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#Don't hold it against me. I saw a post on here about the first five seasons being good and well
vampyrsm · 1 year
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✦ 'spilt ice cream.' 2k
✦ general warnings; reader is pregnant, bakugou is extremely doting and very soft here. it's honestly just pure fluff. 'baby' 'princess' 'angel' used as petnames.
✦ notes; i wrote this a year ago and just found it. it's been roughly edited and posted i'm sorry if there are any mistakes, anyway here you go lol enjoy :)
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A loud crash and clanging sound had Katsuki shooting up in his bed, hand instinctively reaching to your side of the bed to feel for your hand but with each frantic swipe of his hand, he couldn't find you there. He quickly turned his attention to your slowly-cooling side of the bed; empty.
His stomach twisted, heart aching. His wife — his quirkless and pregnant wife — was nowhere to be seen. He got up from the bed with eased practice put into his silent footsteps, there was no light in the hall, no light streaming from the bathroom.
The darkness usually didn't bother someone like Katsuki but tonight it made him feel sick, physically sick because what if you were hurt? What if someone had broken in and got to you? You couldn't defend yourself, Katsuki knew you could fight - he had taken the time before your pregnancy and in the first five years of your relationship to train you himself. You were strong, but pregnancy had you a little more relaxed, the urge to curl into your husband instead of defending yourself.
He blinked away the thoughts of the worst things that could have happened and edged closer to the open-plan lounge, the only light was the moonlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. He flexed his hands, preparing to fire off an explosion at anyone who dared to step foot into his apartment but when his eyes turned down to the heap on the floor, his blood ran cold. You weren't laid down in any apparent danger, but you were kneeling on the floor holding something in your hands.
He rushed forward, startling you in the process with the sudden loud footsteps and you flinched, blinking wildly at the darkness when he lurched forward and down to your side, hand instantly coming to your lower back carefully. His eyes frantically searched your face, aware of the fright he had given you but more concerned about why you were kneeling on the floor when you were seven months pregnant.
He opened his mouth to speak before he looked down at your hands, you were clutching an empty bowl that was once filled with the chocolate ice cream that was slowly melting into the wooden floorboards.
You sniffled as he stared at the mess, unsure if he would be mad at you for ruining the wood or for being so damn loud about it.
Katsuki lifted his head instantly at the sound, eyes softening when he saw the tears sticking your eyelashes together. "M'sorry, m'sorry." you babbled, louder sniffling happening as you tried to control the sudden flood of hormones that practically demanded you cry over spilt ice cream. 
"Hey.. hey, don't cry over it. I don't care, 'kay? I can always clean it." his voice was riddled with rasp from his sleep, a softness in his voice preserved only for you.
And he cupped your face gently, rubbing his thumbs over your cheeks to wipe away the tears that dared to stain your face. "What happened anyway, angel? You alright?" he inspected you once again when you sniffled, a hand instinctively tucked against your stomach. 
"Y-Yeah, tripped over somethin'." you pouted, and Katsuki pulled you in to press a kiss to your temple. 
"That's why we turn on lights baby." he watched as you narrowed your eyes at him in a momentary glare, he bit the inside of his cheek to keep his laugh down at the cute pout and glare. 
"Wanted t'see the stars properly," you grumbled, swiping at your nose with the back of your hand as you looked away from him. And he finally laughed, a soft, quiet laugh that had your cheeks warming.
"You shoulda woke me up." and you shook your head at that. 
"No! You work too hard for me and my stupid pregnancy cravings to bother you." you huffed out and Katsuki clicked his tongue, turning your head so you were forced to look him in the eyes. 
"Listen to me, I don't give a shit if you wake up at 4am every other night craving the weirdest shit. I care about your safety, both of your safety." he spared a glance downwards, your hand still soothing over your stomach before you pouted at him again. 
"Don't give me that face, you know I'm right." you mumbled a quiet 'whatever' under your breath, narrowing your eyes away when Katsuki planted a firm kiss on your forehead. "Sit on the couch, I'll clean this up." He helped you delicately off the floor, listening to you groan at the feeling in your thighs and the way your back ached, you sighed heavily once you were back on your feet.
He watched as you, carefully, stepped around in the dark before listening to the telltale signs of you breathing out a breath of relief when your back hit the soft back of the couch. He wasted no time cleaning up, flicking on the kitchen lights so only part of the open plan house was lit up, he could see you were now cuddled up beneath the fluffy throw and head turned to look out of the windows.
He was absolutely smitten with you, even more now you were carrying his child but he had always loved you. Ever since he first laid eyes on you when he was out on patrol, you offered him a coffee with a smile when he stopped for his break. He came back every time he was on patrol after that, at first it was just pleasant smiles exchanged and then it slowly grew into conversations, conversations turned into him waiting for you to finish work so he could walk you safely to the train station.
Then it turned into numbers exchanged, Katsuki being bashful when he asked if you wanted to go on a date with him to a restaurant. He remembers the first time he saw you in a beautiful dress, he was so used to the casual clothes you wore to work at the cafe. He knew already he wanted to marry you, but once he saw you in that dress he couldn't help but imagine you in the dress you'd marry him in.
And when he did propose to you, you leapt into his arms and squealed your 'yes! yes! of course I'll marry you!', peppering kisses all over his face between breathless laughs. He had been married to you for a year, and the pregnancy wasn't planned but it was something you both talked about for in the future when he had more time off, more time to spend with his family.
He didn't even realise he was working on autopilot until he was standing in front of you with your now new bowl of ice cream, handing it off carefully to you as you almost snatched it from his hands.
He smiled, not that you could see it in the darkness, but he smiled at the way you acted when you were pregnant. He didn't know what to expect but he loved every second of it.
He dropped gently into the spot next to you, carefully moving one side of the blanket and snuggling under it with you. His hand slipped behind your back, an arm securely around your waist whilst his other hand laid against your stomach, drawing soft patterns with his fingertips against the material of the shirt you were wearing.
He nestled his head against your shoulder, eyes peering over to the skyline before you both, then to you as you bathed in the moonlight and quietly enjoyed the ice cream you had wanted so deep in the night. He didn't often get to indulge you like this, having found you usually as you were finishing up your midnight trips.
Truth is, Katsuki had been working more than usual. He didn't want to, but he had to. He had to make sure he had enough money to support his future family, enough money for you all to live comfortably whilst he took the time off to be with you both.
The idea of not working as a hero at first scared him, even if it were just a small amount of leave, but once he started seeing the natural glow on your face and the way you beamed at him whenever you'd show him a tiny pair of shoes or when you were both picking out paints for the nursery.. he knew then it'd be worth just taking a step back, all of his friends would have his back.
Kirishima had offered to take his patrols, even Denki offering himself up too. They were all so nice about it, Katsuki was the first of the 'squad' to become a father which was a surprise to everyone. But they knew how whipped you had him, how he was absolutely doting on you whenever he saw you.
Katsuki planted a soft kiss on your shoulder, feeling you lean more back into his warmth as you cradled your nearing empty bowl. "D'you think I'm going to be a good mom?" you said quietly, words almost a whisper but they made Katsuki switch his gaze quickly to your side profile.
You were still focused on the night sky, and he wondered what made you think these things. He knew often your hormones got the better of you.
"Of course." he said before planting a kiss on your neck and snuggling into it "You're gonna be the best fuckin' mom, I just know it," he spoke against your skin, earning himself a shiver that shot down your spine. 
"Yeah?" he hummed his confirmation against you, fingers still carefully stroking along your stomach. "You're gonna be the best dad, Kat," you spoke after a moment, turning your head slightly so you could see him.
Katsuki planted his chin on your shoulder, eyes meeting yours before he gave you a soft smile. "Damn right I am baby," he smirked, watching how you rolled your eyes playfully before he leaned in to plant a firm yet loving kiss on your lips. 
"C'mon, let's get back to bed." he jostled you softly in his arms, and you blinked gently before nodding as if you remembered how late it was. He watched you carefully uncurl from his side, shuffling to the edge of the couch before you got up to your feet. His hand never once left your back as he got up too, planting a kiss on the crown of your head as he swiped the bowl from your hands before you could protest. 
"Go on, I'll be there in a minute princess." He watched as you trudged back to the bedroom, hands now carefully brushing along the walls to guide you back to the warmth of your room.
No more than 5 minutes had passed as Katsuki re-entered the bedroom, your figure on the bed under the stream of moonlight that snuck through the crack of the curtains. He could hear the gentle puffs of your breathing, you were asleep already and he smiled at that.
He carefully, quietly and softly got back into bed so as to not disturb you. Climbing into the spot next to you and gently pulling the blankets comfortably over the both of you as he leaned in close, pressing a soft kiss to your temple which had you humming in your sleep.
Katsuki snuggled up close to you, careful of his arm placement as he secured you in place, eyes slowly drifting as he listened to your rhythmic breathing and the gentle patter of your heart.
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Prompt:
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Pairing: Mafia! Octavinelle and MC/Yuu/ Reader
Genre: Hurt/ Comfort ig? Slight crack
TW: Kidnapping, blood, minor character deaths, mc does get a little hurt, mentions of guns, usage of guns, violence (because mafia au), mc also curses at one point, talk of killing people, the prefect wears earrings and has hair (i saw someone use put this in warnings once). Let me know if I should add anything else!
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AN: First request for TWST ^^ It's my first time writing for the Octavinelle trio, so please forgive me if they're ooc, I tried my best. This was very fun to work on! Send me asks if you wanna know more about my version of mafia!twst because I had so many thoughts about this entire au but I couldn't fit everything in one post lol. Not really happy with the ending (when am I ever) but I hope you enjoy!
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"I'm telling you, you don't wanna do this," You warned your captors for the third time as they checked the cuffs holding you up by your arms. It was an uncomfortable position, kneeling with your arms restrained with metal chains above your head. Your shoulders felt sore, and with how every movement made the skin of your wrists rub against the harsh metal, you just knew that you were going to be sporting some pretty nasty bruises around them.
Vil was going to be furious about that.
You watched as the leader came into your range of vision, a self-satisfied smirk painting his face as he walked over to you. There was quite some distance for him to cross to reach you, and he took his sweet time as he leisurely walked over to you. Probably an intimidation tactic, just like how making you kneel was.
You looked at him, unperturbed. Your eyes roamed over the man, who for all his intimidation tactics, was nothing but a poor little boy way in over his head. A reckless little minnow who didn't know his place, as Floyd would say.
Speaking of Floyd. You grimaced at the monstrosity of an outfit the man was wearing. In all your time as a valued member of the mafia, you had seen many outlandish outfits, courtsey of the more openly unhinged Leech twin and the field of work you were in (power had a way of killing the fashion sense of people and letting it rot inside their head). But this... was on a whole another level.
You mentally lit a candle for everyone who had to witness the... very unique display.
A sharp slap snapped you out of your thoughts. 'Did this man, just backhand me? Well fuck you too bitch', You thought to yourself as you looked back at the still smirking man. You could feel a bit of wetness at the edge of your lip, a slight stinging also being felt at the same spot. Your tongue darted out, recognizing the metallic taste of blood as you gingerly licked at the small wound.
"So this is the little Prefect of Night Raven, hm? How... pathetic. Truly, the mafia organization has fallen if they allow the likes of you to hold any position higher than a discardable pawn," he huffed, and you resisted rolling your eyes. Here comes the villainous monologue, you thought to yourself.
As the man spoke, you took note of the people in the room. Apart from you and the man, there were five other men, all very familiar faces. All of them were earlier members of NRC, who left the organization 'honorably' before your appointment as the consigliere to Dire Crowley, the main boss.
There was nothing honorable about the way they were treating you right now though.
Very reluctantly, you listened to the man's speech about how he was basically aiming to cripple Night Raven Mafia by killing you. You forced back a yawn through the speech that was supposed to strike fear into your heart; unfortunately for him, you dealt with seven very unpredictable and occasionally difficult underbosses on a daily basis. Said underbosses must have already been informed of your forced absence.
Now it was just a matter of waiting and watching to see exactly who would come to your rescue...
The door slammed open as soon as you thought that, and the eyes of every person in the room turned to it. You smiled as a very familiar face entered the room, his mismatched eyes dark and foreboding.
"Hi Floyd," you chirped, unfazed by the frown on his face and the dangerous aura around him. Floyd's eyes met yours for a moment, brightening at seeing you, before turning even harsher when he saw the state you were in; clothes (gifted to you by Riddle) rumpled, carefully styled hair (courtesy of Vil) in a disarray, and a slight swelling on the side of your face you were struck at (which would send nearly everyone into a murderous frenzy).
"Who touched my Shrimpy?" Floyd growled out at the men. "Don'tcha know that I'm the only one allowed to rough them up? You're just begging to be squeezed to death."
At this point, the men, who were earlier frozen in fear, started to fumble with their guns. Before they could even get their weapons out, gunshots rang throughout the room, each man dropping to the floor one by one.
"Ah, pardon me, but I would prefer if you did not aim your weapons at my brother," a familiar voice spoke from behind Floyd to the now dead men in the room.
You grimaced at the blood now flowing out and seeping onto the floor, the puddle growing in size and inching closer to you.
"Jade, get me out of these things," you said, successfully getting his attention as you rattled the chains holding you up.
"Ah, of course dear Prefect," Jade hummed, and you did not need to look at his face to know that he was smiling. Jade walked over to you, stopping only to take the keys to your chains from the pocket of the leader. Placing the key into the lock and turning it released you from your uncomfortable position, and you yelped as you flopped onto the ground unceremoniously.
"Shrimpy~" Floyd's rapid changes in mood was one thing you did not believe you would ever get used to, "did you really get kidnapped by this sad little bunch of minnows?" He asked, pulling you to your feet and slightly spinning you.
"Shrimpy is so helpless~"
"Indeed," Jade smiled, and you felt a shiver run down your spine. You would never get used to the all too malicious upturn of Jade's lips either. He took you from Floyd's arms, ignoring his twin's grumbling as he dusted off your clothes. "Pray tell, how could such... insignificant little men capture you, dear Prefect?"
Before you could answer, a third voice rang through the room. "Jade! Floyd! I told you not to kill any of them!" Azul huffed as he entered your line of vision, glaring at the two men who sandwiched you.
"Ah, pardon me Azul, but they were going to aim their weapons at Floyd. Not to mention how terribly they were treating the Prefect," Jade hummed, not at all repentant of his actions. Azul huffed in frustration, glaring at his consigliere.
You gave him a little wave, and Azul's eyes softened as they met yours. He looked calm and collected as he walked over to you, but the trembling of his hands as he held yours gave his true feelings away. His eyes quickly scanned your body for wounds, narrowing in displeasure at the reddened skin around your wrists and the cut on the corner of your lip.
"Prefect."
"Azul," you said, not missing the way his eyes relaxed considerably as he saw you wearing the seashell earrings he had gifted you. "Ah, so that was how Idia-san found out you were kidnapped almost immediately," he hummed. You raised an eyebrow at his words.
"The earrings have trackers in them," Jade helpfully explained.
"Well, in any case, we must take you back to the Lounge. Everyone else must have assembled there by now."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because, Prefect, we were supposed to bring your kidnappers so that a joint decision could be taken for their punishment," Azul sighed as he pushed his glasses up his nose slightly.
You glanced at your kidnappers, wrinkling your nose as the blood puddle slowly crept closer to your shoes. "They're dead."
"A most unfortunate incident, yes. But, nevertheless, their identities will suffice for now. This just goes to show that we must never leave any loose ties," Azul said ominously. "Perhaps my dear colleagues will learn a lesson from this."
"... Sure. And how did you three manage to make them stay back at the Lounge while you carried out this rescue mission?"
"The heads found it best to send us three since we were most likely to bring your captors back alive," Azul said, glaring at Floyd who just roamed around the room disinterested in the conversation. "Well, that is what Crewel and Trein thought, at least."
You chuckled. "I don't think the outcome would've been any different with the others either so... let's just get to the Lounge."
Azul smiled. "As you wish, Prefect."
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magicalrocketships · 7 months
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hi! are you planning to write more of de-aged max bc he is just so cute it’s giving me a heart attack. saw a tiktok the other day w photos of baby max and all i could think about was this verse!!!!! ahhh lysm
Thank you!!! Here is a little bit more, in honour of grown up Max's adventures with colouring in.
(Hopefully this link shows the stuff I’ve already posted in chronological order. But anyway, this bit follows directly on from this part.)
It has been five full days since a seven year old Max showed up at Daniel's door in too-big clothes and holding out a little card with Daniel's name carefully printed on it in grown up Max's blocky handwriting. Baby Max shows no signs of going big again. He follows Daniel around his apartment, looks at his flag book, and plays with the Jimmy or Sassy cats — no further narrowing down of cat identity has occurred, due to Daniel having little to no interest in identifying cat penises, and grown up Max's complete fucking inability to put his fucking cat names on a fucking collar, or, indeed, to have informed Daniel of his Go Small plans at any point in the past three fucking years, but that's fine, Daniel is fine with this responsibility. Max has wet the bed every night and Daniel is just having to cross his fingers that he's not making everything worse by each and every decision he makes.
Anyway: if grown up Max doesn't show up again extremely soon, Daniel's going to have to bite the bullet and call Christian and tell him Max isn't going to be able to race. Max will hate that when he's back, if Daniel brakes too soon and makes the call, and more than that, it's going to turn baby Max into a Thing, and if there's one thing Daniel has learned in the last five days, it's that Max one hundred percent does not want to be a thing of any kind.
So, it's time for Emergency Measures. Maybe what will kickstart baby Max back into adulthood in time for his next race will be a race track, and go-karting. Daniel takes advantage of Max being distracted by his coloured pencils in the living room to google nearby karting tracks, and sends the nearest one a message to see if he could book out the whole track for a private session. The answer comes back with an immediate yes, which is probably in some part due to the figure Daniel had dropped in his message about how much he's willing to pay for the privilege.
He leans against the doorframe into the living room. Max is concentrating very closely on his colouring book, his coloured pencils all out on the coffee table. A little something in Daniel's chest shifts a bit.
"Maxy-Max," Daniel says, half way through his email response to the karting track. "Would you like to go karting tomorrow?"
There is a pause. "No, thank you, Daniel." Max does not look up from his colouring book, nor does he stop colouring.
Daniel also pauses. Max's little fingers hold onto his pencil tighter. He's pressing down hard on the picture.
"Okay," Daniel says. "Would you like to go another day, if we don't go tomorrow?"
"No, thank you, Daniel," Max says again. He still doesn't look up. His pencil might tear through the paper soon.
Daniel's been reading up on Going Small. Well, googling randomly when he can't sleep. Most people tend to think about Going Small as a way of connecting with your kid self, like… remembering who you once were in case maybe you wanted to stop being such a cunt or that you always wanted to sew clothes or build bridges and maybe your hedge fund job isn't as fulfilling as you maybe thought it was. Some people say it's as much for the people around you as it is about you, but whatever. Daniel had had a great fucking time in the pit lane six years ago, he remembers that much, although the detail has always been fuzzy. Like it happened a very long time ago. But there's another school of thought, one about the kids that don't age back up after a day or a couple of days, the kids who maybe lost a part of their childhood the first time around. Daniel's never met anyone who stayed small longer than a couple of days though, and it's so rare that the theory could be complete bollocks, and no one would ever know anyway. You can't battle data against the universe, it's not like race strategy. There's no science to it.
Max continues not to look at him. He's colouring the same line over and over again.
Daniel closes his email app, and slips his phone into his pocket. "Can I come and colour with you?"
Max nods, but doesn't look up. His fingertips are white around his pencil. He's used it down to the nub so that it's almost too blunt to colour with.
Daniel tries to sit down on Max's right side, but Max shakes his head and makes him come and sit on his left. Daniel positions himself cross-legged by the coffee table and it becomes clear just why Max wanted him this side when, a moment later, Max's little hand slips into Daniel's bigger one. Daniel does not now have a hand to colour with, but maybe it doesn't matter, because Max is colouring with enough concentration for the two of them, a big picture of a train with a cat sitting in the window next to the driver. He's being very careful. He still doesn't look up.
One of the Jimmy or Sassys wanders over to curl up by Max's little Pikachu-socked foot. The other one, the one who doesn't like being petted as much and prefers to watch you in a creepy and furry way while you're doing perfectly normal things sitting on the toilet or in the shower, perches on top of Daniel's shelves and stares at them.
Max's grip on his pencil loosens a little. Daniel leans over and kisses the top of his head. "You're very good at colouring," he tells Max. "We can cut out ones you've finished and put them up on the wall, if you'd like."
Max looks at him then, his eyes big and wide. "My pictures?"
"Your pictures," Daniel agrees. He reaches for the Pikachu pencil sharpener in the middle of the table. "Can I sharpen your pencil for you?"
Max dutifully hands him his blue pencil. His eyes are still shining, even though Daniel's had to stop holding his hand so that he can sharpen it for him. When he hands it back, all sharp, Max tucks his hand into Daniel's again.
"You've done some good colouring in of this train," Daniel says. "Have you been on a train, Maxy-Max?"
Max shakes his head.
"Would you like to go on one?"
Max's eyes widen. "A train?"
"Yeah," Daniel nods. "If you'd like, we can go and find a train to go on tomorrow. If you want to. We can take Pikachu."
"But not the Jimmy or Sassys," Max says, frowning. "They would not like the train and they might get lost."
"No," Daniel agrees. "The Jimmy or Sassy cats can stay here."
"There is a cat in my train picture but it is not our cats."
"No," Daniel says. "So, should we go on a train tomorrow?"
"Yes, please, Daniel," Max says, in satisfaction.
Daniel watches him colour even as he's avoiding texting Christian to let him know Max has gone small and isn't getting big again. He follows up on his avoidance by ordering a night light for Max's bedroom and one for the bathroom, in case his little boy is frightened of the dark and is too scared to say. He pays extra for same-day delivery.
He'll call Christian later, when Max is in bed. Instead, he googles train stations, and train timetables, and puts together a plan for the morning.
Max keeps his hand tucked into Daniel's, carries on colouring, and doesn't let go.
Thank you so much to Zoe @flawlessassholes for giving this a pre-post read through, and for consistently being interested in all baby Max lore!
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miraclewoozi · 2 months
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(TEASER) HIGH FIDELITY. - c.hs
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getting back on the horse is hard, and failing to hit it off with the cute gamer guy you went for a drink with last night has the potential to be your love life’s last straw. but when up and coming rockstar VERNON unexpectedly canters into your life, you find yourself asking very important question: do you have it in you to saddle up, one more time?
pair ; vernon x fem reader. ( also starring: besties!seungkwan + chan. ) content ; strangers to lovers. up-and-coming musician!vernon x record store owner!reader.  fluff, angst, smut. (MINORS DNI). slow burn.  warnings ; drinking + alcohol is a theme throughout. mentions of a past relationship breakdown. reader experiences a lot of stress, anxiety and feelings of doubt. reader is the monarch of self sabotage. wc ; teaser, 1.5k. full fic, est. 40k. note ; if you saw any of my posts about the show high fidelity… you’ll know where this came from. ( it doesn't stick to rob + liam's plot too closely with the exception of the first few encounters. )
PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE
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“It’s just my opinion!” 
From your perch on top of the store’s counter, you raise both of your palms in a display of your innocence. Chan stands in the middle of the R&B aisle, looking personally offended, fingers curled around the top of one of the wooden crates holding your stock. 
“Me saying ‘I don’t think Welcome to the Black Parade is the best track on that album’ is not me saying that it’s a bad song.”
“But how can you say that?” Chan groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Who’s hearing the opening note to Famous Last Words and feeling the same way as they do with the Black Parade?”
“Most iconic doesn’t mean the best,” you counter. “Besides – I never said you weren’t allowed to have it as your favourite. It’d be a boring game if we all had the same answer.”
“I cannot cope with you anymore,” Chan whines. “You know what? No. I don’t even believe you. You’re just being a contrarian.”
“Why would I do that?” you ask. 
“Because it’s the best song on the goddamn albu–”
The bell above the door chimes loud and clear through the store and both of your squabbling voices fall silent. Your head turns in the direction of the entrance, an autopilot greeting already forming on your lips, but you feel them fall slack the moment you realise who it is that’s just walked in.
It’s been five days. Though it would be a mistruth to claim you hadn’t thought about the singer since the night of his gig, it’s not one to say you didn’t think he would ever actually come into your place of work. 
Much less at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. On a Thursday.
He pops his wrists as he walks a little further into the store, glancing around. Barring one of your regulars who walks about with his earphones in all the time, the store is completely empty; an adrenaline spike prickles the hairs on your arms, all the tiny muscles beneath your skin pulling them to stand upright. 
“Hi,” he says once he deems himself to be close enough, stopping in his tracks and bumping the toe of his shoe against the floor.
“Hey,” you greet him in return. 
“I’m-... Vernon. We met at the show, the other night?” 
“Yeah — yeah, I remember you,” you smile. “I’m-... well. I’m still y/n.”
“Still y/n,” he says on a relieved exhale, grinning and glancing away from you. “I uh… I just had some free time. Thought I’d swing by and see what you guys had going on here.” Vernon adjusts the collar of his t-shirt, the silver of his rings glinting under the flickering yellow light overhead.
(It was definitely somewhere on your list of things to get fixed. Honest.)
“Sure, yeah,” you nod, swallowing hard and trying your best not to stare at him. It’s hard, though – in broad daylight, the way the flannel tied around his waist floats down over his hips and the way his jeans hug at his thighs is… you don't even have the words. “Let me know if you need help finding anything, okay?” 
“I will.” He starts to thumb through one of the wooden boxes, offering a small smile your way. “Thank you.”
You’re holding your breath a little as he pulls a few 80’s rock albums out, his lips downturned in surprised approval at some of the records you carry. He holds onto a couple as he moves around the store and the entire time, you can feel Chan and Seungkwan staring at you. If there wasn’t a very real danger of Vernon looking your way again at a moment’s notice, you know you would be showing them your middle finger.
Really, they come away lucky.
“You don’t even know how long I’ve been trying to find some of these,” Vernon says after a few minutes, sauntering toward the desk – you’re still sitting on top of it, your legs swinging in the air beneath you. “Might have to make this my new stop.”
And displayed beside you on the counter – right by the cash register – are a few of his albums. The ones Seungkwan picked up after the show; until about two seconds ago, you had forgotten they were even there.
Vernon’s face lights up when he notices, turning to Seungkwan. “Come on, no way. Dude, I thought you were kidding.”
“We love our locals in here, man,” Chan chimes quickly, seeing you start to freeze up. You nod to agree, biting on the inside of your cheek. “It was on the speakers yesterday. Four people asked us about you.”
“For real?” Vernon asks, but when all three of you nod your heads, you see the beginnings of a blush start to creep up his neck. “Wow. Thank you – um. That’s really cool of you guys.”
“It’s good music,” Seungkwan shrugs. “You’re super talented.”
Vernon doesn’t seem to know what to do with all the compliments he’s receiving. Even so, he thanks your friends again with a stomach-twisting sincerity before he turns back to you. 
“I’ll take these,” he says a little breathlessly. You find yourself a tiny bit lost in the warmth of his eyes and it takes you a moment to remember to swivel around and slip off the other side of the countertop. You do, though. Eventually. 
“Nice,” you say softly as you shuffle through them, ringing each one through. He’s got pretty decent taste, even if less than a week ago you were actively cringing at his choice of cover song. (It’s okay. That was before you knew better.) “Do you– need sleeves, or…?”
“I’m good. Thank you, though.” Vernon rests his hands against the edge of the counter and drums a quiet rhythm out with his thumbs as you tap away at the register. “Are-... you guys busy tonight, by the way?”
You look up from placing the records into a paper bag, glancing over to your colleagues who both rush to shake their heads. Vernon looks from them, to you, and you mirror their motions. Even if I was, you start to think wistfully. I’d make time.
“I’m down at the Velvet Lounge later on. Across town? It starts at eight thirty; I could get you guys on the list, if-... um…”
“That’d be awesome,” Chan says, nodding so hard you’re surprised his head doesn’t roll off his shoulders and start bouncing across the floor. 
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Seungkwan adds. 
Vernon grins at them both, humming softly, before turning back to you and fumbling with his wallet to take out his card to pay for his purchases. You turn the machine around to face him; he hovers with his hand just above it. 
“Maybe… I’ll see you tonight, too?” He says.
You can’t help the delight that rises inside you, as if it’s been injected straight into your bloodstream. It’s everywhere, all of a sudden. In your brain and your heart and your bones and in your lungs.
Yet, you somehow manage to keep your composure when you say, “yeah. Maybe you will.”
The payment goes through and you slide the bag over towards Vernon, your eyes never leaving his and his eyes never leaving yours. His fingers brush over yours as he takes it from you, the bite of the cold ring on his index finger a shocking contrast to the warmth the rest of his hand radiates. You hope your little gasp isn’t too audible, but… the way Chan whirls around to face away from the scene in front of him (presumably to poorly conceal his laughter), you know you haven’t gotten away with it.
“Cool,” he says, hesitating another second before finally pulling himself away. He bows his head in the direction of your friends, sending another of those irresistibly sweet smiles at you, and then he starts off towards the door. “See you, then.”
You feel your pulse finally start to slow as you grip the counter for dear life, setting out a long, drawn-out breath. What just happened? Why do you feel all… fuzzy?
“Maybe… I’ll see you tonight, too?” Chan asks in the deepest voice he can muster, snapping you out of your own head none too pleasantly. You turn in their direction as your other favourite moron feigns tucking hair behind his ear and flutters his eyelashes across at Chan.
“Yeah… Maybe you will.” And Seungkwan’s imitation of you is a little too accurate. Creepily so, and you want to curse him out for it. Instead, you scrunch up a bag to throw towards the pair of them, grinning despite yourself as they both swerve to dodge it.
“Oh my God, shut up,” you chastise them. You don’t have any bite, though, your brain still tingly and positively reeling and seeing Vernon’s dazzling smile every time you so much as blink.  And when Seungkwan takes a running start and launches himself, full-force, into Chan’s unsuspecting arms? When Chan lifts him up and spins him around, and when they start making kissy-noises at each other between unearthly cackles? 
You know that the next few hours are going to be the longest of your entire life.
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thank u for reading!! i hope you liked this lil snippet!! i got kind of impatient with myself and needed to post something about this, so if you're interested in the full fic please feel free to drop a like, an ask, a reblog or a comment to tell me your thoughts! this piece has become sort of my passion project the last six months or so and i'm really excited to share the whole thing with you guys when it's done.<3
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heartfullofleeches · 1 year
Note
If you want to could we have a scenario with the cafe tag role reversal au? Maybe readers first time going to the cafe and being met with Clyde and Saber as like a little callback to the first Cafe tag post?
The pet cafe's opening week. Lines spread down the block with the lure of being catered to by an adorable and friendly cast of hybrids joined by a special guest to kick off the launch. Saber was well known in the modeling industry for his looks and charm. Being a high class breed and a hybrid of one of the most common house pets were a clear boost to his popularity. It was no surprise the cafe reached out for his aid which was an obvious success. He had been everyone's first choice for a host, and booked the entire duration of the collab. All this attention was just too much for the poor feline.
"Hello, I'm here for my appointment with Clyde."
Saber's claws leave divots in the table. The hostess manning the front desk offers the customer a warm smile as they lead them to their table, depositing their umbrella in the bin beside the desk. A chipper bee that the customer has to speed walk to keep up with and leaves them a honey flavored sucker as they leave to get their coworker from the back. The poor unaware rabbit ducks behind the coffee table as the doors to the break room fly open.
"Clyde! Your twelve o'clock is here!"
Clyde's pale face drains of color as a menu is shoved in his arms. "What?! I thought you were joking about that...."
"I was at first, but then a real request came in like five minutes later." Robbie pushes their coworker towards the door." Well, don't keep your first waiting. Go, go, go!'
Clyde fits his hair as he's pushed into the dining area. He continues to smooth his curly locks, and tries to make himself look as presentable as possible for his first master of the day. He's never been called on before. He's used to taking meal orders for the guests waiting for more popular pets like that feline. Passing the table were Saber sat crowded by an entire group of people, Clyde feels a chill run down his back as his temporary partner shoots him an icy glare. Creepy. Saber's never been nice to him, but he's never done that before. He could worry about that later. Focus.
"Table six... table six.. Ta- Ah! Here we go. I apologize for the wait, master. Welcome to the cafe, can I get you something to drink to start you off?"
"I'll need a moment to decide. Can you sit next to me until then?"
"Certainly!" Clyde takes a seat on the edge of the booth. It was easier said than done. He couldn't figure out why someone had chosen him, especially a cute human like them if a side view was anything to go off of. Were they using him for something? Maybe they only requested him so they could watch Saber without the wait. Why was he dumping such accusations on a stranger? Why did they feel right?...
"I'll just take a water for now, and sip of whatever you want."
"....Pardon?" Did he hear them right?
The guest looks embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I'd use a separate straw of course, but I thought it would be okay since I saw others doing it and I didn't want you to be left out."
His ears had been tugged on a lot throughout the years - but he heard them loud and clear. They... actually wanted him. Was that him overthinking again? Clyde prayed not. Someone was asking about him. Someone was looking at him. He had been noticed.
The guest looks under the table as their silverware slides into their lap. "Are you alright?"
Clyde holds down his leg, face as red as the tie around his neck. "Y-yes, just- a bit excited. I'll go get those drinks for us."
In the split second it takes for Clyde to hop away from the table, a few face takes his spot. The customer had taken to watching the falling rain outside the window so they remain oblivious to his presence. The slippery feline rubs up against the guest's forearm much to their confusion. They put on their friendliest uncomfortable smile and pull their arm away, waving with a limp wrist.
"Um... Hello"
"Hi there." Saber purrs, switching one leg over the other as his tail falls onto their thigh. "Waiting for someone?"
"Yeah actually, I think his name is Clyde. I thought he was super cute, so I wanted to meet him."
Saber rolls his eyes, picking up the pieces of his friendly facade as he leans on their shoulder. "Awww, don't be like that. I'm sure we could have more fun together than you could with him."
"Really, I'm not interested."
Saber, ever the prideful, refuses to back down. He scoots closer, heavy rain pelting his ears. Thunder claps drilling his sensitive ears with tremendous boom that crumbles his ego and his body to the floor. He covers his ears with his hands and hisses, plugging the holes with his fingers as if trying to make himself go deaf. Hands pulling him away, and cushioning his head with their chest prevents him from doing just that. The guest strokes his head and hushes him as the thunder died out.
"There, there. You're alright." They help him back to the chair and check to make sure he didn't hurt himself. Their hands are so soft. They fade from contact as the guest looks over his shoulder. "Clyde's back. You going to be okay?"
Saber, admitting defeat for now returns to his original table. Clyde bites the flesh of his cheek to keep his smile from spreading too far.
"Master, I'm back. I hope you enjoy milkshakes?"
"Sounds good." The guest scoots back over to their side of the booth, petting the rabbit's hair much to his surprise. Through his salt and pepper locks, they notice a single black dot behind one of his ears. "You don't have to call me master if you don't want to. Y/n is just fine, but if we're handing out nicknames you mind if I call you Spot?"
Spot's leg starts to bounce again. Please let them become a regular.
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tonberry-yoda · 1 year
Note
You know I had to slide in here when the requests are open but congrats again on the 400 u have worked hard and earned it as ur writing is top tier and I can't wait to see the book that ur working on and I wish u lots of motivation , anyways on to my request I was wondering if u could write a (ofcourse) kakyoin x reader caught making out cause omfg I am a huge sucker for those kind of fics they have me kicking my feet and giggling all the time -♡
OMG HI!!! literally this is crazy because you send this to me right when i hit 400 and now im closer to 600?!?!?! like how crazy is that?? your kind words mean so so much to me always and a little update on the book, im hoping to finish it this year!!! no revisions or editing, just get the damn thing done so i can do the hard part! thank you again for all of the kind words and for being so so amazing. i hope you have a wonderful rest of your week and happy new year!! this is my first fic of 2023!!! <333
Caught - Noriaki Kakyoin
Pairing - Kakyoin x reader
Warnings - kakyoin being hot and cute <3
Word Count - 364
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“Whoops,” Kakyoin giggled, “accidently” falling on top of you and pinning your arms to the couch. “My bad. I suppose I fell.”
You laughed as Kakyoin placed kisses up and down your neck, your hands gripping tighter to his.
“K-Kakyoin,” you laughed harder, trying to squirm out of the hold he had you in. “Noriaki, that tickles!!!” You accidentally kneed him in the gut, making him topple over in pain. “Oh, shit! Nori, are you okay?” You lifted his chin to find him smiling with tears pricking the corners of his eyes.
“I'm fine, y/n. You’re just so…” his voice fell to a purr next to your ear. “So strong.”
You blushed and jokingly pushed him away from you, but he just pulled you back and on top of him, holding you by the hips. “My… you look pretty up there.”
“Stop it, Nori. My face is already red enough, it doesn't need anymore.”
“I love you.” His voice was soft and sincere. God you loved him.
“I love you too.”
Kakyoin brought you down and your lips brushed against his. He pulled you closer somehow, his lips just on yours. His tongue slid into your mouth, making you shudder and he smiled into the kiss, holding the small of your back. You grabbed his hair and pulled him deeper into the kiss.
That’s when you both heard it, freezing, your lips on his lips.
Shit.
You looked up and saw the whole rest of the Stardust Crusaders giggling at you. You quickly pushed yourself off of Kakyoin and fell onto the floor. You moved your hair out of your eye, now heavy breathing.
“Shit. How long have you guys been here?”
Polnareff was the first to speak up after lifting his eyebrows at the two of you. “We just got here, don't worry.”
Joseph laughed and patted Polnareff on the back. “You two can get back to your little makeout session, but we leave in five minutes, so make it snappy.”
Sometimes there were downsides about traveling with friends.
You looked at Kakyoin, who smiled and helped you off the ground.
But most of the time, there were a lot of upsides.
~~~~~
jjba masterlist (2) --- pinned post
@tonberry-yoda
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fandomsnstuff · 5 months
Text
Look at me posting before 10pm (i work evenings lmao) anyway,
@taznovembercelebration
Day 8: super au/cooking
Angus McDonald is Spiderman. It's a pretty new gig, but he thinks he's doing okay. His secret identity is totally intact, so that's a win.
Read it on AO3
Angus lands in the street on his feet, the criminals he was pursuing trapped against the brick wall in front of him with an obscene amount of web. He wants nothing more than to take his mask off and get a breath of fresh air, but the wail of sirens is already on top of him. Cpt. Captain Bane steps out of the first car and says, "what the hell happened here?" 
"Just me doing your job for you," he quips. "Same old song and dance." 
Bane sneers at him. "I don't need a child to do my job for me." 
"Then you need to be faster," he tosses and catches the vial he retrieved, "crime isn't going to wait for you." 
Angus can see him eyeing it, the corrupt motherfucker. "What've you got there, Spiderman?" 
He knows exactly what it is, but he shrugs. "Some project the Institute's working on." He jabs his thumb towards the perpetrators that the other cops are cutting down from the webs, "pinky and the brain back there don't even know what it is. They just took the first thing they saw and ran." 
It's a highly experimental elixir that's supposed to allow the person who drinks it to become a powerful specter if their meat body dies. Lup and Barry aren't supposed to talk about it, but they really can't help themselves when they're in good company. 
Bane holds out a hand, "hand it over." 
"Uh," the last thing he wants to do is give him something from the Institute. Let alone something like this. Angus has been on Bane's case for years, well before he became Spiderman a few weeks back. "You know I think I better return it myself." 
Bane opens his mouth to respond, but is interrupted by a shout of, "holy shit!" 
They look, and Lup stands just down the street, her hair wild and face flushed. She's out of breath as she walks up to them and says, "I just ran… like five blocks…" she looks at Angus, "I only caught some of that fight, but that was amazing." 
"Thank-" he clears his throat and tries to subtly deepen his voice, "thank you Dr.- uh- ma'am." Spiderman's never met Lup, he shouldn't know her last name. Although she has been in the paper, so maybe it would've been fine. Anyway, "I believe this belongs to you," he holds the vial out to her. 
She smiles wide and grabs it, "it's intact!" 
Barry catches up to her, huffing and puffing. "I can't run a city block like I used to," he groans. 
Lup pats him on the back and says, "bear, look," showing him the vial. 
"No way," he looks at Angus, "you got it back in one piece." 
"I'm nothing if not careful, sir," he says, still trying to modify his voice. If they recognize him, he's so fucked. 
"Dr. Bluejeans," Bane says, "I'm going to need you to hand that over," he reaches for the vial, "it's evidence." 
Barry draws his hand back, "it's top secret Institute research. It's not going anywhere but back to the lab." 
"It's been involved in a crime, it needs to come back to the precinct."
"Why?" Lup takes half a step in front of Barry. "You've got the criminals wrapped up in a bow. You didn't even need to do anything." 
"Ma'am-" 
"Dr. Taaco." 
He sighs irritably. "Dr. Taaco, we're required to do a full investigation, which includes gathering evidence. That vial was stolen, so it's evidence." 
"And you can come to the Institute on Monday with a warrant for it. For now, we need to take it back." 
Bane clenches his fists. "Let me escort you," Angus interrupts. The adults all look at him. "You know," he says, "just in case." 
Bane says, "absolutely not-" 
"Sure," Lup says, "you can escort us." 
"He's a child," Bane protests.
"He's Spiderman," Barry says. "He rescued our research while chasing criminals through the city, I'm sure he can protect it while we're just walking up the street." 
Lup slings an arm around his shoulders and starts leading him away before Bane can argue any further. As they walk up the street back towards the lab, she and Barry talk about how the whole night shook down for them. They were working late, and had taken a break. They didn't hear the thieves enter or break anything, but the alarms started blaring, and they saw them running out. They gave chase, and saw him, Spiderman, swing in and apprehend them. 
"Which reminds me," Lup says once they reach the Institute, "are you okay?" 
"I'm fine." They got a few good hits on him, but nothing that won't heal by morning (thank you, nuclear spider powers). "You two should put that vial back and head home. It's late." 
"We could say the same to you," Barry says. "What are you, like, fifteen?" 
"I'm eighteen." He's super not eighteen, he's exactly two weeks away from his sixteenth birthday. 
"Right." Neither of them look convinced. 
"Well you're safe back at your lab," he laughs nervously, "I should be going. Stay safe!" He blindly shoots a web and takes off in whatever direction it takes him. He swings a good way down a random street before stopping on top of a building to get his bearings, and he heads home. 
He lands on the fire escape just outside his window, and opens it slowly. It cooperates tonight, and doesn't screech too loudly as the old wood slides up. He crawls into his bedroom and tears his mask off, taking a deep breath of fresh air. He creeps to his door and cracks it open, listening for any activity within the apartment. It's quiet, and all the lights are off. He shuts the door again. He doesn't bother to turn on a light as he peels his suit off, he's found that he can see quite well in the dark nowadays. 
He changes into pajamas. He longs to take a shower, but it's nearing 1am, and Taako's a pretty light sleeper. He doesn't want him to question why he's taking a shower so late. 
His stomach grumbles, and he sees visions of the leftover pizza he knows is in the fridge. He creeps out of his room and down the hall to the main living area. His attention is zeroed in on the fridge, so he jumps out of his skin when a light suddenly turns on. 
"You know, if you were going to be a vigilante, the least you could've done is tell me first." 
"Taako, I- what-" 
Taako's sitting in an armchair, arms crossed, looking very displeased. "It's polite to tell your guardian what you're up to, Angus."
He laughs nervously. "I'm not-" 
"Oh, you're not? You start acting all sketchy and sneaking out, and a masked spider-themed vigilante shows up not even a week after you visited Lup and Barry's lab that, among other things, works with what?" 
Angus knows when he's been had. "...spiders?" 
"Spiders!" 
Silences stretches between them, and Angus hangs his head. "I'm sorry, Taako." 
Taako sighs and stands. "I'm not mad. I just need to know where you go. Because if–" his fist clenches, "if you don't come home, or if you get hurt, I need to know." 
"I'm sorry," he tries to blink away the burn of tears in his eyes, "I just wanted to protect you. All of you." 
Taako puts a hand on his shoulder, and he meets his eyes. "You don't need to protect us. We can protect ourselves just fine." 
"Okay," he whispers. 
"Are you hungry?" 
His lip quivers, "I'm so hungry." 
Taako smiles and squeezes his shoulder. "It takes a lot of energy to be a superhero and a growing boy. Sit, I'll make you a couple grilled cheeses." 
"I wanted-" 
"The pizza, I know. You can have that while you wait." 
He sits at the dining table as Taako moves about the kitchen. He slides the box with half a pizza still in it to him, then works on making two grilled cheese sandwiches. Angus devours the pizza and is halfway through his first sandwich when he asks, "does anyone else know?" 
"Oh yeah, we all suspected." 
"So Lup and Barry talking to me tonight like they didn't know me was total bullshit." 
Taako laughs, "she called me as soon as you left them, pumpkin. Told me she was one-hundo percent sure that you're Spiderman."
He sighs in exaggerated  annoyance. "No one can have a damn secret in this family!" 
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valkeakuulas · 3 months
Note
14, post-o66 echo/rex 👁👄👁
Y'know, I don't recall writing about this ship before. Especially when it comes to the Bad Batch timeline. 🤔 So here goes nothing! This also grew legs and skittered out of my hands, turning into a lot longer before I managed to pin it down and finish it. Whoops?
Mistletoe: Mutual Pining
Echo stood in the shadows of the repair shop's massive doors, watching the traffic going up and down the underworld portal. Behind him, he could hear the music flowing from the floating speakers as well as the low conversation between the freed troopers and the Martez sisters.
Sighing, Echo closed his eyes and listened.
Just like their mutations, the Batch sounded different compared to the rest of the troopers, and while Echo had grown used to them, hearing more than one vod speak with that same, familiar voice soothed something deep inside him. It reminded Echo of his life in the not-so-distant (depending on how one looked at it) past when he'd been wearing white and blue.
"I was wondering where you'd go," one of those voices spoke behind Echo, making him shiver involuntarily as it had so many times before, ever since that cold, desolate moon.
Maybe not that same after all, Echo corrected himself as he turned slightly. Natborns might mix them up but vod could always recognize another one vod from voice alone.
He saw the smile first, small but sincere, before meeting Rex's eyes.
"Just needed a moment, it's been a while since was surrounded by this many people," Echo replied with a small smile of his own.
Rex hummed, thoughtful as he came to stand next to Echo, their shoulders almost touching. He looked at the never-ending traffic as well and it took Echo everything not to lean against Rex as he waited for his Captain Rex to speak again.
"It's been a while for me too," Rex said eventually, "I was on my own quite a while before Rafa and Trace helped me to free more clones." His brows drew together, the smile turning into a mild frown. "Never crossed my mind that I'd end up in a situation where I wouldn't be surrounded by vode. We clones aren't really meant to be alone."
He glanced at Echo. "I'm glad you had the Batch, Echo" Rex said, serious.
"And Omega," Echo had to add, witnessing how Rex's lips twisted, fighting a smile.
"And Omega," Rex amended, "she's different, that's for sure, but very brave as well as smart."
They both couldn't stop their grins as they recalled how the tiny girl had clocked Rex's age with one glance, effectively calling him an old man.
They fell silent again and another piece dedicated to the Life Day started in the background, the velvet-like voice of the singer crooning about curling together with their loved one under the Life Tree.
Echo felt his face warm up a little as he recalled another memory or, more accurately, a dream from the past. One that he hadn't dared to speak to anyone besides Fives and even that had been when he'd been drunk off his ass. Both of them had been drunk offf their asses.
Just like the singer, Echo had once dreamed of closing the distance between him and the man standing next to him, to hold Rex close and whisper words of love into his ear.
But that had been before Lola Sayu, before Echo had been blown to bits. Before the galaxy Echo had known and trained to fight for had turned upside down.
"So what do you think of this whole Life Day thing?" Echo heard Rex ask, the question effectively stopping Echo's thoughts before they spiraled further.
Echo shrugged. "I faintly recall Commander Tano telling something about it but not much. At least nothing like this."
He used his thumb to point back inside the repair shop and the colored lights, the fake tree, and the sparkly decorations the sisters had pulled out from some crates. The repair shop was too large to decorate completely but one corner of it had turned into a glittering, colorful nook like Echo had never seen before.
Omega and Wrecker would love it, Echo mused with a grin.
He turned to Rex to say that, only to freeze when he found the other staring right at him. Those gold-brown eyes were intense, scanning Echo's face almost as if it was a map that Rex needed to memorize.
"You miss them? The Batch?" Rex asked suddenly, jarring Echo once again.
"I do? Kind of hard not to after what we've been through," he replied, slow, uncertain what Rex was aiming at.
Whatever it had been, Echo's answer made him turn away again, and Echo got the sense that Rex wasn't all that pleased with it.
"I miss you, too," Echo blurted, eyes widening when he realised his mistake. "The 501st, I mean," he hurried to add when Rex turned towards him again, "the General and Commander, Jesse and Kix, Axe and Denal. Fives. I miss all of you."
The look Rex gave him wasn't as intense as it had been before but it still had Echo holding back a shiver.
"I miss them, too, Echo," Rex admitted quietly, "and I miss you as well."
Something twinged in Echo's chest and it had nothing to do with the tech embedded in his body. He opened his mouth to say, well, Echo didn't know what he was going to say but before he could, a light movement in the corner of their eyes caught Echo and Rex's attention.
Both of them turned sharply towards the repair shop, only stopping when they saw a branch of something green floating in the air before them.
Except that it wasn't floating; a closer look revealed a cord wrapped around the plant that was slowly moving closer.
Confused, Echo followed the cord and blinked in surprise when he spotted Gregor standing on the stack of crates next to the repair shop doors and, as it happened, next to Echo and Rex as well.
"What the - ?" Echo started just as Rex groaned, suffering.
"Gregor..."
"Nuh-uh, you know the rules, Rex," Gregor informed with a grin as he angled the plant right above them, "if you find yourself under a mistletoe, you need to kiss, otherwise you'll be hit with bad luck."
Echo felt his face heat up at that, his heart twinging again at the idea of Rex kissing him. He didn't know what kind of expression he was wearing but Echo feared it looked too close to a hopeful one.
Trying his best to push it away, Echo glanced at Rex, finding him once again staring at him. And, as Echo watched Rex, his gaze flickered down to Echo's mouth and oh, the flash of teeth as Rex bit his bottom lip nearly had Echo losing control of his knees.
The mistletoe swayed as Gregor shook it. "C'mon, you two have been mooning over each other long enough."
"There's been no such thing," Rex informed Gregor sharply but he didn't look away from Echo, who felt his jaw drop when a light blush dusted Rex's face.
Clearing his throat, Echo gave another look at the mistletoe. "Bad luck, you say? Think it'll hit me double hard since I'm already part of the Bad Batch?" he drawled.
The surprised snort Rex let out eased some of the tension in the air. "Don't think it would be a good idea to find out," he said, aiming for nonchalance but, just like Fives once upon a time, Rex had no sabacc face and he failed rather miserably.
That, and the look Rex was giving at him felt very similar to the one Echo was giving to him.
"Echo...," Rex started, hesitant.
For a second Echo thought about all the times he had wanted to confess his feelings to his Captain, to tell Rex just how much he meant to him.
Echo had survived against all the odds that had been stacked against him since Kamino. Maybe it was time to test if this was just another odd he was meant to win.
Swallowing, Echo stepped forward, closing the distance between him and Rex. He saw Rex's eyes widen in surprise when their chests touched. But instead of moving away, Rex's hands came to rest on Echo's hips, warm and gentle.
"I don't know about you, Rex, but I'd rather kiss you than tempt fate," Echo murmured as he wrapped his arm around Rex's shoulders. "If that's alright with you?"
Breathing shakily, Rex closed his eyes for a second, visibly gathering himself, before opening them again. "I'm more than alright with that, Echo. More than you can ever imagine."
Echo didn't know which one of them moved first but it didn't matter because they were kissing. After so many years, Echo finally got to kiss his Captain.
Above them, Gregor let out a loud hoot, one was nothing but pure glee:
"I told you that it would work, Nemec! You owe me ten credits!"
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firelightinferno · 1 year
Text
Beyond the brink of death
Part 2 and Part 3
Fandom: The Lord of the Rings
Pairing: Haldir x OFC
Warnings: Violence, Death, Sorrow
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences (Mature for later chapters)
Genre: Romance, Drama
Summary: What if Haldir survived the Battle of Helm's Deep due to the help of someone who loved him?
Word count: 7.7k
Comments: Let's just say I didn't like that Haldir had to die in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. He wasn't supposed to be there in the first place but why kill him off?
The story is also available on AO3.
Thank you to those here who have encouraged me to write this story. It's my first oneshot and I don't do Reader x Character (although I read it) stories, so that's why my OFC has a name. You pronounce it A-MAH-REE-EH.
This is a oneshot which can be extended to a second part if there's interest. I used Elvish in the story and over the past years I've been using extensive grammar and spelling explanations for Sindarin so I'm hoping any experts won't have my head. 
Edit April 2023: This story has now been continued.
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It was not the first time Amarië had fought orcs or goblins, but this new species called Uruk-hai was stronger and bigger. She wondered if it had not been foolhardy to come to Helm's Deep with only this small band of Elves when facing this hostile superior force. Five hundred Elves and nearly two thousand Rohirrim were not nearly enough to stand against ten thousand Uruk-hai and Half-orcs from Isengard. Yet she would not have stayed in Lothlórien at any price. She had experienced enough training to hold her own against this horde and if it meant she would meet her death here, at least she would know it wouldn't happen not far from her captain, Haldir. Of course, he would be furious if he knew that she had secretly joined his warriors, since he had ordered her to stay in Lórien to defend their homeland. However, she could not have borne to be separated from him and perhaps never see him again. When she had been posted just a few steps behind Legolas on the Deeping Wall and discovered by him, she had sworn him to secrecy. He knew how she felt about the marchwarden and could not blame her for being here. They had simply known each other too long to blame each other for petty things.
She pulled her helmet lower before raining her arrows down with the other warriors on the surging mass of the enemy below the Deeping Wall. A sense of satisfaction filled her heart at the thought of the Uruk-hai suffering an agonising death. On their way here they had seen enough destruction wrought by these creatures. She watched as Aragorn and Théoden of Rohan shifted defences several times to ward off the Orcs trying to scale the wall with ladders. What they had not reckoned with was the cunning of the wizard Saruman, who had equipped his breed with something that, with an explosion, blew a huge hole in the Deeping Wall, killing numerous humans, Elves but also Orcs. Only with difficulty could Amarië keep the ground under her feet and after the dust had settled, she saw what had happened.
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Hundreds of Uruk-hai ran through the gap in the wall and towards the keep, while others fought the men and elves on the still-standing remains of the rampart. Despite this, ladders continued to be leant against the remains of the wall and dozens of orcs pushed over the parapet. The Men and Elves abandoned their bows and arrows altogether and now fought bravely with their swords and spears against the encroaching enemy. With a sinking heart, Amarië contemplated the terrible scenario. The Orcs were about to take the fortress. Was this the beginning of the end?
If the Orcs and Uruk-hai breached the keep, their chance of survival would be nil. She sprinted to the edge of the courtyard and peered down, where she saw dozens of men propping up the large double doors with their bodies. Unfortunately, despite the added wooden beams, it wasn't enough. Every time the Uruk-hai used their battering ram, the doors trembled dangerously and splintered a little more. Large holes already allowed the Uruk-hai to attack the men through the gate with their long spears. They would not hold it any longer.
Amarië was about to rush to their aid when she spotted King Théoden at the bottom of the stairs, leaning against the wall. His captain of the guard, Gamling, stood beside him, stuffing a piece of cloth into his breastplate. Amarië's steps stumbled as she realised he was injured.
She averted her eyes and hurried back into the castle, where she climbed the stairs in the hall to the tower on which the horn of the fortress was located. From up here she would be able to overlook everything and shoot her arrows without being hit herself, as long as she was not noticed. She still wanted to make sure that Haldir did not realise that she was involved in the battle. She was sure, however, that she would certainly have to listen to reprimands afterwards, insofar as they all survived the battle.
Once at the top, she was greeted by the harsh night wind and also the welcome darkness as the mighty tower was not lit. She pulled her helmet off her head, which had limited her field of vision, and looked down at the fortress and the shattered rampart, now taking in the full extent of the battle. It was terrifying! The Uruk-hai and Orcs had poured through the hole in the Deeping Wall like a black tide, mowing down everything that could not resist them. The Elves held their own, but many people had already fallen, and the monsters trampled over their corpses. The noise at her feet made her look down as the Uruk-hai struck the gate once more. Two of the already splintered pillars broke and half the men fell to the ground from the force. However, they quickly got up again and rushed back to the doors, holding them closed with all their strength. Amarië prepared to shoot an arrow as soon as they broke through.
But then Gamling's call sounded:
"Retreat! Retreat!"
Horrified, Amarië looked at Gamling just as he turned and joined the king, who hurriedly walked up the steps into the courtyard. A moment later the gate was breached. The force threw some of the men to the ground. She saw them draw their swords, get up and charge the Uruk-hai rushing in, while somewhere below Aragorn shouted:
"They have broken through! The castle is breached! Fall back! Fall back!"
As the men fought, they backed up towards the steps and realised that they were seriously outnumbered. Amarië did not hesitate long and shot an arrow at an Uruk-hai who was trying to kill a young man who could not get up fast enough after the impact had knocked him down. There was only a sharp hiss and the arrow pierced cleanly through the monster's skull between his eyes. Panting, the youth rose, drew his sword and rushed to the aid of his comrades. In quick succession, Amarië's arrows now flew through the air, striking down several Orcs and Uruk-hai, yet some ran on unhindered. Unexpectedly quickly they reached the inner courtyard and the remaining men came up the steps and tried to stop them getting too close to the hall. Amarië's heart stopped when she saw the Uruk-hai not only coming up the steps, but also over the outer and inner walls. That was why they entered the courtyard so quickly. She knew she couldn't kill everyone who rushed in, so she paused to hold back a few arrows for when the surviving Men and Elves had barricaded themselves in the hall. They were surrounded on all sides. She looked towards the three and a half metre high wall and the hall beyond, and saw some Men and Elves running up the single staircase. For a moment she thought she saw Legolas among them. In the courtyard, the men wanted only one thing: to reach the hall safely. However, others were unhindered in their flight up the stairs into the hall, while others were forced to face the Uruk-hai who were attacking them. While all the brave men were ready to defend others, they could not do so now. The sheer number of Orcs already attacking gave them little chance of survival. They could only hope to defeat the monsters in their own way so that they reached the stairs before they were surrounded by them.
Amarië, who had been hiding behind the parapet of the tower, now straightened up, drew her bow and killed two Orcs who were heading for two young boys. Her arrows whizzed towards their target and perhaps she had bent too far forward, in any case she could suddenly hear a familiar voice calling out.
"Amarië!!!"
She was startled to hear Haldir's voice. She looked down at him partly ashamed and partly proud. He was standing on a ledge looking up at her, frightened and in fear. Legolas had taken notice of him and was now looking up too.
"Ú-nauthon!" he growled. (I don’t believe it)
"Ú-gerim lû, Haldir," Legolas said hastily. "Nan barad!" (We don't have time, Haldir. To the keep)
Amarië straightened her shoulders. It had only been a matter of time that he had noticed her. There was no point thinking now about how angry he was. She was an Elven warrior and could do her part in the battle. She joined the hail of arrows that flew over the heads of the fleeing men, killing the Orcs that came closer. They all fell one by one. More and more Uruk-hai came, but they suffered the same fate. Amarië looked back at Haldir and saw him insert and shoot his arrows with incredible speed. She admired him for being so skilled. She would probably never get used to the sight of his perfection. Then he dropped his bow and swung his sword. His blond hair swayed with every movement he made and his armour shimmered bronze in the light of the torches. Many men were still trying to hold back the Orc attack. Fortunately, the narrowness of the stairs limited the number of attacking Uruk-hai and allowed them to hold out a while longer. Amarië stopped, startled, and froze when she saw an Uruk-hai suddenly appear behind Haldir and raise his scimitar against him. The noise of the battle seemed to stop all at once. Amarië called his name as he went down as if in slow motion, but she no longer seemed to hear her own voice. Aragorn and Legolas also looked around and were startled when Haldir fell. His golden hair gleamed one last time, then his body disappeared among the other fallen warriors. The noise seemed to resume.
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"Haldir!!!" Amarië cried again in despair, which also got the attention of her enemies, who looked up grimly and sent spears and arrows after her.
Miraculously, she was not hit. She still stood frozen on the parapet, her lower lip quivering and tears burning in her eyes.
No, no, no, it can't be!, she thought in a panic and sank trembling to her knees.
Breathing heavily and gripping her bow with shaking fingers, she sat on the high pinnacle as if in a daze. It was only after several minutes that she peered over the balustrade again and saw Legolas, closely followed by Gimli, Aragorn and the men who had kept the Uruk-hai from the steps, running through the door into the castle, with the Orcs in hot pursuit. Shortly after the door slammed loudly, she heard hurried footsteps on the stairs of the tower. She rested her forehead against the parapet and waited to see who would arrive up here. She recognised from the footsteps that it was Legolas who stepped beside her.
"Amarië!" he said in an urgent voice. "Is everything alright?"
Slowly she turned her head towards him and looked at him in despair. She felt hot tears running down her cheeks and he bent down to her and pulled her into an embrace. Sobbing, her face sank against his harness as he spoke soothing words.
"He is dead, Legolas. This cannot be true."
"I know your heart is heavy, but the battle is not over. Please come down to the hall with me. We need your help."
Gently Legolas pulled her to her feet, took her bow and quiver and quickly pushed her into the tower before the Orcs sent arrows after them again. They slowly descended the stairs until they reached the hall. Many men were busy here reinforcing the door with a long wooden beam that had been placed in the metal hooks. From outside, the Orcs kept pounding on the entrance, so they doubted that would hold the brutes back for long.
Aragorn came running to them as soon as he saw them, and looked questioningly at Legolas. Amarië did not know Aragorn as well as Legolas, but she knew that he could tell from her armour that she belonged to the Elves of Lothlórien.
"What happened?" he asked.
"She's in shock. Because of Haldir, I think," Legolas said quietly.
"I am so sorry," said Aragorn, and Amarië nodded gratefully at him.
"The fortress is taken. It is over," the King said discouraged.
Startled, Amarië raised her head to look at him, because she could not believe what he was saying. Aragorn turned away from them and walked resolutely towards Théoden.
"You told me this fortress would never fall while your men defend it! They still defend it! They have died defending it!" he said passionately.
Théoden did not react. Instead, he looked away and stared at the wall as if stunned. For a moment, Amarië sympathised with him. The superior force out there seemed invincible and with Haldir dead it seemed even more hopeless in her eyes. However, she did not want to give up and as much as her heart ached, she had to lock away that pain for now and help not to give up hope. Otherwise, what was the point of coming here? She walked over to Legolas and helped him barricade the door while Aragorn argued with the king in the background.
The Orcs rammed the door again and the hinges slowly lost their strength. Although strong men and a lot of wood propped up the door, they would not hold out much longer. The wood sagged creakily and the men were too exhausted by the ongoing battle to stand up to the angry mob.
"So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?" muttered Théoden dejectedly.
"Ride out with me. Ride out and fight!" spoke Aragorn to the king.
"For death and glory?" replied Théoden.
"For Rohan!" said Aragorn, coming towards him. "For your people!"
"The sun is rising," Amarië heard Gimli say close to her, and she raised her eyes to a window where the pale sunlight cast a square glow on the floor.
"Yes. Yes!" the king said. "The horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the deep, one last time."
"Yes!" exclaimed Gimli, spurred on, and Amarië watched him sprint to the stairway of the tower.
Then she saw Théoden put his hand on Aragorn's shoulder and smile at him. He put on his helmet and mounted his steed. Legolas stepped to her side and clasped her hand briefly.
"I will see you later. Take care of yourself."
"I will."
She watched Aragorn, Legolas and the other Rohirrim mount a horse before following Gimli up the battlements.
The deep sound of the horn echoed darkly in the gorge and made everyone tremble. The echo came blast after blast and, startled, many Orcs and Uruk-hai covered their ears. The riders rushed outside with swords drawn, trampling the Uruk-hai and Orcs and fighting their way down to the causeway. The deafening blast of the horn died away and was immediately followed by a second.
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With the arrival of Gandalf, the fate of Saruman's hordes was sealed. He had called all the scattered Rohirrim in the land to him and brought them here to assist those in the Hornburg. Like a great greyish-yellow wave, led by a blindingly bright light, the thousand or so horsemen galloped down the pale, green hill and surged against Saruman's enraged warriors, who were simply trampled down. The silver glare from Gandalf's staff stung their eyes, causing them to throw themselves to the ground and cover their faces. The humans and Elves used the bright light to their favour and so they, the king and his faithful, rode. The Orcs and Uruk-hai knew not what to do and threw down their swords and spears, howling. Like black smoke driven away by a rising wind, they fled and disappeared out of sight into Fangorn Forest. What fate awaited them there, no one knew.
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When there were no more enemies near the fortress, the women and children were fetched from the caves and the search for survivors began. Amarië was one of the first to make her way to the shattered Deeping Wall. The sunrise helped her to distinguish between enemy and friend, who lay scattered at her feet. Heart pounding heavily, she was on the lookout for Haldir. She had to say goodbye to him, even if he was already dead and he would not hear her words. Tears burned in her eyes and nearly took away her vision as she walked slowly across the wall, looking around for her captain's burgundy cloak and light hair. She tapped her foot against fallen Orcs when she saw something red shimmering beneath them, but many a time it was only the hilt of a sword or the garments of a strange, dead man.
"Haldir, mas le?" (Where are you), she whispered to herself as she lost more and more hope of finding him.
She hurried to the spot where she was sure he had been standing when he fell, but she couldn't see him. So she pushed and shoved the dead aside, the smell of blood almost taking her breath away. Then she saw something reddish-brown shining between the legs of an Orc and she pulled the beast aside. When she had pulled it off, she sank to the ground, her face contorted with pain, when she actually saw Haldir lying in front of her. His eyes were closed and he lay there as if asleep. Blood was stuck in his hair, which lay dishevelled around his head. His right leg looked unnaturally bent and his armour was badly damaged in several places. Amarië couldn't tell where exactly the wound was that had been his death sentence, but she wasn't even in a state to think about it.
"Haldir," she whimpered, taking his bloodied hand in hers, "Amman?" (Why), she pressed out before holding his cold hand to her cheek and weeping bitterly.
Legolas, who had leapt nimbly like a squirrel over the dead that lay piled high in some places, found her in that emotional moment and his heart tightened when he saw that she had found Haldir. He knew how Amarië felt about him and although it had made him jealous for a while, he had not wished his comrade dead, such a terrible death at that. His heart grew heavy as he realised how important he had been to her. Slowly he approached her and stroked her shoulder.
"Amarië," he whispered softly. "We should give him a beautiful funeral, don't you think?"
With eyes glistening with tears, she looked at him.
"But surely he must be buried in Lórien. He, as Captain of the Guard," she whispered, trying not to lose her composure completely in front of the Elven prince.
She still held Haldir's hand tightly and looked back into his face, which looked so peaceful. As much as Legolas had once wanted to win her heart, he had never wanted her to lose the person who meant the most to her like this. Seeing her so unhappy pained him deeply. That was when Aragorn joined them and he too knelt down. Saddened, he looked at Amarië who looked so devastated by Haldir's death. He had not suspected that she felt so much for the captain. Concerned, he looked into Legolas' eyes to register his emotions. He was aware of the longstanding rivalry between them.
"Let us carry him into the fortress. I'll get a stretcher," he said and hurried away.
Legolas looked after him and then left to help others, to rescue survivors or to collect the dead. He guessed that Amarië wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Although she too should have been helping, perhaps Elves who had left Lórien with her, she did not leave Haldir's side. Gently she stroked his hair from his forehead and suddenly stopped. Frantically, she grasped his wrist again and drew in a startled breath. Hastily she bent over him and put her ear over his nose. Shocked, she jerked her head up and looked down at the captain. She had not been mistaken, there had been a very weak pulse in her hand and faint breathing! With her heart pounding with joy, she leapt to her feet and shouted loudly across the plain.
"Aragorn! Legolas! He's still alive!"
The Dúnadan was just stepping into the courtyard with a few men when he heard her voice and jerked his head around. Legolas sprinted at once and was with her within seconds. Aragorn and the three men he had fetched followed him on his heels with a stretcher. Legolas was checking Haldir's pulse when Aragorn arrived.
"This is like a miracle," he said in amazement, while Amarië seemed to quiver with excitement beside him.
Carefully they lifted the marchwarden onto the stretcher and carried him to the fortress. Here they were met by the king and Gamling, who cast a worried glance at the badly injured Elven warrior. Although almost every room in the fortress was occupied, they found a small room where they could lay him on a bed. Immediately someone came to warm the room with a small fire. Amarië had immediately gone to see if one of the few healers who had come with them from Lothlórien had survived. She found him in the hall where most of the wounded lay and reported to him that their captain had survived. As he was wounded himself and in the process of having a bandage put on his arm, she asked if he would be able to help. He nodded and followed her as soon as he had been patched up.
"Fiondil," Legolas greeted him as he stepped into the small room, which was getting warmer by the minute. "It is good that you have come. Your help is sorely needed here. Are you alright?"
The Elven warrior stared at his captain for a moment, as if he couldn't believe he was here, but then approached the bed and let his eyes wander over him.
"Yes, it's just a scratch. I will need your assistance though," Fiondil said and then looked at Amarië. "Can you get some hot water and clean cloths?"
She nodded and immediately went in search of what was needed. Her heart was pounding so fast in her chest that she didn't realise what had happened. Probably only later would she understand exactly that Haldir was really alive. She hurried to get the water and the cloths, but it turned out to be a difficult task because the demand was so high. Finally she returned to the sickroom and entered just as they were uncovering the captain's back. She noticed that Aragorn was also in the room. They had rolled Haldir onto his side and laid his damaged armour in a corner of the room. Legolas looked up as she entered and reached out for the things she had brought. Concerned, she came closer.
"How bad is he?" she asked quietly as she stepped next to Fiondil.
When she saw the extent of the injuries, she no longer needed an answer, because the sight of Haldir's battered back was explanation enough. She slapped her hand over her mouth when she saw the terrible wound that stretched from his right shoulder blade - a hand's breadth from his spine - down to the small of his back. He was lucky that he was still unconscious, because that way he did not feel the pain that this injury brought. Furthermore, his right leg had been splinted. The blood in his hair didn't seem to be his own.
"Do you think he'll make it?" she wanted to know as Fiondil cleaned the crusted wound on Haldir's back.
She glanced briefly at Legolas, who was watching closely as Fiondil proceeded.
"He is lucky that his spine was not injured. Otherwise he would probably be dead or paralysed. But he will make it," Fiondil replied.
Amarië held her breath imperceptibly. The very idea that he could have been paralysed was shocking. Haldir would certainly not have wanted to go on living like this. After all, he was a warrior and unable to fight if he was ill. She was relieved that he did not have to go through such a life-changing experience.
"When do you think he will be back on his feet?" she asked.
"I think in three days," Fiondil replied, now rubbing a healing salve that smelled of arnica around the cleaned wound.
"The Elves' rapid self-healing power is always amazing," said Aragorn, leaning back against the wall in a relaxed manner. "We could use your help with the wounded men."
Fiondil nodded to him and picked up some of the clean bandages Amarië had brought. She stepped aside so that Legolas and Aragorn could help him lift Haldir so that the bandages could be applied to him. While they were busy doing this, Amarië stoked the fire with the poker.
"The bandages must be renewed daily and the wound tended. Our bodies heal quickly, but a little help is needed," Fiondil said, rising after he had finished. "I will return tomorrow," he said, pulling a soft blanket over his captain. "He should be awake by then, too. If not sooner. Let me know if he wakes up before night falls."
"Thank you. It's like a miracle that that blow didn't kill him," Amarië said with relief.
Fiondil nodded at her with a smile.
"I will tell our comrades that our captain survived. That should encourage them."
"Good idea," Amarië said. "I will stay here and keep an eye on him."
Fiondil wanted to reply, but Legolas put a hand on his arm, so he refrained. Aragorn was the first to turn towards the door.
"Let us go see the others," he said.
Legolas followed them, pausing at the open door to look at Amarië.
"I will come back later," he said, and then was gone.
She had no time to answer him and respond to the fact that she had seen his emotions. She would have had to be blind not to see what was going on inside him. Sighing, she sat down on the chair where Fiondil had been sitting, intending to wait until Haldir awoke. Then, however, she rose to fetch fresh water and wash off the dust and blood on her face and hands. She also took off her armour and cleaned her dark hair as best she could.
Two hours later, Legolas returned with the intention to say goodbye to her. He said he was going to join his friends to accompany the king on his journey to Isengard. He took her hand in his and wished her all the very best until they would see each other again. Then he departed and she watched him go. Quietly, Amarië closed the door and sat down to have some proper rest. With the room being so pleasantly warm now, it didn't take long for her to give in to her body's demand of rest and she fell asleep in her chair.
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After seeing Amarië on the tower, he knew that his concentration had waned. Perhaps that had also been the reason why she had avoided being seen by him all this time. She knew he had never wanted her to be here. He had never wanted her in this battle that he had suspected so many would lay down their lives. He would rather want to die here, where she did not see it, than know that she was here and could witness it. He had not been hopeful of returning to Lórien, for it would only have greeted him with the same sorrow he had carried in his heart for a long time. Sorrow that he could never have a future together with the person he longed for. He was sure that his feelings were not reciprocated. She was a Noldor and he only a Silvan Elf and therefore not of her station. She would be more likely to get involved with a Sindar Elf like Legolas than with him. Thus he had only ever looked at her from afar and enjoyed every moment she chose to spend near him. He had taken her under his wing when she wanted to be in the border guard of Lothlórien, and trained her himself in archery and swordplay. Eventually she had become an important member of his group, even if he did not understand why she wanted to be part of it. She could just as well have chosen another task in the Golden Forest.
As he fell and heard her voice in the distance for the last time, he said farewell to the dream he had never been able to realise with a wistful smile. Darkness enveloped him and finally everything was silent around him. If death was so peaceful, he didn't mind entering the Halls of Mandos. The brief pain in his back faded like mist in the sunshine and he passed through a grey silence. It puzzled him that he could not find his way to the halls of the dead, and it puzzled him all the more that he felt as if he were being gently touched on his hair and hand. Was someone trying to guide him or bring him back? Then he heard her voice and wondered if he was imagining it. However, the desire to follow her was so great that he walked towards her source, even though he could not see exactly where he was going.
When he opened his eyes, the room in which he awoke was bathed in firelight and the last rays of daylight. The first thing he felt was warmth and the first person he saw was not the one he had expected to see. Just a hand's breadth away from him was the knee of the woman he loved and she was sleeping as peacefully as only someone who felt safe could. All he had to do was reach out to touch her, but he felt selfish and wanted to watch her for a while longer while she was unaware that he was awake. His gaze wandered longingly over her long, dark brown hair and pale face. He wondered how long she had been sitting here and what had happened. He lowered his head to look down at himself and realised that he wasn't wearing a shirt under the blanket, but a well-fitting bandage. Carefully he brushed over it and turned onto his back which caused a sharp tugging sensation. A pained gasp escaped him, which he tried to stifle, but only a moment later he saw Amarië open her eyes.
"Haldir!" she said, immediately leaning forward when she realised he was awake. "Don't move. You have a bad wound on your back."
"Obviously," he said, and then he struggled with what to say next.
He was glad that she was alive, but on the other hand he was upset that she had put herself in such danger. However, Amarië did not give him the opportunity to express any of these thoughts as she got up and left the room. Was his anger so obvious on his face or was she afraid to be alone in a room with him? That was not what he had intended. When the door opened again, Fiondil entered the room, closely followed by Éowyn and Amarië. He looked towards them with anticipation. Amarië took her seat again in her chair in front of the bed, while Fiondil stopped beside her and greeted his captain respectfully.
"Captain, I am pleased to find you awake. You have narrowly escaped death. Please rest for a few days or your wounds will rupture. I have done what I could to care for them," he said.
"Thank you, Fiondil. It is good to see you well," Haldir replied in a raspy voice. "How many survived?"
"Eighty-three of our people and sixty men. Many are badly wounded, but they will all recover," said Fiondil.
The realisation that so many Elves had fallen pained Haldir greatly and though he tried not to let the anguish show on his face, Amarië saw it.
"Where is the King and Aragorn?" he asked quietly.
"They have gone to Isengard with many others," Amarië now answered. "They will arrive in Edoras in a few days' time, where we set out tomorrow."
"I see," said Haldir, averting his eyes as if displeased that conversation with them was now impossible.
"You should rest now, my captain. Send for me if the pain gets worse," Fiondil said, bowing again.
Haldir nodded to him and then the Elven warrior left the sickroom. Now Éowyn stepped forward. She had stayed in the background the whole time so as not to disturb the conversation.
Haldir raised his eyes when she stopped at his bedside. She smiled at him and inclined her head in greeting.
"The king may be away, but I represent him in his absence. I am Éowyn, his niece, and we are very grateful to you that you and your people have come to stand by us in this dark hour. Without you, the women and children would not have survived the night. We are deeply in your debt," she said reverently.
"We were sent from Lórien and Rivendell, for the fate of this world does not pass us by," Haldir replied. "Besides, there were friends to assist."
Éowyn was all smiles, bowed slightly and looked at Amarië.
"If there is anything you wish, you will find me two rooms away. Many have already gone to sleep to gather strength for tomorrow's journey. I can have something brought for you to eat," she said gently.
"I'll come with you and get something," Amarië replied. "I'll be right back," she said, turning to Haldir.
Together they left the room. Only a few minutes later Amarië was back and she was carrying two bowls of stew in her hands. She placed both on the small table that was next to the bed and sank back into her chair with a sigh. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Haldir watching her.
"Were you injured in the battle?" he asked guardedly.
"No," she said, "I'm all right."
"That's good," he spoke softly and a look of pain flitted across his face.
"Please don't be angry that I'm here," she said, looking at him pleadingly. "I know you didn't want me to go with you, but I couldn't let you go alone."
"I hardly went alone," he replied, lowering his eyes.
She touched his hand tentatively and he shuddered.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"A little."
"I could help you sit up carefully, but I don't know if it would be so wise," she said uncertainly, not wanting to undo Fiondil's efforts. "Or you could put your head on my leg and try to eat that way."
He wanted to refuse, but he was too weak to resist the temptation to have her near him. As much as he wanted to lecture her, what had happened was done and he couldn't undo it. So why waste energy on it when he could just enjoy the moment when they were alone.
"Let's try that then," he replied.
Amarië's heart began to beat violently as she realised how close she could be to him. She sat down at the head of the bed and then carefully slid her fingers under his head to lift it and rest it against her thigh. Haldir couldn't stop the soft moan leaving him as he felt her fingers brush his scalp. Startled, he bit his lower lip and squeezed his eyes shut, though she understood that she had caused him pain.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," she said in horror.
The hot blush that rose in his face did not escape her, but she believed it was because he was in pain. Haldir wanted to laugh at how absurd it was that she did not realise what she had done, but he bit back the words and said:
"It's all right."
She gave him a worried look, which he returned with an encouraging one, so she reached for the soup bowl and spoon. Gently, she supported his head and began to give him the stew spoon by spoon until he let her know he had had enough. Then she put the bowl on the table and sat back in the chair to eat her dinner. When she had finished, she brought a cup of water to Haldir's lips, which she had fetched a while ago.
She smiled at him as if it was a natural thing for her to do for him, and then stepped up to the fireplace to stoke the fire and add wood. Haldir watched her thoughtfully. Then she returned to his bedside and sat back in the chair.
"Are you in any severe pain?" she asked anxiously.
"No, it's bearable," he said, and rested back on his side.
For a moment silence spread between them. The sun had now set and the daylight was barely bright enough to illuminate the room, so now the firelight spread a warm glow.
"Where am I?" asked Haldir after a while.
"Looks like this was the guardroom," Amarië replied. "Here you can rest in peace."
Haldir stretched as far as his body would allow and raised his eyes to her. He noticed now that she looked as if she had washed at some point, as there was no dirt on her, and that made him look at himself and realise that he too was clean.
"Who took care of me after I was out there..." he began and he noticed a pained look join her eyes.
He was sorry that she had had to watch him get hurt. That was exactly what he had wanted to spare her. Amarië bent forward, leaning on her knees, and he could not help but let his gaze fall on her neck, which was clearly visible because she had unbuttoned her shirt. Hastily he looked elsewhere.
"I went to look for you," she said quietly and with difficulty as she remembered, "with the intention of... saying goodbye to you. But when I found you, I discovered that you were still alive and I called Aragorn and Legolas to help me. They brought you to the keep and Fiondil came to tend to your wounds. You were indeed very lucky in your misfortune. To see you lying among all the dead –"
"Why did you even come?" it finally burst out of him.
"Do you really not know?" she asked softly and he shivered at the way she said it.
His eyes widened as he looked at her. She had lowered her gaze in embarrassment and her dark hair fell forward, falling playfully around her face. A tug went through his heart as he saw how crestfallen she seemed.
"Amarië," he whispered cautiously and reached out his hand to her.
Her eyes dropped to his movement, watching it uncertainly. Tentatively, his fingers touched her arm and she drew in a shaky breath.
"Please look at me," he said softly and when she lifted her gaze he saw tears glistening in her eyes, which made them look as green as emeralds. "Tell me why you came with me. I dare not make false assumptions."
She held his gaze and he admired that she was so brave and didn't back away from her shyness. Nervously she bit her lower lip and his eyes fixed on it. It seemed she was struggling with herself to give him a reason, but then she said:
"I didn't know if I was ever going to see you again, and as you can see, you almost died. It was fortunate that I found you."
"I was prepared for death," he said tonelessly.
"But why? Were you going to throw away your eternal life just like that?" she asked incredulously.
Haldir lowered his gaze, but continued to let his hand rest on her arm, as if her arm was giving him support on a turbulent tide he didn't know how to navigate.
"No, but I no longer found joy in this life," he said. "I realised, though, that I owe you my survival. It was only because you remembered where I had fallen that I could be found and saved. Perhaps that was fate."
He was startled when he felt her warm fingers on his chin, lifting it slightly.
"My dear Captain, I believe you are in my debt," she said with a smile that took his breath away.
He swallowed and for a moment didn't seem to know what to say. But then his grip on Amarië's arm tightened, causing her to lean forward further.
"I'll repay you," he replied, looking her firmly in the eye.
"You don't have to. The fact that you survived is enough for me," she said.
In a burst of daring, he raised his hand to her face and delicately touched her cheek. To his surprise, she closed her eyes and leant into the touch. His heart leapt. Was it possible that she felt the same way about him as he did about her? Could he have any hope?
He felt the strength in his arm leave him and it was about to sink down and break off the touch, but then she lifted her other arm and supported his hand with hers.
"You've been having doubts, haven't you? I can see it on your face," she said, opening her eyes again. "But there's no need for it." She turned her face and breathed a kiss against his palm. "No reason at all," she whispered.
Hope and realisation crashed over him like a great wave, threatening to overwhelm him with their force.
"Amarië," Haldir whispered, pulling her ever closer to him by her arm.
"Haldir," she breathed, unable to say more.
She could feel his hand on her neck, burying itself in her hair and stroking her ear.
"Melin le," (I love you) he said, his hot breath blowing across her forehead as she met him.
Shyly and spellbound, she looked at him and swallowed. These were the beautiful words she had only ever heard in romantic stories. The ones lovers said to each other, but which she hadn't expected to hear for herself.
"A melin le," (And I love you) she whispered and felt his warm hand on her cheek again, sending thrilling shivers across her skin.
He gently pulled her down to his face and she closed her eyes as she felt his warm lips on hers. Explosively, fireworks started in her belly. Waves of heat and goosebumps swept over her body like she had never experienced before. Amarië wished she could hold on to this moment and kiss Haldir forever. She realised now that she not only loved him, but that this feeling ran much deeper. She needed him like the air she breathed. When they broke the kiss, they looked at each other breathlessly. A smile grew on Haldir's lips that she had never seen before. His whole face shone as if a veil had been lifted from him that had always hung over him.
"Gerich veleth nín," (You have my love) she said, stroking his curved lips with her thumb.
"Ú-chebin estel anim," (I kept no hope for myself) he said with a heavy heart and pulled her in for another kiss.
She shuddered pleasantly as he kissed her with more fervour this time. There was a rushing sound in her ears and a slight tremor had gripped her fingers. She returned the kiss just as fervently, but she was cautious because Haldir was hurt. Breathless and misty-eyed, she looked at him and pressed her head under his chin.
"Im alwed," (I'm happy) she spoke and Haldir could feel her racing heart beating like a hammer in the vein on her neck.
He could not believe what had just happened. The woman he had loved for so long returned his feelings without reservation. Why had he told himself that she might see her heritage as a hindrance? He put his arm across her back and buried his face in her hair. They stayed like that for a while, listening to each other's breathing while the wood in the fireplace crackled softly behind them. He felt his heart beating fast in his chest as he felt her warm breath brush against his skin and for a moment he hesitated as to how they should proceed. He was hurt and knew it limited him in his actions, yet his desire for her was greater. When she looked up at him, he met her gaze with awe. There was wonder and admiration for each other in their eyes and gently Haldir stroked his fingers through her hair that was so different in colour to his. It was as if time stood still for a moment, but then he captured her mouth in another kiss. It burned with desire and intoxicated, Amarië's lips parted under the onslaught. Haldir pulled her to him with all the strength he could muster without increasing his pain and stroked his tongue passionately against hers. A soft, needy sound escaped Amarië that sounded almost sinful, causing Haldir to kiss her even more. Uncertainty that this might only be a dream crept into his heart and the accompanying desperation that he might only be able to claim her now made his action frantic.
"Haldir," Amarië whispered softly as she broke the kiss. "It's all right." Gently she brushed her fingers over his mouth and then into his hair. "I'm not going anywhere. You need to rest and get better, though."
He gasped softly and nodded. For a moment he felt foolish and reckless, but a look into her eyes reflected only understanding and love for him.
"I've been waiting for you for so long," he said, slightly distressed. "It's like a dream that you're here."
Amarië smiled warmly at his words and sat up. Immediately Haldir missed her nearness and clasped her hand.
"I will stay here all night," she promised, lifting his hand to her lips to place a kiss on it. "Rest now."
Haldir looked at her longingly, as if he wanted to pull her down to him again, but then he relaxed and closed his eyes. He knew she was right. He needed rest so his body could recover and heal, and when he was better, he would have the strength to hold her longer and show her how much she meant to him.
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Tags:
@lathalea @glassgulls
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runwayrunway · 9 months
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No. 25 - BWIA
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@international-nerd asked me to discuss BWIA! I was very excited about this request when I first read it, and now I'm very excited while I write this. BWIA's 2000s livery, which is what I'll be focusing on here, is one that definitely stood out on the tarmac.
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It's rare that I can emphatically say this about an airline livery, but it's sort of in a category of its own. If more carriers approached livery design like BWIA, I probably wouldn't have been frustrated enough with the state of things to make this blog in the first place, because their livery is the polar opposite of the timid, corporate, and generic design we expect from airlines.
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I like this picture a lot because it looks like she's saying hello to you. Like a cat approaching to sniff your hand.
First taking to the air in 1940 under the name British West Indian Airways, BWIA was also known at various points as BWIA West Indies Airways, BWIA International Airways, or 'Bee-Wee'. Its website was bwee.com. I have begun saying 'bweeeeee......' to myself under my breath now whenever I'm alone.
BWIA was founded as a private company, then became a BOAC subsidiary, and then was rapidly acquired by the government of Trinidad and Tobago. From 1961 until its ultimate demise in 2006, BWIA was the flag carrier of Trinidad and Tobago and became the largest carrier in the Caribbean, serving destinations in North America, South America, the Caribbean, and Europe.
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Back in the day they had this...boring standard thing, but by the 80s they expanded their horizons to the other half of the color wheel, picking up a recognizable teal-and-bright-yellow color scheme. Its various jets continued to wear this livery until around 2000.
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Sure, one image could have sufficed, but I'm far too weak to resist the allure of putting a really cobby-looking plane next to a comically long-looking plane.
The yellow and teal was a step in the right direction, but in 2000 BWIA decided it was time to unleash their true power on airports across the world. And the result is the subject of this post.
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Now there's a livery worth talking about.
Seeing images of this livery makes me feel temporally strange. This is an airline which I technically overlapped with, in the sense that I was alive while BWIA existed, but I'm just inherently too young to remember that. There's definitely a chance I saw one of these striking planes in person and just don't remember it because I was five or so years old, and that's a very strange thought. I wish I had managed to see one, and had held onto the memory somehow, because I love these planes.
Do I miss the hot pink lettering from the previous livery? Yes, a little bit. I won't deny that. But if I hadn't known it was there I wouldn't have had that thought, so I don't think that's anything to hold against them.
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I think BWIA is a really good place to pick up after this week's first post, Icelandair, where I discussed flag carriers' branding and the fact that it should reflect the country it represents. Trinidad and Tobago's contributions to music are gigantic. It's the birthplace of calypso, though calypso is far from the only genre and far from the only tradition which originated there.
BWIA's logo is a stylized steelpan, a musical instrument invented in Trinidad and Tobago which I could talk about on its own for quite some time if I weren't insisting to myself that this post has to be about airplanes and not music, but it's a choice of logo that makes it immediately clear that this is an airline which represents a group of people rather than just a flag. If the culmination of a flag carrier's mission is to make a case for why it's flying to a place you should visit, this is an incredibly effective way to do that. Trinidad and Tobago is a place where music is born. It's not just islands with beaches, it's islands with people and if you go there you will have experiences you could never have anywhere else.
In terms of flag carrier logos, it's up there among my favorites. The older 2D version is a little harder to immediately identify as a steelpan but the 2000-onward 3D version is very clean and very uniquely BWIA's. It adds more detail but it never becomes cluttered. The steelpan shape and the teal-and-yellow colors are both distinctive on their own, and combined they make planes that are impossible to mistake for any other airline.
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The steelpan logo is prominent both on the tail and wrapped around the bottom of the fuselage, starting about midway down the ventral fairing and ending just below the nose. I really admire BWIA's choice to go with white-on-blue rather than the blue-on-white any other airline would have chosen. It instantly elevates the livery from doing something interesting with the placement of its shapes to doing that and also stubbornly refusing to even approach Eurowhite.
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The use of white where it is used is very nicely executed, though. It allows the overall design to maintain a lightness by avoiding black outlines, while preventing the sort of overt eyestrain that comes from putting yellow directly on this sort of light teal. Instead, it elegantly uses the yellow as an accent on the back half of the fuselage. It's difficult for me to even articulate why this works so well, but it just does. The colors look harmonious together despite never mixing, and it's not the sort of place a secondary color would normally be isolated, which I think might be why it's so brilliant. It's a really nice accent to the rest of the plane, preventing the flatness which could result from a livery made entirely of a light color and plain white, while not impinging on the steelpan logo. It draws the eye and then takes a step back to let it experience the rest of the plane, and when you take a step back and appreciate the livery as a single unit it prevents any of that detail from being lost in a blue-and-white blur.
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As with many liveries, I think BWIA's looks its best on a TriStar. That might be because the larger empennage lets you see more of the steelpan logo, but there's something so nice about the way the yellow peeks out from under the wing that reminds me of birds with bright yellow underbellies.
I think the main thing that sticks with me after looking at BWIA planes from every angle I can find images for is that this livery exemplifies a style of design that is the exact opposite of what makes most liveries so disappointing. This feels like a livery designed by someone who had never seen another airline livery before, who was sat down with some pencils, a color scheme, a logo, and an identity, and told to find a way to reflect it in the shape of the airplane. In so many of my other posts I compare liveries to each other, with the worst cases merging into uninspiring slop of aughts Delta clones and late 2010s Lufthansa clones and so forth. BWIA just didn't participate in any of that. This livery is hard to put words to because it's nearly impossible to compare to any other livery - in a good way. Most airlines' special occasion liveries don't have a fraction of this excitement.
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This might sound a little lofty, and I don't mean to say that BWIA is what airlines should strive to directly emulate (in fact, by doing so they would sort of be doing the opposite of what BWIA did when they released this into a world full of Air France and United), but BWIA here has done what general relativity did to physics. Not so much a different equation, but a different state of mind. Taking what has always been treated as numbers and saying that it makes a lot more sense to think of it as fabric. And what I ultimately think is the most important outcome of these choices is that I can imagine any number of people watching other planes on the tarmac, bored out of their minds, snap out of their stupor to get a closer look when they see a BWIA plane roll by.
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We unfortunately lost BWIA in 2006. It was for regular boring financial reasons, a similar situation to the more recent death of Alitalia where the government simply can't keep pumping money into something which has never turned a profit and has to start over with a new airline. I'm not going to talk about its successor, Caribbean Airlines, except to say that obviously I think it's a gigantic downgrade. Frankly, I could really like Caribbean Airlines and it wouldn't matter. If an impeccably designed livery is equivalent to someone who can answer any question you have about the body of physics scholarship, BWIA is equivalent to the sort of theorist who gets fundamental laws named for them.
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A+, and goodnight.
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jmdbjk · 1 year
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Don't get me wrong but I'm genuinely confused why Jimin is mot doing any activities like other members. All the members are preparing for solo album and doing other works. But Jimin is only working on his album and nothing else. If we look their solo activities since announcement.
JK - he doesn't do many activities but things he does is pretty large scale. L&R MV + making + recording. Most charted somg by k soloist on BB. Performed on fifa stage - first Korean to perform on a WC, #2 debut and many locals fell for him lol.
RM - attended a museum activity, sexy nukim, WKorea with hobi, performed with balking tiger, podcast + interview, Pharrell interview + photoshoot, now host for a show.
Hobi - listening party something no members did ever lol, Lola + BTB + interviews, radio talk shows, crush collab, IU's pallet, crush interview, Zico interview.
Jin - Multiple movie premiers, Chef baek episodes, yesterday's liquor show, running man, CP concert performance, Youngji interview, interview with an old man idk his name, GQ top 10 things
Tae - ITS with wooga squad, movie premieres, Celine event, Vogue shoot, Paris schedule 2, dj radio show.
Suga - That That+ performance with Psy+ BTB, NCB event, dropping dropdead pics of insta which is definitely some photoshoots for a collab going behind scenes lol.
* Didn't included ost of vocal line because it was while they were performing and active as a group and didn't had any behind scenes.
Jimin - literally nothing and I wonder why. Is he not intereste in other activities apart from performing ? And not comfortable on appearing for those event. He's working for his album with various producers but that's it and rest members are doing the same, we saw how many collabs RM has on Indigo. Apart from all of these he's not active on sm too. Not even posting a single pic or message. I just miss him so much and not even getting to see him even as part of work.
Hello Confused Anon...
I can see why you are “genuinely” confused Anon. You seem to have Jimin mixed up with some other person you think is Jimin...
Especially since you proceeded to compare him to every other member in the group as if lauding their accomplishments like it’s some sort of competition between the members... what’s the point of that? why does your mind even go there?
You sort of answered yourself right away in your third sentence:
"But Jimin is only working on his album and nothing else."
But in case you really are “genuinely” confused... I wonder how you got so mixed up about who Jimin is? Maybe you do not pay enough attention to Jimin... here let me help you figure it out:
Jimin has said repeatedly that he is working hard on his album. Over the last five or six months we’ve seen the pictures from so many award-winning producers and musicians who are excited to share that they are working with Jimin.
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I am assuming Jimin’s involvement is very time consuming and leaves very little time to travel across the globe to see fashion shows and such. He is probably feeling a little time crunch with that thing called military service looming and we know Jimin is a perfectionist... well, the rest of us do but you probably are not aware Anon because you were confusing Jimin with someone else.... anyway... Jimin being the perfectionist is cooking up some great music for us and is laser focused and has chosen not to do any one-off collabs. Any collaborations he’s done he is keeping under wraps until he is ready to release his album. Why hold that against him?
I understand you "miss" him but he’s not been totally absent... he’s had some time to get out and about...
During June/July/August 2022:
Jimin went to watch a few soccer matches with Hobi and with Sung Woon. He also went to see his friend Sung Woon’s performance in a stage musical one evening.
One thing Jimin is not: an attention seeker. Crowds are not his thing. He tried to keep it lowkey but alas, people can’t help themselves and take pics and post them on social media. People have no chill when it comes to that. Red carpets are work for him. He obviously chooses not to do them. No red carpets mean no premiers.
Jimin made a side-trip to Chicago for Lollapalooza to support his Hobi-hyung. While there he also took in other Lolla acts including TXT. Maybe you missed that too. He's living the life, Anon. 
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On to Los Angeles for his work and while there he hung out with Benny Blanco amongst others. Perhaps they even worked together again? We’ll find out eventually!
He also went to the beach at sunset again while in L.A. Jimin loves him some U.S. west coast beach at sunset (I wonder why).
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On September 1 Jimin was with Jungkook on JK’s birthday. Remember JK's little smirk and giggle on HIS WeLive when Jin asked him if Jimin visited him that day and JK said yes, he did. They probably reminisced about that west coast beach sunset...I KNOW you couldn’t have missed the pic Jimin posted... but maybe you did.
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Then Jimin did a few WeLives for us, I think three of them, spread out between then and his birthday on Oct. 13. So he's made himself visible when he's in the right frame of mind.
One thing that has become obvious... Jimin requires structure in his life. He flat out said going to work every day was something he needs to do... “it feels like clocking out, not clocking in” when he gets to work. It lines up with his near obsession about his workout regimen. During the pandemic he tearfully told us he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be doing all that time. The man needs a schedule to function.
Another thing that’s quite obvious. Jimin is not gonna share anything he doesn’t want to. Except that he loves to eat but is constantly trying to maintain his weight/physique. And also he just lays around the house. Oh and also there are five moon tattoos running down his back now... see’em when you can he says... that boy... 
Yes, he’s an idol and he’s stated he is not a solo artist, he is part of a group. So this period is a real growing time for Jimin. Out of all the members, I believe Jimin will show us some things that even HE had no idea he could do. I am waiting patiently for him to be ready to show us. 
So I hope that made things less confusing for you, Anon. Any “outside” work that has nothing to do with is album is probably non-existent because that is what Jimin has chosen for himself. If you are still “genuinely” confused about that then I will just chalk it up to you choosing to be a “genuine” douchebag of a person and I hope you eventually grow out of that mindset. 
But hopefully you meant to be nice.
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poledancingdinos · 1 year
Text
Thought You Should Know
A story barely featuring Captain Syverson
Word Count: 1074
Warnings: Non-con groping, sexual harassment, language, implied panic attack, generalized angst
A/N: I apparently accidentally deleted the original post so I guess I have to make a new one.
Masterlist
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I was angry, there was no doubt about it. My friend had been the one to suggest we get drinks on Friday night to celebrate my recent promotion and yet she texted me 15 minutes after the time we were supposed to meet to tell me she had been held up and couldn't make it. So there I was, sitting alone in a booth at the back of the bar, watching as group after group of people came in to laugh and drink.
Leaving my leather jacket on the table to mark my spot, I walked to the bar to place my order. The waitresses already seemed to be getting overwhelmed with the other tables they were serving so I figured I would save them the trouble and go straight to the barman.
I stood with my arms leaning against the counter as I waited for one of the two bartenders to take my order. The first was busy making shots of something that looked ridiculously sweet and treacherously strong while the other punched a waitress’s order into the computer.
I'd been waiting for about a minute when a dark-haired man came to stand behind me to my left. I felt his presence before I saw him when he shamelessly brushed his hips against mine. Already worked up from being ditched at the last minute, I straightened my back and looked over my shoulder.
"Yeah, hi. You're in my space and I'd really appreciate it if you could back up."
"Aw, come on doll, don't be like that. I was just appreciating the view."
As he spoke, he put his hand on my butt, going so far as to give it a little squeeze.
Wrong move buddy.
I spun around, grabbing the hand on my ass with my right hand and pushing into his elbow with my left until his arm was twisting at the shoulder and his cheek and chest smacked flat against the bar surface with an audible thud.
"Ow, you bitch!"
"No, I'm not a bitch for telling you to respect my boundaries but you are most definitely a dick for calling me 'doll' and grabbing my ass."
As soon as the words left my mouth, I became incredibly aware of the way the entire room had gone silent. Not a single person dared to move.
"All right, pal, it's time for you to go."
A heavyset man — who I recognized as the bouncer who checked my ID when I walked in — grabbed the brunette by his shirt collar and dragged him outside. Shortly after, a group of three sheepish-looking guys followed them out, never looking in my direction as they did.
I glanced around the bar, seeing everyone else's eyes on me, and quickly escaped back to my booth. I sat as close to the wall as I could, my back facing the room, and crouched down so my head couldn't be seen over the edge of the seat. I wrapped my arms around myself, holding onto my arms in a desperate attempt to keep my hands from shaking.
"Excuse me? Are ya all right?"
I looked up to see an imposing bearded man leaning against the divider on the opposite side of the booth. I was tempted to tell him to fuck off and go play hero somewhere else but something in his features urged me to keep my mouth shut. His hypnotically gorgeous blue eyes looked… genuinely concerned, his brows tightly nit together.
"I'm fine," I lied.
His face twisted, recognizing it wasn’t true, but he knew it wasn’t his place to call me out on my lie. He put his hands in his pockets, slouching lightly like he was trying to make himself less threatening.
"Are ya meetin' someone?" he asked instead, looking around to the front door.
"I was supposed to…" I paused, unsure if I should tell him the truth.
"But now yer thinkin' of just goin' home?" he guessed.
"Actually, they cancelled on me about five minutes ago. I was planning on getting a drink anyway since I was already here but… yeah."
At that point, the thought of getting up to do anything but walk out the door was absolutely terrifying, but I really did need that drink now.
"Would ya let me get it for ya?"
"You don't have to do that."
"I know, I'm offerin'," he shrugged. "It's up to you." And it really was. The man had made no indication of wanting anything in return.
"That would be really nice," I said, giving him a half smile.
"What's yer poison?"
"Rhum and coke? I'm not really picky about what kind."
"All right then," he nodded, walking away like a man on a mission.
It took all of sixty seconds for him to be back by my side, setting my highball glass down on the table. He had gotten a bottle of beer for himself which he half finished on his first sip. I pulled some cash from my jeans’ front pocket, but the stranger shook his head as soon as he saw it.
"No need —"
"Do I seriously look like I'm in the mood to fight you over who pays for my drink?" I cut him off before he could finish.
He smirked at me, taking another sip of beer.
"I was gonna say: there's no need 'cause the bartender gave it to me on the house. Said you puttin' that asshole in his place made his night."
"Oh," I almost felt bad for snapping at him. Almost.
"What you did… it was really badass. Thought you should know."
With a resigned nod, he left me alone. I wrapped my still unsteady hand around the cool glass and took a greedy sip of my drink. The sugary soda instantly helped soothe the dizziness I had been feeling since my adrenaline dropped and by the end of the last drop, my heart had slowed back to a normal pace.
I had walked to the bar from work, planning for the eventuality that I would be too drunk to drive home but one drink wasn't enough to make me more than lightly tipsy. I grabbed my jacket, shrugging it on, and clutched my car keys in my hand so the metal poked out near my pinky. I closed my eyes, counting to three, and with a deep breath, I stood, making a beeline for the door, not looking back at anyone as I did.
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unknownchaos · 4 months
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[flies towards your current location at high speed. Tries to open your door instead of breaking it, falis miserably, trembles, and falls directly on your bed] ... So you have seen the show!! That's amazing!! Please let's rant about it and reblog posts so chat can get convinced to watch it. Also, let me hug you <3
Accepting your hug with open arms <3 also, I love the show!!! So much!!! I'm taking your "please let's rant about it" as an invitation to do so, so here's the spoiler warning for Invincible under the cut for anyone else reading this :) (Also, warning for incoherent rambling. I got a little excited)
Where do I even start? The show is incredible, and the characters are incredible, and the animation is incredible; can you tell I like the show? When my friend first recommended Invincible to me (well, it was less recommending and more telling me to watch it) I did not have high expectations. Then Omni-man turned the Guardians of the Globe into red mist?? I was sold on the show right then and there.
Right before I even got to episode 5 with Battle Beast, a friend of mine who read the comics long before he watched the show likened Battle Beast's appearance in the first season to putting Thanos up against Pre-Serum Steve Rogers in a fight. I only realized how right he was when Battle Beast absolutely massacred everybody easily.
Dude, all of episode five was just phenomenal. I mean, if it weren't for episodes 7-8, it would definitely be my favorite. Everyone was just so cool, the action sequences where just so sick. I actually paused the show when Mark went super saiyan-- everything about that scene was so insane to me.
And then the fight scenes between Omni-Man and Invincible???? Jesus, dude. For a bit of context, I had only ever known of Omni-man from Mortal Kombat and a couple of out-of-context clips that made me think he was just some Deadpool-esque superhero. I don't know if you know about his Mortal Kombat fatalities, but in one of them Omni-man grabs his opponent and does the whole "holds them up to an oncoming train" scene he does to Mark in the show. At the time, I thought it was just a cool fatality, but then he did it to Mark in the show and I lost it.
Is this where I talk about my favorite characters? I'm gonna talk about my favorite characters now. Robot/Rudy is my #1, hands down. I saw him and it was adoration at first sight. What can I say, I love robot characters. While I do understand his whole "becoming-human" arc, I have to say that I am partial to his Robot version over his Rudy version. (If that makes any sense)
I don't know how controversial this is, but Omni-man's right up there at #2. Hang on, before you block me, I just think he's a really interesting character. The tears when he flew away from Mark? The fact that he let Mark live? All the fucked up shit he's done on top of that? There's just- something about him that's so interesting to me. I want to study him under a microscope.
Allen is #3. Like with Robot, it was love at first sight. He's just so cool and a good person all around, and I KNEW they would kill him off the SECOND his "Allen the Alien" title card showed up. I was watching the show with Red and I called it out loud and she said "they wouldn't kill him off, right? They wouldn't do that." and then he died in front of us. I was devastated.
Then it comes to Amber and Eve who I love very much and they are both very dear to me. If anything bad happens to either of them ever I will need 3-4 business days to recover. [Obligatory comment about how hot they are here. Anthony obligatory comment about how Eve with the buzz cut is an underrated look.]
I could go on forever about this show, but for both of our sakes, I'll conclude this post here :) feel free to give me your thoughts as well :)))
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seconds-not-decades · 2 years
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Time and Chase
Pairing: Five Hargreeves x Fem! OC
Author's Note: Hello and welcome. This is a major throwback but we are kicking off my TUA series of fics all the way from season one so that this story actually makes sense. Or about as much sense as it can be. I will be posting daily. *Please note that I am well aware that Elliot Page portrays Viktor, but due to season one being before his transition, that is why his character is still Vanya. I am not deadnaming him and I sincerely hope I don't come across as such. I will transition when I write season three.*
Warnings: mentions of assault (if you squint hard enough), kidnapping (if you squint hard enough), abuse, cursing, and violence.
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The Day That Wasn't
~ * ~
On the first day of October, 1989, forty-three women around the world simultaneously gave birth. None of the women showed any prior signs of pregnancy. Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and playboy adventurer, made it his personal mission to find and adopt as many of these children as possible.
He got seven of them.
~ * ~
WEDNESDAY, 8:15 am
The sound of a knock sent Klaus out of his flashback and into the bathroom he locked himself away in. He flushed the toilet and rubbed his face tiredly.
"Busy," he sniffed and sighed.
Luther opened the door. "Oh, good. You're up. We need to talk. You, me, and the others. So meet me in the living room. Like, now-ish," he instructed.
"Yeah, that sounds like a real rager, but my schedule's already chock-full."
"Yeah, no time for that. The world's ending in three days."
That got Klaus to move. Soon, the siblings and Karina, minus Five and Vanya, were all present downstairs.
"Three days?" Allison handed coffees to everyone.
"That's what Five and Karina said," Luther nodded.
"The old bastard did mention the apocalypse, come to think of it. He just left out the part about how soon," Klaus sat down on the floor.
"But can we trust him?" Allison stood next to Luther. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Five's a little…" She made a small twirl of her finger and whistled. "And no offense to Karina, but, we barely know her."
Klaus chuckled. "Our little Bonnie and Clyde."
"Yes, but at the same time we're not wrong about it," Karina was lounging on the couch, aggravated that she was even called to this meeting when she felt like she could be of no help.
"They were pretty convincing. If they weren't trying to stop an apocalypse, those lunatics wouldn't be chasing him," Luther continued.
Diego eyed him. "That's why they were after him?"
"Yeah."
"What did Five and Karina even see?" Allison wanted to know.
"Uh…apparently, we all fought together against whoever was responsible," Luther responded rather vaguely.
Everyone stared at him and Karina wanted to object. She was about to open her mouth in protest when Luther clicked his tongue and subtly shot her a look.
"Okay. So, here's the plan," he stood up and walked away. "Uh, we go through Dad's research-"
Allison watched him in disbelief. "Wait, what?"
"Hold on, hold on," Diego added.
"Wait a tick, wait a tick, wait a tick," Klaus followed.
"Oh no. No you don't. You are not going to hide what we saw," Karina argued sharply.
"What actually happened the first time around?" Klaus questioned.
"Yeah. What are you not tellin' us?" Diego looked at Luther.
"Come on, big boy, spit it out!" Karina challenged him.
Luther sighed. "We died," he mumbled and took a sip of his coffee.
"What was that?" Allison eyed him.
He cleared his throat. "I said, uh, we died."
Diego, Allison, and Klaus stared at him in horror. A nearby umbrella fell off the hook, making Klaus scream.
There was a whole ruckus of indistinct chatter now. Karina was watching the siblings discuss, wishing she didn't have to be dragged into this family meeting. Sure, she knew of the apocalypse. But it was Five that should be here. He was way more invested in figuring out the logistics.
"No, we need to figure this out," Diego said.
"Is it just us? It's everybody. In the house? The whole planet? No, outside the house. Everyone died," their voices all blended together.
Unknowing to them, Vanya came into the room with her boyfriend, Leonard Peabody.
"Hey," she spoke up, causing everyone to look over at her. "What's going on?"
"It's a family matter," Allison slowly responded.
Vanya looked hurt. "A family matter. So you invite the sister-in-law, but couldn't bother to include me."
"She has a point," Karina spoke up.
"No, it's not like that. We were-" Luther tried to explain.
"Please. Don't let me interrupt," Vanya turned to leave.
Allison got up. "Vanya! Wait." She raced over to her. "I'll fill you in later when we're alone."
"Please, please, don't bother. And I won't either," Vanya remarked as Leonard joined her side.
"Vanya, that's not fair," Allison commented.
"Fair?" Vanya repeated incredulously. "There's nothing fair about being your sister. I have been left out of everything for as long as I can remember. And I used to think it was Dad's fault, but he's dead. So it turns out you're the assholes," she looked at her family in anger before leaving the room.
"Ouch," Klaus said when she was gone.
"I'm gonna go find Vanya and explain," Allison was distraught now as she was about to go after her.
"No, wait, there isn't time. We need to figure out what causes the apocalypse," Luther stopped her. "Now, there are loads of possibilities. Nuclear war, asteroids. But I'm thinking this is about the moon. Right? Dad must have sent me up there for a reason. And I was giving him daily updates on the conditions, I sent field samples. The first thing we need to do is find his research."
"Hold on. Hold the phone. We all died fighting this thing the first time around. Remember?" Klaus pointed out.
"Klaus, shockingly, has a point," Diego agreed. "What gives us a win this time?"
"Five and Karina," Luther responded like it was the most obvious thing in the universe.
Klaus held back a gag, leaving the bar to sit down on the couch as Diego, Allison, and Karina eyed Luther.
"Last time, we didn't have them. We weren't all together. This time, we'll have the full force of the Umbrella Academy. That's what we need," Luther continued.
"So, where's Five now?" Allison questioned.
"Well, he had a plan to change the timeline. He'll be back soon," Karina rolled her eyes.
"I'm going after Hazel and Cha-Cha," Diego announced.
"What, right now?" Luther frowned, watching him walk off.
"Hell, yeah. Three days and I'm losing light by the minute."
"Wait, Diego. Look, I know you wanna avenge your friend, but we got a bigger problem here," Luther scoffed.
"She wasn't just some friend, Luther," Diego loudly cut him off. "If I'm gonna die, I need to know I killed those bastards first."
"You don't look so hot," Ben said to Klaus worriedly.
"What makes you say that? I feel great," Klaus returned while Diego was ranting, "It's not about Dad. It's not about me. The longer I wait, Hazel-"
"You don't have to do this alone. I know how important this is to you," Ben assured him.
Karina was looking around at the family arguing and having their own issues. She wanted to either scream at them to shut up or have Five to drop out of the sky and help her to escape the dysfunctional chaos he called his family.
"Stop making it about you," Diego shot before stalking out.
Karina sighed and sadly gazed at Klaus, who was staring into the abyss and also walking away.
"Klaus? Klaus? Klaus!" Luther called after him.
"Yeah!" Klaus snapped awake. "Sorry."
"So, what? You're giving up on the world, too?" Luther was incredulous.
"Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. Mhm."
"So that's it. You're cool with us all dying in three days?"
Klaus sighed and groaned, heading out before his brother could stop him.
"I can't believe it. It's just us," Luther said to Allison and Karina, but Allison turned around with a reluctant look of resignation. "Oh, please, not you, too."
"I have to book a flight back to LA. If this happens I have to be with my daughter, custody be damned. And you said it yourself…we need the full force of the Academy to even stand a chance," Allison gazed up at him. "I'm sorry, Luther." She left the two.
Luther looked at Karina. "Let me guess. You're giving up, too? Even though you were stuck there for so long?"
"Luther, you realize you're talking to the wrong spouse, right? I can't do anything; I have no powers. I don't even think I have the right answers. I helped Five, yes, but he was the main mastermind behind this. I'm sorry, but I'm as helpless as any other right now," Karina sighed sadly. "It's just up to Five now and it all depends on when he comes home."
She left the main room, heading up to Five's room. She paused halfway in her tracks though. Three days. There were three days left before the world went up in flames. What did she have to lose?
That was when an idea formed in her head.
~ * ~
Karina looked up at the bookstore. She had no idea what possessed her to think it was a good idea to try to reconnect with her mother, but, after being separated from her for so long and having the last memory of her as nothing more than a dead body, Karina felt like she needed a refresher.
Inside she could see her mother behind the counter, busily checking out customers and helping others. Running a small business was no easy feat, especially since half the time it was only her, Karina, and maybe one or two other people.
Karina felt tears rush to her eyes. Her mother was the strongest woman she'd ever known and she wished she had half the courage she had. Whenever Karina felt brave enough to step out of line, it backfired on her. So she was left wondering if bravery and courage were even worth having.
When she was five, she tried to be brave. She only remembered ice packs and frequent doctor visits.
When she was thirteen, she tried to be brave. She signed five miserable years of her life away to work for her kidnapper.
When she was eighteen, she tried to be brave. She landed herself in a wasteland with no escape for over forty years.
When she was forty-five, she tried to be brave. She was brutally attacked and could only remember her raw voice and the scent of alcohol.
Karina blinked, focusing back on the present. She shook the awful memories off. The screaming, the sobbing, and the pleading eventually faded out of her plagued mind.
"What am I doing here? This isn't a good idea," Karina took a small step back. She fiddled with her ring.
She suddenly wished she had the confidence of Five. Her husband was the most confident man she'd ever known. But he was kind to her. Kind and caring and despite that he could often get caught up in his own personal whims, he was so utterly, deeply loyal to her in the end. He was the sort of man she desperately wished her mother had. Not had.
Deserved.
Karina knew only good things came to her in small, brief portions. Freedom was one such thing. Family was another. She wondered if reuniting with her mother was even worth it. She was going to die in three days anyways. What was the point?
Karina sighed. There was no way she could do this. Not alone, anyways. She wished Five were here. Her mother would adore him, no doubt.
She watched her mother work. She was smiling, keeping busy, and she looked so carefree. She looked happy. How could Karina ruin it by showing up unannounced, only to have to disappear again?
Karina felt tears well up in her eyes. She loved her mother. But she wasn't brave, courageous, and confident enough to do this to her or herself.
"Voglio bene alla tua, mamma," Karina whispered in Italian.
With that, she blew a kiss and began to walk off. Unknowing to her, her mother caught a glimpse of her from the counter and stopped what she was doing, about to run out and see if that was really her daughter.
However, time began to tick and reverse itself, taking away Karina's chance to reunite with her mother after all.
~ * ~
WEDNESDAY, 8:15 am (…again)
Luther, Allison, Diego, Klaus, and Karina were in the main room at the Academy.
"Hold on. Hold the phone. We all died fighting this thing the first time around. Remember?" Klaus pointed out.
"Klaus, shockingly, has a point," Diego agreed. "What gives us a win this time?"
Just then, electricity crackled in the air above the bar. In a flash of blue light, Five fell out and landed on the bar, clutching a suitcase. Diego jerked down in shock as Karina sprung to her feet.
"Je…Jesus!" Allison exclaimed, stumbling back.
"Five! Thank God!" Karina hurried over.
Klaus groaned. "You guys, am I still high, or do you see him, too?"
"Five, where have you been?" Luther wanted to know.
"Are you all right?" Allison came over to his side as he tumbled down off the bar.
"Who did this?" Luther questioned, steadying him to his feet.
Five groaned, wearily smiling at Karina. "Hi. Told you I'd be back." He sloppily kissed her forehead and then grabbed her cup of coffee. "Irrelevant," Five told Luther, beginning to slurp the coffee down.
Everyone watched him in confusion and concern. He sighed and turned around to face his siblings. "So, the apocalypse is in three days. The only chance we have to save our world is, well, us."
"The Umbrella Academy," Luther whispered.
"Yeah, but with me and Rina, obviously. So if y'all don't get your sideshow acts together and get over yourselves, we're screwed," Five scolded. "Who cares if Dad messed us up? Are we gonna let that define us? No. And to give us a fighting chance to see next week, I've come back with a lead." He held up a piece of paper. "I know who's responsible for the apocalypse." He smirked at Karina in triumph. Allison wordlessly held her hand out and he gave her the piece of paper. "This is who we have to stop."
Allison unfolded the paper. "Harold Jenkins?"
"Who the hell is Harold Jenkins?" Diego questioned.
Five downed some more coffee as his family looked at him expectantly.
~ * ~
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fellvespers · 1 year
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five times shared: ( five times the receiver shared something (either a material or feelings or secrets!) with the sender )
one. when mia found out about floribeth's sweet tooth, she thought it might be a great way to bridge the gap, so to speak. she wasn't great at making friends, having been isolated away from other people her age for so long -- it made things difficult. she was always second-guessing herself. even now, when flori was nothing more than friendly to her. the day the dining hall served blueberry pie, mia saw her chance. not a fan of them herself, she took it and proudly made her way over to flori to sit down in front of her. a quick greeting, wide smile, and she slid the pie plate over.
two. she could have sworn that somewhere in her intro to lycanthropy notes, there was something about not getting sick as often as humans. what they failed to mention was the post-full moon lethargy that sunk into her bones and left her with a brain fog and slight aches in her joints. some days, she can get through it. today wasn't one of them. when flo came by to bring her notes from a shared class, mia made sure to swap out some of her own notes to make it even. "so i don't feel guilty." she'd said, with a crooked smile.
three. it was chilly outside, snow flurries coming and leaving a dusting of white over the ground. it was the first time that mia had seen snow that threatened to build up higher. the cold wasn't bothersome, though. she'd even gone so far as to shed it and hold it in her lap while she and flori sat outside. glancing over at the vampire, she handed off her jacket. "i know you're probably not cold, but here." a light blush colored her cheeks, feeling stupid, even as floribeth took it.
four. there were a lot of times where mia felt as if she were some sort of outsider in the salvatore school. sure, other students were missing their families. other students had killed to become what they are. but the holidays seemed to bring it up the most. some students were allowed to go home and see their parents, their siblings, their aunts and uncles, cousins - but mia didn't have the option or the opportunity. the four of them had been spending most of the day together while others packed their things to get ready to head out for the week, and mia could feel her bad mood tainting everything around her. when it was just her and floribeth, she felt the words explode out of her chest - unable to hold them back anymore.
"my parents are dead. i know it's like - not unusual for here or whatever." she shifted uncomfortably as if there was a spotlight on her. "but i just didn't know they were dead. like, i thought they'd left me." she licked her lips and rubbed her face, hating herself for just blurting it out, but unable to stop the words from spilling out of her. "turns out, they were killed by some group of people who hate supernatural creatures. they wandered too close. i found out, uh, trying to look up my pack. my family pack, i mean."
she wiped at her face again, this time trying to fight off the tears that were starting to build in her eyes. "my uncle just.. left, i think i mentioned that once. and i thought it was like my parents. turns out - he was part of that group. my mom's brother, and all. and that's.. how they found them. he, uh. felt guilty. and just.." she shook her head and curled in on herself.
five. from across the room, mia could see faith sitting at a table, her head buried in a book. before she'd sat down, she'd looked over at mia and gave her a little wave with a soft smile. mia's heart felt like it was going to burst in her chest. she knew she'd stared a little longer than she'd meant to. such was always the case when it came to faith, if she were to be honest with herself. she would trace the lines of their features with her eyes, longing to do it with her fingertips. more often than not, she'd stare at her lips - wondering what it might feel like to feel them pressing against her skin.
her cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of pink, traveling down to her neck and up to her ears. groaning, she had plopped her head down onto her arms, making flori jump.
"sorry." she murmured. "it's nothing."
like usual. only this time floribeth wasn't having it. they always teased her about the way she looked at faith, both loren and flo both. but usually it was good-natured, taken in stride. when the two of them left the library, mia couldn't stand it anymore. much like usual, she could feel the words shifting and turning and bouncing back and forth in her mind until it was so large and unbearable that she had to say it.
"i think i'm into faith." the look on flori's face was unsurprised. almost a 'no shit, sherlock' expression, which made mia sink down lower into herself as they walked. "i just don't think she's into me, okay? i know i'm obvious or whatever. but if it's so obvious, why haven't they said something, you know? like - i gotta assume it's not gonna happen." her voice was even more dejected than the words sounded in her head.
"and if i ask her out, she says no - it fucks all of us up. the friend group dies. or worse - what if they say yes? what if it's going great and we have a horrible break up and my heart gets stomped on or theirs does and then you and loren have to choose sides or its awkward." it's unfounded. mia knows that would never happen, but its a fear and fears are irrational. "i.. just.. really like her, okay? and i wanna keep it to myself for a while. i'm okay with having her like this, as a friend."
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kerra-and-company · 1 year
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@just-eyris-things​ Okay, we’re trying this again asl;kdjfasdf--the original ask posted before I was done with it, and then I couldn’t edit the post properly. So! Round 2!
Thanks so much for the ask!! :D <3 <3 This is from a bit ago now, but I am choosing to cash in my free ask :) You get some assorted songs that correspond with characters, with brief explanations, because I feel like talking about that for a bit. Hope you enjoy!!
This one is for Kerra and her Wyld Hunt, but also her and herself/her trauma in some ways. To pick out a couple key bits, this first verse is Baby!Kerra:
The first day that we met I saw you out of the corner Of my eye, I was 5 You're still the thumb that I'm under
This bit is LWS1 Kerra:
On the wall I was 10, you were more than a feeling By my side, unwanted The sun would see you come creeping Made of fear I was strong There's no shame to have you here Where you belong
And last but not least, this bit is Kerra at the end of HoT:
I see it's only me needing You back there behind me In my soul I feel like Maybe we'll be friends But you're holding me back Yeah, you're holding me back And I just want to run Dear shadow
This song is very Cal--to the point that when I heard it for the first time, I immediately put it on their playlist. First of all, the first line is "Create with me a work of art", which is perfect for them. Second, there's a couple more bits that I'll highlight.
This gives me vibes for how they felt leaving Ascalon and heading to Kryta over two years after the Searing:
Sitting here stuck in my head while the sun is just rising Come on, it's late, and we know we're the lone survivors
This bit just is...kinda how they are as a leader, and (in the first couple lines there) a bit how they are as a romantic partner to Daisy:
You're all that I've got, when it's dark, I have a light I finished the line, but my heart's on my own time Don't you wanna push, don't you wanna fight, don't you ever talk to your mind? You can make that come alive
And overall, it's just very them. "Let's see what we can do", indeed.
This one is Nabi, and though it's kinda bouncy, it's related (to me) to the fact that she chose to fight a lifelong battle against the Ministry of Purity and made a huge impact on the world by doing so, even if she couldn't stop them completely. Anyways, my point is that this is her:
You could give me hell You could give me death Right before I bend I will have revenge
Fire through my veins I will fan the flames Until my dying breath
'Cause I will never go down Any other way
I mentioned this one the other day, but this is a song for Brook and Casca--they're both the couple that's distanced from each other according to the lyrics and the couple meeting in the music video for the song. They find each other after years apart and thinking that the other is most certainly dead.
Nobody gets me like you do I'm not the same, not after you So many things that we've been through I'm not the same, not after All that's been said and done I don't even feel like I’m back at one Nobody gets me like you do I’m not the same, not after you
This song is the reason that Daisy's mother's name is Grace. She has a very close bond with her mother, who more-or-less raised her alone from the time Daisy was five.
Guess I got it from her, no I’m not sorry for it
Yeah I’m my mother’s daughter So glad I get the honor Yeah I’m my mother’s daughter Turns out I’m a little like Grace
This one goes out to all the Secondborn sylvari :)
See, I was born the second child With a spirit running wild, running free And they saw trouble in my eyes They were quick to recognize the devil in me See, I was born a restless child And I could hear the world outside calling me And heaven knows how hard I tried But the devil whispered lies I believed Can you hear it hanging on the wind? Can you feel it underneath your skin? You've got to go on, further than you've ever gone You've got to run far from all you've ever known
One of the songs that I think was originally intended to mean something slightly different, but it's on Nisha's playlist, because in the context of xem, it sounds like a Nisha-falling-in-love song. Letting down walls, being willing to get hurt, letting others in.
Maybe I'll crash into you Maybe we would open these wounds We're only alive if we bruise So I lay down this armor I will surrender tonight Before we both lose this fight Take my defenses All my defenses
I lay down this armor for you
I'll be your escape I'll be your safe place I'll be your shelter
Now, this song--this song I would make an animatic to if I could. It's very accurate to Casca's anger towards Weylon for his betrayal of their warband, as well as each of their individual struggles with forgiveness. Casca never intends to forgive him, so she doesn't take on the burden of forgiveness. Weylon struggles for years, after fully taking in how wrong his actions were, with forgiving himself. He's the one who needs to forgive here, not her. She's done.
They say the truth will set you free But it shackled me like chains
Some trust the law to guide them Some trust in the divine I am neither I have never been I have only been myself
Did you come for absolution? I have got none left to give You must find your own solution Find a reason to forgive You came looking for atonement You came looking where I live I can see right through your intent I have nothing to forgive
And because this is already long, one last song for you:
This one is for Cio and Ari! They're different but really similar at the same time, and honestly I think this song is a good encapsulation of that. So many of the back-and-forth bits could be either of them, but I've picked out the parts that seem the most like them:
You hurt I heal we cry But I'ma love you still You bail I dwell but we try So I'ma love you still
You're calm I rage enough But I'ma love you still You're scared I've shared too much But will you love me still
I'ma love you still I'ma love you through it all
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