#i had fun reading it but i also felt vaguely lost | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

savebatsartedition · 2 months

Text

Happy Birthday Hiccup Horrendous Hadock the Third!

I've never really had a chance to celebrate this little guy's birthday, so I went ALL out! (Are you kidding me? 10 year anniversary year of How to Train Your Dragon 2, year of the dragon, AND a leap year?? There was no way I was missing it.)

So, as a little gift I made two things for him! :D

How to Throw a Birthday Party - A short oneshot set after the ending of the final book in the series. (Under the cut or in the link right there. 2,088 words.)

PISTA TOMA - Httyd books meme - I've been wanting to make one of these memes for a while, and I have had no luck in figuring out characters to make it with, so if the above fluff fic didn't suite you, enjoy a little bit of vague angst. ...in animation meme form. (Youtube video below, but if you want to see the scratch version, possibly to remix, the link to that will be in the description.)

youtube

Notes: If there are any canon inconsistencies, it’s because I haven’t read one of these books in a little under a year lol.

I did try to write it like it was really a How To Train Your Dragon book though. :3 It’s really fun to try to do haha.

Hiccup yawned and stretched in his bed, feeling the Woodensfang and Toothless' warm wings flicker against his side as the little green dragon grumbled something half asleep about the mean master waking him up. Light gently glowed from the doorway into the main room in the hut, and for a moment Hiccup felt quite like going right back to sleep.

He rolled back into his pillow, planting his face right down in the soft fabric and feathers and hissing out another yawn in a failed effort to suppress it. At his side Toothless also hissed, and as Hiccup did his best to get back to sleep (in his tiredness, he was entirely unaware of how much his movements were disturbing Toothless), the little dragon’s bright green eyes snapped open to stare angrily at the back of Hiccup's head.

“ Mean Hiccup! ” Toothless all but yelled, causing Hiccup to jump up in alarm as if he had been shot, “ T-t-Toothless was JUST getting to bed! ”

Hiccup nearly fell backwards out of the bed as Toothless headbutted him in the shoulder, his little gossamer wings flickering in the dark morning air as wisps of smoke rose from his toothless mouth.

Holding his shoulder, Hiccup regained his balance and began to apologize to Toothless. It seemed that even after achieving relative peace after the Dragon Rebelion, there wasn't much he could do about Toothless' attitude.

Hiccup chuckled and swung his feet over the edge of the bed, fumbling for his helmet (just a regular old Hooligan helmet, that pretentious bloodstained crown would never again touch his fiery hair if he could do anything to help it) before placing the familiar weight on his head.

As Hiccup adjusted the helmet in the reflections on a shield that had apparently been put in his room with him, Toothless flapped up onto his shoulder, seeming to have forgotten all about being tired as the distant scent of breakfast reached his little warty nose.

“ W-w-ill Toothless get some of that fish downstairs? ” Toothless asked, starting directly into Hiccup's eyes even as Hiccup focused on his reflection, “ T-toothless KNOWS there's food downstairs ,” he placed a claw over his heart, “ Toothless can s-s- SMELL it, ”

Hiccup laughed and finished readjusting his helmet. (It was surprisingly difficult to get it to intentionally miss covering his dragon mark.) “ Yes Toothless, ” he said in dragonese, which was the language dragons and hopefully humans spoke to each other in, “ I'm sure you can have the fish, ”

Toothless whooped in joy and jumped into the air, turning a little summersault before landing on Hiccup's helmet. (Which very quickly titled out of the position the boy king had so carefully put it in.) Hiccup sighed and reached up to pet the small dragon. Things had gone back to normal so easily, it was almost as if they had never even changed in the first place.

“ T-toothless is the best lost thing, after all, ” Toothless all but crowed, turning circles on Hiccup's helmet as he headed out of the bedroom and into the main room of the makeshift hut the vikings had set up. (Though he was sure to grab his sword along the way, just in case. Vikings worked fast, as the hut proved, and even if they were in a state of peace, he had no proof they would stay that way for very long, no matter how much he wanted them too.)

“ Yes Toothless, ” Hiccup replied back absentmindedly, skirting around the sleeping forms of his mother and father and past the empty rolls where he knew some other Viking royalty had been put to sleep, “ Yes you were, ”

He hadn't thought about it when he was in his room, but he was pretty sure that Fishlegs and Camicazi had been missing from their own blankets when he had woken up.

Quietly he slid open the front door, careful to shush Toothless until it was closed again in case he started yelling again. (He had seen his mother twist in her sleep when Toothless had last crowed.)

“ Do you think Toothless will get to have c-cod?! ” Toothless asked excitedly, “ T-toothless is in the mood for cod! ”

“ Does it smell like cod? ” Hiccup asked him, reaching up to pick up the little dragon (and also to fix his helmet, again), " If it smells like cod you can probably have cod, ”

"Or tuna," Toothless said thoughtfully, "Toothless ALSO in the mood for tuna..."

It was a shockingly warm day out for the season, but Hiccup still shivered as a chilly ocean breeze flew past him. Toothless didn't seem to mind it so much, but he didn't argue as Hiccup placed him back on the soft fur of the vest over his shoulder.

Hiccup followed the scent as Toothless struggled to place it, though he was also somewhat unsure of what it could be, he was hungry. Maybe it wasn't smart to be walking around camp as a newly crowned King of the Wilderwest all by his lonesome, especially when he was still fairly bruised, but he didn't care. He was hungry, and he was still tired, and maybe he wasn't thinking quite straight.

He turned a corner between the tents, and suddenly the source of the smell was within his reach.

A campfire, with a large pot presumably containing many kinds of fish hung over it, sat at the center of a small clearing in the tents and huts, but that wasn't even why his heart suddenly glowed.

“Fishlegs!” he called, waving to his friend as Toothless crowed and leapt off his shoulder, aiming straight for a pile of delicious fat fish that had not yet been added to the stew, “Camicazi!”

His two friends waved back at him, grinning wide grins, but they weren't the only ones around the campfire.

“We were going to invite your parents,” Camicazi told him, elbowing him in the side good-naturedly, her mood dragon Stormfly winding around her legs like a very long, very purple cat as she wished Hiccup a good morning, “But they were dead asleep and we didn't want to wake them,”

”Hey Hiccup!“ Fishlegs grinned at him, though he looked somewhat ill (which Hiccup guessed probably stemmed from the fact that a very sleepy looking Barbra the Barbarian was sitting and chatting with some of Camicazi's Bog Burglar friends.) ”Good morning for fish, right?“

Hiccup shrugged and smiled. (Though he certainly agreed with Fishlegs, he didn't want to insult the shivering shape of his friend's vegetarian hunting dragon Horrorcow, who had once again found her place as a large lump under Fishlegs’ vest.) ”Good morning to see you guys!“

”Hiccup!“ called a voice that Hiccup recognized as Thuggory the Meathead, ”Are you gonna ask Toothless to wait until everything is done cooking or are we starting right away?!“

Hiccup turned to see the tall Viking Heir struggling with Toothless, who was eating a humongous tuna that Thuggory seemed to have been right about to dump into the stew.

”Oh Toothless!“ Hiccup called, racing over to his snickering friend and taking him (complete with the fish larger than he was) into his arms, ” Don't you want to wait until all the cooking has been done? “ He said, continuing in Dragonese.

Toothless giggled and continued chowing down. Clearly he preferred the taste of nice raw fish. (Hiccup couldn't say he agreed, but he was glad that Toothless seemed to be subdued for a second or two.)

Hiccup placed the tuna and dragon on the floor together, trying to ignore the loud sounds of chewing that floated up from them as he reached out a hand to shake Thuggory's hand. To his surprise, the Meathead heir laughed and drew him into a hug instead.

Hiccup nearly choked as he was lifted into the air, his feet dangling for a couple of seconds as Thuggory greeted him, before he was set back down.

”It's great to see you again Hiccup,“ Thuggory explained, ”Especially after all that cool stuff you did back there,“

”Good to see you again too,“ Hiccup laughed, though he didn't really like the constant references to the battles of the Dragon Rebelion, ”Just doing what a friend of dragons has to do,“

”Hiccup!“ called Camicazi, catching up with him. (Though Fishlegs lagged a few steps behind, not so secretly making eyes at Barbra, who was now hissing at her cat Fearless and showing the Bog Burglars how sharp the claws of the little animal were.) ”Hey!“

Hiccup turned to her, though he was momentarily distracted by the sight of several Hooligan boys sitting together on a large rock. He had missed them more than he had expected in the time he'd been gone, it seemed, because even the sight of Dogsbreath (who was laughing with Clueless about something for a change) put a smile on his face.

“Yeah?” he asked, shooting Speedyfist a smile, “What is it?”

“Aren't you going to ask why we're all here now?!” he asked, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. Even though she was a head or so shorter than him, Hiccup thought she could look extremely intimidating if she chose to.

“Um,” Hiccup thought for a second, but, still groggy from sleep, he had nothing. “Breakfast?” He asked, giving her a pained smile as she slapped a hand to her face and sighed. (*”Boys,“*)

”It's for your birthday!“ Fishlegs said, finally stumbling over to the group.

“My what?” Hiccup asked, completely blindsided by that answer. Hadn't his birthday been quite a while back now?

”You only get one once every four years,“ Camicazi pointed out, speaking slowly and patiently as if she really believed he was as stupid as she pretended she thought he was, ”and we felt bad that you missed it, so we wanted to throw a celebration!“

“My- ah!” Hiccup yelped as Toothless' sharp claws dug into his leg, he seemed to have had his fill of the fat tuna, “What- Thank you-“

Thuggory slapped him on the back, laughing again. ”It's what dragon markers do, eh?“

Fishlegs nodded, and even Horrorcow stuck her head out from under his vest for a second to speak. ” I do wish we had considered vegetarians before planning the meal, “ she said politely, ” do you happen to have any carrots? “

Hiccup frowned and stuck his hands into his pocket, he always carried a slice of carrot precisely for this purpose. ” In fact I do Horrorcow! “ He grinned, holding it out to the sad looking hunting dragon, ” enjoy! “

She thanked him and immediately began chomping into the orange vegetable. Hiccup smiled, to his tired mind, the interaction hadn't seemed odd at all, but as Camicazi spluttered into laughter and Fishlegs blinked at him in confusion, Hiccup began to realize that it might have sounded a bit odd to those that didn't understand dragonese.

“I should start teaching you guys dragonese,” he mused, scratching Toothless between his horns as he turned to look at the mess of fish guys he had left on the sandy rocks below them. (And on Hiccup's boots it seemed.)

“You're just not gonna address that?!” Camicazi half shrieked, half laughed, nearly doubled over at the force of her laughter, “You just had a carrot in your pocket? Why?!”

Hiccup brushed a strand or two of hair out of his eye and, in a fake offended voice, told her that he cared about his friends enough to do so if the friend in question called for it.

This caused her to howl with laughter again, and this time Hiccup couldn't help but join in. This all felt strangely comfortable, for some reason. From the small circle of closer friends that were giggling with (and at) him, to the gaggles of Hooligan boys and Bog Burglar girls on opposite sides of the fire, to the random smattering of hunting and riding dragons that had decided to stay with their humans, this felt nice.

“Thank you all,” Hiccup murmured, still scratching a now purring Toothless and Thuggory began to call that the stew was done, “It really means a lot that you would do this for me,”

“ And for m-me! ” Toothless said, yelping happily and jumping into the air as the covering once again came off the large pot, which he seemed to have just realized was the perfect heat for a dragon such as himself, “ T-toothless loves fish baths! ”

And it was all Hiccup could do to warn Thuggory that he was about to half to fish a very happy little dragon out of their food.

#httyd books #httyd #writing #animation #hiccup horrendous haddock the 3rd #toothless #Thuggory the meathead #snotface snotlout #fishlegs no name #camicazi #horrorcow #implied death #eyestrain #video #Youtube

39 notes · View notes

munsonhoneybaby · 7 months

Note

would you ever write anything about henderson!reader being adopted? i’d love to hear about her background if you were interested in writing about it!

i’d love to get a little bit more into what background i imagine for reader!! idrk a good way to do this in a drabble tho so i hope headcanons are okay :)

tysm for the ask <3

Warnings: 18+ mdni, angst, probably very inaccurate descriptions of the foster care system, some brief mentions of abuse/neglect, mention of drug addiction and overdose, a sentence or two that very very vaguely alludes to childhood sexual trauma

A/N: some of the things mentioned here are incredibly dark but i also tried to make it incredibly vague because i wasn’t trying to make this super sad or hard to read, please let me know if i missed anything in the warnings and absolutely send in more asks if you’re interested in anything else about tmic !! for @darlingdixon

➺ Dustin was seven years old when his parents got a divorce, and almost eight when his father moved out of state with little to no explanation. He sent letters and, for a little while, got postcards back— but after a year or so the postcards stopped coming.

➺ It was just before his ninth birthday that his mom asked how he would feel about having someone new in the house, almost like a sister. His nose wrinkled slightly at the thought of a baby in the house, but then she explained further. He didn’t understand all the specifics of foster care then, just that there was a fourteen year old girl who needed a place to live because she didn’t have a home or a family of her own. He was so sad just losing his dad; what would he do without anyone? Without anything? He’d hope somebody would be nice enough to share with him. He thought he could share with you.

➺ It was weird when you moved in. Mom bought you new things, replacing what used to be his dad’s office with your new bedroom. He was upset about it for a few days, but when you invited him in and set up the Mouse Trap board game that his dad never wanted to play with him, he realized that the room was a lot more fun than it used to be.

➺ Initially, your stay with the Hendersons was meant to be a temporary placement. Somewhere to stay for a few months, maybe even a year, while the system tried to find somewhere more permanent to put you. Your neglectful, drug-addicted ‘mother’ had overdosed three long years ago and your ‘father’s name wasn’t even on the birth certificate. But you’d already been through three short-term placement homes: the first, which put you through hell in ways you were too young to truly understand; the second, which only took you in for the money they would earn; and the third, which you were booted from the moment the couple learned they were expecting a child of their own. And now you were edging fifteen. Before too long, you would be placed in a group home, and you weren’t sure you could take that.

➺ It didn’t take long to realize that Claudia Henderson was different than the other foster ‘parents’ you’d stayed with. She made sure you were eating multiple balanced meals every day. She tried to watch movies with you. She offered to take you shopping, even in those record shops you could tell she thought were seedy. She tried to get you to open up about your past, and comforted you whenever you allowed her to. She welcomed you like you really were family, and you were sure that was because she had just lost some of her own. You felt for her, and her young son, and as the weeks passed you started to let yourself trust them more and more.

➺ You spent a lot of time with Dustin. It was far from your first time being around younger kids, but he was so easy to get along with. It didn’t take long for him to get comfortable with you, and soon he was knocking at your door nearly every afternoon to watch a movie, or go outside, or play a game. He liked to talk to you. He’d tell you about his day at school, and his friends, and sometimes he’d tell you about his dad— about him leaving and how it made him feel, about how he felt bad when he missed him and felt bad when he didn’t miss him. And you listened. You let him sit in your bed with you and look at your records, and lean on your shoulder. You told him it would all be okay, that it was okay to feel bad. And when he cried, you told him it was okay to do that too.

➺ Months ticked away and you started to worry about how much time you had left. When would you be swept away from these people you were beginning to care so much about? How could you leave Dustin? How long would you last if they put you in a group home?

➺ Until the day Claudia asked if you’d be comfortable with long-term placement. You wouldn’t have to live the next year and a half on edge wondering when your short-term placement would end. You could stay with them until you were adopted, or simply aged out of the system— a much more likely outcome considering not a lot of families were in the market for a teenager.

➺ So, you did.

➺ The months kept coming, and you only grew closer to the Hendersons. You got to decorate your own bedroom and help Dustin with his homework and learned to cook with Claudia; shortly after the two-year-mark, you even started to call her Mom.

➺ Your 16th birthday came, and by then you knew for certain that you weren’t going anywhere.

➺ When Dustin was pushing twelve years old, he still let you sit on the edge of his bed and read to him until he fell asleep. He pretended that he was getting too old for it, but he didn’t want to admit it still took him longer to fall asleep without it. You always asked him if you could so he didn’t have to say it.

➺ It was the summer before your senior year that Mom asked you if she could legitimately adopt you. Your eyes welled with tears immediately. You didn’t understand why she’d go through all the trouble, pay any legal fees required, when you were turning eighteen so soon.

➺ “Because I want us to become a family in every way we can before it’s too late.”

➺ And again, you did.

➺ You insisted you wanted to stay home and work more your senior year. She helped you manage a decent homeschool education, aided partially by staff at Hawkins High School, while you helped her work out the technicalities of adopting an almost-eighteen year old with no known living relatives.

➺ Dustin, of course, was thrilled about the adoption. He loved taking any excuse he found to talk about how his beloved sister was officially going to be a Henderson.

————————————————————————

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

#too much in common #eddie munson x henderson!reader #eddie munson x reader #henderson!reader #dustin henderson #claudia henderson #the hendersons #stranger things #asks #stranger things angst #eddie munson angst #18+ mdni #eddie munson #eddie munson x f!reader

84 notes · View notes

espresseo-cafe · 5 months

Text

life is still beautiful | johnny | ch.6

genre: cappucino, romance, angst, university!au, dad!au, drama, slice of life

pairing: collegestudent!johnny x fem!reader

bean count: 6.8k

warnings: mentions of past traumas, mental health anxieties, breakups and etc.

a/n: it’s quite a long chapter, so take breaks in between if you can ☕️ happy reading! note: this is only a work of fiction, it doesn’t reflect the artists’ personalities in any way.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

never had you ever thought you’d feel something like this again. separation anxiety was also a trait you’ve come to develop at a young age. a pinch ticked your heart when you saw your best friend packing her luggage. it reminded you of the very thing your dad had done in the past.

he mentioned vaguely that he was leaving because of a living nightmare. this was different, yoohyeon was leaving to pursue her dreams. a total different reason.

she pouted at you, feeling sorry to be leaving you behind but she knew you’d still push her to go even if you’d become lonely.

“don’t pout at me like that, or i’ll cry for real now.”

she hugged you tightly, pressing her cheek into yours. “i know ‘cause what will you do without me? but don’t worry, you’ll be okay.”

you don’t know how to thank the heavens that you’ve met someone like her, yoohyeon was literally the sunshine to your withering flower. she was someone who always had your back, someone to listen to your frustrations and aspirations, and most importantly she was a long lost sister you’ve dreaded to have. she felt like family more than anyone else.

“will i?” you blurted out sadly, mirroring the pout she did a few seconds ago.

“of course. you’ve come a long way. and i’m proud with the progress you made.” her eyes smiled and it was contagious, “both physically and mentally.”

blinking your eyes to avoid waterworks, you popped your lips and held her luggage. it was time. “shall we go? eiffel tower’s waiting for you.”

she nodded and you went out of your dorms. as you reached downstairs, minhyun was already there with his car and johnny was with him- the latter’s car parked just behind minhyun’s- said he needed to return the yoohyeon’s blanket he borrowed for youngmin. you looked at her with a raised brow. “don’t be surprised y/n, i know there’s something going on between you two. sneaky lil puppy.”

your heartbeat spiked up, she figured out the crush you had for johnny and you haven’t even told her yet. “i don’t-”

“it’s obvious. i think everyone knows.” she teased, then looking to minhyun. “my ride’s here so i’ll go on first. take care of yourself y/n, promise me that.” the tightness of her hands on your shoulders showed that she meant what she said.

“yeah, you too.” you hugged her and rubbed her back, “don’t have too much fun with the french.”

“the only french i’m kissing is minhyun.” she winked at you, you shrieked and hit her arm for her implication so early in the morning.

you playfully shooed her away and minhyun started the car. johnny stood there silently and waved as well, remembering the favour yoohyeon asked him to do last week:

“can you do me a favour?” yoohyeon asked.

johnny put down the hammer, interested to what she had to say. “yeah sure, ask away.”

yoohyeon curled her tongue, sighing. “you know how i’m going to paris next thursday?”

“mhm. wait it’s next week already?” johnny’s eyes widened, “so you won’t be at youngmin’s birthday?”

she nodded, making johnny’s face turn sour and she knew it was just a playful thing he usually did. handing him a big box wrapped in green, she explained it was for the growing boy and to let him know she’s sorry for it. “the favour i ask of is about y/n.”johnny didn’t say anything, letting her continue.

“while i’m in paris, i need you to look after her. i realised she trusts you, other than me of course.” she hugged her arms, “it’s rare to see her open up her personality to someone else.”

johnny held in a smile, “we haven’t gone there yet.. you know opening up. you see she owes me a proper date, as friends.” he clarified. “apparently we got a ‘no secrets rule’ until a couple of dates.”

yoohyeon punched him, “ahuh, so you both are in the ‘going out on dates but still testing the waters’ stage. well, if that’s the case, take her out on the day i leave. she loves nature, so maybe you could come up with something.”

the guy nodded and gave a thumbs up, yoohyeon sighed a relief. she knew she could trust johnny, and of course she had something to gossip with yeri about. after all, their ship is starting to sail and they were one of the ones to remove the rope from the hook.

“also, bring these all the time.” she shuffled in her bag, seemingly getting something important. “she forgets these, you know, just in case.”

it was an inhaler for asthma and some pills for medication. yoohyeon’s lips pressed together told johnny that this was more than important. it was a road to recovery, confirming the conversation he didn’t want to eavesdrop two months ago.

“how severe is it?” he dared to ask, holding the items tightly on his hand.

“just pray it doesn’t get worse. she’s been through a lot. i’m sure you’ll know about it soon.” she patted his back, “thank you in advance, johnny.”

“yeah, no problem.” he assured her. “i’ll do what i can.”

the side profile of yours that he observed this morning revealed to him how resilient and strong, yet broken and vulnerable you were. a spark in him told him he needed to protect you. he wanted to, it was for the present and the future you, to heal from the past you tried your best to run away from.

he looked up, taking in the cool breeze before the sun rose up high. it was seven in the morning and he didn’t have anything special planned for the day since youngmin’s birthday was all set for saturday. setting his sight on vehicle he brought then back to you who was stretching at this point, he placed his hands in the pockets of his sweats, saying:

“this is a perfect day and time for a long morning drive. wanna come with?”

you twisted your back from side to side, the domino cracking relieving the tension of your spine. looking up at the sky, you seconded johnny’s suggestion, “sounds great but i haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

johnny hummed, turning around to talk to you properly. “we can go to a drive thru on the way. i know of a good spot where we can do sightseeing.”

your mood was lifted and did a little hop, “okay i’ll go get ready.”

the guy stopped you by gently pulling your wrist, making you look at him before you could go back up to your dorms. “no need, just wear that.”

looking at his large hand that wrapped your wrist, you got nervous for the sudden skin contact. how was he so smooth with making your heart skip a beat? and you quickly realised he could be feeling the gradual speed of the giddy heartbeat at that area, so you squinted your eyes at him for his fishy action as a cover-up.

“johnny,” you sighed, “.. i’m wearing pajamas.”

johnny took his eyes off of you and scanned your clothes. it was just a crop top t-shirt and a light pink coloured sweatpants. “i think it’s alright, we kinda match. after all, someone owes me a date.” he winked at you and held your wrist once again.

“i thought we weren’t counting anymore?” you laughed, following him to the car that was parked across the dorm building. thank goodness you brought your phone and house keys.

“i know but i remembered.” he opened the door, letting you in before he moved on to the driver’s seat.

glancing around the car, it was at the line between old and new. not that you were judging, it just somehow felt right. johnny started the engine, reversing the vehicle. his hand touched the headrest of your seat as he looked back.

it made your heart beat stupidly once again, it was so manly and attractive that you wanted it to stay that way. you stared at him when he drove towards the main road, even more so when he drove with one hand. ah, that was where you hitched a breath.

johnny felt the stare you gave and he found it hilarious. he peeked at you at a side eye and chuckled, taking this chance to tease you again. “what are you staring so intently at? the view’s perfect in front of you?”

“please, you want me to refer to yourself, johnny. i know where you’re getting at.” you echoed his chuckle and he just did so louder.

“no i’m talking about the view in front of us.” he nodded at road.

streaks of sunbeam that peeked along the trees made your clothes twinkle, sparkle even. looking at the said view, a small pull on the corners of your mouth made johnny stare at you this time. you were already beautiful in his eyes and the sunrays made you glow as you looked through the front.

his eyes trailed to your facial features and just a like a movie, the slow smile that appeared on your face got him all hooked on you. the way small wrinkles creased at the sides of your eyes and the way you closed them as if you took in the vitamins for some energy was hypnotising.

she’s so.. beautiful. he reminded himself.

his eyes found themselves staring longer than he thought, licking his lips and focused on driving. then bringing up his all time favourite coldplay playlist to suppress the intensive thoughts of you to the back of his mind.

your ears perked up at the familiar song, “hm, this is my favourite one, it calms me down.” turning the dial to volume up the music.

she likes coldplay.

johnny’s heart picked up its speed and he was probably close to being jittery and excited. the smile he contained on the inside finally made its way out. opening the car’s roof, it became brighter and he hoped the sun’s brightness covered his expression.

you gasped at the view by your side, the opened scenery of a beach below was stunning as you and johnny rode through the highway. the breezy wind flowing through your hair and as you inhaled its freshness, you’ve never felt this happy for a long time.

“nice ride you got here.” stretching your arms up high as if you were swimming on air. “i feel free.”

he gasped at you, “we’ve been driving for more than twenty minutes and you just noticed?” johnny laughed heartily, “i’m hurt. bosco’s hurt.”

your mind processed the information you just got. you let out a loud cackle, covering your mouth to not embarrass yourself. “your car’s called bosco?”

johnny’s ears turned red and pulled a face, “well technically it’s my parents’ car-“

“wait.. so this is not your car?” you gestured the car with your hands laughed even harder. johnny bit the insides of his mouth, feeling shy that he didn’t have a car of his own, yet laughing it off because it was true.

“i don’t have the means to buy one. i got a child to raise and put food on the table.” he turned right to a nearby gas station, “speaking of food, you must be hungry. let’s get brunch on the go, but we need to fuel up first.”

“you just can’t handle my attacks.” you nodded.

johnny was right. he had to work double for himself and youngmin. and that made you feel so much appreciation for the guy. when he got off the vehicle to fill in the gasoline, you couldn’t shake off the thought of youngmin’s mother.

who was she? why was she absent the whole time? how could she leave the two boys who was meant to be her whole world, alone?

she probably had her reasons, yet you were so curious to find out. you’re very nosy aren’t you? johnny’s voice echoed in your head, prompting you to slap your head for thinking way too deep in it.

as you did that, your phone dropped by your foot so you bent down to get it, meanwhile hitting your head on the glove compartment. it opened fully by the time you sat back up- the looseness of it confirming the car was quite old- revealing an a5 sized photocard of a younger johnny with a baby youngmin.

the sight of it was adorable, how johnny carried the infant in his arms as he fed him with a milk bottle. the handwritten caption saying ‘suh youngmin with mom and dad’ was heartwarming but what caught your attention was the girl seated beside him. she was probably the mother, but she was facing away from the camera that you couldn’t make out who she was.

you didn’t realise how long who were staring at the photo until johnny came out of the store after payment, making you put the photo back and closing the compartment, hoping it doesn’t open any time soon.

“okay now that’s all set, let’s go?” johnny fastened his seatbelt and starting the engine. “i’m starving.”

“brunch it is.” you awkwardly said, still looking at the compartment.

johnny drove through a fast food chain that had a pre-lunch option, then leading you both back on the road, not forgetting to bring you to a spot that overlooked the city. as the car came to a stop at the scenic viewpoint, johnny closed the roof and turned off the engine. you got out and the overview fusion of nature and cityscape in the morning gave you a gushing feeling of inner peace.

he took the ordered food, his footsteps scraping against the ground. the sound fading away from you, he called out. “y/n! i got a spot up top. it’s better up there.” gesturing for you to follow him.

it was a little spot at a mini veranda where a table and two chairs placed perfectly across each other, as if it were waiting for you both. the wind was relaxing, cooling off the heat you both had from climbing up a few steps just to get to up here.

and once again, he was right. it was so much better up here than below. coming here was such a good idea, and johnny was good at pleasing people by taking this route. so you both started eating in silence for a bit when your mind came back on the topic of youngmin’s mother.

you hated yourself for being this nosy. but curiosity got the best of you. what would johnny think? he probably was still in the process of moving on and it was a sensitive topic to bring up.

he caught you staring at him again and licked his lips before talking, “like what you see? i think that you might prefer me over the view out there.”

you threw a ball of tissue at him, “and if i say yes how would you react?”

“flattered ‘cause you might feel that way and confused ‘cause you probably lied based on this tissue you just threw.” he joked, playfully throwing it back to you. “but really, is there something you wanted to ask?”

you didn’t respond straight away, still trying to put the right words together to form a proper question. johnny took his time to wait for you, munching away until you shuffled and put your food down.

“i’ve been wondering for a while, and i hope this doesn’t weird you out or put you in a tight spot.” you locked your fingers together.

“hm? i’m okay, you can ask.” he smiled a little, still eating his food then drinking his cup of coffee.

breathing out a nervous puff, here goes nothing. “does youngmin.. still sees his mom?”johnny slightly dropped his cutlery and it wasn’t hard to miss this small reaction, then wiping his mouth with tissue. you panicked, looking at him and regretted what you asked. this was a bad idea. “sorry, that was unnecessary. i shouldn’t have asked-”

“no, it’s okay.” he smiled small, clearing away the empty containers. once settled, he thought it was the right time to open up. after all, you’ve been friends for a while now. “youngmin hadn’t seen his mom since the breakup. he sometimes still looks for her though.”

he shifted on his seat before he spoke again, “my ex was kim minji. i call her mj for short, while others call her jiu. we dated months before high school graduation and we called it quits six months ago.”

“that must’ve been hard to deal with.” you said, fiddling with your fingers. “how are you coping up?”

johnny shook his head, “still needs some getting used to. when youngmin arrived, we stuck together like superglue. she loved youngmin a lot but a year later she wasn’t acting like herself. she changed and i was trying my best to figure it out and talk to her about it.”

you had a feeling where this was going. “she avoided it and ghosted you and went with another guy?”

he looked at you, surprised at how you got that on point. “that’s right. wow, you actually hit the mark. i’m guessing you have a theory what happened next?”

you held your chin and thought for a moment, “maybe.. she fell out of love? you said she changed and you don’t know why.” you stretched, crossing your arms and continued to give a penny for your thoughts.

“don’t get this wrong, but maybe.. you didn’t spend much time with her just the two of you because all of the focus was on youngmin. you both interchange in looking after the child, got busy, and when you do have the time, you both were too tired to spend time alone. ‘cause you know, juggling between school, part-time, and housework could take a toll on both of you. then it became straining in the end.”

johnny just stared at you. even if you heard it only once, you seemed to have figured it out. and as for him; a psychology student, should’ve seen things from another perspective. after all, minji was a girl, like you. and hearing that made him feel shameful because his pride as a guy took over. he should’ve heard her out.

but how will neglecting responsibilities speak about her? how would it show an impression to others as someone who looks after a baby? it didn’t make any sense and he hoped they actually talked about it. however, he recalled the break up conversation, minji didn’t bother communicating with him at all even if he tried. that was why he was still bothered to this day and it still pained his heart.

“you’re probably right, y/n.”

he then looked at you, who had an innocent face yet spoke as if you lived way longer than him. it led him to want to know more about you, “again, i’m so amazed at how you analysed that in a short time.”

“that’s because it hits so close to home.” you spoke with assurance. “it’s all too familiar.”

johnny’s heart ached when he heard that. once again he felt shameful because how could he missed that? someone who spoke of experience saw things differently. you were a person who probably had more to face and what he had experienced was close to nothing compared what you did.

the gaze he held onto you got you relaxed a little bit, he was curious now. “my parents got married for the sake of it.. not for love. it was an arranged marriage from both parties.”

the boy sat forward with a confused look, “but, they had you. they must’ve loved each other at one point.”

you smiled bitterly, yet it was a sad one. “i’d like to think of it that way. but what was the point of having me and raising me if they didn’t actually love each other?”

“if not to each other, then they loved you.” johnny suggested, and he saw how it made your eyes water a bit. “they’re co-parenting for you.”

“i never felt it.” you pressed your lips, “they argued a lot for as long as i could remember, scolded me for the littlest things. then i had to face anxiety hearing their raised voices. i didn’t eat as much as well because i thought about it a lot.”

johnny didn’t want to jump to conclusions, however that wasn’t so true on your part that he thought otherwise. you said you were immune to it, but the tone in your voice hinted you longed for love from your parents.

he wanted to hug you right now, but he held himself back. you probably just needed someone to talk to, a hug right now would be weird. he was worried he might make you feel weird if he did so.

“things will be better. it may not be for now but for the future. sometimes parents think they’re right, even if they’re in the wrong. in some way, you’d still need to have a conversation with them; heart to heart, so you could voice out how you feel. can i ask something though?” he asked cautiously, you tilted your head in response.

“yeah sure, let’s hear it.” you drank from your bottle of water.

johnny had something in mind, he hoped he was wrong about it but with the way you talked about your parents, something was missing. sure, they argued almost 24/7 and it greatly affected you.

“did you do something.. that made them act the way they did back at the carnival?”

your chest ached. johnny pinpointed something you’ve never shared to anyone. it was buried deep, far back at the archives of your mind, never to be brought out to be checked.

johnny was a psychology major, and he knew better at discussions like these. he acted like a librarian looking for a lost book, a book with information that needed to be studied.

what if you wanted it to be found? what if this information was okay for this librarian to read? will he get anything beneficial from it? it was risky, but you knew you couldn’t keep it in for a long time. and if there was anyone you’d share this to, it would clearly be him.

he gave you time to talk, it was a sensitive issue after all. he was given a hint while you were talking, your hand kept holding your left arm since the beginning. was it a habit? or was a trauma that was deadly?

“it happened a month into uni, after i had left home. had to attend a funeral of a hotel’s shareholder and apparently saw them there. the greeting was same as the carnival, interrogated me.”

johnny shook his head, taking in that your remark towards your mom was normal.

“all of a sudden they started arguing. i tried to stop them because they were causing a scene. they just pushed me away and told me not to butt in. i was so hurt that i told them angrily that i wished i was never born. so i left, thought i could escape the reality that my supposed home was a violent storm.” your hand caressed your arm.

“i remember it was a rainy evening with thunderstorms and lightning, it didn’t help though. it mirrored the same situation back at home.”

johnny’s face darkened, his hunch was right.

“so i ran..” you said shakily, placing your hands on the table. “i kept running to find brighter skies and silence, screaming in pain and crying.. i focused so much on that that i thought i already found it.” you exhaled a deep breath, “unfortunately i found myself laying on a hospital bed, was told i got hit by a vehicle, ended up fracturing my whole arm.”

“y/n..” he leaned closer, and you noticed his eyes softened upon hearing that. he held your hands because you were shaking. “i’m so sorry.”

“don’t be, i’m actually glad i got it out of me. i feel so much better. my arm still has a metal rod in it so i could move easier.” chin pointing to your arm. and now that johnny looked back, he just realised that you carry youngmin using your right while patted him with your left hand.

“still.” he sighed, “it’s very brave of you. thank you, i’m glad you told me.”

“no thank you, for listening.” you told him, then your eyes lit up, “ah! it’ll be our secret, okay?” you smiled, eyes finding your hands on his.

johnny saw your eyes trail on where his hands were, slowly letting go so you won’t find him making a move on you. “you bet, i also learned something today.”

“which is?”

“that your heartbeat was so evident on your wrist.” he said, and your face heated up. did he figure it out? “must’ve been nerve-wrecking to share that.”

you mentally sighed, safe. “y-yeah. it’s been two years since that happened.”

johnny stood up and dusted his clothes, prompting you to do the same. “and here’s to more years on holding on to hope, to overcome.”

“yeah i hope so too. a lot has happened which is also why i don’t like driving, arguments, rainy nights. gosh i have a lot of hurdles to pass.”

marching down the veranda towards the viewpoint, you and johnny thought it would be nice to walk around the beach to burn the calories from your brunch meal. you looked up to the sky and you felt alive with the sun. funny how the beach was completely empty at this time. so you wanted to speedwalk and savour the moment.

the guy who took you here felt grateful he did what he did. it somehow helped him face the topic he completely avoided. johnny was even more so that he got to share it with you. even though his friends knew about it, knowing he could trust someone else made him feel at ease.

taking out his film camera, it was a part of him to automatically snap a photo of something memorable. because he was quite weak in recalling, he wanted this to be recorded so that he could look back into it, in case he forgets.

“don’t tell me you’re going to keep those from me. don’t be a creep.” you teased, johnny adjusting the film once more, saying that he wouldn’t keep any secrets from you now. you smiled back at him as you stretched your arms, gasping loudly when you spotted the distant horizon. you called out to johnny, “the ocean’s sparkling! isn’t it beautiful!?”

he smiled, and he looked through the viewfinder, seeing you pointing at the sparkles that seemingly made your day so easily.

“yeah, beautiful.”

—

rowoon exited the bathroom of his apartment, drying off excess water from his hair. he casually walked around his home with nothing but a towel and home slippers. not noticing his dad’s assistant sitting by the sofa, coughing intentionally to get his attention.

that startled the boy and he nearly slipped on the way to the kitchen, a habit of his to immediately eat after a long session in the shower. “oh shoot- i didn’t know you were here, junho.”

“ha, i didn’t know you danced like that. it doesn’t suit you.” he smirked, then frowning a bit. “and that’s junho hyung, quit the casual talking.”

the boy opened a pack of potato fries he managed to find on the pantry, munching on the saltiness he craved for to ease his tastebuds. “what are you doing here, anyway?”

“i got the stuff you asked for.” junho scuffled through his shoulder bag, giving him a file. “you’re safe for now from the court. you know you’re giving your dad a hard time with all of the freakshows you do.”

rowoon looked at the older guy with annoyance in his face, “and so? i’m having a fun time. let me enjoy my youth for once.”

“for once, my ass. you’ve been in and out of the police station so many times.” he complained, “please look after your reputation, young man.”

rowoon chuckled sarcastically, “chill, hyung. i got it all under control.”

junho rolled his eyes. even though he grew up with the boy, rowoon got on his nerves most of the time that he should’ve popped a vessel by now. “if you think you need to get your father’s attention by doing those, i think he got the message loud and clear.”

“beats me, doesn’t hurt to pick me up from the station at least.” he took the file, opening and revising it.

this time junho sarcastically chuckled, “what are you, nine? you’ll be cashing your dad’s money because he spends it on your bails instead of your college tuitions, don’t waste your future and talents like this.”

“it’s fine, he’s the head doctor of the university hospital’s surgical department anyway, college tuitions are easy for me.” he smirked then eyed junho from top to bottom and back to the top. “tell me the information you have.”

junho briefly raised his brows, taking another file from his bag. “that car accident you got somehow got involved in three years ago? the police are still investigating.”

“well that’s bad news and ruined my day all in one go. don’t worry, i’ll do something about it.” rowoon proudly crossed just arms. “oh and the girl’s alive by the way. alive and well.”

junho took off his glasses to clean them using the ends of his suit, “you’ve seen her?”

“you bet i did, she’s matured and bloomed. also saw a familiar face i haven’t seen in a while.” still eating on the fries as if it were a big feast to celebrate on.

“johnny suh?”

“in the flesh.”

——

unsaid words, unspokened feelings, unexpected encounters, undeserved. that was how johnny felt today after spending time together with you. he hadn’t felt this in a long tome, where he could be himself other than his family and friends.

he actually thought of reaching out to minji at one time, but he was having a dilemma if he should. was it worth it? he wasn’t too sure. he also looked back to the app he had on his phone, loveclick. he hadn’t touch that app for a while and put it behind, deciding it was useless.

you came out of the convenience store, holding two ice cream cones, and he saw the joy you had just by eating it. it was evident that you were having a good time. johnny had an idea and he felt stupid for not bringing it up. but his phone broke when he clumsily dropped it on the ground earlier and could never turn it back on. “let’s take a selfie, i realised we haven’t even taken one.”

you licked your lips, “cool, how many?”

it took about five minutes to take a decent one on johnny’s end because he kept saying that he didn’t look good in any of the shots. so you took a selfie instead, and spending the rest of the day walking around nature.

“shall we head back? it’s currently 6pm and it’ll take us about four hours to return to the city.” johnny asked, peeking at his watch and threw away his soft drink to the bin before you made your way back up to the car.

“okay.” you said, thankfully you didn’t have any part time or classes the following day, so getting back wasn’t a problem.

going back in the vehicle again, you fastened the seatbelt and settled your position comfortably. playing with your phone for a bit, johnny started the engine and drove down the scenic viewpoint. a few metres out the main road, the car slowly made a stop before suddenly shutting down.

that made you two look at each other worriedly. johnny tried to start the engine again, only to make a loud kickstart noise then stopping abruptly. he let out a curse in a whisper, “i can’t seem to start bosco, i’ll check go and check the battery and oil.”

he wiped his forehead with his arm, it was getting stuffy since the weather was really hot. johnny excused himself by taking his shirt off to wipe off the sweat building up, going out to open the hood.

as he did that, you mentally got mad at yourself for unintentionally staring.. because the last time you saw him shirtless was at the camp two months ago. just why is he smoking hot? “i’m not looking i’m not looking i’m not looking, i’m looking respectfully.”

“y/n! look at this!” he called out before going to the window next to you.

“i’m not looking!” you exclaimed, covering your eyes as you looked away from him.

“what do you mean?” he squinted his eyes, wiping his sweat once again, “come look at the hood! it’s smoking.”

oh.

you did as he said and saw the hood smoking out black: it meant engine failure. “the engine’s busted. can you fix it?”

johnny stared at you and gave you a side eye as if you asked the stupidest question ever, “i’m a 24/7 single dad i don’t officially own a car let alone have the knowledge to fix one so you’re asking the wrong person.”

you just laughed at it, facepalming yourself. “oh right my bad, papa bear.”you put your sleeves until it reached your shoulders and proudly told him “then you’ll be glad you have me.”

“oh you can do that?” he raised his brows in surprise, actually impressed with that revelation. “like fix the car?”

“no i mean by having me meant that you have an extra phone to use to call a tow truck.” you bit your lower lip, still smiling at the plan b.

“then what was the pulling up of the sleeves for?”

“it’s hot, duh.” you snorted. johnny actually thought you’d able to and it made you laugh harder, earning a pinch on the face. you tapped on the screen, smile fading when you found out your phone battery was 1% before shutting down. “oh s-.”

johnny’s smile also faded. “what?”

“my phone’s dead.” you turned to him. “got a charger or powerbank?”

“i don’t have any on me-”

rattles of summer rain heard in the distance, gradually becoming louder. it didn’t take long for your clothes (and johnny’s muscular body, again you’ve been avoiding eye contact), to be dampened by rain that was obviously going to be heavy.

“can this day get any worse? damn it!” johnny shouted, getting frustrated when he put his t-shirt back on.

you covered your view with your arm and chills went down your spine. you realised it was raining, and your anxieties spiked up. but you didn’t want to make johnny worry, so you put out your arm to hitch for a ride. the car had to stop in the middle of an empty road, with only a few to little of cars driving pass by.

johnny and yourself have been standing for a good minute, which felt like forever in this situation, when a tow truck fortunately drove by. johnny ran to stop the truck. the man eyeing him down when he got off his vehicle.

“well what are you kids doin’ here?” he took a good look at the brokened down car behind you both, “ah! this car needs some fixin’!” then facing to johnny, “young man, if you need to take your girl out on a long drive, you might’ve had it checked first before goin’ out. this car’s close to junk!”

you snickered a laugh and johnny got startled a little bit, smiling, “it’s technically my parents’ car-“

“oh yes it’s his parents’ car!” you told the old man, still holding your arm to your head. johnny pulled a face at you, holding you into headlock playfully.

“keep your mouth shut, you chatterbox.” he embarrassingly said but giggled while you apologised.

the old man looked up, “you guys don’t seem from around ‘ere. thankfully we’re close by a car mechanic who could fix your car and a motel for you to wait. though it’ll take hours for it to get the job done.” pointing to the car. “so you youngin’s should crash in and stay the night. the forecast predicted it’ll be raining heavy ‘til mornin’.”

you nodded, eyes squinted at him, “that’ll be great sir. thank you.”

“sorry kiddos, we’re fully booked tonight.” the old lady by the counter blatantly said while chewing gum, staring at the two in front of her who were completely drenched in pouring rain.

johnny approached the counter, “ma’am, we need a place to stay for the night. we’ll leave first thing tomorrow.”

the old lady grumbled a little, “did ‘ya even hear me? no. more. rooms. available.”

johnny formed his fist into a ball, his blood spiking up on how rude this old lady was. you didn’t miss this and decided to ask another way. “ma’am, if there aren’t any rooms left for single beds. is there any chance for booking a room with two twin beds?”

the old lady tipped her glasses back in place, “there should be one room left, beautiful lady.” she typed on her computer, and johnny scoffed at the contrast, “ah yes, we do have. i can book you here. okay! one couple suite for the night!” she said while getting the key for the room.

“couple suite-” you both said,

“he’s not my boyfri-”

“she’s not my girlf-”

“y’all want to sleep outside instead?” she frowned, pointing to the heavy rain just behind the door. “it’s free.”

johnny clicked his tongue, “why you-”

you immediately prevented johnny from dampening the counter any more by holding his body back with your arm, “we’ll take it! the couple suite.” you faked a laugh, giving her cash, took the keys from her and pushing johnny away from the reception.

both of you exited the elevator and you were so amused by his attitude earlier. “what’s with that, johnny?”

“she was so rude, and i asked nicely.” johnny laid his arms out in confusion, he shook his head and sprinkled his hair. “right?”

you just crossed your arms, “give it a break, she’s an old lady.”

“yeah and she feels so entitled, damn.” he sighed, walking towards the suite.

opening the door, you and johnny sighed as you both saw the king sized double bed. the air instantly changed and it made it awkward when two bathroom robes were laid in front of you.

“i-i’ll go for a shower first,” you stuttered, going to the bathroom immediately, taking the robe before closing the door behind you. holding your chest, this scenario wasn’t happening at all. slapping your face to keep it real, you started to shower.

johnny on the other hand, found an extra towel in the car. he wiped his hair and dried his body a bit to prevent it from being too cold. his ears picked up the tapping of fallen shower droplets, and he didn’t want to focus on that.

he turned the television on, he guided the remote control to flip through the channels, stopping momentarily on a love scene and immediately changing it to a weather forecast.

he remembered what taeyong had told him; and was relieved that he did, not wanting to jump to that. he had to keep his goal, befriending you was priority.

“stop.” he mumbled to himself. he then heard a knock, opening the door for the knocker.

“here’s a little welcoming gift from our staff to you.” the lady smiled at him before handing him a box, bowing her head then taking her leave.

johnny opened the box, expecting snacks as the packaging was a bento box. his eyes caught on something that made him let out a little noise. he didn’t even notice you were finished showering and was standing behind him. “what are you holding?”

“agh!” he closed the box, shouting louder and that made you mirror him as well, holding your arms close to you.

“what the hell?” you said, catching your breath. “why’d you do that for? oh- is that food?”

“room service.” he nervously chuckled, eyeing other things. “i ordered for myself so you can order your own too. i’ll go shower.”

he sprinted to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. his ears were really red at this point. opening the box, he took the item and flushed it down the toilet. “what the hell were the staff thinking?” after he finished showering, he spotted you eating food from room service, all comfortable on the bed.

in the end he decided to sleep on the sofa and he hoped he’d be able to get through the night.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

taglist: @titanmaknae29 @joepomonerof @lovesuhng @studyingthemind @cheyehc @kyeomooniee @geysuuuuh

32 notes · View notes

emarasmoak · 2 years

Text

The Rings of Power showrunners discuss, at length, that huge Sauron reveal

JD Payne: [Vickers] did eventually know. We kept it very close to the vest for a while. He read a monologue from Richard the Third. At certain points he suspected [Halbrand was Sauron], he was putting it all together like, ‘Okay, they're having me read deep English canon villains.’ We didn't tell him from moment one that this was what was happening. We let him discover it.

Patrick McKay: Charlie's amazing and enormously talented. And we were thrilled to get him. He actually read originally for Elrond. But this character was always Sauron. One of the initial sparks and ideas and, in our opinion, right or wrong, a reason to do the entire show, is that Galadriel talks about Sauron in the books in a way that indicates that she knew him really well.

JD Payne: [Quoting Galadriel in Fellowship of the Ring] ‘I perceive the Dark Lord and know his mind, or all of his mind that concerns the Elves, and he gropes ever to see me and my thoughts. But still, the door is shut.’ The idea of ‘still the door is shut’, that he's been reaching after her for a long time, and there's this sense of back and forth between them – we found that endlessly fascinating. And we said, ‘There's an entire history between them. He's not just some eye in the sky, who's looking at it from afar, there's a relationship. And so, how could you have a relationship between the Dark Lord and Galadriel, in a way that lets them get to an interesting place? If she knew it was him from the beginning, obviously she would reject him out of hand, because we know from the legendarium that he was responsible for her brother's death. We know that he has this desire to heal the world, and she has this heroic desire to fix the world. So if we could put them in parallel to each other without exactly knowing who he was, there was an opportunity there.

Patrick McKay: Two other things to add. There’s this whole idea from Tolkien's letters and other writings where he talks about how Sauron wasn't evil in the beginning. Elrond says in the book: ‘Nothing is evil the beginning, even Sauron was not so.’ Immediately, we're thinking about [the TV series] Breaking Bad. We're thinking about Tony Soprano [from The Sopranos], these characters who are these enormous, larger-than-life modern villains, but have this other side. You go back and forth: do I hate them? Do I love them? Are they seducing me? We thought that was really rich terrain. And then, Tolkien had this idea of chance meetings throughout his books – that chance meetings are preordained in Middle Earth. So, what if Sauron is in a place where he's repentant and lost? And Galadriel’s in a place where she's desperate and obsessed. What might happen if they meet? Maybe they'd be friends? Maybe they’d get along? The idea of a non-romantic, cosmic connection seemed so pregnant with possibilities. That was by far the hardest thing that we worked on. We have this idea that, if you watch it again, every single thing he says is not a lie. This isn't like a rug poll. We're not trying to shock people. We want to hopefully reward close viewing if you’re suspicious of him early. That's a whole valid version of the show, we felt.

JD Payne: There’s something in him that is sort of vaguely reminiscent of Gollum, when you watch it again, where you see these two forces driving within him. In some ways, Gollum is to Sauron as Sauron is to Morgoth, a little bit. The One Ring is operative on his consciousness at all times. And even maybe if he tried to turn away from it and be Mairon, the Maiar, who, in the beginning, was good, there's this shadow that has operated upon his soul that he is enslaved to, that you always see, every decision he makes, takes him, in one way, towards the good, but it also takes him towards power. And power is his addiction. Watching back, with that in mind, it's fun to pick apart everything he says, or if he does retreat from the decision he makes.

Source: https://www.gamesradar.com/rings-of-power-sauron-halbrand-episode-8-showrunners

#the rings of power #sauron #halbrand #galadriel #lord of the rings #trop #lotr

301 notes · View notes

pryce0 · 1 year

Note

Hello! I'm here to do an rdr request! Can I get Arthur with a S/O who is shy and very suspicious and scared of others due their childhood. Sorry if this is too much.

Safe With You - Arthur Morgan x GN!Reader

gif by: @sweeetestcurse

a/n: it’s not a problem <33 i adore requests, feel free to send more in! i also added in a lot of anxiety if that’s ok. i’m also slowly evolving my writing style, so i apologize if this seems wonky in any way. This is more read as a “bullet point” thing than anything, but i hoped you enjoy anyway!

word count; 1,261

masterlist; here

warnings; fluff, bullying from micah, hurt/comfort, vaguely described anxiety attack [gender neutral reader]

—————————

Arthur adores you. He loves your smile, your laugh, your everything. You’re the one person he would do something stupid to amuse you, just to hear your laugh. Unfortunately, when you’re in public or just in camp with the others, he barely gets to see that side. You’re practically mute, a statue or hiding away somewhere. You’ve always been so nervous around new people; even with Arthur, you took a hell of a long time to warm up to him.

You have a twitch trigger finger too, you’ve been through a lot in your childhood. Arthur listened to your childhood stories, whether you were talking about trauma or something fun— which to be fair, was rare. You were used as a child, you were a doormat and basically someone’s mutt to do their bidding. You lost faith in a lot of things, in a lot of people. It took you a very long time to get to the point you’re at with your partner, Mister Arthur Morgan.

The day you two got together, you begged Arthur to not announce it immediately. “Arthur, can we keep this under wraps for now?” You whispered, your arms wrapped around Arthur’s neck. His hand was cupping the middle of your back, the other gripping your waist gently. His eyebrows furrowed together; he wasn’t about to exactly announce it to everyone in camp, but he was curious on your obviously fear. The anxiety in your eyes, in your tone was evident. You were absolutely terrified. “Sure, but what’s wrong?” He asked quietly, matching your volume. “You sound terrified, darlin’.” You took a shaky breath and nodded your head, lodging it in the space of his neck and his chin. He felt your shaky breathing against the skin of his throat. “I’m jus’not ready..” Your voice began to crack, the anxiety rising in your gut. “I can’t handle the stares. Y’know how I am with that..” Arthur nodded a bit; he definitely knows how you were with a bunch of people staring. You tremble from so many eyes on yourself, you feel as if only your gun in your hand will keep you safe at that point.

“It’s alright, I wasn’t lookin’ to shout it in peoples faces. You can have your ease of mind.” Arthur whispered to you, which definitely relaxed you.

Your shyness and distrust was obvious with the start; and Micah took.. “advantage” of your fear as soon as he realizes you were terrified. This ended up in many times a gun drawn on him, a knife to his throat, or Micah overall just never leaving you alone.

You’ve been with the gang for a few months now and have had several near death experiences; you’ve nearly drowned twice, you’ve been stabbed once, had a serious head injury from God know’s what, got grazed by two bullets, and was nearly choked out. With every wound, it was like it was a major setback for you. While you were getting used to everyone, every time you got injured meant you were back at square one; sitting with your back to your tent everyday, observing camp before your chores or job. Your hand always hovered your best friend, your cattleman revolver. Your hand twitched every time there was anything you considered a “sudden movement”. It didn’t help that you didn’t even try to engage in conversation, first. Arthur and Hosea were the two who talked to you the most.

“They just aren’t the most sociable,” Hosea laughed to Dutch, clasping his hands together nervously. “You know the good work they do, and plus Arthur brings out the best in them.”

Arthur was out doing a job today and Hosea was with him, so you were left vulnerable. You didn’t like that. Without hearing him, Micah suddenly appeared in your peripheral vision to your left. Your breath hitches and your head snaps to where he is, your heart skipping a beat. “Oh, it’s just me, sweetheart. You know I ain’t no threat.” Micah says with a sickingly sweet tone, shoving his thumbs into his belt loops. He smiles at you, a bit of his gums showing. Micah tilts his head to the side as he slowly approaches you, and you’ve said absolutely nothing to this point. Your hand shifts closer to your revolver and you watch him stop in place, tsking. “C’mon girl, why don’t ya ever talk to me? You always talk to that cowpoke, and I can show you a reeaaal nice time, if you kn-“

“Leave me alone.” Your voice comes out as shaky and timid which draws a wheezing laugh out of Micah who smiles wider—but you can tell he’s not happy. “What?” He questions, moving closer. “I.. I said leave me alone,” You whisper this time. “There’s a reason why I don’t talk to you.”

Micah goes to open his big fat mouth, but Arthur’s booming voice replaces whatever he was going to say. “Goddamn it, Micah, leave them alone!” Arthur yells, fast walking to you. His hips swing angrily with every step, his revolver bouncing against his hip the entire distance. Arthur’s eyebrows are furrowed as he quickly puts himself between you and Micah. You let out a shaky breath of relief, although it doesn’t calm your racing heart.

Bu-dumbu-dumbu-dumbu-dumbu-dumbu-dum-

Arthur calls your name which snaps you out of it, but your breathing is quickened. You make eye contact with him and he looks concerned, putting his hand on your arm. “Let’s get into your tent, darlin.’” He murmurs softly, guiding you into the tent and onto your cot. Arthur closes up your tent for some privacy and he immediately sits on the cot next to you. You whimper and wrap your arms around Arthur, unable to calm yourself. You gasp quietly for air as your lungs burn, stuck in fight or flight. You feel his arms wrap around you, pressing a firm kiss against your head. “Everything is alright,” He whispers to you. “He ain’t gonna get’yu. Not while I’m here and you know I’m never leavin’.”

You shudder as you quietly cry, your hands gripping his clothes. “He doesn’t ever leave me alone, Arthur, I hate being here-“ You say with a shaky voice. “He knows that I’m p.. paranoid and, and that I have trouble with new people..”

Arthur pulls you into his lap instead of just hugging you, keeping his arms around while leaning back a bit. His hand touches the back of your neck and his fingers intertwine with your hair, his nails gently scratching your scalp. “I know, I know. Jus’ignore him, sweetheart. He likes to mess with ya because of yer reactions,” Arthur pauses. “That ain’t an excuse, though. Y’know how much I hate that bastard.” You nod and take a shaky breath in, and let it out. You bite your lip before you relax your grip on his jacket, hesitantly leaning your full body weight on him. Arthur grunts softly, but it’s a relieved grunt. He’s done so much to get to this point with you, and all hell would break loose if he were to betray your hesitant trust. “Can we stay like this..?” You ask him softly, his touch being the only thing nowadays that make you feel safe. You haven’t had anywhere safe emotionally for a very long time and you’re terrified of trusting him, but it feels so nice to have someone care for you the way he does. “Of course.” He murmurs, giving you another kiss on the head. “We can stay here as long as you need.”

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption two #arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #arthur morgan x you #angst #fluff #romance #shy reader #anxiety #trauma #micah bell #micah being a dickwad #rdr2 arthur #rdr2 fanfic #red dead fanfic #requested #requests are open

99 notes · View notes

slashersteve · 2 years

Text

A Million Miles Away

pairing: Eddie Munson x Female Reader

summary: You find yourself hanging out with Eddie Munson at Lover’s Lake one night and feel something you’ve never felt before

warnings/extra tags: kissing, sexual tension (i think), feelings, fluff, it’s my first time writing eddie so this is a warning, beta read, edited by autocorrect tm

note: This can also be read as Eddie/Chrissy if you so choose, I loved them and wanted to emulate that kind of dynamic with a reader! Anyway, I got inspired by Valley Girl (1983), and a certain scene, so please enjoy and thank you for reading!

✧ ✧ ✧

You weren't usually like this. Maybe it was because you’ve never done anything like this before in your life, hanging out with a guy you vaguely recognized from school in a van at Lover's Lake all night .

The truth was though, you didn't know if this was something you weren't like, or were like, as you've come to realize how superficial you were after breaking it off with your boyfriend of almost four years.

You were over it, over him. He never called when he said he would, keeping you waiting. He talked to other girls, flirted with them on occasion. He made you feel like you were just there, like you were just some chair in the corner of his bedroom he'd just throw his dirty laundry on.

Your friends were deadbent on you just wanting to have some kind of fun, that maybe you were perhaps bored with him when you knew there was a lot more to it.

Your boyfriend had thought so too, claiming that you'd be back after you handed him his wrist watch back he'd make you wear to show everyone who you belonged to. Your reputation would, in his words, take a downfall and his exclamations just reminded you of how his narcissist personality seemed to have only skyrocketed since you started dating in freshman year.

And maybe, they were right in some way. You wanted, no, craved something different, something that made you feel something that you should be feeling in a relationship that isn't the dullness you felt with your now ex-boyfriend. The only problem is that every available guy at Hawkins High was disinterested, treating you like you were still your ex-boyfriend's property and ignoring you when you tried to strike up friendly conversation.

It was frustrating, especially when at the basketball game that started your adventurous night you would look across the court and see your ex's eyes on you. He was wearing a smug expression, silently telling you that he'd be waiting for you when you beg him to take you back.

You kept your head up then, sticking by your friend's side and indulging her talking about how cute some of the opposing players of the basketball team were. Your eyes would continue to meet your ex's until the final buzzer would go off.

The Hawkins Tigers had lost by just a single point, but still decided to have a party at one of the player's places. Your parents had already expected you to sleep-over at your friend's house, and be back the following afternoon.

If only things worked out like that.

Long story short, you were left by yourself at Hawkins High, your friend ditching you to go with her own boyfriend to this party. Your ex had found it amusing when he pulled his car up to you, asking if you were ready to come back after being left alone like he suspected.

When you said no, he laughed and said he'd give you time to think, and then...he drove off, leaving you all by yourself in the near empty parking lot of Hawkins High.

If your ex had wanted you to feel humiliated, it had definitely worked. Sitting all alone in the parking lot on a bench, and you thought at that second that at least nobody was here to witness you here all alone and on the verge of tears.

That was when you met Eddie Munson.

The double doors of the one of the school buildings behind you had been slammed open, and Eddie emerged all alone. He had been planning his final Dungeons and Dragons campaign for the Hellfire Club that would start that following Monday, and time had escaped him as he planned meticulously as the Dungeon Master.

He didn't see you at first, not until he heard a hiccup that was followed by a sniffle as he was digging in his pockets to pull his car keys out. His eyebrows had folded inward and he turned his head to see you sitting there all by yourself, tears glistening in your eyes and on your cheeks.

"Oh," Eddie started, "Are you uh, okay?"

At the sound of his voice, your eyes widened and you only turned to look at him for half a second before turning away to try and wipe your tears away.

"M' fine," you replied, "Just waiting for my ride."

Eddie stared at you for a long moment, and then looked around, seeing no cars pulling into the parking lot or any other cars beside his own van. He checked his watch then, seeing just exactly how late it was.

"Are you sure?" he questioned you, "Because you're kind of crying like a kid whose parents forgot to pick them up from soccer practice."

You scoffed loudly, and finally met his eyes again, "Do I really?"

"Oh yeah," Eddie replied, "Though...it's pretty unbelievable that anyone would forget you." He felt his own cheeks heat up at his attempt to flatter and cheer you up.

And even though it was pretty lame, it had actually worked. You laughed, albeit it was a weak and quiet one, but a laugh nonetheless.

"That's probably because I wasn't forgotten," you admitted easily to him for some reason, "My friend kind of just left me here, and...I guess my boyfriend- well ex boyfriend did too."

Eddie's jaw had dropped, "Ex-boyfriend? Wait...I think I know you now, you were dating that asshole, what's his face? I don't know, all their faces become one in my head since they all look the same."

You laughed again, and this time, it was a more genuine one and Eddie's gaze lingered on your smile for longer than he should've.

"It doesn't really matter who it is, but yeah," you said your ex boyfriend's name. Eddie was shaking his head then, in disbelief mostly.

"And what about your friend? Did she have an emergency or something?"

You huffed, very irritated with her too, and replied, "If you call a party an emergency, then yes."

Eddie snorted at her, "What a bitch."

You laughed again and nodded in agreement, "Yeah...yeah I'm starting to think so too."

Eddie would admit that he didn't know you that well, outside of just a first name, but that was mostly because he remembered you from an English class you shared. Outside of that, he didn't really have any thought about you, up until right now.

You actually seemed nice, and genuine. And clearly, you had a sense of humor too with how he was successfully making you laugh with his comments. He would say that you were actually pretty cool and...well he wasn't going to leave you here all by yourself was he? Only problem was, he wasn't sure how to ask you if he could take you home without possibly scaring you off.

Before he could though, you were asking him a question instead.

"What...what's your name?" your question had caught him off guard, despite the way you tried to ask him as politely as you could, and when you saw him squint his eyes at you, you quickly added, "No, I know you, I remember being is Ms. B's English class together...I'm just having a hard time putting a name to your face."

You were cringing then, feeling stupid that this guy was here trying to cheer you up and you couldn't even remember his name.

Eddie had sighed deeply, and sadly, "Wow, and here I thought we were having a special connection. I know your name, but you don’t even know mine.”

He looked away from you, and was shaking his head while you frowned and leaned the upper part of your body forward, trying to look at him and tell him you were sorry for being so dumb and rude.

But then, he turned to look at you and you saw an amused grin growing on his lips. You scoffed loudly and crossed your arms as he chuckled and told you who he was.

When he said his name, you felt even more stupid.

"Eddie," you said under your breath, "I feel like I knew that or at least should’ve."

"Oh don’t worry, it's a pretty unique name if you ask me..." he brought one hand to the back of his neck and you laughed softly.

“So...uh...Eddie..."

His eyes were on your lips again as you said his name, and he replied to you with a breathless yeah as his eyes still lingered there.

You had noticed his eyes weren't on yours, and you shifted slightly in your spot, not understanding what he was looking at or why you suddenly felt warm underneath his brown gaze.

In a suddenly shy voice, you asked if he could take you home. That was when his eyes flickered back upward to meet yours, and you watched his long lashes fluttering as he blinked.

He turned to look at his van, then held out his hand to it, and then the other to you, "Your chariot awaits, mi'lady."

You let out a breath you didn't realize you were holding due to sudden nerves that had you nervous he'd say no and leave you too. You took his hand like he seemed to have wanted you too, and you found yourself very hyper aware of how his hand had felt.

His fingers were a little rough, and his metal rings felt cool against your palm in the few seconds your hand had been in his. It made your face feel hot, and caused your heart to slightly skip a beat.

You had gone quiet because of this sudden feeling of warmth that Eddie Munson was making you feel. It wasn't a bad feeling, you deducted, but rather quite good.

Eddie had mistook your silence in his van for sadness, or something along that emotion. And so, he did what he thought would make you feel better. He motioned to the radio, and said, "Hope you don't mind."

And you really didn't mind, as it was his van and he was nice enough to take you home when your friend abandoned you and your ex left you out of spite.

That was when a loud, almost obnoxious song (at least that's what your friends would say if they heard it) that you honestly should've expected but didn't began to play the moment he turned it on. You even jumped when the heavy guitar and rock accompaniment blasted through the speakers.

Instead of turning it down, Eddie had actually turned it up and he had laughed when he saw you look at him with wide eyes.

"You can only really feel the music when it's this loud!" he shouted at you over the music, "Do you listen to this kind of music?!"

The corners of your lips were almost twitching up into a smile as you replied, "No, I don't really-"

"What?! You're gonna have to speak up!" Eddie shouted again as he began to tap his hands against the steering wheel and bang his head to the music.

Anyone would be irritated at this point, but you instead found yourself amused and...very intrigued with Eddie. You admired the way his long, messy brown hair bounced with every head bang, and didn't even worry that he was driving over the speed-limit or barely paying attention to the road. He was making you grin widely before you even realized it.

"I don't really listen to this kind of music!" you shouted this time, and Eddie gasped in feign shock as his eyes flashed toward the road and then he chuckled.

"Just kidding! It doesn't really surprise me! But that's okay! I'm glad I'm the first to introduce you to it! This is WASP!"

He even tapped the pin he wore on his sleeveless denim jacket he wore over his leather jacket. You stared at the pin, and then you were just staring at him again, finding him and this feeling he was bringing out of you so very endearing.

You turned away from him then, and began to focus on the music. First, you were tapping your hands on your thigh, and then your leg was bouncing to the music. It was little movement, but Eddie had caught it. He felt like he'd just won something when he saw you were actually enjoying this music.

It was like this until he pulled into your neighborhood, and up to your house, and even then, he didn't turn the music down as it echoed down the empty, dark street. It was making you laugh, out of pure amusement and nervousness as you were sure your neighbors and parents were probably being woken up.

"You're going to wake up the whole neighborhood!" you shouted at him, your grin widening as he only continued to bang his head harder to the music, "Eddie! Please!"

You weren't sure if he was actually just messing with you, or if he actually just didn't hear you this time. You reached over and rested your hand onto his shoulder and shook him.

When he still didn't respond to that, you knew he was messing around. Playfully rolling your eyes, you leaned your face toward and closer to him, but before you could shout for him to please turn it down, he had stopped aggressively banging his head and turned to look at you.

Your prior thought of wanting to tell him to turn it down all but vanished from your mind as you realized how your faces were only a few mere inches away from each other.

His lips were parted, his breaths heavier from the performance he was putting on for you, and his hair was more wild than before, framing his face. It was his eyes though that captivated you...they were so big and brown, too soft for a boy like him.

Something sparked within you, and once again, your face had grown hot, and you realized then what it was you feeling. It was how you felt once about your ex, back in Freshman year, before he grew in popularity, before he changed for the worse.

You hadn't felt such a way in a long time, and it was striking to you that Eddie Munson, a guy you really only met tonight, was bringing it out of you so easily.

You swallowed thickly then, a shyness like never before washing over you. Still, a small smile was resting on your lips and you leaned toward him, placing your face right beside his ear and said softly in his ear, "Good night, Eddie."

Your breath had tickled around his ear, and it had gently blown some of his messy strands of hair too. It sent something straight down Eddie's spine, and he could only stare at you almost dumbfounded in the after effects of it as you leaned away from him.

You didn't move to leave when you did though, your hand didn't even reach for the handle to indicate that you were. You were just gazing at him, as if waiting for him to do something that he didn't know.

It was probably for him to tell you good-night back, but what slipped from his mouth after he turned the music down finally was, "Want to get out of here?"

He inwardly cursed at himself, feeling as if he was pushing his luck. He drove you home like you'd asked him to, and now...he was asking you to stay with him? A girl who he doesn’t really know as well as she knows him?

You were quiet for a moment, and asked, much to his surprise, “Where would we go?"

Eddie shrugged weakly, "Anywhere, I guess."

Your eyes fluttered gently as you stared at him in thought, contemplating on if going with him was a good choice, or a bad one.Sure, he was making you feel something you forgot, but that didn't mean you should act on it and go with him somewhere this late.

Still, this feeling inside of you was powerful, soaring through you and flooding you with a warmth that told you to say yes, yes, I'll go with you, Eddie, wherever you want.

You listened to that feeling. Your parents weren't expecting you home until tomorrow and you decided that if there was a better time to take this kind of chance, it was now.

"Take me wherever you want, Eddie."

And he did.

You found yourself at Lover's Lake with Eddie Munson, sitting across from him in the back of his van while rock music vibrated the floor of the van beneath you.

You hadn't stopped smiling since being with him, hadn't stopped laughing, and this feeling he was giving you only got stronger and stronger, to the point where you wondered if you'd ever felt something like this so strongly before.

He was striking, and just different, from the way he acted to the way he dressed and spoke. Everything about him was making your heart soar as he talked about himself and his band, as he introduced you to his favorite songs and artists, and especially with the smile he would give you after he'd make you laugh again, like he was amazed he was making you laugh so much.

He made you feel different as well, but maybe this feeling of difference was actually just you, the real you poking through that hadn't gotten a chance to come out because of your past shackle of a relationship and reputation you had wore for nearly all four years of high school.

He had since taken his jackets off, letting you cover your bare legs with the leather one while he was left in what you learned to be an Iron Maiden shirt, a band he had shown you as well.

Throughout your conversations, and breaks where you would listen to the music he was showing you, your eyes were drawn to a tattoo on his right forearm. You didn't think he had noticed your looks, not until the song ended and he twisted his arm for you to get a better look.

"You like it?" he asked you as he flexed his arm out for you so you could get a better look. You reached out without really thinking, gently grasping his wrist and causing him to inhale sharply, especially when the tips of your fingers traced over his tattoo with interest.

You heard him, and let him go, "Sorry, I don't know why I did that." You chuckled nervously, but Eddie was shaking his head.

"No, it's okay! I was being the weird one," he shifted in his spot, moving the van slightly and reached up to the collar of his shirt, "I have more, you know." His hands grabbed at his collar and lowered it, showing you more that decorated his skin. You would've never expected it, but what you didn't expect more was a heat settling at the pit of your stomach at the sight.

Now, that was different from the fuzzy, warmth that continued to course through you.

"Wow," you said, slightly short winded at the sight of his tattoos and chain that he wore around his neck. He looked satisfied with your reaction, dropping his hand back down and resting it over his thigh.

He tapped his fingers against it for a moment, as if contemplating his next words. Eddie wasn't stupid, he could see the way you were looking at him, the way you've been looking at him since you told him good night about an hour prior.

There was something about you that he liked, as you were different than he suspected you were too. And he suddenly wondered if this would be the only night you'd ever spend time.

"So..." he started without really thinking, "When am I going to see you again?"

Your eyes fluttered shut for a moment, and lifted back to meet him, and you chuckled nervously, "You know, Eddie, most guys would say things like that when the night is over."

Eddie bent his left leg to his chest and rested his arm onto it, and he was grinning, his cheeks slightly redder than before, "Shit, okay, that sounded lame, sorry...but I'm just going to roll with it, it's just how I...feel, and I want to see you again...and again after that."

You felt the butterflies flutter in your stomach once again, touched by his words.

"I'm here with you now."

Your voice was so soft when you said it, and all Eddie could say was as swiping his bottom lip with his tongue was, "I know."

Your gaze rested on each other then, and you found it harder to look away from this time. His wide, soft brown eyes that continued to captivate you.

It's been a long time since you've felt like this, but the more you thought about it, the more you wondered if you'd ever felt like this with anyone, this kind of connection you felt with Eddie at this moment.

"I don't know how to explain it," you stated your thought, "It's like my mind is just moving and moving and won't stop."

You felt silly saying such a thing, even laughing out of embarrassment, but if Eddie thought so he didn't say anything. Instead, he just stared at you, as captivated with you as you were with him.

"Yeah?" he said, his voice a little quieter.

"Yeah...it's like...I feel like we're kind of connected in a way." You nervously chuckled again, "God, I sound so weird- it's ridiculous right? I barely got to know you tonight."

It didn't occur to you that Eddie was probably feeling the same way, not until he swiped his tongue over his lips again and let his eyes fall. Your heart jumped, realizing that every time his eyes had flickered down while staring at you, it was because he was looking at your lips.

Your heart had blossomed in your chest then, and suddenly your words didn't sound or feel so ridiculous to you. This connection you felt, he was certainly feeling it too, with the way he was gazing at you and your lips all night.

"Eddie," you said his name softly, in a tone that was asking him to do something you couldn't say out loud for some reason. So, you did it yourself.

His leather jacket slipped from your lap as you moved to sit on your knees, and moved toward him like how one might crawl to someone you landed on to kiss in a game of spin the bottle. All the while he watched you closely, until you were closer to him. You leaned toward him, he smelled vaguely of cigarettes with a hint of cologne, a unique smell to you that you were positive you'd never forget and it intertwined with your more expensive perfume.

You breathed it in, breathed him in, letting your mind short circuit for a moment, but then you stopped, and realized how forward you were being.

You didn't do things like this, like you mentioned before, you had one boyfriend, one man you've ever really kissed and been this close to. Doubt flooded your mind, but you didn't have time to really think on it as you met his gaze again.

His eyes were slightly darker, his cheeks flushed, and there was silent message sent between the both of you. Your doubt all but vanished, and you and Eddie were leaning in, your lips meeting each other halfway as you tilted your head.

His lips were warm, and your chapstick made it easy for his lips to slide and move against yours. It was slow at first, almost shy, as if you were both testing the waters, but it changed a few seconds in.

It felt like you were getting drunk off of him, and his lips and taste were suddenly making your legs wobbly. He must've noticed you falter slightly, as right afterwards he rested a hand onto your waist and kept you steady.

You leaned closer to him, causing his lips to move more rough against yours. You exhaled sharply through your nose when you felt his tongue swipe your bottom lip, and you gently parted your lips for him.

A noise escaped from you when he slipped his tongue inside of your mouth, colliding with yours. God, you were definitely getting drunk off of him for sure and nothing felt more right than his lips devouring yours.

Your skin felt hot, and you were shifting in your spot before you knew it, moving so that you could sit onto his lap. Eddie complied, his lips leaving yours and eyes opening as the hand on your waist left and moved to grasp the back of your thigh.

His cool, metal rings felt cold against the skin of your thighs as he helped you sit on him and it sent a fresh wave of chills and desire through you. As you sat comfortably on top of him, you moved your hands to his long strands of hair.

He must've had the same reaction as you, as his breath hitched and his eyes that were half-lidded with desire flashed up to meet your own stare that mirrored his.

"What a nice fucking night this turned out to be," he said, the curse word slipping easily from his wet lips that shined with the residue of your chapstick.

You giggled softly at him, and agreed with him by leaning down and kissing him once again.

Like you said, you didn't do things like this, but for the first time in a long time, you knew you were doing something you wanted, something that felt right.

#i love him your honor and hope i captured his character at least a LITTLE #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson #stranger things imagines #reader insert #stranger things #stranger things x reader #lys writes again

590 notes · View notes

asherlockstudy · 8 months

Text

HEY FRIENDS

Literally one year ago I made a vague post and a few people asked me what I meant, but I felt a little drained at the time and never explained but as GME3 is fast approaching, I am re-emerging with the questionable decision to write my thoughts on GME2.

Bear in mind that some of the points might be negative as I have explained my conflicted feelings about this show before however don't let that discourage you from reading it because there's more to it than the negative points, trust me. Also, the post is GIF heavy so I put the rest of it under the cut.

GME2 thoughts:

Rhett and Link can’t tell the difference between an evening show and a soft Only Fans account. I didn’t mind anything in the show (except for that sex doll with the fucked up eyes that creep me out), I just...don’t understand completely: who came up with this project, how genuinely RandL like it and how it relates to their occasional irritation against shippers.

In other words, for people who proclaim they don’t understand why people ship them, acting out explicit fanfics is a bold decision to say the least.

Like, the whole concept of the show is for them to drink so their boundaries go down and then when somebody goes a bit off the rails, everyone is like “oh no” and facepalming. What’s up with that? Either embrace the concept of your show or don’t do it at all. I mean, nothing was truly much except for the fanfic enactment which was a bit much, if you ask me, perhaps mostly because I can’t tell how comfortable they are with it. Sometimes, especially Rhett just doesn’t look totally okay with it. So why do it? For the extra fee? Really? Wow. As an example, neither Rhett nor Link felt okay with sucking Chase’s toes and, guess what, Chase didn’t want it either. Who’s the mastermind behind all that... And has Chase gotten his raise yet?

Let’s go to Rhett. I might be wrong but I have noticed that for his size, Rhett is kinda a lightweight. One beer and his eyes are glassy, his cheeks round and red. In the last GME, he had refrained from drinking because he wanted to handle the situation in case Link lost it. This time, 7 shots and a few more drinks during the show weren’t enough to make him drunk, or as drunk as Link, or make him lose himself into the moment and have fun. Conclusion: Rhett is not very comfortable with this project. Rhett is afraid of Link being unhinged. Why is he afraid of an unhinged Link? What can Link say or do that Stevie wouldn’t be able to handle and he would have to step in? It’s plain throughout the show that Rhett is constantly concerned about what Link might say next. What on earth can a Southern ex-hardcore Evangelist married at 20 say that is giving Rhett nightmares?

Rhett confirming that Link does the fibonacci when he shaves his face lol Do they often talk about fibonacci shaving? Does he remember it from 20 years ago? How often does Link shave in the creative house? Questions, questions, questions...

Rhett fully knowing that Link had a story about hurting his dick. Link clarifying he meant one when he was alone. Rhett warning him “I am just looking out for you”. Thus, Rhett knowing Link hurt his dick when he was with somebody else and considered it a story that Link would regret revealing. So, is Rhett having nightmares because Link hurt his dick when he was with Christy and if so, why? No??? Notice Rhett getting lowkey tortured until Link finally wraps up his silly harmless story. He lost five years of life there.

Link saying he wishes his Christy buttcheek tattoo faded away... because “this would symbolise the long time they have been together”. Okay... all right.

Rhett confirmed as an ass man besides a vagina man. Like, just as he was saying he was always so fascinated by vaginas he almost gave them supernatural qualities, he now pretty much said the asshole is divine design! Link bumped Rhett’s shoulder at the mention of anal preference, pointing at him, once more giving Rhett a scare. (BTW the truth is Rhett is an #anything_goes man let’s be real XD)

Link non-verbally proclaimed them both “team ass” but not with Rhett’s consent.

Link said at two points in the aftershow that Rhett made him uncomfortable but I can’t for the life of me understand what he was talking about and it seems Rhett did neither. There was probably something that flew over my head entirely...

That’s just funny but Link in the end saying “After fucking all these years, we’re still surprising your ass”. This is not even a Freudian slip, this is a Freudian syntax! Next level shit XD Meanwhile Rhett:

#When ten drinks are not enough to save you from Link's syntax

And now let’s go to the sequence I was referring to in the previous (one year old) vague post:

The Bean daddy fic enactment was initially a thing of cuteness, indeed, but I have the suspicion there was more going on. Let’s see it step by step.

The cute thing started because Link somehow played the role of tentative Link shyly revealing his deeper feelings with exceptional skill. It was also cute when Rhett, while still impersonating fic!Rhett basically implored Link to not drop chocolate syrup on his clothes, hair and beard. He was having fun with it and he was being flirtatious and affectionate towards Link, though, again he was still supposedly imitating his fic version.

Link received passively Rhett’s flirty show, with moderate amusement. However, it is very important to note that he was nodding affirmatively throughout Rhett’s flirty request. He had a face saying “okay, I understand, I am not gonna drop the chocolate all over you”. That's important to keep in mind.

Notice how Rhett asks Link to take care how he'll pour the syrup in character while Link is amused but also nods affirmatively that he does not intent to screw Rhett's outfit.

As soon as Rhett trusts Link won’t screw him like that, he drops his head back and opens his mouth waiting for the chocolate syrup. Then Link tells him seriously to hold on, he immediately changes to a sexy imitation of Rhett’s open mouth, saying something like “I just want to acknowledge…” Rhett raises his head, “Yess???”, still in the flirty silly mood, probably believing Link is improvising within the fic’s context. But Link says: “Don’t assume the position just yet, because I would like to respond to that”. At this point, clearly Link doesn't follow the script. Rhett waits but he is still in the flirty amused mode. Link does this characteristic hand motion which means something very clear “All jokes aside, I want to talk about something serious now”. Rhett takes note of Link’s hand gesture but he still doesn’t drop his flirty persona. Link announces to Rhett: “This is a test.” Rhett is clearly too far gone enjoying the fic enactment. He nods without clearly understanding. “This is a test…”, he agrees, nodding, until finally his brain catches up. “………of whaaaaat?”, he asks half-fic like, half-suspicious.

Notice Link's serious gesture and Rhett becoming suspicious literally mid-sentence after Link says "this is a test".

Link starts to mouth something but immediately changes it and says slowly and cautiously: “Of my ability to be your true friend”. Rhett’s amusement is gone. He dismisses Link hastily, mumbling “I believe it” and assumes the position again. Link insists though, inching closer. “Because…”, he starts. Rhett immediately closes his mouth and turns to face Link alarmed. It seemed to me he felt vulnerable to wait there with an open mouth and Link so close.

Notice Rhett dismissing Link and how quickly he closes his mouth once Link gets closer.

Link continued slowly, trying to fill the lack of words with facial expressions translatable only to Rhett and not us. “Because… the most entertaining thing to do… would be…”. “No, no it actually wouldn’t be”, Rhett countered quickly and still somewhat softly but there was fear and panic in his eyes in that moment. My assumption is that he was still being soft in order to not rile up the mildly inebriated Link too much. Rhett continued: "It would be the opposite of what you're actually thinking".

Link tries to communicate with faces (including puckered lips) instead of fully formed sentences but Rhett understands. He's neither flirty nor amused anymore. He asserts what Link thought to do - the test, "the abilty of being his true friend", would have the exact opposite result from entertainement.

Link doesn't drop it just yet. He asks Rhett if he really knows what Link is thinking about. Rhett hums affirmatively. But Link says: "Cause I was thinking about being the hero by just putting it in your mouth and not getting it all over you. But now you are just telling me to get it all over you." Of course this is a lie. Rhett spent so much time making it clear he does not want syrup all over himself. Link nodded so many times, making it clear he understood and agreed. He made the gesture meaning "I am gonna talk about something different and more important". So, the test that he wanted to acknowledge that this whole skit was about was something different. But in the end he saw how negative Rhett was to the idea and quickly twisted his statements, now saying it was all about whether he would drop the chocolate on his...true friend or not, which makes no sense whatsoever as statements go and it is redundant, since it was established and agreed upon literally seconds before that he would not do it.. Rhett says something I can't catch, like "no, I know what you were thinking" or "no, you won't do what you're thinking" or something similar. Link then repeats in his twist of words that Rhett essentially urges him to drop the chocolate all over him and he has that rabid look he sometimes has near Rhett. Rhett then, again with his mouth open, says: "Okay, it's time. We've milked this moment enough". Rhett clearly tries to bring Link to his senses and avoid this moment lingering too much in people's memory.

Link is bummed at Rhett's refusal however not "wounded type" of bummed. I guess it was more like, tipsy Link threw an idea out there, Rhett reacted poorly to it and Link was done like "okay it's on you that this test won't happen" but then got on with everything without more drama.

What was that test?

Well, repeating Link's words:

I would just like to acknowledge... This is a test. Of my ability to be your true friend. The most entertaining thing to do... would be...

Does anyone know whether there was more in this fic? Perhaps something more in it that Link wanted to acknowledge but Rhett didn't want enacted?

Maybe what Link wanted to test as "potentially the most entertaining thng to do" was his initiative alone? And it would be proof of Link being Rhett's true... friend. And Rhett knew what Link had in mind but he was adamant that it would have the exact opposite effect on the audience than what Link expected.

Hmm. I leave you to your thoughts and your mental preparation for GME3.

#rhink #rhett and link #randl #r&l #gme #gme2 #good mythical evening #mythical

29 notes · View notes

space-mermaid-writing · 2 years

Text

The witchling and the god [Loki x Witch!Reader] Chapter 6

Summary: The Avengers were looking for someone to help Loki fit in with the team. To become socially acceptable, so to speak. He had been given the choice of sitting in a cell in Asgard or serving some sort of community service probation on Midgard. The Avengers and Shield both felt that as long as Loki was on Earth, he should be under supervision. This is now your job. Why? Because you’re a witch. You’re not sure why this qualifies you, but here you are, giving it a shot. What could possibly go wrong?

Tags: Witch!Reader, Magic, Witches, slow burn, everybody lives in the tower, character development, Loki‘s redemption, Stephen Strange is a friend, Loki and Stephen are frenemies, Tony Stark is a good bro, kids love Loki, Tony has stupid nicknames for everybody, eventual smut

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Read it on AO3 | Previous | Next

Chapter's Note: I know that 'Make a wish' and 'Meet your hero' are two different things but for the sake of this story I do not care. You know what is meant. More kids loving Loki in this chapter. Beta by @zaria-04 <3

Chapter 6: Make a wish

The next few days pass by quite uneventfully. However, there is one thing you can't get out of your head and that is how easily Loki dealt with the child. And after some thinking, you have an idea.

"Do you know what the 'Make a wish foundation' is?" you ask the God of Mischief one morning.

"I do not. But from the name, I would guess that this foundation makes wishes come true."

"Exactly. It's for kids with serious illnesses. One part of it is where kids who have to stay in hospitals permanently or long-term can meet their idols. Right now, Spider-Man is very popular, but there are also meet and greets with singers or famous artists," you explain, showing him some videos and pictures of these meetings on a tablet. "Sometimes just a double or an actor who looks like the idol comes in."

"And you want me to do something like that?" Loki laughs, but not amused. "That's something for your so-called heroes. Why would anyone want to meet me, the evil one?"

Some day you should talk to him about how he sees himself. "You wouldn't go there as a villain, but as a Norse god," you explain. "A lot of kids are interested in mythology. Especially when they're sick and are looking for comfort or answers. I went through a Roman phase myself when I was young, and I just devoured all the myths and stories."

"Pah, Jupiter is no match for us," Loki retorts dismissively, but seems to be thinking about your words, because he tilts his head and stares at a vague point. He usually does this when he is lost in thought. You give him all the time he needs.

"I'd better not ask. I don't know if I could handle knowing that more gods are real. I'd have to ask you about Jesus." You speak more to yourself than to him, but of course Loki opens his mouth, which is why you quickly add: "Please, don't answer that."

Amused, he closes his mouth again.

"You don't have to decide right now, okay? Just think about it for a little bit. I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think it was a good idea," you say, "It's about the kids. So it will be absolutely necessary that there are no incidents. There will be some rules put in place. But it would be a good opportunity to build your reputation. And I imagine you might even have fun doing it."

"I hardly think so," the Asgardian retorts.

"Why not? A room full of little Loki fans adoring you should just be to your liking."

Your words make him think. "When you put it that way, it actually sounds tempting. Fine, I‘ll do it."

That's how quickly it's decided.

You'd discussed the idea with Tony beforehand, of course. Surprisingly, he had no objections, and now that Loki has agreed, you can get down to the actual preparations and planning.

It takes a little while until everything is organized. With the help of Doctor Stephen Strange you found a children's hospital with integrated hospice, which is outside of New York and perfectly suited for your project. You got on the phone with the staff and after a few calls you were able to set a date. They already had experience there with this type of meet and greet, although there had probably never been a god among the idols.

You did not reveal that he is a literal god. It's about the kids and you don't want to stir up suspicion in advance.

A driver takes Loki and you there, along with two agents in civilian clothes. That's standard procedure and SHIELD insists on it. The two would keep a low profile, but could step in if it became necessary. Even if it was just to keep out unwanted onlookers.

To quote the team leader, "You'd be surprised by some of the strange incidents we've had."

In the car, you give Loki a final briefing.

"It's important that you stay calm, no matter what," you remind him. "And no magic!"

"No magic that anyone notices as such," he corrects you.

"No magic that anyone notices as such," you repeat, adding, "And no chaos. I know chaos is a part of you, but in this case, please keep it to a manageable minimum."

"Yes, ma’am." Loki salutes mockingly. "No chaos, no deaths, I won't even set a single fire."

You're glad he takes it with humor and isn't offended. The truth is, you're probably more nervous than he is. This is a big deal. Not a simple lunch where the two of you are more or less alone. He's about to stand in front of kids and interact with them. Kids are unpredictable, but you trust your instincts. You wouldn't do this if you had a bad feeling about it.

"I'm sorry, I know you'll do a good job," you smile apologetically. "I trust you."

Loki's expression changes as he looks at you and nods. You get the feeling he's never looked so sincere before.

How long has he been waiting for someone to say those words to him? And mean them. Such simple words, but with a big impact.

Your attention is drawn from each other as the car stops.

You enter the hospital as a group and at the reception desk you meet the administrator and the head nurse, with whom you had spoken on the phone. A few minutes of shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries follow. Loki takes the lead on this and you let him.

He has dressed up especially for the occasion. He wears fine, Asgardian clothes, ornately decorated and an aura of royalty surrounds him. It is hard not to be captivated by him and your eyes keep wandering to him.

The head nurse - she has introduced herself as Nurse Chapel and belongs to the kind of person who is cordial but does not tolerate nonsense. You take an instant liking in her - leads you to the second floor.

"The kids are all between eight and eleven years old," she tells you along the way. "Their conditions go from cancer to genetic defects. But it has been a good day so far."

Loki doesn't know these disease names, but you explained to him ahead of time why the kids need to be here in the hospital.

"How fragile are they?" he wants to know.

"Probably less than you think. Go ahead and make them laugh from the heart. It's good for them." Chapel stops in front of a door. "Ready?" she asks Loki.

He looks briefly at you, then nods. "Yes."

The head nurse walks in first and announces Loki, who follows her promptly. You fall back a few steps and enter the room unobtrusively. The two undercover agents remain in the hallway.

The room is comfortably furnished, almost like a living room of sorts, with several seating options. Eight children sit in a semicircle in the middle and you spot two more nurses with them. The children all look far too pale and thin for their age. Most are wearing scarves tied around their heads instead of hair and one boy is pushing an IV around. But their faces are all beaming as their attention is on Loki. He has joined them in the circle and is about to answer their questions, which they immediately throw at him.

"Why isn't your hair red?" asks the boy with the IV. His voice croaks a little. "I thought Loki was a ginger."

"I'm over a thousand years old. It’s boring to always have the same color of hair." Loki puts the flat of his hand on his hairline in his forehead so that it covers it, then slides his hand up a bit. The hair underneath suddenly appears orange-red. "See. It's easy." When he moves his hand back, the area is black again.

So much for no magic.

The kids make a general "Ooooooh!" sound.

"Can you make my hair longer?" a girl asks who has no scarf but just a short, light fluff on her head.

"Your hair is wonderful, little lady. I've rarely seen such a beautiful shaped head."

The girl giggles, but before she can object further, another child interjects with another question. "Is it true that you gave birth to a horse?"

Loki raises his index finger. "Ah, that's often said, but actually the story goes quite differently. Would you like me to tell you?"

"Yeees!"

"So listen well, little ones. This is the story of an adventure! Long ago, a wall was built around Asgard for protection. But the master builder, a Hrimthurse, deceived Odin and shortly before the completion of the wall he demanded the goddess Freya as his wife, as well as the moon and the sun. This was an outrage beyond comparison. My brother Thor and I hatched a plan to prevent this.

One night I kidnapped the Hrimthurse's horse, which was a very strategic move and allowed Thor to defeat him in battle. But, alas, I did not know that the horse was pregnant and it gave birth that night to Sleipnir, the eight-legged horse. I brought both animals home to the royal stable. The horses of the Hrimthurses are wild beasts, and very strong. But I managed to raise and tame Sleipnir. And when it was big enough, I gifted it to Odin, so that he could ride it to war."

You sat down on a chair near the wall, near the two nurses, who actually wanted to drink a coffee, but now - just like the children - listened spellbound to the narration. You also hang on to his every words.

Loki has truly earned his name silvertongue. He remains seated among the children and doesn't even use much gesticulation. He doesn't need to emphasize his story. His voice and words alone are perfectly sufficient for that.

You have heard some myths about the eight-legged horse Sleipnir, who is supposedly Loki's child. But it is something else to hear directly from him about what happened. He manages to make it seem as if you yourself were present at the ruse, when Loki conjured up mist in the middle of the night and crept in the darkness to the Hrimthurse's horse.

"Does that mean you can't turn into a horse at all?" one of the children asks curiously.

"Oh, I am absolutely able to do that." Loki's eyes flash mischievously at you and for a moment you're afraid he's really going to do that, as he demonstratively looks around. "However, I'm afraid it's a little too crowded here for a horse. You wouldn't want to be responsible for me knocking over all the furniture, would you?"

"No!" - "Yes!" resounds simultaneously from different mouths.

Fortunately, the nurses don't seem fazed and think it's all great fun.

"Tststs," Loki playfully scolds. "You little rascals." Suddenly he has a pair of dice in his hand, which he wills into the air and deftly catches again. "Have you ever heard of Loki’s Dice?"

"No."

"No? Well, let me tell you: it's a great game. And not just because I invented it. How about this: whoever beats me at it, gets a great prize. Who wants to try first?"

Several children's arms shoot up. Loki puts a finger to his lips and everyone is quiet as a mouse. He has this presence that grabs everyone’s attention.

He makes a show of making the dice disappear in his hands and reappear somewhere else. He'd be a really good sleight of hand magician. Along the way, he explains the rules, which are basically pretty simple. He even wrote a song about it, which he performs.

He has a wonderful singing voice. Like honey. And you feel like the fly that's caught with it. You could listen to him forever.

Loki throws the dice. The goal is to hit six. He throws a seven.

Loki throws the dice. All eyes are on the dice. He makes the bet disappear.

Loki rolls the dice. All sides show ones. He is the trickster.

It warms you to watch him. There's something very kind, but also a bit mischief about his interaction with the kids. They love it and he keeps them entertained and for a while makes them forget their pain, the various reasons they are here for. There is no trace of his arrogance or even the criminal that many see in him. You can get used to this Loki you're watching here. You wish to see this side of him much more often.

Hearing his rich laugh, seeing the twinkle in his eye just before he makes a great joke.

As indicated in the song, it's hard to beat him at his own game. Time and time again, the dice show a picture that shouldn't be on them at all. But one child after another finally makes it and Loki gifts each one of them a cube of their own afterwards.

"Do you dance?" a girl asks Loki afterwards. "Other heroes always dance when they visit us."

Loki's gaze darts to you briefly, noticing that you're watching him, amused but intrigued. He winks at you and it makes your heart leap. "I'm no hero, but I can show you a dance that is popular at feasts in Odin's halls," he says, turning to the girl. "But I need a partner for that." He holds out his hand to her and she jumps to her feet, giggling.

They begin with a bow to each other. Then they place their palms together and Loki softly hums the beat. They take a few steps in one direction, then he leads her into a turn and right back again. They are an uneven pair, the girl barely reaching Loki's waist, but she makes up for it with enthusiasm, swinging her feet with laughter.

Loki hands her his other hand and they dance a not-too-complicated pattern around each other. At one point the girl stumbles, but the Asgardian elegantly catches her and sets her back in her seat. He then bows to her.

"M'lady."

She giggles while another child holds up his arm.

"Me next."

Loki looks at the faces and puts his hands on his hips.

"For it to be a real party, everyone has to dance."

The children are immediately in it and scatter to their feet. Loki helps them form pairs and then shows them the steps again.

Shortly after, most of them are just jumping and laughing wildly, having great fun. Even the nurses are clapping along to a beat.

Loki appears at your side and before you can protest, he has grabbed your hand and pulled you among the dancers as well. Continuing to hold your hand, he places his right on your waist and leads you to the music of the laughing children. His eyes flash down at you in amusement.

This is not what you imagined for this day. Somehow it's much better.

Finally, the visit comes to an end. Loki takes his time saying goodbye, realizing the significance of what it means for the children to have to go back to their rooms and beds. He may also be intentionally delaying his departure a bit to keep them in the illusion of a normal, healthy day a little longer.

Nurse Chapel steps up beside you. "He's great," she comments quietly, glancing at the Asgardian.

You smile proudly, for you are happy for him. "Yeah."

"We have another boy here, Felix. He's fourteen and a big fan of Norse mythology. Unfortunately, he's too weak to leave his room. I know it wasn't part of the agreement, but do you think your Loki could pay him a quick visit?" She hesitates briefly while you still let the phrase 'your Loki' sink in. It sounds good. "It's not a sight for the faint-hearted," the head nurse then adds.

You blink and push the thoughts out of your head. "I'll talk to him," you promise her and she thanks you with a nod.

You go ahead and step out into the hallway. One of the SHIELD agents is sitting on a bench at the wall, looking up as you close the door. You spot the other standing at the end of the hallway.

"Are we done?" he asks you.

"Almost. How was it out here?"

"All quiet."

A few minutes later Loki comes out of the door, grinning and with his arms outstretched. He looks very pleased with himself and his gaze wanders to you.

“What do you think?" he asks you, "Did you enjoy the show?"

"You were great. I knew you would ace it." You beam at him and he seems satisfied with that answer. Then you bring up the head nurse’s request. "Nurse Chapel just asked me if you could visit another boy who is not allowed to leave his bed. Would you do that? If you rather go back home, that's totally fine and nobody wil-..."

"I'll do it," he interrupts you.

You smile at him. "That's very kind of you."

"Well, I am a generous god," he says cockily, but his tone is affectionately sarcastic.

You beckon Nurse Chapel to come over and share Loki's response with her. She gives him a grateful smile and leads the way. It's on another floor at the end of a hallway.

"If you could wait outside," she says, addressing you. "Too many people drain him."

"Of course." With a final pat on Loki's arm, he follows the head nurse inside while you and the two agents stay in the hallway. The door is just ajar and you hear the dark tone of Loki's voice. It's muffled and you can't make out any individual words. There is also a soft, steady beeping and something that sounds like a ventilator.

You think about stopping somewhere on the way home and grabbing food for everyone. They had earned it. It had been an extremely successful day. Loki has proven himself, you are very pleased with his performance. He seemed to have had fun as well, and you're already thinking about what project you might approach next. After today, your goal of having him join the Avengers team doesn't seem so unrealistic anymore. Maybe you should just tell him to think of them all as kids. Then maybe he'd get along with them better. The thought makes you chuckle.

Suddenly, you hear an alarm at the station and look up. You register that the soft, steady beeping has turned into a piercing sound. Several nurses and doctors come running up and into the room. The two agents have jumped up from their seats, but neither of you wants to stand in the way of a medic. Only when the way is clear do you rush into the room as well, ignoring Chapel's previous warning to wait outside.

In here, the sound is louder, almost ringing shrilly in your ears. There is only one bed in the room. You can't see the figure on it, because it's surrounded by doctors and nurses performing CPR. Loki is standing with his back against the wall, as if he had backed away. His face is pale - paler than usual - and horrified. He raises his head just as you enter and your eyes meet. In the next second, he vanishes.

Shit.

__________________________________

Tag List: @lokisgoodgirl @lokixryss @itsybitchylittlewitchy @yokshi-unbeliebubble @fictional-hooman @elennair @all-envy-suyu @purplekitten30 @elisadmaggiore @nothing2113 @baebeepeach @ceo-of-stfu @moonlightreader649 @ronipiamka @fluffybunnyu @ninjarose23

#loki x y/n #Loki x reader #loki layfeyson x you #loki laufesyon x reader #Loki x you #imagine loki #the witchling and the god #imagine marvel #mcu prompt #loki odison x reader #marvel x reader #mcu x reader #loki fanfction #slow burn #loki odinson #loki laufeyson

182 notes · View notes

thedarkone121 · 6 months

Text

Death Mark AU: Role Reversal with Demonic Possession

Based on the fanfic Windows of the Soul by KittenAnarchy, where Mary possesses Masamune instead of just giving him amnesia and Saya Kujou is our amnesiac heroine.

Thank you to NicoB for giving me something new to fixate over during the month of Hallows. Yes, I came across Spirit Hunter: Death Mark and now Kazuo Yashiki is my favorite wet cat man. Though with that love, I must now torture the middle-aged man. Oh jeez, I’m sounding like Mary now… 😬

Speaking of Mary, I think now is a perfect time to mention the fun AU idea I had based on a fanfic I found! For context in that fic, Saya had hidden away Mary’s legs so in retaliation she ripped Yashiki/Masamune’s eyes from his head and placed hers in, possessing him while Saya is the one who ends up with amnesia. There’s not much in that fic other than Saya meeting her possessed brother but I love the idea and wanted to give my own spin.

AU: I am planning on keeping Saya heavily damaging Mary in attempt to stop her. I felt it would add to the angst when Saya regains her memories and knows she accidentally caused her brother to become possessed and understands he was alone with that monster in his head for days. Cause, ya know, the Kujou siblings need regrets for their past actions.

The one thing I would changed is how Mary possesses Yashiki/Masamune. I’m someone who enjoys reading someone being trapped in their own body as someone else puppets them so I thought Mary would just pour all her essence into Yashiki/Masamune, The Conjuring style. That way, we can still have her fully in control with hints of big-brother Kujou trying to break though to warn his sister.

Also, I decided to do designing of my own Mary!Masamune outfit, since I feel like Mary would be like: “Oh? Of course you wear something like this for formalities!” And then the clothes would just be an alternative version of Mary’s. Well, an attempt at it. I really tried 🤣

Onto the events of Death Mark, Mary!Masamune would still take on the role as Mary did in the original canon as acting like an informant about the spirits but this time, he can walk so he acts like a servant to the Kujou household, saying only his first name and never giving Saya his family name.

But while Saya and her selected partners are out dealing with the spirits, I imagine the ones left behind would interact with Mary!Masamune — noting how he sometimes acts a little odd and not as cold and calculating when Saya is around (most of that is Yashiki fighting the possession or Mary giving him reigns but making sure he can’t call for help — typical Mary love). They would bring this up to Saya, who is starting to notice some strange things about the Kujou butler.

I should also mention that the memories Saya Kujou lost were of her brother, Mary, and her role as a spirit hunter. She knows she lives at the mansion, she has vague recollections about her father but any memory of Masamune, Mary, or the Mark are gone.

Anyway, that’s all I have for this AU at the moment. I just love me some possession and some angsty siblings so I wanted to contribute to the fandom. Also, enjoy a Mary!Masamiune without his hat and glasses!

Characters: Masamune Kujou (Here) // Saya Kujou

#darky draws #my art #death mark #spirit hunter #spirit hunter: death mark #死印 #kazuo yashiki #八敷一男 #masamune kujou #mary kujou #possessed!au #possession!au #mary!masamune AU #au

22 notes · View notes

mhaynoot · 2 days

Text

[ch 2]

just finished ch2 and got sick so excuse the ramblings of an only partly functioning brain HAHAHA but anyways some thoughts so far:

i think while he was dead, wei wuxian was semi-conscious or at least aware of time passing? he has a few direct thoughts like "I've actually been dead for many years" (p.14) and indirect "Wei Wuxian had already lost count of the number of years it'd been since he last heard a live person speak ..." (p.13). It can help explain his rather vaguely cavalier attitude towards his traumatic death and his, well, peculiar attitude towards his reverse non-con body possession which is honestly a sentence I really never thought I'd write. I also believe wwx was active in choosing not to "haunt the living, for one, and he'd never saught vengence, for two" (p.17) which makes me think about where he was? I guess he could be in the underworld or something, waiting for his soup of oblivion and reincarnation cycle but there's really no mention of the afterlife and I assume there won't be either but I'm really really curious and could be fun to explore. Also this whole chapter has such a flippant tone and a very easygoing, almost jokey manner. Like calling wwx the most "decent and honest" (p.17) ghost there could ever be -- there's really lots of exaggeration and hyperbole and it's just so very wwx.

but also it's not completely lighthearted of course, you can tell when the narration becomes serious like when wei wuxian becomes incensed about mo xuanyu's life. he insults mo xuanyu at first, lots of "madman" and "lunatic" (p.20), but he continues reading mo xuanyu's horrible eye-straining letters, listens to this poor dead boy's words, and eventually his rhetorical questions become mocking towards the mo family, his narration becomes gentle towards mo xuanyu, ultimately questioning "what kind of hellish life was he fucking living" (p.21). it is forgiveness despite the reverse non-con body possession, and it starts the novels characterisation of wwx really well, a subtle moral declaration of standing with the weak and the helpless, of revealing his great and deep empathy. like i believe wwx genuinely felt bad this tortured boy destroyed his soul to fulfil his last wish only to get an evil ghost that wasn't even evil. like it just made me so sad reading this part, you can feel the tragedy of a life cut short because of cruelty. really, wwx so called trecherous, wwx the mad. wwx, forever righteous and just.

i adore foreshadowing and comparisons that can be made between mo xuanyu and wei wuxian, and especially how mo xuanyu's backstory sets up like a miniature version of wwx backstory vs the cultivation gentry, already establishing an anti-classism/aristocracy theme. "It appeared that, despite how the cultivation world had demanded Wei Wuxian's demise, they nevercheless had no qualms about making use use of of his his inventions." (p.33) truly what righteousness, what orthodoxy and what single broad path? only hyprocrisy and the insular gentry, a world soaked in the blood of the weak, gorged on by the powerful.

also wwx is so smart? i love how he questions and deduces his way into knowing how to fulfil mo xuanyu's unknown wishes. like him publically putting out a spectacle and humiliating the mo family was very funny but it makes it rewarding when it's also revealed as an information gathering situation of the mo family, the village, the servants, as well as finding out who the cultivators invited are, AND if this level of revenge was enough to fulfil the contract was just ingeniusly written into a very fun interaction. this plus the flag "stealing" scene really shows how wwx can really think on the spot to achieve his covert goals while masking it as fun mischief and like his understanding of social dynamics and utilisisation of prejudice/preconceptions is extremely proficient.

and he canonically meditates a lot even within the first few pages so I don't really understand where the fanon "he can't meditate" thing comes from alskkfl

also i like how wwx really didnt want to kill the mo family even if it meant like not dying but even worse dying this time cause his soul would be destroyed which allskdd huh maybe the traumatic death was an indication of smth but also wwx really isn't into killing or escalating situations at all. and then he's all like 'not like it'll be all that hard' about the killing too but still refuses to do so and compared to the whole massacre, blood, supreme evil lord stuff, it really reveals to not trust what the ears hear and only half what the eyes see (butchered edgar allen poe quote btw). and i really like how explaining the summoning also set up the spell backlash concept for later. and wwx really risking it all for the lan disciples because it was the good thing to do.

also i never really thought about it but mdzs is a really cool contrast to most transmigration/time stories I've read? mdzs is a really great reversal of the transmig/time-reversal genre tbh which should be expected of mxtx considering svsss i suppose! but like setting it 13 years into the future instead of the past, having the body snatching be intentional from the original owner, explaining the rules and that there had been previous and recorded historical accounts of this type of body trading, making the protagonist accidentally fulfilling the contract instead of actively, and many other things! it's great, it really is!

okay!! my brain is melting right now and i still have so much more to say like the lan disciples!!! and lan sizhui!! omhygod my boy!! but yeah! brain melt! so see you next time!!!

#ha reads mdzs #do you guys like the quotes and pages?#or does it clutter up the paragrapghs too much?#i wasnt sure to make this dot points or not #this feels like the beginning of a new google doc series hmmmMmM #long post #mdzs analysis #wei wuxian analysis #mdzs

6 notes · View notes

ladyazzyscoffeecorner · 13 days

Note

Makoto Needs to Punch Something and/or Gourdeno as a Minor Deity!

Okay so "Makoto Needs to Punch Something" is from Persona 5! I'm not sure how many people who've read my Arise fics have also read my Persona 5 fics, if anyone at all, but this was from when I was deep into character studies and trying to push myself to get back into writing well before Arise released. What I have posted in that fandom isn't particularlly long or revolutionary, but they were fun to write! This is what I had for this WIP, and I think at some point I'd like to return to it and complete this, even if it's short. "Makoto needed to punch something.

It was a bold statement tucked away in her head while she felt an unease under her skin like rolling waves, manifested in the tight grip on her bag and prim smile plastered to her face. Didn’t she say goodbye to being the obedient Student Council President already?

That thought raced through her mind even as she thought of the work piled on her from her position, school work and the Phantom Thieves. It was never ending. A sprial with no end in sight." --- Now "Gourdeno as a Minor Deity" is fun. It spawned from the KtFA discord and one of the many conversations we had there. I needed an answer to how Gourdeno managed to travel between the realms as well as trying to do some world building around the optional Spirit Boss fights we get in Arise. This ended up being the result. The biggest obstacle I have here is I need to either replay Arise or I need to watch the Gourdeno quests to finish this potential one-shot off. Or maybe two-shot depending on the content within BtD because I still need to finish that. I hope you enjoy what I've written so far! "The shape of the world had changed many times over the years. Gourdeno only vaguely remembered them, his memory fading with the ebb and flow of time. Despite the many hours he travelled the length of Dahna, he found himself constantly looking to the road whenever he rested. There was never a shortage of people enthralled by the recipes he would bring and the food that he could scrounge up. Every village greeted him with joy and a place to tell his stories by their hearth. There had always been enough food and time to spare. At least there used to be. Dahna had taken on an odd shape when the angular red creatures invaded. Clans of mages had gone missing, and the remaining clans had become reclusive. Despite his status as a minor spirit, when he did find their settlements, they started to turn him away for fear it was some new trick. A false moon hung in the sky, always staying between Dahna and the proclaimed Rena. Gourdeno remembered a time of infant planets that stretched too far out stars and wondered what had changed since their birth.

It was around the same time that the major deities that ruled over the elements began to slumber. He missed seeing their lumbering forms decorate the earth and sky. The gentle calls they sent out to their brethren suddenly being silenced left an ache in his heart he had never experienced before, and it chilled him to his core far more than the mages who regarded the major deities as their gods turning away had. As the red creatures scattered across Dahna, he found himself lost on the road. Settlements began to view him with suspicion, and his heart ached for the times when they greeted him with cheer. Still, there were enough people who believed that the gods would walk the earth and would offer kindness to strangers. The stories of wondering gods had not been erased. But it had been a long time since he had seen any of the fellow deities that used to walk the planet with him. He only hoped that they had slept much like the major deities that had fallen into slumber with the stolen mage clans.

That changed when the stolen children of Dahna returned, proclaiming they were instead the children of Rena. As they decimated the settlements and enslaved their brethren, Gourdeno wondered what had happened to allow such horrors to exist on his fair home. A chill had begun to set in on his being, and he knew without a doubt that his brethren either slumbered or were gone from the world. They relied on the belief of others to sustain themselves, and Gourdeno had not seen them in an age. It tugged at his heart as he travelled among the newly enslaved children of Dahna, and his heart broke when he found he had little to offer them in the face of their plight. Food became scarce, and even he was limited in the delights of food. He guarded his recipes while he hid among the shadows from the red creatures. He didn’t know if they were truly aware of what slumbered within the planet itself, but he didn’t dare reveal himself in case they did. Regardless, the red creatures seemed obsessed with the newly minted Lords that governed the five areas of Dahna. As Gourdeno slipped between the realms, he saw firsthand how the astral energy being harvested was changing the landscape. Once lush grounds turned to barren rock and dust while greenery grew in abundance, not two realms over. One realm had its warmth completely stolen, pooling into the barren land while it lived in perpetual night. Dust was thick in the air of another realm, and the wind whistled sharply against the rock face. Lastly, the realm that he had been most fond of became submerged in water, turning into a nightmare to travel.

It wasn’t until years later, as he was face down in a cold snow bank, that his hope started to fade. It had been centuries of scarcity and Gourdeno was so very tired of the perpetual hunger that gnawed at him. Would he fade too?"

#Persona 5 #makoto niijima #WIP #one-shot #i write theings #ao3 writer #tales of arise #Gourdeno #Listen I think the foodie man is not-so-secretly a spirit himself bouncing between the realms in Arise and he demands food as tribute #Shionne would treat him as her patron saint and I don't think anyone can convince me otherwise #I just think these characters are neat

3 notes · View notes

fireofjudgement · 1 year

Text

Keep on coming back (Part 1)

Fandom: Alice in Borderland

Pairing: Chishiya x f!reader

Summary: You and Chishiya have never been friends. In fact, you did everything in your power to avoid the man. All it took to change that was one night, one game, and one life lost.

Word count: 1.1k

Warnings: confident!reader, mentions of death, sex (no smut in this chapter), blood, alcohol, character death (I'm so sorry), lots and lots of angst

A/N: This fic is vaguely inspired by the song Stupid by Tate McRae. Also my first Chishiya fic, so I hope you'll like it.

Perfect, you said to yourself, twirling in front of the mirror one more time, with a satisfied look on your face. Your reflection stared right back at you, eyes sparkling, face already hot from all the memories you were about to make that evening. It wasn't unusual for you to be happy with the way you looked, you have always been a confident, proud person. Maybe that was part of the reason you survived this long. That, and the fact you've never shied away from taking advantage of your charm. But tonight you felt yourself more than ever - a lingerie set in your favorite color, hugging your body in all the right places, your hair styled perfectly, and just the right amount of your favorite perfume complimenting an already perfect image.

Last, but definitely not least, you put on the most important item of tonight's outfit. His hoodie. Wrapping the soft piece of fabric around your body, you were surprised to discover it still had his scent on it. Definitely less strong than the first time you had it on, but it was still there. Though come to think of it now, his smell was the last thing you paid attention to that first night. You couldn't hold back a smirk, the memories still so fresh in your mind, your body tingling at the sheer thought of repeating whatever the two of you were up to that night. Well..at least part of it. Your story, although full of excitement and passion, didn't start out on a positive note, far from it actually. You didn't like it when people asked you how and why the hell someone like you got together with someone like Chishiya. You answered the same way each time: It's complicated.

After arriving at the Beach, not exactly voluntarily, and being presented with all the rules, you quickly realized that, contrary to what you thought at first, this place might just be what you were looking for all this time. Never-ending parties, all the food and alcohol you could consume, and your favorite part - countless opportunities to have amazing sex. Whenever you wanted, wherever you wanted, and with whoever you wanted. It got even better - the Beach's "uniform" of sorts was swimwear, and that meant two things: you could show off your body without being judged or frowned upon, and you had plenty of good views to admire. With your confidence, it wasn't difficult to find a consenting partner or several partners, either.

After a while of living at this never-ending party of an organization, you even managed to find a few people you could call friends. Kuina, Arisu, Usagi..in this world they seemed to be the only people you could trust and confide in, even though you didn't think you'd have anything in common at first. Living at the Beach for some time has taught you that the place can be as dangerous as it can be fun. It was crucial to have someone trustworthy, someone willing to protect and support you by your side. Besides, you knew looks could be deceiving, and with time, it became clear that these three have so much more to offer than you gave him credit for upon your first encounter.

Usagi was not only extremely kind and patient, she was an excellent climber - strong, patient and fast. She also somehow always managed to stay calm and collected during times when everyone else was panicking. Arisu, on the other hand, was more..emotional, you could read him like a book. However, his intelligence and will to live were impressive at the very least, especially valuable traits to have in this world. But it was Kuina who quickly became your best friend. You've always admired her from afar, she was absolutely stunning after all, but when you finally talked to her, your bond became undeniable. She was smart and funny, an excellent fighter as well, but there was just something about her that you couldn't describe with words, but it was drawing you towards her from the very start and she felt the same way about you.

And then there was him. Chishiya. You could have sworn he was a new member, you haven't seen him a single time throughout your entire stay at the Beach. If it wasn't for Kuina and your friendship you'd probably never even meet him, which, after everything you guys went through together, was really weird to think about. You didn't understand why your best friend wanted to hang out with.. someone like him. The only thing he's done less of than talking was showing any emotions, no matter if before, during or after a game, or just in your everyday life in the Borderland. He was just..there. He was the polar opposite of Kuina and it just didn't make sense for the two of them to be friends. If you could even call them that. Something about him just felt..off. Needless to say that you were trying to avoid the man as best as you could.

That night however this option was no longer possible. It started out like every other night too - a wild party at the Beach, a few drinks with your friends before the games began. Hatter making a big fuss and holding a speech, every now and then interrupted by his drunken hiccups, slurring most of his words. Aguni standing by his side, intimidating as always, without saying a word. The militants driving each group to their assigned arena, with Niragi "accidentally" ending up in the same car as you again. The usual. The game itself didn't seem difficult either - a low difficulty spades game. You survived worse.

Weapons were a normal occurrence during games, especially during spades games. Getting your hands on one could potentially save your life when used properly, with the right strategy and timing. Unfortunately that night a new, inexperienced and terrified player turned an easy game into a bloodfest, a nightmare for everyone involved. After everything you went through since arriving in the Borderland, after everything you've seen, all the deaths you've witnessed, all the bloody and dismembered corpses haunting your dreams still, you didn't think anything could shock you anymore. And yet, when you heard a series of gunshots so close to your ears, and felt something warm covering your face, followed by a bunch of high pitched screams and a loud thud..nothing could compare to what you felt in that exact moment.

A million thoughts, a million questions racing through your mind, your heart seemingly wanting to escape from your chest. The rational part of your brain was telling you to run, hide, do anything to protect yourself from the danger, but your body remained frozen, your limbs unable to react, all movement impossible. Even breathing came with great difficulty. You couldn't do anything but stare at the spot where your best friend was standing just mere seconds ago, talking to you and laughing at how easy the game was, mockingly asking you why you seem so nervous. Now there was nothing. A silence so loud it hurt your ears.

#alice in borderland #aib #alice in borderland chishiya #chishiya shuntaro

49 notes · View notes

shittygaypornmagazine · 1 year

Note

Hi! I recently started making a TMNT iteration and I wanted to pick your brain rq for questions you ask / wish you were asked that help with fleshing out characters, storylines, and the lives behind a characters that really make them come to life? Cause I'm struggling with a lot of bits here💀

Akfkgkxcjdkckz. Oh my god. Uh. Well. Ok.

First of all: just a quick note that I am in no way shape or form an authority on the matter of tmnt iterations and my ways of characterisation might as well be considered wrong by any other person.

So!

I definitely did not think about this response all night ever since receiving the ask, nono. I thought about it a normal amount.

Why?

That I guess is a very broad question, but I think it is really the first and the most important one you want to ask yourself about anything: a situation, a character, a storyline... I'll take my fic Full Lair as an example to make it easier and kind of apply what I'm saying to what I actually did.

So, three months ago, after reading about F!Leo for a while, I decided to make a Peepaw Fic. Why? Because the concept of a hurt adult version of a character coming back to see their carefree self and battling their hate for them felt fascinating. Why? *insert personal reasons here*

That is the "idea" of the fic.

I also wanted to put some romance in there. Why? Because I felt a little tired of reading about sixteen year olds falling in love and getting their happy ever after so soon, so I wanted to write about two middle aged men with their own baggage learning to trust and love all over again. Why? *insert personal reasons here*

That is the secondary "idea" or the reason for the plot itself.

There personal reasons don't have to be present, but I think every once in a while you should circle back to the whatever reasons you had for starting your fic in order to really understand what are you're trying to say or why are you making the fic in the first place, in case you are feeling stuck/don't know what to do next.

"Why" can also flash out a lot of characters and their backgrounds even before they are revealed, because while you, the author, know why a character does something, the readers will probably pick up on that and start getting the clues to whatever it is that you are setting up. And this really is a very fun question to be asked about your work because then you can go full info dumping mode and who doesn't love that?

Where are the background characters?

Personally, I regret not asking this question before starting Full Lair because I lost a lot of opportunities due to genuinely forgetting about certain parts/characters from the actual canon and bringing them back now would be a little awkward, so I prefer to simply reference them as not to erase their existence completely.

So, think about the background characters beforehand.

Doesn't matter what's your base: 2003, rise, 1987, or whatever and whoever you write about, it really helps to know where you're characters are at. You don't have to think all to hard or write about all of them, of course, but in case there is an opportunity for a little reference or a reader asks you something along the lines of "hey where's this dude" you have a quick and in-universe response to this.

So what about the jokes?

Now if you're not sure in your own sense of humour a trusted person who's opinion on it and the characters you are writing about seems to fit your fic would be a great help.

Yes, even if it's just for them to boost your confidence a little.

The jokes are a small part, but if you're writing about the turtle brothers, sometimes you gotta sprinkle in some bickering and teasing so it's better to have a Humour Tester by your side. And in general, jokes and their placement can really help to describe and understand a character (hence Leo from Rise) and their attitude towards the world and the people around them.

I have no idea if that was of any help at all, because I kinda went for the very few vague questions that I could think about at the moment, but you're always welcomed to ask for more specific ones!

#hyperfixated on rottmnt #full lair #rottmnt fic #rottmnt fanfiction #rottmnt fanfic #writing advice #kinda???#save rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles

20 notes · View notes

valeriefauxnom · 2 months

Text

Scaling Removed Scenes

So, even if I use most the content I type, or am at very least able to repurpose scene ideas, sometimes things just don't quite make it into the cut. It might be for characterization, the tone a section had that is now at contrast with the rest of the chapter (as me, who tends to write random interesting bits of several upcoming chapters in the future and then strings things together, cannot exactly foresee where the plot is), or just because a better idea popped up. (Yes, you are also reading this right in that I am a 'pantser' flying by the seat of my pants with ideas vaguely glued together as I stitch things together! ...I'm not good at outlines.)

The point remains: this is things that aren't Scaling 'canon' or congruent. And despite it all, some of these are snippets or, rarely, basically fully polished segments that no longer fit. So instead of letting them rot forever in my drafted works, I figured I'd at least try and put some of them somewhere as maybe a fun little thing for anyone interested to see What Could Have Been.

Here's one, which with the latest chapter is out of the running. My first draft and ideas for this section involved the Trio of Eldest Siblings being the ones to face an even angrier Mids, and it would have been much earlier in the chapter. As things developed, it was ultimately thrown out for quite a few reasons. For one, Euden Tower Defense and resulting drama had not yet entered my mind. It also felt like a bit too...productive for a single section, in that Mids is giving incredibly huge pieces to the puzzle all in once, even if he might be a bit looser with info when mad. Combined with other things, it was eventually 'repurposed' into Leo's encounter(s) with Midgardsormr. You'll see shades of elements here and there!

That being said, I'm not exactly sure what to do with these little bits and pieces. This is probably the biggest piece I can think of that is truly out of the realm of possibility now. I'm not sure whether to just post 'em on Tumblr for easy finding so they don't get lost in my own drafts or posting them to a new single work on AO3 or something, with chapters dividing the different failed sections. What might work best/be preferred for any readers here, for convenience or something?

Without any ado, though, now that that's out of the way, here's the section in question, a full 2.7k that had developed wings but nevertheless failed to fly enough to make the Cut!

“And then, before I could explain his behavior to Father as nothing more than dismay that Father was hewing closer to the core of the matter, Father dismissed me as if I were naught more than a schoolboy throwing a temper tantrum! Infuriating. We just might have had some answers by now, but Father’s saccharine tendencies nipped it in the bud and allowed Euden to escape yet again from answering any uncomfortable topic.” Leonidas said as he relayed his experience with Father and Euden last night, only pausing to angrily sip his tea.

“One question: were you acting as a ‘schoolboy throwing a temper tantrum’, o wizened, most temperate elder brother, or at least resembling one enough that Father strayed closer to caution than boldness in assuming Euden’s intentions? You do have a certain…vigor in you that can oft make it appear you are feeling more intensely about a matter than you actually are.” Phares said, jovial to Leonidas’ annoyance.

Chelle hummed in agreement. “With the fire in his mere recounting of last night’s events, I too would struggle to blame Father for erring on the side of caution when interpreting your interpretations.”

“Perhaps I ought to head posthaste to Valkaheim, if that is how I am appreciated here, and leave you to figure out the truth all alone. First you disregard me and my orders, only to deride me as if I were a petulant, emotional child.” Leonidas huffed at their light teasing as the trio of eldest siblings gathered once again to consult with each other over tea.

“Winter is not due for how many months, and yet brother dearest is already wishing to abandon us to frigid winter to enjoy the warmth of Valkaheim? How cruel and cold, much as my elder brother’s heart, it seems!” Chelle exclaimed with faux hurt. They all knew Leonidas was merely expressing exasperation at not getting his way yet again, instead an actual threat to return to his city as he did for all winters. It wasn't as if Chelle would be here for winter either, more than happy to return to Chanzelia to escape the freeze as well.

“Oh yes, how very devastating, his willingness to leave his infirm, sickly brother to the capital, trusting that he won’t even be able to hold a coup in the meantime…” Phares joined right in the teasing with a hand clutching his chest and blatantly lying. While far from the raw physical strength Leonidas or Valyx could muster, he wasn’t exactly infirm now, either, and a master of all forms of the lance aside.

“As if you wish the throne, anyways… We’d have an easier time convincing you to remain in a library for a year than maintain the throne for half that.” Well, that too, as Leonidas pointed out. Phares was more than content to stay holed up in his study or wandering the world in search of truth and science, making his words mere bluster. The one singular time Leonidas and Father had both been struck ill by an illness for a few days enough to demand a regent, Phares made his displeasure acting as such clear enough by his sulking.

“Hm, that actually might be a pleasant reprieve from-”

They were interrupted when a sudden strong breeze sent wind whipping across the courtyard. Chelle had to rapidly snatch her fan off the table before it could be carried away. Looking to the sky, baffled by the sudden change in wind, they soon had an answer.

Midgardsormr had returned to the castle, and he was evidently interested in coming to land in their courtyard.

They watched in silence as the dragon slammed onto the ground much louder than necessary, each formulating their own idea about the situation.

“Heiritors of dragonblood, what have you done to Euden?! Answer me or your lives might be considered forfeit!” The dragon all but roared, staring them down with all the fury of a powerful Greatwyrm.

Leonidas stood up. The rest of them followed, but Leonidas held out an arm in a signal to stay behind him. “Explain what you mean, wyrm. We’ve done nothing. Whatever you mean, it was not our act.”

His words sounded cold as ever, but the remaining siblings could tell he was preparing himself for a fight. Even the causal omission of ‘Great’ in front of ‘wyrm’ would be considered severely disrespectful. To do so in front of an angry dragon was tantamount to begging for a fight.

“Then you mean to claim you have nothing to do with his current status? He had fled. Escaped as planned from you, and so I departed to track him down and rejoin him. Only after some time searching did I feel his mana again echoing back to this very castle and just outside, this time ever-so-much-weaker. It is clear you, as the connecting factor, did something drastic to incapacitate him!” With every huff, verdant tendrils of wind mana cascaded out his mouth and nostrils, a passive reminder of the power dragons commanded by virtue of their creation.

“The only thing our family has done of late, Greatwyrm, was save him from being preyed upon by fiends and dying from shapeshifting rebound. He’s currently being treated to the best of our capacity and with all kindness possible.” Phares said in a more placating tone than Leo’s harsher rejection.

“Clearly a lie. It was you who first imprisoned him into this castle, and halted him from shapeshifting! Evidently, now that he reclaimed his ability, you must resort to other methods now that the accursed collar is nullified from his efforts. Exactly what I would have come to expect from such conniving siblings who seemed to seek nothing less than his complete annihilation at times!” Though the Greatwyrm appeared calmer by actually being willing to hear them out, he was still obviously angry, judging by the way his tail thrashed about and knocked over things at random.

Despite the more pressing concern trying to calm down a Greatwyrm from attempting murder (and one that would likely succeed against at least one of them), Midgardsormr’s words sent their heads spinning as they processed.

First, the dragon had implied that Euden had shared with him that they were siblings before he saw fit to reveal the same to Father, as well as plotting escape with him. Second, Midgardsormr seemed to believe they sought Euden’s ‘annihilation’ and spoke as if he had a history with them longer than a month or two. Whatever could that mean or have originated from? Had Euden and him truly been speaking so dramatically of affairs here? It hadn’t seemed like it, the one time they partially overheard a discussion of theirs… Though they admittedly were speaking secretively in their utilization of Draconic, a nearly dead language that even dragons seldom used for anything beyond ancient literature and magic study.

“Greatwyrm, if you are truly so unable to take our words for what they are, I implore you, by all means, visit your pactbound yourself to see with your own eyes that he is not being mistreated. We know not what you are referring to, but it is not our wish to see relations soured between the Kingdom and the Greatwyrms.” Chelle offered, testing the waters by calling Midgardsormr and Euden ‘pactbound’ to gauge his reaction.

The dragon fell silent then, failing to provide a reaction as he maintained his stare as if he were weighing their souls. “...I will hold you to your offer, dragonblood.” He held his snout up high in the air for a minute, before he abruptly took to the air again.

“...He looks like he’s going to our bedrooms,” Phares said as he observed the dragon’s flight, “They must be pacted after all or otherwise engaged in some sort of bond. Tracking down the mana of a shapeshift is one thing, but to be able to pinpoint his location like this suggests a deeper connection. Even Uranus wouldn’t be able to pin my exact location, and we’re essentially in lockstep.”

“Phooey. My hair is all messed up now.” Chelle said instead as she tried to school it into a neater semblance of its former glory.

Leonidas’ hair was similarly messed up, though he did not seem to care aside from moving it away from his eyes. “Pick up your slackened jaws and lances, guards. The threat is not gone. Sister, Brother, you may wish to go inside. If the beast is to attack, let him claw through the walls to do so, preferably when you are armed.”

Midgardsormr’s strong wind and strong…verbiage had made some of the guards drop their weaponry in shock.

“And let you engage in diplomacy, when you’re already mentally strategizing how to fight a Greatwyrm? Perish the thought. If we run, he could just as easily take that as confirmation we feared his wrath when he discovered something.” Chelle dismissed, taking her seat again as if a dragon did not just threaten that he might take their lives.

Phares hummed in agreement. “Besides, we did just invite him inside. There would be a fair probability his hypothetical rampage would commence there. We simply must pray we’ve given no accidental cause for Midgardsormr to interpret as neglectful.”

They then sat in mostly silence despite the gravity of the situation, their previous discussion tabled. The only marker of some time passing was the increasing presence of guards entering the courtyard, no doubt responding to frantic calls to arms regarding a hostile dragon in the place only to find it empty.

But finally, Midgardsormr could be seen in the skies once more, landing again, this time with a more reasonable slam. He graciously chose to ignore the few guards that nervously pointed their spears in his general direction to focus upon them again.

“I will acknowledge that your current story appears to be veracity, kin of dragonblood. Euden is yet asleep, but all that I could gather from others suggested your words to be true. For once.” The bluster in the wind and his mood seemed to die down.

They could only be pleased the dragon was of the sort able to calm himself when proven wrong, though he was not pleased about it. Many dragons, much as humans, struggled to accept any notion of faultiness and many a cautionary story ended with a dragon going on a rampage only to find out their driving reason was incorrect.

“Our thanks for listening to us, Honorable Greatywrm. Please, if there is aught more you might like to hear to clarify the situation since your departure, do ask.” Chelle said in her smooth tone that served to soothe ruffled feathers (or scales) and cravats alike, eager to further iron out any misunderstandings and perhaps win back some goodwill.

The dragon looked more contemplative at that. “...How did you find out that he was your kin? The environs were richly decorated and well-guarded in such a way that suggests you live near his new quarters, no? What caused his change of scenery from being secreted away above the castle as little more than a prisoner?”

“He revealed it to our father, though not particularly freely. It was a miracle we’ve gotten that much out of him despite that being the most logical conclusion since the first day he stepped inside the castle, and even that reportedly set him crying and pulling out his own feather. Utterly ridiculous.” Leonidas responded, shaking his head with distaste.

The dragon sighed. “...Feather? Whatever is going on with you?” He muttered, lost in thought, “...All I know of Euden would not correlate to most behavior you and your servants consistently described. Still, know that I will not break the bonds of trust placed upon me and thus will not speak of his secrets.” Sage as reputed, Midgardsormr had already deduced the likely request that he share information with them if he were truly so concerned and preemptively responded.

“Then,” Phares swallowed, buying time to think of a way to phrase his inquiry, “...If you cannot, is someone else who might? We’re increasingly at our wits’ end trying to find out anything that might help him. As soon as things look to be improving, something backslides him three steps before seemingly without rhyme or reason as he refuses to explain.”

“...There exists none who could share his life story, anymore. They are gone. The sole keepers are him and myself, and even I know not all.”

They paused at that plain confirmation that they had no hope of finding any record or person that knew of Euden aside from those presently within the confines of their current location. However many were that could have before, they were likely dead if that was how Midgardsormr addressed them.

“Ah. I see…”

“All fine and well, but do you seriously intend us to twiddle our thumbs and gently try to prod him into revealing another scrap of info, only then to have to wait another month before any notable progress can be made again and trust he doesn’t find a way to die or maim himself accidentally in the meantime? That is the pattern of late, and one that cannot be allowed to continue. If you profess care enough to open yourself up to attack from the entire kingdom, I would remind you of the consequences of silence.” Leonidas said, not falling into Phares’ melancholic mood so easily.

“Dearest brothers, this was supposed to be an opportunity to answer questions of the dragon, not ask them, regardless of your points.” Chelle reminded.

“I intend to honor the trust placed in me, little ember, especially as I am the only one whom he can rely upon now,” the Windwyrm dismissed, flicking his tail in displeasure, “Control your fire before it sparks the wrong blaze. Regardless, there is little I wish to ask that I could receive an adequate response for. I will permit you to continue your inquiries as I see fit.”

The diminutive appellation of Leonidas as a ‘little ember’ had him cross his arms in distaste, -also probably from the reminder he had no true control whether the dragon stayed to listen at all.

“Then, Windwyrm, if you will not enlighten the darkness, advice on how to illuminate it ourselves would be helpful. We’ve any number of scattered facts, but connecting them into a singular narrative is proving most difficult.”

“...I will speak with him as soon as he has awoken before I do anything more. But I will leave you with two pieces of advice: Euden, as most every living creature, is more helpful when met with kindness than not.”

“Windwyrm: we’ve tried making most every concession allowed either for his health or per our lord Father’s orders. We would struggle to think of aught other kindness one could provide. He asks for near nothing, and so nothing we provide.” Chelle protested, incensed at the implication they were meeting him with unkindness.

It was uncanny, how so many dragons could hold so still for so long. Had they not known, one could have taken Midgardsormr as a very fancy, exorbitantly expensive sculpture. “...And have you considered your mere presence is its own form of torment to him? Therein lies my second piece of advice: regardless of how illogical it may be, the least likely answer is more often the closer one to your answers.”

“Illogical in what-”

Before Phares could finish, Midgardsormr took off yet again abruptly as he first came, deciding the conversation was over.

“...Well, that was certainly interesting. A pity he grew tired of questioning so quickly. I had many things I might like to ask about.” Phares blinked, interrupted in the middle of his question and left watching the dragon go.

“Nothing like a touch of mortal peril to enliven one’s afternoon, hm? Though, Leo-Leo, I must say, how dashing to come to your siblings’ aid! I’d almost begun to believe you were devolving into a crude brute with no sense of chivalry!”

“How is it that you can turn to jape so quickly in the wake of what just transpired? Do you fools even realize the precariousness of that situation? Regardless, I simply did not wish you to be in my way if the dragon were inclined to attack. That is all.”

“Mm-hm…” Two skeptical voices sounded, sharing a knowing look. Oh yes, that likely was part of the reason, but they both knew it was not the entirety.

Phares took a sip of tea, as if they were not in potentially mortal peril not five minutes ago. “In any case, permit me to share my own curious findings I’ve been meaning to before I announce the same to our sibling in question, obtained thanks to the Lightwyrm and Nedrick…”

---

#scaling the walls of a mystery #my writing #Lost Scales #ha. I'm keeping that one if I post any others.#In any case I hope someone might enjoy seeing the 'what ifs' of Scaling!#The story has shifted trajectory from this but elements do remain that have not quite emerged. Make of that what you will!#Even if the section isn't 'canon' some of the headcanon still is.#Like in this case Leo's and Chelle's flight to their cities for winter is my explanation of how they split their time/duties #(It's my way of stealthily patching the incongruity with the mention that Leo and Chelle aren't normally around in the epilogue!)

4 notes · View notes