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wafflesandkruge · 3 years

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have your way with me until you go (zoyalai)

Nikolai and Zoya's morning routines are like clockwork. She wakes him with a drop of stimulant. He makes a witty quip. Neither of them acknowledge what's between them.

So when Zoya shows up late, it's reasonable to assume that nothing else will go as planned.

@grishaverseonline mission 06: free for all

a/n: it’s literally just 2k of pining, pls take it, it’s all i have to offer. meant to be a parallel to the carriage scene at the beginning of kos but it got a bit out of hand 😔 big thanks to @storm-dog-pirate and @mareshes for helping me beta!

ao3

---

When Nikolai woke, it was less surfacing gently from the sea of sleep than being abruptly spat out onto dry land by a monster. He inhaled sharply, his mind instantly assaulted with his surroundings. He was on his bed at the Grand Palace. Chains were once again fastened around his wrists. And an unfairly lovely face was hovering above his, her dark curls brushing his bare chest.

“Zoya,” he greeted with a groan, “how kind of you to grace me with your delightful presence this fine morning. I feel healthier already.”

She barely spared him a glance as she leaned over him to unlock the shackle on his right wrist. He caught a whiff of her hair, the same strangely familiar wildflower scent as always.

“Getting a head start on the flattery, are we?” Her voice was rough, strained. He could see a near imperceptible tremor in her hands as she fitted her key into the lock. It took her multiple tries to get the stubborn thing to turn. Odd, when she’d practically perfected the technique of unchaining a king from his bed months ago.

He shifted to get a closer look at her. Dark shadows bloomed under her eyes, her brows furrowed as she attempted to unlock the last shackle. Her hair was in sore need of brushing. Saints, had she really emerged from her rooms looking like that? Perhaps she was human like the rest of them after all.

“Late night?” he attempted. “Fun night?”

“Only you would think of fun while facing war on six fronts, my king.” She moved away as soon as the shackle sprang open as if she didn’t want to be near him for any longer than necessary.

He sat up and watched her retreat into the sitting room, rubbing at his sore wrists. Had he done something to offend her recently? Besides daring to breathe the same air as her, naturally. He pondered the question as he washed and dressed mechanically.

When he emerged from his room, he found Zoya hovering in front of a gilded mirror with a ribbon in her hands. As he watched, she attempted to pull her hair into something more manageable than its current frazzled state, but each time she’d miss a strand or the knot would become undone as soon as she dropped her hands. His eyes met hers in the mirror. The dark smudges under her eyes only seemed to make them bluer than ever. An untold secret seemed to lurk behind their depths, but she’d probably sooner jump out the window than confide in him.

“You’re a mess, Zoya.”

“Says the man who was just chained to his bed.” There wasn’t nearly enough venom in her voice to reassure him of his general’s wellbeing. He crossed the room and plucked the ribbon from her hands. She made no move to stop him.

“You know, I once had a promising future as a hairdresser,” he remarked idly as he took a strand of her hair in his hands after a moment’s hesitation. It was impossibly silky, and if he’d been wearing his gloves, he was sure it would have slipped right out of his hands. The dark scars on his fingers were hidden among the loose curls, and for just a moment, he could pretend he was just another man. But Zoya would never be just another woman to him, would she? He used his fingers to carefully comb out the worst of the tangles.

“Is that so?” The words were a challenge, or perhaps an invitation. He could never quite tell with her.

“Girls would line up at the door when they heard I was in town just to get the newest styles done by me,” he boasted. It was true, to an extent. By “girls,” he’d meant Dominik’s two little sisters, Faina and Polina who had adored their brother’s mysterious friend. They’d forced him to arrange their hair just like the ladies at court, and because he never did anything only halfway, he’d bribed one of his mother’s servants to teach him just so he’d have something to delight them with. For a moment, he could hear Dominik’s warm laughter as his sisters eagerly showed off their pretty braids.

Some prince you are, he’d said with a grin as the two of them tore into his mother’s sweet pastries. All you’re good for is making the ladies happy.

Not just the ladies, Nikolai had wanted to say, but Dominik had already turned to yell at his sisters for playing too close to the river.

But now Dominik was gone, and all he had left was the broken country that had failed him. And Zoya, always Zoya.

His fingers skimmed the warm skin at her neck as he pulled back another strand of hair. Zoya was barely moving, only letting out the occasional hiss when he accidentally pulled too hard. As he plaited her hair, his eyes wandered down to the collar of her kefta. It was slung unusually low this morning, and from his vantage point, he could see the tip of one of her scars, the paler strip of skin just visible beneath the fur collar. He couldn’t help thinking about how easy it’d be to lean forward and press a kiss to the back of her neck. Would she pull away? He swallowed and averted his eyes. Saints, this had to be some game of hers, didn’t it? Sometimes he wondered if the little things she did- sending looks his way that from anyone else, would have been a reason for scandal, or letting her fingers linger on his as she handed him something- were on purpose. But he'd heard the stories of the people she’d toyed with when she was younger and crueler. She played for the sake of the game, not the prize, and if the stories were true, she had yet to lose. He was never quite sure if she was playing the same game with him, but if she was, her winning streak wasn't going to be broken. He blinked and focused on Zoya’s reflection again.

“Zoya.”

“What?”

“What’s wrong?”

As expected, she crossed her arms and scowled into the mirror. “Nothing. Hurry up so we can be on our way, or people will talk.”

“People already talk. Why do you look like you stayed out drinking with Genya and didn’t get a wink of sleep?” He pressed the issue, not sure if she would tell him anything at all. Even after three years of rebuilding a country together, there were still some lines Zoya refused to cross.

“Maybe I did go out drinking with Genya.” Her voice was curt, clipped. He didn’t believe her for an instant.

“Without inviting me? How treasonous.”

“You were unwanted.”

At least her poisonous tongue was back. He supposed it was better than nothing. His braid finished, he tied it off with a neat bow. “There,” he said softly, admiring his handiwork. He let his hands linger in her hair for a moment longer before pulling them back. “Now you look a fraction more presentable.”

In the mirror, Zoya’s lips quirked upwards. “What an excellent valet you make.”

He was instantly reminded of that night in the carriage, Zoya snug in his arms as they played the role of sated lovers. She’d seen him at his worst, and yet she was still here every morning to wake him and face the country together. He supposed he ought to have returned the favor somehow, but what did he have left to give? Somehow, Zoya didn’t seem like someone who’d have use for his eternal gratitude or respect.

“Your buttons are done wrong,” he muttered as he caught sight of her kefta in the mirror. Either she’d had a very good night, or a very bad night, but he couldn’t decide which was worse. He spun her by the shoulders and hesitated for a moment before kneeling. Vasily’s voice echoed in his head as he refastened the first of the pearl buttons. A king never kneels, brother. But his brother had never met Zoya Nazyalensky.

He glanced up at her, but her gaze was faraway, her arms crossed over her chest as she worried at her bottom lip.

“A king’s kneeling in front of you, shouldn’t you be a bit more excited?” he quipped, somewhat desperate to get a normal reaction from her.

She raised a brow. “I’ve had plenty of men kneel before me in the past. Why would a king be any different unless he offers me a country as well?”

He moved on to the buttons over her stomach. “If I recall correctly, I already did. You weren’t thrilled.”

She stiffened. He rose to his feet again as he finished the buttons over her chest. The pearls gleamed in a neat line down the front of her kefta, nestled in the whorls of silver embroidery. He could spend hours tracing the patterns with his eyes, and he often did during particularly trying Triumvirate meetings. He resisted the urge to trace one of the spirals with a finger. Finally, he got to the buttons at her neck.

"Do take care next time to not look like..." His voice trailed off as his eyes left the saints forsaken buttons for a moment to find Zoya's exquisite face entirely too close to his. Even exhausted, her features still spoke of regality and poise, her blue eyes bright and defiant as they stared right back at him. Nikolai's eyes tried to return to the task at hand, but they met a distraction on the way, namely, her lips. Saints, her lips. He swallowed hard and tried to force his fingers to move.

"Like what?" she demanded.

"Like..."

A girl in need of kissing.

"...a toddler who tried to dress herself," he finished weakly. Then, as if his hand had a mind of its own, it drifted upwards and swept an errant lock of Zoya’s hair back behind her ear. His palm brushed her cheek and hovered there. He could scarcely breathe as if her closeness had sucked all the air from the room.

Zoya peered up at him from under her lashes, her gaze inscrutable. Then she sighed and let her cheek rest against his palm for the briefest heartbeat. Her warmth had barely registered before she was stepping back again, her general’s mask firmly back in place as if nothing had happened. Nikolai tried not to let it sting too much as he tucked his hands into his coat pockets.

“Anything else for me to fix? A broken shoe? A lonely heart?”

The last one was a jest, but Zoya’s lips pursed as if he’d caused a problem she’d have to fix later. “No. Let’s go. The Triumvirate has been waiting long enough.”

She turned to go, then paused halfway to the door. A foolish seed of hope took root in Nikolai’s heart, only to be trampled with her next words.

“Don’t forget your gloves.”

She swept out of the room without another backwards glance, the scent of wildflowers and thunderstorms left in her wake.

He would play her game, he decided as he found his gloves and slipped them on. Having his heart broken by Zoya Nazyalensky was still preferable to the impossibility of staying away from her.

#y e a r n i n g #anyways i'm still screaming in the distance about nik kneeling for her #there was like an alternate ending where it was sadder but am asked for an almost kiss so #be grateful #grishaverseonline #kos #king of scars #kos writing #shadow and bone #nikolai #zoya #zoyalai #dominik #grishaverse #leigh bardugo #my writing

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bottomlessabyssposts · 2 years

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Okay, hi first off you are absolutely AMAAZING. Second, I read im sorry literally moments ago but, i also noticed you kept it open ended so I was maybe hoping for a fluff ending with prompt 13. But, also maybe an alternate sadder ending. Like maybe he continues to search for her and Zelda grows ever more worried for her dear friend.

Hello ! MY COMEBACK IT SEEMS ? MAKOWOH COMEBACK ERA ??? First of all I am so sorry for disappearing all of a sudden, life has been absolutely weird to me ever since, but my motivation is back, and with more time on my hands ! (for the time being) I also have a new computer, and overall, I'm happy :) I will do everything in my ask box before opening it again !

This can stand as a standalone, but I suggest reading the first part, which can be found here. This is also not the canon ending, but you can count it as one. :)

WARNING : NO WARNING IT'S JUST CUTE

Flowers.

It had been three years.

Three whole years without you. Link spent those years thinking about you, and about you only. Your first birthday was hard, without you. As were special days. Like Christmas.

The Hero, though he refused to be adressed as that, couldn't spend a day without his thoughts going towards you. His heart ached, and this feeling was so familiar to him he was used to it. Weirdly enough, this aching was comforting. It was proof you existed. In a world where no one remembered you, where he was the only one knowing your name and face, this pain was the reminder of your existence. It was his anchor, his way to stay grounded and not float in numbness, trying to forget you.

Oh, and Zelda was so worried about him. She had time mourning you, she did, but Link didn't have this luxury. He closed himself from the world, and the princess couldn't do anything but pray, pray to the Goddess to give him a chance. If only you could appear and pry him out of his misery, his darkness.

Link would die if this continued.

"Link, please come out." Zelda once pleaded, her hands on the closed wooden door. She tried everything she could, as gently as possible.

Her plea went unanswered.

Was there truly nothing she could do for him ? Was she going to lose her friend, like she lost you ? Was the Goddess so cruel ?

The same night, Zelda was visited by a dream. There, she saw you, laying down in an infinite sea of flowers, their white petals framing your body. Your eyes were closed, and the peaceful expression you had made it seem as if you were free of the shackles of your responsabilities. Soon enough, you opened your eyes, and as soon as you did, Zelda also opened them.

The Princess jolted out of her bed, eyes widened and mind racing. This dream had to mean something right ? She wouldn't have dreamt of you otherwise ! Her heart was racing, fueled with hope and desperation, a vicious part of her mind tried to convince her she was only believing in lies, in a meaningless dream brought to her because of her guilt.

But what if it truly did mean something ? She had nothing left to lose.

Zelda, thinking for the entire day, came with multiple conclusions. Either you were to that field of flowers, which could be anywhere, or you could have a link with them. Curse her memory ! She couldn't remember the exact shape of these flowers ! They were white, sure, but so were hundreds of species !

"I need to find Link. Maybe he knows what those are."

And so there she was, once again banging on his door, begging him to open. Except this time, she was getting in, no matter what.

"Listen, Link ! I had a dream the night before, about (Y/N). Please open this door, I need you for this !"

Upon hearing the mention of your name, Link's eyes shone with a new light. Their color, which was dulled by sadness, began to light up slightly, renewed by hope. He weakly opened the door, welcoming the princess in his humble house. And he heard about her dream.

And he knew. He knew he could get you back. This field, he knew where it was, because you went there, on your journey. After all this time, this memory dear to his heart is as fresh as the day. Maybe he didn't remember your voice, or your smell, or your touch, but this day was burned into his mind. And luckily, he had been intelligent enough to take a picture of you. As well as the location.

He was getting you back. No matter what.

The ride to the field of white flowers was quick. But way too long for Link. If he were to be by himself, he probably would've been able to make it in a day, stretch it to two if he encountered monsters. But with Zelda, he had to make sure she was safe. Despite him not wanting to be called a Hero, responsiblity still pulled his heartstrings and he would feel horrible to leave her on her own.

The field was beautiful, as beautiful as when he first came with you. Your presence made it seem ethereal, and the void in his heart seemed to just materialize here. You weren't there.

"What do we do, now ?" He muttered, his eyes worryingly roaming the field, just to spot you.

"Let us pray. It is the only thing we can do."

And praying he did. He prayed until his mind was numb, until his eyes couldn't adjust to the light anymore. Until he couldn't hear those sparkles around him. Goddess, please let me see (Y/N) one more time...

...Sparkles ?

Link opened his eyes as soon as he realized, and was met by another pair of eyes, a beautiful color in which Link felt himself drowning in. He opened his mouth, but his tears were quicker, and he could hear the distant sound of Zelda's sobs.

It was you. You were back. You looked just about the same, your hair being shorter than it was, and your eyes filled with a completely different emotion. This time, it was not sadness that filled you, but relief, and happiness. Link trembled, reaching out to you, praying that you were not another illusion of his mind, playing evilly with his bleeding and hopeful heart. But when his fingers touched your cheek, and your hair, he knew you were here.

He smiled, tears blurring his vision, and he was sure you smiled too.

"I'm back, Link, Zelda."

"Welcome back, (Y/N)." They both said, your name sounding different now that it was not laced with guilt and sorrow. And soon you were hugging them both, as tightly as you could. You came back to them, to Link.

Link watched you rambling about whatever thing you had on your mind, apparently about the price of apples going up again. Adoration and fondness filled his gaze, and a smile graced his lips. Suddenly, as if of a flow, words seemed to fall from his mouth.

"I don't think I can be happier."

You glanced at him, tilting your head adorably, and Link could feel his heart swell.

"Why ?"

"Because you're my definition of happiness." He responded, taking your hand in his, and pressing his forehead to it, as you giggled gently.

This, this was pure bliss.

#loz #loz breath of the wild #legend of zelda #zelda #breath of the wild #botw link #link x you #link x reader #angst #fluff

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juletheghoul · 3 years

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Oblivius Chapter 9

It hurt to write this but it needed to be said. I love these dummies and I'm glad you all love them too. Love hearing from all of you - dms/asks are always open!

Likes & reblogs are appreciated

Frankie Morales x F!Reader

Pairing: Frankie x F!Reader

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: angst, language (let me know if I missed anything)

Masterlist Series Masterlist Prev Part Playlist

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Can your brain be at war with itself? When he considered his feelings he found that it could. Her declaration was a balm, the missing piece of the puzzle. A cavern within his soul that had been empty for far too long and desperately needed filling. The other side was pure rage. A hurt so deep and intertwined with the anger that it burned him.

It swam through him with an ardour that was palpable, sweating out of his pores and puffing out with every exhale.

Maybe that same cruel, hurt part of him wanted to make her wait, see if there was truth in her honeyed words.

I’ve waited for you half my life, Spills; let’s see how long you can wait for me.

The thought would always shame him in its cruelty. A spiteful little dig at her that he imagined would sooth the hurt he felt but it never did. Just made him feel worse. It was strange to him that the one thing he’d wanted for as long as he’d known her would be to hear those words. I love you too Francis, and the first time they’d almost knocked him over. Even seeing them written out in her message had taken the breath from his lungs for a second, but it wasn’t enough. There were so many things he needed to get off his chest.

One week turned into three, and after a month he’d had enough.

---

His nerves were shot as he made his way over to her place, his guts twisting up with anticipation and when she opened the door his heart was racing. He had so much to say, so much to get off his chest and when he saw her his first instinct was to kiss her. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and take her to bed, bury all his frustrations into her body but he couldn’t go down that road. It took every ounce of self control to deny her embrace.

“Please Spills, don’t - please don’t, if I hug you now I won’t stop there and I’ll lose my resolve. Please - we need to talk first.” He held his hands up to forestall her advances and the hurt look on her face almost broke him. There was too much to say.

——

Seeing him at your door, deep frown on his face and unwilling to even come close was like a punch to the gut. He was here, finally, after everything that had happened and his absence he was finally within reach. Or at least that’s what you thought at first, seeing him now it was clear that although he was here physically, he was somewhere far away emotionally.

The euphoria you’d felt at finally hearing from him, the text he’d sent asking if he could come over was now replaced with a nervous fear. Was he here to tell you he didn’t want you?

No, this is Francis, my Francis and things will work out. Please let things work out.

He made his way through awkwardly, a far cry from the confident Francis who brought you food for your hangover. It made you uncomfortable, made you nauseous - a swarm of flies buzzing in your stomach.

“Did you want something to drink?” It felt so foreign coming out of your mouth, you’d never had to ask him before. If he wanted something he’d usually just help himself.

“No thanks.” He sat on your couch and you came to sit beside him, careful to keep your distance and when you were both facing each other he sighed loudly. His eyes were focused on you but they were sadder than you’d ever seen.

“I was supposed to be married.” He came right out with it.

“I know.” It was all you could say. It was hard not to wring your hands, the anxiety was running rampant.

“Right now, I’m guessing Claudia and I would be arguing over where to live - on our way home from our honeymoon.” He sighed loudly. “She ended up going anyway.”

He was staring at you and you couldn’t really describe the expression. It wasn’t anger, it wasn’t fear or distrust. “Spills, what am I supposed to think? I know that you’ve always known how I felt about you.” He was trying not to get too agitated, trying so hard to reign in his feelings and you couldn’t argue, all you could do was sit and let him get it off his chest.

“It’s so hard for me not to think that this is all a ploy you concocted to keep me for yourself. Never actually wanting me, but not letting anyone else have me. Please - tell me I’m wrong.”

You chewed over his words, as much as they hurt - you couldn’t blame him for thinking these things. Your timing had been abysmal.

“I know Francis. I know why you’d think that and if the roles had been reversed I’d probably be thinking the same thing but you have to know it’s not like that. You have to know how I feel about you, how I’ve always felt about you.” You wanted to reach over and touch him, maybe if you could just hold his hand, run your fingers through his hair - he’d be able to feel what you felt. Transfer it onto his skin somehow but you couldn’t yet. He was still too raw and it would make him angry. Would see it as another ploy to entrap him.

“How? How would I know that? How could I possibly see this as anything other than manipulation? Your timing is bullshit.” You saw it then, the look on his face was anguish.

“Do you have any idea how much I worked to convince myself that this would never happen?” He was gesturing to the two of you. “How hard it was to be so far away from you, and hear that you were just happy to be with someone else? How fucking hurtful it was for you to suggest that I be your last resort in case you were single at thirty? What am I supposed to think?”

His emotions were getting the best of him now and you saw his eyes shining. He was so angry, and you deserved this. “Claudia was there when you didn’t want me Spills. We may have fought, and disagreed on things but she wanted me from the get-go. It didn’t take her fifteen years to admit that she might feel the same way about me that I felt about her.”

“Francis I-”

“No. Let me finish- please. Let me say everything I need to say because it’s eating me up inside and I won’t be able to look at you if I keep it in another second. I need you to understand that although I love you - with everything that I am, I was ready to let you go for someone else. I had a life planned with that someone and that just a whisper of you possibly feeling even a fraction of what I’ve felt for you all this time, fucked me up. I threw it all away, I ruined my wedding. I did something I never thought I’d ever do - I betrayed her.” The tears were rolling down his face, he couldn’t stop them and your body burned to console him. Your hands itched to wipe them away and you had to take a deep breath to steady yourself.

“I am so angry, Spills.” His voice was cracking and he couldn’t look at you, he was hunched over, elbows braced on his knees as he held his face in his hands. “I’m so angry and I want to forgive you and just ignore all these feelings and love you, take you to bed and show you how much I’ve wanted you but I can’t right now.” Your eyes were burning, a painful lump burning in the back of your throat.

Am I too late? Please Francis, please look at me.

“Francis, please - I know you’re angry, and I know I hurt you, but you know in your heart that I love you. Please look at me, please - we can fix this.” You tentatively scooted closer and he looked up at you. Big brown eyes sparkling with tears over the hurt you’d caused.

For a moment you saw him much younger. You saw the sweet, beautiful boy you rejected staring back at you and you couldn’t help but touch him. Softly putting your hand on his shoulder, feeling it tremble beneath your palm and he slowly shifted towards you. That was all you needed. You pulled him to you, letting him crush you in his embrace.

“I’m sorry Francis, I love you and I’ll wait as long as you need me to wait. Please don’t push me away.” His face was pressed into the crook of your neck and you could feel his anger and his sadness as he held you close. You were rubbing his back and scratching at his scalp, trying to soothe him as best you could while whispering your feelings. Everything - anything that would convince him that you were on his level.

“Let’s start slow, and figure this out together. I shouldn’t have waited so long and I shouldn’t have denied my feelings for you. You’ve always been the one for me and I should never have made that stupid pact with you. I should have kissed you back. I’m sorry, I love you, believe me - please.” You were holding onto him tightly, pulling him to lay on you on your couch; he was wrapped up in the space you made for him.

“I want to, god I really want to Spills, you’re the love of my fucking life and I need you.” He was squeezing you tightly and you couldn’t help but pepper his face with kisses, little kisses between I love yous, your lips stained with the salt from his tears and you saw the deep breaths he took with every declaration.

“Keep telling me, please just keep telling me.” His eyes were closed, his words were whisper soft.

“I love you Francis, I love you.” You must have told him half a hundred times and you’d keep going until he believed you.

---

You both lay there for a long time, quietly soaking in each other's warmth, he’d kicked off his shoes and made himself comfortable with you underneath him. His weight was reassuring and you pulled his shirt up slightly to rub the warm skin of his back.

All of the time wasted apart was devastating, you could almost see it then. The alternate timeline of your lives together. Maybe you’d have gotten married before he left. Maybe you’d have a couple of kids by now. A house. A dog.

“I don’t want to be, but I’m still hurt and upset." He sighed.

"I believe you, and I love you, but I think we should take things slow.” He pulled you out of your reverie, lifting up off you as he spoke. You missed his warmth instantly but he pulled you up with him and sat back on your sofa, tucking you into his side.

“I’m okay with that. Slow is good.” You kissed his cheek as he rubbed your back.

“I should go.” He was reluctantly getting up and for half a heart-beat you held onto him, he gave you a little smile. “If I stay, I’ll never leave. Slow, right?” He was putting his shoes back on and walking towards your door and everything in you wanted to beg him to stay but you knew he was right. If you’d jumped into something right now without giving him a chance to heal and come to terms with his choices he would hate you.

“Francis?” He turned towards you. “Will you take me out on a date?” You wiggled your eyebrows in the way you knew had always made him laugh, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“I’d like that.” He kissed your cheek, just barely grazing the side of your mouth and he was gone. Leaving you with your heart, and skin burning for him.

We can go as slow as you like.

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#frankie catfish morales #frankie morales x reader #triple frontier #frankie morales #francisco catfish morales #oblivius #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal fic #frankie morales/reader #frankie morales x f!reader #frankie morales/you

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that-house · 3 years

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Viego Rant (villainy and character design and tragedy and all that jazz)

Introduction The more I think about Viego, League of Legends’ newest character, the more enamored I am with him as a villain (unrelated to his general sexiness, though that does tie in with what makes him such a good villain).

I’ve seen a lot of complaints about his design. The Ruined King, one of the greatest threats in Runeterra, the progenitor of the Shadow Isles, the lord of the undead, is finally released as a playable champion and he looks like this:

People were expecting another Mordekaiser (who is similarly an undead king with a ghost army), a lich-tyrant clad in iron, decayed flesh peeling from an aged face. What we got was an angsty anime prettyboy, and it was infinitely better than the alternatives.

Lore Viego isn’t a conquering king. While his combat abilities are indeed badass, his personality is far from it. He’s a whiny brat and that’s incredible. He isn’t bent on world domination. His character arc revolves around just how human, how fallible he really is. For those unfamiliar with his lore, I’ll paraphrase it here:

Viego was the second son of a great king. Overshadowed by his brother and with no expectations upon him and near-limitless wealth, he wandered around being an idiot fuckboy for the vast majority of his formative years. Disaster struck when his brother died in an accident, and Viego took the throne with no training, no experience, and no desire to be king. He was a shitty king. The worst king. Just all-around apathetic. Gave zero shits. Can you blame him? It’s a lot of responsibility to be thrust upon someone who isn’t much more than a child, and with no preparation. He didn’t care about anything, that is, until he met Isolde. She was a poor seamstress, but he fell in love with her upon their first meeting. Together they ruled the country but it was really just them staring longingly into each others’ eyes. His allies were kinda fucking pissed about that, and one day an assassin came from Viego. The assassin fucked up and stabbed Isolde instead, and the poison on the blade made her fall gravely ill. As she lay in her bed, slowly dying, Viego went mad seeking a cure. He ravaged the land seeking any knowledge that might help, pouring all of his money into finding an antidote. He failed. As a last resort, he brought Isolde’s body to the Blessed Isles, a place rumored to be able to resurrect the dead. It worked, to an extent. Isolde’s wraith, confused, afraid, and angry at being ripped from the peace of death, unthinkingly stabbed Viego in the chest with his own magic sword, creating basically a magic nuke that turned the Blessed Isles into the domain of the undead. Viego resurrected as the king of the Shadow Isles some time later, having totally forgotten that Isolde killed him. He controls a big-ass ghost army, could probably beat up any living thing in a fight, and has evil ghost magic. Now this stupid simp wants his wife back and if he has to kill every living thing on Runeterra, well, anything for his queen. He’s even a tier 3 sub to her Twitch.

Music His musical theme isn’t some heavy metal anthem or intense cinematic piece (unlike the Pentakill song named after his sword, Blade of the Ruined King). It’s mostly sad and slow, almost sinister, with a piano and a music box. It has its loud moments featuring violins and choral bits like any villainous music, but the song is mostly subtle. It is a banger though.

youtube

In the comments section of this video, someone pointed out that the music reflects his story from beginning to end:

Everything about this champion is so well done. Riot Games really outdid themselves on this one. Bravo, encore please.

Motivation While the Mordekaiser circlejerkers on r/LeagueofLegends won’t shut the fuck up about how powerful Mordekaiser is, Viego is the better villain. Mordekaiser may be a bigger threat to all life on Runeterra, but Viego is a better character. (There’s a guy on my League discord server who won’t shut up about Mordekaiser so forgive me for being pissed at Morde stans).

Mordekaiser is motivated by a desire for control, to rule the world. Viego is motivated by obsession and misplaced love. There aren’t a lot of Mordekaisers on Earth. Supervillains are rare in real life. But Viego’s motivations are a lot closer to home. People in positions of power that they don’t deserve can do a lot of harm (for example: Trump).

He’s a grieving husband who was never prepared to deal with anything more difficult than choosing what wine to drink with dinner, who is trying to get his wife back because the world had always complied to his every whim. He’s a funky mix between a truly hopeless romantic and a spoiled brat throwing a temper tantrum.

Obsession is scary. It’s a real-world emotional state that’s been the cause of a lot of murders over mankind’s history. In contrast, Mordekaiser’s cartoonish Genghis Khan XXL schtick isn’t something that we encounter often. Of course a superpowered ultradictator would be worse for the world, but if you give ultimate power to a random person, you’re more likely to get someone like Tighten from Megamind. Or, more relevantly, Viego.

Design His design is sexy and stupid, just like him. He wears an open shirt into battle and wields his sword like an idiot (I’ve seen all the rants about how that’s not how that sword is meant to be used) because he was never really a warrior. Even at his most violent, right before the end of his mortal life, he didn’t do much combat himself, leaving his military endeavors to his underlings. Even now that he’s essentially a god, he still has a colossal wraith army that causes far more devastation than he ever could personally.

Despite his slim build (by League of Legends standards), he easily wields his colossal sword because of the strength of his state of undeath. Like his political power when he was alive, his posthumous magical and physical powers were never something he sought out, they were just given to him by circumstance.

The big cool-ass triangle hole in his chest where Isolde stabbed him is the source of the Black Mist, which is evil ghost mist that ebbs and flows from the Shadow Isles, bringing with it hordes of the undead. The sadder Viego is, the more Mist he creates. Poetically, his invasion of the world is inspired by his sorrow at his wife’s death and enabled by his wife’s reluctance to return to him. His story is perfectly reflected by his design.

Isolde Isolde’s spirit took up residence inside a young Senna (who’s another League champion, not particularly important here). This led to some Black Mist-related shenanigans and at least for the time being, Senna uses Isolde’s power to fight off the servants of Viego which threaten all life on Runeterra.

It seems pretty clear that whatever love Isolde felt for Viego is gone by now. Whether or not she ever loved him or was just unable to say no to the king is up for debate, but I’d like to believe there was something there. In my opinion, Viego’s story hits harder if they really were a great couple at first, torn apart by circumstance and obsession.

Much like the Maiden of the Woods in that one comic that circulates around here, to whom the knight gave his heart and she was like “yo what the fuck i literally never asked you to do this,” Viego went a little too far in trying to save her. They may have once been happy, but the Ruined King ruined his own life, too.

Unless Isolde is a lot less morally decent than we’ve been led to believe, I doubt she can forgive all the massacring that her husband’s been doing lately. In the recent cinematic, she was shown to be pretty anti-Viego. Maybe she’ll get a bastardization arc, but it certainly seems unlikely.

All of Season 2021 is based around Viego, Isolde, and the Shadow Isles, so we’ll just have to see what comes next. It’s possible that we’ll get Isolde as a playable champion, which should clear a lot of things up.

Final Thoughts Unlike so many villains, he’s not fueled by rage or hatred, but rather by sorrow. He’s stuck in his past, unable to move on. He regrets the actions of his life but is set on his course now. The sunk-cost fallacy comes into play here; he’s put so much time and effort and blood into bringing back Isolde, that turning away from it would feel to him like an insult, not only to her but to the innocent lives he’s taken in her name.

His tale is a tragedy, a love story gone horrifically wrong. Viego has suffered throughout his thousand-year life. Despite this, he’s undoubtedly the villain. His permanent death would be a net positive for the world. In has rage and grief he’s destroyed multiple civilizations, and will burn down the world to get Isolde back.

His heart may be in the wrong place, but it’s in a very human place. I don’t think he’ll get the ending he’s looking for, but I hope he finds some closure in the end.

#League of Legends #viego #i swear no one's gonna read this #even if you dont care about League i tried to make this interesting #even if you don't like League as a game the lore is pretty fucking solid

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azaffranist · 4 years

Text

Deleted lines of dialogue in Frozen 2

We know that F2’s plot suffered from last minute changes and even leaks that we got before the release contradict the final material, but that’s another can of worms for another post. What I wanna talk about in this post is something I happened to notice a few days ago while watching the Frozen 2 Outtakes video available with the Blu-ray version of the movie. Here’s a link to it. My apologies if there’s a post out there already talking about this, but I haven’t seen one so I thought I might as well give it a go.

Basically, the video is a recollection of funny moments that arose when the voice actors were recording their lines. But… I don’t know if this was deliberate or an oversight on Disney’s part, or if they didn’t care too much about it at the end of the day and released it anyways. The thing is, we can see the original dialogue they were supposed to record as tiny subtitles, and good god, there are tons of deleted lines, including an earlier version of Some Things Never Change, and some point to the existence of completely different scenes from the ones we got. Here’s what I mean:

I don’t recall ever coming across deleted lines for Frozen 1 apart from the famous “That’s no blizzard, that’s my sister”, so this is pretty interesting.

But in addition to that, while digging through some old files I found recorded lines of a Frozen 2 book that came out before release (Specifically on October 4th, 2019, when the Frozen Fan Fest was being held with the first released merch). That’s a long, long time ago and I don’t remember the name of the book, sadly, but you can listen to the recording I made right here. If someone does remember the name of the book that’d be really cool. I think the original recording was provided by Snow on the Arendelle Kingdom Discord server, so credits to her.

UPDATE: The book was found along with other interesting pieces of info! It’s called Frozen 2 Read-Along Storybook and CD. Credits to @lovewillthaw-j and their amazing detective work! Here it is.

What’s particularly interesting about this one is that no merch released on October 4 had the ending of the movie. Every book was cut off at the moment Anna received Elsa’s message in the cave, with no mention of Show Yourself or Elsa’s death for that matter. Now, we don’t know if they were trying not to spoil the movie, or if they legitimately didn’t have a final ending at the time the books were made. Knowing how… messy Frozen 2’s development was, I think we can all sort of agree it was the latter.

Because of this, there is some really intriguing stuff. Nods to scenes that aren’t in the final movie, shameless hints to Elsa’s permanent death, events happening in a different order… I don’t know if these lines were recorded only for the book, but I doubt they were, because many of those lines are actually in the movie or are referenced in books and some have really slight modifications like changes in tone of voice. I guess we’ll never Find The Truth™, but we can analyze these lines too because they can give us an idea of what earlier versions of the movie were like.

So let’s look at them one by one. Looooong post ahead.

Frozen 2 Outtakes Video

“Should have left it to me. Love you too. You blew it Kristoff. Oh. I’m alone. It’s fine.” – Kristoff/Sven

This one definitely happens during Kristoff’s first proposal attempt. Before this line, Anna says, “She couldn’t act out ice?” and we can assume Kristoff absent mindedly responds with “Should have left it to me”. That makes sense, considering he delivers ice for a living and ice is his life. Then we got “Love you too”, which Kristoff says in the final movie, but then we got Sven dialogue as he tells him “You blew it, Kristoff.” “Oh, I’m alone,” is what would go before he finally says, “It’s fine.” The reason the dialogue is all mixed up is because Johnathan Groff is the one recording the lines and he does both Kristoff and Sven’s voices (well, technically, Kristoff).

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“Hey. What the—What is this? Hang onto me. What’s happening? Run. The mist is rising. We are being pushed by the…” – Kristoff

We can tell this happens when the Arendellian gang was crossing the mist wall for the first time. The scene was evidently going to be longer and more chaotic than what we actually got. Apparently they run and that would’ve been pretty cool.

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“The winds are restless. Like how I sometimes feel in the fall. But I’m not ready. I love these days, I’m grateful for them all.” – Elsa (Alternate Some Things Never Change)

Now this is what I call a quality deleted line. I recommend you guys watch the video to hear the little part that Idina sings to have an idea what Elsa’s part in Some Things Never Change was originally going to be like. Definitely a bit sadder than what we got. I think this line gives the idea that Elsa wasn’t feeling too comfy in Arendelle even though she enjoyed the company of her family immensely, or if we go with the idea that fall represents change, Elsa is feeling restless in the face of change. She’s not ready to ‘change’ and wants to keep enjoying her days in Arendelle. She can’t let them go. How ironic. Interpret it as you want!

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“I’d freeze this moment if I could find a way…” – Elsa (Alternate Some Things Never Change)

Same scene. Sadder atmosphere for her part of the song. It’s a shame we don’t know what goes next.

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“Water drowns with a stallion’s might.” – Elsa

Wowowowowow. Now this is interesting, because I have no idea where to place this line of dialogue meaning there might’ve been another scene foreshadowing the Nokk. In the final movie, the only moment we see the Nokk is during When I Am Older and it was very brief and played for laughs. But this line gives the idea that the existence of an angry murderous water horse was going to be mentioned earlier on. Now I have a lot of ideas as to what she might’ve referred to (maybe that’s just a comparison she made on the fly and didn’t know the water spirit was a horse? Maybe it’s like a riddle she solved to know what the water spirit was?) but to be honest I think there’s no way to know. Fun to theorize, though.

Also, total confirmation the Nokk is a male!

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“It’s magic. It’s amazing. There’s a voice. I need to follow it.” – Elsa

This line probably happened when they visited Pabbie and evacuated Arendelle. A different take on how she explained to Anna why she wanted to go on the journey. Honestly, I prefer what we actually got. She sounds quite desperate and hypnotized in this one. VOICE. I HEAR. MUST FOLLOW. I don’t know what you guys think. The actual explanation in the final movie is not great either but I prefer it.

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“Hey Elsa. It’s your mom. Remember, mothers are always right. Now, be who you are!” – Olaf (Longer Post Credits Scene)

We were robbed. This line and another one points to a longer post credits scene. I suspect they weren’t able to include it because of time constraints, because c’mon, this is hilarious. An animator on Instagram said that they were not able to model the inside of Elsa’s ice palace for the post credits scene because they ran out of time, so they used Ahtohallan pillars and changed the lighting so that it gave the ‘feel’ of the ice palace. I’m sorry I can’t provide a link right now because I don’t remember who the animator was, but if I find it again or someone else does I’ll update this.

UPDATE: The Instagram comment in particular was found! Thanks to @super-mam-te-moc for the screenshot.

Okay, kind of got derailed there. They didn’t have enough time to finish the post credits scene and that’s the only coherent answer I can find as to why this was deleted.

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“They’re all looking at us, aren’t they? Okay, got any advice? How do I free the forest?” – Elsa

Very similar to what’s in the movie but here Elsa asks Bruni if he knows how she can free the forest. The fact that Elsa asks a little cute salamander this… kind of gives the idea that Elsa was completely clueless, same as the rest of the gang, and the rest of the writers. Jkjk!

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“Emotional and slightly haunting memory of Mother? Is that you?” – Olaf (Longer Post Credits Scene)

Same as above. We were robbed. Twice.

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Unused Recorded Lines from Frozen 2 Book

“Teeth? Oh. Pillow fort! Disturbed! Aw, c’mon, you definitely look disturbed!” – Anna

Shorter or summarized charades scene. Anna never mentions a pillow fort in the final movie.

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“I know that rumble.” – Kristoff

This probably goes when Pabbie and the trolls appeared at the evacuation place. Seems like in an earlier version, there was more buildup before the appearance of the trolls. Kristoff hears the rumble of the rocks before anything else. Deleted scenes seen in trailers also point to a slightly different ‘troll appearance’ scene.

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“I won’t leave her side.” – Anna

During Pabbie’s visit. We know thanks to trailers Anna’s little talk with Pabbie changed a bit. Here Anna displays her worry for Elsa even more.

Here’s a comparison between the trailer:

And the final movie:

What’s particularly interesting about this is that a later point in the movie, during Kristoff’s third failed proposal, Anna suddenly remembers Elsa and runs off hurriedly saying, “I swore I wouldn’t leave her side”. Coincidence? I THINK NOT. She never explicitly says so in the final movie, but it seems like she did in an earlier version.

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“We’ll fix it together. / Together. / Together.” – Anna, Kristoff and Olaf respectively

Probably as they were going to go on the journey, considering the lines are said chronologically? They discovered the power of teamwork. Weird Elsa doesn’t say ‘together’. Maybe they left it out because, coughcoughtheydidn’tfixanythingtogether.

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“Uhm, I sense no way in, but this is fun nonetheless.” – Olaf

Definitely during the arrival at the mist wall. Olaf doesn’t say anything as he bounces off in the final movie.

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“Hah! It let us in, but it clearly does not wanna let us out.” – Olaf

Same as above. Anna is the one who says they’re trapped in the final version.

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“Your father was… / King Agnarr of Arendelle.” – Mattias, Elsa, respectively

In the final version Mattias immediately says “Agnarr”, while here Elsa finishes his words after his pause. To be honest, it makes more sense in the final version, considering Mattias would remember Agnarr’s name without a doubt.

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“I’m fine. I just… actually, I’m starving.” – Anna

This probably goes right after the “Don’t Run Into Fire” argument. I didn’t think much of this line at first but it’s actually really interesting, because in the final movie, right after Elsa and Anna’s argument, Elsa places Iduna’s scarf on Anna’s shoulders and with this perfect timing they find out she was Northuldra, leading to the whole “Vuelie” scene. But here, there’s no comforting with scarf, and it seems like this scene leads to the one after Vuelie in the final movie, with Anna eating as she talks to Mattias, and Elsa and Honeymaren talking about the spirits.

Which means… that in an earlier version, the discovery of Iduna being Northuldra was probably going to happen later on. Pretty crazy, right?

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“If I lost her… I think I’d lose myself.” – Anna

All right. I think that this line is one of the most important ones. Thanks to books having this line in them we can pinpoint exactly when Anna utters it: expectedly, when she was talking with Mattias. The delivery of this line is also particularly heartbreaking, so I recommend you guys hear the audio file.

I don’t wanna ramble too much but there’s a lot to be said about this line. But yes, I’ll actually end up rambling. Warning.

Along with “I won’t leave her side”, it seems like earlier versions of the movie showed Anna being even more anxious and worried about Elsa’s wellbeing. As we know, Anna and Mattias were talking about ‘doing the next right thing’, and being prepared when life throws you down a new path. This is obvious foreshadowing to The Next Right Thing. But why were these two cut? Don’t they deepen Anna’s character and show just how deathly scared this whole adventure had her?

Well, here’s some speculation. These two lines are obviously foreshadowing Elsa’s death. The thing is, there exists the likelihood that at the times these lines were written and recorded, there was no such thing as Elsa’s revival. We’ve known for a long time that Elsa was going to die for real in Frozen 2, but test audiences were left traumatized and probably in need of PTSD treatment, hating it so much that the ending and everything that came with it was rewritten around June. Including, I speculate, these two lines which blatantly foreshadow Elsa’s big oof.

There’s not much foreshadowing to Elsa’s death in the final version. That’s because it was a minor thing. She died before the climax of the movie and her death scene didn’t feel final nor dramatic enough to fool the audience and make them believe she was really, really, won’t-breathe-ever-again kind of dead. Some watchers didn’t even realize she died, because the scene was not supposed to feel like her end. Not even the score, Ghosts of Arendelle Past, has a final feeling to it. It just kind of ends there in an ominous tone and they stress the fact that she sent an important ice message before freezing, giving hope of events resolving themselves.

But these two lines do foreshadow of a terrifying event. One that’s not minor nor temporary. These two lines, probably among others we’ll never find out about, and Anna’s worried sick attitude in earlier versions, give more weight to Elsa’s death, Elsa’s permanent death, and ultimately, The Next Right Thing.

Or maybe not and I’m wrong and there was no need for a 4 paragraph long overanalysis of two lines. Maybe they just deleted them just cause. Who knows the ways of writers…

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“All this time… the four spirits. Right there.” – Elsa

Maybe this goes during Honeymaren’s talk about the spirits? Right there, meaning, they were all along depicted in Iduna’s scarf and nobody in Arendelle realized? We’ll never know.

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“You mean like a voice?” – Elsa

Probably happened when Honeymaren was talking about the fifth spirit crying out the day the forest fell.

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“She made it across the sea.” – Anna

“I know why the spirits evacuated Arendelle.” – Anna

“Olaf, I know how to free the forest.” – Anna

Okay, I’m gonna talk about these three at the same time because it’s the same scene. Obviously, these lines of dialogue take place in the cave as Anna receives Elsa’s message, right before The Next Right Thing. We know that for sure because The Next Right Thing was one of the first Frozen 2 songs to be written and the writers knew that’s where they wanted the story to go. This seems like a pretty different setup, but to be honest, it feels like a placeholder. Anna doesn’t even react to the fact that there was a statue of grandpa slicing an innocent man in two right in front of her which just feels weird.

And all in all, the lines just don’t have the sadness of the final version. Anna doesn’t sound nearly as disappointed and her voice doesn’t lower that much. She sort of sounds determined in the last line! So determined to wreck her home to pieces with a gigantic flood… ahaha Anna…

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Okay, it was pretty fun to overanalyze all 23 deleted lines that I managed to find. There are even more deleted goodies out there thanks to the merch, but we’re gonna leave that for another moment.

There’s no doubt that Frozen 2′s development had plenty of problems along the way and I think it’s pretty interesting to learn what it could’ve been and could’ve had. These lines are just the tip of the iceberg and I’m more than interested to know what exactly the test audiences saw in those infamous test screenings...

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UPDATE: More deleted stuff!

@theupsidedownpyramid collected more deleted lines found in the trailers right here!

@yumeka36 made a really interesting analysis of the Frozen 2 Novelization with even more deleted lines and scenes here!

#frozen 2 #frozen #elsa #anna #kristoff #olaf #sven #frozen 2 deleted scenes #frozen 2 deleted dialogue #frozen 2 outtakes

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grapefruitsketches · 4 years

Text

Left Behind

For fytheuntamed’s Untamed Fall Fest Day 19: Windy

Rated T, 1,612 Words. Lan Xichen, Song Lan, pre-Lanlan (can be read romantic or platonic), grief, guilt, post-canon, early stages of healing.

Also available on AO3

Most of the cultivation world didn’t know the details of why Zewu-jun had suddenly vanished from their midst – the Gusu Lan sect was notoriously skilled at maintaining privacy – but his absence was still notable. Rumours swirled.

Some had expected that one day, he would simply return to his duties as sect leader. Quieter, sadder, perhaps, but only noticeably so behind closed doors. Zewu-jun was too noble, too selfless to avoid his responsibilities for long.

Others shook their heads, saying they didn’t believe that. They thought Zewu-jun would stay in seclusion, never leave at all. That he might let grief, guilt, eat away at him.

Then there were those who preferred darker tales – who mused that maybe it hadn’t been a willing withdrawal. These were the conspiring whisperers who reminded their companions that this was not the first time a prominent figure from the sect had suddenly disappeared. Hanguang-jun had since re-emerged, but many others had not.

Of course, none would dare say any of these things if they knew that anyone from the Lan Sect was present. Gossip had its way of always making it to the ears of those most central to it, but the Lan sect were above such idle chatter – in public at least – and so the discussions went on unchecked, grew wilder and wilder. Soon, it was hard to find someone who did not claim to know some secret about the distinguished Zewu-jun’s fall. Each storyteller had a deeper insight than the last about the nature of his disappearance.

And Lan Xichen found himself chuckling into his tea on more than one occasion, as he listened to these stories. Stories of alternate versions of himself. He felt that maybe he shouldn’t, that maybe there was a reason the Lan rules preferred truth to lies, but there was a part of him that enjoyed these new, strange versions of himself. In the stories, everything made sense. There was always catharsis to tragedy, justice in a downfall.

It was much easier to listen to than the truth.

Wei Wuxian had been the only one to immediately understand, but he wasn’t the one Xichen needed approval from. Wangji had been slower. He had eventually come around, assuring his brother that he would take care of the sect in his absence, but Lan Wangji had always been understanding, given enough time. It had been Lan Qiren who had surprised him. He had not understood, probably never would, but he had long learned that when it came to his nephews, there were some things more easily left unquestioned.

And if all his nephew wanted was to travel alone? Lan Qiren counted himself as lucky.

And so Zewu-jun was finally free – or rather, Lan Xichen was free, so long as Zewu-jun remained in seclusion.

He left his elaborate hair pieces at home. Brought only light, simple robes with him. Lan whites. Not blues. He cloaked Shuoye. He would certainly not be mistaken as an ordinary man, but only those who knew his face, or who knew of the inner disciples’ forehead ribbon could guess just how far from the average person this mysterious cultivator actually was.

He was courteous, kind, helpful. Never lingered or imposed longer than was strictly necessary.

He tried to keep to towns, large enough for him to be of use, small enough to be ones that he’d never visited before. Would have no memories of. There were monsters in the villages. That was why he visited. But the paths between the monsters were where the true horrors lay. There was a disquiet to this void. An emptiness that opened itself up to a roar – a rush of wind, an echoing, dark place defined by the cacophony of absence.

It was in a town, in one of the safe havens from this cold, uncaring void, that he ran into another.

He knew of the man. Had in fact heard the wanderer’s name on his travels. He had sometimes been mistaken for him, before he approached, before he spoke. The other was not quite as capable at hiding that there was a story to his past, and so his profile was well known: the corpse lines on his neck, the stark whiteness of the second sword against his otherwise dark silhouette, the way he favoured, protected his right side – seemingly not due to injury, but to put himself between any threat and the two spirit bags that could sometimes be glimpsed if he turned just the right way.

“Song-daozhang?” Lan Xichen asked of the man, who was seated alone, like him, at another table in this crowded inn.

The man looked back, furrowing his brow as though trying to place him. His eyes trailed up to the Lan headband and his eyes narrowed as they returned Xichen’s gaze. Lan Xichen’s well-trained eye caught the smallest movement, a twitch in Song Zichen’s hand, ready to draw his sword if need be.

Lan Xichen shook his head, smiling reassuringly. He stood slowly and bowed, “You have nothing to fear from me, Daozhang. I have only heard great things from my brother.”

A moment’s pause, and Song Zichen visibly relaxed, hand lowering back to his side. He nodded, stood, and offered a bow of his own before gesturing to the seat across from him.

Lan Xichen allowed himself a gentle smile, a moment to indulge in a greater cultivation world, comforted that this man, too, kept himself at a distance. He moved his tea from his own lonely table and joined the other lone traveler.

In this time, Song Zichen had placed paper, a brush, and ink on the table, had written in careful, purposeful script, Your brother. Hanguang-jun?

Lan Xichen smiled, nodded, “Yes, he spoke of you often when he was younger, you left quite the impression,” Song Zichen tilted his head a hair before nodding, “And then, after meeting you the last time…” Xichen’s smile faltered, no way to proceed in this conversation without digging into something painful.

Your brother is a respectable man. His partner, too. Song Zichen deftly rerouted the conversation.

Lan Xichen sighed as he read the words, nodding, “They are. Though I must admit I had… difficulties with Wangji’s choice of companion at… some moments,” he didn’t know why he was telling someone this, not just someone outside the sect, but someone who by all accounts a closer acquaintance of his brother’s than himself. But he went on, “But sometimes, people can surprise you,” Xichen let out a huff of laughter and lifted his tea, “Sometimes for the good, others for the bad,” he ended, unable to keep a slight bitter tone from his voice, a pang of guilt leading him to sigh, close his eyes, reset. Remind himself that Wangji was happy, and that that was what mattered.

Lan Xichen smiled, “But I suppose it is our companions who make us who we are,” he laughed in a feeble attempt to lighten the mood, “And so we must live with our choices.”

You feel responsible. For the actions of another.

Lan Xichen shrugged, “I am responsible for the consequences.”

There was a pause. Song Zichen frowned, studying Lan Xichen for a moment. A part of Xichen wanted to look away, feeling scrutinized by the swordsman’s keen eye. But there was no malice in the stare. Only a careful contemplation. A search for truth, or understanding.

Song Zichen wrote. Slower than before, took his time, carefully considering every word, tapping the handle of his brush to his chin on occasion. Lan Xichen waited, listened to the wind whistling fiercely outside, to the walls of the old inn creaking, until finally the other man turned the page for Xichen to read.

People have surprised you. They can surprise because they can lie. They may lie for many reasons, but you are never the lesser for believing them. For taking people at their word. If there is guilt to be found, it is to lie only with the speaker.

Xichen looked up, breath shaky, chest tightening, even as Song Zichen was already rising, bowing, waiting for Xichen to rise, to mirror him.

Lan Xichen knew the man’s story, had heard what had happened from his brother. But he didn’t know whether Song Zichen knew his. He didn’t know whether Song Zichen was speaking to him, arguing with him, or communicating through him to someone else. But he found himself replying, “But it is still no defence to bury your doubts. The isolated actions of others may be excused as mistakes or misfortunes, but patterns should not be ignored.”

The corner of Song Zichen’s mouth twitched. The prospect of a smile even if not quite there yet. He reached down, writing a few quick words before flipping the page over, clasping his hands in front of him. The two bowed once again, and Song Zichen left, heading towards the staircase up to the inn’s rooms.

Lan Xichen sat, finishing his tea. He didn’t know what had compelled him to say any of that. He sighed and reached across the table, flipping over the page.

Perhaps, then, even for the most dire of errors, there may be forgiveness.

Lan Xichen smiled. With all that had happened, he wasn’t sure he believed that. But he hoped Song Zichen did.

The next morning, Lan Xichen collected his things and made his departure. He didn’t turn back. Didn’t look around for the only other cultivator in this tiny town. Their meeting had been fleeting, but moving.

His heart felt lighter, stronger, from having been understood. Seen even for just a moment.

But their understanding went two ways, and for now, they both knew, so must they.

#untamed fall fest #lan xichen #song lan #lanlan #cql #the untamed #mdzs #mo dao zu shi

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collectsfallenstars · 4 years

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Gravity: A Summary of the Development of Jeong TaeEul’s Feelings for Lee Gon in “The King: Eternal Monarch (Part 3 of 3)

EPISODE 7

Back in her world, Jeong Tae-eul plunges into another murder case while still working on her last one. Days, possibly weeks pass without any word from Lee Gon. This is a long distance relationship taken to the extreme, without the comforts of technology to ease the longing. Thankfully, she is kept busy by her work. However, during a quiet night at the precinct while filling out a form, she remembers their first meeting. She smiles and pulls out his old file. It gives her a thrill to see “Name: Unknown, Date of Birth: Unknown, Address: Unkown, Contact: Unknown” because now, she knows all the answer to them. She even tries to fill it out using his name, Lee Gon. She is affirming his existence, and it is now precious to her. This is her missing him.

And then she deletes his file. This is her going from soft and then back to her hard exterior. And Kim Goeun is absolutely wonderful here with the camera up close to her face, catching the minute her soft eyes turn sad, and then hard while she grits her teeth ever so lightly before pressing her lips in a tight line. Jeong Tae-eul is all in in this relationship yes, but she’s still a pragmatist and hasn’t forgotten that they belong to different worlds. And she is bracing herself for the tragedy she senses is just around the corner.

When he returns to her, she realizes how intense her feelings have become after their separation.

“HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? HAVE YOU BEEN WAITING FOR ME?”

She smiles at him when he asks how she’s been. The moment Lee Gon asks her if she waited for him, she gives him a different smile, a sadder one. It was probably the exact moment when she realized she had been waiting for him. And waiting for him meant she had been missing him all this time. She probably never had time to think about it because she had been so busy with murder investigations in her world, and trying to solve the mystery of the unexplainable recordings she suspected was from his world. And when she did have time to think of him, like that time in the precinct with his file, she would only allow herself a few moment of happiness, and them push them down.

So this is what it has come down to. I hear a lot of people saying she went from hating him to suddenly running into his arms. That isn’t the case as you can see. All the development happened beneath the surface, behind the words that they were saying to each other.

After their reunion, they go on their fantasy everyday, normal life of a couple. The have dinner, they have couple phones, they hold hands, they walk with his arm around her, she winds a teddy bear/stuffed lion for him in a shooting gallery – essentially, a date like normal couples do. This is them stealing moments in time.

As Lee Gon says on that fake phone call,

“I ALWAYS WANTED TO TRY THIS WITH YOU. CALL YOU ON THE PHONE. ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR DAY. TELL YOU I MISSED YOU.”

This is them trying to cram in whatever happiness and sweetness they can to make whatever fate has in store for them a little more bearable.

Keep in mind that although this was Jeong Tae-eul showing her softer side, she was still very much like herself. She didn’t turn into a mindless, giggly little doll. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to show it. She got them the couple phones. They went on a date that she thought of. She won the stuffed animal. She was the one who promised him the moon and stars if he asked them. This is not typical k-drama female lead and it is very exciting to have an alternative image of femininity. It’s a good thing Lee Gon’s ego is as big as it is, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to handle someone like Tae-eul.

But in true Jeong Tae-eul fashion, she moves from cool/sweet soft girlfriend to business-like detective. She tells him she had been waiting for him as herself, but half of it she waited as her detective self. They go back to her house and exchange information on their respective cases. And he shares his theory that his power hungry uncle, Lee Lim, has been hiding in her world and building an army. She confirms that a recording from one of her dead bodies is from his world. They agree to cooperate with each other for the sake of both their cases. Now, when Lee Gon notes that this investigation will take her to even more dangerous ground now that they know it involves his world as well and Tae-eul replies,

“THIS WAS MY CASE BEFORE I EVEN MET YOU,” it does three things.

One, it reinforces the idea of fate. Their first meeting at Gwanghwamun Square was not where they first began. Things have been going on in both their lives that wound up putting them in each others’ paths long before they even met. As I said in a previous video of mine, that short meeting on the last 6 minutes of the first episode was deliberately put in last to show how the events of both their worlds have resulted in their fated meeting that night. Everything that happened to them had to happen so that they would meet each other. And it’s the same for Tae-eul with all the cases she had been getting before even meeting Lee Gon.

Second, and makes her realize that her murder investigation and his investigation into the treachery and treason of his uncle are inevitably tied to each other, the way she and Lee Gon are tied to each other. They are each others’ answers to the mysteries they’re trying to solve. As Lee Gon said before, there must be a simple and beautiful formula for how she was involved in saving his life but he is sure that she’s the answer he has been looking for. In the same manner, she could never solve the murders that have been falling into her lap without him and his world. He is also the answer to all the mysteries she is trying to solve.

Which brings us to the third point. Her murder investigation and the evil plot his treasonous uncle are a mirror of their relationship. And this realization plays an important part on why she told him she loved him in the very next episode. When Tae-eul spoke of the dead bodies in her world coming from his world,

“THE TWO WORLDS SHOULDN’T GET MIXED UP LIKE THIS. THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO STAY ON THEIR RESPECTIVE PATHS. BUT, THE TWO WORLDS ARE ALREADY COLLIDING AND I’VE DISCOVERED IT. SO WHAT ELSE COULD I DO? I DECIDED TO INVESTIGATE. I’M A POLICE OFFICER OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA.”

she might as well have been talking about the two of them. This is very much a reflection of what she thinks about their relationship. It shouldn’t be happening. But it did. Like all the cross-world murders falling on her lap that she has to solve. In the same manner that she can’t ignore them because it’s her job to solve them, she also can’t ignore this thing she has with Lee Gon. Call it fate, destiny, gravity. But there it is. She’s a detective, she will solve murders, no matter how dangerous they become. She is Jeong Tae-eul and she will love Lee Gon, because she is who she is. She is someone who would choose to love him, no matter how difficult things could get. But then, she ends the statement with,

“I AM A POLICE OFFICER OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA.”

This is the equivalent of her seeing Lee Gon in his navy uniform with his imperial robes behind him. She is reminding him that she is still planted firmly in her world, with her own responsibilities. They may not be as big as his, but they’re just as important. She can’t just leave everything and go live with him in his world.

As they enter into a new phase in their relationship, they are now faced with this conflict. Neither of them can just up and leave their world. So they made rules for each other, 2 from Lee Gon, and 17 and pending for Jeong Tae-eul, as a way to bargain with the universe. They’re trying to right the wrongs that have happened prior to them meeting. The only thing they’re asking is that the universe would let them them be together, for now.

The very fact that Lee Gon had only 2 rules and they were what they were is significant, and kind of true to their character. His two rules mean that his solution to their situation is to continue going back and forth between the two worlds. It would be this decision that will be challenged much later I suppose, when the gateway to both dimensions would eventually crack. But as for now, he has decided to split his world into two, a world of responsibility in the Kingdom of Corea, and the world where his only dream and desire resides, Republic of Korea where Jeong Tae-eul is.

Jeong Tae-eul plays it loose by beginning with 5 rules and a pending 13 more, making it up as she goes along. And that’s essentially how she has always been since the beginning of the series. She starts with what she can confirm, what she can believe, and then change by adding or taking from it with every new information she gets as she goes along, just as what she did with Lee Gon. Her route to a decision is circuitous, while Lee Gon’s is a straight line.

At this point, they’ve already solidified their relationship AND their plans to investigate murders and treason. And neither of them have told each other that they love each other. Which bring us to the next episode.

EPISODE 8

They begin to share less screen time here as the reality of their two worlds and Lee Lim’s plans begin catching up to them. More of Lee Lim’s plot is revealed. Jeong Tae-eul slowly begins to unravel their cases. There is no time to cross worlds to go on dates. And I suppose this is one of the major complaints of people – that they don’t spend enough time with each other. At least long enough to give us heart fluttering moments.

Well, the thing is, two parallel worlds are about to collide into each other, there’s a barrier between worlds that freezes time on both sides in the number or seconds of frozen time keep rising, and in the meantime, people are disappearing and getting murdered. We have here two characters who aren’t free to go on dates and flirt whenever they want. You know, like actual adults with real world responsibilities.

But they have done the essentials of a relationship without even doing much of that. They’ve learned each other’s way of thinking and haven’t tried to change each other. They’ve learned how to empathize with each other, which wasn’t that hard considering they’re both emotionally strong people. They’ve gotten to know each other. She knows of his traumatic past that has shaped the kind of king he is now. He knows of her girlhood dreams that have shaped the kind of detective she is now.

They’ve opened their eyes and assessed their impossible situation. They reacted differently, talked it out, and arrived at the conclusion that decisions about the two of them should be made together. They were able to do all that without going on “normal” dates.

She acknowledges how they have done everything in reverse, skipping over some parts and getting right to the nitty-gritty of a relationship that challenges the rules of the universe without even saying things to each other. That’s why she’s now backtracking, and trying to do things properly.

“IN THE BEGINNING, YOU ASK ABOUT EVERYTHING. WE JUST SKIPPED TOO MANY THINGS.”

The only thing left to do, really, is to make it official. To say the words. And even that feels anti-climactic, knowing that everything she has shown him surely let him know how she feels already. And even if he hadn’t literally said the words I love you to her, his entire existence and crossing over to her world was an entire love letter to her. So she knew it was her who had to say it first, just to be as clear, as he always had been with her.

And ultimately, this is what attracts me to her as a viewer. She’s a strong-willed, independent, no nonsense woman. And she’s the same, even in matters of love. She doesn’t suddenly turn into a blushing 13 year old who doesn’t know what to with her feelings. She had doubts about Lee Gon even if something was brewing between them. When the doubts were are dispelled, she dealt with how she felt with him. And when she understood that she loved him, whether by fate or her own decision, she told him. There was no teenage angst of wondering who should say it first, no annoying ancient mindfucks of men should always do the chasing. True to her form and character, Jeong Tae-eul felt it, so then she had to say it. It was that simple. Their situation was complicated enough. There was no need to

So she goes to see him before a stake out on a beautiful sunlit afternoon. There’s nothing more poignant than verbalizing a hopeless love with a slowly setting sun in the background.

She begins it with a string of questions of “What if”? It is her way of questioning the role of human choices when fate is at play. Lee Gon insists that no matter what she would have done, he would still have fallen in love with her. It was his fate to love her. It mirrors what she’s thinking in the voice over that would come next.

She had tried to deny the existence of his world, his feelings for her, and his own very existence. They had all turned out to be true and she had found herself unexplainably drawn into his life. And she couldn’t pull away, even if she had tried. So she had arrived at the same conclusion as well. It was also her fate to love him.

“IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO REALIZE THIS. WHEN IT’S FATE, THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES. YOUR FATE IS DETERMINED BY THE CHOICES YOU MAKE, BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOUR FATE CHOOSES YOU.”

And the thing is, she has never lost track of how dire their circumstances are. She’s fallen in love with her eyes wide open. That’s why, as she walked back to her car, her internal monologue ran,

“THINGS THAT ARE BOUND TO HAPPEN ARE TAKING PLACE EVEN AT THIS MOMENT. I WAS STRUCK WITH A SAD PREMONITION THAT THIS WILL BE SHORT-LIVED, BUT I DECIDED TO LOVE MY FATE THAT CHOSE ME.”

This gut feeling that she has about their love being short-lived didn’t come out of nowhere. Once the murders and treason are solved, they would have to go back to their own lives and worlds, if they don’t die while trying to solve them. At this point in time, she knows she won’t leave her world, and he won’t leave his. She knows heartbreak is waiting for her. And the audience knows too, that if one of them do decide to give up their world, it will create ripples in both timelines, which will no doubt affect them. At every turn, there is heartbreak waiting for them.

That’s why she told him she loved him. She knows every moment they spend could be their last and what was the point of feeling all that love, if she wasn’t going to say it out loud? So, she said it. In the most unromantic tone possible.

“I LOVE YOU.”

And then, Paul Kim’s “Dream” swells in the background. The first two lines say it all, “You are my dream. You are my love.” Because for the longest time, she was all he ever dreamed about. And here she was, finally, telling him and showing him that in loving him, she was surrendering to her fate. But in choosing to surrender to it, she also makes it clear, that it was also a decision on her part.

It took 8 episodes to hand him this gift in small, measly little parts. Theirs was never going to be a love with murder in the background to prevent people from being saturated with sweetness. Theirs was a love that had to bloom in the dark. Their love had to find little spaces in between murders, parallel worlds, and evil plots. The long wait between encounters gives them a sense of urgency, allowing them to dispose of games people play in love and just simply be loving towards each while dead bodies pile up and gateways to other worlds collapse around them. It was an optimal situation for two people who speak plainly, who say what they want to say and mean it. No words are wasted between the two them. Because if their fate is to steal moments in time for them to be together, then there’s really no point

in playing games, pretending to be coy, giving chase, and other expected k-drama behavior between couples. It was also never a journey about discovering how they fell in love with each other and realizing that they were in love. It’s going to be about finding that love and what they’re going to do with it, when murder, treason, an ambitious Prime Minister, powerful magical flutes, parallel worlds, and time challenge that love.

That’s why the love confession happens early on in the middle of the series. The next 8 episodes would then be used to hammer at that love, testing how far it can go and how much it can withstand.

Hopefully, this helps those who are still confused as to how Jeong TaeEul’s character develops romantic feelings for Lee Gon and why she had to verbalize them on the 8th episode.

#the king eternal monarch #jeongtaeeul #jeong tae eul #leegon #lee gon #kimgoeun #kim go eun #leeminho #lee min ho #kim eun sook #kdrama

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krispydefendorpolice · 4 years

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The Demon’s Bride (7)

So Here’s the next chapter of Demon’s Bride. I’m gonna try to finish my ficlet the Miraculous Awakens and add an update to Miraculous Future before doing another Demon’s Bride update.

I’m also trying a new method of taglist. I love that people enjoy my story and want to be tagged but the list got really long really fast. (I think by the time I had the third chapter/first ficlet out it was a full list). Unfortunately this meant a lot of the readers who had longer comments about things they enjoyed or questions in the story (things that keep me motivated to write!) wouldn’t get a tag. So I’m redoing the taglist. Some will keep changing because except for a select few that got me started in the cursed Daminette ship (god I love you people) everyone is gonna be kind of flexible. Meaning your name might get bumped in the next update.

I do try to tag these stories with (The Demon’s Bride) and (The Betrothed AU) let me know if there’s another tag I can add to make finding them easier. Believe me I know the struggle of trying to find out if a writer has updated.

One person suggested I cross post on AO3 and since I finally got an account let me know what you think. Not just would you read it but would this story be something you would download to save a copy? I do that with all my favorite works on that site and would consider it to be the biggest of compliments.

Okay, thank you all for enjoying this story. Thank you for being patient while I work out my own tag list system. Enjoy the next chapter

Beginning Previous Next Masterpost

————————————

The next morning the class ate breakfast in the hotel breakfast lounge. It was large enough that they could break into their two groups but not so large that Marinette’s group could ‘accidentally’ get left behind.

Marinette rolled her eyes as she listened to Lila continuing her stories from the day before about meeting the youngest Wayne and how ‘It was love at first sight’.

“Damian is just such a sweetheart. It nearly broke my heart to have to put our relationship on hold when mama got her assignment in Paris. But I am happy she did as I got to meet all of you. And now I have a chance to see my Damian again.”

Lila smiled slyly as she leaned closer to her slaves, “In fact, we have plans to see each other tonight. He’s going to take me on a romantic dinner date. If you can keep it a secret from Ms Bustier I’d be ever so grateful. I don’t think she’d like it if I did something by myself but I’ll just never have a chance like this again.”

Marinette had a feeling she’d strain a muscle at some point before the end of the trip, either from rolling her eyes too hard or from fighting back the urge to roll her eyes. She’d have to somehow arrange for Lila to be supervised if she actually made it out of the hotel and more than likely that duty would fall on her as her usual alternatives were in Paris.

A glance at Juleka showed that the girl was already anticipating Marinette’s thoughts and would be taking on the supervising (stalking, call it what it is) duty for Marinette. Fortunately, continued training and practice during Akuma attacks had refreshed skills instilled by the league to readiness in both girls.

“No worries girl. We got your back, unlike some people,” Alya said with a pointed glance at Marinette. Alya had blamed Marinette when her relationship with Nino fell apart and once Marinette had stopped responding to her phone messages Alya had made it her personal mission to blame the worlds evils upon Marinette.

Marinette ignored them and kept typing on her phone.

“You guys are so trustworthy. I don’t know what I’d do without you guys,” Lila smiled at them.

“Class finish up your meals we need to meet the bus outside in five minutes for us to head to the mall,” Ms Bustier called.

“Hey Nino, I forgot a jacket up in my room. I’ll catch you at the bus,” Marinette said nonchalantly as they cleaned up their dishes.

“You’re planning something,” he stated. A raised brow dared her to deny it.

“Not at all. Just have Markov do a recording would you?”

“Sure, sure. But you’re reporting this, not me.”

“Done,” Marinette agreed as she headed back to the elevators. On the ride up she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text.

M: Meet me outside the hotel? I might need a ride.

D: Why? Are you safe?

M: I’m fine right now. But if things play out like they usually do I’m gonna need a ride

D: got it

Grabbing the bike jacket she’d left on her bed Marinette hurried outside the hotel. The bus’s engine was just starting to rev when she called out.

“Wait. I’m here,” she called and ran towards the bus.

It slowed for a moment before picking up speed and taking off. Marinette watched as it drove off and shook her head. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

“Bonjour Commandant,” she said cheerily before he did more than greet her.

He sighed, “What happened?”

“I might of made a stop in my hotel room this morning to get my jacket before meeting the rest of the class at the bus.”

“And you were left behind again?”

“I was left behind again,” she confirmed. “I was nearly at the bus and called out for them to wait. It started to slow but then took off again. There were open windows and Nino should have Max and Markov making another recording.”

“I’ll wait for the files. You know we’re going to have to report this when you return to Paris.”

“Absolutely. This is getting ridiculous and entirely too unprofessional of Ms. Boustier. If it were any other person getting left behind they could end up killed here in Gotham.”

“Do you need us to arrange transportation?”

“No thank you, I already did,” Marinette turned to look at the motorcycles that stopped next to her at the curb.

Damian lifted the visor on his helmet and looked at her. She smiled at him and finished her call.

She looked at the second bike and rider and back at Damian.

Damian held out a second helmet to her and explained. “My father and brother’s aren’t entirely comfortable with me being alone and unsupervised with someone from the League. Todd volunteered to chaperone today.”

Marinette took the helmet and sat on the back of his bike. “Had many run-ins with Leaguer’s?”

“Too many,” Damian admitted. As soon as Marinette wrapped her arms around his waist and told him the class’s destination he took off.

Marinette smiled as she sat behind him on the bike and let herself fall into old patterns of trusting him to get them where they needed to go. Within minutes they pulled up alongside the bus. Marinette grinned as she asked him to rev the engine and get the class’s attention.

When several faces turned to the window Marinette lifted her visor and waved at the class. Just as she was laughing at their shocked faces the lights changed and Damian took off again with her laughter trailing behind them.

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

Jason followed behind Damian and watched as Demon Spawn pulled up next to the bus before the girl waved at the class whose attention they had gotten. When Damian took off again he had to watch as the two moved together as they wove through traffic. What surprised Jason more was Damian never turned to check the cars behind him. Instead he watched as the girl would do checks and then Damian would move. Damian trusted her to watch their backs.

They seemed to have a system down and had seemlessly fallen back into it. Like they had ridden together before? But they couldn’t have. Damian came to Bruce at 10 years old. The girl had to be about the same age so how...?

Jason let the thought go as they pulled up to Gotham Mall. Damian parked near the main entrance the class would have to go through after parking the bike and let Marinette off first. He and Jason followed suit before locking their bikes and the helmets up and waited for the class to catch up.

“So Pixie-pop, you know Demon Spawn from the League?”

Most people would say Jason didn’t know how to use tact but most people were also idiots. Sometimes when you did things blatantly and unexpectedly you would get more honest answers from others.

Marinette glanced at Damian and then turned to Jason when he nodded. “I’ve known Damian most of my life in the League.”

Jason looked at her. The answer was factual but there was undertone of meanings behind it that he was missing.

“He mentioned the League was divided into factions? Divisions?” He fumbled his question and waited to see how she would respond.

Marinette turned to Damian and spoke in a language he didn’t know. It wasn’t English, French, Japanese or Chinese which he’d learned from Bruce and Alfred before his death. Nor was it Arabic, Russian, or German, which Talia had forced him to learn after his resurrection. The closest he could compare it to was Chinese but it had a different cadence, intonations, sounds, everything really so it was completely not understandable to him.

When Damian responded in the same language Jason was less shocked. He just waited for the two of them to finish.

Marinette nodded before turning back to Jason, “The word you were looking for was designations and yes Damian and I both had one. Most trainees are given one by the end of the first year of training though it can be changed if a particular aptitude is discovered. Or if they lose enough standing with the League.”

Her eyes were a little darker, a little sadder at the mention of losing rank within the League.

“Ah,” Jason nodded and looked at Damian, “you didn’t mention you had a designation last night.”

“TT, I didn’t think to mention it last night. My designation was the Demon’s Right Hand. The heir of the Demon.”

“Makes sense since you were Ras grandson,” Jason admitted.

Marinette snorted, “the old Demon had at least five grandchildren, though no one’s sure if his son had any children so there could be more out there. And Damian was the third born. Nothing the Demon ever did made sense.”

Jason was startled. No one knew that Damian had other siblings, blood-siblings, since he’d made it sound like his trainee group were like his only brothers and sisters.

“Grandfather insisted that only the best could succeed him. Even from my early trainee days my brother’s knew I could take their inheritance from them if I was better than they were. Our rivalry,” and boy was that a loaded idea, “was actively encouraged and the only way it could end was with the deaths of our competition.” Damian grimaced at that.

“Hey, Ali wasn’t so bad. He loved his big brother.” Marinette bumped Damian’s shoulder, trying to distract him.

“Ali loved his big sister,” Damian tapped a finger on Marinette’s nose, “who got her mother to take in the kid when he began his training and gave him family. Just like his big brother.”

Marinette smiled fondly. “He’s a good kid. Did you know Talia has him doing some PR as they’re ‘rebranding’ the League? I think the American, Luthor, has done that a few times.”

Damian quirked a brow.

“He’s shown up in Paris a time or two. Mostly as PR attempts to promote ‘acts of charity’ or such. My class actually ran into him a few years ago. He made a friend with one of the girls in my class. We pass messages through her when we can,” Marinette nodded to herself, “but it’s been harder to do with the tension between my classmates.”

Before Jason could ask anymore questions the bus with her classmates in it pulled into the Mall parking lot. Strangely another car seemed to be following behind it.

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Cliffhanger!!!!

Permanent tags: @mindfulmagics @ozmav @bluerosette23 @multifandomscribette @mochinek0 @northernbluetongue

@fertileleaf @evil-elf16 @scribblinggraveyard @mellownieice @mystery-5-5 @indecisive-mess-named-me @sonif50 @tog84 @g-arya @legendaryneckjudgestudent @tbehartoo @ravennightingaleandavatempus @zebrabaker @autisticlinx @moonyloonyx @hinata3487 @evil-elf16 @mooshoon @shamefullove @pepelachanel @queenmj10 @bluefyoto94 @valeks-princess @luciferge @novicevoice @vivilakitty @2sunchild2 @littleredrobinhoodlum @black-streak @interobanginyourmom @crazylittlemunchkin @alwaysnumberonetruth @nataladriana9 @that-feeling-wyn @motherly-type @jardimazul @mysteriouslyswimmingfan-blo-blog @peachedpocky @thesunanditsangel @daminett4life @risingmoonyue @dorkus-minimus @tired-butterfly @alenee13

Can’t find a blog: @fusser90

Okay, tag list capped out as I was scrolling back through comments on ch. 5 but the taglist is flexible anyways at this point. I have plans to update the Miraculous Awakens prologue and the Miraculous Future chapters this week. Please vote which you would like to see first. I’m hoping to get the first update posted either Wednesday or Thursday nights. (Though sadly I am suuuuuper flexible with my posting schedule. Basically I post whenever I have a chapter ready). Also i plan to wind up the Once Upon A Miraculous epilogue next weekend so that’s three chapters I’ll need to be toying with this week.

#The Demon’s Bride #Betrothed AU #daminette #maribat #marinette x damian #DLDR #dead dove don’t eat

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bthump · 3 years

Note

If you could rewrite Berserk (or maybe parts of it), what would you change? I love the way you interpret this story. The way you interpret this work, makes it so much more powerful, than how some other side of the fandom understand it.

thank you so much, i’m glad my interpretations resonate with you!

tbh my ideal version of Berserk is basically a much shorter story that begins with the Black Swordsman arc and ends on this shot:

more specifically I’d open on a similar panel of Guts fighting ghosts, seen far above, and alone. I’d include a version of the Lost Children arc in the Black Swordsman arc after chapter 2, between Snake Baron and Count Slug, also introducing Skull Knight. I’d make some kind of pointed visual comparison between Skull Knight and Vargas, illustrating that they’re both similarly consumed by revenge and cautionary tales for Guts.

This version of Lost Children is even sadder and more depressing - Jill and Rosine’s friendship is highlighted as positive, the scene where they fly together is beautiful and uplifting, and it’s suggested that if Jill did stay with Rosine her influence could remake the creepy Land of the Elves into less of a horror show and more of an actual place of refuge sans monster transformations. Yk, Rosine is open to Jill’s suggestions basically.

Guts still has his humanizing moments with Jill but he’s shown at his most monstrous too when he kills Rosine. Jill returning to her abusive home isn’t uplifting or hopeful, it’s tragic. Guts’ “this is your paradise” bit isn’t an objective statement, it’s a sign of Guts’ depressed cynicism and increasingly monstrous mindset. Oh and despite the Land of Elves being fucked up (in my version it would at least be sliiiiightly less fucked up), Guts destroying it would have some thematic echoes in the destruction of the Hawks. Maybe the raid we see on the Hawks after they’re declared traitors involves a lot more fire and forest burning down. Maybe some of the elf monster kids try to save each other and one of them gets Guts with a thrown knife lol a la Judeau protecting Casca. Idk, something.

Also the Peekaf story is cut, as is Rosine’s tragic flight home, as emotional as it was in the manga. She dies with Jill here. I’m kinda downplaying the dreams as escapes theme wrt Jill’s flight with Rosine and the land of the elves because I don’t think it works in this arc due to, yk, the alternative being abusive homes.

Afterwards ghosts still taunt Guts about becoming like Femto, but without the “your friend” description bc that gives too much away. Skull Knight picks up Rosine’s behelit and has his suggestive “hm this could be Guts eventually” internal monologue even though Guts doesn’t have a behelit yet.

Count Slug arc is essentially the same. I would turn the fetus into some kind of pathetic looking misshapen dog demon (like the Beast of Darkness but in much less cool form, bc that’s essentially what the fetus was before Miura overwrote it) who follows Guts around and reminds him of what he’s in danger of becoming. Guts picking up Slug’s behelit is the last shot before the Golden Age begins.

Theresia is a more angry version of Jill, and they’re both examples of Black Swordsman Guts ruining lives wherever he goes, along with the zombie girl in chapter 2 - it’s all variations on a theme of Guts sort of creating mini versions of himself bc of his traumatized lashing out. Zombie kid is most metaphorical in becoming a monster after listening to Guts’ cynical take on dying by the sword; Jill goes back to her abusive Gambino-esque father when her potential escape, Rosine, is killed; Theresia swears vengeance when Guts kills her father who couldn’t sacrifice her to save himself.

(this mini me thing would parallel Slug and Rosine’s abilities to create their own monsters, btw. Cycle of violence kinda thing.)

Everything else follows the manga up until Guts and Casca start getting romancey. I’d cut that out completely. They can have a burgeoning friendship but there’s no romantic undertones and no sex and no meddling Judeau etc. Casca still fights Guts and stabs him and yells at him about Griff but there’s no sucide attempt. She still confesses to her crush on Griffith because it’s a good griffguts parallel, but definitely doesn’t say she was lying to Guts and herself when she said she wanted to be Griffith’s sword. But I do want that “Griffith’s not a god... and I am a woman” line in there because it’s such a good parallel.

Guts monologues about his newfound dream to Godo in a flashback during the Wyald fight instead, then does the waterfall log thing and breaks several bones, then gets told off by Erika who points out he just wants to fight Zodd again. I’d maybe move some of Godo’s lines about Guts metaphorically being a nicked sword to here too. Also show the dragonslayer leaning up against a wall lol.

Guts still tells Casca at some point that he fully intends to leave again. Maybe during the rescue mission. Because yk we still need that moment where Griffith overhears someone telling Guts to leave.

Finally the last change is that Casca dies with Judeau, Guts manages to survive until Femto wakes up, they have a moment staring each other down, there’s a clear parallel to a moment of Guts’ childhood - I’m thinkin Guts asks “Why?” and there’s a shot of Femto, shadowed so we only see one eye, a la:

Apostles begin to descend on Guts chanting shit like ‘sacrifice’ and ‘ours,’ (comparison to bb!Guts facing down the wolves btw, Guts is resigned) and then Skull Knight appears and rescues him and we get that last shot of Femto.

The End.

The implication is that Guts and Griffith are alone and monstrous without each other, violence begets violence, relationships are a positive contrast to that but they keep fucking those up, etc. There would still be a slight ray of hope though in comparisons to Jill/Rosine and Slug’s inability to sacrifice Theresia, and Femto lowering his hand, showing that, yk, even monsters have potential. It would be a very thin ray though bc Guts killed those monsters lol so the implication would still be that Guts is kind of doomed to roam the world alone with his sword like Skull Knight or Zodd.

Also... I’d fuck around with the world building and astral plane stuff because Guts and Femto being metaphysically separated doesn’t work for this. I want that thin ray of hope even if it necessarily comes to nothing lol, if only because if I was alternate universe Miura I’d want people to write Femto/apostle Guts fanfic. So no mention that the Godhand can only appear when someone uses a behelit, maybe even imply somehow that Femto could show himself to Guts at any time, he’s just snubbing him.

Anyway yeah, ty for asking.

also if you’re interested I once wrote a very long and involved post here about what I’d change if I had free range to adapt Berserk if you want a longer answer with more details that follows the actual story much more closely (including a less involved take on my answer here lol).

#Anonymous #ask #a #b #theme: opinion #theme: adaption

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bloopbyoop · 3 years

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weep woop

ayo. ive read my scheduled email and its time for freewriting shit again. lmao. I want this post to be like a small light from a lit match stick inside a very hollow, icy, and numbing cave. (sounds cartoonish right? I know. Im obsessed with Adventure Time.) I want all people to be genuinely happy. Spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Upon reaching my 24th anniversary in this world, I finally learned how to truly embrace all my emotions. Some are more overwhelming than the other, but we have to heed in our treacherous yet perplexing minds that everything is fleeting and we are in control. The feeling of extreme sadness fades, but so does joyful states. Everything can change in a matter of minutes or years. You are in control of all your emotions. You are in control of all your life choices. Your actions. Your words. Your perspective. It feels weird to actually write about it. I've wanted to talk about it. I never wanted help from anyone as I firmly believed that I was alone. Sure, I have a family and friends, but it is hard to see that when your head is clouded with negativity. I've even come to the point where I was too overwhelmed, I found being physically hurt less painful. The pain I felt distracted me from what I was thinking. My mind tended to go bonkers. lmao. But bro, I was so good at concealing my bonkers mind. It's easy to fake any emotion that you have. Slap anything sunshine-y or happy to anything and people would believe you. It went on for years. Long story short, thousands of bracelets collected, it became worse. The physical pain could no longer withhold the emotional pain. Couldn't sleep. Couldn't stop thinking. And voila! I found a good amount of self help books (from tumblr) and novels. Novels that brought me to different places. Self-help books that made me understand what I feel and what to do. I've read that taking the easy way out will leave everyone sad. AND IN THE FIRST PLACEEEEEE, I NEVER WANT THATTTTTTT. I want everyone to be happy. I would act foolish and do dumb shit to make everyone happy in a heartbeat. So, that idea made me push a few more years. Later on, the crippling shit came crawling back again to my head, sooooooo I needed new shit to keep me distracted again. Films, series, music, and short clips from YouTube helped me out a lot. Every single time that my mind is going to think like anything that can think of, even to the point that I was just going to think that I might be hungry, I'd watch something. There's just something about silence for me. Because of this new habit of mine, I've learned more about myself. I love different types of things. I like horror. I like thriller. I like comedy. I like romance. I love all types of films, but there is something about the horror genre that interests me. I still can't point out what, but I love watching horror films. With regards to music, I've learned that I love Indie, Punk Rock, Rap, and Pop. We all can't like a specific genre. It's stupid to ask "what genre of music do you like?". It's not actually stupid-stupid, it's just stupid. Ya know? Anyway, passing this phase, I needed to find something again because it's not doing the shit that it was supposed to, I tried investing more time on video games. By investing more, I mean a whole shit lot. I love video games since I was young cuz.... u know.... they keep u... try to guess it! oh yeah. you got that right! distracted! I love the aggressive plays and trashtalks that my friends and I make. The short stories we tell one another. The rants. The lame jokes. The late night we sound drunk but we are not drunk jokes. The roleplays. The lame jokes. The memes. And once again, The lame jokes. Something about lame jokes and the laughs and curses after that always gets me every single time. Oh shoot. Yup Yup. Few years later, I finally noticed the pattern that my sadness is temporary. I got over it one way or the other (or another. depends on how you wanna read it. i dont wanna say another cause i might write about one direction like what im doing now so-). Happiness is temporary as well. But, we are the ones who are actually in control of our emotions. If you wanna feel sad, be sad for a while. You're getting too sad? Try hanging out with your funny friends. Can't do that? Find an alternative. Watch a movie, knit a sweater. Anything your mind could think of as long as it will keep you mentally distracted from being physically and mentally hurt. I do have a few notes though. We cannot and should never assume what people are going through. It may be petty for you, but it may be very crucial to them. So never everrrr say things like: -Some people have it worse than you -At least you have ..... These sheetsss are annoying as heckkk and could really down someone. I know it is not your intention to annoy but people react differently. alsooooooo, it is not okay or normal to hate on things for bandwagon. that is just plainly crazy and stupid. let people enjoy things. anddddddd never suppress your emotions. admit what you feel inside and try to think of a way to resolve ittttt. keeping it to yourself will just make it worseeeeee. find your own outlettttttttt. hihihi ️ alsooooo. being more spiritually full with God's words and ideas really help me to be spiritually happy. ps. im christian but i dont discredit other religion and even applaud other religion's ideas and beliefs. this is a really long, selfish post so i might as well recommend some things I like : Songs with their lyrics that made me go through life. “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier” -All These Things That I've Done, The Killers “It's not too late, I'm still right here” -Breaking Your Own Heart, Kelly Clarkson "And the salt in my wounds / Isn't burning any more than it used to / It's not that I don't feel the pain / It's just I'm not afraid of hurting anymore / And the blood in these veins / Isn't pumping any less than it ever has / And that's the hope I have / The only thing I know that's keeping me alive" -Last Hope, Paramore “There is not a single word in the whole world / That could describe the hurt / The dullest knife just sawing back and forth / And ripping through the softest skin there ever was / How were you to know?” -Hate to See Your Heartbreak, Paramore "It's holding on, though the road's long / And seeing light in the darkest things And when you stare at your reflection / Finally knowing who it is / I know that you'll thank God you did" -1800, Logic "Did some things you can't speak of / But at night you live it all again / You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now / If only you had seen what you know now then" -Innocent, Taylor Swift (My bb) "10 months sober, I must admit / Just because you're clean don't mean you don't miss it / 10 months older, I won't give in / Now that I'm clean I'm never gonna risk it // Rain came pouring down when I was drowning / That's when I could finally breathe / And by morning gone was any trace of you, I think I am finally clean" -Clean, Taylor Swift “I guess I always knew / That I had all the strength to make it through.” -Believe in Me, Demi Lovato "I'm addicted to the madness / I'm a daughter of the sadness / I've been here too many times before / Been abandoned and I'm scared now / I can't handle another fallout / I am fragile, just washed upon the shore / They forget me, don't see me / When they love me, they leave me" -I Hate You, Don’t Leave Me, Demi Lovato “I'm overwhelmed / I need a voice to echo / I need a light to take me home / I need a star to follow / I don't know” -Nightingale, Demi Lovato "I'm a walking travesty / But I'm smiling at everything. // Arrogant boy, Love yourself so no one has to." -Therapy, All Time Low "I tried it once before but I didn't get too far / I felt a lot of pain but it didn't stop my heart. / But maybe I'm alive 'cause I didn't really wanna die / But nothing very special ever happens in my life / Take the blade away from me I am a freak, I am afraid that / All the blood escaping me won't end the pain / And I'll be haunting all the lives that cared for me / I died to be the white ghost / Of the man that I was meant to be" -Ghost, Badflower "Are the pieces of you / In the pieces of me? / I'm just so scared / You're who I'll be / When I erupt / Just like you do / They look at me / Like I look at you" -DNA, Lia Marie Johnson Movies and series to try : -The Perks of Being a Wallflower (The book is bomb af. if yall havent tried, ur missing out) -The Kings of Summer -Never Let Me Go -The Art of Getting By -Silver Linings Playbook -Winter’s Bone -The Lovely Bones (The script. The words) -Me and Earl and the Dying Girl -American Horror Story -Black Swan

pps. remember that every one has their own pace and point of view. don’t push yourself too hard, and don’t overthink. give yourself time, and respect all your emotions. analyze them but not more than like 5 minutes as anything beyond that might cause you to overthink and be sadder. and sad is not rad. hehe. you got this. you got you. self love is the best even though it can be tricky to do. nobody else is like you. you’re the only one of you (i just remembered me.......... i might have hummed it while typing it mid sentence). consider other people’s opinion but do not let it cloud your own judgement as you know yourself best. dont let other comment’s define you. spread love. vibe people you vibe with. ayeeee lets go!!!

ppps this is my last post bc im happier now and know myself better. i no longer limit myself on the age that I want. I want to live as long as how God wants me to be. hehe.

x :D

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anaisrecsfics · 4 years

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Teen Wolf Rewrites, Fix-Its & Canon Divergence

Have you seen the TV series and found the characters treated badly? Maybe you have and maybe you haven’t and I fall into the latter category but I will always enjoy people’s take on our favourite characters~

P. S. Can you see how the recs just starts to deviate from my original intention?

Gif made by me using Pixel Studio, inspired by the fic Tattoo

The Dolorous Stroke by Escalus wc: 81525, ch: 20/20

Stiles and the younger members of the pack are in the middle of their junior year. Things are quiet; there's finally a chance to be happy. There's a chance for them to be teenagers and maybe even pursue love. But everything is about to erupt once again as buried secrets come to the surface, the Alpha Pack finally makes its move, and the guilty will be brought face-to-face with their crimes.

Oh, and after disappearing for more than a year, Scott McCall has returned to Beacon Hills.

This is a rewrite of the first half of season three with the idea that Stiles was bitten in Wolf Moon instead of Scott.

Losing Control by KhaSterek, sisforsterek wc: 35207, ch: 10/10

Sterek-centric retelling of Teen Wolf, with a few changes to a few characters, and how that changes the canon version of events.

"Are you ashamed of what you are?" The wolf says, already getting up from his place on the couch beside Stiles.

"Of course not!" He says. Because he really, really isn't. It's the only thing connecting him with his mother, and he could never be ashamed of that.

"What then?" Derek asks, angrily.

“I want so badly not to have to hide who I really am, Derek, what I really am, but it’s out of my hands,” Stiles says, feeling his eyes sting from unshed tears.

Stop There, and Let Me Correct It by Livinginfictions wc: 28284, ch: 6/13

When Stiles' late night stroll with his best friend ends in said friend being turned in a howling creature of the night, he does his best to cope with his now batshit crazy life. - The first in a series of episode by episode rewrites of Teen Wolf from Stiles' perspective, including missing scenes as I imagine they might've been, and a few dialogue changes. Canon compliant for Season 1, but later seasons will be Canon Divergent.

Hear The Wheels As They Roll by crossroadswrite wc: 44919, ch: 2/2

“You can’t be here. This is private property,” someone calls out and for some reason that voice sounds painfully familiar.

When it hits him why, Stiles almost chokes with the realization, “Derek Hale,” he says, unbelievably happy because he remembers Derek when they were young.

Derek looks grumpier, sadder, angrier. Stiles can’t really fault him for that. He also looks surprised that Stiles knows who he is. He squint/glares suspiciously at him, his nostrils flare for a second before he widens his eyes almost dramatically.

“Stiles,” he says quietly, like he can’t really believe it.

Stiles beams, “Yeah, you remember me!”

I Was A Teenage Werewolf by HaleHathNoFury (My_Trex_has_fleas) wc: 419518, ch: 46/50

Stiles just knows he's going to get lost in the woods. There must be a Laura Palmer reference in there somewhere.

A fork in the road retelling of Teen Wolf where Stiles is the one to get bitten.

Mockingbird Smile by HaleHathNoFury (My_Trex_has_fleas) wc: 3554, ch: 1/1

Kate has come to Beacon Hills to seduce Derek Hale and kill the Hale pack.

Maybe she should have done some more research first.

(First in a series)

(I can’t gush enough about this particular writer!! Her AUs are awesome!!)

A Christmas Miracle by HaleHathNoFury (My_Trex_has_fleas) wc: 5052, ch: 1/1

Scott needs to get his pack beyond the border and away from the Hunters that are wiping out all supernatural creatures, but while he's trying he runs into an unexpected old friend.

(First in a series)

My Blood Approves by churkey wc: 7188, works: 2

Life of Stiles Stilinski, autistic werewolf.

Your Darkness Will Be Rewritten by Omni wc: 11460, ch: 1/1

Stiles is no guardian angel. In fact, as an incubus, he's pretty far from it. But still, it seems he's always there at the right place and the right time to be the protector that Derek didn't even know he needed.

(An alternate timeline where Stiles prevents the Hale fire, and returns to Beacon Hills years later when someone's performing three-fold ritualistic killings.)

A Jump To The Left by GracieBirdie wc: 4283, ch: 1/1

Older grouchy broken Stiles somehow ended up with younger sassy actual ray of sunshine Derek.

It Started With a Game by nightlight9 wc: 2803, ch: 1/1

It’s one thing to have Stiles as his anchor. It’s another thing entirely to realize that he’s in love with his best friend. His best friend who happens to be three years younger than him and, oh god, John is going to have him arrested. He won’t be able to become a cop because he’ll be behind bars.

Tattoo by littlefrog1025 wc: 5675, ch:1/1

Sterek fix-it fic of Teen Wolf Season 3 Episode 1: Tattoo

Stop Crossing Oceans by green-leaf (greenleaf) wc: 11654, ch:1/1

“There are no absolutes, Scott! No hard rights or hard wrongs! The world doesn’t fucking work that way and we can’t afford to think like that, because people are going to die! We signed up for that the moment we got involved with all this!”

“We? We?” Scott hisses. “Don’t you think you? Don’t forget that you’re the one who dragged us into that forest the night it all started, Stiles. So if it’s anyone’s fault, it’s yours.”

Something inside Stiles cracks, so strong and so deep that he practically hears it.

The One You Choose by Livinginfictions wc: 13440, ch:1/1

Stiles hadn’t seen Scott in over a week, except for glances he caught during school hours.

No one called, until someone did. by queen_of_OTPs wc: 4419, ch: 1/1

Stiles found that he hadn’t spoken more than necessary since August. Gone were the rambling rants, extravagant gestures, and range of vocal tones. Monotone sentences that were cut with sharp edges, words like knives and tone like venom.

No one had called.

(Gift for stereksau on tumblr for the Summer Sterek Exchange 2017)

Multidisciplinary Studies by DevilDoll wc: 51348, ch: 7/7

Stiles is a slightly-older-and-very-sexy librarian and Derek has a thirst for knowledge.

Laura is Badass by hoars wc: 5079, ch: 1/1

Laura's not expecting two teenage boys to burst into the bakery, brandishing lacrosse sticks yelling about “Kidnap!” and “Pedobears!” and “Sex slaves are illegal!”

She’s flabbergasted.

“Cupcake?” Derek offers.

age: a sum of years and experiences by hoars wc: 11285, ch: 1/1

Dear Jeff Davis,

When you grow up reading Tamora Pierce, large age gaps do not make you hesitate when it comes to your OTP.

Sincerely,

hoars

Big Bad Wolf by Nival_Vixen wc: 11758, ch: 9/9

Stiles knows that someone needs and trusts him, and it's not his father or Scott - it's Derek.

After he discovers that Kate's kidnapped Derek, Stiles tracks him down, and with the help of the pack, Stiles gets his big bad wolf back.

set your flag on fire by Siria wc: 35840, ch: 1/1

"Things have been getting progressively weirder since you two left," Stiles told Cora and Derek. "Like, weird even for Beacon Hills."

(Canon divergent from mid-season 3).

The Stilinski Pack by Siria wc: 5668, ch: 1/1

"You mean we're going to be bros and we're going to be bros?" Scott said. His smile grew impossibly wider. "This is the best news ever!"

#sterek fic rec #sterek fic recs #sterek au #canon divergence #sterek rewrites #sterek fix-its #sterek fics #<5k #<10k #<20k #<30k #<40k #anaisrecsfics

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immortalled · 3 years

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Live reactions to S3E5 of Misfits below because... I dunno, slapping it all under a cut is probably less annoying lol. :’>

- Is it bad that the opening scene made me think of Jamie? Jamie and Seth look like that could’ve been buds. Like a biker gang or something.

- I find it really interesting that Kelly, even with a guy like Seth, is still putting up walls and giving him the aloof act. I appreciate the consistency (rare in Misfits lol) but aw man, it is kinda sad, isn’t it? I get it, though. Poor thing. I think Seth/Kelly is a little left field but I do hope she has a happy ending with this one. Kelly deserves happiness and so does Seth.

- I keep telling myself not to compare Rudy and Nathan but omg... the little awkward lean against the support beam... Nathan does that when Simon catches him and Alisha spying on him. And then the two condom thing... I know I’m being ridiculous here and they aren’t the same character at all, but I’m gonna have to make a parallels gif set. I just know it. I can feel it. It has to happen. It was awkward at first because I missed Nathan, but the more I see of Rudy, the more I like him. He’s grown on me.

- I feel like production value went way up during this season.

- EXCUSE ME??? WHO??? TELLS THEIR GIRLFRIEND, WHO IS IN A COMA, THAT YOU’RE LEAVING THEM? YO, DUDE, I KNOW IT’S HARD TO SEE HER LIKE THAT BUT C’MON. You!! Don’t know!!!!!!! That she can’t hear you!!!!!! Maybe she can!! YOU CAN’T! oml

- I like how Kelly’s first response to seeing a patient in trouble is to calmly and slowly walk into the room to ask them if they’re okay (when they clearly can’t speak because even if they weren’t in a coma, they do have a tube down their throat) instead of immediately finding a nurse or pressing the alert button.

- Wait this hurts.

- LOL I... really love how Simon just deals with Rudy’s weird stories. That’s cute.

- O h? Is that grafitti some Bad Wolf-esque foreshadowing? 👀

- Wow. Lauren Socha is such a good actress??? What the heck. I’m gonna have to watch her in something else. I need to know if she has range.

- ...This isn’t mean, I love Kelly’s shape, but there’s no way Kelly can fit in Jen’s clothes.

- Not a fan of this weird tension that happens occasionally between Curtis and Simon. I think it’s IC for Simon to be a little jealous, I like that he still has his insecurities, but it’s a little annoying when it’s directed toward Curtis. I dunno. I guess it’s fair given that he’s the ex, but I don’t like it.

- Kelly looks great in a leather jacket.

- OOOH gosh. Sometimes, man... sometimes Simon gives this look and does this thing with his body language that’s just SO scary.

- ...As much as I dislike Curtis’ power, I think Alisha’s has to be my least favorite of the new powers. I wish Simon would use his foresight more, too.

- Something about Simon watching Freaky Friday is really funny to me.

- How many times are these idiots gonna have to sneak out bodies. They’re professionals at this point.

- Bahahaha Shaun is so nonchalant. Random coma patient in the communtiy centre? Just another day. I love him.

- WAIT NO SHAUN NO WAIT NO!!!

- NO?????????????????????????????????? NO?? NO!

- I’m not gonna think about the legal issues with what’s-his-face pulling the plug instead of a nurse. Or like... how they’re gonna explain that Jen’s body is there at the community centre. Or how the gang is gonna get away with security footage of them stealing a body from the hospital (which there would have to be, there’s no way they didn’t get caught on camera). I can’t go full clown. This is Misfits. 🤡

- Also I totally thought they were going to grab an animal or something off the street and then give it to the boyfriend or parents or something to take care of so Jen could live on at least for a while longer as something else than die. I don’t know why I thought that. It just felt like it’d be on brand. Don’t @ me LOL. (I’m glad I was wrong; I think it’s a much nobler end for Jen to own up to what she did and have her goodbye.)

- That is totally some Bad Wolf-esque forshadowing. And clearly slapped on in post!

Final thoughts:

Not a bad episode. I liked it well enough. It was entertaining and this one got a few laughs (for some reason Seth saying “Hi” and Rudy going feral at him got me). I don’t have too much to say about it, really, it’s a pretty standard episode. So far I think Peter’s episode is still my favorite just for the more superhero-y hijinks, but this ep had some really nice protective Simon moments and I really enjoyed Seth. The music was pretty good, but the Misfits soundtrack is always killer.

I hate that my only big note is a complaint, but... I’m finding it really hard to connect with the characters this season, even the OGs. I get bursts of it, primarily with Simon and Rudy, but overall something just feels wrong. No one except maybe Curtis feels OOC and yet? Something about the characters is off. It feels like I’m looking at an alternate universe where everything is the same except for some itty bitty detail and I can’t place what it is. And before anyone says it, no it’s not because Nathan isn’t there lol. He was the heart of the series for me, but I don’t think his absence is what feels wrong. It’s definitely something about the writing or within the remaining characters themselves.

I? Almost want to say that it’s an issue of the gang not feeling like a family anymore? They don’t feel as close. I know Misfits has always primarily been about hijinks and outrageous plots, but I almost wanna say that S1 and S2 had more focus on character relationships than S3 so far? We get a little more into the nitty gritty of Alisha’s relationships with Simon, Rudy, and Curtis (even though her “problem” with Curtis in E2 made no sense) but besides that... it just doesn’t feel like we’re getting the meat that we did in S1 and 2. Granted, that is two seasons versus one.

Oh yeah. And RIP Shaun. I knew he was gonna die but I didn’t expect it so soon. That sucks. I think that his death would have been sadder if the show hadn’t exposed his grosser aspects, like how he creeps on girls and... he’s just kind of a skeevy perv. Which, I know most of the male characters in this show are perverts to some degree, but it works better for everyone else because they have some redeeming qualities that make them more endearing and their faults more palatable. Shaun doesn’t quite have the endearment factor to pad out how uncomfortable he was in E2 and E4 (making him into a villain for E4 was a bad move too). I think if he had shown just a hint of really caring about the gang, even privately, then maybe I’d be sadder. Oh well. He’s still the best probation worker. I’ll miss him.

Anyway, anyway. Enough complaining. One last good thing: Rudy continues to grow on me. I am so intrigued by how he handles his split (how his splits handle each other?). I feel like I need to come up with a better term. But that’ll do for now. I really, really hope that Overman doesn’t just sweep all those issues under the rug. It seems like he did that with Rudy and Alisha’s relationship (which is a bummer!) and I think it’d be so cool for Rudy to either find peace with that inner conflict or at least be able to better cope with Rudy One and Rudy Too so they’re not always squabbling. Love Rudy, though. Him and Nathan would’ve butted heads to be the funny one, I think, but good friends after a while. Oh, the terror those two could have caused...

#out of immortality [ooc];#spark watches misfits [liveblogging];

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akozuheiwa · 4 years

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Weird concept: Mort comforting Mordred!Douxie

You shouldn’t encourage me, anon! I love crossing over AUs with canon or other AUs! So I ended up writing a ficlet crossing over wiz-fic verse and canon (well, speculative canon, which will likely be proven AU in at last several parts if not all) and I’m sticking it under the cut, yeet-

The Douxie of the alternate reality seems so much sadder than his Douxie. Part of him wonders if he’s just thrown off by being stuck in another reality, but that doesn’t seem quite right. He flinches at the sight of Mort – which is why Mort has yet to seek him out no matter how much he wants to – and he stares at his counterpart with a kind of wistful envy.

It’s not until the alternate version of Nimue – Zoe, in her world – confronts him that he decides to talk to the other Douxie.

“He won’t talk to me, he won’t talk to Archie, but maybe he’ll respond to you,” she says. “The way he looks at you – I don’t know. Just talk to him, will you?”

Mort nods. “Very well. I suppose Douxie is Douxie no matter the reality.”

He finds him sitting in the library downstairs, one of Mort’s books on Arthurian mythology open in front of him. He doesn’t seem to notice Mort walk in.

“I keep that one around for laughs,” Mort says. “Almost none of it’s accurate.”

“I was just curious if the story was different here,” mumbles Douxie. He glances up at Mort and frowns. “I suppose it must be. You’re not dead.”

Well. That’s more outward acknowledgement of Mort’s past than he’s ever gotten from his own Douxie. “I am in your reality?”

“If you’re who I think you are,” says Douxie slowly. He holds up another book – Le Morte d’Arthur – and Mort gently takes it from him, turning it over in his hands. One of the ones that claimed he once coveted his father’s throne – he never did – and killed him for it. “Did you name yourself after this?”

Percy had funnily enough asked the same thing a few weeks after finding out Mort’s true identity. Mort shakes his head. “No, I hadn’t actually seen that one when I chose this name. Mort was just – easy. And I suppose there was a part of me that found it funny, since everyone does think I died at Camlann.”

“I’m sorry,” blurts Douxie. “I know – it must not have happened in this reality, since you’re here and your version of me seems so happy but – still, I’m sorry.”

“Something happened to me in your reality,” guesses Mort, “and you blame yourself.”

Douxie looks away. Mort pulls up a chair and gestures for Douxie to make room for him to sit. He still refuses to meet Mort’s eyes, which if he’s anything like Mort’s Douxie than that means whatever happened really, really bothers him.

“Whatever happened wasn’t your fault,” Mort says.

“You haven’t changed a bit,” murmurs Douxie. When Mort continues to watch him silently – Douxie hates silence, always has to fill it, so it’s the best way to get him to open up – he sighs. “Like I said, the story is different here. This book is – a lot closer to the truth of my reality. That Mordred killed Arthur. That I killed you.”

It takes several moments for this to make sense. It never occurred to him that the other Douxie could be anything other than Percy and Hannah’s son, a normal wizard kid born in 1999. It also hadn’t occurred to him that he could be mistaken for his father, although it should have, because he still remembers how much people used to tell him he looked just like him.

“Well,” says Mort carefully, “it seems our realities are… more different than I thought. But at the same time, more similar than you think. You didn’t kill your father on purpose, did you?”

“Never!” Douxie – Mordred – says fervently. “I wouldn’t – you have to believe–”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Mort hurriedly assures him. “I understand better than you think. I was younger than you are now when I was forced to kill my father. Mind control, in my case.”

Douxie brow furrows. “I – didn’t know. I thought my grandfather died of natural causes.”

“King Uther did die of natural causes,” Mort says gently. “My father was King Arthur. And he was your father, too, wasn’t he?”

Douxie opens and closes his mouth several times before coming up with actual words. “I have a brother in this reality?”

Mort can’t help it. He bursts out laughing. Douxie looks offended, rightfully so, but the wrong conclusion is just so like him. “Seklos, no matter the reality you are very much Douxie.”

“Why is this so funny?” he asks, lips jutting out in a petulant pout.

“No, I’m not your brother,” says Mort. “The Douxie of this reality is not Mordred. I am.”

“But you’re old!” Douxie exclaims, before evidently realising how rude that sounds and covering his mouth in horror. Mort laughs again,

“Yes, I daresay I’m quite a bit older than you are,” he agrees. “I have been alive for centuries. You, though… you haven’t, have you?”

“I wound up here by accident,” says Douxie. “Well. Not here. Well, yes, here, this was also an accident, but this was partially Zoe’s fault. I mean this time. A year or so ago. Me and Archie.”

Mort nods. “So then your father’s death was very recent for you, wasn’t it?”

Douxie looks away, curling inward. His mannerisms are so much like Mort’s Douxie that it’s hard to believe this child is a version of him instead. Or perhaps some combination, a Douxie who was once Mordred, a Mordred who became Douxie. Sad and relatively alone, like Mort might have been if he hadn’t had Lance and Iros, if he hadn’t had the trolls after them. Likely scared, still new to the modern world and all its unique threats.

“It gets better,” Mort promises. “The pain will dull. You will find people who love you – I think you’ve already begun to. Your friend asked me to speak with you. Open up to her. If Zoe is anything like our Nimue, she will be there for you.”

“What am I even supposed to say?” he whispers.

“The truth,” says Mort. “You cannot do this alone. You shouldn’t need to do this alone. Let people be there for you.”

Douxie blinks rapidly and wipes his eyes, giving Mort a vulnerable stare. “I know you’re not him but…”

Mort pulls him into a hug. Douxie’s hands grip the back of his t-shirt, shoulders trembling, and Mort gently rubs his back. “One thing I’ve learned as a parent is that parents will do anything for our kids. Even die so that they can live. I know your father would be glad to know you are safe. It’s not your fault what happened. Don’t punish yourself for it. Don’t suffer alone.”

“I’ll talk to Zoe,” Douxie whispers, his voice muffled and hitching.

“She’ll be happy for it,” Mort assures him. He pulls back and brushes Douxie’s hair out of his face. “Now. I believe we need to get you and your friends home, don’t we?”

Douxie wipes his cheeks with his palm and nods. “Think between two Mordreds we can manage?”

Mort chuckles. “Might cut it close, but I think we will. Come on.”

Douxie seems lighter as they leave the library, so Mort hopes he’s helped some. At the very least, he hopes this alternate Douxie will reach out and recognise that he has at least one friend, if not more. Seklos knows where Mort would be if he hadn’t had the support he had. But by the sad yet thankful smile Douxie gives Zoe, Mort thinks he’s gotten through.

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whyiask · 4 years

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MAJOR SPOILERS FOR AOS SEASON 7

Okay okay okay, so I have been watching Agents of Shield season 7 with my family, and we just finished the final episode!!! In the whole show!!! This is insane!! Then I went back and watched Season 1 episode 1 as a throwback. Here are some of my thoughts.

-The first few episodes were a little bit slow, to be completely honest. I loved them a lot, but the season definitely built up momentum after the first two episodes or so.

-Okay, first of all. Let’s talk about some of the characters, shall we? Deke. I am actually really happy with Deke this season. He’s finally standing up for what he believes in and I’m really satisfied with his growth. When he’s not being a dick, he’s actually super nice and a very good friend. Especially in The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and The D. He was actually a really thoughtful and caring friend. There were other instances too, him sticking up for Jemma when Sousa questioned her abilities, etc. I know he as a character gets a lot of hate, and I’ll admit he’s not exactly the epitome of a good person, but as he says, he never gives up on his friends. I feel like he really grew a lot, and he’s actually very smart. He’s skilled in tech and he can do a lot of repairs and engineering stuff? I feel like a lot of people gloss over the fact that he actually has brains and when he is using them, he’s a real asset. When he was first introduced, he was not very useful and, quite frankly, very annoying. Over his time with the team, however, he has actually grown to be one of my favorite characters.

-Daisy. Daisy, Daisy, Daisy. Where to start. She has grown so much over the course of the show. Her powers, abilities, and her as a person. Rewatching episode 1 really gave me a flash as to how she used to be. Impulsive, stubborn, independent. She’s so controlled and powerful now, she really knows herself and can be confident with who she is. She went all the way from just the girl living in a van to a super spy inhuman leader. I love her so much. Her final battle with Nathaniel- just gah. Perfection right there. The only way she was able to win was because she was willing to sacrifice everything for her family (found family, SQUEEEE). She was willing to die, and that gave her an edge over Nathaniel. It was really really heartfelt.

-Mack, the director of shield. He has had some good arcs and some good moments over the course of the show. I’ll have to say, however, I didn’t completely like his arc this season. That whole thing with his parents dying- it was just... I don’t know, a little bit bland next to some of the others.

-Elena had a good conflict- her whole thing with not being able to use her powers, that was some good stuff. Really cool, really neat. I thought the ‘childhood trauma’ part, with her uncle and stuff- I thought that was a little bit forced, especially since we haven’t heard of anything like that at all in all the time we’ve known her. She has grown a lot though. I didn’t really like her when she was first introduced, but she’s awesome now.

-May’s new powers were actually really interesting to explore this season. When we first learned she had emotion-sensing powers, I was worried that it would feel too forced- trying to give everyone powers and whatnot. But contrary to my initial doubts, it actually gave May a very impressive storyline and I was very invested in her. The story benefitted a lot from this new concept.

-Coulson just keeps coming back, doesn’t he. This man just doesn’t stay dead. It was a bit much to have him keep returning to the show, but he was actually a very valuable asset to the team this season. As an LMD, he had a lot of differences about him, but he was still the Coulson we know and love.

-Sousa was cool. He may not have been modern or known how modern tech works, but he has tactical brilliance and street smarts. He was a very good SHIELD agent before, and he is now. On the topic of him and Daisy, I spent the majority of the season not shipping them, actually. I didn’t want to ship them, because I was worried that if they got together, Sousa would die or turn evil or something to that degree.

-I wish we could’ve seen more of Fitz. He is absolutely one of my favorite characters, and I would’ve liked to see more of him in this season. That being said, they did an absolutely brilliant job of keeping Fitz on everyone’s minds and keeping him relevant and super important to the story, despite him not being on screen.

-I honestly loved Simmons in this season. It was so refreshing to see her like this. In control, but not. Strong, but weak. It had a nice blend, and I felt her emotions clear as day, and she just felt very very real. Human. Switching from one thing to the next in a heartbeat. I loved it.

-On the matter of fitzsimmons, they remain the most wholesome ship on that whole show. Mack and Elena are a power couple, but so are Fitz and Simmons. They have been through so much together, and they deserve each other. The universe keeps on trying to keep them apart, but they always find each other, through space and time, through danger after danger after danger. It honest-to-god broke my fragile little fitzsimmons heart when she couldn’t remember who he was, and even after she remembered, when she didn’t remember that she loved him. Actually, one of the most heartfelt, touching moments in the whole season was her remembering how much she loved him.

-Speaking of heartfelt moments, who else nearly cried when Daisy referred to Jemma as ‘her sister’? ✋

-Deke. (okay, we’re back to talking about deke.) When Deke stayed behind in the alternate timeline, he said some things. He basically said he was expendable, and that made me legit tear up. Even by the end of the show, nobody on the team was as close with Deke as they were with each other. I mean, that’s understandable, as he hadn’t been with them for a super long time, but I know if Jemma had been able to remember him at that point, she would’ve been a lot sadder. They all cared about Deke, they just didn’t really ever show it, because they didn’t care about him as much. I think Mack was the one most upset when they left Deke behind, and that’s because he got to witness first-hand how good of a friend Deke was. Deke must’ve been one of my favorite characters, and it broke my heart to see him make that sacrifice. He was kind of always the one that they all picked on, but I want to believe they all cared deeply about him- despite them not showing it.

-Another thing about Deke- (Joy, shut up about deke already)- is that he loved Daisy, didn’t he? I remember back when he was asking Coulson and Mack for advice on how to tell her he liked her. I guess it had kind of slipped my mind, and I totally forgot about it, until now. I though maybe he had gotten over his crush, but because of what he said to Daisy right before his sacrifice, it makes me think it was more than just a crush. In those final moments with her, she was with Sousa. They were looking at each other. Daisy then asked Deke if he was sure(or something to that degree) and Deke said something like, “as long as you’re happy.” EXCUSE ME, SIR. No one can ever convince me that look he gave her wasn’t a look of unrequited love. No one. But she never saw him that way, she always saw him as a friend, and maybe an annoying little brother. But still- that comment she made, when Jemma and Deke were stuck in space with Nathaniel, when she said, “let’s go rescue simmons.” Mack said, “and Deke” to which she responded, “sure.” That hits differently now. It feels like she never really cared about him the way he cared about her. I understand it was meant to be funny, and it was kind of funny, but it really just hit differently. Even if it was a joke, Daisy basically said that she thought of Simmons as her sister and Deke as an afterthought.

-It felt a little bit ridiculous for the final big conflict to end, essentially because of the Power of Friendship and Empathy. It felt a little bit cheap. I did, however, love how the end came together, with them looping back- and,,, ugh, it was very satisfying to watch everything fall exactly into place, what with them being the people in blue hazmat suits from the end of season six, and the chronicoms firing to try and hit them, not just aiming at the temple.

-The last line in the entire show was “cool”, but then again, it was Coulson saying it, so it checks out.

-THE ENDING OMG- the parallel was beautiful, BEAUTIFUL, between the end of season one episode one and the end of the finale of season 7. Coulson flying off in Lola. It was- it was perfect. The perfect last shot.

I’ll probably reblog later with more thoughts, these were just my initial thoughts that I wrote down right after the episode ended so that I wouldn’t forget them.

(Also, sorry for the rants about Deke. I could honestly rant on and on about this show for hours, I tried to keep it short. I do ramble quite a bit, but Deke is my latest character obsession, so I’ve been thinking about him a lot and doing a deep character analysis on him recently)

#agents of shield spoilers #agents of shield season 7 spoilers #aos season 7 spoilers #aos spoilers

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