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thatsmistertoyou · 2 years

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yknow I was thinking about it just a few weeks ago and I thought hey maybe Dan has moved on from being Online™️, at least for the foreseeable future. I thought well, I hope he’s good and satisfied with that and knows that there’s still an audience that respects and supports him if and when he chooses to come back, even if we’re all old af now. I really wouldn’t have ever guessed at the Big Reason lmao the AUDACITY of yt!!

(I’m kinda curious to see if yt responds to this in some way. Probably not but watching them get dragged to filth WAS fun ngl)

Anyway. More personal rambles under the cut

I really appreciated his comments about parasocial relationships. We really can’t help it in this day and age - public figures affect us, even if they are ‘public’ in the broadest sense of the word. It is not lost on me that most if not all of you that are still here are reading this bc you read my fic about this real closeted man and his secret lover lmao. If I never had to see any more commentary on rpf it’d be too damn soon. It’s all been said I think we’ve had enough. You’re not going to virtue signal people out of it my guys this is the internet I really don’t know what to tell you

But anyway. I tried to be as respectful as possible about it. I never claimed it was speculative. After a while I stopped doing that on here altogether. They just genuinely inspired me. What can I say. I found their dynamic and story compelling. What if I told it in my own way, what if I put this spin on it, what if I could make something fun and sweet that other people would enjoy, what if I made something dramatic and heartbreaking. They helped me discover something I had only dabbled in, an intense passion for the craft of writing that I have only recently picked back up bc I found new muses. (If you like Breath of the Wild, hmu lol)

This community was my lifeline in a very hard time in my life. It helped me make a lot of the friends I have today, some of the closest friends I’ve ever had. It demonstrably changed my life. I didn’t ask for it, but I needed it.

And so I really related to what Dan said about yt. The conflict of wondering if it is a net good when it put people in uncomfortable positions sometimes. Obviously it’s not a direct parallel, I’m not comparing like, petty fandom drama to the trauma of people analyzing your every move while you’re closeted and afraid. I’m glad Dan has been able to come to terms with it, at least a little lol. I think we’d all like to think we had no part in it - I never sent Dan an ask on his margarita blog asking if he was gay or dm’ed him my fic on twitter or submitted drawings of him and his bff fucking when he asked for art. But where’s the line? When does it stop being fun and harmless?

I appreciated his comments about that as well. I myself have loved to cite the fact that Dan really did say ‘knock yourselves out’ when it comes to fan works, asked for submissions of them at several points, and straight up wrote his own and put it in a nyt bestselling book that would forever immortalize him. And also performed it on stage, if in a cheeky and self-aware way. (Yes Phil did most of these things too, but we’re talking about the other one rn. And tbh, Dan always seemed like the one to seek permission from, right? Idk how to explain it but I feel like y’all know what I mean when I say that.)

I recently had my first ever impulse to get rid of my fics - not delete them, but maybe orphan them on ao3 so they wouldn’t be 100% tied to me. Or maybe take them down but keep an archive of pdfs linked here or something - something that would at least partially distance me from The Evils Of RPF. Lbr, I worked too damn hard to destroy my legacy completely. I’ve gotten so many wonderful messages over the years saying that my stories have had real impacts on real people. I can’t just pretend that didn’t happen.

But Dan and Phil are real people too! Dan has talked about how traumatizing it was to have people clock him as gay before he was ready! It’s invasive! It’s weird! It ruined one direction! You should be ashamed of yourselves! Can y’all tell the posts I’m talking about. Have you seen them too.

The one really caught my attention - something like ‘amazing how all those 13 year olds knew Dan and Phil were gay like immediately, they tried to deny it and it didn’t work’. Shit like that puts me on the defensive like immediately, but, admittedly, it was funny. I was like. First of all I was 18 the first time I even saw one of their videos, get your facts straight, not all of us were that young. And second, I was immediately like Self Recognition Through The Other.

Yes it was also maybe invasive curiosity and speculation, maybe attraction to them, maybe genuine enjoyment of their content, maybe the digital landscape at the time in which watching real people do real shit was novel and no one knew the implications until it all started to blow up, etc etc. but like. I didn’t know I was queer at ALL at the time. And a few years in the community later I had more friends than I’d ever had, thriving hobbies, and am now openly bisexual. I can’t say any of that would have happened without this super weird and scary thing.

So, all of that to say, I understand at least some of what Dan was talking about.

Also I’m not deleting my fics, dw. If my boss finds them that’s her fault.

(Not saying I would have absolutely shit myself if Dan had, in fact, launched a project about an alternate unhappy version of his life on his 30th birthday, but it’s a strong possibility.)

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excelsiorcomics · 6 months

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youtube

me and a friend of mine watch this show called miraculous ladybug. i think a lot of you have heard of it. i know the characters, marinette, adrian, alya, hawkmoth and nino. there are also side characters like sabrina, kim, max(no relation) and nathan. i remember watching an episode where nathan was transformed into a supervillain(i use that term losely) he had a crush on marinette and loved to draw comics. i related to him on being the artsy outcast. i heard that the later seasons of the show were really bad, like cringe inducingly bad so that was kind of the reasons i stopped watching.(i will get to the other ones later). i saw the thumbnail and noticed a new character so i thought, "fuck it, i will have a quick peak". the character's name was mark and he was having a look at nathan's art on his phone. he was writing in his notebook. marinette being nice, introduced him to an art room in the school where people could express themselves in anyway they wished. nathan of course was showing the art teacher his drawing of the title character ladybug and his villain(although he did say he was turned into a hero by ladybug) self teaming up to fight queen wasp. mark was introduced to everybody, he talked to nathan, nathan said he had trouble writing the stories told within his drawings and mark complimented nathan's drawing skills. nathan thanked him which made me think of this as george beard and harold hutchins style relationship. i was happy for them. i thought to myself "man, this is pretty good, so wholesome and nice, maybe later miraculous won't be so bad." my heart was about to melt at how nice this was... then.... at one minute and fifty seven seconds. she showed up. i'm not talking about marinette when i said she. i am talking about a character so evil, so despicable, so snotty, so annoying, so unbearably obnoxious that i stopped watching the moment i saw her. miraculous fans may already know who i am talking about but for those who don't watch the show. this character has the name chloe bourgeois. a bully, narcassist, sadist, karen, mean girl, cow and all around horrible person. i already knew what was gonna happen so i paused it. another reason i stopped watching this show is because i couldn't stand this fucking character. i know the voice actress is probably a kind person in real life but jesus christ i hope to high heaven that her role gets killed off. all she does is make people miserable, complain, manipulate, bully and create villains. she is honestly a very toxic 13 year old. she got the only honest police officer fired, tricked adrian into signing a poster so she could lie to people about him being in love with her, threaten the principal of the school to get him fired by calling her father, who is the mayor of paris for some retarded reason, and made fun of nathan for having a crush on marinette in front of the whole classroom. jesus fucking christ i hate chloe with a burning passion. she is right up there with characters like bakugo and andrea davenport. people keep making fan art of her redeeming herself but in the show's canon, it never happens. this next video here sums it up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32b4_BQcLng just watch this until 1:57 if you feel sad or lonely. but if you watch past that i think you might want to destroy the nearest thing just to get the rage out of your system.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #miraculous lb #miraculous #chloe bourgeois #bullying #vent post #Youtube

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desudog-gone · 9 months

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Do you wish to enquire of my evil faggots...

[Body horror, eyestrain and stuff below]

The first of the 3 antagonists is Trick, who's not necessarily actually evil in any respect. He's a bit of a diva and cunt but that's it. He's the one who starts shit with Demise (the protagonist) first of all and starts the tensions between Mad Catz and other gangs.

He plays an innocent fawning softboi twink exterior to mooch off others. He gets his kicks tricking and pranking others, which oftentimes moves into the 'bad spirited' range. He's a bit of a pushy sex pest. He seems to get bored with people he can't either boss around, mooch off of, or keep his hands all over.

Under his unbearable act, Trick is very protective of his younger (adult) brother. He's entirely capable of being serious but seems to avoid it.

He's exclusively a top & dom, and seems to enjoy the confusion others voice about this.

Eventually his relationship with Demise becomes less aggressive and the 2 of them are on better terms and the 2 trade information back and fourth regarding the string of murders in their area.

He's almost 300 years old

Most likely to send you anon hate out of the 3

Kira is the first 'real' antagonist. He's a shape-shifting monster of unknown origin. He needs to kill to survive- with a catch, the more prestigious, respected, well known, etc, his prey is, the more actual fed by it he gets, which makes it hard for him to hide his trail or simply only feed on nobodies. He starts his own gang called COBRA. He's constantly struggling with finding his humanity vs letting his animal nature take over. He wants nothing more than to be human, but his hunger always catches up to him just as he's making progress and drags him back down into a thoughtless, emotionless beast.

He's not very good at holding his human form and because of this, tries to not talk to people often who don't know his secret, in case they notice he looks just a little different then he did before. He tends to look a little uncanny.

When he has one, his personality tends to be placid and curious. He worries about the one person he's learned compassion towards, Vova. He likes to be friendly towards people but mostly because he experiments with how they react to different ways he acts.

He has a childlike aspect to him in this regard because he's still learning how to interact with people and to navigate himself.

He spends so much of his time trying to be more human he doesn't realize he already is. In the end, despite this, his hunger consumes him and it costs him everything, even Vova who he never learned the word 'love' for.

Biggest wallflower out of the 3

Aries is hard to call an 'antagonist'. Aries is more of a drone than an individual person and has no desire to be anything else. He's ageless and void of essentially, everything.

He came to fulfill his regular judgement of humanity, which usually doesn't result in anything as the judgement is passed in neutrality. But for whatever reason, Aries is not convinced, or rather, whatever behind the curtain isn't, and he's tasked to restart the world, destroying everything.

Obviously, like nobody wants this to happen.

Demise and Little Him set out to stop Aries from returning from where he came, with occasional help from Trick.

Dealing with a much stronger, more omnipresent enemy, the 2 deal with far more, far more difficult obstacles. Before being able to confront Aries, Demise even sends Little Him away, and has to fight a mind controlled Trick, who he appears to fatally wound before moving forward.

Aries is a total 'scripted loss', who seems to always get the upper hand over Demise. But is 'killed' last moment by Nuts N Bolts who came to help out after Little Him warned them.

Seemingly appeased, the world end event never comes, and both Trick and Demise get rushed to the hospital.

Biggest enjoyer of art out of the 3.

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doctorofmagic · 3 years

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My thoughts on What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?

The very title of the episode sends a shiver down my spine. And this is where we’re going to start.

~ long post under the cut ~

A year ago, I wrote this post as an attemp to dive into one of the most important traits in Doctor Strange’s personality: love. Stephen is a being made of love, made to love, no matter which interpretation you have when you watch Infinity War. If you don’t read comic books, you’ll understand the moment you meet Donna. You’ll begin to understand how her death reshaped his entire subjectivity out of fear of failing, being powerless and unable to control everything around him (especially death), thus the arrogant and yet a disaster of a man we all know.

Where do I even start? Stephen loved her sister deeply and felt responsible for her death. And then, slowly, he also lost his parents and his brother. He fell in love with Clea but he also pushed her away. He loved Zelma platonically and lied to her, which was enough for them to break their bond. He felt attracted to Kanna but screwed things up, even though they remain friends. He was forced to kill the Ancient One, the only father figure he had ever since his father died. And lastly, the only person who would never leave his side... also left. Yes, even Wong. Stephen has SO much love to give but he’s also afraid because he’s cursed. He truly believes his love in poison. And would you look at that? What If really delivered a story where this is actually true.

What If Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?

The level of understanding when it comes to the character is... inconceivable. What could possibly reshape Stephen into following a dark path but love? The very premise of the whole episode. This is so much more than a love letter. This is literally too much, in all senses.

Fine, let’s begin.

What if the best of intentions has very strange consequences?

No. You used the word “strange” for the pun but this is not the word. Nah-ah. I’d go with ATROCIOUS, for starters. Things are gonna escalate so quickly, my friends.

Seriously, tho? Christine is SO SO SO SO beautiful, they’re so cute together. I have this feeling that MCU!Stephen was quite toxic because of his arrogance and this is why they didn’t work out. But WhatIf!Stephen???????? He’s always praising her, teasing her in a healthy way, respecting her and listening to her. HE TRULY LOVES HER, I’M GONNA CRY ALL OVER AGAIN, PLEASE, NOT THE CRÈME BRÛLÉE, PLEASE

I’m going to leave this shot here because we need to go back to it later. Hold that thought.

And bonus points to “Yeah, well, I would call that quite remarkable.” / “Well, I would say the same about you.”

GODS. THE PAIN. STOP THE PAIN.

So in this reality, Stephen didn’t caused the car accident because he was checking his phone while driving. Also it was not the reckless attempt to pass the truck. Well, maybe it was the consequence of this act? The fact is, the car behind them loses control, which makes them crash. Does it matter? We’ll learn later that no, it doesn’t.

And yep... Christine dies. Have you noticed the shattered heart? Ah, the pain only gets better and better.

Again, Stephen blames himself. More than anything, this is so important because Stephen is all about guilt. We still need to meet Donna so we can add yet another layer of guilt. But the feeling exists. This is what corrupts Stephen’s heart and soul in all his iterations. This is what makes him the character I love so much. I love this SO. MUCH. In addition, his stubbornness to accept his condition. Man won’t take a no. This, this is Doctor Strange in character. Stop complaining about NWH Stephen, it’s pathetic.

Okay, “grief-stricken”, Stephen found the Mystic Arts and became a sorcerer. That’s when he learned about the Time Stone, the Eye of Agamotto and Dormammu. Nothing changes, he saves the universe. But time does not heal his deepest wound.

I love Wong so much. Every time Wong does something, the world is healed. Really. We’re going back to him as well but for now I’ll just leave this shot.

BUT STEPHEN, DOING SOMETHING RECKLESS? HE’D NEVAH

Aaaaaaaannnnnnd then he did.

He goes back in time. It’s been two years since he lost Christine. I think he reacted pretty nicely, despite the circumstances. Now let’s go back to that shot I said I was saving for later.

Stephen is so light-hearted here. Also, during the first time he lost Christine, he had no idea what “The Price is Right” was. He knows now, which means he probably tried to learn more about the show because of her, because of grief. HAHAHA MORE PAIN

AND THEN HE

AND THEN SHE DIES AGAIN

AND THEN HE KEEPS GOING BACK IN TIME

AND SHE KEEPS DYING

AND THE MUSIC

AND HIS VOICE

AND HE TRIES TO CHANGE FATE BUT IT CAN’T BE AVERTED

HE EVEN TRIES TO STAY AWAY FROM HER LIFE BUT SHE DIES ALL THE SAME, WHY

AND EVERY TIME THEY CRASH, HE FEELS THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL PAIN AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, WHY

I’M-- *ugly sobbing noises*

Apparently, not.

And this scene when he simply... closes his eyes before she dies again...?

This is where this episode had me in endless tears. It got me the four times I watched it. I’m dead serious.

Okay, so, next the Ancient One appears to Stephen, explaining that Christine’s death is an Absolute Point in time. It cannot be changed. Stephen needs the accident to become the Sorcerer Supreme and defeat Dormammu.

And this is where Stephen starts his journey into darkness. “Nothing is impossible, you taught me that. I only require more power.” Disobeying the Ancient One, Stephen then travels in time, seeking the Library of Cagliostro. Now, if you’re not aware of that, Cagliostro was a sorcerer who studied time in comics, and later became Sise-Neg (there’s a recent post on this because of the new Defenders run). It’s funny to think that Sise-Neg also destroyed the world when he became a god, however he grew past his pettiness and remade reality. Stephen did not possess such power, as we’re about to see.

PS: “Stop torturing yourself, Stephen.” Naur but he should use this line like a mantra. Especially comics!Stephen.

Not gonna lie, tho. This place reminds me of the Temple of the Vishanti from T&T (of course I was going to insert T&T somewhere, it’s me).

And of course they’d go for a pun with his name haha. I don’t know how to feel about this, tho. I feel like the episode is too heavy and dark for comedy. But it is what it is.

Okay but why some books are in cages??????????? And wow, it seems Cagliostro also gathered knowledge about several fields of magic.

And then Stephen learns that, in order to break an Absolute Point, he needs to absorb more power. This is when I went “oh-oh, here we go”.

And for real, is this Shuma-Gorath? Why are they keeping his name a secret? Is this the same creature from the first episode with Captain Carter, right? RIGHT? It has to be Shuma-Gorath.

Of course he tries to be polite and ends up all hurt haha. O’Bengh warns him about love but he will not listen. “Love can break more than your heart. It can shatter your mind.”/ “Is she worth the pain?”. Please, this is Stephen. He eats pain for breakfast.

Also, also, let’s take a break. We’re finally going to get monsterf0cker tentacle-lover Stephen Strange. It will cost us everything but here we goooooooooooo (yes, I went frame by frame for your more obscure fanservice needs)

Gods, I love this sequence so much it hurts. Okay, here we go.

Shmebulock???????????

AND HE STOLE THE CAPE??????????? AND DREW THE LINE ON BUGS??????

The grasp this man is holding on me right now...

Some of you will understand. I’m with you.

And here are the grostesque ones. These are hard to take SS but I had to.

Animation, sound effects, OST? CHEF’S KISS TO ALL

And lastly... the tentacles. Yeah, if you’re new... this is a thing.

Fanservice. Fanservice everywhere. (low-key the reason I also waited to write this review, I wanted to enjoy this part so badly but I was too sad for that lmao)

Okay so. O’Bengh is suddenly OLD and DYING, until we realize that Stephen spent CENTURIES absorbing mystic beings. CENTURIES. WTF STEPHEN. He had nothing in mind but the goal to save Christine. And people wonder why he went insane???? I’m sorry, O’Bengh, but I can’t take you serious when you still call Stephen Sorcerer Armani. Oh, and also because you watched him absorb beings for centuries in silence lmao. But I guess I have to because you said that Stephen is split in two since the Ancient One cast a spell on him, splitting the timelines and making them exist in the same reality before he could travel back in time. I know, it’s complex. Anything for the plot.

And now good!Stephen has an evil!twin who wants to absorb him back in order to become whole and break the Absolute Point. Cool.

I said I wanted to talk more about Wong because I think people are not talking about him enough. Wong is so important in this episode. He’s the one who’s trying to heal Stephen after Christine. He’s Stephen’s anchor.

Also, THEY FINALLY USED A SPELL WITH THE NAME OF THE VISHANTI. HOORAAAAY

So, for the sake of our understanding, I’m addressing the characters as evil and good!Stephen. Let’s go. Evil!Stephen summons good!Stephen and gods, he still holds such a strong grasp on me... unbelievable. THE DEEPER VOICE BENEDICT USES???? PLEASE, DIDN’T WE HAVE ENOUGH?

Imagine his strength to hold so many beings inside him, fighting to control him. BRO, THIS IS TOO TOO MUCH

Fine, I’ll not post SS about the fight because I’d be here all night long but I WILL say this: NOT CLOAKIE!!!!! NAAAAAAAAAAUR

Also if you ask me if I recognize any of the spells? Maaaaybe the Flames of Faltine, the not-so-crimson Bands of Cyttorak and a little trick Magik does with her portals. That’s how far I go.

I’ll not comment on the “seducing yourself to stay in the trap”. I will not. I’ll just say that the first person Stephen thought of when “Christine” was talking about the crème brûlée was Wong. That’s it.

And finally evil!Stephen absorbs good!Stephen and releases... UNLIMITED POWER (I love when the stone goes red as if it was bleeding aaaaaaa)

I can fix him...

This scene here? Poetic cinema. (I love his wings so much)

And when Stephen says her name and the other monsters’ voices echo “Christine”, AAAAAACKKKK

AND OF COURSE CHRISTINE WOULD FREAK OUT, BRO. LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE BECOME BECAUSE OF YOUR TWISTED LOVE. I’M NOT DOING FINE.

Oh, but it’s too late anyways because Stephen broke reality haha. This scene is interesting because Stephen is the only one who sensed and/or talked to the Watcher until now. I read an interview that the Watcher kinda showed up but it’s also about Stephen’s keen senses. Bit of both, let’s say. Still, man, 616-Watcher is not that cold. 616-Watcher would watch this and say “how about I intervene anyway?”. WhatIf!Watcher is brutal.

The way Christine looks at Stephen one last time also KILLS ME, DESTROYS ME, BREAK ME INTO A MILLION PIECES.

And this is where my soul left my body.

This is how they end the episode. This is how you leave me speechless and with teary eyes. This is how you give me a whole existential crisis.

This... this was brutal to watch. Really.

What can I say after this? I’m used to reading painful things when it comes to Stephen. Aaron’s and Cates’ runs are heartbreaking on so many levels. Hickman’s New Avengers is not easier. Coincidentally, What If? Magik Became Sorcerer Supreme and The End. And now Death of Doctor Strange. And yet, after everything I’ve been through, I’d never expect to watch something so brilliant, so tragic, so heartbreaking and unexpected in the MCU. Never. This is top tier content and this is my favorite character with SO MANY LAYERS and SO MUCH UNDERSTANDING. I can’t put into words how meaningful this whole episode is to me, or how deep it touched my heart and soul.

I’ve been struggling to find the proper words since then, I still can’t. All I can add is, I cried for the 4th time now. This is too, too much, even for Stephen stans. Even for the ones who are used to pain, regardless of which media you’re into: comic books, live actions or animated movies. This is literally more than I can take and yet I’m so, so grateful. The voice acting, gods, how did Benedict manage to create a better Stephen than the one he’s literally playing in real life???????????? HOW

This episode really took the max potential Stephen had to offer as a character, added tons and tons of layers based on his grief, depression, arrogance and need to control everything and created a tragic masterpiece. In 7 years of being a Doctor Strange fan, I've never read or watch something that could go this deep into the character. The closest I can think of is Mr. Misery and the metaphor of Stephen's depression. This is a whole new level of respect and understanding. This is more than a love letter. This is peak maestry. It’s perfect, it’s heartbreaking, it’s... gods, I can’t.

Sorry for dragging you until this far. Before I wrap up this review, I just wanted to remind you all that Stephen will appear again, he will smile again, he will be surrounded by people again. So this is not the end. It was painful but be brave. We still have a few more steps to take.

#what if...?#doctor strange #stephen strange #what if doctor strange lost his heart instead of his hands?#wong #christine palmer #the ancient one #long post #review #he did nothing wrong #so what? he destroyed a whole universe #/j #benedict cumberbatch

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alj4890 · 3 years

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All Through The Night

A Choices: The Royal Romance Dark AU fanfiction.

A/N Other than my few Bloodbound shorts, I’ve never written anything with supernatural overtones before. After receiving requests to see Liam and Riley’s story if he was a vampire, this storyline was born. Since it is set in one of my favorite books from Pixelberry, I had to include as many of the main and supporting characters as I could. The following chapters will explain more where they and what our main characters are. Not going to lie, I am very anxious to step out of my comfort zone for this, but I’m also super excited to see how it goes. Along with The Royal Romance, I will be referencing and altering both The Crown and The Flame and The Royal Masquerade.

@gkittylove99 @krsnlove @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @yourmajesty09 @mom2000aggie @ofpixelsandscribbles @twinkleallnight @lodberg @twinkleallnight @amandablink @neotericthemis @mm2305 @sfb123 @iufilms

Masterlist

Prologue

Once upon a time...

"Father!" Zenobia rushed down the stairwell. "Kenna is at the gates!"

King Luthor's frown deepened as he studied the places his troops had been destroyed. His hope to unite the five kingdoms and wipe off the abomination was for naught.

Kenna would not stop until he and his surviving offspring's heads were on pikes.

...until their blood filled the crystal goblets of the Dark Queen.

"What do we do?" His son, Diavolos, asked.

Luthor knew it was only himself Kenna wanted. After he had killed her mother, hoping to stop the monsters once and for all, Kenna would have her revenge.

If only he had known that she was a vampire...just like her mother.

"Listen carefully." His voice trembled at this possibly being the last time he was able to speak to his son and daughter. "A Nevarkis must always be ready to fight the creatures that prey on the weak and vulnerable."

"But..." Zenobia sniffed. "How? How can we possibly kill the unkillable?"

"She can be killed just like her mother before her." Luthor snapped. "Sunlight. A dagger to the heart. Cutting the head off." His features hardened with resolve. "Know that those are our true allies. Continue your training with daggers. Never stop being vigilant. Educate your children. And remember: where there's one vampire, many more lie in wait in the shadows."

Diavolos stepped forward and gripped his father's shoulder. "We will fight for you."

"No." Luthor corrected. "Fight for our people. The innocent. Fight for a chance to live without fear of monsters."

He cleared his throat. "If I should die--"

"Don't say that!" Zenobia screeched. "We'll be--"

"Kenna is coming for me." Luthor interrupted. "I know I must face the consequences of my actions."

"But--" Divalos lowered his head. "What are we to do?"

"Kill her." Luthor ordered. "Let your emotion be your strength." He took their hands. "And remember that a vampire is nature's evil incarnate. They will do whatever they want and kill anyone who they think is in their way." His voice turned to pleading. "Kill Kenna before she has a chance to kill you."

Zenobia nodded in a jerky manner. Diavolos swallowed with tears in his eyes.

"Good. Now prepare yourselves." Luthor pulled his sword from its sheath. "The devil herself is here."

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

Two years later...

Kenna cuddled her infant son, humming a lullaby.

Dom came in, a soft smile gracing his lips at the sight of his family.

"How are we this evening?" He asked, placing a kiss first on her lips then one on his son's forehead.

"A little fussy." Kenna explained. "But otherwise perfect."

"Good." Dom stretched then went to stoke the fire. "I will be going out later tonight."

Kenna's head jerked up. "Why? Are there more rumors?"

He nodded, a determined frown formed on his lips. "The Nevarkis brats refuse to let us live in peace." He moved to stand before the window that looked out toward the kingdom he had once lived in.

High in the mountains, the couple and those like them had found sanctuary. They built a kingdom, one of darkness and shadow that allowed them to live freely. He and Kenna were crowned the rulers, chosen by their people...those that were cursed as monsters.

"Si and I will be standing guard." He explained. "I will not risk you or our child."

"Dom..." Kenna pulled him close, capturing his lips in a long tender kiss. "This must end. I was foolish to let my need for revenge take over." Tears sparkled in her eyes. "Luthor might have left us alone if I had given him a chance."

Dom's face contorted into furious hatred. "A Nevarkis can never be trusted!" He gripped her waist, hands heating as he lost his temper. "He would have plunged a dagger into your heart the first chance he had."

"Dom." She said softly when he singed her clothes.

He wrenched his hands from her with a grimace. "I didn't burn you, did I?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine." She tried to lighten the mood. "Just a little overheated."

He took deep breaths to get himself under control. "Stay here where it is safe." His eyes searched hers. "Have you fed recently?"

"No, but I should be fine until you return." Kenna lifted a bottle with blood for their son. "I can call on one of the servants to help me if I need to."

"Promise me you won't go outside." He pleaded.

"Only if you promise to come back to me." She responded.

His lips quirked in that cocky smile she has always adored.

"Always, my queen." He kissed her once more, then slipped out the door to search out their enemies.

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

Present Day New York...

"Cordonia...land of both beauty and mystery." Riley wrinkled her nose. "Boring."

"No, it isn't." Hana argued. "I think that is the perfect beginning."

"Look at the comments from our last video." Riley swiveled her laptop so her friend could see. "People love our walkthroughs and all but hate my narration."

"Well..." Hana's brow furrowed. "Maybe we should try to add more to it than just narration." She pulled out some sketches. "We could add some animation of the history before showing our footage of the country."

"That might work." Riley mumbled, tapping her pen against her notebook.

The two set to work planning their next project.

After years of trying, they had finally achieved their dream of traveling for a living. The two college friends had taken every class they could on how to make their hopes into a reality. With Riley's love of history and business and Hana's talent with art and fashion, the pair had created a successful travel channel that showcased rarely visited countries and cities around the world.

Hana took care of all the shopping and dining found at their chosen destinations. Her "day trips" were hailed as must see for anyone planning a vacation. Riley took over for what could be found at night. Myths and legends blended in with what could be discovered once the sun set. A place's nightlife was thoroughly researched and reached a wide variety of their audience, causing many to plan a vacation just on her recommendations alone.

"Did your mom suggest where we should go first?" Riley asked, after skimming the same few articles about the elusive country.

"Not really." Hana hedged.

Riley glanced up. "Is she giving you a hard time again?"

"Yes." Hana slumped in her chair. "She told me to call when I was done playing tour guide."

"Geez." Riley grumbled. "Does she not realize that we have created a legit business?"

"Ladies shouldn't be involved in anything that does not pertain to their husband and family." Hana quoted. "I was supposed to have my debut to Cordonian society last year." Angry tears filled her eyes. "She still hasn't forgiven me for missing out on the Masquerade Ball."

Riley wrapped her in a comforting hug. "I'm sorry."

Hana patted her back. "Don't be. I finally feel like I can accomplish anything."

"That's because you can." Riley sat back with a grin. "Especially with planning out what we should focus on first."

Hana giggled as she went to search out some of her old books she had inherited from her grandparents. "These might help you with your part."

Riley's eyebrows lifted over the titles. "The Crown, the Flame, and The Night Queen."

"That is the earliest recorded story of vampires and monsters in Cordonia." Hana explained. "Queen Kenna Rhys and King Luthor Nevarkis both fought over uniting the kingdoms that make up Cordonia." She shook her head in disbelief. "There is a legend that Queen Kenna was a vampire that married a man who could transform into a dragon."

"For real?" Riley eagerly opened the book. "What happened?"

"Luthor died." Hana reached for another history book. "Some say it was a sword fight while others say she ripped his throat out with her fangs."

"Whoa. Either way, she sounds pretty epic."

"His son got revenge though." Hana flipped to another chapter. "He sneaked in one day and supposedly dragged Kenna into the sunlight. Before her husband could save her, she burned to ash."

"Brutal." Riley shivered. "What did the dragon do?"

Hana shrugged. "Supposedly he left with their child to protect him." She pointed at some drawings rendered from the Dark Ages. "Kenna's son came back to extract revenge. He eliminated one entire side of the Nevarkis family tree."

"And let me guess," Riley picked up another book. "The remaining Nevarkis's struck back?"

"It's supposedly been a feud for centuries between the Nevarkis and the Rhys' families." Hana pulled up an image on her phone. "Though one is currently ruling Cordonia."

Riley studied the image. "Queen Olivia Nevarkis. Looks like the Rhys lost the throne."

Hana shrugged. "There's a myth that they still rule Cordonia from the shadows."

"Mythical royal vampires, huh?" Riley laughed at the thought. "I hope I bump into one just so I can figure out who's really in charge."

Hana giggled at the thought. "You would be the only person to ask a logical, government question instead of the usual, whoa you're a real live vampire!"

Riley threw a pillow at her. "Hey! I can be calm and collected when faced with the unknown."

Hana threw the pillow back. "Tell that to the supposed haunted house we visited on our last trip." She broke out into laughter with Riley's defense that squeaking doors were the true villains. "On that note, I'm going to start packing. Our flight leaves first thing in the morning."

"I'll be ready." Riley promised.

Once alone, she flipped to a more current timeline of the supposed Dark Kingdom.

King Constantine Rhys the Third rules over what is his rightful kingdom. Rumors swirl that he is simply biding his time until he can eliminate the usurper, Queen Olivia Nevarkis, First of Her Name. The people know that one day, a Rhys will sit upon the throne, uniting the Dark Kingdom and Cordonia once and for all.

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

Cordonia's Royal Palace, 2 a.m.

"Heeeerah! Olivia threw her daggers as hard as she could while doing a roundhouse kick.

The blades struck into the chest, head, and groin of the makeshift dummy.

She brushed the few strands of red hair that had escaped her hair clip out of her eyes. With a great deal of scrutiny, she studied her dagger placement.

"The one to the head needs to go deeper."

She spun around with a start at that all too familiar voice.

"You're late." She folded her arms and tapped her foot.

Liam rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. Had to stop off for a quick bite."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "That's not funny."

"Not that kind of bite." He teased, holding up a styrofoam box.

"Oh." She blinked in surprise. "I forget that you enjoy normal food too."

He chuckled at that. "There are certain foods that I don't think any man could ever give up."

Olivia decided to ignore that as she wiped the sweat from her face and neck. "Now that you're here, let's get the formalities over with."

"Very well." Liam gestured toward her. "You may go first."

She sat down on a bench lining one side of the palace gym. She motioned for him to join her.

"Not you!" She hissed when she saw his all too familiar guard.

Drake Walker bristled at her tone. His brown eyes clashed with her green.

"Give us a moment, please." Liam asked him.

"Don't let your guard down." Drake warned. "Remember, she's a Nevarkis."

Olivia tensed. "Perhaps you should remember what happened the last time you said something like that."

She quirked one eyebrow at the man and felt a sense of glee when he winced in memory.

His hand automatically drifted to his side where one of her daggers had once struck true.

With a quick bow to Liam, Drake stepped back out into the hallway.

Liam shook his head. "Are you two ever going to get along?"

"Stop talking stupid." Olivia snapped. "Now then, as you know...I must have my revenge."

"I know." Liam folded his arms and leaned casually against a column.

She eyed him for any sign of hatred.

It drove her crazy how unvampiric he could be.

He seemed almost human.

He seemed...kind.

A vampire is nature's evil incarnate. You can never trust a Rhys.

Those words had been drummed into her skull by her parents and then her aunt after their deaths by Constantine's hand.

And yet...Liam had done the unthinkable.

He had actually been a friend to Olivia.

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

The night after her parents' funeral, five year old Olivia had been sitting alone before the fireplace, weeping over them.

Her aunt had left her to deal with her own grief and to plan the next attack upon Constantine.

As she searched for a tissue, Olivia jumped back with a shriek at the little blonde haired boy that held the Kleenex box.

His eyes were filled with unshed tears as he handed her a tissue.

"Who are you?" She asked, remembering that a Nevarkis must always be brave.

"I'm Liam." He explained. "I wanted to...I wanted to tell you I'm sorry about your parents." He sniffed and took a tissue for himself. "My mom died too."

Olivia blinked and took a cautious step forward. "Are you...are you a vampire?!"

He nodded.

She whipped out the dagger her mother had given her and rushed at him.

Liam moved faster than she could comprehend, gently keeping her hand above her head.

"Let go of me, monster!" She ordered. "You're why I'm all alone!"

"I didn't do anything." He told her, anguish taking over his handsome features. "I don't want to hurt you or anyone."

"Liar!" She snapped. "That's what you do. Lie and kill." Her tears ran faster down her cheeks. "And now you'll kill me."

"I won't." He promised. "I swear I won't hurt you." He ignored his own tears trickling down his cheeks. His blue eyes burned with resolve. "My mother made me promise never to hurt a human."

Olivia shook her head. It had to be lies. Isn't that what vampires and monsters do? Lull you into letting your guard down so that they could have an easy kill.

"Your father will pay for what he did." She said, hoping to see his true, evil nature. "He must die!"

"I know." Liam slowly released her and took a step back.

Olivia watched in surprise as he sat down before her fireplace and pulled out a silk blue ribbon from his pocket.

He motioned for her to join him.

She slowly lowered herself down, dagger poised in her little fist in case he made a move.

"May I have your hand, please?" He asked.

He patiently waited on her to decide whether or not to give it to him.

She tentatively placed her hand in his.

His lips turned up into a relieved smile as he wrapped the ribbon over their joined hands.

"What are you doing?" She asked, lowering her dagger.

"Making a bond." He explained. "I, Liam Rhys, Crown Prince of the Dark Kingdom, promise to never seek out revenge and to end all vendettas against the Nevarkis family." His blue eyes held her green. "Just as my mother, Queen Eleanor wanted me to."

Oliva's lips parted. "You mean it?"

"I do." Liam's voice held a great deal of sincerity. "I would rather walk into the sun than not do as she asked."

"Oh." Olivia sniffed. She could understand that kind of devotion.

"Do you," Liam's cheeks colored. "Do you think we can be allies?"

"A Nevarkis will never be friends with a monster." She repeated the rhetoric that she knew by heart.

"But," Liam's shoulders slumped. "We're not all bad."

"All monsters are bad at heart."

"I'm not." He pouted. "I don't want to be."

"You're so weird." She muttered.

"Am not." Liam grumbled. "I hope I'm not."

Olivia looked down at their hands still bound together. "I guess since you promised something, I should too."

He didn't bother to hide his surprise.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I, Olivia Nevarkis, The Crown Princess of Cordonia, swear that after I kill Constantine Rhys, I will lay down my weapons." Her brow furrowed. "I'll pick them back up though if you or any other monster tries anything."

Liam's smile grew. Before she could react, he tugged her into a quick hug.

"Now we can be friends!" He cheered.

"Friends?" She shook her head. "I'm a Nevarkis and you're a Rhys. We can't be friends."

"We will be." He vowed, jumping to his feet. "I have to go before Father finds out I've sneaked out. I'll try to come back in a few nights."

Olivia didn't have a chance to tell him whether or not she wanted him to. In the blink of an eye, he had jumped from her balcony and was already out the palace gates.

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

That had been the beginning of Liam's visits. Through the years, he had remained true to his promise. He did all he could to befriend her and never tried to sway her from seeking vengeance.

Olivia had once asked him how he could take her threat against his father so easily.

He had merely shrugged, explaining that he knew it was the way of things. His father had killed both her parents, while he had only lost one. He hoped she didn't since he did not wish to see his father or her dead.

Olivia had then told him again how weird he was, bringing another smile to his lips.

And now here he was again, calmly taking her promised vengeance well.

"So what business brings you here tonight?" She asked.

"Father thinks it is time I chose a wife." Liam responded. "I thought you should know that I will be spending more time in your kingdom to find one."

Olivia shot up off the bench. "What? But you promised to never hurt a human!"

"And I will keep true to that." He explained.

"But..." Olivia's brow furrowed. "You'll turn her into a vampire."

"Only if she wishes it." Liam explained. "I won't force her to make such a decision."

"I see." She began to pace while thinking. "You'll have vampire children."

"Only if she's a vampire." He reminded her. "Remember my brother."

Olivia paused. She had forgotten about Leo Rhys, The Great Disappointment of the Dark Kingdom. His mother had begged Constantine not to turn her. It had never been asked before, and in his mercy he had agreed. That was when they all discovered that a monster and a human could only produce a human child. In order for the heir to the Dark Kingdom to be a vampire, both parents had to be the same being.

"And you'll be fine having human children?" She asked. "If you're chosen bride refuses the Vampire's Kiss?"

"Of course." He responded.

"Lord, you're so weird." She muttered.

His smirk flashed. "Let's hope the woman I choose doesn't think so."

"Are there no women in your kingdom you can choose from?" She asked.

"I've looked." He shook his head. "It's hard to explain, but if one doesn't have an arranged marriage, then we must search until we see the one meant for us."

"And you somehow got weirder." She brushed her hands down her pants and held one out to him. "Good luck, I suppose."

"Thank you." He grasped her hand and lifted it to his lips. "I'll keep you updated on my progress."

"There's no need."

"Of course there is." He winked at her on his way out. "We're friends."

Her lips parted to once again remind him that they couldn't be. For some reason, she decided not to say it.

Liam had somehow wormed his way into her life and had become the closest friend she had ever had.

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

The Lee Residence, Shanghai, China...

Lorelei paled as she reread the report.

It can’t be. Not Now!

Of all the times for this to happen, it would be when her stubborn, foolish daughter decided to visit.

Given the nature of her relationship with Hana, she knew that there was no way she could convince her to postpone her trip to Cordonia.

There was only one course of action left to take. She would have to call the one man who was capable of protecting her daughter. She would promise hiim anything as long as he kept Hana out of Liam’s clutches. As much as wanted her to give up this ridiculous hobby she called a job and settled down with the right sort of man, she would never put her in the path of becoming the next vampire queen.

Setting down the packet of information from one of her informants, she checked to make certain no servant was out in the hallway and then searched for the needed phone number.

Taking a deep breath, she placed the call.

Her trepidation grew when he didn’t immediately answer.

"Hello."

"Lord Beaumont?"

"Yes." She could hear a door closing in the background. "Who is this?"

"Lorelei Lee." She replied.

"Lady Lorelei." He responded with a recognition. "How can I help you?"

"My daughter and her friend have got it in their heads to come visit Cordonia." She began. "I'm not certain how long they intend to stay, but I was hoping that I could retain your services."

"For what exactly?" Lord Beaumont asked.

"Protection." She replied. "I have heard through certain channels that the dark prince is beginning to search for a bride." She took a deep breath. "We do NOT want our daughter anywhere near that vile creature."

"I understand." He replied. "I usually don't do personal security. With my brother, Bertrand, retired," he hesitated, "it is left up to me to help protect Cordonia's borders."

"My husband and I would be in your debt if you could watch over her in the evenings." Lorelei cajoled. "I've heard that your brother is planning on extending his vineyards. We would be more than happy to invest in the production and distribution of his sparkling wine. Perhaps even let it be the only sparkling wine we serve in our hotels."

"Send me her information and picture. Call her and tell her that since our family is an old friend of yours, that I've volunteered to show them around. Find out where she's staying and when she plans on arriving."

"Oh thank you, my lord. We--"

"I'll also need a contract prepared and signed for all that you offered." He added.

"Yes of course. I'll get everything to you at once." She promised.

Once he ended the call, she sank back down onto her chair.

She bowed her head and began to pray that her daughter came to no harm these next few weeks. To lose Hana to one of the many creatures that roamed the night in Cordonia was too horrible to even contemplate.

If anyone could keep her daughter safe then it was none other than Lord Maxwell Beaumont.

#liam x riley #choices the royal romance #hana x rashad #leo x madeleine #maxwell x oc #olivia nevrakis #drake walker #trr dark au #vampire au

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excitedlysuffering · 4 years

Text

Green With Envy

It’s past 2am and my eyes hurt so it’s unedited for now sorry y’all😅

Original Request (from Wattpad account): What makes the boys jealous, if possible?

Guest stars: Sasori and Sai!

Masterlist

Naruto~

Oh, this boy… he’s too oblivious sometimes he doesn’t even know to be jealous. He was at a hot spring with friends once and someone says, “(Y/N) is so hot…” Naruto just grinned and said, “Yeah, she really is.”

But that doesn’t mean he won’t protect your honor. If someone says something a little too… risque like ‘Yeah, I’d tap that’ for example, get ready for more Narutos than you can count all charging you with a Rasengan.

He will not stand other guys cozying up to you. He’s the one who should be blessed with your hugs and cuddles. Won’t hesitate to cause a scene and yell to the entire world that he loves you and won’t let any other guy make a pass at you.

“Naruto, you didn’t need to go that far! You blasted him through three walls!” He’s endearing, really.

Sasuke~

Is jealousy an Uchiha thing or just a Sasuke thing? One of life’s many mysteries. Anywho, unlike Naruto, the second your name is brought up in conversation, he goes on guard and he’s listening closely.

If anything is said that he deems inappropriate, whether it be disparaging or otherwise, Sasuke had better be held back or he just might punch you into next week.

“Sasuke, calm down! He just said I had good taste in clothes!”

Even though he can easily get jealous, he knows the importance of freedom and he trusts you. He won’t come guns blazing (or sword slashing rather) and drag you away unless you need it of course.

The last thing he wants is for you to feel like you’re dating your dad or something. He’s very blunt and if he becomes uneasy with the way another male is talking to you, he’ll let said male know. Maybe after scowling with his Sharingan activated, however.

Neji~

Neji doesn’t really get jealous per se, more like offended on your behalf. Because of his upbringing, which taught him manners and the utmost respect, he really can’t understand talking about girls like they’re objects? Will never refer to a woman as ‘hot’ or anything like that.

If someone even dares speak of you like that, (even if you’re not necessarily together yet) he will fight them, and they will experience the 64 palms technique.

He especially hates people in your personal space. He really does trust you, just not others. Is not afraid to embarrass someone on your behalf. Half the time his glare is enough to scare them off, but some people are just clueless. (They wake up in the hospital)

“Neji! You can’t just throw me over your shoulder and leave! And that guy looked like he had seen a ghost?!” Needless to say, even cool, calm, and collected Neji has his limits.

Shikamaru~

Shika is too laid back to get jealous over little things. Somewhat like Neji, he doesn’t get jealous. He might feel threatened on your behalf, but never jealous. He can trust you with his life why shouldn’t he trust you with your relationship?

However, if someone is clearly harassing you or just generally making you uncomfortable, he will not hesitate to step in and make them leave. He won’t resort to physical violence (too much work), but he will intimidate them or put his genius to use and play some kind of trick on them.

He honestly has endless patience and at the same time no patience? Patience with you if you’re having a pleasant conversation with someone, but will go from 0-100 (or 50, really, anything more is a lot of effort) real quick.

“Shika, that guy thought he was really paralyzed, thanks to your shadow possession!” Being jealous is a waste of time, but clever revenge is always a treat for Shika.

Kiba~

So. Jealous. So. Easily. Kiba is naturally animalistic (in the best way) and just like a dog, can be very possessive. If explicitly asked, he will try to tone down his jealous fits, but will still be protective. If he does have free reign, however, oh boy…

No chill at all, whatsoever. Whether it’s absolutely destroying the object of his rage or just simply making out with you right there. No matter how annoyed he may get, he respects you with every fiber of his being and would never tell you to change or try to control you. He wouldn’t ever embarrass you (unless Kiba and Akamaru pummeling a room full of guys is embarrassing).

Just let him FIND OUT someone is making you feel the slightest bit of unease. One second, they’re chatting you up and then BAM! There’s a flash of white and a huge dog ready to maul them.

“Kiba, what do you mean they all looked at me for too long?! We walked in the door, of course, they turned to look!”

Gaara~

Gaara is a bit of a conundrum, but in a way that makes sense? Like, he doesn’t feel the need to get jealous of guys because when you leave, he’s going to be kissing you goodnight, and he’s the one who gets to spoil you.

However, he will get jealous of little things. Oh, you’ve spent a good amount of time playing with an animal/pet? Be prepared to walk in on Gaara giving them a stern lecture on stealing you from them. Gaara knows he has any potential suitors beat, but tiny adorable animals and children? In his mind, he can never be too cautious.

He gets a little pouty but that can easily be cured with cuddles, sometimes with that evil little pet that stole your affections from him. He can never stay jealous for long, he views it as an unproductive waste of time. He could be actively trying to get your attention, but instead, he’s going to be sulking in a corner? Yeah, no.

“Gaara! Stop scolding my cat, that’s not doing anything!”

Sai~

On the rare occasion that this cinnamon roll gets jealous, he’s confused and shocked. Like just imagine the surprised Pikachu face and that’s him. He knows what jealousy is, he can identify it just fine, but he doesn’t know why he’s jealous.

You aren’t doing anything, all you did was laugh at someone else’s jokes, but still… do you find them funnier than him? Are you going to leave him because he’s not that funny?! Cue the slow onset into insanity… Poor Sai is losing his mind to paranoia and made-up scenarios.

Will most certainly drag you away (gently) from whoever is taking your attention and leave. He doesn’t even bother with a fake smile, they don’t deserve it. He’ll explain to you calmly even though he’s panicking on the inside. Once he is back to normal he’ll show you his nearest artwork.

“What the-! Sai, you can’t just draw caricatures on people’s car!” You don’t even want to know how he figures out which car is theirs...

Kakashi~

Too cocky to be jealous. He has the right to be though because one glance at him without his face mask can cause instant pregnancy. Anywho, he knows you love him and some guy trying to hit on you like some high school douche isn’t going to change that.

He does like to intervene, however, just to flex like ‘yeah, I’m the boyfriend, now get lost’.

He’s not big on PDA, so he won’t start kissing you to ward off strangers, but he will wrap on arm around you or hold your hand and ask who your ‘friend’ is.

When there’s that one stubborn person who won’t take a hint, Kakashi doesn’t mind rocking someone’s world or getting kicked out, he needed to perfect that one offense technique anyways. He’s pretty laid back though, so it has to be somewhat drastic for this though, plus he knows you can handle yourself.

“A thousand years of death?! Isn’t it weird to be poking old men in the butt?!

~Akatsuki~

Pein~

Pfft. Who does he have to be jealous of? He’s a god among mortals, after all. To him, you’re a goddess and as such you belong with someone like him, not the peasants around you.

But on the offhand chance that someone doesn’t heed his godly status, he will not hesitate to pull you into his side and yell ‘Almighty Push’ and totally obliterate that loser. (A/N: Holy crap I think that needs to be a one-shot cuz, wow, Pein being all protective is making me swoon?)

If it’s not a big deal, he’ll easily let you take care of it. If you’re strong enough to catch Pein’s attention, you’re more than strong enough to deal with some lowlife. That doesn’t mean, however, that they won’t feel his wrath too.

If you ever want to witness a true royal rumble, dare someone to mess with Pein’s S/O. It’d be an epic tag team match (slaughter, really) for the ages. One would d be surprised how quick he can lose his cool when it comes to you.

“Pein, that’s the fifth time this month! Kakuzu is going to murder me if I ask for money to fix this wall!”

Deidara~

Need I even say it? Jealous boy all the way. You’re his favorite masterpiece so why should let an uncultured swine who doesn’t even understand your worth touch you? Rhetorical question, he wouldn’t.

He is not above fighting or placing a bomb on someone who gives you one too many glances. He’d make sure they knew it wasn’t art, they weren’t good enough for that, before blowing the offender up.

No one and he means no one gets to talk bad about his S/O. If someone insults you in his presence they might as well as swallowed one of his explosives and trusted him not to blow them up.

Will one 100% hide you from view if you look too appealing. He thinks you look ravishing, but he’s the only one who should be able to think that, in his opinion. Don’t worry, no one’s ever gotten close enough to harass you with Dei around. His one-eyed scowl is a great deterrent.

“Deidara! You blew up my favorite restaurant! He didn’t even say anything to me!”

Sasori~

Would rather die before admitting he was jealous. As adamant about not being jealous as he is about art being eternal. That’s not to say that he won’t take action though. He will use chakra strings to make the perpetrator walk away, meanwhile making them bump into literally everything in the general vicinity.

The two of you don’t leave the base all that often so it’s unusual to see an envious Sasori action, but it’s a real treat when it happens. After he deals with whatever idiot crossed him, he’ll be a bit more affectionate that day/night.

Not huge things, but instead of working on puppets all night, he’d be more apt to hold you that night. Average people hitting on you make him insecure because he realizes he’s not that great at normal relationships but he still doesn’t want to lose you. That feeds into his jealousy and he figures the only way to get rid of it is to make sure those other guys can’t offer anything he doesn’t have.

“Sasori! If you wanted a hug, you could’ve said that instead of treating that guy like a ball inside of a pinball machine!”

#naruto x reader #sasuke x reader #neji x reader #shikamaru x reader #kiba x reader #gaara x reader #sai x reader #kakashi x reader #pein x reader #deidara x reader #sasori x reader #naruto scenarios #jealousy #naruto shippuden #request

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dalekofchaos · 3 years

Text

If Vader raised Luke and Obi-Wan trained Leia

Let’s say sometime after Mustafar. Darth Vader in his meditation in his castle, Vader felt a presence he hasn’t felt since.....Padme. Since he felt his unborn child through the force. His child is alive. Sidious lied. The Jedi took his son from him. They will all pay. So here is what would happen if Vader sensed, found and raised Luke.

Darth Vader would’ve killed Owen and Beru instantly and burned the Lars homestead

Obi-Wan would rush to face Vader. Vader would overpower Obi-Wan, mortally wound him and throw him into the burning homestead and use the force to crush the roof onto an unconscious Obi-Wan

Darth Vader would hold a baby Luke in his hands and for some reason Luke is not afraid, but drawn to this dark figure.

Vader would simply say “Luke. Son...”

Vader takes Luke to his castle on Mustafar

Obi-Wan would crawl out of the remains of the Lars Homestead. Injured, but alive. Obi-Wan failed. He contacted Yoda and told him Vader found and took Luke. Yoda will simply tell him “There is another.” All he can do is call Bail for transport to Alderaan. He failed Luke, but he will not fail Leia.

Bail and Breha would teach Leia about politics and Obi-Wan would train Leia to become a Jedi

Luke would spend his entire childhood to adulthood in the depths of Fortress Vader. Training and submerging himself in the dark side of the force.

Vader would indoctrinate his son into hating the Jedi. Hating The Emperor and instructing his son that only together could they destroy The Emperor and the last of the Jedi.

By the events of Rogue One/A New Hope. Luke’s training would be complete. “You were weak when I found you. Now your hatred has become your strength. At last the dark side is your ally. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth Zhoun. Rise, my son.” Source 1. Source 2

Luke would be Vader’s assassin. Carrying out assassinations in the name of the Empire. Killing the last of the Jedi. Enemies of The Empire. His identity is unknown to the Emperor and Rebellion, but his reputation would strike fear in the Rebel Alliance. He is simply known as “Vader’s Shadow.”

Palpatine feels a disturbance in the force, but for some reason, he cannot detect Luke. All he can sense is “a shadow”

Luke fully embraced the dark side and is consumed by it. When Master Shaak Ti tries to turn him away from his path, before killing her(What is this her 5th death????) Luke will say “My father’s fate is my own.”

Vader’s final test for his son would be to pit him against his old Padawan. Luke kills Maul with ease as he decapitates him. Luke uses Ahsoka’s need to save her friends against her and when she attempts to save them, Luke cuts Ahsoka down.

Thrawn would request the aid of Vader, in his stead, Vader once again sends his son. Luke would kill Ezra and save Thrawn. “Lord Vader has need of you, Grand Admiral. Set up the TIE Defenders program in the Unknown Regions and return with a fleet of them.” Thrawn would call off the fleet and let Lord Zhoun deal with the Rebels. Luke would then slaughter the Rebels on Lothal

Sometime after securing Thrawn’s victory on Lothal, as a gift. Thrawn has given Vader and Luke their own personal TIE Defenders.

Vader and Zhoun would slaughter Cal and Cere. The Holocron is theirs.

The existence of Darth Zhoun would only be known to Vader, Admiral Piett and General Veers.(you’ll see why)

Leia had a decade of training. On Alderaan and on Dagobah. Yoda and Obi-Wan together completed Leia’s training. Leia is now a fully fledged Jedi Knight and is ready to lead the Rebellion and confront her father and brother. art source

Yoda and Obi-Wan would tell Leia the truth. Darth Vader is her father and his secret assassin is her brother, Luke. Due to a decade of training, Leia would prove strong and wise enough to learn the truth of her family.

Also Leia would ask about her mother. “Tell me, what was my mother like, my real mother.” “Your mother was Padme Amidala, a senator, queen and a kind and beautiful..” “Strong, was your mother. Believed in peace and diplomacy did she.” “And my father? Was he always Vader?” “Your mother loved your father. Anakin Skywalker was a good man. But he was consumed to stop the people he loved from dying. His mother was killed by the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine and the Emperor seized the opportunity to turn your father to the dark side. One day, your father was plagued by nightmares of Padme dying in childbirth, The Emperor promised him the power to save your mother, but in doing so Anakin became twisted by the dark side and became Darth Vader.”

Leia believes her family could be turned. Obi-Wan would object. He's more machine now than man. Twisted and evil.” When insisting that Luke could be saved. Obi-Wan would be remorseful. “I failed my duty to save Luke, I should have followed Vader and staged a rescue, but you needed to be trained, you were our only hope.”

Leia would be contacted by Bail requesting aid on Scarif. Yoda gives his blessing for Leia to go. Saying Ready to reveal herself to the galaxy, she is. Obi-Wan would join her as he must confront Vader one last time.

Leia and Obi-Wan get there just in time and they save the Rogue One Crew. Jyn personally gives Leia the plans. Obi-Wan tells her. “What is it?” All Leia can tell her master is “Hope.”

Leia would transmit the plans to the Tantive IV where her father would be there to receive the plans.

Vader and Luke board the ship to slaughter the rebels. Before they can get the Death Star plans back. They are confronted by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Leia.

Darth Vader and Obi-Wan would duel similar to how they did in ANH aboard the ship. Leia and Obi-Wan are in desperate need to escape

Leia is able to defensively take down her brother, Obi-Wan momentarily stuns Vader and they escape with the plans.

As The Tantive IV is boarded, Leia and Obi-Wan are able to evade detection and hide in the escape pods with C-3PO and R2-D2

In place of Leia captured by the Empire, it is Bail Organa. Bail gives the plans to his daughter and pleads with Leia to leave with Master Kenobi.

Leia and the droids wander Tatooine for a long walk. All Leia can think is “so much sand. so much fucking sand.”

Leia would store the plans in R2. Just in case something happens.

Leia is guided by Obi-Wan. “We must find passage to save Bail.”

Leia and Obi-Wan finds Mos Eisley Cantina and there they meet Han and Chewie. Leia asks for passage to Alderaan for herself and her droids no questions asked. “Is it a fast ship?” “Fast ship? You’ve never heard of The Millennium Falcon? It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs! I've outrun Imperial starships, not the local bulk-cruisers, mind you.” All Leia can do is roll her eyes and takes Han’s word for it. Leia tells her “Once we get to Alderaan, my father Senator Organa will pay you handsomely. Say 15,000 credits?” Han just smiles that cocky Solo smile and says “you got yourself a deal princess”

Once Leia sees the Falcon. “You fly in that thing? You’re braver than I thought.” Han retorts “She'll make point five past lightspeed. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, Princess. I've made a lot of special modifications myself.”

Leia and Han bicker like an old married couple and Chewie just decided “that’s it I ship it” Obi-Wan would see the writing on the walls. “Oh, this is like watching me and Satine”

Bail watches the destruction of Alderaan

Leia would convince Han to help her free her father. Han is hesitant, but Leia will insist “my father will be very grateful, I’m sure we can triple the rewar-” Han would say so quickly “DONE!”

Han and Leia are pretty much battle couple goals while taking down Stormtroopers and Imperial Officers in the detention center.

Leia saves her father and embraces him in a hug.

Vader and Obi-Wan duels and Obi-Wan sacrifices himself to save Leia and Bail

Bail is forever in Han’s debt. He saved his life and his daughter’s life. He will pay Han anything. Being indebted to a Hutt is no way to live a life. He pays Han what he’s owed, but asks if he can join the Rebellion after clearing the debt as the Rebellion is in dire need of good pilots. Chewie is all for it, but Han is having none of it, but looks at Leia and says “I’m not saying yes, Senator, but...maybe.” Bail sees that he’s looking at Leia and says “I see” and knows he fancies his daughter.

Leia would fly in her personal Jedi X-wing Starfighter(Just imagine a mix between Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter and an X-Wing) during the Battle Of Yavin IV Leia’s hypothetical ship would look like this(source) but realistically it would be colored blue and white

Han would make the save and Leia would destroy the Death Star(btw Han now will not shut up that he saved Leia, ya know in a way, princess I helped destroyed the Death Star. I saved you from Vader and gave you the confidence you needed to destroy the Death Star. Sometimes I amaze even myself. Leia rolls her eyes and smiles...and blushes. Bail notices this and is happy his daughter is in love but knows she will never admit it)

Leia would be knocked out and captured by a Wampa. Leia defeats it.

Han would save Leia. “Don’t worry, your worship I’ll save you.” Leia now wishes for death, he would not stop bringing up saving her during the Death Star, but now she owes him twice. Is the force punishing her?

Darth Vader and Darth Zhoun are on the hunt for the Jedi Princess.

Bail requests Leia and Han to bring Master Yoda back into the fight.

When Han and Leia escape. Bail stays behind. Darth Vader kills him and Leia feels the loss of Bail and breaks down.

Instead of bickering and bantering, Han comforts Leia. Leia embraces Han in a hug and a kiss. Leia lets him in.

Leia and Han make it to Dagobah. Leia is very patient with her old master, but Han thinks he should be bigger. “This is Yoda?” Leia confirms and Chewie says so as well an goes “and how would you know that???” “I fought in the Clone Wars, Han” “Well, what do you want, a medal???”

Chewie would embrace Yoda in a hug. Yoda would warmly greet his old friend. “Chewbacca, missed you I did.”

Leia and Han asks Yoda to return to aid the Rebel Alliance. He doesn't have to fight but advise the leaders as what they must do. Yoda is willing, but first he must complete Leia’s training. With this, Leia tells Han to go and pay off Jabba’s debt. and kisses Han goodbye. Han says “When you’re done, meet me on Bespin, I’m going to see an old friend.”

Meanwhile aboard the Executer, Vader and Luke set in motion the plan to destroy The Emperor. Everyone aboard The Executer, especially Admiral Piett and General Veers are loyal to Vader and his son. The Emperor lies in his throne in the safety of the Imperial city, while Lord Vader is a man of action who fights on the front lines with his soldiers. They will stand by Lord Vader and his son, soon more will follow.

Vader’s call with The Emperor happens as same, but Palpatine says “We have a new enemy. There is a great disturbance in the force. The Rebel Princess who destroyed the Death Star.” “She is just a girl, Obi-Wan and her father can no longer help her. “I have a feeling she is the daughter of Anakin Skywalker.” “How is this possible?” “Search your feelings Lord Vader, you know it to be true.” “If she can be turned, she can be a powerful ally.” “Yes...can it be done Lord Vader? “She will join us or die.”

Vader internally is pissed, but also pleased. Vader tells his son. “A Twin Sister, you have a twin sister. If she can be turned, we will destroy The Emperor and rule the galaxy as a family.” “What if my sister doesn’t join us?” “Then she will die.

Leia’s training is complete. Yoda dubs Leia the rank of Jedi Master. Leia senses Han is in danger. Yoda tells her to go. “Be here, I shall be. May the force be with you, Master Leia.”

Despite paying off his debt to Jabba, Vader still intends to test Han Solo into carbonite freezing him. And Jabba would be overjoyed to have Han as a decoration.

Vader orders Luke to bring his sister in the fold or kill her. “As you wish, father.”

Leia is too late. She sees Han frozen in carbonite.

Leia feels the presence of her brother. They duel and they evenly matched. One wrong move and the fight is over. Luke cuts Leia’s hand off and asks his sister to join him and his father. Leia defiantly refuses. “Vader killed my master and my true father, I’LL NEVER JOIN YOU!” “The Jedi betrayed our father. turned our mother against him and had us separated, luckily he found me and rescued me. With our combined strength, we can destroy the Emperor and bring order to the galaxy as a family.” Leia refuses and falls..

Thanks to Yoda guiding Lando and Chewie, they find her just in time.

Despite not having Leia, Vader and Luke has everything they need to pull a coup on The Emperor

Vader has his son. Admiral Piett. Grand Admiral Thrawn. The Death Squadron. Death Troopers. A legion of TIE Defenders and more and more are drawn to Vader. Vader and Zhoun make their attack on Coruscant.

Darth Vader and Darth Zhoun face Palpatine. The Throne room is lit up with force lightning and crimson blades. The battle is powerful and raw, but ultimately Luke and Vader overpower The Emperor. There is nowhere where Palpatine can escape to. Not Exegol or anywhere. Vader decapitates his old master.

Vader broadcasts to the galaxy. “The Emperor is dead. I am now your Emperor. Those who serve me and my son, you will achieve greatness as we bring order to the galaxy. Those who stay loyal to The Emperor, die.” There would be a small civil war, but eventually all those who stayed loyal to Palpatine would be rounded up and killed.

Leia rescues Han. Leia does not resort to allowing herself to be captured. Nor does Leia need to be forced to wear that slave outfit. Leia gives Jabba one chance to free Han. Jabba refuses and since a Jedi would be impossible to be enslaved, he plans to feed Leia to his pet Rancor. That would be Jabba’s undoing. Leia would use animal bond/beast control on the Rancor and successfully tames the beast. After Leia convinces the Rancor to help her, Leia unleashes the beast on Jabba and his men Source

Leia unfreezes Han, rescues Chewie, Lando and the droids.

In addition to rescuing Han, Leia also rescues Oola and all the slaves in Jabba’s palace.

Leia and Han would fight Boba Fett. With Boba Fett at their mercy, Leia decides to save him. Leia thinking “he could be so much more.” Han makes the decision to save him. Han and Boba Fett finally bury their rivalry and leave it in the past and shake hands. Boba would declare that Han’s bounty will no longer exists and he won’t chased by him and exits the story. This would work because it would show that Han has grown from the rogue who would shot a man dead without question in ANH to someone who is willing to find an alternate solution to his problems. It’d also give some layers to Boba Fett of being a man of honor.

Yoda dies, but tells her that she is the only hope in saving her brother and stopping Vader.

With Vader as Emperor, he has no intentions with building a second Death Star. Instead he intends to wipe out the Rebellion from the face of the galaxy.

Luke feels a pull to the light. After a life of darkness and evil, Luke feels remorse. He sees what his father as Emperor is doing is wrong and if he feels these feelings, it’s all over.

The Rebellion plans to make one last ditch effort to end the Empire once and for all. A Coup. The battle on the ground would now take place in the Imperial City and the area surrounding the Imperial Palace. The dogfights between X-Wings and TIE Fighters would take place in the skies above instead of in space. The confrontation between Leia, Luke and Vader and would take place in the Imperial Palace in The Emperor's Throne Room.

Leia would contact Luke in order to get close to the palace.

Leia feels the conflict within her brother. Luke is trying to keep her out. Eventually Leia gets in and pleads with her brother to help him destroy Vader. But Luke takes her before Vader

Vader taunts Leia that the Rebellion will die today, but they can all be saved if she gives in to the dark side and joins her family

Vader forces Luke and Leia to fight to the death. Only one can serve him. Leia refuses to join him, but Vader and Luke are not giving her a choice.

Leia and Luke’s duel is a mix between Anakin/Obi-Wan and Vader/Luke in terms of how the fight would go. In the end. Neither Luke nor Leia can kill the other. They both deactivate their lightsabers and embrace in a hug. For the first time in a long time, Luke’s yellow eyes turn blue. This ignites the wrath of their father.

Vader force chokes both his children with full intentions of killing them. The only thing that can save them? Leia remembers on what Obi-Wan spoke about her mother. “Our mother was Padme Amidala.” Vader is stunned and enraged by the mere mention of her name. All Vader can say is “Do. Not. Say. Her. Name.”

Vader ignites his lightsaber preparing to kill. While Luke and Leia are ready to defend themselves. Luke lands a strike that is similar to Ahsoka’s where Vader’s face is visibly seen

With Vader down. Leia continues to speak about her mother. “She was kind and beautiful. You were deceived and betrayed by The Emperor. He turned you from the most compassionate Jedi Knight to ever live into a dark lord. You do not have to be this way. You are free. You and Luke are free. Padme loved you. Obi-Wan loved you. You are Anakin Skywalker, our father. Call off the fleet and let us bring peace to the galaxy as a family.”

Anakin concedes to his children.

The war is over. The Empire has ended. Vader agrees to whatever punishment the Rebellion has for him.

Leia is in charge of Luke. Leia helps Luke on his path of atonement.

Vader is sentenced for execution. His final request. “Let me see my children one last time.” Leia and Luke are saddened, but Anakin assures his children he has made peace with his fate. His final request from his children is to take his mask off. “ Just for once, let me look on you with my own eyes.”

#Star Wars #Darth Vader #Jedi Leia #Sith!Luke #Luke Skywalker #Leia Organa #Dark!Luke #Obi Wan Kenobi #Yoda #Han Solo #Hanleia #Emperor Sheev Palpatine

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deafeninggardenerpanda · 3 years

Text

Mr. Fugo woke up suddenly at the sound of the alarm. He was tired, but as he listened to the guard’s reports, that tiredness went away. His temples tingled and his mustache swayed. He glared daggers and growed low.

"Thieves ... Unforgivable! I’ll catch you for sure ... You’ll pay for this! Don’t get in my way—I will fix the machine ...! " This wasn’t the face of a gentle millionaire—it was Mr. Fugo’s true face.

He recalled what happened a month ago.

One day, Mr. Fugo received a strange report from the mine manager. A huge cave was discovered while digging in the mines, and in it, was a mysterious machine. He went to the diamond mine and saw the machine with his own eyes, but the machine did not work and its purpose was unknown.

On investigation, there was a silver plate attached to the surface of the machine. Fine ancient characters were inscribed on it. Mr. Fugo searched for a scholar who could decipher the characters, but he knew the citizens would be of no use. He decided to keep the machine secret until he knew more details, as it could be useful for making a profit.

While investigating privately, Mr. Fugo received a visitor. He was a medicine peddler who carried a heavy trunk and wore a large hood.

"Hi! I’m Magolor," the merchant said and waved.

"I have no use for merchants, I'm busy," Mr. Fugo frowned. He tried to turn him away, but Magolor spoke quickly.

"You found an ancient machine, old man! I want to see it."

Fear coursed through his veins. "Why do you know that ...!? "

"Aren't you looking for a scholar who can read ancient characters? I can read them!"

"What ...? You can?" Mr. Fugo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. There was no way a suspicious medicine merchant could read ancient characters ...

But, he took a chance.

He took Magolor to the mine and showed him the ancient machine. Magolor stared, fascinated by it for a while.

"What a funny thing ... It's a machine, but it looks so strange. Sleepy eyes ... a cat-like mouth ... a compass and scissors attached to it ... "

"I don't care what the ancient machine looks like!" Mr. Fugo said, frustrated. "What I want to know is this. What is written here?"

He pointed to the silver plate inlaid at the bottom of the machine. Magolor, then, somehow, began to read what was written.

"Umm ... ‘I will leave this important message for the people of the future’... "

" ... What? You can actually read these characters!?" Mr. Fugo eagerly listened to Magolor's next words.

"Yup, the continuation ... ‘This machine is the worst invention in all of history. Instead of turning stone into priceless material and making tremendous amounts of money, it only scatters misery.’ ... "

"Ah ... Amazing, the machine makes tremendous amounts of money!?" His tone changed.

"Once upon a time, when this machine ran day and night, more money was made than anyone could spend in a thousand years, however, only the aristocrats profited. A terrible stench filled the town as the machine worked. Suffering from such wretched miasma that one couldn't even open the eyes, I sealed the three gears with great magical power and stopped the machine. This saved the town, and the people of the later world!

Never start this machine again! The day that happens, this town will fall to ruin!"

Mr. Fugo turned bright red. His whole body shook and his attitude shifted dramatically.

"Ma- Magolor! No, Professor Magolor!" He knelt down and took Magolor's hand. "You are a wonderful scholar! You deciphered the characters! There was such a secret in the ancient machine!"

"Now that you know how to start it, you can make a lot of money. It’s amazing, huh?"

Mr. Fugo looked up at Magolor's face in distrust. There was a chance he would tell everyone this secret. It would be bad news if that happened. The citizens will surely oppose the starting of the ancient machine. He spoke to Magolor gently.

"Of course, I would like to show my appreciation, Professor Magolor."

"Appreciation? You’ll give me something?"

"That’s right, whatever you want! I’ll give you half my fortune, even. It doesn't matter."

"Really? Wow, I’m rich!" Magolor’s eyes sparkled with great joy. Mr. Fugo laughed darkly in his heart as he watched.

(Good, if you're happy right now.)

Of course, Mr. Fugo wasn’t going to give away any amount of his fortune to Magolor. If the plan was successful, the town would be destroyed. A weak merchant like Magolor wouldn’t be able to stop him. Mr. Fugo continued to laugh without showing any sign of his evil plans.

"Leave the gear finding to me! I have a good idea!" Magolor said.

"A good idea?"

"Put some prize money on the gears, and use anyone who's got the skill to find them. It’ll go well, for sure!"

"Prize money ... huh. I see, that's a good idea," Mr. Fugo smiled and nodded.

Of course, he wasn’t really willing to pay a prize, either. The gear finders would just be thrown out of the town along with Magolor. Thus, Mr. Fugo announced the ancient machine in the newspaper and promised a huge reward. Word of the ancient machine spread throughout town, and the residents began the search for the magical gears.

Magolor, who slept soundly in a hotel bed in the Town of Wind, was alerted by a messenger and brought to Mr. Fugo’s mansion.

"Why did you call me at this time ... I'm sleepy ... " he tiredly complained.

"Look!" Mr. Fugo shouted. He took Magolor to the hidden room. Magolor awoke fully upon seeing the opened safe.

"Wow ... What happened!? It looks as if a thief broke in ... "

"Oh noo~, that’s not what happened at all! I was the one who broke into my own safe!" Mr. Fugo usually spoke very politely to Magolor, but today, he was so angry he could not hide his real personality. "According to the guards, the bandits are a duo. One wore a red, silk top hat and cloak."

"Red, silk top hat and cloak ... Hm, maybe ... "

"Oh, these days the Town of Light is troubled by a great thief. Many mansions have been hit. I hoped this wouldn’t happen ... "

"What was stolen?"

"That's the problem!" Mr. Fugo paced as he spoke. "There are lots of precious treasures in this house. Lots of jewels, fine art, and of course, money, but the thieves didn't touch those at all! They invaded only this hidden room and ... " he continued, "they stole everything regarding the ancient machine. Even the photo I kept in the safe!"

"What photo?"

"A photo of that silver plate," Mr. Fugo said, covering his face. "If that plate is deciphered, it will ruin everything! The citizens will be extremely opposed to the operation of the ancient machine. The plan is ruined!"

"Uh-huh ... " Magolor said in a carefree voice. "Don’t worry, some thieves wouldn't be able to read the ancient characters."

"They must have an interest in ancient technology, though. Because otherwise they wouldn't have been able to take the documents and photograph without getting distracted by the riches throughout the mansion."

"That’s right ... " he thought. Mr. Fugo turned grim.

"Then it’s come to this. There is no choice but to get the three gears as soon as possible. The machine must be started before the thieves have a chance to strike again."

"Uh, uh-huh. All right." Magolor was surprised by Mr. Fugo’s sudden steely determination. He stretched his arms wide. "I’ll hurry and get the gears for you, then."

"Really!? You’ve found them!?"

"That’s right! I know what I’m doing." Magolor waved and left Mr. Fugo’s mansion. He headed back to the hotel in a good mood.

"Meta Knight seems to have been successful in finding the gear. President Dedede retrieved the gear on the clock tower as well, and Kirby found the one in the field ... " Magolor couldn't stop laughing. "The three gears, they’re mine! Fugo doesn’t even notice he’s being deceived! My plan will succeed!"

Meta Knight returned to his mansion and took a closer look at the stolen material from the secret room. The most worrying item was the photo that was stored in the safe.

"These symbols ... I see, they’re characters from an ancient civilization." Meta Knight pulled out a thick book from the bookshelf and enlarged the text with a magnifying glass as he turned the pages. After a while, Daroach came in through the window.

"I'm back! I've returned."

"You’re safe."

"No wonder, they couldn't lay a single finger on me!" Daroach looked at the books spread out over Meta Knight’s desk. "What? What are you doing?" he asked.

"Deciphering ancient characters," Meta Knight answered without looking up from the book. "The photo in the safe has ancient characters on it. They probably have to do with the machine."

Daroach picked up the photo and blinked. "I've never seen characters like these before. You can read something like this?"

"Of course I can't read them. However, I have a research book on ancient characters. I’m looking for clues."

"Really ... " Daroach stared at the detailed symbols written in the book. His expression soured. "I can't. My head hurts."

"You should rest, already."

"Fine, I’ll leave you to that." He laid down on the couch as he said that.

"If you want to sleep, you can use the guest room."

"Goodness, here? I can’t settle down on a bed so gorgeous. Besides, I don’t want to get caught by your butler." He fell asleep quickly.

" ... A good man gets his rest," Meta Knight murmured. He began the process of deciphering the ancient characters. There was a long night to come.

‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

Daroach was dreaming of delicious sweets when he was roughly awakened.

"Get up! Get up, Daroach!"

"Ah ... huh ... " He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Hm? Where ...? Oh yeah, I fell asleep in your mansion. Good morning, Meta Knight ... "

"Listen to me! I understand what the ancient characters mean!" Daroach, at last, remembered what happened before he fell asleep.

"You, did you not sleep last night? You've been working hard ... "

"It doesn’t matter, get up!" Meta Knight grabbed Daroach's hand and dragged him to the desk. "It was difficult, but I managed to decipher it. It’s a grave warning an ancient sage left to those of the future."

"Warning ...? " Daroach was still half asleep. Meta Knight pulled his arm sharply. "Please explain."

"I will. There are some parts I couldn't decipher, so I will read only the parts I understand. ‘This machine ... turns stone into priceless material ... makes a lot of money ... instead ... misery ... ‘"

"Hmm? What does that mean?"

"There is a continuation. ‘The aristocrats ... profited ... In the town ... stink ... suffering ............ Three gears ... sealed ... Stop the machine ... When this machine starts again, this town ... ruins ... ‘"

"What ...!? " Daroach’s face was drawn. "It says if the machine moves again the town will fall to ruin!?"

"That would be the case. The ancient machine can be used to turn stone into treasure and money, however, doing so will harm the inhabitants of the town and enrich only the aristocrats. It's a nightmare machine."

"Fugo ... Does he know this!?"

"Probably. Even I was able to decipher it, and he likely had an expert on his side."

"What a mess ... it wasn't an evil wizard who sealed the gears of the machine ... No, it wasn’t like that at all. The truth was Fugo was willing to destroy the Town of Wind for profit!"

"We can't let this happen. We have to stop the plan." At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Butler Vul’s voice was heard from the other side.

"Good morning, sir. That medicine peddler named Magolor has come again."

"Magolor?"

"Yes, it’s rather annoying this early in the morning. Should I turn him away?"

"No, it doesn’t matter. Let me through."

" ... Understood." Then— "Wah! Ma- Magolor!?" Butler Vul’s loud voice echoed. "I told you to wait at the front door! You’re just not going to listen and do whatever you want!?" The door opened and Magolor appeared.

"Good morning, Lord Meta Knight!"

"A good morning, it is not! Rude ...! " Butler Vul was on his way to throw out Magolor when he noticed Daroach. "Daroach!? You bastard, again, you’ve snuck in under my gaze! You’ve ignored me over and over ...! "

"I don't mind," Meta Knight soothed the furious butler swaying with anger. "You’re dismissed. Don't come unless I call you."

"But my Lord! I have a responsibility as a butler! Nevertheless! Nevertheless, when these guys—!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I apologize on their behalf. Get out." Meta Knight pushed Vul out of the room and closed the door, then turned to Magolor.

"You came back, Magolor," he said. Magolor looked curiously at Daroach.

"Eh ... who is this person ...? "

"A friend of mine, Daroach. He’s collaborating with me to help search for the gears."

"Wow! Nice to meet you, Mr. Daroach. I’m Magolor ... "

"Oh, I’ve heard about you, but nevermind that. There are more important matters at hand."

"Did you find the gear?"

"Well, we found out the unexpected truth. We’ll walk you through it, so sit down." Daroach picked up the stolen picture and gave it to Magolor. Magolor shook his head exaggeratedly.

"There’s something like characters written on it ... What is this?"

"It tells the purpose of the ancient machine found in the diamond mine."

"What’s it say? I can't read a single word of it!"

"It’s difficult to decipher ancient characters, but I understand the general meaning," Meta Knight said. He read aloud the parts he could understand.

"In other words," Daroach said, "when the ancient machine works, it turns stone into expensive treasure and makes the aristocrats a lot of money, but in exchange, it stinks up and destroys the town."

"Ehhhhh!? Whaaaa!?" Magolor covered his face and shook. "I didn’t realize the ancient machine was so scary! I didn’t know, not at all, not at all! What!?" Meta Knight turned his sharp gaze toward Magolor.

"Did you really not know? You're very familiar with the gears."

"Of course, but I just wanted to collect them! There’s no reason to think that way!"

"Why did you know where the gears were in the first place?" Meta Knight’s voice became harsher and harsher.

"U-uh ... "

"I doubt a mere medicine peddler could know such valuable information. Are you related to Fugo in any way?"

"Ehhhhh!? N-no wayyyyy!" Magolor waved his hands back and forth in a panic. "I used the Star Compass! That’s why I knew where the gears were!"

"The Star Compass? What is that?"

"It’s a tool used to find magical objects. My friend, Kirby, has it."

"Kirby? Airplane pilot Kirby?" Daroach asked.

"Do you know who that is?" Meta Knight turned to him.

"Mhm. He’s a celebrity in the Town of Wind. An interesting, gluttonous kid who likes to take naps." Daroach turned to Magolor. "This means Kirby also knows where the gears are?"

"Uh-huh ... Not only Kirby, but President Dedede, too ... "

"Let’s hurry to those two, then. We need to stop them before they turn over the gears to Fugo." Meta Knight picked up the gear and the stolen material, and, after a moment, the book on ancient characters as well.

"You want to bring that heavy book with you? For what?" Daroach asked.

"I may be able to decipher more of the ancient text if I have it on me. I want as much information as possible."

"You're right, let's go." The three left the room. They were led by Butler Vul, who muttered under his breath as he took them to the garage behind the mansion. There sat Meta Knight’s seven steam cars.

"Woah, sick!" Magolor squealed. "I’ve never ridden in anything like these!"

"I hope you've got guts, Meta Knight’s driving is something else."

"Wow, sounds exciting!"

Meta Knight opened the door of a bright red sports car. "This car is the fastest. Get in."

He sat in the driver's seat, while Daroach took the passenger side, and Magolor sat in the back. Meta Knight stepped on the pedals suddenly, and the car spewed out smoke and accelerated rapidly. It had ferocious speed. The wind blew in their faces with such force it was difficult to keep their eyes open.

"Waahhhhhhh!" Magolor screamed.

Daroach squeezed his eyes shut. "Hold on tight, Magolor!" he shouted. "If you don’t, you'll be blown out of the car!"

"Waaghhhhhhh! Scaryyyyy! Help, Lord Meta Knight ...! "

"Give up! Meta Knight’s personality changes when he drives!"

The car reached its maximum speed in the blink of an eye. They flew through the wide roads and sped off into the Town of Wind.

< Previous | Table of Contents | Next >

#kirby #meta knight #daroach #magolor #millionaire fugo #captain vul #Kirby: Search for the Dreamy Gears!#kirby light novel #translations #fun fact: this is the longest chapter in the novel!#even a little longer than chapter one :0

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ladyloveandjustice · 3 years

Text

Fourth Evangelion thing Part 3

Latest Evangelion movie spoilers

Mari: hey shinji GUESS WHO~

Shinji: i have no idea

Mari: I sexually harassed you that one time on the roof years ago.

Shinji: oh yeah i remember that I guess.

Asuka: Shinji, I admit I had a crush on you when we were kids and you made me that sweet bento, but the thing is I’ve grown up and you haven’t, so I’ve moved on. You need to move on too, *turns to the camera* YES I AM TALKING TO ALL YOU GROSS OTAKU THERE. Your creepy eternally fourteen year old ideal wifey doesn’t exist and your fixation is unhealthy! Real women grow up and move on while you stay stunted and fixated on this image! And yes, me delivering this message does seem somewhat hypocritical when this movie is constantly pandering to you guys by fixating on the ass and tits of me and every other teenage looking female character at every opportunity, but ignore that! And yes, we WILL continue to produce merch sexualizing me and the other teen girls of this franchise, but also ignore that, the MORAL is-

Shinji: okay Asuka I get it you can go I want to hallucinate my dead boyfriend.

Asuka: wow you’re not being a very good straight male otaku stand-in right now

Shinji: Yeah I’m really not since I am literally a teenager, why tell me to grow up??? also I haven’t shown any attraction to you in this movie, I’ve just been puking and catatonic I didn’t even react to you being naked-

Asuka: OKAY FINE TALK TO YOUR DEAD BOYFRIEND BYE

Kaworu: Hi Shinji. It’ll be okay, boo. We’ll meet again someday.

Shinji: you always say that but like what do you mean, in another timeline, in heaven where all the buried gays go, in like five minutes? you’re so vague Kaworu!

Kaworu: That’s my thing. :) Love you.

MEANWHILE

Lip girl: I don’t like Shinji being here. The apocalypse thing he caused killed my entire family

Sakura I think?: That was an accident

Lip girl: AN ACCIDENT. THAT KILLED. MY ENTIRE FAMILY.

Sakura: also the whole thing was a metaphor

Lip girl: A METAPHOR. THAT KILLED. MY ENTIRE FAMILY???

Sakura: shhh

Misato wistfully: You know it probably was pretty hypocritical for me to be mad at Shinji for nearly destroying the world when I was yelling “YEAH GO DO IT GO DESTROY THE WORLD!” the entire time. I realize that now that I have this nice picture of him and my son.

Ritsuko: Yeah. so this ship-

Misato: let’s use it to save people

Ritsuko: THAT’S VERY MOTHERLY

Misato: ...uh...not specifically no...

Ritsuko: SORRY WE HAVE A THEME GOTTA HAMMER IT IN.

Asuka: GONNA DESTROY THAT ROBOT I HAVE AN ANGEL INSIDE ME OR SOMETHING I GUESS?..oh wait hey it’s me. I wonder what I’ll say to myself

other Asuka: I D I O T

Asuka: coulda seen that coming

other Asuka: CUTE idiot

Asuka: Aw! *disintegrates*

Mari: Yikes! Asuka’s soul is..absorbed uhhh something something! It was all part of Gendo’s plan I guess!

Gendo: haha yes it was! I’m here btw. Anyway my evil plan-

Ritsuko: *IMMEDIATELY SHOOTS HIM IN THE HEAD* YES! Guess what in this version I don’t inexplicably want to fuck you so I can JUST FUCK YOU UP! Eat SHIT Gendo!

Misato: Definitely one of the best changes in this reboot imo.

Ritsuko: *watches as Gendo scoops his own brains back into his head* yeah seriously I can’t believe any version of me was attracted to this.

Gendo: Look I’m just an immortal monster who just wants to make humanity a collective soul soup so I can reunite with my dead wife

Misato: EVEN IF IT MEANS SACRIFICING ASUKA?

Gendo: ...which one is Asuka?

Misato: yeah I’m not sure why I thought that would work.

Shinji: DAD

Gendo: *ignores him and leaves*

Shinji: That was very expected. Well I guess I’m getting in the robot to stop him.

Lip Girl: NO YOU CANNOT YOU KILLED MY FAMILY WITH THAT ROBOT! I WILL SHOOT!

Sakura: NO DON’T SHOOT HIM I WANT TO SHOOT HIM! BUT NON-FATALLY! BECAUSE WHILE RECOGNIZING THE HARM YOU’VE DONE, I ALSO CARE FOR YOUR WELL BEING AND DON’T WANT YOU TO GO INTO THAT HARMFUL-TO-CHILDREN ROBOT! I KNOW BEING SHOT WILL ALSO BE TRAUMATIZING BUT LESS TRAMATIZING THAN THE GODDAMN ROBOT WHY DO WE HAVE TO PUT CHILDREN IN ROBOTS-

Me: you know girls I would be much more invested in this dramatic scene if the camera wasn’t distractingly focusing on your asses

Movie: SHUT UP THIS IS HIGH ART

Me; annnnd with that I will take another break! And finish this up next time.

#nev watches fourth eva thing #evangelion spoilers

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anakinisvaderisanakin · 3 years

Text

Vader and Anakin are the same.

Time to repost my good old meta, cause apparently it’s still necessary and valid as a take.

Vader wants desperately to deny that him and Anakin are the same person, going to any length to separate himself from who he was and what he used to be. But, as the ROTS novelization also tells us and though it is no longer canon, I think it’s a valid way of putting it - Vader knows, somewhere deep down that he is Anakin. He knows he’s still the same man, but he doesn’t want to acknowledge it.

Because that would mean he’s still weak, in the eyes of himself and Palpatine. It would mean he destroyed himself, and what he wants to believe is that what he destroyed was someone else’s life. He wants to see Vader as superior, because glorifying the deprived state he’s currently in is the only way he can handle his own remorse, rectify what he’s done to get there.

If he admits he’s still Anakin, he admits that what he’s done wasn’t making anything better for him. That he himself hurt and scarred the people he loved. He wants to believe Anakin’s persona is separate from his own, that Anakin’s love is somebody else’s love. Even when he draws on his own - Anakin’s - emotions to plunge into the Dark Side, he denies that they’re his.

Still, when he thinks of Padmé or Obi Wan or Ahsoka or Shmi - he always thinks in first person before rectifying it. Because they were his - and even when, as Vader, it’s almost a compulsive thought to add on that “no, they were Anakin’s beloved, not mine,” he deep down knows that’s not true.

Vader hates himself, more than he could ever hate the part of himself he calls Anakin. Because he is Anakin, and the part of himself he refers to as Anakin is the young slave boy from Tatooine. The naive kid, who fell in love with Padmé Amidala and loved her enough to marry her in spite of the Jedi Code. Who shared the most intimate of Force bonds with his Jedi master Obi Wan Kenobi. Who taught Ahsoka Tano in Jedi arts with the care of an older sibling. Who loved his mother Shmi Skywalker so deeply, all he wanted was to free her from slavery.

To Vader, Anakin is the kid who has yet to commit genocide; who has yet to be at the beck and call of the most evil man in the Galaxy. Who has yet to sacrifice a perfectly good state of being - where he’s loved and secure - for a life of misery and agony. He won’t even admit that he’s literally put himself in the place of a slave by obeying Palpatine’s every word.

Because Anakin lost everyone he ever loved. Everyone who ever loved him. Vader wants to tell himself he doesn’t need them, he doesn’t care. But if Vader and Anakin weren’t one and the same, he wouldn’t be pained by Anakin’s memories. He wouldn’t be affected by the thoughts of Padmé, Shmi, Obi Wan or Ahsoka. He would feel nothing when faced with reality; when Ahsoka or Obi Wan are standing in front of him, ready to duel to the death. When the thought of resurrecting Padmé - as a shell of the person she was in life - becomes a possiblity. If Vader weren’t still Anakin, he’d brush it all off. He’d go about his day, with no attachments.

But he does feel. He feels pain, and sorrow, and rage. And if those were not his emotions, because of his connection to the people involved, he’d be empty and unfeeling and void of suffering. And he’s not. When Ahsoka addresses she’ll "won’t leave you, not this time”, he falters. Briefly, and not enough to return fully to the light or to admit to himself who he is and what he has done. But, he does falter and he does hesitate, if just for a moment.

When he strikes Obi Wan down, having told himself for decades he’d be delighted and thrilled to finally rid himself of Obi Wan’s memory - instead, he crumbles. The cry for help, of agony goes out into the Force; so strong that even Yoda can sense it on Dagobah at the other end of the Galaxy.

Even the first instance of this grief, when he’s informed of - and subsequently lied to about - Padmé’s death by Palpatine, he is crushed. If Vader did not care, he would have been unfazed by Padmé’s death. His first step as the man behind the mask is to grieve Anakin Skywalker’s dead wife. Of course, she was the reason he used to justify the heinous acts he committed, but it was never really about that in the end. It became an excuse to glorify his own new state of being.

Vader tells himself he is not Anakin Skywalker, but yet all of the things he feels, all of the things that ground him in his pain and thus in the Dark Side, are Anakin’s grievances; are Anakin’s misgivings. Are Anakin’s losses.

The same thing happens when he’s confronted by the truth that Anakin’s son lived, that Luke Skywalker exists. That there’s a possible future for him, as a father, and he immediately thinks of Luke as his son - despite always pressing the fact that he is Darth Vader, and that Anakin Skywalker is no more.

Subconsciously - and perhaps on some distant and faraway conscious level - despite all the things Vader wants to convince himself; he’s still Anakin. He knows he’s still Anakin. Anakin Skywalker, who’s done despicable, deplorable things. Anakin Skywalker, who has taken uncountable lives - murdered children - all in the name of a misguided sense of justice. A way to cheat himself out of guilt, because having a conscience is for the weak and Anakin does have one.

And to admit that he’s still the same man, would be to admit that Anakin was never a wholly good and pure person to begin with. That Anakin was always damaged, that Anakin was always flawed. To admit the insecurities that Anakin felt - that the thoughts of how he never deserved love, that he was never good enough, that he always wanted more than he had - are all his. That Anakin was never betrayed by anyone but himself.

That’s why it’s not until Luke redeems him, that Anakin can admit who he is.

That every vile thing he’s ever done was all on him, not somebody else named Vader. It is then that he accepts that he is Vader, and that Vader is Anakin, and there never was any real difference. And despite the horrible things Anakin has done, he saved his son and finally did the right thing. Finally did something good, and pure, and utterly selfless. Finally loved someone else enough to sacrifice himself, rather than toss them along the wayside to justify himself.

And that’s how he’s finally coming to terms with the fact that in spite of everything he’s done wrong, of all the mistakes he’s made, he could still do good. He may not be a good person, but he is capable of doing good deeds.

When Anakin stops separating himself into two different personas - who are ultimately one and the same - is when he finally finds peace. Because that’s where he finally admits that Anakin Skywalker ruined his own life by putting himself before everyone he ever cared for. It’s only by accepting that he is Anakin Skywalker and always has been, that he can forgive himself.

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finalgirlbuffysummers · 3 years

Text

okay here it is. The rest is below the cut.

You would think that living on a Hellmouth made the nightmares worse. That every night would be screaming torment, but really, the hollow earth below never really prowled the dreams of its lesser citizens. Sure, the vampires and their teeth made appearances, dead classmates, the prickling curent of the wind, but waking up and knowing your neighbor heard the same bump in the night, knowing you survived to see the sun: that’s your bitter reward. Your comfort. It’s normal here, perched on the lip above the sharpest tooth.

No, the nightmares get worse ten years down the line. You’re out of highschool. You wake up alone. You wake up in a city that doesn't understand you, strangers who want to prescribe you medicine or tell you to mediate. So you end up alone, and you know alone is how they like you. You’re not sure if demons lurk in your new city. You thought once that a man standing on the corner lit his cigarette with massive purple claws, and you ran, your feet echoing like gunshots through the streets.

You never did learn to shoot a gun. You keep it in your nightstand drawer, but you know it wouldn't stop anything that's followed you out of California, out of Sunnydale. Once, you had a girlfriend. Rummaging around for a hair tie she discovered your small handgun, your safety blanket. She picked it up with her forefinger and her thumb, like it was filthy, like she didn't understand. “Why do you keep one of these awful things?” You couldn't answer her.

There's no girlfriend now. No one to make you coffee in the morning, no one to rub your back when you wake up with the feeling of teeth in your throat, tight grips on your ankles. She got tired of you, you poor, novel thing from the west.

So it's been weeks. So it's been grocery shopping at 3am, staring at the wilting vegetables, trying to stay out of your apartment. It's been staying longer at the museum you work at. No, you don’t work there just to read the old books for some kind of answer, you lie. At your highschool, there was a librarian who kept swords. You think about sending him an email: Hey, Mr. Giles, do you sleep at night? Does it get easier? Where might I acquire a sword such as yours? You draft hundreds before you realize you have no idea where to send them.

Your classmates don't keep in touch. there is no Facebook group, there is no reunion. There can’t be: Sunnydale is no more. It collapsed in itself. This should be comforting: but all you can think of is the beasts who crawled out of the pit, who remember the stink of your fear. Some folks stayed local, moving just a town over, the low thrum from the throat of hell enough the lull them into a stupid haze of breakfast, lunch, and getting eaten for dinner. The rest left. There are two hundred, give or take, Sunnydale immigrants scattered around the country, waking up alone. Waking up with a gun in their hands. Waking up dead. Your school newspaper had an obituary page. The boy who ran it wrote well, you thought, if cynical. Who the hell can blame him? Mr. Giles, you write. How come it didn't get us? Why are we still left? Mr. Giles, can you tell me if it's following us?

Last week a friend of a friend called you to say Dennis had died. Dennis… you remember now. He was the lead singer in that band, what was it? Something about Dingoes. You ask how he died. Sunnydale habits: You keep an ear out for the signs. The friend says, puncture wounds, on the neck. Police suspect it was inflicted by a barbeque fork. You drop the phone. You sharpen stakes, get splinters in your palms. Buy crucifixes by the dozen. More than once, you’ve slept in a church pew, under the painted ceiling. At work, your boss asks with some concern about the dark circles under your eyes. Long night, you say. You are starting to hate this city. In this city, there’s no hero.

Yes, you remember her. You know everyone else does, too. Buffy. One time, you saw her sparring with the librarian. No swords, just fists. Another time, she crawled out of your biology classroom window at the arrival of a dark haired girl who blew her kisses. One time, she slammed the computer science teacher against her own desk. Wacky shit. You knew, though. That Sunnydale High had to be the safest place in town because of her. She killed things, probably. Definitely. Then she left. Sometimes, there are whispers: “I heard Buffy’s in Rome.” “I heard she lives in a castle.” “I heard she’s dead.” God, please, no. After every long night, you pray she still lives. That she hasn't let her guard down. It's midnight. You draft another email. Mr. Giles. Buffy’s still alive, right? Please tell me she’s okay. People keep dying, Mr. Giles, and we’re not even in Sunnydale anymore. Can you tell me what happened there? Why can't I stop dreaming about the destroyed graves of everyone who died? Can you tell me anything at all? Mr. Giles, Dennis is dead. Oz’s friend. I hope Oz is alive, too. I hope you’re alive. I hope you’re well. Take care. This time, you call a colleague in London. You track down Gile’s email through a stroke of luck, and you hit send. You don’t hear back at all.

Three months later, you receive a response. You’d almost forgotten about the message you sent. Your museum opened a new and successful gallery You received a promotion. You’ve been successful. (Yes, you’re even sleeping more. Shh, don’t say it too loud). You open the email.

Greetings and glad to hear from you- it’s wonderful to hear from old students. I do hope you’re well.

There is no easy way to answer these emails. Yes, you're not the only one who’s managed to reach me. I won’t disclose my location, or hers, but I can tell you that Buffy is safe, and alive, and I think she’s happy. She’s been happy for a while. I’ll tell her you asked, she likes to know that old classmates are doing well. Yes, Oz is alive. He’s been in Tibet for some time, though we do hear from him on occasion. He heard about Denis’s passing. Truly a tragedy.

I’m quite pleased to hear you’ve entered museum studies: a deeply satisfying and enriching work. I hope that you are finding enough answers with it. I know that living on- Well, where we lived is disorienting, confusing. I’ll try to answer you as best I can.

The swords I kept in the library (do never tell anyone I did that) I received as a present form a collector friend, who is long dead and whose collection is long scattered. The rest of the blade I received from my employers. I do not recommend keeping swords in your home as a safety measure. Invest in a good lock. Invest in protection charms found in books of the dark arts. I checked: your museum has some in collection. (Since you are emailing me, I can only guess that you’ve accepted explanations beyond those from the metaphysical realm).

I do sleep at night, thank you for asking. It gets easier. I don’t say this just because I’ve put an ocean between myself and Sunnydale, no: time does heal. It helps that I’m with people who understand. It helps to name the thing in the dark. I’ll put you in contact with a colleague of mine- he’s in your museum network- and you can begin to build yourself a circle, if you wish.

There is no reason that we live, my friend. There's no reason why any of our friends died. Your life is not a curse, I can promise you that. This isn’t borrowed time.

If you were being followed it would have gotten you by now. I apologize for my bluntness.

Oh, the ageless question of what happened. All the time in the world and I couldn’t give you a satisfactory answer. What would I say? That vampires haunt the sunniest part of California? That hell is real, and it can speak? I believe you already know the outline. What I can comfort you on is that yes. There are people who find evil, and they stop it. They haven't gone away. But that's not the point: don’t worry about them. Sunnydale is gone, dear student. It’s up to you to name the thing in the dark, keep it at bay. Be watchful, be wise. The world is bigger than most people know.

Sincerely,

Rupert Giles

You close your laptop. You stretch your legs. You go into the bedroom to retrieve the handgun, then place it on the kitchen counter. You stare at it. It doesn't move. You stare. The apartment is still, like the city is holding it in its throat. The clock strikes 4 am. It’s just a clock. It's just a gun. In your apartment, you’re just you, waiting for the sun to rise.

END

#well. here it is #reviews appreciated :)#btvs #buffy summers #btvs fanfic #btvs fanfiction #buffy #rupert giles #giles #vampires #daniel osbourne #sunnydale

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stillunpainted · 3 years

Text

Postmortem

cw for implied suicide. 1.8k fic under the cut baby. Pretty much Neku dealing with the aftermath of the game and then having a conversation with Joshua.

Neku couldn’t take sudden noises anymore. It’d always been somewhat of a bother, and his music had helped him block out the little surprises that’d make him jump, the startle like a lightning bolt, but now it was agonizing. It was as if at any time, he could be seized by the hand of death, freezing his blood like a blizzard. Though he’d made a promise to himself to wear his headphones less, especially in public, it wasn’t easy.

Shibuya was vibrant and busy, but it was also overwhelming. There were times where after simply going to Mr. H’s cafe with Shiki or Beat and Rhyme would result in him having to go lay in bed for hours afterward, staring at the ceiling until he was able to think again. His parents were worried. They’d noticed that he was going out more, and generally seemed to be happier than before, but the exhaustion, the anxiety, those weren’t things he could hide. He enjoyed spending time with his friends, but he wasn’t used to them. He felt out of place, worried that he’d somehow mess up and they wouldn’t want to be with him anymore.

He’d picked up an old acoustic guitar, and spent about thirty minutes trying to figure out how to tune it. That was all he could bring himself to do for the day. He checked his messages, and it was much of the same. Shiki had sent an update on her most recent project with Eri, and was still trying to convince him to try it on. He wasn’t adamantly against the idea, he just wasn’t sure if it was his thing. He’d had to expand his fashion sense during the Game, and he wasn’t sure where to go with that now. Was it something he wanted to pursue on his own, or did he want to be influenced by the people around him?

Though Neku had avoided Udagawa like the plague, he still could see CAT’s art when he closed his eyes, peering over him as he stared up at the painted walls. He wanted to see it again, as his mind could only replicate everything with a certain degree of accuracy, but the thought of going back made him feel sick, sick enough to rush to the bathroom and wait for it all to come up, but nothing was there.

The Composer often lingered in his mind, interrupting his normal thought processes. In this moment Neku was staring at the ceiling again, tapping his fingers to the beat of a song, when he suddenly remembered Joshua off-handedly mentioning that he liked it. Neku took his headphones off. He still hadn’t forgiven Joshua yet. There was so much pain, so intense that even though those bullets left no scars now, he could still feel them. He sat up, deciding that today he would face it. He wasn’t sure why, but felt if he didn’t go to Udagawa now, these thoughts would never stop, haunting him like old ghosts over and over.

On his way through Shibuya, he kept his headphones on around his neck, ready to put them on if necessary. He walked past stores he’d come to know well, absentmindedly trying to spot the faces of the shopkeepers he’d spoken with over and over. There were so many people. Even though he couldn’t hear their thoughts anymore, it floored him how they all were living their own lives, their own narratives that he would never be privy to. Their secret gardens.

It was a conversation he thought back to at times. He’d wondered if not being able to cross into someone’s garden was even a bad thing. Was trying to understand someone enough, even if it wasn’t actually possible? He felt he knew Shiki and Beat pretty well, and Rhyme and Eri to an extent. His memories of Joshua though… Joshua at times felt completely alien yet familiar, almost like a trick mirror.

Neku arrived at Udagawa, and saw that the art had changed significantly in his absence. CAT’s work was still there, some of it new itself, but there were other artists who had added to the wall. Nothing unusual, but the change made Neku’s chest feel heavy. He was used to seeing everything shift gradually, not only see the end result.

It was still beautiful, he decided, just different. Still the same wall, marked by the same kinds of people. He wondered if one day he would get some spray paint himself, though he had no idea what he could create. It wasn’t a part of himself that he’d explored in a long time, not since…

Even now, he felt the empty space within his heart. He still had the last message his friend had sent him on his phone. “See you there,” it’d read. An interaction that had never been complete, a day that never happened.

“Well, you’ve brought yourself back here, haven’t you?” A recognizably smug voice rose above the background noise of everyone else passing through.

“Look at what the cat dragged outta the sewers,” Neku retorted dryly. Joshua crossed his arms, but there was the tiniest hint of a smile on his face. Neku was tense, but this relaxed him somewhat. He figured Joshua hadn’t merely returned after what, months, simply to antagonize him. Though he didn’t rule it out of the realm of possibility, “what brings you out here, anyway?” Joshua put a hand on his chin.

“I was intrigued as to why you returned here. It seems like a morbid place to go by yourself. I thought that maybe you’d need supervision,” Joshua said. Neku pulled at his hair, trying not to visibly give Joshua the satisfaction of annoying him. Though he supposed that Joshua could read his mind, which agitated him further.

“I don’t need- whatever, it’s just that I kept thinking about everything that happened. I dunno if closure is exactly what I’m looking for, but it’s something like that, I think,” Neku shuffled his feet. He was never especially good at reading people, but Joshua was always a special kind of enigma.

“There’s nothing I can add to that. You already know why I did what I did,” Joshua said, “neither of us can take that back.”

“You can’t take that back. All I did was survive,” Neku said. He didn’t expect an apology, nor was he surprised by Joshua’s nonchalant attitude towards it all, but it still stung a little.

“Oh come on Neku, we’ve both made mistakes,” Joshua said, wrapping a hand around his neck. A flash of guilt washed over Neku, but he let it pass. He’d talked about it a lot with Shiki after the game, though it was still something he’d never fully forgive himself over. He’d found that he had a pattern of hurting people. He’d finally stopped at his duel with Joshua, but still. He wondered if that old self was buried within, ready to rise at any time. I killed him- “Neku? Locked up in that head of yours again?”

“What would’ve happened if I’d shot you?” Joshua didn’t even flinch at the question. But he wavered a little.

“I would’ve been erased. I would’ve lost that game, yknow. That’s how the rules are,” he says.

“I know, but-”

“The UG would’ve been destroyed, but I can’t say I’d know what would happen after that,” Joshua says, “I can’t give you a real answer, even if I wanted to please you that way.”

“So even you don’t know,” Neku said.

“Yes Neku, you’re a fantastic listener,” Joshua replied. His normal grin is back, though something about it seems off.

“So why would you do that? If you’d actually gone through with destroying Shibuya or whatever, it wouldn’t have mattered at all if I’d pulled the trigger or not. Not much of a crossroad, really,” Neku put his hands on his headphones, contemplating putting them on.

“It was all a game. My bet with Megumi. You were my proxy,” Joshua said, crossing his arms again.

“What were you even trying to prove with me? That I’m terrible and representative of Shibuya’s evils, or something? I was just trying to live and help Beat get Rhyme back at that point.”

“That’s spot on.”

“Then did your proof involve me shooting you at the end?”

“Yes.”

“Then your plan would’ve killed you no matter what,” Neku said.

“What do you mean?”

“No UG means no Composer, right?”

“Correct indeed.”

“So you were planning on dying.” A silence settled over the two of them.

“Well, I didn’t,” Joshua says. Neku thought of how he initially saw the game as a dream that he dreaded the end of. There was nothing he had to worry about other than missions, nobody to talk to but Shiki, nobody to nag him. It was the closest he’d ever been to whatever his own ‘world view’ had been.

��I can’t believe I’m saying this but,” Neku paused, wondering if it was even worth saying. Joshua had killed him twice over, but still, “I’m glad you didn’t die.” Joshua narrowed his eyes. The Composer wasn’t alive per se, but even he knew that wasn’t exactly what Neku had meant.

“And that’s that,” Joshua said, turning away.

“Don’t think I’m going to take that as an excuse. You didn’t have to turn it into some big game with my life,” Neku said.

“Well aren’t I alive because I did, based on your logic?” At this point, Neku wanted to tear out his hair. Joshua was the same as always, so he didn’t know why he was expecting anything different. But surely something had changed within the Composer, as he had preserved Shibuya and brought everyone back to life.

“Dammit, do you even realize what all of that was like? You killed me twice, and- and…” Neku trails off, shuddering. Joshua’s hands ball up into fists and he stares at the ground for a moment, frowning. He almost seems small, completely losing the aura of being something beyond the fifteen year old standing in the streets of Udagawa, the mural hanging over his head. He straightens his posture and he’s the Composer again.

“I do realize. I’m not incapable of understanding pain,” Joshua says, “hmmm. Maybe that worsens my case.” He turns to face Neku once again, who wants to back away, but doesn’t.

“I guess it’s hard to keep going. I’m not on my own anymore, at least. Shibuya’s felt bigger than it ever has for me, and that’s exciting on one hand, but overwhelming. There’s so many places I could go, but I also feel like something terrible is always on the horizon again,” Neku says. He doesn’t know why he’s telling this to Joshua of all people.

“Could I be the cause of that terrible something? Is that what you fear?”

“No. I still don’t… I don’t know if I’ll ever fully forgive you really, but I trust that you won’t use me again. I’d be lying if I said being around you doesn’t make me nervous, but I still trust you. We were partners, right?” Neku says. Joshua tilts his head.

“Right, we were.”

#twewy #the world ends with you #neku sakuraba #joshua kiryu #writing #my writing #if i should add more cw let me know. it has literally been years since ive written fanfiction so im not super familiar with what should be #tagged

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geekgemsspooksandtoons · 3 years

Text

More thoughts on RE8 and Lady Dimitrescu

This was copied from my DeviantArt journal when I was making it.

Yes...I mentioned her.

So nothing spoilery huge. But I will mention stuff. I played more of Resident Evil 8. And I finally got the ever so popular Lady Alcina Dimitrescu to be chasing me now...

I'm mainly gonna ramble. And before I played the game, I decided to check out the concept art which is, "The Tragedy Of Ethan Winters" and it was nice to look out. I also found out there's no item boxes...and that it's true they were trying to make it more like Resident Evil 4...wow...that's something.

Castle Dimitrescu is a nice area with it's layout. I could like it more than the Baker Residence. But for these levels, I'm kind of going in blind. Despite I know the story. Yet there's another thing I wanted to say. Because I can't upgrade the Samurai Edge, I decided to buy back old pistol and use it. Including use that custom thing on it for more fire power. The Samurai Edge was cool to use. But I think I want to upgrade my pistol in case.

But this isn't the main focus...I think it's time I talk about the 9'6 vampire milf lady that the internet went crazy for. And is likely still crazy for. Considering she's part of gameplay now. Meaning she's acting like Mr. X and Nemesis, trying to find me.

Let be honest, considering I have talked with friends about her or so. I like Lady Dimitrescu. While I'm not as on board as others are. I will admit, she's pretty. Yet whatever criticisms I have of RE8. It's the Lords that honestly interest me. I thought the Baker family were pretty cool as villains. But what I've heard about the Lords is that I honestly have a liking to mythological creatures or so on.

I mean, I loved the Lycans, I worry of not seeing them for awhile. But I know I'll see them again. I really loved that first part with them. But Dimitrescu, I must say, I just wanted a unique villain since the likes of Wesker, Nemesis, and whoever else. She seems like a scene stealer in a way. What I mean is, there's more intrigue...but I want to be honest. I want to get to the thing I wanted to talk about. Because I was doing a little bit of commentary as I was playing this game.

I do like the memes of Dimitrescu. I think there silly, and again, she's honestly pretty. She catches my attention. But considering how much fame she's gotten....

HOLY SHIT. She actually scares me.

Even before this game, I felt weird that people don't seem to take into consideration this woman is sadistic. And that fact there are dungeons below the castle that strangely creep me out because of all those torture devices. That were part of trying to turn maidens into people like her daughters. Seriously, it is disturbing to see that torture stuff and it makes me think.

But even after my funny little commentary after she drops me down through the floor. That the internet loves her. Holy crap, she again, scares me strangely.

Because of the fact that whole little scene of Ethan getting his hand cut off(I thought that was gonna be at the end of the level with her or something) and you can't just heal it. And I nearly died in that part, but luckily I escaped. I was just trying not to get close to her.

But then...it's where The Duke is at and...this is where the real fun begins. What I genuinely found funny. But why I found her scary. While she's no Mr. X or Nemesis. But oh my God...

I think her daughters scare me the most. Because they just pop out of nowhere and while I hear music! I hate that they pop up! Or just this one daughter. Flies just pop up and she says something and I RUN! I know I can't kill her. And I knew it likely wouldn't work. But I threw my only pipe bomb near her and it didn't kill her. Yet it destroyed a bunch of vases.

Okay, the first three times, I'm trying to remember. I literally kind of yelled/screamed in a way when those flies popped up. Yet even Dimitrescu popping up, and this is the one part I need to talk about. It was the third time I got spooked.

I was gonna enter the dining room, I was running towards the door, in case that daughter shows up. And on the other when I open it, there's Lady Dimitrescu and I quickly backed out. I did a little scream, but then I think I check out my inventory and I just laughed...it was so silly. Like oh my God...this happened.

Seriously, at times I kept going back to The Duke's room for safety. I did put the first angel face on. And before that, I even ran across the courtyard with Alcina trying to get me. I have shot at her before that, and I knew it wouldn't work like I've seen some footage...

I kind of got stuck on the stairs and onto one the left balcony. But I healed myself and escaped. All because a daughter and Alcina sandwiched me on those stairs. I thought a shotgun would slow her down...but it didn't...she didn't do the hat animation...

I just wanted to talk about this. Because it was strangely hilarious. I felt like not leaving The Duke's room. It's just so funny despite all those memes and jokes, she and her daughters make me feel tense. This is because I haven't completed the game before, I have no deluxe weapons, and Dimitrescu can't be shot multiple times where she can drop a case filled with stuff...which I'm mentioning Nemesis. You could even stop Mr. X for awhile. But as of right now, I'm just a little man compared to her.

And I've read the next Lord, Donna(Who I've been slowly becoming more of a fan considering what I've been told about her). Her part has been said it's almost Silent Hill like...and that her part is scary...and here I am being tense about a giant vampire lady and her daughters...

I wanted to ramble about that. Anyway, the save room theme is beautiful in this game. Been listening to it while making this.

youtube

#GeekGem Rambles #resident evil #resident evil 8 #lady dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu

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