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twilightpoison · 3 years

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It’s been brought up to me that a lot of my content is Isekai based. However I didn’t want this to be a Ieskai HC post. Instead let me tell you all about a stupid thing I came up with as a kid that I’ve been meaning to make into a fic for so long.:

What if the characters you play actually can feel your presence and/or can hear your commentary when playing?

Fair warning I never play Hyrule Warriors and Twilight Princess so let me know if I got things wrong.

Head canons under cut!

General head canons (These are all platonic headcanons btw.):

- Let’s say that the simple reason that you are here was to help the chain. Think of it like you’re the groups companion on this journey. Who better then someone that knows about each hyrule?

- The people who dealt with a lot of magic recognize you at first. The others need a bit of a push to connect the dots but everyone gets there.

- The connection wasn’t as strong at times during their original adventures, so its not like they could always hear you or sense you.

Time:

- You saw him and it was clear he has another sibling now.

- Time knew you where telling the true, that you followed both of his adventures however he wasn’t going to be fully open to you.

- Guess who isn’t scared of Time? You.

- Literally at one point you’ve pointed at Time and with a straight face says “thats a child”.

- This is also how the chain found out that Time actually fought the moon technically.

- “You fought Majora on the moon while it was falling. That’s not the same thing.”

- You meet Malon and it was an awkward first meeting since how do you explain this in the first place.

- Yet the two of you got along amazingly.

- When you and time are alone you instantly ask Time if he knew how she got the cow in his house. He kinda just… stares at you? Like you just met his wife and thats what your asking about?!

- The answer was that he wasn’t sure how she did that but the cow isn’t in his old house anymore. Since different timelines and all.

- It’s honestly weird for him to have someone remember both of his adventures in confidence.

- All be a little awkward hearing someone go, “oh yeah! Time had to do something similar.”

- Early on Time did go over boundaries since he really doesn’t like to talk about his adventures to much.

- So instead you both agree to be as cryptic as possible or at least there is an attempt on your part. Since your the only other person that can confirm or deny his claims.

- And no. You also don’t know his true age. But your guess is the closest.

Twilight:

- Since he is one of the Link’s that is drenched in magic, he recognizes your aura instantly.

- Chaotic sibling energy.

- If he is giving Wild or any of the other Link’s a hard time you are by his side calling Twilight out. Unless if the person in question did something truly idiotic then you let him go off.

- Speaking of, you call this man out as much as you possibly can. Like hell if you’re going to let the others think he isn’t a gremlin.

- He did try to stop you by covering your mouth but you licked his hand. So…. guess what he isn’t trying again unless it’s necessary.

- Somethings are kept a secret though. Since he did live through it and even if it was stupid he still could of gotten really hurt.

- You both play good cop, bad cop to the younger Links all the time.

- Twi is surprisingly very open with you about his adventure, to finally talk to someone about it with out having it sound crazy is nice.

- He also has some questions about you and your life. Since before this adventure started you just disappeared.

- The two of you honestly get along like two best friends who haven’t seen each other in years but still can banter like its the good old days.

- Knowing only small amounts about what they all been through it’s nice to know that you’re looking after the others as well.

- That feeling makes him really push himself to protect the family he has here and luckily you are here can smack him upside the head before lecturing him.

Warriors:

- heeeeey… you know what happen the last time he met someone that was suppose to be watching over the hero’s spirit?

- Yeah, so….War’s isn’t so keen on trusting you like some of these Heroes.

- You seem nice and not obsessively crazy. If anything what makes him decide to give you a chance. It’s seeing you get along with the other Heroes post battle or around the campfire when you think no one is watching.

- The moment that he recognizes you. You were cursing out some monsters and calling Dink every name under the sun. Which he actually remembers hearing your panicked voice briefly when fighting Cia.

- Anyway, you guys are a sass duo and even a trio when you get Leg involved.

- You steal his scarf sometimes with Time and Wind’s help

- He finds you and Wind wrapped inside of it leaning on time and his heart just- clenches, he has more siblings now!

- Then Warriors realizes he has another sibling… another sibling that will prank him…

- You two can be found discussing tactical strategies. Mostly him teaching you though since depending on the person not many people will know how to lead an army. Yet he is a good teacher and you catch on pretty quickly.

- Same with Twi, Warrior’s needs someone to pull him back sometimes it seems. Who better then to remind him then the person that already saw his lowest moment when his ego got the better of him?

- Seriously speaking. He wouldn’t come to you to talk. If anything he will try to avoid you if he wasn’t his best. In his head he has a reputation to uphold. Which will lead to a heart to heart. No sass. No banter. Just you and him sitting down to remind him that he is human.

- He needs a hug. Please give him a hug.

Sky:

- Sky actually didn’t recognize you at first!

- Yes he felt your presence and hear your voice in his adventure, but that was a while ago at this point. Also he isn’t as connected to magic as the others are.

- He does slowly befriend you despite everything.

- It wasn’t until you referred to a certain demon lord as a ‘B*tch A** Clown’ and a flood gate of memories open up for him. Memories of you cursing out Ghirahim, calling the imprisoned an ‘avocado with feet’ and so on.

- Nothing really changes between you two honestly, he just accepts it.

- If anything he becomes more open to you about everything, setting clear boundaries on what he doesn’t want to bring up. He will tell everyone about the curse eventually, but just hasn’t found a good opportunity too. Things like that.

- You do have to argue with Sky that the curse wasn’t his fault since you were also there when it was put on him, also the fact that he didn’t asked to be cursed in the first place.

- Most of the time you two are together its to get away from the chaos that the group of nine heroes could bring.

- Walking or sitting in silence is how you two end up most of the time together. It may not look like you two are bonding. There are some days while Sky is wood carving you would work on your small hobby as well. Then there are days he plays the harp and your reading.

- Despite it all he really enjoys the peace you bring. There is a sense of comfort that you have.

- When you and Sun finally meet. The first thing you ask him is to be invited to the wedding and it may or may not been in front of her too…

Wild:

- The recognition was really slow for him like Sky. Since Wild just got off of his first adventure he didn’t actually notice you were gone.

- It was until he realized that he couldn’t hear your panicked voice or snarky remarks when fighting in his head. That he finally realized you where outside of his head. He was quick to connects the dots after that.

- There was a moment where he didn’t know how to react since he just figured that you were just from his imagination.

- He now has another adventuring buddy with Hyurle! Though luckily you do keep the both of them from harm. Mostly because if something happens to them you will get in trouble with like Twi and Leg and thats never fun.

- Though you have your moments. Shield surfing and paragliding are on top of that list and Wild is all up for teaching you the ropes.

- The topic of the history of hyrule gets brought up a lot with the two of you. Since his era has a lot of connections to the past era’s. He is all up for learning about what came from where. Soon theories start to fly about.

- When You, Him and Flora are finally all together. There is nothing stopping you all from bouncing off theories. With your outside knowledge mixing with what they know. Things start to fall into place.

- The answer to why the timeline is like this doesn’t get answer. But hey! At least you all are having fun!

- If you can’t cook he will teach you that too! If you can! Well buckle up your going to share your knowledge with him whether you want to or not.

- Once you know how or get used to cooking while camping, you help him out a lot and its these moments where you both talk the most.

- It’s comforting to him to know he wasn’t alone this whole time.

Legend:

- As soon as you two locked eyes he felt instant dread. Yes he knew. No he isn’t going to opening up to you.

- Playful Insults to bond? Yeah that’s literally how he talks to everyone so no special treatment.

- He keeps you at a distance but its not actually working.

- You talk about his adventures so casually like it happened a few days ago. You avoid Link’s Awakening though. If you got hurt with the plot twist then you could only imagine the pain Leg went through.

- “I’m still trying to process the fact you married a tree.” “Hey remember that one time with Yuga, you slammed face first into a wall so hard you knocked yourself out?” “God do you not wear pants because of the fish thing?”

- This relationship is literally: Only I can bully this one.

- He fears the moment you meet Ravio and Fable knowing full well you all will bond over teasing him.

- Overall though he knows you got his back no matter what, to the point he finds himself confining in you slowly.

- Guess who is also teaming up with Hyrule to get Legend to sleep. It you.

- Once you probably have forced him to sleep by getting wolfie to lay on him. It was the wolf or yourself. In the end it was both of you and he was trapped.

- A sign that he was becoming soft towards you was when he started sharing his items with you. He trusts that you know how to use them and if you don’t he is actually willing to show you.

- He regrets giving the bee badge to you.

Hyrule:

- Another person that is drenched in magic. It only took one look at you for him to realize who you were.

- The two of you were awkward as anything at first. Since to you he never really spoken in his adventure so you didn’t know how to picture his personality.

- There’s a lot of mystery in your mind about him since again there isn’t much to go off of with what your given in game. It’s weird for him to hear about how you interpret his personality from that perspective.

- Hyrule didn’t honestly expect you to try and befriend him tbh. It mostly him over thinking it.

- You do follow him sometimes when he wants to wander around and explore. Mostly because you claim he finds the coolest things when he does.

- But its just a excuse to actually get to know him.

- The two of you trade stories and questions about each of your lives. There might be things you know that he might not know of about his adventure and his hyrule.

- Of course never going into to much details since there are things you couldn’t tell him.

- Hyrule honestly was dreading the day you all would land in his Era. He loves his home but is also very aware of it not being the most…welcoming place.

- So it’s more then surprising to him that there is even more then the glint of familiarity and excitement on your face. Knowing full well what dangers where a head of you, you still were open to exploring his world to the fullest.

- It’s honestly refreshing to see someone love his era as much as he does.

- Another boy that needs hugs, please give him a hug.

- You both cheer each other on though.

- This relationship is just aggressive support between you two and the others.

Four: (I’m actively mixing the Four Sword game and manga just to be clear.)

- Not sure if he would know exactly who you where since during the second adventure your voice and presence bounce between the four of them.

- Yet I also feel like he took after you because he was a child in his first adventure, which worries you a lot. Since you did have choice words for Vaati.

- The first to realize was Vio then it went Blue, Red and Green. Despite being in the same head it was just a theory they had over all. They all had their own ways of confirming it.

- Vio noticed the small things you do around Four. Like not stepping on their shadow, and covering Four when things got chaotic in their head. Small references here and there. When the two of you are alone he almost quizzes you about things. Just to see how much you know and to see if your telling the true or not.

- Blue recognize your mannerisms being something he picked up on during the first and second adventure. Only vaguely since again he was a child / there was only a small part only with him. Your fighting banter when your in battle made you see where Blue got his colorful language from…

- Your comfort was what clued Red in. He remembers your presence more clearly then the others from the first and second adventure. It was a comforting (yet chaotic) presence in their adventures that he latched on to. More so from his first adventure since as a kid he made an imaginary friend to process the fact he could sense and hear your presence. When you came back in the second time around it felt so natural for Red to have you there and really helped make him go forward through his small journey.

- For Green? It was a lot of things but when he see’s you treating each color differently when they are in charged. It’s a refreshing sight to be honest. He just enjoys hearing and seeing that his brothers had someone to confide in. Even when they switch who is in control you some how could tell and spoke to them accordingly.

- They were all some what surprise that none of the others picked up on your treatment of him swapping so much. Yet their also glad because their not ready to reveal themselves quiet yet.

- As Four or as you nicknamed him ‘Rainbow’ the two of you tend to sick together when the world’s shift around. Since his body needs more time to recover.

- You two are another pair that cheers each other on when the moral is low.

- He introduces you to the Minish! Getting you a jabber nut so you can speak to them too. You can’t shrink down to properly talk to them so this was the next best thing.

- The four of them makes you a dagger to bring home to remember him by, there’s a kin stone imbedded where the blade meets the hilt.

Wind: (hello self projection my dear friend)

- Wind didn’t recognize you ether at first, yet he didn’t even blink when you join everyone. He was fully on board with getting a new member and is easiest the most opened.

- It was when you two are alone together that something clicked in his head. You see during the Wind Waker he was alone most of the time when he was on land. So he had to face a lot by himself.

- Having you was reassuring to him when facing some of the monsters alone, especially with the puppet ganon fight. The two of you both agree that it was creepy.

- CHAOTIC SIBLINGS PART 2… well kinda

- Wind is a lot more mature then you realized but you two still have those moments.

- You, Aryll and Grandma get along too! So he and his family basically sees you and the chain as family.

- Pranking buddies! You’re targets would never know. Mostly because your covering up for him. You two team up with Four and Wild so the pranks can get chaotic at times.

- No matter what age you are compare to him and if your ok with it he does like platonic physical affection. Your going to be trading off with Warriors a lot of the time for cuddles or it’s the three of you together.

- You teaching him our worlds sea shanties and him teaching you his? Heck yeah! Even making up songs with the others is something on the table and in the works which is nice.

- It’s another thing to bring back home thats personalized!

Honestly since I’ve written all of this down I want to write the fic more. Though I’ll probably not only because idk if people would even read it lol. So it will just be a bunch of head canons. Anyway rambling is done.

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu headcanon #Isekai au

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yelena-bellova · 3 years

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Safe Haven: tfatws!Bucky Barnes x fem!reader - Chapter Ten

chapter nine - Chapter Ten: Heroes - chapter eleven

Series Masterlist

Plot: Y/n, Sam and Bucky make one final effort to stop the Flag Smashers.

Warnings: spoilers for episode.6, violence, character death (major), wounds, blood, ANGST ANGST ANGST, Bucky and Y/n are a badass couple, Sam and Y/n are a badass sibling duo, everybody’s a badass, inaccurate medical care (unless you consider google legit then it’s for real lol)

Word Count: 8.6k

A/N: GUYS. SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER. HOW DID WE GET HERE?!?! This one was challenging to write because I wanted to still make it mainly focus on Sam and not detract from his story while incorporating another one, hopefully I did it justice. Smaller amount of Bucky Y/n fluff purely because of plot. Imma shut up now and let you guys judge it for yourselves, hopefully you enjoy ☺️

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I’d always wanted to visit New York, I just never thought that the circumstances in which I’d come would be so dire.

Surprisingly, flying from Delacroix to the city hadn’t been as draining as I’d thought, the adrenaline rushing through me was enough to keep my stamina up. Once I got into the state I shot up higher, the only way to pinpoint the city’s location was by sight alone. The mass of flashing red, white and blue lights served as a literal guiding light and I followed it till my feet made contact with the ground. I landed in between two buildings, a safe distance away from the commotion but close enough that I could intervene if needed. Sam had told me to go ahead of him and meet up with Bucky, the two of us would be on the ground while Sam took care of business with the senators. “Something’s different…” the voice I’d gone days without hearing announced from behind me, “New haircut?” I smirked and turned to face Bucky, “Do you get bulletproof suits for all the girls that catch your eye?” “Only the ones I really like,” he smiled, cradling my cheek in his hand and giving me an overdue kiss before pulling back to admire the suit, “Looks good on you.” The suit that Bucky had the Wakandans design for me was made almost entirely of Vibranium. It was sapphire blue, the same color of my energy with accent lines of silver running through it to define the shape. It clung tight to my body without showing off too much, the v neckline ended just below my collarbone. Hidden behind Bucky’s note in the case had also been a note from Shuri, the princess of Wakanda, listing that the suit was bullet proof and should I choose to channel my energy through a specific part of my body, the Vibranium would absorb and redistribute it to amplify my strike. The whole ensemble made me feel an official member of whatever club I’d decided to join.

I opened my fingerless glove adorned palm out to Bucky, offering him one of the comms Sam had given me and placing the other in my ear. “Ready?” he asked.

For once, I could answer feeling fully confidant in my capabilities. I reached out and squeezed Bucky’s hand, giving a single nod, “Ready.”

The two of us made our way out from between the buildings and headed into the heart of the chaos. There were news crews, police officers, soldiers and SWAT teams while innocent bystanders quickly fled the scene.

“Sam, where you at?” I said into my comm.

“I’m almost there,” he replied.

“What’s the plan?” Bucky asked from beside me.

“Karli’s gotta be close, keep your eyes open.” “Well, it could be anybody…” Bucky said quietly as we passed by a group of officers.

We headed for the building in which the senators were being held, the SWAT team immediately parting to allow Sergeant Barnes and myself to enter. Whether or not he was paying attention to anything other than finding Karli, I wasn’t sure, but I smiled internally at the fact that they’d recognized him for what he should have been recognized for all this time.

“Oh, we also called in some backup,” I relayed to Bucky.

“Excuse me, sir, ma’am,” we turned to see a man in a beanie following us, “Are you supposed to be here?” Bucky looked stunned and slightly concerned while I stayed calm, recognizing the signal. Immediately, Sharon ripped off the technologically advanced mask that concealed her identity. “It’s me.” “Sharon, what the hell are you doing here?” Bucky asked.

I gestured to the woman, “Backing us up…” “Relax, no one’s looking for me here,” she said, pulling on Bucky’s arm in an effort to get us away from the crowd. “Is that Sharon?” Sam asked over the comms.

“Unfortunately,” Bucky answered, earning a light, disapproving smack from me to his chest.

“Hey, Sam, I thought I’d get the band back together,” Sharon said into her earpiece.

“Thank you, you’re risking a lot coming here.” I took a step forward towards the blonde, “If you want me to fly you out of here, now’s the time.”

She gave a little shrug, “I hear pardons aren’t all they’re cracked up to be anyway.”

“Depends on the therapist,” Bucky grumbled.

“They’re gonna move on the building soon. Be ready,” Sam’s voice flowed into my ear.

“Same goes for you,” I replied, trying to compartmentalize the constant anxiety that ran through me in regards to my brother’s safety. Though knowing he wore vibranium wings now did help ease my fears a little. I turned my attention back to Sharon and Bucky, “Let’s split up and do a perimeter check. Front’s clear so I’ll take the back, you two take the sides.” “Wow,” Sharon smirked, “Give you a suit and suddenly you’re Miss Take Charge.” I shot her smirk right back at her as she headed down her side of the building while Bucky and I went around the other way. “Somethin’ changed while I was gone,” he observed as we walked. “You made amends,” I replied, flashing back to my visit to the graveyard, “I made peace.” I expelled energy from my fingertips to float above him and fly to the back of the building, not a soul in sight.

“Y/n, Sharon, Bucky, what’s going on on your end?” Sam asked.

“Nothing, all quiet,” Bucky answered. “Same here,” I said, taking another look around me to be sure,

“No one’s moving toward the building,” Sharon added.

“Karli’s not coming in. She’s trying to force everybody out,” Sam said, “It’s a misdirect, we gotta keep everybody inside.”

I levitated once again and headed to the front of the building, finding Bucky and Sharon waiting for me. Once I landed, we entered through the glass doors. “You guys are gonna have to do something,” Sam panted through the comm, “Don’t let ‘em out of the building.”

We passed through the building’s metal detectors one by one with no issue, till the alarm sounded off on Sharon. “Oops,” she muttered unconvincingly. “Here’s one of them,” Bucky said, gesturing towards a man in a security uniform, a Flag Smasher, “We’ll get the evac.” Bucky and I winded around the halls but didn’t get far before a woman came walking towards us with a phone extended out in her palm, “Mr. Barnes, Miss. Y/l/n, it’s Karli.” How she knew my name baffled me, Bucky reached for the phone regardless and took note of the orange handprint projected on the screen. He placed the call on speaker, “Karli?”

“Aren’t you two tired of fighting for the wrong side?” the young girl asked.

Bucky scoffed as we stepped down a staircase, “I’ve done this before, kid. I know how it ends.”

“It doesn’t matter if I don’t survive this,” she replied, “I’m fighting for something bigger than myself. With all the bodies you’ve collected, have you been able to say the same?”

“You don’t think I ever fought for something bigger than myself?” Bucky asked, “That’s all I ever tried to do. And I failed twice.” I tugged Bucky’s arm so the phone was in front of me, “Karli, all I’ve ever wanted was to use my powers for good. I respect the fight you’re fighting but this isn’t the way to win it.” “Believe me, I know all about your father’s crimes,” she spoke back, “I looked you up after meeting you in Riga, and trust me, the side you’re on is no better than the one your dad was one.” My heart clenched at her words, I knew that she was a black and white person who only dealt in absolutes, but it didn’t mean hearing it didn’t hurt. “If you wanted to do any real good, you’d have joined us,” Karli continued, “You’d have needed to get your hands dirty, but you’d have made an actual difference.” “You think your cause justifies all this death,” Bucky stepped in and took the wheel, “But in the end, the nightmares won’t go away. You’re gonna remember all the ones you killed. Trust me. Don’t do this. Don’t go down this path.”

There was a hopeful pause over the line, followed by a disappointing response. “If that’s how the both of you feel, you should sit this one out.” I glanced over at Bucky, sharing the same tired, yet determined look I was displaying. “That’s not gonna happen.” “Well, thank you,” Karlie replied, “I’m glad you took my call, you’ve been a big help.” She hung up then, the realization hitting me immediately as to why she’d called us. “The evac,” I breathed, “It was a deterrence.”

“Damn it,” Bucky growled with a clenched jaw, “Come on!”

We raced through across the floor of the building, making for the winding staircase lit up with flashing emergency lights that would lead us to the parking lot. Since we were the only two fleeing the building that particular way, it was a safe bet to make that the hostages had already been evacuated. Once we were in the parking lot, Bucky took the lead and led me to a parked row of motorcycles, quickly hot-wiring one.

“Seriously, guys, you had one job,” Sharon popped out from behind a pillar to critique us.

“You worry about your guy,” Bucky grumbled as he swung his leg over to straddle the vehicle, I promptly did the same, “Good?” Locking my arms around his torso and scooching forward so my Vibranium chest was pressed against his back, I nodded. “Good.” Bucky floored the gas pedal and we rode off with an echoing screech, finding our way through the garage’s exit. A blockade of soldiers yelled at us as we quickly approached them, shooting through the gap between barriers and whipping around the street corner. On any other occasion I’d have enjoyed clinging tight to Bucky’s body as we rode through the cool New York evening air. Sadly, there was no time to savor the moment.

“That’s one down,” Sharon’s voice came through my comm. “How’d you manage that?” Sam joined in. “Mercury vapor, amongst other things.” Bucky made a sharp turn down one of the streets causing me to clutch his middle tighter, “Any idea where they’ll be headed?” “I thought you were the one in charge,” Bucky retorted over the engine’s noise. “You better speed things up, Sam,” Sharon said, “The chopper’s about to take off.” “Bucky, Y/n,” Sam called, grunts following directly after. Bucky halted at a light, determining the rest of our course. “I don’t fly, man, that’s your guys’ thing.” He revved the bike and turned down a different street.

I pressed a hand to my ear, “Meet you there.” Placing a reassuring hand on Bucky’s shoulder, I levitated off the motorcycle and watched him continue on his path while I turned in the opposite direction and headed back through the city. From across the way, I could see the silhouette of Sam’s wings as he jumped off of the building after the helicopter. The chopper had taken a nose dive and was headed for the street, pulling up just before it hit the overpass. I quickened the speed in which I was flying over the bay, catching up to Sam soon enough. He flew lower than me, his new wings dipping into the waters before he shot back up.

“Plan?” I called into the comms as I kept close to the rear of the chopper. “We gotta take out the pilot,” Sam answered, “Take the left side.” I flew to my designated spot and reached out a hand to grasp onto one of the bars of the plane. Reabsorbing my energy, I put full faith in my grip as I dangled off of the helicopter in mid flight. I poked my head out to the window on the pilot’s side only to be given a front row seat to his attempt to kill Sam, firing a machine gun till my brother was forced to pull back and off the chopper. The pilot whipped his head around to lay eyes on me, aiming his gun. Lightning fast, I let go of the bar and narrowly escaped the shots fired, throwing my hands out and expelling energy to resume my flight. Sam wasn’t far behind, we took off in tandem with one another with him sending Redwing ahead to see if any of the hostages had flight training. As the chopper plunged towards the water, we moved in synch with it, just a few hundred feet behind in a dance of sorts. In the distance, I could barely make out the shape of an almost identical vehicle headed towards the one we were tailing, this one bearing the logo of the NYPD. Our chopper rammed itself into the front of the police copter, sending it spinning in a spiral of smoke and fire. If we didn’t get there in time, it would crash into one of the skyscrapers or worse. Sam and I changed course and made a beeline for it. “Get the co-pilot,” Sam yelled as he swerved to my left.

I flew up to the side window and shot an energy blast towards it, smashing the glass and startling the co-pilot. I then levitated him out of the chopper and flew the two of us down to the bridge below us, Sam was right behind me with the pilot. The plane was losing altitude fast and was headed straight for our rescue party. Before I could even think to build a force field, Sam shoved me and the pilots down and shielded us with his wings. I felt the Vibranium shake as the plane bounced off of us and over the edge of the bridge. Sam retracted his wings and the two of us rose to our full heights, him in all his red, white and blue glory.

“Go, I got this,” he instructed, taking off into the skies before I could put up a fight.

I levitated high above the bridge to get a birds eye view of the city, “Bucky, where are you?”

“42nd Street, heading west,” he answered

“I’m a tourist, those words mean nothing to me.”

“I’m passing a building with white and red lights,” he modified his answer. My eyes searched for the building he was talking about, spotting it quickly and taking off toward it. I looked below me to see two humvees and multiple bodies running around them. “Found them, they’re trying to build a-“ “I see ‘em, coming in hot,” Bucky interrupted, I could see his motorcycle speeding down the street and toward the barricade the Flag Smashers had arranged. Taking a leap, or rather a fall of faith, I absorbed my energy and free fell, throwing my hands out and releasing it just before my feet hit the ground. Bucky wasn’t far behind, leaping off his motorcycle and diving forward to tackle one of the Flag Smashers. The man jumped to his feet and Bucky engaged him in combat, the two exchanging punches with Bucky having more favor. In a split second of separation between the two I shot a blast of energy at the man that sent him flying backwards into the side of a truck, creating a super soldier shaped dent in the car. A sudden explosion sounded off nearby, I turned to see that one of the humvees had been set ablaze. Bucky and I ran to the vehicle, I sent an energy blast towards the high tech lock that had been placed on the back doors. It did absolutely nothing.

“Hold on,” Bucky shouted to the screaming hostages as he used his Vibranium arm to pull on the door handle. Even he couldn’t get it open. “Help me!”

I focused all my energy on the lock, sending unsuccessful blast after unsuccessful blast. Letting out a frustrated cry, I backed away giving Bucky another chance to try. He began throwing a stream of relentless punches, his determination growing with each hit. Eventually he’d done enough damage that he switched to pulling at the door’s bar. The pain on his face as he pulled was heartbreaking, the tendons and muscles where his prosthetic met his flesh stretching to too great a length. Making one last ditch effort, I extended my energy towards the handle to help him in his efforts. Together, we strained and struggled until the lock finally broke and the doors opened. While Bucky kept his footing, I fell backwards doing a very ungraceful somersault and landed on my side. What I saw happening in front of me was almost too shocking to believe, and yet not at all.

John Walker was getting his ass kicked by the Flag Smashers.

With a replica of the iconic shield that was definitely not made of Vibranium and his suit, he was lying on the ground being pummeled by the super soldiers. With the vigor in which they were attacking him, I knew that the metal wouldn’t protect him forever. The man that I hated, who had tried to kill me, Sam and Bucky, who had shed innocent blood on Steve’s legacy…I could have let them kill him and I should have wanted to.

But even in my hatred, I couldn’t let a man die.

I rose to my feet and sent a stream of energy towards two of them, knocking them a few feet away from Walker. The third who I deduced to be Karli, came charging at me. I threw up a force field to act as a shield and met each one of her punches with the energy. She let out grunts of frustration, going for a roundhouse kick but giving me just enough time to drop the field and levitate her into the air. I held her there a second, watching her flail about trying to escape before tossing her several hundred feet away from us towards the end of the street. The two Flag Smashers that I’d knocked over came charging back toward me, it was time to test out just what the suit could do…

I focused my energy out through my elbow and hit one of them square in the jaw, the energy sending him rolling down the road far greater a distance that I’d have been able to cause without the Vibranium amplifying it. I turned around to the other one, dodging a quick punch before sending my energy down to my foot, landing a kick my attacker’s stomach that caused him to go airborne and land on top of one of the trucks. Unfortunately, the first guy didn’t stay down as long as I needed him to and came up from behind me and landed a kick to my back. I fell to the road with a groan, felt the burn of the asphalt as it shredded my cheek. I heard the man rip something metal followed by the sound of his thick boots coming my way, undoubtably he’d grabbed something to use as a weapon. As I rose to take another stand, I saw Bucky come running past me and turned to watch him knock the Flag Smasher over, the man dropping the toll meter he’d been holding as a bat over me. Bucky strode forward and they began fighting one another with punches and kicks while I looked around to see Karli welding the unattended meter. She swung it towards Bucky, his avoidance of the hit and my creation of a force field around him totally in synch. Karli took another swing at him and met resistance, unable to move the weapon as I froze it in place with my energy.

“You don’t have to do this,” I urged her.

With a yell she let go of the weapon and dove for me, being hit in the face with a chain that Bucky had picked up. Before I could stop it, the Flag Smasher who had originally intended to hit me with the toll meter landed a kick that sent Bucky flying backwards. His metal hand scraping the asphalt as he desperately tried to hold on before going over the edge of the nearby construction site. “BUCKY!” I cried as he screamed into the night air just before Karli kicked me down herself, and landed a punch to my abdomen. The Vibranium, while giving me protection, still allowed some of the blow to reach me and I was in just enough pain that I couldn’t go after the Flag Smasher that leapt down into the construction hole Bucky had landed in. I sent a blast of energy at Karli, throwing her back and allowing me the time to stand up and regain my footing. At the same time I rose, so did Walker, the two of us sharing eye contact that was oceans away from the last time we’d met on the battlefield. Separating once again, he turned to lift one of the Flag Smashers up by her throat while I landed a punch on one that was coming for me. The second van of hostages was brimming with horrified screams, both my and Walker’s attention being redirected to them. Karli, who stood a few feet away from us, made a run for the humvee and Walker and I chased after her. Walker braced himself with the shield and the two of them came face to face with one another. Giving another insignificant try, I sent a stream of energy towards the lock in an attempt to break it but couldn’t without Bucky’s brute strength. Behind me, I could hear the grunts and groans of Walker and Karli moving around as they fought one another. When the noises got too distant to still be close by, I knew I needed to go back Walker up.

I looked through the everything-proof glass window to the terrified faces of the senators. “We’ll get you out, I promise,” I yelled, taking off towards the fight.

Karli came running out from where they’d disappeared behind, I sent another blast her way that she dodged. She leapt into the air with a cry and raised a fist, I threw up a force field that she bounced off of and rolled to the ground. “This isn’t change, Karli,” I spoke up over the noise of the fire, “It’s murder.” The only response I got was another yell, Karli came charging towards me forcing me to throw up another shield to deflect her punches and kicks. I didn’t want to hurt her, I didn’t even want to fight her. It was different than with Walker where there was a mutual disliking of one another since almost the very beginning, she was just a kid looking to fight anyone who got in her way. Her cause was even something I agreed with, but I couldn’t stand by her taking innocent lives in the process.

Karli caught my exposed neck, gripping my neck tightly and holding me in the air. The bruises from Walker’s assault hadn’t fully healed and Karli was squeezing far tighter than he had. Thinking quickly, I swung my legs around to the back of her knees and forced my energy out of my feet as I slammed into her legs. The two of us fell in a heap, Karli on top of me with her grip loose enough on my throat that I could get out of it and flip her over. I pinned her hands to the asphalt on either side of her head using my energy, “You can stop all of this right now,” I urged over her furious cries, “Karli, please.”

Karli snarled at me before moving her knees to hit me in my back, throwing me off balance and giving her the perfect opportunity to launch me down the same hole Bucky had fallen down. I caught myself mid air and looked down to see Bucky and one of the Flag Smashers fighting with a metal beam, Bucky gaining the upper hand. I dropped to the ground and ran to him as he landed a final strike against the man, knocking him to the ground. As my hand reached out for his arm, there was a violent crash above us. We looked up to see that the humvee filled with the hostages had been driven off the road and was balancing on top of the construction. It teetered on the edge, ready to slip at any moment and finish Karli’s plan. I extended my energy to steady the vehicle, I wasn’t sure what made me think I could keep a couple thousand pound vehicle suspended in midair but the fact that I’d never used my powers like this didn’t matter. I had to try. As it rocked back and forth against my energy, I took a stance and dug my heels in the ground, sending up the steady streams I’d recently discovered I could produce. They curved around the front of the vehicle, protecting it from falling any further. The screams of terror from the hostages were my motivation to keep going, to do everything in my power that I could do save who I could.

After a few seconds of bearing my teeth and groaning in struggle, the load lessened slightly. I opened one of my eyes that had been squeezed shut in concentration to see Walker’s homemade shield near my feet, the decommissioned captain above me pulling the truck from the back. For once, we were working as a cohesive unit. Who would have thought…

All was short lived though as the second we were making progress on getting the humvee away from the edge, Karli and two other Flag Smashers jumped Walker and attacked him. Unable to hold them off, they toppled over and fell into the pit alongside Bucky and I. I cried out as the full weight of the humvee became mine to bear once again, fighting harder than ever to keep it from falling. Every muscle in my body clenched as I kept the streams flowing while also slowly rising off the ground, wondering if it was possible for my body to run out of energy with how much I was throwing into my stand. I had to save them, so long as I was able to fight, I wouldn’t allow any more innocent bloodshed. My hands shook, causing my streams to shake and I groaned as my body sent every signal that it couldn’t continue on.

As I started to falter, I felt something come up beside me and some of the heaviness was taken away. Looking to my left, Sam was in the air bracing the weight of the truck alongside me. I felt renewed with his help to rise with him as we used our combined strength to steadily raise the humvee back onto the beams of the construction site. Once it was secured, Sam and I both landed on either side of the truck and faced the crowd. I made the easy decision to fly back down into the pit, the moment belonged to Sam and no one else. Bucky was at my side at once, his hands on my arms and a careful set of eyes watching to make sure I was okay. I rested my forehead on his shoulder for a too brief second and nodded through my heavy breathing.

From in front of us, Karli launched a spear towards Bucky’s head that he easily got throwing it to the side as he stared her down. Sam’s shield came flying out of nowhere, hitting Karli and rebounding off of the other Flag Smasher before landing back on Sam’s wrist. Karli shed her mask, looking at him with disgust and shock. “You of all people bought into that bullshit?” she asked, examining his patriotic suit from a distance.

“I’m trying something different,” Sam answered, his voice steely, “Maybe you should do the same.”

A sudden explosion was set off, a grenade landing at our feet setting off smoke that blinded us. I quickly covered Sam, Walker, Bucky and myself in a large force field, as my eyes tried to make out Karli’s figure. “This way,” Sam directed, using the tech in his goggles to spot them. I dropped the shield and followed him, the only person I could make out semi-clearly in the haze. We ran down and through a nearby tunnel, weaving down underground hallways in search of the remainders of the group. “Hey Sharon,” Bucky said into his comm, “We’re underground. We entered the tunnel on William. Heading south.”

“Looks like they split up,” Sam announced, he pointed down a corridor, “Here.” Walker took off without a second thought, while Bucky paused in front of Sam and I. “I got it,” he pointed to my brother, brushing his fingers against mine before heading down the hall. Sam and I both watched them leave, my anxiety rising with each step Bucky took away from me. Shaking myself out of the spiral I knew I’d go down if I gave it any more thought, I followed Sam’s lead as we continued on our way. The sound of the Flag Smasher’s signature whistle echoed off the walls causing Sam and I to freeze, he determined where it may have come from and motioned for me to come forward.

“If something happens, you get the hell out of here, got it?” Sam whispered. “Nice try,” I replied, having flashbacks to the various times in the past week or so that we’d had conversations like this, “I’m not leaving you.” Suddenly, two shots were fired nearby. Sam and I bolted in the general direction that the sound had come from, fear flooding my body at the thought of Bucky being on the receiving end of one of the bullets. The worry caused me to run faster. We made it into a wider room, Karli standing in the middle with a gun aimed at a helpless Sharon, laying on the ground with a hand over her abdomen. I spotted the blood staining her shirt and threw a force field around her as Sam clipped his shield to his back. “Sam, stay back,” Karli warned, her eyes flicking to him briefly before landing back on Sharon.

“So, what’s next, huh?” Sam asked, taking careful steps toward her, “You kill ten this time, then, what, a hundred? Where does it end? Please,” he lowered his tone, “Let me help you.” “Don’t try and manipulate me,” Karli replied, looking between the blue barrier I shielded Sharon with and me. She twisted her body to aimed her gun at me, my resolve to protect Sharon stronger than protecting myself.

“Karli, don’t!” Sharon cried.

Sam dove forward and tackled the girl to the floor, somersaulting away from her as Karli raised a piece of cinderblock. She launched it at Sam who deflected the makeshift weapon with his shield. Karli swung at him and Sam jumped on top of a small staircase, his shield in front of him at all times. “I’m not gonna fight you!” he yelled, leaping off the stairs.

Karli continued her attack, Sam dug the tips of his wings into the concrete and met her fist with the shield. “Karli…” he urged just before she ripped the shield away and walked him backwards, Sam completing a series of jumps and flips. Karli grabbed a metal pipe and swung it at Sam, knocking him to the ground. “Stay down!” she growled.

Every instinct I had told me to go after the person who was endangering Sam’s life, anybody’s would be. But I knew that it was pointless to fight her, it was only giving her what she wanted. The serum enhanced people’s personalities, Karli had always been a fighter but now, she was looking to fight anything and anyone and would do it ruthlessly. I couldn’t buy into it.

I retracted the shield I’d built around Sharon and flew around Karli, placing myself between her and Sam. “Karli, the fight is over,” I breathed.

“No!” she shrieked, barely giving me enough time to throw up an energy shield before she threw a punch. Her fist bouncing off of it only angered her more and she began a relentless attack, banging her hands against the force field, taking swipes anywhere she could. I levitated over her head and landed a few feet away, luring her away from Sam. Karli was furious at the fact that she couldn’t touch me or get me to try and battle her. It didn’t take long for Sam to spring to his feet, throwing his shield out in between Karli and I. Karli focused her efforts on Sam then, punching the shield relentlessly as Sam walked her away from me. “Fight back!” she screamed in my brother’s face.

I extended my energy and pulled her away from Sam, throwing her a few feet away from us. Karli let out a battle cry and leapt forward, Sam and I coming side by side and holding up our respective shields. Karli’s fist rebounded off of my energy and spun around to hit Sam’s shield, he then grabbed her by the waist and turned on his thrusters, flying them across to room to slam Karli into a beam. “Stop it,” he ordered, gripping her by the lapels of her jacket. Karli replied by throwing him above her head into the ceiling, I used my energy to yank her away from Sam and in front of me.

“Listen to me, Karli,” I urged, earning a super-soldier shiner to my cheek, “We’re not your enemies.” Karli dropped me to the ground like I weighed nothing, the vibranium suit creating a dent in the flooring. I let out a groan at the shock and she ran off to deal with Sam. “Fight me!” she screamed as she clawed at the shield, “Fight back!” She flipped him over.

He fell.

The shield fell out of his reach.

Karli picked up the gun and aimed it at Sam.

He rose, accepting his fate.

Gathering the strength I had left, I got to my feet.

With trembling hands, knowing what I was about to do, I levitated and landed in front of Sam.

Karli’s face shifted, though I couldn’t read it as my emotions overwhelmed me.

A supercut ran through my mind.

Sam.

Sarah.

AJ and Cass.

Mel.

My mom.

My father.

A legacy rewritten.

Bucky.

Would he forgive me for what I was about to do? I hoped so.

“Go ahead,” I whispered, staring Karli down and blinking away the tears before she could see them, “Do it.” Karli’s face scrunched up as her finger prepared to pull the trigger when suddenly, three gunshots went off from nearby, hitting her. The gun fell to the ground and so did she. My eyes flew to where the bullets had come from, the sight of Sharon holding the smoking gun awaiting me. Sam dropped to his knees to cradle Karli’s head, the young girl staring up at him wide eyed and afraid. I knelt down on the other side of her, slipping her still warm hand into mine and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered, staring up at Sam before looking to me. The only thought that ran through my mind was she’s just a girl, she’s just a girl…As I watched the tears well in her eyes before the life drained from them and they shut, the sudden innocence overwhelmed me. She was just a girl…

I didn’t let go of her hand even when it went limp, holding it to my heart as I wept over her. Sam cradled her cheek as we sat quietly, the only sounds were my soft sobs and Sharon’s labored breathing. I couldn’t face her right now, my feelings were too mixed about the way she had saved my life.

Eventually, once an undetermined amount of minutes had passed, Sam lifted Karli into his arms and the two of us rose to leave. When I turned to tell Sharon to come with us, she was already gone, probably having slipped out a back hallway. Sam carried Karli’s body the entire way out of the building, I hardly registered when we made it outside in the night air.

“I’ll clear the way for you,” I mumbled, extending my energy and shooting into the air, Sam not far behind me. The wind blowing against my dried my tears off of my cheeks as I flew toward the glow of ambulance lights outside the building we’d started the night at. There were crowds of news crews, there were the senators we’d saved and officers cleaning up the wreckage that had been left behind. They all noticed as I flew up, landing in the midst of it all and scanning the crowd for Bucky. Once I spotted him and Walker towards the very back near the ambulances, I ignored the reporters asking me questions as I weaved through the chaos. Bucky strode forward as I neared and wrapped me in his arms, I let go of the breath I’d been holding in my chest as soon as our bodies met. He was okay. My hands held the back of his neck as I dug my face into his shoulder. He tapped my waist and I turned to see Sam flying in, resembling the an angel with his outstretched wings as he landed. He carefully passed off Karli’s body to the paramedics who placed the girl on a stretcher, carrying her off to who knows where.

Sam walked towards the crowd, doing the same as me and ignoring the reporters flooding him with unimportant questions. He had flown in carrying the dead body of a kid and here they were, asking him if they should refer to him as Captain Falcon. He stopped in front of the senators who were busy thanking him for dealing with what I heard one refer to as ‘terrorists.’

“Are you still going forward with resetting the borders?” Sam asked.

They answered, and while I couldn’t hear their words, I could read Sam’s face well enough to know it wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“You have to stop calling them terrorists…” “What else would we call them?” one of the senators asked. “Your peacekeeping troops carrying weapons are forcing millions of people into settlements around the word, right?” Sam continued, “What do you think those people are going to call you? These labels, terrorists, refugees, thug. They’re often used to get around the question ‘why.’

“Those settlements that happened five years ago, do you think it is fair for governments to have to support them?” another senator asked. “Yes,” Sam said plainly.

“And the people who reappeared only to find someone else living in their family home, they just end up homeless?” the bearded senator pushed back, “Look, I get it. But you have no idea how complicated this situation is.”

Just as he prepared to walk away, Sam spoke up. “You know what, you’re right, and that’s a good thing. We finally have a common struggle now. Think about that. For once, all the people who’ve been begging and, I mean, literally begging for you to feel how hard any given day is, now you know. How did it feel to be helpless? Now if you can remember what it was like to be helpless and face a force so powerful, it could erase half the planet. You would know that you were about to have the exact same impact. This isn’t about easy decisions. Senator.”

“You just don’t understand,” the senator replied, probably the most ignorant response I’d ever heard.

Sam scoffed, “I’m a black man, carrying the stars and strips. What don’t I understand? Every time I pick this thing up, I know there are millions of people out there who are going to hate me for it. Even now, here. I feel it. The stares, the judgment, and there’s nothing I can do to change it. Yet I’m still here. No super serum. No blonde hair or blue eyes. The only power I have is that I believe we can do better.”

Holding onto Bucky a little tighter, the tears that I shed had morphed to those of joy. There my brother stood, in front of the government and the entire country saying what we all needed to hear. He spoke without reserve, unapologetic in his stance, and I had never been prouder of him.

“We can’t demand that people step up if we don’t meet them halfway,” Sam’s voice rose with passion, “Look, you control the banks. Shit, You can move borders. You can knock down a forest with an email. You can feed a million people with a phone call. But the question is, who’s in the room with you when you’re making those decisions? Hmm? Is it the people you’re gonna impact? Or is it just more people like you?” he paused, collecting himself before gesturing to where Karli’s body lay in the ambulance, “I mean, this girl died trying to stop you. And no one has stopped for one second to ask why. You’ve got to do better, Senator, you’ve got to step up because if you don’t, the next Karli will. And you don’t want to see 2.0. People believed in her cause so much that they helped her defy the strongest governments in the world. Why do you think that is? Look, you people have just as much power as an insane god,” Sam’s voice broke for only a second, “Or a misguided teenager. The question you have to ask yourself is how are you going to use it?”

With that, he walked away from the crowd that had been watching him so intently and made his way towards us. He stopped in front of Walker, the two of them sharing a look before nodding to one another, a non-verbal truce being declared. Walker also turned to me, in the end he had stepped up and done the right thing, but I knew that the two of us would never be on good terms. I’d never forget his tightening grip around my throat, nor would he forget that I wasn’t afraid of him and would tear him apart if he ever tried anything like he had in the warehouse again. But I had saved the guy’s life and because of that, his stare softened for only a second as he nodded his thanks to me. I watched as he disappeared into the crowd, off to whatever his next mission may be…

“Sorry, I was, uh, I was texting and so, all I heard was, um, “a black guy in stars and stripes,” Bucky broke the tension of the moment as Sam approached us.

The three of us shared a chuckle before Sam and I locked eyes, not having spoken a word yet about what had happened underground. I threw my arms around his neck as he wrapped his around my shoulders, sharing probably the best hug we’d ever had. Our shared goal of keeping one another alive had been achieved. “Love you,” I whispered in his ear. “Love you too,” he replied, a hint of emotion choking him up. He squeezed a little tighter before releasing me, the three of us walking off together.

“Nice job, Cap,” Bucky said, patting Sam’s back that displayed the shield before sliding his hand back around my waist. A few feet away, hidden behind one of the ambulances and leaned up against the car was a familiar blonde figure.

“Sharon?” Sam called.

“Blocking my light,” she retorted, holding a gauze pad to the gunshot wound on her abdomen. “We need to get you to a hospital,” I strode forward, examining her injury as best I could.

“She’s not gonna listen,” Bucky grumbled as he looked over his shoulder to make sure nobody was following us. Sharon panted as she shrugged, “Hey, it’s not the worst thing that’s happened to me all week.”

“Told you…” Bucky said at my side. “Yeah, I don’t care,” I shook my head, “We’re take care of this.” “Uh, Cap?” an interruption came, the senator that had been on the receiving end of most of Sam’s impassioned speech. “I think he’s talking to you,” Sharon said before turning to both Sam and I, “Look, I’m sorry for how things ended down there. For what it’s worth,” she looked Sam up and down and genuinely smiled, “Suit looks good on you.”

Sam chuckled, “Thanks.”

Bucky nodded along, humoring the conversation for as long as he could. “All right, look, can we get out of here, please?” he asked, placing a hand on Sharon’s back to urge her forward. Giving up, she allowed him to lead her away.

“I didn’t forget my promise,” Sam called to Sharon, referring to the pardon I hoped he could secure for her.

I turned to my brother, “Meet you back home?”

He gave a long sigh, his eyes flitting between Bucky’s departing figure and me, “Why don’t you stay here a couple days?” I knew what he was offering and how hard it was for him to say the words, he was trying to give me time with Bucky. I did my best to conceal my smile, “Are you sure?” “You risked your life all week, you almost died trying to protect us,” he stated with a scoff, “I think you deserve a little time off. Now go,” he looked back to Bucky and scrunched his face up a little, “Before I change my mind.” Unable to hide my grin any longer, I reached out and clasped hands with him, bringing each other in for another hug. “Go get ‘em, Cap.”

The two of us let each other go, off to tend to our business before eventually reuniting back in the house we’d grown up in. It was crazy to think that I owed almost every great thing in my life to the boy who’d sat next to the lonely girl in first grade. Now here we were, dressed in Vibranium off saving the world, or at least doing what we could to make it a better one.

——

“Superhero, nurse…you’re full of surprises, Y/l/n,” Sharon commented before sucking in a sharp breath as I placed another suture.

I laughed softly, concentrating on my work, “I took a first aid class a couple years ago. When you’re living with two boys, trust me, it comes in handy a little too often. But I’ve never had to remove a bullet.” We were seated on the floor of Bucky’s Brooklyn apartment with me tending to Sharon’s wound using his first aid kit. Bucky was waiting in his bedroom to give us privacy, Sharon had her shirt pulled up and her pants unbuttoned to give me full access to her stomach. I’d had to place sutures once when Sarah had accidentally sliced her finger open with a knife, pulling out a lodged bullet was entirely new to me.

“I saw you tonight, with the truck,” she said as she watched me work, “You did good.”

I supposed now that I had shown my powers to the world, I’d have to get used to people paying me compliments but for now, I still didn’t know how to take them. “So are you gonna stick with it? The hero thing?” Sharon asked.

I tied another suture, closing the sterilized hole in her abdomen. “I think so. Captain America needs a right hand man, why not have it be his sister?” Sharon hummed in agreement, a beat of silence passing. “You don’t think you’ll strike out on your own? You seem a little too independent to follow orders.” “Yeah, well,” I started working on the last stitch, “Sam and I work better together than I would with anyone else. Maybe one day I’ll do my own thing but for now, I’m fine where I’m at.” “Well, I guess you’re finally in a position to do all that good you said you wanted to,” she sighed, “Just don’t forget to keep your eyes open, opportunity’s everywhere.” “Alright, Miss Madripoor,” I chuckled, sterilizing the wound one more time with an alcohol wipe, “Your hustler side is showing.”

Sharon shrugged and gave a little smirk, “All I’m saying is there’s a lot of ways to effect change, but I’m sure you’ll find that out.” Storing her advice away in my head for a later time, I placed a gauze pad on her abdomen and secured it. “Alright, you should be good. Just promise me that you’ll actually get checked by an actual doctor or whatever you have in High Town?” “Sure thing, Doc,” she replied with a smile as she adjusted her clothes again and rose to her feet, “You’re good, Barnes!” Bucky stepped back out into the room, peering around the corner carefully before entering fully. Despite the fact that he was in his own apartment, he still hadn’t changed out of what he’d worn to the fight. “What happens now?” I asked, looking to Sharon, “Hotel? Hidden apartment in some dodgy part of the city?” Sharon chortled at my suggestions, “I’ve got a plane waiting to take me back to Madripoor. The longer I stay here, the more of a chance they’ll find me,” she gave a small smile, “It was good seeing you guys again.” “It won’t be the last,” I confirmed, placing a hand on her shoulder, “Sam’ll get that pardon, you’ll be back before you know it.” “That’d be nice,” she sighed longingly, clearly thinking about all the freedom that would come with coming back home. Coming back to the conversation, she patted my arm and regained her full voice, “But until then, keep them in check. God knows they need it.” “The hell does that mean?” Bucky grumbled from his position outside his bedroom, leaving Sharon and I to share a laugh before she walked to the front door. “I’ll do my best, and hey, thank you for what you did for me...” I called out just before she shot us one last knowing smile and left, the door shutting behind her. While I wanted to worry about her walking the streets of New York and possibly getting caught, I’d seen enough of her in action to know that she could handle whatever came her way.

Bucky slowly made his way to the door, locking it and turning around to face me. It was the first time of the night we’d been completely alone. Our eyes met, tired and traumatized but still alert and seeking one another out. Bucky crossed the room in a few long strides, taking his time in approaching me as if he was savoring the moment. I reached out once he was close enough and interlocked my hand with his, tugging him close to me. He dragged two featherlight fingers over the nasty bruise that Karli had given me, his brow furrowing as he examined the side of my face. I ran my thumb over the long red bruise across the side of his forehead, the pressure increasing when he leaned into my touch.

The night could have ended so differently. If Karli had pulled the trigger, if Bucky hadn’t fought on such high alert, we could have ended in tragedy. Such thoughts were better buried away and not thought of, but I couldn’t help it. Lucky, blessed, whatever word you wanted to use…we were it. With no battles on the horizon to fight, we could focus on figuring out just what spark there was between us.

No words needed to be spoken, not for now at least. Tonight, all I needed was to hold Bucky in my arms and remember that despite every odd and every trouble thrown our way, we were alive. And as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine in a tender but still passionate kiss, I had never felt more alive.

----

A/N: Oh, but we’re not done yet...We still have some time off and a cookout to attend 😉 I really can’t thank you all enough for sticking with this series the past few weeks, it means the world to me that I’ve been able to bring a little joy to people’s days. Let me know what you thought and if you’d like to be tagged for the LAST CHAPTER.

Safe Haven taglist: @tanyaherondale @wanniiieeee @asoftie4bucky @edencherries @i-reblog-fics-i-like @ttalisa @gcfty @withyoutilltheendofthismess @rinaispunk @weirdowithnobeardo @felicityofbakerstreet @godlyhufflepuff @eternalharry @voguesir @mizz-kraziii @okayline @smellmymisunderstoodfluff @wanderin-stories @nicklet94 @intricate-melody @aesthethickks @stumbleonmywords @simplybarnes @21bruhs @lostinwonderland314 @superbookishhufflepuff @kaelyn-lobrutto24 @zozebo @fandomxreaders @kittengirl998 @sarai-ibn-la-ahad @i-know-i-can @x-judyjude-x @thebi-valkyrieofvalhalla @buckverse @living-that-best-life @haphazardhufflepuff @citlalireedus @lindseyrae20 @missstef23 @qhbr2013 @sebby-stann @bluemoon-icecream @iixbella @lets-love-little-me @abitofeverythinggg @itsnottilly @sltwins @mads-weasley @hart-failure @natdrunk @nctma15 @obsessedwithjustaboutanything @patdsinner33

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x fem!reader #sam wilson x reader #sam wilson x platonic!reader #marvel imagine

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sugarstickery · 3 years

Text

An Allegory Within the Dark

This is an unofficial fan translation of chapter 3 of Jujutsu Kaisen’s first light novel, Departing Summer and Returning Autumn by Gege Akutami and Ballad Kitaguni.

Summary: Mahito stumbles across an unusual human in his search for a place to call ‘home’.

Featured characters: Primarily Mahito, with brief appearances from Hanami and Jogo, along with an unnamed novel-only character

Timeline: An undefined time prior to the events of the Vs. Mahito arc

An Allegory Within the Dark

If you want to hide a tree, you go to the middle of a forest.

So if you’re looking to hide a person, you should go to the middle of a city.

Following that logic, it makes sense for curses worthy of being the true humans to set up their hideout in the city center.

Cursed spirits would actually have it much easier if they spent their time in places crammed with fear where humans and the like can’t live: deep in the mountains or in densely wooded areas, for example.

But for a group of curses plotting to overturn the current era, a base in the heart of the city is crucial for invasion and seeking refuge. That being the case, it’s also better to try aiming for a location with a high concentration of negativity.

Anyway, that’s how some employees from a scam business ended up massacred.

“This really is the simplest way to handle it. All of them nest together up here away from the public eye, so clean-up is a cinch.”

Jogo laughed while trampling the burning remains of a corpse underfoot.

Roughly two minutes ago, there were about six humans in the office.

The curses considered a few ways to handle dispatching them but ultimately decided that burning was the fastest, so Jogo quickly turned them to ash.

“But humans used this building, didn’t they? Won’t it be a problem if there’s property management or something?” Mahito asked, poking at an ostentatious vase displayed on a shelf.

Apparently the concern was unnecessary. Jogo tried to answer with a grin, but a nonsensical language cut into their conversation.

“⏁⊑⟒⟟⍀ ⎎⍜⋏⏁ ⟟⌇ ☊⎍⌇⏁⍜⋔”

“Oi, bastard—! Stop talking, Hanami! It makes my head itch!”

Though Hanami spoke in nothing but meaningless sounds, the intention behind it was somehow transmitted directly into the minds of others. This was usually unpleasant and it irritated Jogo.

When he noticed Mahito still looking his way, Jogo continued to explain despite his frustration.

“Hmph... What? There’s no need to worry. I asked Geto what his aim was, and it looks like these were the kind of underhanded humans who got involved in plenty of unethical things.”

“Hm. So basically, other humans won’t actually come close if they get that curse stuff happens here.”

“Exactly. Any respectable, straight-laced human would never come near this place under normal circumstances. It’s the perfect city-center hideout.”

“Is it really?”

“...What is it, Mahito? You don’t seem satisfied. What’s there to worry about? It would put us in a great position to start preparing our plans for the city, and it’s great for a quick escape if we need one.”

“Mm... No, you’re right, but...”

“But what? Spit it out.”

“It’s just... This room is really tacky.”

“Huh?”

With a pop, a small eruption burst forth from Jogo’s head. His narrowed eye looked like a painting of a gently sloping mountain.

“It’s tasteless, isn’t it? Stuff like that gaudy gold lion in the sparkly jar or this cheap-looking sideboard.”

“What are you even saying?! I have no idea what’s gotten into you lately, but you’ve been so annoying!”

“Movies.”

“Movies? Are those overly-embellished portrayals of humans really that interesting?”

“They’re references for my studies on the structure of a soul,” Mahito replied with an ambiguous smile.

If humans could see him, they might be reminded of a proud elementary schooler discussing the knowledge they gained from a book report.

“If I’m being honest, I don’t find the stories that interesting either, but I don’t hate the sense of visual aesthetics that humans have. That said, this room has too many useless colors and really hurts the eyes.”

“Such bratty, selfish complaints... We can just burn or toss anything that’s an eyesore.”

“No need, I’m going to look for a place to settle down on my own.”

“What? Ah, hey— Where are you going?”

Not waiting for Jogo’s response, Mahito waved over his shoulder and vanished like smoke or a gentle breeze, off to who-knows-where.

“Geez… Maybe it’s because he was born from human fear, but even knowing he’s a curse, he tends to be way too frivolous. Watching movies and all…”

While grumbling out his complaints, Jogo took a pipe from his shirt pocket to put in his mouth.

Unlike human cigarettes, this wooden pipe somehow imitated a screaming face when smoked.

“But that Mahito...”

Jogo spun around to survey the room with his one eye.

“...He says that, but it doesn’t seem tacky to me.”

“⊑⏃⋏⏃⋔⟟”

“I already said shut up!!”

You can only find a hideaway that suits you by looking for it on your own.

Mahito wandered through the city with this in mind. He alternated left and right turns on a whim any time he happened across a traffic light, walked alongside stray cats, or sometimes simply went in the direction of clouds that he liked the shape of.

While traveling along his chosen path like this, he keenly felt just how laughable humans were.

Though the city belongs to them, no one walking in and out of it was more free than Mahito.

Everyone seemed constrained. They were captured by ties of obligation and vanity, living in a wide, deep, big city with such narrow outlooks.

Unaffected by the enormous sky sprawling out endlessly overhead, they box themselves into their concrete city with their own hands and limited perception of souls, passing the time by whittling their lives down further and further.

Mahito even learned the words for some of these human concepts to study later.

For example, they call it “morals”. They call it “common sense”. They call it “emotion”.

But a human soul isn’t anything more than the resulting mechanical movement that comes from external stimuli.

And so they let go of freedom and live tightly controlled lives, fearing the judgmental stares of others, stooping to flattery for society’s approval.

“...What a waste.”

Everyone is bound by ostentatious shackles of their own making.

That’s why these curses know there has to be a change, as far as humans go. Those who cannot do anything but crawl in such an unsightly way under the magnificent sky must hand over the world.

Mahito thinks. He ponders over any topic his soul turns toward. He walks wherever the wind blows him.

Before long, the time had come for the sun to descend in the western sky. He could hear the burbling of a river.

“Not bad.”

The hideaway Mahito found was under a bridge, across the river.

It was a tunnel, vacant and huge like a temple.

Pipes ran along the inside, clear water flowing from them and into the river. It looked like wastewater was drained here after being purified, so there wasn’t much discomfort.

Apart from the humid air and the moss that emitted a peculiar grassy smell, it seemed wide enough to splash and jump around in, and the concrete’s cool texture provided a refreshing welcome.

There’s a season that curses are partial to.

Negative human emotions accumulate from the end of winter to spring, and it could be said that the rainy season served as the so-called peak of their ripening.

The inside of the damp tunnel held the same atmosphere. There was a gloominess there in the dim lighting that could easily nurture fear. It gently moistened Mahito’s skin; he felt cozy.

“Yeah, let’s stay here.”

When choosing a place to live, it’s best to trust your instincts.

Perhaps humans should do the same, but what they can’t readily do, Mahito can decide without hesitation. If he’s free when he wanders, then he’s free when he settles down, too.

Mahito stepped into the tunnel in good spirits, knocking solidly on the concrete floor.

The soul’s metabolism smooths out in comforting spaces. But…

“Huh?”

After walking a short distance, Mahito discovered “that”.

He initially thought it was some garbage or something that a human illegally dumped. But before long, it became clear that it was a sack-like silhouette leaning against a wall.

At first glance, it perhaps looked like a mere collection of rags.

But the shape of a soul was there.

—Ah, it’s alive.

Yes, just as Mahito had realized, it was a human.

The tattered clothing and wildly overgrown hair and beard hid his shape, but it was undoubtedly a human.

His exact age wasn’t clear from his outward appearance, but whether he was 60 or over 80, he looked elderly.

Mahito thought it was a bit of a pain.

There was already a visitor living in his precious hideaway.

Of course, taking care of this issue would be an easy matter for him. But he felt the same discomfort as a homeowner finding a stain on the wall of their new house.

‘Anyway, if I’m gonna deal with this, let’s get it done,’ Mahito thought, reaching out toward the old man with a little sigh.

Whereupon, unexpectedly, the old man spoke.

“...I’m sorry if you’re displeased.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t know what you came here to do, but... I’m sure your mood has soured after stumbling across the home of an old fool. But I have nowhere to go, either.”

Mahito was a little taken aback.

The old man was clearly aware of Mahito and turned toward him to speak. This wouldn’t be surprising at all if he was talking to a fellow human.

But Mahito is a curse.

The eyes of a mere human can’t clearly perceive cursed spirits.

It isn’t impossible, though. If humans are born with cursed energy, it isn’t unusual for them to be aware of the existence of curses.

What caught Mahito’s attention was this old man’s lack of ‘eyes’.

As in, he had no eyes in the physical sense. Instead, in the empty sockets that once held them, there was a burn scar that was painful just to look at.

Even sorcerers rely on their eyes to view the world.

They depend on their field of vision to spot cursed spirits. That’s why so many of them use sunglasses and the like to conceal their line of sight, as it helps them remain unaffected. It also helps them maintain a balanced mind when their daily life overflows with curses.

However, that was not the case for this old man.

“Can you see me?”

When Mahito asked, the old man answered with a gentle nod.

“At the very least, I can feel you.”

“But you can’t see the world?”

“Naturally. That includes the scenery, what you look like, what color your skin is, and even your gender. Even so... I know you’re there.”

“...Are you a sorcerer?”

“Most likely not.”

“You’re being pretty vague, even though you’re talking about yourself.”

“For a long time, that’s what I’ve been the most vague about.”

Mahito began to notice something strange.

He can feel the shape of a human’s soul.

He knows the movement of a soul’s metabolism, whether it takes on a harsh form, withers weakly, or flickers with liveliness.

However, this old man’s soul was hardly metabolizing.

It was like a meadow with no wind, or a still sea, or the blue sky on a cloudless day.

No, it would be most appropriate to compare it to a stone.

His soul was like a stone on the side of the road.

No fancy ornamentation, no polishing. Unmoving, unwavering.

Calmly passing the time while growing moss.

That was the shape this old man’s soul had.

No matter how calm or how old a person is, the human soul always flickers.

As the years stack up, common sense doesn’t disappear, selfishness isn’t eliminated, and fear isn’t conquered.

But this old man was different.

The old man’s soul was at peace. He had sincerely accepted that everything would decay with time, but that didn’t mean he would throw his life away. It was truly similar to the way in which nature existed.

It was Mahito’s first time meeting anyone like this.

For a while, the tunnel became something of a den for Mahito.

He had gotten a hammock from somewhere, which he hung up between the pipes. He lounged in it and read, passing the time in comfort.

In a movie about life on a deserted island, a human who was desperate to survive made a hammock. Through it, he was able to regain a little peace of mind.

Since it looked surprisingly comfortable, Mahito gave it a try and it worked out nicely.

The arguments and fights of the outside world didn’t reach the inside of the tunnel, where only the burble of the small stream could be heard.

It provided a good environment for soothing the soul.

While leisurely absorbing new knowledge from his books, Mahito would sometimes absentmindedly gaze up toward the ceiling, or glance down at the corner where the old man squatted, looking as he always did.

“How do you live like this? It’s pretty mysterious...”

In the end, Mahito didn’t kill the old man.

It’s important to note that the old man wasn’t much of a hindrance for him. If it would make no difference whether he was there or gone, then Mahito figured getting rid of him would be more of a hassle.

The old man was just there, even quieter and more carefree than a stray cat.

Mahito knew the phrase: ‘man is only a reed, but he is a thinking reed’.

He found it hilarious and also genuinely liked it. It simultaneously boasted about being trapped in thoughts of the soul, while also showing that humans were frail as weeds.

It could be said that the old man was an unthinking reed, then.

No – he was even quieter than that; more like grass or some type of moss. In any case, the old man said nothing and simply carried on living.

Every now and then, the old man would suddenly shuffle off elsewhere, but he would be back to sleep before Mahito knew it. He was surely getting food from somewhere, but he never seemed to gain weight. If he lost any while in the tunnel, he would eat just enough to gain it back when he left, and no more.

It was a style of living so close to nature that it seemed more like a phenomenon than a life.

“That’s why I seriously wonder if you can see me.”

The suspicion was uttered suddenly.

Mahito wasn’t exactly speaking to the old man. Rather, his tone was that of someone talking to themselves.

But when he noticed that the old man’s soul didn’t waver even after hearing him speak, Mahito finally addressed him directly.

“How long have you been here?”

“Let’s see… I think a few winters have passed, but I’m not sure,” the old man muttered, his reply quiet.

Since they were two beings with souls who were aware of each other’s existence, Mahito felt it would be more natural to chat every now and then.

“Don’t you get bored?”

When spoken to in a soft tone, the old man also responded softly.

“I’ve forgotten how to be bored.”

“How do you usually pass the time here?”

“I don’t do anything, really. I just listen to the sounds.”

“The sounds?”

“The sounds of the water flowing.”

“...Is it fun?”

“It’s not. But I forgot how to have fun a long time ago, too, so it’s not an issue.”

So it was like that. Mahito nodded.

If this old man could no longer even feel the pain of boredom, perhaps his soul was worn down.

Humans of the city gasp and struggle through the hurt of not having enough, yet always wish for more even when they get what they wanted. Their souls grew fat and tattered through the rich accumulation of these negative feelings.

So in that regard, from Mahito’s point of view, the old man had a thin soul – but it could be said that was clever of him.

A fat and full human soul leads to a fear of losing the gratifying present moment, which in turn gives birth to curses.

“It’s hard to get your attention. What’s your name?”

When Mahito asked, the old man looked into the air for just a second.

“I left that behind. You can call me whatever you like.”

“There are humans without names? Even curses have them.”

“If you don’t meet other people, you don’t need a name.”

“Isn’t it a problem if you don’t have one?”

“When is it a problem?”

“When it’s time to be buried.”

“I don’t need a gravestone with a name. I can just be stuffed into a common grave, or maybe I’ll rot undiscovered and return to the earth that way.”

“Can’t you take a joke?”

“…Was that a joke?”

The old man didn’t laugh. Neither did Mahito.

But Mahito had the feeling that this old man was childish, contrary to his appearance. His lack of attachments created an unsullied disposition that might make him younger than he looked.

His interest in the old man simmered and surged.

It was his first time seeing this type of human, his first time feeling a soul with this form. For Mahito, this was a rare specimen.

What kind of path must life take to make this kind of human? What would be the most intriguing shape to make with a soul like that? What uses could one plan for such a person?

And what kind of curse would be born from them?

With these questions fueling his curiosity, Mahito started to chat with the old man.

“Why are you here?”

“…Why?”

The old man looked up toward the ceiling through his unruly bangs.

His eye sockets were empty, but it seems like even without sight, humans tended to stare into nothing when they were thinking. One curiosity of Mahito’s was satisfied.

“You weren’t born and raised in this tunnel, right? As a human, you must have been in that noisy city.”

“Ah, that. I lived a fairly busy life a long time ago. I inherited the house, worked, made money and supported my family.”

“So you were a human in a pretty good position.”

“In human society, yes. Looking back on it now, it was all meaningless.”

“So... what, you basically started living in a hole like a mouse, then?”

“I did that because I lost everything that I needed up to then. I lost my social status, my money, and a place where I belonged.”

“You lost it all?”

“I was tricked. That’s when my eyes were burned, so I lost my sight then, too.”

Mahito incidentally recalled the company Jogo attacked.

“You got tricked, huh? You seem pretty good-natured about it.”

“That’s because I didn’t care much about being tricked.”

“You’re a weird old man. Is this some kind of hobby where you get your kicks when people deceive you or something?”

“I’m just saying, that’s the kind of person I was back then. The ones who tricked me were my old friend and my wife. My eyes were burned in that so-called “accident”¹; they claimed I wasn’t of sound mind and body after that, and under the guise of caring for me, they stole everything I worked for before I knew it.”

“That’s a pretty flashy way to trick someone, isn’t it? You’re talking like it’s someone else’s problem.”

“Those two loved each other, and I was loved by no one. Knowing that was more monumental to me than being tricked.”

It was hard for Mahito to interpret what the old man said.

Love. Is it really such an important word?

It’s said that curses born from love exist in the world. It seems there are tremendously powerful ones among them, too. But Mahito doesn’t understand how the mechanism by which people love each other is any different from a cat’s attachment to a blanket.

Still, Mahito knows for a fact that people are obsessed with it.

“Didn’t you curse them? The ones who tricked you.”

“Not really.”

“’Not really’, huh. You know, normally a human in that situation would get angry and hold grudges, and it would make the shape of their soul deteriorate.”

“It’s true, though. I don’t think I had the energy to even consider seeking revenge or hurting them.”

“...I get it.”

Mahito nodded, filling in the blanks.

Regardless of whether or not he can guess the trends in human emotion, Mahito has studied many movies, novels and poetry so far.

Then there were the humans he tinkered with. Mahito could put together the pieces he gleaned from those things and use them to break down the old man’s story.

“So basically, you were in despair. So much despair that it was like your soul was about to die. That’s how you broke through the creation of grudges and curses and ended up like this.”

The old man slowly shook his head.

“I may have been disappointed, but I don’t believe I felt the intense despair you’re thinking of.”

“Are ‘disappointment’ and ‘despair’ different?”

“They are; this is just my personal experience.”

The old man raised his face, following the memories.

“There was no burning resentment or turbulent sorrow. It’s just... I was tired, I guess. Between work, assets, reputation, my life situation and duties, dealing with others, caring about the family name... I think I was probably just tired and worn out because of it all.”

“And that’s why you didn’t get mad even after being tricked?”

“I was at peace. They say the soul gets lighter after going through disappointments.”

The old man’s voice was calm.

It had a cool quality to it, like muddy water that had been filtered clean.

“I couldn’t see, I had no money, I had no love... But as I was walking through the city with nothing to my name, it all suddenly became inconsequential. And then, as I looked around, I saw the city in a new light.”

“Even though you can’t see?”

“Yes. When you can’t see anything, it’s just sound and wind that goes on forever anywhere you are. I couldn’t even see the walls blocking the city in. It was just endless darkness spreading out forever, like a starless night. For the first time, I understood how wide the world was. And I thought to myself... ah, I’m free, aren’t I?”

Mahito blinked rapidly.

This old man’s thinking didn’t fit any other case he had gathered so far.

Even hearing about his past, he couldn’t understand the old man’s thoughts.

But even from Mahito’s point of view, the old man was certainly free.

Without so much as leaving the middle of this tunnel, he knew that the sky was vast.

Perhaps he knew it better than any member of high society walking around freely in the city. He knew the wide spread of the sky, the soft caress of the wind, the gentle sounds of the water.

This old man, who looked like a simple rakugoka², had no property or social standing. He even lost his connection to other humans... And maybe that’s precisely why he could uncover the elusive meaning of the word ‘freedom’.

He was just existing, just being alive, without attachments, grudges or curses.

“So basically ‘not all those who wander are lost’?”

“Yes, though quoting Tolkien’s works might be a little tedious.”

Mahito smiled when the man immediately caught the reference to a book he just happened to read.

“Were you a bookworm?”

“All I did was cram a lot of information in.”

“It’s good to be well-read.”

If curses are born from the fear that humans feel, could this old man even be considered human?

As Mahito is, he struggles with the expression of human emotions.

But he was calm.

For the first time since coming into contact with humans, he had a feeling of peace.

“I think if everyone in the world was like you, I wouldn’t have been born.”

Mahito looked back at his book.

The old man, staring into nothing as always, fell silent again.

Curses are born from humans, but they also kill humans. There is no way for the two to coexist.

But in this tunnel, a curse and a human were doing exactly that.

Though distorted, this peaceful period of time flowed by gently.

It’s only natural for humans to hate and fear other humans.

Since they can’t see souls, they can only make guesses about the feelings of others, and they’re swayed by their own emotions.

They don’t understand that these things are just a reflection of the soul’s metabolism. They don’t even know where their soul is.

Mahito investigated the matter.

This blind man lost his sight and his connection to others, so his soul received less stimulation.

And so, no longer influenced by unnecessary things in the physical world, he spent a lot of time facing his inner world and reflecting.

“It’s kind of like a monk’s training. Through strong introversion, a person looks at their soul more often.”

Mahito walked around the city, skimming through a beaten-up copy of the Heart Sutra.

It was a sutra handbook that focused on controlling the soul. It looked like humans of the past did their own research into freeing the soul from the material world.

The old man’s life ended up in a similar state without him setting out to do it on purpose.

That was likely how he learned to feel other souls through the darkness he lived in. Mahito concluded this was the reason he was aware of curses.

“I think he was already predisposed, but... seems like it’s easier for introverted humans to show promise.”

If he gave the old man’s situation even deeper consideration, he could probably make a lot of guesses about a sorcerer’s training. There’s even a way to encourage the first manifestation of cursed energy.

In that case, it should also be possible to take a talented person and ‘make’ them into a sorcerer or curse-user.

Unleashing a curse-user made by a curse onto a sorcerer...

That might be a fun experiment. It’s easier to shake up a human’s soul by having them fight other humans, rather than just exorcising curses. Sukuna’s vessel should be no exception.

Although...

—Maybe it’s fine to do that a little later?

Yes, Mahito thought it over at his leisure.

He is free. When it’s time to move, he moves. When it’s time to rest, he rests.

And he was not in the mood to launch that plan into action.

Rather, for the time being, he just wanted to gather knowledge and indulge in thought. He also got some new books and wanted to read fantasy novels while basking in the quiet comfort of the tunnel.

Mahito’s gait became lighter. While walking alongside the throng of people, he even began to hum.

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from between two buildings.

“—so damn annoying, yeah?”

Looking over that way, he saw two young humans: a man with long, thin hair, and a muscular skinhead. They were undoubtedly people who looked like trouble.

The long-haired man listened as the skinhead rambled on with his complaints, seemingly in some kind of sullen mood.

“Damn, it’s seriously freezing. Anyway, every last one of ‘em just puts on shitty airs, but it’s all just talk. Nothin’ but excuses. Ah, I wanna kill ‘em all...”

“You say that, but come on. You talk big about wanting to beat these guys to death when you’re pissed, but could you actually kill someone?”

“Sure. Ain’t like killing’s hard.”

“Seriously?”

Mahito squinted and listened, the conversation going in one ear and out the other.

It’s not that he disliked the way they acted or how they spoke bluntly about their heart’s desires. But Mahito knew people like this were all talk.

“Yeah– seriously, anyone’s fine, I just wanna kill someone.”

Then maybe you should do it without saying anything.

Better yet, he thought about practicing some killing methods on them. But Mahito felt the light weight of the book in his hand as he reached out, and he stopped.

Rather than sparing any consideration for this, he just wanted to go back to the comfort of the tunnel and read.

“I’ll kill ‘em.”

The skinhead’s grumbling voice sounded like a spell.

But the words would find no power or heart to shelter in. Shut away between these buildings, the most a person can do is talk to themselves. It’s best for humans like this to stick to the narrow back alleys, foolishly thinking they’re enjoying a wide world.

Mahito averted his gaze and made his way back home.

“Why did Gregor become a bug?”

Mahito suddenly asked the old man, not taking his eyes off the novel.

It was a famous book by Franz Kafka.

A story in which a human unexpectedly turns into a poisonous insect.

“The most popular theory is that the bug is a metaphor.”

“Metaphor?”

“It means he was a person who was hated and oppressed within society, treated the same way a human would treat a bug. Kind of like an old man who was suddenly blinded and tricked one day.”

“Is that a joke?”

“Not exactly.”

It was detached and dispassionate, but an answer would come back any time Mahito said something. When conversing with the old man, it felt like talking to a dictionary. He had a lot of information.

He knew about things like the inner workings of the mind and human culture, and he was smart enough to explain it simply in discussions.

For Mahito, who analyzed human souls through books and movies, this old man’s knowledge and conversation helped in its own way.

When do humans get angry? Why do they grieve?

How do they trust and in what ways are they betrayed?

Mahito lived with a different sense of ethics when compared to humans, so there were many things he struggled to interpret. The old man explained them and helped him understand.

He had a strong interest in the experiences of the old man, who had once lived among humans but didn’t act like them.

“After becoming a bug, Gregor eventually hid away like he was told to, but he still ended up being spotted and it led to his death. Jii-san³, why do you think that is?”

“You cannot find peace by avoiding life.”

“That’s a quote from Virginia Woolf, right?”

When Mahito immediately and correctly guessed the source, the old man raised a brow slightly.

“You’re a pretty avid reader, too. Conversations with you are really stress-free.”

“Do you have to go back to living with other humans, then?”

“If you don’t have any attachment to the human world, there’s no need to run from it or stand against it⁴.”

“I see,” Mahito murmured to let the other know he was listening, eyes still on the book.

Even if he wasn’t looking at it, the old man’s perpetually calm soul was aglow in the dark like always.

Mahito read his book in the dim room lit by the brilliance of that soul instead of a candle.

Time quietly flowed through the darkness.

Outside of the tunnel, signs indicating the end of summer crept up.

The end came abruptly.

One day, when Mahito was heading back to the tunnel with an abandoned poetry anthology that he picked up on an aimless walk through the city, he felt a noisiness that shouldn’t have been there.

There were one, two, three swaying souls.

One had a very familiar shape, but it was terribly frail. It was like the dying flame of a candle weakened by the wind.

With the same unchanging gait as always, Mahito stepped into the tunnel.

As expected, the old man was there.

But the unusual thing was the crumpled, strange position that he was in.

He was also sandwiched between two younger men who were looking down at him.

“Oooi, isn’t this bad? Did this guy seriously die?”

A man with long, thin hair spoke in a tone that was not particularly anxious.

“Didn’t I say it? I said I could kill,” a muscular skinhead replied, his voice casual.

“But ain’t this just impulsive?”

“Yeah, well, the old man had some real cheek, looking down on us when he’s this weak. So why not just kick him?”

The skinhead likely played sports, given that his legs were as thick around as logs. Kicking an old man to death would be easier than crushing a can.

The two didn’t seem to have a single scrap of interest in the old man, his life or his soul.

There was no reason, no grudge, no clear murderous intent.

It seemed like they simply arrived at the tunnel somehow. They took the opportunity to do as much violence as they wanted. They beat him on a whim.

It could be said that this way of being is freedom for humans.

Mahito crouched down, peeking at the old man’s face.

The beaten visage of the man with burned eyes came into view. But even at a time like this, his expression was as calm as always.

“Are you going to die?”

Mahito searched for even a mumbled word or two in response.

“...Seems so...”

The old man answered in a hoarse voice. He likely barely had the power left to speak now. It appeared as though the two men didn’t hear him over their loud conversation.

He intently inspected the old man’s soul.

The peaceful soul was not flickering, nor did it hold anger or grief; it was simply coming to an unhurried end.

Mahito was impressed.

This old man had found the true meaning of freedom. He really was released from every tie of obligation in this world. Even on the verge of death, that didn’t change.

Being able to make sure of that with his own two eyes, Mahito felt considerably relieved. In the same way he would watch a flower wither and fall, he observed the old man’s death.

Nevertheless...

“Jii-san?”

He had a feeling.

It’s like seeing a plot twist you don’t want to see if you keep turning the pages of a book.

Or like knowing the contents of a present before you open it.

That kind of buzz spread through Mahito’s chest.

While he puzzled over the instinctive alarm bells screaming at him to stop watching, everything was heading toward its end.

“...I thought I would die alone.”

The old man’s soul dimly flickered.

A smile was on his swollen face.

“...To have someone... here to witness this old fool’s last moments...”

The flicker might have been insignificant, like a single drop breaking the water’s surface. Even so, for an instant near death, at the end of it all...

The old man’s soul ‘metabolized’.

“...Tha...nk... y...”

The old man died smiling.

“. . .”

Mahito’s eyes opened wide, and for a moment, he was frozen.

He thought the old man was different when compared to other humans. To Mahito, he seemed unfettered.

Mahito thought the unique philosophical views stemming from such an extraordinary state of mind had freed him from all the shackles of this world.

But despite all of that, the old man was still captured right in his last moments.

On the brink of death, he clung to someone else so he could avoid a lonely end.

The old man was only human.

For a human, it was likely satisfying enough. Perhaps it was even the proper way for one to die.

“. . .”

Mahito said nothing.

But what felt like a dry wind blew through his chest, leaving him cold.

He didn’t know the name humans gave that emotion. But his consciousness was like yarn tangling in on itself, wriggling around like a worm—

And suddenly, it all cut off at once.

The only thing left behind was the sensation of standing in a dry and barren wasteland.

“—So basically,” the skinhead’s voice echoed. “Police probably won’t do a proper investigation. Not for this old nobody.”

“Hey, hey, hey; that’s still a person,” the long haired man answered lightly.

“Yeah, well, that guy started it.”

“He shoulda looked at who he was talking to before he picked a fight.”

“Anyway, my pants are dirty from all that kicking... That’s a problem.”

“So fussy. That’s what you’re worried about when you just killed a guy? How funny.”

“That ain’t a person. Anyway, don’t you know I like being clean? Ahh, the blood won’t come off... Water doesn’t do any good, right?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t – but more importantly, if you’ve settled down, I’m hungry. Let’s stop by a convenience store.”

“I dunno. If you’re gonna look, buy a bento and let’s get outta here.”

Mahito quickly stood up in the same way one would when they finished looking for something in a store.

A sense of fatigue was deeply ingrained in his body.

Their incoherent voices persisted, reverberating through the tunnel, smeared with excuses and attempts to escape reality. He couldn’t hear the soft burble of the stream.

With deep-seated listlessness, Mahito approached the skinhead as one would move to pick up fallen trash.

Idle Transfiguration. The technique spreads quickly.

And thus, the moment he tapped the man’s back, its shape was no longer human.

“Ee—!!”

If he just killed them, it would create a nuisance in the form of a corpse, so he simply folded it up into something palm-sized and kept it alive.

Then, with a careless sweep⁵ of his hand, he folded up the other man as well.

“Begh—”

It fell silent.

Mahito gathered up the two, now no bigger than chess pieces, and turned his attention down toward the remaining corpse of the old man.

It was now just a bag of meat full of bones. Not even the soul remained, so he couldn’t use Idle Transfiguration to fiddle with it.

He was briefly troubled by its disposal, which served as the biggest inconvenience.

In the tunnel, there nothing but the sound of running water.

It was a day where the sky seemed farther away than usual.

Clouds peeked out from around the buildings and a good feeling was carried in on the wind.

Mahito aimlessly walked about the city.

“Maybe I’ll catch a movie. It’s been ages.”

He picked a tiny, somewhat old-looking theater and snuck in.

He’s had high motivation lately, and it seemed like some unnecessary things had peeled away from his soul, leaving him more carefree than ever.

Thanks to that, he had also begun to toy with humans more often.

If he can fold a person up and make them small, he wanted to test out inflating one instead, but he slept on the idea overnight. It was pretty fun, but he knew that he was getting too absorbed. He also felt that carrying on with too much persistence wasn’t a good thing.

A change of pace every now and then was fine, too.

He hadn’t closely checked to see what was being screened. It was mostly just plain and obscure movies, but if one went in with no expectations, they might come across a surprisingly interesting tale.

Curiously, he had that kind of a feeling.

While walking through the hall of the theater, he casually felt through his pocket, which had grown bulky with the ‘small humans’ that he had touched.

—Speaking of which, he thought that was a nuisance.

He carelessly tossed some of them away.

Opening the door, he stepped into the theater.

Perhaps because it was a weekday, there weren’t many customers. The silhouettes of what appeared to be students filled out a few seats here and there.

From where Mahito stood in the corner, he had a good view of the screen.

Soon, instead of a curtain raising, the theater was engulfed in darkness.

T/N: [1] In this sentence, the implication is that the “accident” was very much orchestrated by the old man’s friend and wife, who burned his eyes somehow and then merely made it look like an accident [2] The rakugoka is the storyteller in rakugo, a form of (often) comedic theater that relies solely on spoken word from the rakugoka, who only uses a fan and hand towel as props [3] A way of referring to old men in general, basically like “gramps/grandpa”; Mahito never calls him by an actual name [4] Essentially, the old man’s saying that he (or anyone) can exist parallel to human society without interacting if they have no attachments to it and can still find peace, contrary to the Woolf quote [5] Kanji reads sweep, furigana reads cleanse (the same word for exorcism that sorcerers use)

Thanks as well to Pixi for help with editing and tl checks! If an officially translated version of the novel becomes available in your country, please consider purchasing it, or consider buying a copy of the original novel in Japanese if possible!

#jujutsu kaisen #mahito #mahito jujutsu kaisen #mahito jjk #jogo jjk #hanami jjk #jujutsu kaisen light novel #translation #departing summer and returning autumn

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ibijau · 3 years

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Forbidden Romance pt4 / On AO3

Lan Wangji was predictably furious when his brother confessed to him that he had everything that had happened in recent months. That anger was for the most directed toward Lan elders, but Lan Xichen felt his brother had to also be disappointed in him for making so many compromises. Had their places been reversed, Lan Wangji’s closed expression seemed to say, he would have stood for justice at any cost. Had it been anyone else, Lan Xichen would have dismissed this as an empty boast, the sort every cultivator would do when they weren’t in such a position. But this was Lan Wangji, and he bore on his back the proof of his dedication to his convictions even if it meant going against their elders, something Lan Xichen hadn’t had the strength to do.

Or perhaps it was just Lan Xichen’s guilt speaking. His brother only said a few words, having grown more silent than ever during his forced seclusion, but not a single one of those words aimed to condemn his brother. Instead he asked for details about the plot that had nearly killed Nie Mingjue, and asked why his brother had chosen to reveal all of this after keeping the secret for so long.

“Hm. Nie Huaisang,” was Lan Wangji’s only comment when Lan Xichen shared the plan hatched to protect his brother and his nephew.

His tone was neither warm nor cold, but it was knowing. It was not something the two of them had ever discussed, that shared preference for men. They had also never really talked about the targets of that preference, neither really understanding why the other would want such a partner, but trying to be supportive in spite of it.

“Are you sure?” Lan Wangji asked about the plan. That he needed to ask at all said a lot about the amount of trust he placed in Nie Huaisang’s word, Lan Xichen thought.

He couldn’t even blame his brother. Lan Xichen knew Nie Huaisang’s reputation as lazy and indolent, and wouldn’t argue that it wasn't at least somewhat justified. But weak cultivation and lack of taste for martial arts didn’t mean Nie Huaisang couldn’t be depended on when necessary.

“I’m sure,” Lan Xichen said.

It was enough for his brother, who expressed no further doubts.

Having agreed on a plan to follow, preparations were quickly made to allow Lan Wangji a chance to leave the Cloud Recesses undetected, and to ensure his departure wouldn’t be noticed too quickly. Lan Xichen gave his brother a hefty sum of money to cover any expenditures he might encounter on the way to Qinghe, as much food as he had been able to take without attracting attention, and his personal jade token so Lan Wangji could leave without going through the main gate.

Regarding Lan Yuan too, arrangements had been made. Lan Xichen had taken the child from his class that very afternoon, declaring that he intended on spending the next few days personally teaching him. Since the little boy was largely suspected of being Lan Wangji’s bastard son, it did not surprise anyone that Lan Xichen would wish to supervise his education.

He had worried that his uncle would notice Lan Yuan’s absence since they lived together, but Lan Qiren had been so busy these recently that Lan Xichen hardly ever saw him. And even if he noticed the child was missing, Lan Qiren would surely understand and hold his tongue. It was then only a matter of bringing the little boy to his father in the middle of the night, and wishing them both a safe journey. Lan Wangji had recuperated a great deal from his wounds, and though he wasn’t yet in perfect health, he was strong enough to arrive to Qinghe in a few days, even if he had to carry a child while flying.

For three days, Lan Xichen hid his brother’s escape. It took a little work to make sure meals appeared to have been consumed, but at least doctors no longer needed to attend Lan Wangji as frequently as they once did, and nobody else ever came to visit him.

On the morning of the fourth day, Lan Xichen dressed carefully to make himself look older and more respectable, and put on a guan that had once belonged to his grandfather. He opened the Hanshi’s determined to demand that the council meet him, so he could finally reveal everything he had learned about the plot against Nie Mingjue and force them to accept that their sect would be morally in the wrong if they persisted in refusing to choose a side. He would not back down, not this time. His brother, his best friend, and his true love were counting on him. Lan Xichen could not disappoint them, not again. He would…

“The elders are requesting your presence for a council,” a disciple informed him as soon as he stepped outside. “Some urgent news has arrived regarding recent events.”

A slight change of plan. Lan Xichen was equal parts aggravated and relieved. He would have liked to be the one making demands for once, but there was no certainty that the council of elders would have gathered merely because he asked for it.

Lan Xichen promptly made his way to meet the elders, and apologised for his tardiness when he entered the room where they had gathered. After exchanging a glance with his uncle, who appeared just as ignorant of this new matter, Lan Xichen went to sit at his place, on a dai that raised him above the elders. And yet, it was toward Lan Xiaofan that every eyes turned, knowing as they all did that his opinion held more weight than that of the boy they used as a figurehead.

“Two pieces of news have reached us early this morning,” Lan Xiaofan somberly announced. “The first is that Lanling Jin has also started speaking of going to war. They say Qinghe Nie has kidnapped their sect leader’s grandson and heir, Jin Ling.”

“A serious accusation,” Lan Xichen retorted, certain Nie Huaisang would have known about that if it were true, and that he would have warned him. “What proof is there?”

Lan Xiaofan hesitated, surprised by his sect leader’s defiant tone, or perhaps by the very fact that Lan Xichen would dare to speak without invitation.

“The proof is that the child is missing, and the Nie are their only enemies.”

“So we are to take the absence of proof as a proof?”

The old men glared at Lan Xichen, who innocently smiled at them in return. He’d never understood how some people could just say rude things, be wilfully insolent, or do whatever they pleased without consideration for the will of others, but he was starting to understand the thrill of it. There was something absolutely delicious in daring to say the things that were on his mind, instead of just reciting what he knew people wanted to hear.

It was addictive, and he suddenly felt new sympathy for Wei Wuxian.

“Nie Mingjue has gone mad, and is capable of nearly anything at this point,” someone said. “Even harming a child, if that’s what it takes to destroy the one sect that stands between him and power.”

“Da-ge isn’t doing this for power,” Lan Xichen protested.

“After he’s kidnapped that child, can you really believe his story about a murder attempt?”

“I do, and I know there was a witness to that attempt,” Lan Xichen proclaimed. “I have talked with him, he was there when it started, and helped me understand how the attempt was made.”

That, at last, silenced the elders. It gave Lan Xichen some hope. They weren’t enemies, he reminded himself, and they were not cruel by nature either. They were just trying to make the best possible decision for their sect, just like him, and when they were told with no uncertainty how the whole thing had unfolded, they would finally side with Nie Mingjue.

“Who is that witness?” Lan Qiren asked.

“Nie Mingjue’s own brother. He's heard me play Cleansing and was surprised to find it different from what Jin Guangyao had been playing for Da-ge. We talked about it, he shared the melody he remembers with me, and if you let me share it with you, you will surely agree that…”

“Well, that was the second news we wanted to discuss today,” Lan Xiaofan said. “Nie Mingjue has apparently found his brother conspiring against his life and imprisoned him.”

Lan Xichen’s blood turned to ice.

“That’s impossible,” he whispered, the words difficult to even get out. “Huaisang was just… and Da-ge trusts him. He knows Huaisang would never hurt him!”

“Nie Mingjue is unstable, and his brother was a little too fond of that Guangyao before this incident. Not to mention it could be that if there was an assassination attempt, might it not make more sense indeed if it came from within? They’re only half brothers, let’s not forget that. Nie Huaisang could easily have gotten involved into a coup against his brother, only to try and blame it on the Jins. But in the end, if they are torn apart it is no concern of ours.”

It was certainly Lan Xichen’s concern. He knew with the greatest certainty that Nie Huaisang would never do anything that might harm his brother, and it was something Nie Mingjue himself had professed more than once. Whenever he’d complained about his brother’s perceived failings as a cultivator and clan heir, he would always balance it out by saying that at least Nie Huaisang was loyal, and they that they lived in a world where that quality was to be cherished.

Nie Huaisang couldn’t have betrayed his brother.

As to whether Nie Mingjue might believe that he had… Before this whole debacle started, Lan Xichen would have found that equally impossible to imagine. But he’d seen the flashes of terror in Nie Huaisang whenever he’d spoken of his brother during their secret meetings, his ever growing desperation to quickly heal Nie Mingjue. And then there had been the way Nie Huaisang had clung to him when Lan Xichen had said they both needed to head home, as if something about returning to the Unclean Realm terrified him.

“Surely this whole situation has become complex enough that it needs to be investigated,” Lan Xichen insisted. “We keep hearing different versions of events from different parties. Since we have announced ourselves to be neutral, then naturally we ought to…”

“Neutrality might no longer be the better course of action,” Lan Xiaofan said. “Not when a child’s life is at stake, and Nie Mingjue is as unpredictable as a wounded beast. The Jins have been patient with us thus far, but they will not be forgiving if anything happens to their sect leader's grandson."

"But we don't even know…"

"Lan zongzhu has made his opinion clear,” Lan Xiaofan cut him with a glare. “He may now stay silent as his elders discuss the situation with judgement unclouded by old preferences."

If it had only been him and those elders, Lan Xichen would not have let himself be silenced in that manner. Not again, not anymore. Not when his brother was out of their reach at last, while Nie Huaisang and Nie Mingjue’s lives appeared in greater danger than ever before. But Lan Qiren, who was seated nearest to him, grabbed his wrist and looked at him in a manner that said the time for a fight hadn't come yet.

It struck Lan Xichen as odd. His uncle had, up to that point, made it clear to him that he would support his nephew, should he try to go against the council's wishes. He had promised he would find ways to keep Lan Wangji out of harm's way, at the cost of his own safety if need be. Lan Qiren had also been quite clear that out of the two sect leaders in conflict, he had always found Nie Mingjue to be the more honest one and could not imagine why that would have changed.

If his uncle suddenly no longer wished for direct opposition, he had to have his reasons. So Lan Xichen, with great effort, kept silent as old men discussed matters for which they refused to hear all the facts. It did not come as a surprise when, after wasting nearly all morning in useless arguments, they decided to remain neutral.

Unsurprising, but somehow disappointing. Had they sided with the Jins, Lan Xichen could have pretended a fit of anger and left to finally act as his conscience dictated. Instead, he would have to come up with a new plan to help his friend and his beloved.

As the council disbanded for the day, Lan Xichen started walking toward the Hanshi, wishing for a chance to be alone and think his next move. Before he had taken two steps, Lan Qiren grabbed him by the elbow and started pulling him in another direction, away from most buildings.

"Let's go for a walk," Lan Qiren ordered as they passed by the elders. "I have a few things to say about your behaviour earlier."

Tempting as it was to refuse, Lan Xichen obediently followed, and tried to appear contrite at the perspective of a scolding. They walked together in silence, leaving behind the heart of the Cloud Recesses. The path had a certain familiarity to it, but Lan Xichen was so preoccupied that did not realise where they were headed until a small house came into view, isolated and surrounded by gentians.

Lan Xichen slowed, staring at his mother’s prison.

A terrifying thought immediately crossed his mind, about Wangji being caught, or getting wounded and being forced to secretly return to the Cloud Recesses, relying on their uncle to hide him. That house had sat untouched for years, young disciples avoided it if possible, elders behaved as if it didn't exist. Lan Wangji had been the only one to regularly come there to ensure it didn't fall in disrepair before his punishment, sometimes dragging Lan Xichen with him. Lan Qiren, certainly, had no love for that house, and wouldn't have come there unless forced.

"Do we have a guest, uncle?" Lan Xichen asked in an unsteady voice.

"Something of the sort. A visitor the elders need not know of."

Now in a near panic, Lan Xichen quickly made his way to the house, and opened the door without knocking. The house being small, there was only the one room, and nowhere to hide, so Lan Xichen could not have missed the sight of a young man seated on the bed. A young man who wasn’t Lan Wangji. In fact, it might have been generous to even call him a man when he could hardly be more than fourteen or fifteen, or more likely younger and just tall for his age.

The teenager looked away from the book he was reading, and his face was one that Lan Xichen had seen before, though not one he would have paid much attention to. If not for the bright yellow robes he wore, embroidered with a peony, Lan Xichen might not have guessed so quickly who he was.

“Xuanyu?” Lan Xichen gasped, before his eyes fell on the toddler currently napping on the teenager’s lap. “And is that Jin Ling?”

Mo Xuanyu grimaced and glanced at Lan Qiren who made a gesture his nephew didn’t quite see, all his attention being turned on Jin Ling.

“Well, you got one out of two right,” Mo Xuanyu announced with a smile that seemed familiar, though it did not belong on that face. “Not that I’d expect anyone to guess. Even Lan-xiansheng took some convincing, but I was able to share some details that only I would have known, so he…”

“Oh no,” Lan Xichen said, seized by a horrible doubt. It made no sense, except in the way that everything was such a mess lately, and kept getting worse and worse. “Oh no,” he repeated, pressing a hand to his mouth. “Wei Wuxian?”

Mo Xuanyu’s sheepish smile was an answer, but not the one Lan Xichen would have preferred to get.

#xisang #lan xichen #lan qiren #and others #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #forbidden romance au #I have an ending planned for this but I need to think up what comes in the middle lol #jau writes

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cunningambitousdetermined · 3 years

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i need a plot for this

yall so ive been trying really hard to get back into writing and i went to a writing camp this summer. im going to post a poem that i wrote there later bc im super proud of it but right now i have something else i need help with. SO basically there was a prompt about someone finding a letter or a note. that’s the prompt. so i wrote something, really liked it BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO TAKE IT FROM HERE. my basic ideas involve the two characters meeting each other again to do SOMETHING WHICH I DONT KNOW and slowly arcane (youll see when you read the story below) thaws and falls in love with kalon and kalon has always been in love with her and its like best friends to enemies to friends to lovers ya know? ANYWAY if you dont hate me for being inactive and needy, please read this and help me.

Dear Arcane,

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? 10 years. Wow. I don’t even know if you’ll ever get this, you could’ve moved. You could be dead. Oh god, that’s dark. You’re not dead, someone would’ve told me, I’m sure. So that must mean that there’s a good chance you have this, but I’m not even sure if you’ll read it.

He was right, as he most often was. Arcane had not planned to read the letter from the moment she read her name on the envelope, written in a neat sort of messy handwriting that could only come from one person. The letter had been sitting at her desk for a week before memories began to drown her and she knew she had to open it.

That’s not the point though, I’m sure you’ll read this. You’ve always been a sucker for the intimacy of written letters. Maybe that’s why I wrote to you instead of calling.

Arcane closed her eyes, the pounding of the memories at the door slowly consuming her. She took a deep breath and let them in. The whispers started to fill the room, every word echoing off the walls, like her past had become a living, breathing thing in her room. How could he write her now? After all these years. Anger reared it's small head in the back of her mind. How could he be so casual as if he wasn't the boy who ripped her heart out and tore it to pieces.

Maybe it’s because I did read all the letters you wrote to me. Even after the voicemails stopped filling my phone and the emails ran dry, your letters kept coming.

She remembers writing those letters, the pen shaking in her hand as it hit the paper. She remembers wondering what you said to someone like him, a friend who left you behind. The squeeze in her chest that tightened each time he didn’t reply. The break in her heart when the last letter she ever wrote was returned to her doorstep.

If you’ve read this far without tearing my letter to pieces, then I would say this is a good start to our reunion. I’ve missed you. Your stubborn ways, always trying to keep me safe. But you always came with me wherever I went anyway. I miss your secret smile, the one you saved just for me. The treehouse we built in your yard. Do you miss that? I wonder if you wonder about me. I wonder if I can even ask that of you.

She did miss them. But, those things that she missed were long gone. The treehouse was overgrown with vines, Arcane was sure you couldn’t even get into it anymore. She went with him on his stupid adventures because what would she do if he left and met new people? He would leave her and she would be alone. So she desperately followed him blindly, hoping it would keep him close. Arcane missed her secret smile, the genuine one she had always saved for him. He missed it. How could he miss something that he destroyed. With his one and only letter to her, he demolished any leftover love for him that hid in her heart. He couldn’t ask if Arcane wondered about him. That wasn’t fair. That night, ten years ago, was still a raw wound in her soul that she was pretty sure would never heal.

The rain was relentless that night, banging against every edge of the house, but a little girl was waiting by the door, not even flinching as the lightning and thunder clapped furiously. Arcane peeked her head above the window frame to find the mailman running through the storm, his frantic steps pounding through the floor of the house. Her eyes lit up with a hope that was slowly fading with each mail drop. She opened the door and hid the small smile that started to spread up her face with a cough.

“Hi, Dan!” Arcane’s voice gave away the excitement that was flooding her system.

“Hey, Arcane.” Dan couldn’t help the pitiful grin that he gave her. She waited by the door for him every day and each day there was no letter for her. It must be soul-crushing, he thought, waiting for a letter that never comes.

“Is there…?” Arcane was practically on her tiptoes at this point. Dan rifled through the letters, dread settling as her name wasn’t there. Again. And then there was a squeal. “Oh, Dan! I found it! I knew- I knew it- I told them!” Her sentences didn’t even come out fully as she beamed, her smile brighter than any ray of the sun.

Arcane had run into the house, a breeze following in her wake. Plopping down into the soft plush couch, she ripped open the envelope, not caring about the paper that flew everywhere in the room. A paper fluttered out, floating toward the ground. Arcane grabbed it, hands shaking, she could practically feel the sweat dripping down her face. Words were the easiest way to break someone. The letter only contained eleven words, yet they would stick with her for the rest of her life.

Stop writing me. None of it was real. You were nothing.

Eleven words. And they shattered her. Crumbling, shattering, a million pieces breaking. Sobs racked through her whole body, her chest shaking and trembling with each broken breath. She caught her face in the mirror hanging off the pale wall and didn’t recognize the girl that stared back. You were nothing. A scream tore through her, the ache of her heart so raw that even the sun seemed to cry, rain dripping onto the panes of the windows. And slowly, so very slowly, Arcane buried the ache and gathered the shattered pieces of her heart and encased them in an impenetrable cage, never to opened again.

The ache was still present now, ten years after the letter had arrived. The dullness of her buried hurt made her clench her fists around the letter that sat in her hand now, the same lopsided handwriting adorning it.

But, that’s not why I’m writing this letter. I’m writing this with an actual purpose, if you can imagine that. I didn't just write to rehash our friendship.

Arcane could feel her eyes narrowing, fighting the urge to roll her eyes at the inanimate piece of paper. An actual purpose? To break her heart all over again? This time she did roll her eyes, even though no one was there to see it. But, it wasn’t the fact that he wrote her after all these years or that his tone was friendly throughout that made her body freeze. It was the last line that had the hairs on the back of her neck standing to attention.

In all the years that Arcane had known him, he'd never been very dependent. He often just struggled in silence and figured them out on his own. Not once, not ever, had has asked for help. But, there the sentence was inked in his slanted, loopy writing.

I need your help.

Love,

Kalon

~~everything below here is stuff that doesnt have to be a part of the story but i still liked it and where it was going (idk please give me ideas)~~

The quiet, shock of the room seemed to weigh on Arcane. She flopped back onto her bed, the soft pillows cushioning her landing. I need your help. Those few, simple words, tugged at the strings that bound her heart. He needed her. The thought was fleeting as just as quickly as it came, it left. In its spot was anger. Now he needed her? After all those years when she needed him? What did he do then? Nothing. And that’s what she was going to do now. She huffed in satisfaction, tossing the envelope to the side. Her fingers reached into her hair, massaging her head. There were too many things to think about right now. Arcane squeezed her eyes shut as memories stung her eyes in the form of tears.

“Please, don’t leave me.” Arcane had whispered, her small breaths filling the one room of the treehouse.

“I don’t have a choice. You know I don’t want to go.” Kalon’s voice broke and he looked away so Arcane couldn’t see the tears in his eyes. It was silent.

“We’ll still be best friends right?”

“Yeah.” Kalon’s reply didn’t hold much conviction, causing Arcane to look over at him, confused, glossy eyes narrowing.

“To the moon and back, Kal, remember?” She said, her tone desperate. It was a promise they made one night as they were watching some cheesy movie on the old television set. The boy had told the girl that he loved her too ‘the moon and back’. Kalon had then explained that the two characters said that so that they would never be apart. They could meet at the same moon, always and then they could go back. And then, they would never be fully apart. Arcane had liked that. So naturally, she had grabbed Kal’s face and made him promise that they would go ‘to the moon and back’ if they were ever apart. It became a goodbye for them, a way of saying ‘I’ll see you soon’.

“Yeah,” Kal had replied, a smile barely curling through his lips, “I’ll race ya there.”

She wasn’t sure how long she lay there, letting her memories flow down her cheeks and into the bedsheets, but eventually she had to get up. She pulled herself up and off the bed, limbs protesting at the use. She just needed a few days is all, then she wouldn’t even remember what she was crying for. Kalon didn’t mean anything to her anymore.

thank you for reading this far, i love all of you. just throw out ideas please. or give me some advice, i would love that. whether its about my writing or the plot i would love to have tips and constructive criticism on how to get better! tagging some moots who i hope dont hate me after this below the cut:

@natashxromanovf @pad-foots @griffxnnage @voidmalfoy @flxss-bxbblxs @alwaysreading @herondalesunsetcurve THANKS YALL I LOVE YOU MORE THEN I EXPRESS AND I DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT DESERVE ALL OF YOU AND YOUR LOVE

#my writing #a book?#writing a book #plot ideas #please give me some ideas #writing #original characters #and an original storyline #found letter prompt

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pebblysand · 3 years

Text

[writing rant - on filler words]

[yes, i should be writing castles but here i am giving you unwarranted writing advice instead. sue me.]

this morning, you might have seen me reblog this post on filler words. it's a classic, very typical piece of writing advice where the author lists a number of filler words/sentences that you should scrape from your writing to appeal to publishers or make your prose seem more professional or whatever. i reblogged it saying: 'i disagree with most of these, don't listen to people who tell you how to write.' which a couple of you liked (cheers!) but upon reflection, i feel like this needs a bit more of a nuanced response, which is what i'm doing now. i'm not reblogging the post again because it's long and this is going to be long, and tumblr isn't necessarily text-friendly but do go read it first if you fancy.

now, as far as i'm concerned, the truth isn't that i think filler words are amazing and that you should keep them all, love them all equally like your precious children. of course, you should watch out for them. just like we do when we speak, we fill our written sentences with a lot of pointless fluff that brings nothing to our message. when used "wrongly," filler words slow down sentence pacing, hurt the rhythm of your prose, your ability to choose the correct lexicon for certain actions, etc. they're not always good, and you should definitely be aware of them in your prose.

however, what i dislike about these types of posts is the way people dispensing this "writing advice" make whatever they're saying sound like some sort of golden rule. like: if you don't do this, your story will be shit and never get published. i don't know much about the publishing world but i have written 300,000+ words of mildly successful fanfiction over the years, so i do know a thing or two about writing as a craft, if not a business. and, here's the raw, honest truth: believing that anything about this crazy art we're making is set in stone? that is the kind of thing that will make you a shit writer.

now, if you're following this blog, i'm guessing you like my writing, are probably quite familiar with it. then, this will not be a surprise to you: while i don't pretend to hold any sort of truth on the matter, god knows, i use a shit ton of filler words. by which i mean: a SHIT TON. take any paragraph of any fic i've ever written and i'm sure i could point you to some random word "botox" in pretty much every sentence. this post itself, if you're paying close attention, is also filled with them. and, another surprise: i know that. it's by design.

and, that, my friends, is what matters most. you should watch out for filler words, be aware of them, but if they end up in your final draft, it has to be for a reason. in fairness, i think that's where most of those writing advice posts get it "wrong" and why they annoy me so much: they tell part of the story, but not all of it. they talk about words in a vacuum like our words only exist to be pretty on a page, rather than to share something with other human beings.

now, as a disclaimer, i should preface this by saying that: it depends what kind of writing you're into. this is all very related to personal taste. as a reader, i tend to prefer stories that are told from a very distinct pov, where the story is told by a character rather than by the author. this preference also informs my writing. to me, a story can be first person or third person, it doesn't really matter, but i like a good old restrictive, terribly biased and unreliable pov in a story. i'm someone who 100% favours character over plot (although plot is terribly important too, don't get me wrong) and i like a person to tell me a story, not a robot.

in that context, "filler words" aren't just sentence "botox," they tell a story, too. they tell you who your narrator is. in a post like this, they inform you that i probably speak quickly, that i'm somewhat bubbly but assertive, that my sentences are long and rhythmic, and when i write "in fairness" rather than "to be fair," or "to be honest," it even hints to the fact that my main dialect is hiberno-English. in a work of fiction, filler words can tell you mountains about where your character is from, what they think, feel, etc... are their sentences short and devoid of any filler words? perhaps, they are extremely poised and self-confident, or perhaps they are so detached from what is happening that they are actually on the verge of an emotional breakdown. are their sentences filled with "just"s and "you know"s and "slightly"s and "really"s? perhaps they are insecure, unsure of what their next move will be.

filler words are also where style and pet peeves happen. you'll notice that i use "and:" and "like:" as sentence openers relatively often. it depends on the work and how i feel about the character, but it is something i enjoy playing with. i use 'rather' and 'perhaps' frequently, too, frankly for no other reason than the fact that i like the sound of them. not everyone does, obviously, but since i'm the queen of my own fictional kingdom, i get to authoritatively decide to abuse them. that og post said to not use "that" as a conjunction (prefer: "he said he wouldn't," to: "he said that he wouldn't). man, aside from dialogue, i hate "he said he wouldn't" with a passion. i always use "that" as a conjunction and detest the way my sentences sound without it. i find the absence of "that" clunky and unclear. i don't know whether it is right or wrong, but that's how i roll. the people of the internet seem to like it but if they don't, they're more than welcome to read the work of another author who doesn't use "that" as a conjunction. i'm not holding a gun to their head.

however, as you've probably guessed from the above, this doesn't mean that you shouldn't be aware of your filler words. both yours and your characters'. know what you like, what you don't like, how your narrator narrates and how your characters speak. know how you speak and write, what your strengths and weaknesses as a writer are. edit your work critically. this being said, scraping all the words that make the work special is ludicrous. you would be scraping your work of so much personality that could actually be what makes it unique. writing is an art, not a game of exactitude. if the goal was to write everything perfectly, you could ask siri or alexa to write your short story for you. where you need to be careful with filler words is for them to serve your story, rather than hurt it. the filler words? they need to be carefully considered, questioned, and you need to make sure that they are intentional, not accidental.

and, of course, that's the hard part. that's the part of the writing advice these posts never get into because making blanket statements in the world is always easier than saying: it depends. creating a work of art out of thin air isn't as easy as cmd+f-ing all the "just"s and hitting "delete all." it's noticing which of those filler words you overuse, and keeping them in the back of your mind while you edit, taking a lot of them out. it's listening to your beta/editor when they tell you to take more out. it's also sitting for hours in front of your word document, contemplating every sentence and asking: should i use "just" here? does it show anything? does it have a purpose? does it sound right? let me read this out loud. and, what about the "eventually" there? does that sound natural? is that more of dialogue thing?

that's the line of critical thinking that will make you write better. and, don't get me wrong, posts like the above are useful as a guide in the way that they tend to list the most frequently used filler words, which you can then use as an inspiration to spot these idiosyncrasies in your writing, decide whether to scratch them or use them creatively. but: i'm sorry to say, there's no golden rule to it all. just hard work and practice. trust yourself.

i hope this helps.

#writing tips #writing advice #filler words #writing rants

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yanderexsoul · 3 years

Text

Yandere Jinsoul

I am not Jung Jinsol and have no association with her, LOONA, or Blackberry Creative.

Reverse Idol AU

Jinsol has been following you ever since debut. She’s bought all your group’s albums, cleaned out merchandise stands and comes to every stage she can get into. She’s convinced the two of you are soulmates, even if you don’t know her yet. She just has to make you see her, make you get to know her the way she knows you. And she’ll do whatever she has to in order to have you. Jinsol may be prone to violent mood swings depending on your behavior, but would never permanently damage you, not physically at least, anything else she considers… training. She wants you to be the perfect you that she knows you can be. She just needs to remind you.

Possible warnings:

Kidnap

Non-con elements

Drugging

Violence

Gore

Yandere type:

Controlling, Isolationist, Delusional

She believes the image she’s seen through the screen is the real you, not expecting any flaws and wants you to act as the idol she thinks she knows. She tries to be patient but will lash out if you push her.

Hybrid AU

Jinsol is a white long-tailed weasel. At first she’s rather shy but playful. She becomes attached to you very quickly, even insisting on sleeping in the same bed. You don’t figure it’s a problem until you try to go to work and she bursts into tears asking you to stay, or how rudely she treats your friends when they come over. Jinsol has decided that if she belongs to you, you belong to her. She’ll use whatever means to keep all your attention to herself.

Possible Warnings:

Gaslighting

Emotional Manipulation

Violence

Non-con elements

Gore

Yandere Type:

Isolationist, Manipulative, Violent

She thinks she’s the only one who deserves you, the only one who can love you the way you deserve. She is not afraid to emotionally manipulate you, but if that doesn’t work, she is not afraid to hurt you or do permanent damage.

Create your own: Create your own plot and Jinsol you want to interact with.

NSFW (optional and encouraged)

Choose whether you want Jinsoul to be a sub, dom or anything in between

DOM:

Giving- impact play, dumbification, degradation, edging, overstimulation, marking, praise, strap-on, power play, somnophilia, training, humiliation, exhibitionism

Receiving- praise, nipple play, begging, somnophilia

SUB:

Giving- oral, begging, praise, power play, titles

Receiving- impact play, dumbification, degradation, praise, penetration/strap-on, training, pet play, teasing, humiliation, exhibitionism

Hard No’s: Food play

Due to the yandere plots, non-con is allowed if wanted and details may be discussed in DMs

Rules:

Absolutely

DO NOT

interact if you are under the age 18 as that is the age of consent where Admin lives.

You may send in a message if you have not received a response in over 48hrs.

Admin works and may get busy but will get back to you as soon as possible.

Rudeness and hate will not be tolerated, you get one warning before being blocked.

Activation:

Reblog this post

DM admin:

Name you wish to be called

Pronouns

Age

Timezone (opt.)

Plot Choice

If you would like NSFW content to be included

If you would like jinsoul to be dom, sub or switch

Your kinks, no’s, and any triggers/topics to be avoided

Admin will get back to you to discuss any other plot details before sending a starter

Extra Info:

Roleplay will be in semi-literate/literate style, with quotation marks around spoken words

Jinsoul will respond in either 1st person or 3rd, whichever is your preference.

Admin is in GMT-7 time zone

OG Chatbot: @yanlee

OG Jinsoul bot: please lmk

@yandere-bc @yanderesungie @domyukhei @yanderechangkyun @yanderejisung @midari-jieun @demon-lee @skzhybrids @skzhotline @demon-nct @mafia-chae @reptileroom-chaewon @fallen-angelheejin @skz-hybrids @mafia-skz-bot @yourdaddychan @youreours-cb @your-yanderes @yandere-cho

let me know if you'd like to be removed from the list

#kpop roleplay #krp #kpop rp #loona chatbot #jinsoul chatbot #jinsol chatbot #kpop chatbot #chatbot #yandere #yandere chatbot #kpop yandere #hybrid chatbot #kpop hybrid

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fonulyn · 3 years

Note

I need to scream about RE ID bc like. Did I enjoy it? Yeah, I did. Was it. Just wrapped up way too nicely and quickly? Also yeah. I was a little disappointed by it tho, like the length, and the flashback scenes weren't as clear as I think they should have been? Like I understood what was happening, but it took me a little too much brain power to like keep up with what was and wasn't a flashback lmao

Also I wanna say, I get wanting to keep Jun See alive but god, that did not look fun. Just let him die, dude, no one wants to live like that, smh.

Thank god they kept Leon's one liners tho, like thank you for that at least lol also Claire, my GIRL, I love her holy shit. Honestly she was amazing, like, just perfect. Not sure why she has a gun in the promotional poster, bc she just. Never has a gun throughout the entire show, I don't think? Also can we talk about how she took that guy down with that lamp, and then hopped on top of him just fucking ready to continue to beat the shit out of him? Chris would be so proud 🥲

Okay also, I saw what you said with that flirting scene, and I agree that it seemed like Leon was trying to lighten the mood, but it so didn't need to be put in there at all @ the writers. Like this show could have gotten away with no romance, or just that one moment near the end with Claire and Leon (which, I don't ship them much, and that moment at the v end where she was like "are you ever gonna stop treating me like a kid?" And he responded with "probably not" or whatever kind of ruined whatever was shown earlier? Like it feels like she's had that convo with Chris before too, so I'm like hm no don't imply romance and then imply that he treats her like a little kid every time they run into each other, now it's weird lol) and been fine. None of the story was contingent on any kind of romance between anyone.

Now with that said, can I just say Patrick absolutely wanted to suck Leon's dick? Like he was smitten, and I bet you they at least fuck after all this is said and done, if not date for a short period of time. I thought they were gonna kill Patrick off, I'm glad they didn't tho, he was v wholesome lol.

Also I wanna mention that every serious moment (save a small handful) I just. I couldn't take it seriously, it was too over the top. Acid? Really? That's the self destruct measure? Slowly rising acid? I dunno, that doesn't seem quite right to me, I don't think that's how it works lol

Honestly they should have just made this into a new movie, bc making it a series implies more to follow and in general a longer narrative, but these eps were barely 20 minutes each, so there's almost no point splitting it like that. Did I enjoy myself? Yeah, I always do when Leon is involved, but it could have been so much better.

Also the silly little shipper in me is kind of desperate for more interaction between Chris and Leon, bc as far as I'm aware it's just RE6, RE vendetta, and RE ID (and I think the person who told Chris to save Claire in either code x or Veronica was Leon? Not 100% about that tho lol) where they actually interact with each other, and considering that they're the two main characters of the franchise, they should probably meet up more? Idk, that's just my gay ass hoping for more Chreon content lmao but still.

ANYWAYS yeah, I would rate the show like a 7.5/10? It wasn't amazing but it wasn't garbage, either. Probably my least favorite of the four animated movies tbh, but I will take the Leon content, thank you Capcom. Also it was interesting to see Leon around the time following/around RE4 and RE degeneration, I thought, I dunno.

oh boy I agree 100% it was wrapped up way too quickly in the end. like killing Jason? by just dropping him in the acid? it was way too simple and easy if you ask me. and like, why didn't he yeet Leon into the acid when he had him by the throat? him not killing Leon makes zero sense to me??

asdfg yeah I get they weren't ready to let Jun See go, but I bet Jun See really would've preferred to go...

I am so happy that they kept the one liners!! Leon felt very, very in character which I loved so much. I was afraid they'd tone it down or make him super serious or so, and it was such a relief they didn't. he was so eager to help and so goddamn kind to everyone I don't know if my heart can even handle it ;;;;;

also Claire!! so badass!! I loved the part where she attacked the guy with the lamp (yes Chris would be super proud haha) and THE HEADBUTT seriously, one of the top highlights of the entire series :'D

(but honestly this is gonna get long i'mma gonna hit that read more here)

and the flirting scene, I do think they could've left it out entirely and it felt a little strong-armed in. but I'm trying to look at the silver lining? Leon was super goddamn adorable in it, like, so cute it hurts :'D and Shen May didn't seem bothered really, it was more this joking thing between them. so while yes, it was unnecessary, i'm focusing on the joking feel of it and choosing to interpret it as such :'D

also, can I just say, the "romantic moment" with Claire and Leon near the end didn't feel very romantic to me? I know it's a romcom cliché (or at least a fanfic cliché lmao) how they ended up in a pile after the rescue but ...it didn't scream romance to me? although I do kind of like the pairing! (not a top fave but a cute one)

and yes, the whole "when are you gonna stop treating me like a kid?" "probably never" felt SO much like a sibling moment!! such big brother energy from Leon, and I don't know, that made me super duper happy?? I want them to be friends. I neeeed them to be friends gdi. which is why I am unhappy with how mad Claire seemed to be at Leon in the end and how they left it off like they did. I am hoping that it sets things up for a second season? and they for whatever reason need them on kind of the opposing sides at first? because otherwise it makes no sense to me for her to be that disappointed in him. in Degeneration they already establish they work in different ways towards the same goal, and for that to do a 180 now feels... like a disservice to the characters? idk?

lmaooooo but yes Patrick 100% wanted to suck Leon's dick he didn't even try to be subtle about it :'D idk I would've wanted Patrick to have more depth and screentime too, i so wish they would've made it a longer series and given the characters more development. because I liked pretty much all of the new characters they introduced! but it feels none of them reached their actual potential!

then again that is kind of the whole deal with resident evil in general, they set up awesome characters and end up wasting them half of the time :'D guess i shouldn't be surprised.

THE SLOWLY RISING ACID PISSED ME OFF lmaooo c'mon!! it doesn't seem like a good self destruct measure. especially since ...you'd need different acid to dissolve organic matter and to dissolve inorganic matter if we're being nitpicky. and how would it be plausible for them to store enough of it safely to even do this?? they should've just detonated the whole place and blown it to smithereens or something, the acid was. stupid.

i agree, it feels like a movie. but I think @tirsynni is probably right when saying that it was sort of a test run to see if they should make more? which I am so hoping for. because even with the complaints I have of this, I DID enjoy it, a lot!! and I do want more! and maybe this time we get Claire and Leon actually working together for more than fifteen seconds! :'D

also I definitely would not say no to more Chris and Leon interactions. (yes it was Leon who told Chris to save Claire :) at least that) it... in general makes no sense to me how capcom seems to think friendships work? like how Sherry is all "Leon and Claire are my best friends" and then they imply they haven't met in years? if not more? idek it's. weird. it's like their characters go into storage containers in between their missions to be stored away so they can't even accidentally have personal lives or friendships or anything. weird.

(what I said about having amazing characters and ending up wasting their potential? yeah)

for me, personally, it's... well, my score for the show would depend on whether I just focus on the characterizations and what I liked, or if I try to actually take the plot and all into account too :'D but I did like this more than Degeneration! already the fact that Leon has actual facial expressions is enough to put it way above that one. (and for the record, I don't hate Degeneration either, I do like it, but... Leon is such a cardboard cutout with zero personality in it, it's super frustrating)

idk I think I need to still process this a bit to see how I will like it in the end :'D there are things i'm super hyped about in it, and things i'm disappointed in, let's see how they'll weigh in the overall experience eventually.

#idutr #replies #ask and i shall answer #re answers #infinite darkness spoilers #spoilers #infinite darkness

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utanoprince-imagines · 4 years

Text

Starish and Quartet Night as bungo stray dogs’ abilities

A/N: Other than utapri, I am also a huge fan of BSD, and so I thought why not write about the boys having the abilities like the characters in BSD Generally I tried to keep it to classic literature book titles and based their abilities on the title of the book.

I also decided to split the boys into team ADA and port mafia. Not sure if I should put this as my disclaimer but putting a boy in the PM does not necessarily mean he is a ‘bad’ person. My take on the ADA and PM for this scenario is that they fight for different reasons!

All in all, these are just some headcanons I have and may not be 100% accurate to the boys’ personalities or the BSD plot.

Welp, this was a lengthy a/n mainly cause I’m kinda nervous about posting these kind of stuff. But thank you for reading till the end and I hope you like it!

STARISH

Otoya:

Designation: ADA

Ability name: In Search of Lost Time (Marcel Proust)

Ability description: Ability user is able to travel up to 1 hour back into the past. Anyone who is standing within a 5-metre radius of the user will also be affected.

Otoya discovered his ability when his friend nearly cycled into the path of a bus

Otoya looked on in shocked and desperately prayed that he could turn back time, which was what eventually happened and he managed to pull his friend to safety

Unlike the other ADA members who were recruited by Reiji, Otoya volunteered to join the agency at his own will

Otoya is always eager to go on missions, whether he was assigned to it or not. He wants to do whatever he can to help others

He eventually trained his stamina by jogging every morning, as well as took self defence classes

Once in a while, he hangs out with Syo to play soccer (whether a not the both of them decide to use their abilities during a match is up to them)

He looks up to Reiji a lot and is close to Tokiya

Tokiya:

Designation: ADA

Ability name: Persuasion (Jane Austen)

Ability description: Once eye contact has been made, ability user is able to get the victim to reveal whatever secret he desires.

Tokiya stumbled across his ability when he was asking his mum what she got him for his birthday and she told him

She later admitted that she did not have the intention to reveal his gift in the first place

Tokiya initially had mixed feelings about his ability, as he was aware that some people wanted to keep certain thoughts hidden

But he later learnt how to better control his ability, and decided to use it for good

Reiji later recruited Tokiya into the ADA after having a chat with him in a cafe and Tokiya showing interest in helping with the agency

Tokiya has little to no combat skill, but to make up for it, he is extremely intelligent

Before going after an enemy, Tokiya does intense research on the person, sometimes asking Ai for help

He is then able to cause the enemy to go into a panicked state when his deepest, darkest secret is revealed

As much as possible, Tokiya avoids leaving the office and similar to Masato, he spends his free time reading as well as listening to music

Natsuki:

Designation: Port Mafia

Ability name: Lost Illusions (Honore de Balzac)

Ability description: Ability user is able to send victim into a trance-like state, allowing user to brainwash the victim. For the ability to work, eye contact has to be made.

When he was a child, Natsuki was ordering ice cream when the man suddenly looked dizzy and said odd things

His parents later explained to him that it was an ability granted to him

Natsuki didn’t really understand it, but he was careful to not make eye contact with anyone for too long as he was aware that was what set the ability off

Growing up, he learnt how to control it and can now make eye contact with people without his ability setting off

Camus personally recruited Natsuki into the port mafia, recognising the strength of his ability if used well

Despite his tall figure, Natsuki loves cute things and is often seen bringing mini pastries to Camus’ office to eat with him (Camus appreciates that a lot)

During his off days, Natsuki enjoys catching up with his favourite TV show (Piyo chan)

He loves dotting on Syo due to his small size and enjoys putting him in ‘cute clothing’ (despite Syo’s multiple protests)

Masato:

Designation: ADA

Ability name: The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)

Ability description: Ability user is able to transport people to a garden which is inaccessible by outsiders. Only people within a certain radius are affected.

Masa didn't have the brightest childhood, and grew up emotionally broken

He first discovered his ability when he heard his parents fighting outside and he found himself transported to a different room

When he finally came out of his secret room, he realised thst his parents had been searching for him, giving him a greater understanding of his ability

He uses his ability to save others from harm, but occasionally uses it as a retreat when he needs the time and space to think

When Ren comes over to bother find him, they sometimes gather in his secret room, away from the public eye

Masato learned how to fight with the katana to make up for his ability which lacks combat

He prefers office work and spends most of his free time reading

Ren:

Designation: Port Mafia

Ability name: Perfume (Patrick Suskind)

Ability description: Ability user is able to track down a person with his scent. For ability to work, a piece of clothing must be given to the user.

Ren discovered his ability when he was trying to return a lost handkerchief to a stranger who dropped it in a crowd

He took a whiff of it and immediately saw the location of the owner as well as the path he took

He was recruited into the port mafia by Natsuki when he stumbled upon him carrying out a mission

During his off days, Ren enjoys playing darts in an underground pub

He also enjoys looking for Masato from the ADA to hang out with him (also Masa might beg to differ)

What he lacks in combat, he makes up for with his ability, tracking down multiple criminals and targets with ease

Ren is a sweet talker, and is easily able to convince target women to pass him their scarf/handkerchief for his team to track them down later

He is often seen working with Syo, who helps with the combat side of missions

Syo:

Designation: Port Mafia

Ability name: Fires on the Plain (Ooka Shohei)

Ability description: Ability user is able to use fire. He can also control the intensity, and how far it can spread.

Syo first discovered his ability when he was in a heated argument with a friend and accidentally set a portion of grass on fire

He then trained himself to be careful and to learn how to control his ability

Ren was the one who convinced Syo to join the port mafia, telling him that his ability would be well respected in the agency (he was right)

Syo quickly rose up the ranks in the port mafia, and is often tasked with leading missions

Syo is a very smart ability user, and knows when to use his ability to just threaten someone and when to use it to hurt someone

During his off days, he is often playing soccer with Otoya. Although he says that no abilities should be used, he sometimes uses his ability to trap Otoya within a certain space while he scores a goal

Syo admires Natsuki’s ability a lot, and enjoys working with him (although he will never admit it)

Cecil:

Designation: ADA

Ability name: The Call of the Wild (Jack London)

Ability description: Ability user is able to freely transform into a wolf on command. This ability is highly suited for combat

Cecil’s parents were the first to discover his ability when they went to wake Cecil up one morning but discovered a wolf lying in his place instead

They initially panicked but upon hearing the wolf mumbling, they realised it was just their son

Cecil was recruited by Reiji when he turned into a wolf to help sniff out for survivors in a snowstorm

Realising that they’re abilities worked well together, the both of them worked as a team a lot

Cecil is often seen training his stamina so that he could keep up with his wolf abilities

While he usually has a calm and happy personality, Cecil can become extremely violent when angry and has little control over his emotions

During off days, Cecil likes to take shelter in a high tree to read his book or listen to music

Cecil doesn’t like doing paperwork and is often seen asking Tokiya or Masato to help him (which they reluctantly agree to because Cecil is very cute)

QUARTET NIGHT

Reiji:

Designation: ADA (leader)

Ability name: Snow Country (Yasunari Kawabata)

Ability description: Ability user is able to control snow over a certain radius. Depending on the user, light snow or a snowstorm can be summoned.

Reiji discovered his ability when he was a child and was upset that it wasn't snowing for Christmas

He ended up summoning a light snow over his house

He founded the ADA in hopes of using his ability to help others

On off duty days, Reiji uses his ability during winter festivals to make children happy by sending down snow to help them build snowman or take part in snowball fights

Reiji is not too fond of using his ability to hurt others. However if the situation calls for it, he will.

Depending on the severity of the situation, Reiji can either send heavy snow to scare the villain off or unleash a deadly snowstorm to directly hurt the villain.

The only scenario where Reiji casts a deadly storm is usually when someone he loves gets hurt.

He is often seen working with Cecil as their abilities work well together

Reiji often uses his ability to trap the villain within a certain area, while Cecil swoops in to hold the villain down

Ranmaru:

Designation: Port Mafia (but is kind of a lone wolf)

Ability name: In Cold Blood (Truman Capote)

Ability description: Ability user is able to leave no trace of crime committed. All evidence is wiped clean once the user leaves the crime scene.

However, much is still unknown about this ability.

Ranmaru first discovered his ability when he devised a detailed plan to kill his friend’s stalker

When he was about to wipe off the blood on his knife, he realised it had already disappeared

He honestly did not know what to feel about his ability. He didn't exactly despise murder, but knowing that the cases remained unsolved bothered hims slightly

The only things he know about his ability is the fact that all evidence will be erased the moment he leaves the crime scene

But there is said to be more to his ability than that

He was recruited into the port mafia by Camus but with the condition that he was allowed to work alone

As he spends most of his time in his apartment, he isn't close to anyone

Ai:

Designation: ADA

Ability name: Masks (Fumiko Enchi)

Ability description: Ability user is able to take the form of someone else. However, for this ability to work, the user needs to recognise the exact shape and form of the victim in detail.

Being a droid, Ai was programmed with the knowledge that his ability exists

His first experience with his ability was when he was people watching and accidentally morphed into a stranger he was looking at

Ai’s constant curiosity has allowed him to easily memorise the faces of others, as well as their physique

Because of that, he is a complete pro in using his ability

He was also programmed to distinguish between the right and wrongs of the world

He is fully aware of the capability his ability has to engage in wrong doings

Despite so, he chooses to only use his ability to do good

He's not a fan of fighting and prefers to write up reports and conduct interrogations in the office

He is close with Tokiya and is often seen hanging out with him

Camus:

Designation: Port Mafia (leader)

Ability name: Phoenix (Osamu Tezuka)

Ability description: Ability user possess phoenix abilities to a certain extent, the most notable one being able to heal mortal wounds and revive selected people from the dead.

Camus discovered his ability when he had a injury from horse riding and ended up healing himself when he hovered his hand over the sprain

He joined the port mafia as a low rank employee, but quickly worked his way up to the top due to his ability, eventually taking over the organisation

Most of the time, he is inside his office (drinking tea) while watching over the city

He has a decent combat ability, but prefers to leave the fighting to his underlings as he felt that it was not 'royal' of him to engage in such things

One of his known skills is the ability to revive the dead, but for this to work, the person needs to be dead for less than an hour

Camus barely uses this ability as he believes that death is inevitable, but if someone in the port mafia (or ADA because he lowkey loves them) is dead, he will not hesitate to bring them back to life

He is someone who likes working alone and is not particularly close to anyone in the organisation

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darlingsdevil · 4 years

Text

Of The Valley (Joel x Reader)

Chapter 8: Only This and Nothing More

Summary: Life in Jackson is never easy. Consoling angsty teenagers, wading through the mysterious waters of Joel’s romance language and with a child of your own on the way? Life is about to get a lot harder.

OTV Masterlist

RDR2 Masterlist

Tag list (comment to be added or removed) @sidepuff @joelsheartache e @fangirl-inthe-us @cowboyfrazer @scarletpines @mikah-writes @sleepylunarwolf f @mr-robot-x @shybookdragon @heughan @writer-jamie @nelliecraine

A/N: I’m so sorry for the later update.. I went on a vacation to Nashville (more like just helping my sister move in but I call it vacation).. I’m going to be a lot more busy next few months so updates will be not super often.

Anyways, a lot of this chapter is my own weird humor and poking fun at my own writing.. Reader is starting to sound like me when I’m at work or anyone bothers me while I’m at home lol.

Another mini update.. the main plot points of the story are pretty much already plotted. Ending is all set.. just how do I get there 🤔 I guess I’ll figure it out as I go.

Comments/likes/reblogs are super appreciated!

•••

You woke up early for work as usual, the sun would rise in a few hours. Not many jobs required such early hours — most starting as the sun rose but the bar needed extra hands before they opened. It was a much better pace for you, quick, a reminder to put on your strong face through the day and pretend everything was fine.

You had made yourself a nice breakfast, realizing your increased appetite throughout the past few months wasn’t because you were eating your sorrows away. It was better to remind yourself you were eating for two now anyways.

How long would it be before you really started showing? Who would notice first? You were already barely beginning to show.. if someone looked awfully close they could see that. You opted for a baggier shirt when you chose your outfit for the day. There was a sense of dread as you thought about having to tell your close friends, though Maria was the first to know, you doubted everyone else’s reaction would go as smoothly. It was foolish to think Maria would be anything less than supportive.

You thought about how you would have told Mark if he had been still alive. You wondered how he would react.. how Joel would react. How it would only put further strain on both of those relationships.

But how would Joel react now? You wanted to play it safely, while you didn’t regret telling Maria, you needed to be more careful. You had enough to explain to Joel as is, you didn’t want to tell him of your secret just yet.

Joel was angry with you, yet he had accepted an invite to the lake (even though he did owe you a trip back), it was progress. You would have to play it smart, let him know at the right time.

It was easier to warm up to the idea of having a baby after talking to Maria, it was reassuring. Perhaps it wouldn’t too difficult, especially while living in Jackson. And if you did decide you didn’t want to keep the baby, you were certain there were families willing to take the child in.

You managed to make it out of the door quickly, there was no twinge of nausea as you walked to the bar, that was welcoming. Exhaustion pulled at you, staying up to find Ellie had certainly taken a toll on you. You usually worked morning shifts, which meant you could leave and have the rest of the day for yourself.

Joel was probably getting ready to go out for patrol now, depending on what route he had. Ellie was probably sulking in her room — or asleep waiting for Maria to come knocking again. The teenagers who snuck out would definitely be talk of the town, especially if a group that large headed into the Courthouse.

Jackson was quiet, as it had been earlier in the night. Few lights were on, it was always particularly quiet this time in the morning. The autumn air was cool and refreshing, Halloween was creeping around the corner, so was the Autumn festival. Mark preferred the Autumn Festival over Halloween, it was a place holder for the broken arm incidents.

You wished he was here for it. Seasonal dances were always his favorite. He would pull you onto the dance floor after he begged the DJ to play Bill Withers. You missed his laughter, though it was being blurred as time went by.. you couldn’t exactly remember how his laugh sounded, or where the scar on his face started on his nose. It was haunting, forgetting Mark was like forgetting a part of yourself.

Mark was gone. That life you had with him was gone. There was a shell of a room in your house, his child growing inside of you, dog tags around your neck and a world turned upside down. Mark’s death was not something quiet in your life, and yet few people knew of it.

You remembered every second of his death, the running for your life, hiding and hoping it was enough. Watching him, silently from your hidden spot. The blood on the floor. The sound of a gunshot. It was something unforgettable, a memory forever ingrained into your mind in splitting detail. Sometimes the faint smell of copper would appear in your mind and it would make your head woozy. The nightmares rarely let up.

Mark would touch your life forever.. even beyond the grave he had left something behind. You weren’t sure whether to thank him or curse.

•••

Ellie figured she could sleep before hell broke loose. There was no point in staying up all night. She dreaded the morning, listening to Joel yell at her along with Maria, having to take the walk of shame into the Courthouse with the other teens, dealing with Cat and Dina. It was a pure mess.

Maria knocked on her door before sunrise, waking her up. Ellie groaned quietly and pulled herself out of bed, flicking the light on as the early morning light fell through her window. Her head was aching from last night’s adventure.

She opened the door for Maria, Maria didn’t wait for an invitation to enter, she walked in.

“Punishment has changed, you’re only getting the same punishment as the rest of the teenagers. Seems like you owe Y/N a favor,” Maria told Ellie.

Ellie’s brow furrowed in confusion before she realized.

“Y/N asked me to go easier on you, so I did,” She explained non chalantly.

“Wow, well thank you,” Ellie said, surprised, she was relieved.

“You should thank Y/N.”

“I will,” Ellie nodded. It was silent for a few seconds.

“Look, I’m sorry about last night. I was upset and drunk,” She apologized.

“I know. It still wasn’t right for you to go outside the wall, you know the rules,” Maria said softly to the girl. It was going smoother than Ellie had expected.

“I just.. wanted to get away from everything for a night,” Ellie said to Maria. Maria wasn’t surprised.

“I understand. It still wasn’t the best course of action though,” Maria said thoughtfully, though she was disappointed.

“Yeah, I know,” Ellie replied, shame hinting in her voice.

“Joel’s already up, he has a shorter route today so he didn’t have to get up so early,” Maria explained to her. Ellie could feel the dread grow in her as she glanced out the window, the lights were on inside. She barely went over to his house these days, barely even said much to him, avoiding Joel as much as she could. She had things to figure out, Joel being around her would only confuse things further. It hurt having such a strain with someone she looked up to, but Joel was keeping the truth from her.

“Come on,” Maria said, motioning for Ellie to follow her as she exited Ellie’s room. There was frost on the grass, and a chill swept through the morning air.

Maria knocked on Joel’s back porch, Joel’s footsteps were loud enough to be heard from the other side of the door. Joel opened the door, looking confused to see both Maria and Ellie standing outside.

“Maria?” He asked, glancing over to Ellie as well, his brow raised.

“Can we come in?” Maria replied. Ellie stood to the side, praying this would be over quickly. Joel opened the door for them, they entered into his kitchen. Joel’s house felt foreign to be in, like entering a stranger's home, as if she was intruding. And yet it still felt familiar — like it was a hidden memory locked away from years of repressed thoughts, barely recognizable.

Joel leaned against the kitchen counter, waiting for Maria. Ellie averted her gaze to the floor as Maria began.

“Ellie snuck out last night with a group of teenagers,” Maria told Joel.

Joel’s face was unreadable until he spoke, looking over to Ellie. “What?” He said, his voice bubbling with disbelief and harshness.

“She snuck out. Got drunk too,” Maria explained, both of them staring at the teenager.

“Have you any idea what is out there? Have you forgotten what it’s like?” Joel scolded, anger and disappointment lacing his words. Ellie flinched at his voice.

“Am I not allowed to have fun anymore?” Ellie scoffed back with defiance, throwing her hands up in the air in protest.

“What you did was reckless and stupid, you know the risks,” Joel said, his face contorted in anger.

“Like there’s even any infected near town.” Ellie rolled her eyes.

“Ellie,” Maria replied firmly, shooting her a look.

“There are a thousand things that could have gone wrong. You shouldn’t have gone out there.” Joel was disappointed in Ellie.

“People do it all the time, why am I getting flamed for it now, huh?”

“Because you got caught,” Maria said.

“You only care when it has something to do with me. Y/N and Dina snuck out and you didn’t give two shits about them!” Ellie felt her head growing hot, her words fueled by anger.

Joel was surprised to hear that you had gone, a sense of worry flooding through him, why had you gone out as well?

“Y/N and Dina were looking for you,” Maria reminded her.

Ellie was silent, the tension was thick in the kitchen and Joel was burning holes in her head with his eyes.

“She’s getting the same punishment the rest of the party goers are getting, they’re going to the courthouse when the sun rises,” Maria explained to Joel.

“Take her off patrol for a month since she’s gotten too comfortable with being outside,” Joel said coldly.

“Sure,” Maria said. She was fine with that punishment.

Ellie’s mouth was agape. “That’s bullshit! You said you weren’t taking me off patrol!” She shouted to Maria.

“I said I wasn’t anymore. I’m leaving the rest to Joel.”

“It’s final, Ellie. You made a stupid mistake and now you have to pay the price for it,” Joel said. There was no debate, but Ellie would put up a protest.

“That’s such bullshit,” Ellie scoffed, storming out of Joel’s house, slamming the door behind her. Joel stood in the kitchen, feeling the rift pull them further and further away.

“I’ll go get her,” Maria grumbled, becoming increasingly annoyed at Ellie.

“No, let her go,” Joel sighed, feeling a tension headache coming on.

“I don’t know what’s been getting into her lately,” Maria replied, leaning her back on the counter next to Joel.

Joel grunted softly, “I’m trying, I am.”

“I know Joel, I think whatever is going on with Ellie she needs to figure it out herself.”

•••

The morning rush was annoying as ever. You were barely able to sit or even have a moment of rest, it seemed another customer walked through the door each time you even leaned against the back counter. But it was nice, busy work, it kept your mind off things and it was a constant reminder of how to socialize with people. It kept your mind off the horde coming to town, the baby, Joel, Ellie, practically everyone.

As the sun rose mid way through your shift, you saw the crowd of teenagers meet outside the Courthouse. You spotted Ellie and Cat, on opposite sides of the crowd. The people in the bar noticed too, perking up as they saw Maria and the rest of the Council members show up. Some people cracked jokes, some people muttered to each other, but as they went into the building the chatter died down. You wondered what the punishment was going to be. At least you managed to get Ellie no sentence from Maria, you also wondered how Joel handled things.

Joel was probably out on patrol by now, Tommy wasn’t with him, you wondered who he had gone out on patrol with then. You were almost always assigned with Mark — occasionally Joel. But usually Mark. The head of patrol usually kept you two together considering you were roommates, wanting to keep the same schedule.

A large group came into the bar and you groaned inwardly, cursing yourself and your job. Dina and Jesse were a part of the group. The crowd dispersed and went to their own tables, Dina making a beeline towards you

“Hey,” She smiled at you, sitting down at the bar. It wasn’t uncommon for Dina to stop by.

“How’s it going? Group patrol today?” You asked, wiping down the bar.

She nodded, “Yeah, we came in for breakfast before we went out. We have a long route today so Jesse wanted to make sure we all ate.”

“How are things between you and him?” Dina had mentioned they were having some issues last night.

“I haven’t really talked to him about us. He knows about Ellie, he’s pissed at her for not inviting him but he thinks it’s funny she got caught,” She rolled her eyes. You were glad someone here was making advancements in their relationships instead of hitting a brick wall — or multiple.

“Ellie’s at the Courthouse right now, I saw her with the crowd that went inside.”

“Yeah.. hopefully I’ll be able to catch her later tonight, try to smooth things over.”

“Good idea. Who else is patrolling today?”

“Joel, I know is, not sure who else I’ll have to look at the gate logbooks. You know you should really think about coming back to patrol, I miss seeing your’s and Mark’s messages next to the logbooks,” Dina replied, she wasn’t attempting to persuade you like Maria was.

“You know I was convinced no one ever read the Adventures of a Town Crackson, Mark isn't convinced though,” You laughed, remembering his silly stories and messages he would leave for others to find. The piles of sticky notes he left next to logbooks told a story, the story went that he would make mini comics out of old sticky notes and leave them around lookouts for people to read, you would have to visit them all in a certain order to understand. The Adventures of a Town Crackson was a parody of Jackson, except the main character, Lame Lane was a superhero on a revenge quest to kill the evil mastermind Mister Jacobsonithia, who had wronged him years before by killing those close to Lame Lane. It was both a bizarre and funny story.

“Oh no, that story is practically famous! Mark left us on a cliffhanger at Volume.. what was it.. 13th? The one where Lame Lane breaks into Jacobsinthia’s fortress and finds him! Right when Lame finally faces the bastard!” Dina excitedly rambled. Mark would have loved to talk about his story with Dina, you were glad at least someone had read what he called his masterpiece.

You simply stood and smiled bittersweetly, listening to Dina talk about Mark’s story.

“You really have to convince Mark to come back to patrol, I want to read the end of the story!” She said finally as you put her meal in front of her.

You shrugged, “I don’t know if he’s thought of an ending yet.”

•••

Later in the day, someone knocked on your door. You had been getting so many visitors lately.. you wondered who was there and what the hell they wanted. You had ate more of the cookies Maria brought over last night, they were good. You wanted something salty or sour to balance out the sweetness, like pretzels or pickles. Maybe both. You were mid way through your second cookie when someone knocked.

You got up quickly, grumbling the entire time underneath your breath. You were damn tired of leaving your town, socializing, looking for a teenager and having to take orders all day. You just wanted to eat cookies and collapse in bed.

Ellie was at the door surprinsgly.

“Ellie, hey,” You said, opening the door to let her in, closing the door as she entered.

“Hey.”

“What brings you here?” You asked, wondering why Ellie had suddenly shown up at your door.

“I just wanted to say thanks for having my back and letting Maria drop my punishment,” She said sincerely, even though her words seemed hard to get out.

“Of course, it’s the least I can do,” You replied.

“Joel still took me off patrol for a month,” Ellie rolled her eyes at the thought.

“He can do that?”

“Maria let him,” She said, sucking in a breath.

“I’m sorry, that sucks,” You told her.

She rocked on her feet, swaying gently back and forth. “Yeah,” She mumbled.

“Have you talked to Cat or Dina?”

She perked up at your question, “Cat’s still pissed at me and Dina’s out on patrol today so no.”

“How did Joel handle things?”

Ellie shrugged, not wanting to discuss the topic.

“Okay by the way, how was the Courthouse?” You changed the subject. The Courthouse was never fun.. it was where the Town Council did all of the planning for Jackson, assignments and occasionally hearings/punishments.

“Council put us all on clean up duty for the festival and nine pm curfew for the next two months,” She sighed.

“What assignment are you going to take in the meantime?”

“I don’t know, maybe trading post,” She said unthrillingly. There weren’t many open assignments that were anything but a bore. At least people at the trading post got to talk with others from outside of Jackson, though you weren’t sure it was Ellie’s style. You could see her on wall duty, though there were rarely open spots. Ellie likes kids, but you weren’t sure she could handle screaming toddlers for days on end, the daycare was a no go.

“How about the farms or gardening?”

“Do I look like a gardener to you?” She joked.

You shook your head humorously, “No, but I could see you in overalls and maybe a big farmers hat.”

“Fair enough,” She smirked.

“Oh, since you’re here did you want to get the Walkman tapes and the records?” You remembered promising her Mark’s old collection.. though you were sure you wouldn’t be able to give away his favorites, it would be far too cruel.

“Yeah sure, is Mark here right now?” She asked, glancing past you to the hallway.

“Oh, uh no, he’s not but he won’t mind, trust me,” You replied. Lying about Mark’s whereabouts was something you were getting good at. Of course, you knew exactly where he was and where he would be for all of eternity.

Ellie nodded, excited to hear some more tapes.

“I’ll go get them from his room, I’ll be right back.”

Walking back to his room, twice in less than twenty four hours.. it was insane. You weren’t even sure you could ever go into that room again and here you were, walking back up those same steps to his loft, feeling his dog tags jingle with every step, twisting the doorknob open and being inside of his room.

The room that felt lifeless. It felt wrong to take anything from out of his room.. like it was a scene forever stuck in a piece of history and you were disrupting it. But his things would have to go eventually, Ellie would appreciate his records. You were sure she would.

And yet a thought struck you.. would your child want something to remember their father by? Was giving away his records the best course of action? For months you wanted to get rid of everything that reminded you of him.. and yet you wanted to keep things. To have something to remember him by. The Walkman tapes would go untouched for years.. and you would only keep Mark’s favorite records — you were sure Ellie wouldn’t take too many of them regardless.

Bill Withers, Motley Crüe, Green Day and Queen records were all off limits. Mark would come back from the dead and knock some sense into you if you gave away any of those.

But there were others you were sure Ellie would appreciate.. Pearl Jam, The Sleek Habit.. or whatever the hell it was called. It was Mark’s favorite thing to collect — records, it seemed like he could listen to one album a day and still not have listened to them all by the time he turned eighty. At least he kept them ordered by genre, it made your life easier to pick out a few boxes. The boxes of records under his bed, in his closet, next to his dresser. You found his Walkman tapes in a small drawer on his bedside table, he didn’t have quite as many.

You decided on bringing Ellie, punk rock, folk music and alternative. Plus Mark’s entire collection of tapes.

Somehow, you managed to bring them all down to her. Her eyes lit up at the sight of them, you set the boxes down on the kitchen table.

“Take as many as you want, just let me see them first, otherwise Mark might get mad I’ve given away his favorites,” You said to her as she began flicking through the boxes.

She picked out a few she liked, luckily they weren’t all that memorable to Mark, or at least what you had remembered, you weren’t sure you had the heart to tell her to put any of his favorites away though if she had managed to pick out one of his favorites.

“Find the ones you were looking for?” You asked her as she picked all the records and tapes up.

“Yeah, Mark’s got a big collection, I even found Shawn James and Crooked Still,” She smiled, the sparkle returning to her face. You were glad Mark’s love of music had made her happy, he could pass on gifts even beyond the grave.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Tell Mark I say thanks. I’m really sorry, I have to bounce, I think Dina might be home by now, seriously though, thanks again for getting me off the hook,” She said to you, her sincerity apparent. There was still uneasiness between you and her.. as there was with almost everyone, and yet things were starting to look brighter and brighter.

You nodded, bidding her farewell for the rest of the day, a pang of remembrance hitting your heart, as if things were slowly and yet surely returning to what normal felt like months ago. Even if a large part of your life was missing from it.. things were starting to look up. It felt almost wrong to be happy after months of grief and isolation, you felt guilty for allowing yourself to step back into the light, but you were happy things were starting to look better. Mark would have liked you to be happy, that was certain.

•••

Another knock on the door, another interrupted hour. The sun had set by then, you were done with dinner and were watching a movie you had found. You had a nice candle flickering too, the people of Jackson were awfully crafty, it was one of the few commodities that you regularly sought out, Mark had his candy and records, you had candles. Your house was starting to feel more lively again.

You opened the door to see Joel standing on the other side. You were definitely surprised to see him.

“Joel,”

“Hello, can I come in?” He asked.

“Sure,” You said, opening the door for him. Your porch light illuminated the dead flowers hanging from the roof.. you had been meaning to take those downs.

“Don’t worry, Mark’s not here,” You said to him as he entered.

Joel nodded as he glanced around your house. Not much had changed since the last time he had been there.

“Been awhile huh?” You asked.

“Yep. Been some time.”

“Any reason you decided to stop by?” You asked.

“I wanted to thank you for looking out for Ellie,” Joel began.

“Of course. I would have gotten you if we wouldn’t have found her, I just didn’t want to wake you up,” You explained.

“Yeah, I get that. I’m glad you’re looking out for her though.. I know you don’t like being outside Jackson anymore.”

“I didn’t want anything to happen to Ellie,” You shrugged.

“She’s not happy with what I told her. Not that I’m surprised though. I’m disappointed in her, I thought she knew better.”

“She’s a teenager, Joel. Teenagers are allowed to make mistakes,” You said.

“She still needs to be reminded of what’s out there.”

“Not arguing with you on that,” You replied softly.

It was silent for a few moments, “So.. about our trip to the lake,” He began again.

Your eyes lit up at the thought, “Oh! Yeah, right, I shoot the infected, you take me to the lake, that’s how it went, or maybe you still owe me a trip back,” You reminded him.

“I do still owe you,” He smiled.

That day.. so much had happened in such a small period of time, everything felt like a blur.

“You do. But I was thinking we could skip the lake and maybe.. you would want to come with me to the Halloween party?” You asked, almost shyly.

Joel smiled as he scratched his beard, “Are you asking me on a date?”

“Maybe?” You blushed lightly.

“It’s a yes or no question, Y/N,” He teased.

“Yes. It’s a yes, I’m asking you on a date.” Three months of no contact and here you were asking Joel on a date.. you weren’t sure if you wanted to laugh or cry. Damn you, hormonal imbalances.

“Then yes, I’ll take you to the party.” He nodded.

“A date it is then,” You said happily.

“Are you sure you’re not sick anymore though?” He asked playfully.

“I'm not , maybe it was just something I ate that day,” You shrugged, lying through your teeth. You knew what came over you, and you weren’t sure how exactly that would ever come up in conversation with Joel.. how would he even react to that? The longer you waited.. the harder it would be.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“Me too. Hopefully it wasn’t Tommy’s stew.”

“At least it wasn’t mine.”

Joel left shortly after that, you were still smiling as he left. There were still questions, and there were answers you needed to give, but at least it wasn’t as rocky as it had been a few days ago. Maybe it was easy to heal.. or maybe the circumstances were making it easier. Or maybe it was just time to start living your life again, a new life that mirrored your last, but in an entirely new way.

It was a fresh start. You put your hand on your small bump, barely noticeable as you sat down on the couch. Your knees weak and your smile wide. Maybe it was time.

•••

#tlou 2 #tlou 2 x reader #the last of us #the last of us pt ii #the last of us part 2 #joel x reader #joel miller x reader #tlou 2 fanfiction #tlou 2 fanfic #tlou #joel miller #joel tlou

70 notes · View notes

oftenderweapons · 4 years

Text

Where, When and How - hyung line

Pairing: hyung line member x reader

Wordcount: 1k words each, circa

Genre: (hinted/mild) smut, fluff, lowkey angst

Rating: suggested 18+

Hello lovelies! Since quarantine is separating many lovers all around the world I thought about how the boys would handle being away from their girlfriend. It’s obviously smutty. Every piece is about 1000 words each.

Trigger warning: smut, hinted and sometimes pretty descriptive, really it depends. LOADS OF SEX TOYS (it was supposed to be a sex-toy themed thingy because yay!self-love and yes, you can use them together with your significant other too), some mild bdsm here and there, praise kink (you know where it comes from), swearing and alcohol (nothing extreme, just tipsy), masturbation and that should be pretty much everything. Should I put a disclaimer for a slightly subby Jin and sugar daddy Hobi? (Lol, help)

You can find the maknae line here

Psst--- here is my masterlist

Namjoon

"There's a package for you, sir."

"I don't think I've ordered anything. Is there a name on it?"

"It says it's from miss ___."

"Oh, she didn't mention it but I guess I can call her. Just a second please."

He wasn't sure you were going to be awake but at least he would try. Luckily you picked up.

"Hi baby" you mumbled.

"Hello princess. Have you sent me something? Like a package?"

"Oh, it's already there? Yeah, I didn't tell you because it was supposed to arrive tomorrow."

"So it's mine? You sent it? For me?"

"Yeah, but can you wait to open it until next call? I really wanna see how you're going to react!" You said sweetly.

"So I'm just supposed to wait?"

"Yes, Joonie. Wait, how's your schedule tonight?"

"Maybe grabbing a bite with the guys, I don't know. But I could tell them I'm busy and have dinner with you."

"You get dinner and I get lunch..." You murmured thinking about the time difference.

"Right, yeah. Or I could join you later, have a quick bite with the boys and then come to you."

"As you wish."

"'kay babe, see you later."

"See you."

Namjoon got his package and retired to his room quickly. The boys had been in Los Angeles for three weeks now, working on their latest album and you had been missing Namjoon like crazy. After a video call where every single one of his smallest moves felt like a tease, you decided it was time to act. And that's what the package was meant for.

It was almost one pm in Seoul, you were sitting in front of your laptop, spread out on the bed munching cherries and waiting for your boyfriend to call you. Meanwhile your boyfriend was someplace in LA, it was nine pm and Hoseok was trying to drag the whole crew to some relatively private club nearby to chill and have fun after dinner.

"Please, my girlfriend is waiting on me, Hoseok."

"Come on, just a drink!"

He couldn't say no to some group time.

That's how he found himself definitely tipsy at three am dragging himself from the minivan towards the hall of the villa the boys had rented. When he saw the package laying on top of the table he went completely still for a couple seconds. He quickly picked up his phone and called you right away, squinting at the light and hesitating a little before pressing. Again you picked up. He thought you must be an angel for actually picking up.

"Hello Joon."

"I'm so sorry." He spit out. You could immediately recognise his tipsy voice.

"You were out with the boys, I knew it would never be a "grab a quick bite then I'm all yours" kind of thing."

"Good god baby, you're so good to me."

"Put me on videocall you buffoon, I wanna see your pretty face." You whined on the phone.

"Your voice is strange, were you sleeping?”

“I fell asleep waiting on you. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Why, baby?”

“Hate sleeping without you. I only crash when I’m too tired. I’ve been thinking I should put a futon or something in my home studio so I can sleep there when you’re not around. Our bed is so wrong when you’re not here.”

“I’m so sorry, love.”

“It’s okay. Oh, there he is!” You squealed when the camera turned on. “God, if I were there I’d leave so many bites on those collarbones.”

“You’re turning steamy, love. What’s up?”

“Nothing. I might have drank some wine while waiting and I didn’t properly have lunch.”

“Why not? Not hungry? And how much wine?”

“Maybe a little more than half a bottle of that Cabernet Sauvignon that I got for our last night before the trip.”

“Can’t blame you, it was delicious. Are you naked?”

“Have you checked the weather? It’s been over 30 degrees in Seoul for the last three days, even my nails are sweating.”

“Not complaining. Bless me, do I miss those thighs…”

“Don’t you wanna open your gift Joonie?” You teased, covering yourself a bit in your white sheets.

“Yeah, right”. He sort of wanted to open other things. Still, he fumbled a bit with the package and the box, mostly trying to unwrap the box one-handed. Then he propped the phone on the table, not without making it drop screen-down on the table a couple times, and then, finally two-handed, he managed to unwrap the tape.

“Is it…?”

“Yeah, go on.” You bit your lip and he noticed.

“God, you’re evil. Such a tease.” He opened the case and noticed the artsy design fleshlight you had so shamelessly selected and bought for him. “You’re unreal. My clever little vixen. Can’t wait to get home and fucking wreck you.”

“I know it’s not me, but it’s the best alternative.” You smiled and batted your lashes, now letting some of your body show on the screen, still he could only guess where your spare hand had slipped to.

“You’re a fucking blessing. I’m so thankful, love. You’re the best. Damn, that brain of yours. I love how open and smart and confident you are. One hell of a woman playing the babygirl. So sexy.”

You were literally melting at all the praises he was being so prodigal with. “What do you think? Would you like to lay down, relax a little and try whether you like your new toy or not?”

“That’s it. I love you, you cute little brat.” As he got into bed you let him see your naked chest, almost making him trip on his pants and fall.

“Be careful daddy, it would be a shame if you hurt yourself.”

“You’re soooo getting spanked when I get back home.”

“I hope that’s a promise.”

The experience was… satisfactory.

Jin

His girlfriend was a delicate, delicate flower. She was cute and classy and shy. Funny, kind, timid and clumsy. But most importantly pure and innocent. She didn’t look like the type...

So why did he find a very wide choice of sex toys in her bedside table? Some of those things were so complicated he didn’t quite understand how they worked. Like that purple little… or the other, the small cup thing with that sort of screw on top. There was something for any and every taste and kink, at least he thought so. Something like fifteen pieces or so, some of them causing a blush to creep up his neck and ears. He thought his ears were actually on fire.

Most importantly, it’s not like he was looking for this. Especially since you were abroad, and thinking of you using these… after two weeks apart he was ready to catch a damn plane just to watch you use them. He didn’t even need to be the one actually using them on you. Or just using you. He just needed… something. He just needed to survive one more week. Come on, Kim Seokjin, a week is not that long. But that’s what he was thinking in the afternoon while standing in front of your wonder collection. Now it was almost two a.m. and he couldn’t help but keep thinking things that made him shake his head and puff heavy breaths and twist and turn in the sheets. He was tangled up.

“What can I do?” He asked Yoongi the following day after a couple drinks.

“Well, I know what I would do.” Jin turned to him, giving him full attention. “If it were my girl, I’d find something for her, something unique, something that’s gonna become her favourite thing beside myself, and have it sent like straight away.”

“But we never talked about this before.”

“Don’t you know what she likes? What makes her crazy out of her mind?”

“I don’t know man, it’s like a huge plot twist to me. Completely out of the blue.”

“Still you both enjoy your intimate life, I guess.”

“I don’t know, I’m confused!”

“Damn, do you like fucking her?”

“Hell yes. But don’t ever mention my girlfriend and fucking in the same sentence again.”

Yoongi posed the following question more carefully: “And does she enjoy what you two do together?”

“I hope so.”

“Fuck, are you dumb or something? Does she orgasm?”

“I guess?”

“You guess? What the actual fuck, Kim Seokjin! Do you even communicate?”

“I thought she was too innocent to actually have toys. Go figure openly talking about … that.”

“Do you mean sex?”

“Yeah…”

“Are you sure she’s the innocent one? And you’re not just shy? Maybe a bit of a traditionalist?”

“It’s not like I talk about sex that much.”

“Get yourself a bottle of soju and go have that conversation. You can thank me later. And please, before making me your couple therapist, try actually talk with your girlfriend. I don’t know how I’ll erase the idea of you analysing furred buttplugs and nipple suction cups.”

“God, you’re dirty.”

“And my girl is very thankful for that. Because we actually had the kink conversation. And we update it monthly.”

After a grunt and a couple more drinks, Jin reached his apartment. Immediately he texted you. “You up?”

You replied immediately. “I was going to bed. Want me to call you?”

“Do you mind?”

“No. Wanna hear you. Wanna see you.”

He immediately softened. Man, he was a goner for you. He called you instantly.

“Hi sweetheart. How are you?”

“I’m well, a bit sleepy. I miss cuddles.”

Longing hit him as soon as he saw you. “Me too. I think we need to talk about something though.”

“Oh god, you found that white shirt I messed up in the laundry, I swear I’m super sorry about that, I know you don’t want me to do the laundry because you always do that—”

“It’s not that. It’s okay by the way, I already knew and it’s not important. Pink is nice, pink is good. I like it. It’s about ehm… I guess I’ll just show you.” He headed for the bedroom, stumbling a little.

“Darling, did you drink?”

“Night with Yoongi.”

“Okay” you replied warmly.

Turning on the lights, and flipping the camera, you were shockingly faced with your collection of, ahem, toys. “You found… that.”

“You mean those. As in many. As in a lot.” He replied.

You were suddenly very quiet.

“Do you think our sex life is unsatisfactory?”Jin’s voice was low. And very sad.

“No. It's not… Those were before you. Actually I only use them when I can’t have you. When you’re busy or abroad or staying at the dorms and too tired to come home. I like what we do. Me and you. But sometimes I’d want to use them with you. I want to share but you always made me think you were repulsed by the idea—”

“How could I possibly be repulsed by the idea of my girlfriend having an orgasm? Tonight Yoongi asked me if you like our intimate life and I didn’t fucking know.”

“Great, Yoongi knows about this… Well — also, of course I enjoy it. I love you and I love the way you make love to me, and I've never faked pleasure. Because I feel safe enough that I can tell you ‘I’m not done yet, please’ and half a second later you’d be knuckles deep inside me while I’m seeing stars. Pleasure is not an issue, but I wish we had the intimacy to talk about this stuff together. But you always seem so off.”

“Do you have anything with you?” He asked without thinking.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean if you keep all this stuff at home I think you must have brought some piece of your collection with you.” He said, curiosity in his voice, without judgement.

You were confused, surprised by the turn of events. “Lemme.” You rummaged in your bedside table, coming up with a small mascara-shaped object.

“Is that a vibrator?” He asked. You nodded. He sat on the bed and started exploring your collection, asking you questions about some of the objects, why you liked them, what was their specific purpose, what sensation did they give you. It didn’t take long for him to grow confident and desperate enough to ask you to use your own travel toy while he explored your collection.

Jin’s mouth hanging agape, two nipple suction cups and a tickler running along his inner thighs were a vision you weren’t going to forget for a while, especially as he was touching himself and having the time of his life.

Yoongi

He was a mess. A mess and he couldn’t wait to get a shower. Though when he entered his apartment he saw the package on the table and he immediately felt a wave of relief as he noticed you hadn’t opened it and he had a couple hours before you got home.

He opened the package carefully and immediately went for the instructions, which he read thoroughly and carefully. All he needed to do was relax and let himself get carried away. So he moved to the bedroom, splayed a thick towel and got everything ready. He scrolled through his phone gallery, finding an absolutely anonymous picture (anonymous to anyone but you and him). One of your pretty hands was wrapped around his wrist as he pushed your chin up, the other was at the base of his dick, the tip laying softly between your lips. No details of the picture could ever reconduct it back to the two of you, still, you both knew. Stroking himself, Yoongi started thinking of all the things that he would do to you before he left for the tour and after he got back. All the things you would do for him when he would come back. It didn’t take long before the tingling started. That’s when he stopped.

Putting on the ring had him clenching his teeth and releasing one very strained breath. Then he got the cylinder ready. Pouring the gel was a difficult — and sensitive — matter. A work of accurate self control. But he was determined and absolutely meticulous in the process. After five minutes he slipped out of the gel mould and finally removed the cockring. Thinking for a second, he put it aside. Could come in handy later.

After making sure that the mould was perfectly dried, he poured the medical silicone in it and let it dry, making sure that the bullet vibrator imprinted the perfect slot for insertion. When the timer rang, he attentively removed the silicone part from the gel mould, surprised by the quality of the result. He immediately knew you would adore it. Especially since you could decide to use as a plain, regular dildo or a vibrating one.

But it wasn't meant to be used yet. So he waited for it to be ready and then he moved it into a classy silken pouch, and with a small smirk he put it into a gift box with a nice little bow on it. He proceeded to hide it somewhere you would never look, inside the highest cabinet in the kitchen. It was empty and unused, so he thought it would be safe enough.

A few weeks later he thought it was time for you to receive your grand prize. You had been exceptionally well-behaved, always respecting his schedule, negotiating peacefully over time zones and daily routines. You had been awfully stressed over the new position you had applied for and when your boss finally confirmed your promotion, you immediately texted Yoongi, knowing that his phone was probably silent or in night mode. When he read the text he knew it was time to celebrate.

"I have a free afternoon, wanna skype?" He texted.

“Gimme five minutes, I’m getting out of the bathtub”

God, his knees were already weak.

“Did you celebrate?”

“A very solitary celebration. Ordered takeout, made myself a cup of tea and took a bath.”

“Lemme see~~~”

You opened the videocall, covered in a fluffy white towel, you hair bundled up.

“Hello____” He said, showing you that warm smile of his that made you miss him even more. “Congratulations.”

“Hello stranger! How’s it going? Free afternoon?”

“Yeah. Namjoon is out cycling with Jungkook, Tae is visiting a gallery. Hoseok and Jimin are having a spa day. I think Jin is either sleeping or eating.”

“And you’re staying in?”

“I thought I could have a nice time with my girlfriend...” He pouted and looked away, a hand nestled at his nape.

“Mh, define nice time.”

“I’m not sure but there’s something in the highest cabinet in the kitchen that might help you understand.” He licked his lower lip in that telltale way of his.

“Is it a surprise? A gift for me?” You headed for the kitchen with a small bounce in your step. As you climbed for the cabinet Yoongi tried to steal a glance of your naked body under the towel. He was borderline embarrassed with himself because of how he was salivating.

You squealed when you found your package and quickly jumped off.

“What is it?”

“Open it, kitten.” He had a dark and fond look in his eyes. It was the gaze that made you feel desired and loved. It was the way he told you he loves you immensely.

You smirked and undid the velvet bow quickly. The silken pouch made you even more curious. You pulled the strings and found a lovely, sober white dildo. The dimensions were to your liking, the lenght and girth feeling familiar on your palm. Yoongi looked at you with intent, waiting for you to realise.

"It looks beautiful, Yoongi."

"Look at the base."

"Oh my god, is that a vibrator?" You exclaimed, surprise and wonder in your eyes. "Dammit, I love you."

"I know, kitten. Do you think you wanna try it, princess?"

Only when you were halfway to your orgasm did you notice the extent of that familiarity, Yoongi's heavy breaths coming from the phone as you both got each other off. "It feels almost like you. The shape and the length and the girth. It's sooo good."

"I made a copy for you. Don't want anything but me inside you." With that you grew even more frantic and let yourself come apart for him.

Hoseok

Looking at you coming apart on the other side of the screen was bliss and torture. Hoseok hated everything about the trip to LA. Hated the fact that it had been unannounced and pretty much unscheduled. Hated the fact that you would be coming back to Seoul after a visit to your parents and he would be gone. Hated the fact that he hadn't had a taste of you in three weeks. He just wanted to feel your mouth on his. He felt like he had a million fantasies and almost no way to make them real.

He had sworn he would never, ever voice his concerns since it would only stress you more, and considered your current state you already had to be pretty coiled. You were at your fourth climax (usually you took a deep breath and stopped after the second) and as you let your back lay down on the bed, you murmured "I miss all of you. God, I miss your hands inside me. I need your tongue everywhere. Promise me we're gonna have one full week of oral when you come back. I miss your weight on my tongue." At this point you were simply crazed out with hormones and sleepiness. "It feels so cold. I feel like crying when you're not here to cuddle me after I cum. It's so lonely." His heart was breaking slowly.

"I miss you too, dear." He needed to do something. "Do you want me to send for you?"

"No, we both have to work. It's okay, I'll make it work. Maybe I could stay with my friends, hang out, spend some time together."

"You know you can take my clothes if wearing them helps."

"I don't know, it's sort of bittersweet."

"Just ten days and I'll be there. And then we can hide for a week and I'm gonna fucking feast on you."

You moaned and grunted like a baby, tiredness getting the best of you.

In the meanwhile, Hoseok had already started planning. It took him quite a lot of courage to start browsing. After some comment reading, and tutorials and recommendations he finally decided over the most fitting solution. Out of curiosity he explored further, his head cocked to the side and his brow furrowing over some more complicated and way less obvious objects.

He checked the shipping time and he wasn’t even bothered by the shipping fees for a one-day delivery. He checked out and tried to fall asleep. Obviously it was almost impossible.

Little did he know that, though your post-orgasmic slumber, you had just taken a very similar decision with a cute, satisfied smile on your lips.

The following day Hoseok with a puzzled expression collected his mail. Similarly happened to you, surprised to find a package at your residence reception.

With your lips puckered you picked up the package and checked the sender. As you saw Hoseok’s code name you thanked the lobby man and headed for the lift, taking a selfie in the mirror and sending it to Hobi.

“Flowerboy’s been thinking about me. Man, I must have put on quite the show the other night.”

Half a minute later, your phone blipped. “Princess’s been good and nice. But I must have been a good boy too... Maybe we could both improve our little number tonight. Do not open the box until I tell you.”

“Yes, sir. But you must promise me that you won’t open yours either.”

“Love it when you say that. Your wish is my command, princess.”

After dinner you were both itching to call, but you were afraid Hobi had a schedule or a night with the boys.

“Waiting for you, baby” he texted. That’s all you needed to start the call. You were on the sofa in front of your laptop, box on your lap.

“Hello ____.”

“Hello Hobi! How was your day?” You tried to make some small talk not to seem too eager. He was equally brief.

“Come on, aren’t you curious about your mail?”

“What about yours?”

“Come on, let’s do it together.” You both tore at the tape and counted to three before opening the lid. Your box was noticeably bigger while Hoseok’s was more discreet, since he had to travel and usually he didn’t leave much extra space in his personal luggage.

You blinked a couple times before starting to explore. “You said you missed my mouth on you. I found this thing that basically does it the way you like, it mimics oral outside and still teases you in the inside with a vibe.” He explained matter-of-factly. “And then I got toy cleaner and lube because safety first. Also, I got some stuff for when I come back. Like that ahem- set.” He meant the lingerie. You were speechless. He looked down as he addressed one of the topics that had repeatedly attracted his attention the previous night as he browsed. “I was tempted to get something else, too, but we’ve never discussed that, so I think we could talk about it first. I might want to try some mild restraints and I was thinking maybe I would start with something like an hairband, the tie from a robe or a plain simple tie for men. A ribbon. If you’re interested.” He was very serious and mature about this, stating his proposition and giving you enough space to step back, always the caring and responsible partner.

Still, Hoseok had repeatedly proved being an absolute freak behind closed doors and you could barely contain yourself at the mention of mild bondage. If it were for you, you would already be lying down with your wrists cuffed to the bedpost. Still-

“I think I wanna give it a try.”

“Yeah, and if we like it we can turn it up a notch and get something a bit bolder.”

“Of course.” You tried to process the content of your package. It wasn’t bad. Quite the contrary. But you were actually thinking about Hoseok buying this stuff, your sunshine boy Hobi browsing through sex toys websites and choosing based on what you liked and what he wanted to see you doing. “What about your gift?”

“Oh these! God I almost thought of buying them! Baby, you read my mind!” His smile was radiant and you felt appreciation flow through him towards you.

“It’s a set of six pockets, they have different textures, patterns and levels of softness. I thought you needed something small for when you travel, that you can use under the shower and that helps you relieve your stress.”

“That’s my baby, so considerate.”

“Also, toy cleanser and strawberry lube because I know your tastes.”

“You know me so well. Maybe we should just get them washed and get the party started?”

“With pleasure.”

Indeed.

#bts headcanons #kim namjoon #kim seokjin #min yoongi #jung hoseok #namjoon x reader #seokjin x reader #yoongi x reader #hoseok x reader #namjoon imagine #jin imagine #yoongi imagine #hoseok imagine #bts imagine #bts hyung line #bangtan sonyeondan

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falsegoodnight · 3 years

Note

hi! not sure if you’ve ever talked about this before, but do you have a specific writing process you follow when you write fics?? i’d love to hear about it if you do :)) love your fics so much!!! (p.s. feel free to ignore this if you don’t want to/don’t feel comfortable talking about it!)

hiiii! first of all, i’m really glad you like my fics! thank you for reading them :) and for my writing process: i think i have talked about it a couple times but i do plan on making a thorough and detailed post describing my writing process but i’m lazy so it keeps getting put off! for now, i’m copy & posting what i said for an old ask where i split it into stages and described how long each one took (+ new notes!!)

(under the cut because i ramble)

1) idea/brainstorm

i tend to get ideas from other subject matter such as books, tv shows, movies, music, etcetera just like most people but i also get a lot of fic ideas in dreams. those actually tend to be the best ones, in my opinion. and once i get an idea and it won’t leave my brain for a bit, i open up a notebook page or my notes app and write down everything i can about it (the general gist, anything specific i dreamt/wanted, etc). sometimes i’ll even write out a scene if i can’t stop thinking about it. in fact, i’ve based an entire fic around one written scene more than once in the past.

if i’m super excited, i usually end up blurting out the idea to a friend and there’s just something about explaining an idea to someone else that has you fleshing it out and building upon it and then suddenly you’re even more excited than before--

2) outlining

this actually tends to be a relatively quick stage for me! for the most part, once i get an idea and i get inspired, the story just comes together! there may be gaps but i don’t worry about them yet - i just start my character profiles and a scene list! my outlines tend to be pretty detailed but they can range from around 1k to up to 5k depending on the complexity of the story, characters, and whether any worldbuilding needs to be done. and every story is different - some i just have fleshed out in my head already so i don’t need to work it out on paper (or, on screen, i guess) and others i need to plan out every last detail or else my brain gets too muddled trying to sort everything out. and in my experience: the longer the outline, the longer the fic.

i’d say typically this takes around a couple hours (for the basic outline) but i always come back to my outline frequently even when drafting, changing and tweaking things or adding/cutting things. outlines are fluid! they’re meant to change and alter with new ideas and different directions :)

[edit: i’m just quickly going to add a:

3.5) research

this isn’t for every fic but sometimes a story i want to write involves something i don’t have a lot of knowledge/experience for and so i always make sure to research the topic as best as i can in order to portray it as accurately as possible. of course, this is fanfiction and no one is going to grade you on how credible everything is (and they shouldn’t!! this is all for fun!!) but i personally really enjoy the research aspect of writing and getting to learn about things i normally wouldn’t ever get the chance to. i’m currently writing a fic that’s required so much research (i have pages of notes; it’s ridiculous) and i’ve been having a lot of fun with it!! i also want to make a post about this but the main thing i try to do is find experts, whether that be from expert sources or from experts themselves on platforms such as youtube, specific websites, or even reddit and quora. the best way to learn is to learn from someone else who knows it well]

3) drafting

as expected, this stage definitely takes the longest. i’d say my average for writing days (as in, only counting days where i write) is around 2-3k or maybe 4k. on a really good day, i can write 6-8k (edit: haven’t done that in a hot second haha). the biggest streak i’ve had was when i wrote 40k in 4 days (ie: before we knew, which i posted the same day i finished, of course) but that is very uncommon, obviously.

so it all depends on the length of the fic and the type of story for how long drafting takes but i’d say majority of my fics were written either in a week (these are the shorter ones, just to clarify) or in a few weeks depending on length. one of my 50k+ fics was written in exactly 25 days (that sounds a bit like Nanawrimo but it was october) and then on the other hand, a fic that ended up at 30k-ish took me months to write - part of that was just that i wasn’t prioritizing it, but i also just struggled a lot with it.

(edit: so just to elaborate a bit more with challenges that are typically faced in this stage - there’ll be times where i get stuck on a scene or lose motivation and then i typically jump around and move to a different scene that i feel more excited about. that’s what’s so helpful with outlines: they let me switch between different points of the story without getting everything jumbled or creating hordes of plot holes and inconsistencies. for more on things i do to help me write more, i answered this ask a while ago. also if i get stuck plot-wise, then i often consult a fellow writing friend or go back to my outline to work it out)

4) beta stage

i have two very lovely people who beta for me: @soldouthaz and my friend chelsea who does not have a tumblr :( (edit: she does now!! @kittenlouis :D) i’d say they’re both pretty fast, finishing in a couple days when i need them to! but again, it depends on the fic/length/other circumstances. they’re really good at catching my embarrassing typos and giving me feedback when i ask (edit: i tend to leave questions in the form of comments on google docs if i want specific input or feedback and it’s really helpful)

honestly i really don’t reread/revise my own work (i actually sort of did for my second blff though since i had the extra time so we’ll see if it pays off!) (edit: i think it did!) but when i go through the edits from sarah and chelsea, i do typically end up skimming scenes and making changes that i deem necessary. i do highly suggest self-editing to anyone else though because it only ever makes the story better, never hurts it. i need to get better at it myself.

i hope this gives you some sort of idea of my writing process even though it’s sort of a mess. feel free to ask more questions if you want me to extrapolate/elaborate anything. i wish you all the best!

#asks #writing advice #my writing tips #writing

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quazartranslates · 3 years

Text

Welcome to the Nightmare Game - CH 57

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

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Chapter 57: Witchcraft Sacrifice (XXVI)

[One of us went and came back.]

The last bloody word that appeared on the wall stunned Qi Leren.

What had gone and come back? Did it mean that a dead witch had been resurrected again? No, one of them going and coming back... Did that mean coming back here? Maybe, three years ago, there was a surviving witch candidate in the witchcraft sacrifice mission. Three years later, she came here again and mingled among them.

Was she a player or an NPC? Why would she do that?

The creepy feeling slowly climbed to the soles of Qi Leren's feet from the darkness in all directions, and then slowly climbed up his body along the nerves, stirring his imagination, making the already strange situation more complicated and confusing.

If someone survived last time and came to this underground palace again, who would it be? He, Ning Zhou, Lu Youxin, and Isabel were the only people who are alive now. The Ellie-Aisha sisters were unknown. Which one was most likely?

No, it was impossible to make effective inferences. From another angle, if that person received this task again, she would be familiar with the task flow and terrain. If you were familiar with the terrain…

Between crackles, Qi Leren suddenly recalled the situation when he was in the swamp tower. At that time, Lu Youxin asked Ye Xia if she needed to copy a map of the underground palace for her. Ye Xia told the truth under Lu Youxin's skill: she refused.

At that time, he and Lu Youxin thought it was because Ye Xia didn't trust them, but now that he thought about it, could it be because she was very familiar with the terrain of the underground palace, so she didn't need this quarter map at all?

But Ye Xia was dead. He saw and touched her body with his own eyes, and Xie Wanwan who killed her had died…

Was the body fake? The idea flashed by, and Qi Leren himself felt funny. This was not a detective novel, to be capable of putting the body in a false pretence. He had seen the bodies of these two people with his own eyes.

Isabel let out a whimper, struggling as if she had been strangled, looking very pained. Qi Leren checked her condition, and suddenly there was a flash of light. Could it be Isabel who went and came back? She also said that she’s lost her memory. Maybe in this lost memory, she followed her sister to the underground palace. For some reason, she escaped and lost these memories. Then three years later, she came here again.

Could it be what he thinks?

Oh, and the altar.

"Now all the seven witches are dead. According to the clue given by the wall, shouldn’t the altar have appeared?" Qi Leren said to Ning Zhou in wonder, "But now it seems that the altar hasn’t appeared here. Could there be some conditions that need to be reached?"

Ning Zhou silently shook her head, saying she didn't know.

"She seems to be about to wake up." Qi Leren caught a glimpse of Isabel's eyelids trembling a few times and immediately squatted down beside her.

Isabel mumbled, as if shouting for her sister, and finally woke up from a coma. When she woke up, she just lay on the ground and looked at the dark ceiling as if she had lost her soul.

"Isabel?" Qi Leren called to her.

Isabel suddenly got up from the ground as if possessed, took Qi Leren's arm and screamed, "It's her! She's back! It can't be wrong, it must be her!"

"Calm down and speak slowly, who is it?" Qi Leren pressed her shoulder and asked carefully.

Isabel, who calmed down from her excitement, stared at him with empty eyes. Her eyes were out of focus. She pursed her lips and whispered, "...The woman with the knife."

"Ye Xia? Have you seen her? " Qi Leren asked again.

Isabel's body was shaking and her voice was shaking: "Yes, three years ago, she was in the same carriage with my sister..."

Isabel, who was still in chaos, intermittently told what she’d recalled. From her messy and disordered statement, the memory she lost three years ago was slowly presented to the two people.

Her sister was taken away after being selected as a witch candidate. Isabel secretly inquired about the place where her sister was locked up. When the day of sacrifice came, she quietly followed the carriage to the forest and saw the witch candidates who had been driven out of the carriage. One of the ones with her sister was Ye Xia.

They were driven into the jungle by domestic dogs, and Isabel was worried about her sister, so she ventured into the forbidden forest after everyone left. At that time it was getting dark, and in the deep twilight, she frantically searched for her sister, trying to take her out of the forest, but she was quickly lost there.

Then, she met a woman.

It was a woman so beautiful she could not be described in words. In the sunset, she stood quietly under a withered giant tree, with a bloodied corpse sprawled at her feet. She looked at her, and her eyes couldn't tell whether it was coldness or gentleness, but only by looking at her like this, she had forgotten everything, even forgetting that there was a corpse lying at her feet.

"You are not the chosen one, why did you come here?" The woman asked her, her voice graceful and elegant as a lark singing in the morning light.

"I came to see my sister," Isabel answered.

When she heard her answer, the woman showed an expression like a smile, and the slightly curled corners of her mouth turned her from a perfect sculpture into a living person. She said briskly, "It's not the time for you to come, come back three years later."

When she heard her words, Isabel seemed to be possessed, and she couldn't help agreeing. When her consciousness began to blur, she struggled to ask the last question: "Who are you?"

The woman still smiled calmly at her, but gave a shocking answer: "I am the one you will serve."

After that, she gently touched her finger on her lips and smiled mysteriously and charmingly: "Brave little girl, you have to keep this secret for me."

Memories came to an abrupt end here, and Isabel woke up in her own bed and lost that memory until she saw Xie Wanwan's bloody body in the underground palace and finally remembered the scene in the forest three years ago.

Qi Leren was shocked speechless. After a long time, he murmured: "Is the person you saw the Devil of Fraud?"

Isabel covered her face and said trembling, "I don't know... I don't know who she is."

Frowning slightly, Qi Leren looked at Ning Zhou and found her deep in thought.

"If the Devil of Fraud really came to the sacrifice three years ago, it would explain why the last witch died so tragically." Qi Leren recalled the bloody tips on the cliff and the witches he had met, and his mind had vaguely connected things together.

For some purpose, three years ago, the Devil of Fraud joined the mission disguised as an ordinary person. She was happy to see human strife, deception and despair. She played with the group of poor witches and provoked them to kill each other. He still remembered that Isabel's sister was locked in an iron coffin and was burned alive by pouring in molten iron. She said, "I didn't hurt her... She lied to you", and this "she" probably referred to the Devil of Fraud. And the witch who created the dreamworld. She twisted in the love that she wanted, and constantly destroyed other witches. I'm afraid it was just a game for the Devil of Fraud.

But what happened to Ye Xia? She also took part in the sacrifice for three years, and then she survived? On one hand, she may have been the final winner of the last sacrifice, or on the other, she may have just survived. However, she survived, and came back here again three years later, and then died in the hands of Xie Wanwan.

It was too strange, it didn't make sense at all. For a woman who had survived the task under the control of the Lord of Fraud, it didn’t make sense for her to have simply died here!

Qi Leren thought more and more, and looked forward with empty eyes. Ning Zhou stood there, quietly looking at the words on the wall, just a figure which easily attracted his attention.

Qi Leren suddenly remembered his situation of talking with Ye Xia in the dreamworld. At that time, Ye Xia had said to him…

-Whether you are truly loved or falsely loved, you are happy as long as you are loved. Sometimes love can't help but help itself. Even if you know it’s impossible, you won't give up easily.

Was that "Ye Xia" herself? Who was the impossible love she said she was dedicated to?

In the silence, a familiar voice came.

"Oh, I finally found you."

Qi Leren almost jumped up from the ground as this voice came from the door of the temple. A translucent virtual shadow stood there, like the wandering souls everywhere in the underground palace.

Lu Youxin's phantom stood there with her arms crossed and looked at them calmly. Her voice mechanically said, "Congratulations on winning the lucky prize. I am a kind-hearted person and this is the final time I’ll do a good deed of the day. I’ll tell you three crucial things, whether you can live and leave here depends on this. "

"Lu Youxin?" Qi Leren's voice was lost. No matter how you looked at it, the person in front of them was not like a living person, but a spirit.

Lu Youxin seemed to be unable to hear his voice, and her voice continued stiffly: "First, I am dead. Second, the woman who killed me seems to be Xie Wanwan. Third, she can transfer her soul. She took my body. To sum up, the murderer is Ye Xia."

-----

Editor’s Note: Double release today because it slipped my mind yesterday Σ(ﾟДﾟ)

A major plot element has finally come into play! Keep the Devil of Fraud in the back of your minds, folks! ;)

-----

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

#Welcome to the Nightmare Game #欢迎来到噩梦游戏 #danmei

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msdowartyheps · 4 years

Note

PROMPT: AU where Christine is a lawyer and Erik is her client :')

Thank you so much for the prompt, @helloitskrisha! I hope you like it <3

“That would be one count of second-degree murder, several counts of threat through handwritten notes and continued extortion. Did I miss anything?”

“No, you got everything right, as usual.”

“Any cues on his motivation?”

Mrs. Giry hesitated. A very frustrated Christine rubbed her eyes with her right hand and sighed.

“I need something to work with, Mrs. Giry. I know this man is important to you, but my hands are tied. I can’t propose a deal to the DA if I have nothing to offer.”

“I know, my dear, trust me, but… This is complicated.”

Christine snorted.

“‘Complicated doesn’t even begin to describe it, but I’ll try my best. So let me ask again. Any cues on his motivation?”

“I think you should see it for yourself.”

—

“Why them? You claim to be a master of arts, what’s stopping you? You could have started your own company, hired whoever you wanted, gotten a better theater even…”, she tried to keep her voice amiable. This man was a charade.

“You make it sound as if such things are simple.”

“But they are!”

“Counselor, things are never simple for a man like me.”

“I was told you are rich.”

“How does that change anything?”

“People may not like other people, but they never, ever, argue with money.” Erik opened his mouth. “Unless you’re extorting them, of course”, she quipped before he could say anything.

Erik huffed. His lawyer’s face softened.

“Erik, I’m only trying to understand your reasons. I want to help you, but I need to know you.”

“Where did she find you, by the way? Mrs. Giry?”

“Her daughter is my best friend.”

Erik cackled. Whether or not he would spend a lifetime in prison depended on the abilities of little Meg’s friend? He was doomed.

The girl in front of him, however, didn’t seem to share his humor.

“Is there a problem?”

He sobered immediately.

“No, of course not. It’s just that… You’re awfully young.”

“And that makes me unreliable? Incapable?”

“No, that’s not-”, Christine cut him off.

“If you would prefer, Mr. Erik, I have no problem in telling Mrs. Giry that you were unwilling to cooperate, and therefore jeopardized my work, which will ultimately lead you to a lifetime in jail. I don’t have a habit of giving up on cases, but most people work along their attorneys, not against them, whether they like it or not. Unlike you, they seem to be aware it’s for their own good.”

Erik remained silent for several minutes. Giving up, Christine sighed inwardly, grabbed her briefcase and got up from the chair.

“There was a scam”, she finally heard Erik’s voice.

—

Christine couldn’t believe her luck. Or bad luck, she hadn’t decided which one yet. If she hadn’t heard the story from Erik himself, looking into his eyes as he told it, she would have thought he had caught the idea from a movie or a book.

As it turns out, Erik had been one of the creators of one of the city’s theaters. He had designed the entire building, not only the exterior but each and every one of the rooms, from the box seats to the orchestra pit, from the dressing rooms to the ticket booths, and worked with his then partner in building it.

However, his so-called partner was actually an agent from a wealthy corporation which claimed to own the building after it was finished. Having fled Persia as somewhat a refugee, and also due to his mask, which Christine presumed hid some sort of deformity, Erik had no documents at the time to even prove he existed as a person. He never got a single dime for his designing and engineering.

Ironically, said theater now housed the most famous, longest-running and probably most lucrative Broadway show, which had been on for decades nonstop. Erik, who seemed to be a sucker for drama, as theatre people usually are, then proceeded to invade the theater and wreak some harmless havoc as payback, using secret passages no one knew about.

He had a solid alibi for the murder charge and the original blueprints of the building were still in his possession, filled with information only the original designer would know. The copies the corporation owned were simpler, luckily. The extortion was still an issue, but well, the money was his anyway, and if they managed to prove he was actually the victim, and not a villain, the corporation would have it far worse.

—

Eventually, of course, the case hit the news, despite Christine’s efforts to keep it low-profile, but it ended up being beneficial for Erik. When the story about how a widely known entertainment corporation took advantage of a disfigured refugee and his work came out, the support Erik received was massive. People did love a plot twist.

The District Attorney accepted his alibi without question. Later on, they found out that Joseph Bouquet’s death had first been ruled out as an accident, but, with Erik trapped and caught, the corporation decided to pin it on him, despite the fact that the “Theater Ghost” never hurt anyone else.

When all that dirt was uncovered, the show company, orchestra and crew included, summoned up a strike and even threatened to resign if Erik wasn’t paid his due, and organized a special concert to raise funds in favor of his cause. The initiative was immediately supported by fans and theatergoers, and the tickets sold out within minutes, prompting the opening of a second, third and fourth performances, not to mention the smaller fundraisings that popped up all over the internet. As he was already a wealthy man, Erik planned on donating at least part of the money to nonprofit organizations that helped refugees. No one else should have to go through what he did.

—

Today, they would know if their efforts had paid off. Christine’s hands shook slightly as she arranged her chocolate brown curls in an elegant bun. Her and Erik would be there early; because it was their final day at court, he wanted to thank people. Whenever they had an appointment at the courthouse hundreds of people would camp outside of it, carrying banners and signs with supportive phrases, cheering him on as he walked by. He smiled awkwardly and waved at them, even shaking a few hands once, but that was about it.

Thankfully, Erik’s address was still a mystery, as well as her office’s, though many people were closer to his home than they dared to imagine. He was a very discreet person, as much as his mask allowed him to be, therefore no one ever noticed him disappearing behind a door in one of the side walls of the theater he claimed to own.

—

“Ladies and gentlemen at the court. This case is a very peculiar one; accusations were turned over to the people who first filed them and the defendant claimed to be the actual victim.”

Erik could barely breathe. It was now or never. Sure, Christine had told him they could appeal in case the verdict was not favorable, but it wouldn’t be the same. The assholes would always have that advantage of the first win. He trusted his lawyer, though. She had done everything within her power to help him. She had earned his trust. Erik glanced at her.

Christine was beautiful. Despite her hair being tied up, a few strands framed her delicate face. Her expression was neutral, but her brown eyes were peaceful; he knew she was confident about the verdict.

The judge rambled on about the treatment of refugees and the deplorable situations they were often submitted to by dishonest people, but Erik was marveling at Christine’s slightly rosy cheeks and the fact that she didn’t have a single freckle. However, remembering how important this was, he sobered up and turned his attention to the judge.

“...After analyzing the facts and evidences presented in this court, I find that the accusations are legitimate. Mr. Erik shall be named the official theater owner back to its opening date until this day. The corporation remains obliged to pay him royalties and monthly rent for the years the theater was illegally occupied.”

The audience celebrated and clapped. Erik turned to thank Christine and give her a handshake, but she nearly jumped into his arms, enveloping him in a tight hug. He quickly gathered himself and hugged her back, but Christine let go before long, looking sheepish.

“I’m sorry”, she said, blushing. “I know you’re not… I shouldn’t have. I’m very happy, that’s all. I’m sorry if I crossed a line.”

Erik merely hugged her again.

Justice had been served. It was a good day.

#helloitskrisha #prompt #phantom of the opera #poto #phanfic #phanfiction #phandom writers #phantom #erik #christine daaé #fanfic #fanfiction #my phanfic

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lizzylunawizardessfanfics · 3 years

Text

Changing History?

Pairing: Demeter!Klaus X Hades!Lizzy

Summary: It was very clear that there was a long history of generations of Demeters and Hades hating one another. being this generation's Hades, Lizzy wished to put the past to rest and try to befriend Demeter. Will her efforts pay off, will Klaus give Lizzy the chance to prove herself, or will the continuous loop keep repeating itself.

Warning: Angstish

“Shut in!”

“Control freak!”

“Troublemaking demon!”

“Oohh now we’re calling me a demon, real nice one you egotistical jerk!” Lizzy shouted her pastel blue hair floating in the hair and started to turn into blue flames. Letting out a sigh I could only standby and watch as Lizzy and my brother argued; I really wished he wouldn’t instigate her as I couldn’t help but feel bad for her, no matter how hard she tried to be nice whenever Klaus showed up he’d act coldly towards her. “Oh come now calm down you living candlestick,” I heard Klaus dryly say when instantly I heard Lizzy let out a small gasp. “Kl-Demeter that’s enough,” I quickly shouted as I had to remember to not use his mortal name as despite my attempts to put an end to the arguing I was ignored.

“I am NOT a living candlestick first of all! And calm down? Calm down?! You don’t get to come into my domain and tell ME to calm down when you’re the one who started this all,” she shouted as her hair started to fall back down going back to normal after a moment after taking a deep breath. “I’ve done nothing but try to be nice and to be civil yet every time you come here you’re just mean,” she continued letting out a huff before starting to walk over to me as I saw the fake smile taking form on her face. “Goodbye Lizzy,” I said, giving a small smile of my own hugging my friend as I felt her return it as well. “Goodbye Lias, please do take care. I shall see you again in six months,” she said while pulling away from the hug giving my arms a small squeeze before completely stepping away from me. “Persephone let's go,” I heard my brother say in a strict voice and when I walked forward to leave with him I couldn’t help but glance back once more but she was nowhere to be seen, just the falling of dead flower petals that almost resembled ash.

Once upon arrival back home in the world of the living it hasn’t been five minutes back and Klaus was already asking a million questions about if I was okay or if she tried to do anything. Letting out a frustrated sigh I dropped my shoulders letting out a quick “no, no, and no. Now will you stop asking please, the answer is the same as always.” He looked at me and pinched the bridge of his nose which I folded my arms over my chest and stared at him. “What, what’s that look for,” I heard him ask in which I took a deep breath as it was taking everything in me to finally speak my mind. “What you said back there was uncalled for, and quite honestly I’m mad you hurt her feelings,” I said getting to the point as this truly needed to stop, he needed to see he was in the wrong.

“Persephone the only thing that god feels is anger, she does not need your pity.”

“I’m not pitying her and that isn’t true, but then again what do you know? You haven’t even made an attempt to get to know her!”

“Pardon me, do not raise your voice to me!”

“You don’t get it Klaus! She’s my best friend and all she wants is to be able to get along with you and maybe even be your friend, yet here you are pushing her away before giving her the time of day,” I argued back letting out a huff.

~~~ Klaus’ POV ~~~

Blinking I looked at my younger brother in shock as he got loud with me as he certainly has never been like this before. Letting out a small scoff and to think he was standing up for the god of the Underworld, it didn’t matter how many Hades come and go; they will all be the same.

“Apologize.”

“Pardon me- what?’

“You’re going to go and apologize to her.”

“I will do no such thing.”

“Fine then, I just won’t talk to you until you do so,” Elias said, turning around and starting to walk away from me. “Persephone,” I called his name, but he showed no sign of turning around. Letting out a small growl when I no longer saw him in sight, I couldn’t believe it's come to this. Standing there for a moment I finally gave in and created a portal to go speak with the god.

Arriving back into the gloomy and fiery surroundings I was approached by one of the denizens with a weapon in its hands. “State your business! You’ve already collected the goddess so what could you need from our queen,” it demanded in a questioning manner. “I’ve come… Seeking an audience with Hades,” I said pausing as I couldn’t believe I was doing this. “Follow me then,” the demon said after a brief pause, lowering its weapon and starting to lead the way which I silently followed. Walking through the castle I looked around as admittedly it looked a lot cleaner than how it looked when the last Hades was in control. Moments after walking we entered what looked to be the study room or a library. “The queen will be with you momentarily. Do not touch or break anything,” the demon announced before giving the warning and closing the doors after it left. Rolling my eyes I looked around and decided to examine a few things to kill time.

Over the large fireplace was the mural of Hades herself with her three headed hellhound, she had a soft smile yet it didn’t match the sad look in her eyes- no, no, I wasn’t going to be another fool falling for any tricks or lies. Walking around the room I stopped by the table that had a closed book that caught my attention. Leaning over I read the cover: The Hades tales: Lizette as on the spine of the book after I picked it up I noticed it had engraved 2019 -, so it was pretty much like the book I received when I started. Looking around to see if anyone was in the room I looked back down and opened it to read a little, this would be the best way to get insight on any evil plans she could be plotting.

Entry 4:

Another failed day of attempting to leave the Underworld; it’s official I’m stuck in this fire hole. Though now that I’m apparently a god, goddess? Eh whatever I am I cannot help but wonder about my mortal life; actually I couldn’t help but wonder if I’m here because I died. Not like I’m going to get any answers from anyone or anything for that matter. It’s going to take a while to get used to all of this and all of the duties, but hopefully things will go alright.

Rolling my eyes I continued to flip through a couple more pages till I stopped on another entry.

Entry 17:

I’ve finally managed to restore the garden! Even if many of the plants and flowers are dead or deadly they still deserve to be tended to like any other. Things haven’t been easy, but I’m grateful to the other gods who reside here that have pointed me in the right direction of what I should be doing. As I’ve become very proud of myself; I have declared that depending on the judgments of the souls that appear here that those who are deserving of a second chance will be reincarnated. Though I cannot control how they are reborn, at least they can watch over their loved ones to see them grow… It can only get me thinking of what will become of me when my time comes: will I get to be reborn into a new life or will I just disappear and cease to exist to be forgotten for an eternity with only the tales from this book be all that is left of me.

It was much to my surprise that I learned that she wasn’t keeping the souls condemned here, no wonder why it doesn’t feel as congested as it has in the past. My eyes softened at the words of how she questioned what happens after this life that not even I have really even thought of it that way. Peeking around there was still no sign of anyone in the room so I continued to read through. Then I came upon a more recent entry that looked very long.

Entry 60:

Truly I don’t know why I bother anymore, why do I continue to put the effort into befriending Demeter; I’ve easily given up on befriending the others who dislike me for the very same reason as his… Maybe because it’s simply because Demeter is Elias’ brother, but regardless it shouldn’t hurt so much every time he insults me and there are days where I can take it but even then I can only take so much. I fully understand I cannot change the history of what’s taken place, but that doesn’t mean it has to keep repeating itself right? To whoever reads this after-

“Oh what do I owe the return of the goddess of harvest,” I heard the familiar voice that disrupted my reading and quickly looked up to find where the god was to see her walking across the other side of the table. Before I could even speak I heard her say, “Oh don’t tell me, maybe you’ve come back to remind me just how much you despise me. Or maybe how you hope I rot in hell; oh wait I’m already doing so haha.” She had a straight face as the flat laugh at her own poor joke, the laughter that sounded nothing like the ones that I’d hear whenever she spoke to Elias. Clearing my throat I responded, “I never seek to be making returns here unless it’s for my brother, but no I haven’t returned to simply insult you… I’ve come to apologize.” Hearing that laugh from before I watched as she leaned against the wall and folded her arms with a raised eyebrow.

“You coming to apologize to me, surely it isn’t of your own accord... Let me guess, dear sweet Lias got angry with you and threatened you. To which of course god forbid you’re ever on his bad side that you’d pretty much do whatever to be in his good graces again,” she said pretty much hitting the mark. “Regardless if you are correct or not I’ve come to apologize and then be on my way,” I simply replied to which I saw her baby blue eyes roll. “Then don’t bother apologizing to me. Tell him whatever you wish, but I don’t want empty apologies. I’ve said my apologies and I’m tired of repeating myself so I won’t any more,” she outright told me as I blinked a couple of times not having expected that from her. “Whether you accept it or not I apologize for my… Rudeness,” I apologized for the sake of doing it though seeing her like this gave me an odd feeling.

I noticed her eyebrows knitting together as she was looking at me until I saw her making her way over to me. “Why do you have my book?! Give that to me,” she loudly asked before coming right up to me and snatching her book back and holding it close to her. Looking at her I think this was the first time we were ever this close and actually looking at her… Did she always look this pretty? “I thought reading it would give me insight to see if you were planning anything evil… But from the few I have read there was nothing sinister I could see. Forgive me for intruding into your personal book,” I said honestly before again apologizing though this time I was serious. She was silent with a pout on her face while looking me in the eyes, seeming to debate something mentally before soon enough a small sigh left her lips. Snapping myself out of whatever trance I felt myself slipping into I cleared my throat. “Yes well. Now that things have been settled… I shall be taking my leave,” I said excusing myself as with that I’ve used my powers to head back home.

~~~~~~

There were times when Persephone would grow bored and demand to go visit Hades; however it hasn't been six months yet, so I would take it upon myself to accompany my brother to make sure he would not stay too long. Of course I’d keep my distance, but watching the two interact slowly over time I came to see that their relationship was as my brother had said many times in the past, purely platonic. She certainly was a strange Hades as she never really behaved like one, but I wasn’t going to admit that out loud. Of course we still argued and fought as there were occasions I’d be forced to take part in the conversations the two would have; very much like the one they were having at this moment during tea.

“Again? To think Hercules would keep trying at this point,” I listened to my brother comment about her story from the other day. “You don’t think he could be in love with you,” was the next thing I heard my brother bring up only to hear Hades' laughter instantly afterwards. “Oh lord I hope not haha. Don’t get me wrong, when he isn’t trying to swing his blade at me Ted can be nice… He’s just not that bright,” she replied instantly before adding on “And besides let’s be honest; who is going to love me, of all gods romantically?” Letting that comment sink in I couldn’t help but feel this strange pit in my stomach.

“Well what about Rex? You’ve been telling me how you two were writing letters back and forth as of lately,” Elias brought up possibly trying to prove a point or something. Exactly knowing who my brother was talking about: the goddess of good counsel, Themis. Hades only seemed to shake her head in a no manner. “Or what about Vain? He comes to visit often no; surely a man with that kind of dedication to make time for you is bound to harbor feelings for you right,” Elias seemed adamant to prove her statement wrong. A name of a god I did not like; Kratos was a man I did not care for nor did I get along well with, but why did the possible thought of the brute being involved so closely to Hades bother me so much? It wasn’t like I myself harbored any feelings towards the lonely god... She simply shrugged her shoulders resting her chin into the palm of her hand.

“Yes he comes to visit when he pleases and brings the heads of his enemies as an ‘offering’ to give to me… But I really don’t think it has any more meaning behind it,” she said, shooting down that idea in a heartbeat. An exaggerated sigh came from Elias as he stood up from his seat before saying, “Lizzy there is someone for everyone, just because it isn’t now doesn’t mean that being doesn’t exist. Now pardon me I shall be right back.” With that my brother started to walk away from the table and exited the room with creaking doors closing behind him now just leaving just us.

A silence filled the room only hearing the soft crunch sound of Hades taking a bite of some fruit. Glancing over to her, her gaze was down at the plate I found myself carefully looking at her; how her pastel blue hair cascaded down off her shoulders like a waterfall, the way she delicately ate the slices of fruit. It was almost hard to believe this was the same god I was supposed to hate. Deciding to break the silence I softly cleared my throat and asked, “Do you really think no one would ever love you?” Watching as she picked up her head I noticed an eyebrow raise up when looking at me. “Why would it matter to you? Actually I’m surprised you haven’t agreed with me already and added how I’m just simply an unlovable god,” I listened to her say instead of actually answering my question while slouching in her seat and crossing her arms over her chest. Internally I couldn’t help but wince, honestly hearing her say that so openly felt like a jab to the chest; however I guess that was my own fault for how I’ve mistreated her.

“Lizette list-” I began to talk trying to call her by her mortal name until she cut me off.

“Don’t call me that.”

“What?”

“I have no attachment to that name. Just because it’s written in my book doesn’t mean I have any memories of that name so it means nothing to me. And besides I didn’t think we were anywhere near a mortal name basis,” Lizzy proceeded to explain. I didn’t answer right away trying to find how to properly say what I wanted without sounding rude. “You’re right we weren’t… But I’ve been seeing what my brother has been trying to tell me, I realized I’ve hurt you a lot because I didn’t want to believe that a being could change how a god is supposed to be,” I started off with but didn’t stop there. “I know we fight because of me, because it was all I knew with how all the stories from past Demeters' I’ve read yet… Here you were trying to make that difference and I kept fighting it. I’m sorry Lizzy,” I finished talking and apologized in the end even if she didn’t accept it. After that things got a little bit easier, not perfect but better than the beginning.

~~~~~~

It was a new month as of course it was that time again where the god of thunder threw his monthly get together. “Are you ready,” I called out asking my younger brother as I hated going to these gatherings every single time as unfortunately Albert would never allow me to skip one, speaking of skipping I could only wonder if the ruler of the Underworld herself would be going. Hearing footsteps I saw Elias join me giving a nod of the head in a yes manner so with that I made our portal to Olympus. Greeted by the familiar surroundings already many of the gods and goddesses present greeted us while we made our way to the ballroom. Many were dancing or mingling, crowded as usual. “It seems that she isn’t here yet,” I heard Elias mutter under his breath as it was obvious that he was looking around for Lizzy. “Perhaps she decided to skip this month's party again,” I simply stated as that was one of the things I’ve envied about her; she managed to skip out on countless parties until the god of thunder himself goes to force her to come.

“Ah you made it, it’s so great to see the both of you,” the sound of the all too familiar cheerful voice was already making me feel slightly annoyed. Turning to where the voice was coming from and much to my surprise there Albert was with Lizzy right beside him, she didn’t look all too happy about being here; though then again I couldn’t blame her. Instantly Elias and her greeted each other with a hug as seeing her smile caused a small stir in my chest. There was a brief moment when our eyes met as I wasn’t completely sure how to react so I gave a small nod of my head along with a slight smile which she returned with an awkward one of her own. “Well as usual I hope you guys enjoy yourselves! If you pardon me Elias I’ll be borrowing her for a little bit,” Albert said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders bringing her to him. “Do I really need to dance, I thought making an appearance would have sufficed,” she asked while getting dragged away. “It won’t kill you to loosen up and dance once in a while Lizzy dear! Besides I’ve missed your company,” I could hear Albert say as soon enough disappeared into the crowd of gods and goddesses.

A small scoff came out as I felt myself slightly getting more irritated by Albert’s actions than normal. “Brother are you alright,” I heard Elias’ voice bring me back as I looked over to him. Giving a curt nod of my head I replied, “Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?” He seemed to give me a questioning look and seemed to shrug his shoulders lightly. “It just seemed like something was bothering you is all,” Elias said as I didn’t really do or say anything to his comment. After him excusing himself to go off to walk around I was left on my own finding myself to lean against one of the columns watching everyone dancing. That was when I got a glimpse of Albert and Lizzy dancing together and it only seemed to put me in even a worse mood seeing them together so close. Was this my punishment for how I poorly treated her in the past, was this to feel the pain that she’s felt herself; regardless it wasn’t pleasant. I tried to do everything I could to not feel anything for the ruler of the Underworld, yet here I was in love with her and it hurt. As the party progressed I found myself slightly drinking as I could only watch from the distance while Lizzy was currently chatting with Albert, Elias, and Rex as she looked like she was enjoying the conversation.

“So this is where you’ve been the whole time,” I heard the annoyingly cheerful voice of Hermes in my ear as I didn’t bother to look at him. “Not now Hermes I’m really not in the mood to really converse with anyone,” I stated wishing he’d simply go away. “Aw come now don’t be a party pooper! Oh are you watching your brother with Lizzy and them, Elias was telling me that you and Lizzy have been slowly getting along better,” He rambled on as I let out a sigh. It was when I noticed Kratos himself joining their group and greeted her with a hug, even going as far as kissing the top of her hand; nope I have had enough of watching this. Ditching my drink I simply started to walk over to them leaving Hermes on his own to his own rambling. As I drew closer I seemed to have caught the groups’ attention as Albert seemed to open his mouth. “Ah Klaus so you decided to join us! I was just about to go looking for you,” he said, wearing that usual happy smile that I hated, it always seemed so fake. I didn’t respond while I simply went up to Lizzy and grabbed her upper arm though making sure not to hurt her before starting to pull her away. “Come with me,” I said having mixed feelings as maybe having a few sips of that drink wasn’t a good idea. “Hey what are you doing?! Demeter what’s gotten into you,” I heard her asking while I just kept walking until we were alone out on one of the balconies.

Feeling the cool air against my warm face felt refreshing and helped me recollect myself a little. Feeling her arm rip out of my grasp I looked down at her as she had a confused yet stern look on her face. “Demeter what was that all about,” she questioned me, her arms now crossed.

~~~~~~

Back inside Elias was glancing over at Albert with a concerned look on his face. “Are you sure it was a good idea to take it that far,” Elias asked which Albert simply gave a small chuckle and gave the goddess of Spring a pat on the head. “Everything will work out one way or another. Besides, if he wasn’t given that push then what would have given him the drive to be honest with how he feels,” Albert said plainly as Vain showing up wasn’t a part of the god of thunder’s plans, but it seemed to help. Elias let out a small sigh before saying, “I sure hope so.”

~~~~~~

“Stop calling me Demeter,” I said instead of answering her question.

“Wait what? Then what do you want me to call you… Are you feeling alright?”

“I said stop calling me Demeter, I want you to call me Klaus,” I repeated myself but not stopping there. “Before you say anything I know- I know there was a time when I said I never would be on a mortal name basis with you, but I take that back.” She looked at me shocked with her baby blue eyes but after a moment they went back to normal. “If… That was all you wanted to say, that's fine but that didn’t call for you storming over and dragging me off like you did,” she replied. I felt my heart banging against my chest, taking a deep breath. I said, “But that isn’t all I have to say… I like you Lizzy, I’m in love with you.” All was silent except the winds blowing past and the faint sound of the music playing inside. “That isn’t funny,” I heard her say as now I was confused. “What,” I asked in return. “If- if this is some twisted sick joke of your’s it isn’t funny kay! Don’t go saying you love me if you don’t because I won’t be able to take it,” She explained as I could hear the cracking in her voice. “For the longest time I’ve been convincing myself to move on because I knew I never stood a chance, that you’d forever hate me because of who I am! So please- please don’t say you love me if it’s just a lie,” she continued as I felt my heart ache and sting as if pricked by needles; tears were falling down her face.

I walked up to her cupping her face in my hands to wipe her tears away. “I love you. I’m so sorry that I was so cruel to you, that for so long I just pushed you away and no amount of apologizing will make the things I’ve said go away… But I can only hope that you’d allow me to prove to you that I am serious,” I said, looking at her this close under the moonlight she was even more beautiful than usual. “Why now, what made you have a change of heart,” she asked, feeling her smaller hands overlap my own. “Because when I finally did take the moment to give you a chance I saw what a good person you were, you really aren’t like any of the Hades that came before you. For some time I kept my distance in fear of the possibility I grew attached; I’ve read past Persephones’ books and I found out their happiest days were with their Hades… And if I had to suppress my own feelings for the sake of my brother’s happiness I was willing to do so,” I said explaining myself as it felt good to get this all off my chest. “So… Will you give me a chance,” I asked patiently awaiting her response. A minute or two passed until she gave a small nod in a yes manner before I felt myself smiling with joy. Leaning down I pressed my lips to her soft ones; she slightly smelt of pears and honey. Pulling away I felt myself finally feel completely calm and relaxed which I felt her slim arms wrap around me completing the embrace.

“Could we stay out here a little while longer?”

“Hehe sure Klaus; I could use a break from being in there anyway.”

#god au #wizardess heart #fanfic #wizardess heart fanfic #lizzy luna #klaus goldstein #albert auburne #randy march #vain #rex blanc #ted #elias goldstein

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