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rusmii · 24 days

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Ok so before I forget what i dreamed about PLEASE IM BEGGING U RESPOND PLEASE PLEASE AND IF U DON'T DO REQUEST PLEASE DO IT WHEN U OPEN REQUEST PLEASE SO I WILL ASK DIFFERENT CREATORS THIS BUT DIFFERENT ANIME OR GAME MALE CHARACTER SO.....

Female reader pls so

Yn is gf whit bsd men i want reaction of them when u set up a camera start recording and put her head between the legs and it goes like this:

'''Hello girls lets do a unboxin video "" and she starts uk unzipping undressing.....

What will they do will the men allow her to do it does one of them do reverse card and just does yn unboxin or dies he let her please i need Rat man AKA fyodor dazai and chuuya u can add other mennu want please IM BEGGING U I NEED ONE U PROBABLY KNOW WHAT DAZAI WILL DO WHAT HIS REACTION WILL BE OR WHATEVER CHARACTER U ADD U CAN MAKE PT2 OR PT3 PLEASE 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭(SORRY IF MY ENGLISH IS BAD ITS MY 3 LANGUAGE AND AHEM) HARD SMUT AND ""gives him or her a cookie 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

❝ HEY GIRLS! LET’S DO AN UNBOXING VIDEO 2DAY !!! ❞ — brat taming edition

( ⟡ ). fyodor, dazai, chuuya x FEM!bodied reader (afab / fem. names)

( 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨 ⟡ ). your boyfriend has had such a stressful week this month! with him ignoring your usual antics for attention—you stir the pot looking for ideas to get his attention back on you. what kind of stupid shit did you pull off this time to make him so mad, he has to fuck the brat outta you? wc;;; 2,560

( cws ⟡ ). just know this is hardcore brat taming erm… NOT EDITED/PROOFREAD, POSSIBLE OOC. no protection, riding/cowgirl, meanie fyodor, DOM!fyodor, long dick fyo, mentions of brat everywhere, poorly used russian translator, begging and pleading, P->I, pet names/nicknames, DOM!dazai, cunni/fem oral. , fingering, g-spot hitting yum, implied safe wording in dazais part, dirty talk, punishments, desk sex in both dazai and chuuyas part, bending over, DOM!chuuya, fucking u doggy, ass slapping, mean name calling (lovingly), rough fucking, kinda public sex, the thrill of getting caught, chuuya is a yap while having sex, he becomes a whiny bitch as he cums. ALL DIVIDERS/BANNERS MADE BY ME!!!!!

( ans ⟡). OH MY GOSH I ACTUALLY FINISHED THIS 💀 let's ignore the fact that dazais part is shit and that I forgot about the cameras after fyos pt... anyways hi love! I don't take reqs but I rlly liked this idea so I took it as a suggestion <3 dw abt ur english I understood it !!

if u liked this imma need to know why

#( FYODOR🪽. ) wc; 934

he sighs, ivan had been nagging him all week, the already stressful month not helping with his situation. because of this, fyodor has had less time to give you any sort of attention, only merely passing a small greeting when you two meet each other in bed after the days are over. it isn’t until today, did you have enough of his busy schedule; and ivan’s touchy hands feeling your man up. body kneeling in between his legs, you look up with your dashing eyes—words being uttered with such disgrace and impurity as he suppresses a big sigh. “hey girls! let’s do an unboxing video today!~” unzipping his fly slowly, your eyes never leave his; camera settled in the corner recording everything. including what he was about to do to his brat.

“lyubov',” fyodor lifts your chin with his fingers, angling it so that your little camera stunt was capturing your expression. he gives you a shallow thrust, dick hitting so deep, it almost kisses your cervix. “it’s rude to ignore your audience. why don’t i cut you some slack, hm?” he suggests, switching your positions. turning your head away from the camera, it was clear as day that you wanted to turn it off to hump his dick freely, but you knew damn well your boyfriend wasn’t as nice as he made himself out to be.

he taps your thigh, “ride me dorogoy.” like a chain of commands, you move your hips, pussy sliding his dick in and out without much effort. “fyo..~” you moan, sweat rolling down your head as his cock bullies it’s way deeper inside. “no, brats don’t get to talk. brats need to earn the approval of their master.”— fyodor talks, as if he were your owner. after hearing that you needed to earn your privilege back, you embarked on your journey to make this one hundred percent harder for him. “no,” you stop moving, resting your body on top of his lap.

knowing your play, fyodor doesn’t take your disobedience lightly. “[name], my dear. pleasure me or don’t get off at all.” he warns. it was your last warning before fyodor grabbed his book from the nightstand and left you to rot on his dick until you got the memo. panic slowly starts to settle in once you realize the weight of the situation. you’ve been longing for his attention for so long and you got it! but at what cost? fyodor clicks his tongue, giving you a minute left to decide your next choice.

you bite your lip, hips moving slowly against him as he sighs and grabs his book anyways. “wait! i’m - i’m riding you!” you try to smack the book away, a sharp glare and a thrust knocking you back into place. “hn~ fyodor! why are you reading?!” you slam down onto his dick, skin being smacked and mushed together by sweat was echoed through the bedroom. ignoring your pleas and begging, fyodor simply flips to the next page, fully aware of the tears threatening to glass your eyes up if he didn’t start praising you like his good girl in the next few minutes.

your hands rest on his stomach, pushing your body up every time you fall back down in hopes of getting his attention back on you. “hah..~ fyo~ please-please pay attention to me..” you whine, clenching your walls. that seemed to get a reaction out of him, breath pausing just for a second before he recomposes himself and shakily turns to the next page. “fyo-dor!~” — “sorry, i couldn’t hear you over your blabbering.” he shuts the book, placing it aside. “what did my brat beg of me?” your pace sped up, hips and legs trembling from your approaching orgasm that was just on the horizon.

you were so close, but it wasn’t enough. you needed him to fill and fuck every spot in your pussy—and you were getting more desperate by the second. “well? i’m not asking for much, parshivets.” he leans forward, elbows propped up to support himself better. “what did you say in your previous sentence?” he sets his hands on your waist. tears has already welled up in your eyes—his cock nudging against your g-spot. “go on, tell me.” his face was near yours, eyes staring at yours while he captured your lips into a kiss.

his hips snapped up, angling it so that he was able to hit your spot head on with each passing thrust. “ghnn!!~” you squeal into the kiss, stomach tying into knots as your arms fall limp. “say it,” he moves down to your neck, biting down near the crook of it. “ah! hmm~ i - please pay attention to me!” you gave in when he starts speeding up his thrusts. “ ‘m to me! pay attention t’mee!!~” body giving out, you threw your head back as drool spread down your lips. “ ‘m sorry! pay attention to me!~ pay attention - ghhoo!!!”

“ah~ such lewd sounds coming from you,” fyodor groans, the grip of his hands tightening a bit as he feels his balls starting to empty itself. “fuck -!” he cursed, pretty unexpectedly, “take it all lyubov'!” he moans—dick so deep you could feel his load seeping into your womb bit by bit. all it took was one final thrust to send you into oblivion, eyes rolling back it turns white, your throat dry from all the gasping you emitted.

he sighs, feeling his stress starting to alleviate itself post-orgasm. “[name]? maybe you were right. maybe i do like this little bratty side of you—maybe i should start ignoring you more often, maybe-“ — “fyodor, no.”

#( DAZAI🪽. ) wc; 729

dazai slams the stack of papers onto his desk, the mental pressure of everything getting too overwhelming for him. this month has been pretty stressful, with this week’s case biting him in the ass. dazai swore that he would ditch work to leave it all to atsushi and kunikida, but unfortunately he was caught sneaking out the back by the latter. his punishment was to finish up everyone’s end of the month report and he was stuck in the office during late nights. you, being a clerk but also his girlfriend, decided that enough was enough, and that you needed his attention back on you—all huffy and displeased when he swats your hands away from his body. opting to go the difficult route, you push yourself under the desks and in between his legs, dazai’s wide eyes not expecting what you were about to say next. “hey girls!~ let’s do an unboxing videooo!!” you smirk, sliding the zip down to reveal his hardening cock inside his boxers.

your back slammed onto his desk, all papers and stationary thrown off in a hurry. you wince, the wood hitting you hard. “aw! had i known that my sweet little brat was in such a desperate headspace, i would’ve folded much sooner~” he sang, voice not matching the mischief in his smile. by now, his face was near your crotch—skirt hiked up as he pressed his fingers on the band of your underwear. “hey [name]’s friends! let’s do an unboxing video, hm?~” he chirps, dragging the piece of cloth down one leg, showing your vulva in full display. “look, girls! my girl is so wet!” he flicks your clit, not minding your flinch one bit.

“say… [name]?” dazai inquires, lips only inches away from your folds. his tongue drags across your pussy—from bottom to top. “mhmn~ what?” you huff out in pleasure, frustration agitating your sex from the lack of stimulation. “mm, nothing. just needed to make sure you were still with me,” he jokes, getting himself comfortable on his knees and securing your legs into his arms. “mmm’kay! gonna start, you better not move an inch or else.” after giving you his final warning and conditions, dazai starts going to town on your pussy. he starts by giving your clit tiny kisses before he sticks his tongue inside your folds.

arching your back, you let a moan ripple out, “fuck! samu!~” bunching his hair into your fists, dazai groans—tongue dipping inside your cunt. rotating between your clit and pussy, dazai doesn’t spare a single second on air, not caring about his dwindling oxygen levels. breathing can wait, his main goal was to get you to cum as fast as he can—attempting to set a new record for you both. “osamu! i- hold on~” you catch onto his little game, trying to pry his face off your crotch. intertwining his hands with yours, dazai traps it in his.

“no, my love..” he sighs, “you’ve already been too much of an attention whore earlier today. we don’t need more of your attitude right now.” dazai, now a little annoyed by your lack of compliance, decides that instead of edging, he’s going to overstimulate you until you’re crying and begging for his mercy. “lovely dear,” he starts. you feel the gears shift in your head as you realize your mistake; moving. “i’ve let you off the hook once, but i see.. you’re still repeating old habits.” slapping your pussy, you yelp, not expecting the force of the slap to be so harsh. “ow! what the fuck osamu?!-”

“nu-uh,” he cuts you off, his fingers replacing the empty loss inside your cunt. “ah!- osamu..!~” you completely change up your tune. the soft twisting of his fingers gets your brain muddled within seconds, a slight force pressing itself around your g-spot. “let's switch up our usual punishments for tonight.” he suggests, thumb rubbing your clit gently. dazai curls his fingers, making sure to angle it in a way that has you drooling. “we're going to stay in the office for overtime, and you'll cum on my tongue until sunrise.”

with his conditions set in stone, you knew you had fucked up by seeing his wicked smile. “you know what to say if you need me to stop.” in one swift motion, dazai is already lapping at your cunt with his hands pushing on your knees

#( CHUUYA🪽. ) wc; 897

chuuya didn't have time to entertain your little musings recently. it's not like he wanted to ignore you, trust him—he really didn't, but sometimes even time was out of his control and he was speeding against the clock to get this project done in time. having enough of him ignoring you, you stay beside him, chuuya thinking that you were just idly sitting next to him as a good support. but in truth, you already had a trick up your sleeve. sinking to the floor, you have your hands on his lap as you unzip his fly with an innocent expression on your face. “good evening girls! let's do an unboxing vid today!~” you giggle to yourself as chuuyas shocked expression morphs into that of irritation. getting up, he leaves you be—unfortunately for him, you had a plan b. slapping his ass hard, you give him a smooch before making a run for it down the hall, with your boyfriend loudly shouting at you to ‘get your ass back here’.

his hands knead the plush of your ass, his strong and veiny hands handling you roughly with some sort of care to it. “fucking bitch.” he mutters under his breath, bending you over his desk. “you didn't need to go the extra mile for my attention, but here you are,” chuuya unbuckles his belt. he pushes up your skirt, laughing in mockery when he sees the wet patch sticking on your underwear. “damn, couldn't wait huh? what? did you finger yourself before acting up?”

not waiting for an answer, he slaps your ass. the stinging pain making you bite your lip. “talkin’ to ya’, don't ignore me.” he pushes his boxers down to expose his rock-hard dick, tip leaking precum and all. he rubs his dick in the crack of your ass, asking if you could feel the effect you had on him. “yes - ah!- hu-hurry…” a shake breath left your lips as you feel the redhead align himself up with your hole. chuuya leans down, “y'know what to say, right sweets?” he whispers into your ear. nodding your head, you push your ass onto his crotch.

after receiving your consent, chuuyas hips slammed into yours—a loud moan rippling out of you both. “fuuuck,” he groans. “ahnn!~ haa..” trembling a bit, your hands latched to the edge of his desk. without wasting a single second to spare, chuuya starts humping you like a bitch in heat. pretty ironic considering his previous name calling from earlier. “hgn! chu - ah!~ chuchu!” you moan his name without shame. chuuya grunts, shoving your head into his desk. “dammit - fuck. shut up!” he shouts just barely above a whisper.

“you want my men to hear how much of a slut you are?” he questions, thrusts speeding up with each word. you don't have any time to breathe by how chuuya us knocking the wind out of your lungs every second. “to hear all your moans - when they already saw you act like an absolute porno bitch.” he grabs ahold of your hair and bundles it up into his palm. pulling you up, chuuya forces you to look at the slightly cracked open door.

“see that?” his voice is hushed, a huge contrast to your bitten muffles. “they won't even need to walk in, all they need'a do is walk by.” chuuya slaps your ass, “to see how much of an absolute cock slut you are for me.” you squeal when chuuya hits that certain spot inside you, legs kicking the ground as you try to sustain what's little left of yourself before you went full-blown whore for him. “chu!~ ghnn!!gonna!!~ mm! I'm gonna-cumm!”

chuuyas dick curves so perfectly inside you, the tip of his dick punching your g-spot and drags along it as he slides in and out of your cunt. “naaah, brats don't get to cum. hold it or don't cum at all.” he orders, hips not slowing down one bit despite his notion. “c-cant!!” you try to explain to him, your orgasm reaching its limit. chuuya doesn't listen however, your mindless blabber can be saved for when you're actually fucked dumb.

“you can,” he supports himself using one arm while his free hand wraps itself under your stomach, feeling his dick bulge your stomach. “wait for me dolly, alright?” he groans, his own high building up as soon as you whine so beautifully underneath him. you shake your head, cunt starting to burst glitter everywhere. “ ‘m sorry! ‘m soorrry!! sorrryyy!!!~” he hears you squeal in anticipation, dick nestled onto your spot as he grinds into you.

“aha~ shit pretty girl. yer’ still so fuck-ghn!- fuck, tight~” chuuyas breath is heavy, he sounds exhausted but you knew better than to believe that. he stamina was no joke and you could testify first hand to that. his hands grip your hips hard, thrusting so aggressively, you think he's going to drag the uterus out with him. “gunnacum-cumcum~ cumming - shit!~ [name]!!~” he moans your name rather loudly—hypocrite much. as he cums, chuuya bit your shoulder blade, hips stilling inside your pussy once white ropes shoot inside thick and creamy.

“fucking hell pretty - ‘m so sorry,” he whines into your shoulder, subtly rutting into you to ride out his high. “you're so pretty. my good girl, can't ever be mad at you.”—again, such a stark contrast to his earlier behavior towards you.

@rusmii 2024 . do not do the basic copy right shit pls.

taglist;;; @luvan1 @bfdazai @asqmi @squigglewigglewoo @liviash @doonifox @ishqani @briars-castle @iheartpieck @ezelium @little-miss-chaoss @kurolumiis

#𝙇𝙐𝙑 𝙍𝙐𝙉𝙄💕#I LIKED FHE CONCEPT #i’m sorry i couldn’t execute it better 😭😭😭#fyodor x reader #chuuya x reader #dazai x reader #fyodor smut #chuuya smut #dazai smut #bsd x reader #bsd smut #...𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗬 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞 <//3 #𝙇𝙐𝙑𝙈𝘼𝙄𝙇𝙎💌

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fateunwritten-if · 11 months

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GENRES: Fantasy, Romance

CONTENT WARNING: Blood, Violence, Swearing, Some suggestive content (never really gets explicit).

You know something isn't right.

Yet here you are walking straight into the unknown. You should have listened to them you could've avoided this. Your already married to a prince and now the same people you grew up with seem different as it its a different reality. But even if you decided to listen now it would be too late.

Your fate is unwritten don't try to write it.

DEMO

☆ Customizable MC: choose your name, nickname, appearance, gender, and pronouns.

☆ Romance: 4 males, 2 female (so far its not in stone), and 1 possible poly route.

☆ If you don't want romance, you could just make friends with everyone, or the opposite.

☆ Your not the only one here.

☆ The choices you make may have consequences later.

☆ Will you find the truth?

Queen Hera

"You are a royal now. Take responsibility."

Head of the family, your family, and the Queen of Florin. She oversees the well-being of the kingdom and its Civilians. A close Friend of Idris, the General.

She is a caring and kind person. Although he is more strict and harsh with her family including you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

General Idris (RO)

"I never said it would be easy."

The General of Florins army. Sarcastic, coy, and a natural leader. He always gives his very absolute best. He's extremely loyal to the royal family.

They value loyalty above anything and everything else and will stand beside you whenever you need them; as friends or possibly more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Astoria (RO)

"I hope you know that I will never let you get hurt."

Apart of the Royal Guard. Almost always with a smile and a happy personality. She's usually training the newer guards but whenever she has free time she loves to just talk with you.

She's a just a kind person but she can crack when certain things happen especially when it happens to someone she cares about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prince Ivan (RO)

"People like me aren't supposed to have someone like you, I think fate was being a bit harsh on you."

Your husband and friend. He may look harsh, but really, he's easygoing and always finds time to crack jokes to make the best of your arranged marriage. He likes to train in his free time when hes not stuck in his royal duties.

He's loyal and holds honesty as a priority but he still holds secrets from you only because he doesn't scare you away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shadow (RO)

"Not listening to me won't get you anywhere"

The Whispers and the one who guides you in your mind. He is the reason you're still alive. His real name is 【ｃｅｎｓｏｒｅｄ】.

He's 【ｃｅｎｓｏｒｅｄ】 and 【ｃｅｎｓｏｒｅｄ】

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flora (RO)

"I know how this will end."

She is the chill best friend. She's your sunshine protector of you,the sunshine. And she might become your shelter in the storm.

She mostly hangs out at the park or library just to relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prince Emir (RO)

"I think you are going to end up getting hurt."

He's the younger prince. He has quite a slight contrast to his older brother. While even though he is not very expressive, he's a very good listener.

You can find him in the palace courtyard and library.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ASK WELCOME

#interactive fiction #interactive story #fate unwritten if #twine interactive fiction #interactive game #interactive play #twine if #if game #if

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gatheringbones · 1 year

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hello! I wonder if you have a tag for or a few jumping-off points for literature about butches and how we relate to our bodies (size/weight, bulk, muscle, ability/disability, feeling un/desirable, space taken up in the world). If not, I'll search harder! Thanks for researching and reading and posting all you do. Your blog is an incredible resource.

tried to include links to all of these but got overwhelmed: here's everything I could think of off the dome:

Please Come And Be Fat by s. bear bergman, see also hir essay from Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme on butch bodies as sacred multigendered objects worthy of care, as well as the Why Are People Into That? episode on chivalry and the article The Body No Longer Policed By Gender

the essay A Scar Is More Than A Wound that I briefly had access to when JSTOR was free during early 2020; it’s an invaluable text on the intersection of disability and gender nonconformity when it comes to state and institutional violence and the role of aberrant bodies in a violent white supremacist culture

Eli Clare’s books and essays on his history of abuse and how it intersects with his gender and sexuality identity and how that in turn intersects with ability/disability and white american settler colonialist culture

Jan brown’s essay Sex Lies and Penetration from the persistent desire unpacking the myth of the stone butch and diagramming all of the overlaps that crop up when abuse survivors and incest survivors and trans people and broke people and mad people flock to a word like butch and how absolutely none of them need to be “judged, pitied, or analyzed”

Ivan Coyote’s essay from The Slow Fix about butch preparedness anxiety and specifically the bit about lingering catholic trauma, see also Missed Her and Care of and honestly their entire body of work.

Madeline Davis’s essay Oral History and Study of Sexuality in the Lesbian Community: Buffalo, New York, 1940-1960, from Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past on butch bonding and brotherhood and sex education between older and younger butches and how the drive and willingness to center and value sex and sexuality gave the gay and lesbian civil rights movement the impetus it needed to change the culture and laws of the united states against its will

Barbara Smith’s essay from the persistent desire on butch power and how much it has to do with the context of that butch’s desires (which has as much to do with femme power and desire as it does with gender and race and personal narrative)

Amy fox’s essay from persistence: all ways butch and femme on the joy and power of being a trans butch and how other butches will orient themselves around the question of transness always with a regard towards their own sense of peace surrounding their body and experience

#lesbian literature #trans literature #gender stuff #wasteland radio

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melonminnie · 10 months

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i rlly hope this is anon

But like can you do alien stage with whoever you like with a s/o that suddenly disappeared before they were up on the stage

You must promise to love me

INCLUDING: Ivan

-I decided on just doing Ivan bc I love him sm! Lmk if you want other characters <3

Ivan knocked on your door as he had done multiple times before. It was a ritual for him and you at this point.

The boy would knock on your door whenever he sensed you were anxious and soothe whatever was worrying you at the time.

This moment was no different, of course. Today was the day you would finally sing in front of the aliens who would decide your fate.

"Come in!" he heard a muffled voice that he recognized in a heartbeat. He smiled, opening the door.

The changing room was white, from the furniture to the dressing room and vanity. The only thing that wasn't white was your appearance.

That brightened everything in his eyes. The once dull room looked bright and lively while you occupied it.

He disregarded his amusement at the room decoration and spoke in a soft tone. "Are you excited for your performance?" he questioned, moving closer to you.

"I'm a little nervous, but I'm okay!" she gave him a quick glance. As she continued applying makeup to her face, she fanned herself with her arm, a light coat of sweat now covering her.

It was only a few minutes before the performance. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She let out a breath and stood up, her hands shaky as she was called to the stage.

Ivan had moved to the dome for his performance before hers. For some reason, the boy felt excited for her performance. He waited, his eyes darting to the stage as he heard her name being called.

The stage lit up. Only one person showed up. Till glanced at Ivan in surprise. He didn't need to know what he was saying.

"Where's y/n?"

The lights quickly flickered from white to red, sirens blaring. The screen that showed her face was glitching, and then a "disqualified" text showed up.

Ivan's face twisted with confusion. You were okay just a few minutes ago. Where did you go? How did you run away?

Why didn't you take him with you? He would have gone with you in a heartbeat.

#-Azuwritess #alien stage x reader #alien stage #ivan alien stage #ivan x reader #ivan

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unhetalia · 2 months

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this is really weak of me but I really do have to headcanon the Nations as having nothing to do with their governments and at times actively working against them because otherwise the atrocities are Not Fictional...

and anyway these beings hundreds of years old absolutely know that governments do not always have the people's best interests in mind. Do not always take care of the land. Nations believe their role is to take care of their land and their people, and maybe the older Nations tried to work with those in power in the beginning, but quickly learn their lesson.

because of this headcanon, I imagine the Nations all have 'departments' they belong to that focus on a certain issue. It would be impossible to have one individual try to have intimate knowledge of every single issue a country faces, and I love the implications this has on how much the Nations rely on each other, and how much their relationships are not reflective of human politics, because their purpose is not to reflect their people but to protect them and the land they're on.

SO finally, to the point of this post.

Here's what I think certain Nations do:

England and Russia are in charge of information gathering AKA espionage, as both have infiltrated their own governments at a very high level. Arthur is in MI6, Ivan is in the KGB-turned-FSK-turned-FSB. They're valuable assets to the rest of the world because they tend to have information on what everyone's governments are doing. Some other Nations who work in this department are Hungary, Philippines (F), Canada, Cuba, Ukraine, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.

A lot of Nations work on environmental issues - Sweden, Finland and Denmark focus on governance as a way to mitigate environmental issues, while Australia, New Zealand, South Africa are focused on conservation, Brazil, Colombia, Congo focus on deforestation and air pollution, the Pacific Islands on rising sea levels and ocean pollution.

China, France, Ireland and Turkey are focused on food security - each one focuses on a specific aspect of it. China on availability, Ireland on access, France on utilisation and Turkey on stability.

Social welfare is headed by Austria and Belgium, with Spain, the Italies, Greece and Portugal focused on it.

Internal security is handled by the Germany brothers and Switzerland - this is the protection of the Nations themselves. Arranging identities, extraction of Nations who land themselves in trouble, and also the keeper of their arsenal.

America heads the research and development department that connects everything together - they develop the gadgets used by Arthur and Ivan's team, help develop technologies and conduct research focused on the environment and food security, help trial new ideas on addressing poverty, hack databases in order to help create identities for Nations. This department includes Japan, South Korea, India (F), Taiwan, Tony (not a Nation but heavily involved), Liechtenstein, Hong Kong, Belarus, Netherlands, Estonia, Mexico (F).

EDIT: I have to re-think a lot of this because I keep thinking about how very little countries there are compared to shit happening in the world and it messes with this universe a little bit. SO. WILL BE RE-WORKED.

#hetalia #aph #hetalia world series #hetalia world stars #hws england #hws america #aph america #aph england #too many people to tag #i think theres a lot of like TOPICS im missing that are relevant to nations #but its 1am this is the ones i thought of #the people i chose for each department are a mix of like #canons headcanons vague stats #also when i have an (f) next to someones name it means i headcanon them as ladies despite himaruya having them as men #✎#m: hetalia #hetalia: headcanon (au)#hetalia au: no government

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glamaphonic · 1 year

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i see a lot of fic where ed's like "oh sure whats-your-face" at various members of stede's crew and i simply don't buy it!

in 1x06 he asks after the swede's singing by name.*

*well, you know.

in 1x08 he apologizes to buttons by name for interrupting his moonbathing.

in 1x10 he calls both jim and lucius by name!

he never calls frenchie by name, but there's no way he doesn't know it. he also knows that frenchie sews.

ed spends weeks on the revenge hanging out with them all constantly. telling stories and having on-deck picnics and, in 1x08, frat boy partying for days straight. performing music and planning talent shows!

fang and ivan have never seen him so open and available! ed joins stede in proud-dadding them about the fuckery. he knows that they're feeling a bit too rowdy to have a sedate nature walk to look at insane foliage at dead man's cove. up until the kraken, ed is never anything but kind and friendly to the crew in every single interaction, demonstrates nothing but pleasant camaraderie that we see in 1x10 he genuinely enjoys and appreciates.

there's this tendency because of "goodbye bonnet's playthings" to assume that ed truly thinks of the crew as this amorphous disposable blob of stede's accessories, like his books and his trinkets and his fancy furniture. but when ed declares them bonnet's playthings, he's including himself and the life he thought he and stede were going to build together. not things of no value, but things he has to let go of. because the kraken turn is a tragedy in which ed, cornered, defensively strips away most everything that he thinks could make him vulnerable by a rubric wherein experiencing any kind of emotion or self-actualization is unsafe.

i submit that ed knows the crew. he knows them by name and by talent and by preference.

i submit that he likes them.

and he leaves them behind anyway. because he's not allowed to have nice things anymore.

#ofmd #listen #thinking that he just doesn't care about the crew undermines the impact of the choice!#and needlessly flattens ed's emotional landscape!!#and i'll not have it!!!!

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council-of-beetroot · 7 months

Note

pls make a longer post omg

Tolys and his struggles with body Image and Appearance

Alright anon you and a few others wanted me to elaborate so I will!

So in a previous post I said this

"I genuinely think Tolys has issues body / appearance wise and it's probably because of Ivan"

So you know how in quite a few strips Tolys is weirdly overly embarrassed by things Feliks does like how he dresses or when he suggests Tolys try a certain hairstyle?

It's odd to me because Tolys has been friends with Feliks for a very long time, he should hypothetically be used to Feliks' interests and unusual hobbies. Tolys is seemingly used to everything else weird that Feliks does so why does this bother him so much?

Now let's take a look at this panel from 2007 where we have the stripping panel

To which Tolys responds with this before it moves on to the next person.

Now we're circling back to Ivan. This leads me to believe Ivan used appearance as a quite effective humiliation tactic. Additionally it gives Ivan a ton of control.

Now why is this a good tactic? Well for one it gets to Liet, not only is he easily embarrassed it makes him overthink. To him, it's one thing to get beaten to the point of unconsciousness and it's another to be forced into a maid dress. It's over the top and deliberate, it ends up with Tolys "thinking how did I get myself into this situation it's ridiculous, I am a warrior, why is this getting to me?"

And Ivan knows this

He knows that he can make it so Tolys is so in his own head questioning things that his mindset quickly becomes just Tolys and Ivan.

Now here's where it comes back to Tolys having residual issues with his appearance/ or femininity.

It's simple Ivan knows this: Refer to him as your ex, your wife, call him your toy, call him cute and pretty and compliment his long hair. Eliminate the space between you and him, rub his shoulders, come up to him from behind. Show him off to others and tell him how adorable it is to see him blushing from the attention. Strip him of his privacy, his self autonomy, and safety. Control him so it's only you he can turn to whether you give him comfort or pain.

Now if you've ever experienced that you know in particular how much it can mess with your head when things like compliments are used to hurt you or when someone is cruel one moment and nice the next. And it's even more of a mindfuck when they confide in you let, their guard down, and perhaps you do too.

Hence why I am lead to believe Tolys still is struggling with this. Any comment of his appearance makes the alarms in his head go off. A compliment on a date makes start searching for the nearest escape route. Feliks' comfortability with his feminine aspects and wanting Tolys to join in reminds him of Ivan dressing him up in bows and dresses and telling him he's pretty. Feminine things were used to humiliate him. Appearance was used to humiliate him. It's genuinely triggering for him even though with Feliks, he's just being him and wants to include Liet. For Tolys, it reminds him of being dolled up and paraded as Ivan's cute secretary. Even a genuine compliment brings him back to a time where he couldn't say no and he felt powerless, because it was weaponized against him.

Hopefully I worded this right and let me know if i should add any warnings in the tags

Totally unrelated but in searching for images I found a bunch of HWS lithuania tiktoks and if I didn't refuse to ever download tiktok I'd go watch them.

(I do want to say people often use this especially back in the day wondering why he's portrayed as so weak especially when he's shown to have defeated Prussia. Here's the thing that's important to know, enduring abuse doesn't make anyone weak, anyone can get trapped in abusive relationships even if they think they can't.

Tolys has been under Ivan for a long time this gives Ivan the advantage here to create the perfect atmosphere to isolate, control, and facilitate abuse.)

Also if you wonder why doesn't liet do anything or fight back in panels like this let me explain, you can't survive if you are constantly choosing every battle. Tolys has a lot to lose and he can't afford to lose it all by not being careful.

Yeah it bugs me when people complain that lithuania is protrayed as "weak" he's not.

#asks and replies #anon #rusliet #tw abuse

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maspers · 5 months

Text

Ranking the Miracucast by good they are at playing UNO

Marinette: She has a strategy. She plays to win. Her family has been playing UNO since before Marinette was in nursery school. She is ruthless and takes no chances. There are no allies in UNO. ...She still ends up losing more often than not because that's just how UNO is. 7/10

Alya: She's mostly just at the table for fun, and really enjoys how into it her friends get. 4/10

Adrien: Yes. 10/10

Nino: You would not expect this man to be good at UNO. But everyone just kind of... ignores him? He just casually goes along causing no drama, until he's the first person to call "UNO!" and everyone wheels around in their seats to face him with shocked looks on their faces. Adrien, however, can see right through Nino's facade and the moment Nino says "UNO!" both of them know that it's on like Donkey Kong. 9/10

Chloe: She has no idea whatsoever how to play, but she refuses to lose to Marinette. There is drama. There is house rules. There is drama about house rules. But they keep inviting Chloe back to the table because when she plays she also *hosts* the game at Le Grand Paris, and while they may not be good at much the Bourgeois family DOES know how to host events better than anyone else. 5/10

Sabrina: Initially didn't participate and was just there to act as Chloe's valet. Then one day she joined the table and curbstomped everyone, then went back to helping set up the snacks like it never happened. This has happened a couple times since then, and nobody understands it. Adrien and Nino have begged her to teach them, and she acts like she doesn't know what they're talking about. The only person to ever match Sabrina in a game of UNO was Marinette's mother Sabine, and all the players that were involved in that game signed an NDA stating they can't reveal who won. I have no justification for any of this, but I can feel it in my bones. 11/10

Mylene: Surprisingly vicious, but experienced players have no difficulty dispatching her. 6/10

Ivan: Unfortunately he is not very good at this game. There was one time he actually won though, with a pretty good strategy, and his smile was brighter than the sun. Since then everyone has wanted him to win again, but none of them are willing to sacrifice their own chances of victory for it. Ivan doesn't mind. He's just happy to be included. 2/10

Rose: Everyone expects her to be secretly good at this game for some reason. She doesn't understand why. She's pretty average at the game, but enjoys when she plays a card normally and everyone else glances around in a panic. This is fun! 4/10

Juleka: By herself she's a little better than average, but she's a real menace when Luka is also in the room. She knows all his tells and micro-expressions, and since Luka is Luka (see below) that means she knows everything. There have been talks of banning the Couffaine Twins from playing in the same round as each other, but such a ban was pretty impossible to enforce. 8/10 by proxy

Kim: In regular UNO he's a complete failure, but when the group is playing with large amounts of house rules he starts doing really really well. Not on purpose. Most of the time, however, he just shows up to eat snacks and arm wrestle with Ivan in the background while everyone else plays. 3/10

Max: Like with every game he's played, he knows ALL the strategies. Card percentages, color probabilities, the works. He should, by all accounts, be an expert at this game. But he does not understand the Heart Of The Cards and so he keeps losing. 6/10

Alix: Is definitely cheating. All the time. Everyone knows it. And it hurts, because Alix is legitimately good at the game too. Her classmates are begging for a regular game, but she just loves seeing what weird stuff she can get away with. Alix/10

Nathaniel: He wasn't particularly interested in the game originally, but then someone (Chloe maybe?) commissioned him to make a massive custom deck with original art based on the superheroes. Since he makes the cards, he somehow also became the judge on what can and cannot become a permanent house rule, since that often leads to new cards being made. He's still really awful at the game itself, but everyone showers him with praise and view his title as Deck Keeper as worthy of unparalleled respect. And since he made the cards, he's the only one capable of countering Heart Of The Cards bullcrap. 5/10

Lila: Has literally never played UNO before, though she will never admit it. 0/10

Luka: The jury's still out on whether or not his inner music hyper-empathy counts counts as cheating or not. Since they can't prove he's using it to know what everyone is feeling about their cards and plays, he's still permitted at the table. But the fact remains that he's very good at this the game. 8/10

Kagami: She has absolutely no idea what she is doing. The amount of cards in her hand sometimes gets so large Felix or Adrien has to provide one of their hands to help hold them. But she is also having the most fun she's had in a long, long time. So let's focus on the positives, shall we? -10/10

Marc: He swears the deck is not rigged in his favor. Nathaniel asserts there's no way he COULD rig the deck in Marc's favor, and Max ran the numbers to prove it. But somehow every time the group starts a new round Marc draws his cards and yup full of wild cards again. 6/10

Ondine: This was Kim's idea of a date. Ondine was not impressed. But she did stay for the snacks, and at least gave it the old college try. UNO just isn't her vibe, and that's okay. 1/10

Aurore: Doesn't usually play with everyone else, but she DOES know how to play, and one time she was asked to join a game when most of the group was unavailable and they needed more players. It was a bit awkward because she's a big Adrien fangirl and is used to playing with a different set of house rules, but they made it work, and fun was had. 4/10

Felix: He tries. He tries so hard. Everyone was wary when he joined the table, but there fears were unfounded because Felix is absolutely pathetic at UNO. He has the rules memorized. He keeps track of all the house rules meticulously, which interestingly means he's very good at keeping the game running smoothly. Everyone turns to him when there's uncertainty about a particular situation. But he just can not win. Ever. He doesn't even get close. He's managed to call "UNO" a grand total of once in his lifetime, and that was because the rest of his cards ended up in Kagami's hand instead somehow. It's awful. It's mortifying. He's a chess prodigy, an expert tactician, how has he been reduced to this? 1/10

Zoe: Was really excited to play, and let out a squeal of joy when she saw Nath's custom cards. She knows how to play really well, and was really quick on the uptake when it came to all the house rules, too. Since she's around technically the group no longer needs Chloe to host, but Chloe took that as a challenge to be an EVEN. BETTER. HOST. Zoe is not complaining, less work for her. And she still beats he sister most of the time, so it's all good. 7/10

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marvelmusing · 1 year

Note

Keep Your Judgement is another masterpiece in the making, and it’s helping me immensely with the stages of my grief 🥲

This tho, I saw and thought…. What if years after marriage, IAL Aleksander has had many conversations about the Reader’s world, including what men of that world wore. For an anniversary, he has Fabrikators create what he understood to be the approximation of said fashion and, voila… i mean, he meant well and all 😅☺️

I’m so in love with every piece of bts content we get, seeing the actors just chilling or messing around while in costume is one of my favourite things

anyways, here’s a little something for you...

New Wardrobe

Featuring IAL!Aleksander x Reader

For a solid five seconds you stare at your husband, not quite comprehending what you are seeing. Whatever words had been half out of your mouth are now forgotten as you stand at the threshold of the former war room after wandering through your bedroom in search of him.

Once your body settles on a reaction, you find yourself pressing your palm to your mouth to stifle your laughter.

“Are- are those sunglasses?” you ask.

Aleksander turns to look at you from where he’s seated at his desk, a pair of shaded glasses perched on his nose as he flashes you a wide smile. At that, you can’t help but turn away to laugh.

With every day you spend living in Ravka, everything here becomes more and more real to you. What was once fantasy is now your normality. But seeing the Darkling wearing sunglasses - indoors - is too amusing and absurd for you to remember that he is also your husband.

A hand against the door frame steadies your folded body as you bend over with your laughter. Every time you push back the amusement, you turn to look at Aleksander, only to continue laughing.

Only when you see him pouting, pushing his chair back to leave, do you manage to somewhat stop yourself.

“No Sasha, love, I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you,” you tell him. Moving quickly towards him, you wrap your arms around his middle as you press your forehead against his back. “I promise. You just surprised me, that’s all.”

“Surprised you?” he repeats drily.

“I wasn’t expecting it.” After a small pause, you ask tentatively, “Why are you wearing them inside?”

“I heard you coming and just wanted to show you them.”

“What if I was actually Ivan?” you ask teasingly, imagining the heartrenders face attempting to remain neutral at the sight of Aleksander wearing sunglasses - a previously unheard of accessory in Ravka.

“Ivan would knock on the door, not walk through our bedroom.”

Aleksander pulls the glasses away from his eyes as he turns to face you, finding a fond expression on your face though the amusement still sparkles in your eyes as he places them down on his desk.

Then your gaze falls down to the rest of his outfit. He’s wearing his summer kefta, a lighter fabric than the thick wool of its winter counterpart, and his thin black tunic. The cut of the neckline for both of these articles of clothing is quite low cut, something you particularly enjoy.

But today you spot something underneath, black fabric with a rounded neckline, almost like a t-shirt. Frowning, you look at the rest of him.

“Are you wearing sweatpants?”

He looks away almost sheepishly, brows pulling together slightly in resignation, as if he knows his answer will give you even more entertainment than the sunglasses.

“Perhaps.”

Instead of laughing, you suppress the twitch at the corner of your mouth and slowly slide your hands under the lapels of his kefta, slipping it from his shoulders. He tilts his head aside, watching you as his kefta is draped over the back of his chair by your careful hands.

Unclasping the hidden hooks of his tunic, you reveal the full ensemble he has created. Black t-shirt and black sweatpants. The smile on your face widens, which makes Aleksander sigh as he narrows his eyes at you in warning.

“Still surprised?” he teases, but a pretty pink is dusting its way over his cheekbones.

Seeing Aleksander wearing clothing that had once been so ordinary for you, instead of ornate keftas of silk and wool, sends a thrill through you.

He looks just as handsome as ever and you can’t stop yourself from imagining him in your old world, a charming stranger that you run into one sunny day in a park. Perhaps that’s how you meet in some other reality.

Standing on tiptoe, you place the sunglasses back on his face, smile softening as you press a kiss to his cheek.

“Very surprised.”

#in another life au #aleksander morozova x reader #aleksander morozova #the darkling au #the darkling x reader #shadow and bone au #shadow and bone x reader #my mutuals (affectionate)#thanks for the ask!#answered asks

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rebouks · 19 days

Text

Ivan stared at the contents of his suitcase blankly, barely paying attention to what he was packing as he flicked the zip back and forth. “I didn’t think you’d be here.” He remarked, glancing over his shoulder.

“I was waiting for you-.. where’s Pixie?” Bruno asked, as though he didn’t already know the answer. “Oscar’s.” “Are you coming back, or..?” Bruno mirrored Ivan’s fidgeting, picking at the fluff on his old joggers. “I don’t know, I need t’think for a while-.. I’m goin’ away with Tilda n’ Mia for a couple weeks n’ all.”

Ivan snapped his attention back upon his luggage. It would’ve been easier if Bruno hadn’t been home, he was bound to forget something now, distracted as he was.

“Ivan, I-…” Ivan interrupted Bruno before he could continue, “Explainin’ ain’t gonna change anythin’ is it?”

Bruno fell silent, struck with inertia at the edge of the bed. He should’ve explained, pleaded, threw himself at Ivan’s feet and promised he’d never return to Oasis Springs-.. but he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

“I’m probably gonna find someplace else when I get back-.. dunno what you wanna do with the house, but I don’t want it. Y’could buy me out, I guess, or we could sell it.” Ivan filled the void with practicalities that Bruno didn’t want to envision just yet.

“We don’t have to decide anything right now.” He offered, instead. Ivan shook his head, “I ain’t gonna change my mind.” Bruno thought as much, but he still couldn’t help himself from adding, “I still love you, for what it’s worth.”

Ivan paused for an excruciating moment before sighing, deflating Bruno’s glimmer of superfluous hope, “I ain’t sure what it’s worth anymore…”

“It’s not the same as before.” Bruno pleaded, “Kaden’s-…” Ivan rose to his feet, dismissing Bruno’s words with a wave of his hand, “I don’t want nothin’ t’do with any of ‘em-.. apparently, that includes you.”

Bruno tugged at Ivan’s wrist before he could leave, manoeuvring himself between him and the door; his unusually calm, cold shoulder cut far deeper than Bruno expected it would.

“You don’t have to have anything to do with them-.. no one’s in any danger.” Ivan huffed disbelievingly, sidestepping Bruno’s efforts to stop him from leaving, “Keep tellin’ yourself that.” “It’s different with-…”

Ivan finally lost his air of composure, cutting Bruno off mid-sentence, “Was it not excitin’ enough for ya? D’ya not feel alive unless y’pushin’ folk around, fuckin’ someone over-.. is doin’ whatever y’please the only thing that gets your blood pumpin’? Does it make life worth livin’?” Bruno blinked as Ivan confronted him, not quite expecting such a succinct breakdown of all his supposed failings.

Ivan’s steady gaze faltered somewhat once he’d said his piece though; his brief flash of anger replaced by sadness as he asked, “All this time-.. why’d y’even pretend, B?”

Bruno avoided Ivan’s gaze for a moment, unable to form a response; he hadn’t always been pretending, but as much as he hated to admit it, Ivan wasn’t too far off the mark. He didn’t particularly enjoy the lifestyle that he’d described, but it felt a hell of a lot more natural than trying to fit into this one; he wasn’t made for domestic bliss, he didn’t make Ivan happy, nor was he. They both knew he was playing pretend by now, but letting go was easier said than done, no matter how much you loved someone. In fact, love only made things more complicated.

Ivan pulled away from Bruno, punching through the silence than hung thick between them, “I just need some space, okay? Do whatever y’want with yours.” Bruno tugged desperately at Ivan’s shirt as he turned away, “Wait-.. can we just talk about everything when you get back?”

Ivan sighed morosely, offering a weak shrug, “Sure, let’s prolong the inevitable-.. what’s a few more weeks?”

Bruno hung his head as another rogue tear escaped down the side of his nose. Ivan’s demeanour felt so wearisome, so final-.. but Bruno didn’t want to let go, not that it felt fair to try and convince him to stay either.

“Don’t fuckin’ cry, B! Don’t act like this wasn’t on you!” Ivan spat, his uneven tone betraying the lump that resided in his own throat.

Bruno stuck his fingers beneath his glasses, jamming them into his eye sockets; he thought Ivan’s familiar anger would’ve consoled him, but it didn’t.

“I tried, okay? I really did-.. n’ you did too, I know y’did…” Ivan added a little more softly, as though he understood; as though it wasn’t really Bruno’s fault, like he wasn’t truly angry at him-.. even though it wasn't true.

Bruno nodded; the tips of his fingers still pressed firmly against his eyes in a vain attempt to stop the pain from overcoming him completely.

“Bruno, don’t…”

Ivan tried to pry Bruno’s fingers away from his eyes, wordlessly begging him not to make this harder than it already was.

He acquiesced, dropping his hands to his sides as Ivan gently caressed his cheek, his eyes brimming with a million different emotions at once-.. but that was Ivan, and that was the problem.

He hated, loved and felt everything with intense fervour, unapologetically wearing his heart on his sleeve for all to see; a heart so full of love and passion that Bruno felt inadequate in comparison. He couldn’t reciprocate any of it the way Ivan deserved; it would never be enough.

Hollow and empty in contrast, Bruno could never hope to give as much as Ivan was worthy of, and he was worth the world-.. but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to pretend.

Maybe just one last time…

Previous // Next

#ts4 #sims 4 #simblr #ts4 story #sims story #forever in between #fib #ivan harper #bruno clarke #i hate it hereeee #i'm packing my bags and leaving too #i'm DONE #😭😭😭

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rose-sophia-isabella-rogers · 3 months

Text

A Steel That Went Through Hottest Fire: Chapter XX - An Arrow in the Quiver

Chapter Summary: It's time to face Fjerda. Who will win and who will lose? Will Ravka finally be at peace? And what will you get for everything you've done?

Pairing: Aleksander Kirigan/Reader, Alina Starkov/Mal Oretsev, Zoya Nazyalensky/Nikolai Lantsov, Fedyor Kaminsky/Ivan, Genya Safin/David Kostyk

Characters: Aleksander Kirigan, Reader, Nikolai Lantsov, Genya Safin, Alina Starkov, Mal Oretsev, Ivan, Fedyor Kaminsky, Zoya Nazyalensky, David Kostyk, Nina Zenik

Word Count: 4449

A/N: Inspired by prompt: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389090100611/

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed):

@budugu

@intothesoul

@mizelophsun11

@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy

@zeeader

@marrymonrich

@wonderland2425

@chelseyyouraverageluigi

@thehufflepuffavenger1

@drinix

Ivan and Tolya return. With a promise of an army. Like Aleksander has predicted, the people of Shu-Han are furious. Their beloved princess is 'dead' because of Fjerda and it has to pay for it. The great battle is about to happen soon.

Everyone is preparing in the ways they can. Including you. Even though you've already did a lot, you still spend days in the workshop, working on your latest project.

This is where one night David finds you. The only reason Kirigan hasn't dragged you from here is because he is at the Grand Palace, busy with another war meeting.

'You've done so much already, [Y/N],' Kostyk says quietly, but still manages to startle you. 'Go and get some rest.'

'I can't,' you huff, combing your hair with your hand. 'Not after what Nina told me about Fjerdans' work on jurda parem.'

'And that is?' David asks, raising his eyebrows. You sigh and remember your conversation with Zenik…

'Jurda parem in gaseous form?' you asked with disbelief. The Heartrender nodded, troubled.

'I wasn't dosed with it in the end, but still…' she said. 'I'm worried our Grisha will be attacked like that during the battle.'

'Everyone is to have a dose of antidote with them, so I wouldn't worry about that,' you said, pensive. 'But you brought up a good point. Gaseous form is more effective. If we had the antidote in that form on the battlefield…'

'We could save Grisha on the Fjerdans' side,' Nina said, her eyes lightning up. You nodded.

'I will think about it,' you promised. Zenik clasped your hands in hers and smiled.

'If anyone can figure it out, it's you,' she said, winking. You stared at her hands, pensive. From all the people, she's been one of the first that seemed to trust you. It puzzled you.

'Thank you,' you said quietly. 'It means a lot.'

'Hey,' the Heartrender said softly. 'I know what you're thinking. But I am the last person who should judge your actions. My lover is a Fjerdan after all.'

She smiled wryly. You thought about Matthias. He was a good man and utterly in love with Nina. But yes. He was a Fjerdan and almost as unpopular as you and Aleksander.

'The heart does what it wants, huh?' you asked, shrugging. Zenik chuckled. She sighed and nodded.

'Oh, yes,' she agreed. 'That's so true.'

'Hm, that is a good idea,' David says, already thinking. You blink, discarding the memory.

'Yeah, but so far it's just that,' you say and huff in frustration. 'I can't believe Fjerdans figured out the gaseous form of parem and I can't do the same with the antidote!'

'Well, they are a little different,' Kostyk points out. 'You're using more raw jurda.'

Instantly, you look at each other. You think of the same.

'That's it,' you say. 'And maybe if we-'

'Instead of-' the Durast says.

'And then-' you add.

'Yes, let's do it,' David says and you two get to work. Some time later, while waiting for your work to cool down, you sit and drink tea.

'I've forgiven you, by the way,' Kostyk says suddenly. 'Your betrayal, lies and manipulation. I get why you did it. Also, I see you were right. Ever since Kirigan has returned, things are finally looking up. We really needed him now. And since three years have passed, some emotions and grudges cooled down. We could put them aside and work together for Ravka.'

'Thank you,' you say after a beat. 'I… I didn't want to betray you. It hurt me. So, your forgiveness means a great deal to me.'

'You are my friend, [Y/N],' the Durast says softly. 'It may take some time, but I'll always forgive you. No matter what you'll do. And I hope this will be the same in your case.'

'I can hardly imagine you doing something so vile you'd need my forgiveness, but of course,' you chuckle. David smiles. You chat for a bit more, then continue your experiment.

When Aleksander walks in later, tired and exasperated with you, you're staring proudly at your work. At first, neither of you even notice his presence.

'We have to test it now,' Kostyk says, pensive. 'But we don't have more affected Grisha.'

'We can always drug someone and then give him an antidote,' you suggest.

'You're thinking about those two Grisha that were ogling Kirigan during the party, aren't you?' David asks. You look at him innocently.

'I'm sure someone will show up soon,' the Darkling speaks up, joining your conversation. 'We still get new Grisha hurt by the parem. So, for now you both can go to sleep.'

'Yes, sir,' Kostyk quickly says and starts cleaning up.

'If no one does, though, can we consider my suggestion?' you ask hopefully. David and Aleksander roll their eyes. You sigh and quickly help Kostyk. Once you're done, the Durast bids you farewell, and leaves. Kirigan takes your hand in his and you go to his chambers.

'So, what was that experiment about?' he asks you.

'We've managed to make the antidote in a gaseous form,' you explain and your lover looks at you, impressed. 'We just have to see if it still works.'

'If it does… it would help immensely in the battle,' the Darkling says and kisses your hand. 'Thank you, milaya. You've already done so much and yet you continue to amaze us all.'

'Well, since I'm not going to be on the battlefield, I want to be useful in another way,' you say. You enter the room, since you've reached it.

'I want to argue about that usefulness, but I'm too exhausted,' Aleksander sighs. You comb his hair with your hand. He closes his eyes, leaning into your touch, relaxing.

'How was the meeting?' you ask.

'Alina and I didn't argue, so that's a success,' he answers. 'Other than that… we still can't agree on the best course of action.'

'Well, you'll get it in the end,' you assure him. 'If not, you can always threaten the generals with me.'

'Hm, I would not like to see you entering a meeting, furious and ready to argue,' Kirigan admits and kisses you softly. 'Thank you, lapushka.'

You beam at him and answer the kiss. It takes a few minutes for you to pull apart.

'You can thank me properly after I give you a massage,' you whisper. The Darkling groans.

'Yes, please, I need it so much,' he asks. You chuckle and push him into the bathroom.

'I'm at your service,' you say teasingly. Aleksander pulls you with him, a mirth in his eyes. A lot of time passes before you finally go to sleep.

Everything is ready. Shu-Han's army has arrived. Your warriors feel up to the task. The antidote in a gaseous form is working and you've produced it enough, or so you hope. All of that means it's time to move out to battle.

In the morning when the armies are to set off, you help Aleksander get ready. The atmosphere is solemn, tense. You don't speak. Both of you are scared to break the silence.

'[Y/N]…' Kirigan starts when he's ready. But he trails off and sighs.

'Come back to me, okay?' you ask him. 'I don't fancy bringing you back to life a second time.'

'I'd say it's not possible now, but I know you'd find a way,' the Darkling says, smiling wryly.

'Obviously,' you huff. Aleksander chuckles. He cups your cheek. You lean into his touch, looking at him sadly. You're scared he's not going to return. He's immortal, yes. But some things still can kill him.

'It's going to be okay,' Kirigan says quietly. 'Thanks to you we're well prepared. We're going to win. And I'm not going to die. I made you a promise, didn't I?'

'You did,' you admit. 'But I… can't help it.'

'I know,' the Darkling says. 'I used to thrive in a battle. Now I despise it, because I know it makes you worried or you could get hurt. I wonder why is that, hm?'

You smile slightly, not at all sorry. Aleksander cups your other cheek and touches your forehead with his.

'I love you so hard that I softened,' he says. 'And I don't mind it one bit. I'm a happier man thanks to it.'

You lift your head and make your lips join. You kiss for a minute or so. Then, you pull away, but only slightly.

'Then go and win this, so I could be a happier woman,' you whisper. Kirigan catches your mouth for a moment longer.

'As my lady commands,' he murmurs. 'But before I go… there's something I want to ask you.'

He takes your hands in his. You look at him quizzically. He seems nervous for some reason.

'When I come back… I'd like to marry you,' he says, stunning you. 'If you'll have me, that is. Since we're both immortal now, I understand I'd be tying you to me forever. If you're not sure, need more time or you-'

You silence him with a finger on his lips. He looks at you, hopeful and scared. But to his relief you smile.

'Yes,' you say. The fearsome Darkling laughs, overjoyed. He kisses you again and again.

'Now you better win quickly,' you say when you finally stop. 'I don't want to wait long.'

'Neither do I,' Aleksander says, grinning. You join hands and leave his chambers. Ivan and Fedyor, who are happily married since last week, follow you. Soon, you're outside with the rest of the army.

'[Y/N], are you sure you're not coming?' Nikolai asks, walking to you. 'You can, if you want.'

'Oh, I'm sure,' you confirm, nodding. 'I don't want to be anywhere near a battle until I learn to control fully my amplified abilities.'

Lantsov nods in understanding. He smiles charmingly at you.

'Then keep an eye on the capital, will you?' he asks.

'Hm, I don't know,' you say playfully. 'Haven't I done enough?'

'You've done,' the King says, suddenly serious. 'You've done so much to help us win this. If we do, I know it's mostly thanks to you.'

He offers you his hand. You stare at it for a moment. Then, you grab it and you shake it.

'Good luck, moi tsar,' you say, bowing your head with respect. He nods back and goes to his horse. You bid farewell to the rest of your friends. Even David goes with others. Suddenly, Alina shows up next to you.

'[Y/N],' she greets you and becomes nervous. 'I… Can we talk?'

'What is it?' you ask, trying not to sound too much hostile.

'I want to apologise,' Starkov says after a beat. You look at her with raised eyebrows. She sighs.

'I hate it, but Aleksander's ideas were mostly spot on,' she starts. 'And he genuinely seems to have changed. I know it's thanks to you. You… were right. About so many things. Maybe even most of them.'

You stare at her. You see your silence makes her even more nervous.

'Good luck, Alina,' you finally say. 'Win this war and come back home. I honestly wish for that for you.'

'Thank you,' the Sun Summoner says quietly. She walks away. Her slumped shoulders tell you the conversation didn't go as she hoped.

'Alina!' you call after her after a moment of hesitation. She turns, a hopeful look in her eyes.

'Maybe one day I'll be able to forgive you,' you say. 'As I hope you'll forgive me. But now… it's still too soon.'

She nods her head in understanding and walks away. You watch her joining Mal. They talk and smile after a moment. You turn your head and look at Nikolai. He meets your gaze and grins.

'Best of luck,' you say.

'I have your antidote, best warriors I could hope for and a perfect equipment,' he says. 'I think we're more than ready to win this.'

'Just don't get too cocky,' you warn him.

'Don't worry, I won't let that happen,' Zoya says, showing up on her horse next to Lantsov. 'You try not to ruin the Little Palace while we're away.'

'What about the Grand Palace?' the King questions. Nazyalensky shrugs.

'I don't care, it's ugly anyway,' she says. Nikolai looks at you pleadingly.

'Look after it as well,' he asks.

'But I don't like it either,' you say. Lantsov sighs and turns to his soldiers.

'Move out!' he orders and the armies slowly head out. You manage to catch the gaze of Aleksander. You smile at each other and nod.

'Good luck,' you whisper. After everyone is gone, you turn and go back to the Little Palace. Now all you can do is wait.

It takes some time to reach the border with Fjerda. But the King's army finally does and a day later the battle starts. It's not pretty. Many people die. But thanks to your antidote, Zoya's excellent training, Kirigan's spot on strategy and some other things, they seem to be winning.

'Nikolai!' Zoya shouts at some point. He quickly turns to her, alarmed. But she doesn't seem to be harmed.

'If we survive this, you can ask me!' she shouts. 'You know, that certain question!'

Lantsov stares at her, stunned. Then, he grins.

'Seriously?' he asks, beaming at her. She barely manages to stop a smile forming on her face.

'Yes,' she says. 'But I want it to be public. I want to see the faces of courtiers when you do it.'

The King chuckles. Then he has to duck, because Zoya suddenly shoots flames in his direction. Behind him someone screams. He looks at his general sheepishly. She sends him an annoyed glare.

'But try to live to that moment, hm?' she asks. He salutes her and returns to the battle.

Some time later, it's over. While at first the numbers on both sides have been even, when Ravkans started using antidote on drugged Grisha on Fjerdan's side, the numbers turned. Because when they were no longer under the effect of parem, Grisha with fury turned on Fjerda. Mostly thanks to that, Ravka and Shu-Han are victorious. Well, Zoya, Aleksander and Alina attacking with enormous power helped as well.

Nikolai walks to one of Fjerdan generals to make him announce the surrender officially. He's lying on the ground, coughing out blood, Kirigan's shoe on his chest. He laughs when he sees the approaching Lantsov.

'You may have won today, false king,' he says. 'But you have nowhere to come back to.'

Dread fills Nikolai. He looks with alarm at the Darkling. His expression is grim as well. And worried.

'I knew there's too little of them,' Mal murmurs. Lantsov turns to Zoya.

'Go,' she says before he can say something. 'Alina and I will make sure it's over here. Ravka needs you to be there. Both of you.'

She looks at Aleksander. He nods at her in gratitude. The King wants to argue. But he knows Nazyalensky is right. So, he barks orders and takes some soldiers with him. Then, they speed up to Os Alta.

Which is under attack. When they first attack, you're in your room, writing a letter to your lover. But sudden commotion interrupts you. You bolt out of the room.

'We're under attack!' a panicked soldier shouts, running to you. 'Fjerda has carried out a sneak attack! They're going to be here within an hour!'

You curse under your breath. You think on your feet.

'Gather everyone we have in the throne room of Grand Palace,' you order. The soldier doesn't even question you. He just nods and rushes out.

Ten minutes later you enter the room full of soldiers and Grisha. But it's still not enough to defeat an army that's coming to get you. Especially, since most of Grisha are still learning. The rest are Durasts and Alkemi. The experienced ones are on the front.

'We're gonna die,' someone whispers.

'No, we're not,' you deny. 'We can't win, but we're not gonna die.'

'What's the difference?' someone asks.

'This Palace has been made to withstand a siege,' you say. 'All we have to do is hold on until the army returns. And I know we can do it.'

'What about people from the capital?' someone asks.

'They're being evacuated as we speak,' you answer. 'So, what do you say?'

'But we're not fighters,' a Durast says shyly.

'No, but we're clever,' you counter. 'Like I said, we don't need to win. We just have to stop them from entering the Grand Palace and Little Palace. We're going to use our talents for this. Anything we can create that can stop them, we're making it. Same goes for the rest of you. It doesn't matter how much you can control your powers at the moment. In fact, let it loose on Fjerdans. As long as we work together, we can hold them out until the return of the King. I'm certain of that. So, who's with me?'

Everyone exchanges a look. When they turn to you, their eyes are filled with determination. They nod. You're going to do it.

By the time Nikolai returns with his part of the army, there's a total chaos everywhere. But the Fjerdans are still not inside any of the palaces. In fact, some Fjerdans try to desert.

'Well, it's better than I feared,' Lantsov comments. 'Come on!'

They attack the enemy. Soon, Aleksander, the King, Fedyor and Ivan are almost at the door to the Little Palace. But suddenly, a Fjerdan shows up out of nowhere and manages to thrust his sword in Kirigan's shoulder.

'Die, Darkling!' he shrieks. The Shadow Summoner grunts in pain.

'That was stupid,' Ivan comments, absolutely calm.

'Very stupid,' Fedyor agrees, nodding, also not bothered. Nikolai opens his mouth to say something, confused, but is interrupted by a vicious battle cry. Then, something falls from the sky (or rather a windowsill but they don't know that) and lands on the enemy's back.

'Die, die, die!' you scream, stabbing (or as you'd say, aggressively poking) the soldier. Lantsov's eyes widen.

'This is why we're more scared of her than him,' Fedyor explains, motioning with his head at Kirigan. A Healer is already by his side, tending to his wound.

'I can understand that,' the King says, nodding, and returns to the battle. When it's won by Ravka, he surveys the battle field. He's surprised to find you still stabbing/aggressively poking the same soldier from before. But now he's dead and lying on his stomach on the ground.

'[Y/N],' Ivan says, walking to you. 'Leave him alone. He's been dead for some time now.'

'I'm. Venting. My. Frustration,' you growl, stabbing the guy with every word. 'You. Have. No. Idea. How. Stressful. That. Was.'

The Heartrender sighs. He wonders what to do, but then Aleksander shows up. He simply takes the dagger out of your hands, picks you up and cradles you in his arms.

'It's alright, milaya,' he murmurs and looks at Nikolai. 'It's over now.'

Fjerdan has been defeated and forced to sign a treaty. Shu-Han has been held responsible for their attacks and also forced to laid down their weapons. They also must stop creating more khergud and stop kidnapping Grisha. Ravka is finally at peace and united.

Nikolai decides to honour everyone that has made it possible. Which means a huge ceremony. You're terribly bored at it and mostly don't listen to the King praising people. Until he gets to Zoya. Then, you watch her joining him with a great interest.

'Zoya Nazyalensky, general of the Second Army,' Lantsov starts. 'My partner and most trusted advisor during the past years. There's no doubt you've played a huge part in our victory. This peace wouldn't be possible without you.'

You swear you can hear her murmuring 'obviously'. You smile.

'I thought you'd serve as my general for many years to come,' Nikolai goes on. 'But recently I realised there's a better position for you. If you agree to take it, Ravka has a chance to become even stronger and prouder.'

You notice her tensing. Lantsov either doesn't see it or ignores it, as he lowers himself on one knee. People start murmuring. You focus only on the couple. The King shows his general a box with a gorgeous ring inside it.

'Zoya Nazyalensky,' he says, 'will you give me the honour of becoming your husband?'

You see her lips twitching in reaction to the phrasing of the question. But she stays silent. Nikolai becomes nervous.

'Come on, Zoya, don't do this to me now,' he murmurs. Nazyalensky almost snorts.

'Yes,' she finally says, offering her hand. Lantsov quickly puts a ring on one of her fingers, before she changes her mind. People cheer and clap. You, Genya and Fedyor are probably the loudest.

Zoya goes back to her place, showing with pride her ring to those around her. The King's eyes land on the Darkling. The latter walks to the former. The room falls silent. You hold your breath.

'Before I start, how should I address you?' Nikolai whispers.

'Aleksander Kirigan,' the Shadow Summoner decides after a beat. Lantsov nods.

'Aleksander Kirigan, the Darkling, the peace advisor,' he says, louder. 'At first, I wasn't sure if this was going to work. But you held your end of the bargain. Without your help, your advice and skills, maybe none of us would be standing here today. We've been at war once. But I think we both learnt that our dreams are actually quite similar, if not the same. You've proven your loyalty to Ravka and helped me keep its people save. Which is why, in thanks for your contributions for our country, I grant you a full pardon for your past crimes. Every one of them. Including creating the Fold that has separated us for centuries.'

People murmur, astonished. You smile with tears in your eyes.

'Your most gracious, moi tsar,' Aleksander says, bowing his head.

'That was our agreement,' the King says and smiles. 'Besides, you've earned it. In fact… your old position is going to be open. Would you care to become the general of the Second Army again, after the present one becomes the Queen of Ravka?'

People gasps. There's more murmuring.

'I'd be honoured, moi-' Kirigan starts.

'Nikolai,' Lantsov interrupts him and two men share a look. After a moment of silence, the King offers his hand to your lover. The Darkling shakes it, smiling. Then, he returns to his place by your side, accompanied by clapping and cheers.

'[Y/N] [L/N],' Nikolai says, silencing everyone. You slowly make your way to him. You can't help but wonder why are you the last. It worries you a bit. But seeing a kind look Lantsov gives you, you calm down.

'Where to begin?' he asks, spreading his arms, and laughs. 'By creating the antidote to jurda parem, you've saved Grisha. All of them. When you created its gaseous form, you helped turned the tide of the battle with Fjerda. Your design of kefta and uniforms saved countless lives. And let's not forget… you've brought back to life the Darkling. Without whom the victory wouldn't be possible.'

There are no murmurs this time. People are quiet. You could hear a pin drop.

'I can't deny, your actions caught us all by surprise,' the King goes on. 'The truth is, we should have seen it all coming. Because you are extraordinary. But you've been overlooked by everyone. Invisible, even. We would have seen it all if we had just bothered to look.'

You clench your teeth. You can feel tears forming in your eyes. You have no idea why he reminds you of the years of isolation you had to endure.

'I can say I didn't know you back when my father was the king,' Nikolai continues. 'But I ignored you as well. Put you in a cell. While your only "crime" was falling in love. For that, I apologise.'

He bows his head to you. You blink, surprised. People murmur, astonished as well. Lantsov looks at you again.

'You had every reason to hate us all, hate this country and not move a finger to save it from collapsing,' he says. 'But instead, for the past years you've done what you could to make sure Ravka can rise strong and powerful. After the Fold was destroyed, you told me I can't stitch it back together on my own. That I needed Kirigan. You were right. You brought him back and you proved us all how wrong we were to ignore you and underestimate you. We can all argue who did the most to save our homeland this time. But in my eyes, there is no doubt… that the person who made it possible for our army to win… is you. [Y/N] [L/N], the Saviour of Ravka.'

You stare at him, stunned, as he falls on his knees in front of you. For you.

'[Y/N] [L/N], the Saviour of Ravka!' Zoya calls and also knees. One by one, your friends and Aleksander do the same. Even Alina and Mal.

'[Y/N] [L/N], the Saviour of Ravka!' the rest of the court shouts and every single one of them falls on their knees. You look around, stunned and with tears in your eyes. You can feel some of them rolling down your face.

No longer invisible. No longer unnoticed and underestimated. Finally seen. Finally appreciated. And… when you look at all the smiles of the people you care about… no longer alone.

You look at Nikolai. He smiles warmly at you.

'Thank you,' you whisper.

'No, [Y/N],' he says, shaking his head. 'Thank you.'

He stands up and everyone follows suit. They look at him. It's clear he's not done.

'When Kirigan will return to being the General, he won't be my peace advisor anymore,' he finally says. 'And since this position's been just created, it would be a shame to dispose of it. Would you be interested to take it?'

'On one condition,' you say. Lantsov freezes. You grin at him.

'Just kidding,' you say. 'I'd be happy to, moi tsar.'

'You'll give me a heart attack one day,' the King sighs. You laugh and bow to him. You return to Aleksander's side, accompanied by cheering and clapping. Kirigan at once takes your hands in his.

'We've done it,' he murmurs into your ear. 'We've brought peace and stability to Ravka.'

'And more importantly, we can finally be together,' you say. The grin on his face tells you that he agrees with that. He presses a kiss to your forehead and you smile. Finally, all is well.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts! Reblog, like and comment if you could. Every comment makes my day!

This can also be found on Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52696933/chapters/135677767

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writing-with-sophia · 10 months

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Foreshadowing (1)

Foreshadowing is a literary technique in which an author hints at or suggests what will happen later in a story. It is a way for the author to build anticipation and create tension, as well as to add depth and complexity to the plot and characters.

Foreshadowing can take many forms, such as a character's actions or words, an object or setting that has symbolic significance, or even a seemingly random event that later turns out to be important.

For example, in the opening scene of William Shakespeare's play "Macbeth," the witches' prophecies foreshadow the tragic events that will unfold later in the story. Similarly, in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, various clues and hints are dropped throughout the books that foreshadow the ultimate defeat of the villainous Lord Voldemort.

There are several types of foreshadowing that authors can use to hint at future events in their stories:

Character Foreshadowing: This is when a character's actions, thoughts, or words hint at something that will happen later in the story. For example, a character who is always talking about their fear of water might foreshadow a future scene where they have to swim across a river.

Symbolic Foreshadowing: This is when an object or setting that has symbolic significance hints at something that will happen later in the story. For example, a broken mirror might foreshadow bad luck or a fractured relationship.

Dialogue Foreshadowing: This is when dialogue between characters hints at something that will happen later in the story. For example, if a character says "I have a bad feeling about this," it might foreshadow a dangerous situation.

Plot Foreshadowing: This is when the plot itself hints at future events. For example, the start of a mystery novel might foreshadow the revelation of a killer.

Title Foreshadowing: This is when the title of the story itself hints at future events. For example, the title "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" foreshadows the death of the protagonist.

Foreshadowing can be a tricky technique to get right. Give away too little, and you may confuse readers or lose their interest. Give away too much, and you take away your story’s suspense. Here are some tips for using foreshadowing effectively in your writing:

Plan ahead: Foreshadowing works best when it is planned in advance. Before you start writing, think about the key events in your story and how you can hint at them earlier in the narrative.

Be subtle: Foreshadowing should be subtle enough that readers don't immediately guess what will happen. Use small hints and clues that can be interpreted in multiple ways.

Use multiple types of foreshadowing: Don't rely on just one type of foreshadowing. Use a combination of foreshadowings to create a rich and complex narrative.

Don't overdo it: Too much foreshadowing can be distracting and annoying for readers. Use foreshadowing sparingly and only when it serves a purpose in the story.

Keep it relevant: Foreshadowing should always be relevant to the story. Don't include hints that never pay off or that are unrelated to the plot.

Use foreshadowing to create tension: Foreshadowing can be used to create tension and suspense in your narrative. By hinting at future events, you can keep readers engaged and eager to find out what happens next.

Pay off the foreshadowing: Foreshadowing is only effective if it pays off in the story. Make sure that the events you hint at actually happen later in the narrative, and that they have a significant impact on the plot or characters.

Foreshadowing is a common and effectively way to make your stories more exciting. By using foreshadowing, authors can create a sense of inevitability and give readers a sense of satisfaction when events come to fruition as predicted. It can also make the story feel more cohesive and well-planned, as if everything was leading up to the climactic moment.

If you want to read more posts about writing, please click here and give me a follow!

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mariacallous · 2 months

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When Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, annexing the Crimean Peninsula and bringing turmoil and destruction to Ukraine’s eastern regions, many people—both outside Ukraine and inside it—found it easier to ignore the violence unfolding in the country’s east than admit that war had returned to Europe. This included creative artists, who rarely mentioned the war in their works, not least because they feared scaring off the Russian fans who constituted much of their audience.

As Ukrainians all over the country woke up to explosions on Feb. 24, 2022, the truth could no longer be ignored: The “big war” had truly begun. Today, the country’s art is catching up to the truth of war.

Before 2022, few Ukrainian artists and entertainers openly mentioned the ongoing war in their works. In fact, many pop stars like Ivan Dorn or Luna continued to perform in Russia and created works aimed, first and foremost, at the Russian market and in the Russian language. When criticized for this by their Ukrainian fans, many dodged the subject, claimed to be “apolitical,” or explained their actions as “trying to build a bridge” between Russia and Ukraine.

“My music isn’t about politics, it’s about healing souls,” Luna said in a lengthy interview with Russian opposition journalist Xenia Sobchak in 2021. “That’s why I don’t pay attention to the critics back home trying to make me feel guilty for giving concerts in Russia.” Similarly, Dorn claimed that by interacting with Russian listeners he was “trying to capture as many people as possible with my music so that they would never attack my own country.”

But the main reasons were pragmatic ones: The large and relatively rich Russian market has long been attractive to Ukrainian performers, much like the American market for the English-speaking world. Making films or music built around a Ukrainian context could scare off Russian fans, so the overwhelming majority of content made in the 2000s and 2010s was tailored to sound and look as neutral as possible, devoid of any references to local events or personalities. There were, of course, notable exceptions.

Musicians, such as singer and veteran military paramedic Anastasiia Shevchenko, better known by her pseudonym СТАСІK, wrote songs openly referencing the war in their lyrics and music videos. Indie rapper Stas Koroliov released an entire album in 2021 of tracks inspired by the war and society’s apathy toward it. It contained lyrics like “I now understand that to become a messiah you just need to state the obvious: My homeland is at war with Russia.”

While mainstream comedies that wanted both Ukrainian and Russian box office sales steered clear of any references to recent domestic events, independent movies were more willing to process the violence taking place in Ukraine’s eastern regions and the loss of Crimea. Wartime dramas such as Tymur Yashchenko’s U311 Cherkasy (named after the naval mine sweeper blocked by Russian forces during the capture of Crimea) and Maryna Er Gorbach’s Klondike addressed specific events of the Russo-Ukrainian war, while Nariman Aliev’s 2019 drama Homeward was a meditation on what the loss of Crimea meant for its indigenous Tatar population. Other films, such as Volodymyr Tykhyi’s dramedy Our Kitties, tried to find humor amid the heartbreak and horrors faced by the Ukrainian soldiers stationed on the frontlines.

Everything changed in early 2022, when war—previously treated as a niche subject that was likely to scare off people looking for light entertainment—quickly became the only topic most Ukrainians were interested in. As missiles rained down, entertainers suddenly realized that they could not remain apolitical bystanders any longer.

Almost every popular musician spoke out against the invasion, with several (such as Dasha Astafieva and Vitaly Kozlovskiy) apologizing for performing in Russia and platforming their Russian colleagues in recent years. “I felt like a zombie while performing in Russia. I’d arrive, smile mechanically at everyone, do the set and return home. Russia has a lot of money but it’s a soulless place,” Astafieva wrote in a social media post shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion. Many artists—such as Antytila leader Taras Tolopya, singer Yarmak, and most of the lineup of cult Kharkiv-based hip-hop group TNMK—took up arms and joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while others took to volunteering by raising funds and sourcing equipment for Ukrainian soldiers, performing on the frontlines, or training as medics.

Some of their personal stories exemplified Ukraine’s modern civic identity, which has little to do with ethnicity or where you were born. Instead, for many, it’s a choice. Take Yulia Yurina: The Russian-born musician first came to Ukraine as a 18-year-old student in 2012 and soon joined forces with Ukrainian-born Stas Koroliov to form critically acclaimed pop-folk duo Yuko. Today, Yurina—still formally a Russian citizen despite publicly renouncing her citizenship and applying for a Ukrainian passport—is not only a beloved performer, whose recent album encapsulates much of the anger and grief felt by the average Ukrainian, but also a volunteer working tirelessly to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with weapons and equipment. “I dance through the bullets as air raid sirens sing to me,” Yurina sings on one of the album’s tracks. “I am disgusted by what you’ve done here, you’re killing souls but you won’t be able to kill our dreams. We are not your friends, your family, or your lovers.”

During the first months of the war, a new subgenre of locally produced music arose. “Bayraktar-core” (the semi-ironic name came from how often these songs mentioned the Turkish drones used to great effect by Ukrainian forces in the early stages of the war) songs were simple, composed over a mere few weeks, catchy, and characterized by their aggressive optimism, constant references to recent events, local politicians, wartime memes, and foreign allies (Boris Johnson, then British prime minister, was mentioned often).

What these songs lacked in lyrical nuance and musical innovation they more than made up for by giving millions of Ukrainians a sense of unity and community amid the chaos and horror. “Occupiers came to Ukraine, wearing new uniforms and driving military vehicles,” go the lyrics of one of the most popular “Bayraktar-core” songs. “But their equipment was soon ruined by the Bayraktar!” Some, such as a viral mashup sampling a folk tune and a phrase spoken by Johnson, made the leap over to English-language social media.

While simple war-themed entertainment (or even anything vaguely patriotic and uplifting) might have been enough for listeners and viewers in the early months of the war, the artistic questions got sharper as the fight went on.

Did performers who left the country soon after the full-scale invasion have a right to make money off of songs mentioning the horrors others faced while staying in Ukraine? Could writers who hadn’t personally experienced life under Russian occupation use the devastation in say, Bucha or Mariupol, in their stories? And what if they conducted interviews with the people who had? Many of these questions lack definite answers, but the public response to various works inspired by the war have been noticeably different.

When writer Daria Gnatko announced in late 2022 that she would be publishing a novel set in Russian-occupied Bucha, many pointed out that not enough time had passed to properly process the events that had transpired in the town, and wondered whether writing a story like this without conducting in-depth interviews with the survivors of the occupation was a form of exploitation. The book, along with another upcoming work by Gnatko, a novel inspired by the destruction and occupation of Mariupol, was postponed indefinitely by the publisher after a wave of public criticism.

Likewise, popular writer Kateryna Babkina’s latest novel Mom, Do You Remember? was met with controversy after the author, who had spent much of the war abroad, announced that the plot would be inspired by the occupation of Bucha. Some reviewers were concerned that not enough time had passed since the liberation of Kyiv Oblast and that the subject was still too triggering for most readers, while others darkly suspected Babkina had only mentioned the tragically famous town when announcing the book to draw more attention to her work.

However, most of this criticism was limited to social media, while the reviews in local publications were much more enthusiastic about the novel—which is told from the perspective of a teenage girl narrowly escaping from Russian occupation with her infant half-sister and trying to build a life for them both abroad—and described it as a touching and delicate work full of compassion.

“If for some Ukrainians the book is therapeutic, for foreigners, in particular for Poles, who can already read Babkina’s story, it gives a more internal context about what war victims experience—who walk the same streets and visit the same shops as they do—actually go through. What challenges and problems they face, what they feel, why some do not learn the language and choose to return home despite the missile attacks, and what is happening in the hearts of millions of children who were forced to grow up one day when their world was destroyed by Russia,” wrote a reviewer for the Polish-Ukrainian outlet Sestry.

The truth is that when it comes to describing experiences as traumatic as an ongoing war, there isn’t going to be a one-size-fits-all perspective or approach. Some readers find works written about or vaguely inspired by something they or their loved ones went through therapeutic, while others find them triggering or even offensive.

When it comes to film, meanwhile, the pre-2022 offerings were earnest but often unwatched. Reviewers treated these movies as important pieces of cinema, but ones that described horrors most Ukrainians preferred not to dwell on for too long. After the full-scale invasion, however, a dark realization dawned: The wartime dramas were now reflections of our own collective experience, and no romantic comedy or workplace drama was going to stop you from thinking about shrapnel and blood.

That was supplemented by the belief that Ukrainians had to bear witness. At a time when many civilians felt abandoned by human rights organizations’ failure to document Russian war crimes (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally called out the International Red Cross over its inaction after the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, while Amnesty International found itself in hot water after publishing a much-criticized report accusing Ukraine of endangering its own civilians), filmmakers took this challenge upon themselves. Documentaries shot during the siege of Mariupol, after the liberation of Bucha, and during the near-constant shelling of Kharkiv became a powerful tool for cultural diplomacy, encouraging non-Ukrainians to support Ukraine, and an instrument to counter Russian propaganda and war fatigue in the West. Perhaps the best-known example is the Oscar-nominated documentary film 20 Days in Mariupol, which garnered universally positive reviews at home and abroad and offered viewers a unique glimpse into the horrors faced by the residents and defenders of the besieged city.

One unexpected wartime challenge is creating entertainment aimed at children. How do you keep kids of vastly different ages entertained while sitting in cold, poorly-lit bomb shelters for hours on end? How do you teach them the rules of wartime safety in an accessible and easy-to-remember format? How do you help them process the heartbreak of losing loved ones, having parents on the frontlines, or living in constant fear of missiles and drones? And perhaps most importantly, how do you begin to broach the topic that there are people who want these kids and their entire families dead? This is when Patron—a real-life sapper dog who became an unexpected celebrity among both kids and adults alike—came in handy.

The wildly popular Jack Russell Terrier, who works as a detection dog and mascot for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine first caught the public’s eye in early 2022, when the dog was awarded a medal for locating and helping defuse unexploded mines left behind by Russian forces after they were driven out of Chernihiv. A video of the bulletproof vest-wearing puppy went viral, and the newly famous dog was soon making charity appearances, visiting kids harmed by the war in hospitals across the country, and even got his own animated web show and book series. Content starring Patron is produced in partnership with UNICEF and aims to teach Ukrainian kids the importance of staying away from abandoned landmines, avoiding suspicious objects left behind by the invading army, and staying brave under difficult circumstances.

Undoubtedly, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine has led to a heightened interest toward local art both among Ukrainians and foreigners, as well as provided an entire generation of artists with stories of sacrifice, courage, and defiance—stories that, despite their complexity, simply must be told, and that may well become modern classics at an international scale. When Penguin Press bought the rights to Ukrainian writer and soldier Oleksandr Mykhed’s autobiographical novel The Language of War, publishing director Casiana Ionita described the book as “a war book that will be read 10, 20, 50 years from now.” But it’s unclear if enough foreign publishers are ready to break their long-standing tradition of viewing events in Ukraine solely through the eyes of their Moscow-educated authors and allow Ukrainians on the frontlines to speak for themselves, like Mykhed, before the war claims them too.

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