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writing-blog-iguess · 11 months

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Online Matchup 3

Summery: Y/N just wanted to study and head home for some sleep, to bad the night in Gotham has different plans. Now all they want to do is see the one person who's been on their mind since they started talking. Question is, will Jason agree?

Warning: swearing, fluff, it gets a little angsty, comfort, a sprinkle of gun violence, a mugging.

A/N: I got it done by Friday. I did not think I could do it, but I did. I’m not sure part 4 will be up, but I will be taking the next week to try and finish other projects. If there’s anything you’d like to, let me know. Uh, this ended up being over 6k works, I hope you enjoy! Feedback is welcome.

Words: 6574

ao3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 4 Part 5

————

October 7

Y/N (7:30 am) Why is it so cold?

Jason Because it’s october

Y/N October just started! It should be illegal for October to be so cold so soon

Jason You’re the one who wanted to live in Gotham

Y/N I know But still

Jason: You lived in Gotham for how many years?

Y/n … Three

Jason: And you're still not used to the cold? and to think you chose Gotham

Y/n Shut up

Jason All because Gotham and I quote ~intrigues~ you

Y/n Shouldn’t you be at work?

Jason Shouldn’t you be in class?

Y/n I’m on my way there Why’d you think I’m complaining about the cold?

Jason Could have fooled me Maybe your heater broke in your apartment and it’s freezing

Y/n I would cry if that happened

Jason Don’t like the cold?

Y/n I don’t like getting sick

Jason Touché

Y/n But I also hate the cold

Jason It’s sweater weather

Y/n Still cold

Jason Fall is not cold Winters cold Fall is the perfect season It’s not too cold not to hot Perfect

Y/n Maybe for cuddling under the blanket and read

Jason That an invitation?

Y/n Wouldn’t you like to know

Jason Awe come on, little bird don’t shy on me now It’s been what? Three weeks?

Y/n Yeah But, uh I’m a little nervous It’s been a while since I’ve been on a date or something

Jason Ah I get that Honestly me too We can wait a bit longer and when we do meet up it’ll been in a public place

Y/n The confidence you have that we will be meeting is showing

Jason What can I say? I’m falling and I can’t get up

Y/n Oh my god You ruined the moment

Jason ‘Twas the plan

Y/n You dork

Jason No but really I really did fall and now my ass hurts

Y/n What do you want me to do about it?

Jason Come kiss it better

Y/n In your dreams

Jason Every night

Y/n I hope you step on a Lego

Jason First my ass and now my heart? Y/n you wound me

Y/n Sure, we’ll pretend your not into it

Jason I- Okay wow

Y/n Am I wrong

Jason I plead the fifth

Y/n Mm thought so

Jason Shouldn’t you be in class?

Y/N Yup, just waiting for the professor

Jason Is it true that if the teacher isn’t there after a certain period of time that there’s no class?

Y/n Some people think it is but no They always end up coming to class Unless there’s an attack of the school or something

Jason Does that happen a lot?

Y/n Like maybe every few months Don’t quote me on that, I barely pay attention

Jason I think that’s something you sure pay attention too

Y/n I did when I first moved here and now I just roll with the punches

Jason I really hope not

Y/n Like my guard is up when I’m out but other than that I guess, I don’t care?

Jason That’s even worse

Y/n That’s what my mom said too Oh look, the teach is here

Jason I'm more worried about you then I have worried about someone in my life

Y/n (12:20 pm) Hey You keep up with the news right?

Jason When I have time Why?

Y/n Have you heard anything about college students going missing?

Jason No I don’t think I have

Y/n Mm, not surprised I guess Apparently it’s a recent thing

Jason How recent?

Y/N Um, like a few days ago?

Jason And the cops haven’t done anything about this?

Y/N Nope Said they probably dropped out Some tried to report them as missing But they haven’t looked into it much

Jason How do you know this?

Y/n Rumors mostly Guess that’s why the cops won’t do anything But I don’t think they’re rumors I know some of the students that are missing Most are on the top of their classes Some are scholarship students, they wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize it

Jason Damn My brother’s a cop, I could get him to look into it?

Y/n You’re brothers a cop in Bludhaven What do you think he can do in Gotham?

Jason How do you know that?

Y/N Jason, we’ve been talking for awhile And sometimes when you complain about your brothers, you let information slip past. Not that I mind, everything you tell me I keep to myself But you need to pay more attention to what you’re talking about

Jason Right, sorry I forgot about that

Y/N Have you been sleeping lately?

Jason …no

Y/n Everything okay? Er, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to it’s fine

Jason No it’s okay I want to tell you I just don’t know where to start

Y/n Start wherever, and how much you want to tell me I don’t need the whole picture

Jason I guess I’ve been having nightmares lately

Y/n About when you died? Allegedly

Jason … Don’t know if I should be impressed that that’s where your mind jumps to or not

Y/n It’s a gift

Jason But yeah, that’s what they’re about Someone found me after, and took me in and raised me for a couple of years And then coming going back home It’s a lot I guess Sometimes I feel like I’m broken

Y/n I bet I’m not going to pretend that I know how you feel and I’m not sure what exactly what I can say And I don’t want to invalid your feels, you’re allowed to feel how you feel But you’re not broken, not completely anyways Maybe a little bruised and banged up And like any bruise, they heal with time Sometimes with help sometimes without All depends on if you want it or not

Jason Are you sure you’re not a shrink or something?

Y/N Pretty positive It’s something my mom told me sometimes

Jason Wise women

Y/n You have no idea So, if you ever want to talk, chances are that I’ll be awake at any time

Jason Thank you And as for what Dick could do? Not a whole lot, but he does have friends in the gcpd though

Y/n You think he can do that?

Jason Yeah, he owes me

Y/N He’s your brother Does he have to owe you?

Jason Our relationship is a bit complicated

Y/N You’ve mentioned But if he can do something, that puts my mind at ease a little I’m worried and maybe a little scared

Jason As you should Just be careful okay?

Y/n I will do my best

Y/n (11:30pm) So… Have you heard anything from your brother?

Jason Smooth It hasn’t even been a day

Y/n That’s me The ruler of smooth A lot can happen between now and when you talked to your brother about it

Jason All true you dork And yeah I have Turns out they aren’t just rumours He went to check out the students dorms are they left everything there Usually when someone leaves they bring some clothes and stuff with them right

Y/n Yeah, unless they were in a hurried and couldn’t care less then they would pack important stuff

Jason Yeah but they left everything there Phones, wallets, keys I’m not sure what the connection is and all that But the cops are working hard

Y/n Mm okay At least some things being done about it

Jason Mm

Y/n No sleep tonight?

Jason Not yet Helping my brother with something

Y/n You know, for someone who has a complicated relationship with one’s family You sure do help them a lot

Jason What can I say? I’m a family man

Y/N Is this your way of saying you love your family?

Jason So how’s your dad doing?

Y/N I cannot believe you pulled the same move I used on you, on me This is a disgrace Unacceptable

Jason I’m just using when you taught me

Y/N I didn’t teach you shit

Jason Well it worked, didn’t it?

Y/n Unbelievable

Jason Answer the question

Y/n Okay I guess Tired mostly Says he’s trying to keep busy but my mom tells me he gets tired easily There’s no win win

Jason I’m sorry

Y/n Yup

Jason Still repressing your emotions?

Y/N You know it

Jason I’m here if you want to talk

Y/N Thanks Jason That means a lot

Jason Shouldn’t you be sleeping?

Y/N Yes But I’m currently doing a project that’s due tomorrow

Jason Ouch

Y/N Did you know that the library I’m at is open this late?

Jason Why?

Y/N College students needs books

Jason Yes But you can take them out and bring them home

Y/N I left my library card at home so now I’m stuck here with the book I need until I’m done

Jason See, I want to feel sorry for you But something’s holding me back

Y/N I can see the compassion from here Anyways I should go home soon

—

My phone’s about to die and I don’t have my charger either, you typed out and before you could hit send, you were met with your reflection on a black screen. “No,” you whined, slumping back into your chair. “It’s fine. I’ll just use my laptop, it should work.”

Sitting up straight, you reached over to wake your computer up, you were met with the same fate as your phone. “No, nonono,” you muttered, frantically searching your backpack for your laptop charger. When you couldn’t find it, you dumped everything on the table, hoping you were just blind. But it wasn’t there.

You groaned when you came to the realization that luck wasn’t on your side tonight.

Sighing in defeat, you made a note of the books you were using and the pages before cleaning up the table. As you stuffed your backpack with your things, you took a quick glance at the clock on the wall and cursed. If you don't hurry now, you’ll be late for the last train for the night.

If there’s one thing you hated most about Gotham, it was walking home really late at night. And the last you wanted to do was that, also you didn’t want to make Jason worry.

With the rest of your stuff hazardously stuffed into the backpack, you raced out of the library hoping to make the last train.

—

Jason You good? Home yet? Is everything okay? Hellooo? What happened? Are you safe?

—

Nothing. There was no response and when Jason tried to call you, it went straight to voicemail. No matter how many times he called, it always yielded the same result.

Jason is not worried. He knows you're busy with your project. Maybe you misplaced your phone while talking to someone. Or you’re already on your way home and need to concentrate on getting home. He vaguely recalls you saying you take the train to and from school.

Lighting up his phone to check the time, he nodded to himself. Yeah, that was it. You were just busy and on your way home. Jason’s not worried, he’s not.

“You okay there Jay?” Dick asked in concern, “you look a little worried there.”

Okay, so maybe he’s a little worried and maybe a little scared of what could potentially happen. In Gotham…At night.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jason lied, trying to push images of you hurt away. It didn’t help that there was this group out there kidnapping college students. For what, who knows. Jason only hoped that you didn’t get mixed up in it.

Dick leaned in front of him and poked Jason’s forehead. “Are you sure? Your brow is pinched like you ate something sour,” he commented and Jason pushed him away with a scowl.

“Maybe he’s worried about his new friend,” Tim sang from the Bat computer. “It’s awfully late for a college student to be out in Gotham.”

Jason whipped his head around so fast, he was surprised he didn’t get whiplash. “How the fuck do you know?! I haven’t told you shit.”

“I’m a detective, Jason, I detect,” Tim pointily said, pressing buttons on the keyboard before a file with pictures of you showed on the screen. “Gotta say, they are kinda cute.”

“Why are you spying on them?” Jason asked, trying to keep his voice even. He was pissed he couldn’t have something in his life to himself. But his nosey siblings had to meddle in his life, love life too. It's like they have no life outside of fighting crime.

“I was bored,” he replied as Dick made his way over to the computer. No doubt curious on what Tim found.

“Don’t you have cases to solve?”

Tim shrugged, clicking through photos of you, which only served to piss Jason off even more. Why is it that he wanted to slowly get to learn more about you, that his brothers decided to do a deep dive without his permission? Times like these made him wish he stayed dead. “Your love life is more interesting at the moment.”

“Well, you can fuck off then,” he said, grabbing his Red Hood helmet from the nearby table and put it on.

“Where are you going?” Dick called over the roar of Jason’s motorcycle.

“Anywhere that’s not here,” he answered and sped off.

He had meant to drive aimlessly, but soon he found his way towards the library you were currently studying in.

He couldn’t get the images of you hurt out of his mind, and he convinced himself that it was fine to make sure you were okay. Otherwise, he’d be drowning in worry.

As he drove, he heard a cry for help. He almost dismissed it, thinking that someone who was on patrol would help them. But with his bike in idle, he heard it. Granted, the last time he heard your voice, you were all nasally with a hoarse voice from a sore throat. But he recognized you’re voice anywhere.

Parking his bike, he unholstered his gun and slowly made his way to the alley that your voice came from. Peeking his head around the corner, he saw you fighting with someone over your backpack. You held your own for a while, and Jason could only wait until there was an opening.

Was there a little part of him that wanted to see you fight? Maybe. but he doesn’t want to think about that now.

“Let go you asshole,” you grunted, pulling your backpack hard enough that the mugger tripped forward. Which gave you the time to kick him in the balls, hard. Jason winced at the impact and the mugger staggered backwards with a groan and you successfully gained back your bag. “Ha!”

“You bitch!” he yelled and lunged towards you. But before either of you could do anything, Jason surged forward and shot him in the leg. The both of you screamed, you at the sudden noise and the mugger at the pain. Without looking to see who was there, you ducked behind a dumpster, out of harms way.

Clever Little Bird, Jason thought as he stalked towards his prey. “Your mom ever teach you manners?” Jason asked. The mugger shook his head and begged Jason not to kill him. Jason was tempted too, but an annoying voice in the back of his mind, who sounded suspiciously like Bruce, whispered, don’t kill.

“Nah, I’m not gonna kill ya,” he grumbled and waved him away with his gun. “But if I see ya again, I ain’t making any promises.” He took it as it was, and limped away as fast as he could. Jason watched as he disappeared before holstering his gun and turned around towards you with a frown. You were curled in on yourself, hugging your bag tight.

“Hey,” he said softly, reaching out to tap you on your shoulders. With no warning, you quickly spun around and hit him with your bag. He winced as it collided with his chest, surprising him.

“Oh my god!” you exclaimed once you realized who he was. You dropped your arms from the next attack Jason had no doubt would have followed through. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize it was you.”

“What are you packing in there?” he grunted as he rubbed his chest, “fucking bricks?”

“Textbooks,” you answered sheepishly, hugging your backpack to your chest. “I’m really sorry I thought you were someone else.”

“No worries, I ain’t mad,” he said with a smile. Though you couldn’t see it given the helmet. “Hellva reflex though. Not many would fight back.”

You shrugged, tightening your grip on the backpack. The adrenaline must be wearing off, Jason noted. You were starting to shake. “What can I say? My flight or fight kicked in and there was nowhere to run.”

“Still,” he said, taking the moment to study you, and wishing he had shot the punk when he clocked the bruise forming under your eye. Other than that, there was nothing of note to worry about. Physically at least. Emotionally, he had no idea where your mind was at. “Are you doing okay?”

“Uh maybe?” you said, unsure yourself. You took a deep breath to calm yourself but it came out shakily. “I don’t know. I will be, once I’m home though.”

“Need a lift?” Jason offered, catching you by surprise. You lifted your head to look at him, eyes narrowed. As if you were trying to see under the helmet. He stood there and waited. Eventually, you shook your head. Disappointment filtered through Jason but he pushed it down.

“Thanks, but I’m just down the street. Don’t think anything else can happen between here and there,” you said and Jason’s heart leaped at all the possibilities of what could happen.

“You’re gonna jinx yourself if you keep saying stuff like that,” he pointed out. You only shrugged and gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat.

“I’m sure an angel is looking out for me,” you said, getting enough courage to pat him on the chest as you walked past him. “Be seeing ya, Red.”

Jason stood there for a moment and shook his head with a smile. You sure were something else. Though it was a short distance to your place, it didn’t stop Red Hood from following you until you made it to your apartment. Even then, he stayed on the roof adjacent to your building, waiting for your message saying you were okay.

You stood in front of your apartment door, keys in hand and frowned. With the adrenaline completely out of your system, and finally being alone, your mind raced with the events that transpired over the last couple of hours.

You had managed to make the last train and the journey was uneventful. It wasn’t until the walk home that your luck turned bad.

You were so focused on getting home that you didn’t notice the guy following you until he grabbed your backpack. You fought, Red Hood showered up surprising you and talked before going home.

You blinked at the memory. If you weren’t so in your head, you’d be giddy that you actually talked to Red Hood. You talked to Red Hood. What the fuck? You’re not even sure if you flirted with him near the end or not. But you were still processing everything.

You shook your head, trying to get out of it. You didn’t want to go inside. Going inside meant being alone, alone with your thoughts and that’s the last thing you wanted.

What you wanted was company, what you wanted was someone you haven’t even met yet, yet you knew you’d feel better after seeing him. You wondered if you called Jason, if he would pick up and ask to meet up. It couldn’t hurt to try.

With a half-baked plan, you finally unlocked the door. The first thing you do is plug in your phone, the second is to shower.

You wanted it to be quick, the faster you're done the faster you can leave the apartment. But you’re not sure what happened between grabbing your clothes and now. You just know that when you come to, your hair is wet and dressed in your comfortable clothes, and you find yourself standing in front of the mirror.

You feel better, if only a little. You wince at the bruise and you could cover it up, but you’re tired and you don’t want to stay here any longer than you already have. Instead, you bushed your hair and leave the bathroom.

With your phone half charged, you grab it and your keys and wallet before leaving the apartment. As you walk towards the elevator, you open up your phone to see a few missed calls from your sister and Jason, and some texts from Jason asking if you’re okay. You made a note to call your sister in the morning and tried to ignore the guilt at seeing the messages from Jason. You pressed the button for the elevator, your thumb hovering over Jason’s name.

Maybe calling him will be a mistake, Despair whispered in your ear.

Or, maybe it’ll be the best thing in the world and you won’t regret it, Desire countered. And hope bloomed a little in your chest. With that, you pressed the call button without much thought and brought the phone to your ear.

One ring, you step in the elevator as you begin to second guess yourself that this was a bad idea. Second ring, you press the button for the lobby, starting to panic. Maybe he won’t pick up. Half of you hoped. By the third ring, you're off the elevator and almost hung up when the call connects.

“Little Bird?” Jason answered, and the grip on the phone tightened. You really didn’t think he’d pick up, and he doesn’t sound tired. For how late it is, anyways. If anything, he sounds awake, like he was waiting for something.

Guilt rears back into your stomach again when you realize he was waiting for you. Tears start to pool in the corner of your eyes, and you blink them away. You didn’t want to cry, that was for later, when you're curled up in a ball in bed. Waiting for sleep that you know will never come.

“Hey, you still there?” Jason asked, voice soft as if he knew that’s what you needed right now. Your heart warms at the person you’re slowly falling for. You clear your throat and hope your voice sounds normal when you answer.

“Hi,” your answer is a whisper, and you find yourself you don’t care.

“Hi,” he greeted back and you could hear the smile in his voice. “I’m surprised you're still awake. Figured you’d be in bed by now.”

"Yeah, me too. But I’m too wired to sleep,” you said, forcing your feet to move. You start walking out of the building and towards your favourite café that’s near your place. “Surprised you’re awake too. Still helping your brother?”

You’re so engrossed with your conversation, that you don’t feel eyes on you as you walk. And Jason hoped to keep it that way. “Nah, doing my own thing before going to bed. Surprised you called though. Usually, you shoot me a message.”

You stall for a moment, almost tripping on your feet, before walking again. “Er, yeah. Sorry I just…I don’t know.”

“You don’t have to say sorry. I don’t mind talking either. Besides, you've voice is music to my ears," Jason said, and you try not the blush with how casual he says things like that. "So, what’s up?”

You’re quiet for a second, chewing on your lip before blurting out the question, “do you want to meet up?”

You’re met with and you close your eyes at your stupidity. “Sorry,” you started, “that was stupid. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I get it. It’s fine. Plus, it’s super late, like two in the morning late. And we should be sleeping but the thought of being alone right now scares me. And I don’t want to be alone and I just really need some company. And I thought why not Jason? I wanted to meet him for awhile and I’ve now realized it was bad timing and-”

“Are you sure?” Jason interrupted your rambling and you couldn’t be more thankful. You were positive you would big yourself in a hole you couldn’t get out of if you kept talking.

“Sure about what?” you asked dumbly, as if you forgot what you had just asked him. You’ve reached the café and stood in front of the door, peering in.

“That you want to meet up,” Jason said with a chuckle.

“Oh, uh yeah, I am sure,” you said with a nod. “I mean if that’s okay with you?”

“Sure is,” he said, “can I ask what brought this on?”

You're silent for a moment, debating whether to answer him or wait until he’s here to say. But you think of the bruise under your eye and you think it’s better to tell him now. “I, um, almost got mugged on my way home. He didn’t get my stuff, but he did clock me in the face. Could be worse though, but I don’t want to be alone right now.”

“Shit,” he breathed out, “are you okay?”

“Sorry,” you mumbled to the couple coming out of the café and stepped aside to let them go. You shrug even though he couldn’t see you. “Like I said, it could be worse.”

“Don’t. Don’t downplay what happened to you,” Jason said softly, “anyone would be shaken up after a mugging. You’re allowed to not be okay, sweetheart.”

The simple sentence is what breaks you, and you start letting the tears fall down your cheeks. “Damnit,” you mumbled, wiping your eyes with the sleeve of your sweater. “Have me crying in public Jason, not cool.”

“Sorry sweetie. Where are you? I’ll get there as soon as I can.” You rattle where you are and you can feel Jason’s smile through the phone. “I know the place. Order me a hot chocolate and I’ll be there in twenty.”

“Try not to break any laws now, Jason,” you muttered, though you smile all the same. Knowing you’ll meet Jason soon has you in better spirits since the incident happened.

“No promises.” With that, you hang up and walk into the building. You tell the barista your fine when she asks about the bruise and order your usual and Jason’s drink with a cake and find an empty table. You find yourself in the corner by a window, making your way over and you set your order down and sit facing the door.

You’re scrolling through your phone while you wait, trying to keep yourself distracted. And it helped with Jason texting you updates on what’s happening. You find it endearing, and a little silly, but it keeps you from spiraling and you're thankful.

Before you know it, you hear a roar of a motorcycle driving past, and you look up just in time to see them part in front of the building. You watch as they turn off the bike and climb off before taking the helmet off.

Breath escapes you as you recognize who it is, and pictures didn’t do Jason justice. Jason’s pretty, and you like the little white strip he has in his hair. It suits him, somehow.

Lifting your phone, you take a picture of him fluffing out his hair and type out a message saying you see him before sending it to him. You watch as he takes out his phone, frowning a little at the message. He whipped his head up and scanned the building until his eyes landed on you. All you can do is wave, and your heart almost leaps out of your chest at the smile he gives you.

It's brighter than you imagined and you're okay with it. Your eyes follow him as he makes his way inside. You stand when he makes his way towards you and you smile as he stands in front of you.

“Hi.”

There’s a moment of silence between the two of you before you start to laugh. Not a full belly laugh, just a light chuckle as if someone told you a joke. You’re not sure why you find the whole thing funny, but you do. Maybe you're too tired to fully process it completely.

“Are you okay?” Jason asked, a little worried. He took a step forward, arms moving to give you a hug, but stopped himself. Worried that you wouldn’t appreciate the gesture, scared that you might reject his touch. Your heart warms at the hesitation and you make the decision for him. Stepping forward, you wrap your arms around him and practically met into his chest.

After a moment of hesitation, Jason wraps his arms around you, hugging you tight. It's one of the best hugs you’ve ever had, and you can't seem to remember the last time someone hugged you that wasn’t family.

“I am now,” you whispered, blinking away more tears. “Sorry if this first meeting isn’t exactly to your expectations.”

“Nah, I wouldn’t change this for the world,” he said, leaning back a little. Snaking one hand to your chin, he gently lifted your face to look at you. He hissed a little at the bruising and you can’t seem to find yourself to be embarrassed about. Not with the look Jason’s giving you, like you’re the only person who matters to him.

“That’s good,” you mumbled, blushing a little with the attention he was giving you. You pull away a little, only to pull him to sit down. Your feet started to hurt and you needed to let them rest. Sitting across from him, you wrap your hands around your cup and let the heat seep into them. “You know, I almost didn’t call. Was too afraid you’d say no or something.”

Jason leaned over a bit and took off his jacket and you tried to not openly stare at his arms.

“Don’t think I could say no to you,” Jason said, taking a sip from his drink as you averted your gaze to his face. “But I’m glad you called, I was trying to work up the nerve to ask you to a coffee date or something. Something always stopped me though.”

“Well, we’re here now,” you pointed out, leaning over the table with a smile. “Nothing we can do but move forward.”

“Wise words coming from a lady who thought I was asking for a booty call,” Jason said with a smirk. You gasped at the reminder, and reached over to pull the plate of cake you had bought to share with him.

“You know, just for that, I’m not sharing this with you,” you said, and moved the plate closer when Jason moved to grab it.

“Now that’s not fair, Little Bird. It’s been a tough night dealing with my brothers all night, I need a little pick me up,” he said, trying to grab the plate from you again. You moved it just before he could grab it, and stuck your nose in the air.

“Guess you should have thought about that before insulting me, good sir.” Jason snorted, mock surrendering. You giggled and moved the plate back to the middle. “How was your night? Anything interesting happen?”

“Nah, not really. Turned out he didn’t really need my help, just said that to rope me in for family supper,” Jason answered, picking up the fork and stabbing a piece of cake before eating it.

“If you’re gonna be mean to the cake, I won’t share,” you threatened, trying not to smile when he gave you a look. “Family dinner huh? Can’t be all that bad.”

“It’s not,” Jason hummed, “I get to eat Alfred’s cooking and there are some siblings I don’t mind hanging out with. It can be too much sometimes, you know? Like they lived their lives while I was somewhere out there being raised by different people, you know?”

“Mm not really but I can imagine,” you said, smiling when he snorted. “But they’re trying, that’s all you can ask for. Question is though, are you trying?”

Jason shifted as you stared at him with raised eyebrows. “What is this? An interrogation?”

“Can be if you want it to be,” you quipped back. Following his lead as he leaned forward.

“If anyone’s gonna do the questioning, it’s gonna be me.”

“You think so?”

“I know so, Little Bird.”

The two of you stare at each other, waiting to see who cracks first at the challenge. You blink and you know you’ve lost. “Yeah okay. But you didn’t answer my question,” you reminded him, leaning back.

“Yeah I’m trying, just hard,” he answered and he took a moment to study you. “Are you doing okay? Not to be rude, but you look exhausted.”

You snort and rub your eyes only to wince when you touch the bruise. “I don’t know. I haven’t really had time to process everything properly.”

“How’d you mean?”

“Like I didn’t sit down and cry about it yet. When I got home all I wanted to do was leave. But I forced myself to shower but I think I blacked out or something, I don’t know. I don’t remember it. After that, I left my apartment as fast as I could and called you.”

“Which I’m glad you did, but now you have to take a moment and let it sink in. You can take it now, let yourself not be okay, I won’t judge. Hell, I’m probably the last person to judge.”

You gave him a sad smile and slowly slumping down into your seat, trying to hide from the mostly empty café. As if sensing what you’re trying to do, Jason gets up and moves to sit beside you, angling his body so you’re hidden from view.

A wave of fondness washes over you, and you think he can’t surprise you anymore then he already has. Taking a deep breath, you slowly let it out and close your eyes. Listening to Jason and let yourself not be okay.

The night plays like a movie behind your eyelids and you fight to keep it playing. You feel all the emotions that you managed to push away hit you like a truck, making you tear up. You cover your eyes with your arm and feel movement from beside you.

But you're too embarrassed to look, so you wait until Jason’s right beside you.

“I’m going to hug you okay?” You hear Jason whisper close to your ear. You nod and almost flinch when his arms snake around your waist, but you don’t. This touch is warm, caring. The complete opposite of the mugger. You feel safe for the first time that night.

You relaxed in Jason’s embrace and balled your firsts in his shirt as you cried. He sat there, rubbing your side, whispering that you’re okay, that it will be okay, and waited until you were done.

You sniffle when the sob has subsided but you don’t let go just yet. You’re exhausted, embarrassed that you ended up crying on Jason, and you're not yet ready to face him.

“You’re okay,” Jason murmured, squeezing you reassuringly. You only nod, moving slightly to wipe your nose with your sleeve. But as you move to do that, there’s a napkin in front of you.

“Thanks,” you muttered, taking it and blowing your nose.

“Feeling better?” Jason asked, moving slightly but he kept you in his hold. And you're grateful for it. His touch was something you could get used to.

“Yeah, much. I think I could sleep forever,” you joked, leaning into him you felt his chuckle more then heard it.

“Please don’t, I enjoy your company,” he said and you smiled. “I hope you feel the same.”

“I do,” you hummed, “I’m sorry for crying all over you. I think I got your shirt all wet and snotty.”

“Nothing to be sorry for. It was something you needed and I’ll gladly be your shoulder to cry on.”

Silence settled between you, and you closed your eyes feeling the need to sleep. The two of you stayed like that until Jason could feel your body relax into sleeping.

“Come on, I think it’s time for you to go home,” Jason stated, shaking you a little to keep you awake.

“Noooo,” you whined, pouting as you sat up slowly. “But I’m having a great time.”

“You need sleep,” Jason pointed out, collecting your garbage and standing to throw it out. When he came back, he put on his jacket and smirked as you stared. “We can always hang out another time. Maybe next time it won’t happen at three in the morning.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” he answered, holding out his hand. You blinked at it before grabbing it and he helped you up. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

“You don’t have to have,” you said, quick to shake your head.

“Please? For my peace of mind,” Jason said as he walked the both of you out. “Plus it prolongs the time I get to spend time with you.”

Opening your mouth to argue, you stop yourself and feel the blush creeping into your cheeks. “Fine,” you agreed begrudgingly, though glad for the company.

The walk was short, you spent the time talking about anything that came to mind. And before you knew it you were standing in front of your door. Jason had insisted on walking you up, to make sure you didn’t trip on anything. He had claimed and you didn’t seem to mind.

You have thought about inviting him in, but sleep was calling you and you didn’t want to seem too eager.

“So this is me,” you said awkwardly, unsure how to say goodnight.

“I had a good time,” he said, smiling. You squinted up at him, only now realizing how tall he was.

“I ended up crying.”

“You had a bad night, you deserved to cry after what happened to you,” he countered. “Like I said, I’m the last person to judge.”

“I’m going to get that story one day,” you challenged, and he leaned down a little, smirking. Cocky bastard.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said, and you gently punched him in the chest with a laugh.

“Text me when you get home?”

“Awe, you worried about me,” he teased. You rolled your eyes as you took your keys out and unlocked the door.

“I can unworry about you,” you said, swinging the door open. Before going in, you turned and gave him a hug, squeezing tight. “Thanks, for you know.”

Jason returned the hug and buried his nose in your hair. “Anytime. Glad you're feeling better.”

You stay like that for a moment before Jason lets you go. He cupped your cheeks and for a brief moment, you thought he might kiss you.

“Night Little Bird, see you soon.”

With that, he turned and walked down the hallway, leaving you feeling warm inside.

Walking in, you unlocked the door and immediately plopped into your bed, letting your body relax. Sleep pulled at you but you were determined to stay awake until Jason texted.

But sleep was just as determined and stronger, you fell asleep just as your phone chimed.

Jason I’m home

#jason todd x reader #jason todd gn!reader #jason todd #batman imagine #online match up #my writing

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moodymisty · 7 months

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Alright I gotta represent for us in the Rogal Dorn Simp Nation, Misty! This idea fell directly on my head from my old history nerd childhood, we’ve got stories of queens holding down the fort and being badass while the king is away so why not let the lady of the House of Dorn and the Imperial Fists kick some ass??? Dorn’s off doing y’know crusade shit etc etc and gets a frantic vox hail from Inwit (or whatever fortress world she was on) that they’re under attack. Luckily he’s done with whatever his assignment was or has somebody he can trust and leave it to so he can flip Phalanx in reverse and hop back to make sure nothing goes wrong. Only to find his beloved commanding the standing force of guardsmen and marines, not just holding it down but WINNING. On the outside he’s his usual stoic self like “psh yes of course I wasn’t worried, I never worry, this is something I expect her to be able to handle. I am proud tho” but internally he’s like “oh no this is hot” XD. Indomitable warrior queen decked out in armor he probably commissioned for her (always gotta be prepared) making battle plans and laying the verbal smack down on any captains or commissars who are questioning the competency of somebody ROGAL GODDAMN DORN chose to be with. Yeah I think that’d do a whole lot for him 😂

Having soft moments of reflection on his humanity matched against his beloved’s is delicious of course but so is meeting him where HE’S at, seeing how loving him and learning about him would change somebody. And getting to commit some grand old grimdark 40k VIOLENCE is always fun lol

[ 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖞𝕸𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖞'𝖘 𝕸𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙 | 𝕬𝖔3 ]

Author's Note: We are on the front lines for Wall Husband I will go down with this ship. Boring this bland that fuck everyone else we're right I'm stacking bricks around them

Summary: Stuck in a violent snowstorm on an Imperial Fist controlled planet being sieged, you take command for the first time while waiting for Dorn.

Relationships: Rogal Dorn/Fem!Reader

Warnings: Dorn is your future husband and Alexis Polux is your battle husband it's like a work husband but much more violent, Mentions of battle and death, Typical 40kness, I think I blacked out while writing this I'm sorry

Word Count: 2566

You had known from the very beginning of your courtship that Dorn had wished for you to be a link in his chain of command.

What you hadn't expected, was for your first time in leadership to be completely alone, surrounded by no less than fifty Astartes waiting for orders, and five hundred or more Guardsmen half frozen due to the horrid weather; With a multitude of tech priests working on the various machinery and equipment.

This sun up makes it a week since the siege had began, the distant sounds of bolter fire constant. Sometimes the ground shakes from explosions, pulling dust off the cracks in the brick walls.

Walking down the east hall, you step into the large room that has been made into a sort of 'central command' to coordinate the current forces, stuffed tight with a massive holotable and various tech priests scattered around it. Some are working on fixing any malfunctioning machinery, such as the vox equipment that has had trouble maintaining a signal even on-planet through the storm.

You look around to see if anything drastic has changed in your absence. In the moment, you notice a familiar face; A commissar from the beginning of this week. He has the most command over the Guardsmen under you, having been their only superior before the invasion. Any captains or other commissars had been made to report to him, up until now. His closest in rank subordinate had been killed in an explosion on the first day, and in a morose thought, you wonder if they had been any more palatable than he is.

"Any progress hailing the Phalanx?"

He gives you a curt shake of his head, looking over the shoulder of the tech priest operating the vox equipment. Another harsh whip of wind batters against the walls, howling and shaking the glass windows. It rattles them almost just as bad as the distant explosions do.

"Nothing more than a few seconds at a time. But it should be enough of a message for them to understand the planet is under siege." The Commissar speaks short and stiff, face frozen in a neutral, stoic gaze underneath his uniform and few day old facial scruff. You cross your arms.

He's on his best behavior now, considering his disrespect shortly after you'd taken command had nearly gotten his head rent from his shoulders. He hadn't realized he was speaking to the Lady of the Imperial Fists, but the Astartes that had been in your company to deliver the news of your ascension in duty hadn't given him the leeway he might've thought he deserved. He acquiesced command of his guardsmen to you quite quickly, after that. There has been nary a squeal from him since, nor any of his fellow commissars or guard captains.

"Good. Then we will hopefully have aid soon. For now we need to push them back from the storage buildings before my men run out of bolter ammo."

Not that they can't work with just their chainswords, but long range options remain vital considering the hostile terrain you're all working with.

You hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

Alexis Polux, a veritable giant of a man, is nearly unable to get through even a doorway meant for fellow Astartes; Though not of his size. His armor is packed with snow at the seams, pauldrons slick with snow melted into a sheet of ice. His thin, blonde hair is quickly becoming wet at the tips, from where snowflakes are melting in the slight heat of the room. Anywhere he walks, he leaves chunks of melting sleet right behind. It has to be almost packed a meter high at this point out there, judging where the worst of it ends on his leg armor.

"Welcome back, Captain Polux." You smile in spite of the situation. It's something that Dorn had said he found- in his own words- 'curious' about you.

He holds his helm in his hands, walking closer to you. He brushes past the Commissar with not even the slightest tilt of acknowledgement. Unsurprising. He'd been there when the man had questioned your acting in Dorn's proxy. Polux is a man of a surprisingly amount of humility and softspokenness, but he is rarely forgiving.

"The storm is getting worse."

You hear another bout of wind howl through the brick and stone, as it continues to dump more snow onto the ground. While the Astartes can traverse it without much issue, it's becoming one for the Guardsmen. They've slowed their advance significantly as the snow reaches their knees.

"Even if we do get aid, they're going to be hard pressed to get anything more than small gunship planet-side; Though it goes both ways. We're all stuck out here in this mess." You open your mouth to continue, but Polux cuts you off.

"They are not built for the cold like we are."

You look up to the massive marine who's been serving as your second in command. Perhaps it wasn't an officially given title, but he's taken it well, and you could think of no better man for it. Especially given that the other Astartes respect him- which makes your orders have less of a weight to them, given they still have a degree of unfamiliarity with you. Your hands rest on the rim of the holotable.

"Finished my sentence for me." He hums as an odd sort of apology, the humor of your response going right over his head. When you let out a soft chuff of a laugh a few guardsmen curiously look at you for a moment.

"It was a compliment, Polux." He stares, eyes flicking across your face as he loudly thinks.

He really is a Son of Dorn.

You resist the urge to smile again, and look down at the holotable. It's been quite the week, but what was once another language has now become nothing but second nature. Putting theory to practice has proved quicker and less frightening that you'd thought, a week ago.

Though you still hope Dorn returns to you soon, turning away from the holotable to receive an update from a guardsmen holding a dataslate.

If anyone had ever asked, Rogal Dorn has remained no different than the stalwart nature he's always had. Though his captains and commanders can hear tenseness in his voice. No matter how phenomally well the Primarch can mask it.

It's been there since they'd first gotten the first of multiple emergency vox hails, only a few seconds long with a barely stable connection. But the few words that had gotten through had made it obvious that the planet was being sieged.

One of their bases was being sieged, a spit in the face of the Imperial Fists.

Even worse, Dorn has no idea as to your welfare.

He'd thought you safe there, the safest you could be other than with him or on Inwit, and now you stand on a world being laid waste with no way to contact anyone off world. He wonders deep in a part of his mind if it was an error on his part.

They're less than a day out now, watching the warp tear by. Dorn stands at the ship's bridge- unmovable. He'll see the planet any moment now when they leave Warp travel, and then can he prepare for what all is ahead of him.

He has the utmost faith in his men and you. However that doesn't mean that a small, human part of him doesn't worry at the idea of you being stuck mid-siege in an unknown location.

He taught you well. He taught you well. A mantra in his head no one else can hear. It is up to yourself to survive without him.

The siege isn't visible from orbit when they arrive, given the massive storm blocking large swaths of the land in a white blanket. It will making landing difficult, but the storm is clearing- at least according to the tech priest currently in charge. Not long after orders are given to begin battering the enemy's battleships as they strike back, shields taking a sizable hit. Nothing the Eternal Crusader and it's crew cannot handle.

But it doesn't feel as if the ice storm is clearing with the way the gunships struggle to remain stable, even with the most competent of pilot. Though they still manage to land on solid footing in one piece, the wind whipping their armor like a flog. Sheets of snow blow across snow already heavily packed onto the ground, covering up the large footprints of Astartes that had been here moments before them. The stone of the steps is barely visible through it all.

Dorn strides forward, the snow sticking to his boots as he trudges through it. He can hear bolter fire in the distance, as well as what seems like the highpowered cannon of multiple Baneblades. A small team of five Astartes follow behind him, two on each side and one directly behind. They have their bolters raised, ever vigilant even well in the safely of their own area of control. Wind rips through his cropped hair and howls in his ears, and for a split second, he perhaps regrets not wearing his helm. Even for a man of Inwit, this cold stings; He can hear the ice and snow crunching in the seams of his armor.

Stepping inside the cathedral, the first thing he notes is the myriad of supplies stacked inside in the aisles, safe from the elements. Guardsmen are looking after them, divvying them out amongst themselves, or delivering them to the Astartes in need of them. Of which there are a few- Imperial Fist guards from before the siege began. Most seem in decent condition; Dorn notes a lack of injuries amongst the Guardsmen and Astartes alike, and how there seems to be an established system amongst them.

He keeps walking through the nave, passing Guardsmen and Astartes who all give him a drop of the head when he passes.

"Primarch Dorn!"

An Imperial Fist Lieutenant calls to him, helmet in his hand. He has blood on his lips from where his skin has split, the cold having whipped his skin dry. Going down the few steps of the ambulatory, he gives a curt nod.

"Lady Dorn and Captain Polux are in the east hall. Central command has been established there."

He affirms to the warrior and turns, walking through the transept and down the hall. The one who'd spoken to him seems to have other duties, and stays behind on the ambulatory.

He can hear chatter in the large, arched hall- it increases until he reaches the door it's bleeding from, and he opens it and ducks to come through. It's just too short for him, but the ceiling inside can thankfully handle someone of his height. It's a thought that is always in the back of his mind.

When Dorn enters the room, the first thing his eyes focus on is you; Leaning over a massive holotable with Captain Alexis Polux standing firmly at your side. He stands like an unmoving guardian, a hand on the pommel of his chainsword. He's the closest to you out of anyone in the room- either out of his own will, or the gargantuan Astartes has incidentally created a personal area of clearance around you both with his presence alone.

"Dorn!"

You say, an audible pep in your voice. The Primarch walks closer and examines the scene in front of him. You appear uninjured, apart from your skin being slightly pallid from the cold.

The Primarch notices how everyone operates around you with a level of assiduity and efficiency, having been giving clear cut duties. There is no arguing, no fighting, everyone both in this room and all around the cathedral operate smoothly. You have a perimeter established, and you’ve been careful to push the advance but not stretch yourself too thin.

You've done well. That much is clear. A part of him wonders if you'd be able to clean this all up on your own, had he decided to simply give you the reinforcements and leave.

Dorn watches as you momentarily turn away from him to speak to an approaching commissar, and he finds himself listening to your confident and assured tone of voice. A thought crosses his mind.

You look beautiful.

All of your inquiries, curious questions and shaking confidence in your ability to lead have all mixed together, and while you might have made different choices than him, he cannot deny your effectiveness.

Dorn decides to speak before he distracts himself within his own mind further. A hold of your hand or to take a kiss of yours are things reserved for private, not here. As much as he might wish to.

"You appear to have done well for yourselves."

You look up at him and give a wry smile, while he glances at the holotable in-between you both.

"It could be worse. I have a squad of Astartes stuck behind enemy lines, but we've pushed the enemy back from the supply warehouses."

This planet has large city buildings that the wind rips around through, unlike the shorter ones of Inwit. The Astartes are fine in their sealed suits and higher body temperature, but the Guardsmen are all struggling. You more than likely are as well, despite holding strong. He can see the chill on your skin, the cracked skin of your lips.

Dorn's reinforcements will provide valuable support to yours, and with their might together, this planet with be rid of the siege.

You turn to order that the men currently in the battlefield get notice that Primarch Dorn has arrived, and that reinforcements are coming. Besides the soon coming tactical advantage, it will provide a well needed boost to moral. With the intense weather, it has surely been lowering. Though your smile and optimistic look in your eyes prove to be a valuable motivator.

No matter how good the orders, often times the way they're said and the person giving them are what matter most.

The Primarch looks to Captain Polux, and gives him a curt nod. The Astartes politely returns a dip of his head in thanks to the silent compliment of his duty. Dorn then looks back to you.

"You and any men injured will return to the Eternal Crusader." You let out a laugh and shake your head. He can hear the rattle of the bolter on your hip.

"Well now that I've started this, I'm kind of keen on seeing it finished before I leave."

Dorn's eyebrows raise ever so slightly, amused by you. He taught you well, he repeats again. Your command over a such a less than optimal situation has proven as such.

The Lady of the Imperial Fists has proven herself not only to be smart, beautiful, and full of humility, but to be stalwart and confident as well.

"Very well."

He'll stay at your side, and judging by his solid stance, Polux will as well.

Dorn very rarely has doubts, but your confidence and ability to adapt have solidified his thoughts that he had made the right choice in you. His 'sons' taking well to your command makes it far easier.

They will have to when you officially become his wife, after all. You have already accepted the title of Lady Dorn, he has no reason to not seal your bond. There hasn't been much else in his life he has been more sure of.

Ignoring any of his more personal desires in the back of his mind, Primarch Rogal Dorn abides by your request, eyes focused more on your lips as you smile at him.

#gee i wonder if my favorite astartes are obvious if you read my stuff #just wait until i write for Konrad and 90% of the fic is actually just Sevatar because I love him uwu #rogal dorn x reader #Rogal Dorn/Reader #primarch x reader #warhammer 40k x reader #reader insert #reader #mywriting

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afeelgoodblog · 1 year

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The Best News of Last Week - February 13, 2023

Hello there! Welcome to another edition of ‘Feel Good Newsletter’. I'm so glad you're here. Every week, I scour the web for the most uplifting and heartwarming stories to bring you a little bit of joy and inspiration. So, sit back, relax, and let's dive in!

1. Minnesota House passes "universal" school meals, providing free breakfast, lunch to students

The Minnesota House of Representatives is considering a bill that would provide universal school meals to all students in the state, regardless of their families' ability to pay. The goal of the bill is to ensure that all students have access to nutritious meals and are better equipped to learn in the classroom.

If the bill is approved, Minnesota would become the second state in the country, after California, to offer universal school meals. The bill has the support of education and anti-hunger advocates, who argue that it would help to address food insecurity and improve student health and academic performance.

2. Ukraine succeeds in bringing back 128 children forcibly removed to Russia

Ukraine has succeeded in bringing back 128 children forcibly taken by the invaders to Russia.

Source: Yuliia Usenko, Head of the Department for the Protection of the Interests of Children and Combating Violence of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, quoted by Ukrinform

Quote: "We have managed to bring 128 children back to Ukraine. More than 50 of them, together with their parents or guardians, are currently in EU countries.

3. Putting solar panels in grazing fields is good for sheep

A study found that installing solar panels in grazing fields is beneficial for sheep. The study was conducted in the UK and found that sheep were more likely to spend time in areas with solar panels than in areas without. This is because the panels provide shade and shelter from the sun, wind, and rain.

The researchers believe that this could help to improve the welfare of sheep, as they are more likely to seek out shade in hot weather, which can reduce the risk of heat stress. The study also found that the solar panels had little impact on the growth and health of the grass, which is important for the sheep's diet.

4. Dad takes toddler son for a manicure after teacher says it's 'only for girls'

The father and son were at a "Daddy and Me" event, where fathers were encouraged to spend time with their children doing various activities. The father chose to take his son to get a manicure, but was told by the teacher in charge of the activity that it was only for girls. The father was reportedly surprised and upset by the teacher's statement, as he felt that it was important for his son to be able to express himself however he wants, without gender stereotypes getting in the way.

The article notes that the incident highlights the ongoing issue of gender stereotypes and the importance of promoting gender equality and inclusivity, especially in children's activities.

4. More than half of new U.S. electric-generating capacity in 2023 will be solar, and only 14% will be using fossil fuels

Information Administration (EIA), energy production in the country increased for the fourth consecutive week. The EIA data showed that the output of oil, natural gas, and coal rose by 1.6%, 2.2%, and 3.2% respectively. The increase in energy production is due to a combination of factors, including improved drilling techniques, favorable weather conditions, and rising global demand for energy.

5. Deforestation in Brazil falls by 60% in first month under Lula

Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil fell for the first time this year, according to a report by Reuters. The decrease is attributed to increased enforcement of environmental regulations and increased monitoring of illegal logging activities. The Brazilian government has implemented several measures to reduce deforestation and preserve the Amazon rainforest, which is a critical component of the global ecosystem.

6. Cat returned to NJ shelter for being 'too affectionate' now happy in his new home

A cat named Bruno surrendered to a shelter in New Jersey and was eventually adopted by a new family. Bruno, who was described as a friendly and affectionate cat, is now happily settling into his new home. The story of Bruno's adoption serves as a reminder of the importance of animal shelters and the work they do to find loving homes for abandoned pets.

7. A doggy day care was on fire. Neighbors helped save all 115 dogs inside.

A fire broke out at a doggy daycare and resort in Seattle, causing significant damage to the building. No dogs or employees were injured in the fire, but several dogs had to be temporarily relocated to other facilities. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and the resort is working to make repairs and get back to serving the community's four-legged friends as soon as possible.

- - -

That's it for this week. If you liked this post you can support this newsletter with a small kofi donation:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

Have a great week ahead :)

#best news of last week

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talktomeinclexa · 1 year

Text

On the Ground All Can Hear You Scream

By: TalktomeinClexa

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Canon Violence, Blood and Injury

Status: WIP

Summary: Novitiate Lexa is captured by reapers and wakes up locked in a cage, not knowing that the blonde who finds her there will change her destiny. Unless this enemy turns out to be who Fate had in store for her?

***

Chapter 10: Life Hangs by a Thread

Reflected by the houses and trees around Doah — Louwoda Kliron’s main village — the sound of drums and flutes rose into the night sky in a joyous crescendo. The female singer began the second verse, soon followed by the musicians and several villagers. Those too shy to sing beat time on the table or with their foot, encouraging the children dancing in the middle.

From her throne, Lexa observed the farandole, the shadow of a smile hanging on her lips. Although the party would last until the early hours of the morning, making it difficult for her troop to get up early and ride all day, she loved to see her people happy.

The ambassadors, the messengers, and her spies often reported how the clans fared well under the relative peace. But there was something about seeing well-fed goufa and their parents relaxed and laughing that warmed her heart. A sense of accomplishment that softened the sacrifices she made. The scars on her body. The seven circles tattooed on her back…

Fynbar, the leader of Louwoda Kliron, tilted a jug above her cup. “Another glass, Heda?”

The mulled wine, rich in spices and flavors, had grown popular among the clans over the previous years. Even before joining the Coalition, Louwoda Kliron traded it with its allies in exchange for the ore they lacked, and they guarded its recipe with their lives. Its fruity, light taste perfectly matched the celebrations and helped gona relax. Unfortunately, it also loosened the tongues and lowered inhibitions, and Lexa already had two glasses. One more and she might have agreed to dance with the old man.

“I have had enough for one evening. Mochof.”

“Heda is serious beyond her years.” Fynbar chuckled and turned around toward the man sitting on the other side of him. “Another glass, Marcus? You will not find better in the whole Kongeda.”

“I really shouldn’t,” Marcus said as he approached his empty cup. “Mochof. This wine is delicious. We produce a few bottles every year in Mount Weather for big occasions, but nothing that compares.”

Lexa watched Fynbar refill the Maunon ambassador’s cup for the fourth time with discreet amusement. The sweet wine hid its strength well, and Marcus might come to regret his indulgence.

The Trikru, Trishanakru, and Louwoda Kliron gona cheered around them as the music changed and another popular tune started.

“It is good to see our people celebrate together.”

Lexa hummed at Fynbar’s comment, her eyes not moving from the children waving colorful ribbons in the air. To have three clans sharing dinner, eight meeting in a few days… The Coalition grew, and with it, the promise of peace. If the Spirit willed it, she would see it before her death.

“I did not think I would see it in this life,” Fynbar said, echoing Lexa’s thoughts. “We were blessed the day the Spirit chose you, Heda.”

The light of the bonfires flickered, projecting dancing shadows on the visages around. To Lexa’s relief, in the absence of her warpaint, they hid her blush from her companion’s kind gaze.

Titus, not one for exuberant compliments, had taught her the three pillars of the Commander: wisdom, compassion, and strength. Qualities Anya had nurtured in her with a firm yet fair hand. But if it were up to Lexa, she would add patience to the list. And enough backbone to withstand, alone, critics. Whispered behind closed doors or spit at her face by defiant clan leaders, ambassadors, unhappy gona… She had faced her share of those since Titus placed the Flame in her neck, sometimes warranted, often not. Praises, on the other hand, were a rarity. Especially genuine ones delivered without a hidden agenda.

“Leaders like you made this dream possible.”

Keep reading

#clexaweek 22 #6 years later #maunon clarke #heda lexa #on the ground

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therisingphoenixden · 2 years

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Prompt #20: Slowly Falling, Rapidly Stopping

Prompt: Anon

Characters: Berude Eijinn/Haurchefant Greystone

Content Warnings: spoilers for the post-ARR quests and a good chunk of HW. Also a warning for character death.

Author's Notes: So, got some weird formatting going on here. I had to post all of this from my phone after a storm knocked out my power. Won't let it stop me, though! Also, sorry-not-sorry that I woke up and chose violence today.

It was a rare treat for Haurchefant Greystone to have a moment to himself at Camp Dragonhead, especially now with three unexpected guests. It had been a punch to the gut to hear what Alphinaud, Tataru, and Berude had suffered at the hands of the traitorous Crystal Braves and the Monetarists of Ul’dah. He had done everything within his power to assure their comfort and safety while waiting for the painfully slow Ishgardian bureaucracy to process paperwork.

For their part, Alphinaud and Tataru had taken their time to mourn and process what had happened before throwing themselves into aiding the Camp. Tataru had helped whip the armory into shape, clearing a massive backlog of repairs and new requisitions in a matter of days. Alphinaud had taken it upon himself to help keep Haurchefant’s paperwork organized with reports on Dravanian cultists and other incursions on Ishgardian lands quickly processed, filed, and summarized for his review.

The camp had never been so well-run, and he normally prided himself on running a tight outfit. The Scions were a wholly different beast when it came to organizing.

Especially bored Scions who were facing at least another moon before a decision was made regarding their status of wards to House Fortemps.

But he couldn’t find himself to so utterly curse the Isghardian bureaucracy and their lack of urgency. Not there was the lovely Berude Eijinn, the Warrior of Light, also here as a refugee from treasonous conspiracy. She had taken to running drills and scouting with the soldiers. Unlike Alphinaud and Tataru she had thrown herself completely into work after their reunion.

It was clear there had been no time to grab more weather appropriate clothing, aside from what she and Alphinaud had worn to the banquet and whatever Tataru had managed to grab in a hurry. Even now, Berude wore little more than ankle-high boots, white trousers that ended mid-calf, a red breast band, and a cropped vest as she sparred with one of the newer soldiers.

Her movements were fluid as she dodged away from the young Private’s sword, but Haurchefant could see a sluggish fatigue in the way she moved. It was easily overlooked by her sparring partner, but he was confident that he knew what to look for. He had the privilege of fighting at her side once before - to save his dearest friend Francel de Haillenarte from false heresy accusations - and it was a battle he knew he’d never forget. Although her preferred weapons were her fists and not a spear, she fought as if she were the Fury Herself given mortal form.

He was enraptured then, and he was slightly embarrassed to note that the flames of desire weren’t so quick to dissipate.

Despite her less-than-obvious fatigue, it was still as glorious to watch her spar as it was when she threw herself against the Dravanians. Until the recruit got a lucky hit on her bare midriff with his practice sword and she hissed in pain.

Berude turned when she heard snow crunching under boots and the clink of mail armor. “That’s enough for today, Private.” Her eyes widened at Haurchefant’s tone. He sounded so…commanding. Perhaps it was due to their closeness that she oft forgot he was the commander of this military camp. “Our guest is no doubt fatigued from last night’s watch.”

The private, an elezen boy at least nine summers younger than her, nodded and saluted. “Yes, Commander Greystone.” He darted off to continue practicing with the other young soldiers.

“Pray, forgive the interruption, Lady Berude.” Haurchefant offered a slightly embarrassed smile. “I could not help but notice your form was slightly off today.”

Her tail flicked back and forth, whether from remaining adrenaline from the sparring session or the sudden storm of butterflies in her stomach, she couldn’t say. “You notice my form, Lord Haurchefant?” She felt her cheeks warm, despite the chilly Coerthan wind that seemed to blow stronger as the minutes passed.

“A good Commander observes every soul under his care.” Although his tone was serious, there was a lightness to his expression. There always was when they were together, it seemed. “Especially honored guests. Please, allow me to escort you to your quarters before the next squall blows in.”

A sudden, harsh gust of wind blew through the training yard and Berude nodded. “Y-yes, I would-d like that v-v-very m-m-much,” she managed to choke out between violent shivers. Gods, these squalls could blow in suddenly! She took his offered arm as they hurried to the camp’s fortress.

Once inside the safety and relative warmth of the stone fortress, she noticed Haurchefant had pulled her quite close in their dash to outrun the storm, possibly to shield her from the worst of the wind. Even under the chainmail and thick gambeson, he was solidly built.

The butterflies changed. The tension and fluttering felt more akin to a flock of angry yol now.

And he still hadn’t released her. Instead, she felt his glove-covered hands rubbing over her arms. The worn leather provided just enough friction to warm her a little and she turned in his arms. 'His eyes are the same color as the sky in the Steppe.'

Haurchefant's breath caught in his throat when she met his gaze. "My lady," he whispered, gaze traveling down to her lips. "Might I impose upon your boundless generosity for a while longer?"

She nodded and she sighed softly as his lips met hers.

–

It had been some time since she had been permitted into the city of Ishgard, but walking through The Pillars on a blessedly clear night with Haurchefant's arm around her waist made old sights feel new and magical under the starlight.

"My dearest, I wish we could spend so many more evenings like this," he murmured so only she could hear and not some gossipmonger to rival his younger half-brother. Although his tone was light, she could feel a tension in his posture that was hard for her to ignore.

"Is there any reason why we cannot?" She bit her lower lip as nerves began to overtake her. "Other than the obvious." How she hated that this war kept taking them both away from each other - him back to the Coerthas Central Highlands and her to the farthest corners of the land.

He chuckled warmly. "I daresay this war is the only thing keeping us apart now." She watched his free hand fumble around in the pocket of his fur-lined heavy coat. "And forgive me for this moment of selfish indulgence, my heart, but I cannot hold back any longer."

The couple's walk slowed to a standstill, surrounded by fountains just outside the grand cathedral that dominated the city. Haurchefant lowered himself to one knee and took both of Berude's hands into his. "My dearest Ru, I simply cannot wait until the end of the war. I once said Camp Dragonhead was always open to you. While this has not changed, know that my heart is always open to you as well."

Her eyes widened when he produced a smaller version of the House Fortemps signet ring; one sized for her slender fingers. "As soon as this war is over, I would open my life to you as well. Please, my heart, would you join me on the grandest adventure of all?"

She could barely speak from the lump that formed in her throat at his loving words. She nodded, tears escaping her eyes as she leaned close to kiss him chastely before The Vault.

–

Soon never came for them.

It had happened so quickly. Her group of Haurchefant Alphinaud had fought their way through the cathedral and the forces of the Heaven's Ward for Estinien and Lucia to infiltrate the dungeons to rescue Aymeric. The plan had gone so well! Until she and Haurchefant, seemingly of the same mind, raced after the traitorous Archbishop to intercept him.

"Look out!" She felt Haurchefant pull her back with one hand while he raised his shield to meet a spear of pure aether in the other.

Metal creaked and groaned under the strain. She could hear Haurchefant's breathing quicken with the effort of holding the spear back.

Then the scream of shattering metal was punctuated by a wet gurgle.

And she screamed for him as he fell.

Everything passed in a blur around her. Alphinaud had tried healing him to no avail as Aymeric held him. One of Haurchefant's large hands was cradled in both of hers, the biting wind atop the walkway caused her tears to freeze, but all he could do was smile for her.

"Don't look at me so, my heart." His speech was halting as he struggled to draw breath. At his request for a smile, it was all she could do to give him one, as weak as it was.

It was enough for him.

And then he was gone.

Too soon. Far too soon - words that became her mantra as Alphinaud helped her limp back to House Fortemps.

#ffxivwrite2022 #ffxivwrite #ffxiv #cw: death #berude eijinn #haurchefant greystone #wolchefant

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darling-i-read-it · 3 years

Text

Leaving the Baker's

Part 5 (Final Part)

RE7 Rewrite Masterlist

Ethan Winters x fem!reader

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: spoilers for re7, violence, guns, mold, death

Author’s Note: It’s over! I like how this ended up going. I know not a lot of people read it but I hope those who did likes it! Ethan supremacy besties

Summary: The end of the game.

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator. Some of these lines are directly from the game so they may sound familiar.

(not my gif)

You carefully floated down through the water, Ethan driving the boat through the obstacles. You sat beside each other sheepishly, Zoe across from you. She looked uncomfortable. She rubbed her arms, nervously looking around.

“You chose me over your wife,” she said to Ethan.

“You knew the way out,” Ethan said slowly. You nodded. That was what you had agreed on. Well you were pretty sure that was what you agreed on. There was no actual chat. You looked over at Ethan who had a fairly neutral look on his face.

“Yeah,” Zoe muttered.

You soon came up on a large ship. Your eyes went wide and you almost stood up to get a better look but you thought better of it. Ethan and Zoe’s gaze followed yours. They looked at the looming ship, wondering how it had gotten all the way out here onto the bayou.

“What is-” Zoe started and then something came out of the water, cutting her head off. You screeched, grabbing Ethan who was already in the process of grabbing you. You shook a bit as her body went limp in front of you.

“What was that?” you whispered but Ethan didn’t even get the chance to register the question because something came up from under the boat, grabbing you both before you could even properly scream.

====

You woke up slowly. You looked up at the boat above you, looming in the dark weather. It had to have been the boat that Mia came on. She had told you about how she was watching a girl named Eveline. That the girl had special properties. You wondered what that was.

You rubbed your head and started to sit up when you saw Mia walking by. How did she get here? You knelt behind some of the wreckage, watching as she passed you. She stopped a few feet away and knelt down.

“Ethan?” she said. You peeked over the edge and saw him on the ground. You wanted to go to him but you wouldn’t risk a fight with her mad. You gasped as the dark mold came out and grabbed onto him, engulfing him whole and dragged him away. You reached out, wishing you had done something to stop it. Mia did the same thing, reaching for him but he was gone. You leaned back a bit and took a deep breath.

You had to get him before she did. You weren’t sure how that was going to happen but it was going to happen.

====

You entered the boat a couple of minutes after her. You still had your guns and weapons on you so you held them close as you made your way through the boat. Now that you were alone it was a little more daunting. You had been able to crack jokes with Ethan this whole time, have someone to back you up but now you were completely on your own.

The ship was dark. You kept checking the corner for more of the mold monsters and Mia. Every once in a while you could hear her walking around, her voice in the distance. You were right on her tail when she got to Ethan.

You raised your gun to her as she approached Ethan.

“Don’t fucking touch him,” you muttered. She whipped around, face sunken.

“You don’t understand,” she said.

“No you don’t understand. We came here to save your ass Mia and now you’ve gone and gotten us both in trouble. Step aside. Ethan and I are leaving.”

“He won’t leave without me.”

“Oh?” You jabbed your gun at her. “Let’s find out.”

Suddenly a little girl materialized beside her. Your eyes went wide and your aim went to the child. Eveline.

“Don’t hurt him,” Mia pleaded.

“I already told you I wouldn’t mommy.”

“I’m not your mother!” she protested. Eveline went to grab her and while she did so you passed behind Mia, digging through the mold on the wall for Ethan. You moved it aside so you could see his face. You brushed the goop off his cheek and his eyes opened, looking at you confusingly.

“What..wh-”

“You need to leave!” Mia said. “I can’t...I can’t…” When you looked around the little girl was gone. You furrowed your brows, putting yourself between her and Ethan who was still gaining consciousness. You held up your gun and Mia shoved you over, grabbing Ethan’s arm. “You shouldn’t have chosen her!” she yelled. “Either of them!”

You shot her before she could claw at him. Here was another fight. They seemed to be never ending.

You shot at her and Ethan did as well after a moment. It took a couple of minutes but you saw her wearing down. She grabbed Ethan’s arm, stopping. You reloaded your gun and held it up to her but you didn’t need it anymore.

She stared into Ethan’s eyes and then fell over, turning to dust. He held his hands out as though to grab her but she was gone. You slowly put your gun down.

“Mia,” he whispered. You closed your eyes. You didn’t want her dead. You were hoping to come back for her. You were hoping you would all be alright. Ethan turned to you, his face cracked a bit. He was bleeding. “Eveline is turning them that way,” he explained. “All of them. They didn’t have a choice,” he whispered. “Mia didn’t have a choice.” You felt a sting in your heart. You hoped that was true. You didn’t like to believe she would have hurt either of you willingly. Now she was dead.

Ethan took a deep breath, shaking his head as he processed the death of his wife. He turned to you and before you knew what was happening, he hugged you tightly. You buried your head in his shirt, not caring how dirty it was. You breathed him in and then pulled away.

“We have to get out of here,” you whispered. He nodded curtly.

“Let’s go.”

=====

The two of you dug through grime and dirty water before coming to a small house. There were some things in it that looked like they had been used recently. Ethan picked up a pack of bullets. You messed with the radio. It came to life.

“Alpha 1 this is Bravo 1 do you read?” it said. Ethans head cocked over. He walked to you.

“This is Alpha 1. Report. Did you find anything?”

“A thorough search of the Bakers found no survivors. Repeat, no survivors. We did find evidence of a skirmich.”

“Eveline?” “Negative. However we did find several encrypted messages from the Baker’s son, Lucas, to an unknown third party. You can probably guess who that was.” “That’s just great.”

“We’ve had reports he’s in the abandoned mines south of the property.”

“I’m gonna go have a look.”

“Roger that. We’ll meet you at those coordinates.”

“If you encounter Eveline your orders are to shoot to kill. Repeat - shoot to kill.” The transmission went out. You looked over at Ethan, shaking a bit from the cold and from the situation.

“What the fuck did we step into?” he asked.

“Damn if I know.”

=====

You continued to trek through waters and some cave systems. You arrived back in the guest house, where all of the terrors had started. At least you knew you were somewhat close to your car. You kept close to each other, watching the corners, guns up.

Eveline appeared, a wicked smile on her face.

She used her powers to make you see what had happened in that house. Mia attacking you. Ethan’s hand being cut off.

“If you don’t wanna be my family, you die,” she whispered. Then she was gone again.

“Screw her,” you muttered.

You followed along the house. It shook underneath you, making you both jump. Evnline was screaming before you even gotta see her. The room erupted in light blue lights. She stood at the end of the room and as you approached even more lights came out from her, making you and Ethan fall over.

You had to hide behind the wall though no doubt she would break through that as well. You and Ethan shared a look.

“You shoot her, I'll grab her,” he yelled over the wind. You nodded stiffly and came out from behind the wall, shooting her with your handgun as many times as you could manage. While she was startled Ethan ran up against the wind.

Ethan grabbed her and it all stopped.

You looked up and saw that little girl Eveline had turned into the grandmother from dinner. You had seen her countless times around the house. You should have known. She was bleeding black mold from her eyes.

Ethan ran into you as he backed up. You grabbed his arm and watched as Eveline turned the whole room into a large black moldy mess. She was breaking apart, screaming.

“It hurts, it hurts!” she said in a distorted voice. She turned into the mold.

One more fight. One more.

Ethan and you used the last of what you had on her. You shot and threw everything that you had ever been able to carry. You grunted, dodged and got hit more times than you could count.

By the time you were tossed out of the house, you had lost almost all feeling in your body. Everything ached.

It was amazing to feel something other than numbing pain. The ground underneath you was cold. You felt the grass underneath you. It was cold. The sun was on your face. It felt like it had been years since you felt the sun. You took a deep breath but it ended up being a wheeze.

“Y/N?” You sat up. There was a man in your face you didn’t know. “I’m Chris Redfield. I’m here to get you out of here.” You sat up and nodded, taking his hand to help you up. You looked around.

“Where...where’s Ethan?” you asked urgently once you came too. Then you saw him. About as banged up as you felt, he was standing with some other people in the same outfit as Chris. He was arguing with someone and then he walked forward. You reached forward desperately and grabbed his arm, holding him tightly to you. You stayed glued together until you got up onto the helicopter.

You looked down at the mold infested farm. It made you feel bad for the Bakers. They were probably nice people, before it all. You closed your eyes and leaned your head back on the seat. Ethan was looking at something on his phone as you took off. A video of Mia. You had gotten one too but you didn’t want to look at it right now.

He watched it for a second and then tossed his phone off the side.

“You’re going to have to buy a new one,” you told him. “Hey, Ethan.” He had a death grip on your leg. He finally noticed it and loosened up.

“Sorry. I guess I’m just going to be extra protective now. Can’t have you slipping away from me,” he said over the noises of the helicopter.

“Glad we’re on the same page.” You put your head on his shoulder and tried to come down from the events of the past 48 hours.

====

You sat on your bed, looking through an article on your laptop. You ran a hand through your hair. There were countless articles about the Baker house. People were misquoting you and Ethan left and right but you didn’t mind. Neither of you wanted to be interviewed.

A small picture of Mia was bunched in with a family picture of the Bakers. You rubbed the bandage on your collarbone that went up to your shoulder.

It had only been a week since you got back. Everything was still healing.

“That’s gonna scar,” Ethan said as he walked into the room. You nodded, putting your hand down.

“Then your staples are gonna scar too.” “No doubt.” He sat down on the bed beside you. He looked over your shoulder at what you were looking at. “You should probably stop looking at the articles,” he muttered. You leaned back on the bed frame. He put his arms around you, shutting the laptop closed. You let out a breath.

You and Ethan hadn’t lived together before the Baker’s but you were having a hard time being away from each other. So he moved into your place for the meantime. He was liking it more than he cared to admit. People were still giving their thanks about Mia and he was already in your bed.

But he couldn’t bring himself to leave. Everytime he left you alone he would get stressed out. He meant it when he said he wasn’t going to leave you alone. Maybe one day but...not yet.

“Are you going to bed?” you muttered.

“Yeah.” You put your head on his chest.

“Alright you’ve convinced me to go to bed with you.” He chuckled and let you go so that you could both lay down. You looked at him as you both laid on your pillows, after turning the lamps out. He moved a piece of hair out of your face and calmly let out a sigh.

“Goodnight Ethan. I hope the sleeps better than the trailer.” He smiled, closing his eyes.

“We should have asked them to save that trailer. I kinda miss it.” You scoffed. He laughed a bit and put his arms around you. You fell asleep beside each other, dreaming of something better than the Bakers.

#ethan winters x reader #resident evil imagines #ethan winters imagines

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aceghosts · 2 years

Text

Oh, The Reckoning Begins Chapter 3

Series Summary: Five years ago, Junior Deputy Blue Murphy disappeared with Joseph Seed at the final standoff, only to be found a year later in Dutch's bunker. Now, five years later from that final standoff, Blue Murphy and Hope County have moved on with their lives. However, new sinister forces threaten Blue's life, and they will have to rely on the man who started this all to survive: Joseph Seed.

Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Mentions of cannon character deaths in FC5. Also, this chapter deals with survivor's guilt/trauma, and there is a part that could be considered victim blaming. Please let me know if anything else needs to be tagged.

Words: 4,924 words.

Ships: Some Grace/Jess at the end, but overall, this is a Junior Deputy/Joseph Seed Fic.

Author's Note: I've given Wheaty the last name, 'Parker', in this fic. As far as I know, FC5 doesn't give him a last name, and I did my research to make sure that I've given him an accurate last name.

AO3

“Tensions are mounting in a standoff between the American Government and an armed militia in Oregon.” Blue pulls their work truck in front of the Ranger station, parking in one of the employee spots closest to the building. They turn off the truck, the radio shutting off suddenly. Lately, every news report made it seem like the world was collectively losing their fucking mind. Maybe, Joseph was right-.

Blue shakes their head. Joseph was right about fucking nothing, especially the part about the world hurtling towards the apocalypse. Special Agent Hawthorne’s words, from the previous night, rattle around in their head: “I do know that I would do everything in my power to make sure that no one had to ever face them again. As I understand, isn’t that the reason you chose to help Hope County originally? That you wouldn’t look away from the violence and cruelty, that you wouldn’t sit back and watch innocent people suffer?” They groan, resting their head against the steering wheel. Special Agent Hawthorne’s words repeat over and over in their head on a loop, along with nightmare from last night. Blue was free; they were free from Joseph and Eden’s Gate. Yet, a part of Blue was always paranoid that he would find his way back into their heart, and Blue wouldn’t be able to get away. Or the more horrifying alternative: they wouldn’t want to leave Joseph.

“You know what? I’m not dealing with that. Not to-fucking-day.” They say aloud, sitting up. Unbuckling their seatbelt, Blue opens the car door, hopping out. As they close the door behind them, they feel a slight flare of pain in their wrists. After being handcuffed to the bed by Joseph in the Bunker, Blue still experiences minor nerve pain in their wrists. Their doctor said that it wouldn’t stop Blue from living their life, but they would need to be careful and make sure not to overstress their wrists. The pain was always worse in the colder weather or when Blue overused their wrists. They had to be more careful about climbing, but Blue didn’t let a little thing like nerve pain stop them from living their life. As they head towards the Ranger Station, Blue locks the truck behind them before slipping the keys into their jacket pocket. Despite the pain in their wrists, Blue enjoyed the cold Montana winter air, always preferring winter over other seasons.

They reach the station door, opening it and letting it swing close behind them as they step in. Shrugging their jacket off as they head towards their desk, Blue asks, “Any trouble while I was gone, Wheaty?”

He shakes his head. “Been pretty quiet. What happened with the couple out at the Ridge?” When Blue started at the Whitetail National Park, they immediately offered Wheaty a job as their first act. During the war with Eden’s Gate, Blue had always been impressed by his determination and courage. However, Blue felt guilty that part of his youth had been lost to that war. Wheaty should have been hanging with friends and getting into trouble, not fighting a doomsday cult. He should have been a teenager, having the goddamn time of his life.

“They were from out of town,’ Blue replies, hanging their jacket on the back of the chair before pulling it out, ‘They were filming a gender reveal for TikTok and wanted a nice view in the background. You wanna know what the best part was? They wanted to use sparklers! Around dry grass!” Blue snorts, throwing their hands up in shock. “Really, has no one ever seen a Smokey the Bear PSA?”

“Just the old people like you.” Wheaty laughs as Blue shakes their head affectionately.

“Haha. Very funny,” Blue replies, sitting down at their desk.

“I’m gonna take lunch soon. Is that cool with you?” Wheaty asks, already knowing what the answer is. Blue never really cared when anyone took their lunch as long as their work gets done. They prefer to be hands-off for the most part, trusting that most Rangers know what they’re doing.

Blue nods. “Boomer and I can hold down the fort. Right, Boomer?” Boomer barks in response, getting up from his bed and stretching. He walks over to Blue, laying his head on their lap, eyes peering up at them. Ah, Blue knows that look all too well. Opening the right bottom drawer of their desk, Blue pulls out a treat for Boomer. They slip him the treat before closing the desk drawer. In addition to having a bed at each station, there were also dog treats at every station, mainly for Boomer.

“Thanks, I’m gonna meet up with-.” Wheaty is cut off as the door to the Ranger Station swings open, the bell ringing.

Two strangers walk into the station, the man holding the door open for the woman before he closes the door behind himself. Blue raises an eyebrow, noting the couple looked nothing like the typical folks who came to Hope County. They were too well put together to be the normal citizens of Hope County. Hope County…had a certain reputation for drawing in odd individuals, Blue included. If Blue had to guess, the couple were probably around their age, mid-thirties, maybe a little older. Boomer immediately gets up, growling loudly as the hair stands straight up on his back. He bares his teeth, ears pinned flat against his head. Blue looks over at Wheaty, exchanging a worried glance with him. Boomer was always friendly unless you belonged to Eden’s Gate or used to be part of Eden’s Gate.

Pushing their chair out from the desk, Blue stands up. With a polite smile, they introduce themself. “Hello, I’m Ranger Jay Murphy. Thank you for visiting Whitetail National Park. How can we help you?”

The woman smiles at Blue, a shiver running up their spine. The man’s brown eyes focus on them solely, further setting their nerves on edge. Something about these two seems fake, almost rehearsed. It’s fucking creepy as hell. Blue hopes the couple is here for directions, but they have a sneaking suspicion that they might be up to something else. “Ranger Murphy! Just the person we were looking to speak with.” Her tone is cheerful, her voice airy and girlish. She glances toward Boomer disdainfully out of the corner of her eye.

“Easy, Boomer,” Blue commands, not wanting to get Boomer in trouble for threatening guests. He looks up at Blue, almost giving them a ‘Are you serious’ look before huffing loudly and curling up in his bed. Boomer still watches the pair, his eyes watching every movement carefully. “Why don’t you take a seat? We’re always happy to answer any question guests have about Whitetail National Park. How can Ranger Parker and I help you?”

“I think this discussion needs to be held in private, Ranger Murphy.” The man glances dismissively at Wheaty as if he is a nobody. Instinctually, Blue feels that old wrath flair within their chest, glaring fiercely at the man. From his bed, Boomer growls deeply, taking equal offense at the man’s statement. Who the fuck did he think he was?

Wheaty stands up quickly, his chair rolling backward as his fist clench tightly. He’s clearly frustrated, and Blue doesn’t blame him, knowing they would feel the same in his shoes. Blue holds out their hand, trying to deescalate the situation. They won’t let Wheaty or Boomer get in trouble because of these two assholes. “If you have official park business, it can be said in front of my colleague, Ranger Parker. He is one of my best rangers and a good friend. Whitetail National Park is lucky to have Ranger Parker as one of their own.”

“Yeah, I’m a Ranger too!” Wheaty retorts angrily at the pair.

“Apologies, Ranger Murphy and Parker,’ She places a hand on her husband’s chest, looking at them both apologetically, ‘My husband meant no offense to you or your colleague. What he meant to say was that these questions are specific to you, Ranger Murphy, not Whitetail National Park.”

Another shiver runs down their spine, a cold feeling washing over Blue. Please don’t let these two be a pair of true crime weirdos, obsessed with the real story of Eden’s Gate. Blue had their fill of TV sensationalists, looking to capture their breakdown, and Redditors, who likened themselves to noir detectives. “Just go answer their questions. The sooner they get out of here, the better,’ Wheaty advises, still glaring as he slumps back in his chair, ‘I won’t leave until they’re gone.”

“Thanks.” Guilt washes over Blue. They should throw these two wannabe detectives out for the way the pair treated Wheaty, but Blue feels they only would be determined, convinced that Blue was harboring some dark secret. “Why don’t you two follow me to the conference room?” They motion for the couple to follow them, leading them towards the back and opening the door. The conference room of the Ranger Station also doubled as a break room for the rangers. On the right side of the room, was a wooden, rectangular table, which should have been put out of its misery long ago. On the left side of the room, was a small kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, stove, sink, and coffee maker with white countertops and light brown cabinets. Everything radiated an old school aura, which Blue liked to think was part of the station’s charm.

The couple follows them in as Blue takes a seat at the head of the table. The pair sit on the left side of the table, with the man pulling the chair out for the woman. Blue swallows nervously, not liking that the couple was seated between Blue and the door. “Thank you, dear,” she says to her husband, shrugging her caramel wool coat off to reveal a pale pink cardigan and a white blouse underneath. The woman smooths her tan corduroy skirt, crossing her legs delicately. Meanwhile, the man pulls out his own chair, draping his grey wool coat over the back of the chair. He wears a green sweater vest over a white shirt with tan khakis. The man takes a seat next to the woman, scratching at his brown beard for a second. “What can I help you with?” Blue breaks the silence. Please don’t be here for Eden’s Gate. Please don’t be here for Eden’s Gate.

“I want to apologize for any offense we’ve caused, Ranger Murphy. We appreciate you speaking with us; I’m sure your job must be very busy. Second, let us introduce ourselves properly. I’m Ethel Williams.” Out of her small black, cross-body bag, Ethel pulls out a cream-colored business card, which Blue takes reluctantly from her.

The man pulls out a dark brown wallet, pulling out another cream-colored business card. He slides it towards Blue across the table. “I’m Peter Williams, Ethel’s Husband.”

Blue notes the simple golden wedding bands on Ethel’s and Peter’s hands. Their eyes move to the business cards, noting they have the same stylized, professional fonts with the Williams’ names, contact information, and job titles. “So, you two are, uh, Podcast Producers?”

Peter nods, clearly proud of his profession. “We’ve worked on several famous podcasts, doing research, writing, and production. Ethel and I are finally starting our own podcast. We hope to investigate important cases that highlight larger issues in today’s society.”

Ethel observes Blue carefully, her green eyes never moving from them as Blue fidgets uncomfortably in their seat. “Do you listen to any podcasts, Ranger Murphy? Podcasting is quite popular amongst all ages, covering a wide variety of topics.”

Blue’s chest tightens uncomfortably, their heart starting to pound loudly in their ears. Shit, these two were the wannabe investigative reporter types. Blue really could not catch a fucking break this week. “Not really, I don’t have the attention span,” Blue admits sheepishly, their cheeks heating up.

She frowns, tucking a strand of short blonde hair behind her ear. “That is quite a shame, Ranger Murphy. There are some podcasts which have done groundbreaking work.”

“Including some of the ones Ethel and I have worked on.” Peter chimes in.

“I’ll take your word for it,’ Blue rubs the back of their neck uncomfortably, ‘Are you working on a case that involves Whitetail National Park? I can answer those questions as long as it won’t compromise an active investigation.”

Ethel and Peter exchange knowing looks. “I think you know why we are here,” she responds.

Blue swallows, the feeling in their chest growing tighter. “No, I really don’t.”

“We’re here to talk with you about the Project at Eden’s Gate, the subject of our first season. I know this must be a difficult subject for you, Ranger Murphy, but your knowledge of the Project would be invaluable to our podcast.” Ethel reaches out slowly for Blue’s left hand as if she’s trying not to spook a wild animal.

They pull their hand away, skin feeling tight. Blue doesn’t want Ethel to touch them; they want her and Peter to leave. Swallowing, Blue decides to play dumb. “I’m afraid I won’t be much help,’ they start with a friendly, light-hearted tone, ‘Sheriff Earl Whitehorse is the best person to answer your questions on Eden’s Gate. Jerome Jeffries might also be willing to answer your questions. Beyond that, I think you’ll find that most people in Hope County don’t like to talk about Eden’s Gate.” That was a complete understatement. It was well known in Hope County that asking about Eden’s Gate would get a shotgun in your face.

“Does that include you?” Peter’s eyes narrow, focusing on Blue intently. A coldness settles over them, and the interview suddenly starts to feel like an interrogation.

“I-.”

“What Peter mean is would you be willing to talk about the Project?” Ethel cuts them off, a pleading look on her face.

“I really don’t think I’m the best person to answer your questions.” What the hell was it with everyone bringing Eden’s Gate up lately? Did Blue miss the fucking memo about Eden’s Gate being a hot topic of conversation again?

Ethel reaches for their left hand again, managing to take Blue’s hand in both of her hands. “Ranger Murphy, we would like to know about your experience with the Project. You’re the one who brought them down; you’re the reason Joseph Seed is locked in prison. So, many are desperate to hear your story, quite a few of them think you’re an American hero. Please share your story with us, Ranger Murphy. We promise to show your story just as it is, from your own words.”

Blue’s mouth goes dry. They were never comfortable with all the praise heaped on them for the fall of the old Eden’s Gate. It always felt like it was erasing the contributions of others, especially those who didn’t make it. “I didn’t bring Eden’s Gate down alone. A lot of good people helped me,’ They look over at the door, catching sight of Wheaty through the door as they think of Eli, Virgil, Burke, Dutch, and so many others, ‘Including some who didn’t get out of the war alive. I hope you’ll understand that I really don’t want to talk about this. Eden’s Gate is connected with a very dark and traumatic time in my life.” Blue looks back at Ethel, shivering under the intensity of her cold green eyes. They try to pull their hand away, her grip tightening.

“Please Ranger Murphy, there is so much redacted information in the casefiles, especially when it comes to you,” Ethel begs as they try again to pull their hand away.

“I’m sorry. I’m not going to-.”

“What about Joseph Seed? Will you talk about him?” Peter runs his hand through his short brown hair, visibly frustrated. His cheeks turn slightly red in frustration as he glares at Blue.

Blue stops, freezing like a deer in headlights. They visibly pale, a tremor running through them. Goddamnit, Blue knew this conversation was going to lead to Joseph, and they still let it happen. They felt like the universe was trying to bring him back into their life, and Blue was firm on keeping that door closed. They couldn’t let Joseph back in; they don’t think their heart would be able to bear it. Yanking their hand roughly out of Ethel’s hands, Blue snarls as good old wrath flares in their chest, “No, I do not want to talk about him. Why are you here? What do you’ll think you’ll find out about Eden’s Gate that no one else knows?”

“We’re just here to examine all the facts.”

Blue stands up abruptly, sucking in a deep breath as they see red around the edges of their vision. Their hands clench tightly into fists, shaking deeply from anger. Blue hasn’t felt this angry in a long goddamn time. Well, not since fighting Eden’s Gate. “You think-? You think he’s-?” They can’t make the words come out of their mouth; they can’t bring that awful question into fucking reality. It’s not the first time that anyone has thought that Joseph Seed might be innocent; that Blue was a monster wearing a human skin. People were wrong about Joseph being innocent, but Blue knew they were right about Blue being a monster. Heroes didn’t have blood on their hands, dreaming about all the parents they’ve ripped from their children. Heroes didn’t kill people.

“If you’re asking if we think Joseph Seed is innocent, Ranger Murphy, we can’t determine that until we know the whole truth. There is a lot that doesn’t make sense,’ She sighs, looking up at Blue with a patronizing, pitying look, ‘Telling your story might help us make sense of all the inconsistencies.”

“You think I made all of this fucking up?” Their left fist tightens, nails digging into their skin painfully as they resist the urge to deck Ethel. The Wrath itches beneath their skin, a deeply unpleasant sensation. 100…99….98…97…. They start to count backward, something their old therapist Dr. Petras suggested whenever they felt the anger becoming too much.

Ethel looks over at Peter, clearly worried about Blue’s next actions. She looks back at them as Peter speaks. “From the case files and other interviews, we know you were under the influence of the Bliss, Ranger Murphy. The Bliss is a powerful substance; it could have altered your memories; made you see things that weren’t there.”

Blue laughs harshly, fully seeing red now. “You think I hallucinated all the fucked-up shit I went through? That I hallucinated John Seed trying to drown me, carving goddamn WRATH on my fucking chest? That I hallucinated Faith Seed making Marshal Burke kill himself and almost getting Sherriff Whitehorse to do the same? That I hallucinated Jacob Seed brainwashing me into a monster, making me ki-?”

The door swings open, Blue suddenly stopping as Grace Armstrong steps into the room with a water bottle in her hand. Wheaty and Boomer are hot on her heels, both eagerly watching with anticipation. “Whoops!” Grace states flatly as she just barely pretends to throw water on Ethel. Ethel jumps up, yelping as the water soaks her.

Peter climbs to his feet, face bright red with rage as he prepares to yell at Grace. “GET THE HELL OUT OF MY RANGER STATION!” Blue yells, cutting him off first as they point towards the door. Fuck this bullshit. Ethel and Peter need to get out of their ranger station, now.

Ethel and Peter quickly grab their things before heading towards the door. She reaches the door, stopping as Ethel looks over her shoulder at the group. “You have our cards if you ever wish to talk, Ranger Murphy.”

Once the door swings close, Blue pulls Grace into a tight hug. “Thank you.”

Grace’s arms wrap around them, rubbing their back. “No problem. You should thank Wheaty, too. That was his water bottle.”

Blue releases her, hugging Wheaty tightly. He stiffens at the hug, before relaxing after a second. “Thank you, Wheaty.”

“It’s not a problem, Blue.” He returns the hug awkwardly, patting their back. As they let him go, Wheaty asks, “What were they asking you about in there? I thought I heard them mention the Seeds.”

They rub the back of their neck uncomfortably. “Ethel and Peter are doing a podcast on Eden’s Gate, and they wanted me to talk about it. When I asked them why they were really asking for my side of the story, Ethel and Peter mentioned the Bliss and how it might have made my memories faulty.”

Grace crosses her arms, frowning. “That’s fucked up. We’ll need to let everyone in Hope County know. Jess will put an arrow through their throats if they insist what happens to her family was a Bliss delusion.”

“What about Eli? Do they think his death was just a Bliss delusion?” Frustration laces through Wheaty’s voice, tears welling at the corner of his eyes. Wheaty took the death of Eli the hardest, clearly mourning Eli as a father figure.

A wave of guilt crashes over Blue; they could never forgive themself for Eli’s death, holding themself even more responsible than Jacob for what happened. Blue’s hands would be forever stained with Eli’s blood. Putting aside their crippling guilt over Eli’s death for Wheaty, Blue places their left hand on his shoulder in an act of sympathy, “I hope fucking not, but I got the feeling that Ethel and Peter were very sympathetic to Eden’s Gate. I can’t help but wonder if they might think Eden’s Gate was wrongly persecuted or something.”

“Wrongly persecuted, my ass,” Grace snorts. Wheaty raises his hand towards Grace for a high five as he and Blue laugh. She high fives him back, smiling warmly. “Enough about Eden’s Gate. I’ve got lunch if you’re still hungry, Blue Jay. Casey fixed us up something good from the Spread Eagle.”

Blue nods, patting Wheaty’s shoulder. “Go grab your lunch. I’m sorry your break got delayed.”

“I can stay if-.”

Grace holds her hand up, stopping Wheaty midsentence. “We’ll be fine. I don’t think those two will be returning to the ranger station anytime soon.”

“Thanks.” Blue lets go of his shoulder as Wheaty heads to his desk, grabbing his jacket before leaving the station.

As the pair watch Wheaty leave, Blue suggests, “Maybe, we should eat our own lunch before it gets cold.”

She laughs. “We definitely should.”

A few minutes later, Grace and Blue are seated at Blue’s desk, eagerly digging into a lunch of burger and fries. Grace breaks the silence first. “You think those two will try again?”

“I hope not,’ Blue replies, before taking a sip of their orange soda, ‘I’m hoping they’ve gotten the message. Do you remember how invasive those Dateline guys were?”

“I remember how Jess almost got arrested for shooting an arrow in one of their cameras.” Grace replies as Blue lets out a laugh. They remember Jess screaming profanities and threats, some more creative than Blue thought was possible. She managed to get a hold of her bow and arrow, taking a perfect shot through one of the cameras. None of the Dateline guys were injured, but were, understandably, scared of Jess. Blue had to tackle her from shooting more arrows as Grace tried to smooth things over until Sheriff Whitehorse and Hudson arrived. Eventually, the Dateline guys left, promising not to press charges against Jess.

“We should let Whitehorse, Jerome, and Mary May know that those two are asking around. God, I wish these amateur detectives would leave Hope County be.” They complain, knowing that Ethel and Peter were the tip of the iceberg. The worst was the fucking Reddit Sleuths, determined to know every little detail. There was a subreddit, unfortunately, dedicated to the war of Hope County, sharing every little theory and detail they could get their hands on. The subreddit’s favorite activity was to analyze Blue’s every action, flip-flopping between whether Blue was a goddamn hero or a fucking war criminal. Blue had been offered the chance to do an AMA several times, but turned down the opportunity, not wanting anything to do with them. “Unfortunately, Ethel and Peter aren’t the only ones bothering me about Eden’s Gate.”

Grace stops, burger still in her hands. “What do you mean those two aren’t the only ones bothering you?”

They sigh. “Don’t tell anyone; I don’t want to get Hope County in an uproar. An FBI Agent came to the ranger station last night,’ Blue swallows, feeling guilty for bringing Grace into this, ‘There’s a new Eden’s Gate and the FBI needs my help.”

Grace puts her burger down, face serious. “I’m going.”

“What?”

“They must have asked you to help fight. I’m going with you; I’m not letting you take Eden’s Gate on without me. We fight them, together. I doubt Sharky, Hurk, or Jess will want to be left out either.” A sudden warmth envelops Blue, and they lean over, hugging Grace again. They’re not sure how they got so lucky to have incredible friends in Hope County. Grace hugs them back. “You don’t have to face them alone.”

“I appreciate the offer of backup, but we won’t have to do any fighting,’ Blue says, pulling away, ‘They apparently want me to talk to Joseph. The FBI is trying to develop a profile, and Joseph won’t speak to them without talking to me first.”

Grace frowns, a deep hatred burning in her eyes for Joseph. “You told them no, right?”

“I told them I would think about it.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Why would you do that?”

Tears burn in the corner of their eyes as they remember the faces of Abigail, Phil, and Arthur. Wiping at their tears, Blue explains, “The agent showed me some photos of those killed by New Eden’s Gate, and I, uh-.”

Grace shakes her head in exasperation. “You know, their deaths aren’t your fault, right? Burke, Eli, Virgil, Dutch, and all the other lives lost aren’t your fault. Hope County owes you so much. You shouldn’t speak to him, Blue Jay; You don’t have to set yourself on fire to keep others warm. Besides, you know Joseph is only using this to manipulate you into talking to him, right? It must really get to him that you get your freedom, and he’s fucking rotting in his cell. Joseph just wants you to be as miserable as he is.”

Blue looks away. “I know.”

“You’re having dinner with Kim and Nick, right? Ask them what they think. Kim and Nick will tell you the same damn thing,” Grace suggests, worry in her tone. Blue knows that Grace is just looking out for them, and sometimes, they don’t know what they’ve done to have a friend like Grace. One of Blue’s biggest regrets isn’t that they hadn’t met Grace before the Reaping.

“Alright, Alright. You got me. I’ll ask Kim and Nick what they think.” Smiling, Blue changes the subject, choosing to focus on something happier. “Enough about Eden’s Gate. Anything exciting happen this weekend.”

Grace rolls her eyes with an affectionate smile as she holds out her left hand. The simple diamond ring twinkles on her finger, and Blue feels a rush of excitement for Grace. She and Jess deserve to have a long happy life together, free of any fucking cults. “You were in on it, weren’t you?”

“What can I say? Jess asked for my help, and as a huge sap, I couldn’t say no to her. So, start spilling. I wanna hear every little detail.”

Peter sighs frustratedly as he backs the maroon sedan out of the parking spot. “Ranger Murphy is going to be difficult. No wonder the Father had trouble taming their wrath; they’re certainly infected with it.”

Ethel nods in agreement. “For now, we keep tabs on Ranger Murphy, and see if we can get them to talk. He wanted as much information on the Father as he could before both rejoin the faithful, and Ranger Murphy is one of the best sources. The Father spent a year with them in the bunker; he must have told them something that the Father wouldn’t want anyone else to know. Did you see how Ranger Murphy reacted to the mention of the Father?”

“Acted like you mentioned the devil.” Peter pulls out onto the highway, letting out a low laugh. “They weren’t happy when you insinuated that they might have made everything up.”

“I was hoping to provoke them into sharing their story, but that clearly isn’t the way to get through to them. We’ll have to try a different tactic.” A phone rings and Ethel digs a silver cellphone out of her black bag. She looks down at the caller ID, a frightened look on her face. “It’s Him.”

“You should answer. He won’t like it if we keep him waiting.”

“Hello-.” Ethel is cut off as she answers the phone, wincing at the harsh tone at the other end. “Ranger Murphy would not talk to us. We’ll need more time if we are to learn anything.”

Peter looks away from the road briefly, catching a glimpse of Ethel visibly flinching again at the caller’s harsh tone. When Ethel hung up, she let out a nervous sigh, clearly rattled by the phone call. “He wasn’t happy about their refusal to talk, was He?” Peter asks.

“No. We need to get as much information as we can out of Ranger Murphy. The sooner, the better.”

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adelaidedrubman · 2 years

Note

Footnotes to an inferno? 👀

thanks lydia and also @scungilliwoman (edit: and also @shallow-gravy) for asking about this one!! this is a draft of chapter one of my little role reversal au centered around baptist!jessie x "deputy"!john. basic premise is going to be that it's an au where the seeds have actually gotten therapy and are working towards being healthy, functional members of society but unfortunately for them jessie thinks the prosecutor trying to build a case against the cult she's middle management in would make a nice boytoy so everyone has to relapse as she ruins his life for Fun. excerpt partially below cut for length.

The full unredacted report on why Deputy County Attorney John Seed would need to recuse himself from any participation in the State of Montana vs. Jerome Jefferies and each of its three companion cases would be a long and salacious tale.

It would be watered down for the public, of course — the only record of the ordeal to be left in black ink at the end of it all a single line in the court transcript about a conflict of interest based on a personal relationship with one of the lesser co-defendants, a formal but vague stock resignation letter that only subtly read as coerced, and a brief report by the State Bar of Montana stating a sealed investigation of one of its members found no ethical violation sufficient to warrant suspension or disbarment.

And there were things omitted, of course, even from the lengthy disclosures given to be condensed down into those few paltry paragraphs of text, intimate details John chose to keep just for himself. Making sure the story was punched up with plenty of those scandalous tidbits that would suggest he’d been entirely forthcoming, hitting all the classic themes of drugs and sex and violence to sate his audience, all the juicy bits minus his details.

It wasn’t even necessarily the worst, most damning pieces of information chosen to be left out, just the ones that were distinctly His.

And the first of such details he would choose to keep to himself was that he could still remember exactly how her hair looked shimmering in the sunset the first time he saw her, the way the bright flicker of red and orange dancing under golden sunlight caught his eye the moment he rounded the bend of the gravel road to the clearing of the river — and that he found himself unable to take his eyes off of her from the moment it did.

And, most acutely, he remembered the first thing about her that would shock him was the full weight of how beautiful it was.

He arrived at the allegedly sacred baptismal stream already aware, of course, that she was conventionally attractive. The public figureheads of groups like Eden’s Gate usually were, after all, and she was perhaps the most public of them all. And he’d done enough preparatory research to confirm the assumption was accurate, it wasn’t like he would have ever come into the situation blind. Still, neither the washed out and grainy driver’s license photos pulled up in her background search or the weathered graytone billboards bearing her likeness sprung up along the roadways really captured exactly what a gorgeous cascade of vibrant, flaming copper fell from the woman’s head to add warmth to every lovely, delicately sculpted feature.

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osleyakomwonkru · 4 years

Text

Top 10 Most Badass Octavia Moments

So MsMojo just did a countdown like this (link in notes), I thought I’d do my own!

An important thing to note - and I’m glad that MsMojo also understood this to a good degree - is that badass isn’t synonymous with kick-ass. While many ass-kicking moments can also be badass, badass requires more than just battle prowess, it involves mental fortitude and significant risks taken to achieve a goal.

10. Protecting Gaia and lying to Roan about the Flame (4x03)

Leaders in this world don’t tolerate failure or insubordination. Roan had sent Octavia to retrieve the Flame by any means necessary, but she then plays him in order to protect Gaia - Indra’s daughter and thus by extension her own family too. This carried a heavy risk that Roan could either execute her on the spot for failing her mission, or jeopardize Skaikru’s mission entirely, but she’ll do anything to protect her family, and it works.

9. Leading the other seconds to save TonDC missile survivors (2x13)

Octavia’s first foray into leadership, as Indra’s second it was her job to rally the other seconds to rescue survivors of Mount Weather’s missile attack. It was her idea to create a fire blind to distract the sniper so that they could relocate in the wreckage to a spot from which they could then dig for survivors, saving Abby and Kane’s lives.

8. Facing down Blodreina (6x09)

This would have been higher on the list if Octavia had embraced Blodreina as the broken part of herself that needed healing rather than killing, but it was still a powerful scene and statement that she was ready to move on. Facing one’s self, especially for someone like Octavia who has been filled with so much pain and sorrow and trauma, is extremely difficult, but she does it. She’s a survivor.

7. Trying to save the Ark (4x05)

An often-forgotten moment, where Octavia enlists Niylah’s help to track down Ilian and try to prevent him from blowing up the Ark. At the beginning of this episode, she was literally almost dead, yet she doesn’t let a small thing like being gutted and falling off a cliff stop her from trying to save what was at that point their best chance of surviving Praimfaya.

6. Choosing to live and facing down the temporal flare (6x05)

Octavia is at the lowest point in her life here. Just hours ago, she’d shoved her head up against Diyoza’s gun and told her to shoot. She’d been in a state of suicidal ideation for episodes on end, trying to die a warrior’s death.

But here, as the temporal flare approaches, where death could be so easy, she chooses to live instead. She submerges herself in the pool of Orbeez, protecting herself, and giving herself a new chance at life. She stepped back from the edge of the bridge and I am so proud of her for making that choice.

5. You are Wonkru or you are the enemy of Wonkru - Choose! (5x02)

Octavia never wanted to lead with violence. She didn’t want to kill these people. Any of the people in that hallway could have walked away with their lives. She asked them to give her their trust to open the door and save them, but they chose not to. It was their funeral, as this became one of the most visually brutal but stunning fight scenes in this entire show.

4. Giving up her memories to protect Hope (but still not telling them the full story) (7x05)

There is great strength in sacrifice. Just like Clarke kneels to SheidMadi and puts a gun to her own head to try and save her daughter in 6x13, and how Indra kneels to Sheidheda to protect Madi in 7x10, here Octavia takes a metaphorical knee and agrees to give Levitt what he wants on the condition that he leave Hope out of his report to his superiors and let her go back to her. Levitt takes the deal, but even then, Octavia still doesn’t show them the whole story - because not only is she protecting her own child, but Clarke’s too, by not showing them anything to do with Madi taking the Flame.

3. Fighting Fio and becoming Indra’s second (2x10)

Octavia is relentless, and when she wants something, she’ll pursue it single-mindedly. Here she wanted respect from the Grounders, to have the Grounders and Skaikru truly working and fighting together, and by showing them her tenacity even when she didn’t yet have the skills of a warrior, they - and Indra most of all - respected that. Indra recognized Octavia’s courage and strength in this brutal and bloody beatdown, and granted her the role of second.

2. Saving Finn and Lincoln (1x07)

I believe there’s real power in vulnerability, and while there have been some other moments like that on this list, this is the one with the most immediate life-or-death stakes. Disgusted with how Bellamy and Raven are torturing Lincoln for the antidote to Finn’s poisoning, she puts her own life on the line instead - cutting herself with the poisoned dagger, trusting that Lincoln wouldn’t let her die. She was right, and saved them all.

1. Winning the Final Conclave (4x10)

Still the singular most stunning scene of this entire series. It combines all of the different traits of Octavia’s badassery - both physical and mental strength, great risk for great reward, vulnerability and sacrifice - into one spectacular moment. She triumphs in a winner-take-all fight that no one believed she had a chance to win, and is able to realize the mission she’s had all along - equality among them all, to unite the clans into one, and to survive together.

Ogeda. Rings a lot better than “for all mankind”, doesn’t it?

#the 100 #octavia blake #most badass moments #pro octavia blake #i stan a loyal queen #strength #vulnerability #sacrifice

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formerprincess · 3 years

Text

A tale written with fangs and claws || Chapter 59

Chapters: 59/? Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt Characters: Liam Dunbar, Theo Raeken, Mason Hewitt, Corey Bryant, Nolan (Teen Wolf) Additional Tags: Alpha Liam Dunbar, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, Dunbar Pack, Bisexual Liam Dunbar, Werewolf Theo Raeken, Alpha Theo Raeken, Canon-Typical Violence, Smut, Mates, Liam and Theo are mates, Top Theo Raeken, Bottom Theo Raeken, Top Liam, Bottom Liam Dunbar Series: Part 1 of Morning Dew Pack

Liam attends the Alpha meeting. Who will he meet? What will happen? Will he make a fool out of himself? Or maybe start a war with another Alpha?

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Theo turned off the ignition. "There's the hotel." He pointed across the street to the building. It looked fancy, like one of those old-time Hollywood hotels. Maybe a bit too dignified for Liam's liking but he didn't have to book there. He exhaled shakily. "Great." Theo looked at him. "Nervous?" Liam tried a smile but only mustered a crooked version. "Nervous is an understatement. My mind is running laps with everything that can get wrong. I have no idea what's going to happen and that sucks. If I could take you with me at least. But yeah, rules." He grimaced at the end. Theo squeezed his leg. "I will be only a phone call away. Whenever something happens, I will come and get you as soon as I can. Just think about that, you have nothing to hide. These Alphas are damn right to be curious about you. You are awesome." He leaned over and planted a sweet kiss on Liam's lips. Liam kissed him back and was really grateful for Theo Raeken in his life. "I will do my best." "That's more than enough. But, if you feel better, I can wait around? Find a nice parking spot and wait until you're finished. I don't mind, I have a book with me." "Nah, it's okay." Liam didn't want to keep Theo busy. God knows how long he would attend the meeting. It was a hot day and he didn't want his mate sitting around all day in a sticky car. "I will be fine." The older man smirked. "Go get them, Alpha!" His eyes flashed teasingly and Liam flashed his eyes back before he loosened his seatbelt and opened the car door. "See you at home, Dore." He slipped out of the passenger seat and closed the door. Theo waved and Liam waved back before he made his way over the street.

The lobby was air-conditioned which Liam was grateful for. The short walk from Theo's truck to the hotel had been enough and he needed to cool off. For days the weather channels reported about an upcoming heatwave but to Liam, it was already there. He looked around. The inside of the hotel was just as dated as the outside but it looked clean. Wasn't that the most important thing? The reception desk was a huge mahogany thing with two receptionists, left and right from the reception led the staircases up to the elevators, and a red carpet laid down in the middle of the steps. All the seats and sofas in the lobby were held in red and gold with some brown mixed in and decorated with elegant-looking forms. Liam remembered his mother once watching a movie about a hotel in Marokko or something and it almost looked identical. Huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the bellhops wore red suits and those tiny hats. The floor was made from white marble, quite classic, Liam had to admit. He almost certainly expected a starlet sliding down the stairs in an elegant dress, a newspaper in hand, before she hurried to catch her train. Old movie chic. Not Liam's style but again, he didn't have to book here.

The receptionist looked professional cold when Liam approached her. She had been on the phone and just finished when Liam stepped up to the reception. "How can I help you, sir?" "Yes, hello, I am invited to a meeting taking place here? The Corbins must be the organizers." "Yes, please, I understand. You go here to the left and down the hallway. The meeting room is at the end. Have a nice stay." "Thank you."

He gave her a smile which she didn't return so he turned around and gladly there was only one large hallway so no possibility to miss the meeting room. He continued walking and had already crossed the large entrance hall when he heard the hurried clicking of heels on the marbled floor and hissing. "Hey! Hey, you! Wait!" Liam stopped walking and turned around again. A young woman with long flowy honey blonde hair chased after him. She was clad in a short red dress with some well-positioned cleavage showing, nude high heels, and a purse dangling from a golden chain from her shoulder (in the same red as her dress). When she came closer he noticed how she did her makeup differently than Sadie or Ever, hers was more bold and daring, but it was flawless. Now she stopped in front of him and Liam realized she was taller than him. One look down and yeah, that were the heels. She was shorter than him without them, for sure. "I heard you're going to the Corbin meeting. Please, tell me it's your first time!" "It is indeed, yeah." "Oh, thank god. It's my first time as well." She pulled the chain of her purse higher up her shoulder. "I have been sitting there for so long, watching all those old coots arrive, and I hoped for somebody in my age range coming. And here you are. Wonderful. I'm Savannah, by the way." She extended her hand gracefully. Even her hail polish matched her outfit and was, like the makeup, flawless. "I'm Liam, nice to meet you." He shook her hand. "I thought I would be the youngest and everyone else would be much older. Still new to this whole Alpha thing and have never attended such a meeting before." "Tell me about it. I'm an Alpha for roundabout seventeen months. All totally new for me. But here we are. So glad I found you and have someone to walk into the room with. Nothing against a solo entrance but have you seen some of them? I do not fit in with them. Don't want to make them jealous right at the beginning." "No, I have not yet. That bad?" If she didn't fit in with her perfect look, Liam didn't saw a chance for himself. But okay, Savannah seemed nice and maybe he could stick to her. That had worked for him in the past when he did it with Mason. "You'll see. Shall we?" "Yeah, okay." Liam nodded with a smile.

They walked to the meeting room side by side. It seemed to be the hotel's ballroom, a large thing with several round tables fitting eight people each, a little bar in the corner, and large windows where you could see a patio with chairs and tables outside. The same colors as in the lobby dominated here but Liam was more concerned about the people than the interior. Savannah stood next to him, had her hands loosely folded together, and now spoke up: "Wow. The two of us really bring down the average age. Should be around forty now." Liam stared in horror. "I expected older Alphas but not that much gray or white hair. Yes, Byron was also older and he was the Alpha before me but...yeah. We are the youngest there by far." Also, another thing caught his eyes. Everybody looked sophisticated and very rich. "I am hopelessly underdressed." Savannah looked him up and down. "You look you. Comfortable in your clothes. That's what matters, right?" Liam frowned at her. "My family owns three boutiques in town. I know fashion like the back of my hand. And to impress it's always best to dress how you want. Comfortable people are so much sexier than disguised people."

She grabbed his wrist. "Come on, I need a drink." And pulled him towards the bar. "One glass of white wine. Whatever you have", she ordered and looked at Liam. He declined. Savannah shrugged and pulled out money from her purse. The barkeeper poured her drink but shook his head. "Everything's free tonight, Madam." "In that case." She swiftly snatched her glass and then stuffed twenty dollars in his tip jar. "Keep the change, buddy." She turned to Liam again. "I know we can't get drunk but I like the taste of wine." Tried a sip and hummed approvingly. "This is good. Tasty." "Great." Liam looked around again. "So, how does this work? Go we around and start small-talking?" Several people stood together and talked, nobody paid them any mind, his assumption was not far off. "Why not?" Savannah didn't seem to care that much.

An old woman walked past them and Liam used his chance. "Hello, I'm Liam Dunbar. Nice to meet-..." She scoffed. "Darling, why should I care?" She asked in a post accent. "Uhm, isn't this what this meeting is all about? Meeting each other? Talking?" Liam was taken aback. "Look how at you. What could you possibly tell me?" She shook her head. "Our mistake. We thought since you look like a granny you were also nice!" Savannah snapped in place for Liam before she grabbed him by the upper arm and dragged him away. They heard some muttering about cocky Betas behind them but didn't turn around.

"What did I do to her?" Liam asked floored. Savannah had let go of him and straightened his shirt. "Nothing. She's just a dumb coot. Ignore her." "But...but...I just introduced myself!!" Liam was agitated. "I didn't do anything!" "Oh, you don't cope well with people not liking you, do you?" Savannah asked motherly. Liam waved his hand as if to wish her concern away. "I deal just fine with people not liking me. What I can't stand are ignorant people!" "Liam, look around. The room is full of them. You are a good-looking young man and I'm a blonde bimbo with fashion sense. We stick out here like a sore thumb. Of course, no one likes us." She sipped her wine and seemed astonishingly unbothered by this. "Do you care about this at all?" Liam asked her and narrowed his eyes. She lowered her glass. "Liam, look at me. I'm blonde, I dress in short dresses, I love makeup, and to be sexy. Do you know how many people think I'm dumb?" Savannah raised her index finger. "Or a slut?" She raised her middle finger. "Or not cut out for hard work? Not even just weres, but a lot of people in my daily life underestimate me and make assumptions. I learned a long time ago I fare best if I don't care what they think of me. Like me or like me not, I will be fine either way. If we have to work together, we can, but that's it. I'll leave you and your prejudices behind." Liam grumbled. "Guess I'm too young for that stage in my life." "You'll learn. Important people try to get to know you, want to see what's behind all that. Those people matter. These people here? I don't plan on ever seeing them again. They can get lost. Not you. You're cool."

"You both appear very cool. Even though, admittedly, you don't fit in here at all." A woman stepped up to them and casually joined their conversation. Her dark blue dress clung to her like a second skin and her black hair framed her hair in soft waves. She was as stunning as Savannah, even though both women were the complete opposites in looks. "I hope you don't mind I just approached you, I just have been watching you and I needed to talk to you. I am Meadow." "Hi, Meadow. I'm Liam and this is Savannah", Liam dutifully introduced his new friend and himself. Savannah did a little wave. "Here I thought we were the only young ones here but there you are. I eyed this dress during my shopping trips but it looks even better on you than on the mannequin. I am obsessed." "I am the oldest one here. But thank you." "How's that possible? You look not even thirty yet. Or your plastic surgeon is incredibly good", Liam blurted out. She gave him a cheerful smile and while doing so exposed two sharp fangs. "I'm a vampire." Hey, look, Liam found another way to put his foot in his mouth! "Shit! I didn't mean to! Oh god, I'm so sorry! Didn't mean to insult you!" He stuttered and wanted to slam his head against the next hard surface. "Liam, it's okay. No worries. You couldn't have known." Meadow laughed it off and put a soothing hand on his shoulder. She smiled gently. It worked to calm him down. "I didn't even know vampires existed." "Neither did I", Savannah admitted. Meadow shrugged and pulled her hand away from Liam's shoulder. "So many supernatural beings out there and vampires are ones of the more mysterious ones. I don't blame you." Mason would freak out, Liam knew that for sure. Maybe he should ask Meadow for her number so his best friend could schedule an interview. It would make Mason's entire month. He looked around again. For this information alone it had been worth coming here. After his unpleasant encounter, Liam was not too fond of talking to the other Alphas. They also ignored the three of them anyway so he saw no harm in continue talking to the girls. Maybe they could find a seat, maybe even out in the sun?

Wait a second. "It's the middle of the day, how can you be here?" He questioned Meadow. Did vampires not burn in the sun? "Vampires can go out during daylight. It's just tiring for us and we prefer not to. But no, we don't burst into flames. That's made up", she clarified patiently. "Oh." Made sense. "We evolved over the times, just like humans did. We can go out in daylight, we can even eat normal food. All to better blend in", Meadow further explained. "I'm learning something new about the supernatural world every day", Liam called out. He liked that. So much he didn't know and the more he knew, the better he felt prepared for whatever might come their way. Meadow seemed to like his answer. "And with that, you show being more open-minded than many other supernatural beings." Liam frowned. "What do you mean?" "Look around." She made a circular motion with her finger, compassing the whole room. "I'm an outsider in this room. Just like you are. We don't fit in here because they don't want us to fit in here." "Then why are you even here if you hate them all so much?" Savannah asked and sipped from her glass again. Meadow smirked and shrugged one shoulder. "Because I'm the leader of the biggest vampire coven in Seattle. They invite me because they know that and I immensely enjoy keeping them on their toes. They dread having me around. It's fun." "Psychological warfare, I like it." Savannah nodded approvingly. The two women shared a smirk and Liam felt slightly sorry for the people in this room. Not himself though. He was in their good grades and he intended to keep it that way.

Meadow pointed at an empty table. "Want to have a seat? Create the outsider's table?" "I don't see why not." Liam looked around again. He would not initiate another conversation with these snobs. But before he could pull out a chair, a guy with a clipboard approached them. "Excuse me? Hi. I need the name of your pack and your names, please", he drawled politely but dispassionately. This was strictly professional and he didn't care about their names on a personal level. Savannah went first. "Hi! I'm Savannah Landis from the Landis Pack." She gave him a grin full of teeth and threw her blonde hair over her shoulder. He noted that on his clipboard. Liam's turn. "Yeah, hi. I'm from the Morning Dew Pack and I -..." He was rudely cut off by the guy. "Oh no, no, no. Did your Alpha not know not to send Betas? I thought it had been absolutely clear - ..." Now Liam interrupted him: "I am the Alpha!" His eyes flashed red for a moment. "As I was trying to say, the invitation had been sent to the old Alpha and he forwarded it to me. Maybe renew your lists? Because they're not up to date. My name is Liam Dunbar, in case you want to write that down too." The guy scribbled on his board but then stormed off under giggles from Savannah and Meadow. He made his way through the room and started talking to a woman with grey streaks in her brown hair in hushed and seemingly angry whispers. She frowned and her perfect sculptured eyebrows twitched before she looked over to Liam and then back at the other guy. "Boy, she hates you", Meadow chuckled. "What? Why? What did I do? I just corrected him!" Liam did not want any other Alpha to hate him. "This is Loretta Corbin, she organized the meeting. The guy's her assistant. She is an absolute perfectionist and liked to think she knows everything. You called them both out on their bullshit. For that alone, she despises you now." "Great." Liam pulled a chair out and sat down. The two women sat on each side of him. "Don't worry about her. All these Alphas won't do anything. They like to think they run the show but to actually run it, they would have to get off their asses", Meadow remarked sarcastically. Liam gave her a grateful look. It calmed him down to have an experienced person by his side. If she said it wasn't that bad, surely Liam didn't need to worry, right? She had been to other meetings, after all.

Savannah put her empty glass on the table. "Okay, so what happens now? This is it? We're sitting and drinking wine?" "Pretty much. There will be some finger food later on but nothing major happens. No speeches or introduction. It's boring. The meetings in the Roaring '20s, those were amazing. Parties full of dance and glamour. Alphas brought their packs, kids, many people, and good music." Meadow reminisced with a smile. Liam could imagine that. He had seen pictures of those times, elegant looking women, for someone already alive during that time, it must have been a blast. "Why did they stop with the parties? Parties are fun." Savannah didn't understand. Meadow shrugged. "The more time processed, the more these Alphas wanted to stay in their little elite club. They're aristocrats, old money. None of them are interested in actually meeting new packs. Only if they have no other choice. Meetings like this are just for parading around, showing their wealth, and to state Look, our family still calls the shot." She scoffed. "Ridiculous." "Well, I don't fit in." Liam had made his peace with that. It wasn't his social circle and while this had been an eye-opening experience, he didn't want to repeat that. The next meeting could happen without him. "None of us three does," Savannah corrected and Liam huffed out a laugh. True.

Meadow didn't reply but had looked around and now pursed her lips. "Wondered how long it would take for him to appear and start kissing ass." She glared at a man in his fifties, dressed in an expensive-looking suit and with a sparkling golden watch on his beefy wrist, deeply involved in a talk with several Alphas. Liam guessed they were talking about golf based on their hand movements. He was laughing at the moment but it didn't reach his eyes. They were cold and dangerous. Curiously he looked at the vampire. "Who is that?" "Cyrus Heymil. An absolute scumbag and walking trash pile of a human being. He owns the hotel so it's only natural he shows up." Savannah snickered. "Okay, girl, what earned him that title? Give us the tea! Come on! Spill it!" "Okay." Meadow moved a little closer to the two Alphas. "There are several groups when it comes to humans and the supernatural. The first group is humans without any knowledge of the supernatural. They live their life thinking werewolves and vampires only exist in horror films and fantasy. Then there are the humans who know about us supernaturals and decide to hunt us. Hunters. The third group consists of humans knowing about our existence and being okay with it, even helping us hide from the rest of the world. Peacefully coexist with us. But there's also a fourth group. People profiting off on supernaturals. Cyrus here is one of the biggest sharks of that group." Liam listened but he had trouble following. "Wait. How can people profit off supernaturals? Most people don't know we exist so isn't that a paradox?" The dark-haired vampire shook her head. "No. For example, a human cannot be turned into a vampire by a bite. They have to drink fresh vampire blood to be transformed. So we vampires can drink from people without killing them or turning them into our kind. The human simply experiences a rush, a high so to speak, similar to an orgasm. But if we drink too much or too often from a human, they can die or get addicted, always chasing the next high. Cyrus runs blood parties, where innocent humans are thrown to the vampires. No security measures whatsoever. A vampire could lose self-control and kill someone or a human could become a literal addict. A weakened body, like it happens with every other drug. My coven and I, we fight against this and try to protect the humans. It's not always possible in such a large city as Seattle. Or he holds werewolf fight clubs. Some garbage humans love to pay good money just to see two weres punching the crap out of each other." Liam stared. "Werewolf fight clubs??" He hissed. "I didn't even know those were a thing. What the actual fuck?" He could not imagine himself in such a club. His IED was bad and Liam knew in such an environment, where it was furthered to be aggressive, it would have turned into a disaster. Beacon Hills had been bad enough already but Liam realized in this regard he had been sheltered. Meadow put a hand on his arm. "You're innocent. Never lose that, please." Had this come from any member of the Beacon Hills Pack, Liam would have felt patronized. Strangely enough, he didn't feel like that with her. Instead, Liam recognized it as an honest wish from her side and he gave her a short shake of the head. "Never." She smiled softly and then let go of his arm.

A door on the other side of the room opened and a young man stepped into the room. Tall, dark hair, but he held himself incredibly upright and the look when he now approached Cyrus could only be described as timid. He whispered something to the older man who nodded but didn't even spare a look at the other and then swatted him away like a nasty fly. "Of course he's sending him away!" Meadow hissed angrily. Her tone changed so drastically compared to before Liam was kind of taken aback. "Who is that?" He inquired, unsure if it was wise to even ask. "Asher Heymil, Cyrus' son. He didn't win the father lottery, so to speak." Liam looked at father and son again. Cyrus continued his talk with the Alphas and Asher waited a few moments before his shoulders sacked in defeat and he turned around to leave the room again. Savannah clucked her tongue. "Nice ass. Would probably look even better in a suit made for him and not one off the rack." Meadow and Liam gave her amused looks. She seemed unimpressed. "What? I'm a twenty-seven-year-old single cheetah. I'm horny and always on the lookout for fun times." "Well, you have to find your fun times elsewhere. He's gay." Meadow smirked. Savannah perked up. "And how would you know that?" "Because he's my best friend. Trust me, honey, you don't have the parts he is interested in", the vampire explained highly amused. Liam laughed. "Your best friend is gay and human? My best friend is also gay and human. If Asher's married they would have a third thing in common." "Nah, Asher's single as it can be. Before he even has a chance of getting married, I'd have to push Cyrus off a roof." She rolled her eyes. "Ah, a fantastic family relationship I see", the blonde cheetah remarked sarcastically. "Mind asking me why you're friends with the son of a guy you clearly hate?" The vampire shook her head. "We are not our parents. Asher is a good guy. A genuinely good guy. He even helps me save some unsuspecting persons from horrible things and his father's temperings. Ash's mom died of cancer when he was eleven. Cyrus is the only family he has left and he uses that to manipulate his son, always lures him back in, makes Asher work for his fondness and love. Asher doesn't want to lose the last remaining member of his family which I understand in some way. Even if that means getting mercilessly humiliated and treated like a doormat."

Neither Savannah nor Liam said anything about that. It wasn't the place or time and nobody wanted to have a serious talk about fucked up parents right now. Savannah's attention was already caught by something or rather someone else. A new guy had entered the room through the same door they had come through. "Boom, would you look at that? Meadow, is he gay too?" The cheetah asked and raked her eyes over the man's body. Liam could not blame her. Even taller than Asher had been, lean body, dark hair, and bright eyes. If Liam had to take a guess, he would say the man was around thirty. So another younger Alpha. And he was gorgeous. He had a certain swagger in his step showing he knew exactly how good he was looking and a very charismatic smile. "I don't know him. But if he was it would be a shame for us." Meadow craned her neck to get a better look at the newcomer. "Could also be bi. That would be a good compromise", Liam muttered. He had Theo and no one was more attractive than his mate but even Theo would attest to the other's hotness. "See? This is how your ass looks when you're wearing a tailor-made suit." Savannah shamelessly ogled the guy's behind in his dark blue suit and almost fell out of her chair while doing so. The guy didn't notice that, however, and greeted a few of the Alphas after they stepped up to him. "Luka Barrett, didn't think you would give us the time of day", an elderly Alpha said in a rough voice. "You know, business matters. A client needed help. I'm taking my work seriously since some of us have to actually work for their money, Powell." The Alphas shook hands and the men assessed each other silently. Luka was the first to withdraw his hand and to speak. "By the way, just to get this out of the way, could you guys stop sending all those gift baskets? It's getting really out of hand." He kept his tone light and friendly but there was still some firmness in his voice. "It's custom for courting", another Alpha chirped. Luka kept his neutral smile. "Not every custom is still reasonable these days." His smile grew a bit. "Now, I need a drink. Gentlemen." He abandoned the Alphas to saunter to the bar. And Savannah, Meadow, and Liam made sure to turn their heads away so no one saw their grins. "Oh my gosh, their faces!" Savannah gurgled with suppressed laughter. "I still have no idea who he is but he clearly has no time for those stuck-up Alphas and I can get behind that", Liam praised. It was impressive how unfazed Luka had been by the others. The ones who now stalked away like the conceited old men they were. "Serves them right." Meadow felt no compassion towards the men. "They are annoying with how they always cling to their old rules. The world is ever-changing and we all have to adapt. No one knows that better than I do. They simply refuse to because it would mean doing something instead of just talking and celebrating themselves for simply being born in the right families." "There's a lot of that, right? Old name werewolf families who think just because of their heritage they're the big shots. It's the same with rich humans. Not all of them, of course, but a lot." Liam had met some of the latter during his private school time and he had hated them all. Meadow now nodded. "Yeah."

"Hey. Is this seat taken?" Luka, now a glass of port wine in his hand pointed at the empty chair next to Savannah. She beamed at him and smoothly moved the chair away from the table. "Absolutely not. Have a seat." He plopped down in the chair. "I'm Luka, by the way." "We kind of heard you when you came in. I'm Meadow. These are Savannah and Liam. Vampire, were cheetah, werewolf, in that order." He laughed softly. "Yeah, that. Some things need to be said rather sooner than later." Luka didn't seem to be bothered that they overheard his talk with the other Alphas. He seemed like an easy-going person and Liam liked that personality trait. "I hope you don't mind what was that about gif baskets?" He was inquisitive. Luka smirked. "I was single when I became an Alpha and I'm still single. A single Alpha over thirty is a rarity, at least according to some of the most esteemed packs around. So they send gift baskets as a matter of courting to change that. Because I'm the werewolf version of a unicorn." Savannah didn't even miss a beat: "Oh? Say, do you have a big horn to match the unicorn image?" His smirk turned a bit more lewdly. "Let's rent a room, go upstairs, and I show you how big my horn is, darling." Her eyes flashed a bright blue for a moment. "So you do like women. Not gay. We were debating this." "I'm pansexual actually." Luka didn't mind at all. He was open which made Liam like him even more. "Okay, so, cheetah, wolf, and vampire. First time here? Because you stick out of the bunch." "First time for Savannah and myself", Liam clarified. "But you seem to know them already." Except Luka shook his head. "Not as an Alpha myself. My parents did. But they were killed so I'm the Alpha and yeah. I'm just here to say my piece about the baskets, to be honest. It's getting annoying to always have to send them back." "Why don't you keep them?" Savannah saw no problem with that. "Because that would give them the signal I am considering one of their Betas as my wedded partner which no. I don't want to get married now, I don't even want to be in a relationship. Come time, come love. Not because I have to because I'm an Alpha, you see." "I understand. I mean, I will never have this problem cause I'm already mated, but we're still humans. Just because we're Alphas doesn't mean we have no emotions and not our own lives." Liam could see where Luka was coming from. "Yep. But those Alphas? They hold onto those old and outdated practices. It's sad." Luka pointed around the room. "Although I guess it's easy to never want to change if you're sitting on hundreds of acres of property with horse stables, maids, and butlers." "Is this true? Are they really that rich?" Liam had no idea how people with supposedly that much money looked like. Not really his social circles, you understand? "Rich and well esteemed. It's mostly the name, to be honest. Some of those packs can trace their roots back to the witch trials in Salem. Others came from the pilgrims. Anyway, they've been around for ages. Old money, really old. They hang on rituals and customs from when there were no big cities but holds and villages. Back in the day, every pack had its territory and no other wolf could cross it without either starting a war or at least without them knowing. Allies were important, as much as it was for kingdoms. Marrying off Betas with each other was a good way to ensure the loyalty of another pack. Nowadays those practices are not logical anymore. I mean, my family has money as well and we are an esteemed pack. My mom's ancestors immigrated to the US generations ago and their pack is still well esteemed in the old country but our pack is yet far more open-minded than the old-established here. It has always been our policy to go with the times, unite tradition with modernity, to always be at the pulse of time. Otherwise, it can get dangerous." "I see." Liam nodded.

"There will be some finger food served outside", the organizer of the whole meeting announced and most Alphas followed her lead to step outside onto the patio. "I'm not hungry but if you want don't hesitate", Meadow declared. Liam wasn't hungry, he rarely was when he had been so nervous before. Savannah and Luka didn't appear hungry either but Luka pointed out to the hallway. "Wanna take some shots at the hotel bar instead? My treat." "Shots? In the middle of the day?" Meadow raised an eyebrow. Luka shrugged. "Do you wanna stay here and stare at the old guys? Besides, this port wine tastes awful and I need a better taste in my mouth." "Fine by me." Savannah got up from her chair. Liam rose as well. "I'm twenty. Just so you know." "They won't ID you here, Liam. It's Cyrus' hotel. Just don't cause too much of a scene and you'll be fine", Meadow managed to wish his concerns away as she also got up now. "I buy, you drink", Luka offered and Liam had to laugh. "Deal!"

They left the ballroom and soon found themselves at the hotel bar. Not many guests here given it was the middle of the day and soon they all had some shots in front of them. "Did you guys have to travel for the meeting? Or are you living close by?" Luka questioned after their clinked their glasses together and took the first round. "I'm living in Seattle. Near the center", Savannah said. "I live also in Seattle, with my coven", Meadow answered. "My pack lives a few hours away at a lake actually. But I'm attending college here in Seattle and so me and the core pack are living on the outskirts of town", Liam replied. "What about you, Luka?" "We're living a bit outside of Seattle. You said lake. Is your pack the Morning Dew Pack by any chance?" "Yep." Liam nodded proudly. Luka was avid. "I never met a member of your pack but heard about your philosophy. It's unusual and the way you're choosing an Alpha is really, really great. Have you always been in the run for Alpha? Or how were you chosen?" He asked curiously. Liam hummed. "Uhm, no. no, I'm not part of the pack since I was born. My first pack is in California. I was bitten in high school. I was just on vacation at the lake and Byron, the old Alpha, chose me as his successor. That was almost a year ago." Liam paused. "You guys are the first Alphas I met since then who are nice to me and don't want to kill me", he confessed quietly after a while. The twenty-year-old raised another glass. "Cheers to that."

They all drank but the mood had turned somber. Luka turned his glass between his fingers. "I will never understand how one can cause pain and terror just because they can or in the name of power", he mumbled. "You said you became an Alpha after your parents were killed. What happened?" Meadow asked gently. She didn't want to pry but since it was already on the table... "Rogue Omega infiltrated our territory. My parents called us Betas home but when I arrived my mother was already dead and my father was in the last moments of his fight with the Omega. Dad managed to kill him but then succumbed to his injuries in my arms. So I became the Alpha." He put his glass down. "Not how I planned it but that's part of life, unfortunately." "I'm sorry." Savannah put her arm around his shoulders and rubbed his arm with her other hand. He smiled sadly. "What about you? How did you become an Alpha?" The blonde pursed her lips. "My grandma passed away. Natural causes, don't worry. My mother had been injured in a fight years ago and is physically not able to be an Alpha. So I became the new one. It's cool, my mom is so proud of me." "I heard of that. The Alpha spark skipping a generation because someone is mentally or physically not able to be an Alpha. Makes sense." Luka agreed. Meadow tipped on the bar. "I have a question for you, Luka. Your father, was his name Felix?" "Hm hm." He nodded. "Then I met him once. It was astonishing how calm he was. Really centered into himself. I was impressed." Luka got a proud smile on his face. "My dad was a calm, level-headed person. Mom was the more temperamental one. She could cuss up a storm if she got riled up. My sister and I inherited her temper." He scratched the back of his neck. "Really? You seem quite laid back", Savannah wondered. "If I get emotional I can lose it. And then my temper flares up. I can be ruled by emotions, especially when it comes to people I care about", he sheepishly admitted. "Don't worry, I'm like that as well. Come for my family or my friends and I'll start a brawl", Savannah assured him. "Another thing we have in common", Liam admitted. He sighed. "I didn't know what to expect from the meeting but I'm happy I went and met you guys." He felt at ease around them. None once had they tried to talk over him or told him he was too young and they all were older than him. Liam felt they kind of understood him and he could not wait to tell his pack about the new people he had met. Who needed the uptight Alphas in the ballroom? "You're cute. And right." Meadow wrapped both arms around Liam. "By the way, just call me Maddie. All my friends do." "Aww, Maddie", Luka teased her in god fun and she pawed at his arm but laughed. Savannah whipped out her cellphone. "I take a lot of pictures for Instagram. We so have to take one now. This is the beginning of a wonderful friendship. Say cheese!" She held up her cellphone and positioned herself so that all four of them were in the selfie. Liam smiled. It really looked like three new friendships had come out of today. Pretty awesome, he thought while the flash went off.

__________________________

Author's note:

I'm happy to introduce you to...

Savannah :

Meadow:

Asher:

Luka:

____________________________________________________

This chapter was cursed. It was supposed to be posted right after the last one but my internet connection broke down and I was without internet access for several days. I even had to fear what I wrote of the chapter already was completely gone. Thank god that wasn't the case. But when I finally got my internet back and could have continued with the chapter, work became stressful and I temporarily lost motivation to write. But I'm now finished and I like the chapter.

On a more positive note: I am so incredibly happy to introduce Savannah, Maddie, Asher, and Luka. What do you think of them? I am really curious to hear your thoughts and I'm also excited to see if you like what I have in store for all of them and Liam's pack. Just wait and see. It will be fun!

#Thiam #A tale written with fangs and claws #Morning Dew Pack series #alpha!liam #My writing

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dimonds456 · 3 years

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20 First Lines

Tagged by @novantinuum, and this looks like fun! I’ll give it a go!

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories. See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 authors!

The order here will go from most recent to oldest.

1. Beautiful Morning

Steven awoke to blinding sunlight shining in his eyes. He squinted, bringing a hand up to block the rays as he tried to assess his surroundings.

2. Another Universe Down Below (SU x UT)

He had just turned 15 a few months ago.

3. Half a Puppet

Steven could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he watched Connie fight. She had jumped into White’s head like the angel she was, immediately running in to assist in talking to White.

4. A New Start

Cold. Bright. Fast.

That was the world which sometimes presented itself, whenever Steven chose to open his eyes.

5. Door, Lock, and Key

It was late at night. They had warped back late, as the sun was already gone below the horizon, but now, it had been hours later. The beautiful moonlight shone through Steven’s bedroom windows, painting his warm-colored room in cooler tones.

6. How to Train Your Monster (SU x HTTYD)

Connie was 11 years old when she moved to Beach City, or well, nearby to Beach City. She had been the quiet, shy, awkward kid who loved pretending to be a part of fairy tales, rescuing the royal from peril and battling monsters on the way there. She imagined that she knew how to swing the fine tip of a sword, or launch an arrow with such a precision, she’d be known throughout the world.

7. The SU Cast Plays Among Us (I KEEP FORGETTING ABOUT THIS ONE XD)

Dead Body Reported

CONNIE: Well that was fast.

PEARL: What’s happened? Who died?

PERIDOT: …urnext.

SPINEL (yelling over her in shock): AMETHYST?!

AMETHYST (from beyond the grave): Barely even thirty seconds in! >:(

((Okay but low key I still love that one because of how bonkers it is. And not even I knew where it was going. It was GREAT.))

8. Stolen

Here I am in the future.

Here I am in the future, and it’s bright.

Nothing to fear, no one to fight.

I see

The light

As dark takes flight

Happily ever after, after all.

9. Red Isn’t Violence; Pink Is

Anger had a way of bringing out the extremes in someone. Anger fueled determination, and competitiveness, and oftentimes could be the key to strengthening relationships with people. It was funny like that, as everyone always seemed to think of anger as a negative emotion. But, was it really?

10. Broken

It was quiet. The silence was comforting, but not what he was looking for. Not yet.

11. Bubbled (SU Time Travel AU)

It had been a long, slow trip, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the last of the Ruby guards boarded their Roaming Eye. Amethyst, exhausted, released her shapeshifted form of Jasper, wiping the sweat from her brow. She and Steven both started laughing in relief.

12. A Second Chance

SPINEL: Any second now, she'll be back. She's just getting everything ready... a new garden, maybe! I just need to be patient, that's all.

13. The Choice (Demons Inside AT) ((BATIM AU))

Darkness could only be dark with light.

Emptiness could only be empty while there existed something else.

There would be no warmth without cold, nor good without evil. That was something the demon had known his whole life, but had never really understood until now.

14. Awaken - Mystery Skulls (fan fic / interpretation)

He rose up, looking around. The world around him was dark and dreary, no lights in sight. His back was against the wall, and his body felt heavy. He blinked. He was looking at what looked like a cliff face, but it was growing from the wall by his feet.

15. Demons Inside: The Rewritten Fanfic (PART 1)

It was late at night. The clock on the wall tick, tick, ticked away, the time reading right around 2:15 A.M. It was quiet, an eerie noise that didn’t fit the studio very well. Well, all minus the ticking clock.

16. Edgar's Nightmare

It was dark. There was very little light, and the majority of it came from these little lamps hanging down from the ceiling. The other half of the light came from one part of this large cavern, over by the only exit- by a little workshop. Right now, though, that light was turned off.

The witch was away.

17. Bendy's Nightmare

It is a beautiful day. Light shines down upon rolling, soft grey hills. There are a few fluffy clouds in the sky, but that cannot spoil the mood.

18. Angelic Arrest- A Sillyvision Cartoon [script]

Alice Angel is hiding behind a cloud as she watches a fellow angel approach. This other angel trips over a thin wire, sending him face-first through the clouds. Alice laughs, but then stops when the other angel flies back up, frowning.

ANGEL: Alice Angel. I should have known it was you.

19. King Dice in: A Christmas Carol (Chapter 1)

It was a crisp winter day. The snow blew across Inkwell Isle, freezing the land in its cold grip. Everyone was outside, however, chatting amongst each other, singing carols, and welcoming distant family onto the island.

20. Demons Inside- BATIM Fanfiction (but the first ver of it)

It was late at night. The lights in the studio had all been turned off, Joey had gone home, and Boris and Alice were sleeping soundly in the little room downstairs Joey had made for them. A single light flickered, quiet and dim, the light reflecting off a small Ink Creature sitting all alone.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The first thing that stuck out to me was that I tend to start with a fact. Someone was this age, the weather was this. Often, I specifically stated the time of day. It's night so often, go to sleep, all of you.

Next, I talked about the setting. The characters get introduced later. I need to establish where we are and what's happening naturally before the characters go messing with anything.

The second most common thing I did was say something philosophical. I did this when I was about to start toying with an idea, like anger being represented by the color pink instead of red.

T;dr, I need to get more creative with my openings lol

My favorite opening line was probably "The Choice" actually. I don't really know why, I just like the way it flows.

I don't know 10 other fic artists on Tumblr, so I'm gonna say that if you write fic and wanna try this, go for it. Consider youself tagged by me. :)

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amazingdriverfics · 4 years

Text

Crowned by the devil - ch. 5

Summary: Kylo and Cardo are gone and the time to face the arena has finally arrived.

Warnings: violence

A/N: hope you like it ;)

Previous Chapter Following Chapter

Your walk to the training facility, on the contrary of what it had been on the other cycles, was quiet, Cardo’s stupid jokes weren’t bothering you and your company was a faceless stormtrooper. The knight must have been embarrassed because of what had happened between you and his master in the previous sessions, you thought to yourself, but you were proved wrong. When you entered the familiar room as the trooper leading you left, you could see no knight, in their places was a blonde, tall, beautiful woman with green eyes dressed in a chromed stormtrooper armor. “You must be y/n. Don’t be shy come in” the woman said in a rigid tone with an unbothered facade on her face, making you comply out of habit, afraid of what might be coming your way. “I’m Captain Phasma, you can call me Phasma. I’ll be the one in charge of your training until the you are sent to the arena now. The Supreme Leader and his knights were sent on an important mission” her cold voice echoed through the room once again. This would be a good thing, you said to yourself, you would miss Cardo and his sense of humor, but staying away from Ren was just what you needed to get him off your head, so you nodded, ready for this change. “We’ll continue with the blaster training” Phasma stated.

The Captain was the best blaster shooter you had ever seen. You were hardly ever impressed with anyones skills to use the gun, but she surprised you, she made you feel like you had never put your hands in one during your whole life, the reason why she trained troopers was definitely explained. You were also honored to be trained by her, you felt like she was doing what Juney never got a chance to, finishing your training. Her tips were incredibly useful and her criticism was everything Ren’s wasn’t, it was useful. By the end of the first half of your cycle, you were feeling pretty good, the sensations you had when you trained with Juney taking over you once again.

As you sat on the mat with your lunch in hands, Phasma closed the distance between the two of you. “You do know how to shoot a blaster, you are better than my troopers” she said before sitting by your side. “Thank you, been doing it for a while” you replied shrugging your shoulders. “I don’t think you need to train this anymore, let’s do some hand to hand now” her cold voice back.

The second half of your training was the most exhaustive one, what you had learned from Cardo and Kylo - what you weren’t ready to admit - made you stronger and more capable. Both you and Phasma didn’t meet the ground once, never losing, always in a violent struggle to get the other one on the mat. On the Captain’s side, she had her height and strength, on yours, there was your speed and the fact that fighting two impossible opponents toughened you. By the end, you were both sweating, your body was aching like it had never before and you were also feeling the most alive you had felt in a while. “This was amazing” you said grabbing a water bottle and sitting. “You really are impressive, I can see exactly why the Supreme Leader has chosen you” the blond woman replied, copying your moves.

“I really don’t, I have nothing in common with those other girls” you shrugged hoping to end the subject. “That’s because he didn’t choose them” Phasma said with a smirk on her face. Her statement confused you, why would Kylo Ren want you to be his Empress when he could have every single woman he wanted on the Galaxy? On the other hand, this also explained his obsession with you, his need and hunger for you and your body. The great amount of thoughts going through your head caused you to stay silent for a while before replying to the woman which kept on smirking. “If not Kylo, who chose them?”.

“Me, Pryde, Mitaka, Hux and his knights. He only had one requisition for participating of this ‘experiment’, as he calls it, you needed to be on it.” Phasma replied, answering your question, but leaving you with a bunch of other ones in its place. Before you could ask some more, she left the room.

-- --

The rest of your cycles went pretty much the same, training with Phasma everyday and leaving with a very sore body, trying to get some of you questions answered, but ultimately failing, since the blonde woman always dodged them telling you that Kylo should be the one to answer you. All you were able to find out was that she had chosen Aduke for this, they met in the Imperial Academy when younger and never lost touch, even though they were far from each other since Aduke was a field doctor working with another ship’s troops.

It wasn’t long before it was time to go to the arena. In the beginning of the cycle, your routine went pretty much the same, you were led to the training center to meet with Phasma. This time, however, the two of you didn’t engage in any sort of physical training, the time was used to learn more about what you would be facing in the following two cycles. The arena would be like a small planet, you would be sent with water and food, nothing else, the weather wouldn’t be a problem, the creators didn’t want for any of you to die from natural conditions, once it wouldn’t prove your capacities. Hidden in some places would be medic supplies and weapons such as knives and blasters, if you could find any of them you would already have an advantage.

With a shake of hand, Phasma wished you good luck sending you to the next stage of your preparation. You were escorted back to your room where you ate lunch trying to assimilate everything that was told to you, a plan had already formed in your mind, you would find shelter and only after that you would try to find the supplies, but it still wouldn’t be a priority since you weren’t going to be hunting any of the girls. Unlike what you had previously thought, you weren’t nervous, you had survived much worst and you had been killing and fighting for your life for a long time now.

Shortly after you finished your meal, a stormtrooper arrived delivering you clothes very much like the ones you used for training, a black tank top - with no name -, legging, training boots and a thermal coat, perfect to keep the heat from leaving your body, and commanding you to get ready. You took a hot shower, letting it last a little bit to long since you wouldn’t be able to have one in the next cycles. As soon as you got out, you put the clothes on leaving the coat around your hip, a not against you belly keeping it in place. After gathering your hair and fitting it in a tight ponytail you were out the door ready for whatever was going to happen next.

-- --

Kylo was apprehensive, he knew that y/n was capable to survive the experiment without a doubt, but the fact that he hadn’t been able to see, touch and keep up with her training personally in the last few cycles made him anxious.

When he found out him and his knights would have to go to Naboo in order to end a rebellion, Kylo let the only person he trusted enough to finish his Empress training: Phasma. She was owning him a favor anyway since she used the experiment as an opportunity to bring her lover closer to her. At first, the Captain wasn’t happy with the designed function, but with the pass of cycles her reports of y/n’s training got bigger, the woman was impressed with his girl’s results, she even said that they were perfect for each other - like he didn’t already know that -.

When he was alone in his room after battling all day, Ren’s mind would drift off to their last encounter, the feeling of her soft lips against his, the way his clothed cock rubbed against her covered pussy, the moans escaping y/n’s mouth, the scratches she left on his back and the hickeys he left on her skin. All of those memories went straight to his dick making it instantly hard. He was still considering killing Hux from stopping the moment.

Kylo missed her very much.

-- --

You were brought to the arena in a small ship, the place itself was also located on a ship. With the small backpack hanging on your back filled with the supplies promised by the Order, you entered into the unknown ready to take the next step necessary for you to be back on Tatooine. Looking around, you could see a fake sky with a sunset indicating that you had a small window of time to find safe shelter. Quickly, you decided that the other especial supplies would be dealt with in the morning. The ground wasn’t nothing like you were used to, it was completely covered by green grass, which meant you would have to be careful while walking, as your foot pressed the plants, they made noises and even though they weren’t loud, they were enough for a talented assassin - like you - to hear. From far, you could see what looked like some kind of village partially hidden from your view for trees, perhaps there was where the weapons and medical stuff were, you would be headed there in the morning to check. Of another thing you were sure, if you could see the village, probably the rest of the girls could too, in the following cycle you would have to come up with a good strategy to stay hidden.

After analyzing the space, you started a slow pace letting your instincts guide you and sharpening your senses. You decided to sleep by the trees, you would use their leaves to cover the grass near you, if anyone came close, the sound would be enough to wake you up. The walk was torturous, by the time you had arrived the intended place, the sun was almost totally gone. Quickly you started to work with your plan, carefully climbing a tree and grabbing a handful of leaves, spreading them on the ground closer to where you planned to sleep, but not far enough to attract any unwanted attention.

When you were finally done, the sun had already set for about 3000 minutes and you finally allowed your body to relax sitting on the ground as you took off you backpack and started to go through the supplies on its inside, planning how much you could eat and drink each day to avoid being without it. It wasn’t long before you were sleepy, putting the bag back on, you laid on the grassy floor using your coat as a pillow.

-- --

Kylo was watching his girl sleep beautifully through the screen. He had arrived too late to meet her before she was sent to the arena, but at least he would be able to track her every movement. In fact he could track any of the girls, but he didn’t give a damn about them, except to check how far from y/n they were.

The room filled with screens was also occupied by his knights - watching excited since they had a bet going on about who was going to survive and who wasn’t -, Phasma - whose eyes were at all times in the screen following Aduke -, and Hux who kept bitching about how Kylo should be paying attention to all of the girls not just his new toy. The way he spoke about his Empress set Ren over the edge and it wasn’t long before the General was on the floor, face as red as his hair, catching his breath after being force choked by Kylo.

The dark knight was confident that, despite the situation, y/n would get out of there breathing. She had to.

-- --

What woke you up, fortunately, wasn’t the sound of the leaves being destructed with stomps, it was the sunlight able to pass through the trees top. In no time, you went back to a sitting position, placing your coat on the same place it had been before you slept and you had also started to get some food and water for breakfast - a couple of fruits and a third of your first water bottle -.

Getting up, you quickly gathered the leaves on the floor storing them in your backpack knowing that they could be used for the same purpose again.

After all was done, you started to walk in the same pace you had used in the previous day as you headed to the village, now about half an hour far. Watching the sun, you imagined that it was about 0700 hours, which meant ten had passed, another thirty-eight to go.

The walk was uneventful and before you took notice, you were standing in front of a bunch of poorly made wood houses - which looked like they would fall if wind was ever to be in touch with their surface -. Aware of the danger you were being in a open space which attracted attention to itself, you were quick to enter in every each one of them hoping to find any of the things promised to be scattered around this arena. Your attempts, however, resulted only in frustration and it wasn’t long before you resumed your walk getting away from the place.

Walking without destination, you found a small pond in which you decided to stay until the sun was close to set when you would make you way back to the place you had slept. After you spreaded the leaves around you as a safety measure, you sat near the water letting the sounds it made clear your mind and relax you. Lunch passed and you kept unbothered, however when the afternoon started to end, the sound of a foot pressing against leaves made you jump to your feet ready to fight.

Shortly after, a small girl with long hair came to view, Heide you remembered, the one who hanged out with Antje. “Look, I’m not looking for a fight, okay?” you said keeping in mind what you had promised yourself - you wouldn’t kill girls just for the Devil’s entertainment -. As a reply, you got a dry laugh followed by the words “Too bad, cause’ we are”. Before you could process her statement, the woman you had come to hate appeared, her blond hair and green eyes awakening the same rage you had felt the last time you saw her inside of you. “You think you can attack me like a savage animal and leave without consequences?” Antje annoying voice asked. Refusing to answer her, you shrugged ready for what was coming, you had trained for this. The smaller girl charged into you in an attempt to bring you down, but before she could, you escaped her hands watching as her brown hair was completely soaked by the water she felt right into.

In no time, you closed the distance between you and Antje, your foot meeting her right leg causing the woman to lost balance, taking advantage of it, your hand found its way to her head forcing it to your knee. As soon as your hand let go, the blonde’s body fell to the ground and you turned to deal with Heide who had just got out of the water. She was faster than her company, but it wasn’t long before you pinned her down forcing the woman to eat grass. When you were finally ready to end her, a knife entered your skin right at the end of your ribs making a scream fill the air.

#crowned by the devil #kylo ren #kylo x reader #kylo ren x you #kylo ren x reader #kylo x you #cardo #captain phasma #phasma #first order #supreme leader kylo ren #armitage hux #knights of ren #original female character #reader insert #star wars #adam driver

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ashleyswrittenwords · 4 years

Text

How to be a Queen [Part 24]

Summary: Princess Zelda is at a loss. Her handed royal responsibilities have begun to weigh heavily on her and she is eventually backed into a corner. Live a life she loathes or run away from everything she’s ever known? Navigating life is hard, and Link forces her to learn that she doesn’t have to do it alone.

Part 1

How To Be A Queen

Hyrule flooded the day Nathaniel Nohansen III died.

It had rained for three days. Castle Town had closed its shops and barely no one walked the streets. The storms were so harsh that it was hardly a premonition when they told me he was deteriorating quickly. I found him in his bed as he had been for months. Soft cries of my father filled the silence as he knelt at the bedside and grasped a limp hand in his own. Guilt twisted deep in my stomach when tears didn’t come.

“I’m so sorry, Nate,” Father sobbed. The words hardly intelligible. “I’m sorry.”

For months I had mourned for this moment. When he stopped responding to questions almost two weeks ago, my heart knew that this journey would have a finite end. In the very least, my father had some time to step out from his veil of ignorance before now.

Gods. No matter how much I tried to will myself to cry, I couldn’t.

I hadn’t thought about death so much in my life. When before it was a quiet promise of my youthful failures, now it was staring me down at every corner. These coming days, I thought of it as a fear that had become a flirtatious caller. War walked hand-in-hand with death. They were synonymous actions I had come to expect; violence paired with the spilling of blood.

Presently, it came to me as an eerily familiar vessel of a man I adored, sleeping forever. It was as if a trickster had carefully sculpted a copy of my uncle from wax and stole the real one away. There was no grave injury or pooling blood, just the deep feeling that something was horribly wrong. The blood in my veins ran cold and suddenly I could hardly bear to so much as glance at it – that wasn’t my uncle. Never had been after his eyes no longer smiled and his casual flirting with his nurse ceased.

Numbly, I pulled my hand from Father’s shoulder. His cries subdued to soft sniffling pleas for his older brother to wake up. I softly pried him away, but he didn’t give much resistance in the first place. As we walked away, I barely heard Father’s voice.

“I love you. So much.”

The body wouldn’t speak back because its wrinkles were far too sunken and its hands far too still. The silence behind us as we walked towards the door was deafening.

“I love you too,” I said, but his words weren’t for me.

----------

“Your Majesty,” a servant said, breaking me from a far-off stare. “The coroner mentioned that the ground was too soft to bury General Nohansen this week.”

Cold hands. Cold eyes.

Impa cut through, stepping between my desk and the man with a series of hushed mentions that made the servant satisfied enough to leave. Lightning struck in the distance and lit up the study through the uncovered window. Soberly, she turned to me with a white swinging braid.

“Allow me to handle the funeral.”

I went to shake my head. “I feel like I should do it myself.”

Her eyes pried into me, making me meet them no matter how badly I didn’t want to. Impa stood with square shoulders, appearing so tall even when she barely reached my shoulder. Then, she softened with folded hands before her. I knew what she was insinuating: I sounded like my father.

A chill slithered up my spine. It caused me to fold and fear engaged me.

“What else am I to do?” I pleaded. The careful guard I had unknowingly constructed was being chipped away by intrusive thoughts. For the remaining years of my life, there will never be a grin as toothy as his. My arms will never be swept up in such a warm embrace for as long as my heart is still beating. No laugh was as baritone as his once was; capable of escaping even the thickest walls.

Nothing, nothing, nothing could compete with the man who died without meaning.

Suddenly, my cheeks were wet and my bottom lip trembled unrelentingly. I stared up at the rafters, hoping the sniffling would subside as I cursed aloud, “I can’t even give him solid ground to rest under.”

“Listen to me,” Impa whispered, pulling me into her bosom. “Listen to me, child. He is with the goddesses.”

She repeated it like a mantra.

“I hate this,” I withered and folded into her arms. “I hate feeling so weak.”

The tears were bitter now, stinging me with their presence and making my throat burn with abandon. I was the Queen.

Legally, I thought to myself, I had all claim to everything around me. I knew that my predecessors had wielded their power to dominate entire kingdoms from the peaks of the northern mountains to the shores of the south. They had brought about bloodshed and dominion to people for reasons as little as wanting to feel the warmth of their burning villages. Only two generations before me had sent their dissenting opposition to the gallows.

So, why was it that I felt so powerless?

“Do you know why the goddess Hylia descended?” Impa hushed. “Why did She leave the comfort of the heavens?”

I tamed myself to calm, though my voice was still odd and gravelly. “Because she loved a man.”

A maternal hand patted my head and she spoke through a smile.

“No,” she started. “No, because She loved the people created by Her hand. When She heard of the dangers coming from the underworld and how a king born of shadows was laying claim to land Hylia’s sisters had left Her, She had a choice.”

Impa sat back on the floor, taking my hand in hers like how she did when she recalled to me old myths before bedtime. I swallowed and waited for her to continue.

“Hylia could stay in paradise and allow the world to be buried,” she said, framing the choices as if she didn’t know how it would end. “Or She could descend and give Her people a fighting chance – no matter how slim it was. What do you think She chose, Zelda?”

“She chose to fight.”

“Very good.”

She procured a handkerchief from her breast pocket and allowed me to dry my cheeks.

“So,” Impa drew me in again after a couple minutes. “As we know, the goddess spent years on the Surface fighting off the darkness. She rallied Her people to find hope in the darkness and for that, they revered her only more so. For years, some say decades, Hylia lived among mortals and learned their ways. In Her time, She found that gods do not experience existence the same as humanity does.

“When the mortals experienced disappointment, their eyes grew watery. With fatigue, they grew sluggish and weary – sometimes lashing out at loved ones. When they accomplished success in battle, broad expressions crossed their faces,” she mirrored my small smile, “and oftentimes they laughed. They say Hylia enjoyed seeing that emotion the most.

“Eventually She found herself partaking in these feelings and paralleling those expressions She had once considered redundant. Her love for these mortals had only increased since She descended. However, their battles were hard-fought and even with Her light, they had only been able to maintain their ground. That is, until one day the spirit of Her holy sword told Her another was worthy enough to wield it. His name is lost to time, but the books say he was a valiant solider. In him, Hylia found a partner; the ability to feel another triviality that suddenly wasn’t so trivial.”

Impa’s smile was sad and she grasped my hands tightly in hers. “That was when She learned to love a mortal man. You and I know how this ends.”

“He dies,” I answer for her with a thick voice.

“And when he dies, She is taught that there is danger in love’s beauty. Born from his death was grief, an emotion so strong the goddess feels She will die. Hylia, the goddess of light and mother to all, realizes that the mortals around Her had been experiencing this for all Her years on the Surface. In that, She grieves more because how could She be so blind to this pain?”

I had let myself slack again the back of my chair and stared at the embroidery of my skirt. When she stopped talking, I thought aloud. “Was it worth it?”

“We are alive today because of it. I think Hylia knew that even though it would be centuries, She would see him again after life settled and after Demise was properly sealed. Similar to when we will see our loved ones when we pass on, however I do pray that we have many more years before that day,” she allowed a light chuckle.

“Yes,” I laughed with a small sniffle, “I think Uncle will be very cross if I follow him too early.”

“Now then,” she pulled me from my chair and walked me to the door. “Let’s get you to your room. You deserve rest after today and the weather is perfect to lull you asleep. When you wake, we’ll have your favorite tea and cake.”

------

“It will be an uphill battle,” Whitehurst sniffed, reading through a copy of the report sent from.

It had been a week since Uncle died and I hated the feeling of wasting time. Finally sitting with a couple advisors with a fresh stack of news felt worlds away from where I once was.

I agreed with Admiral Whitehurst, combing over the words once more. The rebels had declared the Gerudo capital as their own and announced that the aristocracy have been puppets to topple the purity of Gerudo traditions. The handwriting was distracting, but I ignored the repeated leaps in my chest and thumbed the unopened letter in my lap.

“They call us heretics of the true gods,” I rose from my propped hand with a sigh. “And then attempt another strike on our food supplies meant for starving infants. Urbosa, am I misunderstanding?”

She breathed in and rubbed the soreness in her neck. “It seems to me that from their threats to Link that they don’t consider us their people and would prefer dead children whose parents refuse their preaching.”

Whitehurst was still wary of the aristocrat and peered from across the table. “Who are their gods? Do they reject our goddess?”

“Partially,” she said. “They ascribe to the ancient three. Whereas we see Hylia as being the guardian goddess left to protect their creation, they see her as a usurper – ironically.

“Traditional creation story dictates that Hylia took advantage of the original three’s absence and bore Hylians as her minions to take over the world. The guardians of the sand fought back, baring a people that would be called Gerudo. A champion rose among them and found the Triforce. He used that power to save his people. That’s what I was told as a child.”

The Admiral wrinkled his nose. “How dubious.”

“It’s fragmented across villages. Most Gerudo in the capital worship money more than religion,” she shrugged, barely taking mind in the man. “Allow us to remember that this was a tactic in the early wars to turn people away from Hylian culture.”

Whitehurst nodded, somewhat perturbed. “What does Her Majesty call for?”

I hummed in thought. There were twenty causalities in the one hundred that accompanied the supplies. Out of those casualties were two deaths.

“It seems like the plan to send reinforcements along with reserves was the go-to,” I asserted. “I would like to refer to you to increase the amount of food three-fold. Impa believes levying taxes with grain farming territories would motivate morale.”

The Admiral stood with a stack of papers and nodded, “I’ll draw up the order.”

The letter burned a hole through my skirts and I couldn’t help looking down. The report was addressed to my full title, but between the pages of reports was a smaller envelope that simply read: Zelda.

“Riju has sent her regards to you. She says she is saddened to hear of Nathaniel’s passing. I would let you read it, but she has difficulties writing in Hylian,” Urbosa said, folding up the paper with Riju’s signature on it and setting it aside. “Truly, Zelda, let me know if you need me in any way.”

“You say that as if you haven’t comforted me for several nights already,” I smiled, negating her.

“My people grieve as a community. The commonplace of isolating oneself is considered unhealthy, while here it is almost expected.”

The way she crossed her legs billowed her Hylian skirts out as if she were wearing a Gerudo sirwal. I could tell it made Admiral Whitehurst uncomfortable earlier and the thought made me laugh.

“You aren’t wrong. If we weren’t in the middle of war, the court would have expected a three-month mourning period from me,” I only shrugged off the notion, tidying up my papers and setting Link’s letter on top. “I simply cannot afford it right now.”

Especially when the rebels were proving to be more organized than we thought. Encampments were appearing in the East Barrens with foreign flags. Not long after they were discovered the heads of three Hylian spies were found not far from the road leading into Gerudo Town. As of now, we had no way of telling if their strength or numbers.

The woman nodded. “And you have other distractions.”

“I,” I paused, momentarily bewildered by her expression. “I beg your pardon?”

“Distractions, my dove,” she laughed, lifting a hand to lazily gesture at what was before me.

Warmth bloomed on my face as I snatched the letter from her prying eyes. Urbosa only laughed heartily, “I cannot help but recognize that that hand matches the one who scrawled your reports.”

She let my embarrassment fester a moment longer. “Oh, don’t worry,” she leered. “I never said it wasn’t a good distraction.”

“Urbosa. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but this is not a regular occurrence.”

“Everyone has a right to hold secrets.”

“This isn’t a secret!” I bristled with wide eyes. “It’s a personal correspondence.”

Understanding was on her face but amusement danced in her eyes, a light I was all too accustomed to. “I see, with a man you had a short ‘engagement’ with before he left for war.”

“Engagement,” I blanched, “Engagement?! There was no engagement about that night, I’ve told you the extent of it!”

“Ah,” she closed her eyes, reminiscing. “I remember the first Hylian who followed me around like a dog. I was about Riju’s age – maybe a little older – when we snuck into the stables and she-”

The door to my office opened and a servant slipped through. He cleared his throat, “Announcing the esteemed Rito-”

“No, no, no,” a demanding voice cut through and in the doorway came a face Zelda hadn’t seen in many months. “We’ve rehearsed this,” the midnight blue Rito chastised, “The esteemed Ambassador. Yes, that is who I am. My title. Ordained by your King. It really, truly isn’t that hard.”

He carried on in subdued whispers while the poor man stood awkwardly by the doorway.

“Revali,” I called out. Then again when he was too engrossed in his discussion. “Why are you accosting my squire?”

“Accosting?” he primed, finally pulled away. The man scuttled back through the doorway and quietly shut it behind him. “Zelda – first of all, I will take the liberty of saying hello first – I’m not sure whether it has always been this way or if it’s the product of your reign, but these butlers of yours aren’t acknowledging my status and frankly? I’m shocked and perhaps a little appalled at the sight.”

“She is your sovereign and you will regard him as such,” Urbosa asserted, her tone commanding with an earthy undertone that took up the room.

Revali puffed out his chest, looking between her and I with admonishment.

I cleared my throat, “If you’ve just arrived, perhaps you’re exhausted. I can lead you to a room. I would have met you at the door, but we were expecting you tomorrow.”

“No, no, your Royal Majesty,” the Rito seethed, staring at Urbosa as he bowed with sweeping wings.

Some things, or Ritos rather, never changed. Revali had been the Rito ambassador at Hyrule castle for about three years now. Unlike other ambassadors, he preferred his home outside of Rito Village over staying at the castle full-time. However, Father had always kept that group at arm’s length, so it suited both parties up until now.

I was familiar with him and his disposition with the short interactions we’ve had. He was the son of wealthy traders and had no problem entering the realm of politics. The Rito people were bold, some would classify their pride as arrogance; those that did hadn’t met Revali.

He nodded my way as he pulled out a seat next to Urbosa. “May I?”

Neither of us could speak before he sat down leisurely.

“I see there have been many changes since I’ve graced these halls,” he said, touching the tips of his fingers together and took full advantage of the chair’s seat. “Yet I haven’t a signal update from the Crown!”

“I have sent reports of our decisions to Chief Kaneli when he sent his official recognition that I was Queen.”

Dramatics abound, he turned to Urbosa. “Is it not my job to relay these matters to my leader? Regale to me, my Queen, how I am to perform my duty.”

“I have seen nothing from you until I called for your presence last week, Ambassador Revali,” I straightened and sent him a pointed look. “And I’m willing to take much from you because I value our connection, but do not think for a second that I will willingly take commands from you. I am not my father and will not entertain your abuses because unlike him, they do not amuse me whatsoever.”

His beak fell open, but no words came out. This time he didn’t bear a glance at Urbosa, whose smug look made me stifle a grin. I didn’t get that tone from thin air. The gap of silence was the longest I had ever heard in the vicinity of this man.

Revali coughed into his fist and awkwardly shifted in his seat. “I see that my words have been misconstrued. I did not mean offense.”

“I accept your apology.”

“Yes, well, to lead into my concerns – which are very justified, mind you – my deepest condolences for the loss of General Nohansen. Even our great airmen are deeply saddened,” he bowed his head, a pivot from the dominant air of before.

I offered a subdued smile.

“And your replacement doesn’t seem awful, but I hadn’t heard that you were looking to fill the position so soon.”

Urbosa tilted her head. “We are in a war. I’m not sure if you heard about my people being persecuted.”

“Yes, yes, yes. Of course I have heard of the mad man. Gerudo women are already masculine enough. Maybe the roles have reversed, and he will be easily squashed.”

I rested my head in my hand and sighed, “No. Much of the opposite it seems.”

The Rito held an indignant look as he examined the tip of his feathers. “Seems my services were much in need,” he mumbled.

“Pardon me?” I asked. Was he expecting an invitation to be considered?

Oh, actually, that sounds very in character for him.

“All I’m saying is that it was a statement sent from Her Majesty to me,” Revali emphasized with splayed fingers.

I glanced to Urbosa who was glaring daggers at the Rito. I clasped my hands together in front of me, “I promise you that no offense was meant, Ambassador. Truly, the process of filling the position of Commanding General of Hyrule’s Royal Army was tumultuous.”

Revali leaned back with a stiff shrug and crossed his legs, then immediately uncross them to vehemently point his feathered finger at the ceiling. “Make no mistake! No offense was taken on my part. Zero offense because I would have merely turned down the offer in the first place because my title as the Rito Ambassador is already time consuming. Incredibly. Unmatched, even, across of the board.”

“Oh,” I blinked. “I’m glad that you see it that way.”

The man huffed, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from his right wing. “Indeed.”

“Zelda, I don’t think we should keep this from him.”

I turned to Urbosa, confusion written on my face.

“Don’t act coy. We can tell him,” she motioned towards Revali with a sweeping gesture. “Tell him how he was considered and how his resourcefulness would be better used elsewhere in the conflict.”

He chirped up and stared at me with wide eyes. I quickly nodded and masked any dubious expression.

“Oh, yes,” I piped up. “Your name was thrown into the mix several times by my cabinet.”

“It-it was?”

“Absolutely, Revali. You’ve been an incredibly valuable asset to Hyrule. Your years of service haven’t gone unrecognized, nor your training as a Rito airman. Such a wide variety of-” I tripped over a couple thoughts, looking for the right words.

Urbosa offered, “Skills?”

“Yes – thank you – such a wide variety of skills can’t be boiled down to ‘General’.”

Revali seemed to consider this greatly, rubbing his neck in thought. “Well,” he rasped. “Well, that I can understand. After all, Commanding General is largely a decorative title…”

“I wouldn’t necessarily go that far,” I muttered half of the sentence into my hand with a look at Urbosa. Ambassador Revali nodded affirmations to himself as he stared holes into the carpet.

“May I ask, Your Majesty,” he said, looking up finally. “What were your plans for me?”

I sat up in my seat and thumbed an ink quill in my hands. The feeling of opportunity rose in my chest with robust hope easing into my heart.

“I would like to inquire in your people’s support in defending fellow Hyruleans.”

He sat up with me, towards the edge of his seat.

“You mean to assert that you want additional support.”

“I do,” I said, feeling the pointed tip of the quill dig into my thumb. “The Rito and Hylian people used have strong bonds in meat trading. I wish to bridge the gap in the years our agreements fell through; even strengthen them more than what they once were.”

Revali seemed intrigued. “Under what pretense?”

“There’s no pretense,” I smiled, “I think we can both agree that Rito airmen are incredibly prolific through military history. Chief Kaneli’s support, no matter how little is, would be a great honor and assist our efforts in preserving the Gerudo aristocracy.”

“I can’t refute that,” he nodded. “I can say that Kaneli holds Her Majesty in the highest regard and has great hope for your reign… however our recent history has him wary. It will take some convincing.”

“I understand completely. If anything, do I have the Rito Ambassador’s support?”

He breathed a dramatic sigh. “Yes, I suppose you do.”

--------

After meeting behind meeting, I snuck behind a rose bush in the gardens. The light was dying, but I couldn’t wait anymore. Wedged between the pages of my notebook was the small letter from before. It was no bigger than my hand and I took care to rip the wax-sealed seam.

Zelda,

I’m sorry this took so long to write.

A smile was already brimming my lips and I mouthed: Don’t be.

There was an attempted ambush as we passed Satori Mountain. Byron’s scouts spied them first and they were dispatched early on, but you should know this long before this letter reaches you. The supply line-

The last couple words were neatly crossed out.

I don’t know why I want to give you a report when you’ve most likely already read the one I’ve already written you. It’s been on my mind too much, but so have you. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay longer that morning and I’m sorry I couldn’t have been there when Nathaniel passed.

There’s so much I wanted to tell you before I left. Being alone with my thoughts while we traveled only added to that. I could write one hundred apologies about asking you to forget about us and then dredging it up again. One hundred more if the nights between left you just as distraught as I was. It’s hard for me to speak about my feelings and when it comes down to it – pretending they don’t exist is what I usually resort to.

I couldn’t do that with you. I care about you. I tried to convince myself I didn’t, hadn’t, and I failed miserably; only making it more known to myself how helpless you’ve made me.

And despite everything, I hope you’re smiling when you’re reading this because the selfish thought keeps me from ending this letter. I want to talk to you as I do this paper and hear your witty remarks that are far too intelligent for your own good. The same intelligence that I am convinced will end this conflict far sooner than I anticipate so I can see you again.

But I’m rambling.

I’m safe. The only casualty on the road was a lad with a twisted ankle. I did run into the boys from Hateno. Do you remember Mac and Toma Ratliff? They thought it was a prank when someone mention “General” in front of my name and got written up for insubordination.

Nonetheless, Zelda, I will wait for you.

Yours,

Link

#done!#wanna cry with me now?#i did cry writing this chapter #htbaq #how to be a queen #zelink #zelda #link #loz #loz fanfiction #zelink fanfiction #ashleyswrittenwords

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schmidtchristmasmarket · 3 years

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This holiday season, many Americans will tour historic mansions in the Southern United States that are beautifully decked out in traditional wreaths, garlands and mistletoe for Christmas.

At Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Virginia mansion, tourists are promised candlelit tours and a “festive evening” of refreshments, 18th-century dancing and more. Visitors can even meet a re-enactor playing Martha Washington, America’s First Lady.

At the state-run Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation Historic Site in Brunswick, Georgia, promoters promise attendees a “magical experience” during the holiday event, learning how “Christmas was celebrated on a Southern rice plantation during the 1850s.”

What these tours teach is how rich white Southerners once celebrated Christmas: singing Christmas carols, dancing, drinking the cider brew wassail and enjoying refreshments or formal meals.

Few make a serious effort to tell what Christmas was like for the enslaved workers at these plantations before the American Civil War.

What’s missing?

When the black historian Brandon Byrd visited Belle Meade, a mansion in Nashville, Tennessee, for its Christmas tour a few years ago, he was shocked that the slave community and their harsh realities were barely mentioned. Instead, he reported, the tour guide mostly related “stories about the white men, women and children who woke up to Christmas in the mansion’s plush bedrooms.”

By the American Civil War, nearly four million slaves in all toiled in the southern states, and about a million lived as servants in mansions and as field hands on large plantations with 50 slaves or more. They did almost all the grueling household and field labor that kept these places going, often sleeping and cooking in primitive cabins and working in unhealthy conditions under the threat of the whip.

In fact, the historic mansions hosting Christmas tourists never would have been built without the profits generated by slave labor. The grand Nottoway Plantation and resort in Louisiana, which traditionally puts on a Christmas event, was constructed just before the Civil War by some 155 slave workers.

Fictional tales and memoirs

In researching my 2019 book “Yuletide in Dixie,” I discovered that many historic plantation and mansion sites are reluctant to talk about slavery at their Christmas events. This is partly because administrators want to avoid topics that might make paying guests angry or uncomfortable.

But the omission of black southerners from these holiday tales also stems from pervasive myths about slave life at southern plantations before the Civil War.

For a long time, many people got their ideas about slavery at these places from memoirs, novels and short stories written by white southerners after the Civil War. These stories, now outrageous for their racial stereotypes, not only justified the institution of slavery, they also made it seem like all enslaved people had fun on a southern plantation at holiday time, dancing, singing, laughing and feasting for the holiday season, just as their masters did.

Susan Dabney Smedes, a white girl who grew up on a Mississippi plantation, published a memoir in 1887 called “Memorials of a Southern Planter” that made slave Christmases sound like wonderful times. Smedes wrote about how slaves wore their best clothes for Christmas, played a word game called “Christmas Gif’” with their white enslavers and drank eggnog their master made for them.

In a fictional tale published in the “Century Magazine” in 1911, an enslaved carpenter named Jerry even turns down the freedom that his master offers him on Christmas because he likes his life as a slave so much, and especially the Christmas present his master specially picks out for him each year.

Many of these memoirs and preposterous short stories and novels about happy slave Christmas experiences were so popular that they were republished in new editions over and over again from the late 1800s and early 1900s until, in some cases, the present.

Smedes’s “Memorials of a Southern Planter” was regularly republished for a century after its first appearance.

Many Americans got falsely pleasant images of slavery and especially slave Christmases from reading these works, and these wrongful impressions not only affected how the public thought and still thinks about slavery but, more specifically, how site administrators at southern historic mansions and plantations planned their Christmas programs.

Whipped and sold on Christmas

I read many documents to find out how slaves actually spent their Christmases. The truth is deeply disturbing.

On the one hand, the majority of enslaved people did get some them time off from work during Christmas, as well as feasts and presents. Some got to travel or to get married, privileges that they didn’t get at other times of the year. But these privileges could be withdrawn for any reason at all and many slaves never got them at all.

Slavery was a brutal system of forced labor to enrich those same owners. Even over the holiday, masters kept the power to punish slaves. A photo taken during the Civil War shows a man who was whipped at Christmas. His back was covered with scars, showing that when masters punished the people they held in bondage, they often did so brutally.

There were other cruel forms of punishment. On one South Carolina plantation, a master angry at an enslaved woman he suspected of miscarrying her pregnancy on purpose locked her up for the Christmas holiday.

Masters sometimes forced enslaved workers to get drunk even if they did not want to drink, or wrestle with each other on Christmas simply for the amusement of the master’s family.

ikewise, I learned in my research, slaveholders bought and sold plenty of people over the holiday, keeping slave traders busy during Christmas week.

Escapes and panics over slave rebellions

It is revealing that many enslaved black southerners also chose Christmas as the time to try to escape to freedom, despite the difficulties of traveling in cold weather with few supplies.

The famous black liberator Harriet Tubman, for example, helped her three brothers enslaved in Maryland to escape bondage over Christmas in 1854. Obviously, slaves like the Tubman brothers greatly resented their enslavement, or they would not have agreed to leave.

Evidence shows that many slaveholders knew their slaves hated their condition. Although the U.S. never had a major Christmas slave rebellion, southern whites frequently panicked over frequent rumors that their slaves planned to revolt over the holiday. They armed themselves, conducted extra patrols, banned black people from the streets of cities and executed or whipped slaves whose behavior they thought was suspicious.

Panics over Christmas rebellions took place frequently. They were, at times, confined to a state as in Charleston, South Carolina – then a British colony – in 1765. Or, they could spread in the entire American South, as one did in 1856. As I found in my research, Christmas revolt panics continued all the way through the Civil War.

These panics made Christmas a bad time for many slaves, who passed their Christmases in great fear that they would be rounded up and killed.

What’s changing

Some southern historic plantations and mansions are beginning to include a more accurate history of slavery in their presentations of the past.

Montpelier, the Virginia plantation of U.S. president James Madison and Monticello, the famed mansion and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, for example, have been making efforts for several years now to work more accurate presentations.

Yet another onetime slave-owning president’s preserved site, James Monroe’s Highland, likewise is striving to provide a far more comprehensive look at the enslaved people who once lived there and the conditions they experienced.

There are signs that such changes are taking place elsewhere too. In 2013, for example, the Ben Lomond plantation in Virginia featured in its holiday programming the tale of how enslaved people murdered the place’s owner over Christmas. That same year, Montpelier, once home to President James Madison, asked its interpretors at Christmas to explain to visitors that whites living nearby were afraid of violence by Madison’s slaves.

Christmas programming, however, is changing more slowly than programming at other times of the year. That is because many would like the holiday event to be a fun one.

But a public acknowledgment that slavery was immoral, horrific and resisted by its victims in the form of more sensitive and informative Christmas events at historic mansions and plantations might just be a step toward racial reconciliation in the U.S.

Read more of A Christmas Blog or Shop Now at Schmidt Christmas Market

Licensed from https://brewminate.com/slave-lifes-harsh-realities-erased-in-christmas-tours-of-southern-plantations/

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warau-okami · 4 years

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Why so many Japanese children refuse to go to school

By Alessia Cerantola BBC World Service

In Japan, more and more children are refusing to go to school, a phenomenon called "futoko". As the numbers keep rising, people are asking if it's a reflection of the school system, rather than a problem with the pupils themselves.

Ten-year-old Yuta Ito waited until the annual Golden Week holiday last spring to tell his parents how he was feeling - on a family day out he confessed that he no longer wanted to go to school.

For months he had been attending his primary school with great reluctance, often refusing to go at all. He was being bullied and kept fighting with his classmates.

His parents then had three choices: get Yuta to attend school counselling in the hope things would improve, home-school him, or send him to a free school. They chose the last option.

Now Yuta spends his school days doing whatever he wants - and he's much happier.

Yuta is one of Japan's many futoko, defined by Japan's education ministry as children who don't go to school for more than 30 days, for reasons unrelated to health or finances.

The term has been variously translated as absenteeism, truancy, school phobia or school refusal.

Attitudes to futoko have changed over the decades. Until 1992 school refusal - then called tokokyoshi, meaning resistance - was considered a type of mental illness. But in 1997 the terminology changed to the more neutral futoko, meaning non-attendance.

On 17 October, the government announced that absenteeism among elementary and junior high school students had hit a record high, with 164,528 children absent for 30 days or more during 2018, up from 144,031 in 2017.

The free school movement started in Japan in the 1980s, in response to the growing number of futoko. They're alternative schools that operate on principles of freedom and individuality.

They're an accepted alternative to compulsory education, along with home-schooling, but won't give children a recognised qualification.

The number of students attending free or alternative schools instead of regular schools has shot up over the years, from 7,424 in 1992 to 20,346 in 2017.

Dropping out of school can have long-term consequences, and there is a high risk that young people can withdraw from society entirely and shut themselves away in their rooms - a phenomenon known as hikikomori.

More worrying still is the number of pupils who take their own lives. In 2018, the number of school suicides was the highest in 30 years, with 332 cases.

In 2016 the rising number of student suicides led the Japanese government to pass a suicide prevention act with special recommendations for schools.

So why are so many children avoiding school in Japan?

Family circumstances, personal issues with friends, and bullying are among the main causes, according to a survey by the ministry of education.

In general, the dropouts reported that they didn't get along with other students, or sometimes with the teachers.

That was also the case for Tomoe Morihashi.

"I didn't feel comfortable with many people," says the 12-year-old. "School life was painful."

Tomoe suffered from selective mutism, which affected her whenever she was out in public.

"I couldn't speak outside my home or away from my family," she says.

And she found it hard to obey the rigid set of rules that govern Japanese schools.

"Tights must not be coloured, hair must not be dyed, the colour of hair elastics is fixed, and they must not be worn on the wrist," she says.

Many schools in Japan control every aspect of their pupils' appearance, forcing pupils to dye their brown hair black, or not allowing pupils to wear tights or coats, even in cold weather. In some cases they even decide on the colour of pupils' underwear.

Strict school rules were introduced in the 1970s and 1980s in response to violence and bullying. They relaxed in the 1990s but have become more severe recently.

These regulations are known as "black school rules", reflecting a popular term used to describe companies that exploit their workers.

Now Tomoe, like Yuta, attends Tamagawa Free School in Tokyo where students don't need to wear a uniform and are free to choose their own activities, according to a plan agreed between the school, parents and pupils. They are encouraged to follow their individual skills and interests.

There are rooms with computers for Japanese and maths classes and a library with books and mangas (Japanese comic books).

The atmosphere is very informal, like a big family. Students meet in common spaces to chat and play together.

"The purpose of this school is to develop people's social skills," says Takashi Yoshikawa, the head of the school.

Whether it's through exercising, playing games or studying, the important thing is to learn not to panic when they're in a large group.

The school recently moved to a larger space, and about 10 children attend every day.

Mr Yoshikawa opened his first free school in 2010, in a three-storey apartment in Tokyo's residential neighbourhood of Fuchu.

"I expected students over 15 years old, but actually those who came were only seven or eight years old," he says. "Most were silent with selective mutism, and at school they didn't do anything."

Mr Yoshikawa believes that communication problems are at the root of most students' school refusal.

His own journey into education was unusual. He quit his job as a "salary man" in a Japanese company in his early 40s, when he decided he wasn't interested in climbing the career ladder. His father was a doctor, and like him, he wanted to serve his community, so he became a social worker and foster father.

The experience opened his eyes to the problems children face. He realised how many students suffered because they were poor, or victims of domestic abuse, and how much this affected their performance at school.

Part of the challenge pupils face is the big class sizes, says Prof Ryo Uchida, an education expert at Nagoya University.

"In classrooms with about 40 students who have to spend a year together, many things can happen," he says.

Prof Uchida says comradeship is the key ingredient to surviving life in Japan because the population density is so high - if you don't get along and co-ordinate with others, you won't survive. This not only applies to schools, but also to public transport and other public spaces, all of which are overcrowded.

But for many students this need to conform is a problem. They don't feel comfortable in overcrowded classrooms where they have to do everything together with their classmates in a small space.

"Feeling uncomfortable in such a situation is normal," says Prof Uchida.

What's more, in Japan, children stay in the same class from year to year, so if problems occur, going to school can become painful.

"In that sense, the support provided for example by free schools is very meaningful," Prof Uchida says. "In free schools, they care less about the group and they tend to value the thoughts and feelings of each single student."

But although free schools are providing an alternative, the problems within the education system itself remain an issue. For Prof Uchida, not developing students' diversity is a violation of their human rights - and many agree.

Criticism of "black school rules" and the Japanese school environment is increasing nationwide. In a recent column the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper described them as a violation of human rights and an obstacle to student diversity.

In August, the campaign group "Black kosoku o nakuso! Project" [Let's get rid of black school rules!] submitted an online petition to the education ministry signed by more than 60,000 people, asking for an investigation into unreasonable school rules. Osaka Prefecture ordered all of its high schools to review their rules, with about 40% of schools making changes.

Prof Uchida says the education ministry now appears to accept absenteeism not as an anomaly, but a trend. He sees this as a tacit admission that futoko children are not the problem but that they are reacting to an education system that is failing to provide a welcoming environment.

#news #culture #japan #education #japanese educational system #free schools #bbc #black education

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