#i just think if lance were to play any character in this musical he would embody max SO hard | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shelbgrey · 10 months

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4th of July Headcanons with my favorite boys:

Characters included: Lance Sweets, Seeley Booth, Jack Hodgins, Dean winchester, Castile, Derek shepherd, Mark Sloan, Owen hunt, Carlisle Cullen, Emmett Cullen, Eleazar Denali, George Weasley, Fred Weasley, Draco malfoy.

A/n: I am working on your guys request that was in my inbox but it being 4th of July weekend not much is gonna be posted or worked on till the end of the week just know I'm working on them.

BONES:

Lance Sweets:

I don't even know if Fireworks are legal in DC, but if they are you guys pretty much go all out.

Suprisenly, Lance likes anything loud so you guys go through a lot of firecrackers and bottle rockets.

If your not lighting up those your probably watching your friends' children and lighting the kiddy stuff with them.

He likes smoke bombs too, he'll light them in Booth's direction so all the colorful smoke blows on him.

He probably got you guys matching outfits for the day, but it's not like the cringy type of stuff some couples do. He'll just have red, white, and blue plaid shorts and a plane white shirt and you'd have the feminine version of his shorts with a cute American flag tank top.

Then to end the night you'll be cuddled up together on a blanket watching the night time fireworks.

Seeley Booth:

Seeley is a military man, so fourth of July is kinda his thing. The flags, cook outs, the fireworks, everything.

He likes anything loud or over the top, but nothing thst could harm you or Parker.

He still likes to spoil you guys with any type of firework or snack you want.

Your kinda the mother of your group of friends so you and Seeley are in charge of the grill. You guys have fun grilling a bunch of hamburgers and hot dogs while jamming out to music.

He'd invite his brother and some of his old army buddies, so you'd probably end up meeting them.

You and Parker have a lot of fun lighting up Roman candles.

You guys are in charge of all the big night time fireworks.

Jack Hodgins:

Homemade fireworks for days, you guys probably spend the week before experimenting and creating different things.

Cam quickly got tired of all the explosions and smoke coming out of your guys lab.

“it worked! We definitely got to make more of those”

You guys are pyromaniacs, but that doesn't mean you guys aren't responsibl. Jack would never handle or light anything recklessly that could harm you.

The home made smoke bombs are a big hit at get-together with your friends. Parker and Christine were very much impressed.

Sharing a lawn chair while the night fireworks are going off.

Supernatural:

Dean Winchester:

It's a normal, all-American day so Dean just wants to celebrate it with his family. It doesn't matter what your doing as long as it's not fighting God or hunting.

Just to mess with Sam you guys will wake him up early on the 4th by lighting a bunch of firecrackers in a pot next to his bed.

He'll grill up the best burgers in the world for the occasion.

If you guys dont want to leave the bunker that day you'd spend the whole day playing board games.

Later that night you and Dean would sneak away and lay on the hood of the Impala to watch the fireworks everyone eles is shooting up into the sky.

Sam Winchester:

Sam could really care less about the celebration, he really doesn't care about any holidays if were being honest, but if you want to have some fun he'll do it just he can see you smile.

He has fun just watching you, Dean, and Jack have fun. He'll just set there and laugh as you Chace Dean around with a sparkler.

Let's just say Dean found a lake and you guys spend most of they day fishing and swimming.

Even if he's around gunshots every day I think the artillery stuff will get old for him, so he'll go into the bunker and let you and the others have fun.

After Dean and Castile get tired and stop blowing stuff up he'll come out and rost marshmallows with you.

Castiel:

He just doesn't understand the fascination, so it's yours and Dean's job to show just how fun the day is.

Get ready to always pull him away before something explodes in his face, he'll light it and not back away.

Even if something exploding in his hand won't hurt it still freaks you out.

You get excited to show him all your favorite fireworks you use to get when you were a kid.

Even if he still doesn't get the fascination, he still loves having fun with you.

Grey's anatomy:

Derek Shepherd:

So there would probably be a big cliche BBQ with all your doctor buddies at the Shepherd home.

You guys are literally praying that you won't get called into the hospital because someone blew their fingers off.

You and Derek cooking up a big feast on the grill for all your buddies while the kids run around with Snappers and sparklers.

You mostly just make sure the kids don't hurt themselves and just lounge around with your female friends.

You and Derek will light a few things like smoke bombs or bottle rockets, but only if someone asks you to join in on the fun.

You guys just look forward to the night time fireworks. You guys usually spend a unreasonable amount a money on artillery, but it's worth it when night time comes and you put on the show.

Mark Sloan:

Let's be honest, he's spending most of the day making sure you or Sophia don't hurt yourself. He'd wrap you guys in bubble wrap if you guys would let him.

Anyway, like Derek you guys are hoping you don't get called into the hospital. Trauma and Plastic surgeons are automatically put on speed dial.

You spend most of your day helping Sophia light all the kiddy stuff and making sure she doesn't get hurt.

After you make sure she's safe you held Jackson 'terrorize' Mark with Snappers.

Owen Hunt:

So you guys would probably be running the grill most of the time, it doesn't bother you guys because you love cooking together.

Like the other two, your just praying the hospital doesn't call you, you guys are both trauma surgeons. But if the fireworks get too much for him he'll be relived to go for a bit.

Speaking of which if were talking about early Owen hunt the fireworks and booms might bother him, if so you'd guys will just go home and watch your favorite movies.

But later seasons Owen will have a lot of fun jut watching night time fireworks with you, laying on a blanket cuddle up with each other and watching all the pretty lights.

Twilight:

Carlisle Cullen:

He spends most of the holiday at the hospital, Charlie keeps sending drunk teens with burned hands and blowing up fingers to the hospital.

You don't mind, it's his job and he can't help the stupidy of the teens at Forks.

Emmett and Jasper keep you entertained.

So if your human he's watching you like a hawk. After the the acadents he seen at the hospital evolving fireworks he's scared your gonna get hurt.

This is just an anxiety filled day for him. He doesn't really calm down till night time when the whole family is on the porch watching fireworks.

Emmett Cullen:

You guys are just an unstoppable force of nature and you can't be trusted with fire.

Since your both vampires your not very safe when to comes to explosives.

Your having the time of your lives though.

He'll hold lit smoke bombs in his hands and chace Jasper and Alice around.

You guys have water gun wars too.

Your day is full of laughter and fun, you guys are being so childish and it's so much fun.

Eleazar Denali:

You live in Alaska so your blowing up a snowman with Garrett no matter what anyone says.

He's very much a serious person so he's not gonna do much unless you drag him with you to have fun.

After you crack his shel he's having a lot a fun with you.

If your not spending your holiday in Alaska, your spending it at the Cullen's.

After he humors you with a couple of firecrackers he'll set down and watch you have fun with the Denali sisters.

At night he'll love to just hold you in his arms and watch the fireworks in the sky.

Harry Potter: - I understand the UK doesn't celebrate the 4th of July but this is just for fun

George Weasley:

Big firework sale at the shop and you guys get to test out every new product(it's the best part).

You love flying around on your brooms throwing fireworks around.

Big cook out at the burrow with the whole family and all your hogwarts friends.

Molly always shouting at you to be careful, if you get hurt or maybe slightly burned George will stop everything and make sure your okay.

Even if it's not the safest of smartest thing in the world you and the twins are chancing each other with sparklers.

You and the twins put on the biggest firework show, it was even bigger than the one they put on when they left hogwarts.

Fred Weasley:

You guys are pretty similar to George expect 10 times worse. You guys can be flat out dangerous and it gives molly gray hairs.

Of corse you spend most of the week around the holiday selling fireworks at the shop, but at night you'll close up shop early and watch a firework show neair by.

He'll create a firework especially for you and it'll be the biggest one he's ever made.

Colors, sound, and size are very important to you guys when your making or buying fireworks.

Like George if you get hurt he'll stop everything to make sure your okay, he'd probably make you set down for a bit and drink water just to be sure.

Night fireworks are the best part and you guys never disappoint your audience.

Draco Malfoy:

This man just doesn't see the fascination, nor dose your families. If you want to have fun you have to drag him to a party your friends are putting on.

Even then he'll just sit somewhere and watch you have fun with your friends.

He doesn't mind though, it makes his day to hear you laugh and see you smile.

I don't think he'd like all the loud noises though, especially after the battle of Hogwarts, so if it gets too bad you guys will go inside listen to music till he calms down.

Dispite the loud noises he loves watching the night fireworks, he loves the colors and the lights. To quite the noise he'll either wear ear plugs or press his ear to your chest while your laying in the grass.

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edenaffinity · 1 year

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Lance's Playlist (as told by me)

Like my Keith "playlist", I've see a lot of same-y character playlists for VLD characters on Spotify, so I took it matters into my own hands.

Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about music, this is based off purely vibes and that one edible I took

Firstly, I wanna say that Lance differently listens to a wide range of music. His family definitely has influenced what he listens to, as well as his friends. But he also finds a lot of more current, popular music himself, as he tries to form his own, unique taste in music.

Secondly, this songs seem really random when you put them all together, but I swear it works.

So with that said:

1. I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston

This is Lance's go-to karaoke song. He knows every word since birth and when he sings it, he sings it with his entire body.

2. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy by Queen

He's "Lover-Boy Lance" and he knows it. And idk I just feel like he likes Queen. Probably has Queen t-shirts and posters and shit too.

3. STAR WALKIN' by Lil Nas X

This song fucks and I feel like Lance gets really hyped to it. Like, it's on his running playlist/work out mix.

4. Carry On by fun.

This is from his childhood, straight from his older siblings. They used to scream the lyrics every time it came on the radio in the car. Lance also knows how to play it on the guitar.

5. Grenade by Bruno Mars

Another from childhood, and he still relates to it. Because, yes, he would literally take a grenade for somebody. He also sings it as dramatically as possible to the nearness person whenever it comes on.

6. Break Your Heart by Taio Cruz

This song fucking bops and Lance rushes to the dance floor when it comes on the bar. He's the type of person to have tons of playlists for any given mood and this is on his early 2010s nostalgia playlist.

7. Loverboy by A-Wall

Once again, he's Lover-Boy Lance and he knows it. Hunk definitely sent him this song and now, whenever they're hanging out, they listen to it. It's their song <3

8. Out of My League by Fitz and The Tantrums

Pidge played this once while they were hanging out and Lance hasn't been able to forget about it since.

9. People Watching by Conan Gray

Lance has fallen asleep while sobbing to this song on multiple occasions. He's a hopeless romantic at heart, for sure.

10. Liability by Lorde

Lance has ALSO fallen asleep while sobbing to this song on multiple occasions. He didn't think he's relate to it as much as he thought he would, but here we are

Honorably mentions:

Just A Stranger by Kali Uchis

Bet On It from High School Musical 2

breathin by Ariana Grande

Better Than Me by Doja Cat

My Boo by Usher

Keith and Lance as Taylor Swift Songs 👸🏼

Klance as Taylor Swift Songs 👸🏼

Keith's playlist ❤️

#voltron legendary defender #voltron #lance mcclain #keith kogane #takashi shirogane #hunk garrett #vld lance #lance mclain #Spotify #i love music tbh #lance would fuck up some lorde tbh #and lil nas x #and probably imagine dragons to if we're being honest but we'll unpack that at a later time

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moonlight-fan2008 · 15 days

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Moonlight rewatch for millionth time

Episode 7 random thoughts and feelings I had while rewatching again: cause I’m bored and have nothing else to do or watch. And I love this show

And Steve is gone again

More tidbits of Mick’s human life; I take it he was an only child since he said my parents would take me here (Franklin hotel) for bunch after church on Sundays and not my brother/sister/siblings and I

Flashback also reveals he musical abilities playing guitar and being the lead singer of a band

It’s very interesting how the mind screws with you when it comes to trauma. Coraline kidnapped and terrorized Beth as a child and she doesn’t remember Coraline at all when she meets her as Morgan and doesn’t really have any hostile feelings towards her until she knows she’s is Coraline. However Beth instantly knew Mick upon seeing him again as an adult.

“Was she dead?” Love how blunt Josef is

“Beth doesn’t remember me from back then and I’m the one who rescued her.” She technically remembers you but (and I still love him) you kind of gaslighted her when it came to that

Josef was four in 1603 making his birth year 1599

I like how comfortable Beth is with Mick and just like walks into his office

I’ve only now realized the flashback at Coraline’s home is mainly in black in white and only a few characters are shown in color and are primarily those wearing red. Ex: Coraline in her red dress, Mick and his band mates with their matching red Hawaiian shirt with the white hibiscus flowers, the fire from the tiki torches, etc

“I have a 50’s thing I’m trying to shake” very on the nose Coraline

According to WIKI: “Remembrance of Things Past, and sometimes referred to in French as La Recherche (The Search), is a novel in seven volumes by French author Marcel Proust. This early 20th-century work is his most prominent, known both for its length and its theme of involuntary memory. The most famous example of this is the "episode of the madeleine", which occurs early in the first volume.”

I like how Mick and Beth are bouncing ideas off each other and Coraline is just there like 👁️👄👁️ you weren’t supposed to figure this out so quickly or together

“Coraline did not come back from the dead to exact revenge on you” oh Josef how wrong you were

“You need to let her go” immediately followed up by Mick in fact not letting her go

Idk why but I always thought she was putting her hand on his knee but she’s actually grabbing his hand/wrist

“You’re jealous” Mick smiling ☺️

“Don’t touch anything” proceeds to touch things

Is the ice breath thing a thing Mick has or do you think other vamps can do it too?

I know Coraline is partly manipulative because she grew up and lived during times where woman were not treated fairly or had basic rights and I have a semi head-canon she may have been pressured by her brothers or at least Lance to be a courtesan but like you’d think she’d try and not play mind games with people after a certain point. Im sure Mick’s not the first one to try and break things off with her because they’re tired of her shit

I feel like Cynthia was probably the one who Beth was talking to when she was talking to “Morgan’s” family

“Next time I’ll find a Beverly Hills thief” Mick is sassy and Josef’s little “thanks” back

“You got your cameras back this case is over” Josef was saying that to Morgan but is looking at Mick

Is Mick taking a picture here? Or is he just randomly shining a light on his hand? He sits down grabs something from the table, the light flashes off then he sets something in his lap

I know Josef is not interested in going back to the human world but I wonder if there’s anything that is solely made for humans (ie tanning bed) or modern day food he’d like to try

This is supposed to be Hank right? That’s what I always thought

For someone with super senses and reflexes Mick sure does get his butt kicked a lot

Another flashback that’s in black and white save for candles burning

“Were you disappointed?” And Mick stays silent but that says more than words

Again I like that they don’t drag out certain plot points like Morgan and Coraline are the same person.

#moonlight cbs #mick st. john #alex o'loughlin #cbs moonlight #moonlight tv #moonlight #beth turner #sophia myles #mick st john #tv show #season 1 episode 7 the ringer #coraline duval

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cheemken · 6 months

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along with bw and b2w2, what other pokemon games do you love and which ones are your least favorite

Unova and Hoenn and Johto games my absolute fucking beloved

Anyways under the cut bc it's really just me rambling abt stuff hahaha

Your honour hckdndk Emerald was legit the first pokemon game I ever saw fr, and Treecko was the first starter Mon I saw too, but when I got my phone and downloaded my first pkmn game, I didn't know Emerald at that time and the thing that shows up most was FireRed and I thought that was it so like imagine my confusion when I was going through the starters and I didn't see Treecko anywhere and the vibes are like, different lmfao

But when I discovered RSE man ofc I downloaded all three of em, I finally found Treecko hahah and like, when I saw the other starters they were so goddamn cool man the Hoenn starters are peak fr, all three of em were so fuckin dope and I really wanted to choose Treecko ofc bc he was the one I was looking for all these years, but then I saw Mudkip and yeah the rest was history hahah

Also dyk, I encountered my first ever shiny in Sapphire hahah it was a shiny Shroomish, unfortunately, I was out of pokeballs so I didn't get to catch it ;w;

But yeah y'know, until now I still wish I could play ORAS, I have a tab now y'know I can dl Citra, but like,, it's still lag as shit, I tried it on X so yeah owo. Ah well hey, maybe one day hahah either way, RSE be dope af, it's honestly so so homey for me idk why, it's just,, there's smth abt it that feels more at home than any other pkmn game, even Unova, like,, the music for Littleroot Town would get me man chdmdb hahah but maybe bc it's like a tropical region, and I live in a tropical country so hey, it's the sense of familiarity ig hahah

And then the Johto games, Crystal was the first GBC game I played and the first gen two game I played and it was so cool man, seeing the old sprites, seeing them move a bit, how cool Typhlosion was, having to battle Red for the first time hahah was even dope when I found out Lance became Champion, and while I'm not very fond of Kanto, it was cool that the games let us visit another region, that was the dopest experience honestly hahah

And like, I was curious tho bc I wanna know what I'd get when I completed the pokedex there, granted I never completed the dex prior to that, so busted out the cheats bc I really wanted to find out, and like,,, nothing owo. But hey ig, guess Crystal gets that point of being the first game where I completed the dex albeit cheated hahaha

Then I found out abt HeartGold and my guy let me tell ya my soul fucking ascended when I discovered my pkmn can follow me around man like that was dope as all fuck my Typhlosion back then was so goddamn cool jcmdndnd such a shame that mechanic wasn't in gen 5 anymore, it would've been dope plus story wise it would've made more sense if it was itroduced or was still around in the BW games

And ofc, I was an og Unova stan hahaha I think at this point we all know I'd throw hands for the gen five games lmfao it's just cool as fuck man like,, idk it really is the peak of pkmn for me, like yeah there are some cool games now like PLA and ScVi and all that but like,, BW/BW2 are just the dopest for me hahah like it legitimately set the standards for me I'm ngl, I mean c'mon, the story was amazing, there's so much going on, the league actually did something instead of just vibing around, like it's so fucking dope man it actually made me care abt all the characters in it bc they show what they're like outside being gym leaders, they interact with each other, the game shows us abt their friendship and how they're all willing to help each other and the region out like to honour this is the game ever for real I can never get enough of the Unova games man

Also real shit, N being my trans awakening lmfaooooo you don't understand how much I wanted to look like N back then I thought it was just young me having a fictional crush but no I deadass liked his whole ass aesthetic I wanted to be like him and here we fucking are owo

Anyways my least fave of the pkmn gamesss

I honestly don't vibe w the Kanto and Sinnoh games lmfao

Idk man, the Kanto games are just boring for me and the Sinnoh games dont appeal to me much, like it really took me a while and a whole lot of coaxing for me to actually finish Platinum bc half way through I just wanted to stop bc it really wasn't that fun of an experience for me

Idk ig it's the fact both games are kinda,, over hyped?? Like, a lot of peeps still think the gen one/Kanto games are the best and then there's the people who like Sinnoh but let's be real most of them just kinda favour it for Cynthia. Honestly at this point I see Cynthia and Red kinda like Sans from Undertale, overrated and almost everywhere, the fandom hold them in such high regards that they just kinda ignore other characs or everything just kinda,, revolves around em? Idk, but, majority of the stuff I see are like that so hey y'know take this w a grain of salt hahah

And like, not that I hate those characs ofc, just that I don't see Red as a "legendary" trainer, and I honestly don't see the hype in Cynthia's fight, it,, it really wasn't that hard for me idk but hey

But ig it's also the fact that Kanto didn't give me much and Sinnoh was slow as shit even w the fast forward on in my emulator like my guy it's smth else💀 that plus the tons and tons of HMs you need to get through the game man it broke me o w o

But y'know, that's just me, if you like these games then hey, you have fun and enjoy playing em, those games are just not my cup of tea hahaha

#saw on the net once that someone was trying to make an emerald ds hack and like #it got me hyped man bc ofc bcmsbd #i can play all my faves in just one emulator #but like.. the creator of that hack hasnt updated in a while so like.. yeah ;w;#we couldve had it all cndmnxmd #anyways #johto hoenn and unova supremacy #my top three hahaha #ofc again its my preference and hey you lot have your own preferences too hahah #saying that again bc i know how the internet people can get lmao #but anyways yeah hahaha #this really got me to at least try make a trainer sona now man i really wanna redo my trainer sona cbmsns hahah #an ask and an answer #anon #pokemon #long post #edit: had to put it under read more bc yeah its like.. a long post i just realized hahah #its tiring having to scroll past it cbmdnd hahaha

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horsechestnut · 1 year

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I posted 1,101 times in 2022

244 posts created (22%)

857 posts reblogged (78%)

I tagged 474 of my posts in 2022

#legends of tomorrow - 77 posts

#lot - 77 posts

#lot rewatch - 75 posts

#dc's legends of tomorrow - 74 posts

#star trek watch through - 47 posts

#star trek - 44 posts

#star trek the original series - 35 posts

#st: tos - 34 posts

#season 3 - 26 posts

#sara lance - 25 posts

Longest Tag: 127 characters

#if i met someone who was into the niche book series i was obsessed with in middle school i would fall in love instantly too tbh

My Top Posts in 2022:

As much as it hurts to see, I do think there is a wonderful complexity in the only person who seemed willing to be there for Allison this season being Viktor. In season 1 the Hargreeves were forced to confront the fact that Viktor suffered a very different form of abuse then the rest of them, and that to an extent they were complicit in perpetuating it. But at the end of the season they recognized the part they played in it, and season 2 is about them trying to be better siblings to him. Lesson learned, right?

Except... Not quite.

Because well on the surface what they learned was that they need to be better siblings, what they actually internalized was that they need to be better siblings to Viktor. So season 3 is full of all these little moments where the others are checking if he’s okay or validating him or asking if he feels loved, well completely ignoring Allison who is very obviously teetering on the edge of a breakdown. Because Allison is part of the team, she’s Number 3, she has arguably the most useful power out of any of them, so obviously she can handle whatever’s happening and will be fine. Because if she’s not, then maybe they aren’t either, and that’s not something they want to confront.

329 notes - Posted July 1, 2022

I love The Lighting Thief Musical... but it has ruined THE line for me. I keep seeing people making memes about it, but every time I read the line instead of picturing the dark, atmospheric, amazing way Walker says it, my brain automatically goes for the high energy, excited, slightly angry “LOOK!... I didn’t want to a half-blood.” way Chris did it.

422 notes - Posted September 11, 2022

I think Disney should go back to the era where they just straight up murdered the villain at the end of the film.

459 notes - Posted September 2, 2022

I really love how initially we were all like "Obviously Eda will adopt Hunter." But as the season has progressed that becomes more and more unlikely, not because Eda wouldn't, but because there are so many options! Maybe he'll move in with Uncle Darius! Maybe he'll seek refuge with Willow! Maybe Gus forcibly takes him home! Maybe Bump and all the teachers let him chill at the school and co-parent him! There are so many options and it makes me so happy that despite what Hunter initially thought, there are actually so many people willing to help him.

763 notes - Posted May 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

The Blight twins immediately roasting Hunter's appearance is the funniest thing that could have happened.

1,036 notes - Posted May 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #i rewatched legends of tomorrow this year #and that took over my entire tags section #whoops

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ashthehermit · 1 year

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Legends of Tomorrow: A Retrospective 1.14

This season should be over! It cannot continue like this. I remember very few plot points about the end of this season. We won't get to the 'there are no strings on me' moment for quite some time yet. So we are stuck in the mires of whatever this is.

RIVER OF TIME

This does all seem rather fruitless. Even if they do save Rip's family, what then? Savage has destroyed the world. We end up stuck in one of the many, bland but dire timelines. Ah shit, not ancient Egypt again. How is there more backstory here? We are seeing the aftermath of Rip's first attempt on Savage's life (at least from Savage's perspective). For characters that have known each other for as long as they have, it's remarkably unclear what they even know from each other.

'So what? We just kill Savage and leave Carter a brainless drone?' - honestly Kendra, yes.

They deduce that the Leviathan technology is too futuristic. They think that this means Savage has been bothering the timeline, which means they can ask the Time Masters for help. They're cops who, after decades of stalking, have finally found proof of a crime.

We look at the brig, and it hasn't even got a bench now. This seems cruel and unusual. It turns out that Savage figured out they were time travellers in 1975, which was when? I've lost track of Savage's timeline. I've lost track of Rip's timeline. Kendra's is the worst.

'Do not quote Tactitus to me. I knew him well.'

Savage claims he has held thousands of children in his arms as they died of old age. If only I believed him! If only he hadn't threatened his only daughter in the last episode! Ugh, I don't care. It takes a long time to get to the Vanishing Point. If there's one bit of time travel hooey I'll allow, it's the idea that it takes a minute from the perspective of the crew to travel through the green swirly time zone. What might seem like an immediate jump to an outsider, could take hours for a crew. Again, the rules for this show are inconsistent. The reason given here is that the Waverider was damaged, and therefore it explodes a bit.

Rip shouts 'bollocks', which was truly British of him. They get marooned thanks to Rip's actions, though I suspect he will face few repercussions. He implies that the jump ship only has enough for a one time trip, a rule which they will blatantly ignore in the future. Savage does a Loki and attempts to manipulate everyone on the ship. It does feel like they should just soundproof his cell. Or at least play loud music over him.

Rip's actions get Jax blasted by radiation, back into a flashback. I truly don't remember any of this. It is of the day that he got kidnapped by Stein. We really don't focus enough on how he was kidnapped. He had a life! He had a lovely mother. Look at her, she's so sweet. The radiation injury means that Jax is ageing at an increased rate.

'Hope springs eternal, Miss Lance.'

Is this the kitchen? At last? It looks nothing like the kitchen will look, but we are finally getting more sets! I love the kitchen later. I just like the implications of what daily life is like on the Waverider. And the running bit about the condiments.

Rip admits that he would sell the legends out to save his family over some classical music. He admits that he's pretty much already done it, now that Jax is dying. Rip always had potential, but he never quite lived up to it. Moments like these sort of fizzle out, alas. At least this episode, despite its close confines, moves a lot faster than the last.

Ray gets to punch Carter. He goes to talk to Savage, which is the worst idea in the world. Someone should at least give Savage a bean bag to sit on. He tells Ray that Kendra fell in love with him in one of her reincarnations. Gross! Poor Ray, he has so many failed engagements.

We get a Ray flashback. Oh, it's that kind of episode. And Felicity is there! I used to like her, at least in the crossover episodes (I never watched enough Arrow to know). It's the night before he left. It's not going to show us anything new to know about Ray.

'I'm off to save the universe, not fall in love.'

It does feel like Kendra should have let Ray down before this. I honestly thought that she did last episode where she had a 'we need to talk' moment with Ray. There's no point in allowing Ray to stick around, when she knows that she wants to be with Carter. Anyway, this relationship was never effective. It's dying! Huzzah.

Snart tells Jax that he deserves better, which is the most effective line in the scene it's in. Snart has a good arc in this season, where no one else does. He wants to save the team, but needs no recognition for it, and he's willing to do the hard tasks to make sure everyone gets home safe. This means protecting poor wee Jax from their biggest enemy: Rip. If only Rip were a slightly stronger character here.

'I'm asking for a little faith, gentlemen.' 'Sorry. Fresh out.'

Rip allows them an out. He tells them to leave if they want, and the robber duo are like, bye then. Ugh, now there's a Sara flashback with more Arrow stuff. I don't know what any of this means! I know that's her ex, and some people care about that, but I certainly don't. I don't care about whatever mission Sara has to free her, because she will not pursue it in the present.

Stein goes to speak to Savage so that he can save Jax. It seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Now, Stein needs to go and knick some blood from Carter. Stein at least recognises that he is being manipulated. It seems that he's played Savage, I think? Stein strands Jax in the jump ship, effectively kidnapping him again. At least this time it's for nicer reasons. Stein thinks he's going to die now that's he's separated from Jax, though the rules of Firestorm are always a bit hedgy. Of course, this means that no one else can escape in the jump ship. So now Snart and Rory have a chance to beat up Stein. They won't, but they'll consider it.

Savage gets to taunt Ray again and of course it devolves into a punch up. When oh when, will this season be over? The legends will always be stupid, but at least later it will be the fun kind of stupid, rather than the shout-at-the-screen kind of stupid I am witnessing.

'Leonard Snart, robber of ATMs!'

The next problem is trying to pilot the ship without Gideon, whilst half the team attempt to recapture Savage. Honestly, I would be like Savage if I was stuck in the brig for that long without a toilet or even a bench to sit on. Rip hands off the ship to Sara, deciding that he's not going to put any more of them in jeopardy. It's a bit of a sudden turn, but at least we are moving towards Captain Lance!

Carter gets his memories back as a bit of a Deux Ex Machina. Savage kills him again. RIP (no pun intended). No wait, he's alive. I genuinely forgot that he wasn't dead again.

They arrive to the Vanishing Point, which externally looks pretty cool. Rip claims that he's entirely reformed, and now he cares about them. Sure. Whatever you say.

There's a neat bit of dialogue where Savage asks how Rip got out of his prison way back in ancient Egypt. Turns out, Rip bribed a guard with a novelty pen. I can't say why, but I just like it. Rip's a scrappy guy who pretends to be a Time Master. He's not good at protocol, but good at thinking on his feet. He's not consistently written, alas.

Anyway, we are back at Starfleet. But there's a twist! The Time Masters sponsor Savage, he's their agent! Aha! It's a good twist, I admit, even if none of the parties are developed to their full capacity. Savage reveals he knew about the novelty pen all along, pointing out how easily he played Rip, and how unprepared the latter is. Not bad.

#legends retrospective #legends of tomorrow #dc's legends of tomorrow

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salemwritesxx · 3 years

Text

lycoris radiata

↳ pro-hero bakugou x pro-hero reader

summary: The myth around red spider lilies, lycoris radiata, is that, when you see someone you may never meet again, these flowers will bloom along the path. Thus, when Y/n and Katsuki depart on the morning of their 6th wedding anniversary to walk to their respective agencies and spider lilies bloom along the path Bakugou is walking on, Y/n gets an uneasy feeling, unaware that the legend surrounding these flowers may have a germ of truth to them after all.

w.count: 2k

content warning: angst, major character death, which leads to reader committing suicide, afterlife happy ending

“Okay, hey-“, you grinned and pulled him back one last time to peck his lips, “-don’t forget our rendezvous tonight, yeah?”, to which Bakugou only rolled his eyes – in a playful way though as he immediately pressed a soft kiss onto your mouth once more, not caring that you two stood in the middle of the streets.

“Don’t worry, I won’t forget.”, and with that, you finally let your husband go, though as he walked away from you, you couldn’t help but witness red spider lilies blooming along the pathway, hence you yelled after him, “Babe? Be careful, okay?”

“Ha?”, when he turned around and you pointed to the flowers, Katsuki only laughed and gestured a ‘whatever’ and saying a “Don’t be so superstitious, Y/n. It’s just a myth!”

Even though you both chuckled as he turned around and walked away for real this time, you still felt a slight uneasy feeling in your stomach, though you simply thought it was because you were excited to celebrate your 6th wedding anniversary with your husband.

“KATSUKI!”

You screamed as if you were the one being impaled, your knees were shaking, feeling like the ground was opening up underneath your feet and you fell into a dark, black hole any second.

Coughing up blood, he was hanging on the villain’s arm which was weirdly transformed to look like a lance – Bakugou hadn’t seen it coming, if he would have, he…

“Pathetic.”, the villain almost spit into his face before dropping him onto the pavement like some sort of trash, only to jump back immediately when other heroes already attacked him again.

You were rushing to your husband’s side who was coughing up more and more blood while squirming in pain, his “Y- Y/- Y/n…” being interrupted by his coughs, though you were already dropping to your knees to hold him.

“It’s okay, Baby, I’m here. Everything’s gonna be okay! Don’t worry, everything will be okay!”, you cried and sobbed, tears already streaming down your face while pressing him against your side and one hand against his wound where the villain impaled him.

Bakugou knew though. It’s why he was clawing at your hand so much, both of them soaked with his blood that just wouldn’t stop – he knew he wasn’t going to be okay. As he almost couldn’t speak anymore, because his lungs filled with more and more blood, he still grasped your hands as tightly as he could, smearing his own blood all over your arm in an attempt to stay.

“Y/n-“, gasping for breath, he was almost completely over the bridge as his tight grip slowly softened.

“I love you, Baby. I love you so much! Katsuki please, don’t go!”, not being able to suppress your desperate sobs, you barely choked out a “Please.” again as his grip loosened more and more around your own hand.

“I … love… y..o…u…”, were his last words, a single tear trickling down his cheek as his ruby eyes lost that sparkle you fell in love with the very first time you looked into them.

“Katsu… No….Kat… Nononono please! PLEASE!”, literally begging him to not go, you hugged his bloody, heavy body so close against your chest while you cried, not caring about the explosions from further back into the streets as other heroes still fought against the villains, while rescue heroes only gradually managed to get through the wrecked buildings.

You shouldn’t even be here. Bakugou and you had been in two different agencies, it only should have been a calm day at your respective work places, wanting to be done quickly so you could enjoy your wedding anniversary tonight, but then, all available heroes were called up when the villain went on a rampage.

How…? How did it turn out like that? A harmless villain turned out to be so strong? How… could have anyone guess that? How could have anyone seen that coming?

So, it was true. Walking along a path where red spider lilies bloomed meant you wouldn’t see each other again…

Rescue heroes tried to calm you down and get you to let go of Katsuki’s lifeless body, but you just yelled at them, your voice high-pitched and so full of pain, and cried and held him tighter, not caring that you were full of his blood as you still couldn’t process that this wasn’t a dream, but it was reality… Harsh reality.

Your husband was dead.

And with that, your soul and heart shattered into million little pieces, unable to be whole ever again.

-------6 weeks later--------

You sat in front of Katsuki’s grave.

It was a cold spring night, though to be honest, you hadn’t been warm in the last weeks ever since that accident – the coldness you felt was never going to leave ever again.

Your fingers were softly playing your guitar. Making music had always brought peace to your husband’s mind, whenever he felt angry, frustrated, anxious or any other negative feeling, he would flop beside you and make you play the guitar for him. It calmed him and sometimes, you would both sing crookedly to get him back into a better mood – very fond memories indeed.

Tears were blurring your vision, even though you shouldn’t have been able to cry anymore with how many tears you had shed in the last weeks, but it still felt surreal. Knowing he was never going to come back again – never.

Slowly, your fingers stopped as you stared onto his gravestone. There were red spider lilies planted around – how ironic. Though they weren’t blooming as it was now spring.

Was is really just superstition? Or should you have been warned that day? That uneasy feeling you had felt - it wasn’t excitement, it was a sense of foreboding, and you had ignored it…

Putting your guitar, that had stickers with his hero name and your own, as well as stupid little things like a dick doodle on it, to the side, you sighed and rubbed your red, swollen eyes. You did have this guitar since your middle school days after all. And you remembered when all these things happened oh so vividly. Still hearing the giggle and laughter of your, back then in high school, boyfriend, while you yelled at him for being an idiot. Being angry over a dick doodle seemed so petty now.

Taking your permanent marker, you opened the cap with your teeth, before leaning in and doodling a broken heart onto the surface with the date of your husband’s dying day on it. Spitting out the lid of the marker, you put the pen onto your guitar, before staring back at Bakugou’s grave.

“Please tell me.. Who should be my soulmate now? Who will hold my hand while I drive? Who will hold me when I can’t sleep at night? There is nobody like you out there, Baby…. so please tell me…”, you were crying again as you sobbed and rubbed over your face, “Tell me, who could possibly take your place? My first and last love. I won’t be able to do anything without you…”

Your heart was hurting so much, you couldn’t take it. You knew he was irreplaceable, there was no one out there that could ever give you what he gave you all those past years.

Bakugou was sitting beside you, though you didn’t know – of course you didn’t, was he a mere spirit now, never leaving your side as his translucent hand touched your own.

“Please, you need to go on. Don’t do it…”, tears were in the corner of his eyes, wishing he could talk to you, wishing you could hear his desperate attempts to keep you from committing suicide. Katsuki loved you, he wanted to be with you, but he couldn’t be selfish anymore – you couldn’t throw everything away just because of him.

Though, as he was a mere ghost sitting beside you, he couldn’t do anything but watch.

With a shaking hand you then reached for the gun you had purchased today on the black market – to think, at last, you were doing illegal stuff even though you were a hero – before coming here and sitting in front of his grave for hours. You couldn’t possibly be alive without him beside you. It just hurt too much. You didn’t care about anything, you had no one besides him. Katsuki was your everything and all you wanted to do was finally meet him again.

Sobbing quietly, you then held the end of the gun against your temple, your e/c still staring at his gravestone, before you whispered one last time, “I want to meet you again. Please. I miss you so much.”

“I promise, I’ll be there.”, Katsuki whispered.

For the first time in weeks, there was warmth surrounding your heart and with a smile you barely mumbled “I know you’re waiting for me.”

And then, a loud bang echoed through the silent night and the cemetery, cherry blossom petals, that were in full bloom now, swaying in the wind and slowly falling down and onto your lifeless body.

“Y/n…Y/n…”, the familiar voice made you gradually open your eyes – above you, it was an ocean of pink and white cherry blossoms. But then, as you looked further back, you saw directly into Katsuki’s face, his smile making you feel so warm and fuzzy instantly. It was in that moment you realized your head was resting in his lap.

“Katsu…”

“You should have lived a long, happy life…”, his voice was so soothing and calm as he combed through your hair, though you just shook your head, tears already welling up in your eyes.

“I was already dead inside the moment you were gone.”, and then, you finally sat back up to connect your lips, Bakugou immediately slinging his arms around your neck and pulling you in closer as you both fell back into a pile of cherry blossoms.

“I love you. I love you so much. And now we’re together again.”, you whispered against his lips, lacing your fingers together and Katsuki squeezing your hand tightly, the sparkle in his ruby eyes back as tears shimmered in them as well.

“And we will never be apart again.”, he barely mumbled back, before you hugged each other tightly as your lips melted together tenderly.

Katsuki and you were sitting on the gravestone together, it was the day your lifeless body joined Katsuki’s in the shared grave. Watching your family and Katsuki’s once more crying so much, it really did break your heart.

“I wish they wouldn’t have to go through that again.”, he said and sighed, though also squeezing your hand tightly.

“Mh… But it was inevitable… I know they know that, too…”, since you and Mitsuki were quite close, she, of course, knew how badly Katsuki’s death affected you, even though she tried to help, the moment you were alone, you knew you couldn’t take the loss of someone so precious to you.

“Y/n… I know your pain was immense… I just hope you are both happy now wherever you are…”, Mitsuki quietly cried as she stood in front of the grave with your coffin in it, joining Katsuki’s, Masaru holding her close by his side, both of them a red spider lily in their hands that weren’t blooming.

Looking at each other for a moment, you both stood up from the gravestone and walked towards his parents, softly touching the flower, making them bloom in their hands.

“Let’s go. We are free now. Let’s see the world - together.”, Bakugou smiled and you chuckled and nodded, “Yeah.”, only to pull him closer and softly kiss him and whisper, “Together forever.”, which earned you Katsuki’s soft giggle and him pulling you closer to connect your lips once more.

Mitsuki and Masaru were both completely astonished when the red spider lilies in their hands started blooming, as if it was your answer to their question if you were both happy now, making Katsuki’s Mom smile and cry a little harder.

Though, once she looked ahead, she thought it was probably because she was sleep-deprived and in so much emotional pain, but… she saw you and Katsuki holding onto and smiling at each other. His mind must be playing tricks on her and yet, it was bittersweet to witness you two like that…

“They are happy…”, she wiped away her tears and with a smile on her lips, Mitsuki threw the blooming spider lilies into the grave eventually, knowing that her son and son-in-law were now happily dancing in the cherry blossom trees.

@salemwritesxx || do not repost, edit, modify or translate my works

writer’s note: ya boy literally chickened out the last minute and made it a somewhat happy ending instead of leaving it sad… idk i kind of just want them to find their happiness again in their afterlives 💌 my first idea was to make Y/n sing his heart out on like a roof and then jump, then I wanted him to sing his heart out in front of katsu’s grave and in the end, we just have some soft guitar play and a gun… but while I listen to the song I had playing on repeat while writing this, I still imagine Y/n singing loudly for his Baby and grieving terribly 💔

#salemswriting.#bakugou katsuki #bakugou x male reader #bnha x male reader #bakugou x you #bakugou angst

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epicspheal · 3 years

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Heya! I hope your doing well!

Ever since swsh gave the rivals something to do after the fact( something that I believe only happened to Blue), I can't help but think of the rivals prior who haven't. What do you think they end up doing? I know that Blue ends up becoming a gym leader, but would still be interesting what you plan for him too! :3

Hi there @ihopethisendswell! So actually, it's the norm typically for the rivals to have something to do, even if it's just continuing being a roaming trainers. Being a roaming trainer is still just as valid of a career path as other routes given the way the Pokemon world works, it's just not as solid of a career path as say gym leader or research assistant. Pokemon Sword and Shield is one of the only main games that really puts emphasis on the rivals' alternate careers paths as part of the plot outside of the gen 5 games. So like you have Blue who becomes gym leader and also helps his grandpa with his research by still be a roaming trainer (much to the frustration of anyone trying to challenge his gym). By the time of Sun and Moon/USUM he has ditched the gym to become battle facility which ultimately given his status as a former champion ends up being a much more fitting role. Granted he needed that time as a gym leader as long standing humbling exercise so it wasn't a bad call at all. Then we have Silver, who remains a roaming trainer, though he kind of mainly sticks around the Dragon's Den because he really wants to avenge that loss to Lance and show how much he has changed. Then we have Brendan/May (when not the protagonist) who end up going back to being full time assistants professor Birch. Wally on the other hand, is much like Silver in that he continue to be a roaming trainer, with him staying around the Battle Resort in ORAS with him eventually going to the Battle Tree by the time the SM/USUM events occur.

Barry also follows the roaming trainer route with him staying Stark Mountain in Diamond/Pearl and with Platinum he hangs around the Survival area.

Gen 5 is where the rival's future goals get the most attention, and was the best well done (SwSh in my opinion failed hard on the rival's goals bar Klara and Avery's). Bianca is still my favorite "how to do a future career path" ending in the entirety of series which is she really doesn't know. She ends up taking up a position as Professor's Juniper's assistant. However it's this linefrom Bianca in Pokemon Black 2/White 2 that I really enjoyed:

"Actually, I'm not sure being a professor's assistant is really what I want to do... But when I do the work, I have lots and lots of fun!" I really appreciated that they allowed Bianca to have doubts that this is her final career path. She's still a child and I can remember when I was her age (God, I sound so old) how many career paths I thought about in that time frame...and only one of those comes even remotely close to what I'm attempting to go back to school for. I liked how she's just trying to things and aiming for experiences while not trying to commit herself to one specific path. Now obviously this could theoretically be true for any number of the rivals as with the exception of Blue (and Wally although for some odd reason they didn't give him an aged up model considering he'd be just as old as Red and Blue are) we don't see them as adults and their ambitions could very well have indeed changed over the years. Then you have Cheren who after that scolding from Alder really begins to question his pursuit of strength and what he really wants to do. Cue 2 years later in BW2 where we see him as the Aspertia City gym leader as well a lecturer at the trainer's school. Fitting as it shows his desire and capabilities as a trainer but also allowing a more concrete goal than just pursuing strength but actually overseeing the future generations. And Hugh, another one of my favorite characters, concludes his story arc on forgiveness (since he had absolutely none for Team Plasma at the beginning of the story) ends up a roaming trainer but also helping the good side Team Plasma in Driftveil City reunite Pokemon that were stolen during the events of Black/White to their original trainers. So he has a goal and really touching one I might add, one of the few that doesn't revolve around battling or researching.

Then there's the XY rivals who were admittedly the most shafted. They all pretty much end up as roaming trainers except for Trevor who already had the aim of completing the Pokedex for Professor Sycamore and he continues to do so.

The no specific aim works the best, in my opinion, for Shauna as she really didn't have much of a goal to begin with outside of travelling/making memories, and much like I said with Bianca, it's okay for characters to not have a specific end game (although I personally see Bianca's route as better as although she isn't quite sure what she wants to do, she does take initiative and actively pursue a goal to gain experience and see if it's for her).

Serena/Calem (again when not the protag) having no set aim also works because they were most competitive of the group and continuing to be a trainer makes sense, but since they get hardly any development it just feels hollow and not satisfying. At least with characters like Wally, Silver and Barry who are roaming they all went through some major development. Lack of major development plus no end game just makes Serena and Calem unfortunately just not stand out.

Then Tierno...poor Tierno. He's my favorite XY character and I hate that screwed over so poorly. He actually a goal but the game doesn't allow us to see how a dance team would work. Kalos really could've benefitted from a Pokemon Contest/Musical like sidequest where Tierno shines in. So him being a roaming trainer is just...meh.

Now moving on to Gen 7 and best boy Hau (Hau's up there with Blue and Leon as one of my favorite Pokemon characters PERIOD). In both Sun and Moon and USUM he's a roaming trainer but I argue that Sun and Moon actually wrapped up his character better, despite USUM giving him much more in the way of development. By that I mean he explicitly mentions to the player that he wants become strong enough to find his father who fled Alola because the pressure of being the Kahuna's son was too much. So yeah he is still just a regular trainer, but he does have an explicit goal that goes beyond just trying to continue to measure up to the player. He also helps to train the reforming Team Skull grunts in the art of Alolan SuMo. In USUM this is erased for a more generic roaming trainer scenario unfortunately. Gladion's fate also changes depending on what version of the Gen 7 games you play. With Sun and Moon he ends up taking over as Aether's president but also still trains on the side as he is one of the challengers that can come for your title in the post game. In Ultra Sun and Moon he actually takes the "I'm going to Kanto" route instead of Lillie although he actually back and is essentially a roaming trainer since Lusamine's villainy was nerfed and therefore allowed to stay as Aether's president

Then there's Trace who ends up champion then loses it, but keeps on going in this endless circle of trying to reclaim it from the player. And then finally the Gen 8 rivals where we have Bede, Marnie, Klara and Avery all become gym leaders and Hop is a professor. Despite this cast having the most focus on their future paths since the gen 5 rivals I don't think they were done that well. Like Klara and Avery's worked, really well and they're probably the only rivals bar Trace and Blue who actually their goals (with them actually maintaining there dream status because their goal didn't involve becoming champion).

I've talked about Hop's on this post before but the lack of genuine foreshadowing just made his sudden declaration of wanting to be a Pokemon Professor just come out of nowhere. And honestly considering the fact that he had just come out of a depressive stage and still hadn't quite addressed his idolization issues I think he would've been served better with the Bianca route where yes he becomes Sonia's assistant, but it's clear that he's still trying to find his new path and that he's just open to trying out research rather than making a rather bold claim that this was his new career path. Either that or do better in the foreshadowing where he shows he has a much clearer interest in academia but feels like he needs to be a champion like his brother.

Then there's Marnie who I've also stated was kind of screwed over. Because she made it rather clear to Piers she didn't want to be gym leader (which makes sense given that she saw how that position screwed over older brother that she admires). She's pretty much doing this because she still has the motivation to save her hometown which is extremely admirable and mature. But also it's sad, like if she didn't have to do this, would she honestly still be gym leader. I think not, at least not immediately. Considering that gym challengers can still compete on the big stage with the champion's cup rematches and some even can be invited to the Galarian Stars Tournament, I think if I had of written that I would've focused on how with Leon as the head of MC he's going to actually work with Spikemuth to revitalize without shouldering the responsibility on one single person, especially a minor. And let her be a roaming trainer and live for herself and not continue to be Spikemuth's martyr.

Then there's Bede who quite vocally states when crashing the Champion's Cup that he was ready to retire. Like poor boy goes from being used as Rose's wishing star collector and fall boy to Opal's reirement plan. Like yes it's great that Opal actually remembers his name and gives him a support system and teaches him some discipline. But still it's kind of sad as he was very much okay with retiring but more or less gets goaded into staying because of the stadium audience.

So this post got way longer than I what it was going to be but hey that happens. But yeah too long don't read, all of the rivals do have a goal, even if a lot of them end up as roaming trainers. If I'm honest in most cases (bar the gen 6 rivals because they lacked developent) the roaming trainer thing works. Because they're kids and they still have their whole lives ahead of them and they don't need to have concrete job just yet. Especially because in some cases the concrete plan just doesn't always fit the character. It works best when it feels like an organic part of the story and not just trying to wrap things up for the sake of wrapping things up.

Finally, to answer your question about how I deal with Blue. Well in my Pokeverse (dubbed cactusverse in case you see me refer to my AU as this), I tend to be fairly canon compliant to the games. So after he loses his champion title to Red he becomes Viridian gym leader, slightly patches things up with grandfather by helping with the research and eventuallya head of the Battle Tree as an adult once he gains the Battle Legend Status (which is an actual legitimate title in cactusverse held currently only by him, Red and Leaf, although one of my OCs gets this designation as well). So nothing that really deviates from canon except for some offscreen events. Basically the battle legend status is bestowed if a major event happens that is taken care of by an already established powerful trainer. So there's a rather major plot thing the Kanto Trio gets involved in that once they take care of gives them their status.

Also for cactusverse there's the whole issue of the Viridian City gym. So it eventually it gets passed down to Trace as Blue has shown that he's become a bit too powerful to be a gym leader. He was honestly when he first got it probably still a bit overkill for an 8th gym leader, but he also really needed an attitude adjustment. And with Lance being a far better father figure to him than Oak could ever dream of, with the help of Agatha tried to rein in his egotistical and self important ways by giving him the position. Which worked very well. Still in cactusverse there's rules on the win percentage a gym can have and that's determined by position. Win too many for your rank and you get moved, vice versa if you lose too many, and sometimes you might even lose your position. The first and last gym leaders are always the most at risk of losing their status. This actually happens to Wallace, Iris and eventually Raihan because they just end up exceeding the strength of most challengers who try to challenge them. Hence why all three of them end up champions at some point cactusverse (Raihan does not become Galar's champion, but Johto's champion since I really like the idea of him spreading his wings beyong Galar).

Blue between the time of BW2 and SM had ended up getting to a point that no one had gotten a gym badge off of him in a couple of years which is unacceptable by league standards and he would've gotten booted out sooner had Lance not personally asked my OC Terra to come kick his butt and get a badge off of him. And cue possibly the most iconic and brutal gym battles to have ever gone down in a region of outside of Galar because two heartbroken champion tier trainers, who broke each other's heart is a recipe for a frightening battle. Lance happened to referree that match and might be a little traumatized. Terra won and he was able to give out his last badge before Red came back from his latest global trip and said let's go to Alola.

#rival blue #rival marnie #rival hop #rival bede #rival silver #rival wally #rival barry #rival bianca #rival cheren #rival hugh #rival hau #rival gladion #ask epic spheal #rival klara #rival avery #rival trace

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lydias--stiles · 3 years

Text

clandestine meetings and longing stares

juke secret dating au | title: illicit affairs // taylor swift | a middle of the night scribble

When twelve year old Julie Molina got a stern talk from her father that she wasn't allowed to date until college, the tween had no qualms with it. The only boy she's ever liked had been Sokka from Avatar and that was it. Real boys didn't interest her.

Until she turned sixteen and caught sight of Luke Patterson.

In the years between, she had small crushes here and there. Lance, Nick, Noah. None, however, competed with storm that erupted in her stomach each time Luke smiled at her - her heart in a constant frenzy.

It was the beginning of junior year when he randomly sat next to her in music class and brought out all the bravado. It shouldn't have been cute. Julie should've rolled her eyes, dismissed his cute smirk, but she simply couldn't. The shimmering green of his eyes and the nice laugh was too alluring, too attractive. Soon enough, Julie was crushing on him hard. Which was fortunate, since he very much liked her as well, something he never hid from her.

("Watch out, Julie," he joked during one of their first conversations. "The charm is gonna make you get a crush on me!")

Luke kissed her two weeks after, chastely and secretly under the bleachers. Her infatuated mind forgot in that moment how she wasn't even allowed to look at a guy and eagerly kissed him back. It had been her first kiss and wow - what a perfect one at that.

A beat later, she realised her mistake and told him about her dad's stupid rule. His face had crashed for all of ten seconds when a mischievous grin crawled on his lips (an expression that would get her into serious trouble one day) and said: "Why tell him?"

Had it been any other boy, she would've shaken her head and regret kissing him. But this was Luke. She really liked Luke. The idea of not being with him, of not seeing where this could go, was a greater fear than her father's disappointment. In response, she snatched him back into a kiss he all too hungrily went along with.

Rule #1: Don't date! Broken, busted, thrown out the window with a smile.

It started off easy. At school, no one had to worry. She sat with him at lunch and let herself be coaxed under the bleachers and snuggled into his embrace at the end of the day. On the parking lot, she could pretend she was simply saying goodbye to her boyfriend and not going home to lie in her dad's face about why she was so overly chipper all of a sudden.

(Luke made her so ridiculously happy it was unfair. Each time he surprised her with a hug, her feet lifted from the ground; each time they kissed, his thumbs grazed her cheeks like she was a precious gem; each time she came up with a clever lyric, he gave her the toothiest grin and called her all the cute nicknames he could think of. Boss, baby, babe, Lyric Queen.)

God, she was complete mush for this boy. Sometimes she wondered if she was doing enough, not quite matching his overt display of affection, but she knew she must be doing something right if he never stopped smiling when she talked. That his eyes held a certain softness, timidness, reserved for her only.

They outgrew school quickly. Both wanted to go on dates without raising suspicion, Luke wanted to come over and just be with her without causing havoc.

"Why does the rule exist anyway?", he asked at the end of a cool December day.

Julie toyed with the lapels of his red shacket. "It's dumb. I mean, I get it, but it's dumb." Sighing, she explained his reasoning. "He wants me to fully focus on school so that I can get into a good college. Once I secured that, then I'm allowed to have fun."

Luke frowned. "I- I guess I kind of get it."

Her eyes rolled teasingly. "You don't even want to go to college."

"Correction: I wanna go to frat parties and have the college experience-"

"Without the classes part," she deadpanned. His face fell flat, a giggle of her own following.

His frown returned, a look she hated seeing. "You don't think he'll… I don't know, let go of that rule when he sees we're good?" His calloused hands slipped from her waist to softly cradle her face. Julie sighed, leaning into the touch. Resisting Luke and everything he did was hard. A smile twitched on his lips. "Would be pretty dope to come through the front door and kiss my girlfriend."

Her heart clenched at his confession. It would be amazing, but it sounded so unbelievable that it could easily be taken as a joke. Dad would go absolutely insane if she pulled something like that. Hey dad! Don't mind me as I jump into the arms of my boyfriend and he kisses me like a heartthrob from the movies!

She should've known Luke would try something. His impulsivity was an admirable trait, she found, though the pebbles hitting her window past midnight have her such a fright that she cursed for a beat how one track minded he could be. Until she caught sight of him. Eyes twinkling in the moonlight, a wide smile, his casual stance. He pointed at her and she nodded, grabbing her phone to text him there was a ladder by the garage.

Quiet like a ghost and quick like a fox, Luke snuck into her room, feet falling onto the floor with a soft thud.

Butterflies raged in her stomach. Her secret boyfriend was here, in her room, right now, with her father sleeping just down the hall.

"What're you doing here?", she whispered, already breathless from having him near.

His nose scrunched up. "Trying to be romantic. Should I have called you first?"

She shook her head. "It's fine. Maybe next time. It's-" Her arms slung around his shoulders, heart hammering a mile a minute. Her pyjamas were nothing special, an oversized pullover and sweatshorts, but it felt oddly intimate to be so cozy together. His own faded t-shirt was from a zoo in Oregon and his sweatpants softer than any of the ones she owned. Julie almost asked to borrow them, if it wasn't for his lips to swallow the words with a warm kiss.

Her fingers slipped into his hair. Yeah. This was better than talking.

It soon became routine. Every other week, Luke would text her a moon emoji and then climb into her room around midnight. They'd kiss and cuddle, Luke often leaving by five am and then making a whole show at school as if he hadn't seen her. Julie thought it was cute. If she could, she'd return the favour and go to his place, but Luke assured her she did not want that and, consequently, her father would just know. Unfortunately, she didn't have Luke's agility like some parkour champ.

"Trust me, Jules, I don't mind," he told her at lunch while stealing a cherry tomato. "I like sneaking in."

Alex shot him a look. "You like feeling like the main character of a movie, that's what."

"You brainwashed me with romcoms, so it's your fault, dude,' Luke retorted, grinning when the blonde flipped him off.

They got cocky though. Julie knew her dad would be gone during the day for a photography gig in Santa Monica, all the way on the other side of Los Angeles. It was the perfect excuse to get Luke over. Excited, Julie opened the front door for him with a flourish and did a silly courtesy.

"Your first time using my door," she teased. "Must feel special."

His cocky nod made her roll her eyes. "Super special," he replied gravely, playing along. "She's been begging for me."

Her expression turned sour. "I haven't been begging for you."

His smirk widened, tugging on a curl as he slipped past her. "Was I talking about you?"

He didn't, but he did start making out with her the second they were in the safety of her bedroom, so she knew there wasn't much competition.

That afternoon, they successfully avoided her dad's wrath and felt arrogantly confident about it. It made them daring. Pushing the limits, how far could they go, how blatant could they be before he knew? It was almost a game, the thrill part of the insane attraction she felt each time he snuck in.

His strong arms were wrapped around her as she straddled his waist, kissing him. Every touch was languid and intentional, a searing passion that rippled her skin and left her mind empty. Kissing Luke always put her in a dreamy, blissful haze. Her fingers clawed at his shirt and he shrugged it off in one fluid motion, pulling her back in. His skin was warm, hers to explore. Julie grinned into the kiss. His fingers toyed with the hem of her top.

"Julie?"

They froze. Her dad. Other side of the door. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. As quietly as possible, the girl hoisted herself from his lap and motioned at her closet.

"Julie?" The door handle began to shake.

Her voice squeaked. "Just a second!" Luke tiptoes into her closet, Julie kicking his shirt under her bed as she ran to the door. Her flushed cheeks would be a dead giveaway had her father ever doubt her trust. Fortunately, Julie Molina was in the eyes of her family a perfect good girl.

(The guy hiding in her closet would whisper something else in her ear.)

"Why is your door locked?" Dad frowned. "You never lock your door."

Julie shrugged, innocence leaking from her tone. "I can't have some privacy?"

"Of course, Julie," he said, though his lips were pressed into a thin smile. This clearly wasn't the last time they'd talk about it. "I'm going to the store. Do you need something?"

"No, thanks," she rushed. "Anything else?"

"Uh, no. Don't lock yourself in, hm?" It was said as a joke, his brows lifted, but both she and her father knew he meant it. No more locking doors. Shit.

When the front door fell shut and the car rumbled into the street, Luke reappeared with a careful smile.

Julie sighed. "That… was close. Maybe we should stop hanging out right after school. I didn't even hear him coming up the stairs."

"Damn, Jules!” Peppering two kisses on her forehead, it did little to relief her stress. “Now that's an ego booster."

"I'm serious!" She huffed. "I hate this. I hate the rule and I hate that I'm making you put up with it."

"Hey, hey," he soothed. "It's shitty, yeah, but you're not making me do anything." Nodding at her lips, he added: "Your smile is already…"

The smile bloomed on its own accord when he trailed off, edging closer. "What?"

That little shake of his head almost made her kiss him, but she wanted to know what he was going to say, why his lips were parted in that wonderstruck expression. When nothing came, a curious hum rumbled in her throat as she placed her chin on his chest.

He relented, tapping a finger against her cheek. “Your smile is already making me do dumb stuff.”

Oh, God. If he was going to continue saying things like that, she might actually fall in love with him. Back when Julie and Flynn were still obsessed with those relationship quizzes in magazines, she always claimed she’d like guys that weren’t so smooth with their words. She thought it meant they were players. But Luke never half-assed anything.

Her head tilted, amused. “Do you always have words ready?”

“Zero words, Jules,” he quipped. “Ever.”

Yeah, she might actually love him.

Public dates became a thing after that conversation. She simply couldn’t let him get away because of some rule, even if he claimed he wouldn’t. Eats & Beats was a cute, little café in the heart of Los Feliz with live music and amazing lattes; it was also their regular spot. They’d settle themselves into a booth, share a baked good (“If we’re trying the carrot cake now, we’re doing the pastel de nata next week.” “Deal.”) and talk for hours. Sometimes, when either was tinkering on a song, they’d work on it together.

One leg overlapped his, his fingers drawing pictures on her knee. The booth with the suede red couches and the scratching of a star in the wood was their safe haven.

“Mh, no,” she swallowed the piece of muffin. “That’s such an ugly word, don’t use that.”

He grinned, shoulders nudging as a tease. “Drencher not doing it for you?”

A laugh bubbled up, kissing his cheek. “Just use ‘rain’, you dork!”

“Dork?”, he mocked, getting in her face.

“Yeah.” Her nose brushed his. “Dork.”

“You are a dork.”

“That’s the best you’ve got, Patterson?”

Luke smirked, eyes flicking across her frame. “Want me to show you my best, Molina?”

She pushed his face away, a blush creeping up her cheekbones. They haven’t done it yet, but whenever he got like this, she felt her entire skin heat up at the mere idea. A part of her wanted to take that step, but she felt bad doing it if her dad or tía didn’t know. Knowing that they wouldn’t support her for as long as the rule existed, made her settle with that heat for a little longer. Her leg slipped from his and turned back to his songbook.

“So-”

“Julie?”

The couple looked up, once more paralysed as her dad’s familiar voice called her name. Why was he literally everywhere?! His tall figure stood in front of their booth, his hat shrouding the grimace on his face as his scrutinising eyes flitted between them. Oh, God. Did he know? Did he see? How much did he see? Did he see Luke checking her out? Mortification didn’t even come close to what she felt.

“Dad!” Her pressed smile hopefully looked relaxed to him. Her dad had moments of obliviousness; she might be able to save this. “What- hi, I didn’t know you had a booking here.”

His suspicion didn’t waver. “Yeah, honey, for the Rodriguez’ - I told you last night. Was just getting, ah, coffee.” He nodded at Luke. “Who’s this?”

My boyfriend. The one I’m falling for. The boy I’ve been hiding for months. “This is Luke, he’s one of my classmates.” The way his arm tensed at the label made her ache, but she had to truck on. “We’re working on a song.”

If he didn’t believe her, she just hurt her boyfriend for no reason. It did the trick though. Her father’s face mellowed, noticing the scribbles in the tattered book. “You’re working on a song?”

“Yeah. It’s really getting along.” Her finger tapped against his thigh. “Right, Luke?”

He perked up, a cough following as he straightened his attitude. This really was not the way she wanted them to meet. “Uh, yeah.” His hand stuck out. “Hi, mister Molina.”

Dad shook it with a smile, fully relaxed now. “Ray. Nice to meet you.” The barista called out his name. “See you at home, Julie. Don’t stay out long, yeah?”

Her smile twitched and crashed the second he turned around, grabbed his coffee and closed the glass door. She groaned, dropping her head on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

“I gotta be honest,” he whispered. “That hurt.”

“I’m sorry.”

Luke sighed. “I was okay being a secret before, but…”

She coaxed his jaw, needing him to look at her. “It’ll hurt more if I tell him and forces me to break up with you.”

For a moment, silence sunk onto the table, wedging itself like thick smoke between her and Luke. He seemed pensive, the green of his eyes peering. Suddenly, they lit up. “But wait, aren’t you getting your results? Early admission?”

She sagged in her seat, pouting. “If UCLA wants me.”

“They will,” he smiled. His arms wrapped around her. “Of course, they will. And if you get in, he can’t be mad that you’re dating me, right?”

Hope tinged her chest. She hasn’t considered that. She’s been so focused on Luke and trying to keep it hidden, that everything college-related went over her head. The letters and essays and interviews happened before she and Luke got serious, so with her being on that pink cloud ever since, school stress has been locked away. Why bother mulling over UCLA when she could be having fun with Luke?

If she locked in UCLA… then Luke might be right. And if not UCLA, then she’d hear of USC and NYU next year. (If they were even still together by the time those letters got in the mail.)

“You might’ve found the loophole,” she teased, hoping to lift the tension. And then she uttered out her biggest fear: “But if you haven’t… will you stay?”

His kiss answered her, soft and sweet and with a hint of blueberry muffin. A grin bloomed on her lips, burrowing her face in his shoulder. She felt it. That overflowing, unbridled adoration overwhelming her all at once. Julie loved him. It was April fourteenth and it only took her six months but Julie loved Luke. They stayed in the booth until they had to go home.

Her phone was mocking her. Luke and her were in her car, stagnant, as both stared at the white screen. Every few minutes, she refreshed it, yet no email came. Gah! Couldn’t colleges just send the email when they said they would? What was taking so long? Did that mean she didn’t get in? Was this a bad sign? It helped having Luke there, easing the rising stress that clenched her ribcage, but she wouldn’t be fully okay until that freaking email come through.

As if sensing her thoughts, he drummed against the dashboard. “It’s gonna be cool. You look great in blue and gold, you gotta get in.”

She giggled, nerves lacing her tone. “Imagine if that’s how you got in. You’d get into USC then.”

“Are you saying I look hot in red?”, he teased.

“You know you- oh my God!” She lurched for her phone as a new email pinged in, heartbeat stuttering in her ears. Frozen, her thumb hovered over the fated email. This would change everything - for better or for worse. She knew she should focus on the fact that it would determine where she’d go to college, but all she could think about was Luke, Luke, Luke. Was it selfish to care more about junior prom then UCLA? At this very moment, she thought it was completely justified.

She shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t do it. You open it.”

His brows raised. “You sure?”

“Yeah-” She stuffed the phone in his hand and put her trembling ones on her lap. “-do it for me.”

Luke took a deep breath. Julie shut her eyes. Please. Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please accept her. Please let her be with Luke.

Ten seconds passed. His voice gave nothing away. “Julie?”

“Just rip the band-aid off,” she choked out.

A familiar, calloused hand softly grabbed hers. Her eyes cracked open. Luke had the biggest smile on his face and it made her heart pop out of her chest. She bit down on her lip, fighting off a grin. “Don’t play with me.”

“I’m not,” he sang, reaching across the console to show her phone. You got accepted! blinked in bold, black letters. “You’re UCLA bound, baby!”

Euphoria burst out. Julie squealed, throwing her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a searing kiss. She got in! She fucking got into college! A great one at that! Another Molina was going for gold!

And it might even get her to date Luke without secrecy. God, she hoped this was enough. She wanted to do everything with him. All the time, the entire time. Flynn has called them clingy, but Julie just wanted to get rid of the anxiety of her dad finding out. To finally relax and be fully with him.

Her head tilted, bashful. “Is it crazy to say that I might be in love with you?”

He dropped her phone in the cupholder and peppered another kiss on her mouth. “No. That’s good.” His thumb traced her bottom lip, eyes glittering with adoration. “Cause I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you too.”

She pecked his thumb, giddy. “Fuck it. Let’s tell my dad right now. About UCLA and you.”

He smiled. “You sure?”

“One hundred percent.”

Storming inside the house, the couple made a beeline to her dad’s office, his hand in hers.

“Dad!”, she called out, door slamming open. Her startled father perked up in his seat, his wide eyes going from Julie to Luke right behind her. “I got into UCLA!”

Ray sprung up, cheering. “Mija-!”

“And I’m dating Luke!”, she yelled after. “And that’s okay, cause I got in, so you don’t have to worry about the rule anymore! So... ” She put her foot down, awkwardness creeping in her tone. “Yeah!”

Flabbergasted, dad faltered and let the cheers die in his throat. Luke came to stand next to her, squeezing her hand. Slowly, he nodded. “Ah… so that time in Eats & Beats-”

“A date,” she admitted. “And I’m sorry I went behind your back, papa, but I… really care about Luke. And we figured that if I got in, you’d stop enforcing the dating rule.”

His grap became even tighter. “I, uh, really care about her too,” Luke mustered. “Sorry that we kept it a secret.”

Ray sighed, propping his head in his hands and scrubbing the confusion away with his palms. The pair shot each other a look. He wasn’t mad, she deduced, so that was a good sign at least. Finally, dad moved again and gave her a tight hug. Her confidence grew, hugging him back and withholding a cry of victory.

He pulled back, crossing his arms with a hint of amusement. “Well… the rule clearly didn’t work, but you seem happy and you- you did actually get in, right?”

She laughed, nodding, and showed the confirmation email. His smile grew. “Then I guess,” he trailed, “you’re allowed. To date. But no funny business!”

Julie quickly nodded, grabbing back onto Luke’s arm and jostling him in excitement. Luke bounced on his heels, trying to temper it but failing miserably. She thanked her dad, promised him they’d celebrate her acceptance later tonight and rushed back out with Luke. Dad yelled something about establishing new rules, but both gleefully ignored it. Once in her bedroom, he snatched her into a tight embrace, kissing her full on the lips. Julie whooped against his mouth and danced between his arms. This might be the best day of her life! Luke was her real real real boyfriend!

“You heard your dad, Jules,” he teased. “No funny business.”

She pouted, faux-peeved. “You won’t get to climb through my window again.”

“Won’t have to hide in cars anymore.”

“Won’t have to say you’re just my classmate.”

Luke dragged them onto her bed, laying side by side. “I can take you to junior prom.”

She kissed him with a giggle. “You’re taking me to prom?”

“Hell yeah, I am!”, he bellowed, drumming his fingers against her hips. “Let your dad take pictures of us and everything.”

She scrunched her nose. “Let’s maybe not push him just yet.”

“Yeah,” he exhaled, humming in agreement. “You’re probably right.”

Luke did that her to junior prom, to homecoming, to senior prom, called her hot in blue and gold and vetoed no when she begged him for a bright, blue velour couch for their first apartment. When someone asked her father what it was like, seeing his daughter find the one at sixteen, he had to admit with embarrassment red on his cheeks that it all flew under his radar.

That it all started with sneaky bleacher kisses and a hopeful heart.

@blush-and-books @ourstarscollided @sophiphi @bluefirewrites @willexx @unsaid-emily

#can you tell i'm not american? because i can lol sorry for any inaccuracies regarding school #juke #jatp fanfiction #julie and the phantoms #otp: i think we make each other better

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asweetprologue · 3 years

Text

but they will know our bones as lovers

@sugar-and-spice-witcher-bingo

Prompt: Sensory deprivation Relationships: Geralt/Jaskier Rating: T Content Warnings: Major Character Death(s) Summary: Geralt and Jaskier get trapped in a cave. They don’t make it out. ao3

It was dark.

Jaskier opened his eyes, or he thought he did. He had to raise a hand to his face to check, running his fingers lightly over his fluttering eyelashes. He could see nothing, not even his own hand before his face. Slowly he moved to sit up, to investigate his surroundings further, but as soon as he turned his head he was met with a stabbing pain lancing through his temple. A soft groan escaped his lips as he winced.

There was a shuffling noise to his right, and his heart accelerated at the sound. He didn’t know where he was or why he couldn’t see, wasn’t sure what might be in here with him. If it was unfriendly he would be in trouble. The thing nearby moved again, a strange scraping sound echoing around the space like metal on rock. A moment later there was a grunt, familiar enough to make Jaskier’s chest release on a relieved exhale.

Geralt shuffled around some more, and Jaskier felt a hand grasp his shoulder. “Well hello there,” he said, or tried to say. The words were caught on a cough halfway through, the dust coating his throat making him choke.

“Jaskier,” Geralt’s voice came gruffly from the darkness. His hand moved from Jaskier’s arm to his chest, moving efficiently around. Checking for injuries. “Are you hurt?”

“Just my head, I think,” Jaskier wheezed, swallowing a few times to clear his throat. Slowly and with Geralt’s help, he levered himself into a sitting position, hissing at the way it made his head spin. After a second a waterskin was pressed against his lips, and he drank greedily.

“It doesn’t look like it broke skin,” Geralt hummed, his fingers probing the sore spot on Jaskier’s scalp. “Are you nauseated or disoriented?”

“Wait, you can see? Damn those witcher senses,” he pouted. Geralt gave him an exceedingly gentle shake. “No, no, I’m alright. A bit dizzy, but it’s settling. What about you? What the devil happened?”

“You followed me into the bloody arachas cave, that’s what happened,” Geralt grunted. He did not sound pleased. “One got close to you and I had to cast aard to blast it away. Caused a cave in.”

“Oh,” Jaskier said. “Well drat.”

“Drat,” Geralt echoed, sounding exhausted. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it.”

“So, what now?” Jaskier asked, ignoring the waves of exasperation he could sense wafting off of Geralt. Somehow the man managed to convey a glower in total darkness. “Are we going to have to dig our way out?”

“I don’t know if we… can,” Geralt said, slowly. There was a shuffling sound, and he moved away from Jaskier. “There’s a huge slab blocking the way we came in. Even if I could lift it, it’s holding up more of the ceiling. And there’s nowhere to move it.”

Jaskier felt a slow crawl of something like panic begin to creep up the back of his neck. “Can’t you just blast it with aard again?”

Geralt didn’t say anything immediately, which meant he was rolling his eyes. “Likely to bring the rest of the cave down on top of us.”

“So what, we’re trapped?” Jaskier asked, flinging his hands up. Geralt’s silence blanketed the thin echo of the words in the small space, damning. “Oh shit.”

“Yeah. Shit,” Geralt said grimly.

Geralt spent the next hour or two pacing around the tiny space, supposedly looking for ways to tunnel them out. The cave they were stuck in had been home to a small colony of arachas, most of which had thankfully been crushed beneath the falling stones. Jaskier hadn’t gotten a good look at the place before he’d been hit on the head by debris, and now he couldn’t exactly explore the area.

Geralt had helped him over to one of the rock walls of their makeshift cave, and Jaskier sat propped against it staring out into blackness as he listened to Geralt move about. It was hard to tell how much time was passing. He tried to calculate in his head how much air they might have, how much time it would take for them to consume the oxygen left in the space. They weren’t all too deep underground, but Jaskier had walked down the tunnel long enough to know that they were deep enough that an exterior source of air was unlikely. He’d had a torch when he came in, but Geralt refused to let him light it again, stating that it would consume the oxygen even faster. Jaskier had to conceded to his point. Based on the sound of Geralt moving around, the cave couldn’t be much bigger than a typical room at an inn. Jaskier didn’t know how much oxygen two full grown men used per hour, but he guessed it was quite a bit. He wanted to give them a day, maybe two at most, before they started to run low. Surely enough time for Geralt to dig them out.

He had this thought just as there was a curse to his right and a sudden groan in the walls around them. “What is that?” Jaskier asked, nervously scooting away from the side of the cave. His head swam at the sharp movement, but he didn’t want to risk getting hit by even more falling rock.

Geralt’s heavy breathing filled the space for a moment, and based on the lack of any other noise Jaskier had to assume he was standing still, waiting. The creaking groan in the wall shuddered to a stop, and Geralt let out a relieved noise.

“I don’t think I can risk moving any of the stone,” he grunted, his voice coming closer to Jaskier. “The walls aren’t stable. I’m just as likely to crush us as I am to get us out.”

Jaskier wished he could see the witcher’s face. “So we’re stuck here? We’ll die either way if we can’t find a way out eventually. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, witcher, but this is likely a sealed space. As you said yourself, we’re going to run out of air.”

Geralt’s silence spoke volumes. Jaskier felt something cold spread through him, and grit his teeth against the panic. He scrambled to his feet, facing what he assumed was Geralt’s approximate direction.

“You can’t just give up after a few tumbling rocks,” he hissed. “We can’t die in this stupid fucking cave. We have to keep trying.”

“Jaskier,” Geralt said, and his voice was far too soft, grating against the irritation that Jaskier felt burning in his palms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I saw it on you and I just- I just reacted-”

“You’re sorry? We’re in this mess because you saved my life! If I hadn’t come after you like you always tell me fucking not to, none of this would have happened.” Maybe it was a blessing, in a way, that he couldn’t see Geralt’s face. Jaskier wasn’t sure he could handle it at this moment. “I’m the reason we’re here. If we die down here that’s… that’s my-”

Firm hands reached out to take his, pulling them from where they’d been gripping his hair. He hadn’t even noticed. “No, Jask,” Geralt said, his tone as unyielding as stone. “This isn’t your fault. I should have been paying more attention.”

“Agree to disagree,” Jaskier said hotly. “Fuck. We have a day or two before we run out of air, probably. Do you think the villagers will realize we’ve not come back?”

Geralt was quiet for a moment, his thumb smoothing over Jaskier’s knuckles. The contact burned. “Maybe,” he said, and Jaskier decided to believe that they would. Nevermind that they wouldn’t blink an eye at a witcher not returning from a job. Nevermind that the villagers probably didn’t even know exactly where they were. Nevermind the fact that any attempt to rescue them would surely get them killed.

All they could do was wait.

Waiting to die (to be rescued, Jaskier reminded himself) was boring.

He’d left his lute back at the camp with Roach. Ah, Roach, he hoped someone would find her and take care of her. She didn’t deserve to get left behind like this. His fingers itched to fill their little space with music; he imagined the acoustics would be phenomenal. It would have been poetic, he thought, to die with his instrument in hand, but instead he was left to wrap his arms around his knees and try to distract himself from the inevitable (rescue, remember? Rescue).

“Do you remember that time we went to Novigrad and stayed in that absolutely abysmal inn, what was it called, something about cats? And they wouldn’t let me play, so you were playing gwent to try and make us some cash, and that one redhead you were playing against was cheating so badly- It was so obvious! I mean I’m not a card cheat, but at least I know better than hiding them literally up my sleeves.”

“Seven Cats Inn,” Geralt said from his seated position on Jaskier’s right. He may have been meditating, but Jaskier couldn’t be sure. “Didn’t you light his hat on fire?”

Jaskier laughed, tipping his head back to rest against the wall behind him. His head throbbed still, but after several hours of sitting fairly still he was starting to feel more evened out. “That was unrelated to the cheating. He said something rude about you, I think. I was providing a public service, regardless.”

“You stood behind him and told me his cards.”

“Turnabout’s fair play,” Jaskier said airily.

“You cheat at cards all the time.”

“Only against you,” Jaskier grinned, turning to look at Geralt and forgetting he would see only darkness. What a letdown.

Geralt huffed out an amused breath. Jaskier sighed, turning back to look into the yawning darkness around him. “Wish I could see,” he groused. “I wish I had my damn lute.”

“The one positive to our situation.”

Jaskier rounded on him, throwing out a wild punch that smacked right into Geralt’s armored shoulder. The studs left his fingers smarting, but he wasn’t about to admit to that. “You take that back, you uncultured swineherder. You would only be so lucky to have my dulcet tones lulling you into that great sleep.”

Geralt was quiet, and Jaskier realized his misstep. They still weren’t admitting to it yet. Geralt seemed to decide to pass the comment over, keeping his tone light. “I’d beg you to put me out of my misery,” he said, and Jaskier let out a relieved breath at the easy banter.

“I’d strangle you with my lute strings if I had them,” he tossed back, and Geralt laughed. The sound of it echoed in the empty black around them.

Jaskier slept fitfully, still recovering from his concussion. He didn’t want to. It made him unsure of how much time had passed, even more than before. The hours crawled by, separated by a smattering of chatter between them and Jaskier’s occasional singing, but he couldn’t keep his eyes open with any consistency. He feared at first that he’d been wrong and they were already running out of oxygen, but his head was still cobwebby and throbbing. It was almost hard to tell when he was asleep and when he was awake, with the ever present darkness, except that he was stiffer when he woke up.

He blinked awake from one of his accidental naps, groaning as he stretched out his aching limbs. “Long was I out?” he asked, bleary.

Geralt shifted near him, closer than Jaskier would have expected. Practically on top of him. “Hmm,” he heard. “Maybe a few hours.”

“How long do you think we’ve been down here?” Jaskier asked. He had no earthly idea. It felt like years.

Geralt made a thoughtful sound. “Maybe a day,” he allowed, hesitantly. “You’ve slept through most of it.”

Jaskier felt like crying at that. The idea that someone would find them in time suddenly seemed naïve. He was wasting time sleeping, when they only had a handful of hours left. Suddenly not knowing what else to do, he reached out until his fingers found the resistance of Geralt’s clothed arm. He felt his way down until his hand found Geralt’s, ungloved and warm on the witcher’s thigh. Twisting his fingers into the Geralt’s, Jaskier took a shuddering breath. “I’m sorry,” he said, and he wasn’t entirely sure what part of all of it he was apologizing for.

Geralt just squeezed his fingers back, and he didn’t let go.

Jaskier didn’t fall asleep again, wouldn’t let himself. No one was coming for them. There was no way they had more than a few hours left of air, and he refused to waste a single second that he had left. He curled into Geralt’s side, as close as he could be without sitting in his lap, and felt something in him unclench when he felt Geralt’s head tip to rest against his.

“I’m going to die first, aren’t I,” he said, barely asking.

Geralt was quiet for a long moment. “...Probably. My body doesn’t need as much oxygen. I can slip into meditation and use up even less.” A pause, his breath even and warm between them. “I’m sorry.”

Jaskier hummed. “Don’t be. I’m sorry I’ll be leaving you alone.”

Geralt inhaled sharply, and when he exhaled the sound of it stuttered through the cavern. Jaskier squeezed his fingers tightly, their palms warm where they’d been pressed together now for minutes or hours or days. “I’m sorry I fucking killed us both,” Geralt bit out.

“Oh, none of that,” Jaskier admonished, soothing a thumb over the back of Geralt’s knuckles, as Geralt had done earlier that day. Or yesterday. Whenever it had been. “I’m the one that followed you in here. You were trying to protect me. I’m sorry I got us into this mess. I only wish you weren’t stuck in here with me.”

Geralt was silent for so long that Jaskier wasn’t sure he was going to reply at all. He had almost let go of the conversation thread when Geralt said, “I’m glad.”

“Hmm? What’s that?” Jaskier said, confused.

“I’m glad I’m here with you. I’m not glad that we’re doing to fucking die, but I’m glad you aren’t… alone.”

Jaskier was suddenly, pathetically grateful for Geralt’s warm, comforting presence at his side. He imagined what it would have been like, by himself, alone and struggling for breath in the dark. It was not a pleasant idea. He would give anything, pay any price, to have Geralt escape here alive, but he was glad he wasn’t alone. “Thank you,” he said, squeezing Geralt’s hand again tightly. Geralt squeezed back just as hard, their palms molding into each other. At least, Jaskier thought wildly, at least when they died they would still be together. Holding each other for eternity.

“Can I ask you for something?” he asked after a while, hesitantly. Geralt hummed his assent, and Jaskier swallowed. “Would you mind if we lied down? I won’t fall asleep, I promise, I just… I just want…”

He could feel Geralt shift towards him, and Jaskier took a moment to imagine those golden eyes shining at him. It was absurd, how much he missed them. “What, Jaskier?” Geralt asked, not demanding. Just asking.

It was stupid to ask. Might make their last moments together - and that’s what these were, their last moments - awkward and stilted. But Jaskier wanted, burned deep in his core. He felt like he would shatter apart if he didn’t at least ask. “Would you mind if I- That is, would you, could you just… hold me? Just for a while?”

Geralt was silent, and Jaskier’s heart slowly crept up into his throat, pounding against the bruise on his skull. “Nevermind,” he said quickly, trying to pull his hand away from Geralt’s. “Sorry, that was overstepping, I don’t want to make you, ah, uncomfortable, I’m sorry.” His eyes burned with unshed tears, and he hoped Geralt couldn’t smell his distress. Bastard could probably see his flushed face anyways. Fuck witchers, he thought vehemently.

Fingers tightened on his own, preventing his escape. He jerked his head up, but the silence emanating from Geralt’s space betrayed nothing. Finally he heard the witcher clear his throat. “I’d… I’d like that,” Geralt rasped, and Jaskier deflated.

“Oh,” he said, “oh, well, good. Yeah. Should we just…?”

In answer Geralt shuffled a bit, pulling away from Jaskier for a moment. His hand felt shockingly cold without Geralt’s palm nestled next to his own. He was confused until he heard the distinct sound of leather clasps coming undone, so familiar to him he knew he could undo them himself even in these conditions. A second later he heard armor hitting the ground, the dull thunk of the leather and the clatter of steel as Geralt shed his outerwear. When the last of it was pushed away, his warm presence returned to Jaskier’s side and urged him down onto the cool stone ground.

It was wildly uncomfortable. The floor was uneven and unforgiving, and Jaskier could feel tiny stones and bits of rubble digging into his shoulders and hips as he lay down. His head throbbed at the movement, making his stomach swoop uncomfortably. They’d had a few pieces of jerky that Geralt had brought with him as a backup on the hunt, but nothing else for food in the last day or so. However long they’d been down here. He felt faint and sore and thirsty, but as Geralt’s arms folded around him Jaskier couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so comforted. He didn’t want to be here - didn’t want either of them to be here, at all - but at least Geralt was here, breath spreading warm over the top of his head. At least they were together.

Everything was growing so heavy. His mind was foggy, swimming dizzily from one thought to the next.

He was going to die. How long had it been? It didn’t feel hard to breathe yet, but they must be getting close. Suddenly he was seized by fear, all consuming panic clawing up into his throat and driving away some of the haze. Geralt’s hand tightened against his hip. Probably able to smell his distress. “Jaskier, what -”

He reached out to weakly fist his hand in Geralt’s shirt, suddenly desperate. “I can’t see,” he said, panting between the words.

“I know,” Geralt said, his tone even and soothing, “there’s not enough light in here for you. It’s alright.” He sounded worried, like he thought maybe Jaskier was too far gone to remember where they were.

“No, no,” Jaskier said, feeling too dizzy to really explain. He sat up and started pulling off his doublet, fingers fumbling across the buttons as his head swam sickeningly. Geralt sat up as well, by the sound of it, and more deft fingers took over the process for him. Jaskier wrestled his way out of the garment and pressed it to Geralt’s chest, fumbling. “Burn it, burn it now.”

“You want me to burn your doublet?” Geralt asked, sounding shocked and more than a little concerned.

“I need to see,” Jaskier said. He reached out to grasp Geralt’s shoulder in the darkness, leaning heavily on him.

“I can’t,” Geralt said, a tad impatiently. “It’ll eat up whatever's left of the oxygen in here. Absolutely not.”

Jaskier pushed forward, bending to rest his head on Geralt's shoulder. Fuck he was tired. “I need- Fuck, I can’t, I just need to see you one more time. Please.” He sounded pathetic, but the idea of never seeing Geralt’s face again was so wretched he could barely stomach it. A quicker inevitable death was worth seeing him one last time. “Please, I just want to see you.”

Geralt was still in his arms, still clutching the fabric of Jaskier’s doublet close. “You’ll die,” he choked out, the words brushing over Jaskier’s hair. “You’ll die faster. I can’t- I can’t. I’m sorry.”

Jaskier couldn’t help but let a soft sob escape him. The doublet fell between them as Geralt’s arms came up around him, holding him close. A warm palm pressed against the back of his head. “I’m sorry,” Jaskier sobbed, dizzy and heartbroken. Suddenly he laughed a little, though the sound was wet and pained. “This is such shit.”

“It really is,” Geralt agreed, sounding strained himself.

They sat like that for some time, Jaskier leaning his forehead against the line of Geralt’s throat, just letting the feeling of warm palms brushing over his back wash over him. He wished he’d asked for this sooner. Maybe Geralt was only giving it to him because he was literally dying, but maybe it had been this easy all along. Maybe Geralt would have gathered him up at any time, if he’d only asked, and held him close like this. Like he mattered, like Geralt wanted to be here just as much as he did. It made him feel brave for once in his life, too late.

So he said, “You should know.” The world was soupy around him, but he could feel the warm press of Geralt’s body against his as clear as anything. There was a curious hum above him, that Jaskier could feel in Geralt’s throat where his nose was tucked against his Adam’s apple. “You might not want to hear it. I don’t know. You probably won’t, but you should know.”

Geralt’s fingers were still petting through his hair, right at the base of his neck. Jaskier wished that he could see him. He closed his eyes, picturing Geralt’s face as clearly as he could. “What should I know?” Geralt asked.

“You should know that I love you,” Jaskier said, pressing the words to Geralt’s skin in the hopes that there, at least, they might find a warm reception. “I’ve loved you for my entire adult life, as thoroughly as I have known how, as completely as anything I have ever done. Loving you has been my life’s greatest accomplishment. When they sing the songs after I’m gone, I hope that’s how they remember me.” He smiled softly against the line of Geralt’s throat. “As the man who loved you.”

For a long moment Geralt was still around him, a statue chiseled from soft cotton and cool skin. Then suddenly the arms around him were tightening and Geralt was leaning down to press his own face into Jaskier’s shoulder as he took great, shuddering breaths. Jaskier ran a soothing if uncoordinated hand along his back where he could reach. “Fuck,” Geralt said. Jaskier was about to make an offended noise, but then Geralt was pulling them both back, just a bit. Just enough space between them to find Jaskier’s face, cupping his jaw with both hands. Geralt’s lips brushed against his own, a desperately soft press. Jaskier pushed back into it eagerly, wanting to show Geralt that he meant it.

Geralt pulled back and pressed their foreheads together, his nose resting against Jaskier’s. His breathing was labored. “Don’t go,” he said, just a whisper between them.

Jaskier could feel tears on his cheeks, and he wished so much to be able to see Geralt’s face. “Oh dear heart. I would never leave you if I had the choice to stay. After all this, you must know that.”

Geralt gathered him close again, pressing them together everywhere he could. “I don’t want- I can’t- I can’t watch you, fuck, Jask-” His voice was thick and wet, and Jaskier felt warmth flood him alongside a bone deep grief.

“I’m afraid I did get the better end of the bargain,” Jaskier murmured. Geralt made a wounded sound and pressed forward to kiss him again, and again, an unheated and yet urgent clash of mouths. They wouldn’t get anymore chances, Jaskier realized. Their first few kisses would be their last. It belonged in a ballad, really. He hoped someone would write it for them, after.

“Fuck, I wish I could see you,” he gasped, winded partly from the kiss and partly from the lack of air in the room. “I always wanted your face to be the last thing I ever saw. This isn’t fair.”

“I love you,” Geralt grit out, sounding like it cost him but he was still relieved to have it out. Like pulling a knife from a wound. “Fuck,” he said, pressing his nose under Jaskier’s jaw, and then, “Please,” so soft that Jaskier felt it wasn’t even really for him. Just a cry for help from an uncaring universe. “Fuck, I love you. I thought you knew.”

Jaskier laughed breathlessly, a pained sound. “You didn’t exactly act like a man besotted.”

“I tried not to,” Geralt said, pressing a kiss to Jaskier’s throat. “Didn’t think you’d want me. But I was. Besotted.”

“Tell me about it?” Jaskier asked. He wouldn’t have normally, but if this was his only chance he would take whatever Geralt was willing to give.

Geralt swallowed. “For years. First I just wanted to bed you. You were so bright, and cocky, and I just wanted to- I just wanted you. But you stuck around, you kept choosing to be on the Path with me, even when you were getting six letters a week asking for you to play in all those fancy noble houses. Nothing I ever did was enough to drive you away. No one- no one has ever-” He cut himself off, shaking his head. His palms were still warm where they were pressed to Jaskier’s jaw. “I don’t even know how to explain it. I used to steal your shirts before winter, just so I could have the smell of you with me at the keep. I wanted to ask you to come with me, but I was afraid you would say no. Was afraid I’d lose you if I asked for too much. But I always wanted.”

“And here I thought you just didn’t like my music,” Jaskier said weakly.

“I hated it at first,” Geralt said. “I’m not all those things you say I am.”

“You are,” Jaskier said, petting a hand across the back of his head. Silky strand of snow white hair that he wished he could see. “I always believed in those songs. In you.”

“I know,” Geralt muttered. “It fucking terrified me. I’m sorry. I wasted so much time.” He sounded so bitter, so guilty. And Jaskier couldn’t stand it, couldn’t die with Geralt thinking that any of their time together was a waste.

“I cherished every moment of it,” he said, as firmly as he could. He was fading fast, he could tell. His thoughts were coming less rapidly, sluggish to form. “You… Even when you were being a prick. Loved you all the time. I loved you- love you. It was all worth it.”

“You’re here because of me,” Geralt said, mournfully. “This is my fault.”

“Nothing you could have done,” Jaskier said. He could feel his eyes slipping closed against his will. “Would have followed you… Always.”

“Jaskier?” Geralt’s voice was panicked. “Stay awake.”

“Sorry,” he said, forcing his eyes open. “Sorry. I’m dizzy.”

“It’s alright.” He’d never heard Geralt’s voice so soft, or so full of agony. It made him want to wake up, some kind of fight or flight instinct attempting to kick in. He wanted Geralt to stop hurting. But he was so tired, and his limbs felt like lead. Suddenly they were lying down, and he blinked owlishly into the darkness. Geralt was all around him, one hand still on his face while his other wrapped around Jaskier’s waist to hold him close. They’d never been so close before.

“Kiss me,” he whispered, and a moment later Geralt’s lips found his, just the barest brush. The most honest goodbye he could have asked for.

They pulled apart. “You should sleep too,” Jaskier said, already feeling it dragging him down. “We can… sleep together. It’ll be okay.”

Geralt took a measured breath, a slow inhale and meticulous exhale, almost like meditation. Too wobbly for that though, too watery. Jaskier pressed himself as close as he could, until their heartbeats were lined up perfectly. “Okay,” Geralt agreed. “Okay.”

His arms tightened, and Jaskier lay his head down on Geralt’s chest, and together, they fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

#geraskier #sugar-and-spice-witcher-bingo #geralt of rivia #Jaskier #geraltxjaskier #geralt/jaskier #witcher #the witcher #witcher fic #fanfiction #writing #my work #s&s #angst #tw mcd #major character death #mcd #i'm very proud of this title it took me a long time to come up with it #also i'm sorry! don't come at me!

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hajimeiwaswife · 3 years

Text

STRINGS

Word count: 4,1K

Warnings: major character death, little angst

Summary: two lovers reunited by the power of music.

"Traveller! Be careful!" Xiao shouted, reaching to Aether in time to safe him from being knocked by a giant rock that fell out of the mountain.

"Thank you, Xiao." the boy said, out of breath, before resuming the fight against their enemies, the ones that had taken his sister away from him.

Xiao recognised easily the odour of blood, having spilled so much by himself in his past. If it had been any other time, he would have fought harshly and precisely, but now that he had finally found happiness, he didn't want to die. Or worst, his significant other to die.

Years took upon the Adeptus to finally open up to the Anemo Archon, who didn't give up on him ever since they met. Barbatos, or Venti, as he liked to go by, had been by his side trying for the Adeptus to comprehend human emotions, feelings that he already had inside of him. He had been so patient with him, so caring, that now Xiao finally understood what it was to be loved. But what if this battle took it away from him? He was terrified.

The sound of explosions surrounded the landscape, lifeless corpses on the ground above pools of scarlet liquid decorating the grass. The touch of Death wrapping those who sighed their last breath, too many to be count. The Adeptus was heading into battle again when he felt someone grab his shoulder, the gentle hands of his lover.

"Not there," Venti stated, taking Xiao's hand in his, "you're needed in this other area. The Millelith are having trouble."

He took his orders, not without giving him a nod to indicate respect and, in Xiao's language, a 'take care'. Venti, however, took the Adeptus' nape and kissed him briefly before running away, laughing mischievously. Poor Xiao, flustered as ever, followed the way he had been indicated and started fighting in all his might again, powerful lance in hand.

Hours of battle passed, more dead around the survivors to assimilate. The Adeptus was tired and in need of checking on his loved ones, but he continued to fulfil his duty, he understood that if he was exhausted, humans would be in their limit. Nonetheless, after everything went quiet, he breathed as if he had been deprived of oxygen for centuries.

The silence was appalling, announcing the misfortunes and desperation that waited for those who were still alive. Xiao took a look around, sighting Aether with Paimon, Zhongli, Kaeya, Diluc, Jean and some of the Knights of Favonious. He also saw some of his fellow Adepti and the Qixing. But he couldn't find Venti, the Anemo Archon was nowhere to be seen nor to be heard.

A bad feeling sunk in the bottom of his stomach, with shaking legs he started walking along the path of corpses, wishing to be mistaken and to not find his lover laying within them. When he saw no green in the clothes of the dead, he felt relieved, knowing that the Archon was somewhere else, until he saw the blue braids he loved so much.

His heart dropped while he approached the corpse, green clothes now red from blood, characteristic hat lost somewhere in the valley, aquamarine eyes, once full of life, now looked at the sky without emotion, lifeless, no soul behind them. The Adeptus' knees gave up and fell next to his lover's body. He was speechless, in shock, completely gone from reality as his brain tried to understand what was going on in front of him. 'Please, let it be another nightmare.'

With tremble hands, Xiao took Venti's body in a cold hug, the Archon's head on the Adeptus' chest that rumbled in a hurt scream, shouting to the skies and letting them know he had had enough, he had lost the person he loved the most. Swaying them both from side to side, Xiao cried, caressing Barbatos' hair. "I love you, please, don't leave me." Xiao begged, heartbroken. "I know I never told you, but I think- no, I am in love with you. At last, I understand my feelings. Please, Venti, don't go."

Aether came next to Xiao, pitying his friend's sobs that didn't stop. He also felt sad by Venti's loss, he considered the Archon his friend, and he was going to cry and mourn his death. Along with him, the survivors of Mondstadt as a whole kneed in front of the dead Archon and the Adeptus, bidding their goodbyes to Barbatos, the Archon of the City of Freedom.

2000 years later, in another dimension...

Xiao was late, he had overslept and had lost the train to the Conservatory, again. He had spent the night studying Harmony II and lost track of time. What was sleep for a student, though? 'Never heard of it.'

Running across the street, trying not to lose his piano sheets, he finally got to the bus station, the only transport apart from the train that could get him to his destination. It was to its fullest, so he would have to be standing, not very practical to study. He eyes followed the Chopin Nocturne nº20, thinking the rubatos in his mind and trying to memorize the digits in the final scales. He sighed, if he hadn't had spent so much time studying the Harmony rules in the Gregorian Era, he would have had enough time to practice piano. But organization wasn't his best attribute.

He trusted his ability reading at first sight and closed the folder, looking out the window. It was a good day, the sun was shining and lighting the path of those who walked in their way to their jobs, schools, universities or even who were just strolling. The few trees the city had were full of green leaves that were swaying to the sound of the pre summer breeze, warning people of the incoming heat wave. Xiao wished to finish the year as soon as possible so he could go to the beach and stroll and listen to music with the dancing waves of the ocean.

The rest of the morning went without incident, his inner talent allowing him to feign having study and his teacher praising his musicality. Xiao was a sensitive person, he felt too deep, different from what everyone who knew him thought of him because of his rough facade. His musicality and deep feelings were what made him an expert in Chopin, being the best in his region to play the musical pieces of the Polish composer.

He exited the place and walked to the train station thinking about his incoming exams, music was definitely one of the tougher and more beautiful things he had ever experimented. At the same time, he started listening a guitar melody and a sweet voice accompanying it; Xiao looked to the source of the sound and saw a boy his age playing an acoustic guitar and singing inside the train station. He had dyed dark blue hair, nearly black, that degraded into a light blue the nearer it came closer to his hair tips. He had enough hair to pull it into a bun, giving him a carefree look that matched his crop trousers, white t-shirt and denim jacket. But when they both made eye contact, Xiao swore to had seen those eyes before, gentle aquamarine gaze looking back at him.

The pianist stood there for a few minutes, listening and admiring the singer, but he had to go if he didn't want to lose the train. He just hoped he would see the singer again, captivated by his songs and, especially, his eyes.

Indeed, he saw the man every day since at that same spot, at the same hour, different songs. Xiao envied him, he also wanted to compose, but was too focused learning classical pieces to invest more time in composing his own ones, but he was positive one day he would.

It continued like that for a month; the man would be there, playing and singing while Xiao stood there for some minutes listening to him. He was so familiar and strange at the same time that Xiao had no choice but be intrigued by him. Until one day, the man wasn't there.

"What?" Xiao looked around, but the dark blue haired man wasn't in his usual spot nor in any nearby.

For a week, the singer didn't appear and Xiao started to think he would not see him again. Much to his disdain, he felt sad; he always waited for the time of the day where he would see and hear the man, it was like a ritual for him. Now, all of a sudden, it was gone.

Walking out of the train, distracted looking for the man, he didn't notice his folder opening and the piano sheets getting lost among the people.

"Hey!" he heard behind him. Even if he had never heard him talk, he knew it was him, his voice sounded as sweet as when he sang. He turned around and saw the singer behind him, shaking some papers in his hands, "I think these are yours!"

Xiao took at what the singer had in his hand. He was still rather shocked by finding him again after so long, but he paid attention to the papers to recognise them as his piano sheets, the ones he needed for his exam tomorrow.

"Thank you," he said nonchalantly, taking them from the other musician.

Their hands touched for an instant, a short among of time for any other mortal, but enough for them to feel a tingle inside their chests. Xiao took the sheets quickly and put some distance between them both. He didn't know what that feeling was and he definitely didn't want to discover it.

"You're welcome!" answered the man, smiling brightly after falling silent for a few seconds after the incident, "I see you play the piano, are you majoring in music?"

"Yes," replied the pianist, looking at everywhere but the man in front of him.

"That's so cool! I would have loved to learn music officially, but I had to conformed with learning by myself."

"I see."

"Hehe! I always saw you pass while I was playing, it's cool to know that I had a fellow musician listening to me!"

"Hmm, you're not that bad."

"Why, thank you."

The singer felt how closed up the pianist was, so he took it as a compliment, comprehending that maybe he wasn't really used to interacting with people. Meanwhile, Xiao was panicking. He had been looking for the man for weeks and now he couldn't even talk properly.

"What's your name?"

"My name?"

"Yes!" the singer waited for the other man to reply, patiently.

"...Xiao," said the pianist after considering telling him or not, "and yours?"

"I'm Venti, nice to meet you!"

Again, them both felt like those names were too familiar, a similar sensation like the one before arose in their stomachs. Venti smiled, something that Xiao noticed to be frequent, as in the two minutes they had been interacting he hadn't stopped smiling.

"Well, I hope I see you around! Maybe one day we can play together."

"I guess so, yes."

With a parting nod, Xiao turned around and went to his daily classes, not without thinking about their encounter. Something felt odd in the deep of the situation, he just couldn't think of what it was. Feeling like you know someone without having actually met wasn't something that happened at Xiao's life.

Returning from the Conservatory that afternoon, he first heard the guitar and voice, and then saw Venti playing at the train station. 'So, he's back, definitely'. He passed by him, Venti's eyes on Xiao already, giving each other a smile from the singer's part and a nod from Xiao's, and then parting.

The following weeks followed the same dynamic. Sometimes, Venti ventured to talk to Xiao, small talk, enough to get the pianist to open to him. He learned that Xiao was majoring in music specializing in piano, that he had his final exams in June and that he had a cat. The singer felt happy to have collected so much information for someone who rarely opened up.

"I was thinking that maybe we should play together," Venti said, one afternoon after Xiao returned from his classes. They had decided to have a coffee every Thursday to catch up and so they could have more normal conversations and not rushed ones at the station. Or, better said, Venti offered and Xiao just followed.

"I don't play your type of music."

"Ah?" said the singer, confused, "What do you mean with 'my type of music'?"

"Well, I'm specializing in classical music." Xiao shrugged his shoulders, returning to his almond and chocolate muffin.

"Well, yes, but that doesn't mean you can't play other styles."

Xiao continued eating, listening to Venti rumble about pop, rock and R&B. The pianist knew which styles they were, their characteristics and the most popular singers for each style, but something in the way Venti talked made him want to listen nonstop. The young singer was passionate about what he did, just as Xiao was about his profession.

"So? What do you say?"

"I don't know," Xiao started, biting his lip, "I don't think I would be good on it."

"If you can play Chopin and Mozart, you can play four chords on repeat."

Like that, Venti took Xiao to the little studio he had with Aether, his producer. Both musicians were really young, but had already launched a couple EPs. Xiao was amazed by the studio, there was a little keyboard, an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar and then the recording studio and the production table.

"Do you like it?"

Xiao just nodded, directing himself to the keyboard and switching it on. The keys were less harsh than a piano's keys, but he was sure he could manage to play on it. The sound was more electric, just what he expected.

Venti, on his part, was following Xiao's movements, happy to see him interested in what he could offer. He had been feeling dizzy in the pianist's presence for quite some time now, and he was sure he was falling for him. He was determined to show him how he felt and to open Xiao's mind.

"You can come here whenever you want, I would love to play with you," Venti said, smiling brightly when Xiao sat on the bench and placed his hand on the keys, "Can you play something for me?"

The pianist thought for some seconds, deciding on what he could gift Venti's ears with, and decided to play Fantasia in D minor by Mozart. A beautiful and complete piece by his favourite composer, he enjoyed so much playing him that got lost in the moment. The most difficult thing was to keep balance between the left and the right in the sense of sound, but for the rest Xiao had everything so clear that the melodies kept falling out of the keyboard.

After nearly ten minutes, hi finished. Venti was shocked by the way the man played, emotional and emotionless at the same time, a technique enviable. If he could do that in a keyboard, what could he do in a piano? What could he do in a harpsichord to keep up with the real instrument Mozart used?

"Sorry for the quality, a keyboard doesn't make justice to the piece." Xiao said, timidly, standing up from the bench.

"Nonsense," started the singer, still moved by the little performance, "it was incredible. You're such a good pianist!"

"I'm just mediocre." mumbled the man, blushing furiously.

"No mediocre pianist can do what you had just presented, Xiao."

They looked at each other on silence for a moment, Xiao noticing his heart rushing again. Something about Venti made him feel dizzy in a good way, it scared him, but also desired to know why he felt so attracted to the singer. Venti was just admiring Xiao's features, skin kissed by the moon, eyes deep as gold wells, rough expression that was becoming in a vulnerable one. He reminded him of a cat, wanting to make it look as he was independent and surly, but that actually was a sweetheart who needed love and care as any other human being.

'Maybe he'll let me love him in a near future.' thought the singer, gazing at a distracted Xiao, who was touching the acoustic guitar.

They decided to try and play something together, improvising in the moment and giving each other inspiration to think of better ways of following the music. Xiao had to admit to himself that it was fun and that it sounded good. He never thought he would be able to improvise to pop music, but there he was, following a guitarist and singer man.

Venti opened his mouth and started singing an, of course, improvised melody. Xiao nearly stopped playing, too distracted with the sweet and hypnotizing voice of the other man. Every time he heard him sing a memory came to his mind, one of that same voice singing just for him. Memory? No, it couldn't be. It felt like a dream, a very far away dream he had when he was a kid.

Venti, on his part, had the same memory whenever Xiao appeared when he was singing. He saw a lyre, green clothes and tattoos, golden eyes that returned his caring gaze; he also heard his own voice. What it was he didn't know, but that it had a meaning, he was sure.

The following days, after a hard time convincing Xiao, the both of them started composing a song. The chords were not the usual for the 21st Century chords, they reminded of an old Era, one forgotten by the human kind, one that only the two of them understood. The melody was melancholic, similar to a letter to a loved one you lost. The lyrics were heart-breaking, Venti provided a cruel perspective of love, requited love that did not fulfil the dream of both lovers of becoming true for centuries of being apart.

Xiao was in love with their creation, wanting to play more and more, getting lost in the music that Venti gifted him with. He didn't care about the heartache he felt whenever Venti called him 'friend', he didn't care about the goose bumps every time the singer touched his hand, he didn't care about the overwhelming desire to kiss him when he smiled. He only cared for giving him the best piano version he could offer.

"Crimson red blinded my vision, there and then you took the decision," sang Venti, fingers moving within the strings of his guitar, "'I'll see you again', you said, 'when the sun goes down and I don't feel regret."

Xiao played, keys sounding too much for his liking, he really disliked the keyboard, but it was his only way of playing with Venti. He had considered inviting him to his house, but the acoustic wouldn't have been that good.

"Arrows flied, swords were wielded, but your kiss was enough to put me out of war. Let me tell you, everything but you was a blur."

The pianist couldn't take it anymore, the lyrics had been giving him a headache ever since Venti wrote them. He loved them and hated them at the same time, it was like they were mocking him, remembering him of something he lost, but he couldn't remember what it was.

He stood up from the piano, storming out of the room and living Venti confused. The singer knew how Xiao could be, but that didn't make him feel less worried. He had never left a rehearsal, always playing his best and taking part actively in the decisions taken for the song. What could have trigger him so much to make him exit the room?

"Hey!" Venti called out, stopping Xiao from going out the studio, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." replied the pianist, tone piercing.

"Don't even try that with me," said the singer, annoyed, "we're passed the state of putting a facade."

"Really, it's no―"

Venti didn't know what crossed his mind. He was so angry, frustrated, annoyed and disappointed in Xiao not trusting him after so much effort to get to him that he kissed him out of desperation.

The pianist couldn't move, not understanding why he had a pair of lips on his, but liking the feeling of the kiss. Hesitant, he placed one of his hands on Venti's waist and the other on his left cheek and corresponded the kiss.

Hearts content and reunited, jumping in euphoria; souls greeting each other after being apart for so long; bodies finding like you find an old item you forgot you had but that you deeply cared for. They separated, a thread of saliva connecting the two of them.

"W-what?"

"Come with me, my lovely adeptus."

"Adeptus? What's that?" asked Xiao, confused, still grabbing Venti's waist.

"I-I don't know, it just felt... right? To say." replied an equally confused singer.

Venti dismissed the topic fast, carrying Xiao with him to the studio's couch. He made the pianist lay on it while he topped him, kissing him again and again, taking away his shirt after checking for his consent.

The windows tarnished because of the heat, moans of pleasure could be heard as they both took care of the other in a loving way, caressing, kissing, biting their bodies. When Venti entered Xiao after preparing him, they both saw the stars. Love noises filled the empty and soundproof room, fastened breaths demonstrating the effort of being in love, orgasmic euphoria filling the empty space on their chest, gifting them the chance of reuniting something that didn't consummate on the past.

No amount of time could break the bond they created at that moment mixed with the one they forged two thousand years prior. Post orgasmic music running between them as they recovered from the love-making session.

Venti got up, searching for towels on the little bathroom of the studio to clean both of them, trying to extend the blissful moment before they had to talk about it, focusing on the aftercare.

"Thank you." whispered a tired Xiao after getting cleaned up and being helped to put his clothes on.

"It's nothing," said Venti, shy for the first time the both of them had met, something that didn't passed Xiao's observant skills.

"Do you... regret this?"

"No!" exclaimed Venti after noticing the insecurity on the pianist's voice, "No, of course no. I was just, you know, wondering if..."

"If?"

"Wondering what this leads us to."

Xiao thought for some seconds, he knew he liked Venti, it would explain his body reactions whenever he was near him, and he understood what had just happened as Venti returning his feelings. For what he had read on books, that meant they were dating, but he could be wrong.

"I guess I'm your boyfriend," he mumbled, gazing at the floor.

"B-boyfriend!?" asked Venti, surprised of the statement the other man made.

"Isn't that the term for the person you are dating?"

"Uh... yes, but you hadn't asked me to be your boyfriend..." Venti was amused and shocked with Xiao's bold attitude, but he blamed it to the pianist's lack of experience.

"Oh, then, would you be my boyfriend?"

"But don't make it so... cold!" Venti face palmed, laughing at the situation they had at hand. He had to say, though, Xiao's ignorance on the topic was adorable, his heart was melting at the man's confused gaze.

"Then how?"

"Forget it, yes, I'll be your boyfriend." Venti replied, still laughing.

"Okay, good," said Xiao, nodding and processing the information. "now what?"

"Now we continue with the song, that we have to finish recording it."

Venti stood up from the couch, giving Xiao a small peck and 'hehe'-ing after. He positioned himself on the guitar again, shaking a little at the amount of emotion running through his veins. The pianist was still on sitting, watching Venti's every move the same way he looked at his piano. The singer was touched by the sincere look on Xiao's eyes, meaning he did feel the same.

"C'mon, little Adeptus, go play the piano half as good as you played my body."

The blush on the other's man face was imminent, causing Venti to find his new favourite thing: teasing the music student.

Music had reunited the lovers that war separated once, being the conductor channel of an Archon and an Adeptus to find their way back to the other's arms. Their past kept a mystery from them both, but their souls did remember each other, hugging and causing the two men to love as much as they once did. A bright future waited for the two talented musicians now that nothing could separate them again.

The air was pure and clear again.

#xiao x venti #xiaoven #venti x xiao #xiao #venti #xiao genshin impact #venti genshin impact #genshin impact #musician venti #musician xiao #pride 2021 #happy pride 🌈

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rachelbethhines · 4 years

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Tangled Salt Marathon - What Is the Point? (first half of S2 Recap)

So we’ve reached the mid-season finale of season two and so now's as good a time as any to recap and summarize thus far.

You can find the recaps for season one here To Filler or Not To Filler Hey, What Ever Happened to That Varitas, Guy?

Episodes that are featured in this recap are as follows

Beyond the Corona Walls Part 1

Beyond the Corona Walls Part 2

The Return of Quaid

Goodbye and Goodwill

Forest of No Return

Freebird

Vigor the Visionary

Keeper of the Spire

King Pascal

There's Something About Hook Foot

Happiness Is

Max and Eugene in Peril on the High Seas

Curses

The Eye of Pincosta

Rapunzel and the Great Tree Part 1

Rapunzel and the Great Tree Part 2

Lack of Conflict

Season two has no ongoing conflict. There’s no external force driving the characters forward, no threat they have to overcome, and no reason given for their quest. As such there’s nothing to support the underlining internal conflicts that the series wants to tell.

Rapunzel can just go home if she wants to Cassandra can just leave the group whenever if she thinks she has more job opportunities elsewhere Eugene is only here cause Rapunzel is, and if he wants to avoid his past he can just stay in the caravan whenever need be Nothing is really stopping Eugene and Rapunzel from getting engaged There’s no need to listen to Adira

And ect. and so on. All of the main characters’ supposed problems fall apart when you realize they have no reason to do what they do, and less reason to not act upon what they want.

None of It Matters

Of the 16 episodes I’ve covered so far, only 6 actually matter in the long run and 4 of those are two parters.

Ten whole episodes of filler. Some might feature optional stuff, like a second of foreshadowing or just establishing how they got to a certain place, maybe even some character insight if we’re lucky, but no, most don’t tie into the final conflict nor the mains character development.

And of the six episodes I pointed out, even what they do offer is incredibly thin. A piece of the season’s macuffin, (aka the scroll), a short flashback to the Dark Kingdom, maybe a subplot with an important character introduction; yet most of the episode will be over stuffed with pointlessness or give us hints to things that’ll never be resolved nor explained.

Part of the problem is that most of it doesn’t connect back to all the worldbuilding we did in season one, and so most of the world building in season two winds up not coming back into play.

Some people have suggested that they don’t mind the filler because it ‘adds flavor’ to the proceedings. You don't want to order a hamburger with all the fixings to only get meat sandwiched between bread and nothing else. But with that same analogy you don't want to order that same hamburger and get a salad with a few crumbs of ground meat thrown inside of it instead.

It’s about balance and Tangled the Series is very much a salad with mostly wilted lettuce. You might find a bit of shredded cheese here or a crumb of a crouton there; but it’s definitely not a hamburger.

Half the Characters Don't Even Need to Be Here

Hook Foot is useless Shorty is useless Lance shouldn’t be useless but he is Fidella is plot device not a character Owl is barely even on screen despite the fact that he’s supposed to be there for his part in season 3 And Pascal and Max only get one episode of focus, both of which were filler.

The consequence have having too many characters, particularly ones that don’t have anything to do with the main story, means that the writers are constantly juggling for ways to write them out or give them screen time at the expense of others. And by having this merry-go-round of character addition musical chairs, none of the group feel like a team let alone friends.

Yet Characters That Should Be Here, Aren’t

Adira, Lady Caine, Hector, and especially Varian all should have gotten more screen time because they all had unresolved conflicts.

Lady Caine is unceremoniously shoved off without gaining any closure. Adira keeps sneaking off for unstated reasons instead of sticking with the group, despite doing so actively undermining her goals. Hector never gets to fulfill his purpose. And Varian is written out of the show despite being the most plot relevant character.

In addition to those above mentioned characters, there was no shortage of characters that could have been given expanded roles instead of Hook Foot or Shorty.

The Baron and Stalyan could have been more prominent villains; same for Weasel or the Stabingtons. Faith would have made a good secondary female friend for both Rapunzel and Cassandra, while being different enough to them to stand out on her own. Calliope would have been another option to fulfill that role, and she would have been useful as the group’s recent tour guide given all the knowledge she has. Then there’s Angry and Red, both of whom shouldn’t have been left on their on.

Conclusion

The clear mismanagement of this show is mind boggling. I don’t know how anyone who has ever worked in the industry before could screw something up this badly. Not without facing some sort of corporate mandated changes and a shake up of the creative team at least. But there’s no indication that that is what happened. Now add in the bad PR from the head showrunner and yeah, it’s no wonder the show plummeted in ratings after this.

#tangled #varian #anti-tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure

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themusicplayedherlife · 4 years

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Only a Drink

Fire Meet Gasoline

pairing: dick grayson x pyro!meta-human!reader

characters: dick grayson; reader; oc friends; mentions of dinah lance and oliver queen

word count: 1.4k+

warnings: angst, drinking, allusions to sex

a/n: this was supposed to be a sexy/angsty story based on don’t by loco and hawasa but my mind turned this into something completely different lol this is an installment for a Drabble series. drabbles/stories will be posted out of order but will be chronological on the masterlist—requesting for this couple will be much appreciated

It’s only a drink, you tell your college friends, ignoring their wolfish smiles and the suggestive words they tease you with. You roll your eyes, taking a sip of the drink the waitress had placed in front of you moments ago with a smile and a glance at the man sitting at the bar. You had tilted your glass in his direction and continued on with your friends like he wasn't there. But they couldn’t let it go (and neither could you).

“He’s obviously been watching you for a while if he was able to pick out your favorite poison,” your friend says, dark eyes gleaming with mirth that only grows when you briefly meet her gaze before looking away from her. Your eyes fly across the room, and you try your best to not meet his gaze from across the room, pretending to find the bottles on display behind the bartender interesting. “I say you go and thank him for the drink.”

“I already did,” you murmur, knowing the music playing in the bar would drown you out, but your friend sitting next to you laughs, having heard you perfectly.

“Properly,” she says, loud enough for Sareena to hear. “I usually wouldn’t entertain the thought of sending any of you off to a strange man to thank him for a drink, but he’s really hot.” Alani bites her lips, nudging your side with her elbow playfully. “He’s the exception.”

Of course he is. Why wouldn’t he be? He’s gorgeous with raven locks swooping over his forehead; blue eyes that glimmer even in the darkness of the club; boyish, charming smiles that he flashes in your direction when he catches you staring. He’s flourished, grown into Bruce Wayne’s eldest and charming son, the one who would take after his adoptive father’s playboy image and maybe even the company, if he wanted it. But he didn’t, not fully. He didn’t become the younger version of Bruce Wayne like everyone expected. No. He grew into Dick Grayson, a man all of his own. A police officer at Bludhaven, working his way up to Detective, much to the dismay of the many socialites that would try to win his favor.

You were one of the few that had gotten the privilege of watching him grow. You wish you hadn’t been, maybe then you wouldn’t feel the way you do. Maybe then he’d be easier to let go.

“Fine,” you mumble, finally standing on your feet with the same drink in your hands, ignoring the hollering of your friends.

He watches you, blue eyes dancing under the amber glow of the bar’s lighting. They’re captivating, hypnotic, and you resist the urge to run to his side like when you were children.

“Dick,” his name falls from your lips dryly; the smile on his face grows.

“Sweetheart,” he answers easily, that sweet teasing voice of his the same as ever. He rests his cheek on his propped arm on the bar top, eyeing you carefully.

You swish the amber liquid in the small crystallized glass. “Thanks for the drink.”

“I owed you one.” He owes you much more than just one drink, you want to tell him, but instead you swallow the sour taste on your tongue and smile. “Join me?” His eyes flash with something hopeful, barely wavering under your slowly forming frown. “I just--its been a while you know? Since we’ve had the chance to be together.” Its a poor choice of words and he knows it, but he sticks to them, only looking away briefly to regain whatever composure he was trying to maintain.

Your breath catches in your throat as you register that familiar underlying tone in his voice. It’s heart wrenching—god, of course that’s what he wants. It’s all he’s ever wanted from you. Just one night. “I don’t know,” you pause to bite your lip. “I’m with my friends.” You gesture to them, who at least have some decency to pretend to be looking at anything but you two.

He chuckles, pools of blue locking you in place, refusing to let go of their hold on you, instead they drag you into their depth, threatening to drown you the longer you stay. That’s your third mistake of the night—staying. The first having been accepting the drink and the second having been walking over to him. “Doesn’t seem like they mind it.”

Your fourth mistake is rolling your eyes and settling on the stool beside him, ignoring the alarms going off in your head. He did that to you often, blindsiding you without trying to. “They could’ve been sending me off to a murderer and they wouldn’t have cared.”

His smile is crooked, lopsided, completely boyish—and proud, knowing that you’re capable of burning a man to a crisp if you really wanted to. He’s always been a fan of you--of your powers. “Good thing you can handle your own.”

“Good thing.” You hide your own smile by taking a sip of your drink. “What brings you back to Gotham?” You’d heard from the girls that he’s still moving between Bludhaven and Gotham, not completely able to give up the city he grew up in—or someone.

“Visiting Bruce and the rest of the family,” he answers simply, not divulging more information like he once would.

“How are they?” you ask out of courtesy, but unlike you and Dick avoiding each other, Bruce and Tim visit you occasionally at your studio, the two more often than not trying to recruit you. Sometimes Alfred stops by as well, dropping off meals he’d think you’d enjoy and scolds you if you’re not cooking proper meals for yourself.

Ollie likes to joke that it sometimes seems like they’re the ones that adopted you, not him and Dinah.

“The same as always,” he says tilting his head to your almost empty glass, raising an eyebrow as if to offer you another drink, you ignore it. “Bruce told me he spoke to you the other night.” He takes a sip of his own drink. “Said he’s trying to recruit you?”

You lean away from him and finish the last bit of the amber liquid in your glass, and hum. “Thinks I’m a good fit for Wayne Enterprises.”

“And you don’t think so?”

“Oh no, I do.” You scoff and he laughs. “But I’m weighing my options. I may not be living in Star City currently, but I still have Queen Industries to think about.”

“When did you become so calculating?” His voice is teasing, and you know he doesn’t mean it like an insult, but you bristle anyway. He should know why you’ve become so careful, so “calculating” as he put it.

Resentment finds root in your stomach as your eyes narrow, focusing on the colorful bottles in the back seemingly glowing under the candle like lighting, refusing to meet his gaze once more. “I’ve learned not to get ahead of myself anymore, learned to not risk my heart or future.” You cross your arms over your chest, nails digging into your skin. “If I can avoid the disappointment and the hurt when things don’t work out or shit hits the fan, I’ll gladly take being calculating over reckless any day.”

It’s a vague jab, but he knows—he knows you’re talking about him, because his smile falls from his handsome face and his knuckles turn white around the glass as he looks away from you for the first time since you sat down.

It’s scary. How you two can sit here after all the hurt and the pain, pretend like nothing happened, pretend you’re friends all over again, but as soon as you bring it up, you both shut down; refuse to acknowledge the elephant in the room, refuse to dredge up old feelings he decided to trash and bury.

You’ve never been good at communicating.

You trace the rim of the glass and sigh softly, all the energy you held on to escaping you with that simple exhale. Your core of fire extinguishing like if it were nothing, as if it isn’t a part of you. And maybe it hasn’t been. Not for a long time. “It’s just a drink,” you murmur, repeating your words from earlier. “But it’s never been just one drink with us, has it? One night, a drink too many.”

He doesn’t say anything, its not like you expected him to. He just sits there, jaw clenched, once glowing blue eyes dull and dark and refusing to look at you--just like that night.

You gently push the glass away from you and you hop off of the stool. “Send Barbara my regards.” And you walk away, leave your friends behind and Dick alone, never looking back, knowing he won’t come after you. Knowing he had made his choice that fateful night a year ago when he left you alone in the middle of the night, your tears soaking your pillowcase after pouring your heart out.

He left and you let him.

#dick grayson x reader #nightwing x reader #reader insert #young justice #young justice imagine #titans imagine

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raywritesthings · 3 years

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Ship Meme

I was tagged by both @ciceroisthefamilycat and @the-white-w0lf, so thank you both!

1. favorite ship

Can’t do it, how dare you? Instead, I think I will summarize at the end of this list what I think my favorite ships all tend to contain.

2. first ship: (Mary Poppins and Bert, Mary Poppins)

These two were OTP before child me even knew what an OTP was. The only bit I liked from the stage musical more than the movie was them kissing each other on the cheek.

3. first ship you were crazy for: (The Doctor and River Song, Doctor Who)

Oh man, can I just sit there for hours thinking about these two. Doctor/River was probably the first time I got into writing fanfiction specifically for the ship as opposed to just playing around with the characters for fun (it’s all on a very old FFN account - no, I’m not sharing the penname). There’s just so many layers to their dynamic and a crazy amount of chemistry to carry it off. The only reason I don’t still write as much for them as I used to is just because I wrote so much I’d need to come up with new ideas; but every so often, I still do.

4. newest ship favorite queer-platonic ship: The Doctor and his Ponds (The Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams, Doctor Who)

I haven’t been watching much lately, so I don’t really have any new ships at the moment and thought I’d highlight a dynamic that goes through a lot of different stages and results in so much depth and so much unsaid. The development of Amy and Rory’s characters and how their relationship plus their relationships with the Doctor and their growth into a three-person unit is endlessly fascinating to me (and I used to write a lot of fics about it, too). Not once did any character have to refer to the other two as a “fam” in order for us to get that they are family in every sense, and not just through marriage (as funny as that is). It’s a totally different dynamic than any the Doctor has really had with a set of companions, and I don’t think we’ll ever really get it again. And I’m okay with that. They are unique in the universe.

5. ship you like but no one else does: Karolsen (Kara Danvers and James Olsen, Supergirl)

Sue me, I thought they were cute in the first and only season I watched, and a big factor in my decision to not continue watching the show was hearing they retconned Kara’s feelings for James and broke them up before they even got to have a date (and then got her together with a white guy who owned slaves on his old planet but if I think about that for too long that’s not gonna be great for my blood pressure). The least the writers could have done was try out writing them as a couple since they spent a whole season building up to it.

6. ship you wish was endgame: Lauriver (Dinah Laurel Lance/Black Canary and Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, Arrow)

Anyone that reads my fics or my various Arrow ask game posts knows how much I hate what was done to these two. And frankly, by abandoning this relationship, the writers ended up completely sabotaging their protagonist’s hero’s journey to the point where he’s largely regarded as the biggest jerk in the Arrowverse, not to mention the heaps of disrespect they shoved onto one of DC’s most beloved heroines, and for what? Steadily falling ratings and a reputation of what not to do when making an adaptation. Should’ve just delivered on what you promised.

7. ship you wish had more screen/page time

As much as I believe Ginny needed to have a life separate from Harry for most of the books in order to disprove the “obsessed fangirl” argument people make about her, I still can’t help but feel like she would have been an invaluable asset in the Horcrux Hunt (plus she deserved to destroy one after the Hell she went through as a girl thanks to one). I hope blvnk doesn’t mind but tbh it’s her versions of the characters I picture more than the movies these days.

8. ship you wish has more screentime: HarleyIvy (Harleen “Harley Quinn” Quinzel and Pamela “Poison Ivy” Isley, Harley Quinn)

Now that these two finally confessed their feelings for each other in the season 2 finale, it’d be nice to see them navigate being an actual couple in season 3, whenever that may drop.

9. ship you wish was canon: (The Doctor and Donna Noble, Doctor Who)

It is bizarre how perfect these two are for each other, and yet... On one hand, I get that Donna was meant to be something different after two successive companions had crushes on the Doctor. But damn, if RTD didn’t accidentally just end up showing off how much deeper and truer the love between these two was than the infatuations or puppy love that came before. Doctor Who isn’t really a show designed to have a permanent canon couple, but I sure wish these two had had a chance to be for a little while at least.

10. ship you want to be believe was canon: Piercintyre (Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce and “Trapper” John McIntyre, M*A*S*H)

This show was made in the 70s and set during the 50s, so obviously any kind of confirmation of non-platonic bonds between same-sex characters was going to be a no-no. But c’mon.

So, to get back to question 1, overall I think my ship preferences tend to involve friends (oftentimes best friends) whose relationships grow from the platonic to the romantic (or sometimes even the reverse). Even when there isn’t necessarily a deep foundation/past to the characters, there has to be common, shared interests or goals beyond thinking the other character is hot. A lot of times these ships end up having different stages or layers and even sometimes complications to them, but when the chips are down they’re there for each other (unless the writers force them to make some ridiculous OOC decision to keep their idea of a plot going, but I digress...)

I tag @colorofmymindposts @basmathgirl @1-of-those-things and anyone else interested in doing this.

#ship meme #tag game #hope this was amusing/enlightening or maybe none of the above for you #emerson replies

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