flames would survive the storm. But what storm?

Melkor was highly curious about the flames, where did they come from? How had he felt them so long after his imprisonment? There was something binding him to those flames, he could feel their call, but when he tried to reach out the flames seemed ever further away. He couldn’t simply will his chains into letting him pursue the flames, however, the chains felt lighter that day.

Flames, getting higher, enveloping him.

Some days, Melkor wondered if Eru had changed his mind, if he had decided to grant what he’d desired for so long, it didn’t feel the same as the Flames Imperishable but somehow something about the flames felt familiar, like a song he’d heard once. But that was impossible, he’d Sung this world into existence, no Song was beyond his memory. He could move around.

The flames were everywhere, they burned all they found and sung for him as they moved, waiting for him.

Then they were gone. And so were his chains.

Melkor could not believe his luck, it had taken him a moment to realize what was happening after that first time he perceived the flames, they were, after all, unlike anything he’d ever felt before and he’d never been much familiar with elven fëa but when he found himself moving freely he realized.

He had a debt to collect.

Eru was fair, Melkor had asked for a price and now he was to pursue his deal.

“I don’t feel him anymore”

Manwë stared at Nàmo in horror, they had always know his brother was strong but not even he should have been able to break free of not only his chains but of Mandos itself without notice. That was the type of power only Ilùvatar could bestow.

But why? Why would Ilùvatar free Melkor?

For once Manwë felt blind, he couldn’t understand what the All-Father wanted of him, was he to let Melkor run to whatever terrible deed he would pursue now? But the All-Father would not have let Melkor leave for dark purpose, it did not make sense.

“Send Oromë in pursuit, I do not trust him”

Nàmo stared at him for an uncomfortably long time, his blank visage made Manwë look away but eventually he did bow and left.

Manwë could only hope he’d done the right thing.

No, Melkor did not barge into the castle of Tirion, he had bigger plans than that, he had a brother to repay! He went first to the darkness, to where even the other pathetic Valar would not go and the Hunter would be left with nothing to follow, to Ungoliant.

He promised her the lights of the Valar but that was not enough for the treacherous spider and he had to then promise all the jewelry he could find, it bothered him to submit to her request, he was Melkor, the greatest of the Valar, but Ungoliant was different, only she could drive the revenge he wished for, who cared for a few trinkets after that, he could bear his wounded pride. Oh, how would his brother hate him for it, he felt… giddy, at the thought, and while they were all too busy crying the trees he’d take what was his.

He watched with pleasure as the spider did her job, but didn’t stay for long, it wouldn’t do well to stay, he didn’t think he’d be granted a second escape if he let this opportunity pass. So to Tirion he finally went, hiding until the world went dark.

He saw the one who now was the elven queen, her loving smile to his prize and the terrible realization when the light she’d grown used to, disappeared.

“Well met, oh, queen broidress”

He laughed and the woman held the child to her chest, backed away from him until all she was left was to hide in the corner, clutching his prize away from his vision.

“Please, please,” she begged in tears “Don’t take him from me”

“Oh, my,” Melkor walked around “The children sure are bold now, to try and go back on a promise.”

“The deal is null,” she tried to argue and Melkor shot her a dark look “I can no longer have children, Fëanàro is the only child I shall ever have, it is not what you promised”

Melkor shrugged “That is not my doing,” it truly wasn’t, there was no reason the foolish woman could not have any children after his blessing “I kept my part of our agreement, is the queen of the Noldor less trustworthy than I?”

She shook her head, looking at the child as she sobbed, her voice shaking she made a last plea.

“He’s all I have”

Melkor looked at her.

“In music, our words are binding”

On Ungoliant’s back, Melkor stared at the snow storm ahead of him, place the sleeping child inside his robes and remembered the vision he had in Mandos. The child would survive the storm.

#feanorians #feanor #silm #the silmarillion #silmarillion #silm fic #my writing #feanor son of melkor au #we're getting closer to the fluff #melkor #morgoth

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zenixromeave · 7 months

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i love fucked up vylad <3 vylad can go crazy sometimes too

-vylad anon

alright. this ones for the people. the diaries: irene's blessing vylad overview

in my rewrite/headcanons, vylad is not a Good person. he wants to be! but he isn't. he thinks he's evil because he's a shadow knight. because he came back wrong. in believing that this is what makes him inherently evil and Bad, he believes the same about every other shadow knight. he doesn't believe they can be good. he doesn't believe they can change. he believes the world should be rid of them, because he believes the world should be rid of himself.

i'm going to show a lot of his healing/character arc through his relationship to food and gardening

vylad forages the nether for the most lethal things it has to offer- warped fungi and its relatives, which shadow knights are basically allergic to in my rewrite. he makes himself ill tasting the plants that aren't meant for him, and with them, he tries to develop poisons that Stick. that kill.

he keeps a journal, in case one of them works. he hopes someone will pick up his work and do what needs to be done. his most effective poison, he used when trying to shoot zenix. on a human target, the poison was the least concerning thing about being shot, but he'd hoped that in the blood of a shadow knight, it might do some real damage. he didn't get to see if it did. he wallowed in guilt for weeks after shooting brendan, cursing himself for another evil deed.

(alright ok this part diverges quite a bit from canon i think, but i didn't want kiva locked up in a prison cell in the nether. it didn't make sense, and lowell already went through that so like, damn, that's just fucked up yknow?) then a young girl gets stuck on the wrong side of the portal. vylad is so thankful to have been the first to find her, and sets his mind on making sure she survives until he can get her out. mostly, that requires food and water. i imagine that if you go high enough, close to the roof of the nether's caverns, you can find water, drip-dripping down from places unknown.

vylad cuts the thick flesh of red and blue mushrooms for a new reason. its a good reason. he's allowed to do something good.

for a long time, he's built himself on the idea of getting rid of evil. of getting rid of things like him. for the first time, he does something good.

after a few days and the smell of sizzling mushrooms and gargantuan pork chops, vylad makes himself a plate to eat. this time, without the things that hurt him.

he used to join his mother in the garden when he was small. even though they could have had anyone else in the world do it for them, they got their own hands dirty and took care of the little plot themselves. vylad was never very good at it, but they didn't do it for sustenance or survival; they did it for the joy of doing it.

he considers trying to garden again. maybe he could enjoy the fruits of his own hard work. maybe he could try to put good into the world, instead of trying to weed out the bad.

after all, any plant can be considered a weed, if you aren't looking at it the right way.

#vylad ro'meave #mcd #minecraft diaries #mcd rewrite #z.txt #um. ask me to tag ?

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aita-blorbos · 8 months

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AITA for not being there for my family?

So for background, I (Adult M) used to be in this really infamous villain group. I met this person who for this post we'll call C (Adult F) in it, and well, we hit it off. We even started dating few months later.

Despite being known for my powers (I can zap the powers of others to strengthen mime but only temporarily) and physical strength, I also had an interest in bioengineering. I was allowed by my superior to do my own projects and experimentation, even having one of the others help me. Eventually we created various powerful weapons, one of them even being able to permanently get rid of the powers of someone who was in near proximity when it explodes!

But through out all of it, I kept thinking about my role in the group. Everyone respected and or feared me because of my powers, but it didn't feel right to me. When my superior announced that we would start using the weapons I help make to completely take over the world, that's when I realized I made a mistake.

So that very night I was going to sneak into the lab where we kept it all and destroy everything. I was planning to tell C first about my plan and feelings (it felt kinda awkward to confess that I was turning good when she was still being a villain), but as it turns out, she and another guy from our group was already in the lab. I tried to tell her at that point but then one of the weapons broke and exploded, setting the entire lab ablaze. I managed to escape but I couldn't save C or the other person. Regretful about everything I've done, I left the group and went into hiding in the sewers.

A few years have passed, and I've completely changed my identity. I still kept creating new things, but for good now. A hero group actually found me and wanted to use my weapons, so I work for them now. I even took in a child I found alone in the sewers. I slowly built a new life for myself.

And then during one of the missions the hero group made me do, I found out C was still alive, along with the other guy. I didn't keep up with villain news anymore, but apparently both of them survived the lab incident and left the group to become solo villains. What I was even more shocked to find out was that C had a son now. I even discovered he has similar powers to me, which confirmed my suspicions.

I felt horrible now knowing I left C and my own son behind. But I didn't reach out, in fear that they would hate me for who I am now. (i DID however anonymously sent C a large sum of money for child support).

Recently though, they indeed found out I was also alive (they all thought i died in the lab) and C was furious. She yelled (and also tried to beat me up) at me for never telling her the truth and for not being there for her and our son. After all that (and other various events), we ended up settling that I would have custody of our son on the weekends. I am completely fine with this, though I don't think my evil son likes this arrangement or even me.

And that's everything. Sorry for the length of this story. AITA?

#aita #am i the asshole #unreality

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hanako-san · 6 days

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Headcanon: "I wish be with you!"

This is my 3rd time in my life writing something like this. I hope you like it

After severance Hanako apologized to Aoi for what he did and avoided her as much as he could because he couldn't look her in the eye due to shame.

Aoi quickly notices that He is avoiding her. It was the first time a guy reacted to her like that, so she was curious why he was avoiding her, so she set a trap for him and when he returned to the toilet, he pinned him to his stall with her hands and didn't let him move.

Hanako put his hands forward to show that he had no evil intentions and looked in shock at the evil Aoi who was staring at him as if she wanted to x-ray his soul. Hanako avoided her eyes, trying to look away so as not to meet Aoi's gaze. At one point he stuck his neck forward so much that he looked like a giraffe. Aoi laughed at him, which made him a little nervous and made him feel embarrassed and embarrassed because Aoi was acting strangely.

Aoi tells him that he's cute and then Hanako blushes even more, hiding her blush behind her hair and his hat, which he pretended to fix, avoiding her eyes all the time.

Aoi growls and grabs Hanako's chin, pulling his head down to look at her. The boy had a look of confusion on his face and was all red. Hanako and Aoi have a heart-to-heart with each other. It's not difficult because these two talk to each other more than to their friends.

Hanako and Aoi spend every free moment together having fun together. Without pretending to be anyone else, they are honest with each other in their reactions and conversations, like when Hanako took her on her last journey.

During an education lesson, Aoi was asked what she wanted to do in the future and then she had a flashback of her spending time with Hanako in the classroom, watering the flowers, him eating her, eating together when they could do it and her friend wasn't around and Hanako grabbing her wrist and bringing her chopsticks closer to her. a shrimp which she bit into a little and he ate it, which he said was delicious, smiling at her. Aoi turns red and her heart is getting more and more crazy,

She once found Hanako crying in the bathroom, he quickly wiped his tears and pretended that everything was fine, but she was silent, intruding on him and she couldn't pretend in front of her, he cried again and told her what had happened in his life and what he had done. She hugged him and he hugged her with a trembling body, crying. In front of her in the last flashback he was genuinely smiling at her.

Aoi grabbed her heart and ran out of the classroom. She understood what he wanted… She went to him, telling him that she wanted to die and made this wish official to Hanako-san. At first Hanako thought she was joking, but when it turned out she wasn't, he refused.

The next day, Aoi is found unconscious in the bathroom by Hanako. Panicked, he saw that Aoi had cut her wrists, he quickly squeezed the veins to stop the bleeding and alerted Tsuchigomor who called an ambulance. Hanako touched her body and understood that her soul had long left her body, but there was time to save her.

He quickly set out for the far shore, catching her and dragging her to the human world, she resists him. Aoi tells him that she did it because she wants to be with him. Hanako doesn't believe her and begs her to come back with him.

Aoi kisses Hanako to confirm her words. He believes her, but still doesn't understand why she wants to get rid of the future she has for him. Aoi calls him by name "Amane", to which Hanako agrees and explains to him that with him she really feels happy, and her moving on means the end of being together. She also tells him that she has been thinking about death for a long time, it was her desire, but she didn't have the courage to do it, her life is hell for her, and with him she feels happy and is not afraid of death, she is most afraid of losing him.

Hanako wants to be with her too. But they also want her wishes to be able to live. Hanako explains to her that he will feel guilty if she does this and she will not be the same person she is now. He's not sure Aoi will remember him… and their love.

She tells him that she dies without regrets and if she forgets him, her heart will remember and she holds his hand, smiling at him.

Aoi asks Hanako to make a promise saying that if he forgets her, he will not give up and will fight for her heart a second time.

Hanako promises her this by connecting his hand with hers and headed towards the train.

#jibaku shounen hanako kun #toilet bound hanako kun #yugi amane #hanako kun #amane yugi #aoi akane #hanako x aoi #amane x aoi #hanaoi #amaoi #hanaaoi #amaaoi #myhead #my headcanons #otp #maybe when I finish all the fanfics I will expand it into a story.

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raveswritingdesk · 2 years

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Gamma 1 and 2 x Reader

Anon I could kiss you on your mouth. Honestly I’m really shocked no one has done this yet. I saw this movie with my friend who doesn’t watch db and during the drive home we both wanted a train ran…nvm.

This is going to be a little fluff. I think with no specification that’s what I will default to from now on. I have to make a better rules post, it’s so ugly smh.

A little poly action 😏 SPOILERS!!!! Ofc. Background is you’re an android also created by Dr Hedo, but you weren’t involved in the fight against the Z Fighters or Cell Max. Also, Gamma 2 survives in this.

This is the first thing I’ve written in 4 years, please be patient as my writing gets better <3

This ain’t edited bc I wanted to get it out asap

*******************************************************

Pulling yourself out of the wreckage from Cell Max’s grand entrance, you immediately set to looking for Dr. Hedo. After locating him, you flew quickly over to him and began pulling him out of the debris.

He was unconscious, but he was alive. As your creator, you doted on him. Younger than the Gammas, he didn’t consider you quite ready for battle yet. You mostly spent your time training, and taking care of Hedo, but always keeping an eye on Gamma 1 and 2.

You admired their strength, and shared in their sense of justice, though it was just how you were created. Even so, they were the first real superheroes, who wouldn’t love that?

Looking around the sky, you quickly picked out the Gammas. 2 having a surprisingly stern look on his face. What shocked you most though was they were fighting side by side with the alien and demon.

They had the same purpose as you, to rid the world of evil, and to stop Capsule Corp’s plans of world domination.

Looking at the alien and demon, you couldn’t detect any evil in them. It was pounded into your programming and training that they were bad guys, villains. You couldn’t understand.

It hurt your head too much, you’re sure the Gammas would explain everything to you.

They always made sure you were okay, made you feel good. 1 pushed you hard in training, but never too far. Whenever he sensed you had enough, he was quick to give you a reassuring smile and praise the work you put in that day. 2 was always there when you needed a laugh, or an opponent.

He beat you every time, there were no easy wins here. But he’d always pick you up off the ground after and walk you to get cleaned up.

Being around them all the time, and their being so kind to you, it’s no wonder how you felt about them. You didn’t really know what that feeling was exactly, but you knew it was different from your feelings towards Dr. Hedo.

Despite being metal, wires, and a battery, it felt so real. You spent the days trying to be around them, trying to think of something to talk to them about. When 2 went out on his mission to kill the demon, you felt so worried. The familiar sound of his boots hitting the floors when he came back was like music.

You always loved attending to them whenever they got back. Sewing their uniforms, helping them clean up, anything they needed. “What would we do without you? Sew ourselves!?” “You’re so good to us.” “I always block forward to coming back and seeing that face.” They praised you endlessly for your hard work.

But now here you were, watching them drain their batteries, tearing their uniforms, getting all scratched up. It was breaking your heart. You made eye contact with Gamma 1, “Take Hedo and get as far away as you can!” he yelled before a giant green fist swung in his direction, which he expertly dodged.

Picking up Hedo in your arms, you flew straight back, just trying to get away from the fight.

The air was so thick with dust and rocks that never seemed to stop raining down, you had no idea where you were going. After a moment however, you sensed an aircraft directly ahead of you. “Civilians? Here? Right now!?” You thought to yourself.

Coming to a halt in front of the windows, you could look inside and see the little alien girl, a…rather small police officer, a slender blonde woman, and a woman you immediately recognized as Bulma.

You couldn’t detect any evil from them, but it made you angry. Capsule Corp probably developed some technology that masks themselves from your sensors. You wanted to break the glass, but a cheerful voice spoke up, “Oh my goodness. Hi! Do you need a lift?”

Bulma was talking to you. Her voice was so carefree and cheerful. She had a smile on her face despite all of the destruction going on around you. Did she enjoy it?

You started punching the glass, trying to break it. But faster than you could pull your fist back, someone was holding it tightly.

“You had better stop.” It was the blonde. Her hands were hard, they felt like yours. Turning to look at her more closely, you recognized her. She was one of Dr. Hedo’s grandfathers creations.

You couldn’t even pull away before her other fist swung around and got you in the side of your head.

Your vision started to get dark, and your sensors were going crazy. ‘Why am I so weak?’ you thought to yourself. ‘No wonder I wasn’t allowed to fight.’

You came to, and your eyes met the yellow ones belonging to Gamma 1. “Hey there (y/n), she got you pretty good, huh?”

“Yeah I thought you died to be honest,” Gamma 2 came into view, but received a dirty look from 1.

You were laying on a cold metal floor, unable to move or speak. 1 could see your face contorting, starting to freak out. “Hey, no, it’s ok. You’re safe here.” Sat down beside you and took your head into his lap. “Hedo isn’t awake yet, so he can’t fix you until later.”

2 sat down on your other side, “You aren’t a fighter (y/n), why’d you try?” He earned another look from 1 after they noticed your shocked expression.

1 sighed, “We were going to tell you some other way, but you weren’t made to fight like us. You’re a caretaker android.”

“Don’t look so sad! We like when you take care of us! What’s being a hero if you don’t have support.”

“We let you train with us because,” 1 looked away, “we think you look cute all worked up and calculating.”

The indescribable feeling blossomed throughout your body. This could not be real.

2 grabbed your hand, making you want to squeal. “You’re one fiiinneeeee lady/man, if I’ve ever seen one! He smiled down at you.

Everything was so overwhelming all at once. Why tell you now when you couldn’t move or say anything back?! “Hey, don’t strain yourself trying to do something. 18 hit your main processor pretty hard. You aren’t made to withstand stuff like that.” 1 looked down at you with his usual serious expression, but also with a look of, care?

So that was THE Android 18? You consider yourself blessed she didn’t do anything further damaging. If it’s just your processor, it shouldn’t be too long until you’re back up and running. You were removed from your thoughts by a careful, gloved hand under your chin, forcing your eyes to meet his. “Don’t do something like that again. Let us be your heroes, just take care of us when we get back.”

2 grabbed your face and turned it toward him, “Yeah, if something like this happens again, who knows if it will be something we can replace? What would be do without our pretty little (y/n)?”

*******************************************************

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angelofthequeers · 1 year

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Tangled in You

My @mlsecretsanta giftee this year is @madchattery! I really hope you like your gift! ❤️💚 And a massive thank you to @faunusroman for beta reading this for me! I really appreciate your help 💙

AO3 link here and spoilers up to Transmission!

Disclaimer: I don’t own ML.

This is set in some vaguely nebulous post-Transmission time where Marinette’s acknowledged that she’s still in love with Adrien as in canon but they’re still not together because, you know…the fact that Marinette and Adrien are still Ladybug and Chat Noir in Protection and Emotion, which canonically come after the Kwami’s Choice episodes.

“Not one word,” Marinette hisses.

Alya pastes a smile on her face, the epitome of innocence, except that she’s a lying liar who lies, and Marinette knows better than to trust the former wielder of the Fox Miraculous.

(Her heart jolts in her chest at that. It’s gotten a little better over the last few weeks but she’s not sure she’ll ever be rid of the pain. Not until she’s rescued the kwamis she let down.)

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Alya sings, shifting her bag on her shoulder. Marinette narrows her eyes.

“I mean it! You know I can’t be with him! Not as I am!”

Alya sighs. Her smile fades. “I’m sorry, Marinette. I took on being Scarabella so that you and Adrien could be together, and I couldn’t even do that right.”

“Don’t apologise,” Marinette says firmly. “What you did for me – what you were willing to take on…it means the world to me, and I’ll never forget that. We’ll figure out how Monarch found out you and Kitty Noire, and we’ll kick his butt!”

“Are we having a rebellion meeting?” says a bright voice. Marinette yelps and somehow manages to jump backward and forward at the same time, resulting in sprawling over Alya in a tangle of limbs, while her best friend tries desperately to keep her somewhat vertical.

“Adrien!” she complains. “Don’t do that!” When she manages to right herself – with great help from Alya – and turns around, she’s punched in the face by Adrien’s wide sunshine smile, and it takes everything she’s got to keep herself upright.

Why is this so hard? Adrien knows she’s in love with him. He knows that she wants to be with him, even if there’s some mysterious reason she can’t that starts with M and ends in onarch. Why is she still a complete mess around him?

“Sorry,” Adrien says, not looking sorry at all, like the evil person he is.

“I swear, one of these days, I’m gonna get you a bell so you stop doing that to me,” Marinette grumbles. Adrien’s face flushes bright red in response to that, so Marinette allows herself a triumphant grin. There. See how he likes it.

“Are we done with whatever we’re doing?” Nino drawls from behind Adrien. “And no, this isn’t a rebellion meeting, dude. I’m not letting Monarch take our Christmas.”

“Perfectly said, babe,” Alya says, crossing over to peck him on the lips. Marinette’s eyes flick to Adrien’s own peach pink lips. He notices – of course he does, because the universe hates Marinette Dupain-Cheng – and those lips curve into a smile that almost brings Marinette to her knees.

“Can we just get on with it?” she whines. “The tree won’t decorate itself.”

“How did you even get it up here?” Adrien says, as the four of them head up the stairs to the apartment above the bakery.

“Dude,” Nino says. “How d’you think? Her dad’s a beast.”

“I helped,” Marinette huffs and flexes her arms. There’s an immediate clatter as Adrien trips on the second-last step. He would’ve face-planted into the front door, if not for Marinette reflexively grabbing him by the back of the shirt and yanking him back, just like she’s done to her kitty many a time with his tail.

“Th-Thanks,” Adrien stammers, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re strong. Muscles! Strong girl!”

“Oh my god,” Alya mutters but her words barely pierce the blood rushing through Marinette’s ears. Why does this have to be so hard? Why can’t she just Lucky Charm up Monarch’s ugly face, go kick him in said ugly face, then ride off into the sunset with the boy she loves?

(“One of two boys,” says a little, nasty voice. Marinette staunchly ignores it. Chat Noir made his choice and she has to live with it.)

“Anyway!” Marinette almost shrieks and points at the tree that towers over them, dispersing the fresh scent of pine needles throughout the room. “Tree! Decorations! Put on them!”

“Have you ever decorated a Christmas tree, Adrien?” Alya says loudly, steering Marinette away from the haphazardly stacked boxes of decorations. Marinette wants to be offended but…no, it’s probably for the best. Balance is a challenge at the best of times, without her current state of near hysteria.

“No,” Adrien says. The melancholy in his voice immediately snaps Marinette out of Stupid Mode and into Cheer Adrien Up Mode. “My father always hired people to decorate the tree. He said it was too big, and he didn’t want me or my mother to get hurt.”

“Or he could just stop overcompensating and buy a normal tree like normal people,” Nino scoffs. Marinette bites down on her bottom lip to keep her laughter at bay, while Alya lets out a strange cough. “Oh. Sorry, dude. Forgot he’s trying and all now, and I can’t talk smack about him anymore.”

“No, it’s okay,” Adrien says with a small smile. “I never said how much I appreciated all the times you stood up to my father for me, before he started trying. You’re a really good friend, Nino.”

“Aw, shucks, dude.” Nino’s whole face flushes. “Just what friends do, y’know?”

“Right!” Alya claps her hands. “If we’re done with the sappy Hallmark moments, I have just what we need for decorating the tree!”

“The decorations?” Marinette says dryly, pointing at the boxes. Alya rolls her eyes.

“Nope,” she says as she unslings her bag and rummages around inside. As soon as she emerges with a handful of eye-watering fabric, Marinette immediately starts looking around for the nearest window from which to defenestrate herself.

“No,” Nino says immediately because he’s the only other person in the world who currently has a brain cell. Marinette would kiss him for that if a) Adrien wasn’t here and b) Alya wouldn’t be Extremely Unhappy at her for it. “No way, babe. Nuh uh.”

“We promised to show Adrien the joys of a normal Christmas!” Alya insists, shoving an absolutely hideous orange sweater at him. “And that involves wearing ugly Christmas sweaters!”

“I might have sunk to some lows, but I’m not going that far,” Marinette says.

“Thank you,” Nino says.

“But Alya says it’s a Christmas tradition!” Adrien proves that he’s even eviller than Monarch by turning on the puppy dog eyes and pouting with the careful precision of the model he used to be. Alya beams and tosses him a scarlet sweater.

“And we want to honour the hard work of the superheroes in the room, don’t we?” Alya grins, gesturing to herself and Nino. She dumps a black and green sweater on Marinette’s head and, while Marinette splutters and bats the offending garment away, shrugs into the emerald sweater that she’s left with. “After all, I appreciate Carapace very much.”

“And Ladybug does so much to keep us safe,” Adrien agrees, now in his ugly spotted sweater and with messy hair so eerily reminiscent of Chat Noir that Marinette’s heart almost vacates her chest through her mouth. “It’s really the least we can do.”

“And it’d make Adrien happy,” Alya sing-songs. Marinette looks between her evil best friend and evil crush and lets out the most pained groan of her life.

“Fine,” she grumbles, pulling the Chat Noir sweater over her head. “I hate you both.”

“Seriously?” Nino complains. “Marinette, we were s’posed to stand together! Now they’re gonna bully me into it!”

“Pleeeeease?” Alya adopts the same puppy eyes and pout as Adrien, as they conspire to psychically destroy Nino’s will. Nino groans even louder than Marinette had.

“Okay, okay, fine!” He awkwardly slips into his Rena Rouge sweater, knocking off his hat and glasses in the process. “Not like I could be the only one not doing it. Thanks, Marinette.”

“Hey, blame Adrien!” Marinette huffs. “He insisted on it and he did those stupid eyes and everything!”

“It’s not my fault!” Adrien says. “I just wanted to have a normal Christmas!”

“Speaking of, let’s decorate the tree!” Alya grabs the first battered box and pulls a clump of lights. She gives the clump a shake and grimaces. “Seriously, Marinette?”

“I didn’t put them away!” Marinette protests. “It happens every year!”

Alya sighs and lowers herself to the ground. “Okay. Adrien, you’re about to learn the sacred Christmas tradition of spending ten hours untangling the damn lights.”

“If it’s tradition,” Adrien says with a cheeky smile. Marinette resists the urge to punch him for being so damn beautiful.

“Hey, if Ladybug and Chat Noir can take down an akuma with, like, a piece of paper, we can untangle the lights,” Nino says, dropping down to sit next to Alya cross-legged.

“Our lives depend on it, with the way Alya’s going,” Marinette says under her breath as she kneels and hunts for the end of the string. Adrien joins her, and when his hand brushes hers as they navigate the clump of lights, Marinette’s soul is almost evicted from her body.

“You know,” Alya says, “after everything I’ve done for you, you’d think I’d get more respect around here.”

“Just because you know my deepest secrets doesn’t mean you’re not a tyrant,” Marinette retorts.

“Don’t make me throw a bauble at you,” Alya says.

“Please. I’d tie you up with the tinsel before you could even blink.”

It’s not Marinette’s fault. It’s really not. How is it on her that the lights are this bad? She hadn’t put them away! After ten minutes of cursing and putting on a better show than a professional ballet performance, the lights are still matted together and Nino’s throwing a mini tantrum and cursing the name of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, which is totally uncool of him after everything they’d been through with their ugly sweaters.

“I’m done!” Nino throws down the length of lights that had been half-tying his hands together. “I signed up to show my bro a sweet Christmas, not get strangled by a bunch of lights!”

“Careful, you’ll give Monarch ideas,” Alya drawls, kicking her way out of her multicoloured prison. “I’d kill for a croissant right now.”

“You know where everything is downstairs, make yourself at home,” Marinette says absently, trying not to look too hard at Adrien, and how he’s somehow managed to get his head tangled in a makeshift light cocoon, like the beautiful dork he is.

Dork. Marinette from just a year ago would’ve pitched a fit at the mere thought that Adrien Agreste could be anything less than perfection. But after that game he’d played to help her confess her feelings? And the stupid jokes he tells that she can now listen to, since she can actually hold a conversation and not run away in lovestruck terror? Adrien Agreste is a certified dork, and Marinette’s no longer afraid to face the truth.

“Nino, come help me get us some pastries,” Alya says loudly, piercing through Marinette’s trance. Marinette jumps and somehow gets herself even more entangled in the lights from this one action.

“How do you need help to get pastries?” she splutters. “You already know where –”

“Nino’s tall,” Alya says with a smile so innocent that it’s completely devoid of innocence. “What if I need him to grab me something from a cupboard?”

“But the pastries aren’t –”

“Couple bonding activity!” Alya yanks Nino to his feet. “Besides, do you really want him here when he’s ready to set those lights on fire?”

“I’ll do it,” Nino says immediately. “Don’t tempt me.”

“Thank you, babe,” Alya says, patting him on the arm. “Besides, the more of us there are doing the lights, the more we’re just tangling them up even worse. You and Adrien have this!”

“Alyaaaaa,” Marinette whines.

“Marineeeette,” Alya whines back.

You know I can’t! Marinette pushes at her best friend psychically. Thankfully, because Alya is the best friend ever, she’s tuned in to Marinette Air and immediately picks up on the waves coming her way. She whips out her phone, types furiously while Nino raises his eyebrows and Adrien looks adorably confused, then nods and tucks her phone away.

“C’mon,” she says, grabbing Nino’s hand as Marinette’s phone buzzes twice. “Pastries! You and me!” She disappears with Nino before Marinette can so much as blink.

“…Marinette?” Adrien says carefully when Marinette remains frozen where she is in the wake of Alya’s departure. “Aren’t you gonna –”

“Yes! Right! Message!” Marinette fumbles for her phone and somehow manages to get herself even more ensnared in the evil fairy lights from the simple action of reaching into her pocket. She hugs her knees to her chest, takes a deep breath, then swipes open her phone and clicks on Alya’s message.

>> Look I get it girl. I get you’ve got this massive thing on your shoulders & I’m so sorry I can’t do more to help. But you deserve to be happy and you shouldn’t have to commit to being sad just bc of everything you do for all of us. You didn’t mess up bc of love you messed up bc of a jerk who took advantage of you and it wasn’t even the first time he did it to you.

>> You help us all bc you love us. You’re strong bc of it not weak. Pls let yourself be happy Mari I hate seeing you like this bc of big bad douchebag and hey I think Adrien gets the secret thing more than most ppl and you know I wouldn’t be pushing if I thought it’d turn out like Luka. Ily ❤️

Marinette blinks. Why do her eyes hurt so much? It’s not until something splatters on her phone screen that she realises she’s crying, and she lets out an ugly sob and hugs her phone to her chest.

“Marinette?” Adrien’s by her side in a heartbeat, throwing an arm around her without a care for how this wraps a thread of lights around her neck. “What’s wrong? What did Alya say?”

“N-Nothing,” Marinette sniffles. She lowers her phone with trembling hands and reads the message again, which sends a fresh wave of some massive, unnameable thing crashing over her, forcing her back under and filling her lungs. She gasps, accidentally dropping her phone in her attempt to bury her face in her hands.

“Marinette. Hey. It’s okay.” Something warm meets her face; warm and soft and smelling of pure radiance, and she instinctively takes it in as she gulps in oxygen. When she cracks an eye open, the few brain cells still functioning inform her that Adrien’s pulled her into a hug, and her face is half-buried in his ugly sweater, before they cease to work, and all she can do is sob into the scarlet fabric and lose any awareness of time as she drowns. Adrien just rocks her and squeezes her and grounds her in the hurricane, and she clutches to him like a life raft, praying that he doesn’t let go.

“S-Sorry,” she finally manages to say, her voice thick, cringing at how pathetic she sounds. “Messed up your sweater.”

“Marinette, I don’t care about the sweater,” Adrien says. “I care about you. What’s wrong? I know Alya wouldn’t make you cry to be mean or something.”

“She’s not – she didn’t –” Marinette wipes her streaming eyes and snotty nose with her sleeve. “She just –” After another few moments of trying in vain to explain, she gives up and shakily fishes for her phone to offer to Adrien. He doesn’t take it.

“Are you sure?” he says. “Whatever’s between you and Alya’s none of my business.”

“Just take it. Before I change my mind.”

Adrien hesitates for another moment before the phone is finally gently prised from Marinette’s fingers. She reburies her face in his sweater, tensing, praying that she hasn’t just absolutely messed everything up, even though Adrien clearly likes her, and she clearly likes him, and the only thing stopping them at this point is her and her messed-up brain.

“What happened?” Adrien eventually says. His voice is low and sharp, and Marinette pities anyone who ever ends up on the other side of this voice, because it’s a side of Adrien she’s never seen before. “Who took advantage of you? How? Do I need to punch someone?”

“I don’t think your father would appreciate having to bail you out,” Marinette says with a weak hiccup of laughter.

“I’d do it for you,” Adrien says. Blood rushes to Marinette’s face and pools in her cheeks until she could probably melt the polar icecaps with just her skin.

“Just…some guy,” she says vaguely. “Lied to me and made me think he was someone else. So…I trusted him. And I messed up big time. Big, big time.”

“I’ll kill him,” Adrien says straight away, his arms tightening around her. “No one gets to take advantage of Marinette Dupain-Cheng. No one. Not when you’re so sweet and kind and smart and brave and – and loving – Alya was right, you know, you love so easily and so much and it’s why I…you know…fell for you.”

“Stooooop,” Marinette whines. “Shush.”

“Nope. Look…you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but what exactly happened?”

“I –” For a long moment, Marinette wavers. But she steels herself. She can’t give in. She has to stay strong. “I can’t tell you. Not without giving away my big…big secret.”

“The one that got between you and Luka?”

Marinette nods jerkily. Adrien sighs and squeezes her.

“That’s okay. You don’t have to tell me.”

“R-Really?”

“Of course. Alya was right, you know. I get the secrets thing. And…I’ve got a big one of my own. One that I can’t tell anyone. So I’d be a real hypocrite if I tried to make you tell me yours.”

“What a pair,” Marinette mumbles, sagging against Adrien as the energy drains out of her and leaves her loose and limp and jelly limbed. Adrien laughs.

“I don’t know what happened,” he says, “but Alya’s right. Whatever happened, it didn’t go wrong because of love. It went wrong because this guy took advantage of your trust and kindness and love.”

“But I messed up!” Marinette jerks away but can’t go far, thanks to the lights that have somehow managed to glue them together like limpets. “Big, big time! My mistake could get people killed! It’s caused so much pain already!”

“So you’ll fix it,” Adrien says. His smile is so kind, so warm, and Marinette can hardly stand to look at it, but she also can’t stand to tear her eyes away from its radiance. “You always have the solution to any problem, Marinette. You’ll fix it.” His face falls and he looks away. “I messed up, too. I hurt someone really bad. Two people, actually. The second one almost died if she wasn’t a – look, I didn’t get to fix my mistake but I know you’ll fix yours, because that’s the person you are, Marinette.”

“But it’s because I love you!” Marinette blurts out. “It’s because I love you that I messed up! I should’ve known, I should’ve known it wasn’t you, but he looked just like you and I was an idiot and let my heart rule me and I trusted him – I trusted him – and he took everything from me!” She squeezes her eyes shut and hides back in Adrien’s sweater.

“M-Marinette…?” Adrien whispers.

“I just make mistake after mistake because of how much I love you,” Marinette sniffles. “And then I fell for Chat Noir and I almost got akumatised. I even got my father akumatised the first time! And I got Luka akumatised because I couldn’t be honest with him and I don’t want that to happen to you and I just keep messing up again and again every time I try to love someone and –”

“Shh. Breathe,” Adrien says soothingly as a fresh wave of sobs racks Marinette’s body.

“I c-can’t love Chat Noir or th-the world will end,” Marinette bawls. “I c-can’t love you or M-Monarch wins. I c-can’t love anyone.”

“It’s okay,” is all Adrien says. “It’s okay, Marinette, I swear, just let it out. I’ve got you.”

“I’m pathetic,” Marinette blubbers. “Weak and pathetic.” Her insides chill as her words from just before flood her senses and she groans and shakes her head. “And of course I only managed to say it now when I’m having a breakdown. Not when I actually want to say it to you. I really am pathetic.”

“No.” Adrien’s arms tighten around her. “You were wrong back then, and you’re wrong now. You’re not weak, Marinette. You’re not pathetic. You’re brilliant – strong – you’re so clever, so giving and loving, and I’m just sorry it took me this long to see what was right in front of me.”

“I d-didn’t exactly m-make it easy.”

“And I’m sorry that Félix took advantage of you. It’s my fault, I should’ve known he was up to no good when he offered to pretend to be me.”

“W-What?” Marinette’s brain record scratches, then shuts down. Slowly, barely able to breathe, she draws back and stares up at Adrien as her brain feebly struggles to comprehend the fact that two and two equal four; that Adrien knows, he knows who was having a mental breakdown on his bathroom floor. “F-Félix – but I didn’t –”

“You didn’t have to say it,” Adrien says with a small, wry smile. “I couldn’t think of anyone else who’d taken advantage of you by making you think it was me. Apart from Volpina, of course, but that was just an illusion.”

“I – but – Vol – what –” The trembling in Marinette’s limbs intensifies as the implications of Adrien’s words truly sink in. Adrien hadn’t been there. Volpina had been holding an illusion. The only other person who’d been there, who knows what happened on the Eiffel Tower… “You didn’t – you weren’t – it wasn’t –”

“I don’t know how loving me ended the world,” Adrien says while Marinette’s brain undergoes a total system reboot. “And I don’t know how our love could let Monarch win. But I swear that won’t happen, milady. I can’t let it happen. I won’t. Not now that I know you’ve loved me all this time. And not now I know that the two most amazing girls I know are the same person.”

“No!” Marinette throws herself away from him, toppling backwards. But since she’s currently tied to Adrien with the devil’s lights, he follows her right down and sprawls over her with an oof. “I didn’t – you can’t know, you can’t be him, I can’t –”

“We won’t destroy the world.”

“It happened twice! Because we knew! And now I’ve messed up again and I don’t have the Snake to fix it and Bunnyx is gonna show up and –”

“We don’t know what happened, Marinette. Milady. Please.” His green eyes are soft, crinkled, filled with love that Marinette doesn’t deserve. “Don’t shut me out. Not when you need help. I’ll be super extra careful, I swear, I won’t call you milady or do anything Chat-like in public, so long as you get to lean on me.”

“Nooo!” Marinette covers her face. “I’m so tired. I’m so sick of being miserable and not being allowed to be happy or even really be sad in case I get akumatised! And no one else can do it or they’ll be in danger! Monarch managed to figure out Scarabella!”

“Well, that’s what your dashing partner’s here for,” Chat Noir says. No, Adrien, it’s Adrien above her, except that it’s also Chat and Marinette’s about to have a mental breakdown. “You can always count on me, Marinette. And Alya – I’m guessing she knows?”

“Who do you think was Scarabella?” Marinette mumbles into her hands.

“Oh. Oh. So much makes sense now.”

“I don’t even care anymore.” Marinette lets her hands fall away from her face numbly. “I don’t care that you know. I don’t care that Monarch’s gonna win. I’m tired. I’m so tired, Adrien. I should get to worry about school and boys and fashion without having all this weight on my shoulders!”

“Exactly,” Adrien says firmly. He brushes strands of hair out of Marinette’s eyes, making her battered heart leap into her throat. “You shouldn’t have to deal with all of this. But you’ve got Alya now, and you’ve got me – you’ve always had me, ever since Stoneheart. We’re gonna win, Marinette. We’ll beat Monarch and rescue the kwamis, and you’ll finally get to be happy. And what Félix did to you doesn’t make you weak. Okay?”

“If you say so,” Marinette says. Adrien rolls his eyes.

“I do say so. And I’m your charming, dashing partner, so I’m right, and you have to listen to me.”

A weak giggle wrenches its way out of Marinette. Once the dam’s been cracked, there’s no containing everything that pours out of her in hysterical laughter as her brain meshes Adrien and Chat Noir together – the two boys she loves, the two people aside from Alya who’ve been there for her through everything – and she tries to process everything that happened in the last few minutes. Or hours. Or days. Really, what even is time?

“Why am I laughing?” she hiccups, wiping her streaming eyes while Adrien smiles like the cat who got the cream. Or rather, in this case, the ladybug. “Why? You’re not even that funny.”

“Au contraire, milady,” Adrien says, still grinning. How had she never connected the dots before? He’s so…so…Chat. It’s so obvious. “You confessed to finding me absolutely amewsing when you had to tell the truth, remember?”

“I hate you,” Marinette mutters. But Adrien’s smirk widens, because she’s just as much of a lying liar as Alya, and there’s no way on earth she could hate her kitty, no matter how obnoxious his puns are.

“Liar,” Adrien sings. Then he frowns. “Does it usually take that long to get pastries? Alya and Nino have been gone for ages.”

“They’re just making us talk about this, silly kitty. Alya’s a meanie and abandoned me in my hour of need.”

“Well, I never will.” Adrien exaggeratedly puffs out his chest and Marinette can’t help but laugh. “We should – ah, no –” He tries to sit up but only succeeds in pulling Marinette up against his chest, thanks to the lights that have somehow further entwined them. “How did this happen? How? We barely even moved!”

“The magic of Christmas,” Marinette giggles. It’s still there, deep in her chest, looming and threatening to suffocate her again…but maybe Adrien’s right. Maybe she can do this with him. And maybe whatever happened the last two times won’t happen now, and Monarch won’t be able to take advantage of their love.

She has to believe that. She just has to. What other option does she have, besides losing her mind and throwing her earrings at Monarch for a chance to have five minutes to breathe? And if this was going to lead to the end of the world, surely Bunnyx would’ve shown up by now, right? Right?

“I thought this just happened in the movies!” Adrien says. “Okay, uh – you try moving this way, I’ll put my arm here –”

“You’re making it worse!” Marinette says when Adrien’s move just plasters her face against his neck.

“Do we need to call in the cavalry?”

“No! Alya will never let me live it down!”

“No, I won’t,” says the voice of someone eviller than Monarch. Marinette groans and lets herself fall into hiding against Adrien’s throat so that she doesn’t have to see the look that’s going to be on Alya’s face.

“Alya!” Adrien says. “Our saviour! The second most amazing girl in the world!”

“Second?” Alya splutters.

“She’d better be second to you, bro!” Nino says.

“Great, they’re both here,” Marinette groans. “What do we owe you, Alya?”

“Hmm,” Alya says, clearly relishing the situation before her. “Let’s just say a favour for now. This is way too good for me to think of something on the spot.”

“Fine,” Marinette says pathetically. “Just get us out of this mess.”

“Alright, alright. Nino, try and figure out where the hell the end is.”

It takes an entire half hour. Half an hour of cursing and sweating and playing festive Twister before Alya and Nino can finally detangle the lights enough for Marinette to slip out and off Adrien. She’s craving a nice hot chocolate to drown herself in by now, so she grumbles and staggers into the kitchen to make drinks for everyone because really, there’s nothing better than a hot chocolate and a good croissant when you’ve just had a meltdown and want to feel warm inside. Once the hot chocolates are made, Adrien’s also free from his merry prison, and Alya’s untangling the lights with a deft ease that makes Marinette very, very suspicious of why Alya had escaped downstairs. And the entire half hour she and Nino had taken to untangle them.

“You could’ve done this all along!” Marinette accuses. Alya snickers.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says sweetly. Marinette narrows her eyes. “Okay, time to put them up before someone lights them on fire!”

As the two tallest people, Adrien and Nino take on the task of stringing the lights around the tree while Alya directs them, because apparently “journalistic instincts” translate into knowing the best way to decorate a Christmas tree.

Once again, Marinette thanks the universe for bringing Alya Césaire into her life. Where she’d be without her best friend on either side of the mask, she has no clue, even if said best friend deviously engineers for her to be tied to her crush with Christmas spirit and actually have a conversation about her feelings, instead of being able to escape.

“Adrien, you can have the honours,” Alya declares once the lights are strung up. Adrien beams and bends down to plug them in, and the childlike wonder on his face as the tree lights up in reds and yellows and greens and blues is enough to make every organ in Marinette’s abdominal cavity quiver and flutter. At this rate, her body’s well on the way to shutting down, and she can’t even be upset about it.

“Okay,” she whispers to Alya. “I take it back. You know what you’re doing.”

“Don’t I always?” Alya grins and tosses her hair. But then her smirk shifts into a softer smile. “I’ve never seen him so happy. Not even last Christmas.”

“He’s never decorated a tree!” Marinette waves her hands around. “How wrong is that?”

“What’s next?” Adrien says, popping up in front of Marinette out of nowhere. Marinette yelps but manages to keep her footing this time.

“Tinsel!” she blurts out. “Shiny!”

Adrien laughs and bends down to fish out the golden tinsel from one of the boxes. “It’s okay, princess, you don’t have to be scared of me. I don’t bite.”

“What the hell,” Nino says while Marinette lets out a squeal so high that every dog in Paris has probably been summoned to the bakery. “I hate it here.”

“You’re even more disgusting with Alya,” Adrien says.

“Yeah, you stayed behind when I was a zombie,” Alya teases. Nino shrugs.

“Fair. You do stupid things for love.”

“Yeah,” Adrien says, looking directly at Marinette, who flushes and looks down. “You do.”

#aotq fic #miraculous ladybug #ml season 5 spoilers #love square #identity reveal #hurt/comfort #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #mlss2k22 #ml secret santa #christmas fluff #marinette is a hot mess #nino's done with everything

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dragon-kazansky · 2 years

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Little ball of chaos

Gender neutral reader

Requested by @nyx-aira

I didn't really know what to write for it. Probably could have done headcanons for it, but I've set a dynamic for how this would work out between the two of you.

♡♡♡

There were many personalities among Harrow's community. A little bit of everything.

Arthur prided himself as being the calm and collected leader. The one to guide those who were judged my Ammit by his hand. A man on a mission to rid the world of evil, or so he thought.

There was one among his group that he was quite fond of. One who stood out. One who was quite a character.

You.

His little ball of chaos.

You're the unlikely friend to this cult leader, but accepts you wholeheartedly. You're his dear friend, his companion, his spark of joy.

You're a bit of chaos in the calm neighbourhood. The right kind of chaos in his eyes.

With your odd shoes, your mismatched make up, you put sugar on your fries every time. There’s always a stain on your clothes somewhere, a smudge on your cheek. He’s worried if you’re not doing one of these things, it means something is perhaps wrong. Arthur will do whatever it takes to get you back the way you are, because he admires that energy.

Arthur Harrow is your best and dear friend. You can talk to him about anything and everything, he will always listen.

When people see you together, they always wondered how this came to be.

Arthur will place a hand on your shoulder and smile. He will tell them, “this friendship was just meant to be.”

Harrow shows up in his basic outfit, remaining ever the same. You’ll be there beside him in mismatched clothes, make up showing your true colours, and something witty on your lips.

He doesn’t ever question you. You are the way that you are and that’s perfect.

You are perfect to him and that’s enough.

He thanks you for finding company in someone like him. It really was meant to be.

His little ball of chaos.

♡♡♡

Inspiration from @personifiedchaos

#arthur harrow #arthur harrow x reader #moon knight #request

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troybeecham · 8 months

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Fr. Troy Beecham

A sermon

Proper 17 A, 2023

Matthew 16:21-28 (NRSV)

"Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done."

Just last week we read about Jesus asking his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered for them all, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven."

In one week we hear Jesus praise Simon and give him the name Peter, and the next week we hear Jesus confront him as Satan, commanding Peter to get behind him. What happened and what elicited such a rebuke from Jesus?

All through his earthly ministry, Jesus often said to his disciples, and to people upon whom he had performed a miracle, "Tell no one you know me". What an odd thing for the Messiah to say, the same Messiah who would rise from the grave and ascend into heaven, charging his disciples to proclaim his Gospel to all peoples. Every human messiah, prophet, and ideologue has always done the opposite, thrilling their disciples to make them famous and gather a great following. But not Jesus. So, what changed? What had to change?

The change came slowly. Up to the moment of his crucifixion, his disciples, as with most Jews of the era, were expecting a warrior king messiah who would galvanize the people of Israel and destroy their enemies, restoring the kingdom of Israel and maintaining it with power and strength. As often as Jesus preached about who he was and is, and how the kingdom of God would come about, and as often as he talked about his impending death, it seems that the disciples had selective hearing, just like us. They saw the miracles, the impossible miracles, and all they could see was the power he had. Somehow they missed his humility, and his repeated teaching that God’s kingdom would not come about by swords or human endeavor.

It is understandable that the Jewish people of the age, including his disciples, longed for freedom from the oppression of the Roman Empire. It is understandable how being ground under the heel of an overwhelming enemy can create generational feelings of setting anger, a desire for vengeance, and a heart filled with wrath. It is the same today for hundreds of millions of people living under the oppression of governments based on Leftist ideology or countries engaged in wars. It is entirely understandable to wonder "Where are you, God?" when famine, disease, human trafficking, war profiteering, and all manner of evil seems to go unchecked. We all want a messiah who will get rid of all oppression and suffering.

But Jesus was teaching us something different. As NT Wright so wisely put it,

"When God wants to sort out the world, as the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount make clear, he doesn't send in the tanks. He sends in the meek, the broken, the justice hungry, the peacemakers, the pure-hearted, and so on."

The temptation to seek to redress the problem of evil by human endeavor is strong. We secretly think that God is moving too slowly, or not at all. This makes us profoundly susceptible to manipulation by the evil one into looking for human messiahs or messianic ideologies like the Leftist utopian vision. The problem is that every time these messiahs, prophets, revolutionaries, and wicked political ideologies are enshrined, greater human suffering is the inevitable result.

We are not able to engineer the kingdom of God by ourselves. Only God can do that. We cannot engineer our return to Eden. Only God can do that. To trust that God can, and is, working out his plan of salvation, and bringing his kingdom ever closer, takes the kind of faith that is only a gift from God. And to many people, if not most, this feels weak, inadequate, and even foolish.

Even so, this is what we are called to believe and hope for, even as we are called to put our hope solely in the Lord. Don’t you think Jesus ever had the thought that he could do what his people wanted him to do? We know it was on his mind from his words to his disciples when they and the guards who came to arrest him pulled swords on each other,

"Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?" (Matt. 26:54)

That is why Jesus rebuked Satan speaking through Simon Peter, because it offered him a way out from his cruel torture and crucifixion. It was the one thing that tested him, as we see him praying in the garden of Gethsemane just before his arrest, illicit trial, humiliation, torture, crucifixion, and death, a prayer that obviously cost him dearly,

"‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.’ And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." (Luke 22:42)

If even our Risen Savior struggled, so we continue to struggle. The disciples did not truly learn this crucial lesson until Jesus ascended into heaven before their eyes and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit not many days after. It was only after their ideas of what a messiah ought to do and be had turned to ashes in their mouths, that they could become empty of their plans so that they could be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, that their eyes, hearts, and souls were opened by the gift of faith given by God to see that God is still sovereign, and God is bringing his kingdom in his own timing. Our ideas of who God should be, and when and how he must act, also have to finally die if we hope the be filled with his Holy Spirit.

Until that day dawns, we are equally called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to all nations, teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has commanded, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and living in the awareness that Jesus is with until the end of this age. If any of us are lacking such supernatural faith, let us pray to the LORD our God, that we might fully place all our hope in him, and be given supernatural grace that we might endure all things until the day that the Lord Jesus shall return,

"For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord for ever. Therefore encourage one another with these words." (1 Thess. 4:15-18)

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Amen.

#father troy beecham #christianity #jesus #god #salvation #peace #faith

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theniftycat · 8 months

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Angels, Demons, and Choices

A Good Omens Analysis done by an atheist who’s kinda invested in Christianity. Avaunt if it might make you uncomfortable.

Themes, through lines, and tendencies - Part 3.2

Parts: 1, 2, 3.1, 3.2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

God's narration this time starts only in the second half of the third episode, leaving the entire history of Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship to be told by themselves.

The Hellhound is a small and playful dog, therefore Dog can't be as evil and menacing as it's supposed to be. Dog can't choose what to be, it's determined by Adam. And Adam is shaped by his form too, a form of an average boy from a normal family.

When Adam hears Anathema crying, his first thought is to help. With Adam, so far, he's been shaped by the love of his parents and his friends. He trusts the world and expects the same in return.

There's certainty to Adam, the kind only known to happy children. He loves Tadfield, it is his world for him. He feels a type of ownership over it because Tadfield has always been there for him in the exact way Adam wanted it to be.

Anathema is kind and inviting to Adam, everything is as it should be.

When Dog doesn't want to go into the cottage, Adam commands it to do it anyway. Therefore, Adam with his own will is destroying a bit of Hell in the dog. He's bending the world to his wishes.

I just realised that while we all know that Shadwell is scamming Crowley, Crowley also does something very cheeky here. He promises to pay him on Saturday, but Saturday is the end of the world.

Out of all of Anathema's beliefs Adam resonates with what he knows the fastest. It's natural, of course. His power grows without him knowing and this is what sticks with him, leading to him getting rid of nuclear reactors. However, it's hardly his choice to actually do it. Wishes aren't supposed to come true immediately.

Aziraphale follows his plan and reports to Heaven that the Antichrist is lost. He phrases it in such a way as to make Crowley seem positively diabolical. That it was a ruse, not a fuck up. That Crowley is evil and dangerous.

Aziraphale fails to persuade Heaven that the war should be avoided. He's left in the cold, nobody gives his perspective a second thought.

On the contrary, he's now seen as a renegade, someone who's gone soft. Because he loves the world too much. An angel's business is not to care, but to obey.

Crowley asks Aziraphale to meet with him at one (!) of their secret places, but Aziraphale is a bit confused about it. Crowley's trying so hard to hide that they're meeting, Aziraphale humours him, but clearly doesn't give it his all.

Mr Young, Adam's father, dismisses his interest in all the strange and weird things, trying to make Adam see that reality is static. Adam, however, a proud angelic being, defies his authority figure. As Adam's dad loves him though, he doesn't really care. Because there's no harm in allowing your children to explore different things, you hear that, God?

Crowley is openly angry at God and her Plan. This is what his demonic nature is, what makes him a demon is an ability to have his own judgement. If God wanted the world to be perfectly obedient, why even create thinking entities? If angels were originally created to be perfectly obedient, why can they think? God should be held accountable for her actions. She made them so she could control them and punish them. And yet, Hell is more crowded than Heaven. The Plan wasn't all that great after all.

Aziraphale, the neurotic that he is, immediately tries to soften the blow. Crowley was an angel once. And Aziraphale knows that Crowley cares and wants to protect God's creation, unlike God herself. So, for Aziraphale there's this possibility that maybe everything is a big elaborate prank and one day God will see the good in Crowley and forgive him.

Crowley, however, knows that everything is set. The only thing he can do is take care of himself.

The problem is, they know what they have to do to stop the end of the world, but none of them wants to do it. And while for Crowley it's just something he can't bring himself to do, as he's against any killing, for Aziraphale it's about reputation.

And that's what sets Crowley off. The fact that Aziraphale cares about his holiness more than about the world. Of course, Crowley's not morally pure in this situation, wanting to have someone kill the boy, but it's the only option available to him. Aziraphale cares less.

Still, Crowley gives Aziraphale another chance, he wants to save at least him too, protecting the only thing he can save that will make his existence bearable.

And at first Aziraphale likes the idea, it's seen in his face, but then Crowley calls them friends, something that Aziraphale can't accept due to reputational reasons. He's already on shaky footing with Heaven, and he can't make one more step at the moment.

Crowley knows Aziraphale is lying about his feelings, but Aziraphale decides that it's his feelings that are wrong. He remembers his purpose, to be an obedient servant.

Crowley, on the other hand, is in touch with his feelings. He feels angry, so he leaves. Aziraphale is left with his feelings that are still very regrettably real. If only he didn't have them.

___________________________________

This is the second part of the third part of my analysis. It’s based on the third episode. Further parts will follow, one per episode.

I haven’t reread the book for this, it’s based only on the show, so if you see any points that can be made differently based on the book, don’t fault me.

Parts: 1, 2, 3.1, 3.2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

#good omens #aziraphale #crowley #neil gaiman #terry pratchett #good omens meta #religion tw

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adito-lang · 1 year

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Books of 2022

I did not get much reading (for pleasure) done this year, but I thoroughly enjoyed these seven books and am looking forward to doing a lot more reading in the coming year!

The Mercies (Kiran Millwood Hargrave)

The story is set in Finnmark in 1617 and is inspired by the real events of the Vardø storm and the 1620 witch trials. Maren Bergensdatter witnesses the entire male population of her community die at the hands of a sudden storm. Three years later, Absalom Cornet comes from Scotland, where he burned witches in the northern isles, with his young Norwegian wife, Ursa. Ursa admires Maren and the independent women she meets in Vardø, but to Absalom the place symbolizes a mighty evil which he sets out to rid it of. The book made me want to visit Vardø and see the Steilneset minnested (memorial commemorating the trial and execution of 91 people for witchcraft in 1621).

Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was (Sjón)

I made a whole post about this book here. The story is set in Reykjavík in 1918, and the “boy who never was” is Máni Steinn Karlsson, a 16-year-old queer cinephile who finds escape in the imaginary flickering world of the movies. Meanwhile, the global influenza pandemic - Spanish flu - arrives in Iceland, and day by day more people fall victim to it. Reading this short novel is very much like watching an art-house film, and during some of the feverish dream-sequences I felt like I might be losing it!

The Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller)

This beautifully written and atmospheric novel is an adaptation of Homer's Iliad as narrated by Patroclus, who, despite being a minor character in the ancient Greek epic, played a significant influence on the outcome of the Trojan War. The story begins with Patroclus as a young Greek prince. After accidentally killing a boy of noble birth, he is exiled by his father to Phthia, where he befriends King Peleus’ son, the famed warrior-in-training Achilles, with whom he eventually develops a deep friendship that turns into a romance. Inseparable, the two learn and train together while attempting to avoid the negative influence of Achilles’ mother. They eventually set off to war together and Achilles’ fate, foretold in a foreboding prophecy, plays out in a tragic series of events.

His eyes opened. “Name one hero who was happy."

I considered. Heracles went mad and killed his family; Theseus lost his bride and father; Jason's children and new wife were murdered by his old; Bellerophon killed the Chimera but was crippled by the fall from Pegasus' back.

"You can't." He was sitting up now, leaning forward.

"I can't."

"I know. They never let you be famous and happy." He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll tell you a secret."

"Tell me." I loved it when he was like this.

"I'm going to be the first."

Allah heeft ons zo gemaakt (Khadija Arib)

This is a collection of accounts by four queer women who grew up in Morocco, Egypt and Irak. I made a vocab list based on the first story, which follows Yasmin, who grew up in Egypt before coming to the Netherlands. There is a touching exchange at the end of the story where Yasmin meets her former suitor Majid, who has gone on to marry and have children. She comes out to him and thanks him for what he taught her during their time together:

"Jij hebt me geleerd nee to zeggen en jij hebt me geleerd te zwemmen. De eerste tegen wie ik nee heb gezegd was jij en ik ben verder gaan zwemmen. Niet in de Nijl zoals we vroeger deden, maar in de zee." [...] Majid, die zo sterk was en alles aan kon, moest huilen. Hij antwoordde dat hij haar dit had geleerd, maar het zelf niet had gedaan. Hij deed alles wat van hem werd verwacht: studeren, presenteren, rijk worden, trouwen met de vrouw die zijn moeder voor hem koos en kinderen krijgen. Hij had meer respect voor haar dan voor zichzelf, zei hij. […] Yasmin had gekozen om zichzelf te zijn, en dat was wat hij nooit had gedurfd.

At Night All Blood Is Black (David Diop)

Protagonist Alfa and his close friend Mademba are two of the many Senegalese soldiers fighting for the French army during the First World War. Mademba is seriously injured in battle, and begs Alfa to kill him to spare him a an agonizing death. However, Alfa is unable to commit this mercy killing, and the shame he feels for this "failure" consumes him. He devotes himself to the war, to violence and death, anxious to avenge the death of his friend.

Don't tell me that we don't need madness on the battlefield. God's truth, the mad fear nothing. The others, white or black, play at being mad, perform madness so that they can calmly throw themselves in front of the bullets of the enemy on the other side. [...] Temporary madness makes it possible to forget the truth about bullets. Temporary madness, in war, is bravery's sister.

Swimming in the Dark (Tomasz Jędrowski)

After watching Operation Hyacinth, I became interested in learning more about Poland's queer history, which is how I stumbled across this book. The story takes place partially in 1980s New York City, where protagonist Ludwik has emigrated to, and mainly in flashbacks in the form of a letter to Janusz, Ludwik's former lover in Poland. In this letter, he reflects on their relationship and on the events that led to him finally leaving the Polish People's Republic. He recounts how the two meet at an agricultural work camp a few years prior, form a romantic bond and, after returning to Warsaw and being exposed to increasingly turbulent public protests, are confronted with the reality that they are standing on opposing sides of the political divide shaping their country.

En sånn rødt amerikansk scooter (Molly Øxnevad)

This book will always have a special place in my heart because it is the first book I ever read in Norwegian. I jotted down tons of new vocabulary and made a character map for the novel as a fun little exercise. It's a solid coming-of-age novel that follows 17-year-old Erik in Stavanger as he navigates his mental health and several relationships within and outside of his family. Estranged from both his father and brother and often clashing with his mother, his closest confidant is his eccentric grandmother. The novel also explores how his interactions with his boyfriend Stian and girlfriend Jannike - the three are in a polyamorous relationship - affect his mental health and teach him to open up.

#books #queer #read in 2022

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