#for the sake of his friends his and city and the things he’s committed to for love | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bvtbxtch · 7 months

Text

On The Line | Eddie Munson

Day Seven of Kinktober

Summary: Pumpkin Pie is back on the menu at Hank's Diner. What happens when the new waitress needs to stay with the Jaded line cook to prepare for fall festivities?

wc: ~4.3k

Pairings: Linecook!Eddie Munson x Waitress!Fem!Reader

Warnings: 18+ MDNI!!! This is porn with a plot. Thigh riding, public sex, sloppy sex, fingering, oral (f receiving), fingering, dry humping, overstimulation if you squint, unprotected p in v (don't be silly, wrap the willy), sex in a kitchen (if you work at a food establishment please don't do this ever), this is taking place in an AU where the events of ST4 didn't happen

In collaboration with the lovely @darknesseddiem! Please keep an eye out for their prompts starting Oct 16!

A/N: my apologies this is a day late. I had to work all day and then had a wedding to go to! So you'll have two posts to look forward to today!!

You wish that you had a different life. You had lived in the quiet town of Salem, Indiana. You wanted to move to the big city but the closest you could get was sleepy Hawkins, Indiana, a mere 60 minutes out of the Indianapolis city limits, but the exact same font as your southern Indiana town. The only job you could manage to get was at the highway diner leaving town. You had friends, sure, but you had dreams and aspirations bigger than Hawkins; maybe that’s why you had such animosity towards your job. You always had the overnight shifts, as others that worked there had kids or other commitments. The only respite to these “Red Eye” shifts ( as your boss Murray had called them) was the cook you often found yourself working with. He didn’t talk to you much, and the most he had offered was a tight lipped smile and a “hi” to your nightly greetings or a "you're welcome when you thank him for putting your orders up as soon as he could . You had heard of Eddie Munson before, but from what you could tell, most things you heard weren’t true. You had worked with him on and off for almost a year and never thought he was an alcoholic satanist who may or may not have murdered someone. He was effortlessly handsome: his curly brown hair was always tied back in a low bun. His pale skin was highlighted with a soft sheen of sweat and a rosy blush. You often saw his lower arms adorned with black blotches of ink and he rarely went to work in his cook whites - opting for a pair of relaxed black jeans, a band tee and a white apron. You were intrigued, getting to know Eddie Munson was going to be the excitement you needed.

The blazing sun of September had cooled off and the crisp breeze of October was a warm welcome. You put your sheer black tights on underneath your pale yellow dress. You straightened your skirt out and patted some rose pink lipstick on your lips. You were ready for another slow shift at the diner, but you weren’t complaining. You had made some progress with your growing infatuation with Eddie Munson. He had put your order up under the heat lamps and you thanked him by name last week. You saw his cheeks grow redder than normal and he nodded at you shyly. A couple days later, Eddie had taken your order for your own dinner: pancakes with some syrup and whipped cream. He had put it under the heat lamp and backed away to his flat top. To your surprise, you picked up your plate to see strawberries and whipped cream fastened into a smiley face on your stack of flapjacks. You felt your heart drop to your stomach in appreciation. You leaned over the heatlamp to yell a thank you to the boy, he had retorted with a “you’re most welcome, Y/N.” He knew your name! Between then and now, there had been fleeting looks, some lingering touches at the window and a really great conversation about the town’s record shop when the two of you took your smoke break. You were excited and hopeful for your interactions tonight. The diner had been slowing down and there had been more and more opportunities to chat. For your sake, you wanted there to be no customers at all.

You swung the diner doors open and the smile faded from your lips when you saw Murray sitting at the front counter, no one else in the restaurant.

“Good news, doll!” Murray sang to you. “You’re off the clock tonight. Diner’s closing because we gotta revamp the new fall menu. Pumpkin pie for everyone!” Murray declared as he spun himself off the stool and past you to the door. Eddie pushed through the swinging doors and behind the bar.

“Yeah, smarty pants over here ordered 20 boxes of pie shell mix for this week, not 2… So I have 60 pies to make before this shit goes bad.” Eddie grumbled.

“So Eddie is taking the lead and you get the night off.” You were wracked with disappointment. You hated to admit the hold that the metalhead had on you - especially to him and your boss. But a night alone at the diner with him might be what you need to get him on your good side.

“I’ll stay and help!” You offered. Eddie’s glowing brown eyes met yours and both of you instantly looked at the floor. “My grandma and I used to make pies all the time. Plus if I’m in the way, I can get other prep or cleaning done.” Eddie ran his hands through his hair, a soft smile appeared on his face.

“I mean…. Usually when I offer a day off it's taken with a ‘thank you, Murray’ but whatever… if you wanna work, it’s your funeral.” With that, Murray had strutted out of the diner and to his convertible in the parking lot. You locked the door behind him and turned to Eddie with a shy smile.

“It’s crazy that he still drives a convertible in this weather.” You offered. Eddie responded with a small chuckle.

“Have you ever been in the back before?” Eddie asked as he turned to retreat back into the kitchen, encouraging you cautiously to follow him. You pushed through the stark white swinging doors after him.

“Ah, no actually. Only stuff I’ve seen is through the bay window and the heat lamp.” You admitted. Eddie spun around to look at you. It was the first time you were in his space and you felt vulnerable. His chocolate brown eyes studied your face. His stare was intense, you couldn’t help but look down to the floor. Little did you know, his stare was full of wonder and admiration at his beautiful invader of his space. Eddie cleared his throat and turned away from you again, leading you further into the stainless steel kitchen.

“So… I have all the boxes of the dough mix in the walk-in” Eddie gestures to the small oven sitting under the flat top. “And this… is what we’re working with tonight. So, it’ll take a while for all of our shit to bake.” Your eyes widened at the tiny apparatus before you. It really was going to be a long night of work. You were excited to be in close contact with the man before you. The back kitchen was like an alley, long but skinny. You now understood why they only had one cook on the line at a time.

“Do you want me to help you get everything mixed up?” your confidence was dwindling quicker than you would have liked to admit. “Or I can just restock stuff and do other prep-”

“No! No- ahem. A hand would be really great. Then I can help you out while the pies bake.” Help you out, you wish he would. Your heart was in your butt as you nodded at him.

You spent the next hour helping Eddie unload and divide the dough mix into servings, he insisted that he lift the boxes to you because they were heavy. You didn’t mind though, getting to sneak peeks at his lightly toned biceps flex under the weight of the boxes. You felt the room getting warmer and warmer each time you secretly raked your eyes over the book. You worked mostly in silence, until Eddie worked up the bravery to ask you a question while he brought in the last box.

“So… you’re obviously not from around here.” He said.

“Obviously? What makes it so obvious?” You giggled.

“Well the fact that I didn’t see you in school at all… and the fact that there’s just something different about you.” You looked up from the bowl you were currently sifting the last bit of mix into. Eddie’s cheeks were red and there was a sparkle in his eyes. You didn’t miss how his eyes flitted to your lips briefly. He smiled back at you and turned to the fridge to grab eggs and butter.

“What about you? You've been in Hawkins for a while? I don’t see you at any parties or anything” You implored. You knew that answer already. Your neighbor across the hall warned you about one Eddie Munson when you told her about your new job. "The Freak of Hawkins High” had followed him, even after 3 years of being graduated. You prodded her for more information. She had been a year ahead of him, but told you about how he had a reputation for sleeping with girls who couldn’t get off with their boyfriends. One party Chirssy Cunningam’s boyfriend had walked in on her fucking Eddie in the bathroom and Jason made Eddie’s life a living hell after that. After graduation he flipped his principal the bird and told the rest of the kids in his class to fuck themselves. No one really saw him out after that, keeping his life in recluse. After Eddie had been shut out, apparently girls would flock to his house to have their escapades and brag about how weird and dangerous he was. You had heard your fair share of rumors in your own small town, but you were smarter than you were then. You knew not to trust anything flying around until you could make your own opinions.

“Ummm.. yeah. Unfortunately I have.” The mop of curls let out a dry laugh. “Hawkins hasn’t been too nice to me, I just don’t have the funds to get out of here, you know? That’s why I work almost every day of the week, haha. I have nothing else to do with my time.” You can sense that Eddie was retreating into his own world, feeling comfortable enough to share secrets and sighs with you, things that he hasn’t told anyone. He caught himself though. He looked up at you like a deer caught in headlights, expecting you to turn your nose up at him, but you looked at him with genuine sympathy and understanding.

“I get it. This was as close as I could get to the big city. It took me forever to leave Painted Hills.” Eddie probed you for a reaction. Your eyes clouded over as the lifetime of sour memories flashed in front of your eyes. You and Eddie both knew that you were treading into dangerous territory.

“Alright, enough serious talk, this is supposed to be fun” he winked at you. You both traded stories of your childhood and interviewed the other about favorite music and foods and books. Eddie didn’t necessarily look it, but he was intelligent, and a natural conversationalist. You peered up at the clock after what seemed like 10 minutes of talking. The clock read 10:46pm. You looked down and realized that the two of you had almost completely finished kneading the dough and filling it into trays.

“Holy hell, it’s already been 4 hours?!” You chuckled.

“Seems like time flies when you’re having fun.” You stared in bewilderment at the boy’s blooming confidence. Earlier he wouldn’t say anything but two words to you. You and Eddie mixed and filled the pies and began putting your first rounds in the oven.

Eddie had nudged your arm with his elbow as he grabbed two more pies to bake, he walked back to the oven, his eyes not leaving yours. You looked down at the floor with a smitten smile. When you looked back up at the boy on the other side of the kitchen from you, his smile was replaced with a nervous frown. You held your breath in anticipation. Did you do something wrong? Eddie took a few steps towards you, close enough to touch him, but he was sure not to invade your space. What a gentleman.

“You… umm.. You have some dough on your face…” Eddie gestured softly to your cheek that had been smeared with a small swipe of pie dough. You gasped with a small ‘oh’ and swiped the back of your hand over your cheek. Eddie let out a short laugh.

“You made it worse.” You giggled at him with a small ‘oops’. Your smile was contagious to Eddie. He saw your bright eyes crinkle as you smile and he couldn’t help but copy you. He bit down on his lip to stop him from laughing.

“Can… can I get it for you?” Eddie’s smile faded quickly. He took one more step towards you. You could smell the faint remnants of his musky cologne he had put on before work. You nodded your head slowly. Eddie studied your face, desperate to remember every detail of your face in case he never got the chance to be this close to you again. He sheepishly raised his hand to your cheek and swiped the residue away with his thumb. You felt your skin erupt in goosebumps at his touch. You felt electric shocks where Eddie’s skin connected with yours. Eddie’s eyes glued themselves to your lips as he moved himself closer. His breath fanned over your face and you thought you could faint.

“I’ve heard what they’ve said about you,” you whispered. Eddie froze. His eyes met his, they were full of panic. He began to back away from you but you placed your hands on the sides of his neck and pulled him back to you.

“What-”

“And I don’t care. I don’t give a shit what anyone says about you.” You ghosted your lips over his, giving him an opportunity to push you away. He snaked his hand to your cheek and pulled his lips to yours. You quickly moved together and the kiss sent molten heat to your core. Eddie was beautiful, sure, but he seemed unobtainable. Now that he let you in, you knew you wouldn’t be able to hold yourself back. Luckily for you, Eddie was in the same predicament.

Eddie’s hands quickly found purchase at your hips, pulling you into him like he was attempting to intertwine your bodies into one. You moaned into Eddie’s mouth, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Your tongues danced together seamlessly, both of your chests heaving for breath. You pulled away to look at the boy in front of you. His eyes had turned from a golden brown to almost black, clouded with need and lust. Eddie pinned you up against the wall kissing you until you felt silly. He lifted your leg around his waist, giving him better access to feel you on him. You were a moaning mess from the friction Eddie’s jeans were giving your clothed pussy.

“Eddie” you hissed. The sensation left your body begging for more. More. More.

“That feel good?” Eddie cooed. You looked like a piece of art against him - a mewling masterpiece. God, he wanted to hold you like this forever. All of his invisible pining for you, the longing looks, the sleepless nights longing for you; everything had bubbled up in this moment and Eddie needed to restrain himself from devouring you whole. He had hoped he would have you literally anywhere but his kitchen, but beggars can’t be choosers.

“Eddie” you gasped. You needed more of him - all of him. You bucked your hips against his, pushing moans out of both of your mouths. Eddie trailed his kisses down your cheeks to your neck. You moaned bashfully as Eddie bit down on your pulse point. He pulled away from you and looked into your eyes with a smirk.

“Don’t be quiet for me, doll. It’s just us. I wanna hear how good you feel.” Eddie’s purrs sent your eyes rolling to the back of your head. He pulled himself onto the counter, pushing himself up to sit on it, while he pulled you into him, slotting his thigh against your needy core.

“Come on, babe. Show me how good you feel. Make yourself feel good.”

You tentatively ground your hips down on the lanky boy’s thigh. The friction you felt was delicious, addictive. You couldn’t help but grind down harder on him, your melodic sighs and moans were music to Eddie’s ears. He felt like he could cum in his jeans if he didn’t focus on holding himself back. His hands migrated to your hips, guiding you harder and faster onto him. He could feel your warmth through his jeans. He was so ready to hear you come undone for him. Your noises got louder and higher pitched.

“E-eddie” you whined. God, his name sounded like a prayer falling out of your mouth, his new favorite song.

“What is it, honey, you gonna cum for me?” Eddie teased you. You violently shook your head. Eddie’s grip became bruising as he stopped your movements. You cried out in desperation, you could feel the beginning waves of your orgasm on the peak of arrival. You looked at Eddie with a confused huff. Before you could register what was happening, Eddie had switched your spots. His strong arms wrapped around you and your uniform’s skirt now hiked up around your waist. Eddie slid down the counter to his knees. His eyes were dark and pleading.

“I need to taste you. Please” His hands hovered over your thighs, desperately waiting for your response.

“Please, Eds. Please.” You squirmed in your seat. If you weren’t so fucked out already, you might be embarassed for your desperation. But you felt so good, you were so entangled in the moment you didn’t care. All you could think of was Eddie.

Eddie’s hands trailed up the tops of your thighs and trailed over your core. He hastily dug his fingers into your fishnets and tore, making a remark about your ‘fucking tights’. His strength only sent more waves of heat to your pussy, more than ready to meet Eddie’s embrace. Eddie could see how excited you were through your purple lacy panties that were stained with a deep wet patch.

“Fuck… so wet, this all f’me?” Eddie smirked up at you. You bit your lip and tried to close your legs with no avail. Eddie kept his large hands on your inner thighs, preventing you from closing me out. He let out a small tsk. Eddie hooked his fingers into the offending garment and pushed them to the side, putting your pussy on display for him. Eddie let out an animalistic moan; it was getting harder for him to control himself. He took a long lick up your slit, sending shivers down your spine. Your hands flew to Eddie’s hair to ground yourself. Eddie flicked expertly at your clit sending you hurling close to orgasm yet again. Eddie thought you were the sweetest thing he had ever tasted. He explored every part of you, moaning into you, making your thighs shake. He could tell you were close. He stuck his middle finger into your weeping hole and curled. Your eyes screwed shut in ecstasy, your orgasm was threatening to boil over and the only thing you could manage to do was scream out Eddie’s name. Eddie found your G-spot with ease and rubbed against it, throwing you over the edge. You saw stars as waves of hot pleasure took over your body. You had no control over the tremors that rushed through your limbs. Eddie moaned into you as he worked you through your high. You had to pull Eddie by his hair to get him off of you, the overstimulation pushing past the boundary of pain from pleasure. Eddie rose to his feet and took you in: you had a light sheen of sweat beading on your forehead, your mascara had smudged slightly under your eyes, your lips were swollen from his kisses and your neck was a constellation of hickeys. He needed you fully. He had no idea what he would do if the two of you walked away from your shift tonight and never saw each other again.

“Y/N I…. I need you.” Eddie’s voice softened. His eyes clouded with lust still, but longing and desire glared back at you.

“Take me, Eddie.”

Eddie’s mouth was back on yours, the tang of your essence still on his tongue. It made you moan into Eddie's mouth. The metalhead fiddled with his belt, never leaving his mouth from yours. It was your turn to turn primal. You gnawed at Eddie’s bottom lip and mashed your tongue with his. You both felt like you might pass out from lack of oxygen, but thought it would be much worse to not be on each other. Eddie shoved his jeans past his hips and free’d his achingly hard cock with a sigh. He grabbed your hip with one hand and lined himself up with your entrance. He rubbed his tip through your sensitive folds, eliciting moans from both of you.

“Fuck, babe….” Eddie clenched his jaw, determined to ride out this high for as long as he could. He slid himself into you slowly. He was large, larger than you had ever been with and the stretch made you feel so unbelievably full.

Eddie pushed gently until he was fully sheathed. He could feel himself growing overwhelmingly hot. His cheeks had turned from his usual shade of light pink to red. You could feel the heat radiating off of his body. He had been white knuckling your hip and the counter.

“Move Eddie, please, god move.” You encouraged. You wanted - needed Eddie’s cool to break. You wanted him to ruin you. Eddie slowly pulled himself all the way out and pushed himself back into your needy hole. You cried out in pleasure; his pace was slow, but ruthless. Every thrust hit your cervix encouraging your second orgasm of the night. Eddie was biting his lips so hard that it looked like it was going to split and start bleeding. His eyes were transfixed on where the two of you met. You cupped Eddie’s face to bring his gaze back to yours. You felt so good, and didn’t know how well you could take him, but you could tell he was still holding back. You pulled your lips to his ears and whispered gently to him:

“Give me everything, Eddie. I want you to give it to me.” You heard Eddie’s breath hitch and get caught in his throat. He pulled back and studied your face. There was zero hesitation in your stare, only devotion and encouragement. Eddie’s brain short circuited. Eddie grabbed your neck and squeezed as his brutal pace picked up. You felt light headed - the only thing you could see was Eddie’s determined visage and the only thing you could hear was the pornographic sounds of Eddie’s balls hitting your ass. You closed your eyes in pleasure, but Eddie shook you back to him.

“Look at me. Eyes on me.” He growled. His face twisted in animalistic pleasure. You let the small rasps of your breath escape around Eddie’s vice. Eddie pulled out of you completely, making you whine at the loss of contact. Eddie pulled you off the counter by the neck and turned you around so your back was against his toned chest. Eddie pushed your head down so you were bent over the cool counter. Eddie’s large hands slapped down on the curves of your ass before filling you back up. You couldn’t help but yell an ‘oh my god’ as Eddie began pounding into you.

“Not god, doll, just me.” he huffed with a laugh. Your body was on display for Eddie and the more he watched himself disappear and reappear into you, the closer his own release got. He could feel you clenching down on him; you must be close.

“Can you give me another one, sweet? I want you to cum with me okay?” Eddie could barely get the words out of his mouth without the knot in his abdomen snapping.

“Eddie… I-I can’t” You were so fucked out and overstimulated you had no idea if your body could handle any more sensation. To your surprise, Eddie’s arm snaked under your hips to meet your sore clit. He rubbed soft circles into you in rhythm with his intense thrusts. You grabbed onto the edge of the counter and began to hyperventilate. You thought you were going to combust.

“Come on, babe. You can do it. Cum for me,” Eddie wanted his commands to sound encouraging, but he was desperate. However, with his permission your second orgasm of the night hit you like a freight train. You couldn’t feel your legs. You screamed out, unable to feel the difference between pain and indulgence - but you didn’t want it to stop. Your pussy had Eddie in capture, squeezing down on him unthinkably hard. His hips stuttered but he kept on his assault, desperate to cum just as hard as he made you. Like you, Eddie’s orgasm hit him with little lead up. He grabbed your chest to pull you up to him. Eddie whimpered into your ear as you milked him for everything that was in him.

In a flurry of heavy breaths and pounding hearts, you and Eddie stood in silence, basking within each other’s embrace. Begrudgingly, Eddie pulled out of you and pulled his pants back around his slender hips. You straightened yourself out and tucked your underwear back into their normal spot, preventing the remnants of Eddie’s orgasm from leaking down your leg. You guess you still have some work to do. You turn around and look at Eddie as he finishes buckling his belt. He met your glowing complexion with a lovesick grin. You felt like you could stay like this forever, basking in his glow; and he felt the same for you.

The smell of smoke and burnt pumpkin snapped the two of you out of your trances.

“Oh fuck!” Eddie yelps. You both rush to the other side of the kitchen to the small oven now leaking gray smoke. Eddie threw open the oven door and was greeted by a billow of smoke. You grabbed at some rags to wave the smoldering cloud away. Eddie the remnants of two very charred pumpkin pies. He looked at you with a bellowing laugh.

“Guess we’ll be down a couple of pies.”

taglist: @sadbitchfangirl @sluggzillaa @joantje @eddies-acousticguitar @mmunson86 @vintagehellfire @filth-fiction-archive @poofyloofy @anxiousobserver @aol19 @catcrown21 @dark-angel-is-back @hideoutside @ali-r3n @brinleighsstuff @kirstinjayjay If you would like to be added to my taglist, please fill out this form and follow me!

230 notes · View notes

bi-bard · 1 year

Text

Stay till the End... And After, and Always - Kaz Brekker Imagine [Shadow & Bone]

Title: Stay till the End... And After, and Always

Pairing: Kaz Brekker X Sun Summoner!Reader

Word Count: 5,624 words

Warning(s): Mention of Past Trauma [Kaz is damaged as fuck], hallucinations, drugging, canon-typical violence, mention of death

Summary: While on a mission to find and steal the blade sharp enough to kill shadow, Kaz is forced to confront a very real future that may await him.

Author's Note: I warned y'all that I jump around a lot.

Also, the quote as a title thing hasn't screwed me over yet!

**Written in third person**

MORE OF THIS OC HERE!

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

Kaz traced the signature on the letter carefully.

Slowly.

As if the writing alone could bring (Y/n) home to him.

He wondered if it had been their idea to sign the paper or if the royal family had swayed them into it. Not that the origin of the signature matter. What mattered was that it was there at all. That (Y/n) was asking for the Crows to help.

Kaz hadn't heard from them since they separated. He returned to Ketterdam while (Y/n) became committed to the idea of tearing the Fold down. Saving the world.

He could still hear the thoughts nagging at him.

The collection of unspoken words that traced the edge of his tongue, desperate to be spoken to (Y/n) before the two said what could have been their final goodbye. It was a shame that his fear seemed to have such a strong reign over them.

He looked at the visitors in front of him. He could have asked them a million questions. But he didn't. He merely told Nina to have them find a table and that he would be right back.

He knocked on Jesper's door, paying no mind to whatever Jesper yelled from the other side before telling the pair inside to get downstairs. For Ravka's sake.

Now, the Crows sat opposite two of the people working with their missing member. Zoya and Tolya.

Nina stole the note from Kaz's hand, reading it over. She scoffed.

"The Neshyenyer?" she asked. "Sankta Neyar's blade?"

"You haven't forgotten what you were taught at the Little Palace," Zoya replied, enough attitude dripping from each word to flood the building. "Just your loyalty to Ravka."

"Ravka or Kirigan?"

Zoya tensed at the mention of the general's name.

"Didn't take him destroying a city or kidnapping the sun summoner from their home for me to question my loyalty."

Zoya rolled her eyes. Nina smirked a little bit wider, quietly thanking the Saints that she had asked Jesper and Inej about (Y/n).

"So, now that we all know that you two have history," Jesper said, trying to ease some of the painfully obvious tension. "Is there a payment for this job?"

"Name your price," Tolya replied. "If it matters to you."

"Lantsov crest," Nina noted. "Hideous."

"The job comes from the sun summoner."

Jesper immediately seemed more than interested in the mission. The mention of the friend that he longed to see was enough for him to be ready to jump on board. Nina looked at the bottom of the letter. There it was. The name of the sun summoner, clear as day.

"The job is to retrieve and deliver the Neshyenyer to (Y/n) (Y/l/n) in East Ravka."

"Why now," Jesper asked.

"The Darkling has returned," Zoya said. "At his side is an army of shadow monsters. Indestructible."

"I don't like the sound of that," Jesper muttered.

"The blade is the only thing that has a chance at killing them."

"Retrieve the blade and Prince Lantsov is ready to pay you whatever you ask," Tolya offered.

Kaz would have done the job for nothing.

He would never admit that, but he was willing to do anything for the chance to have (Y/n) back by his side. After the events of the last few days, he needed something to ground him and felt like (Y/n) was the only person who could truly do that for him. He knew that the first step was to stop the Darkling.

But again, he could never admit that. To anyone.

"I like the sound of that," Jesper replied to Tolya.

Zoya's eyes turned to Kaz. "I assume the same goes for you."

"I'd welcome the chance to help your prince spend his country's money," Kaz said.

Zoya knew immediately that Kaz was that person (Y/n) was so determined to get home to. Yes, the Sun Summoner had mentioned getting back to their family. The small group that protected them. But Zoya could easily see that one of them was far more important than the others. She could hear it in how (Y/n) spoke.

"I don't need kruge," Nina spoke up. "I need to get someone out of Hellgate. The Lantsov must have some strings that they can pull with the Kerch government."

"For a certain Fjerdan?" Zoya tilted her head. "He must be quite the slab of fur."

"The offer is the offer," Tolya steered the conversation away from the two. "Prince Nikolai is a man of his word."

"But we need to go now," Zoya added.

There was merely a short pause before Kaz spoke up. "It's settled. We're in."

"And your Wraith," Zoya asked. "I was expecting to see her."

"She's gone."

"Not yet," Jesper spoke up. "She's-"

"Not an option."

The tone was blunt. Annoyed.

He knew very well that if he showed up with the blade but without Inej, then (Y/n) would only have questions for him. Fears of the worst, anger for his choices. But Kaz had a tight ship to run. He needed to have some kind of order or else all of his planning and cleverness would be for nothing.

The group set plans to leave soon after their very brief meeting. Just enough time to gather what was necessary and sort out who would keep Kaz's new properties from falling into hands even more rotten than his.

Jesper dragged Nina along to see Inej.

She was angry at Kaz's choice. She knew he was upset with her, but she wanted to believe that he would eventually give her some grace. Especially when the job was something that would clearly be important to her.

She scoffed. "'Not an option.'"

"I know," Jesper said. "No idea where he could have gotten that idea from."

"And when I'm done, she'll never be an option again," Nina commented, carefully moving her thumb over Inej's wrist, leaving it looking as if no mark had ever been there.

"Why wouldn't he tell me about a job for (Y/n)," Inej asked.

"I don't think it had anything to do with (Y/n)," Jesper replied. "It's about his control."

Inej scoffed again, clearly getting angrier with Kaz the more she found out about.

"He knows that (Y/n) would be pissed with them if they found out about this," he continued. "I'm guessing that threat will be enough to convince him to think logically about this."

"Saints know that he does enough to push them away without the help of their anger," Nina said, grabbing both of their attention. "He feels so much for them but would rather die than say a thing about it."

Jesper scoffed at the bluntness.

"Was I meant to not say anything about it?" Nina raised an eyebrow. "I spent ages watching him trace their signature like a love-stricken teenager."

"I'm glad that you did," Jesper shrugged. "It was getting painful to watch."

His attention turned to Inej.

"Listen. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I know that you deserve to know why we're doing this. For your Saint. For (Y/n)."

There was a pause before Inej spoke up, "(Y/n) hates being called a Saint."

"And yet they've grown into the role quite naturally."

She let a small, amused grin cross her face.

"I have to go," Nina said after a pause.

She stood up and started to walk out of the small room, grinning and nodding to Inej as she did.

She met Zoya, Tolya, and the other Crows. They were discussing what their next steps were going to be now that Kaz had gotten information from someone.

The Neshyenyer was said to be in Ahmrat Jen.

It took little time for Kaz to know that the blade was a fake.

"We already knew that," Zoya rolled her eyes. "Have anything new to tell us?"

"According to my contacts, it's been stolen by a thief known as The Disciple," Kaz explained. "He had a penchant for stealing Saint-related relics while on jobs."

"A thief and a collector," Wylan asked.

"And retired. But he has put a few pieces of his collection on the black market."

"So, to get to him, we go to his fence," Tolya replied.

"Ohval Saran. She has a tea shop in Bhez Ju. To speak with her, we have to order yellow chrysanthemum tea, off-menu."

While this conversation was taking place, Jesper was with Inej. They talked about a lot. About (Y/n) and Kaz and the job... about the hat that Jesper had found in Inej's place.

Eventually, she agreed to go with them. Kaz's anger and spite be damned. This was about something greater than him. Greater than all of them.

Kaz walked over as soon as he spotted them walking down the steps.

"I see you couldn't help yourself, Jes," he commented, saying the nickname as if it left a sour taste on his tongue.

Jesper merely walked around Kaz, not sparing another glance.

Kaz turned to Inej. "This is what you choose to do with your freedom?"

"I can't think of a way that I would rather spend it," she replied. "(Y/n) needs us. I am going to be there when they tear down the Fold. I promised to be there when they needed me. I won't break that promise because of your foolish anger."

They gathered their passports together and grabbed their supplies.

It didn't take long for Kaz and Nina to find themselves in the small teashop, waiting for the arrival of Ohval Saran.

"How do you think it tastes," Nina asked, staring at the teapot in front of them.

"Like tea," Kaz replied.

She scoffed at him. "Yes, but... is it floral? Bitter? Mildly sweet with notes of buttery-"

"Warm. And wet."

She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Are you like this all the time or is it just because (Y/n) is gone?"

Kaz rolled his eyes. He was far too busy to entertain Nina's curiosity.

"Saints, does your heart always race when someone says their name," Nina asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kaz replied, not even sparing her a glance. Probably because he thought that it would be too easy to prove he was lying if he did.

"Sure you do," Nina insisted. "I've heard it every time someone brings them up. Your heart races. When they were first taken... Inej and Jesper lost a friend. You lost something more-"

"Can we focus on the job," Kaz snapped. Nina held up her hands to show that she was going to back off.

There was a pause between the two. A long, very quiet pause.

"(Y/n)," Nina muttered quickly. She chuckled at the immediate jump in Kaz's heart rate. "I'm stunned that you haven't broken a rib yet with how hard your heart beats."

"Focus."

"I am focused!"

The two both fell silent again.

Soon enough, Inej was motioning to Kaz that Ohval Saran was near.

Ohval sat across from Kaz and Nina. She dipped the tip of her ring finger into her tea, flicking some off twice before touching her fingertips to her forehead.

Nina copied with no hesitation.

Kaz didn't. Not until he was pressured into the act by Ohval and Nina, who did everything in her power to put on a very convincing husband and wife act.

Kaz took a deep breath before sliding the gloves off of his hands. He mimicked the actions he had seen moments before. A little less smooth than that of Nina and Ohval, but they were done.

"Anyway, our contact mentioned that since The Disciple's retirement, he has periodically parted ways with some of his personal collection," Nina said.

"You're looking for something specific," Ohval replied.

"The Neshyenyer," Kaz answered bluntly.

"The Neshyenyer is at Ahmat Jen."

"From what we understand, that blade is a fake."

"I wouldn't know anything about that."

Kaz noted Ohval motioning towards a server.

"What if we told you that the Disciple could name his price," Nina asked.

"I'd say you have a surprising amount of disposable income... for thieves," Ohval smirked a bit as she spoke.

Nina chuckled. "We're not thieves. We're just collectors."

"I've worked with enough thieves to know them when I see them. If you want the blade, you'll have to steal it from Ahmrat Jen."

Ohval stood up abruptly. Kaz went to follow, only to get run into by a server holding a tray. If his mind hadn't shut off in that moment, then he would have immediately realized it was the same server as earlier. He would put those pieces together later.

Nina touched his hand in the hopes of bringing him back from whatever panicked state he was in.

It didn't work.

Kaz stumbled away from the shop and into the busy street. His breathing was frantic. Uneven, gasping breaths that made him feel like his throat was truly closing up on him. That the touch had caused a genuine allergic reaction.

He continued running into people, which caused more flashbacks of a younger him in that ocean of bodies, which only panicked him more and made it even harder for him to control his movements. And on and on and on the cycle went. It was beginning to seem hopeless to try to calm himself down.

Someone grabbed his arm. If he had been in his right mind, he would have swung his cane at them. But he wasn't. He couldn't do anything to fight back against the person that dragged him into an abandoned alleyway and shoved him against the stone of one of the buildings. He was sitting on the ground, rendered immobile by the fear.

His eyes settled on Inej, who was kneeling next to him after watching the episode break out in the shop.

"You were supposed to follow her," Kaz snapped.

Inej closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry."

Kaz didn't reply. He turned his head away, holding onto his cane a little tighter.

Inej felt some of the anger simmering in her stomach. "I was just trying to ensure that you were alive when we made it to (Y/n)."

She laid his gloves on the ground beside him before lifting herself up and walking away. The Bastard of the Barrel was left to cling to his gloves while trying to calm his breathing.

He slid his gloves over his hands again before lifting himself to his feet and walking away.

The Crows gathered in a small building, gathered around a table. They tried to figure out what could be learned from the very brief meeting.

"Ohval's not just a fence," he said. "She's the Disciple."

"What tipped you off," Wylan asked while Jesper shut the doors.

"Her teacup," Kaz replied. "When she put it down, she did so without making a sound."

"And her heartbeat never fluctuated once," Nina added. "It held at one beat a second like a clock."

"So, she can control her heart rate and her emotions," Tolya said.

"Those are useful skills for a thief," Wylan muttered.

"Now's the part where you tell us where the blade is," Jesper spoke up.

"Ohval has it," Kaz explained. "Her signal to the waitress to spill tea on me told me as much."

"It's as if I know you," Jesper said dramatically.

"And if she's not going to sell it to us, then we'll just have to take it. After Nina and I ordered the Chrysanthemum tea, I had Inej follow the tea shop employee who was sent to notify Ohval."

Inej spoke up after that, "She lives just outside the city. When she stopped at the tea, she placed an order at the apothecary that she'll be picking up tonight. I watched her at home for a while, no one came or went except for her."

"So," Kaz continued. "While she's out of the house, Nina will tail her to make sure that she stays out of the house. The rest of us will grab the blade."

Zoya scoffed at the plan. "You don't seriously expect me to break into this woman's house."

"Why do you think we're here," Jesper asked.

"I'm a soldier, not a thief. Why else would I need you criminals?"

"Oh, there's much less of a difference there than you think," Tolya replied. "Also, these are (Y/n)'s friends. You know... the (Y/n) that's trying to save everyone. Let's not leave bad blood between all of us."

Zoya rolled her eyes. "You just keep eating your walnuts. I'll go with Nina."

Nina choked a bit on the food that she had been eating. She coughed before turning her question to Kaz, "Are you sure that you don't need me?"

"Nina and Zoya will wait for Ohval at the apothecary. Follow her. If she starts heading home, buy us some time. Distract her."

While Nina and Zoya watched over Ohval as subtly as possible, Tolya and the rest of the Crows found themselves outside of the thief's home.

Tolya called it traditional. He claimed that it had a specific layout and used that to outline a plan. Start in the front courtyard, go through the antechamber to the middle courtyard and then to the main chamber. The goal was to sweep the entire house. Check every single place that could possibly be hiding the blade that was needed.

With an emergency set up by Wylan and nothing but the knowledge of the weight of what could happen if they failed, they walked inside.

The front courtyard held nothing of note.

The antechamber seemed as if it was going to be very much the same.

Until everyone but Wylan had stepped in.

Tolya had been focused on a heartbeat off in the distance. He could hear it. Just barely. It was faint. Somewhere farther in the house. He couldn't spend enough time focusing on it before he stumbled onto a board that sank with the pressure of his step.

The doors on either side of the building slid shut, locking. Pulling on them was pointless. They didn't move. Inej tried to stab through one of them. Nothing. Durast-made locks and impenetrable doors. They were stuck.

The trap only got more intricate from there. A collection of gears turning and things shifting was only punctuated by a red gas starting to leak through one of the vents.

Tolya sat down, holding both of his hands over his chest, slowing his heart and his breathing. His goal was to last as long as he needed to in order to survive.

Jesper was the first to collapse. Rough and loud as he crashed to the floor.

Inej was next. She had leaned against the wall, having something to slow her fall.

Kaz was last. He had nothing to cushion his fall. It was loud and harsh. He could have imagined the pain that would radiate along his spine if his mind wasn't gone before then.

Instead, he felt the cold water swallow him as he fell.

He tried to shove himself up. The waves weren't helping him. The harsh landing, the cold temperature, and the rough waves were merely the beginning of his disadvantages in that moment.

The front of his jacket was grabbed and he was dragged to the surface.

He found his brother waiting for him.

Jordie. Cold, clearly soaked to the bone.

And suddenly, Kaz was back in his nightmares. The nightmares that he thought would go away after he rid the Barrel of Pekka Rollins. The nightmares that almost angered him more than they scared him.

"Did you really think that I would go away, brother?"

Jordie's question was left unanswered by him shoving Kaz back below the surface. Kaz tried to take a breath before going under. It only invited more water into his lungs. He was tugged back up again.

"You thought pain was your weakness? You thought you could fix everything broken inside you? You thought vengeance was the answer and still you drown."

Jordie shoved Kaz beneath the surface again, only to pull him back up.

The words became mixed. Kaz couldn't keep the sentences straight. Drowning, vengeance, broken, pain. All of it repeated over and over as his lungs filled with water.

He was ready to give up. To allow himself to drown.

Then, he was dragged out of the water again.

This time, Kaz wasn't met with his brother's face.

He was met with (Y/n)'s.

Not just that, but also warmth. A warmth unlike any Kaz may ever be allowed to know. As if sunlight had been injected into his veins in the hopes of protecting him from the freezing water that had once engulfed him. It moved through his blood slowly, crawling from his toes up his legs along his arms and finally settling in his chest. Armor worn beneath the skin, stronger than that which he already possessed.

(Y/n) grinned at the sight of him. Their hand cupped the side of his face.

He didn't jerk away. He didn't feel the all-too-familiar panic rise in his chest. He didn't feel anything other than their hand. For the first time, he didn't feel too broken for them to look at him with so much... love.

He was never one to concede to the saints' control over the world, but he was ready to get on his knees and beg to never lose that feeling.

The saints didn't give him the chance.

(Y/n) and the comforting warmth were gone far faster than they arrived.

Something was standing behind them. His eyes didn't focus for a moment, but when they did, he was convinced that his blood ran colder than the water he was in. Behind them was the Darkling, staring down at Kaz as if telling him to make sure that he was watching.

Kaz tried to speak. Yell at (Y/n) to turn around. He couldn't. He couldn't force the words out. He couldn't save them.

The Darkling grabbed (Y/n) by the throat, dragging them away from him. They were slammed on the ground, the air effectively knocked out of them.

The last thing that Kaz saw as he sank back into the water was (Y/n) going to defend themself, but the Darkling moving first.

If the water hadn't swallowed him, Kaz would have seen (Y/n)'s death and been able to do nothing about it.

The darkness clouded his vision soon after he sank.

Kaz wanted to yell. Beg. Those words that had been clinging to his tongue since they last saw each other were fighting their way out. No, come back! Please! Come back to me!

He wanted to reach out. For the first time, he truly wanted to reach out and hold onto something.

When the darkness started to fade, Kaz felt a hand touching his face again, but the warmth was gone.

He blinked slowly, allowing the real world to come back into focus.

Inej was kneeling next to him, holding the side of his face with one hand while clasping the other over his mouth.

Once Kaz realized what was happening, he jumped, trying to push the hands off of his skin. He heard Inej's quick apology as he did so.

He stood up, grabbing his cane as he did so.

He ignored the attempt at conversation about their hallucinations. He could see (Y/n)'s face burned to the inside of his eyelids. The shock and pain and... he shook his head. He didn't have time to be consumed by his fear. There was still a job to get done.

"What's the plan," Tolya asked.

Kaz turned away from the wall that he had been staring at. "You said that there was another heartbeat in the house."

"South-east corner. Heartbeat's weak."

"I suspect she built all of this to protect that heart. Along with a different way in to get to it."

They all laid back down in the antechamber. They played dead as long as they could, as long as they needed to.

Ohval walked in slowly, scanning her eyes along the collection of bodies now littered along her floor.

Except for Inej, who dropped down from the rafters behind her. She didn't have much time to move before Ohval kicked her hard enough to send her flying backward out the door that she had walked in.

The rest of the Crows scrambled from the floor as best they could, making it outside to aid Inej in whatever way they could. Except for Kaz, who moved in the opposite direction.

As the fight raged on outside, he found his way carefully to the south-east corner.

He paused in the doorway. He was met with the face of an old man. A man that was clearly nearing the end of his life, sitting in a wheelchair.

Kaz saw the art scattered along the walls. Priceless artifacts. That was enough for one answer to be provided.

He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to put together the connection between the man and Ohval.

"Who are you," the man asked Kaz.

"A visitor," Kaz replied. "I'm an art collector from Kerch. I left some friends outside. I was going to track someone down. I think I got lost in the halls."

"Well, you should look for my wife," the man said.

Oh. It clicked in Kaz's head. Every conclusion he needed for the time being.

"I can help you find her."

"Thank you."

Kaz made his way behind the chair, pushing the man back through the halls he had come through. They made it back to the courtyard, where the fight was nearly coming to a close.

"Sweetheart!" the man called. "We have visitors! Art collectors from Kerch!"

"I know, dear," Ohval replied. "I was about to offer them tea."

The others were just pushing themselves off the ground, barely recovering from her attack.

"These are the friends that I told you about," Kaz explained to the man. "They're collectors like me. They'll be pleasantly surprised to meet you... the great thief of the art world. The Disciple."

"That's the Disciple," Jesper asked.

"Have we met before?" the Disciple replied.

"Yes," Kaz nodded. "In your room, just now. And I've met your wife. In Bhez Ju. We had tea there."

"Bhez Ju Museum," the Disciple said. "The support beams are under every second section of the floor. The others creak. Important to know the secrets of a place."

"Truly."

Tolya and Ohval shared a few sentences in Shu before her husband spoke up again, "The Neshyenyer. I stole it for her."

"Please, dear," Ohval tried to stop him.

"It was the last piece I stole before we decided that I should retire. Anyway, you couldn't really call it stealing. It was hers to begin with. She made it."

"I'm sorry," Jesper said. "She made it?"

The Disciple pushed himself from his chair, taking short, staggering steps to get to his wife. "Hours of work. Prayers. And tears. To fight the unkillable army created by the clock worker Kho."

Tolya left out a breathless chuckle at the story that he knew all too well. "Three days and nights she fought the unstoppable soldiers. And when the last soldier fell, she laid down the weapon. And it was named Neshyenyer. 'Relentless'."

Tolya took a knee, bowing his head.

"We are honored to be in your presence, Sankta Neyar."

Kaz took a deep breath as a sudden and strange familiarity crept into his chest. He couldn't place it for a moment, but it soon became clear.

The saint saving the world and the thief that loved them without the status.

It was a mirror.

It was like seeing into a possible future. A future where he and (Y/n) survived the fight against the Darkling and tore down the Fold and saved Ravka. Not only that but managed to find some peace together. In love... accepting... both of them healing from whatever ghosts followed them.

If only time weren't as cruel as it was.

Even if they did both survive the final fight, Kaz would always age faster than (Y/n). (Y/n) could live lifetimes beyond him. Could fall in love with people after him, could find a meaning past him... could leave him behind for someone who could live on their timeline and not his.

A cruel possibility to be confronted with.

He found the rest of the crew kneeling, paying their respects. He bowed his head too.

"Come on, my love," Ohval muttered to her husband. "Let's get you to bed."

Kaz looked at Ohval after her husband had been placed back in his chair.

"This is our sanctuary. Where we can sleep peacefully. Not have to worry about thieves and bandits like you."

"We're not bandits," Kaz replied.

"No one gets past the poison. You're just a child, really."

"A child who understood your weakness."

"Weakness," she scoffed. "Four hundred years I've been alive. I've seen my family, my loved ones die. I spent hundreds of years with my heart closed as if that was the solution to ending all pain. What a safe way to live... what a small way, as well."

She looked back at Kaz. He wondered how much of his thoughts were clear to her, even with his attempts to hide them so deep within himself. Her face showed that she had caught something in his eyes that he didn't mean to show.

"You guard against pain, you guard against joy. But when you allow yourself to be blindsided by love... two worlds make a universe. He's not my weakness. He's my universe. And I will see him through his days. Sharing every moment until he is part of the night sky."

There was a spike in Kaz's heart rate. Nina heard it. As if she had been tuned into its change. It was nearly the exact same spike as when someone would speak (Y/n)'s name. She hid a small grin. What was the thought that crossed the man's mind?

Kaz knew that answer. It would continue to blare in his mind for ages. Would (Y/n) choose him over a life alone, yet safe? And better yet, would he allow (Y/n) to choose him if he could already predict the pain that he would bring them in the end?

"What do I care about the blade?" Ohval continued. "What do you care about the blade?"

"The Darkling has created an unkillable army made of shadow. Your sword is the only one sharp enough to cut them down."

"That sounds like Ravka's problem."

"You think he would be stopped by a line on a map?"

"I think I can still kill you where you stand before you can blink."

"Sankta Neyar," Tolya stood. "I have met the Sun Summoner who will take leadership in Ravka if the Darkling is gone. I can promise that they are benevolent. They want to finally bring peace... end the suffering that the Darkling has caused. But that can only be done if you grant us use of the blade."

"Use of it," she asked. "All this just to borrow the blade?"

"All this just to protect your husband in his sleep?"

"And why are you searching for the blade?" she countered, eyes turning to Kaz again. "What is your motivation for all of this?"

It was all the confirmation that Kaz needed to know that she understood him. Understood his thoughts while he watched her and her husband. She wanted to prove a point. They were both fighting for their person. The one thing in this universe that was more important than anyone else. That she and Kaz were one and the same.

"We all fight for what matters most," Kaz said simply.

"And on my life, I will make sure that the blade is returned to its rightful home," Tolya promised. "With you, Sankta Neyar."

"Ohval," she corrected. "The last thing I need are pilgrims crowding my gate."

"Is it time for bed now, darling," her husband asked.

"All of you, out," she instructed the group. "Except for you... the one with the hat. I'll give the blade to you. Alone."

One and the same, yet not similar enough.

Kaz walked out reluctantly, leaving Jesper alone to wait for the blade.

It was sunrise when Jesper came out again. He gave the blade to Inej. She was better to handle the blade than him.

They all walked off together, taking the time to have their own conversations. Wylan with Jesper, Nina with Zoya and Tolya, Inej with Kaz.

Kaz and Inej passed Wylan and Jesper, who seemed to finally be working out whatever had happened during the trip.

"Everyone's lost their minds," Kaz muttered.

"We all did in there," Inej replied.

Kaz paused for a moment. "Maybe I did see something, through the haze of the poison."

"The one that you're fighting for?" Inej tilted her head a bit. She knew that he wouldn't admit it. He couldn't admit his feelings for (Y/n) to himself, let alone her. His silence was all that she needed to be certain of that much.

"What did you see," Kaz asked.

Inej grinned to herself. She considered telling him. But her mind was riddled with him reminding her how foolish hope was. How her vision of her family would do nothing but spark another lecture of sorts.

"Couldn't make out a clear image," she said simply. The image she saw was only for her to know. "More important things to worry about now, aren't there?"

The group continued their walk to the Hummingbird.

This was merely the first part of their job. The second part was going to be far worse. They were all aware of that. But at the end of the day, their fear didn't matter.

This was one of the occasions when the greater good triumphed over any fear or hesitation.

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

Navigation Guide

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

#x reader #imagine #fanfiction #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker fanfiction #kaz brekker x reader #shadow and bone fanfiction #shadow and bone imagine #shadow and bone x reader

202 notes · View notes

persephoneflouwers · 1 year

Note

Hi doc, I'm desperately looking for ABO fic (Alpha Louis and Omega Harry ), I've been stuck with "Light, Spark and Fire" for months because it's so good, gimme a rec

I found just a few! You’ll see I have some favourite authors and I read all of their works haha anyway this is what I found for Alpha Louis x Omega Harry. Maybe this will need a part 2. Let me know if you want more.

ABO FIC

Say something (106K) by kingsofeverything ( @kingsofeverything ): At fifty years old and recently divorced, Omega Harry Styles isn't interested in dating. When his doctor suggests a heat and rut matching service, he signs up out of necessity. It’s the only use he has for an Alpha in his life. Twenty-eight-year-old Alpha Louis Tomlinson aims to change that.

Actions and consequences (95K) by HelenaAzure: Harry is a prince. Louis is a King. They are destined to be together. But things are much more complicated than it meets the eyes. Throw in a war, a life long secret born of deception, a quiet love, a treason of the highest sorts, a mysterious child of royal lineage and a considerate yet troublesome horse into the mix, and you get a legend which resonates through the pages of history

Face your fears (92K) by SadaVeniren ( @sadaveniren ): Harry is a single father, pretending to be a beta after his alpha mated him and left him. He’s getting by just fine raising the twins when Louis walks into his bakery. Too bad him and Louis will never be a thing.

Love in the dark (90K) by brightgolden ( @brightgolden ): Where Louis is an ambitious Advisor Council that is reluctant to find a mate, and his father takes the matter into his hand while Harry is the valedictorian in his kingdom destined for better things than an arranged marriage.

A distant hazy light (76K) by green_feelings: Life’s pretty ordinary for Harry. He lives with his best friend, got into university just like he’s planned, and manages to support himself just fine for an unbonded omega. If he sustains that lifestyle by getting paid to help alphas through their rut every now and then, that’s nothing to be hung up on. Until he’s hired by an alpha that turns everything upside down.

Si pudiera volar (70K) by softfonds: When Harry’s fiancé leaves him for his cousin, he looks the other way for the sake of his happiness. He’ll do anything to forget about him, including joining a monastery. It isn’t until his cousin’s former lover, a pirate, appears that he realizes everything is not as it appears, and an honest pirate might be the only person worthy of his heart.

Everything to lose (70K) by stylinsoncity: harry is a global popstar who's convinced the world he has it all -- a happy marriage to a devoted alpha, two beautiful children, two grammy awards, three platinum albums, and a budding film career. But some aspects of his image aren't as true as they seem. Like the fact he's been separated for over a year, uses meaningless flings to cope and occasionally forgets responsibilities or commitments to his family. He and louis once commanded stages together. They tackled any challenges to their future and no matter how hard things got, they always returned to one another. harry would always return to louis. until one day, he finds he can't.

Wolf boy (like no one else) 70K by cristalrush: the one where Harry leaves his old pack in hopes to find his soulmate. And that’s when he meets Louis, an alpha who doesn’t believe in soulmates.

I like the way you say my name (when you soak it in grace) 66K by louisismycat (tifamomet): Louis is transferred to a new city to temporarily cover for his counterpart while he is on maternity leave for the next six months. His new co-workers talk endlessly about Harry, the omega who he’s covering for. And Louis finds himself jealous of whatever alpha as snatched him up. Until he learns Harry is actually an unmated omega three months out from becoming a single parent.

Glitters in the sky, glitters in our eyes (59K) by softfonds: What happens when a Duke who will only marry for love and a courtesan who only sells it create a public ruse? Well, nothing boring for sure. An Edwardian AU.

Here’s your perfect (54K) by brightgolden: In the world where mates are assigned to everyone and deposited to their door when an agreeable partner is found for them, Alpha Louis has recently been given his. However, he is nothing like the type of alpha that the omega academy prepares Harry for.

The money mark (52K) by brightgolden: Where Louis is Harry’s first sugar daddy who dumped him over text and their paths cross, seven years later.

Eucalyptus (46K) by docklands: Harry didn't mean to get pregnant at all. When little Agnes comes along, his bachelor life takes a turn and he has to figure out how to single parent, with the occasional help from his best friend and co-worker, Zayn. Everything is running smoothly until Agnes starts acting strange, crying non-stop, sleeping at the most unconventional hours and not caring that she's ruining Harry's life. Agnes' new paediatrician, Louis Tomlinson, is enthusiastic, passionate about his job and a little too charming for Harry's lonely heart to take. More than figuring out what's wrong with her, Louis ends up revealing secrets about Harry's life he had never even dreamed about.

I sail with you (36K) by AFangirlFantasy: a classic!! Against his wishes, Omega Prince Harry Styles is arranged to mate with someone he doesn’t love, much less knows. Though he pleaded to his parents incessantly, they not only refuse to comply but force him to depart on a ship days later. Harry prays for fate to step in, to change what’s to come, however, the answer he is given is not exactly in the form he had hoped. Enter Will Tommo – deadliest pirate captain of all seven seas.

Chemistry is like candy to me (35K) by CuckooTrooke ( @larrydoinglaundry ): Harry is 8 months pregnant with a poor balance and traitorous nipples. Unfortunately for him, that is precisely when he meets a beautiful alpha in a packed London Tube. Fortunately for him, the said alpha might just be the best thing he has ever come across.

Rooms on fire (34K) by softfonds: Ten years ago, Louis helping Harry through a heat was the start of a romance that ended in heartbreak. Now, Harry's marriage is over thanks to his husband's very public infidelity, and Louis is fresh off a Golden Globe win. The last thing they both expect is to be cast in the same movie.

Leave your mark on me (32K) by kingsofeverything: When Chef Harry Styles’ unbonded Omega designation threatens to derail his career, he does the only thing he can, and goes in search of a black market bond.

English rose (32K) by harryanthus_annuus: Louis works on the 19th floor. It’s such a cliché to fall for the elevator girl, but no one resist Harry Styles

Want it flowing through my streams (30K) by screwstyles: Wimbledon ABO AU: Harry has just qualified for his first Grand Slam, and he’s prepared to make the most of it – that is, until his heat unexpectedly hits him only a few days before his first match. And it’s just his luck that Louis Tomlinson, the resident bad boy of British tennis, is the only person around to help him.

Tread lightly on my ground (20K) by fairytalelights: the one where Harry is having Louis' baby, but Louis doesn't know it's his.

Breathe me in, breathe me out (14K) by lunaheslwt: Louis is drawn into a quaint candle shop in his desire to find ways to soothe himself while struggling with touch depri. It takes him two more run-ins and with the lovely alpha sales assistant, and a drop, to figure out the source of the scent that imprints upon him and calms his omega. Idiots to lovers

It’s been ages (13K) by 2tiedships2 ( @2tiedships2 ): lots of pining. Lots of fluff

Come in and change my life (12K) by lightswoodmagic(sarah_writes): Harry and Louis become friends when Harry looks after Louis' cat during away games, until one night at a party changes everything between them. It's just a shame Louis' going to be away for the FIFA World Cup for three months.

I love this feeling (but I hate this part) 7K by lululawrence ( @lululawrence ): roommates, friends to lovers, usage of alpha voice for experimentation purposes lol it’s cute and fun

Lost in your paradise (6K) by SadaVeniren: Harry and Louis have a one night stand.

Scent partner (4K) by amomentoflove: The name of the company was horrible: Scent Partner. Whoever was on the marketing team should be fired immediately for green-lighting that name. But the instructions were simple. Alphas wear a shirt for three days and nights. The shirt gets sent to omegas nearing their heats to pick the alpha who smells the best to them. The company notifies the alpha and gives them the opportunity to say no. If both parties agree, they meet at a heat room for the omega’s heat. Everything is safe and consensual.

Baby, don’t apologize (2K) by Neondiamond: Harry being an asexual Omega means his Alpha Louis has had to spend his ruts alone for the past decade despite being mated. He’s not sure who feels most hurt by it.

#angie reader’s corner #larry fic rec #fic rec #abo fic #alpha louis #omega harry #these are only a few haha i got tired making this post on my phone #hope you enjoy one of these!#casella di posta numero 32

255 notes · View notes

codenamesazanka · 1 year

Text

So there’s Spinner. and it’s the end of March. and in the past two, three hours he’s survived a massive ambush of Heroes, learned that Twice died, and rode Machia who plowed through several cities to arrive at a barren wasteland where Shigaraki - Spinner’s friend, his leader, his gaming buddy, the boy that’s become the most important person in his life - and who Spinner hasn’t seen in months - is a comatose, charred wreck. It’s probably not how Spinner imagined their reunion to go.

One of Spinner’s remaining teammates suddenly reveals he’s the son of the Number 1 Hero (who for the sake of Pro-Heroics has use eugenics and abused his own family, all to be at the top of the system) and now Dabi is seeking to commit fratricide and praticide in one go, ready to burn himself up for it. Thankfully Dabi got stopped at the last second; unthankfully that’s because another Hero has shown up with steel cables to tie them all up tight enough to suffocate them. Machia has fainted. Shigaraki still isn’t waking up.

There’s no good options here, so Mr. Compress attempts to sacrifice himself - fully expecting to die - by gouging out chunks of his body in order to give Spinner a chance to wake Shigaraki and escape with the rest of the League because Shigaraki is literally the only person capable of doing anything about this situation. Mr. Compress is counting on Spinner (who is the most devoted to Shigaraki, who knows Shigaraki best, who Compress trusts and believes in to save Shigaraki and the rest of the team)

Basically everyone that’s left in their rapidly depleting League is counting on Spinner.

The Heroes’ backup have started to arrive and if they capture the League, the best case scenario is that they will throw Spinner and everyone in the indefinite detention that is Tartarus where he’ll literally never see the light of day - much less his friends - ever again for as long as he live.

Worst case scenario, Heroes will just kill him and everyone he cares about; they’ve already done so to Twice, and judging by the current state of Shigaraki, they’ve also tried really hard here too.

With only seconds left, Spinner has to try something. So he takes a gamble and his very last ditch effort to wake up Shigaraki - friend, leader, gaming buddy, someone he does not want to lose; and the only person capable of doing anything to save everyone - is to remind him of his rage—

Not because Spinner thinks rage is cool. But because Spinner himself knows and understands and empathizes with that rage - he feels it himself. It’s what motivated him to do something about the hell of an unjust society he’s living in; it’s what barely staves off the gaping and agonizing emptiness inside of him but hey, it’s something. It’s rage that keeps him going, has made Spinner finally feel alive after years of barely-living. Spinner know this and understand it and so does Shigaraki, how it’s the only thing left in both of their hollow shells when everything else failed, that rage—

So Spinner puts the hand on Shigaraki.

That's why he puts the hand on Shigaraki.

I think. if the hand must stand for afo’s toxic control and nothing else, then I think one must consider the additional relevant symbolic meaning that turning to AFO is a life-or-death decision of the hopelessly scared and desperate, because Heroes offered nothing else, or something even worse.

#Spinner #Shigaraki Tomura #Iguchi Shuuichi #League of Villains #Twice #Bubaigawara Jin #Toga Himiko #Dabi #Todoroki Touya #Mr. Compress #Sako Atsuhiro #Chapter 295 #The Hand #nalslastworkingbraincell #bnha #mha #heroaca

218 notes · View notes

cloudofbutterflies92 · 5 months

Text

Black lipstick and bourbon (Call Of Duty One Shot)

(Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Female OC)

TW: torture, blood

A/N: finally managed to finish this one shot, thank you @chloekistune and @graveyard-party666 for their support(I would have gone crazy). Before you start reading I ask for mercy if there are any grammar mistakes, English is not my native language. With this last warning I retire to my cave🫣 (hope you enjoy it)

St. Petersburg, Russia, Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m.

The soft 50s jazz music and dim light in that room gave the room an almost cozy atmosphere, a good thing since it was literally freezing cold outside. Poor Eden who had chosen that skimpy outfit was already feeling the biting Russian cold.

But if she had to seduce a known terrorist it was a small sacrifice to make.

Already she heard the voice of her best friend Chloe knowing that the outfit she had lent her would be smeared with blood, poor Chloe.

Her job, on the one hand she hated it, having to delude people and then extort information, that was her job as an MI6 agent.

Spectra, that was her codename, a name that was a whole program. She would extort her information and then like a specter she would disappear without a trace. That codename she had earned with effort, so much effort and without even the help of her grandmother Helen, one of the great heads of the famous British spy agency.

"Reggie let's not waste any time, tell me the target" Eden in the process was putting makeup on her own lips of that pitch black, definitely a 'good choice to use for one of the most well-known clubs in the city.

The man on the other end of the receiver snorted almost indignantly at the spy's hasty manner, but Reggie always had an excuse to complain. The unsweetened macchiato, the fact that they did not pay him properly but he was often the one who saved Eden's ass in difficult situations with his hacking skills.

“You should address me as mr Reggie, however the target's name is Vasya Kulikov, former Spetsnaz. He could very well be tried by the tribunal for the united nations for war crimes committed for fuck's sake" the hacker burst out laughing, more at the fact that he was ironically still at large than anything else.

"Rest assured, our friend will make a trip of no return" the vibration of the other cell phone caught her attention, she was still in her lingerie and had yet to finish her makeup but her curiosity was too strong so she looked at the message: a mysterious number that judging by the first digits looked British.

"Are you Spectra? How long will you be? I don't have all night."

The Raven haired girl raised an eyebrow, then her grandmother's voice echoed in her skull box like a tic.Still she was indignant that the mission would be in collaboration with the SAS, she had never liked their methods plus the fact that most of them did not take seriously the fact that a woman could be superior to them. But her grandmother had told her over and over again that she was doing a favor for one of her protégés, a certain Captain John Price.

As calmly as she could, the girl typed an answer that might seem appropriate, lest she sound haughty.

"Don't you know we ladies keep us waiting?"

The answer did not come.

"And do you know that we gentlemen don't like to wait?"

A giggle escaped from Eden at that moment, the kind that screamed "but who told me to take a job like that?”

"And does this gentleman have a name?”

She looked at herself in the mirror, satisfied with the result. A perfect disguise of a real e-girl with that blue wig.

"Eden, are you alive? Have you fallen into the toilet?" Reggie's ringing voice brought her back to herself, that sassy SAS soldier had aroused her indignation but also some curiosity. From the nightstand next to the bed was a pack of cigarettes, the words "Apollo Soyuz commemorative brand" and she hated those Russian cigarettes. She would have preferred her faithful Sterling menthol ones.

"I'm alive kid"She lit her cigarette, inhaling the smoke with a disgusted grimace.

"Your grandmother gave me more details, apparently plans have changed.The target must come out unscathed, orders from above."

"Don't worry, I know a perfect place to leave our friend" holding the cigarette between her lips Eden put on the leather coat that would protect her from the cold.

Another message made the screen light up, leaving Eden with a grin full of satisfaction.

"Ghost”

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

10 p.m.

The lights of the club could be seen from afar, among clochards begging and people already before time drunk Eden managed to reach the area in which she had her appointment, a small alley on Dumskaya ulitsa.

"I hope it's worth it Ghost" the brunette looked at the time on her cell phone, and then she was the one late.Stupid man.

Puffing she began to tap her heel on the asphalt until turning around she almost fainted.

"Jesus Christ but are you crazy?" Eden with her hand on her chest tried to catch her breath exhaling and inspiring oxygen as if she had just emerged from the ocean. She looked up curiously: the tall, muscular figure of a man was watching her with equal curiosity holding his arms folded, a balaclava covered his face but the gaze was of a unique intensity.

"Are you Spectra? Are you?"

"Do you see other people?" Eden looked over her shoulder, almost mocking him, not seeming pleased with the irony with which she had presented herself by sensing his breath becoming labored and threatening.

"Okay take it easy big boy, it's me by the way" with that confirmation the man shrugged at her.

"We don't have much time, in fact I don't have much time."

Puffing Eden followed the mysterious masked man in stride, it amused her that despite him wearing that balaclava he went unnoticed in the crowd. Whether it was because of the alcohol circulating like nothing or the fact that that street was full of eccentrically dressed people, but the two easily managed to arrive in front of the "Snakehead", the club run by Kulikov.

"Pretend well" quickly Eden clutched at Ghost's arm, who rolled his eyes. She didn't like this act of being a sappy couple either, but at least she looked believable.

"Удостоверение личности" the man in front of the club addressed the couple, Ghost didn't understand anything and it was thanks to Eden that the two were able to save their skins for the moment by pulling out their ID cards: Katia Zakharova and Luka Zaytsev, Reggie could choose two more strange fake names. Luckily, the bodyguard had believed these antics; they were safe.

"If you don't even know a little Russian, we're not off to a good start" Eden whispered, the techno music destroying both of their eardrums.

"Well, if you care so much, do the talking" he ranted, leaving her in the middle of the dance floor, preferring the quiet of the bar counter.God, now she had to babysit too?

"Strawberry mojito" she ordered, then waited for him.

"My treat big boy, tell me what you want?" Eden tried to calm the waters, like it or not, they had to cooperate.

"Bourbon, with little ice" he preferred to turn to the bartender and take his order personally, the bartender nodded and began preparing drinks for the two customers, within minutes they were there in front of them.

"At the moment it seems our man is not here" Eden looked cautiously, though her gaze was more on her mission partner, as if he was in a world of his own.

"I can tell you're from Manchester, only someone from Manchester could be wearing that jacket."

"London girl?" Ghost delivered his sentence gruffly, sipping his alcoholic beverage contentedly.

"Birmingham, but I live in Bexley now."

The Mancunian's laughter made even the other two customers next to them, mere unwitting observers of the discussion between the two.

"A Brummie ah, it's all explained now. Price is paying me this time bloody hell" he brushed the corner of his own mouth with the tip of his tongue to remove the remaining alcohol and lower the balaclava.

"At least I made you smile big boy, and that makes me important "Eden winked at him playfully. Or maybe not.

A snort as an answer was more than enough for her to sing victory, the tension was high in the air especially considering the idiot hadn't shown up yet.

"Reggie I need camera monitoring, can you hack into their system?" Eden trusted in the young hacker's skills, 19 years old was indeed a prodigy of nature for that age.

"I need to infiltrate their surveillance system but I can do it missus."

An exchange of complicit glances between Eden toward Ghost hinted that the situation was under control, it almost seemed as if they had come there for nothing.

Then lightning struck, their target was sitting in one of the small sofas, surrounded by bodyguards and "taken care of" by two girls, who making him feel like a king.Usual man with delusions of grandeur.

"Did you notice that too?" Eden nodded at Ghost's comment, then getting up from her own stool.They had to attract attention if they wanted to succeed in catching him, and Eden knew exactly how.

"Get up, it's just to get the boiled fish to bite" she put her hand forward, with a reluctant Ghost agreeing. In the end it was for a 'common goal no?What could go wrong?

"Don't be a log move!" she incited Ghost to let go, Prodigy's "Firestarter" playing in the background in that parade of moving bodies. The Mancunian took the agent by the hip, making her lean back against his own muscular body.

"Just this once Park" he pronounced boredly, causing her to rub against his broader figure. The way Eden moved against Ghost, sensuously was apparently enough to attract Kulikov's attention.And to Ghost apparently to make him almost docile.

"A bodyguard is coming, maybe this is it" the MI6 agent whispered in the SAS soldier's ear, who as expected were joined by the man in a suit and tie.With his head he indicated for her to follow him and Ghost behind her was about to follow but the bodyguard stopped him by hinting that only Eden had been invited, it was quite a problem now.

"I can handle it" Eden reassured him, following the bodyguard into the small area reserved for VIPs, now she was finally face to face with their target. The same man made the two girls stand up next to him, tapping on the couch to ask Eden to sit down. The man began to brag to the girl about his possessions, about the fact that anyway girls like her he saw every day in his bed, and Eden like a good actress played the part of the scatterbrained fool, trying to tell him that she was studying to be an archaeologist and that she needed the money.But something from time to time worried her, going for Ghost's gaze, who remained at the counter observing the scene, moving his glass of bourbon so that the ice melted quickly, almost compulsively.

"I would like to talk to you privately" the enemy's Russian accent made Eden awaken from the sort of catalepsy with which she had been watching Ghost; she was surprised that now Kulikov was not speaking to her in Russian but in English. She should have marked in her mind that she had to learn to make it more pronounced.

"Do you accept? Don't worry your boyfriend won't know anything Katya right?" it almost seemed as if the man was testing her.

"Yes Katya sir" she then saw him stand up and whisper something to his bodyguards before grabbing Eden by the hip in an almost violent manner. In another situation he would have gotten a slap, in that case, however, she was acting, making her personality subdued. One last look at Ghost to make sure he was ready and that she was all right, and the young woman followed the man to the upper floors until she arrived in front of a door.

"Ladies first" the Russian invited the girl inside, her eyes somehow seeking Ghost, seeing how from his seat he was observing the scene in a disgruntled way? Almost as if he was annoyed.

She entered the prive without asking herself too many questions, neon lights on purple and blue made the 'lounge atmosphere, like some sort of Blade Runner-esque sci-fi movie.Eden took a seat with some circumspection, analyzing every object present, with the former Spetsnaz filling two glasses with champagne.

"I got this in France some time ago, I always get my supplies right" he handed the goblet to Eden on the coffee table and then wrapped his arm around the spy's side, a shiver of disgust came over her face but which she tried to mask with a fake laugh.

"You still haven't told me how in short you managed to get all this, you know it's not nice to hide things anyway" she tried to come across as adorable by pouting, not unaware that behind them Ghost was in the shadows, observing them, just as soon as he had finished asphyxiating one of Vulikov's henchmen.

"Whatever you want Vasya, only if I can afford can I put some music? You know I can't do what you want with a little atmosphere...hot" she wrinkled her nose, receiving the man's approval. From the stereo played lounge music very much in keeping with the atmosphere.

"You seem very nervous to me" sinuously she moved her body over him, removing the jacket she was wearing, she looked like a siren enchantress who had trapped the poor unfortunate on duty in an endless loop.The Russian sighed, drops of sweat were brushing his forehead with Ghost who seemed to be watching the scene impassively.

But his hands, his hands clenched in those fists hinted to Eden otherwise.

"A beautiful woman like you deserves a man who will fully satisfy her" Vasya brought his hands to both of Eden's hips, who was taunting him to herself. It was amusing to see how little it took for a man to fall into the web, and Eden could excel at that.

"And would you be capable of that? What would you do for me?"

"Everything, you want the latest fashionable dress? I'll buy it for you. A trip to a Caribbean island? We leave tonight "he was looking at her already smitten with her, they had him in their hands.

"You know what I want instead?" Eden came dangerously close to his lips, with him already anticipating his lucky night of fire.

"What you want honey."

"She wants to know exactly where the shipment of that gas you are carrying is" Ghost, knife in hand pointed at the enemy's throat.Vasya was absolutely shocked, he later realized that the two henchmen outside the door had been sent to the heaven by the masked man.

"You did a very good job Ghostie" Eden clothed herself and began pacing back and forth, the nickname affixed seemed not to go down well with the Mancunian but he did not speak, rather he preferred to keep the blond Russian under observation.

"Стерва!" Vasya shouted at Eden, who released a giggle, he was not the first nor the last to call her a "whore", it did not affect her.

"Now the three of us are going to take a little walk" she looked out the office window, there were too many people to go out the main entrance.

"Move up you idiot" Ghost ordered, handcuffing the man.

"I won't ask where you got those handcuffs from, but we're not taking our asses home. Not going out the front door" her gaze was fixed on Vasya, he was their pass to run away.

"Talk" was Ghost's warning, and he seemed not to be kidding. Vasya pointed to the bookcase behind Eden.

"There is a button behind the plant."

Not waiting any more precious minutes she pressed the button, letting a mechanism unlock a door behind the 'enormous furniture, a whistle of approval escaped Eden's lips, overtaken, however, by a hurried Ghost.

"We don't have time, my car is parked in the area. Let's get it and take it to this fuckin’ place."

"Can you drive? I don't think so from the face, anyway it's Kharkiv" such a sentence made the masked man turn around, who couldn't believe his ears.Seventeen hours of driving was a long time.

"Look I know big boy it's a lot but Alexei and his sister Olga are the only people I trust" the outside hubbub of Kulikov's henchmen alerted Ghost, hurriedly the three of them entered inside the secret exit, walking down a small corridor that then led them to internal stairs. Crossing smoothly they came out to the outside, it seemed that the situation was under control but the scream of one of the men of the former Spetsnaz set the alarm bells ringing, leading Eden and Ghost to run with the enemy through the alleys of the neighborhood.

"Get in there!" the girl pointed to a doorway to Ghost and Vasya; it could be a momentary point of salvation for the three.

"Next time I will never wear..." Eden did not even have time to catch her breath, one of Kulikov's men grabbed her from behind forcing her to push him backwards onto the table.Two others were on Ghost, trying one to stop him and the other to knock the British man out with their fists.

"EDEN!" Ghost was attempting to free himself from the two, getting pummeled.Eden was trapped at the table, with the man she was fighting trying to choke her. A kick to his private parts and a headbutt led to him staggering as Eden, with a shattered nose staggered like a zombie. In a moment of lucidity the girl grabbed the lamp a few feet away from her, smashing it on her opponent's skull. Ghost on his side was still struggling, the man who was punching him threw himself at Eden, who tried to dodge and hit him with a steel pipe before falling knee-deep to the ground, it was a good moment for Ghost that, freeing himself from his enemy's grasp and hitting him repeatedly with his faithful knife. The three seemed to stop moving, but from a distance the voices of other enemies could be heard coming.

"Are you all right?" The masked man reached out to the brunette, receiving confirmation from her. Limping and groaning in pain she stood up.

"I've been on the verge of death too many times" looking around she saw Vasya in a crouching corner, strangely he had not taken the opportunity to run away.

Ghost immediately caught up with him, pushing him forward and reaching the other side of the hallway.Both he and Eden were battered, stealth tactics were a must this time.

"I can hear them, they're upstairs" whispered Eden, walking silently.In her heart she hoped the heels of her boots could not attract attention.

"My men are more loyal than your whole group of invaders" Kulikov teased them, neither Eden nor Ghost responded but surely both wanted to break his neck. Only they had to get out of there before they did.

"These bastards have tough hides, we'll never get to my fuckin car" Ghost exited the building and looked around until he saw Eden pointing a gun at a poor bystander about to get into his own car.Desperate times call for desperate measures, using even inconvenient means.

"I'll drive, you don't seem lucid at the moment. Stay in the back with our friend "Ghost put the car in gear, starting the engine amid the screams in Russian of the man whose car was being stolen.

"Yeah? You don't seem so reliable" she narrowed her eyes, her vision blurring, literally seeing the typical dots of when one is on the verge of fainting. And almost like a seer she predicted correctly: Ghost literally drove into the car behind him.

"We'll never get there alive," Kulikov burst out laughing, chilling from Ghost's killer stare.

"He's right, at the border between St. Petersburg and Kharkiv is the military patrol" Eden got out of the car, forcing the passerby to take the wheel.

"Двигай, нам нужно в Харьков" the MI6 agent pointed her gun at 'the address of the poor man who had found himself at the wrong time.It was going to be a very long journey.

Kharkiv, a few hours later

It had not been easy for Eden and Ghost to cross Ukrainian soil; it was only thanks to the cooperation of the man they had "taken hostage" that the two managed to escort Vasya Kulikov to Kharkiv. It was almost a miracle, most likely due to the fact that the policemen were a bit tipsy from alcohol.

"Are these friends of yours reliable?Did you tell about the situation?" Ghost peppered Eden with questions as together with her and the Russian they walked through the ground floor of the building where Alexei and his sister Olga lived.

Eden had met them on a mission some time ago, Alexei was a 'Ukrainian intelligence agent with whom he had collaborated to scour a cell of Al Qatala terrorists, a notorious group of terrorists led by the "Wolf" who were preparing an attack on Plóshcha Svobódy(Freedom Square).

In those days she had also met his sister Olga, a lawyer and well-known women's rights activist.

"I'm reliably quiet, I've explained more or less the thing" Eden was trying throughout to light a cigarette, damn lighter that wouldn't light.

"You shouldn't smoke in the elevator" Ghost leaned his full weight against the metal wall, the pain from the scuffle with those bastards was already being felt.

"It's a tiny, harmless cigarette" Eden turned to Kulikov, on the one hand she felt more relaxed now that they had him in their grasp, but she did not let her guard down.It would not be easy to get him to talk given the muteness into which he had fallen.

"Come on, shush move" Eden invited the Russian to move, Ghost beside her who from behind the Russian's back had the knife pointed, ready for anything. Apartment 217, the Koval family 's apartment. Memories of evenings playing cards and eating typical Ukrainian dishes made Eden smile slightly, and she groaned as she knocked three times, only to pause two seconds and give one last knock.

"Eden?" A tall, burly boy opened the door, who then looked in shock at Ghost and Vasya.

"No Eden don't..." the boy paused hearing his sister call him in his native language and ask what was going on.

"Oh God Eden are you..." the young woman's gaze then fell on the two behind the MI6 agent, it took a hangdog look from the latter to convince Alexei to let them in. Their parents were on vacation, and if the neighbors would see or hear things they would call the police.

"Is he tied up good?" Eden looked from the vinyl shelf to see if she could find anything to muffle the sound of Kulikov's screams as Ghost was tying the Russian to the chair.

"A fuckin’ perfect knot, you sure are good at making plans" the Mancunian's wry tone made the raven-haired girl roll her eyes.

"Well my plan saved your ass" then she looked at Kulikov, who smiled sneeringly at her.

"Do you really think I will talk? You can also cut off my dick and feed it to that Persian cat who is watching that I won't say anything."

"Hey what did my cat do to you?" Olga picked up her own cat, Alexei ordered her to leave taking a vinyl of Edith Piaf's La vie en rose and giving it to Eden.

"I'll alert intelligence in the meantime, make quick, work of it" the two nodded to the Ukrainian. Humming Eden reached for the record player, placing the 'circular object on top of it.

"You better talk if you want a chance to be able to live, even if in prison" Eden, with both hands resting on Vasya's knees leaned forward toward him.

"It's a shame that pretty face you have is marred by your own blood. You should care instead of wasting time" he grimaced almost smugly at seeing her in that condition.

"That..." Ghost's hand rested on her shoulder, the young woman felt strange sensations at that very moment.Concern?

"That's the only thing I give him credit for, you're battered."

"It's not that you look good. I'm not a child" she turned to Ghost, causing him to shake his head and sigh.

"Talk Kulikov, I don't have all day" then she returned her focus to her target, who burst into an annoyed laugh.

"You don't know what you are up against, something involving the whole world is being discussed here."

Now they knew a modicum of what they were targeting, all that remained was to find out where the cargo was headed.

"She asked you a question, answer it. Where is the cargo?" Ghost with the blade of his knife grazed the former Spetsnaz's fingers, openly challenging him.

"Do you think maybe you scare me mh? You have no idea what these eyes saw..."

He did not even let himself say it, sticking the blade on the knee of the man who endured the pain by chewing his lips.

"Now it's the knee, next could be a finger. An ear, or...your dick.The big guy here doesn't go easy" Eden slammed her hands on the shoulders of the Russian terrorist who cursed in his native tongue, pointing with her head at Ghost who was sharpening the next blade he would use.

"In St Petersburg, the cargo is in a factory is owned by Gazprom in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, it serves as a cover" the Russian decided to speak.They had the information on where the cargo was, it seemed to have been all too easy as a thing.Eden with what they had found out immediately called Reggie.

"Gosh Eden I thought you were dead "Reggie was relieved to hear his friend's voice.

"I'm hard to die, anyway we'll get him to talk and give us exact directions to the location. Rog" closed the call she looked straight at Ghost, handing her a pen and paper to jot down the coordinates. Kulikov like a robot dictated the exact numbers where the cargo area was located.

After a few hours the two tasked Alexei with taking Kulikov to Ukrainian intelligence, given the history he had including terrorist attack planning it was much better for him to rot in Ukraine.

"This mission was like you walked me through a field full of pins, heels that high rest assured I will never wear them again" with more lightness on her shoulders for the success of the mission Eden gladly got Olga to give her a more comfortable pair of shoes, noticing how Ghost was touching his nose making noises of pain.

"Olga get me a medical kit and some ice."

"No" he insisted but the ginger-haired girl had already run to get the necessities. Looking like that didn't make him tough but just a stupid donkey.

"You have to take off the balaclava" he seemed to look at her with an expression that screamed he wouldn't even think about removing that piece of cloth from his face.

"You're not going anywhere if you whine Batman."

"Ya never give up do ya?" his hoarse, indignant voice hinted that maybe just this once he would agree:but on one condition.

"Oh okay, then I'll go get ready. I have to bring a case, domestic violence" With that sentence Ghost's gaze seemed lost almost in the void.As if he had unlocked something.Left alone Eden opened the case, brushing the edge of the balaclava.

"I can do it myself" he removed balaclava, showing his sculpted features, with the marks of the scuffle he had had with Kulikov's men turned purplish.

"And you didn't want to get help, what an ass" she applied some ointment to his cheek area, seeing him relax at her imprints on his skin.

"You're good as a nurse, you should think about a career change" he joked, holding the bag of ice to his forehead.

"That ice pack is hibernating your brain," she feigned indignation but with a hint of a smile. Underneath it all this Ghost didn't look bad as a person, a bit of a sourpuss but it was appearance.Olga looked at them as if before her stood an old couple, the kind that came out in a 1950s movie

"My, aren't you two cute, you should go out together."

"No!" The two immediately at attention pointed out, crossing their gazes and laughing. It had been since she had been cheated on by her ex David that she had never thought of dating another man, throwing herself heart and soul into her work.

"If she weren't such a know-it-all I'd go out with her" Ghost came up with that statement that made the woman frown, tossing her wig in the trash.

"I'm going to take a shower, stay with that thought" Eden left the kitchen and Ghost.That on her face had was a smug grin.

London, March 20, 2019

Two months had passed since those days in Russia and Ukraine, Eden was on one of many relaxing days after returning a few days ago from a mission at Costa in the company of her best friend Chloe to visit the city.Brownies and muffins were placed on the table ready to be eaten by the two girls, who could finally spend some time together.

"By the way, I wonder where that guy you told me about ended up, he seems like an obnoxious one" Chloe after a small bite of her brownies said offhandedly.

"I don't know, after we got back to St. Petersburg he disappeared" Eden's mind began to ramble about the night she and Ghost had last seen each other.

"It really hurts you to smoke, you are young and a beautiful girl."

"Have you fallen in love with me?I'm not someone to fall in love with."

"Well why deny that you are a pretty girl?I would be an idiot and a blind man"

"You're not bad at all either"

Such melancholy memories moved to them near the Nevá River, with light snow falling. To how in her heart if only she hadn't let her past affect her she would have given himself a chance to be known.Seeing him turn and walk away after smiling at her like that...god she had been a fool to let him slip away.

"What are you thinking? "At some point Chloe brought her back to the reality of that little bar, she felt disoriented.

"I don't know Chloe but my mind is on him, and that's not good" to recover herself she sipped some hot chocolate, an effect that did not wear off.

Damn why now she couldn't get him out of her mind.It had been going on for days.

"You should try calling him even though actually-" the ringtone of Eden's phone vibrated inside her mini bag.

"It will be my grandmother, surely it's her."

She turned on her phone, a message from an anonymous number.

"Do you remember when you said I would be a blind is an idiot? You know I'd like to see you again before I leave, if you'd like we can make it tomorrow at 8 p.m. I know just the place that would suit us."

"Jesus Christ, how did he get my private number?" She shook her head amused.

"I warn you, I'm very picky with food" she typed, receiving as a response something that made her heart flutter.

"I love a challenge, and I am sure I will be able to win you Eden.”

35 notes · View notes

chocolatepot · 9 months

Text

The Crow Road and Good Omens

When I watched season two of Good Omens for the first time, I noticed that Crowley throws Muriel a book at random near the end of the finale, but I didn't pay a ton of attention to it, because there was a lot going on. Then I started a second watch where I took notes on things that struck me, references or lines that couldn't just be random but had to merit a closer look. One of these things was the fact that Metatron asks Muriel about their book and they hold it up extremely conspicuously (twice) so that the title, The Crow Road, is very obvious. It seemed impossible to me that it was just a random book, so I ordered a copy from the library and settled in with it.

(The only copy in the system is held in the library my mother runs in another town. Coincidence? OR FATE?)

The Crow Road

The Crow Road is a hard book to sum up. There is a relatively straightforward "present day" plotline from a single character's perspective, but much of the book (particularly in the first half) consists of flashbacks.

I'm going to sum up the family relationships first, for simplicity's sake. Margot and Matthew McHoan are the parents of Hamish (married to Antonia), Kenneth (m. Mary), Fiona (m. Fergus Urvill), Ilsa, and Rory (who has been missing for years). Kenneth and Mary are the parents of Lewis, Prentice, and James. Fiona and Fergus are the parents of Diana and Helen), and Fiona is dead by the start of the book. Fergus's sister, Charlotte, married Steve and had a daughter, Verity. Rory dated Janice, who had a daughter, Marion. There is also an unrelated family, the Watts: Lachlan is in Kenneth's generation; his brother's kids, Ashley, Darren, and Dean, are in Prentice's.

Prentice is the main character, though the other bolded names are important. He's a middle child, jealous of his older brother (a successful comedian) and dismissive of his younger one (who barely turns up on the page anyway); he's in love with the gorgeous and unattainable Verity; he has simultaneous superiority and inferiority complexes that make him moody and self-righteous, sure that he's smarter than everyone else but at the same time terribly insecure. Relatedly, he's estranged from his father because he believes there's an afterlife and his father is a committed atheist.

The main plotline begins at Margot's funeral and cremation in 1989. Prentice leaves the post-funeral gathering (after Margot's body has exploded in the oven as they forgot to remove her pacemaker) for the pub, where he catches up with the Watts - he's at university and not around town. Ashley gives him a piece of the Berlin Wall and tells him that when she was there, she came across some man saying that the McHoan family was being tricked.

He starts to investigate the disappearance of his Uncle Rory, finding Janice and getting some of his papers from her. Weeks(?) later, he catches Verity and Lewis canoodling at the Hogmanay party at Urvill Castle; the next day at another party, he gets blackout drunk and embarrasses everyone by screaming at them. The next morning, told off by his mother and having a terrible, horrible, no-good day, he leaves his bag on the train - including all of those papers, only half of which he'd looked through.

After a dinner with Ashley in the city where she also tells him off for his poor choices (he's also failing at his classes and has gotten caught shoplifting), he gets a call to come home because his father has died: he was struck by lightning while climbing a church. Prentice starts to wonder more seriously about Rory's fate, now, and looks harder for clues. After they bury Kenneth and Lewis and Verity get married, he finds some old floppy disks in his parents' home marked as Rory's. Ashley realizes that the man from Berlin is actually a news correspondent who reports for the BBC around the world, and takes the discs to get investigated by her techie friends.

While he waits, Prentice finds some old diaries of Rory's as well, borderline incomprehensible because they're full of abbreviations. He goes with Ashley to a bar to find that news correspondent, who turns tail as soon as he sees him and mysteriously flees. Finally he gets the info from the discs: it's a narrative about Fergus catching Fiona in bed with Lachlan Watts, telling Rory about it, and then deliberately driving aggressively to cause the car accident where she died. This helps Prentice put together a strong theory that Rory went to Fergus to say he knew what had happened and Fergus killed him, then got the journalist to send then matchbooks from all over the world to make it seem like Rory is still alive. He goes to see Fergus about this, not being completely direct but still ... and that night the house is broken into and he's attacked, the intruder getting away with nothing.

Later, Fergus crashes his Cessna into the Atlantic after presumably having a heart attack in it. Not very far from the crash site, the police soon after come across a motorcycle with a body tied to it that is determined to be Rory, killed with blows to the head. The Bentley Eight Fergus left to Prentice in his will (originally it was to go to Kenneth) has a paperweight in the glove box that exactly matches the description of the murder weapon. Around this time, he completely loses any faith he had in religion.

Now that loose ends are tied up and Prentice is making better life choices, he and Ashley get together, fuck, and admit that they love each other - but she is still leaving for a job in Canada, and she says she'll come back once he's done with university (he's repeating a year) if he still loves her. He also goes back to Urvill Castle, where his cousin reminds him of a time they were all drunk/high up in the observatory and he was going on and on about the wonders of the stars and how they were better than religion, which spurred her to become an astronomer. The younger members of the family go back up there in order to do a determinedly unreligious "christening" ceremony for Lewis and Verity's baby, Kenneth.

Along the way in all this, there are flashbacks to Kenneth's childhood, youth, and young parenthood; to Rory's POV; to Prentice as a teenager - all of these help to build their characterization, and also that of other characters, as well as to drop clues about what Fergus did and what Rory was doing.

What is the Crow Road?

The "crow road" refers to three separate things in the book.

"Away the crow road" is a euphemism of Grandma Margot's to mean "died".

It's a literal road in their town, where Janice lives.

It's the title of the work Rory was building around the whole Fergus-Lachlan-Fiona story before, I assume, he realized that Fergus killed Fiona.

Death and Religion

Death is ... pretty central to the book. It starts with Margot's death, we're made aware of Fiona's at the funeral, we find out that Prentice and Kenneth's estrangement stems from Ashley's brother Darren's death in a motorcycle accident, Kenneth dies, Fergus dies. Prentice also gets to live in the home of an old rich woman who died while her will's being sorted out (a la Jarndyce v. Jarndyce) after his father's death, when he's turning his life around.

That estrangement is generally over religion, but more specifically Prentice's belief in a soul and afterlife. He has to believe that there is something of Darren that will go on, and Kenneth thinks this is utter stupidity. Kenneth has a lot of lines regarding religion/Christianity that, if tweaked to accept the existence of God but rejection of the religion and philosophy around said god, sound quite Crowleyish - religion is used to justify evil, the concept of original sin is inherently unfair, etc. And by the end of the book, when he tosses the paperweight that killed his uncle into the sea, Prentice has come to agree completely with his father.

Hamish, Kenneth and Rory's older brother, has his own spin on Christianity that's charmingly batshit and heretical. He thinks bad people have exactly the things done to them in the afterlife that they did to hurt others, and that there are versions of everyone alive there for the dead to interact with. After Kenneth's death he's completely shaken and briefly goes back to ordinary Christian beliefs before spinning off again. He comes across as deluded the whole time. He also has a line about God being a "strict father" which prompts Prentice to consider God as a child-abuser.

Toward the end, there's a flashback with Rory, who says he briefly had the belief that by humming a particular low note he could affect tv screens, but then he realized that it was vibrating his own head and only affecting his perception of them. The point of the flashback was for him to suggest that Fergus may not have even seen Fiona cheating (he was drunk), just imagined it, but it's not hard to see a critique of religion in this as well.

Love and Sex

Ohhh, is there a lot of these in the book. It's quite horny! Prentice hooks up with Marion as a teenager in an old car in the garage, which they basically destroy by accident; he also fucks her mother, Janice (who then takes up with his roommate so he has to be aware of them fucking all the time); he's constantly burning with lust for Verity - but Ashley is the only one he seems to actually love. Lewis and Verity have sex at the Hogmanay party. Kenneth and Mary have sex in a boat before they get engaged. Rory sees Fergus trying to get Fiona into bed at a wedding before they get together, and of course there's Fiona and Lachlan. Not to speak of the talking/thinking about masturbation present in many of the adolescent flashbacks.

There's also a lot of familial love. Kenneth loves the children (all the children, really, not just his own; he writes stories and creates games for them), Mary loves them, Margot loves the family, Rory and Prentice love each other. The Watt siblings love each other, coming together to destroy the concrete litter bin that killed Darren. Lewis and Verity love each other, and by the end, Lewis and Prentice are loving siblings again as well (nobody cares about James), and they both love baby Kenneth.

War

It doesn't really come up in my summary, but war is a strong part of the setting. The "present" of the book runs through the Gulf War, which is of great importance to the characters - they worry about a draft, they criticize both Saddam Hussein and the US's capitalist motives, at one point they consider it possibly the beginning of World War III. Kenneth's childhood is also during World War II: in one flashback, Lachlan explains to Kenneth and Fergus that his father uses their bread to strain green dye out of petrol to sell on the black market (technically postwar, but still during rationing).

So, How Does This Relate To Good Omens?

Well, all of these things are very much present in the show!

The main characters and the backdrop of Armageddon are of course drawn from the Bible, and it's hardly an uncritical use of a religious source - Heaven is no better than Hell, God is absent, and Crowley and Aziraphale are right for standing together to create their own side; as noted previously, it feels very in line with Kenneth's thoughts on religion as an institution. Death and war certainly come into it, though mostly as something to be averted in season one and presumably in season three again, and love is ... well, love is the point. They love each other, they love Earth - they love the universe, Crowley created all those marvelous stars. The ending of the book specifically lines up with the ending of season two, in that the main characters who love each other are temporarily separated. And of course, the story structure that's chock-a-block with flashbacks is highly reminiscent of season two, with its historical minisodes cut in with the present-day scenes to highlight important character background and parallels.

I don't think anything from the plot of this book is meant to be a clue as to plot developments in season three, although I don't think it's entirely impossible for the way the mystery of Rory and Fiona's deaths is solved through finding an answer in Rory's writing to be a reference to Aziraphale's diaries. But there is so much going on in the book that it's hard to pick out what it could be - working through Rory's papers/files is actually quite a minor part.

If it is supposed to presage something (rather than to be an easter egg so people who know the book can go, "oh, that book really works with this show!"), I think it's more likely to hint that Muriel is going to learn to think for themself and reject Heaven's orthodoxy, or else to more generally refer to Aziraphale realizing that he can't fix it.

#the crow road #good omens #good omens s2 #my meta #good omens meta

57 notes · View notes

drstonetrivia · 5 months

Text

Ukyo Traitor Theory

(This was made based on chapter 214, entirely for fun, and shouldn't be taken seriously haha)

Anyone who enjoys mysteries or crime thrillers knows that in order to convince a jury that someone is guilty, you need to establish three things: the means, the motive, and the opportunity of the crime.

First, the means. What allowed Ukyo to commit the crime of activating the medusa? Here, his ears are a great asset: it gained him the knowledge of how to activate the medusa, and the ability to listen in on any conversations that the participants may have thought were private.

His other great ability is being trustworthy. In the Empire, Tsukasa instantly trusted him enough for him to become one of the big 3, even though Ukyo was against his killing. He later becomes one of the wise generals despite having more of a support role compared to the others.

There's no reason for Ukyo to have consistently been the one entrusted with the medusa. If they needed a fighter to protect it, why not choose Kohaku? If they just needed to keep it hidden, why not Gen, who already hides many things on his person?

This brings us to the second point— the opportunity. Ukyo's ears allow him a wider range than most to find out whether or not someone's approaching, and as the sole protector of the medusa in several cases, Ukyo has had many opportunities to either examine it or activate it.

For brevity's sake, lets assume the command was spoken after the 7.5 year timeskip. This means the earliest they acquired the medusa again was chapter 206. Ukyo seemed to be the first one on the scene, and in the chaos could have easily done something with the medusa.

The medusa isn't shown until chapter 209, where it's revealed that Ukyo and Yo had delivered the medusa by themselves. This gives Ukyo countless opportunities when Yo was asleep to meddle with the device. Oddly, Ukyo's also been in charge of locking the medusa up twice.

Now this does require Ukyo to have actually said the command to the device at some point. For long-scale commands like Chelsea said, he could have done it on the way from the US. On a shorter scale, we know he can open the safes since he was the one to lock them inside.

In the unlikely case there was always someone else around the medusa with him, he did have access to several key items (this is a bit of an extreme case, however…): a crystal radio earring similar to the one on Treasure Island, a radio transmitter, and a recording device.

As the radio operator on the ship and on land, Ukyo would not be out of place borrowing the radio equipment. He also would have had the ability to lower the range of the radio waves so fewer places would pick it up.

Why does he need radio equipment? To send a recording of his chosen command to himself at a specific time.

Where's he getting the recording equipment from? Given he was just in Corn City, he could have borrowed Minami's or Xeno's setup, since both of them have them.

The last thing he needs is a way of quietly delivering the recording to the medusa itself, and what better way than to use the easy-to-make crystal radio earring slipped into his little archer cuffs. As long as he holds the device, it'll be close enough to whisper the command.

The final requirement is motive. Why would Ukyo betray his friends and put them in danger? The truth here may be the opposite: he knows that the petrification beam won't hurt anyone, and the sudden uncertainty surrounding the device may force Senku to stay on Earth longer.

We also know that Chrome wants to avoid the "hard and fast" route so they can build a return rocket. Given how loud Chrome is, I doubt Ukyo missed all of his yelling. By causing a delay, Ukyo can give them the time they need to save their friends from doing something risky.

So to recap: Ukyo has the means, motive, and opportunity to activate the medusa, as well as being the only wise general to have fallen to the sidelines (they literally sent him away to Corn City!)

Obviously, he's the most suspicious! Why doubt it!?

The truth is, the way the story is being constructed right now is leading you to that conclusion, which could mean it's a red herring. This wouldn't have been the first time someone's acted suspiciously and it been nothing: Gen with Senku's birthday, and Ukyo's introduction.

If you didn't catch Ukyo's "menacing look" in the last chapter, this chapter makes it obvious. Ukyo is gone when the beam hits, and is only shown checking on the medusa. He doesn't join in on the discussion despite being there, and only comments when the device is brought up.

Those are also his only lines in the whole chapter, and he's still sticking close to the device while Kaseki works on it, hovering behind him. For the rest of the chapter, he's absent.

As a tangent, you may have noticed that Gen's presence was heavily felt this chapter, perhaps moreso than Senku's. This is because Gen tends to be the vessel for the readers' questions, and the reader has a lot of them right now. He's also one of the most empathetic characters.

Gen's role here is to get the reader on his side and suspecting a traitor. The panel of Gen posed at the doorway, immediately followed by him questioning Yo forces us to think of Gen's motives here. Gen first goes to Yo who, by most accounts, is much less trustworthy than Ukyo.

He then openly has a conversation with Senku, along one of the newest members of their posse: Chelsea. Who is also known for blurting things out.

His choice of people to trust by telling them his suspicion again forces us to consider other characters.

From how Gen acts, we can see that he likely suspects Ukyo, but at no point did he actually state it outright.

So what's the narrative effect being created here? Ukyo is being separated from the "main" group— the ones in focus in most of the panels & sharing their thoughts freely. With Gen remarking that someone could have done it at any time, our thoughts go to the first candidate: Ukyo.

Is Ukyo a suspect? Yes. Does the story want us to believe that? Yes. Is he the one who did it? We can't know.

(Personally I think it'd be funny if it was Gen, simply because he's the one suspecting people haha!)

#trivia #dr stone #chapters #214 #ukyo saionji

26 notes · View notes

serfergs · 3 months

Text

Jaehee: a good distraction -- until she wasn't

As I read the first part of LITBC, I found it interesting to analyze Jaehee and the narrator’s relationship and ask the question: what did they get out of their friendship and was it healthy? Without saying it explicitly, the first several pages describe the narrator as profoundly lonely before he met Jaehee. He tried socializing with other people in his major but found them intolerable (same). And it seemed he used nightly hook-ups in place of genuine friendship and intimacy.

“The only thing that mattered was I existed with someone, there in those dark streets of the city, and that was why I was wrestling tongues with a stranger” (p. 3).

Then Jaehee entered his life. Suddenly he had someone to connect with over more than just sex. She wasn’t judgmental about his life as a gay man. They both had a lot of casual sex. They both engaged in (excessive) drinking. They both had a similar flippant approach to university and their studies. Much like in Only Friends, they lived as if their actions had little consequences and laughed about it.

Through out the first part we also get little snippets of the narrator’s mental health, seemingly mentioned as a passing thought, almost callously: “[k3 and I] both had low self-esteem, regularly felt suicidal compulsions, were bullied as kids...”. I wonder did he ever talk about these things with Jaehee? How vulnerable were they with each other? Did he ever talk about his desires for a committed relationship? Did he even allow himself to acknowledge those desires and dreams? Or was it all too much so he needed Jaehee to be...Jaehee.

A great distraction – until she wasn’t. Because Jaehee, as much as she cared about and for the narrator, she did not understand him as a gay man. She tells her fiancée “So, oppa, he’s basically a girl. It’s just like I’m living with Jieun”. I think this line is telling because if she really saw the narrator as a gay man and considered all the struggles that come from that in society, she would have thought better than to out him. She lacked this understanding, this self awareness because although she didn't judge the narrator she also didn't really see his queerness. "An excess of self awareness is a disease in itself." Oof as a genderqueer 30 year old with generalized anxiety; I FELT THAT. And this is where the deep disappointment lay – it likely wasn't as easy to move on from and laugh off like the dicks at the clinic calling him slurs. Because this wasn't just some asshole in the street that didn't understand him. It was his best friend. Queer people need to be in community with other queer people because sometimes it isn't just enough to have people that don't judge you. You need to have people that understand you as a queer person.

I think this exhibits the emotional and intimate limits their friendship had. They could go out drinking, shoot the shit about guys, and care for each other in the small things; but the narrator needs a companion not for the sake of distraction, but for emotional support and healing. This isn’t to disparage Jaehee and the friendship they shared. It was important and necessary connection, but ultimately also became enabling and co-dependent. The narrator’s focus on Jaehee mirrors the last text K3 sent him

If obsession isn’t love, I have never loved.

I hope in part two, the narrator can find someone not to obsess over or distract from, but to deeply understand him in a way Jaehee couldn’t.

*note* I feel a little silly referring to the speaker as "the narrator", but I'm not sure he is named in the chapter? did I miss something or does he not have a name?

#litbc book club

16 notes · View notes

fieldofdaisiies · 10 months

Text

Ars Amatoria | ch. IV

Elucien AU word count: 2,8k words warnings: none

masterlist

The door to the art studio opens with a loud pang that probably can even be heard in the city center of Florence as it comes in contact with the wall.

“Can you believe it?” In strolls no other than Lucien Vanserra. And Jurian is furious, rising from his chair like a demon from hell. The bright green line straight through the face of his Artemis irreversible and he will punch Lucien in the gut for it. At least five times. Jurian tosses his brush away and steps around the big easel, fire blazing in his veins as he stalks towards Lucien, glowering like he is about to commit a murder — well, he might do so if Lucien’s reasons for bursting in here are not something majorly important.

“Can I believe what?” Jurian growls and throws his in paint covered hands up in despair, giving Lucien an incredulous look. His intense glare should be akin to hurling daggers at his best friend, hoping Lucien gets the memo. But the Vanserra man is oblivious to the damage his grand entrance has created. With his arms outstretched, Lucien gazes at his best friend, his eyes wide open, disbelief etched into every fiber of his expression.

“I have to wed!” he exclaims and now throws his hands into the air, frantically waving them around to make his point of utter disbelief and outrage clear. “Eris, the amazing brother and little asshole he is, is forcing me to marry.”

Jurian clicks his tongue, his former anger not yet gone, but at least this was an alright reason for Lucien bursting in here like a berserk, he has to give his best friend that. The artist exhales a loud breath. “Why do you have to marry?” he asks a little dumbfounded.

“Because of the issue with the Hybern bank…” Lucien is bathing in his pity and dramatically lets himself slump against the wall behind him. “I have to marry! Do you even know what that means?” “No more sleeping around?” Jurian cocks his brow, a small, lop-sided grin on his face.

“Amongst other things, yes. But that is not the most important part, never would be. I am losing my freedom, Jurian. You understand that?”

“Just because you have a wife it doesn’t mean you will no longer be free…” Jurian huffs and shakes head at his best friend. He can only partly understand why Lucien is boiling with indignation.

“I know,” Lucien grumbles, both of them still standing at the door. Lucien throws his head back and exhales loudly, then shakes his head and folds his hands behind his back. “I don’t want to destroy her life either. She was probably forced into this just like me. And she probably hasn't had much freedom in her life so far. I can’t do that to her.” “It is not your fault, Lucien. And you are not doing anything to her.”

“I do, by not giving her what she deserves. By not being a good husband. By being a husband who has slept with half of Florence. I am not a good man, Jurian, and you know this.”

“So this is what really bothers you?” Jurian summarises, his voice tinged with empathy. “That you won’t be a good husband to her?”

“The whole thing bothers me. I don’t want to get married for the sake of rescuing our family bank and I don't want to ruin her life either.” Lucien groans loudly as he places his head against the wall and closes his eyes, sadness passing over his face.

“I feel like I am getting used just so Eris can keep the bank alive.” Jurian nods a little, not really sure of what to say. Of course, this is Eris’ main reason for doing it, but Jurian also knows that Eris just wants his brother to live his life right. Jurian is also a friend to the older Vanserra brother and they have often talked about this — Lucien not being the same after having lost Jesminda to Tubercolisis. And even more, after their father died and all the weight of the bank and the family was on Eris and Lucien’s shoulders. It is a lot for Lucien to handle and Eris is worried he might stray from the right path in life.

“I am sure Eris has his reasons for it,” Jurian contemplates. Lucien peeks one eye open and gives his best friend a one-eyed dead pan. Then he throws up his hands and says, “Yes, power and fortune.” With that he pushes off the wall and strolls past Jurian into the middle of the art studio. “Now, let me see what you are up to. Any nice new paintings that could distract me?”

Jurian chuckles and follows his friend. “Don’t get your hopes up too high. I haven’t painted half-naked women in a long time.”

Lucien throws him a glare over his shoulder and then shrugs his shoulders, chuckling a little bit. “I am nearly a married man now, I should anyways not look at random naked woman.” With that he turns and disappears behind a huge easel. His footsteps hollow in the open room as Lucien walks through the huge and dim art studio. The windows are on the other side of the room where Jurian draws and paints, on the side where the magnificent paintings are stored there is not that much light. Lucien walks up to a painting of the Cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria del Fiore, his index finger absently brushing over a table with sketches and painting utensils scattered across it. He picks up a single brush and starts to fidget with it, spinning it between his fingers as he looks into a shelve with objects for still life paintings. It is not really exciting, but Lucien accepts every sort of distraction he can get at the moment. He does want to think about the marriage, or what it will mean to be married. He does not want to think about how he can be a good husband. He just…does not want to think at all. Lucien lets his gaze, that has now adapted to the dim light, wander over the paintings leaning against the wall until one painting of a very exposed man that is placed on an easel catches his eye.

“You paint Ardinghelli?” Lucien raises a brow in irritation. Jurian looks past the shelf filled with paints, right at the picture Lucien is currently staring at.

“Well, have you seen you this man?” Jurian exclaims loudly and flings one arm into the air, gesturing around. “He is a masterpiece. Stunning, cruel beauty, this man. He is the best Ares. I mean, have you seen him?”

I have, unfortunately, Lucien thinks as memories of his brother’s half-naked lover, slipping out of their family home at four in the morning fill his brain. But he only shakes his head a little in answer, chuckling amusedly. He knows that he can never, ever talk about his brother’s secret lover out loud. He would never do this to his brother. But apparently Azriel Ardinghelli did not only manage to wrap his brother around his finger, but also his best friend…how amazing.

Lucien looks away then, slides his hands into the pockets of his pants and lets his gaze stray. There is a large painting and Lucien can once again make out Azriel’s features. How often does it want to paint him?

“Why don’t you ever paint me?” the man with the fiery red hair teases, and glances over his shoulder at Jurian who sits down on his stool and only rolls his eyes at his best friend. “I already painted you,” Jurian retorts, not paying the silly request of his best friend any more attention.

“Never in such a position, or with so little clothing on!” Lucien raises his brows, flashing his best friend a reprimanding look. “And now I am questioning you what the reason for it is? Huh?”

“Because you are my best friend and that would make things weird between us.”

Lucien shrugs then, having to give his best friend that. He furrows his brows, strolling towards the the large and unfinished painting of Azriel to catch a look at the smaller canvas in front of it.

“And I also only need Mars for my painting. They are the best selling couple at the moment. And well, you are not Mars.”

Lucien chuckles a little, absently, as something has caught his eye. Bending at the waist, he lowers himself, his eyes catching sight of beauty he has never seen before.

“And where…” Lucien is distracted, his focus solely on the woman’s doe eyes, her lush lips, the lovely rosy cheeks. His breath catches in his throat. “Where is your Venus then, Messer Botticelli?” Lucien breathes and crouches down. He is still looking at the picture, his lips parting a little as he reaches his hands forward.

“Well…” Jurian mumbles and Lucien can hear how he gets up from the chair, but he does not deign him a look, too focused on the breathtaking painting in front of him. He brushes his fingers over the canvas and feels how something in his chest sparkles a little.

"Stunning." Lucien trails his index finger over the painting once again. "Who is that?" Jurian places his brush in a holder, wipes the back of his hand over his cheek and steps in line with Lucien. He grins, his eyes sparkling almost mischievously. “Well…that is your future wife, my friend.” Jurian pats his friend’s shoulder, looking at him with a bright smile on his face. “Your future wife and my Venus to my Mars.”

Lucien’s mouth gapes, his going so wide, his eyeballs nearly fall out of their sockest. This…he has truly not expected. And moreover, what should he do with this information now? Yes, she is beautiful, breathtaking, but her beauty will change absolutely nothing about the fact that this marriage is arranged, is forced, and Lucien would rather dive into the Arno river in the middle of winter than marrying her. He does not want to marry and her beauty changes absolutely nothing about it. It only makes things more complicated. But not everything is about beauty, beauty is not what matters most. Lucien’s back goes rigid as he straightens up and gets up. He turns to look into Jurian’s eyes. “Why are you panting my future wife half-naked?” He raises a brow.

Jurian only laughs and shakes his head a little. “Are you already getting territorial over her? I thought you didn’t want to marry her? And she wears more than every other women I have painted before, that is not even close to half-naked, my friend.”

“I don’t get territorial!” Lucien fires back, his jaw clenched and his forehead lying in furrows. “And I don’t want to marry her. I don't want to marry anyone. It is not specifically about her.” “I think you should give her a chance. She is a wonderful female. I met her on my last visit to Venice and asked to be allowed to paint her. She agreed, but was terribly shy and reserved at first, thinking she is not beautiful enough.” Jurian smiles at the memory and even though Lucien tells himself that he shouldn’t care he still finds himself asking, “It was just painting right? You only painted her?”

Sincerity is etched into the artist’s features as he bows his head. “Of course. I don’t take advantage of my artist’s role. I just painted her.”

Lucien desperately wants to say good, but he also does not want Jurian to think that he actually cares…because he does not. Of course not! He does not want to marry Elain, he does not want to be bound to her forever, he does not— “Give her a chance, Lucien.” Jurian's voice is tinged with kindness and sympathy as she gives him a long look and reaches out his hand, squeezing his shoulder. The Vanserra brother shrugs and almost sighs dramatically. “Do I have another choice?”

“With giving her a chance, I mean that you treat her nicely, that you don’t act like a big dick.”

Almost shocked, Lucien folds a hand over is chest. He shakes his head and then has to laugh. “When did I ever behave like a big dick?” Jurian does not feel like laughing, he wants Lucien to see the sincerity of this situation. Jurian has met Elain and he knows that she deserves a good man at her side. Lucien could be that man, he knows this, but he has to finally become more responsible and the man he was born to be. He has to let the past be the past and look at the future. He has to give Elain a chance, to let her in and open his heart to her so he can find the happiness that he deserves just as much as Elain does.

“On a few occasions, but I won't name them all. I am just telling you, to not mess it up with her.”

Lucien nods. He won’t, or at least he will try his best to not make her life any worse with him being in it. She does not deserve this marriage, just as much as he does not. The best thing he can do is to make it acceptable for her. He knows he will never be a good husband to her, or at least not how she probably expects a husband to be. Lucien was not born to be a husband, he was born to be free and adventurous and not bound to one place or one woman. But at least he can try to make it feel somehow alright for her.

The artist feels like there is need for a change in subject, that Lucien would maybe like a little distraction and talk about something else.

“So how bad is the situation with the bank really?” Jurian asks with sympathy lacing his voice. Not the best subject for a change, as it is also rather gloomy, but at least it is something else. He knows that the whole issue with the two rival banks does not only weigh heavy on Eris but also on Lucien's shoulders. Lucien cares a lot about the bank and about his family, even though he won’t admit that out loud. And it is true. Many nights Lucien has stayed awake until the early morning hours, pondering how he could help his brother, what he could do for the bank. But being a second-born son is never easy. You are always second, always the second choice and although he knows his brother loves him, that he cares about him, whenever Lucien made a suggestion Eris would always first of all ask one of his advisors if they think it is a good idea, if they would go that way, and so and so on. He never just said yes to one of Lucien’s ideas and the youngest Vanserra brother started to grow tired of that, and somehow developed this outward indifference for the bank. This indifference that is not true and that is actually not him.

“Bad, I think,” Lucien answers. “We think they are evading taxes, but we have no proof.” Jurian groans and shakes his head. “That’s awful,” he says and slumps back down onto his stool. “So for now there is nothing you can do?”

Lucien brushes his hand over his head, frees his hair of the leather strap that held them in place, ruffles through his hair and ties the leather strap around his hair again. “No, there is nothing we can do, other than keeping our eyes open and making sure Eris becomes Gonfaloniere of Florence.”

Surprise fills Jurian’s face, not the sort of surprise that he has not expected this decision, but rather the one that fills him with happiness. It is a great idea and Eris would be perfect for that role. “So, he is truly running for this position. That’s wonderful!”

Lucien inclines his head, his lips pressed in a thin line. “Very wonderful,” he mumbles and then glances towards the window above Jurian’s head. “I also need to leave again, Signoria meeting is about to start and I will never hear the end of it if I am late again.”

Jurian chuckles a little and tells his friend good bye and most importantly, good luck for the following days and the meeting of the Signoria. Lucien thanks him for it and adds, “And thank you for letting me vent. It was really good to get it all of my chest.”

Jurian smiles as he holds the door open for Lucien. “Nothing to thank me for. I am always here. Whenever you need me.”

~~~~~~~~~~ taglist AA: @octobers-veryown @velidewrites @areyoudreaminof @acourtofthought @liftyourhipsformelovex @hallway5 @stickyelectrons @honeysuckle-daydreams13 @bibliophiliaxvignette @thelovelymadone @sunshinebingo @arabellatheauthor @autumndreaming7 @nestas-workwife @rarephloxes @tuzna-pesma-snovageneral el. taglist: @rippahwrites @shadowhunter2003 @my-inner-crisis @ladyelain @acourtofthought @itwasalwaysaboutthetea @multifictional @moonlightazriel @aayo-whatt @brekkershadowsinger @sunshinebingo @gracie-rosee

for @elucienweekofficial 💛

#elucien #elain x lucien #elucienweek2023

43 notes · View notes

officialyourdailyinspiration · 22 days

Text

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. 2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. 3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. 4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. 5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.

6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord. 7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. 8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. 11 Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors and an object of dread to my closest friends— those who see me on the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. 13 For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me and plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. 16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. 17 Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead. 18 Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

19 How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. 20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues.

21 Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. 22 In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.

23 Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. 24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. — Psalm 31 | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide. Cross References: Genesis 40:23; Numbers 6:25; Deuteronomy 32:30; 1 Samuel 2:9; 1 Samuel 23:7; 2 Samuel 4:9; 2 Samuel 22:2; 2 Samuel 22:33; 2 Kings 19:16; Job 5:21; Job 14:5; Job 19:13; Job 36:21; Psalm 5:8; Psalm 6:2; Psalm 6:7; Psalm 18:6; Psalm 86:2; Matthew 27:1; Luke 23:46; Romans 2:4; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Jude 1:15; Revelation 2:10

#God #trust #deliverance #refuge #salvation #Psalm 31 #Book of Psalms #Old Testament #NIV #New International Version Bible #Biblica Inc.

7 notes · View notes

ereardon · 10 months

Text

Jake Seresin masterlist

*All of my fics are 18+. Please do not repost my work without consent or steal my work. Reblogs and comments give me life so please do interact if you'd like!

✤: Fluff

❂: Angst

❀: Smut

Full-length series:

❀❂✤ Slow Burn — Jake x OC [Kate] – Complete

After a one night stand with Hangman disrupts the fresh start you were looking for when moving to San Diego, the unexpected pregnancy forces you and Jake learn how to live with each other and tolerate one another. As the months go by, you slowly get to know the real Jake beneath the facade he puts on, but when old flames and work obstacles threaten to topple everything, your new relationship is put to the test.

❀❂✤ As It Was — Jake x OC [Abby] – Complete

When Jake Seresin calls to tell you he’s accepted a permanent position at Top Gun, you’re elated to finally be living in the same city as your best friend. But everything changes when Jake tells you his news — he has a new girlfriend, and he’s serious about her. And while you want to like her, for Jake’s sake, something about her feels wrong. Jake's arrival in San Diego also puts you in the direct path of Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, who has set his sights on you despite being Jake’s sworn enemy. Every move Rooster makes, Jake intercepts. What game are these two playing, and why is Jake more concerned about you moving on with Rooster than he is about his own relationship?

❀❂✤ My Girl — Jake x OC [Natalie West] – Complete

Jake Seresin could be the answer to all of your dating woes. He’s the full package: steady job, mature, dependable, attractive to a fault. The polar opposite of every guy your age and he’s everything you’ve ever wanted in a partner. But there’s one roadblock: he’s a single father to four-year-old Ellie. Jake is looking for a level of commitment you’re not quite sure you’re ready to give, and he’s not willing to bring someone into his daughter’s life who isn’t there for the long haul. And even if you are stepmom material, is Jake ready to let someone back in his life while still mourning the recent loss of his late wife?

❀❂✤ The Backup — Jake x Reader — Ongoing

Dating is hard, especially in a city like San Francisco. That's why most of your dates end up with you in Jake Seresin's bed. He's the fallback guy. But keeping your friends with benefits situation with Jake is becoming harder to hide from your tightly knit friend group. And what happens when you start seeing a guy that you actually like, and the midnight booty calls go away?

❀❂✤Before I Knew — Jake x Reader — Ongoing

On your first night after moving to San Diego to spend more time with your brother Bob, you unknowingly have a one night stand with his teammate Jake Seresin. For the first time in his whole life, Bob has a closely knit friend group and you’re desperate not to rock the boat. But an unexpected and unplanned pregnancy upends your world, forcing you and Jake closer together, against Bob’s wishes. What will happen when you find yourself actually falling for the father of your unborn child?

Miniseries:

❂✤ You Again — Jake x Reader – Complete

It’s been five years since you last saw your childhood best friend and first love Jake Seresin. But fate, or coincidence, has you back in Jake’s life and he’s desperate not to lose you again.

❀❂✤ Snowed In — Jake x OC [Ella Finnley] – Complete

When a massive storm shutters every airport in New York, you receive an unexpected call. Jake Seresin, the ex-boyfriend of your college roommate, is stranded at JFK with nowhere to go. Somehow you find yourself hosting Jake for a long weekend in your studio apartment. What happens when you realize that maybe your long-standing hatred for him was covering up something else?

One shots:

❂ He'd Let Her Go — Jake x Reader – Complete

Jake meets the love of his life in college, but after years together he realizes the best thing he can do if he really loves her is to let her go.

❀ One Night in Tokyo — Jake x Reader – Complete

Calling off your wedding three days before wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was going to Tokyo alone on what was supposed to be your honeymoon. That’s how you ended up at the bar of The Shangri-La, drinking martinis. That’s how Jake Seresin found you.

#My Girl #jake hangman imagine #jake hangman x you #jake hangman fic #jake hangman x reader #jake seresin #jake seresin imagine #jake seresin fluff #jake seresin x oc #jake seresin smut #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin au #jake sersin angst #hangman fanfiction #hangman top gun

198 notes · View notes

sir-phineas-lost · 9 months

Text

TDP Book 5: Water

So this apparently dropped almost a week earlier than what was announced and I binged all of it at once as usual. Since I only just finished it I can’t quite tell if I like it better or worse than previous seasons (for summary: I loved the first 2 because it looked like they were heading somewhere really interesting, I hated season 3 because it completely dropped the ball and season 4 was starting to head back in the right direction). I feel like I should write a few things down to sort them out. Lots of spoilers below.

I think it was the right decision to split the party up more than they were last season because it no longer feels like Ezran is just hanging around for the sake of it and gives Rayla and Callum more time to interact and rebuild their relationship. I still don’t care one iota about said relationship because they are boring MC-shipping, but at least it doesn’t feel like it is actively eating up others’ screen-time.

The detour to Lux Aurea feel superfluous. It is very disconnected from the other subplot involving Karim and Kim’dael and the one lasting consequence (Zubeia’s wound) is apparently healed by the end of the season with absolutely no input from the main cast. Obviously this is setup for next season and this mysterious mushroom-mage but I can’t help but feel that there had to be a more convenient way to get there.

As usual, Claudia remains the very best part of the show and I will not hear a bad word about her. Her worry for Viren is so absolutely palpable it hurts and for once I think they dodged all the pitfalls of framing it as a sin. Having Terry around proves to be the best change to the show as a whole since the timeskip and he keeps being a positive influence on Claudia without being judgemental about it.

This also makes it pretty jarring when we get to Claudia’s final confrontation with the gang and after a full season of humanizing her and proving that she will listen to reason instead of going for the kill, she goes into full villain-mode from the start with crazy ranting and “I will destroy you all” speeches. All so that the gang can feel uncomplicated in dealing out the most graphic violence in the show so far. I used to joke that I would be ok with Claudia reducing elven cities to ash, I now think I would be fine with her ripping out Ezran’s spine while making Callum watch. As a treat.

Side-note: I am very ok with the trend of Claudia transforming into monster-ladies for big fights.

Please keep that up.

Viren also continues his positive development from last season, but unfortunately it is the exact kind of “redemption” I didn’t want for him and Claudia. The kind where it is all about him agreeing with everyone else that everything he ever does sucks and that dark magic is unambiguously evil. Sorry to people who like this development but I don’t see a lot of moral complexity in doing a 180.

Callum actually has a pretty interesting arc this season. After being convinced last season that it was his curiosity that would make him susceptible to Aaravos’ influence it instead draws direct parallells between him and Claudia by having love for his friends and especially Rayla be the reason he breaks his own moral code. It still relies heavily on the show’s nonsensical policy on dark magic for his guilt to make sense but it is something.

Unfortunately the show seems committed to its policy of character-centric morality. Ezran can make a speech to Callum about how they should focus on containing Aaravos instead of killing him because violence should be a last resort, and yet make no attempt at anything but violence when stopping Claudia.

Overall I just find it ironic how a book called “Ocean” manages to drive home how shallow this whole show is. It paints its main thesis on its forehead but has absolutely nothing of interest to say about it. “It is bad to do bad things for good reasons”. No shit Sherlock. Come back when you actually have something to say about what makes something bad in the first place or how to deal with the things that made someone think the bad thing was necessary.

#the dragon prince #tdp #tdp meta #meta #tdp critical #book 5: water #book 5 spoilers #tdp spoilers

25 notes · View notes

alpaca-clouds · 4 months

Text

This one amazing anime you have probably never heard about

You know what? After talking a bit with a friend about this anime, I really gotta tell you guys about it.

For fucks sake: Watch Basquash. Yes, the show is more than a decade old, but fucking nobody watched it back when it was released, because people were too put off by the concept of the show to give it a chance. But literally I know few anime who understood the issues around capitalism and how it destroys the world better than this one did.

If you have heard about the show, you will probably know it as "the anime where mechas play basketball and some women have giant tits". Which... Both is true. But it also does not capture the essence of this show at all.

Let me tell you what the show is actually about.

Dan JD lives on the planet Earth Dash. He mostly does small time crime, trying to collect the money to allow his sister to travel to the moon. Because the rich people all live on the moon, which is why the moon has much better technology. This also includes medicine. And Dan's sister, Coco, was once a gifted basketball player, but through an accident became wheelchair bound. The technology on the moon could fix her legs. When Dan's childhood friend Miyuki returns from the moon with one of the mechas responsible for Coco's accident, Dan uses it for quite a bit of chaos - and incidentally starts Bigfoot Street Basketball through it, later known as Basquash.

And yes, you can kinda see the basics of the capitalist criticism in this short description. But believe me, that only scratches the surface. Because oh boy, this anime is basically just one big metaphor on how capitalism destroys the world - and how the lack of social mobility might well be the reason that the people who might have the skill to save us never get access to the kind of techology they would need for it.

I am going to explain under the cut - because of spoilers. I think the show is very much enjoyable even with the ending spoiled, but if you just wanna watch it... Go ahead. Please. Do yourself the favor and watch it!

Okay, let me talk a bit more about what actually is going on in this show.

For the destruction he commits in the first episode, Dan gets send to prison, though he gets out two years later. He kinda get into steering one of the mechas (called "big foots" in this world) himself and quickly starts to figure out how to use the thing to actual play basketball. And indeed, his stuff in the first episode lead a lot of people to play "street basketball" with those mechas.

Even though he had been in prison, someone shows up to want to sponsor Dan with this new sport. In fact, quite a lot of people become interested in how Dan plays the sport. And for the first bit we just have them play the sport, travel a bit, see different parts of the world.

Now, there is ton of capitalist commentary going on during this first half of the show, too. But nothing compared to the second half.

Because around the halfway mark we learn, why people are so interested in Bigfoot Street Basketball, aka Basquash. And this reason is that for a while now the moon has been put out of orbit, because the rich people build their city all on this one location, making the moon much heavier on one side. And this will lead to the moon crashing into earth, killing everyone.

Now, of course rich people could have changed the way they behaved or stuff - but they didn't. Instead they banked on a prophecy about a chosen one with the ability to move orbits with a glowing ball. And because the basketballs that Dan throws start to glow, everyone assumes he is the chosen one and can save them. So, basically they can keep on going like they do and he is just going to save them.

But there is two issues. For one, they cannot be sure about it. For two, he is a little anarchist.

Which is why the backup plan is to genetically engineer a chosen one.

Never the less, in the end they have Dan there, trying to do the thing that would push the moon back into orbit and... he fails. Because it turns out, yeah, he wasn't the chosen.

We never learn, who is the actual chosen, but the series strongly implies that it would have been Coco. Who gave up basketball when she became wheelchair bound.

Now mind you, the show is actually fairly good about this. Because Coco herself is happy with where she is in life. She has become a writer, she likes writing, and she is frankly annoyed that Dan only cares about "fixing" her disability.

But yeah, she might have been the one to save the world - and she was not in the position to do that, because her economic circumstances basically made it that she could not access the kind of care she would have needed to fulfill that role.

And this is just... the amount of metaphor going on that I really cannot help but bow to. This is AMAZING writing.

Of course, in the end the world is still saved, because everybody realizes that waiting for the one legendary chosen hero is bullshit anyway and everybody should work together to find a solution, which they do and manage to save everyone.

But... Yeah, fuck. This show is so good. And it is just very unfair that because of the concept people just never watched it.

Oh, and also: This series has one of the most banger soundtracks ever. Just listen to the fucking ending.

youtube

#basquash #anime #anime and manga #mecha #scifi #science fiction #anti capitalism #anarchism #solarpunk #Youtube

13 notes · View notes

daresplaining · 1 year

Text

Butch: "Wait...you're telling me it was actually Matt?" Matt: "Yeah...it was Matt. He came back from rehab, went to his apartment... I don't know what the #$@% Fisk was thinking, but I know they've got history and... Ah, Butch. He killed my brother." Butch: "I'm sorry, Mike. I really am. But I'm so #$@% glad it wasn't you. I thought...I thought I sent you away, right into my Dad's hands." Matt (caption): "[...]I've done this before. Back in the day." Butch: "[...]I'm sorry, Mike. I really am. All I can do now is be better than I have been. I know you weren't...happy about some of my decisions lately, but I want you to know..." Matt (caption): "The trick was always in the eyes. Not just making sure they faced the right direction...but that no matter what, he had kindness in them..." Butch: "...I'm going to be better. No more killing. I don't want to be him. I want to run this city with fairness, with compassion." Matt (caption): "...and I don't." Matt: "You better." Butch: "I...what? Look, you're my partner here, and I know you're grieving, but maybe take it down a--" Matt: "Let me make it clear for you. If you hurt people, if you commit violence and terrorize others...I'll come stop you." Daredevil vol. 7 #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson, and Clayton Cowles

This post has been in my drafts folder for almost a full year, for no reason other than the fact that I kept feeling like I had more to say about it. But I always have more to say about Mike scenes. Return with me to this bombshell of a conversation from Daredevil volume 7 #1 (twinkly flashback SFX)...

Kind eyes? I always thought the trick to an effective Mike Murdock disguise was in the feathered cap and the goofy sunglasses, but what do I know?

Anyway, jokes aside, let's talk about this doozy of a scene from the new #1, which kicked off the second volume of Zdarsky and Checchetto's Daredevil run. To start, I am delighted by the return of colorist Matthew Wilson, whose stunning work previously graced the back half of Daredevil volume 4.

Daredevil vol. 4 #14 by Mark Waid, Chris Samnee, Matthew Wilson, and Joe Caramagna

I've really missed that bright red hair.

This scene directly follows up on the events of Devil's Reign, and the brutal (but maybe not permanent!) death of Matt's dear Real Boy twin brother at the hands of the Kingpin. Specifically, it follows up on what we have seen as the progression of Matt's response to Mike's death: attempting to take advantage of the situation for his own gain in ghoulish and disturbing ways. We have seen Matt bury his brother under his own name-- in a way, capping the Soule/Noto "Double Vision" arc by erasing Mike in the only way still possible (possibly not Matt or Zdarsky's intention, but the parallel is undeniable). And now we see Matt using Mike's identity as a tool and a weapon, trying to gather information on Fisk's whereabouts, and toying with Butch's grief for the sake of adding weight to his crimefighting. We are getting a close look at what it actually means to give Matt Murdock an identical twin, and wow, it is not pretty.

That said, I do not believe that this new horrible co-opting of Mike's identity undermines any of the previous indications that Matt is, in fact, grieving-- despite how callous this seems on the surface. We will always have Devil's Reign #6's brutal display of Matt's pain before he started putting his emotional shields up, and in this issue he has a wonderful scene with his superhero BFF Peter Parker in which, among other things, he opens up a teeny-tiny crack in those shields regarding Mike.

Peter: "Oh god...Mike. Your brother." Matt: "Yeah. I'm okay-- it's just been...it's been hard."

(I love that Peter knows about Mike, since he was largely responsible for Matt creating him in the first place. And of course, I also love that Matt has finally restored his friend's memories-- though that's a topic for another post.) But let's take a look at what we have here, which is, plainly and simply, the weaponizing of the Mike Murdock identity. Which is amazing. Matt mentions here that he has impersonated Mike before, "back in the day". We learned in the 2020 Annual that in the new MCU (Mike Continuity Universe), Matt pretended to be his brother as a kid, back before his accident, to get Mike out of summer school. However, that is almost certainly not what he's referring to here. I'm pretty sure he's referring to this:

Daredevil vol. 1 #25 by Stan Lee, Gene Colan, Frank Giacoia, and Artie Simek

We're coming full-circle! Zdarsky has said before that in this version of reality, Matt did still pretend to be Mike in the original Mike Murdock Saga, rather than it being Mike himself, but this is the first actual on-panel reference to that being the case. We don't get context, we don't get the full story, but even just that little reference to the events of "back in the day" warmed my little Mike nerd heart. And having seen Mike pretend to be Matt in this run, we are now finally, finally! getting to see Matt pretend to be Mike, bringing this whole grand Real Boy Mike experiment-- again-- full circle.

I joked about the "kind eyes" comment at the beginning of the post, but I do want to talk about it because it's a striking thing for Matt to say. I had a great conversation with @thosemintcookies about this a while back, regarding how that comment might be interpreted. After all, while there are many colorful adjectives that can be used to describe Mike Murdock, "kind" is not one that jumps immediately to mind. Not that Mike isn't a decent person, but he has never been shown to be any kind of bastion of goodness, even in the 60s. He's a rascal. And kindness in his eyes? What does that look like? How long has it been since Matt has even seen his brother's eyes? It's an odd thought for him to have, and it reeks of projection. On the surface, he is saying "To pretend to be Mike, I need to seem like a nice person", but what it really may mean is "To pretend to not be me, I have to pretend to be a nice person". Again, we return to that hidden grief, and attached feelings of (normal, secular!) guilt. Matt feels like a scumbag, and in this instance, he's got a pretty good reason. He did not directly get his brother killed, but his brother is still dead because of him, killed by proximity just like so many other people in his life, and now he is doing horrible things to Mike's memory. If he's feeling like a sucky human being at the moment...then yeah, he's not entirely wrong there.

But! Note the past tense: "The trick was always in the eyes". This feeling that his brother is a better person than him is not new. We have painfully few details about Matt and Mike's new past together, so this is worth examining. Is Matt, in his grief, now projecting a morality onto Mike that wasn't actually there? Or has Matt always looked up to his brother in this way? Does he see himself as capable of dark things that Mike, for all of his rascallitude, would never do? It's a fascinating shift in a dynamic that we have previously seen only from Mike's perspective, which showed us the smart, obedient, selfless brother and the disappointment of a twin who could never measure up. Here, we may have Matt's side of things: the flawed but ultimately decent brother and his violent, deceptive, disobedient, callous, chaos gremlin twin. The idea that they both may have seen each other as the better person is absolutely fascinating, and is, of course, informed by the layers of secrets they were keeping from each other.

And of course, there is another facet to this-- Mike's origins. As Mike was once a wish fulfillment source for Matt at a time when he felt he had to hold his personality in check, now we are seeing him as a different flavor of wish fulfillment-- a vision of a better, kinder version of Matt when he is feeling at his most scummy and unkind. The body is barely cold and Matt is already martyring his brother.

Moving on to the rest of the scene, Matt is being horrendously cruel to Butch here in using his dead best friend to get close enough to threaten him...though he doesn't have any reason not to be. It's very likely that he blames Butch for Mike's death-- if not in the immediate sense, then in the fact that Butch's friendship led Mike into a life of crime. Plus, Butch is the new Kingpin and has been going around killing people, so there's also that. When Matt is in pain, he doesn't need much of an excuse to do nasty things to people he dislikes. He could have just shown up here as Daredevil with Spider-Man in tow and delivered his threat, but instead, he adds some psychological warfare-- dangling the hope of Mike still being alive in front of Butch and then ripping that hope away.

Not only that, but it is, for lack of a better term, ballsy as hell. He just strolls in here without a mask on, confident in his ability to fake being Mike well enough to convince Butch, and then he goes "Psych! I'm not Mike after all. I'm just Daredevil in a...really, really good wig and make-up?" Has Matt just revealed his secret identity here? Is Butch going to connect the dots: Matt Murdock vanishing into thin air despite supposedly being "in rehab", Daredevil not only managing to look exactly like Mike but also to play him with a degree of accuracy that suggests he knew him well...? Sure, this might spook him into being a well-behaved little Kingpin, but isn't it also going to make him extra angry and determined to avenge his best friend's death? (I hope so.) Maybe Matt no longer cares. He is leaving the city, and he mentions in this issue that he feels like he isn't going to return this time. (Obviously he will, but that's not the point.) Maybe it doesn't matter anymore if one NYC bad guy knows his secret identity. Maybe he is taking advantage of that, even, to go in here and have the unique pleasure of doing this face-to-face-- in a way, using Mike once more as Daredevil unmasked.

#Long post #Daredevil vol. 7 #Daredevil #Matt Murdock #Butch Pharris #Mike Murdock #Mike Murdockalypse #Commentary #ID in alt text

63 notes · View notes