#<- that is a tag indeed and as soon as i finish posting ill go explore it

[scoonsalicious]

Unwanted: Chapter 17, Unanswered - Pt. 5*

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, Explicit Dream!Sexual Content - Minors: GTFO; I don’t serve your kind here. (dream!oral (f-receiving))

Word Count: 1.3k

Previously On...: A conversation with Steve informed you that Bucky was fine, and on his way back to the Tower. He just couldn't be bothered to contact you, it seems. Cool. Coolcoolcoolcoolcoolcool.

A/N: Yay, look at that! Some more smut! Finally! Last part of Chapter 17. You know what that means, friends! BETRAYAL IS AROUND THE CORNER!

NOTE! The tag list is a fickle bitch, so I'm not really going to be dealing with it anymore. If you want to be notified when I update, please enable notifications from my Blog page!

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917!

Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!

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You went about the rest of your evening and night as normally as you possibly could to distract yourself, checking up on the work emails you’d missed while you were ill and approving some requests for PTO. You’d listened to some back episodes of a True Crime podcast you’d been meaning to catch up on and aimlessly browsed Reddit, making some anonymous posts debunking some of the more outrageous relationship theories that were popping up concerning you and Steve. You were most definitely, for example, not having his super soldier baby.

Fortunately, you only threw up once during that time, and you were optimistic when, after you did, your stomach growled with hunger. You headed to the kitchen, considering potentially grabbing a plate of Thai leftovers from the other night, but remembering your reaction to Nat’s to-go plate, you opted instead to just make yourself a turkey and cheese sandwich. Best not to risk a repeat performance.

Once you made it back to your room, you decided you’d been awake long enough and called it a night. Checking your phone one last time, you were disappointed, yet not surprised, to see you still had no new messages from Bucky. As you put your head down on your pillow, you could only hope tomorrow would bring better tidings, and soon, you were asleep.

You were dreaming. And oh, it was a very good dream, indeed. You weren’t exactly sure what you were dreaming about, you just knew that delicious tension was building low in your stomach and, fleetingly, you hoped it was the kind of dream where you actually got to finish, and not the kind that left you frustratingly hanging over the precipice without actually falling. Those dreams were the fucking worst.

The dream slowly came into focus, Bucky’s head between your legs, his soft hair brushing the sensitive skin of your inner thighs as his tongued fucked you, the hardened muscle working its way in and out of your cunt as if drawing life from it.

You moaned in your sleep as his tongue slipped from your weeping hole, only to latch onto your clit, dancing circles around the sensitive bundle of nerves. You felt your back arch off the bed as his thick fingers found your entrance and began working their way in and out of you, the pace growing faster by the minute. God. This dream was so fucking good, you never wanted to wake up. Your orgasm was so close, you could practically taste it.

“Bucky,” you moaned in your sleep. Even as a figment of your imagination, he was good enough to elicit sinful sounds from your lips. The pressure was building. You were nearly there.

“That’s it, doll,” Dream Bucky said, his nose rubbing against your clit. He added another finger, stretching you so damned well. “Almost there, baby. You can do it. Come for me.” His mouth returned to your clit, suckling from it and driving you over the edge. 

Your breath was coming in ragged gasps, the noises you were making positively pornographic without your conscious mind awake enough to dampen them. But Dream Bucky kept working you through your release, rhythm never faltering.

“I think you can give me another one, pretty girl,” Dream Bucky said. He increased his pace, and soon you were falling again, your arousal coating his hands.

When your aftershocks had subsided, Dream Bucky’s hands pulled away, and you whimpered at the loss of contact. But then, you felt your bed dip, felt the solid, comforting presence of Bucky’s body as it crawled up alongside of you, felt his arms wrap around your waist.

You weren’t dreaming.

“Buck?” you rasped, voice still thick with sleep. “Is that really you, or am I still dreaming?” You reached out and touched his cheek, feeling the unmistakably real sensation of his overgrown stubble against your palm.

“I’m sorry sweets,” Bucky said, a devious smirk plastered across his face, “did I wake you?” He was already divested of most of his clothing, down to just a pair of tight, burgundy boxer briefs.

You yawned and raised your arms over your head, stretching out like a cat. “Was I supposed to sleep through that?” you asked him.

“Mm,” he said, kissing the side of your neck and making you shiver, “I’d really hoped you wouldn’t.” He shifted and you could feel the hard outline of his cock pressing against you. It woke you up immediately.

“Why the fuck haven’t you called me back?” you snapped suddenly, all traces of sleep having gone, leaving you with only your anxiety and unanswered questions. “I’ve been worried fucking sick all day long and I haven’t heard a peep from you! You think you can just give me 24 hours of radio silence, not knowing if you were dead or alive, and come waltzing back here with that magic tongue and I’d just–”

Bucky silenced you with a bruising kiss. “Magic tongue, huh?” he said when you broke for air. You nodded dumbly, currently unable to form a sentence with the way he’d just kissed the shit out of you.

“‘m so sorry, sweets,” Bucky said, his hands slowly making their way to the hem of your sleep shirt and pulling up, exposing your breasts to his lingering gaze. “I never meant to make you worry.” He slipped the shirt over your head, and despite your ire, you helped him do it. “Forgot to pack my international adapter for m’ phone.” He began placing gentle kisses to your breasts. “Battery died.” He took one nipple hungrily into his mouth, sucking and nipping at the peaked flesh. “Couldn’t charge it.” Then the other. You carded your hands through his hair. “Think you can find it in your heart to forgive me?”

His hand snaked down your belly to cup your heat. God, he had a way of making you feel so fucking good.

“I might be able to be persuaded,” you breathed as his fingers began toying through your slick folds. But logic soon smacked you like one of Natasha’s “love punches,” and you reached out a hand to stop his movements. “We should probably talk first.”

A flash of panic crossed Bucky’s face, and you wondered if he was worried about the articles. “Did you get my messages?” you asked him nervously.

Bucky nodded. “Plugged my phone in back in my room as soon as I got home,” he said. “Hadn’t seen the articles, but even if I had, I know you of all people would never do somethin’ like that. I’d have to be a fucking moron to think so. I know you’d never hurt me.” He had a far away look in his eyes for a moment, and you wondered if he was imagining you and Steve together.

You reached up to cup his face. “But did you see the other part?” you asked him.

“The part about you being ready to try us again?” he asked with a smile. When you nodded he leaned in and kissed you, a quick, sweet peck. “Darlin’, why the hell do you think I rushed over here to wake you up like that? Couldn’t stand to waste another second.”

“Well, then we better make up for lost time,” you teased, reaching down to slide your hand under the waistband of his boxer briefs.”

“I like the way you think,” Bucky grinned as he rolled over until he was lying on top of you. “I hope you’re not tired, sweetheart, because I got plans to keep you up all night long.”

“You talk a big talk, Barnes,” you smirked as you stroked him, firm and slow. “I hope you can back up your words.”

The look Bucky gave you was absolutely sinful as he reached down to free himself. Pressing the head of his cock against your swollen clit, he kissed you again. “Hold on to something, doll,” he said, nipping at the skin of your pulsepoint. “Cause you’re gonna have to beg me to stop.”

<- Previous Part / Next Part ->

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x you #bucky x reader #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky x female reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes fanfiction #james bucky buchanan barnes #james buchanan barnes #mcu bucky barnes #james barnes

[rainbow-flavoured-skittles]

Hey Mom, Dead Mom

Chapter 2: No more playing daddy’s game, I’ll go insane if things don’t change

I suffered for this chapter. it was fighting me every single step of the way but it’s finally finished. I can rest now. this isn’t as dark as the last chapter but Cole is running away in this, so it’s still not very happy. also I did indeed make a couple of random ocs because how else was I supposed to advance the plot? they’re not returning any time soon. as always, this is cross posted to ao3

~

Cole got on the plane to MOSPA at exactly eleven in the morning on a Sunday. He traveled alone — Dad was unable to come with him. Other people at the airport gave strange looks to the unaccompanied twelve-year-old, reminding him of the looks he got after Mom died. “Oh, why is that little boy all alone? So strange,” and then they’d go about their day, not giving him a second thought.

The flight attendant in front of him right now was doing just that. “No parents?” She asked, face mildly concerned. 

Cole shook his head. “I’m going to visit my grandma, but Dad couldn’t come,” he lied. Cole was good at lying. He’d done it a lot these past few years; you couldn’t take care of yourself the way Cole had without at least some lying.

The attendant gave him a small smile. Maddy, her name tag read. “Well, if you need anything, just call.”

“Okay, thanks, Ms.”

Maddy nodded and continued walking, greeting the other passengers. Cole fidgeted in his seat. The fabric covering it was itchy and the seatbelt was too tight. The man sitting next to him scrolled through his phone, music blaring loudly, and the old lady behind him was snoring. Not even off the ground yet and this flight was already torture. Cole resisted the urge to groan.

It was only a two hour flight, Cole could do this. But he hated planes so much — always had. Not being on the ground made him feel ill, and every bit of turbulence was terrifying. At least he had the window seat, though that didn’t do much to soothe his nerves. Being able to see how high up he was might make Cole feel worse. 

The crackling of a speaker interrupted his panicking. The sounds it made were loud and screechy. “Please fasten your seatbelts and put all devices on airplane mode. We will be taking off shortly,” the announcements said. 

Finally. Cole dug through his backpack and found his book. Fish in a Tree, the title read. He’d found it at the school book sale but had never gotten around to reading it. Now was his chance.

He’d barely gotten past the first chapter before they took off. Cole actually felt it when they did — it was like getting severed from a part of him. He felt sick, though throwing up wouldn’t achieve anything. It would probably make him feel worse. Cole settled for putting the book down and staring blankly at the seat in front of him instead. He wouldn’t be able to focus on the book, or anything at all, not when his stomach was lurching so badly.

Just two hours, he told himself. Then I can collapse on a bed and sleep. He repeated those words over and over like a mantra. 

~

As it turned out, Cole was not able to immediately sleep once he arrived at MOSPA, because he had to check in. Check in, as if the school was a hotel. Or maybe a prison, which would be much more accurate.

“It’s great that you’re here, Nicholas,” the secretary smiled cheerily as she typed on her computer. “I’m sure you’ll love this school. We’re all one big family.”

Yeah, right. Every time a school said that they didn’t mean anything by it. In fact, it meant there was probably all sorts of bullying that went ignored. “It’s just Cole, not Nicholas. Nobody calls me that,” Cole said. He hated his full name — who agreed to let his grandfather pick it out? ‘Nicholas’ was an old-person name from at least a hundred years ago.

“Okay, then, Cole. I’ve got your dorm number and schedule here,” the secretary printed out a sheet of paper. “Do you need a map of the school?”

Cole shook his head. He had spent some of the flight looking at the floor plans and they were seared into his brain at this point. “I’ll be fine, thank you,” he hurried out before she could offer to have someone show him around. He didn’t want that kind of forced social interaction.

The dormitories were not hard to find, not with the giant sign that pointed to where they were. Cole opened the door, cursing when it was stuck, and shoved everything to the side before closing it again. He didn’t see a roommate anywhere, but it was a weekend, so everyone was probably out. That was good, it meant he had a couple hours alone; he could use the time to unpack and explore the school.

Cole shoved all his clothes into the closet and shoes under the bed. MOSPA had a strict uniform policy, so he wouldn’t be able to wear any casual clothing, nor his combat boots. That was a shame — he really liked those boots. They had served well when he got into fights. And they added another sorely needed three inches to his height, another advantage.

Any books that he’d brought were put onto the desk. Items such as stationery and notebooks were placed in drawers. Miscellaneous trinkets were placed in a box under the bed and his toiletries in another box. Cole pushed the suitcases into the corner. There wasn’t anywhere else to put them, but he’d figure it out later. Right now he wanted to take a nap and not wake up for a month. Screw exploring the school, he could do that tomorrow.

Cole closed the curtains, pulled the covers over his head, and went to sleep. 

~

MOSPA, as Cole found out in the span of a month, was its own special brand of hell. The students there hated Cole for always messing up and acting strange, as if grieving for a loved one was something to make fun of. The teachers hated him for not talking or making eye contact and always zoning out. Everybody seemed to agree that he was the weird kid who should be avoided at all costs. His roommate, a kid named John, disliked him enough that he asked to be put in a different dorm.

“Thanks for messing up again, Brookstone,” one of his classmates sneered. Brant Green, yet another asshole who existed to make Cole miserable. “You ruined the whole performance.”

It hadn’t been Cole’s fault. Another student had purposefully tripped him, causing him to fall and knock over several people. “Yeah, I did. What’s your point?” He tried not to flip off Brant. That would just cause more trouble, trouble he couldn’t risk. The teachers hated him enough already.

“How’d you even get into this school? I thought you needed to have talent to get in,” Brant spat. 

“Do I look like I want to be here? I hate this place,” Cole stood up and glared at the taller boy. Brant was a good head taller than him, unfortunately.

Brant didn’t seem to know what to say to that. Perhaps he’d thought Cole was going here willingly, though how he’d come to that conclusion was a mystery. He gave Cole another sneer and walked away.

Cole rolled his eyes and went back to his lunch. For all its faults, at least this school had good food. The chicken salad was pretty tasty.

A large group chattered next to him. One of them gave him the side eye. “That’s the Brookstone kid,” she said, loud enough for Cole to hear. “His dad’s a Royal Blacksmith. Isn’t it weird how he didn’t get any of the family talent?”

Cole scowled and looked down at the table. He stabbed his lunch with more force than was needed.

“Nicholas Brookstone to the office, Nicholas Brookstone to the office,” a speaker sounded. All eyes turned to him. Cole looked down at the floor and wondered if he could just die right there in the cafeteria. It would save everyone a lot of trouble.

A kid coughed from the table in front of him. Awkward, Cole thought. What had he done this time? There wasn’t anything recent he’d done to warrant this.

It took five minutes for the school to realise he wasn’t moving any time soon. They all went back to their conversations, and Cole snuck out the side entrance. He had always been good at going unnoticed.

Cole walked through the halls briskly and knocked on the office door. He was let in by the guidance counsellor, a lady in her forties with platinum blonde hair. “Nicholas, we need to talk about your behaviour,” she said as they sat down.

“I haven’t been in any more fights,” Cole said. It was true.

“Your teachers say that you don’t pay any attention in class and that you’re not following instructions. It has nothing to do with your peers.”

“I’m trying my best, okay?” Cole snapped. Why couldn’t anyone just listen for once? He was trying, he’d been trying for ages.

“Then how come your grades are so low? This is one of the top arts schools in Ninjago, Nicholas. We expect better.” The counsellor had a mask of false concern on. Cole kind of wanted to punch it off. 

“It’s not Nicholas, it’s Cole. And I am trying,” Cole gritted out. 

“Your grades are barely scraping fifty percent.”

“So?”

The counsellor frowned. “If you don’t start doing better, you may get expelled.”

“Would that be such a bad thing?” Cole said under his breath. Then to the counsellor, “I’m sorry. I’ll do better.” She might be suspicious of the sudden change of pace, but Cole couldn’t care less. He just wanted to get out of the office.

The counsellor nodded and fixed her glasses. “That’s all for today, Nicholas. You can go to class now.”

She didn’t even bother to get his name right. “Thanks,” Cole marched out the door.

~

Cole stared down at his exam results and wondered if he was dreaming. Forty percent average, the paper said. A fail. He’d managed to do so badly that his average wasn’t even fifty.

Dad’s going to kill me, he thought. Dad expected at least nineties, and this definitely wasn’t it. He’d be grounded until his thirtieth birthday, if he lived that long.

The only subject that had above sixty was visual arts. The teacher for that class was nice — he understood Cole’s struggles and gave him all the time he needed. It wouldn’t make Dad overlook all the other failures, though.

The paper crinkled under his grip. Cole blinked the tears out of his eyes and shoved the paper into his folder. His classmates were conversing all around him, comparing grades and bragging about what they’d gotten. The teacher sat at her desk on the computer. Nobody would notice if he went to the washroom and never returned, hopefully.

Cole got up and walked to the front. “Ms. Jackson, may I please go to the washroom?”

The teacher nodded distractedly and waved her hand. “Yes.”

Cole grabbed his belongings and slipped out the door. He hadn’t taken a hall pass, not when the teacher would notice it missing. She wouldn’t know he was gone, but she would notice the hall pass. The teachers here were strange like that.

He opened the door to his dorm and collapsed on the ground. How was he going to explain his grades to his dad, much less the teachers? He could already hear the lecture. “Your mother would be so disappointed in you, Cole. What happened to all that potential?”

Then again, Dad didn’t pay attention to him. Cole doubted he even remembered that he existed; Dad was too busy partying. Maybe he could burn the report card and pretend it didn’t exist.

Or… Cole’s thoughts drifted to a snide comment Brant had made a few months ago. “Why don’t you just run away? Nobody would miss you — we’d be happy to see you gone.”

Cole had ignored him at the time. It was just another uncreative insult from the stereotypical bully. But it wasn’t exactly a bad idea. As strict as the school was, Cole knew all the weak spots in its system. It was easy to sneak out and never return. And he’d been thinking about leaving and never coming back for ages. This was just the final straw.

“All right, then. Guess Brant gets his wish,” Cole said. No one responded, of course — he was all alone. But talking to himself was a habit. Cole got up and went to the closet, finding the duffel bag he used to use for camping. He blew the dust off and packed anything that seemed useful. A flashlight, multiple sets of clothes, a reusable water bottle, that box of granola bars he’d bought a month ago, all the cash he had.

More food would need to be picked up from the school cafeteria, he decided. And he’d need to find a sleeping bag somehow. But everything else was ready. Cole could leave during the night — he refused to call it running away, he wasn’t running from anything — it was easier that way. This was the best option, he told himself.

Cole snuck out as soon as it was dark. He didn’t need to avoid any roommates, thankfully — anyone who’d been placed with him had moved out. It took a few minutes for him to write a letter to Jay. His best friend didn’t deserve to have him disappearing without warning, though they hadn’t been best friends since before Mom’s death. He put it in the outgoing mail on the way out, sealed with a blue sticker. Jay would know what that meant.

He took the back exit and walked down the road to the bus stop. The city’s streets were dimly lit, people rushing past him to get home. A couple looked at him curiously but didn’t stop him. A drunk man sat down next to him on the bench as they waited. Dogs barked in the distance and a truck drove past. It was peaceful, Cole thought. The most peaceful he’d been in a while.

The bus arrived just after midnight. Cole got on and paid for a ticket to the next town over. He could find a sleeping bag and extra clothes there, and the further away he got the better. He was finally leaving MOSPA and his dad behind, and he wouldn’t be stopped by something as simple as not having basic supplies.

~

Running away wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. All the books made it seem easy — there was no mention of sleeping in alleys, or trying not to get mugged, or having to do odd jobs to get money. Thank goodness for Ninjago’s lax law enforcement; nobody would have hired a thirteen-year-old if the police were good at their job. Especially a thirteen-year-old who may or may not be on the missing persons list. Cole still wasn’t sure if anyone had noticed him missing.

Cole shouldered his backpack as he walked away from Jamanakai Village. He’d managed to find work at a local restaurant a few weeks prior and had finally saved up enough money to get somewhere else. He wasn’t quite sure where his next destination would be, but for now he planned to go back to the mountain range near Ninjago City. He deserved a break, and climbing was therapeutic. The city having a lot of people to pickpocket was just a bonus.

Jamanakai was isolated, unfortunately. It would be an entire day before Cole could get to a more urban area and find a bus stop. He knew there wasn’t a lot of point in travelling so often, of course, but Cole couldn’t shake the feeling that if he didn’t keep moving, someone would find him and bring him back to MOSPA. He couldn’t let that happen. And it kept his mind off of Mom and Dad. Nope, not thinking of that today, Cole thought. It was a good day and he wasn’t going to ruin it.

“Probably enough money for a ticket to Ninjago City,” Cole muttered. “Then it’s just some hitchhiking.”

Not a difficult journey, really. Cole continued on.

~

The mountain was tall. And windy. And probably dangerous to climb without proper gear. Cole tried not to think of that as he pulled himself up the next ledge. He’d already had a close calls today, almost fell off before he found a foothold. Cole thanked Wojira that he hadn’t fallen to his death. If he was going to die, he wanted it to at least be dignified.

Only a bit more to the top of the mountain and then he could rest. Cole planned to camp there for the night and then go back down, hopefully without any major injuries. The broken ankle  still ached, and it had been months. He hadn’t been able to walk for two weeks the last time, and Cole wasn’t eager to have a repeat.

Huffing and sweaty, Cole reached the top. He climbed over the last few rocks and stopped, feeling pretty proud of himself, when he noticed the man sitting in front of him.

“Hello there,” the man said. He looked ancient, with deep set wrinkles and a long white beard. He took a sip of his drink and smiled.

Okay, that’s creepy, Cole thought. He had thought he was the only one climbing. How had he not noticed this guy?

“Wha— who are you?” The words exited Cole’s mouth without permission. He really should work on his brain-to-mouth filter at some point.

“Maybe that is a question you should ask, but first: why do you climb the mountain?” The old man looked at Cole with something like curiosity. Curiosity about what?

“Because it’s a good way to get exercise?”

“You can tell me the truth, Cole. I don’t judge.”

“How do you know my name? I never introduced myself,” Cole took a step back. Was this man some sort of stalker? Nobody knew where he was. If he got kidnapped, or murdered, no one would be able to find him. 

“Because I know you, Cole. I was there when you were born.”

“You know my Dad? Are you going to bring me back to him? Give me another lecture on how I’m a disappointment? I don’t need to hear it,” Cole crossed his arms and prepared to make a run for it. It would be suicidal to jump off the mountain, but he was a fast climber. The old man wouldn’t be able to catch up with him.

“I knew your mother. She was one of my students,” the old man stood and held up his hands in the ‘I surrender’ gesture. 

“Student?”

“I taught her to be a hero. Did you think that all the stories she told you were made up?”

Cole hadn’t thought about his mom’s stories in years. She used to tell him about great heroes who could control the very elements themselves, who tamed dragons and fought against evil. He’d loved those stories.

“You’re telling me that all those stories about ninja and dragons were real? Yeah, and I’m a giant purple unicorn,” Cole glared at the old man. This guy had to be crazy, spouting nonsense about real-life superheroes and monsters. Mom had told him those stories for entertainment and bonding, nothing more.

“You are stubborn. Also like your mother, I suppose. I can prove to you that all the old legends are real. You just have to trust me,” the man held out his hand. His face was a mixture of hope and worry and maybe a little bit of fear. Fear of what, Cole didn’t know.

Cole hesitated for a moment. There was nothing left for him back at home, if he still had one, and no one cared if he went missing. The only people he cared about were either dead or better off without him. His life truly couldn’t get any worse, and if this man had known his mom he couldn’t be too bad. Cole took the hand.

#in the very early days of my time in this fandom I saw a headcanon that Cole's full name is Nicholas and it stuck in my head #still not happy with this but it's better than the first draft #bruise childhood friends au #cole ninjago #cole brookstone #ninjago cole #cole hence #ninjago #lego ninjago #ninjago fic #ninjago fanfiction #lego ninjago fanfiction #kit's writing #bonus chapter will be coming soon!

[fallin-4-ya]

The Follies and Vices of You

cedric diggory x reader- part ii of series 

based off the novel and film ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen

summary: Being the beloved sister of the incredibly wealthy Mr. Potter, you felt no need to rush into marriage. But one day, when you come to meet a new acquaintance, the proud Mr. Diggory, your views of love and follies change.

warnings: none! (gif is not mine, credit to owner!)

part i, part ii, part iii, part iv, part v

‘Maybe it’s that I find it hard to forgive the follies and vices of others, or their offenses against me. My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever.’ -Jane Austen 

With the arrival of fall, so came the arrival of new companions. Mr. Draco Malfoy, a cousin of your Godfather, came to stay with you and your family at the estate; due to the management of Malfoy Manor, after the passing of his father. These manners having to be settled with Mr. Sirius Black, you had grown quite acquainted to each other over the autumn months.

While with each passing day, came new agreements and new events that had to be attended to; there was just one that you impatiently waited for, the Winter Ball. It was a marvelous party held by the Weasley Family, and was an invitation only event ensuring that only anybody who was anyone could attend. It was rather a charming way of making new friends.

One day, dining with your family and Mr. Malfoy, you received the invitation to the Winter Ball. Unable to hold back excitement, you eagerly stated, ‘Oh, look! Our invitation has finally arrived! Miss Ginerva and I have been at an utmost excitement for this event. Mr. Malfoy, you will come won’t you? There is music and dancing with such a marvelous atmosphere. It really is such a great way to make new friends!’

‘Miss Y/N, nothing would exhilarate me more than attending a wonderful party with wonderful people.’ Mr. Malfoy replied.

‘Splendid! As though I do wish the dreaded Mr. Diggory would not come and spoil the evening-‘

‘Mr. Diggory did you say, Miss Y/N? I haven’t known him to be in this part of the country.’

‘Why yes! He has been a resident at the Weasley Estate since the summer, doing business with Mr. Fred and George. Its unknown when he will be finished. Mr. Malfoy, pardon my asking, do you know of Mr. Diggory?’

‘Yes, my father and his were very closely acquainted. They did much business together when we were children. Mr. Diggory and I were very close friends growing up. He borrowed some money from us, quite some time ago before he inherited his fortune. However, he was unable to pay us back in a timely fashion. We had a falling out quite some time after that.’

You sunk into your seat a bit. Mr. Diggory, a man fed by pride, not abide by the rules of business, you questioned to yourself. Strange, the carelessness of men.

The next day you were expected to attend afternoon tea with Miss Ginny. Taking the pleasure of welcoming yourself into their home you went to the parlor, where tea was normally served. But rather than seeing Miss Ginny, you walked in on a reading Mr. Diggory. He caught your eye and immediately stood awkwardly, ‘Miss Y/N, what a surprise. How are you this day?’ he managed to stammer out.

‘Mr. Diggory, very well. Thank you, may I ask you the same?’

‘Fine, thank you.’ He replied. You both stood not exactly knowing what to say to each other, tensions were rising and words did not come easy.’

‘Er- Mr. Diggory, where may I find Miss Ginerva?’

‘Oh yes. She’s in the dining room. Fine seeing you, Miss Y/N.’

You nodded quietly and left the room, heading for the kitchens. I don’t think I will ever understand the brains of men, you told yourself.

The afternoon went by rather quickly, as you chatted with such a gracious friend; and you could not but help to tell Miss Ginny about the information you found out the previous night.

‘Did you know, Ginny, that Mr. Diggory had relations with my Godfather’s cousin, Mr. Draco Malfoy. A very handsome young fellow. Apparently, Diggory borrowed money from him some time ago and never paid the poor family back. Very questionable if you ask me.’

‘Very questionable indeed.’ Pondered Miss Ginny, ‘Perhaps, you also ought to know as well that Mr. Diggory had a late sister. She was very young when she passed, just shy of fourteen. I heard it was an illness that struck her.’

‘Really!’ you said shocked, ‘A Miss Diggory! How very unfortunate. How sad as well.’

You thanked Miss Ginny for the tea and began to head home. Mr. Diggory was perhaps the strangest character you were to meet.

The ball at Weasley Estate came much faster than anticipated. After dressing in a beautiful silky, white gown and having your hair twisted and plaited into an updo, it was time to go. The general splendor of the ball was much greater than it seemed to be in years prior. The entire ballroom was adorned in gold decorations, and a beautiful orchestra played in the ballroom while numerous couples were dancing in the center. You quickly found your friend Ginny. Between chatting away with her and dancing with the company of Mr. Malfoy and your Godfather, you were having the most wonderful time. While walking through the corridors, arm in arm with Miss Ginny, you were met by the tall, handsome figure of Mr. Diggory.

‘Miss Y/N.’

‘Mr. Diggory.’ You bowed.

‘May I have the next dance?’ he said staright faced.

‘You may.’ You both bowed and you and Ginny scurried to the nearest empty hallway.

‘Did Mr. Diggory just ask me to dance?’ Ginny nodded, ‘And did I say yes?’ Ginny nodded even more excitedly, ‘Well, isn’t that convenient, considering I vowed to detest him for the whole of my life.’ You both broke out into a fit of giggles.

You soon found yourself face to face with Mr. Diggory in the ballroom. The orchestra began playing and the dancing started. ‘Beautiful evening. I must urge you that I’ve never seen a ball be more mesmerizing.’ You observed to start conversation.

‘Indeed. Though I have seen more impressive in my days.’

‘You are quite difficult to please, Mr. Diggory, even more so to make out.’

‘May I ask, Miss Y/N, what you are to mean by that. Or should I expect you to keep your motives most secretive.’ He steadily responded.

‘Nothing of the sort. Just that I find it excruciatingly difficult to make out your character. As while your stature is nothing short of grand, I cannot help but to hear such terrible things about your demeanor.’ You said as you both graciously danced your way across the marble.

‘Perhaps, Miss Y/N, you are to consider that I find it rather difficult to forgive the follies and vices of others.’

‘I fear that I am in no position to mock you for that, Mr. Diggory. But I do ponder over the question as to why so many people think you as proud.’

’’It may do you well to ask yourself why others can be the most quick judge of character without fully knowing what lies beneath their outward appearance. I shall pose another question for you ponder over, said being, why when one has pride, it gives the permission for others to be prejudice towards them?’ After a mere moment of silence between the pair, the dance music came to an end.

‘Oh, and Miss Y/N. Perhaps you are right in saying dancing is a most valuable way to make new friends.’

 You turned your cheek and could not help but to feel your lips tug to a smile. Mr. Diggory was a most interesting character indeed.

(end of part twoooo! hope you guys like it. part 3 will be posted shortly! chat with you all soon!)

tag list: @freddieweasleyswife @truly-insatiable

#Harry Potter #cedric diggory #cedric diggory x reader #cedric diggory x you #Draco Malfoy #sirus black #ginny weasley #fred weasley #george weasley #Fred and George #pride and predujice #jane austen #harry potter fanfiction

[lorei-writes]

Radio Call: The Original

Mitsuhide x MC Angst Post-Apocalypse AU

There are some innocent things that do divide humans - pineapple on pizza, the existence of spiders, this spice that tastes like soap if you got unlucky on genetic lottery... Fluff and Angst don’t seem to fall into this category, even though some have strong preferences regarding those.

“Unfortunately”, my dear friend R does have a strong preference for angst, and it’s her birthday, so I pulled out everything I had on hand >:3 Happy birthday, you angst-loving creature! I hope it hurts in just the right way! It is not a game, like the last year... But I do presume it completes the trilogy, so it’s angst to the power of 3.

Warnings: major character death (implied), death of the lover, deadly illness, swearing, needles, reoccurring nightmares (mention), swearing, food

The city was quiet, not even rats coming onto the empty streets. Planks covering most of the displays, it appeared nobody remained in place, old signs littering the pavement every now and again – not that it mattered, no cars driving through the lanes just regardless. A helicopter flew somewhere high above him, most likely nearing the old town square: evacuation, probably one of the last transports. Tomorrow, tomorrow he… He wouldn’t be there anymore. Clenching his fists, Mitsuhide slowed down in his steps. Did he really want to go? He couldn’t tell.

Mitsuhide watched, for seeing was all he was capable of. His hand pressed against the glass pane,  he didn’t dare avert his eyes from the room, his gaze falling onto the figure resting over the bed. He wished it was sleep, that it was peaceful – yet it wasn’t, her skin having turned the shade of light plum purple. Her chest heaved weakly with each breath, her fingers twitching as she struggled to grasp onto the sheets, as if clinging to dear life with what energy she had left…

Mitsuhide watched, for seeing was all he could do for her at the moment,  the monotonous beeping of the machine being more jarring than lulling or otherwise soothing. Perhaps he allowed himself to wonder: why of all people her? Why then? Why did they survive for so long, if it was all meant to end like so? His nails scratched against the glass, new questions flooding his mind at a much too great pace. Was there any reason to begin with? Was a reason even necessary? It didn’t seem to be, at least not if it was her of all people.

Mitsuhide watched, for he couldn’t hear, the commotion behind his back turning to mere whispers. He just stood there in place, a single unmovable object by the side of raging river of people, few remaining staff members evacuating alongside patients who still had a chance. Tough decisions, he thought – and among the lucky ones, there wasn’t her. His lips pressed into a thin line.  

It quieted down eventually, silence consuming all sound. A pull on his sleeve – and for a moment, for a mere moment he looked away, almost immediately cursing himself. A nurse stared at him sympathetically, their lips curling into a half-hearted smile. “It’s late, mister Akechi. Go home.” “It’s the last day. What will happen tomorrow?” “The power will be cut off. So…” “You’re going to give her the shot?” Mitsuhide asked, his gaze wandering back into the room. A moment of pause. “Yes,” the nurse replied finally. “It’s better than letting them die slowly.” Mitsuhide winced internally. ‘Die’, he grew to hate the word. “I see,” he almost hesitated. “Could I hold her hand?” “I’m afraid it’s not possible. The room is contaminated.” No reply came to his mind. Silence was his acceptance.

Mitsuhide stayed to watch, for it was all he could do for himself.

***

Live, live, live, live – Mitsuhide had enough of the nightmares, enough of her face and of everything, of everything lost reminding him of itself. There was no place of escape, each desolate corner and greyed street having seemingly been marked by her presence, his heart skipping a beat at each return, still hoping to see her welcome him. It had to be a mirage, a lie, a… A dream he got tired of dreaming, day by day hoping he’d wake up from it and get to speak with her again.

Mitsuhide opened his eyes to the white ceiling, morning light falling inside through the window. He turned onto his side and groaned, sleeping on the couch having proven to be rather harsh on his poor back. Slowly, he pushed himself up and opened the cabinets, his hand reaching for a can of red beans almost on instinct. Absent-mindedly, he opened it, and without as much as draining it or putting its contents into a bowl, he began to eat. Having finished his meal, he took his coat, the door soon closing behind him.

The city was quiet, not even rats coming onto the empty streets. Planks covering most of the displays, it appeared nobody remained in place, old signs littering the pavement every now and again – not that it mattered, no cars driving through the lanes just regardless. A helicopter flew somewhere high above him, most likely nearing the old town square: evacuation, probably one of the last transports. Tomorrow, tomorrow he… He wouldn’t be there anymore. Clenching his fists, Mitsuhide slowed down in his steps. Did he really want to go? He couldn’t tell.

Commotion rose above the square. They’ve been waiting for hours, for far longer than it took for any other transport to arrive – and yet, nobody came. “They left us!” “Motherfucking…!” “Mommy, I’m scared.” “My sister was in the last one!” “My son!” “They couldn’t have...Could they?” Mitsuhide sighed. Perhaps indeed, he was meant to stay. Slowly, he got up, odd sort of acceptance washing over him. “Where are you going?! They may still come!” somebody called after him. Without thinking much, Mitsuhide turned around. “They will not. Who did they leave? Elderly and few adults, children. It’s the time of tough choices, they may say – and sacrificing us seems to be one of them. I do not know about your intentions, but I do not plan to die just yet. City will provide only for so long.” “Oh, look at ya, a fucking smartass!” another person chimed in. “Indeed. Whoever wants to live, should collect what resources they have. We should set off before the collapse.”

Mitsuhide walked away.

***

Mitsuhide pressed the recording button, cough ripping through his lungs. “I hope this tape made it to you safely, Nobunaga. We shall meet again when the last wave is over,” he forced out of himself.

The day was warm as he stepped out of his tent, wind seemingly trying to embrace him, or to at least make it more bearable, each step being more draining than the previous one. Slowly, he dragged himself to the very edge of their settlement, empty streets reminding him of something he had seen before – as did the choked down cries, somehow identical to the shriek of his nails against the glass. All things end, he convinced himself. All had to end.

The border came into his field of vision, few people standing there, backpacks waiting by their legs. “Please, do leave this in the point I’ve told you about,” Mitsuhide asked.

It was a warm day as he retreated into his tent. As for the night… The night, he couldn’t tell. All things end – and some do so fast.

Tag list: @datenoriko, @nad-zeta, @tsubaki3192, @missjudge-me, @ikemencrossedmyth, @nuttytani, @thesirenwashere, @milas-imaginarium, @kisara-16, @yukas-clover, @alerialumina , @cheese-ception , @iamryxx, @cottonfluffballofdoom, @ozziegrl71, @mineko811 , @briars7 If you want to be tagged under my future works, let me know (any way works)! ^^ Also, if you have some preferences (for example: you’d rather not be tagged under some series, etc.), please, tell me.  If you don’t want to be tagged anymore - please, do not feel bad about it, just say so :)

#mitsuhide akechi #ikesen mitsuhide #ikemen sengoku mitsuhide #ikesen #ikemen sengoku #ikemen series #my ff #my writing

[avrelia]

Your writing is amazing! Can you do a headcanon or prompt for Mai telling Zuko she’s pregnant with Izumi?

Thank you so much!

As a matter of fact, I have an unfinished ficlet on topic, so here it is for a taste: (eventually, I’ll clean it up, edit it, give it a name and tags and post on AO3 with the rest)

“AND THAT IS SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE!”  Mai’s voice rang with such fury that the Royal Cunselors and ministers all leaned back and tried to look smaller. Zuko didn’t remember ever seeing her like that. Even worse he wasn’t sure what exactly prompted this outburst right now. Sure, they were dealing with unpleasant issues, and the proposition about schools was indeed unacceptable, but… that was Mai… and Mai was not prone to outbursts, even when she was that angry. Mai looked around the council room, her eyes full of storms. Zuko felt confused – what did he miss? Mai was probably just tired. She worked a lot, and often looked tired these days. They had to talk about it. When she was less angry.

A hand touched and lightly squeezed his shoulder. Zuko turned in surprise. It was his old Minister of Agriculture, Goshi, who now realized his impropriety and was bowing deeply.

“What is it?” Zuko asked while trying to hide his annoyance and confusion.

The minister bowed again. “Forgive me,  Fire Lord. I believe, lady Mai might benefit from a visit to a doctor.”

Zuko felt even more confusion. Surely Mai was fine, just tired. “Are you suggesting my wife is ill?”

Deeper bow. “No, not at all. I think it might be good news, my lord, for you, and for the nation.” After that he bowed again and moved as far as possible to let Zuko figure out the meaning by himself.

The lighting struck. Or, at least that’s how it felt when Zuko realized what the minister was implying. Mai was pregnant? Well, they certainly were working hard on THAT, too. Zuko smirked, remembering their nights, and mornings, and occasional afternoons...  Then blinked and looked at Mai again. She certainly didn’t look any different. May be a bit paler, but that’s hard to say with her usual paleness.

Soon enough the Council dissipated, having finished whatever they could. Zuko and Mai were alone. He came closer and hugged her carefully.

“What is that about?” She inquired grumpily.

Zuko exhaled and tried to phrase it as carefully as he could. “Maybe you should see a doctor? On the chance that you are.. that you are pregnant.”

“I know I am pregnant, Zuko. Don’t need a doctor for that.”

That was even more unexpected. “Ehhh. Don’t you think I would like to know it, too?”

Mai shrugged and tried to bury her face in his clothes. This conversation was not moving as expected right now.

“Mai, what is happening?”

Another shrug. Followed by sniffling. “It’s just too early, that’s all.”

“Too early for what? Either you pregnant, or not, right?”

She tried to burrow her face even deeper into his clothes, so her answer came out muffled, hardly audible. “Too early to tell if she is going to stay.”

Oh. He was an idiot. They had a… disappointment a year ago, When they thought they might have a baby, but didn’t, and the doctor assured that everything was fine, and Mai seemed to be fine, too. But apparently she…  is much more worried now about it. And now Zuko was worried, too.

“Anything I can do?”

“No, I guess. Just wait and see. Mother told me it happened a lot, people just don’t talk about it. And really there is nothing to talk. I just don’t want any doctors or official announcements until much later.”

He hugged her even tighter and kissed her head. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Scared. Hungry. The other time I couldn’t eat anything, but now I am fine, just slightly nauseous. Very tired. Terrified. And my emotions run away from and live their separate life and I have no control over them. It’s disturbing.” Mai sniffed, then added, “Kind of hopeful.” She was silent for several heartbeats, then asked almost inaudibly, “What about you?”

To be honest, Zuko had no idea how was he. His brain hadn’t really had time to process it. “Hopeful, I guess. Slightly worried. Wait, why did you say “she”?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have. I didn’t have it before, but now when I think about the baby, I think “she”.

“We’ll have a baby princess then.” The thought gave him a sharp pang that he recognized as happiness, and the did what he could in the situation – started kissing Mai.

She looked at him, her eyes bright and glistening, and Zuko with a start realized that his clothes where Mai was hiding his face were all wet. She couldn’t have been crying, could she?

#my asks #my posts #izumi #mai #zuko #atla mai #atla maiko #maiko

[carewyncromwell]

Whew! Three drawings for the price of one for the POTC AU! The first two feature our new Pirate King Jules Farrier-Weasley @cursebreakerfarrier (flanked by Jacob “Black Jack” Cromwell Roberts and Orion Amari), and Cutler Beckett (flanked by Carewyn Cromwell “Carey Weasley” and Patricia Rakepick). The last one features the human form of our Davy Jones, Finn McGarry @theguythatdraws, with his One True Love Chiara Dalma, A.K.A. Calypso! These took a while, but they were fun to do, so I hope you like them.

Jules’s ���tunic” is actually the same chemise she cut up while she was still on board the Artemis, as seen in a doodle on a previous post. Carewyn’s new uniform (which we’ll address in this part) is based on yet another of James Norrington’s costumes, this time the one he wears in the third Pirates film. Unlike the character whose role she roughly fills, though, Carey isn’t going to die unceremoniously in the middle of the damn story after getting this costume change. (Why no, I’m not bitter about the fact that Jack Davenport didn’t get more screentime and that Norrington didn’t get to be the Javert to Captain Jack Sparrow’s Valjean in the sequels the way he so could’ve been after the first movie, why would you think that? *snort*)

Now that we’re getting more into the Davy Jones/Calypso stuff, I can acknowledge how much I’ve changed from the original films’ depictions of the characters, as well as why. Personally I find the characters’ relationship to be a bit toxic and not as romantic as it should be. Calypso, being a goddess, could very easily not understand things like the passage of time through a man’s eyes, but the excuse she gives for why she wasn’t there to support her lover after all of the hard and lonely work he’d put in for her after ten years is just “it’s who I am.” I get that she’s a manifestation of the sea and not something you can pin down and all that jazz, but at the same time, it was cruel to follow her own selfish whims over considering her lover’s feelings. She presumably then also didn’t even try following up with Jones after he returned to the sea, as they aren’t able to sort out that misunderstanding before the events of At World’s End. (I mean, she’s a shape-shifting goddess of the sea, and she made him that way in the first place, so it’s not like she couldn’t have met him somewhere that wasn’t dry land.) I understand Jones couldn’t expect her to change her nature, and that’s fair, but it doesn’t make me like Calypso very much or feel much of anything for her relationship with Jones. And on the flip side, Jones decides to take out his pain at this misunderstanding (which he really should’ve tried clearing up AGES before the events of At World’s End) on his lover in the most spiteful, vindictive way -- teaching a bunch of pirates how to trap an immortal goddess into a mortal body that definitely has none of the power innate to her, presumably feels pain, and could even age or die. Rather than trying to quit the job Calypso gave him or even trying to figure out what happened, he decides to clip the wings of the woman he supposedly loves, all due to his own pain at being betrayed. So I don’t feel much for Jones as a character and for his relationship with Calypso either. In the end, when they quasi-make up, I didn’t think it was earned or that it was a good outcome for either of them. I do think there’s some tragedy in the situation, for they clearly feel deeply for each other, but their romance is really dysfunctional in my opinion, and I think it could’ve been handled a lot better if you wanted to make the pairing as romantic as the theme Hans Zimmer wrote for it. (As a side, take a listen to this lovely lyric cover someone wrote for the Davy Jones theme, it’s so good!) This is part of why I like being able to write Chia and Finn (the Calypso and Jones analogues in this AU) with a more sympathetic backstory, as well as some organic development for both them and their relationship while they’re apart from each other, which I kind of think was lacking in Tia Dalma/Calypso in particular.

Previous part is here, whole tag is here, and I hope you all enjoy!

x~x~x~x

Carewyn was perturbed by how fast an armada of ships from Port Royal caught up with the Flying Dutchman, once Rakepick had Jones send one of his cursed crew members with a message for Beckett. It was as though the head of the East India Trading Company had been waiting in eager anticipation of the Dutchman locating Shipwreck Cove ever since he gave her and Rakepick the mission in the first place.

Among the armada was the Clearwater, and Carewyn was shocked and a little happy to see Percy crossing over to the Dutchman from his ship and leaping off the gangplank to greet her. The youngest of the three Weasley brothers who’d joined the Navy gave her a salute for formalities’ sake, but he couldn’t keep the relieved smile off his face.

“Commodore Weasley,” he said formally.

“Captain Weasley,” said Carewyn in return.

As soon as they’d greeted each other, both of them loosened considerably. Carewyn opened her arms and brought Percy into a rather mannish hug, clapping his back the way Bill often did whenever he hugged his brothers.

“Jones’s men treated you well, I hope?” Percy murmured under his breath, his voice betraying some cold suspicion despite himself.

“Well enough,” Carewyn said softly.

When they broke apart, Percy was smiling a bit more fully. 

“It is good to see you, Carey,” he said, his faintly pompous voice nonetheless incredibly sincere, “though I’m afraid I’ll have my own ship to run now...”

Carewyn smiled proudly. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. A Commodore needs a talented Captain in his fleet.”

‘I know how long you’ve dreamed of moving up the ranks. Even if the Navy isn’t what it should be...I’m glad that you’re living your dream, Percy.’

Percy’s brown eyes softened, clearly touched. Before he could say anything, however, a familiar, aloof voice interrupted him.

"A Commodore does indeed need a talented Captain...”

Both Weasleys turned to Cutler Beckett as he stepped down onto the deck of the Dutchman beside them. His small eyes were locked firmly on Carewyn.

“...as does the Admiral of the fleet.”

He materialized a folded letter and held it out to Carewyn. Her eyebrows furrowed as she opened it, before her eyes widened upon its contents and the royal wax seal at the bottom.

“I’d already had this prepared ahead of time, prior to your departure from Port Royal,” said Beckett with a cool smile. “I wrote to the King of how impressed I was with your dedication, ingenuity, and talents, and he was most pleased. When I requested you to be at the head of my fleet for this upcoming venture, he agreed immediately. Upon receiving Madam Rakepick’s letter about you initiating the search for the Tower Raven’s old fleet and using one of their own ships to guide us to our target...I knew that my faith had been more than warranted.”

His eyes narrowed slightly over his cold, satisfied smile.

“Congratulations...Admiral Carey Weasley.”

The “honor” the King had bestowed upon her, if one could call it that, made Carewyn feel ill for multiple reasons. Not only did she truly not, NOT want to fight the Pirate Lords and whatever ships they gathered together, but she knew that she had largely gotten the position thanks to the effort of Rakepick -- who had for whatever reason credited Carewyn for following the Phoenix rather than taking credit herself -- and Beckett -- who Carewyn didn’t trust as far as she could throw him, but couldn’t figure out why exactly he had so much “faith” in her. Was she truly that good of an actress to completely fool him? She wanted to think so -- and yet the way he looked at her, not unlike how Rakepick looked at her, spoke of him knowing something she didn’t. Sadly Percy, even if he had seemed legitimately troubled by the hangings in Port Royal, was not distrustful enough of Beckett to express anything but pride in Carewyn’s accomplishment, so Carewyn couldn’t talk to him or anyone else about her suspicions.

When she confronted Rakepick about what she wrote to Beckett, the older woman’s response was oddly coy.

“I already told you you don’t belong on this ship,” she said, her dark blue eyes locked firmly onto Carewyn’s with a murky emotion she couldn’t quite identify. “Now that you’re Admiral, you’ll have more power to command your own ship, overlooking the Dutchman as well as the rest of the fleet.”

Carewyn’s eyes narrowed. “So you wrote that so I’d get off the Dutchman?”

Rakepick’s eyes narrowed slightly too, becoming more solemn. “You heard Lord Beckett -- he’d already planned this for you in advance. Although my reasons are different from his, I’m more than willing to play along with his whims, if it means I get what I want.”

“And what is it you want, Rakepick?”

Rakepick’s red lips curled up into a cool smirk. “Now, Admiral...one can hardly expect a lady to answer such a personal question.”

Not long after confronting Rakepick, Beckett summoned Carewyn to his cabin on his flagship, a Man O’ War called the HMS Lion. Unlike any of their previous meetings in his office, Carewyn found the cabin completely empty except for Beckett when she arrived -- in the past, Percy or Rakepick had been there too, as well as one or two employees of the East India Trading Company. It gave her the feeling that Beckett wanted this meeting to be more private than the others, which gave her a terrible sense of foreboding.

“You wished to see me, Lord Beckett?” she asked, once she’d finished saluting him.

“Yes,” said Beckett.

He was sitting behind his desk, which once again had a map laid out with different model soldiers and ships littered all over it. There were also seven Piece of Eight coins lined up in a neat little row -- he was once again playing with the eighth, rolling it along his fingers lackadaisically.

“Word has come from Shipwreck Cove, from the so-called ‘Pirate King,’“ he said, his eyes on the coin in his hand. “She wishes to rendez-vous on a tiny island on the far side of Shipwreck Island at sunset tonight, a ways away from the Cove. No weapons -- just talking.”

Beckett’s eyes flickered up to Carewyn’s face almost critically.

“...The Pirate King...signed her name as ‘Captain Jules Weasley’ -- so she’d be an old flame of yours, would she not?”

Carewyn stiffened slightly. ‘Jules is the Pirate King?’

She covered up her surprise quickly, her blue eyes narrowing.

“Miss Farrier -- pardon, Mrs. William Weasley -- never commanded any affection from me. Although her father bid she court me, her feelings were always for my brother -- so much so that she followed him into piracy.”

Beckett’s lips spread into a cold smile. “Then it’s as I surmised. Governor Farrier expressed frustration that his daughter had not managed to ensnare your heart, as opposed to your older brother’s -- especially considering how much she seemed to enjoy your company...”

Carewyn could not figure out what Beckett was trying to suss out from this conversation and it troubled her greatly -- so she put on her best, coldest expression and lied through her teeth.

“Whatever woman I respected in the past is dead, now that she’s an enemy of the Crown,” she said harshly. “I know no ‘Captain Jules Weasley’...nor do I wish to.”

Beckett’s smile did not shift in the slightest. If anything, his small, dark eyes flickered in something almost like triumph.

“I understand your sensitivity to the matter. You truly do love with all of your heart, don’t you, Admiral Weasley?”

Carewyn’s eyebrows knit tightly over her eyes in confusion, but she did not reply. Beckett put the Piece of Eight coin down in the row on his deck and rose from his chair, moving over to the decanter of red wine on the side table so he could pour a glass.

“I saw you with Captain Weasley, before you left Port Royal -- and of course, your reunion on-board the Dutchman, earlier today. I also heard quite a few interesting rumors circulated among our prisoners from Tortuga, speaking of your honor and the respect you showed them despite their criminal status...even moving a woman into a cell with her husband without being asked, if I’m not mistaken...”

His voice was very aloof and was tinged with a bizarre fascination, like an entomologist might have for a rare butterfly he’d pinned to his wall. Carewyn felt like her heart was being squeezed, but she dare not say anything.

Beckett finished pouring out two glasses of wine and put down the decanter so he could pick up both glasses.

“It’s not something I’m familiar with, that kind of concern for others.”

He offered the glass of red wine to Carewyn, his eyes boring into her face. Carewyn kept her face as blank as she could even though she could feel the blood leaving it as she took the glass of wine from him, but did not drink it.

“...I did not mean to displease you, Lord Beckett,” she said lowly.

Beckett’s eyes flickered again with that strange satisfaction as he took a sip from his glass of wine.

“On the contrary -- it’s only appropriate, for a woman to have a gentle heart.”

Carewyn stiffened sharply.

‘No. No, no, no -- !’

It was one thing for Rakepick to find out, but Beckett to know -- did Rakepick tell him? No, she said she wasn’t really doing any of this for Beckett -- should she deny it, Carewyn wondered? But if she did, and he caught her in a lie, could that make it worse -- ? 

Her hesitation made Beckett’s eyes gleam with greater satisfaction than ever.

“Then I was right,” he murmured. “I admit, I wasn’t sure. True, your voice is higher than one normally hears and you’re smaller than most, but I know first hand that means nothing. And your military record...had it not been for me having met and employed Patricia Rakepick previously, I would never have believed a woman could be so skilled in battle and strategy, nor so aggressive. But when Captain Weasley expressed such interest in me having hired a woman, and even went out of his way to bring it up to you...my interest was peaked. All the more so when I found out how truly useful you are, as an officer.”

Carewyn felt like she was drowning in horrifying, icy cold water. Beckett knew she was a woman -- he knew she was a woman, and could tell anyone about it, if he so chose. She’d not only lose her position -- the one thing that she had left that she could use to protect Jacob, Orion, Bill, Charlie, and Jules...but she’d be cast out in disgrace, leaving her with nothing -- possibly taking Percy along with her for having kept her true gender a secret --

Her blue eyes had drifted down to the floor absently, but were not focusing on anything.

Yet...Beckett had said nothing of his suspicions to anyone. True, he hadn’t known for sure...but why would he recommend her to the King as an Admiral, if he’d suspected?

And then it hit her.

She bowed her head, casting her eyes into shadow as she put down her untouched wine glass on the side table.

“...What do you want from me, Lord Beckett?”

Beckett raised his eyebrows but did not respond.

“You very easily could’ve gotten both Percy and me cast out of the Navy in disgrace,” she said, keeping her voice low in an attempt to try to keep it steady, “yet you’ve kept me and even helped get me promoted, presumably because I’m so ‘useful.’ What use do I have, for you?”

Beckett gave her something of a patronizing smile as he stepped forward, coming up right in front of Carewyn so that his chin rested just shy of her shoulder and he could look at her face out the side of his eye.

“Isn’t it obvious? You are an excellent Naval officer -- a leader and inspiration to those who serve under you. You’re world-renown for your honor, your courage -- your passion. You prompt people to fight with you -- for you -- with a loyalty that even the King of England himself cannot boast. Were you a man, you would be someone I’d be very threatened by, indeed. But since you are a woman...I can appeal to your heart.”

Carewyn could feel his breath sliding past her ear and she couldn’t help but cringe. She stubbornly refused to look him in the eye, keeping her gaze firmly on the floor.

“I’m afraid my disinterest in the once-Miss Farrier was not a one-off thing, Lord Beckett,” she said very dryly. “Romance is not something I think about very regularly.”

Orion’s face rippled over her mind, making her heart ache. Oh, if he were there, in that room -- the thought of him seeing her letting herself get pushed around by the man who’d branded him and sent the Navy after him for piracy...it made her feel ill.

Beckett’s lips curled up in a slightly tighter, almost miffed smile as he pulled away just enough that he was facing the wall behind her rather than looking at her face.

“...Oh...no, Admiral...you misunderstand me. I know I own no part of your heart...but Captain Weasley, he most assuredly does.”

Carewyn’s head shot up so she could look at him, her expression stricken despite herself.

“Your younger brother is not nearly as useful as you, but he has shown great dedication to me, since I threw him a bone and ensured his promotion. It’s a loyalty I hope that you will likewise show me...especially considering that both you and he have been given access to information that few others have been...and that I would do just about anything to ensure doesn’t become common knowledge...”

Carewyn stared at Beckett, her shock giving way to cold hatred. 

“So that’s it,” she murmured. “You’ll hold Percy’s and my lives and livelihoods over our heads, to make sure that I don’t surpass you, somehow. How I don’t know, considering that the Navy is not part of the East India Trading Company, nor shall it ever be, but clearly you feel loyalty is something to threaten out of people, rather than earn -- ”

“The only thing one can really earn in this world, Admiral, is money, and therefore power,” Beckett cut her off sharply, “and I have no intention of losing either, now that I’ve earned both of which I’m owed!”

He turned to look Carewyn straight-on in the eye, their faces mere inches apart. Gone was any hint of attempt at gentlemanly poise -- there was a hard edge to his gaze, not unlike the way he’d looked at Jones, but because he was actually an inch or so taller than Carewyn, he seemed to relish the power he had looking down at her both literally and figuratively.

“You will use your talents to serve my interests,” he said under his breath, “and I, in return, will continue to reward you and your brother, by ensuring that your careers and lives flourish under me. It’s just good business.”

At sundown, Beckett and Jules met at the tiny island agreed upon. Jules strolled down the long, narrow beach toward the shoreline where they were to meet, Jacob on one side of her and Orion on the other. She’d originally wanted Bill with her, but McNully was able to persuade her that she’d look that bit more intimidating to Beckett if she arrived in the company of two of the most wanted pirate captains in the world, and even Bill had to agree. Jules was determined to stand between Jacob and Orion, though, considering that there was still a lot of tension between them.

Jules had been furious with Jacob, when she’d learned about the deal he’d struck with Davy Jones. Even if he’d originally planned to give Jones “a Cromwell” as in Charles or Blaise Cromwell -- two objectively bad people who had been largely responsible for Carewyn and Jacob’s abusive, unloving childhoods -- Jules was also confident in thinking that Carewyn would be horrified, knowing that Jacob was willing to enslave another person to Davy Jones, just to find her. Jacob refused to feel guilty for that, but he clearly was destroyed by the knowledge that his choice had put Carewyn in so much danger. It was apparent from the way he talked about it and the way his hands and shoulders shook with silent sobs that Jacob would’ve sacrificed himself a hundred times over, if it would guarantee Carewyn wouldn’t be harmed.

Orion, by contrast, hadn’t said a word since Jacob told them what was going on. Throughout the entire conversation, he’d had his hands clasped tightly in front of him and kept his gaze downcast, even taking time to close his eyes for long periods of time as if he were meditating. Despite his silence and his detached affect, his usually stoic expression and unsteady breathing betrayed genuine anxiety. At one point, Bill brought a hand onto Orion’s shoulder to try to comfort him, and Orion actually subconsciously smacked his hand away.

“I’m sorry,” said the Captain quickly, his voice very hushed and tense as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose. “Just...please, don’t touch me.”

Bill, Charlie, and Jules all thought they could guess how Orion was feeling. Although the others had forcefully shot down the idea that Orion was the least bit responsible since he couldn’t have known the consequences of calling Carewyn by her real name, their words had done little to soften the Pirate Lord’s brow. If Orion’s past behavior hadn’t been indicative of how deeply he felt for Carewyn, then the way he clasped anxiously at his own hands and shut himself off from everyone else at the thought of her being doomed to spend the rest of her life trapped on board the Flying Dutchman made it crystal clear.

“Orion’s always valued his own freedom more than any kind of loot,” McNully murmured to the three Weasleys under her breath, “more than anything, really. And if he cares about the Commodore so much...”

“...He probably couldn’t bear it, if she lost hers,” finished Charlie, bowing his head and closing his eyes as they welled up with pain and righteous anger.

As Jules, Jacob, and Orion approached the shore, they caught sight of three people standing in the distance. The man in the middle dressed in black Orion identified as Cutler Beckett. On his left was an older woman as tall as Orion with hair as ginger red as Bill and Charlie’s that Jacob immediately recognized as Rakepick...and on his right was Carewyn, dressed in a new yellow-trimmed navy blue uniform and a black tricorn hat.

The three pirates stopped five feet away from the Head of the East India Trading Company and his two female companions, a notable sting of tension prickling at the air. Jules tried hard to keep her focus on Beckett, but her eyes were drawn to Carewyn despite herself. Although her friend faced Orion -- the person directly in front of her -- with a hard, stoic expression, she looked so pale. When Jules glanced over, she noticed out the side of her eye that Orion’s unreadable gaze was also locked on Carewyn, even as he took deep breaths through his nose and his hands clenched absently at his sides.

“Well, well,” said Beckett, his eyes narrowing darkly upon Orion’s face, “if it isn’t my old friend, Orion Amari.”

Orion glanced at Beckett out the side of his eye without turning his face away from Carewyn’s. Although his face remained rather calm, there was a faint edge to his soft-spoken response.

“...I did not think you were ever much in the market for friendship, Cutler Beckett...considering it’s something you cannot buy.”

His gaze returned to Carewyn. Beckett glanced from Carewyn to Orion, his lips curling up in a very cold smile.

“Ah, yes -- you and Amari are old friends also, aren’t you, Admiral Weasley?”

“Admiral?” repeated Orion, taken aback despite himself.

“Yes,” said Carewyn, and although her response was very cold, her eyes pulsed with emotion that she attempted to obscure by glancing to the side in Jacob’s direction rather than straight at Orion. “By order of the King, as a reward for my work alongside Lord Beckett.”

Jules could see Jacob’s jaw clench out the corner of her eye. She too felt like her heart was being squeezed. Carewyn no doubt hated her promotion with everything in her, if it was something she’d earned chasing after them on Beckett’s orders. Still...Jules couldn’t express that flat-out, so she put on the strongest expression she could.

“...I suppose congratulations are in order, then.” 

Carewyn flashed Jules a look. “I don’t want congratulations from you, Mrs. Weasley. Or should I call you ‘Your Majesty,’ now that you’ve started playacting as a royal?”

Jules’s lips came together tightly when she saw how broadly Beckett smirked. The small man’s reaction seemed to piss off Jacob too.

“You will show proper respect to the Pirate King,” he said with a fierce look at the Head of the East India Trading Company.

“Respect,” scorned Rakepick. “Is that a word you can even define, Black Jack?”

“As well as I could wring your neck, if I were allowed,” spat Jacob.

“I’m surprised your ‘Pirate King’ would want a man in her company who’s so comfortable threatening a lady’s life,” said Carewyn sharply.

‘Don’t start a fight with her,’ she thought desperately, praying that Jacob would be able to sense her intent even with the act she had to play. 

Unfortunately Jacob, as smart as he was, was never the best at reading people’s emotions -- and so when his narrowed eyes shot to Carewyn, she could see a flicker of pain. She surmised that even if he clearly didn’t think she believed what she was saying, it hurt him beyond reason, to see her having to defend the woman who’d tried to kill him.

Orion, however, very quickly adapted to the new method of “conversation,” fixing Carewyn with a calm, but piercing gaze.

“And I’m surprised that a honorable officer such as yourself would be so comfortable in the company of those with no honor whatsoever,” he said.

‘You’re in danger,’ Carewyn surmised he was trying to say. Her eyes narrowed upon Orion’s face.

“I beg your pardon?” she retorted. “I fail to see how a pirate has any leg to stand on, speaking of honor.” ‘What are you trying to tell me?’

“Even I have more honor than a captain who would burn an entire settlement to the ground,” murmured Orion. ‘Davy Jones.’

“Jones follows orders, as do we all...something else a pirate wouldn’t understand.” ‘What about Jones?’

"Orders...from Cutler Beckett, or from you? From what I’ve heard, you were on the Flying Dutchman yourself -- hardly a place one would expect to find Port Royal’s greatest hero.” ‘You must get away from Davy Jones. Get off of the Flying Dutchman.’

Carewyn’s blue eyes narrowed a bit more. First Rakepick wanted her off the Dutchman, and now Orion? Yes, Davy Jones was dangerous, but at present she found him much less of a threat than Beckett...

“A true hero knows that his reputation comes second to the good of the others,” she said very softly. “As does a loyal officer.” ‘I can’t leave.’

Something in Orion’s dark eyes flinched.

“Your older brother will be very disappointed, to know you’ve sold your loyalty so cheaply,” he said just as softly.

Carewyn felt her heart clench. She knew he didn’t mean Bill -- and yet the thought of both her surrogate brothers and Jacob was a silent knife to her back. She didn’t dare look at Jacob for fear her strong facade would crack, so she kept her focus solidly on Orion.

“I would think given your own history with Lord Beckett, you’d know full well how valuable of an ally he is, ” she shot back quickly, feigning temper as best she could, “and how dangerous of an enemy, as well. Both I and the brother who chose to follow the law rather than spit in its face are certainly glad for his aid, in ending your reign of terror.”

‘I can’t leave, not with what Beckett has over me and Percy. And if I do leave, then you’ll be in more danger than ever...’

Her eyes bore into Orion’s fiercely as she begged beyond reason he’d understand.

“...You may tell William...that I am no Bedlam maid in need of saving.”

‘You can’t help me. I love you.’

Deep in the depths of his sparkling black eyes, Carewyn could see a flicker of desperation, almost like anxiety. Afraid that Beckett might notice the crack in Orion’s expression, or in her own at the sight of it, she quickly whirled on Jules.

“He is the one who should stand down,” she said, her voice hardening further in an attempt to obscure her emotions. “All of you should, unless you wish to face down an entire armada.”

‘There are 34 Man O’ Wars waiting out there for you,’ she hoped Jules would be able to discern. Even if she didn’t know an armada had that many ships, Jacob and Orion would.

Jules, to her credit, matched Carewyn’s act with her own cold gaze. “Don’t underestimate us, Admiral Weasley. Both the British Navy and the East India Trading Company have done that consistently from the beginning.”

“And now we have come to the end,” said Beckett smoothly. “Of you and the rest of your Brethren.”

The others all turned to look at him. He flashed Orion a look better suited to a cockroach before redirecting his gaze onto Jules.

“Tell your Court this,” he said in an aloof, condescending voice. “You can fight, and all of you will die...or you can stand down, in which case only most of you will die. I daresay the Governor could be persuaded to spare you from the gallows, if you threw yourself on his mercy...and if I were to be merciful enough to leave out your new position, in my correspondence with the King...”

Jules’s dark eyes flashed with hatred as she strode forward, coming to a stop two feet from Beckett so she could glare right into his face.

“There are few things I can tolerate less than cowards who resort to blackmail just to make themselves feel powerful.”

She didn’t look at Carewyn, but Carewyn could sense Jules was thinking of her, as she said this.

“We will fight. And you’d best hope that we will show more mercy than you would, in our place.”

The Pirate King turned on her heel and walked away. With some reluctance, Orion and then Jacob turned away and strode quickly after her, leaving the other three alone on the shore.

“So be it,” said Beckett with a cold smile.

Carewyn couldn’t look at Rakepick or Beckett at her side. Her gaze was solidly locked on the departing backs of her brother, friend, and love as they began to shrink into the distance.

She’d never been very good at relying on or having faith in others...but in that moment, more than anything, she knew all she could do now was put her trust in Orion -- in Jules -- in Jacob -- in Bill and Charlie and all of the other pirates on Shipwreck Cove.

‘Please...please, be careful. Please be safe.’

In that moment of helplessness, she felt her heart ache all the more, watching Orion walk away. She closed her eyes, trying to bring back the memory of him standing shoulder to shoulder with her on the Artemis -- of him lying in bed as she tended to him, when they were young -- but it was no use. The graveness of the situation was too dire even for escapism...

Carewyn clutched her own arms behind her back. They suddenly felt so much heavier...as if there really were manacles there she couldn’t hope to break.

‘...Please...please live.’

On the opposite side of the island, both Jules and Jacob noticed the silent tears that had streaked down Orion’s face...but none had the heart to address it as they boarded the jollyboat that would take them back to the Artemis and to Shipwreck Cove.

At the same time that the pirates and the leaders of the British Navy were meeting, Davy Jones had been left behind on the Flying Dutchman with Percy supervising the troops. Beckett thought that Jones was threatened into line by how many soldiers were still guarding his heart, but thanks to Carewyn, Jones knew that Rakepick had stolen and relocated it. Now that he didn’t know where his heart was at all, he knew he couldn’t afford to move until he’d found it again -- and with Carewyn likely leaving the Dutchman with her new position as Admiral, it was likely it’d take a while before she could smuggle him any more information she might acquire about that. For the moment, though, Jones had put that concern on the back burner, for the Dutchman’s arrival near Shipwreck Cove gave him the opportunity to catch up with the Phoenix.

As luck would have it, when Jones phased through the Dutchman and onto the Phoenix, the ship was largely abandoned, since the crew had all gone ashore to Shipwreck Cove. The only person remaining was a small woman with long white hair, looking out to sea over the deck. In her hand was a pretty silver locket in the shape of a moon, the lid of which was cracked open so that a sweet, tinkling music box melody played.

Chia Dalma closed the locket half-way through the song, her eyes closing sadly as she clasped the locket close to her chest. She straightened up in shock, however, when she suddenly heard the rest of the tune echoing from behind her. She whirled around, to be faced with a giant, hulking shadow with writhing tentacles sprouting out from his jaw, holding an identical locket in his claw. Anyone would’ve been terrified at the sight -- but Chia looked upon the figure with tears in her eyes.

“Finn,” she breathed. Her lips were curled up in a weak smile, just as they had been before, but the joy was stained with so many other emotions -- grief, shame, and regret.

Davy Jones regarded Chia critically as he took several plodding steps toward her. “You know I haven’t been called that name in years.”

Chia bowed her head. “Nor have I been called my true name in years.”

Jones tilted his head, trying to read her expression better now she was looking away from him.

“I had not expected to find you like this,” he said very lowly. “You’ve never taken on such a small shape before.”

Chia’s eyes flashed with righteous anger as she raised her head. “That’s because this form is one I did not choose to take. It was thrust upon me by the Brethren Court.”

Jones straightened up slightly. His eyes narrowed to slits.

“...Then they did not kill or trap you. They transformed you.”

His voice was as low and growling as thunder. Chia clutched at the sides of her arms with her hands, her gaze smouldering with resentment as she glared down at the deck.

“Oh, but they did trap me,” she said bitterly, “trapped me in this single form, which can’t do even half of what I should be able to. I’ve been able to use what power I have to slow down the aging process, but this body still feels pain. This body still feels strain, and weakness, and hunger, and exhaustion, and longing...”

Something rippled over her eyes -- something more ashamed and pained.

“...I never knew...how much time truly weighs on a human,” she murmured.

Jones’s expression grew much more grim. “An immortal such as yourself should never have had to learn that.”

“Should never have had to, yes...but...”

She looked up at Jones, her gray eyes pulsing with strength despite the pain rippling within.

“...why did you not tell me, how long ten years felt for you? I have felt those ten years several times over, trapped in this tiny, fragile, helpless body every single moment -- and it’s...it’s been torture. To know you took the job I gave you -- only coming ashore once every ten years, so you could help me with the burden of tending to the dead at sea -- when ten years feels like that, to you -- ”

Chia’s eyes flooded with tears.

“I gave you the position of ferryman because I wanted to spare you from death,” she whispered. “Because if I didn’t give you that role and give you some of my power, you would’ve died. I’d never thought that those ten years would feel so long -- drain you so much...”

Jones was quiet for a long moment. Then he brought up his claw to brush her bangs from her eye.

“It’s only natural that you saw things the way an immortal would. Time is no object to you -- ten years no doubt felt like a small price to pay, in the face of your life span. And...”

His eyes became a bit smaller.

“...it’s not exactly like I wanted to die and be separated from you either. Even though part of me always doubted you’d be there waiting for me, when I returned...even though I resented you for years because you weren’t there...”

A ghost of a smile flickered over his features.

“...I know I shouldn’t have expected you to see things as I have -- to change yourself to suit me. If you did...you wouldn’t be the goddess I fell in love with, would you?”

Chia smiled up at Jones, her eyes shining with tenderness.

“I tried to make it back to you,” she murmured. “When the Court transformed me, I tried so hard to get there, to reach you...”

She extended her hands, tentatively trailing them along his tentacled face. Jones seemed to tremble at her touch.

“I know of the danger you’re in, Finn,” said Chia seriously. “As long as Cutler Beckett has your heart, I know you’re beholden to him. But I have allies among this newest Brethren Court. If they convince the others to break my chains, as I’ve foreseen they will...then as soon as I am free, I will come for you. I will make sure you and I are never separated again...and I will make sure your captors suffer the consequences, for hurting the man I love.”

As her small white hands held his face, Jones’s face and frame suddenly began to morph. In an instant, the slimy texture, the tentacles clinging to his face, and his claw all vanished -- and there stood the tall, handsome pirate she’d fallen in love with so long ago.

Finn McGarry’s face broke out into a broken, soft smile. He stretched out his hand, caressing his love’s human cheek with more gentleness than his claw ever could have.

“Calypso...” he murmured.

Chia’s face broke out into a full smile as well. She knew she couldn’t permanently remove the fishy transformation, as it was something that had mutated Jones over the many years they’d been apart, due to his heartbreak and grief...but seeing him looking so much like his old self after so long...it made her currently human heart swell with love.

“Just as you gave me your heart, when you became captain of the Flying Dutchman,” she murmured, “so too will you always have mine.”

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #potc au #au #pirates of the caribbean #carewyn cromwell #patricia rakepick #jacob #jacob cromwell #orion amari #chiara lobosca #percy weasley #jules farrier #finn mcgarry #other people's mcs #my art #my writing #these drawings and especially the writing took longer than I expected #oh orion you and carey truly do think alike!! you're both so good at reading people and adapting to them!! #why can't you be together the way you should?? DX #look at finn and chia! they're perfectly adorable! #don't you guys wanna be adorable too?? #also yes beckett is a complete arsehole #I see him LOVING the fact that he has a new 'pet' who can bite into orion for him #i see beckett harboring a similar kind of resentment for orion as he did for jack in the original films #even if orion was much younger when he became a pirate I see beckett being that little bit younger too #and more importantly orion as an adult ended up being even more of a thorn in beckett's side #all thanks to beckett effectively robbing orion of the freedom to do anything else with his life but be a pirate #don't get me wrong orion's adapted well to being a pirate but you do lose some freedom being branded that way too #the freedom needed to return to port royal and go searching for this girl you once knew without being arrested for example :<

[themonotonysyndrome]

A Chance Meeting?

Not gonna lie, I didn’t expect that ‘Our Intertwine Dream’ would receive a lot of positive attention. I’m happy that a lot of people enjoyed my whimsical indulgence and that the damn tags worked for once. 

Anyway, this is a continuation of my previous Twisted Wonderland fic and I’ll post this in AO3 tomorrow. In this one, we’ll explore more of Silver’s unusual predicament and how the people around him react to it. It’s, uh, a bit long so please bear with me. Also, I still can’t believe we’re gonna get Lilia and Silver’s cards today! I can’t wait to learn more about these two!! 

-

“Tsunotarou-senpai? Are you here to see the headmaster, too?” 

Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Malleus slowly open his eyes and turn his head to greet the young odd, magic-less human. His little feline friend is sleeping deeply in his arms. 

He hides a smile when Yuu jog towards him without hesitation or fear. 

“No. I’m waiting for Lilia and Silver to finish up in there.” Malleus answer, gesturing to the headmaster’s office with his head. When Yuu’s smile drops into a frown, the Unseelie Prince allows the boy to collect himself first; no doubt he and the rest of the student body has questions. 

“Oh... Is Silver-senpai alright now?” Yuu carefully asks, he heard what happened to Silver and how no one - not even the headmaster - could wake him up during his four days slumber. Because of his relations with Malleus, his absence was quickly noticed when not only did he failed to show up for classes, no one saw him with Malleus’ group for days. Gossips soon erupt like a wildfire; everyone wondered if the Second Year student was seriously ill until whispers about how Lilia and the headmaster couldn’t rouse Silver from his sleep came from a couple of Diasomnia’s students. No one knows what really happened to Silver; not even Sebek knows the full detail. 

Malleus shakes his head. “We’re not certain. Lilia took care of Silver as soon as he woke up and they went to see Headmaster Crowley once classes are finish.” As soon as they realised that something was wrong with Silver, Malleus step up to sort out their dorm’s affairs while Lilia watched over him, researching with the headmaster on how to wake him up. 

Fortunately for him, there wasn’t a lot for Malleus to do; everyone in Diasomnia handled themselves quite well when news of Silver’s ‘illness’ spread throughout the college. It was as if they had all had taken an unspoken agreement to not bothered their leader and vice leader. 

“I hope that Silver-senpai will feel better soon...” Yuu said, when Grim begin to mutters in his sleep, he carefully adjusts the cat in his arms so he could be more comfortable. 

Just then, the door swing opens and Headmaster Crowley pokes his head out. 

“Ah, just the student I wanted to look for! Won’t you step in for a moment, Mr.Draconia? We just need to wrap up our discussion and then I’ll be right with you, Mr.Yuu.” The headmaster said. 

Yuu flashes him a thumbs up. “No problem, sir. I can wait.” 

“Excellent! Now, Mr.Draconia, if you’d be so kind...” Headmaster Crowley push opens the door wide with a flourish and bows for Malleus. 

“I’ll see you later Tsunotarou-senpai! Please give my regards to Silver-senpai and Lilia-senpai!” 

Malleus nods once - curious when his collar reveals marks that resemble tiny suction cups littering his neck when the boy politely bow - and enters the office with Headmaster Crowley promptly close the door behind him. Seated in front of the desk are Lilia and Silver. Despite how relaxed Lilia appears with both of his legs stretch out, Malleus easily caught his displeasure and worries with the way gloved fingers are gripping the armrests. Beside him, Silver’s shoulders are rigid and clear signs of exhaustion and confusion are brewing in his eyes.

“How was class? The kids?” Lilia inquired when Malleus took the vacant chair beside him.

“Everything’s fine.” Malleus states. “Rumours of Silver’s absence is still circulating the campus but it’s nothing we can’t manage.” 

“Indeed. According to several of my teaching staff, Silver-san’s peers and most of Diasomnia’s students are doing well not to add fuel to the fire. I applaud your sense of leadership Draconia-san, Vanrouge-san.” Headmaster Crowley slips into his seat to resume their discussion. 

Silver blows a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry for causing everyone so many problems. I... I never thought that my condition could worsen like this.”

“To be fair, no one could predict this.” Lilia cuts in with a comforting smile. Malleus didn’t comment on how it falters for a split second when Silver looks away.

“Vanrouge-san makes an interesting point.” Headmaster Crowley ruminates as he rubs his chin with gold-tipped claws. “According to the records we have, this is the first incident that Silver-san slept for days straight. I wonder what could be the cause...” 

“I’ve always had a problem with sleeping but it was never this bad. Even back at home.” Silver grouse. When he realised that he just let out a huge yawn, he blinks in surprise before sighing. 

“And it seems despite sleeping for four days, it wasn’t a peaceful rest.” Headmaster Crowley commented, behind the mask his eyes are scrutinising Silver. “No matter what the teachers and I did, it took Vanrouge-san and Draconia-san’s combined efforts to woke you up.” 

It appears that Lilia didn’t inform Silver of that fact judging by his startle expression. 

“Malleus-sama had to use his magic on me...?” 

“Mm,” Malleus confirmed. “Lilia and I had to slip into your dream and I used my magic to pushed him towards your consciousness when we understood that you reacted well to his voice.” 

Silver hung his head low, as if in shame. “I even bothered Malleus-sama...” 

Malleus narrows his eyes at Silver’s bitter tone, slowly growing confused at his behaviour. Lilia interjected when neither he nor Headmaster Crowley said anything.  

“It wasn’t your fault, Silver. As I said, no one could’ve foreseen something like this happening.” The Unseelie Fae consoles the troubled Silver. Lilia’s smile is finally genuine when Silver’s lips quirk up when he patted his hand. “Now then, did you managed to find anything on why Silver couldn’t wake up?” 

Malleus could count on one hand when it comes to creatures that he would accede to; his parents, grandmother and Lilia. Though each of them for various reasons, he respects Lilia not only for raising him but also for what the ancient Fae represent. Powers that come from lost knowledge, confidence from crushing haughty Seelie Fairies as a pastime and experiences gained from many passing seasons. All hidden behind mischievous smiles and an unassuming demeanour.

And as they continue to discuss what had induced Silver into a temporary coma, Malleus easily differ to Lilia’s ability to take reign on any situation so seamlessly like a king with his court. Even the headmaster nods along to the possibilities listed by Lilia. 

“A spell is a strong possibility.” Headmaster Crowley hums in agreement. He had been writing down their theories and the possibilities raised by Lilia in a journal while Silver and Malleus listen on silently. “The tricky part is finding out just what sort of spell that was cast.”

“...And who the caster is.” Lilia is all smiles and pleasantly agreeable, but there was something dark that touched his tone. Silver might’ve missed it but not Malleus. Never Malleus. 

The headmaster claps his hands once. “Very well then. I will request several of your teachers to help me on my research on the spell that was cast on young Silver here.” 

Silver ducks his head but Lilia presses on. 

“And we’ll make sure this... incident won’t happen again.” Only Lilia could say something that’s cross between a promise and a threat, all the while flashing a teasing wink at a huffing Silver. 

By the time they made their way back to the dorm, Malleus mentally inclines his head to not only Lilia’s masterful way at sorting out the talk with Headmaster Crowley, but also cheer Silver up to his usual charming self. Lavender eyes roll at his corny jokes that had Silver looking away so Lilia couldn’t see his shy, happy smiles when he did manage to get him to laugh. 

“So... is it safe for me to sleep again so soon or...?” Silver asks once the three of them are in his room. He was the first to take a seat on his bed, follow by Lilia soon after once he removes his heavy coat.

Lilia fondly ruffles Silver’s hair who in turn, did his best not to frown at the childish treatment. “Go ahead and try to sleep tonight. Malleus will be putting spells in your dreams to keep intruders out once you’ve fallen asleep and ah… hang on...” He trails off and starts to fiddle with his leather belts to unclasp one of the spools of threads. Every Diasomnia students carry with them magical spools of threads and a small pack of needles on their dorm uniform to represent their allegiance to the Witch of Thorns. Some use the threads as a conduit for spell castings while others - mostly the younger students - enjoy pranking their friends with it. 

Oh! Though there is a Fourth Year student who often receive commissions for soft plushies since he likes to sew them. From what Silver has heard, they are sewn with his own magic threads and rare stuffing materials that it bestowed each soft toys the magical ability to copy and stored the owner’s happiest memory. When someone touches or cuddle with the toys, they will relive that memory as if it happened just yesterday.  

Lilia pulls a lengthy green thread from the spool and nips it with his fangs before gesturing Silver to extend his dominant hand which he did so wordlessly. “I’ve enchanted this particular spool of thread for the younger, rowdy Diasomnia students who tend to injure themselves whenever they practised magic unsupervised.” He explains, deftly tying the thread around Silver’s pinky finger. “This thread can only be destroyed when the person carrying it is hurt and will alert me of their whereabouts.” 

“That’s a powerful spell...” Silver mutters, eyeing the thread carefully. It’s barely noticeable and weights almost nothing.  

“I can teach you if you like,” Lilia promises and jumps out of the bed to slip his coat back on. “But that’s for another day. Would you like to join us for dinner or - ”

Silver shakes his head. He had enough of people staring at him when he and Lilia went to the headmaster’s office. “I’m not really hungry. A couple of my classmates came by to give me some homework that’s due this week. Might as well get a start on it.” 

Lilia accepts this and fusses over Silver a little more - fluffing his pillows, spellchecks his finished homework and even rummaging his cupboard to see if he did his laundry - before he and Malleus left soon after, much to Silver’s immense relief. 

It’s dinner time and huddled around a table in the cafeteria are Yuu and the rest of his First Year friends eating together. Yuu, Grim, Ace and Deuce caught Jack and Sebek on their way to the cafeteria and since Epel was reading alone in the courtyard, they extend an invitation to him which the Pomefiore boy happily accepts. 

Stirring his bowl of soup, Yuu turns to glance at the table with a group of First Year Scarabia and Octavinielle students who were gossiping loudly. 

“...Saw Vanrouge-san and Silver-san going to the headmaster’s office earlier.”

“Really? So was Silver-san sick?”

“How should I know? I didn’t dare to ask and besides, you don’t approach Vanrouge-san; he approaches you.” 

“Oh c’mon, he’s nothing like... you know who. He can’t be that scary.”

“No, you don’t understand. It’s not that Vanrouge-san is scary, he’s one of the most popular student and one of the beautiful elites in the whole college! You can’t just go up and talk to someone like that!” 

“That and have you seen him? He’s up there with Schoenheit-san when it comes to looks and fashion. I even heard Schoenheit-san asked for tips from Vanrouge-san!” 

“As riveting as it is hearing you two gush about Vanrouge-san, I’m more interested in what happened to Silver-san. I heard that Mr.Divus spend all night brewing some special potion for him.” 

“Really? Maybe he was seriously sick then. It would explain his absence.” 

“Whoa, like, he was so sick that he nearly died?” 

A startled silence falls in the cafeteria when Sebek suddenly slam both of his hands on the table as he stands up. 

“As a Diasomnia student, I won’t tolerate any slanders against a student under Malleus-sama exalted leadership!” Sebek bark angrily at the table beside him. “Even if said student is a mere human!” 

“Ah shit, here we go...” Ace mutters underneath his breath as he wipes the spilt drinks with a napkin. Epel promptly left to grab more napkins the moment Sebek stood up while Yuu hurriedly pushes their plates and cutleries away from the mess.

Jack simply close his eyes and exhale deeply through his nose, attempting to remain calm while Deuce glare at the other table. 

“Whoa, whoa, relax! We don’t mean any harm, just talking.” One of the Scarabia students hurriedly counters, hands up in peace. However, his friend just scoff. 

“He won’t listen to you, man. That’s Sebek Zigvolt; he’s the fanatic student from Diasomnia and not one to listen to reason.” 

“Then why did you talk about Silver-senpai in such a manner when you know we were seating here!?” This time it’s Deuce. “Have some respect for your senior!” 

“Guys, c’mon. I’m sure Silver-senpai wouldn’t want this - ” Yuu tries to diffuse the situation but his words fall on deaf ears when an Octavinielle student interjects with a put-out sigh. 

“What’s the big deal anyway? He’s walking about since this morning right? It’s fine. The fact that you feel the need to make a fuss out of it is ridiculous.” 

Yuu paused to face that student, incredulous at his nonchalance. 

“Watch your tone.” Jack snaps. Yuu internally sighs now that even Jack is on board. Looks like it’s another trip to the headmaster office after this... 

Wild, uneasy tension is crackling in the air - or was that Sebek? Yuu isn’t too sure - surrounding them while most of the students in the cafeteria quietly sneak out, smart enough to avoid whatever trouble that will occur. 

“We’re so going to get in trouble...” Epel whispers though the idea of a brawl sounds exciting. Getting scolded by Vil? Not so much. As he weighs the pros and cons, a new voice joins in. 

“Ah, the liveliness of youth... It never fails to makes me happy seeing First Year students getting along so well!”  

Everyone flinches when Lilia appear out of nowhere, smiling in amusement. They all said nothing when the Vice Leader of Diasomnia cross his arms and said, “It seems that everyone is having fun. That’s good, that’s good... but let’s keep it down, yes? Curfew is in two hours so good children should finish up their dinner soon.” Despite how young Lilia sounded, his voice remind everyone of their parents at that moment. The two First Year students that were gushing about him earlier flustered brightly and unable to meet Lilia’s smokey red eyes.

“Lilia-sama... I-I didn’t mean to bring shame to - ” Sebek began, his voice wavers and face scrunch in obvious distress. Deuce is stuck in an awkward angle trying to console him and looking away in embarrassment. 

Lilia floats up to pat Sebek’s head. “Aww, chin up, Sebek-kun. We all get a little excited sometimes, hmm? No harm done.” He then turns his attention to his wary audience, slender finger tapping his chin in contemplation. “It’s been a while since we dine with the First Years. Shall we have dinner with them? What do you think, Malleus?” 

Someone gasps as soon as Lilia said that. The table with the Scarabia and Octavinielle students immediately duck their heads when Malleus appear, stoically carrying a tray of food and drinks. With stiff politeness, they excuse themselves and hurry exit the cafeteria. Lilia’s amuse smile never falters once. 

“He’s seriously not going to join us here right?” Ace whispers, both in awe and fear only to be roughly elbowed by Yuu. 

“Don’t be rude, Ace.” Yuu chastises him before giving the two Faes a welcoming smile. “Of course Lilia-senpai and Tsunotarou-senpai can join us! The more the merrier after all.” 

Malleus tilts his head, wondering if it’s truly alright, but Lilia just chuckle. “Well then, we’ll happily take up on your kind invitation, child. Come Malleus, don’t just stand there like one of your gargoyles.” 

Yuu and his group scoot over to make space for them; Lilia slides in to sit beside Deuce while Malleus sits beside Jack. The wolf doesn’t seem to be bothered by their close proximity and Malleus’ intimidating figure. 

Or maybe he’s doing a great job hiding his wariness. 

Since no one knows what to say with Lilia and Malleus at the table, Yuu breaks the silence first. “So how was the meeting with the headmaster went, Tsunotarou-senpai?” 

“Yuu - ” Deuce hiss while Epel instantly facepalmed and Ace whimpers as if in pain. 

Malleus easily ignore their odd reaction and reply, “The headmaster is investigating the matter. As of now, we don’t know the real reason behind it.” He handed Lilia a plate of steak and veggies with a glass of red wine before arranging his meal on the table. 

“Mm-hmm. But at least there weren’t any bad side effects on Silver so he’ll be fine soon enough.” Lilia chimes in. 

“It’s good to hear that Silver-senpai is alright!” Yuu said, brightly; his own half-eaten lasagna forgotten at the good news. “What a relief...” 

“Yeah, it’s been weird not seeing him sleeping in the courtyard after P.E.” Deuce absentmindedly comment. 

“Or on the bleachers at the training ground.” Jack added as an afterthought. 

Lilia languidly swirls his wine. “For First Years, it sounds like you’re close to him, yes? I understand Sebek because he’s in our group...” 

“I am eternally grateful for your and Malleus-sama’s benevolence!” Sebek suddenly shouted. 

“Use your indoor voice for once in your damn life!” Jack growls, disgruntled but otherwise focusing on his food more than the conversation. 

It was Yuu who answered Lilia’s musing. “Silver-senpai sometimes help us with our classes.” 

“He’s... surprisingly a cool senior.” Ace praised with a mischievous grin. Deuce immediately glares at him and for some reason, it actually shuts him up. 

“Huh? Is that so?” Lilia drawls with a raised eyebrow. Ace and Deuce valiantly hold themselves back from fidgeting while Yuu is oddly quiet as the Fae takes a slow sip of his drink. Epel doesn’t know what’s going on and Malleus is lost in the conversation. Meanwhile, Sebek and Jack are nearly finishing their dinner. “It makes me happy that Silver is putting himself out there a lot more then. Not just in his studies but also with his friends.” 

“Mn.” Malleus easily agreed. 

The topic is then steered to trivial matters by Yuu and a half an hour later, dinner is wrapped up and everyone returns to their specific dorm. 

And that night, Silver dreams of thick, green walls of thorns that reaches to the endless sky and green fireflies hover around him, carrying a familiar presence that eases his heart and melts away the unknown fear on his shoulders. 

That night, Silver sleeps undisturbed and under the watchful spells of his parents. 

-

“Hey, Silver-senpai? Can you hear me?” 

With a nonsensical grumble, Silver raises his head from the cool wooden table to glare - well, he tried to glare but really, his eyes are squinting from the harsh fluorescent light - at the fifth person to bother him today.

But when he realises it’s Yuu and Grim, Silver couldn’t help but sigh. Irritation replaces with apathy as he rubs his temple and asks, “Out of all the tables in the library, you wanted this one?” 

Yuu sheepishly grins, scratching his cheek while Grim twitches its whiskers; indifferent to their conversation. “Actually, we were just about to leave the library when Grim spotted you. You weren’t moving so I thought you were sleeping but then...” He trails off, unsure on how to explain himself for disturbing him but Silver could already guess what he’s trying to say.

And for that, Silver didn’t really have the heart to be mad at him but seriously... 

“I wasn’t sleeping; just... resting my eyes for a bit.” Silver begrudgingly admits. Seeing that Yuu won’t be leaving anytime soon, he invites the younger boy to take a seat in front of him. “I appreciate the gesture, but I need you and the rest of the student body not to freak out when you see me taking a nap.” 

“A-Ah, will do, Silver-senpai.” Yuu chuckles albeit still abashed for thinking of the worst when he approached the Second Year student. “Was it really that bad? When other students tried to wake you up?” 

“A Savanaclaw student literally carried me to Lilia-san while I was sleeping. While he was in the middle of class.” 

“Wow... that’s, uh, that’s...” Yuu had to bit his lower lip to stop himself from laughing at the image popping in his head. Grim had no such problem. 

“Gyahahaha! That’s so funny!” Grim cackles. “You’re like a princess!” 

A couple of students shot him an annoyed look for his loud voice, not that he cares. Silver groans, “It’s annoying. I’m fine; I’d wish people would stop looking at me as if I’d slip into a coma at any time.” Even Sebek had taken to hover around him a lot more often now. Probably came up with all sorts of excuses like how it would greatly inconvenience Malleus and Lilia if Silver were to injure himself if the same incident suddenly repeated.

“...Do you think there’s anything I can do to help?” Yuu asks after a ponder. His offer is genuine and Silver have to wonder how this boy can be so kind. 

But he just sighs once more. “Just don’t treat me as if I’m made of glass.” He’s meant to be Malleus’ knight for the Witch’s sake. He trained and worked hard since a young age so he could keep up with the other Faes when it comes to magic. So he’d like to think that he’s as capable as Sebek despite their glaring difference.  

Yuu then promises and that’s that. He and Grim left shortly after when Ace call him to hang out at the Heartslabyul dorm - Riddle is having a tea party and he’s invited - leaving Silver to gather himself before his next class, Evocation.

Wary glance, exchange whispers and knowing looks that Silver had been receiving for the past two days quickly grate on his nerves. He knows that the rumours would die down eventually but that doesn’t mean he had to accept it quietly. 

He needed to get away from college for at least a little while. By the time Lilia texted him to inform that he’s waiting for Silver in their shared class, Silver made up his mind.

He needs a damn break. 

“...Do you think we should tell Silver-san that Leona-senpai asked us to tease him?” A First Year Savanaclaw student asks after he and his friend watch him step into the library’s teleportation mirror and vanishes. They didn’t mean to eavesdrops on his conversation; it’s just that their table is behind the shelf of books that stood between his! 

“B-But I want to carry him in my arms too...” His friend whines. “It’s not fair that Romulus get to carried him...” 

“Dude, you know crushing on that guy’s companion is a bad idea, right?” The Savanaclaw student dryly stated. “Especially since Leona-senpai hates his dorm leader.”

Despite his generous advice, his friend only whines louder. “I can’t help it! Why does the Diasomnia clique have to be so good looking!?” 

The Savanaclaw student just sighs and shakes his head at his friend’s hopeless case. 

Back to Silver, he transforms his magic crystal from a pen to an earring and clips it on his right ear. It gleams eerily before the light melts into darkness. He had been getting ready when curfew has struck and he bid the others good night. Lilia had stopped checking up on him after a few days since his coma and Silver doubts he would randomly come by tonight. Not when there’s a dorm/vice dorm leader meeting with Headmaster Crowley tomorrow morning. 

“It’ll be fine.” Silver murmurs as he checks his reflection in the bathroom for one last time. “It’s been a few days since that day and nothing bad has happened... I’ll be fine.” Silver convinced himself. He had been sleeping well these past few days and he feels better than ever! Surely a night to himself away from Night Raven College won’t bring any harm? 

And so he sneaks out of the dorm using the same path as before and calls for a teleportation service to Mystic Elixir. Like the night when Yuu and his friends tagged along, he had no problem walking into the club after greeting a few of the staff. Another Friday night, another night full of party-goers and creatures looking to start their weekend right. Silver made himself comfortable and let the pounding music distract him as he watches the dance floor, nursing his drink in one hand. 

“Silver-senpai...” 

Silver nearly spat out his drink when he heard that voice. Whipping his head around with wide surprise eyes, he asks incredulously, “Did you followed me here?” 

Yuu at least had the decency to blush in embarrassment when he nods. Like Silver, he ditched his uniform for a set of casual clothes. “I saw you walking out of the forest on the way back to the Ramshackle dorm.” 

“And you were out late at night again because...?” 

“I couldn’t sleep. I was reading near the window when I spotted Tsunotarou-senpai near the forest and decided to join his walk.” Yuu explains. 

If Silver could’ve instantly dropped dead the moment his heart skip a beat, he would be a goner. “Malleus-sama wasn’t asleep?” His panic then fades away when his mind supplied that Malleus is not like Lilia; he didn’t check up on him when he was sleeping so it’s very unlikely he would start doing so tonight.

Meanwhile, Yuu understood what’s going on when Silver’s breath hitched. Looks like no one knows that Silver is here... 

Yuu snaps back to attention when Silver asks, “Anyway, why did you followed me then? I thought I told you not to worry about me.” 

“I know.” Yuu is quick to reply lest he would irritate him. “I just thought maybe... you could use a friend?” Silver said nothing but Yuu discreetly sighs in relief when the older boy turn to order a light snack for the both of them from the bartender. 

As Yuu is happily munching on a breadstick, he didn’t notice how his loose t-shirt slides down to slowly reveal fading marks of suction cups and light purple and red bruises on his collarbones that look like they were made by rows of sharp teeth.

Silver, however, notices it. He awkwardly coughs, loud enough to garner Yuu’s attention despite the noises around them. When he gestured to his own neck, Yuu frowns, gently touches his bare neck and instantly blush when he felt how tender some spots are. 

With a squeak, Yuu hurries to tug his shirt back up. “S-Sorry about that, Silver-senpai!” 

“...They’re not forcing you or anything, right?” Silver couldn’t help but ask. The Leech brothers can be a handful on their own, but together? And with Azul in the mix? He just couldn’t imagine it. 

“No, no; they’ve been very patient with me, Silver-senpai! I was surprised at first because I thought this wasn’t an otome game, but I’m good at going with the flow.” 

“...What?” 

Yuu just shrugs and continue to stuff his mouth with food. He kept his words and remain by Silver but not to the point that his presence bothers him. They watch the club-goers dance the night away, talk about this and that and Silver feels the tension that had been weighing down on his shoulders over the past few days melts away as he enjoys himself and the buzzing alcohol burning down his throat. 

Yuu excuses himself to go to the bathroom when his glass of lemonade is empty; finally leaving Silver alone. He checks the time on his phone and decides to have a couple more drinks before they return to college.

“A Primordial Gin, please. Less ice.” 

From a corner of his eye, Silver saw a small wad of Madols slide across the bar before a tall man takes the vacant seat at his right. Despite Silver’s subtle look, the man caught his eyes. A beatific smile graces his lips. “Good evening. Is that any good?” He points to the half-empty glass in Silver’s hold. 

“It’s alright. I like the sweetness after the liquor kicks in.” Silver easily reply. 

The bartender comes by to hand the man a tumbler glass with a bluish-green liquid and ice inside. He thanked the man and carefully takes a sip of his drink, sighing with pleasure at the taste. He then raises the glass to Silver and said, “Here’s to a good weekend for the both of us.” 

They clink their glasses together and downed their drinks. Silver loves the alcohol thrumming through his body and the air of peace and geniality enveloping the tall stranger. Magnetic and welcoming that it draws Silver in.

“Rough week?” He asks Silver. Underneath the light above them, his golden eyes are like smouldering ambers; his sharp eyeliners highlights them even more. Despite pulling his black hair up in a high ponytail, it falls past his waist with messy bangs framing his handsome face. 

Silver grimace; he didn’t want to talk about it. “It could’ve been better.” He left it at that and nibble on a breadstick. 

“Sorry to hear that. Hey, maybe next week would turn around, hmm?” The stranger hopes with a tilt of his head. That’s when Silver notices the tipped ears poking out from his thick mane. He wonders what kind of creature this man is. 

With the way he dressed, face, and baritone voice, he reminds Silver of Lilia but instead of the mischievous and playful streaks, this man exudes an openness that Lilia lack; no matter how he pretended to be sometimes. 

As they chatted, Silver keeps glancing at Yuu’s empty glass; wondering how long has it been since he went to the bathroom. His gaze bounces around the club for a familiar mop of black hair. 

To his surprise, there’s Yuu talking to someone in one of the booths. Silver couldn’t quite see who he’s talking to from the bar; only that he had thick, red hair and wear white and light red clothing. For a split second, the face of Heartslabyul dorm leader flashes in mind before he realises that whoever he’s talking to is taller than Riddle. 

Nevertheless, Silver was ready to bolt out of his seat seeing that Yuu is with a stranger. 

Silver’s company turn to where his gaze is at when Silver made a move to leave. “Oh? Is that your friend? You don’t have to worry; I know that redhead.” He assured Silver, effortlessly drawing his attention back. “He’s a classmate of my ward. I promise you that he won’t do anything untoward to your friend; he doesn’t have a mean bone in him to do any of the sorts.” 

Silver still wasn’t convinced but when the redhead throws his arms around dramatically as if to emphasis a point, Yuu laughs and eagerly respond back. A small part of Silver whisper in his mind that he really should pull Yuu away lest a... misunderstand might occur, but the drink and friendly companionship made him think twice. 

Even when the redhead and Yuu ditch the booth to dance amongst the crowd. 

“So anyway, what other drinks would you recommend? I quite enjoy something that’s spicy and airy like mints.” The black-haired stranger pick up where their conversation had left off. 

“Either Aether Embrace or Eden. Both are minty and quite strong.” 

His companion ordered an Eden once his glass is finish. “Since you don’t seem to be the type to dance, what made you and your friend came here tonight?” He asks, not even bothering to hide his curiosity. 

Silver carefully tip his glass at him. “The drinks are pretty good and besides, there’s always something entertaining happening around.” 

“Can’t argue with that.” The stranger chuckle, tucking a stray lock behind a pointed ear. “I don’t usually visit these sort of scenes but the drinks are truly something. I might actually come here again.” 

Silver hums as he drums his finger on the bar, feeling not quite drunk yet. “You mentioned a ward? Are you here with them?” 

The stranger shakes his head and smiles fondly. “He had been working hard all week so I told him to rest up and promised that we could do something together in the weekend instead.” He then talks a little more about his charge; how he’s an active student in both sports and academic and that he has lots of good friends.

Silver just hums as he talks; he sounds like a proud parent. Since he didn’t feel lightheaded, he wonders if he should order one last drink but the stranger purse his lips when he signals for the bartender. 

“You’re starting to look a bit flush. I think you could really use a glass of water instead.” His companion advice, concern tint his voice. 

Probably a good idea: Silver nods and did just that. He drinks up some water when it arrives. He then checks the time on his phone. 

Shit, it’s almost 3 AM; time to head back.

He paid for his and Yuu’s drinks and snacks and stretch his back. “We should get going. Thanks for the talk.” 

The stranger beam. “The pleasure is all mine! I didn’t expect to found a friend this evening through the grapevine. Oh, and best of luck to you and your friend; may you two have a great weekend.”

Silver inclines his head and bid goodbye before he fetches Yuu among the dancing crowd and they made their way to the exit. 

“It was nice talking to you!” The redhead shouted at Yuu as he waves goodbye with a happy grin. Yuu throws back the sentiment, so carefree and bright that Silver had never seen before. 

When he called for a teleportation portal back to Night Raven College, Yuu lets out a huge tired yawn as soon as they arrive. 

“Are you alright?” Silver asks, checking his eyes and face. A light sheen of sweat clings on his flushes face but Yuu is 100% sober. 

“I’m just exhausted, Silver-senpai.” Yuu assured him and smile tiredly. “I saw you talking to someone at the bar, Silver-senpai. Did you had fun?” 

“It was alright. He was a friendly guy. Now come on, let’s go to Ramshackle.” Yuu protest that he didn’t need Silver to walk him back to his dorm, but Silver rebuffs and explains that he’ll be going in the same path to the Diasomnia dorm anyway.

They soon parted ways and Silver saw Yuu entered his dorm, very clearly exhausted but with a happy smile as he clutched his phone and begin texting. Silver could easily guess who.   

Silver wonders if this heavy lead in his stomach is because of the alcohol or Yuu’s new friend. 

He decides to sleep it off. All in all, it was a good night; Silver was glad he made the decision to take some time for himself away from college, from the mess that happened.  

The little thread around Silver’s pinky finger remains whole. 

#twisted wonderland #fanfic #here's to Silver and Lilia cards #twst #twst silver #lilia vanrouge #malleus draconia #sebek zigvolt #MC #ace trappola #deuce spade #some faceless students in the background #a recurring OC

[msjr0119]

One Temptation

Part 10

*This series is based on The Royal Romance characters who belong to Pixelberry - AU Plot switch*

Riley Brooks moves back to New York after leaving five years prior- struggling to get by in life she wanted to go home. After getting mugged, a woman and man come to her rescue and offer her a job at their strip club. A rich business man Liam Rhys is forced to visit the club as part of his bachelor party. What will happen that night?

Tags-if you want to be removed from the list, let me know 😊: @pedudley @kacie-0156 @loveellamae @annekebbphotography @burnsoslow @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @captain-kingliamsqueen @duchessemersynwalker @drxkewalker @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @nikkis1983 @gnatbrain @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @kozabaji @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @whenyourheartskipsabeat @jovialyouthmusic @nz1091 @yukinagato2012 @seriouslybadchoices @rainbowsinthestorm @cordonianroyalty @dcbbw @qammh-blog @jared2612 @princess-geek @desireepow-1986 @indiacater

A/N: This part is smaller than most, the next part will be posted once I’ve finished work or tomorrow.

Warnings: Swearing, abuse.

*****

I miss you. X

Hey, are you okay? I haven’t heard from you in a few days. X

Ri, I love you. Please text back. I just want to know that you are okay. X

Can I come and see you? X

Riley sighed as she re read all the messages that she had received from, messages that she hadn’t responded to as if they didn’t exist. It had been a few weeks since she had seen him in the hotel room. Waking up the following morning, she snuck out of the room. Regretting letting her feelings get the best of her- she knew it was best to just leave without saying a word. Maybe in time, they could gradually speak- when she was sober.

“I’m going to have to get you a bucket, are you coming down with something?” Gill asked as she walked over to Riley, noticing that she was pale, as she sipped the water behind the bar and was immediately sick.

“I don’t know? It must be that seafood that we ate last night. I’ve had an upset stomach since this morning...”

“Just stay behind the bar tonight, I’ll get you a bucket in case you can’t make it to the toilet. If you need time off, just go home.”

Staying behind the bar, she was hoping that this shift would go quickly. The usual punters attempted flirting with as they always did- as much as she tried, she tried to flirt back. But the smell of alcohol was making her feel instantly ill. Bending down, she discreetly puked up in the bucket on the floor.

“Hello, can I have a scotch please.”

“I’ll be one minute...” Wiping her mouth, she placed some gum in her mouth as she slowly stood up.

“Bertrand?”

“Hello, stranger.” Wiping his finger along the bar, he looked disgusted viewing all the dust and the sticky residue stuck on his finger like super glue. He was shocked to see her behind the bar, when she first arrived back in New York City- he was horrified when Maxwell blurted out that she was a stripper.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s a free country.. I’m just checking that you are okay. You don’t look okay- you look as white as a sheet. You haven’t spoken to anyone - we were all concerned about you.”

“I’m fine, shouldn’t you be with Savannah? Congratulations by the way, how is the little bundle of joy?” Providing him with the drink, she explained that it was on the house to congratulate him on becoming a father- as well as ‘wetting the baby’s head’. She knew that this day was coming, but it still hurt knowing the day that their baby arrived could have been the day that she was holding her own bundle of joy.

“He’s amazing. We are having a get together tomorrow night, you should come and meet Bartie.”

“I might do, it depends if I can get time off work or not.” He’s going to be there. Covering her mouth, that all familiar taste made its way back in to her mouth.

“Are you pregnant?”

“No, don’t be fucking stupid...” fuck. I could be. Horror was soon written all over her face, of course Bertrand would assume this- Savannah was pregnant and had morning sickness, so he was now an expert knowing the symptoms.

“I ate seafood last night, I don’t think it’s agreed with my stomach...”

“Or maybe that little rendezvous you had in Times Square has had some consequences...” Perking his eyebrows up, he knew she was in denial- if she was indeed pregnant, he knew that she wouldn’t be alone- she would have support from everyone.

“How do you know about that?” Shaking his head, everyone knew. Due to the man explaining what had happened and him being concerned as she ran off and had ignored him ever since.

“He’s worried about you, he asked if anyone had spoken to you. What is it with you and hotel rooms?” He laughed attempting to make the situation a joke rather than it being a serious matter.

“You know me B. Whenever Liam had conferences with his father, I’d stay in the hotel room with him. Leo, in Florida- when he found me. Maxwell when we all got drunk in Vegas. And Drake, the hotel before we arrived at the ranch the following day..”

“Well we are meeting tomorrow at the Hilton, midtown. Who’s next on your hotel fuck list? You could use tomorrow as an opportunity.” See her frown at him, he laughed. “I’m joking! Thank you for the drink, Ri. I hope you can attend.”

*****

The sickness had deteriorated the day after, feeling relieved she was sure it was due to the food. Getting ready to go to hotel, she was a bag of nerves. Deep down she didn’t want to go- however as Bertrand said they were practically family years ago.

Arriving at the Hilton, she was greeting by a waiter who gave her a champagne flute. Gulping it in one, it would give her dutch courage that she most likely would need to survive the whole event. Scrutinising the room, she saw everyone- as well as Drake’s family. Fuck, I forgot about them. Just breathe, Riley. Bertrand noticed her stood vacant at the threshold. Carrying Bartie over towards her, she placed a fake smile onto her face.

“Bartie, this is Auntie Riley...” Riley placed her finger into the newborns open hand- his tiny fingers wrapped around her immediately with a tight grip.

“Hey, gorgeous... aw Bertrand he’s adorable.”

“Do you want to hold him?” Riley nodded, holding the newborn- she was in love immediately. Bartie began to panic, possibly sensing that his mother and father wasn’t present and that he was in a strangers arms. Natural instinct made her coo at Bartie, before singing him a lullaby. Whilst singing- she placed the baby's head in the crook of one arm and wrapped the other arm around him- she was scared of dropping or breaking him.

“You’re a natural...are you still up for those babysitting duties?” He said with an encouraging tone of voice. Looking up at him, she smiled softly.

“Of course I’ll babysit him. No B, I’m not a natural- I’m a woman. He probably just thinks that my breasts are Savannah’s. Although if you carry on drinking beer, you could grow some man boobs...”

“I’d usually be offended with your sarcasm, but it’s good to see you smile.”

“He’s so gorgeous isn’t he? Hello, Riley.” Shifting her gaze from Bartie, she looked up at the woman. The woman who could win so many oscars with her fake attitude.

“Hello, Mrs Walker. Erm - Bertrand, I think he’s hungry- he’s getting far too close to my breasts..” Bertrand bend down to collect his son, he knew that this was probably just an excuse to remove herself from Bianca’s presence.

“Can you stop following me please...”

“I just want to say sorry for everything I did to you in Texas. Bertrand has explained about your true personality and you sound like a really nice person. I feel awful for the way we treat you...”

“I loved your son, I just wanted to make a good impression. At the time, I’d actually given up work. Who told you that I was a prostitute? That question has been lingering in my mind this whole time...”

“Liam Rhys...” Of course, it was him. That slimy bastard. “Did he give you that money?”

“No, it was from Kiara’s father.” Sighing, she really didn’t want that name to be mentioned, it was just a reminder of more heartache that she had received.

“Thank you. See you around.”

“Riley, wait!” Rolling her eyes back, she couldn’t be bothered with anymore of Bianca’s games. Not quite believing her new sincere attitude, she wanted to keep a distance- a long distance away from the woman.

“I’m so sorry about the baby...” holding her tears back, she began to struggle concealing the emotions. “You are a natural as Bertrand said, I do apologise again.”

“I’d have had our baby by now, imagine if I did. You hated me before you even got to know me. What would you have been like with your grandchild? Ignored it because you had a vendetta against its mother? Please, don’t try and talk to me again Mrs Walker...”

****

Seeing him smirking and laughing with people, the tears that she held back were now non existent. Instead anger built up throughout her body. Just the sight of him made her feel physically sick, him acting as if he had done nothing wrong. Storming through the crowd towards him, his eyes widened seeing her face like thunder.

“Liam! A word now!”

“Riley, it’s nice to see you...” swinging her fist back- this had become her new hobby especially with Liam. The scotch that he was holding was soon all over the floor- as the glass shattered the room went mute.

“How could you do that to me?” The tears that she had held in soon resurfaced and fell down her face, as her chin began to tremble she was unable to prevent all of the emotions bursting out.

“Do what?” Coming closer towards her, he wiped the wetness that was smudging her make up- not that she cared in the slightest.

“I dropped the charges, you avoided punishments because of my stupid goddamn heart. I went for lunch with you. I thought we had closure. Then I find out that you was the reason behind the Walkers hating me!”

“You went for lunch with him?” Leo walked over with Maxwell and Drake, concerned overhearing the shouting. “What have you done now?”

“He told Drake’s family that I was a fucking goddamn prostitute..”

“Ri, that was before I saw you in Starbucks and we went for lunch. I felt awful for doing that, but he is engaged anyway... we put all that behind us. We had closure...” Smirking at Drake, Riley was too emotional to realise this- Liam knew it would get under his skin that he went for lunch with her. Hoping that this little ‘confession’ would fill Drake with jealousy and rage.

“I am not fucking engaged!”

“Does it fucking matter who’s engaged or not? Does it matter what I fucking do for a living? Why can’t you all just let me live my life? I was thinking about your daughter in all of this Liam, and all you do is fucking screw me over.. continue to fucking break my heart...”

“I’m sorry. I am grateful for you thinking about Alice. Have you made a decision about the offer that I offered you all those weeks ago in Times Square?”

“Go to hell, Liam.”

*****

Maxwell followed Riley, out of all the friends he believed that he was the closest to her- the one who’s daft antics would make her smile instantly.

“Are you okay?” Knowing this was an idiotic question to ask, he didn’t know why he asked her- grabbing the ice out of his cocktail, he rubbed it against swollen hand.

“Yeah.. my hands killing though...”

“You really should quit the bar work and become a professional boxer.” Max pretended to throw some punches towards her.

“Me the professional boxer and you the professional dancer. You totally showed off in front of all those dancers in Times Square.” Doing a re-enactment Of his dance moves from that night, she threw her back laughing.

“Of course I would, they were all amateurs... when Maxwell Beaumont is around no one has a chance... so what do you think about Bartie? Is he a Beaumont or a Walker?”

“Definitely a Walker looks wise, but that can change. Hopefully he takes after his uncle’s rather than his serious father.” Impersonating Bertrand, Maxwell nearly fell over laughing. Pulling her into a hug, he held her tightly- he had missed her.

“What are you laughing about?” Leo asked, as he is put his arms around Riley’s waist and kissed her on the cheek.

“Ask Riley to show you her impression of Bertrand... I’m going to steal a cuddle from my nephew- I need to win the best uncle award.”

“How are you? I’ve missed you.”

“I’m fine, I’ve missed you too. How are you?”

“I’m good. It’s good to see you. Even when you are acting like the hulk...”

“He deserves it... what is he even doing here?”

“He paid for the venue, as usual. But I had my little input...”

“The flower arrangements?”

“How did you guess?”

“Well when you bought me flowers, they were beautiful.”

“I should become a florist? A beautiful bouquet for a beautiful girl. You deserve it. Love ya Ri.”

“Charmer... love ya too.”

****

Leo had left her alone, walking towards the bar, she ordered a drink- staring vacantly into it, she wasn’t sure why she was even here still. Drowning her sorrows, she felt like she was back at the Crowne plaza- the drinks were disappearing far too quickly.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“I’m sorry about what Liam did, as well as my family...”

“Don’t be. Congratulations on becoming a uncle.” Ordering him a drink, their hands touched as they both went to pay the bar man- the warmth of the touch lingered around their bodies. Quickly creating a distance again, Drake was desperate to pull her into his arms- but decided against it, especially with the mood she was in.

“Thanks. He’s amazing. I can’t wait to teach him a few things. I saw you holding him before, you’re a natural.” That could have been us, you holding our baby.

“I’ve already been told.” That could have been us. You talking about teaching our son or daughter about things.

“Don’t be drinking me under the table again, you know how one drink turns into two then into three before you know it. You don’t want a stinking hangover.”

“You know I can handle my hangovers. You don’t need to worry about my head.”

“I worry about you. I care about you. I love you.” Opening her mouth, she wanted to talk to Drake- civilly, but didn’t know where to start.

“Come on you two, B and Savannah are about to make an announcement...” Maxwell dragged the two of them towards the mini stage. Riley could feel Drakes eyes on her more than the star of the show, his own nephew.

“Riley, before the speech begins I want a private word with you. Savannah will talk and talk - so quick, follow me.” Following Bertrand, He led her to the bathroom- shutting the door, she was confused by his actions- until realisation sunk in as he pulled the object out of his pocket.

“Here, I think you should take this.”

“I’m not pregnant B. It was the seafood.”

“You looked like shit last night. Please.” Taking the test, she knew it would shut him up. Not knowing why he was insisting that she took a test. Peeing on the stick, she hid it in her bag wrapped around some tissue. Re-entering the room, Savannah gestured for Bertrand to join her on stage.

“Sorry for arriving late, I apologise if I repeat anything that has already been said. I’d like to thank you all for coming here today, our friends and family- we appreciate all the support....” the alarm went off on Riley’s phone, panicking that she was disturbing the speech- her hand was shaking as she tried to cancel it. Bertrand looked at her, knowing what the alarm was. Riley swiftly removed herself from the crowd, turning her back- she looked at the result. Covering her mouth, she wished that she had kept her legs closed- turning around she couldn’t look at the father instead she just nodded towards Bertrand hoping that he would understand the gesture. Clearing his throat, he quickly finished off his disastrous speech, knowing that she needed his support especially due to him forcing it upon her.

“Anyway, thank you for all the gifts. Thank you. Thanks...” Running off stage he followed Riley who was lingering at the door- still in shock. Still not knowing how to handle the situation.

“Was I correct?”

“I need to go. I didn’t get Bartie a present I wasn’t sure what he needed. Here, just take this money and get whatever you need. Thank you for inviting me.”

Bertrand, I need your assistance. Savannah shouted attempting to gain his attention- realising that he wasn’t aware that everyone was overhearing his conversation with Riley through the microphone.

I’ll only be a second Savannah, darling.

“Riley!”

“What?”

“Tell me... I am always here for you... you are like my little sister.” Passing him the test, she didn’t care if he was touching something that had her urine smeared all over it.

“I’m pregnant. Happy?” Savannah’s eyes widened, as everyone else’s did as they all turned to face the people who were oblivious that their conversation wasn’t private and was in fact public.

“Darling... you left the microphone on. We heard everything...”

“Bertrand! You fucking dipshit....” still in shock with the result - possibly denial, she just wanted leave. This whole event had been a disaster from her point of view. As the father walked over to her, along with the others- she looked at each of the men. Fuck. This is not happening. He will want to keep the baby. Can I trust him?

“Is the baby mine? Is Alice having a sibling?”

#trr #trr fanfic #trr au one temptation #riley brooks #liam rhys #drake walker #leo rhys #maxwell beaumont #riley x drake #riley x liam #riley x leo #riley x maxwell #bertrand beaumont #savannah walker #bianca walker

[moonlightpirate]

So originally I wasn’t going to post this but I think I’m going to anyways but here’s chapter 4 of my midsomer murders story. I would appreciate it if I could get some reblogs and comments please let me know what you guys think!

Tags @neptunium134 @bluesfortheredj @ihaveacrush @aureatemoonshine @secrets-ill-take-to-my-grave let me know if you want to be added or removed!

chapter one chapter two chapter three

 Chapter 4 

John awoke early, eager to put the last pieces of his current case together. It was well after noon before he returned to the station, happy with the arrest he and Nelson had just made. Well, at least until he saw his wife sitting in his office with a stern look on her face. “Sarah what brings you here?” inquired Nelson. “So John hasn’t told you then eh?” Sarah glared over at her husband. “No word from Elizabeth then?” John stuttered, attempting to avoid eye contact with Sarah. Curiously Nelson looked back and forth between John and Sarah, waiting for someone to tell him what was going on. Sarah finally looked over at Nelson, seeing his concern, she walked towards him, “Elizabeth is missing, I can’t seem to get a hold of her, and it has been 24 hours since I last heard from her. Please go search for her, this is the paper she left me that tells where all she intended to go yesterday. All her important numbers are on the other side of the paper, I also made sure to jot down her number as well.” Sarah handed Nelson the paper, as she turned to leave she made sure to give her husband one final glare. “Well guess we better get looking then! Hmmm, seems she went to Badger’s drift, sorta an odd place to go. Wait, should we call her parents?” pondered Nelson. “No! Well not yet at least, lets just go look around Badgers drift first see what we can find. No point alarming them if everything is fine.” John replied. Nelson stared at John inquisitively before slightly shrugging his shoulders and heading for the car. They spent the rest of the afternoon interviewing the people at all the stops she had made trying to find some sort of lead. Most everyone claimed they saw her but hadn’t noticed anything suspicious.

 Finally, at the church, they found some answers. “Hello I’m DCI Barnaby and this is DS Nelson. We have some questions for you. Did you by chance happen to see this woman at all yesterday?” John asked the priest, showing him a picture of Elizabeth. “Yes I did. She came here shortly after lunch, and said she wanted to admire the church.” the priest replied. “Did you happen to notice anything out of the ordinary? Or perhaps seen where she went after admiring this church?” Nelson inquired. “Well, while she was admiring the church, I could have sworn I saw what looked like a man and a woman watching her through the windows. After she left I saw her head towards that park. I’m uncertain if the couple followed her over or not.” he responded. “Thank you sir. Nelson let’s go.” Barnaby replied sternly. “Sir, he said a couple was watching her. That doesn’t match Elizabeth’s description of an old woman.” “Well Nelson if she has indeed been kidnapped, it’s not like an old woman could easily do that herself.” John replied as they began to walk over towards the park. They began to scour the park for any form of clues, “Over here sir!” Nelson shouted at John. John ran over to where Nelson was crouched down under the shade of an enormous tree. He could see remnants of food wrappers, carefully he put on a glove and picked up one of the wrappers. Sure enough Elizabeth’s name was written on it, meaning they belonged to her. Among the few wrappers was an out of place black cloth. “Nelson please pick up that cloth and take it to Kate in forensics to look at. Have her test it not just for fingerprints but also for drugs.” John asked. At that moment John’s cell started to ring, it was Sarah. “Hey Sarah, it seems you were right, it appears Elizabeth has been taken. Sarah, what’s wrong?” All John could hear was sobbing on the other end of the line. “Oh John, they sent a video to my phone, using her phone! It was awful! She was tied up, and they were making awful threats!” Sarah sobbed. “We’ll be right there!” John bellowed, hanging up the phone. “Sir? What happened?” Nelson asked, confused at the sudden urgency. “We have to get back to the house now. They sent a video to Sarah’s phone.” he commanded. They immediately drove back to John’s house, and watched the video. It was truly awful, like Sarah had mentioned, they had Elizabeth tied up and were threatening her life. They offered to possibly spare her if they called Gavin Troy. Elizabeth hollered at them to not call him because they would kill him, but before she could finish the sentence the video cut out. John sighed as he sat down at the table next to Sarah. “Sir we definitely need to call her parents now. There’s no way we can do this without telling them, and sounds like we will need her father to have any hope of saving her.” Nelson said, as the shock slowly wore off. “I know Nelson, please just take the cloth sample to the lab. It’s late, I think it’s for the best if I just wait until morning. I need some time to get my thoughts clear before I tell her father. Now goodnight Nelson.” John dismissed him. Reluctantly Nelson left, calling Kate as he made his way to the lab asking her to meet him there. Early the next morning John met Charlie and Kate at the lab. “Well it was as I suspected Chloroform. Probably used to knock her out so they wouldn’t meet any resistance or draw any attention to themselves. Though unfortunately I was unable to find any fingerprints.” Kate stated. “Thank you Kate, well I guess I can’t keep avoiding it, time to call her father.”. Gavin was in the middle of interrogating a prime suspect for his case when his phone started to ring. At first he was just going to ignore it, but he noticed the area code was from Midsomer, so he stepped out to answer it. “Troy here.” Gavin answered casually.  “Hi Gavin this is John Barnaby. I’m calling with some well, bad news. I’d recommend you sit down before I continue.” John said. “What happened?! Tell me now please.” Gavin replied, starting to sound frantic. “Well a little over 48 hours ago your daughter went missing. All we have is a video that threatens her life, unless we got you involved, and a few witnesses.” Gavin almost dropped the phone in shock. Trying his best to use a calm voice he replied, “I’ll be there as soon as possible.” He immediately hung up the phone and darted back into the interrogation room, motioning for his sergeant to step outside with him. “Elizabeth has been kidnapped, I need to get to Midsomer and help them to find her. I’m putting you in charge of this case, but do not make an arrest without getting a hold of me first. Are we clear?” Gavin asked, his voice shaking. “Yes sir! Best of luck,I hope she will be okay.” The sergeant shouted at him as Gavin had turned and started to sprint towards his car. Frantically he hopped into the car and started to drive. After a few moments it hit him that he should tell his wife what was happening. At the first stoplight he quickly grabbed his cell phone and dialed his wife. “Hey honey! How’s the case going? You would not believe what happened today.” Cully answered cheerfully. “Cully, honey, please sit down….I have some bad news.”. There was silence for a moment before Cully replied, “Gavin, what’s happened? What’s wrong? Please don’t let it be Elizabeth.”. Gavin could tell she was starting to cry. “Honey, relax please, but yes unfortunately it’s Elizabeth. John just called me, apparently she has been kidnapped. I’m on my way to Midsomer right now.” All he could hear was his wife sobbing, he felt terrible for leaving her behind, but it was probably for the best. “Cully, please go to your parent’s house, let them know what is going on. I may need your father’s input on this as well. I’ll call you when I arrive and am able to get more information dear.” Gavin said, in an attempt to comfort Cully. “Oh Gavin, this is terrible! Please be careful dear, and make sure you both come out of this in one piece.” Cully sobbed. As the call ended Gavin had become even more determined to get to midsomer as fast as he could and find their daughter. He just hoped he wasn’t too late.

#midsomer murders #midsomer murders fic #please read #please reblog #gavin troy #John Barnaby #cully barnaby #Charlie Nelson

[writersrealmbts]

Painted Crown: Part 4/End

Description: You have faithfully served the royal family for years. But as reality sets in, Jungkook, a prince from a neighboring kingdom, offers you something you had never dreamed of having.

Warnings: N/A

Posted: 08/27/2019

Tags: Jungkook x reader, Prince!Jungkook, Prince!Taehyung, Prince!Hoseok

?: 3,333 words

A/N: I literally just finished writing this and haven’t had time to proofread because I need to get ready to leave, so I’m sorry for any mistakes!

You gazed out at the town through the carriage windows, worry starting to gnaw at your stomach at the impending meeting with Jungkook’s parents. Your father had no objections or qualms over you marrying Jungkook, but he was a prince. You were not a princess, and you were well aware that both princes may be disillusioned with their parents expectations regarding Jungkook’s marriage. “It’s beautiful.” “I’m glad you like it.” Jungkook gently took your hand. “You see that street there, that we’re passing?” You nodded, noting the colorful banners of market stalls and the spacious conditions of the roads. “That’s the best street to ride down in the mornings, the kids on their way to school and the stalls not quite open yet. And then walking to the school with the kids, before riding into the fields and back to the castle. It’s great.” “Jungkook always buys the kids fruits when he rides there in the mornings,” Hoseok said, smiling proudly at his younger brother. “Studying while hungry is the worst,” Jungkook said, dread in his voice at the thought of it. “All those days with Jongsil staring down his nose at me while he incanted the history of four centuries ago and the genealogies of rulers so long gone that their names don’t even grace the halls of the dead in what’s been the capital of our country since it was founded: all on an empty stomach because he always came between morning and evening meals, right when I would take my midday meal.” You laughed softly. “You’d think you would have learned to take a snack with you.” Hoseok laughed at that as Jungkook just sort of gaped at you like the thought had never occurred to him. You laughed a little louder at his face, then kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry, I will ensure your meals are never missed unless it absolutely cannot be helped. A morning ride such as the one you described does sound lovely. Perhaps I could join you on your next one?” He smiled at you and nodded. “I would love that.” “I should have ridden my horse instead of being stuck in here with you,” Hoseok muttered, looking out the window. You smiled up at Jungkook, who grinned back shyly. “You know, I did hear that you are betrothed to a princess in the south. If you’re that jealous of us, you could always go ahead with the marriage plans.” Hoseok looked at you with a mix of surprise, discomfort, and horror. Jungkook started laughing. “Don’t act jealous if you’re not ready to tie the knot, hyung.” Hoseok put a hand over his heart like you had given him the biggest scare in his life. “Do you even know what she is like?” You asked. “I have heard rumors here and there,” Hoseok replied, shrugging. “She’s beautiful, and kind. She’s the second of twelve sisters. There’s some sort of trouble over there recently, I think.” He shook his head. You frowned slightly. “What sort of trouble?” “A curse, on all of the sisters.” You felt your eyes widen. “All twelve?” “Yeah, so we’ll probably go in a year or so to find out what really is going on. Then we’ll either solidify the betrothal agreement, or render it null.” Hoseok shrugged, looking out the window and sighing with a stretch as the carriage entered the castle gate. “Meaning you’re going to drag me all the way to another kingdom to see if you actually want to marry this girl and if you don’t you’re going to have me help you convince father that it would do the country more ill than good?” Jungkook asked, sighing and looking out the window. “Like you did with the last princess mother wanted you to marry?” “She laughed like a donkey and had the manners of a hag,” Hoseok muttered, folding his arms. “I couldn’t live with that. No matter the good the alliance could do to the kingdom. I couldn’t make her the future queen of our kingdom.” Jungkook gave you a look that said that the princess they spoke of was only the latest in a long line of potential matches. You smiled softly. “I’m sure you will find the right princess for both the kingdom and yourself, my lord.” “I told you, call me Hoseok.” “Mmm, perhaps after the wedding,” You countered quietly, looking at your hands before taking a breath as the door to the carriage opened. “A maid will show you to your room to freshen up, then I’ll meet you in the great hall and we will introduce you to my parents,” Jungkook told you quickly. You nodded as Hoseok dismounted and turned back to help you instead of the footman. Over the trip you had learned that they preferred to do it over having the footman help you, but had yet to learn the reason why. The footman, a nice fellow who played the lute, was just as mystified, but far more accustomed to it. And though protocol would usually have you exiting the carriage first, they preferred to have one of them exit first, a precaution outside of the castle in case of danger. You had tried to argue that you were much more dispensable than either of them, and were met with intense reproach and rebuttal. You surveyed the castle with guarded awe, stomach churning as you looked up at the daunting fortress. It was larger than the one you were accustomed to. If you were staying, it would take you at least two weeks to memorize the layout of the castle. “Don’t worry, it looks friendlier on the inside,” Hoseok told you, amusement lacing his voice. You looked at him. “I hope you’re right.” His face softened as he continued smiling at you. “I am. Everything will be fine.” Jungkook hopped out in a very undignified manner, stretching. “Oh, it’s good to be back. Let’s get away from the crowd, yeah?” “Jungkook, could you at least act like a prince?” You asked, resisting the urge to roll your eyes as you took his offered arm. Hoseok snickered and strutted toward the entrance. Jungkook looked a little taken aback. “What do you mean?” “I mean, don’t you think they’ll judge whether or not I’m a good match for you based on your own behavior as well as my own?” You asked in a quieter voice. He smiled. “Of course. I apologize, y/n. I wasn’t thinking.” A maid came over and curtsied to you. “My lady, I will be showing you to your room, if it please you.” “Thank you, what is your name?” You asked, releasing Jungkook’s arm. She looked a little shocked at the question, leading you to believe you would have your work truly cut out for you. “Rose, ma’am.” “Rose, yes, please do lead the way,” You said, turning to bid adieu to Jugnkook. “Try to rest, y/n.” He bent to kiss your hand, then walked quickly over to where a knight was waiting. You sighed silently, gazing after him a moment before looking back to Rose. “I apologize, I’m keeping you waiting.” “No, ma’am, it’s alright. Just this way, please,” She said, sounding nervous now as she quickly turned to lead you through the castles. You were led to nice bedchambers, very spacious and richly furnished, though maybe not completely to your own taste. “Some of your things have yet to be brought up,” Rose apologized with a curtsy. Two more maids were standing by in your room. “We’ve drawn a bath and prepared a gown for milady to change into,” One of them, an older woman, likely of some standing in the staff said. “Shall I assist while they unpack your things?” You hesitated in your response. She had a twinkle in her eye. “Or perhaps milady would prefer I defer my assistance until after she has bathed and changed into clean underthings.” “Yes, that would be…preferable.” “Her majesty also sent a gown for you, as a present, wishing you to wear it to this evening’s dinner,” the other maid said, curtsying. You looked past her to the gown that lay on the bed. “I am sure I am grateful.” However it really wasn’t your color. Actually, it was the opposite of your color. And it looked like it was made for someone half your size. And half your age. “However, I would like my blue gown for this evening if this gift should…prove…” “To be the wrong size?” Rose offered. “Yes, thank you. I apologize, it must have been a longer journey than I expected. What are your names?” You asked the new maids. You suspected they were appointed to be your ladies maids by the queen (providing you weren’t rejected by their majesties) and you weren’t about to be that naked with strangers. “Brigitte,” The younger said with a curtsy. “Magdalene.” The elder sort of bowed instead. “Pleased to meet you both. My blue gown should be in that trunk over there, likely towards the top. And my slippers should be just underneath.” “Yes, ma’am,” Brigitte curtsied again. You nodded and headed into the chamber where Magdalene had gestured when speaking of the bath. She followed behind you, hanging your underthings and then laying a towel out for you. “Just leave your clothing in the basket over there and I’ll see that they’re cleaned. It must have been a long journey, so take your time and try to relax. You’ve a few hours before I am to show you to the great hall to meet his highness.” “He sent instructions in advance with some of our luggage, I take it?” You asked in a hushed tone. “Yes, miss. The castle has been buzzing with word of your coming. Word’ll soon spread to the town. We were all surprised, though. The younger prince has always been so shy.” You felt the water to check the temperature, noting the rose petals floating in the water. “Indeed. I am as surprised as anyone. But he’s so…universally charming. He’s everything a young man ought to be if he can. He has his faults, we all do. Mine is to doubt, and expect the fragility of the situation to crack and disappear through my fingers as sand at any moment. I was the young princess’s lady in waiting. I was to teach her diplomacy, war tactics, and politics. How did I end up here?” “If I had to guess, my lady?” You looked to her, waiting. She smiled warmly. “You fell in love.” You looked away, the corner of your mouth turning up into a smile. “How could I not? Am I a fool, do you think?” “No, miss. I think you’re very far from a fool, and I think the Prince may have made a very wise decision. To teach those things, you have to know them, I would think.” She bowed a bit again. “Begging your pardon, miss, my knees can’t bend like they used to.” “Then do not stress them on my account. Thank you, Magdalene. I shall call when I’m ready for your assistance.” You smiled at her. She bowed a bit again, and left you to your bath. After a long soak, you changed into a gown the maids had picked out for you to meet the king and queen in, which was one you had picked in your mind to wear as well, and allowed Brigitte to do your hair (it was her specialty). Then you picked at some cosmetic lotions and such that the queen had also gifted you with the assistance of both maids before using a simple lip tint that you had brought from home. You wore your mother’s pearl necklace and earrings with a sapphire necklace your father had given you at your coming-of-age gala. You stared at yourself in the mirror, looking for flaws and seeing all of them. “You look beautiful, my lady,” Brigitte breathed, looking genuinely awed. “Just as a princess should.” “I do not wish to mislead them,” You whispered, smoothing the already smooth fabric of your bodice. “You shan’t, my lady. It is time to go meet the prince,” Magdalene said gently. You could understand why she was assigned to assist you now, and were grateful that the head of the maids had had the foresight to give you someone like Magdalene to assist you. Jungkook was talking with some noble-looking men in the great hall, but his face lit up when he saw you, causing the other two men to turn. You curtsied to them. “You look beautiful, y/n, as always,” Jungkook said softly, taking your hand and kissing it, but he never released it again. “May I present Lord Kim Yugyeom and Jung Jaehyun, Duke of Betasilla.” The bowed as though you were a princess, despite you curtsying in respect to their positions, which led to some awkward glances. You smiled at them. “I take it you are close to Jungkook?” “Ah, yes, we grew up together,” Yugyeom answered, looking mischieviously at Jungkook. “Unfortunately we should head to the throne room, my parents are eager to meet you,” Jungkook intervened quickly, as if sensing the trouble brewing behind that gaze. “See you at the feast tonight.” “We’ll be toasting to the two of you loudest,” Jaehyun responded with a grin, raising a hand as though he were holding a chalice already. Jungkook led you away at a brisk pace. “Jungkook,” you murmured, just loud enough for him to hear. “You’re walking a little too quickly for me.” He came to an abrupt halt. “Sorry.” You blinked a few times to compose yourself. “Are you nervous?” “No,” He answered immediately. “Those two were just liable to make up some nonsense story to try and make me look bad in front of you.” You smiled and placed your free hand on his arm. “If you thought I was that easily swayed, then you would not have brought me here.” He looked at your face and smiled back. “Yeah. Ready?” “Not remotely, however we should not keep them waiting.” He nodded and led you into the throne room, bowing as your curtsied in the proper manner after reaching the point where you were in front of the King and Queen. “Father, mother, this is Lady Y/n. I intend to make her my wife.” You tried to suppress your surprise at his blunt greeting, mentally panicking because that is not how you would ever think of presenting a marriage between yourself and Jungkook. “I see,” The King’s voice murmured, a slightly amused tone to the single word he said, but you didn’t dare to look up to try and read his face. “She has been taught in the ways a princess should, with a background in politics and tactics. She understands diplomacy, and propriety. She knows what the lives of the poor look like, as well as the lives of the nobility. She makes me comfortable in crowds, and she’s gentle, but she’s not afraid to put those who have stepped out of line in their proper place. She’s graceful, and looks like an angel on the dance floor.” Jungkook’s voice was so soft and loving that it made you feel warm all over—or maybe that was the embarrassment. “And she’ll probably scold me later for saying all of this in the way that I am.” You were frozen, gaze on the stairs to the dais where the thrones and their occupants were resting. “She’s older than I thought,” The Queen said. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to marry Princess Mala?” “I love y/n,” Jungkook said resolutely as you died a little more inside. You peeked up. The King looked amused while the Queen’s pinched lips wore a frown. “But a marriage to Princess Mala would help the Kingdom.” “Our kingdom is secure, and will be helped with whatever marriage Hoseok-hyung makes. There is something to be said for a wife that can help me help our people.” “And you think that a princess cannot do that, but this nobody can?” “Mother,” Hoseok protested, surprise in his voice. “My dear, she’s hardly nobody. Prince Taehyung and his family wrote us specifically regarding her.” You felt queasy. “Just because of their peculiar regard for her, I am to believe that she will be good for the kingdom?” “Your majesties?” You spoke up, uncertain of what you would say, but needing to say it all the same. “Yes, you have something you wish to say?” The King’s voice was gentle. You looked at Jungkook, who looked frustrated and upset, then back to the King and Queen. “It is true. I do not have the riches, nor the promised peace a union with his highness and a princess would bring. I cannot offer anything in that regard. I can only offer what I do have. I was taught well beyond what normal education is for both women and noblemen. I was taught first because my mother would not have me be a victim to ignorance, then because I was to teach the young princess of my home kingdom. My brain, and my heart are the only things I can offer your kingdom. I would use them to help your son and to try and help your kingdom thrive a prosper within my ability. A princess may know how to do these things, perhaps even better than I. But a kingdom prospers even more when their royals are happy. To be happily married is a privilege many royals would not dream of having.” You couldn’t think of what to say next and looked back up at Jungkook. He was gazing at you with so much warmth and love, that you felt yourself relaxing a little. “I will not lie to you, I did not think I could love him when we first met. But I do now. And I would not have dared to come here, unless he and his highness, Prince Hoseok, had not assured me that I…” You blinked, throat closing on you as you tried to think of the proper words. Jungkook’s hand rested lightly on your back. You closed your eyes as the words ran dry. “You may make the arrangements for the wedding,” The King said. “My dear!” “No, I am convinced. She is correct. Look how the kingdom to the east withered with that arranged marriage, let our boy be happy, let this woman help him improve the conditions for our people. We always brought the kingdom more prosperity by working together, did we not? Let them marry. Hoseok will have to settle down eventually and he’s likely to give us a strategic marriage. We’re at peace with four of our neighboring countries. Times are good.” You looked up in astonishment. Jungkook grinned. “Thank you, father.” His mother’s nose crinkled. “Fine. But if there are any issues, don’t complain to me. And I want her to go through extra ettiquette training.” “I’m sure she’ll pass the training just fine,” hoseok said. You dropped a curtsy before you were practically dragged out of the room by Jungkook. He led you down some back halls and to a private room after a flight of stairs. You looked up at him. “Your father had no protestations, but you never mentioned your mother.” You hit his arm. He kissed you on the lips, firm and sweet and full of relief and happiness. “Because I knew that father would reason with her. She’ll come round once she realizes how perfect you are for me.” “We’re getting married,” You whispered. He nodded with a big smile. “And we’ll live happily together. Yes?” “We’ll try,” You agreed, kissing him. Your prince. There was still much to do, and many trials to go through, but you knew that he wouldn’t ever let you go now. “I love you.” He kissed your forehead. “I love you, my princess.”

—–

Part 3 

Masterlist ~ Jungkook Masterpost

#painted crown fic #jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook #prince!jungkook #royalty au #bts #bts fic

[brokenfoetus]

Hmmmm... What has been up? Yes?

Hello Human Friends, Trying to half assed be a little more active. Very busy busy boi still as of late. Yes indeed. Still being lazy about the tags and tag games. There’s actually a ton I’ve wanted to do since they fun concepts. Been trying to manage time though, take advantage and try and catch up on my stuffs. So... the tags will probably come in a random and strange flood all at once when I have the free time.  I doubt people are on the edge of their seat waiting but... still. For the most part I’ve been just managing the sleep disorder + Chronic illness stuff.  Has it’s ups and downs but it’s not doing bad overall. So that is Nice yes...  stupid fleshbag and it’s weirdness.... Just been gearing up and setting equipment up for the stuff coming. More or less.... Upgrading to better software, and physical controllers etc. Upgrading some/most computer components to handle the workload that will be coming semi soon for... well... I mean... everything. Grabbed a laptop for travel/live performance that will be able to handle the workload of said software and potential audio/visual stuff I’d like to incorporate in the live shows eventually. Backing up files... so much files to go through... pretty sure I’ll be just throwing away most of what I have I mean... there’s so many pointless folders of absurd memes.... how many spider-man cartoon jokes can I seriously devote time to? Already backed up all the song files and samples tho.... Right now, focus is on configuring the controllers and setting up everything to work on the lap top  so I can keep working while I take apart my computer and rebuild it.  It shouldn’t take long but... there’s always those moments when you realize you forgot to grab something you needed and can’t finish so... lately I’m just trying to set up parallels so the transition goes smooth and I can reduce slow down in work flow. Enough time gets wasted by the sleepy time nonsense. Getting to do a sleep study semi soon. Will be nice to finally know what my brain is doing with it’s chemicals. Crazy oL’ Brain.... When I have time and it crosses my mind I’ll take a new picture of the current gear.... then later the setup when I finish all this mess.  It’s a good thing though. It’s basically preparation, so while I finish the album which I hope to soon.... I’ll be able to just slide into the new software and gear and start working on album 2.... New instruments etc... will be nice to move on and progress the sound pretty much.  A lot of stuff to setup and learn though.  Will come with time and use just need to get used to the new interfaces pretty much. I know what stuff does but... where it’s located in the new D.A.W. is another thing all together lol. I plan on finishing my album with the current older software... then recording the vocals and doing the final master of the track on the new software.  It’s just easier... especially since the stuff I write with is 10 years old... Doesn’t really have the functionality the new software has. So that will be rad... and using it to finish off the tracks will help with the transition into using it for the next bunch of noises etc etc.... blah blah blah.... I don’t remember what I mentioned last time I posted updates about the music stuff... I know a friend of mine has some contacts and would like to setup a mini EU tour type thing when possible. So we’re working on our stuffs and stuff together and not sure really what we’re touring as, we might just setup an End of it All tour.  Or we might tour together as something else entirely, or we might open for someone he knows, or we might do all of the above no real legit concrete plans yet... we know we wanna do something though. Will be cool when it happens.  Before that probably just some random small shows so I can get a feel for my set and see what feels right and what needs changing. Blah blah blah.... Oh yeah... got my drawing tablet to do the album art easier.... scanning physical media to touch it up in editing software to then make a file.... takes a lot longer... or I could just ya know... digitally do it... So... Yeah... there’s that.... I think that’s about it for this D.I.Y. EleKtr0 Meat-sack... back to work... -The End<3

#Me #Random #Pointless #Personal #Update #THE END

[letamreviews]

Top of 2019

With 56 films watched and 27 favorited in 2019, I composed a list of my top. By pure happenstance, the list is almost an exact third (18) of the total films watched. Be aware that I don’t have as much to say about some of these because I took no notes after.

Because I’d be biased towards them, I don’t count the National Theatre Live plays.

Since the list is likely to be altered between now and the end of February (to accommodate for films missed), check the Lettboxd list later on to see an up to date listing, but be aware that it intentionally lacks the details provided here.

EDIT (01/04/20):

Woke up this morning religiously re-reading this and caught some grammar errors. It’s almost like staying consistently well-rested is actually beneficial. While I’m at it, Blind Rating (BR) is how worthwhile the film is watching “blind” (or knowing nothing). The scale is 1 (worth it) to 5 (you must). ‘Eh is essentially a 0.5.

1. Midsommar (USA)

Saw the original and Director's Cut in theatres and discussed them with a group immediately after both times. I’m somewhere between really liking it and loving it. Still unsure. Hell of an experience with a lot to notice, debate over, and pick up on during the second viewing. Don’t even get me started on the Christian/Dani matter. Dat tension, tho. Blind Rating: 4/5

2. Us (USA)

Saw in theatres and discussed with a group immediately after. I’m digging the allegories and the way (I think) it reflects on society. Dem reveals, tho. Blind Rating: 4/5

3. Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (USA)

Saw in theatres and discussed with a group immediately after. Two things probably play a huge hand in this not being atleast 3 spots lower: my demographic and the fact that her older self constantly reminded me of my grandma and a certain middle school teacher. Regardless, it’s an entertaining, interesting, and lively documentary with its many personalities on-screen all giving their take on matters along with Ms. Morrison herself. Glad they managed to finish and release this 1.25 months before her death. Blind Rating: 0/5

4. When They See Us (USA)

Saw on Netflix over the course of a month. Y’all, this one hurt too much to watch again any time soon. Admittedly, part of the reason why it hit me so hard is because I could easily have been one of them. Dat ending, tho. Don’t forget to watch the Oprah followup When They See Us Now after. You’ll ball (again). Blind Rating: 3/5

5. Parasite (South Korea)

Saw an advance screening in theatres and watched a live post-film Q&A. I really like it. This hit me in such a way that it’s one of three films I’m writing an essay on. Planing on watching it a second time soon so I can finish with a sense of accuracy. This isn’t one that I would recommend looking at images for. There are some that will spoil the experience of the second half. Seriously, block the “Parasite” tag from your feed if you can. Blind Rating: 3/5

6. Luce (USA)

Saw in theatres and discussed with a group immediately after. This was is so~ good as a thriller and especially in regards to being Black in America. Wanted to watch it a second time but never managed to squeeze it in before it left theatres. Dem performances, tho. Dat tension, yo. Dat score, bro. Blind Rating: 1/5

7. Them That Follow (USA)

Saw in theatres and discussed with someone immediately after. I love it. Blind Rating: 1/5

A drama influenced thriller about a religious and somewhat self-isolating community that's effectively blanketing a realistic romance. (snip) —Letterboxd review

8. The Souvenir (United Kingdom)

Saw in theatres (partially because so many movie peeps were shitting on it). I love it, but I didn't fucking love it. Was tempted to see it again, but didn’t get the chance. Dat ending, tho. While it was a movie peep telling me the whole plot that caused me to gain so much interest in it [Cabin in the Woods (2011) all over again, amiright?], I must say that the less you know the better. It’ll make for... a more immersive experience. Blind Rating: 3/5

9. After the Wedding (USA)

Saw in theatres and discussed with a group immediately after. I thought I really liked it, but I love it. This was a trip down unexpected lane, le'me tell ya. The trailer is a spoilerful lie, but the Landmark's description is very accurate. People's experiences will have a heavy hand in how they react to it and feel about certain characters. The way they made this feel like a constant thriller was excellently done. Dat cinematography, tho. Go in knowing nothing more than what the previous link provides. Blind Rating: 1/5

10. Joker (USA)

Saw in theatres and discussed with a group immediately after. I really like it. Blind Rating: 1/5

(slight spoilers)

This was difficult to watch at times, but hella captivating throughout. Arthur's reasoning is believable, his sanity is questionable, and his life is indeed one hell of a joke. Like watching an extreme example of what happens when people on the lower end lose access to social programs. This can very easily be taken as a commentary on mental illness kept unchecked. More than that, it's a story about a guy who accepts his "crazy" and transcends poverty, circumstance, and societal bullshit... at everyone else's expense. (snip) —Letterboxd review

11. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (USA)

Saw in theatres and discussed with a group immediately after. I really like it. Captivating documentary in a very similar style to Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, but with Mr. Davis never joining the “talking heads” (as people like to call it) and instead being heard as a constant narrator of his own biography. Regardless of how I feel about him on a personal level, this shit was a great watch and the ending hit hard. Still need to get his autobiography, though. There’s a nostalgic factor for me here since I was partially reminded of my grandpa while watching it. Blind Rating: 'eh

12. Queen & Slim (USA)

Saw in theatres and discussed with someone immediately after. Fuck yeah, I enjoyed this one. Dat soundtrack and cinematography, bruh? 👌🏿 The throwback soundtrack, main characters’ racial group, and fact that they went to New Orleans definitely play a hand in why this one’s not atleast 1 spot lower. Blind Rating: 1/5

13. Dwelling in the Fuchon Mountains (China)

Saw in theatres during festival and attended discussion days later. I really like it. Was long, but in a good way. Similar to Ash is Purest White (2018) in that I kept thinking "please end here," but would be glad it didn't later. It's beautifully slothy and has absurdly long tracking shots. The cinematography during walking conversations is notable. Dat trick, tho. Blind Rating: 'eh

14. A Girl Missing (Japan)

Saw in theatres during festival and discussed with a group immediately after. Bruh~, this is a hell of a personal trial. Didn’t expect it to go the places it did. Blind Rating: 1/5

15. Dutch Angle: Chas Gerretsen & Apocalypse Now (Netherlands)

Saw on MUBI on phone. I love it. This goes over his childhood (for 8 minutes), career paths, photography of 9/11/1973's Chilean coup d'etat, the 6 months he spent on-set photographing Apocalypse Now (1979), and him as a person. What I didn’t expect was how much he would get into the details of things happening during that film’s development. Along with those details are interesting photos presented excellently in a way that’s reminiscent of manga at times. I like the way the photos take center point and are treated like the foreground. It’s like the director and editor forced themselves to remain aware that the documentary was showcasing 15% of the total slides housed in the Nederlands Fotomuseum’s archives in Rotterdam and that most of his Apocalypse Now photos were never seen. Dat score, tho [Ex Machina (2014) vibes]. Blind Rating: 0/5

BTW, it had its official (Dutch national) release by EYE Filmmuseum on 12/19/19 in the Netherlands, so maybe it’ll come to the USA soon. 🤷🏿‍♂️ Forgot to mention it’s been added as a special feature to the 40th anniversary 4K blu-ray disc of Apocalypse Now: Final Cut (2019).

16. Receiver (Ireland)

Saw on MUBI on phone. I really like it. A very interesting short film in three odd segments. First was disturbing; second was about activism, protests, and politics; third was about the person I assume the film was made for. All compose what I took as a film about the importance of having reliable sound and hearing. Needs to be watched alone with good sound quality (for immersion). Blind Rating: 'eh

17. Bacurau (Brazil)

Saw in theatres during festival. I really like it. This was some Most Dangerous Game shit with a hell of an ending. The whole game is an allegory of civilized people's obsession with hunting wild animals for "sport". I really like the portrayal of history here and enjoyed the racial matters it lays bare. I can only imagine someone watching this without knowing a thing. Kinda wish I didn’t even read the description beforehand. Digging the soundtrack. Blind Rating: 1/5

18. Little Women (USA)

Saw on 35mm and discussed with others on separate occasions. I really like it. This was just warming and sad. I felt for the main characters and actually felt satisfied with the way it ended. Considering the type of film, there are handful of typical things for me to complain about. That being said, the movie earned its stars back. I mean, did you not see their attic performances? Shit was dope. Blind Rating: ‘eh

#2019 #top of #favorite films #i love it #i really like it #Ireland #Netherlands #Japan #China #Brazil #United Kingdom #USA

[terra-writes]

Nature’s Shackles (Fenris x Female!Hawke Hanahaki Disease AU) Part 2

So I had this done at the same time as part one and I was going to space these out by a week then ended up forgetting about this with everything picking up in my semester. So belated but I hope you guys enjoy! Idk when part 3 will be out but hopefully soon as my semester ends next week and I’ll have more time to write!

Want to start from the beginning? Tumblr likes to hide posts that link to other ones from the search now, but click on the “nature’s shackles” tag below to filter stuff for this story!

Word Count: 3,600 words even I am proud of this lol

Warnings: Angst, blood will be coughed up with the petals in some cases, but it gets progressively worse, canon-typical violence and gore

          The last few rays were just hanging onto the horizon by the time Fenris stood in front of the large oak doors that marked the entrance to Anders’ clinic. He looked above to the lantern, feeling the corners of his mouth turn down when he saw the flickering tips of the flame inside. Part of him had been hoping that Anders would have already closed down for the night by the time he arrived, and he could use the excuse to retreat back home and figure out some other method for himself.

          He raised his fist to the wood, hesitated, and lowered it again. He cursed himself within his own mind. Right now, his biggest hindrance wasn’t the flowers suffocating him within his lungs, but his own pride at asking for help. Especially from Anders. As much as he loathed the thought of showing weakness to an Abomination, even he had to admit that this problem was bigger than his own pride. So why can’t I just knock on the damn door? He let out a groan of frustration aimed at himself and without thinking, hit his fist against the door to vent some of it. He hadn’t even realized what he did until he heard a muffled call from inside the clinic.

          “It’s open come in!” He stared at where his fist was still against the worn oak in bewilderment. I guess that works, he thought. He took one last breath to steady himself and attempt to calm the last of his lingering anxiety that seemed to spark back up at the sound of Anders’ call. As he stepped in, his nose was immediately assaulted by the overwhelming smell of different herbs. It almost overwhelmed him, and he had to fight against the urge to cough lest he give himself away barely three steps past the door. As he looked around at the empty cots lining either side of the clinic walls, he let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the mage was currently turned with his back to the elf, clearly focused on the task before him. He immediately regretted that deep breath though, as the strong odor of the clinic only aggravated his lungs even more. “I’ll be with you in just a moment, I need to finish up with this patient first.”

          Fenris figured it was for the best if he just kept quiet for the time being, There was no use to potentially risk injuring the man in front of the mage by tipping him off to who exactly had just stepped into the clinic. In the meantime, Fenris tried not to focus too much on the uncharacteristically vacant room. He didn’t know if it would be better or worse for him knowing that it would just be him and Anders to discuss things.

          Briefly, he considered saying “fuck this” and bolting out the door, but before it could become anything more than a barely entertained thought, Anders had finished with his current charge, turning around to face him. “Sorry about the wait, now what can I help you wi- Fenris?”

          Under different circumstances, the sound of the pure bewilderment on both his face and in his voice would have been hilarious to him. But Alas, as his business currently hinged on keeping Anders in a helpful mood, he would have to keep any antagonistic comments to himself.

          On second thought, maybe just one would make him feel better about all of this.

          “Is that meant to be a serious question? Are you perhaps the one in need of a checkup, ma-” He stopped himself before he could finish calling him his usual name. It wouldn’t work out well for him to piss Anders off to much right now.

          Anders raised his brow, clearly noticing how Fenris had stopped himself, but remained quiet. The healer was still thrown off by Fenris’ sudden presence, but he managed to at least gain some measure of composure over his being. “I know Hawke said she was going to try and get you to come down, but I thought it was going to end with her physically dragging you down here like usual.” There was a stretch of silence between them, each person staring at the other in different stages of disbelief that the events before them were actually unfolding. When Fenris still stood unmoving, Anders gave him a break. “I guess you’re worse off than any of us realized if you’re here now on your own.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Alright, take a seat so I can get this over with.”

          In some corner of his mind, Fenris realized that perhaps this was the longest the two of them had gone without outwardly insulting each other, leaving only an uncomfortable and unsure awkwardness keeping them at bay. When he still hadn’t moved, Anders cleared his throat sending a slight twinge of panic through him. Fenris hadn’t actually thought about what he would say to the mage once he got here. His thoughts scattered to the wind as he desperately tried to scrounge up any excuse he could. Fenris didn’t want to admit to his condition, especially to someone like the Abomination before him. No doubt Anders would lord it over him, possibly even go to Hawke about it with a claim that fighting with such a condition would only put her and everyone around him in danger. Anything to keep him out of the picture so he had a clear shot to winning her heart. It was no secret that Anders had fallen for their companion and leader, and even though she had repeatedly turned down his advances he still seemed adamant at trying to win her over when he could.

          The thought of the Abomination putting his hands on her in that way sent his blood boiling, but he had to force himself to calm down and swallow the bitter remark that tried to claw its way past his lips. He still needed help.

          Fenris took a couple steps words one of the cots, still trying to come up with an excuse when he paused, running his tongue over his suddenly dry lips as he prepared to try the first one his mind supplied. Hopefully, Anders would take the lie at face value, though even to Fenris it sounded like more than a longshot.

          “Actually-” He had to pause a moment to try and stifle the urge to cough. “I was not being truthful when I told Hawke that I was ill.”

          “Oh?” He could hear Anders’ voice over his shoulder and hear him subtly reach for his staff nearby. Figures the mage would think that Fenris came here to kill him, it just went to show how much of a fool Anders was in his mind. “Then why are you here, especially of your own accord?”

          “I require your aid in a… somewhat sensitive matter.” Fenris tried not to cringe at the understatement as he turned back around to face Anders.

          “Really? If you don’t need healing couldn’t you ask literally anyone else who likes you a lot more than I do?” Anders was trying to bait him, trying to bring them both into an argument that would make this situation a lot more bearable and familiar to the both of them. But Fenris couldn’t let himself fall into that trap. He hadn’t gotten what he came here for yet.

          “I may not be ill, but what I require is medical in nature, leaving you as my only option.” He hated admitting that he needed Anders, but Fenris had no other choice in this moment.

          He could tell the mage was still unsure, Maker, Fenris was too but he couldn’t back away now. “Okay… so what is so important about this matter that you lied to Hawke and avoided everyone for three weeks now?” Anders’ eyes were scanning over every inch of him, trying to detect any hint of injury on his person. He would be looking for a long time, as his only problem was currently still aggravating the inside of his lungs. As such Fenris let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he had been holding, then immediately wished he hadn’t when the itch inside his lungs only grew stronger

          “I have an… acquaintance who has enlisted my help to gather information.”

          “Wait you actually have friends? Other than Hawke? Color me surprised.” Fenris felt his eye twitch, but with sheer will he bit back his venomous retort in favor of getting this over with as soon as he could.

          “Yes I do indeed have other ‘friends.’ But as I was trying to say, this individual has come down with a particular condition and so they have requested my help in gathering information so as not to draw attention to themselves.”

           “Okay fine, what has your ‘friend’ come down with?” Anders relented with a sigh, dropping his defensive stance a tad, but still on edge in case Fenris made a move. Fenris had to fight not to roll his eyes at the gesture.

           “They have come down with Hanahaki Disease. I am… familiar with how it happens and works but… that is the extent of my knowledge. I only know how it comes to be and how it kills,” Fenris had to suppress a shudder at the memories of lifeless eyes and pools of blood, “but nothing in the way of cures or treatments.” Fenris grimaced through his confession. He hated admitting to his own shortcomings, especially in front of someone like Anders, but he needed to know if he had any chance.

          He wasn’t expecting Anders’ eyes to go as wide as they did. “Are you sure it’s Hanahaki?” Irked, Fenris didn’t try to stop the annoyed huff that left him. Instead, he moved his arm to reach into one of the pouches on his belt. He saw Anders tense for a brief moment, the tinest flicker of gathered magic pulling at his markings before the mage stilled, mouth dropped agape at the petals in his upturned palm. It was an accident that Fenris had any petals on him in the first place. In his haste to get to Darktown and get this meeting over with, he had failed to realize the few petals which had gotten caught on his armor until he was already too far away to turn back. Now however, they would prove useful in helping Fenris sell his own lie.

          The mage grabbed the petals from his palm, inspecting them with and ever-growing grave expression as he turned them over in his fingers with the upmost care. “There flower petals appear legitimate.” Fenris tried not to be offended by that comment. “Unfortunately, there’s only two ‘cures’ that are known.”

          “And they are?” Fenris felt his anxiety grow, he didn’t like the sound of being limited to two options, he already had a feeling what the first one was. He tried not to give in to the urge to shift on his feet or express how he felt about the matter, Anders didn’t need any hints to the real patient of this visit.

          “The best method is for the person who the afflicted loves, to return their feelings. If the love is requited, the flowers perish and are coughed up without injury or much fuss. Of course, that’s the best-case scenario, though, not the one that always ends up happening.” A pause as Anders looked up on him, his expression wary. “I don’t think your friend will like the other option though.” His expression mournful, as if the mage was recalling a memory, or maybe something else, Fenris couldn’t be sure. At Fenris’ raised brow, he continued with a deep breath. “The flowers can be removed, but the process isn’t the easiest or most pleasant.”

          “How?” By now, Fenris was growing ever more impatient. He needed answers.

          By the grimace that flashed across Ander’s face, Fenris had a very good inkling of exactly how the flowers were removed. His markings began to thrum with life at the thought of the procedure being done on him, but he needed to hear the mage say it.

          “By magic, specifically blood magic. There’s a ritual that can be preformed by a mage to remove the flowers from the individual’s lungs. The victim will be cured, and they won’t ever be in danger of contracting the disease again.” Anders cleared his throat, and Fenris could sense the unsaid “but” hanging over his words.

          “What else are you not telling me?” Fenris’ words carried a but of the frustration he was feeling. He didn’t have the time for Anders to keep pausing like this. “Just spit it out! Every moment I waste here is another moment my friend draws nearer to their death.”

          The mage at least had the decency to look apologetic. “Right, sorry. The person will be safe from ever getting Hanahaki again, but it’ll cost them their ability to feel love for the rest of their life. I actually hear that option is quite popular in Tevinter, especially within the Magisterium.”

          Fenris gave a brief nod. “Magisters only care about powerful magical bloodlines. And a Magister would rather get rid of anything that could be used as an obstacle between them and the power they crave.” He let himself spit the words out, venting some of his anxiety and fear into something he could better manage, like anger. There was another awkward pause between them. Neither one of them were used to things being this agreeable whenever the two of them were in each other’s company. Both were unsure of how to treat the other when there was no hostility being thrown back and forth. “Is there anything in the way of treatments to lessen the effects in the meantime?”

          “Fortunately, yes.” Anders turned around, his awkwardness shrugged off as he took to his usual working persona. He moved with a single-minded focus as he began to rifle through the cabinets that lined the back wall of the clinic, pulling jar after jar of dried and undried herbs from their shelves.

          Fenris allowed himself a small sigh of relief now that he was out of the mage’s clinical gaze. Both were silent as Anders continued to work, his brow creasing in concentration as he mixed herb after herb. Fenris didn’t dare creep any closer to the mage while he worked, but he did try to sneak glances past the mage’s shoulders at the herbs he was using.

          Before long, Anders turned back around. He wore a satisfied smile as he held a small vial of bright blue liquid in one hand, a worn satchel just behind him on the counter. The liquid looked vaguely similar to the lyrium potions Hawke and co. carried around, but the lack of pull at his own markings hinted that there was none to be found within. “This potion should help your friend out.” At Fenris’ skeptical gaze, he continued, “It’ll temporarily dull the user’s emotions, slowing down the progression of the disease.”

          Perfect, exactly what he came for. Fenris reached out to grab the vial from Anders but it was pulled away before the tips of his fingers could do more than just graze the glass.

          “Remember that this is not a permanent solution.” Anders had fixed him with a stern look, but it wasn’t one born of malice, it held the connotations more akin of a doctor talking to a stubborn patient. “This is only a treatment meant to delay the inevitable. The only way to cure this is one of the two ways I mentioned.”

          Fenris finally let his irritation show. Now that he had what he came here for, he didn’t have to be as civil, at least in his mind. “I am not such an idiot that I don’t know what the word ‘treatment’ means nor that I have forgotten what you said earlier already.” He made sure to stand tall as he said it, squaring his shoulders like it was a challenge.

          Rising to the bait like Fenris hoped he would, Anders reacted much the same. “Don’t forget that I’m the one helping you out here. There’s no reason to go biting my head off for it. Or would you rather your friend go without because you pissed off the healer?” Despite their small standoff, Fenris could see some sort of ease creep back into the mage’s posture, most likely relived that the two of them were back in familiar standings with one another. Fenris only gave a grunt in response, letting go of some of his anxiety. Insults he could deal with any day.

          “I should figure that it would be in that nature of an abomination to refuse treatment on account of one individual’s attitude.” Fenris let the corner of his mouth curl upwards into a smirk.

          The mage rolled his eyes, putting the vial in the satchel with what Fenris presumed to be others. “These will only work for a few hours, and you shouldn’t have your friend drink more than one in a day, otherwise it could risk speeding up the process instead. I’ve made enough to last for a few weeks. Come back when they’re gone if things still haven’t fixed themselves by then. Now, this has been pleasant and all, but please get the hell out of my clinic.”

          Fenris took the worn leather satchel from the healer with a surprising amount of care in Anders’ eyes, securing it around his person. There was another brief awkward pause where both expected the other to say something, though neither knew what. When it was clear that nothing would be, Fenris just gave a curt nod and went for the door, trying not to show his desire to leave in his steps. Before he could slip out the door, he paused, unsure with his next words but feeling like they needed to be said, personal opinions aside. “Anders…” Fenris’ voice was low, unsure. The name felt wrong, unpleasant in a foreign way on his tongue, “Thank you.” Okay, maybe that felt even more wrong than using his name.

          Fenris could almost feel the cringe at his unexpected display of gratitude from the other end of the clinic. “You’re… welcome? And Fenris? I’m sorry.”

          Fenris had already been hallway through the door when Anders had called his name. He looked over his shoulder, meeting the mage’s gaze head on with his own. Anders was looking at him in a way that sent alarm bells tolling in his mind. The way it was voiced, the look that was being given to him now, it was as though the mage was speaking the apology to him instead as though for him to pass on. Was it possible that the Abomination had seen through his lie the entire time? No, there was no real reason to disbelieve the story that Fenris had voiced. Choosing to live in his relative comfort bubble of denial that Anders was capable of seeing through his ruse, Fenris responded with a simple “I will… pass along the message.”

          He was out the clinic door after that, yet only just managed to make it a few steps beyond the oak before it was impossible to deny the aggravating itch within his lungs. The fit coughing that he was thrown into was arguably the worst one yet, the strong scent of herbs, the anxiety from earlier, it all melded together to form a violent concoction. Blood dripped from his mouth and stained the dirt below him and the petals he expelled in his hands. When it had finally subsided, he looked around in a slight panic to see if anyone had caught him. Breathing a (ragged) sigh of relief, he found the area around him to be blissfully empty for once, likely due to the late hour. He hadn’t realized how long he had spent within the clinic itself, too long if you were to ask him, a lot longer than he was comfortable with.

          Knowing that his brief window of opportunity to remain undetected, Fenris shoved the petals into the pouches on his belt as quick as he could manage while keeping one eye on his surroundings. When he deemed the coast clear, Fenris hurried back to his manor in Hightown without sparing another glance back.

          Had he taken a bit more time paying attention to his surroundings, he would have noticed the few petals that dropped from one of his unsecured pouches, drifting to the ground to settle on one of the small spatters of blood in the dirt. When all was silent, the sound of one of the oak doors could be heard swinging open, a small blond head peering out into the deserted street. Having heard the commotion outside his clinic, Anders’ eyes snapped straight to the discarded petals and specs of blood.

          The mage crouched in front of them, pulling the petals into his hand and using his foot to disperse the evidence of the blood. He turned the petals in his hand, a remorseful expression appearing on the healer’s features. He sighed and retreated into the clinic, putting the petals away in a secure location out of sight. “You must have been truly terrified if you came to me for help.” Anders whispered into the silence of his clinic. There was no way for the recipient of those words to hear them, but it wouldn’t stop Anders from voicing them anyway. “I hope things work out for you, no one deserves that kind of fate, even you.”

#dragon age #dragon age 2 #dragon age ii #fenris #fenris x hawke #fenhawke #Fenris x F!Hawke #fenris x femhawke #anders #fenris imagine #dragon age imagine #dragon age 2 imagine #dragon age ii imagine #drabble #angst #tw: blood #nature's shackles #hanahaki au #terra writes

[nunonabun]

Flipped - part 5

So, this has been a lil bit of a trainwreck of a schedule, and I can’t seem to find part 4 on my tumblr (if you missed it, it’s here on AO3) but WHAT THE HECK it still exists and as I’ll be off school soon and able to write longer non-school things, I’ve decided to post the next chapter. As always, many thanks to the fabulous @callthemoonbeam (who I can’t tag, thanks v much tumblr) for, of course, being a BRICK. As always, remaining mistakes are my own.

“What are you all doing here?” A voice boomed as they stepped past the quiet man who’d opened the door. “We told yous we don’t want your artificial interventions, we’re having a natural childbirth here, like our grandmothers and all their mothers before them.”

Nurse Parker and Dr. Turner exchanged a look. This birth would be every bit as difficult as they had suspected. Nurse Miller had convinced Maeve Carter to attend the antenatal clinic, but she and her sister Meg Smith become so distressed by the brief visit that they’d left in an explosion of informational pamphlets, the air ringing with Meg’s scathing dismissal of their apparently ill-researched medical care.

“Well, as your grandmothers up to antiquity certainly had midwives present, I’m quite sure you won’t object to us seeing your sister safely through birth.” Nurse Franklin replied brusquely. Nurse Parker locked eyes with the doctor and nodded almost imperceptibly towards Mr. Carter, indicating that it was perhaps best he wait in the kitchen until he was needed, if indeed he was needed. The doctor readily accepted her silent suggestion.

More directions were issued as the pair of midwives entered the stifling bedroom.

“You leave your drugs out there, you hear? We’ll not be having her body polluted with chemicals!” Meg clutched her sister’s hand firmly, her eyes wide, and Nurse Parker felt a stab of sympathy. The poor woman was clearly terrified, and her sister likely was too.

“We’re not going to give Maeve anything she doesn’t need and accept. We’re here to work with you, not against you.” Nurse Parker’s smooth, calm voice seemed to breathe some air back into the tense bedroom.   

Nurse Franklin, also sensing the need for a gentle approach, softened her tone as she knelt to examine Maeve. 

“Deep breaths sweetie, this little one seems eager to be on its way!”

And sure enough, barely ten minutes later, a squalling, squish-faced new being made its way into the world.

As Nurse Franklin tended to the newborn, Nurse Parker shifted to the business end of the bed to handle the afterbirth. Her heart skipped a beat as a tentative palpation of the lower abdomen revealed that their work was not as close to completion as they’d assumed. Regular prenatal ultrasounds made such discoveries uncommon, and she disliked being caught unprepared.  

“It looks as though you two aren’t the only twins in the room!“ She announced, keeping her tone bright for the nervous sisters.

Maeve laughed, squeezing her sister’s hand. “What d’you think about that then?”

The jovial nature quickly wore off as Nurse Parker carried out a more thorough examination.

“Baby’s being a wee bit uncooperative, Maeve. As she’s lying sideways, I’m just going to turn her so she’s lined up nicely like her sister.”

Exerting all the force her small frame allowed, Nurse Parker managed to shift the baby slightly within its confines, eliciting a deep groan of pain from Maeve.

She lifted her eyes to the red-faced mother. “Once more now Maeve.”

No sooner had the addressed sister nodded her assent than the other expressed a rather more physical dissent.

The slam of the door coincided perfectly with the crack of her head against the floor.

Patrick was kneeling beside Shelagh, but she was up before his fear had the time to bloom into panic.

“I’m alright, we just need to turn baby before the contractions force it further down.” The ringing in one of her ears put the lie to her assertion, but Nurse Parker would deal with that later.   

Returning to her task, she barely had time to notice that Patrick had placed himself between her and Meg and was talking to the latter in a low, tense voice.

The newest little one slid into life almost as quickly as her sister, once she was properly positioned.

Automatically switching places with Nurse Franklin, Nurse Parker coaxed mouvement into the tiny lungs, the whole room learning to breathe anew as its newest occupant took her first distressed breaths.

Nurse Franklin bid them a hasty goodbye as soon as the trio finished their tasks, gleefully proclaiming that a nice glass of wine and a bubble bath were needed to recover from that ordeal.

“You likely need a lie-down in a dark room,” Patrick commented, leaning against the side of his car. “I’d be surprised if you don’t have a concussion.”

Shelagh joined him, enjoying this moment in the calm after the storm. “It does throb a bit, but my brother used to say I’ve a head as hard as an iron pot, so I may yet be fine.”

Patrick laughed. “While I’m sure your brother’s conclusion comes from reliable testing, would you let me have a look?”

She turned to him, acquiescing.

He hesitated, then placed a hand on her jaw, his touch feather-light.

His eyes were lighter than she’d realized, an uneven in colouring, asymmetrically flecked.

“Your gaze isn’t steady,” he noted quietly. “Are you having any trouble focussing?”

In fact, she also felt slightly unsteady. Maybe now that the adrenaline of the birth was wearing off, she was feeling the full effects of the blow.

“Perhaps, a bit.”

His expression was grave. “Any tingling? Fogginess?”  

She caught herself before admitting that the tingling wasn’t where you would expect from a blow to the head.

“It’s nothing severe,” she preempted his diagnosis and advice, “It will pass quickly if I avoid stimulation.”

Patrick withdrew his hand, breaking the searching gaze.

“Absolutely. Just a passing affliction, if managed well.”

He followed her gaze to her bicycle, locked to a post on the other side of the street.

“I’ll drive you.” It was both a question and an answer.  

She thought fleetingly about rebuffing him. She needed the air, the space. It wasn’t much of a ride home, but it would be along older roads, still cobblestoned, and busy to boot.

“You should avoid noise and jolts to the brain, take it easy. I’ll drive you.” He repeated.

Neither spoke after she accepted his drive home. She could sense he wanted to, could feel his eyes breaking from the road to search for hers, forgetting his own advice from just moments ago. She closed her eyes to remind him, silence was the best medicine in such a case.   

#Shelagh Turner #Patrick Turner #turnadette #Trixie Franklin #ctm fanfic #coffee shop au

[snkpolls]

SnK Chapter 95 Poll Results

The chapter 95 poll closed with 1,069 responses. Thank you to everyone for participating. Let’s do this!

RATE THE CHAPTER (1,019 Responses)

75% of respondents had a  favorable reaction for “Liars”. Less than 1% expressed extreme dissatisfaction.

I actually loved this chapter! I was kinda meh on the Marley arc at first, but this completely changed my feelings on it!! Seeing everything from the Warriors' perspective is a refreshing change of pace.

Bertolt is the God of Destruction, RBA deserved better, Magath is actually a nice guy, poor Porco has a terrible name and deserves more love

This is the first chapter in the Marley arc I've wholeheartedly enjoyed. I was always looking forward to getting the Warriors' perspective, but the way in which it's been done has been terrible pacing wise, if definitely interesting story-wise; consequently I've had mixed feelings about the recent chapters. But this one managed to really make me feel for the characters and their tragic, terrible circumstances for the first time in awhile.

Good chapter in terms of lore although kinda meh in terms of story development

I liked the chapter, and the Marley thing we are going through, but I would still like to return to the walls

Not the strongest chapter, feels the same kind of "recap-y" that 63 did, but still a solid outing. I'm convinced we're staying in Marley as the main location for the final arc of the series, with the main cast's appearance kicking events into overdrive.

IN A RECENT INTERVIEW, ISAYAMA REFERRED TO MARLEY AS AN “ARC”, NOT A VOLUME. WOULD YOU BE HAPPY IF THE MARLEY PERSPECTIVE CONTINUES FOR AN ENTIRE 16 CHAPTERS? (1,046 Responses)

We are a fandom divided.

I feel guilty about complaining too much but I really am bitter that I have to wait another month to potentially be disappointed again

I'm kinda concerned where the series is going‚ it seems like Isayama's taking it slow as he's running out of time

As much as i am loving all of this marley pov i do crave for just...idk something else. Like don't get me wrong i love finally getting more explorations of Reiner but it would be better to have some variation: like what about bertholht, why is he a warrior?? and annie; is her dad still around?

I can see why Isayama's doing this, but it feels v e r y  s l o w.

I can't believe I'm saying this but I kinda miss eren.

  HOW MANY MORE CHAPTERS FROM THE MARLEY PERSPECTIVE WOULD YOU WANT TO SEE? (1,043 Responses)

48.6% would like to see the Marley Files end in 1-3 months. 25.8% of the fandom is much more flexible. Judging from the write in comment, trust in Isayama is still high.

I would be happy if Marley took over the whole manga

I want the main cast to reappear, but to see them from the Marley perspective

I would've like to get back to the Walldians by now, but I think I'm good for another chapter or two of the Warriors.

I'd like the perspective to switch between marley and paradis

Depends if Pieck is often seen.

Looking forward to seeing the fall of Shinganshina from the warriors perspective

I'm starting to think Isayama will troll so hard. Marley Arc to the bitter end. Sasuga Isayama.

If this means we're going to remain in Marley for a while, I hope we'll at least get to see something exciting soon, like maybe at the festival. So far we've been getting more information than action, so I'd like to return to that action soon. I also can't wait to learn more about the Tyber family and meet the members.

  WHICH STATEMENT MOST CLOSELY MATCHES YOUR FEELINGS FOR THE MARLEY CHAPTERS AS A WHOLE? (1,044 Responses)

Nearly everyone who responded has enjoyed the Marley focus. 39% would be happy with a little more, while 31% liked it but are ready to return to the main cast.

On the negative side, 3.4% said that while it was necessary they didn’t enjoy it. Only .4% said it ruined their enjoyment of the series.

I like the Marleyan perspective, honestly if the rest of the series was like this (with a few chapters focused on the main cast of course) I think that would be great!

I felt the Marley perspective was necessary but I was bored most of the time. And now I'm just desperate to head back to the main cast.

I enjoyed the Marley perspective and I'm fine with more of it but something has to happen because I'm starting to get bored

This series has just been a series of peaks (Piecks?!) and whenever I think that it's surely gotten as good as it can get, they surprise me. The 30 day wait is hellish lately, more so than ever before.

  HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT TO RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL CAST ON PARADIS? (1,040 Responses)

While the previous questions have shown we are patient people, a solid 50% would sell their soul, or at least consider it, for a return to the original cast.

Lemme see the main cast again, but keep the best girl

I would still love to know if Jean has grown some ill-adviced facial hair, but I also love the Marley chapters.

I at least want a glimpse of the Walldians post-time skip!  I especially want to see Colossal Armin and if amputee-kun is Eren! I'm okay with a couple more chapters in Marley since I trust Isayama that this part of the story will be important (plus the characters are interesting and I enjoy seeing RBA flashbacks), but I just miss the old crew and want to see what they've been up to the past few years!

I feel like in all honesty, I enjoy the Marley perspective but I'd like to see how our 104th cast is doing. I'd really hate for them to do the same thing to Reiner and Co and recreate Shiganshina.

BOI I want to see the original squad again PLEASE

I love the Marley Arc!

Wake me up when the main casts return

   WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE CHAPTER? (1,038 Responses)

Judging from the write in comments, Pieck is the best girl. 33% of us had a favorite moment that involved her. Seeing the Paradis mission from the perspective of the warriors and the reveal of the Tyber family had 17% and 18% respectively.

tag yourself im zeke being super enthusiastic over pieck

Boooring... except for sasuga pieck.  That part made me laugh.

Zeke's subtle way of warning everyone that the room is bugged, and Pieck and Reiner immediatly understanding.

I was excited to learn about the 9th titan, the Tybar family and Zeke praising Pieck. Very heart-broken for Reiner though.

Tired of seeing Marcel get eaten. Its a little repetatitive

  HOW MUCH WORSE CAN REINER’S LIFE GET... FROM THE NEW CHAPTERS, WHICH OF THESE IS THE MOST TERRIBLE MOMENT FOR HIM? (1,032 Responses)

Each new event of Reiner's life is like beating a piñata of misery. Everything is terrible and the sadness candy just keeps spilling out. When the piñata is done, they beat Reiner with the bat instead.

Learning of Marcel's lie, immediately followed by Marcel's death, giving him no chance for closure or resolution

Tough one.. but i say his mom's pressure & the conflict of seeing pradise ppl as normal human being & still having to kill them.

I want some form of lasting happiness for Reiner Braun

#ProtectReiner854

Reiner seems to have inherited Ymir's real titan power: the Complex and Depressing Backstory Titan

I would like everyone to hug the shit out of Reigner.

Being Reiner is suffering. Seeing his face the page after his own father refused to acknowledge him as human broke something inside of me. Also Galliard is still a dick but I'm disliking him less.

  NEW CHARACTERS MEAN NEW SHIPS. HAVE ANY CAUGHT YOUR INTEREST? (1,040 Responses)

Someone please remind me to never give “Other” as an option for a shipping question :/  I do, however, appreciate that almost 60% of you would like Reiner to have a bit of happiness.

Annie x freedom from her crystal, Pieck x being exactly right, porco x death,  Isayama x vague hints, Zeke x tea, Everyone x Happiness (except them motherfucking Marleyans) and my personal notp, Zevi, were a few of the many write in answers.

WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING NEW REVELATION FROM THE CHAPTER? (1,034 Responses)

Last month learning the identity of the 9th titan was high on everyone’s wish this. This month we got it. 52.5% were most happy to learn about Warhammer.

At least we know the 9th titan. Just a decent chapter, Not my favorite of this arc though.

Really enjoyed this chapter, did not expect a mention of the ninth Titan. The montage of the Warriors was really awesome too.

Tybur family's new plot introduction is very intersting! I still think zakrus in pradise is shady as hell.. maybe he'll play a role in pradise fall.. pradise cant be too unified. Marley is not unified either.

I'm so excited to see more of the Tyber family. Their brief scene is drawn in an epic and mysterious fashion - symbols of seashells, flowing robes, a man with a clenched fist and correspondingly flowing golden locks standing before a crowd. I expect them to play a pivotal role in whatever comes.

  MAGATH IS SO FAR THE ONLY MARLEYAN WHO HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE WARRIORS AS HUMANS. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT HIM? (1,027 Responses)

Magath is perfectly meh. About 50% of us place him in the dead center between “tiniest gold star ever” and “swell guy.”

Magath is on the Eldians team. He loves and cares about all the Warriors, is possible he loves them as his children...I thought it was cute how he asked them to finish their mission and come home together! Hes like a tsundere "I-Its not like i care about you eldian demons!"

FAVORITE CHARACTER THUS FAR IN THIS ARC? (1,043 Responses)

Reiner wins by a landslide. I think it comes as no surprise to anyone that Pieck has a solid showing with 17%. Zeke came in 3rd with 9.3%

Zeke's unique & bizzarre nature.. immense cruelty + cleverness + immature nature + bizzare obession of games, playing & his twisted concept of fun! This guy is a very interesting mixture indeed.

Pieck is a great new character.

Tbh the series is kind of getting boring but Pieck is Bae

Reiner has become my absolute favorite character in the series.

LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER THUS FAR IN THIS ARC? (1,029 Responses)

Reiner’s dad edged out his mom for least favorite character, but the real news is that 24% of people hate Gabi and Porco even more than Reiner’s  terrible parents.

Can i just pick both of Reiner's parents?

Reiners father and mother are both trash i'm taking him away i'm his mother now.

Asshole marley soldier who made bomb noises @ the disabled soldiers

Karina Braun doesn't deserve the hates she gets, she wasn't tricking Reiner...she legit believed ths they would live with his father one day, she really loves him and you see her pain filled face when Reiner lies and says "It was hell"

I like Porkboi more than I'd like to admit.

If I was the Colossal Titan I would find Reiner's father and flip him what would literally be the biggest middle finger ever.

Can't stand Porco. Won't ever forgive him for Ymir. Won't ever forgive Reiner or Bert for Ymir either tbh

  HAS THIS CHAPTER CHANGED YOUR FEELINGS TOWARDS THE WARRIORS (1,023 Responses)

51.2% say yes!

I'm far more sympathetic to them than before, especially Reiner. That poor boy only wanted to have his family together.

Last chapter changed my views about them.

Not much - this is pretty much how I though things would be once we found out about the ghetto and Marley. The only really interesting bits are the new pieces of info, like the Tybur family and the 9th titan.

I've gone from 100% love to 110% love

I feel that this "arc" is being dragged on for the purpose of readers gaining sympathy with them and for me last volume was enough to make us sympathize with them. I have no patience left for this especially when I know the end is closing and there is more to cover and I’m afraid it'll be rushed or that I would lose interest before we reach that part

I feel invested in Porco against my better judgment... and I wonder...if there will ever be a moment when Pieck is not exactly right as expected... :o I wanna see Bertholt's past!!!!!!

  RATE EACH WARRIOR IN TERMS OF HOW THIS CHAPTER AFFECTED YOUR PERCEPTIONS OF THEM

The Winners: Reiner  - 840 people view him more favorably Pieck  - 708 people view her more favorably

The Losers: Gabi  - 151 people view her less favorably Porco  - 161 people view him less favorably

I love RBA. Zeke is interesting as ever. Falco looks like he'll probably end up being a character I'll end up really liking, but he's not there yet. Don't really care about Pieck currently. Hate Gabi and Galliard.

Pieck is love

I wish we'd met Pieck earlier because she's everything.

porco the best

Bardlot is best girl

  WHICH CHARACTERS DO YOU GENERALLY ENJOY THE MOST (1,032 Responses)

Looking back over past polls, support for the 104th has stayed consistent. The real change is with the vets. In early polls, 30-40% of people preferred them. That number has fallen to 12%. I suspect some have left the series or aren’t interested enough in the story direction to take the poll.

  WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES (984 Responses)

Tumblr 364 (37%) Reddit 626 (63.6%) Discord 55 (5.6%) Twitter 12 (1.2%)

  FINAL THOUGHTS

There were more than 500 additional write in comments. I wish I could publish them all. Thank you for sharing all your thoughts!

I'm still not over the serumbowl and how much the paradis cast showed they're really no better than the ones they're fighting against, so I'm really happy to see the side that's been less favored by the narration so far. Bless the warriors, they're all full of personality and I already love them.

It was rlly heartbreaking when Marcel tells the truth to Reiner and he deludes himself saying: ""wtf are you talking about Marcel? I WAS CHOSEN BY MARLEY, i don't believe you"".The Armored Titan is the only thing hes got...

Next chapter is a recap of the old arcs with Warrior POV I can bet my seafood on it.

This and chapter 94 have been my favorites so far. Please give me more Reiner, more marley, more warriors, more everything. Isayama I love you.

LOVE THE WARRIORS! On a more serious note, im very curious about zeke and his true motives.. what is he trying to accomplish? I also really wish that his relationship with eren can be expanded on. Zeke told eren that he would save him. Does he to some degree care for eren's own life? Or is he just after eren's powers? Regardless, i find zeke fascinating.

Good but background could have been better incorporated with both sides

I'm loving the Marley arc. We need the other side of the coin and this really shows that evil can be grey. Neither the islanders or Marley-Eldians are really bad...they're just all raised/brain-washed in different settings. I really enjoy the added layers fo Reiner.

These few chapters have been really interesting, but I hope to see our guys back on Paradis, unless Amputee-kun turns out to be Eren and the other Survey Corps have infiltred Marley. Would love for the story to continue from that point of view, but with flashbacks as to what happened in Paradis. Really interesting chapters overall, learning about the 9 titans was really hype.

I hope that Isayama gives us an ending almost as great as ATLA. Each character gets a proper conclusion & the entire story is satisfying. I want AOT to go down as one of the top 10 solid anime/manga of all time. I have faith in Isayama but still the future is unpredictable.

I hope we get to see the attack on Wall Maria from the warriors pov next chapter. And I was disappointed that Amputee guy wasn't in this chapter.

More Marley please. Even if some are salty not to see the Walldians, I think it's very enlightening to see Marley and Warrior perspective on this. As would say Bertolt : "no one is at fault" and, in the same time, each side has their fault.

I've been rocking with this arc and loving it, although I've generally had little complaint with any arc of this series, I love everyone :) But I think some development for my favorite characters and their side of the war is backed up by some subtle set-up for the climax of it all. For all that some people are desperate to see the main cast, I think this kind of exploration is necessary, not just for emotional investment, but because it gives us a look at the world the Walldians are so desperate to get to. It shows that the battle is only just beginning; Marley is not the endgame boss, and in fact it might be the only thing standing in the way of total destruction for all Eldians. How do they deal with that? Seeing that from the Warriors' perspective gives it reality and weight.

I am enjoying the Marley perspective, but I'm having trouble with the pacing. These past 2 chapters are moving so slow. And even though Reiner is my favourite character, I wish we wouldn't have such a huge focus on him chapter after chapter. It's becoming a bit repetitive, and I would rather learn more about the other warriors. I am looking forward to seeing RBA's pov of the attack on Shiganshina however. :)

Shit's heatin' up! Woo!

I am such a fuckin' slut for all the Marley stuff. I have been dying to see everything from the Warriors' perspective since the initial reveal of Marley and honestly I live on the tears of everyone bitching about how there's too much Marley. EMA are pretty much...... the most boring characters in the series so I am livin' this up. Give me more.

MORE MEMES PLEASE (and a bit of main cast too)

can i see more bardlot creating titnas???? please answer this one question!!!!!!!

Waiting for Annie to come back. Any moment now.

It's a good chapter, I'm enjoying seeing the flashbacks and the distinction of the Titan powers. On a smaller note regarding that, I wish they'd tell us what makes the Female Titan "female."

Very good chapter, but it feels like one that's setting up for the rest of the volume. I'm looking forward to this festival as well as getting even more details about the warriors' mission on Paradis

Headbutt of Love copyright Isayama

A relatively good chapter, but I reallllllly want to see the main cast again. It doesn't have to be from their perspective, but I just want to see them again after a 4 year time skip.

We will most certainly  remain on Marley, but the perspective will soon shift to the main cast when the rest of them arrive to backup Eren and trash the festival in which the Tieber family will present the plan to capture the Founding Titan.

I can see why Reiner had all that plot armour now! Learning more about the warriors (RBA etc, not the new kids :/) has been really interesting and a much needed flesh out of their characters.

I enjoy seeing more of Reiner (cause he's da best) and learning more about his past and the world outside the walls. I would love to see him decide that he's done with Marley and doing things against his moral code (cause let's be real he probably is totally against this shitshow). I know he'll die and that makes me sad so I'm trying to enjoy whatever time we have left with him. ;_;

No doubt next chapter will show the Wall Maria breach from the Warriors' perspective. I only wonder how much of the flashback will be shown in a single chapter.

I hope we get more backstory on Zeke. There's still so much about him that's mysterious. More of him interacting with the other warriors is always good. I really really REALLY need to know what his thoughts on Eren are. Does he still plan on "saving" him, whatever that may mean? And how much does Pieck know?

When will we see giant naked people punch each other again?

I feel sorry for all the warriors but they killed so many people that I cannot see them as pure cinnamon rolls that need to be protected, for me they will always be morally grey.

I love that we are finally getting details about the warriors. This was something long in the making. I can understand where fans of the main cast are coming from, but you just have to have patience until we see the main cast again. For a story like Attack on Titan, which is supposed to be morally grey, we have to have insight on both sides of the conflict. It would have been extremely stupid if Isayama never delved into the warriors background after all the stuff that they had did. The timing of the switch may have been wrong, but I would rather have it now than not at all.

More Marley, but not at the expence of our heroes. It's Shingeki no Kyojin after all; not Yoroi no Kyojin

This arc has introduced the grey into the world of snk, I no longer see any one main character as bad or good because they all have the reasons with them, although perhaps some unjustifiable it still causes me to think about whether this person is a truly bad person or not. It really makes it quite difficult to favour or not favour people, however I do find that it makes it a lot more interesting.

I love these chapters, I really like the depth isayama is going for the viewers to know that this war isn't black and white and it really shines light on the complications of war and who really is the victims of not only war but also being the victims of a manipulative government.

I think this was a very powerful chapter, it had a lot of revelations and hints about the near future events. It is more clear than ever that the clash with the Paradis people is coming very soon. I am not sure how much more of RBA and Marcel heading towards the wall are we going to see though.

I can't shake the feeling that the "Tybur" family is connected to both the Tiber river (i.e. the fertile crescent--Garden of Eden imagery galore!) and Thor's hammer. Isayama likes to pull from both biblical sources and Norse sources for his world-building and I'm curious what's going on with this name.

this might have been my favorite marley chapter (which still isn't saying much but there you have it)

Seeing as I love the Walldians and Warriors equally, I think it's fair to give the Marely side attention. How can we have a dazzling final battle with no build up, including parallels and foreshadowing in this arc? Worse comes to worse I'm sure Isayama would just add the extra chapters he needed to in order to finish the story. Let's enjoy it while it's still being published.

Isayama is trying to make us think that there aren't good sides or bad sides. And he fails. We have already seen the perspective of Marley and they are clearly the villains. Not the Eldians of Paradis. The reasons why the mainland Eldians are supposed to hate Paradis Eldians are absurd. No real life social group/ethnicity is that stupid to believe what mainland Eldians believe. Or what they do to other Eldians.

As usual with every first chapter of an SnK Volume, this chapter was kind of boring, but we did learn about the ninth titan and the family thats been in possession of it. Also, seeing all 6 of Marley's titans on the battle field at once is interesting.

I think this volume will focus on the build-up to the reveal of Amputee-Kun in the present day, whilst also showing the road to Trost from RBA's perspective, which will be awesome

The perspective change felt rushed. I wish everything about the inital time-skip to the ocean had been handled differently. We got no closure whatsoever on so many important happenings and character developments re: serumbowl and basement, and that really frustrates me. The second - 3 year - just rubbed salt in the wound. I want to enjoy the Marley arc, I really do,  but this just frustrates me a lot.

Snk? More like Attack on Game of Thrones.

I really do like the perspective of the warriors and as interesting as it is, I just can't get myself attached to the characters, and that makes it tiresome for me. At the beginning I was hopeful, but so far the only Warriors I can relate to are Pieck and Falco and even that's a thin line. I am eager to see them interacting with the main cast though!

This chapter in particular was great. There's so much subtlety in every action and foreshadowing of things to come. We got a lot of interesting info (the Tybur family, 9th titan, shifter memories, TONS of Reiner background, and Porco feels ahhhhh), and also saw how the warriors are operating under the stress that Marley is putting upon them. I especially loved the Zeke's tea meeting. Zeke's aware that they're being monitored and is able to subtely warn the others, who all get it except Porco, and Reiner then saves him from saying something dissident about the Tybur family and possibly Marley. The interactions of the characters are wonderfully done, with a lot of side glances and small details to pick up on. I think Isayama's character development and world building abilities are shining so brightly in this arc. And I can't get enough of the warriors, new or old. Overall, this is swiftly becoming one of my favorite arcs so far. Also please Isayama, stop torturing Reiner, give the poor man a break ;-; My heart can't handle anymore....

Less flashback plz

I just want to find out if Amputee-kun is Eren that's all I freaking want Isa.

I don't want to spend the entire rest of this arc with Marley, but I think it would be cool to first be reintroduced to the main cast through the new character's eyes. Of course, then we'll need to see things from the main cast's perspective again and find out what they've been up to this whole time

Love the new memes. =P thanks pieck and zeke

to be honest, i expected the 9th titan's reveal to be more epic art-wise

I think I am now more on the side of the "Warriors" than the main cast on Paradis and this thinking of mine is keeping me awake at night. I hate Isayama for this because now his "there's not bad or good side in the story" statement hit me in the face. Also fuck I have the need to hug smol RBA and know finally seeing their backstory and situation withe all the hometown and warrior thing was all I was asking for so I am loving this Marley arc but at the same time I wanna see the main cast so badly.

I want to see amputee Kuns plan.

Poor baby Armin is the god of destruction no soft boy :(

I want to learn more of Bertolt's backstory... He's my fav next to Reiner and we know next to nothing on his backstory and motivations.

There won't be an invasion of the island. The islanders will invade, instead.

Knowing each titan's function is good. But I feel isayama could have used the page more efficiently, like not drawing large, single-panel images of titans. I feel it's kinda wasteful to use up your pages that way with not so dense information given out.

Confrontation between Warriors and SC will be super interesting but I'm kind of apprehensive about actually seeing it. It can easily turn into another serumbowl since we don't have clear enemies and everything is relative.

i feel isayama is just making some poor decisions in an attempt to make reiner more likable and while the new perspective is interesting it was introduced far too late in the game

I do find this arc interesting and I would be okay with it going for a lot longer, however I'd hope for a few chapters which go back to the 104th's in between those chapters, just a little show of where they're at during all this, I miss those guys, its been nearly half a year since we had a chapter with them. I love reiner yo he needs to be protected at all costs. But i do wanna know more about berholdt and his family. Please i need some closure on my tol boy.

I can't wait to see Historia again and see what role she will play throughout the rest of the series. To be honest, I'm concerned for her because now that she is publicly known as the queen now, Marley might try to capture her if they find out. And what will Reiner do if that happens? Ymir is no longer around to protect her so now it is his turn to owe something to Ymir. I wonder if Historia will ever meet Porco, I hope she kicks his ass, I will never forgive him for ending such a beautiful relationship.

No one is talking about this but the part where Magath says something about Zeke saying unnecessary things in the meeting has me very intrigued. I wanna know what he means, I'm overall very interested in the role Magath may play in the story. Looks like he is the only one suspecting Zeke at the moment. These chapters have been interesting and I'm in no hurry to get back to most of the main cast, but I would like to see Jean again soon. And Armin.

You know, this was a pretty boring chapter, all things considered. However, I did enjoy seeing Gabi look a bit more "human" for at least a couple of minutes and hope the Falco vs. Gabi bit isn't drawn out for too long (I feel it could get tiresome after a while). Reiner's father honestly surprised me; I didn't think we'd get to see him at all/that Reiner would even be aware of who he was, and yet...we got his perspective and I could not have been happier with what we got. Poor Reiner, but considering his scheming selfish mother (who may also be pretty delusional), it seems fitting.

Pieck and chubby cheeks baby Bertl are the only good things in this depressing arc

Reading Isayama's interview about wanting to change perspective to blur the line between hero and villain made this arc less jarring to me. However, I really want to go back to the main cast. Also, the basement reveal ironically made the series less epic in my eyes. Mainly because the idea of a war

AND FINALLY

As expected of poll-chan, excellent questions!

I enjoy these polls and i have nothing else to say

Come back Momtaku!

<333

#snk poll #snk chapter poll #snk chapter 95 #snk 95 #thank you everyone!

[mistymoonstorm]

GMS Fanfiction - Mycroft/MC - Dance

Posting twice in one day, because I can!

I enjoy the side stories involving 221B Academy quite a bit, so I decided to take a crack at it myself. And I've been posting mostly short stories, so here's a longer one for you guys.

Dances at 221B Academy did not happen often. Despite the school being mostly run by its student council, teachers did still have a say, and most did not often fancy the rowdy freedom that such large gatherings encouraged among youngsters. Especially in an environment where said youngsters were just reaching the peak of that age of interest among the opposite sex.

Still, there were times when they had to give in. Holidays and other such special occasions, for example.

The narrow window just before Christmas break was one of those times, and the student council got to work almost immediately, excited and looking forward to the festivities.

The academy was soon dressed in festive green and red, ribbons strewn through rafters and classrooms, lending a cheerful, wintry sort of vibe when viewed in tandem with handmade paper snowflakes and other such personal touches.

There was a lighthearted mood throughout the student body even before the plans for the dance itself were finished.

The night of the dance saw a grand ninety percent in attendance, a definite increase since the last time an event like this was set up.

Guinevere Stark looked especially open and friendly tonight, very faint makeup playing along the finer of her already attractive features, flaxen hair done up in simple but flattering curls to reveal a cross dangling from a delicate silver chain across the graceful curve of her throat. There was color in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes that wasn’t always prominent, and people were noticing.

Especially those in her so-called ‘fanclub,’ even if its existence wasn’t consciously spoken of aloud.

“She’s beautiful,” said John, smiling.

“She’s always beautiful,” corrected George with a sigh. “If only I could just talk to her.”

Sherlock said nothing, but his eyes said everything.

"Wallflowers as usual?”

Sherlock’s expression darkened.

“Oh, hello Mycroft,” John greeted. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I’m the administrative director,” Mycroft said, amused. “I’m here to mediate.”

“Do you have to be here?” asked Sherlock gloomily.

Mycroft turned his smirk on him. “I have no pressing need to be here, exactly, but I wanted to check on you, Shirley. Mother wouldn’t be pleased were something to happen to my adorable little brother."

Sherlock practically growled at him in reply. “My name is Sherlock!”

He was ignored. “If you’re here to dance with Ms. Stark,” Mycroft began mildly, though his eyes still shone teasingly. “Then I would recommend haste on your part.”

"What do you mean?” asked George, confusion knitting his brows.

“Look there.” Mycroft gestured to the place they’d seen Guinevere before. Across the room stood James flanked by Jack and Sebastian. They seemed to be talking, but James was smiling in that manner that meant he was going to try getting his way, regardless of others. “As you can see, you three are not the only voyeurs tonight.”

“‘Voyeurs,’” repeated John incredulously. He shook his head. “It sounds creepy when you put it that way.”

“It is only the truth.” Mycroft sounded amused again. “Good luck, Shirley.”

With that, he disappeared into the crowd.

“Why is it he only wished you good luck?” John frowned. “He made it sound like the rest of us have no chance.”

Sherlock’s scowl was still firmly in place. “It’s Mycroft. When he says ‘good luck’ he really means the opposite. He’d be more than happy to watch me embarrass myself in front of her.”

“That sounds a little excessive,” said George. “I’m sure he meant just what he said.”

Sherlock scoffed. “He’s the incarnation of evil. Simple as that. He most certainly meant the opposite.”

While John and George were shaking their head at his drama, the room devolved into disarray.

“Someone spiked the punch bowl!” one of the students cried as she and another carried their friend through the gymnasium. Said friend of theirs was swaying precariously and looked alarmingly green in pallor.

Mycroft’s commanding voice - a tone he rarely used - echoed across the space. “Take him to the nurse. Moriarty, I need you and your student council to find out who spiked the bowl.”

James - from what the trio could see of him - looked decidedly unhappy about being torn from his plotting, but did as he was told, a small group tagging behind him. From his expression, the troublemaker in question would be very unlucky indeed once they were caught.

“Who do you think did it?” asked George.

“Jeremy. For sure,” said John. “The man is the embodiment of prankster.”

“It was Hercule.”

They both turned to stare at Sherlock. “What?”

“Hercule did it,” Sherlock repeated, annoyance rising by the minute. “Not Jeremy.”

“I hesitate to ask how you know.” John sighed. “We’d just be here for the rest of the dance listening to you talk.”

“Hey!” George nudged them, pointing. “Look!”

Sherlock and John followed his finger, only to see Guinevere gazing up at Mycroft with a small smile. It didn’t take a genius or a master of deduction to guess that he’d asked her to dance.

“That demon.” Sherlock was seething again, nerves ruffled like an agitated bird. “What did I tell you? The embodiment of evil.”

“That was sneaky of him, I’ll admit,” John agreed unhappily. “He took advantage of all the commotion.”

“I guess this means that’s his round,” said George. The slump in his shoulders stunk of defeat.

---

Guinevere’s night had seemed to be going very well for a while. Her female friends were already laughing and joking amongst themselves as they surveyed the various congregations, and the tables were stockpiled with sprinkled cookies and candy cane brownies and other equally delicious goodies.

Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there.

Though Guinevere always made it a point to steer away from romance - she recognized that it could only be trouble in the face of her journey to success - she was still a budding woman, and despite her lack of a boyfriend, was also very much a romantic.

No one had asked her to dance yet. It was a little disappointing.

So she paused in her fluttering from group to group, hiding for awhile near the sweets and carefully avoiding the sprigs of mistletoe cheekily spread like traps across the party.

She had just begun to return to her friends when the chaos began.

“Someone spiked the punch bowl!”

Guinevere’s attention snapped to three students - one looking very ill - in shock. She hadn’t expected anything like this to happen here. Most of the students were well-behaved, especially considering the fact that they didn’t get to plan these gatherings very often.

She was just about to run and provide help when she was stopped.

“Mycroft,” she said, blinking in surprise. “May I help you?”

Mycroft was wearing a mild smile as he looked down at her. “Hello, Ms. Stark. I can’t help but notice your lack of a partner.”

Guinevere flushed, glancing away. “Yes. I’ve been alone the entire night.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Her eyes returned to him as he held out a hand, palm up. “Would you do me the honor of a dance, Ms. Stark?”

She exhaled a little louder than intended, heart thudding sharply. Mycroft rarely spoke to her unless she initiated the conversations first, and even then he was detached and polite. She knew next to nothing about him save that he was the administrative director of the school as well as the older brother of Sherlock. Against her better judgement, she couldn’t help but be momentarily captivated by the mysterious allure he let off in that moment.

“Of course.” She laid her hand in his, a little nervously. “And call me Guinevere, please.”

Mycroft’s mouth quirked. “As you wish, Guinevere.”

He tugged her gently into his arms as the next slow song began, wrapping an arm around her and lacing his fingers through hers with his free hand. He was good at this, and led with a calm, collected sort of confidence.

“You must’ve read my mind,” she said, and smiled. “I was feeling a little alone for a while there.”

Mycroft’s gaze as he watched her was surprisingly soft. “I may not be as adept as my brother at deductions, but I can still recognize a girl in need of a dance partner.” He paused for a moment to twirl her, smiling when she laughed with enjoyment.

“Well, thank you.” Her tension had faded. Strange that he could do that without even seeming to try. “I appreciate it.”

“Of course.”

As the song ended so did their dance. Guinevere tried to ignore how disappointed that made her feel.

Mycroft made a move as if to leave after bidding her a good evening. On impulse, Guinevere halted him with a hand at his arm, rising to her toes to kiss his cheek when he turned.

For a moment he appeared stunned. It wasn’t a look she was used to seeing on him.

Then he smiled, a near-imperceptible curling of his lips, and took her hand in his, bending to press a kiss to the top of it. Even as her heart jumped into her throat and her head fogged with clouds Guinevere knew instinctively that that had been a real smile. Mycroft smiled in almost every situation, either to put others at ease or to hide his own emotions. Studying as an actress gave her enough to know a fake smile when she saw one.

That one, no matter how faint, was very much real.

End