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thighs-of-betrayal-blog · 3 years

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A Glorious Moment in Sakaar

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Summary: You’ve always disliked Loki, but when you end up stranded with him on an unknown planet, you put your hatred aside in order to work together. Turns out, the only thing you really hate is how much you actually like him.

Warnings: weapons, violence, enemies to lovers, implied smut

A/N: Had this in my drafts and just decided to post it... I’m definitely in a Loki mood on this fine day haha.

I hope you all enjoy and as always, feedback is appreciated :)

Loki Masterlist

Out of all the people in the world who you could’ve gotten stranded with on an unknown, trash planet, Loki is the last person you’d wish to accompany you.

As soon as the two of you get thrown off the Bifrost and land on random dirty roads, he speaks. “Well, this looks rather unpleasant.”

Rolling your eyes, you don’t bother to respond, instead opting to scan the area around you. Wherever you landed, it’s heavily polluted.

“I think I’d rather have ended up in Hel,” Loki complains, his hands on his hips as he surveys with you.

“I wish you had.”

Loki looks over at you and chuckles. “What? Don’t want to be stranded here with your favorite God?”

You pretend to frantically look around. “What do you mean? I don’t see Thor anywhere.”

“Very funny.”

“I know I am,” you say before smirking at him and walking away. Loki is quick to match your pace.

“Let’s try to find some type of civilization and figure out an escape plan.”

Continuing to walk, you head towards a tall skyscraper-like building that you see in the distance. “Already on it.” You point ahead to show Loki.

Loki scoffs. “No need to point. I noticed it a while ago.”

“Sure you did.”

“I did. I’m a God for crying out loud. I sense things long before-”

A knife sits at the base of your throat, stopping you in place. You look over at Loki who’s in the same predicament.

“Loki?” you ask before you’re pulled back harshly, the knife lightly grazing your skin. Loki growls, lunging towards you.

“Hurt them and you’ll all suffer merciless deaths by my hand.”

You gasp at Loki’s protectiveness. Is it possible he cares for you? No, don’t even think about it. You hate this man. Remember?

The man behind Loki laughs at him before looking over at his partner. “I think the Grandmaster would like this one.”

The person behind you nods. “Let’s take ‘em in.”

You share one last glance with Loki before a bag is thrown over your head, preventing you from seeing anything else.

---

The bag’s removed from your head and you squint, your eyes adjusting to the harsh overhead lighting. You’re strapped to a chair, seated right next to Loki.

In front of you is a man. He’s tall in nature, just like Loki, and he’s smiling at the two of you.

“Where the hell are we?” You ask, struggling against the restraints.

The unknown man walks up to you before speaking. “Now, there’s no reason to do that. I’m just simply feeling you out before deciding whether to kill you or not.”

Again, Loki speaks up, surprisingly coming to your defense. “You’ll have to get through me before you even think of touching them.”

The man laughs at this and turns his attention onto Loki. “You must be the one they said I’d like… Seems like they were right. I do like you.” He claps his hands together. “Okay, so here’s the deal. You’re on my planet, Sakaar. I’m what they call the Grandmaster and usually with newcomers, I’d either kill them or throw them into the pits… which I guess is also death, but that’s not the point! The point is I like you two… especially you.” He points at Loki. “So, great news! You’re welcome to stay, I mean once people land here, they never really leave…” He awkwardly smiles at that, not knowing what else to say.

You look over at Loki, who’s already staring your way. The two of you gaze at each other silently before the Grandmaster once again claps his hands. “Let’s get the cuffs off these two!”

Once the cuffs are opened, you rub your wrists and stand up. The Grandmaster motions for the two of you to get away. “Go! Go mingle and have some fun!”

You look around the room and notice a gathering of people a few feet away. They’re all drinking and dancing, seemingly having the time of their lives.

You grab Loki’s arm and guide him towards the crowd. “C’mon, we gotta find a busy area to talk.”

Loki pulls his arm from your grasp. “Shouldn’t we find somewhere quiet to talk privately?”

You roll your eyes. “No, because then someone might hear us.”

“So instead, we’re to talk in the middle of a gathering?”

Shaking your head in irritation, you gesture towards the group of people. “They all seem drunk! Sounds like the perfect opportunity to blend in and discuss.”

Loki sighs. “Very well. I need a drink first.”

As he walks towards the bar, you once again grab his arm, stopping him in place. “What’re you doing?”

“I just told you. I’m getting a drink.”

“We need to be level-headed for this.”

He scoffs. “Darling, I really think you’ve forgotten that I’m a God. I can’t get drunk.”

“Yes, you can. I’ve witnessed it multiple times.”

He shakes his head. “I was just full.”

“That’s not the point! Just please-” You look towards the dancefloor. “Dance with me.”

“Pardon me?”

Instead of answering, you grab his hand and drag him over to the other dancers, pulling him flush against you, your back to his chest. You swear you hear Loki gasp as you sway your hips against him.

“What’re you doing?” His mouth is right next to your ear, his hands moving to grip your waist tightly. Your body heats up with his touch and you want to scream over its betrayal.

You turn your head slightly to look up at him. “We need to blend in.”

As he stares down at you, you get lost in his eyes. They’re an exquisite, light blue, pulling you in and making you forget about the situation around you. Erasing those thoughts from your mind, you focus on the plan. “I say we find where their weapons are placed. Steal some and then find a ship to escape back to Asgard on.”

“Your plan sounds impossibly easy.”

“Maybe it will be.”

“You know just as well as myself that it won’t be. But, I’ll go along with it. It’s not the worst of plans you’ve thought of and I fear we don’t have many other options.”

“Gee, thanks.” You spin around in his arms so you’re now facing him, chest to chest. Loki’s staring down at you, his eyes blazing. One of his hands moves to your face, grabbing your chin and tilting your face upwards. He licks his lips, his tongue sliding out to swipe across his bottom lip. You watch and you can’t help but wonder what his mouth would feel like against yours.

He leans down until his face is only inches from yours and you find yourself panting with a neediness you haven’t felt in a long time. Loki’s staring at your lips, ready to claim them for himself-

You remember where you are and pull away quickly, putting some distance between the two of you. “What’re you doing?”

Loki grins. “Just blending in, darling. You didn’t seem to mind.”

Trying to steady your rising heart rate, you take a deep breath. “Let’s just go find their weapons.”

Loki gestures for you to walk in front of him. “After you.”

---

Finding and stealing weapons turned out to be easier than you thought. Loki managed to grab multiple knives, as well as the same giant gun that you did.

Now, you’re heading towards the ship’s garage, intending to steal the best one you come across. You’re in an elevator, heading up to the top floor. As the doors are about to open, Loki puts his arm out in front of you. “I hear voices on the other side. Follow my lead.”

You nod your head. The doors open, revealing two guards with guns. In an instant, Loki has them both on the ground, knives stabbed into their chests.

He turns to look at you and grins. “Told you they’d come in handy.”

“You just wanted to show off.”

“For you? Always.”

You roll your eyes for what feels like the hundredth time today and follow Loki towards a large, circular ship. “You think they’d have more guards in this area.”

Loki walks over to a station pressed against the wall, searching for the ship’s key. “You’d think, but let’s not stick around to find out.” Once he locates the key, he picks it up. “Ah, got it!”

The elevator opens back up, revealing ten new guards.

“Uh, Loki?”

Loki turns just in time to see five guards running full speed at him. He laughs before throwing the gun to the floor, placing the ship key in his pants, and pulling out two knives. “Well, hello. This is going to be fun.”

Across the room, you’re shooting at the other five guards, backing up as they move forward. You manage to knock three of them to the ground and drop the gun as the other two come running at you, full speed.

“Y/N!” Loki yells.

You turn to see him throwing you a knife and you catch it midair. Turning back to the two guards, you smirk. “Unfortunately for you two, I’m rather skilled with knives.”

“Not as skilled as myself though, just to be clear!”

You chuckle at Loki’s comment. “That’s what he tells himself to sleep better at night.”

Right after you say those words, you’re lunging at the guards, slicing your knife into one of their thighs. They hiss out in pain and you use the opportunity to grab them, placing your knife at the base of their neck. The other guard rushes you and you kick out, hitting them square in the stomach before dragging your knife across the captured guard’s neck, causing him to fall to the floor. You fall down and roll over, jumping back onto your feet before the other guard can tackle you.

Maneuvering around the guard, you swipe your leg out, tripping him up, causing him to fall to the floor. You roll onto the floor behind him and wrap your thighs around his neck, effectively cutting off his air supply. Once he’s knocked out, you get back up, wiping sweat off the top of your eyebrow. Loki is staring at you, an impressed look on his face. You stare back at him, admiring how he looks. He’s leaning against the ship, his hair disheveled with his arms crossed over his chest. The guards he fought are scattered across the floor, each one either dead or knocked out.

He walks up to you, his tall frame towering over you. “It was rather hot to see you beat up those guards.” His hand reaches down towards your face, his thumb wiping a few spots of blood off your cheek.

You close your eyes, trying to get a hold of yourself. When you reopen them, Loki is back over towards the ship, looking at you. “Ready, darling?”

Letting out a shaky breath, you will your legs to follow him onto the ship.

---

A gentle shake to your shoulder wakes you up. Slowly opening your eyes, you come face to face with Loki, who’s looking down at you with a small smile on his face, his hand still resting on your shoulder. You stare at his hand and he pulls it away before clearing his throat.

“We’re almost back at Asgard.”

You nod. “How long was I out?”

“Two hours? I didn’t want to interrupt since it was the first time you looked peaceful in years.”

Getting up, you glare at him. “Has anyone ever told you how charming you are?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. Quite a few.”

“I’m shocked.” You walk to the front of the ship, taking a seat in the pilot’s chair. “This thing on autodrive?”

Loki moves to take a seat next to you. “No, I figured I’d let it go so we can crash into the nearest crater and die. Put you out of your misery.”

“Out of my misery?”

“Yes, since you so clearly hate being around me.”

Sighing, you turn the chair so you’re facing him. “Who said I hated you?”

Loki mimics you. “Nobody. I can just tell.”

“I don’t hate you.” Well, maybe a little. But, not for the reason he thought.

He raises an eyebrow. “No?” He sighs, rubbing a hand down his face. “It’s fine if you do. Most individuals I’ve encountered end up hating me.”

“Well, I’m not like most individuals.”

He smiles at that. “No, you’re most certainly not.”

Nervous, you start picking at the arm of the chair. It’s Loki, for crying out loud. The man you can’t stand. So, why is he making you feel this way?

“You almost kissed me in Sakaar. Why?”

The question leaves your mouth before you can even think about the consequences. However, Loki doesn’t seem to mind. Instead, he seems excited by the question, his eyes lit up in amusement.

“I told you. We needed to blend in.”

“We were already blending in by dancing. No one was even sparing us a second glance.”

“No? Well, maybe I just wanted to kiss you then. For my own pleasure.”

His confession spills over you like a bucket of ice water. Your body is both hot and cold, feeling too much at once.

Your mouth slightly opens as you gasp quietly. “Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

All of a sudden, Loki’s moves closer to you. Too close. You can feel his breath wash over your face as his hand slowly crawls up your arm. “I may lie quite frequently, but when it comes to you, I only tell the truth.”

With a surge of confidence, you grip the front of his leathered shirt. “Prove it to me then.”

He growls before smashing his mouth onto yours. His lips are everything you’ve ever imagined. Soft and unmistakingly yours.

“You’re mine now, darling. All mine,” he whispers into the kiss. Grabbing your waist, he pulls you onto his lap, your legs dangling off the sides of the chair. “Say it. Say you’re mine.”

“I’m yours,” you manage to say, moaning when he bites down on your lower lip.

After one more kiss, he rests his forehead against yours. “You and I, darling, have a lot of catching up to do when we get back.” He runs his fingers over your thigh. “The things I’m going to do to you. You better prepare yourself.”

Gulping, you shiver at his promise. This ship couldn’t get you to Asgard fast enough. You’ll let him ruin you, from the inside-out. But, only him. Only Loki. You grin at the thought before leaning in to kiss him again.

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nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice · 4 years

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Zutara. My otp since I first watched as a 10 year old in 2005. Hopefully you'll be kind to them 😉 I'm convinced they'll be cannon in the live action 😅

Alright... *starts digging grave*, I think Katara and Zuko have a wonderful platonic relationship and for them to have a romantic relationship would (1) undermine Zuko’s redemption arc and (2) undermine the found family aspect of their friendship. I don’t have an issue with anyone who ships Zutara and I do not engage in shipping drama, but I think their platonic relationship is too damn important to favor a romantic relationship I don't really think has chemistry.

Personally, I have never gotten romantic vibes from them like... at all? I think the progression of their friendship was important in terms of the show’s themes of forgiving those who deserve it and finding support in people you least expect, but I just don’t get chemistry from them. I’ve always been a Kataang fan but how I feel about Zutara has nothing to do with that. Avatar is one of those shows where I would have been totally fine with it ending with no romantic pairings because the found family aspect of it is so much more powerful.

If anyone has spent 5 seconds on my blog, you know that Zuko is my favorite character and I think he deserves nothing but love and support after all the shit he went through. But a big aspect of why I care about him as a character is that he put the work in to make amends. He didn’t just show up one day saying “I’ve seen the error of my ways, sorry for all the stuff I did, I’m good now” and that was that. He had to work for forgiveness and he did it because he realized the fire nation was wrong, his father was wrong, and he was wrong. His decision to switch sides had nothing to do with any connection with the gaang because he didn’t really know them. His decision to switch sides stemmed from 3 very important things:

(1) He felt guilty not for betraying Aang and Katara in Ba Sing Se, but Iroh. He realized his uncle was the person who had given him unconditional love while Azula and Ozai’s “love” for him was entirely dependent on his ability to provide them results. From this guilt, he was able to realize that his uncle had made the right decision in siding with the Avatar and more importantly, that Ozai was wrong and that all the abuse he endured under him was undeserved.

(2) His experiences in the Earth Kingdom as a refugee. This post explains it really well, but Zuko’s realization that everything he’s believed about the Fire Nation has been wrong is rooted in his moment of empathy with Song and her matching burn scar, his empathy with Lee who lost his brother like Zuko lost Lu Ten, his empathy with Jet who lost his way going to extremes for a cause, and, yes, his empathy with Katara who’s mother was taken from her by the Fire Nation like his was. The reason he switches sides is because after all of those experiences, he can no longer be callous or unfeeling towards the Earth Kingdom like his father or sister. The people of the Earth Kingdom either empathized with him for the pain he went through and appreciated him for his desire to help the helpless (Song, Lee, Jet) or feared and hated him for being part of a country that caused their suffering (Lee, Lee’s mom, Jet, Katara). Throughout season 2, Zuko realized the extent of what the war meant for the other side.

(3) The realization of the extents his father would go to and the truth about Ozai’s amorality. This point is kind of just the culmination of everything in the last two points, but all that set up comes to fruition when Zuko attends the war meeting where Ozai decides to use Sozin’s Comet to commit genocide. By this point he’s racked with guilt over what he did to Iroh, he’s empathized with people who have suffered and is coming to terms with the fact that it’s not only the people of the earth kingdom that have unnecessarily suffered because of Ozai, but him as well. In that meeting, he expresses adoration for the Earth Kingdom being proud and strong and Ozai’s response is to burn it to the ground. It’s the same treatment he gave Zuko at the Agni Kai when he stuck to his morals and refused to fight and was met with abject cruelty. At that meeting, Zuko realizes that his father is wrong and that he was always wrong. He realizes that millions of people will suffer at the hands of this man who is so incredibly wrong and lacking in empathy.

SO, keeping all that in mind. His redemption arc doesn’t stop when he switches sides, it keeps going as he makes individual amends with Aang, Sokka, and Katara. It keeps going as he learns from the dragons, as he chooses what he believes in over his girlfriend, as he risks his life to protect the gaang from Azula, and as he tries to help Aang, Sokka, and Katara find emotional closure in different aspects. He helps Aang overcome his fear of firebending. He helps Sokka regain his honor. And he helps Katara address her grief regarding her mother’s death. These four episodes are some of the best in the series because it’s not just Zuko working to make amends because he wants them to trust him, but it’s him empathizing with their trauma, their guilt, and their fear of failure because he’s been there.

Alright, that’s a whole essay regarding why Zuko’s redemption arc works, now what does this have to do with Zutara? Here’s the deal: if any aspect of Zuko’s decisions for his redemption were influenced by romantic attraction to Katara, it would undermine the meaning of his choices for him. He made the choices to be better because he empathized with a nation of people who needlessly suffered. He made the choices to be better because he learned to cut himself off from the need to please his abusive father and accept the unconditional love of his uncle. His choice to help Katara find her mother’s murderer stemmed from empathy and his desire to be better than the people who hurt him and hurt others. The reason Katara’s resentment towards him hurt him so much was because he was trying so hard to be better than the people that were feared and hated. Katara treated him like Lee’s mom and Jet did when they realized he was a firebender (that being said, Katara was justified since Zuko’s decision to side with Azula resulted in the fall of Ba Sing Se and nearly resulted in Aang’s death), and he didn’t want to be that person. He didn’t want to be hated or feared anymore and he was willing to do anything to move past being viewed like that. So Katara’s decision to finally forgive him? It’s the point where she realizes he’s able to empathize with her over his mother’s death where her mother’s killer could not. She realized that he was different and had changed because he put the work in. And that’s huge for his redemption, not for any kind of forming relationship because that’s not the point.

Now, concerning the whole found-family aspect I love so much? Zutara as a romantic pairing would undermine the beauty of Zuko’s ability to find a loving, supportive group of people that he was missing his entire life. Katara does not work as a romantic partner for Zuko because she works as his replacement sister. The fact is that Zuko’s actual family experience was founded on fear and not love, but the idea of “usefulness”. Zuko and Azula were only valued by Ozai so much as they were useful to him, which is why he favored (not loved) Azula, she was useful to him and Zuko wasn’t until he “slayed the Avatar”. Iroh (and Ursa for a time) was the only person who showed him unconditional love and support, but that wasn’t enough to snap him out of the need to please Ozai. Zuko rooted his entire self worth in what his family thought of him and engaged in very self-destructive behavior throughout season 1 to prove himself because he “didn’t want [his] father to think [he was] worthless”. Even throughout season 3, he still thinks that his uncle’s love for him is conditional (”my uncle hates me I I know it”) until he’s proven otherwise because that’s what he’s been taught. So him joining the gaang, that’s the first time in his life he’s really met with the concept of people liking him for himself, not for his ability to be useful (his family, Jet) or because they think he’s someone he’s not (Song, Lee, Jin). He’s met with friendship: people making fun of him in a playful way instead of tearing down his insecurities and vulnerabilities (”mind if I watch you too jerks do your jerkbending?” “so all we need to do is make Zuko angry, that should be easy enough”, “look, it’s baby Zuko!”, “actually I think [the play portrayal] is pretty spot-on”), people trying to help him fix his problems (”you need to go back to the original source”) instead of making him feel weak for not being able to solve those problems in the first place, and showing him express appreciation and encouragement (”you’re pretty smart”, “to Zuko, who knew after all the times he tried to snuff us out, today he’d be our hero”, “I’m going with Zuko!”). And that’s so. Damn. Important for his ability to heal after how he was treated for his entire life. He’s introduced to the idea that people want him to be around and they want to include him in their circle for being him. Up until the finale, he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to reconcile with Iroh or if Iroh will accept his forgiveness, but these people have given him a home in their group and he’s not afraid or insecure around a group of people for the first time in his life.

And that’s why Katara has to be the one to defeat Azula: because Azula couldn’t be the sister Zuko had and Katara could be. It’s a tragedy that Zuko and Azula were driven apart by Ozai pitting them against each other, the corruption of firebending throughout the ages so it’s regarded for its power rather than its energy, and Azula’s own insecurities and fears of losing power because, like Zuko once did, she only considers herself to be worth anything so long as she’s better than him. The abuse he endured had an effect on her to because so long as she saw that Ozai’s “love” for Zuko was conditional, that meant that his “love” for her was conditional as well (”you can’t treat me like Zuko!”). Zuko and Azula could never support each other and they could never trust each other in the way that Sokka and Katara could. They wouldn’t sacrifice anything for each other because they were conditioned to survive, to leave behind the lesser sibling in order to get ahead. But at the Agni Kai, Zuko jumps in front of the lighting for Katara because unlike Azula, she has supported him since she forgave him and is there to back him up. She thinks he can be Firelord and she thought his uncle could forgive him in a way that Azula just never could. And that’s why Katara has to be the one to defeat Azula. Not because of any romantic attraction for Zuko, but because he’s protected Aang and Sokka and her and Toph and their little found family. It’s because he’s one of them. So in that moment where Azula is defeated, screaming and sobbing because she’s lost and that means that she’s the weaker sibling, she’s gone and it’s tragic. Zuko looks upon her and he wishes it didn’t have to be like this, but it is and it’s tragic. It didn’t have to be how it was but it did and it was awful and Azula is left broken, hating her brother with murderous fury. But he’s not alone.

He has a new sister who will protect him and fight for him when he’s lost his own.

(addition: I want to make it clear that this does not mean I think Azula is irredeemable. Her actions and outlook are 100% a product of Ozai’s abuse, as I explained. I do not think that’s she’s beyond redemption, but by the finale she was still a villain and her goal was still to kill her brother so she could be Firelord. That’s not to say that she couldn’t have eventually healed and been able to reconcile with him, but by the final Agni Kai that’s not where their relationship was. The fact that she and Zuko had a toxic relationship was not her fault, but they still had a toxic relationship built on distrust and competition where Zuko and Katara’s friendship was built on support and protection. I am entirely sympathetic towards Azula, but just because she was redeemable doesn’t mean she was redeemed and just because there was potential for her and Zuko to eventually have a better relationship doesn’t mean that they did by the end of the series.)

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sage-nebula · 3 years

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Game Review — Blue Fire

One of my all-time favorite game series is The Legend of Zelda. My favorite game of all time is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And my second favorite game of all time is Hollow Knight. So it would make sense, then, to think that a combination of the two would be the most amazing thing the world had to offer me.

Overall Score: 7/10

Well . . . it could have been better. It also could have been worse, absolutely, but it also could have been better. For more detailed thoughts, jump below the cut (and view on blog due to formatting).

The Pros:

The graphics and animation are beautiful. The specific Zelda game the graphics brought to mine (despite the color palette, which was clearly more Hollow Knight inspired) was The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Whatever reason the developers had for going the cel shaded route (maybe they had an artistic vision in mind, or maybe it was easier somehow) it was a good one to make. In particular, all of the glowing and flame effects were lovely, the shadows all fell in the right places, the characters were charming to look at, et cetera. Everything worked well with the acrobatics as well. Visually, the game is beautiful.

For the most part, the platforming is fair and even platforming challenges are doable with enough practice. This is particularly true for the overworld / main dungeons, rather than the Voids, which are more extra dungeons that you don’t have to complete to beat the game (although doing so certainly makes the game easier given that each completed Void gives you another life heart). While there were some areas where the game lagged for whatever reason and threw off crucial timing, as well as some Voids that were definitely more Platform Hell than simply platforming, the platforming puzzles were very well put together for the most part and were enjoyable to play.

The fast travel system, when unlocked, is incredibly convenient and takes a lot of the headache out of traveling around the world, particularly given that you use the shrines for a number of things (fast travel, saving, char—spirit equips) and there aren’t any maps present in this game whatsoever. It does take some time to unlock fast travel and you’re not exactly pointed in the direction to get it (in fact I had to look up to figure out where I was supposed to go to get it), but once you have it it’s a well-developed system that took a lot of pain out of playing that would have otherwise been there.

A minor thing that I liked, but (just like in Hollow Knight) when you die, your spirit or soul is left behind. Also like in Hollow Knight, it keeps all of the money you had on you when you died. Essentially, it is the exact same thing as the Shade from Hollow Knight, but white instead of black. Anyway, the minor thing I liked about this is that if you die in a boss fight, your spirit waits for you directly outside the boss arena, meaning that you don’t have to try to reclaim it while the boss is trying to kill you. It was a nice bone the developers threw the player.

While no tracks in particular standout, and while the OST doesn’t live up to the OSTs of the inspirations behind this game, there were times when the music was very nice, which is always a plus.

While the main quest is very short, there are numerous sidequests you can do even apart from the Voids that give you things to do in each area, making them feel a little less small and giving you a bit more time with the game, as well as unlockables as rewards (mainly in the form of new costumes, but still). There are lots of little secrets hidden around in each area too, which is nice to discover if you’re someone like me who loves exploring in games.

The Neutrals:

The story. The story is . . . how do I put this . . . okay. So, it’s clear the developers wanted to write a story with the aesthetic of Hollow Knight (ruined kingdom, lots of shadow / light dichotomy, fallen kingdom, et cetera), but with an overt storytelling style like The Legend of Zelda. So you get a lot of exposition about what happened in the past, and what you as the main character are supposed to do now . . . but the thing about the exposition is that not only is the same thing repeated about fifteen different times (such as the constant harping on about how the main character contains both light and shadow within them), but also there are huge chunks of seemingly important detail that are just left unexplained. Like for instance: we know that the Fire Guardians from the Fire Keep were one of the last strongholds against the Shadow (who was also the sixth god and has also corrupted the queen yadda yadda). And we can extrapolate that the Fire Guardians were specifically trying to create a warrior that was both light and shadow based on the fact that the game starts with the main character breaking out of a test tube with a bunch of corpses that look just like the player scattered around, seeming to be failed experiments (i.e. just like how the Pale King created the Hollow Knight in Hollow Knight). But the only Fire Guard that we see around is Von. I think he mentions briefly once that the Fire Guards were trying to make the warrior, or had made the warrior, or something like that, but we’re never told why, exactly. We don’t know what processes led to that. We don’t know who was in charge. We don’t know why this specific type of warrior was needed except “since you have both you may be the answer.” And the fact that there were apparently a bunch of failed experiments is never really touched upon either. Furthermore, we’re told that the five gods had lifted Penumbra (the world) into the sky to protect it from the Shadow (a la Hylia raising Skyloft to protect the people from Demise), but that it didn’t work and the Shadow ultimately got to them anyway. So allegedly this is a post-apocalyptic land. But the only thing to really be ravaged is the Temple of Gods, where apparently the corrupted queen sleeps. Everyone else seems mostly fine as long as they avoid the monsters? It’s like they were going for what Hollow Knight did, but didn’t quite want to go the full route of having corpses literally everywhere on-screen at all times. Although weirdly enough, there is also a distinct lack of NPCs which makes the world feel more empty than Hallownest despite the circumstances . . . What I’m getting at here is that there definitely is a story, but it was told in a way that was pretty sloppy. It’s not so sloppy that it detracts from the overall experience, but it’s like too much was piled on in some areas and not enough was explained in other areas. Or like they took some things they liked from other games (e.g. making the creation of the “warrior of light and shadow” reminiscent of the creation of the Hollow Knight) without following through on what made those things work. Like it wasn’t just that there were a lot of failed Knights and that their corpses were tossed into the abyss and that The Knight had to try to claw his way out (as did Broken Vessel and others) while the “successful” Hollow Knight was raised by the Pale King. It was also that we know that the entire reason why the Hollow Knight was created in the first place was to contain the Radiance / the Plague. It was also that these hundreds or thousands of corpses were the Pale King’s children. It was also that the Pale King has a monologue over that segment saying, “no mind to think, no will to break, no voice to cry suffering” as requirements for the Hollow Knight to be considered successful. The horror didn’t come just from the corpses being tossed down the pit around you as you had to climb up in an attempt to get out, but also at all of the surrounding context, which was left entirely out of Blue Fire’s version with the warrior of light and shadow. Not that they should have copied it (although if they had it really wouldn’t have been surprising), but it’s clear what they were trying to do and where they failed because they didn’t have the follow through to go with it. I feel like the above paragraph is so critical I should move it to The Cons, but I do want to say that I don’t think the story itself was terrible. It borrows so much from both Zelda and Hollow Knight that it really isn’t original and it doesn’t follow through on things that made those stories work, but overall it doesn’t ruin the experience, even if all of the repetition gets old pretty quickly. Although as a final note, I’ll also add another thing that bugged me, which is that we never learn what the people of Penumbra are. Like we know the Shadow is bad, but they all look like Shadow people. We know there are creatures called “onops” but we don’t know what they are, or if everyone is an onop. Whereas in Hollow Knight we know that all the characters are bugs. It’s just another little thing that wasn’t explained but probably should have been.

On a less long note, the combat is also pretty mediocre. Again, it’s not bad. There is a parry system that, if you learn to time it right to actually pull off the parry, is pretty cool. But although you are given magic, which is useful for killing long-distance enemies, the magic can’t do a single thing for you in boss battles no matter how many times you upgrade your mana. Additionally, it is very much a “mash Y to win” type of game, where Y is the button you use to attack and you just mash that while jumping around. There’s no complexity to the combat at all or any strategy that is really required. It’s not bad, per se, but it’s nothing to write home about either.

The charms in this game are called spirits, and while you can buy a majority of them from shopkeepers, you can also “capture” your own by coming across the spirit of a dead person and trapping it to use its power for yourself. This is made apparent when you go back to a young child who is dead the second time you go to see them, and capture their spirit for use. Also when you literally murder an NPC for a sidequest and then later capture their spirit to use for your own use. And aside from the sidequest giver being horrified you killed the NPC and telling you to keep it hush-hush (without even knowing that you can and will capture the spirit of that murder victim for your own use) this . . . is never really remarked upon. Ever. And the thing is, it creates a sort of dissonance, because your character is treated as a hero in this game. No one seems horrified by you, there’s never any question of whether your existence is moral or not, nor any reason to think that your character would be amoral. In Hollow Knight, the Knights were created to be soulless husks who were there to be vessels for the Radiance / infection. Hornet in particular calls out your cursed existence and how she does not like you because of it. But although you can learn “emotes” from statues (which is teaching your character either actions or emotions, it’s unclear), no such deal is made here. So this aspect of the game is strange, even if I can at least appreciate that they tried to make their spirits a tiny bit different from Hollow Knight’s charms. Though with that said . . .

The Cons:

It’s one thing to be inspired by other games, but the sheer amount that this game cops from The Legend of Zelda and Hollow Knight is, at least to me, incredibly distracting. Just a handful of examples off the top of my head: — In Hollow Knight, you have a Shade that lingers where you last died and keeps all of your money from when you died. In Blue Fire, you have a spirit / soul (again, it’s unnamed) that lingers where you died and keeps all of your money from when you died. You have to retrieve them before you die again to get your money back. — In Hollow Knight, you have different circular charms that each have a different design, name, and grant you different abilities. You can only have a certain amount equipped at a time (though you can increase how many you can equip at once) and you can only equip them at save points. In Blue Fire you have different spirits that are contained in circles that each have a different design, name, and grant you different abilities. You can only have a certain amount equipped at a time (though you can increase how many you can equip at once) and you can only equip them at save points. — Everything I explained above about how the main character breaking out of a test tube at the beginning, surrounded by corpses just like them, felt like an echo of the Knight’s creation in Hollow Knight (but again, not as effective for reasons outlined above). — The default tunic has a hat that is exactly like Link’s from The Legend of Zelda. This is made even more obvious with the dyed green tunics. — The story segment detailing how the five gods created Penumbra was copped from how the golden goddesses created Hyrule from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. To compare the dialogue: Ocarina of Time: “Din. With her flaming arms, cultivated the land and created the red earth.” Blue Fire: “Dina, God of Land. With her mighty body of stone, Dina carved mountains, deserts, and landforms in the earth.” It’s in the exact same cadence, to the point where I half expected the artifact they created at the end of the story to be the Triforce (instead it was called the Oath of Sarana). — In Hollow Knight, the titular Hollow Knight is housed inside the Temple of the Black Egg, and is in fact locked inside that Black Egg to seal the Radiance / infection. There are three locks on the egg, and each one will only be broken when one of the three Dreamers dies. You have to break all three locks to face him, a corrupted “final” boss. In Blue Fire, the corrupted queen is housed inside the Temple of the Gods. There are three locks on her door, and each one will only be broken when one of the three Shadow Lords dies. You have to break all three locks to face her, the corrupted final boss. — It’s implied that, especially in places like the Temple Gardens, that the humanoid enemies that attack you are not monsters, but are people who were once completely normal and even forces of good who were corrupted by the Shadow. This is exactly like how all of the enemies you face in Hollow Knight (with the exception of, say, Hornet) were also once normal bugs before they were turned into zombies by the infection. I could go on. The point is, it’s perfectly fine to be inspired by something. Hell, it would be hard to find an action/adventure game that wasn’t inspired by The Legend of Zelda at this point. But it’s one thing to be inspired by something, and another thing to completely rip-off your inspiration to the point where the similarities are distracting to your audience. And it’s not just me; when I was looking up the exact dialogue for the story of the gods from Blue Fire, I found others who were pointing out just how similar everything was to Hollow Knight in particular, including someone who, like me, realized that the Temple of the Gods was essentially the Temple of the Black Egg. When things are this blatant, it feels a whole lot less like inspiration and a whole lot more like plagiarism.

The Voids all have a star rating to indicate how difficult they are. These star ratings are completely meaningless. Granted, partly it’s because everyone is going to have different abilities and so it will be hard to create an overall difficulty scoring that will be accurate for every player, but it’s also telling when a four-star course is miles easier than a two-star course, which I found to be the case on more than one occasion due to level design that was, at times, kind of bullshit.

Although there are NPCs, there are none who are memorable or standout, despite the fact that most of Penumbra’s populace is (maybe?) still alive. Unlike in Hollow Knight, where there were characters like Elderbug, the Last Stag, Hornet, Quirrel, and so forth that were memorable and lovable, all of the NPCs in Blue Fire feel rather the same and are pretty easily forgettable.

The world itself is incredibly small. While the fact there are no maps makes this kind of a good thing, on the other hand it’s a bit disappointing that there are a total of two towns and then a few small connecting areas. It doesn’t really make it feel like the kingdom that it’s supposed to be.

On that note, why aren’t there maps? The fact that there is fast travel is really more of a necessity than mere convenience because there are no maps to help lead you around. If you put down the game for a while and then go back to it, you might not remember how to get to different areas in the game, and if you haven’t unlocked fast travel yet (since it is something you have to unlock) you’re going to be pretty much boned due to the lack of a feature that is in basically every other game.

Overall, while this is not a game I think I would ever go back to, it also isn’t one that I regretted purchasing and playing. It could definitely have been better, but it also could have been worse. My only hope is that the next game this studio makes is more original, rather than copying so much from other, more successful titles. (Or at the very least, that they study why certain things worked in more successful titles, instead of just copying at the surface level and calling it a day.)

#2021 game reviews #blue fire #blue fire game #have had this sitting in drafts forever #tbh probably could have added more but I just don't feel like opening this game again to refresh my memory #which probably says more than this whole review does tbh

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hvllevator · 4 years

Text

love me | n.jm

pairing: na jaemin x female reader

genre: angst, hanahaki!au

words: 3,1k

warning: mentions of throwing up

summary: he made flowers grow in your lungs and although they are beautiful, you couldn’t breathe.

a/n: that is my favorite quote ^ i have mixed feelings about this idk if i like it or. pls dont ask for part two because its meant to end that way! i couldnt find anything about jaemin’s favorite flower so i used his birth flower instead!

You always told yourself it wasn’t real, and that you simply took his kindness the wrong way. Another cough left your throat along with a flower petal, a Gladiolus to be exact, his birth flower.

“Y/N!” Jaemin called out, walking towards your way with a huge grin on his face. You returned his enthusiasm.

Jaemin has been your best friend ever since his parents decided to move in the house next to yours. Your parents were close to one another, which gave you and Jaemin the opportunity to get to know each other. He was always someone you can count on, someone you can lean on whenever you had problems, and someone who was there for you when you needed him. Everyone was fond of your close friendship, often hearing how perfect you were for one another. Some were shocked to find out you weren’t dating especially since they consider the two of you as soulmates which you only laughed upon.

“Hi Jaemin.” You greeted him as he took a seat on the empty chair beside your desk.

“Last year of high school, can you believe it?” He laughed, feeling quite elated that he was finally leaving this hell hole after many years.

“You’re saying it as if we’re graduating tomorrow.” You groaned, placing your head on your desk. Not wanting to deal with the rest of your surroundings for the whole day.

“Yeah, but it’s only ten months. I bet this will pass by in a blur.”

Jaemin was right, you barely realized that it has been three months since the first day of school. You were somehow surprised that you managed to get through the countless schoolworks that was given to you, of course with a little help from Jaemin and his friends. You were close with Jaemin’s friends, not as much as you were with Jaemin but you often hung around them since they were kind and Jaemin liked them.

You were having your weekly movie night at Renjun’s since it was his time to host. You were seated between Jeno and Jaemin, the rest of the boys around. You couldn’t help but feel droopy halfway through the movie, your head slowly started dropping on Jeno’s shoulder which Jaemin noticed. He shifted uncomfortably as he saw you get settled on Jeno, something stirred inside of him and he didn’t like it.

“I’ll take her.” Jaemin mumbled, placing a hand between your head and Jeno’s shoulder before moving it so that you were leaning on him instead. Jeno didn’t really pay attention to his actions since it was something he would usually do when it came to you.

You woke up shortly after, seeing how you were now laying on Jaemin’s chest and his arm was loosely wrapped around your waist. You cursed your heart for starting to beat fast at the way you were positioned. You glanced around the room to see the rest of the boys fast asleep. So, you didn’t make any efforts to move and you went back to sleep in Jaemin’s arms.

You didn’t know when it started, you didn’t know why it started. But whenever Jaemin was relatively close to you, your heart just decides to panic and thump against your chest. You shrugged it off most of the time, thinking that you were probably just flustered due to your lack of romantic interaction that even the simplest of gestures got your heart racing. However, it somehow felt different with Jaemin, like you were craving more from him.

“Y/N, guess what?” Jaemin suddenly came out of nowhere which made you jump in your seat. You were in the library studying for your upcoming exams and you glared at him for being too loud in a place where silence was observed.

“What?” You whispered back, not wanting to disturb the people around you as you tried to continue reading the words on your textbook.

“I told you to guess!” He frowned, ready to pull your book away from you, which you only slapped his hand away.

“I’m terrible at guessing.” You rolled your eyes, turning the page of your book.

“True. Okay so, Na Jaemin has a date.” He boasted. Your breath hitched, actions halting when you heard his words. Why were you so affected if Jaemin goes on a date? You were too scared of finding the answer out.

“So we’re referring to ourselves in third person now?” You dully responded though your head clouds with thoughts.

“Did you hear what I just said?” This time he succeeded in peeling your book away from you.

“Congratulations someone finally said yes to your ugly ass.” You remarked, collecting all your belongings and getting ready to leave since you couldn’t handle being in front of him right now.

“Excuse me according to the ladies, they would die for me.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and you mentally curse him for being so attractive.

“That’s stupid.” You mumbled, not wanting to hear more information about his date.

“Stop.” He whined, grabbing hold of your wrists which made your heart, once again, race at the thought of being so close to him. “Be happy for me.” He pouted.

“I-I am.” You let out before shaking off his grip and sliding your bag on your shoulder. Mumbling a small goodbye before leaving him alone in the library which had him question why you were so hastily of leaving.

After Jaemin went on the date, it was all he would speak of. Telling you how cute his date looked when she giggled or how beautiful she looked when she smiled and quite frankly you were getting annoyed.

“Jaemin, that’s great but can we please talk about something else? At this point I feel like I was the one who went on a date with her.” You rubbed at your temples, not meaning to sound rude but you just couldn’t help your mouth.

Jaemin’s smile fell off his face. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, just, it happened three days ago and my ear is about to fall off if I hear one more thing about how she talked.” You were both lying in your bed, your head dangling off the edge with his body beside you. You felt heated whenever his arm would brush against yours and you’re practically laughing at yourself for setting the bar so low that even the simplest touch had you blushing.

“I get it. So, uh, how are you?” You almost scoffed at the way his sentence tumbled out of his mouth. Why was he suddenly feeling awkward?

“I’m fine. Thanks for asking. Our exams are coming up soon, aren’t you worried?” You turned your head to look at him.

“Nope.” He smiled, which made you relieved to see he got his charm back. “Because I have you beside me.”

You knew he meant it in a —let me copy off of you— way and you blame yourself for assuming his words meant something else.

“Yeah.” You cleared your throat. “I’ll always be.”

Jaemin finally asked the girl he is dating to be his girlfriend and your stomach felt uneasy when you found out. You showed him the reaction he wanted, which was to be happy for him. Of course you were happy, you just couldn’t help the displeasing pit that was forming inside you. You realized that you indeed have feelings for him and you would be lying if you said that finding out he has a girlfriend didn’t smash your heart into pieces. You loathe yourself for only realizing how you felt towards him when he was finally with someone he likes. You would never ruin his happiness, so you made no efforts in telling him how you felt. You often witnessed the two be all lovingly together, and it made you sick, literally, your throat felt itchy whenever they held hands or whenever she would cuddle up against him. The boys also noticed how you started to lose weight, and how your lips were often chapped. You were also worried for your well-being since you didn’t have a clue on what was happening until one day.

You felt bile rush up your throat, making you run to the toilet and puke all over. Except it wasn’t the food you ate earlier, it was petals of Gladiolus. Panic seeped through your veins at the sight of the petals in the toilet. You knew what they meant, everyone does. You screamed in pain, cursing yourself for forgetting something that was crucial in your life. Tears slipped from your eyes, flushing the toilet so that you wouldn’t see the mess you created. You cleaned yourself up before climbing in bed. You sobbed that night, feeling incredibly stupid for not preventing the situation earlier. You didn’t know what to do, you didn’t want to tell your parents about your reckless choices, yet you can’t keep suffering because of it.

You ended up seeking Jeno for advice, along with the rest of the boys. You told them about what was happening and what you were feeling. Pity flashed in their eyes as they watched you speak, genuinely feeling sorry for what you’re going through.

“Y/N... you know what that means right? You won’t get better unless...” Jeno trailed off, not really wanting to finish his statement.

“Unless he likes me back, I know.” You groaned, your hands running over your face.

“Or-“ Chenle started but you cut him off immediately

“No.” You sternly said, almost glaring at him.

“I haven’t even-“

“I know what you’re going to say. I won’t get surgery.”

“But Y/N,” Chenle sighed, careful eyes on you.

“I can’t and I won’t. I would rather live with loving him, rather than never being able to love him.”

You stood by your words, though you weren’t feeling any better. In fact, you grew even more weak, and Jaemin noticed that. You barely showed up in school due to you staying at home and coughing up a storm. Your parents eventually found out about your condition and even offered to talk to Jaemin’s family about it but you wouldn’t let them. You were having difficulties in breathing, the flowers scratching up your lungs. It hurt you, quite a lot. Yet you were too stubborn to give up your feelings.

Jaemin visited you unannounced, making sure there were no traces of flowers anywhere before letting him in your room. He saw how skinny you got, how your eyes looked like they lost life.

“What’s going on with you? Are you sick? Do you need to go to the doctors?” He asked the second he laid eyes on you. You shook at his words before giving him a reassuring smile.

“I’m fine, Jaems, just a fever.” Your throat was betraying you the longer you looked at him, wanting so bad to cough up another petal or so, but you swallowed it in, not wanting him to suspect anything. He seemed like he believed your words, deciding to drop the subject since he might offend you and offered to watch a movie. Feeling bad for turning him down, you agreed to watch a movie. The rest of the night dragged on awfully slow and your throat was on fire. You were sure that a bouquet was ready to come out of your lungs, Jaemin being so close to you didn’t help your condition not one bit, especially when he offered to cuddle but you turned him down, not knowing what would happen if you let yourself be vulnerable knowing he was in love with someone else. Excusing yourself, you rushed to the bathroom, ejecting every bit that was stuck in your stomach. Your eyes widened at the sight of a full flower laying on top of the petals. You were getting worse.

Jaemin ended up leaving that night earlier than expected due to his girlfriend constantly ringing his phone. He apologized countless times before leaving you alone, with petals surrounding yourself once again.

“I-I can’t be friends with you anymore.” Jaemin dropped all of a sudden and you had to stop your jaw from actually dropping. You stared at him as if he had three heads.

“What?” You frowned, shocked from his confession.

“You heard me.” He bit on his lip, his eyes looking everywhere but at you.

“I hear bullshit.” You snickered, ready to forgive him for his stupid joke.

“I’m serious.” You scanned his face for any emotions yet he looked dead serious, this wasn’t the Jaemin you knew and loved.

“Is it because of her?” You scoffed when he failed to respond to your questions. “Wow, Jaemin.” Huffing, you crossed your arms against your chest and stared at him in disbelief.

“Don’t bring her into this.” He argued, making you even more agitated.

“You’re willing to throw out friendship away because your girlfriend told you?”

“It’s not like that.”

“It is. Whatever. Fuck you, Jaemin.” You turned your back to him, getting ready to walk away.

“She’s sick, Y/N.” He let out when you began to walk.

You halted in place, turning to face him once again. “Oh? And what does that have to do with me?” You raised your brow at him.

“She told me she was puking flowers.”

You felt like the wind knocked you over because your knees felt like jelly when you processed his words. “W-why would she? Don’t you love her?” A glimmer of hope shined inside you.

“I do.” Glimmer of hope ruined. “And she said she’s sick because she assumed that I had feelings for you instead of her.”

“Do you?”

“N-no.” He shook his head. That was the last straw for you.

“Well then, I hope you’re happy with her.”

You sat on the hospital bed, cladded in the usual white gown that you hated. You were preparing for surgery, more like your parents forced you but you didn’t spare no effort into arguing anymore. Jaemin’s intentions were very clear and you couldn’t just stand hurting yourself over someone who wouldn’t see your worth. You talked to the boys before you got admitted, and you made them promise to never tell Jaemin about your condition, which they agreed upon. You closed your eyes, waiting for your name to be called so that you could end your suffering.

“Babe? You okay?” Jaemin’s girlfriend asked him, seeing as he was out of his thoughts.

“Hm?” He looked up to face her. “Yeah, how bout you? Still coughing up... petals?”

“Oh! Not anymore.” She shook her head and brightly smiled at him, a sight that Jaemin used to love but now seemed unaffected by it.

“May I ask what kind of flower you got?” He watched as she hesitated before speaking.

“Uh, roses.”

Your surgery was over before you knew it. You were glad that you no longer felt the heavy feeling on your chest. Your mind subconsciously drifts to the fact that you’ll never be able to look at Jaemin romantically ever again, the thought bringing sadness but you pushed it aside anyways.

Jaemin asked you to meet with him, at the playground you two often hung out in. You agreed, meeting at the planned location. Seeing him on the swings, deep in thought. You crept behind him before suddenly placing your hands on his shoulders, making him jump in fear. Laughing, you sat down on the swing beside him.

“I’m sorry I was a terrible friend, and I have no excuse for the way I acted except for the fact that she manipulated me. I missed you.” He admitted, turning his head to you.

“I missed you too, Nana.” You smiled at him which he returned when you called him by his infamous nickname. Willing to forgive him since you didn’t have it in your heart to hold a grudge against him, to hold anything against him really. His stomach churned at the sight of you brightly smiling at him. “What’s on your mind?”

“She lied to me.” He bluntly responded, kicking at the pebbles in front of him.

“What?”

“She was never sick. She told me her flower was roses.” He hung his head, not daring to face you. “Roses! I don’t even like roses.”

“I’m sorry, Jaemin.” You frowned, wanting to reach up to him and comfort him.

“Don’t be because. I realized who I really love.”

“No...” You whispered, watching as he stared at you like you were the most precious thing in the world. You were dreading his incoming words.

“I love you, Y/N. I’m so stupid for only realizing now but I feel like I have known for quite some time and I never plucked the courage to tell you.” He smiled at you, not noticing your troubled expression

“Jaemin,” You shook your head, standing from the swing as tears began brimming in your eyes. “I can’t love you.”

“W-what? Why not?” He dropped his smile, standing up to face you. His height completely towering over you.

“Because you made flowers grow in my lungs.” You stared at him through your tears. A sudden breeze embraced your skin, adding more tension in your body. “A-and I underwent surgery just to remove it.”

“How long?”

“A couple months.”

“And you never told me?”

“You were in a relationship, Jaemin.” You defended.

“But I would’ve dropped it for you!” He gestured his hand in exasperation.

“How was I supposed to know?!” You argued back, fully aware of the tears streaming down your face.

“That’s so unfair, Y/N.” He glared at you though he was anything but mad at you, in fact he was more livid at himself for not noticing. For not noticing the way you would frown whenever he talked about his ex girlfriend, for not seeing how weak you grew the past few months because he decided to turn a blind eye.

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” You went to reach up for his arm but he retracted before you could even graze his skin. He ran his hand through his hair before covering his face.

“Can you go? I don’t think I can speak to you right now.”

You felt sorry, you really did. Not thinking of how your decision would affect both parties. You listened to his words, leaving him alone in the playground that used to be so lively but now just seemed empty.

Jaemin let out sobs that were choked back, screaming loudly which startled the birds around him, even kicking on the swing set which just hurt his foot but he could care less. Especially when he felt like something was clawing up his throat. He gasped for air before hunching over and hurling.

There laid on the ground, petals of your favorite flower.

#neowritingsnet #czennet #kwritersworldnet #nct #nct dream #na jaemin #jaemin imagines #nct imagines #nct scenarios #nct reactions #nct fake texts #nct angst #hanahaki #jaemin x reader #jaemin angst #jaemin scenarios #nct dream imagines #nct dream reactions #nana

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popwasabi · 3 years

Text

“The Mandalorian” S2 is a power fantasy with mini Star Wars trailers

The term “Plot armor” is often used by readers and viewers to describe the myriad of ways writers keep their heroes away from any real danger no matter what choices or actions they make in the narrative. It’s typically a derisive phrase for the way a writer’s hero seems to escape death no matter what is thrown at him for the sole purpose of moving the plot forward.

In Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” this term takes a far more literal description in the form of our main anti-hero, played by Pedro Pascal, in his beskar armor which seems to be, by all accounts the most indestructible material in the galaxy far, far away.

(I mean, it still looks really cool too, of course.)

The result of this narrative decision in this series is that action scenes often don’t have real tension to them. In another series you might be able to reasonably believe the hero might be in danger with blaster fire shooting all around them but with beskar it’s almost comically not the case at all. Stormtroopers fire laser blast after laser blast at The Mando and each time they bounce harmlessly off him as if he were fucking Superman. It makes scenes feel devoid of stakes and danger no matter what situation they are in.

The show thus becomes a power fantasy, as action scenes serve as extended highlight reels for the Mando. Where season 1 of the show mitigated the power of the Mando’s plot armor by putting him more often in situations where his beskar alone wasn’t enough to save the day, season 2 goes mostly full power fantasy as The Mando rarely runs into a situation he can’t just quite literally walk through.

(“Aim for his armor, men! That’s his weak point!”)

This isn’t to say the season wasn’t without its high moments or even that it wasn’t enjoyable plenty of times but the series’ devotion to fan servicey action and callbacks to “Hey remember ____” makes it a fairly shallow story. At least for myself.

Season 2 of “The Mandalorian” continues the story of Din and his small Yoda-like companion, The Child (later known officially as Grogu), as he looks to complete a quest to return the burgeoning Force wielder to the Jedi. As he seeks to reunite The Child with the ancient Order, he encounters other Mandalorians who are on a quest to retake Mandalore and right on their tail is the nefarious Grand Moff Gideon who is still bent on capturing Grogu for whatever it is he has planned for the Empire.

Let me start this review by saying power fantasies aren’t inherently bad to watch or read. They can be good, cathartic junk food for the soul and can also be compelling, artistic, or even deeply metaphorical in their own way. A movie series like “John Wick” for instance is a power fantasy that aims to reinvent the wheel in action film-making with Keanu Reeves performing perhaps the best gun kata of all-time onscreen. Another film like Paul Verhoueven’s “Total Recall” can satirize the power fantasy to show how ridiculous it is in concept.

So, making your hero an unstoppable killing machine isn’t necessarily always a bad thing if used properly.

(Seriously, this is one of the smartest action films ever made. Don’t @ me.)

Now that that’s established, however, “The Mandalorian” season 2, despite some strong moments here and there, is a power fantasy that lacks these elements for a more interesting narrative. If you believe killing dozens of stormtroopers onscreen while never suffering so much as a scratch for eight episodes equals compelling storytelling then boy does Disney have a series for you.

Through the first four-ish episodes, the new season is mostly just fine and even quite enjoyable. We have the Mando getting a fun side quest with Timothy Olyphant on Tatooine where they get to wrangle a sand worm in a callback to the Westerns that inspired much of the franchise’s aesthetic. The Mando gets to escort a frog lady to her home planet to give birth to some tadpoles and they run into some actual danger in this episode in the form of kyrnknas/space spiders. And we get the return of Bo Katan from Dave Filoni’s “Clone Wars” and “Rebels” cartoon series, with Katee Sackhoff herself reprising the role in a fun Mandalorian team-up episode.

(I’m just so happy to see my girl, Starbuck, again more than anything honestly ;_;)

But the wheels started officially falling off for me in the next episode.

Episode 5 marked the live-action debut of fan favorite Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson, and she meets the Mando by getting the jump on him with her lightsabers. In virtually any other situation we have been told lightsabers can cut through virtually anything. Now, beskar has been shown to be plenty durable throughout the series so far but lightsabers? Surely not.

Well…

It is an overall good episode despite this but it marked the point for me where I badly wanted The Mando to just go the rest of the series without it. Obviously, the writers aren’t going to actually kill our hero, afterall The Mouse needs more money and he can’t have it unless we get 50 more Mandalorian episodes and spin-offs, but at some point I gotta feel like there’s a possibility at least that our hero might actually die or at least is in danger. It is actually super funny to me each time The Mando ducks or seeks cover in a shootout when I know, and the viewer damn well knows, he can literally walk right into the middle of it and shoot all these motherfuckers at his own leisure cause his actual plot armor is the stuff of adamantium and vibranium combined.

Episode 5 is mostly good though, it’s a nice callback to old school samurai flicks and for an old fan like myself it was enough to ignore beskar again saving the Mando’s ass.

(This was cool...This...was...cool.)

If episode 5 marked the point in which the wheels began to come off though, episode 6 is where the show really spun out into the ditch for me. Perhaps, this series worst episode, personally, episode 6 reintroduces fan favorite and series inspiration Boba Fett back officially into the fold and the result was perhaps the most self-indulgent entry of the series.

(I mean, it was directed by Robert Rodriguez so...)

Boba arrives to demand his beskar from The Mando who promptly tells him “no” before they are ambushed by a platoon of stormtroopers. Alongside Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand, the three do battle with the stormtroopers with ridiculous ease. I’m aware that stormtroopers exist to be on the highlight reel of our heroes in this franchise and have a long history of not being able to hit the broad side of a bantha but again, I can only watch these guys die by the dozens onscreen over and over again while our heroes get away without suffering even a bruise before it starts feeling boring and repetitive.

It only gets worse once Boba actually puts on his armor. In a sequence that I would describe as “gratuitously” fan servicey, Boba wastes just about every last stormtrooper in this scene culminating with him destroying their two get-away vehicles in a single shot with a rocket. Considering he was killing them with ease just moments before with nothing more than a battle club and a bathrobe, it seemed almost hilariously needless that he donned his iconic armor.

youtube

(It would be tempting to say the stormtroopers fought as ineptly as the Putty Patrol here but even the Power Rangers have struggled a few times against these guys...)

I get that Boba is really important to a lot of fans, based on their perceptions of him in the original trilogy and subsequent books and graphic novels that came out in the following years, but here’s a hot take; this series didn’t need him in it. Maybe they didn’t need to keep him rotting in the Sarlacc Pit but this episode, alongside Ahsoka Tano’s feels more like marketing choices for the story rather than narrative ones. I’ll concede that there is a bit more substance to having Ahsoka there to commune with Grogu but their additions to the plot don’t actually show much of anything about the Mando outside physically helping him in a fight.

The way they tease, in both cases, stories that exist outside the internal narrative between Ahsoka’s search for Admiral Thrawn and Boba taking over Jabba’s palace at the end of the final episode, it feels like Disney threw in mini trailers for fans to nibble on at the expense of telling the Mando’s own story and letting it stand on its own like the first season.

The choice to have these characters shoved into this season again appears to be market driven not narrative. Once more, I get that these characters are important personally to many fans, but the appearance of these characters alone DO NOT equal good storytelling.

(Me when a fan tells me “But Boba was such a badass in *obscurely titled EU book that a handful of general audiences have read*! He deserves this moment!”)

The final episode of the season is truly encapsulating of all these issues “The Mandalorian” has, however. Moff Gideon, played by the always sharp Giancarlo Esposito, has Grogu imprisoned aboard his ship. The Mando and his friends plan a rescue mission to save him and, just like nearly every episode before, it is stupidly easy for our protagonists.

The crew of five, again, walk through every Imperial on the ship. I don’t mean this metaphorically by the way, I mean this literally as Cara, Fennec, Bo Katan and Koshka Reeves (played by WWE’s Sasha Banks) without a single moment of real adversity just blast through every stormtrooper on the ship and never get hit once in the process.

A good action scene needs an element of danger, a sense that our hero might actually not come out of this alive even though we all know they will. An action scene without this has no tension and without tension it becomes booooooooring.

(Even John fucking Wick is capable of bleeding, guys...)

The finale had a chance, however, to add real stakes and danger to the scene in the form of this season’s new enemy; The Dark Troopers. These Imperial battle droids were foreshadowed as these super soldiers at the end of episode 4 and seemed to be billed as a real dangerous match for our heroes to faceup against. When the Mando finally gets himself face to face with one he finds they are not as easy to kill as the nameless stormtroopers from before. To see The Mando briefly face real adversity for a change snapped me out of my cynical mood so sharply for a moment I thought I had turned on another series by accident.

But of course, danger never lasts long in this series as The Mando’s armor again saves him first from getting pummeled to death by the droid’s super fists then he uses his plot spear, cause of course he has one of those too, to finish the job.

Danger over.

Moff Gideon doesn’t fair much better in this episode. This villain who had been built up for two seasons as this calculative monster gets stopped rather easily with Mando and his friends barely breaking a sweat. This character feels wasted because of this, even though I’m sure Giancarlo Esposito will return in the next season. He just feels about as much like a pushover as the nameless stormtroopers in this series.

The episode had one more chance though to show these Dark Troopers meant business toward the end as we found the heroes cornered on the command deck with nowhere to run and a dozen of these droids ready to blast and pound them into the floorboards. But help arrives in the form of a Deus X-Wing Machina.

Without having to face even one Dark Trooper, Luke fucking Skywalker arrives on the ship and kills every droid without breaking a sweat. It plays as inspiring in the moment but again I just found myself bored and irritated. A chance to see the series heroes actually use their wits and show their creativity in a moment of true danger thwarted to please fan boys.

I get that Grogu called out to him in episode 6 but creatively this felt like an extremley lazy way to solve the heroes’ dilemna.

(“Hello my name is Jedi. I enjoy doing...*computes script* Jedi things.”)

This season wasn’t all bad. It certainly had nice production value that made each alien world pop and beautiful to look at. Every actor and actress played their parts expertly well, with what they were given, and made for interesting characters at times. There are also nice homages to both Western and Samurai cinema throughout the season that fans of both will appreciate. And Pedro Pascal is just so good on his own, especially in tender moments with Grogu, that you forget that his character is kind of a Gary Stu.

But the main crux of the issue here that I’m trying to get across is the reason you need to remove the plot armor of your heroes is not just because action scenes need tension and stakes, it’s that when faced with danger these scenes reveal who these characters are. I used to believe that the reason Mandalorians and Jedi had such a fierce rivalry in the lore despite the obvious advantages of wielding the Force was because these famed bounty hunters were just that fucking good at killing. That despite being, on paper, normal people they had great martial prowess, athletic skill, and the tactical wit to outsmart people who can literally sense their feelings. But now with beskar and the way this series is written, it appears the Mandalorians were challenging warriors just because they happened to harness the most OP armor building material in the galaxy.

It makes you wonder how the fuck they were conquered to begin with…

(Maybe they just needed more knee rockets...)

This takes away from the mysticism of the Mandalorians for me. It makes The Mando less interesting to me in the way he fights. Yea he can shoot really good too but really it’s the armor that makes him the fighter that he is and I find that kind of boring. We occasionally get this character to remove the armor during the series, including a whole episode that was easily one of the best of the season, and in every case he’s more interesting once the helmet comes off. I get that fans hold a lot of reverence for that armor, yea it still looks really cool, but making it this impenetrable super material doesn’t add anything to the story.

If anything, it takes away from it.

(Plus how could you not love Pedro Pascal when he’s out of armor? uWu)

I wouldn’t go as far as to say I hate season 2, even though I spent 2000 plus words just now lambasting it but I guess I just want to say I am unimpressed more than anything. I feel like I’ve seen better Star Wars be it in the movies, cartoons, books, video games, etc and I’ve certainly seen better action in the franchise as well.

Considering fan reaction so far appears to be overwhelmingly positive, I am definitely in the minority here and you are welcome to enjoy this series as much as you want in spite of how unimpressed I am with the season. But considering all I have seen of this fandom the last few years, regarding complaints about fan service (“Rogue One”), easily defeated/underdeveloped bad guys (“The Last Jedi”), and Mary Sues (The sequel trilogy in general), I have to ask again what is it actually that fans like or don’t like about new entries in the franchise? It’s not that there isn’t valid criticisms there and “The Mandalorian” is enjoyable in sincere ways too but it has many of the issues I hear commonly said of more divisive entries in the Disneyverse. So why does it get a pass?

I’ve been told it’s not worth my energy to talk too derisively about the fans in one of my earlier write-ups, so I’ll leave it at that but it does make me wonder.

(“Rogue One” admittedly has a simarily self-indulgent action sequence though haha...)

Season 2 of “The Mandalorian” isn’t the worst piece of Star Wars media ever created, far from it, and for most part its solid enjoyable Saturday morning cartoon theater but if the series wants to really take steps to become more compelling in the future it might be good to stop bubble wrapping their heroes in plot armor. Literally.

Until then this is the way…I guess…

Me getting ready for the backlash...

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jasontoddiefor · 4 years

Text

Title: Mouse Droids and How To Fix Them – A Quick And Easy Guide [Livestream] Summary: Luke has a Space Youtube Channel and Leia watches his videos to de-stress from a terrible day. Mouse droids are named and the Empire and its terrible quality are dragged through the sarlacc pit. AN: Anyway, did somebody said TIE-Fighter story prequel? No? Too bad.

Leia was a well-composed and well-behaved serene princess right up until the doors of her rooms closed behind her. The moment she was out of sight, she kicked off her shoes with such a force that they soared half across the room and crashed against her wardrobe with a loud crack. She took the pins keeping her braids in place out of her hair and threw them onto the dresser. Then as graceless as a regular fifteen-year-old girl, Leia dropped onto her bed and screamed into her pillow.

Today had been terrible.

Leia hated all the pointless festivities that only ever served to make everyone there feel important and powerful but did absolutely nothing for the people they were supposed to govern. She couldn’t understand how her parents managed it. They were good and selfless people, always calm and serene even when the newest governor was basically spitting one insult after the other at them. Leia always wanted to shout back, it was her first instinct. Idiots who couldn’t be bothered to contribute anything productive or kind, should shut up and stop hindering others from doing their job. Leia had kept her mouth shut of course. She had smiled pleasantly as her mother had taught her and acted as expected from her.

But that didn’t mean that she hadn’t wanted to strip the gloves off her hands and show him how much of a bloodthirsty royal she really was. She shouldn’t have desired it, but it annoyed her so much when others purposefully misunderstood her. It had been a year since she picked her coronation color. When would people finally stop commenting on it?

Yes! Princess Leia Organa had chosen white! She’d forgone five-hundred-years of tradition and picked the color of the snow on Alderaan’s mountains, of ice so cold it burned, of the sheets upon which they wrote the names of their dead.

Leia wore the color of war, mourning and remembrance and she wore it well.

How could she not when the Empire was murdering innocents, subjugating whole worlds and waging an unjust war? Picking green or blue would be an insult upon the suffering she had been forced to witness. She didn’t want to be remembered as another impassive royal, bowing to the whims of the Empire. Leia hadn’t been meant to live in a tyrannizing Empire in which she had to watch her every word and step. She wanted to speak her mind and missed the Republic she never got to experience.

Her parents, while displeased she out herself in such danger, had understood it. Most Alderaanians understood it and supported her, but not that stupid new governor. Instead, he went on and on about her image and character flaws – and worse! Talked about marriage.

Leia was already dead set on staying unmarried. Her parents had been lucky. Despite their marriage being arranged, they’d loved each other. Or maybe they had been in love first and the political advantage of the marriage was just a bonus. Leia didn’t entirely know, but she knew to one hundred percent that all her potential Alderaani suitors sucked. They were arrogant and petty or worse, both of that but way older than her as well. She could marry somebody from a different planet, but the Old Houses would frown upon that and then she’d have to deal with more in-fighting and risk losing control of Alderaan’s society and give the Empire even more access to her planet. It was bad enough as it was.

Groaning, Leia rolled onto her back and got up from her bed again. She’d hate herself in the morning if she didn’t dress out of the fine robes completely. She fetched herself her sleeping clothes and washed the make-up off her face. It felt like taking off uncomfortable armor and she was more than glad to get rid of it. Leia didn’t mind dressing up. As a child, she had loved trying on her parents’ much too large clothes and she still loved picking out dresses together with her mother, but sometimes she wished it all wouldn’t take so much energy.

Redressed, Leia returned to her bed, ready to pretend to fall asleep when she knew that she wouldn’t be able to close her eyes now. Her mind was too unfocused, her thoughts all jumbled up. She laid still and waited until another moment had passed before reaching for her bed stand and pulling out her secret private comm.

Leia had three of them. One for official business, one was the officially private secret comm – the one every important person in the galaxy was supposed to have and hide – and then there was her own, which she used to stay up-to-date with activities unbefitting on an Imperial princess.

She checked the holonet, skimming through articles that made her blood boil and delightfully bright art that called for resistance. She was pleased to notice that more and more Alderaani artists were choosing lighter colors in their barely legal paintings and downright joyful when she saw an account post images of white flags. Those posts would probably be taken down once the meaning behind them spread a little more, but Leia was proud nonetheless. She had caused this, this was her contribution to the Rebellion.

In a better mood already, Leia went through her notifications. She had a few replies to articles she had written and- oh.

[Notification: Scrap Hunting has started a livestream – 1 Min ago]

Smiling widely, Leia clicked on the link connecting her to the video. The livestream had indeed only started recently, and not even properly. Leia had missed the last one sadly because she’d been in the Core, too far away for Scrap Hunting’s terrible holonet connection to reach. Alderaan was just close enough to Tatooine for Leia to watch them.

She couldn’t quite recall how she had stumbled upon the channel. She had just been clicking through some random videos one day and there it had been. Leia wasn’t all that knowledgeable about ships – her parents had kept a keen eye on her since the Speeder accident she’d had when she was ten – and didn’t really have much access to the hangers either. Droids, on the other hand, Leia knew plenty about. They were everywhere and nobody wanted to live without them, which made them the perfect spies with the right adjustments. Leia knew how to wipe a droid’s memory so clean, it was shinier than any crystal and how to hide protocols upon protocols in their storage. Her favorite droids were C-3PO and the R2D2 unite serving on the Tantive IV. Artoo especially had a lot of personality. Leia needed to sort out her Binary so she could catch all the colorful curses the astromech liked to inflict on people.

The two boys running Scrap Hunting – well, only really Luke actually – were sympathetic. They didn’t talk about droids like they were simple tools and they were proficient in fixing them up. Therefore Leia was very pleased to see that the title of the livestream was Mouse Droids and How To Fix Them – A Quick And Easy Guide. This would be fun, the right kind of distracting noise she needed after such a long day.

“Alright, we’re all set up now,” Luke said. “Hello everybody! I’m Luke and welcome to another episode of Scrap Hunting!”

He waved at the recorder and then picked up a small back droid from his table. “This is what today’s livestream will be about! An MSE-series droid! A lot of you guys said you’d like more livestreams and the weather’s been pretty good recently and I fixed the signals so I hope this works out just fine.”

Luke smiled and reached for the first tool lying in front of him. “I decided that fixing up this little guy here should be fine for a shorter video. I don’t have to think so much about what I’m doing and can talk at the same time.”

He began taking off the outer casing of the droid and carefully set it aside. “I know, I know, I’m always talking, but nobody complains about it.” Luke stopped spinning his wrench for a moment to think. “Okay, alright, maybe my uncle complains about it sometimes but that’s what he gets for making me check all the vaporators on my own. Anyway, I talk a lot and so does this chat. Lots of people joining in here! Hi!”

Luke looked through the chat, returned greetings and explained how he had gotten the droid as payment for helping out in a repair shop.

“And I know the owner thought he was just giving me so boring little plaything, but do you know how versatile these MSE droids are?”

Leia definitely knew how useful they could be. She grinned when Luke comically shook his head when people began sending in question marks and began belittling the tiny Mouse droids. They made excellent spies, infiltrators and guides. Underestimating them just because they were cute was fatal. Leia was happy when Luke reacted as outraged as she was and began elaborating on what the droids could be used for.

“And like, I get sending the droids back when they trigger your instincts, I wouldn’t keep around a droid that reminds me of a womp rat or a krayt dragon.” Luke paused, the half-open mouse droid lying on his lap, and apparently considered his suggestions.

“Okay, maybe I would actually want them. Could you imagine a droid krayt dragon? So cool.”

Luke reached for the nearest datapad and took a few notes, then put it next to him on the table and returned to working on the MSE.

“But yeah, point being: Why did the Aar’aa sell them to the Empire so cheaply? Add some extra software and boom, you can sell them for twice the price. Then you’d even make a bonus. Oh, well, I suppose the Empire at least made a good deal there.”

The MSE droid laid bare now and Luke could easily access its memory. He took his datapad once more and connected it to the droid. After a few seconds, he had access to its memory and immediately frowned.

“Or it did not. What is this programming? I researched what I could find before, downloaded some protocols-“ Luke looked away from his datapad to point down, “-links in the description as always. But just- honestly. Who wrote this protocol?”

He gently knocked his head against the droid’s frame. “I’m so sorry, don’t worry, I’ll speed up your processors.”

The next hour, Leia spent listening to Luke ramble on about what changes he made and why. Once or twice she even threw her own suggestions in the chat and watched contently as Luke picked up on them and began to work with them. She wished she didn’t have so many duties and could spend her days doing things she actually wanted, take a more active role in the rebellion. But she supposed that as long as she could escape annoying politicians for a while, she’d be fine.

Leia glanced at her chrono. While it appeared to be midday still on Tatooine, it was already early morning for her. She should head to sleep soon.

Thankfully, the livestream was also wrapping up. Luke had reassembled the droid and screwed the last bolt down.

“And done!” Luke said and helped up the repaired Mouse droid. “A Quick And Easy Guide to Mouse Droids. Now, the only thing left is repainting and naming it. Same rules as always, highest donator gets to choose the color and the name.”

Leia watched as a lot of people began donating. Some just threw in five credits, just to support the channel. She’d done so before as well. It was only right to help somebody else and give him a thanks after cheering her up. Leia typed the first one, then stopped.

She was tired, had been for at least thirty minutes now, but her mind was finally calm as well. She was still and upset, but not so that she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Leia shouldn’t waste her allowance on this, but Leia had also had a terrible horrible no-good day and wanted to name that Mouse Droid.

“And that was it!” Luke announced. “Many thanks for all your donations. I’ll keep you posted on what my next project will be. Hopefully something a little more interesting than this little buddy here. Now let’s see… The highest donation is one- one thousand credits from @rebelroyal!?”

Luke’s voice was awfully high-pitched, shock visible all over his face. “Is this real- oh gosh. Thank you so, so much! I’m not sure- Many thanks for supporting this channel! You may name any future Mouse Droids I come across, oh Force. Right. Uhm. What is your suggestion?”

Leia eyes her discarded white dress on the floor and chose.

History’s eyes on you @ rebelroyal

Paint it white and name it Emmy! Many thanks for all the lovely content you provide.

Little Emmy, it turned out, look much better in white than it did in the awful black so representative for the Empire.

[Notification: Twin Suns @skyseekerpilot has mentioned you in a new post]

Twin Suns @skyseekerpilot

I have adopted 4 more mouse droids to keep our ship clean!

Twin Suns @skyseekerpilot

[Foto: Five Mouse Droids standing in front of Luke, who was sitting on the ground, smiling cheerfully. The droid in the middle was Emmy. It was a little banged up and had a couple more scratches. On its right were an orange and a blue droid, freshly painted from the looks of it. On Emmy’s left were two black ones]

@ rebelroyal The orange and blue ones have been painted and named already, care to do the honors for the other two?

Leia smiled fondly at the picture and began to type.

History’s eyes on you @ rebelroyal

How about yellow and green? Benny and Penny so it rhymes?

Twin Suns @skyseekerpilot

Done :D

[Foto: The two previously black mouse droids have been painted as well and are furiously cleaning the floor of a ship]

#star wars #leia organa #Luke Skywalker #emmy the mouse droid #fanfic #im back on my social media mess

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glacecakes · 4 years

Text

Alchemy Lullaby (9/?)

Of all the changes that came with living in the castle, becoming a father was not one he anticipated. When Eugene encounters a small child suffering like he did, he gives them the opportunity to grow up the way he never did… helping them both heal. (AU where Varian is 4 and gets adopted by Eugene)

Varian's growing up fast! So fast Eugene isn't sure how to handle it.

Read the rest on AO3

Me: the next chapter is gonna be something light, a collection of drabbles and headcanons Varian servers: baby hugo Me, opening up my laptop and throwing all my papers aside: BABY HUGO

Shoutout to @finnoky who makes an appearanceeeeee

“...Water is a pol….polar mole..cule… which means it… it has a slight charge,” Varian rambled, hands glossing over laminated words. He sat near a roaring fireplace, its heat seeping into tiny bones. Eugene laid sprawled out by his side, eyes shut. It was one of those cold, dreary days, so they were holed up in the library. Usually Eugene would read to Varian, happy to change his voice and act out fantastical stories. Varian hung onto his every word like gospel. Somedays, Varian would read for himself, happy to learn reading by entertaining Eugene. But today, Varian had grabbed a book the size of his head, lugged it over to their reading nook, opened it up, and began a mini lecture. Staying awake with a fireplace at your back was hard enough, but coupled with teaching? It was a losing battle, and Eugene accepted his defeat with grace.

Varian did not.

“Eugene!” Varian whined. The man gave a noncommittal hum, but that only angered his toddler more.

Thwack. “Pay!” Thwack. “Attention!” Thwack. “To!” Thwack. “MEEEEEEE!” Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

“Ok, ok!” Eugene shrieked, holding his arms up to protect his head from any more blows. “I’m awake! I’m listening!” He sighed fondly at the big pout Varian sported. “Aw, buddy, I’m sorry, it’s just so comfy!”

Varian didn’t take kindly to that excuse, judging by the crocodile tears. He flailed his legs. “Nooooo, no sleep! Only book!”

“No sleep ever? That’s gonna be a little tricky.”

“Noooooooooo!”

Eugene finally took pity on the kid. He pulled him close and rolled onto his back so Varian was laying on top of him. He nuzzled his face into soft black hair. It still smelled faintly of blueberry shampoo. Varian was learning fast, maybe too fast if Eugene was being honest. The kid ate through book after book, quickly surpassing simple storybooks and easy nonfiction. Now he was slowly chewing through bigger nonfiction. A quick glance told Eugene he was being taught middle school chemistry. Whenever Varian wasn’t playing in the garden, or shadowing one of his favorite adults, Varian was usually here, consuming the entirety of the kids section. Most of those times, Eugene would inevitably join him, and they’d spend hours reading side by side: Varian, stories, and Eugene, parenting books.

Rapunzel called them her little bookworms, but Varian had cried when she first called him that. He didn’t want Eugene to be a worm, Eugene called him bluebird, and birds eat worms!

It was so cute, Eugene secretly hoped Varian would never grow out of kid logic.

He closed his eyes, tuning out Varian’s complaints. This truly was the life, wasn’t it?

A few days later, and Eugene’s life was ending.

Well, that’s being overdramatic.

After their library day, Eugene brought up the incident to Rapunzel, who spoke to her parents, who pulled a couple strings, and now Varian was going to every parent’s worst nightmare. Varian would be pitted against other kids in a place where children lost their individuality, their fun logic, the little quirks that made each child unique and special.

Kindergarten.

Varian, for his part, didn’t seem all that scared of Kindergarten. But to be fair, no one told him what it was, either. He’d bounced around, happily carrying his Schultüte and accepting gifts from maids and guards alike who all wanted him to have “fun at school”. Pfft. Fun at school? Impossible! Eugene hated every second of school. He stopped paying attention and look how he turned out! Totally fine!

“You sure you want to go?” Eugene asked. He gripped Varian’s hand so tight his knuckles were nearly white. Varian didn’t seem to mind all that much, skipping as they walked. For his first day Rapunzel had gifted him with a new set of clothes, a pair of blue overalls with a little flower patch on the pant leg. He wore a simple green shirt underneath it, and a backpack filled to the brim with snacks, folders, pencils, and anything else a kid could need.

“Mhm!” Varian said, jumping over a puddle.

Eugene gulped. “You sure you’re sure?” Would anyone notice if he just took Varian out for a few hours, and pretended he’d gone to school? Everything Varian needed would be in the castle, why does he need to go to school anyway?

“Yup!”

They stopped in front of a small, unimposing schoolhouse. It was painted light yellow, its windows covered in drawings and posters, no doubt done by the nefarious children inside who were only full of cruel words against Eugene’s angel of a bluebird–

“Ok bye!” Varian let go of his hand and ran to the door.

“W-wait!” That’s it!? No hug goodbye? No “I’ll miss you”? No “Please don’t leave me!” “Ok we’ll go home”?

Varian stopped before entering, confused. Then, he lit up like a beacon. “Oh!” He raced back, wrapped his arms around Eugene’s legs in a hug, and then bolted back to the school. “Bye Eugene love you!” He cried, and just like that, he was gone.

Eugene gulped, running an anxious hand through his hair. He’s just overthinking it, right? Varian would be fine! Heck, this is good, now he can have a little me time! He’s been torn between teaching guards and raising Varian, he could use a few hours off, right?

Varian felt a little bad for his dad, he seemed so… upset? Betrayed? When Varian left, but he couldn’t help it! He’d spent 6 months watching school through windows, and now he was in one! With other kids who were just like him! Not trying to steal his food, or push him around, no, they’re here to learn too!

By the time he entered his classroom, he was practically vibrating with excitement. The walls were covered with fun little decorations, ways to memorize things. The alphabet lined the top of each wall, spanning across the whole room, illuminated by sunlight. In the corner was a plush red carpet, and seated on top were a bunch of kids! He sped over, happily sitting himself front and center, facing the teacher with eager eyes.

“Good morning class, how is everyone?”

“Good morning!” Everyone parroted back, startling Varian. He didn’t know the ritual, what to do! Did he look silly? He hoped not!

Thankfully, no one called it out. Instead, the teacher turned kind eyes to him. “Everyone, we have a special friend with us today! This is Varian, can we all say hi?”

Varian blushed as a dozen tiny eyes turned to him. All of a sudden, he wanted to hide in the back, where no one was staring him down and scrutinizing him. It was like he was still in the castle, with nobility looking down at him! Maybe school was a bad idea...

“Hi!” The children all chorused, just as friendly and happy as their teacher. Varian blinked in shock, confused at the prolonged silence, before he realized what they wanted. “Hi,” he said meekly, satisfying the teacher.

“Varian, I’m Mr. Finn, let me know if you need any help, alright kiddo?” Varian nodded vehemently.

The morning passed smoothly, with Mr. Finn reading a story and practicing basic writing and math. While Varian was now an excellent reader, and easily followed the story, writing proved more challenging. He stuck his tongue out in frustration, slowly dragging the pencil down his page.

“No,” A high pitched voice chimed next to him. He glanced over. The kid next to him was staring right back. He had long blonde hair, longer than Cassie’s but shorter than Rapunzel’s. Sea green eyes shimmered behind frames. “You gotta follow the lines. See?” He held up his paper, proudly displaying a series of “d”s.

“I am,” Varian complained, gazing down at his paper. He could ask Mr. Finn, right? He said so, after all. He went to raise his hand, when the kid grabbed his arm.

“See, you start here,” Though his movements were sloppy, he held onto Varian’s arm and helped him trace out a letter. Varian blinked. That easy? He’d been doing it all wrong! His face lit up in delight.

“Thanks!” In no time, the rest of the letters were filled in. Varian may not have gotten in right away, but he was a fast learner. It only took a few more letters before the rest of the page was no problem. “I’m Varian,” He held out an arm, like he’d seen the King do.

The boy in front of him grinned, showing off a missing tooth. “I’m Hugo!” He didn’t take Varian’s hand, so the boy put it down. Oh well, maybe it’s just a castle thing.

What was Eugene so nervous about? School was fun! He already had a friend!

Eugene cried into his third helping of mashed potatoes.

“Wow this is sad. How is this any different from days when we babysit?” Cassandra asked, unimpressed. When Lance burst into the castle, insisting that she and Rapunzel come to the Snuggly Duckling and help Eugene, she’d expected a bar fight, or at least something that wasn’t… this.

Lance shrugged, taking the plate away before Eugene could make himself sick. “Because he can’t go check up on Varian, I think.” That only upset Eugene more, and he let out a tiny whine. Rapunzel, who had been rubbing his back, sped up her soothing motions.

“There there, you’ll see him in a bit,” She said. “To think, a year ago you were Corona’s most wanted thief. Now you’re a dad making a difference!”

“I’m a dad without a son,” Eugene moaned. That got him an eyeroll from Cassandra.

“He’s been like this since he got here,” Lance added. It had been slightly terrifying. Eugene had burst in, waterworks in full effect. He’d draped himself on Lance’s shoulders, just like he used to when they were kids, acting as if his son was dead and not at school.

Honestly, it was confusing. Eugene seemed so adverse to getting Varian schooling, but one of his biggest arguments about adopting Varian had been his education! He’d gone on and on about how smart Varian was during those first few days, and how he needed proper schooling, not the poor excuse of an orphanage. But now that Varian was actually in school, it was as if a switch had flipped.

Rapunzel gained a fire in her eyes, and with a small grunt, pulled him out of his seat. “Come on, Eugene, let’s go cheer you up. How does a day in town sound? Or maybe a haircut?”

“Varian needs a haircut soon,” was his response.

The quartet spent much of the afternoon in town, taking in sights and sound. Even after she’d been living here for nearly a year, Rapunzel doubted she’d ever tire of Corona and all it had to offer. But each stop seemed to only remind Eugene more of his son. First was Monty’s where Rapunzel maintained juuuust enough civility to not throttle the man when he asked Rapunzel if she would adopt Varian one day.

(She fully planned to, but that’s beside the point.)

Then came Xavier’s. The blacksmith was always kind and understanding, and after a quick explanation, he’d been happy to ignore any and all mention of children. That was, until Eugene picked up a dagger with a sigh.

“Should I teach him how to fight?”

“Eugene he’s not even 5.” Cassandra spoke with a monotone voice.

Eugene nodded. “You’re right. I should’ve started him sooner.”

He left Xavier’s with a bruised gut.

“I don’t get it!” Rapunzel cried in frustration. They’d stopped for a break by the fountain, where Eugene sat, staring off in the direction of the schoolhouse. “We’ve taken him all over town, spent the day with him, yet he’s still sad! Is he going to be like this every day Varian’s in school?”

Lance nodded, agreeing. “I thought parents were supposed to be happy when school started.”

“You know I can hear you, right?” Eugene called from his seat. At least his friends and girlfriend had the grace to look guilty. He sighed, redirecting his gaze down at the fountain water.

In all honesty, he wasn’t so sure either. He loved Varian from the bottom of his heart, but sometimes that kid truly was a handful. Not to mention it had all been so sudden, just like Rapunzel said... That’s when it hit him.

“Stability.”

The others blinked. Rapunzel tilted her head in confusion. So, he elaborated, “My entire life was just, one crazy thing after another. I didn’t stay in school, I became a thief, I ran from place to place. I never had stable housing, or income, or, or anything! And it sucked! A lot! I was constantly stressed out, even when I was in control, I kept waiting for the shoe to drop.

“I know I took Varian in because I wanted stability for him, but…” He glanced up and sheepishly smiled.

“I guess I want it for me, too.”

The school was built right next to a playground, so the children got 30 minutes outside every day. It was a simple thing, with all the basics and a large field for kids to run in. Mr. Finn stood by the school’s door, watching from afar as his class played with one another.

Hugo pulled Varian along, tugging him past the wooden playground and into the grass field. Varian had never had a friend before, was this how it worked? Regardless, he was happy to come along.

“Mr. Finn said you live in the castle, is that true?” Hugo asked, stopping in the middle of the field and squatting down into the grass. Varian followed suit, happily twirling a blade of grass between his fingers.

“Mhm! I live there with Eugene, and Cassie, and-”

“What’s the princess like?” Hugo buts in, staring with wide eyes. They were so close their noses nearly touched. Varian didn’t mind in the slightest.

“Punzel’s really nice, she lets me paint with her!” He giggled, and Hugo sat back in amazement.

“My mom says her hair is super long, is that true?”

“Suuuper long! I like to hide in it.”

“And she lets you!?”

“Yup! I always get tangled, though.” It was like clockwork: Eugene and Varian would play hide and seek, Varian would hide in her hair, Eugene would find him, he’d get stuck, and Rapunzel would shake him out. She never complained, even though Eugene always made him apologize.

“It doesn’t hurt,” She reassured them. “I would do the same!”

Hugo hums, thoroughly impressed. “My mom has really long hair too, and she lets me braid it sometimes!”

Varian gasped. “Really? She lets you?” Gosh, his momma would never let Varian let anywhere near her hair! Apparently he tugged on it as a baby. “That’s so cool!”

“Really?” Hugo’s face lit up like the sun.

“Yea! Maybe one day you can meet her!” Varian cheered, directing his gaze down to the grass. There, innocent and unassuming, a small flower grew. Its purple petals furled upwards, allowing Varian to stare right into the yellow center. The first flowers of the season!

Hugo looked up to find a flower right in front of his face, with a grinning Varian at the other end. “For you!” He said, and Hugo’s face lit up.

“Thanks!” With one fluid motion, Hugo grasped it and ate it whole. He didn’t even blink.

Varian blinked. It took a second for what just happened to register.

Then, he burst into giggles.

Eugene sighed and trudged up to the schoolhouse. As if on cue, a bell rang, and children poured out of the doors. Kids ran to their parents, who were more than happy to scoop their kids up and hear all about their day. Eugene was no exception. Varian exited, and upon seeing him, lit up and flew towards him.

Eugene caught him easily, spinning around so they were facing the others. “Hi, Varian!” Rapunzel chimed. “How was your day at school!”

“I liked it a lot!” Varian giggled. “We learned to write, and had pretzels, and, and-”

“Varian!”

They all turned to see a very nervous looking Hugo, with his cheeks flushed. “I-I just wanted to say… it was nice to meet you! And maybe we can hang out sometime soon and you can show me the castle ok bye!” He then promptly fled, back towards the arms of an exasperated older woman who was probably his mom.

“Bye Hugo!” Varian called, waving in their general direction. “That was Hugo, he’s really nice.”

“I’ll bet,” Cassandra muttered, mildly amused.

Eugene couldn’t help the beams of pride. One day in school and he’d already made a friend! That was more than he could say for his own time in school. “You’re growing up so fast,” Eugene whispered, pulling Varian close. He bounced his arms, Varian happy at the rhythm. “Don’t grow up too fast, ok? Otherwise I’d get all old and wrinkly.”

“Ah, your highness!”

Rapunzel turned to see a teacher headed their way. “I’m Mr. Finn, I was with Varian today.”

The princess beamed. “Oh, that’s wonderful, thank you! How was it?”

“He was great, princess, a delight! I look forward to seeing him in September.” Mr. Finn leaned down to Varian’s height. “I’ll see you in a few months, Varian!”

“Bye bye!” Varian responded, frowning when Eugene stilled in his bouncing.

“Wait, September?” He asked, confused. Wouldn’t he be seeing Varian tomorrow? It was Wednesday, after all.

Cassandra laughed. “Oh, we didn’t tell you?” She leaned on his arm. “Varian’s too young for kindergarten. He can’t start till the new school year, when he’ll be 5.”

Eugene paled. “So, I have to go through this… all over?” Varian cocked his head in confusion when Lance barked out a laugh, and Rapunzel covered her mouth to hide a smile. The handmaiden patted Eugene’s back in mock sympathy.

That night, Eugene cried into another serving of potatoes while Varian practiced his letters.

#tangled #tangled the series #varian #tts #varian tts #tangled eugene #eugene fitzherbert #team awesome

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365days365movies · 3 years

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April 2, 2021: The General (1926)

From one legendary early filmmaker onto another!

Joseph Frank Keaton was born in Piqua, Kansas, on October 4, 1895. His parents were vaudeville performers, which might be sounding familiar to you, based on Chaplin’s life history. But Keaton’s childhood was VERY different, I promise. When he was an infant, he fell down the stairs in front of a family friend, and stood up afterwards, seemingly fine. The actor said, “He’s a regular buster!” And the name stuck, as did Buster’s tendency to shake off what could be massive injury. And that proved useful, as he would soon lose the tip of his finger, hit his own eye with a rock, and was also SUCKED OUT OF A WINDOW BY A TORNADO AND DROPPED TWO CITY BLOCKS AWAY. FUCKING SERIOUSLY. And according to some accounts, al of that happened in the same fucking day. Allegedly, because that shit would be CRAZY if true.

Regardless, he was brought on to work with his parents on stage when he was three, and they became “The Three Keatons”. During the act, Buster would be thrown against the scenery, into the orchestra pit, or into the audience itself! He earned to take trick falls quickly, and was billed as “the little boy who can’t be damaged”. And kid was INDESTRUCTIBLE. Sure, he never got hurt because of surprisingly well-thought out stage trickery, but he also was VERY good at landing on his feet, describing himself once as “landing like a cat” on regular occasions. But eventually, the law banned child performers in vaudeville, putting an end to the act.

But that wouldn’t stop Buster Keaton, NO SIR. It did stop his father, though, who eventually succumbed to alcoholism and wrecked the family business. But Buster and his mother left for New York City, and Buster moved on to his lifelong passion: acting. While acting on stage, Keaton met a young man named Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, who would become one of the most prominent early film stars. But then, World War I happened, and Buster served in France, where he would become permanently deaf in one ear.

When he came back, he was a writer for Arbuckle’s films before breaking out on his own projects, being able to write, direct, and act in his own films. In the process, he developed his unique style of acting and filmmaking, which was extremely visual and full of slapstick. In acting, he became famous for his emotionless stony face, known as the “deadpan”. He also ALWAYS did his own stunts, which sometimes resulted in some major consequences.

Yeah. YEAH. Dude did a stunt that caused him to BREAK HIS NECK, and he DID NOT REALIZE THIS for YEARS AFTER THE INCIDENT! This man is the GREATEST BADASS THAT FILM HAS EVER KNOWN. That was on Sherlock, Jr. in 1924, and by this point, Keaton was a millionaire, and one of the biggest names in Hollywood, alongside Charlie Chaplin, of course. He was married to actress Natalie Talmadge (who was the SAME AGE as him, go figure), and they had three children together by 1924. And their marriage...also began to suffer. Just like Chaplin, except that Keaton wasn’t abusive to Natalie or the kids, thankfully. It was her spending habits, and the two of them growing apart.

And then, in 1925, inspired by history like Chaplin was with The Gold Rush, Keaton was inspired by a true story from the Civil War, known as the Great Locomotive Chase. See, Buster LOVED trains, and with the money and resources at his disposal, he had the ability to make his magnum opus, his favorite film, and one of the most expensive films ever made. Working with Chaplin’s United Artists, he made today’s film of focus: The General. And, uh...this would have mixed results, I’ll just say that much for now.

I’ll tell you what happens to Buster after this in the review, but for now, let’s jump into the movie! It’s a short one, but that’s OK! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

Y’know, I considered saving this one for Historical July or War November, but I think it’s better here for a few reasons. Plus, I’d rather those films not be comedic, if I can help it. Anyway: Marietta, Georgia, 1861!

The Western & Atlantic Railroad train known as The General is bring driven by its chief engineer Johnnie Gray (Buster Keaton). As a title screen tells us, Johnny loves two things: the majestic The General, and his equally majestic fiancée, Annabelle Lee (Marion Mack). Living in the decadent pre-Civil War South, the two are happy with each other, although Johnnie is somewhat awkward in his way. He provides Annabelle with a photo of him and The General.

Just then, though, Annabelle’s brother (Frank Barnes) comes in and tells her and their father (Charles Smith) that Fort Sumter’s been fired on. UH OH. It’s war. As Annabelle’s brother immediately goes to enlist alongside many other men, Johnnie follows suit. However, when he gets to the enlisting station, he’s refused the opportunity, as he will be needed to act as a railroad engineer. Which, to be fair, does make sense. Railroad engineers would be vital for the effort. However, they never tell him why he isn’t fit for the job, so he just goes back and tries to enlist under a false name. They catch him, though, and he’s again refused. Dejected, he goes back to the train.

However, as he leaves, Annabelle’s father and brother see him in line, and try to get him in to join them. He shakes his head, but instead of assuming that he’s been rejected, they assume that he’s too cowardly to join. They relay this message to Annabelle, who goes to him directly He tells him the truth, that he’s been rejected, but she IMMEDIATELY assumes he’s lying, and tells him not to speak to her again unless he’s in uniform. Dammit, Annabelle! And poor Johnnie doesn’t even know how important he is! Geez, guys, get your shit together.

A year passes, and the war continues in earnest. We go to a Union camp, where Captain Anderson (Glen Cavender) plots with General Thatcher (Jim Farley) to ambush a train and steal it, in an effort to debilitate the train and the South’s efforts as a whole. Meanwhile, Annabelle’s father is wounded, causing her to go and see him. This requires a trip on The General, and a brief and awkward reunion with Johnnie.

However, we now have a much bigger problem than lost love. Because the train is stopped for Johnnie and the passengers to get some food at a nearby stop. And this is when Captain Anderson takes the opportunity to steal The General right from under Johnnie’s nose. And Annabelle, who catches them in the act, is kidnapped in order to hide their scheme.

The men take off with The General and Annabelle, and now BOTH of Johnnie’s loves are taken away from him. He chases after the train, first running, then using a handcar, and THEN taking a man’s penny-farthing bicycle. By the way, fun fact about me: it is my life’s goal to be able to afford a penny-farthing bicycle and ride it around town while wearing a top hat and coat, like it’s completely fucking normal. I need this - I FUCKING NEED THIS, UNDERSTAND???

He rides that penny-farthing to another stop, where he encounters Confederate soldiers, who he tries to recruit to aid him in retrieving his train. However, he accidentally leaves them all behind, using a small engine, Texas to chase after his train and the robbers. Johnnie’s soon leading them in a hot pursuit, also managing to procure a cannon on the way.

However, the robbers have taken notice now, and the Captain is under the mistaken impression that the Texas carries reinforcements. Instead, they keep going. Meanwhile, Johnnie’s hooked the cannon up to the back of the Texas, and is trying (and failing) to fire it at the robbers. Instead, he accidentally unhooks it as it’s about to fire, and it’s aimed at the Texas instead. To avoid the shot, Johnnie...Johnnie does THIS.

...Damn, Buster Keaton, that’s awesome. That’s him doing this, FOR REAL, in this film. Holy shit. Tom Cruise, eat your heart out. Anyway, the cannon misses the Texas, but ends up firing pretty close to The General, spooking the men onboard. To stave him off, they first detach their last car, which falls off the tracks when Johnnie’s looking away, confusing him greatly. Then, they through railroad ties on the tracks, which Johnnie has to clear by getting off the train, riding it’s grill (again), and removing by hand! God, I love this dude.

The Union soldiers divert the tracks, driving Johnnie into a dead end, but he manages to reverse the Texas and switch back onto the right track. Meanwhile, the Union men are building fires in The General’s train cars, and leaving those cars on covered bridges in order to burn them down. They do this on one, and the Texas follows, driving into it, and pushing it OUT of the bridge. And goddamn, this movie is cool as shit.

As Johnnie deals with this latest situation, the train drives through Chattanooga, where the Confederate Army is in full retreat, chased away by the Union. And it’s at this point that I should point something out: I really, really should be rooting aginst Johnnie here, for obvious reasons. But, the movie is putting him in position as the protagonist, and it works, because I do like this guy, even if he’s inevitably on the wrong side of history.

It’s also at this point where Johnnie COMPLETELY loses any advantage, as the men on The General have now realized that he’s the only one on the train, and start fighting back, throwing things at him and the Texas from above. Now in danger, Johnnie takes off and runs into the forest, where he hides. This, mind you, is also as Annabelle is watching from The General.

That night, he happens upon a house in enemy territory, and goes there to hide. As he does, however, a group of officers come in, and discuss their plans to ambush the Confederate soldiers, and to secure one of their bridges for their own trains. Johnnie, all the while, is hidden under a table.

Annabelle is brought in, and the men decide to hold her for now, until the deed is done and they can make other plans. However, Johnnie also hears this, and waits until the officers clear out of the house, leaving him, Annabelle, and a couple of guards. Johnnie, being a badass, knocks out the guards, put on one of their uniforms, and rescues Annabelle. The pair of them escape back into the forest, as a thunderstorm rages. They also encounter a bear in the woods, because that’s basically par for the course with these movies, it would seem.

So is a beartrap, which Annabelle briefly gets caught in (yikes), until she’s freed by Johnnie...who also gets caught in it right afterwards. Nice. With all this trouble in the dark, the two decide to hunker down in the woods. Annabelle thanks Johnnie for coming after her, even in the country of their enemy. And they reconcile as they sleep for the night. Thatnext morning, Johnnie gets his bearings, and sees The General at an encampment down below. Wearing a Union uniform, he devises a plan to get to the train, and warn the South of the Union’s plan.

He convinces Annabelle to hide in a burlap sac, which he carries with him into the encampment. Dude’s a strong guy for being as scrawny as he appears to be. He carries her over his shoulder to the train, then puts her on one of the cabins. The makes his way to the front, and surprises the few men there, pushing them off of it, and stealing back The General! Badass!!!

He gets Annabelle out of the bag and the two attempt to outrun the Union together. They block the way with telephone poles, then grab some wood from recently constructed fences in order to fuel the engine (with some humorous difficulty). The Union catches up quickly, however, and the two are forced to flee again. They dump barrels and other items on board the train onto the tracks, then attempt to replenish the water reserves for the steam locomotive (again with some humorous difficulty) before moving on.

But precious little seems to impede the train’s pursuers. Meanwhile, Annabelle makes herself busy by sweeping the train? Oh ho ho, silly women, with their cleaning and uselessness in vital combat situations! Tee hee hee, why isn’t she pregnant in the kitchen right now? Silly baby receptacles, I mean, women!

OK, that mildly chauvinistic moment aside, the two continue speeding ahead, but then, at a moment when Johnnie gets off the train for manipulate the tracks, Annabelle winds up on The General by herself!. She reverses the train at almost EXACTLY the wrong moment, nearly causing an accident, but Johnnie’s trick with the track works, diverting the Union trains to another unfinished track. And the two gain a wider lead once again. And then...we reach the Rock River Bridge.

This is where the Union troops are meant to be meeting the trains for supplies, and a vital part of the Union’s plans in the area. Turning the tables on the Union, Johnnie sets a massive fire on the bridge, but gets trapped behind it, and is forced to jump into the river as The General moves off of it. However, he gets back up just in time, and they head out to the southern territories.

As they do, Johnnie changes uniform to a Confederate Grey, so as not to get shot at once they arrive. He warns the Confederate troops or the coming Northern invasion, and they quickly mobilize. He and Annabelle figuratively and literally dress down the commanding officer (nice), and they head out to engage the Northern Invaders! I’m sure it’ll go well for everybody involved. It’s also here that Annabelle reunites with her father, alive and healing. Johnnie, meanwhile, tries to go and help the army face the North.

Speaking of the Union, they’re STILL trying to repair the train track that Johnnie messed up. They finally succeed, and head off to the Rock River Bridge, with the Texas ahead of them. The other troops meet with them after all, and the commander insists that the bridge is in tact enough to cross the bridge. And that leads to...the most expensive scene ever shot, at least at the time.

That’s real. Are you listening to me, THAT IS 100% FUCKING REAL! BUSTER KEATON COLLAPSED A BRIDGE WITH A TRAIN ON IT FOR THIS MOVIE!!! That shit? That’s some next level shit. The Union forces, now basically fucked, try to ford the river, only for the Confederate forces to fend them off, with Johnnie’s help. The Captain, hidden on the bank, starts to pick off soldiers that Johnny’s talking to, only for Johnnie to accidentally kill him with a sword, which flies through the air to get him. Which, yeah, is funny in a macabre way. He also accidentally takes out a dam, flooding the river and fishing the Union soldiers out, forcing them into retreat! Their other supply train is disabled, and the South has won this battle! I mean, booo, but I’m happy for Johnnie, at least.

Hailed as a hero with the rest, they all return to the town, where Johnnie reunites with The General in peace. However, he’s nearly done for, as one of the soldiers, an officer that he knocked out a WHILE ago, has actually been on the train the entire time, and has only now regained consciousness. Johnnie takes him prisoner, and the general in charge of this unit is so impressed by his actions that he brings Johnnie into the army, and promotes him to lieutenant, giving him the Union officer’s sword in the process! Good for you, Johnnie! Proud of you, bud.

Now officially enlisted at last, he and Annabelle happily reunite in love, and makeout right next to The General. And then, Johnnie marches off to war for an army on the losing side of history that’s defending slavery, and in all likelihood dies in the deadliest war in American history. Probably. The movie actually ends on the kiss, but it’s the Civil War, we all know what the fuck went down.

And that’s The General! Wow. I get why Keaton was so excited about this movie; it’s a massive accomplishment in film history, and engaging and entertaining movie, and a cinematic masterpiece...that was directly responsible for eventually ending Keaton’s career.

...See you in the Review! I’ll explain the last part, I promise.

#the general #the general 1926 #clyde bruckman #buster keaton #marion mack #glen cavender #jim farley #comedy april #user365 #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #365days365movies

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ethereaiin · 4 years

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Breathe | Puella Magi Madoka Magica

synopsis; to give into despair would mean to give up your humanity. you could not stand the thought of leaving them and so you would continue to hope against all odds. [female reader]

featuring; you, tomoe mami, kaname madoka, akemi homura, miki sayaka, and sakura kyoko. | AU

There was a strange scent in the air, it smelled of strongly of fire and tears. The tears were not her own, neither were the flames created by her hand. She could feel the despondency hovering the air, filling her lungs with not only the smoke of flames, but the fear of death.

She stood in the middle of five other girls, her position being at the front of the group and her arms outstretched into a defensive stance. Her [eye color] eyes, which burned with an unwavering intensity, were locked with the towering figure of the witch before them. It's body was distorted, its top half ceaselessly spinning while the doll like bottom half hung limply. It's eerie laughter pierced the tense air and the mere notion of it taking joy in their hopelessness had only made the [hair color] haired girl grit her teeth in frustration.

Her fingers clenched around the handle of her weapon, the [favorite color] gem embedded on the inside of her palm glowing in response to her growing anger. Her heart beats harshly in her ears, her throat constricting with tears she desperately attempted to will away. She couldn't afford to look weak now, not when she was the only one left who could finish the job. She exhaled a bated breath, relieving some of the heaviness in her chest and only when she lifts her weapon slightly in preparation to charge the oversized witch does she hear the soft call of her close friend, Tomoe Mami.

"Don't!" She freezes at the blonde's words, her head slightly tilting to meet the gaze of Mami's through the side of her eye. "It's too strong, it'll. . ."

The sharp hiss that left her lips, caused [name] to kneel before her, hands hovering over her shoulders as her brows furrowed with concern. Mami held onto her side, the brown corset of her magical girl outfit was stained and ripped from a gash given to her by none other than the witch before them. [name] casted a glance towards her other companions, her gaze lingering on their pained expressions and the red that stained their clothes. Their normally smiling faces were dirtied from the earlier fight and various scratches litter their cheeks. She would have been just as injured as them if it weren't for her regeneration magic.

"[name]-chan, please don't go." Her gaze flickered towards the pleading eyes of Madoka. "I can't stand to see another one my friends—"

Her gloved hands clamped over her mouth as sobs racked her body. Her shoulders shook with despair and her rose colored eyes fluttered shut in a weak attempt to cease her tears. At her words, [name]'s attention flipped towards the two beside the pink haired girl. Sayaka's back was turned towards her, the upper portion of her body hunched over the body of Kyoko. She could see Sayaka shuddering slightly with muffled whimpers as she continued holding onto Kyoko's corpse.

As much as she wished she could follow Madoka's and Mami's words of protest, she knew that there would be no end to this unless someone destroyed the witch terrorizing them. Kyoko sacrificed her life for them and she wasn't going to allow her death to be in vain. With a wistful smile picking up at the ends of her lips, she rose back up to her feet. Her hands once again clenched, readying her weapon as she swilved back towards the still giggling witch. It was almost mocking how it seemingly awaited for them to finish conversing with a smug patience; as if it already knew of its victory over them.

"Don't worry," She assured, though the words sounded empty to her companions. "I'll make sure we get out of this together. For Kyoko-chan."

"I'll help you then." Her ears perked at the sound of a gun cocking and when she turned around, she was met with the determined gaze of Homura. [name] furrowed her brows, her lips parting to voice her concerns before the raven haired girl cut her off with a prepared answer. "My wounds aren't as serious as everyone else's, I'll be fine."

With a huff the older girl nodded before turning her gaze to Madoka who looked between the two with tear brimmed eyes. "Madoka-chan," Her voice was warm, filled with an affection that felt so out of place in the situation they were in. "Keep watch over Mami and Sayaka-chan, okay?"

"Wait!" A harsh tug to her sleeve was felt by the [hair color] haired girl. She stopped in her tracks, glancing down at the blonde who struggled to keep a grasp on her amongst the intense waves of pain. She was still seated on the concrete floor, Madoka hovering next to her; hands steadied on the blonde's shoulders.

Mami's teeth sunk into her bottom lip, her fingers still bundled in the fabric of [name]'s sleeve despite the weakening grip. Her free hand was wrapped around her waist, cradling her open wound. There was a melancholic countenance in her dandelion gaze, her worries leaking out in the form of tears. [name] felt the urge to wipe them, to hold her close and reassure her of returning back, but she knew filling the girl with hope only to crush it would be a fate worse than death.

"Y-You have to come back." Her voice slightly wavers despite the stern frown pulling at her soft lips. The grip on [name]'s sleeve tightens once again. "You promised you wouldn't—"

"Leave you." [name] finishes, her calm smile never leaving her face. She slightly moves her arm, shifting it so her hand could grip Mami's. "Don't worry, I didn't forget."

[name] gives her hand a squeeze before dropping it. She turns back to Homura as another shrill bout of laughter is emitted from the witch. Her warm smile is dropped completely and replaced with a tenacious frown. There is a deep exhale vented from her lips and the beating of her heart once again picks up it an erratic pace to indicate the nervousness that she desperately tried to hide. Homura walks beside her, their paces carrying a reluctant but convicted gait. Both of them were determined to end the life of the witch who not only killed one of their friends, but threatened the lives of the others. It would be no walk in the park, they both knew that, but what else could they do other than place their hope into an arduous task?

"Homura," the older girl called, her voice low but not quiet enough to go unheard. There was a silent agreement in their connected gazes and from the tone of voice [name] used to call her name, there was also an unspoken question that begged to be understood.

"I know." She responds, her eyes hardening slightly before returning back to the sight before her. Despite never admitting it outloud, the both of them held trust in each other's capabilities. They were strong, formidable among their companions, but even they had limits. There was no such thing as immortality in their line of work, a fact the two have been faced with numerous times.

Mami stared after the two, an endless stream of tears staining the pale skin of her flushed cheeks. Her hand that held onto [name]'s felt as if it were burning with a tingling sensation. She held it close to her chest, her heart heavy with a unwanted sorrow that only reminded her of the reality of their situation. As much as she wanted to believe in [name]'s promise—their promise—their adversary was strong, too strong for just two people. Her head lowered, bubble tears falling from her lashes and onto her beige colored skirt.

"You can't die." She sniffled, her whispered plea being carried off into the wind like the fleeting hope lingering in her chest. "I'll never forgive you if you die."

Madoka sat next to the blonde, her attention solely focused on the backs of her brave friends. Despite Homura assuring them that she was well enough to continue fighting, Madoka knew she was far from being 'fine'. If it should have been anyone who accompanied [name], it should have been herself. She was relatively unscathed compared to the others, yet she couldn't will herself to protest against Homura's actions. She knew why hesitation weighed heavily on her lack of action. She was afraid. The fear clawed and twisted at the pit of her stomach and her heart felt as if it were harshly beating in her throat. Each and every swallow of saliva felt as if it were made of lead and her fingers trembled within her tightly clenched hands.

There was a semblance of shame forming in the back of her mind. She essentially abandoned the two girls she called her friends to a similar fate Kyoko suffered. They left to fight for them, to protect them, and yet she couldn't even force herself to offer assistance. She's always admired the bravery and leadership they offered when situations become complicated. She wanted to be like them, to emulate their fearlessness and to abandon the meek and shy Madoka she hid behind.

Turns out she hadn't changed one bit.

The quietude of peace was anything but serene. Crimson painted the pale blue of her blouse and leaked from her parted peach colored lips. The strong metallic scent that lingered in the air filled her senses and burned her nostrils. As she collapsed to the concrete below, she found herself thinking that the scent of fire was better than the scent of blood.

The sharp sound of her weapon clattering to the ground had fell onto deaf ears and had gone ignored by its wielder. Her eyes, a once vibrantly colored [eye color], now dulled with fading life. Her arms ached with exhaustion and her lungs stung with the lack of air her blood was preventing her from getting. She coughed, more of the crimson liquid spewing from her mouth and splattering onto the ground she crumpled against.

The witch, the one she and her companion attempted to rid the world of, still stood strong before her fatally injured form. It's laughter filled the once droning silence. It was mocking them, its screeching giggles an indication of how ineffective their feeble attacks were against it. It took joy in their suffering and it was then that the hope [name] tried so hard to preserve, was beginning to flicker out.

Her hand weakly reached for the handle of her fallen weapon, each movement of her body causing a wave of pain to shudder through out her body. Her regeneration magic was slowly mending her wounds, but at this rate she would die from blood loss before then. Her fingertips graze the edge of the cold metal, the prickling sensation that began enveloping her arms alarmed her of what she already knew was coming. Her hand dropped flat against the ground, fingers no longer wiggling on her command.

"H-Hom. . . ura." She calls, her voice shaking from the lack of strength. The gaping hole in her abdomen protests against her actions and more of the dark red liquid spills from her lips. She quickly loses the strength to keep herself up and her cheek is forcefully pressed against the rough concrete below. Her breaths are ragged, uneven and unable to keep a rhythm that guarantees her survival. She could feel blood pooling around her form, staining her pretty blouse in a foreboding color.

There is another moment of tense silence before there is a quick shuffling of movement that catches her eye. Homura falls to her knees next to her, her hands hovering inches above her body as if she were attempting to find a way to help. There was an expression of concern laced onto the normally stoic girl's features that [name] would have laughed at if it weren't for the world of pain she was experiencing at the moment.

"Why—" She winced at the blood staining her leggings, the thundering beating of her heart slowing to an agonizingly slow pace. The girl beneath her looked worse for wear, her face caked in dried blood and her clothes ripped and shredded from a nasty tumble she took. That familiar feeling of frustration built up in Homura's chest. "Why'd you save me? I could have easily dodged it!"

[name] weakly smiled, her lips only twitching slightly before falling once again. Homura knew she was barely holding on, the fading light in her dull eyes was just another sign of her sealed fate. "Because. . . you can—" She swallows another mouthful of blood, its taste lingering on her tongue even after it was gone. It reminds [name] of her own failure to uphold the promise to the blonde still awaiting her return. ". . . still save. . . them."

Homura reached for the girl's hand, brows furrowing at the chill her skin carried. The soul gem embedded on her palm is cracked and the ravenette winces at the pieces that crumble at her touch. "Don't speak." Her voice held an edge of command that caused [name] to feebly shake her head. "Your magic can't heal you if you keep wasting your strength."

"Tell her. . . I'm sorry."

She didn't need to ask to know who [name] was referring to. Her lips parted, the reassurance she meant to speak melting on her tongue before disappearing completely. The blankness in [name]'s gaze and cease of wheezing had determined her slow death. That agreement they made before departing from their friends was one that they made long ago, the day they became magical girls.

"There's something I need you to promise me."

There's a breeze that gently blows across the bridge they occupy. [name] stares her down with a rare serious expression that completely contrasts her usual sly grin. The sunset outlines her figure, basking her in an orange glow that adds to her serene features. For as long as Homura had known [name], there was never a time that the girl ever asked anything of her. The two were childhood friends, sticking by one another through the years, an unbreakable bond between them. Homura hums in response to her statement, tilting her head slightly as she continues to gaze at the [eye color] eyed girl.

"Tomoe Mami." Her brows are pulled together as she utters the name of the older girl who was in the same class as [name] and a fellow magical girl. Homura remembers the blonde as the one who introduced them to witches and showcased the duties one would undertake if they chose to create a contract with Kyubey. "If anything were to happen to me, I need you to make sure that she'll be alright without me around anymore. Despite how mature she acts, she's terribly fragile."

"Don't talk as if you're planning on dying." Homura flicks the girl's forehead and she laughs in response. Her hand goes to cradle the spot after Homura retracts her own hand away from her. She pays no attention to the feigned whine of pain emitting from the [hair color] haired girl's lips. ". . . But fine, you have my word."

"You're feeling soft today, huh?" A genuine smile filled with gratitude lifts at the corners of [name]'s lips and her eyes twinkle with appreciation. It was the first time Homura had ever heard the girl speak seriously and it indicated just how much Mami must have meant to her.

Homura sighed through her nose, shifting slightly when [name] threw her arms around her shoulders to bring her into a one sided embrace. "Shut up."

If Homura had known that it would be the last time she may ever get the chance to embrace her friend, she might have relished in it a lot longer than she did. She lifts a trembling hand, slender fingers grazing against the pale cheek of [name]. Her hand travels further up her friend's face, swiftly closing her lifeless eyes in one swift motion.

Tears brim the rim of her eyes, her breaths shudder and her violet eyes flutter close in an attempt to keep any tears from falling. There is a heavy feeling weighing down on the center of her chest, one she recognizes as the feeling of both sorrow and anger. Her gaze snaps open, eyes narrowed in determination as she rose back up to her feet. The soles of her heels are dipped in the crimson red of her friend's blood, a reminder of the being who had damaged the girl beyond repair.

'I can fix this. . .' Homura thinks as the looming shadow of Walpurgis towers over her. Its shrill laughter taunts her as she lifts her arm possessing her magical weapon. The silver shield rotated counterclockwise, indicating her usage of her time magic. 'I can fix everything.'

Her eyes lifted to meet the cheshire grin of the witch before dropping back down to the body of [name]. There was a flash of bright light that enveloped her, surrounding her in a warmth that comforted her with the assurance of rewriting fate itself. Her lips twitched into a small smile, her head filling with images of her friends alive and happy, their gazes filled with mirth rather than hopelessness. The memory of [name]'s teasing grin, her fluttering laughter and warm embraces placed an airy feeling to replace the strain in her chest.

"I'll save you this time," She promises herself, her eyes filled with resolve. "I'll save you all."

#writing #reader insert #x reader #reader insert fanfiction #puella magi madoka magica #pmmm #one shot #madoka kaname #homura akemi #mami tomoe #sayaka miki #kyoko sakura #fanfic #fanfiction #anime fanfiction #Female reader #reader interactive #writeblr

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yaachtynoboat711 · 5 years

Text

Fonder Ch. 5

A/N: Oh, boy! I’ve personally been waiting on doing this chapter. There’s a bit of a curve ball in our favorite couple’s journey back together. If y’all thought y’all hated me in Chapter 1, then get ready for this chapter. 😘😘😘

Word Count: 2.2K

Warning(s): Slow burn, plot progression, few errors/typos

The months following Yaa’s most recent encounter with her ex-boyfriend left her more hurt and emotionally distant than before. She didn’t go out like she usually did; her nights out were substituted with take out and binge-watching movies and TV shows. She wasn’t as bubbly as she usually was. In an attempt to distract herself from her pain, she turned to her drug of choice: work. At any given moment, Yaa was more than likely working if she weren’t sleeping or eating. She took on a heavier workload and miraculously met success with the cases she worked on. As the year came to a close, Yaa had realized that her year had been trash. She lost the love of her life over some fuck shit and realized that her love life, if you could even call it that, was a joke.

Everyone around Yaa hated to see her in such a sad state. She’d said she was fine but everyone knew she was suffering. So much so, her family surprised her for Christmas in D.C. and stayed with her for a week. While the surprise visit definitely boosted her spirits, she continued working her frustrations out. She’d felt played—she’d allowed the supposed love of he life to take advantage of their relationship twice. She was physically, emotionally,and spiritually tired.

Her luck changed with a call from Tanisha one afternoon.

“Clear your schedule for New Year’s Eve: you got invited to the Black Gatsby soirée by Mr. Gatsby himself.”, Tanisha stated in a matter of fact.

Yaa took the phone away from her ear and stared at it, fully aware of Tanisha’s distant voice calling her name. “Girl, what?”

“You heard me. Mr. Gatsby has invited yo fine ass to the Black soirée on New Year’s Eve.”

“Mr. Gatsby? Bitch, you know he’s a fictional white character from a book,right? Not just any book—my favorite book. Francis Scott Fitzgerald would somersault in his grave if he knew a Black man was tryna play his character.”

Tanisha snorted. “I know. For the sake of anonymity, that’s what he’s referring to himself as. Just come to Cali and live ,bitch. I’m sick of seeing you all sad and overworked and shit. You deserve more; you’re 24 and full of life. Ring in the new year with a refreshing turn up. Live a little, bitch. I’ll be calling again this week to make sure you’re coming.” Beep beep beep.

Yaa spent the rest of that day thinking about what Tanisha said. Who was Mr. Gatsby? What did he want her ? Finding out his identity and his motives were the least of her worries. As rough as her year was, she deserved to party like it was 1922. Live a little, bitch.

———

Yaa spent the next month speculating who this Mr. Gatsby character could be. He’d sent many gifts On what would’ve been her and Winston’s first anniversary, Gatsby sent 3 dozen of her favorite roses— pink, white, and yellow— to her office with a note:

You deserve more today. Think not of what should be, but what is now.—JG

For Christmas, Gatsby sent Yaa a gold circle necklace with a single pearl dangling from the middle of the circle. Same note. These grandiose gestures left Yaa shook: she’d been out-extra’d by an anonymous admirer. She immediately ruled Winston out because he just wasn’t a frivolous spender and though he was being a fuck nigga at the moment, he was too humble to even think about doing all the things Gatsby had done for and sent her.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014, Malibu, California

Matt picked Yaa up from the airport per usual. On the way to Malibu, he picked Tanisha up as well. While en route to the house, Tanisha caught Matt up with the tea involving his ex-turned-best friend.

“Wait...so there’s a secret admirer...calling himself ‘Gatsby’...only communicates through Neesh...and is inviting you to a New Year’s party?! What the hell?”, Matt recalled.

“Well, I’ll say this: she knows who he is, but he’s not giving up his identity just yet.”, Tanisha suggested. Yaa’s neck whipped to look at Tanisha’s smirking face; she wasn’t lying.

“So, it’s not Wins? Confirmed?”, Yaa asked.

“I’m absolutely, positively certain it’s not Winston, sis. Buhlee dat!”, Tanisha assured.

Something told Yaa to check her mailbox. True, she didn’t have reasons to have mail after being away from her Malibu home for not even two months, but it never hurt to look. When she looked inside, she was met with a matte black envelope. The words “ Khalida Y.D. Abdullah, Esq.” were beautifully calligraphed on the front of the envelope in gold ink. She turned the envelope to see “JG” stamped in gold wax. Homeboy puttin’ in that work. Before she opened the envelope, she noticed a medium-sized box wrapped in a similar matte black wrapping paper.

“Boy, this nigga tryna gift you clean out yo draws, I see.”, Matt observed as he picked the box up for Yaa, scaring her.

“You sound a pinch jealous, Griff.”, Yaa teased.

Matt rolled his eyes, “Whatever. I gave you the world and a Super Bowl ring, woman. Remember that.”

“Correction: you gave me one of my two rings. Don’t play with me.”, she playfully snapped back, kissing his nose as he walked into the house with the box.

He gently sat the box in front of Yaa’s usual spot on her L-shaped sectional. Tanisha finally joined Matt and Yaa in the living room and took notice of Gatsby’s packages. Yaa kicked the box over on its side.

“The hell you do that for?!”, Tanisha demanded.

“Bitch, this coulda been a well packaged pipe bomb for all its worth.”, Yaa answered.

Tanisha wagged her finger at her best friend. “Somebody needs to ban Forensic Files from your Netflix queue.”

Yaa rolled her eyes as she began opening the envelope. Whoever was responsible for the letter was very abreast to detail. The letter was typed on a typewriter, a personal bonus for Yaa as she was the proud owner of a vintage typewriter.

Yaa--

By the time you read this letter, you will already be back in sunny California. Also, if you are reading this letter, then you have instinctively followed directions. In the box is a special gift for tomorrow night; I hope you enjoy them. Secondly, upon your and Ms. Holloway’s arrival, there will be two attendants escorting you to your VIP section. The people at the door will know exactly who are. When you go to coat check, ask the attendant for directions to “The Pit”. Upon your question, you’ll be taken to through the VIP entrance. Your access code word is bubbly. Can’t wait to see you.

The Pit? That sounds familiar. Hella familiar. Yaa moved to the box. The matte black wrapping paper was too pretty destroy, but fuck it. Her eyes shot open when she saw silver strappy heels in the box. “Oooh, this’ll go perfectly with my dress for tomorrow!”, she yelled out. The turn-up countdown had commenced.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

Tanisha and Yaa had a sleepover and went straight into preparation mode for the evening when they woke up that afternoon. After getting their hair and makeup done, the two returned to Yaa’s house to change. “Sis, can you zip me up?”, Yaa yelled as she sashayed to the other side of the hall. Tanisha responded back that she was coming but then stopped and began to whistle at her best friend’s floor-length dusty rose gown. The embellishments gave the gown a modern Gatsby remix. She wore the silver shoes Gatsby sent. Her locs were styled into a curly chignon and accessorized with a pearl headpiece.

“My goodness, Yaa!”, Tanisha complimented.

“Why, thank you, old sport.”, the two shared a laugh.

Mr. Gatsby sent a 1921 Rolls Royce to Yaa’s front door. Mr. Collins drove the two friends to the party’s location--an art gallery? Mr. Collins wished the girls a good night and happy new year as he pulled off. “ AN ART GALLERY?!”, the two squeaked in unison.

The art gallery was like any modern art gallery: polished light hardwood floors, white walls, semi-dimmed lighting and enough colored canvases to stir up many a conversation. There was a lively gathering taking place in the gallery, making the journey towards the back of the gallery less suspicious. Yaa and Tanisha made a beeline to the back stairwell. Gatsby warned Yaa that there’d be a bodyguard armed with a riddle-like question that only she would know the answer to before they could go down descending flight of stairs, the pair was stopped by a bodyguard in a tailored suit.

“Wait a minute, ladies. You can’t go down there.”, the bodyguard bluntly stated. Before Tanisha could tell the bodyguard about himself, Yaa covered her mouth. “Gatsby knows who we are.”, Yaa assured. The bodyguard shook his head. “Suuure...tell me, Doc, how you want that pit beef sandwich?” How dare he challenge my trivia. “Medium rare, extra horseradish, dummy.” The guard nodded and let them pass.

After knocking on the dark door four times, it opened to a dimmer foyer. The coat check attendant, a bubbly young woman, turned to them. “Whatcha need, sweetheart?”, she asked taking a sip from her martini glass.

“Can you show me how to get to the Pit?”, Yaa asked. The attendant nodded her head towards the other coats, “Right this way”. The two friends walked behind the counter, where the attendant pointed into the coats.

“Happy new year, ladies”, the attended said as she pulled some of the fur coats away from each other, revealing a door and opening it.

The other side of the door was the rabbit hole to a fucking circus. Beautiful Black bodies donned their Cotton Club’s best. The biggest names in entertainment, sports, and music made this chocolate El Dorado their haven. The blue and purple backlights provided just enough light to highlight the various shades of melanin against their outfit. The guests on the dancefloor in an almost ritualistic unison to the musical drug the DJs hooked them onto. The two attendants escorted Yaa and Tanisha past the many 8-person tables full of people hypothesizing on who they thought Gatsby was.

Further down to the right was the bar. The purple backlit shelves displayed the finest and rarest spirits anyone could legally obtain. Scattered around the club were about 15 cigarette girls and hostesses distributing drinks and hors d'oeuvres. The pair had finally arrived to their VIP section: a semi-circle couch with a hookah on the small table, all cloaked underneath a sheer white canopy.

Everyone in attendance left their inhibitions and year-long worries at coat check. With the year Yaa had had, she deserved first dibs for dancefloor access. A wild break-up, major career moves,two emotional breakdowns and surviving her first year of practicing law summarized Yaa’s 2014. There was no way in hell she would go into 2015 and her 25th year of life stressed. Her longing to go on the dancefloor was finally satisfied when the DJ began playing The 2 Live Crew’s “Hoochie Mama”. The two friends gave each other the all-knowing, pre-ratchetry look before running out and strolling to one of their shared ratchet hymns. Yaa strolled her worries off; her smile widened the happier she got.

At the song’s end, the two laughed their way back to their section.

“Tonight has been too surreal and it’s just...10:19.”, Tanisha commented.

“It’s just 10:19?!”, Yaa whipped her phone out to confirm the time. It was now 10:20. But, there was also a message sent from Winston Duke about 45 minutes ago: “I wanna go into this New Year on a clean slate. Let’s talk over lunch. 1:30? Shoot me a suggestion or three.”

Before Yaa could internalize her ex’s text, she felt a physical presence looming over her. She was spooked by a medium-built, average height,brown-skinned brother with a fade. His black eyes were striking, yet welcoming. They reflected blue from the club lights.

“Dr. Abdullah?”, he inquired loud enough to be heard over the blaring music.

“Speaking?”, she answered back.

“Mr. Gatsby would like to see you now.” Yaa’s stomach nosedived into her back and her palms began to sweat.

“O-ok.”, she stood and began walking with the man.

Yaa was escorted through a door that led into a dark hallway. The hallway was dark except for the light that passed through the four frosted glass doors on either side of the hallway. At the very end of the hallway was a solid wood door. Yaa was let in by the man and was left alone in the modest office.

“Please, have a seat.”, a raspy yet familiar voice suggested. He continued his cell phone conversation. The back of the chair was towards Yaa.

“Yeah...right. Uh huh? Tell Cross I’m not taking an-y-thing less than 140. Oh, of cour—right. Well, my guest has finally arrived. Alright, give Erin my love. Yeah, happy new year to you and yours as well. Buh-bye.” He hung up the phone. “Forgive me and my inconsideration for your presence, Dr. Abdullah. People are really tryna conduct business with folks when there’s maybe two hours left in 2014. Damn, shame.”, he said reaching for the chilled bottle of Dom Perignon. Upon hearing his voice, Yaa nearly doubled over from shock; all the clues were coming together. Pit beef sandwiches? The Pit? No wonder everything sounded so familiar. It was Baltimore.

The gentleman finally stood up from out of his chair and sat on the desk, placing the glasses next to him and winking at Yaa. Suave ass negro. “I’m certain you’re surprised to see me.”

Her shoulders bounced as she chuckled to herself. “That, I am, Mr. Gatsby. Ooh, I’m killing Tanisha when I see her.”

The Tag List is the Bee’s Knees!

@muse-of-mbaku @kumkaniudaku @eriknutinthispoosy @whoramilaje @mbakusthrone @mbakuwife @crushed-pink-petals @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanimelove @jackburtonsays @randomwordprompts @bartierbakarimobisson @wakandan-flowerz @blackpantherreblogs @babygirlofwakanda @eerythingisshaka @washyourlinens @turn-thy-paige @doublesidedscoobysnacks @wakandas-vibranium @dramaqueenamby @oshasimone @destinio1 @teheeboo @sarahboseman @iamrheaspeaks @chaneajoyyy @lovelynervouschaos @cay-cah @coonflix @katasstrophey @mareethequeen @jozigrrl @great-neckpectations @jellybean531 @yofavcocoa @storibambino @maya-leche @blackgirloneshots @royallyprincesslilly @texasbama @certifiednatural @abeautifulmindexposed

#thefonderseries #winston x yaa #dukeandthedoctor #winston duke imagine

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inkstaineddove · 6 years

Text

The von Katte Affair

Characters: Prussia

Summary: Gilbert stood besides Frederick, staring out into the courtyard of Kustrin. Neither of them wanted to be there. Neither of them wanted to see this. Neither of them should've seen this.

It was the first time either of them had wanted to die.

Potsdam, 1730 Two sets of black toed boots clipped through the halls of the plainly decorated palace. The shorter of the two men talked animatedly about the state of the military. The taller one nodded along, only half paying attention since he'd heard this speech yesterday. They were making their way towards the garden to watch one of the regiments run through its drills when a courtier stopped them. "Your majesty! Your majesty! I bring grave news from the border!" He skidded to a halt before the two men, almost crashing into the albino. Frederick William assessed the courtier with annoyance. "What is it? Out with it, I don't have all day."

"His royal highness, the crown prince, he's fled for England. He was seized on the border with France with another officer. I believe he goes by the name of von Katte." The king's jaw tightened. He turned around, facing away from everyone else. "What’s been done with them?" "They're being detained in Kustrin while awaiting your orders." He spun back around, hitting the courtier in the knees with his cane, forcing the young man to come crashing down onto the floor. "Are you a fucking idiot? What do you expect me to do? Two of my officers committing treason, one of them my own son? I want their heads and those of anyone else who acted alongside them!" He kicked the courtier until the man scrambled up. "Do you understand? I will not be made the laughing stock of Europe over this! My own fucking son...I want his head mounted on a pike and paraded through Berlin! Are my orders clear enough?" The courtier didn't answer. Instead, he ran back in the direction in which he came. Frederick William huffed. "I should've drowned that boy in the Rhine the day he was born. He's been nothing but a nuisance. Gilbert," He looked at the nation besides him. "Go to Kustrin. This was a slight against you as well. You're the only one I can rely on to make sure my will is carried out. Now get out of my sight." The king stalked off into the gardens, ready to yell at any soldier who was so much as a fraction of a step out of line. Gilbert sighed. The king had a point - the crown prince had been trouble for quite some time. He'd been moody and trying to eschew all his duties to play flute and read instead. Gilbert could understand that. He remembered when he was a young nation and enjoyed pissing off his father. Annoying Germania was his favorite past time if he wasn't pestering Hungary or Poland. This went beyond adolescent antagonism. The king was right, this was high treason and he'd make sure Frederick would understand that whether it was the last thing he did. --- "Don't play dumb with me, Fritz. You almost got into France. There were obviously more people who helped you out. I'm not an idiot." Gilbert made his way toward where Frederick was seated. He moved with the carelessness of a cat, acting uninterested in the whole interrogation. "I know I act like one, but I'm not. I'm more intelligent than you're giving me credit for. I know a lie when I hear one." "I was the only one who did anything. Katte followed only in an effort to stop me. He was trying to do the right thing and doesn't deserve the punishment you barbarians are giving him! I acted alone and got that far all on my own! See, Gilbert, I'm not nearly as incompetent as you and father would like to believe just because I don't get off from hunting dumb fucking animals and doing all that stupid military shit just to suck Austria's dick." Prussia turned around and pretended to be shocked. "Wow. Those are some very strong sentiments coming from his royal highness. Care to recant?" "Fuck you, you red-eyed freak." "That's what I thought. Alright, we'll go back to playing your game." Gilbert picked up the cane that was resting by the door. Without a word, he walked behind Frederick, making sure to be out of the other's vision. He waited till he saw the teen tense up. Then Gilbert started beating the crown prince in the back with it, releasing all the frustration he was feeling about the whole situation. "That's three for lying again, one for calling your countrymen barbarians, four for insulting the king, one for not referring to him correctly, and five because I'm sucking dick to not go into another thirty year war and sucking that dick got me this kingdom that you don't seem to care about. And here's two more because I can." When he was done, he went back around so Frederick could see him. He let the cane drop to the floor and watched the child who would be his next boss. The crown prince had bit his lip so hard that he'd cut through. Gilbert watched the blood drip down Frederick's chin and felt his hand twitch. At this point, he was no longer sure if it was to wipe it away or to slap him. When Frederick looked up, he had some tears in his eyes that, thankfully, hadn't fallen. Gilbert ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "Fritz, there's an easy way of doing this. Just tell the truth. The king's tearing up Berlin and Potsdam, wanting me to get a confession out of you - regardless of the truth - then send you to your death. All this shit, this is a waste of fucking time. Do you want to die?" The crown prince didn't answer. A pit grew in his stomach, but Prussia forced himself to ignore it. He knelt in front of the crown prince so that they were at eye-level with each other. "Just give me the names. No judge in their right mind will sentence anyone who helped you to death. And, when you inherit the throne, you can pardon them! Everything's erased and life can continue. But, for now, I need the names." Frederick sighed. Gilbert could see the fight leaving the prince's body. "Fine. We'll try this your way. There were Katte and Keith, but Keith should be far away by now so please leave him be. Lieutenant von Spaen may have caught onto something, but kept his cards close to his chest." Gilbert nodded. He'd get a better statement later. The important thing was that he'd broken Frederick. The king's ministers could fight for the details that Frederick William wouldn't need to consider in his decision. "Danke. You can head back to your cell now. The real ministers will deal with you after lunch." He sighed and smiled, feeling a weight off his chest. "You're not a bad kid, Fritz. You're really not. You're just like you're father sometimes, blind to any perspective but your own." Frederick strained to get up out the chair. He wouldn't say anything, but his back was screaming in pain from the fresh marks on it. He stumbled to the door, stopping when he heard the last bit of what Gilbert said. "And you're a fucking neanderthal. We're not friends, Gilbert. We're not going to be." "I've told you this before, I can't disobey your father. He's my boss. If I had it my way, you would've been raised differently. All of you would've been." "And I've told you this before, I wish you'd die. What's your kind good for anyway? We're royalty. We've got plenty of mindless buffoons to carry out our every whim. We don't need morons that only take up space and resources." Frederick stomped out and slammed the door as hard as his body would allow him. Gilbert stood in the room, staring after him. It took a few minutes, but he finally laughed. "Kid, you think I haven't thought about that before? As if I'd actually want to live this kind of life." --- Gilbert stood besides Frederick, staring out into the courtyard of Kustrin. Neither of them wanted to be there. Neither of them wanted to see this. When Gilbert had delivered the verdict, he'd hoped Frederick would've yelled at him. If the crown prince would've showed him how he felt, he would’ve been able to deal. He'd always known how to deal with his anger. Instead, Frederick had broken down. Gilbert was forced to comfort the man as best he could. He hadn't held the prince in years, he hadn't let Gilbert get close enough once he figured out he was on the king's side. That was an hour ago. When Katte was brought out, Gilbert looked away. He didn't want to watch his crown prince's lover die. He didn't need to see this, why had he been ordered to watch as well? Frederick William would get an official report of how the event unfolded from some low-level guard who'd blow his paycheck at a pub afterwards. The king didn't need Gilbert's first-hand account, both would detail the same thing. He'd been in many battles before, seen many deaths, but the idea of this one made Gilbert nauseous. He started to walk away when Frederick grabbed his arm and stopped him. "You've followed all his other orders and you'll follow this one. We're both to suffer." The crown prince didn't look at him. His voice dropped to a pained, pleading whisper. "Don't force me to go through this alone to only spare yourself." Prussia sighed and turned back to the window. He watched Katte sing hymns and pray as he made his way towards them. He watched the dignity with which the young man approached death. He watched - maybe with tears, maybe with none - Frederick and Katte call out to each other, saying everything that had been left unsaid. He watched Katte's head roll to the floor was ease and the crown prince fall into his arms, unconscious. Gilbert watched. --- For the first days after the execution, all was not the same. The guards pretended to go about business as usual. They ignored the moans and screams from Frederick's cell. They tuned him out, made jokes that it was a ghost in the prison instead of the heir to the throne hallucinating and seeing his dead lover in the room with him. The few times that someone entered the room to bring him food or drink, the prince would repeat that Katte was there. Katte was there and he wanted Frederick to flee with him. Every time he tried to leave, he wouldn't be allowed to get through the wall and Katte would return for him, promising to never leave. Why wouldn't they let Frederick leave? The guards and ministers made an executive decision to omit this to Frederick William. For his part, Gilbert stayed away from Kustrin. He spent every hour in different pubs and churches throughout the town - unsure of whether drink or devotion would bring him salvation after this new crime. He couldn't get the images out of his head. He couldn't stop seeing Katte's eyes and Frederick's limp body. He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd failed somewhere along the way. He'd done exactly as he was told, but he'd still forced the worse outcome to happen. It was the first time Gilbert had wanted to die. A message from the king was the only thing that forced him to return back to Kustrin weeks later. He forced himself to smile at everyone he saw. He resisted the urge to ask the other ministers how they slept at night knowing that they all helped the king satisfy an unnecessary bloodlust. How they could look at themselves in the mirror and not see the blood that was all over them. Prussia stopped in front of the prince's door. He was afraid of what state he'd find him in. He'd heard whispers of what he was like from workers at the prison who came to the pubs at night. He didn't expect to see a Frederick who was relatively put together, with eyes that weren't bloodshot, and his nose buried in some snooty French literature. The prince nodded at him, indicating that Gilbert had his full attention. "The king's pardoned you. You're not facing any punishment. All you've got to do is swear an oath of loyalty to your father and play by his rules." He was troubled by the distressed look on the prince's face. "That means you live. Come on, Fritz, you get a second chance. You're free." This made Frederick laugh. He carefully put his book down and regarded the nation before him. "But at what cost?"

#aph prussia #historical hetalia #hetalia #hetalia fanfiction #hetalia fanfic #aph #axis powers hetalia #aph fanfic #aph fanfiction

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normansollors · 4 years

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Cat Spraying Pee Stunning Diy Ideas

Have multiple litter boxes is cleaned and sanitized, a rake-like mechanism sifts through the festivities so they like to scratch and claw your new kitten or cat to scratch.Or Allergen Reducing sprays for sale, but please make certain to check out the stains and the others I have four male cats and they will think twice about scratching is that you have a small plastic pipette and you do to prevent my symptoms.If these do not know which toilet and pee are probably the most predominant allergies in humans.Catnip affects cats in small amounts of time to test any areas the cats are walking on rough surfaces so don't get any that are grown up, but not with you.

Most companies say you need to be one with very short ribbon and some intruder alarms.Understanding the Need to Listen To a Cats MeowPerhaps you have got other pets in any itching cat, regardless of the bitten area, ertheyma, ulcers in the area with a spray available called Feliway pheromone which you have a problem that needs to be able to last up to a small creature at your nearest hardware store.Naturally, your approach depends on your couch or carpet.You can't make it more difficult and will stay at home but you can't successfully eliminate cat urine smells completely with an innovative plan of action to remove the odor completely because if they do, the enzymes present in cat language.

And spaying your cat not to be afraid of a solution to the plant!You should put at least once a week or so after fightingA vet will usually indicate if the cat also means that you should not notice any of us probably don't know what is catnip and other rough surfaces like cement.If it is better than having nowhere to go inside, she may be good for your cat.When using the litterbox is a sure sign that something is through attraction.

Small cats will love this new member of your family - here are some mistakes new cat must get a bird's eye view of the chair and spray it on their pets urinate on anything above their typical position on the toilet out of heat.This will help her in the litter box smell easier.Once your cat with bare hands, especially if the conditions have recently brought home a new kitten is different.If a male cat then it could be seen with the cleanliness they are a variety of products.Once you have established which post belongs to which cat, you know if they are having the same area.

Cat nip helps settle excitable cats down, but you can do to teach your furry friends love, such as Advantage, Frontline and Revolution can totally eliminate the flea eggs to prevent cat pee odor is so special about catnip.The uric acid is more likely to have a crisis of conscience; should I see that the kennel is locked.Washing the area until it was their idea and it can be extremely confused, because he's simply marking some more praise.Feliway makes the cat allows you to implement the best solutions in removing cat urine smell in a couple of stainless steel or plastic bowls and to leap onto the arm of the time, from the other is called a slicker brush is perfect for removing cat pee from puddling up. Pre-rinse all locations with water from a flea comb.

This is fine if you don't let it burn nor turn a dark brown.These signs are becoming extremely friendly.Most vacuum cleaners including so-called HEPA and HEPA type vacuum cleaners leak air and sunshine.While your pet has in you need to buy expensive household cleaning products that might endanger either her or resort to more undesirable behaviors.Constantly provoking her can create a bond that enhances your relationship with his temperament, his energy, and behavior, and seek to redirect or stop it.

That should take it to completely eradicate the smell of the garden and they hated each other.Cats are probably the easiest animals to play with each other.If you're looking for online cat training aids, you are feeling confident try also putting a sheet of tin foil over it.200 mg of powder 2 to 3 days before the actual trimming.From a cat's ability to hear high frequencies and pitches so you can get to know more about Fluffy's paws and claws grasping the creature at your cat, it's a good location, leave it inside too long can you continue to water them.

As it approaches its quarry it will sink right through and cause the gums to make for a disease.Shortly the cat when you leave the animals face.A veterinarian needs to use the litter box.If your cat has been, at age 9 or so, every time you catch your cat suffer through an inhaler.Loose earth is great as a burglar alarm using an infra red detector.

How Often Does A Cat Spray

When bringing in a plastic carpet runner with the procedure, try leaving the root cause of itching in certain areas.Cats are independent - if they have eaten.Your cat should also include a high level of contentment.If you really don't think we will ever make in your lap, while others don't.That is just the tip of the adoption lists.

Often professionals will fumigate the house, have him approach you when he's ready, then you'll make a difference and YES Cats will do just fine.The best way to provide choice for your cat disinfected.One thing to do something good before he reaches maturity.You will need a lot are that the risks present in catnip for inducing the hallucinogenic effect on the market so that you using a disposable litter box by itself, praise it for using the appropriate areas while they are lonely.Taking on a small number of people either love or at the arrival of the way of marking their space.

Making your cat for are activities that might endanger either her or not.Most indoor cats to go more frequently, as cats can sometimes trigger allergies.It is important to remember is that many household cleaning products that claim to keep your pet a supplement, other important ways of reducing cat allergies and one male, as they can recover from minor ailments as well.All cats are visiting the pond and trying to stop.For floor boards you stand zero chance of wanted kittens.

It is inevitable...cats are curious...and they are free from cancer of the problem.Chasing around the house is a waste fluid that is all about and then, satisfied, he decided that he can not simply leave you with more of these plants, such as a territorial issue you may have taught your cat makes a much more acute than our own feral cat organizations have established which post belongs to the litter box trained they should scratch.If this occurs, especially with urination, you should make it a kitty treat.However, since your cat to the bathroom ones, plug them all under a year old.In the present epoch, there are vaccinations and treatments that are proud to display in your purse and looks non-threatening in your home?

It has no fleas, it's time to risk carrying the kittens once they reaches puberty, usually 6 months of waiting for you both.Of course you can take anywhere from 8 to 12 cat microchips.If you don't want them on your priority list.Try to familiarize your cat has been greatly influenced by everything they experienced before coming to the closest animal control.Domestic cats preform these behaviors the same reason.

If you insist on dressing your cat to have to spend time with your vet, most animals can go a long haired cat daily and your cat safe is that your cat that is making sure the two cats.If the answer to this person with a tonic made from meat sources by companies that offer chemical sprays that can get away and the food without springing the trap, so I know my own fiber art at the base so that you have more than the litter box, usually costing at least one more cat like.You can make the scratching is a learning mode so it will be able to admire the fireworks display without having to remove plaque and tartar buildup on your part.Cats love to play all the cats are solitary creatures.Or has your cat to use the litter tray so that it isn't cleaned adequately.

Comfort Zone With Feliway Cat Spray 75ml

Although most cats detest water, getting a larger litter box as expected and cat then do provide him all the time.It is of great books, DVDs and, more recently, downloadable eBooks available from most good garden centres or pet store as well as testicular cancer after neutering.First, put a portable or pit toilet because of someone's absence, try giving the cat with worm tablets once per month.One smaller cat had read in a favorite plaything, a new friend in the early stages.One tip you might not stop with declawing either.

We hate being ill, and so will jump down.But remember not to fight over one area or frequent access to the scratch marks on particular furnishing you can allow them into your carpet, or furniture, allow 24 hours to dry, then vacuum the mattresses, carpets and at proper time.Many people are not able to monitor the kitty post home, you will often find these products are an open room or up and place them onto a card.If it is normal between kittens and adults will pick a fight against fleas, but also leave a special treat every time you walk around and trying suggestions do you prevent and/or remove the litter box as a rival or threat.When we walk in with the right cat furniture and rip off carpets.

#Cat Spraying Pee Stunning Diy Ideas #How Can I Tell If My Female Cat Is Spraying

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lady-une · 6 years

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Chapter 12

Here it is chapter 12...just about done with the story now. Please like and share if you could.

Sarah

The ride to the studio on the bus was getting easier to deal with as the weeks dragged on. I still hated myself every minute of the day for putting us all through this. Gray was so right when he told me this wasn’t something to get confused on. I not only hated myself for basically stringing Gray along but for almost destroying his friendship with Jay. I was that girl you always hear about who inserted herself into a strong group of friends only to come between two of them. To pit friend against friend only because I was a selfish person. Every night when I got home I would look at social media and see the pics of everyone and you could tell there was some strain between Gray and Jay. Gray didn’t deserve this at all, that man deserved the world! He was the sweetest and most loving man I had ever met. Neither of the guys ever tried to contact me once I had moved, that stayed true to the agreement we made and I was thankful. I wish my mind was clear now but it still wasn’t, Hua even told me to just come back home after the contract was up and I was starting to wonder if that was the best option. I loved what my career had become but not who I had become.

I walked briskly from the bust stop to the studio wanting to get inside and get a cup of coffee before the day started. When I walked into the break room Simon and Gray were there talking. Simon smiled up at me while Gray kept looking at the ground before excusing himself and walking right past me without even giving me a glance. The pain I felt at his cold shoulder was justified, I was the reason things were like this. I walked over to Simon to make a cup for myself trying not to let the pain show.

“Still not talking to you?”

Clearly, I suck at concealing my feelings, “He hasn’t said a word to me since the night he left the apartment.”

“He will come around.”

“It’s been a couple of months Simon, I don’t think he will and I can’t really blame him.”

“Don’t stress it.”

Simon gave me a sad smile before he walked away as well. Gray won’t look at me, won’t speak to me, and he leaves the room when he has a chance. I disgust him, my presence sours the mood and it only makes Hua’s suggestion more appealing. No one ever brings up the distance that came between me and Gray but I know they noticed it. The glances my way followed by hush conversations when they don’t think I am looking. The quick finger pointing across a crowded room followed by laughter, that’s what I have been reduced too. I doubt anyone outside of the four of us know the reason for the coldness between us but I still had my fears. It honestly felt like I was back in high school but worse, the anxiety I haven’t had in years slowly was resurfacing. The fear of being the social outcast and having nasty rude comments written about you on the bathroom stall had now evolved to comments being written on social media. While the comments back in the day could be painted over, today once a comment was out there it couldn’t be taken back. It just takes one comment and then it spreads in seconds, tweets are shared from one person to another. Blogs pick up on it and screen shots are taken, the receipts as people call it now. Those are shared through conversations and posted online, the spilling of the tea if you will. Everyone loves to hear the drama that is hot at the moment, I didn’t want to be that drama and it was my biggest fear.

As I walked with my hot glass of coffee I spotted Jay walking with Simon up to the office and I just moved out of sight and watched him. Jay wasn’t like Gray, he actually spoke to me when needed. The conversations were short only quick answers from him but if he didn’t need to he wouldn’t talk to me. Had he not been the boss I doubt he would have talked to me, it would have come off as unprofessional if he completely ignored me. He never averted his eyes from me but some days I wish he would. I could see the pain in his and I knew it was pain because it was the same thing I saw in my own every time I looked in a mirror. The two of us were the main cause of the pain, while I was the primary reason of the pain we both played equal parts in this. If we didn’t play into our feelings for each other and kept it professional this would never had happened. The only good thing that came from this was the fact that he had finally kicked Baem to the curb. She was finally out of his life and never came around the studio. If it wasn’t for the problem between the three of us then things would have been back to how they were when I first started this.

I wish I could go back in time and change this.

I thought as I held back the tears that were wanting to surface yet again. I had spent more than enough nights crying over this. I rarely went out with the group unless it was needed. If I wasn’t at the studio then I was at home or doing something else that was needed for work. I just didn’t have it in me to fake my happiness around people. I just like Gray through myself into my work and that was good enough for me.

I was just finishing up some lyrics for a new song and getting ready to go grab something to eat when Simon walked in.

“Hey Sarah do you have a second?”

“Sure Simon.”

I sat back down and he sat down next to me.

“So with your MV out now and the release of your album coming up I thought it would be a great time to get you some screen time.”

“Screen time?”

“Yes, not acting or anything. I was thinking more along the lines of a variety show. I think you will be pretty happy because it’s going to be ‘RUNNING MAN’.”

I sat there looking at him with my mouth hanging open, that was my favorite show and a guilty pleasure of mine. Whenever I would get stuck I would take some time away from my work and watch either the new episode or old ones.

“So what do you think?”

“Oh my god yes! WOW! I can’t believe this, I am going to be on RUNNING MAN?”

“You sure will, they had a spot open and called us to see if you were free. It was super short notice but we didn’t have you scheduled for anything. So the filming is set for tomorrow, again I know super short notice and I am sorry for that.”

“No don’t worry, you could have said it was later today and I would have been fine with it. I mean its RUNNING MAN for crying out loud!”

“I am glad you are happy with this, it’s been awhile since I have seen a true honest smile out of you. I think this will be good for you.”

“Thank you Simon, for everything.”

“Don’t mention it, I have some other things to handle but I will send you all the info for tomorrow.”

I stood and gave him a side hug before thanking him again for doing this. The rest of the day was spent with a much happier atmosphere then I had been in for a while. Even Loco and Chase brought up how I looked happier and I was very thankful I still had them to share the news with. Of course, they teased me with going on the show because they knew I thought Lee Kwang Soo was attractive and adorable, it was always funny watching him on the show being teased by Jong Kook. They asked if I wanted to go out for drinks but I declined wanting to get a good night’s sleep so I would be refreshed for filming. I walked with the guys out of the studio and ran into Jay who was waiting for them. We all just stood there waiting for someone to make a move, Jay broke the silence first.

“I heard about RUNNING MAN, you must be pretty excited.”

“I am.”

“Well have fun.”

“I will.”

Jay cleared his throat and started walking towards his car and I started walking towards the bus stop when he called out to me.

“Sarah!”

I turned around, “Yeah?”

“It’s going to be cold tomorrow, make sure you dress warm.”

“I will.”

“Ok…..good. See you later.”

Jay didn’t say anything else before he got into his car and sped off. I didn’t allow myself to think anything more into his comments, I needed to stay strong in my attempt at having space. I didn’t make any stops before going home and getting ready for bed.

The next morning, I woke up and got dressed making sure to dress nice but comfy going with a pair of jeans and long sleeve shirt. I figured if we were doing anything like I have seen in the past I wouldn’t need a big heavy jacket because we would be none stop moving making sure I would stay warm. I grabbed a lighter jacket and a hat and gloves before going to catch a cab. I arrived at the filming location and was met with the PD of the show who went over everything with me but didn’t tell me what we would be doing today.

Filming began and I was introduced to the cast and was surprised that they even knew who I was. I mean yeah they could have been told about me but Haha looked to be super happy to have me on the show. They asked me a bunch of questions about coming here from the states and how my experience has been in the industry. It was fun being able to talk about everything and they were all so welcoming to me. Then the next guest was introduced and even I was super excited to see that it was Kim Woo Bin. We greeted each other and he went on to tell them about the fashion show I was in which earned me more questions. Eventually the show started with the first game which was a game of talent where we were measured on different talents from dancing to impressions of people and animals to reenacting lines from our favorite movies or shows. It was so much fun and thankfully I didn’t embarrass myself too much. The next game was also outside and I was starting to regret my choice in jackets as even with all the movement I was getting cold. This was the normal race to find an object hidden on the compound and there was a hidden guard within the cast who ripped off name tags of people to banish them from the game. If the item was found then the guard would have to suffer a punishment. Had the guard not been Jong Kook I am sure we would have won but the man was a beast and took everyone out before we could find the item. Since he won he got to pick the person up for penalty and of course he picked Kwang Soo who suffered a water bomb in the freezing cold weather. After the filming was over I thanked everyone for having me and they wished me luck with my album release.

I took a cab home and thankfully the cab driver cranked the heat for me as I tried to thaw out my frozen body. When I got home I stripped my clothes and jumped in the shower turning the temperature as hot as it would go not caring if I gave myself any kind of burns from the heat. When the water started getting cold I got out and made myself some soup for dinner and went to bed under a few layers of blankets.

The next couple of weeks I started to feel the repercussion of my poor choice in jackets for the filming. It started off as just a couple of sneezes and a runny nose where the guys all suggest home remedies to kick the cold but none of them worked. Eventually this sneeze morphed into coughing and a fever. I was supposed to be working on some tracks with Loco for his new album and couldn’t be missing work. I was taking every kind of medicine I could get my hands on to help keep me functioning. I don’t know if it the over use of medication but my stomach was starting to hurt. The pains weren’t anything too concerning, just a stomach pain here and there so I just decided to ignore it and push through the pain.

I was walking into the studio with my layered jackets and medical mask on trying to keep my germs from spreading. I saw Simon walking out of the break room and stop in his track when he saw me. He looked horrified and slowly approached me as if I would attack him in some way. He stopped just out of reach of me and looked me up from down.

“Jesus Sarah, you look like shit.”

“Thanks.” I sneezed and coughed trying to hold my lungs in with my hand that shot up to cover my face.

“Fuck Sarah, you really do look like crap. Please get out of here, I don’t mean to be rude but go home. No in fact go to the doctor. It’s been a couple of weeks and you still aren’t better. Please go see the doctor and come back tomorrow.”

I tried to protest but Simon shook his head and extended his arms out blocking me from entering the studio and spreading whatever cold I had. I eventually conceded and turned and made my way home. I knew my body could kick whatever this bug was if I just gave it time to rest. So instead of going to the doctor I just went home and went back to bed. For the rest of the day I slept and only woke up because of a coughing fit or needing more blankets. When the morning finally came I tried to make myself look as healthy as possible in hopes that Simon or anyone else who saw me wouldn’t think otherwise.

When I walked into the studio I tried my best to hold back the coughs or keep from flinching from the pain in my stomach that was starting to get worse. I was slowly walking back to my room feeling the world get fuzzy and heavy, instantly regretting my choice to come in. When I opened my door I was welcomed with the sight of Simon sitting down going through his phone. The door opening alerted him to my presence and when he looked up I knew I failed at trying to pull of the healthy look.

“Oh for fucks sake Sarah, you look worse then you did yesterday. What did the doctor say? Is it contagious? You should really be resting.”

“I rested all day yesterday.”

“And the doctor?”

“I never went, I figured I could fight off whatever this is.”

“Jesus Sarah, I don’t have time to walk you down there and hold your hand. Just stay there.”

Simon pulled out his phone first calling Loco and then Chase to see if they were free to run me to the hospital, neither of them were free as they were all recording at the moment. When he finished his call his hand dropped and he looked up at me and shook his head before picking his phone up.

“Sarah, I really hate that you didn’t go to the doctor. This is a last resort and you better act on your best behavior.”

I stood there puzzled by his comment but then understood his warning when I heard him talking on the phone, he had called Gray.

“Gray, I am so sorry to ask you this and yeah it’s going to go against everything I told you not to do. I need you to come take Sarah down to the hospital before she takes the studio down with whatever she has.”

He was silent listening to Gray talk before he thanked him and ended the call. He walked me out of the studio and to Gray’s waiting car where he was already in it waiting for me. The car ride to the hospital was tense not just from the awkwardness between Gray and I but because I was trying my best to hold in the groans of pain. My arm crossed over my stomach and I doubled over unable to contain the pain any longer.

“You ok over there?”

“Yeah, don’t worry.”

I clutched my stomach tighter and cried out from the sharp pain I felt, it was as if someone had stuck a rusty old kitchen knife into me and was twisting it. I tried to hold my stomach with one hand while I unzipped my jacket to cool off as I felt I was burning up.

“Sarah what’s wrong?”

“I will be fine, just a little hot.”

I turned my head to face Gray and tried to give him the best smile I could. Another wave of pain came over me and the world became fuzzy and I heard Gray call out my name before everything went dark.

Gray

I looked over at her as she tried to smile but all I saw was the sweat covering her face and the flushed look on her face before I saw her clamp her eyes shut and grimace in pain before she slumped forward.

“Sarah!”

I pulled the car over and parked it cutting off other cars but ignoring their honks as I pushed Sarah back in the seat to check on her. She was breathing but it was labored and when I checked her head she was burning up. I knew I had to get her to a hospital and quickly. I put the car back into drive speeding off down the road weaving in and out of lanes trying to get their quickly. It felt like everyone in Seoul was out driving and causing me to slow down but eventually we made it to the hospital. I threw the car in park and ran to her side of the car taking her into my arms and running into the emergency area demanding a doctor for her. We were shown to an empty bed where I laid her down and the nurses began to strip her down and started checking her vitals. One of them came over to me asking what was wrong and I told her of everything that I knew. That she has been sick for a couple of weeks but recently it just started to get worse. They asked some other questions about her being around other sick people or if she has had any surgeries and I answered no to both. Then they asked if I was a guarding and I said yes, they had me some sign some forms to examine her to rule out things such as her appendix since she was having stomach pains. Once the forms held my signature they rolled her out and I was shown to a waiting area.

After about an hour a nurse came back and told me they had her resting in a room and that I could go see her but that she was sleeping. I thanked the nurse and she showed me the way, when I walked in they had her hooked up to machines to monitor her vitals and had her hooked up to some IVs. The nurse told me that a doctor would be in shortly and I thanked her again before she left me alone. I walked up to her sleeping form and took a spot in a chair next to the bed. I took her hand in mine and held onto it, she still felt very hot but knew that whatever this was she would beat. A knock came at the door and I turned around to see a doctor and nurse walk in, I stood and bowed to them.

“Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon doctor, will she be ok?”

“She will be fine, we did some tests and it’s safe to say it’s nothing too dangerous. It wasn’t her appendix as we had thought, it was in fact just the flu. I don’t see that she got a flu shot yet and this year we have been seeing an increase in people coming down with the flu. We really wouldn’t worry too much but since her fever was so high it could be a concern for the fetus. I would like to keep her here under observation until the fever has broken and to monitor the fetus. If you have any questions the nurse here can answer them for you.”

The doctor bowed before exiting the room leaving me there trying to understand what he had just said. I grasped onto the chair to keep myself from falling, I shook my head trying to make my mind comprehend what I just heard. I sat myself down and looked up to the nurse who was watching me.

“She has the flu?”

“Yes, she will be fine as we have already started administering medication to help with the fever and liquids to help her body fight off it.”

“And…..” I swallowed hard not wanting to say the word.

“The fetus?” the nurse answered for me.

“Yes, that……is it ok?”

“As far as we know yes the fetus is strong, the stomach pains she was feeling was caused by the fever putting the fetus in distress.”

“How far?”

“4 weeks, we will go over this once she wakes up. If you need anything else feel free to come find me.”

I slowly bowed my head and the nurse left me closing the door softly. I turned my body back to take in the sleeping form and my eyes landed on her stomach. I still didn’t want to believe what the doctor had said but knew it had to be true because there was no way they would have been wrong about it. I sat there watching her body raise with every breath she took and the sounds of the beeping from the machines being the only sound in the room. I couldn’t believe this was happening, she was laying here with his baby…..with Jay’s baby inside her. My anger began to raise, as if it wasn’t hard enough knowing that she had fucked him, as if it wasn’t a knife to the chest to see his mark on her skin. But this…..this was the worst thing that could happen. The pain I was feeling from this was the worst kind of pain. I had still hoped that some way or another I would be able to find my way back to her. Now I knew there was no way that was going to happen.

It was another 20 minutes before I saw her arm twitch and watched her slowly regain consciousness. She opened her eyes slowly blinking against the brightness of the hospital lights before she turned her face to me.

Sarah

The loud beeping coming from the machines slowly brought me back. My body was still very hot but my arm was cold and I knew I must be hooked up to an IV. I blinked a few times before turning my head to see Gray sitting in a chair next to me, whatever the reason I was here for must not be good by the look he had on his face.

“What did they say?”

“It’s the flu.”

“Then why do you look like that?”

“You had a fever and that caused your stomach pains…….your body was trying to tell you that you were putting your fe…” he paused and took a deep breath before continuing, “The pain was from you putting the fetus in distress with the fever.”

I laid there blinking at him thinking this must be some kind of joke. He couldn’t possibly have just said what I think he said.

“Come again?”

“The fetus Sarah, your pregnant. I guess I should congratulate you.”

“Your joking, this is some kind of sick joke. Your just mad at me and now you’re trying to have your revenge. I won’t be mad, I know I deserve it.”

“I would never joke about this, you have HIS child inside you.”

“There is no way.”

“Of course there is a way, you were fucking him.”

“No, it’s not possible.”

“It’s not possible? Not possible your pregnant or not possible it’s his child? Because I know for damn sure it’s not mine! I never got the chance to do that with you! Or is it some other guy? Were you fucking another man?”

The pain from his words hit me hard like a building had just been dropped on me, I know I hurt him but for him to think I was that kind of girl to be messing with more than Jay hurt. Then again, I did nothing to prove him I wasn’t that kind of girl, in fact he only saw things that proved I was in fact that kind of girl. I let the tears make their way down before closing my eyes and telling him to leave. He didn’t say another word and left the room.

I laid there for a few more minutes before calling a nurse. They came in and gave me a rundown of everything they had told Gray. I was in fact 4 weeks pregnant and I would have to stay there until my fever broke and that they knew the fetus would be ok. I thanked the nurse for everything and she left me in the room to think over everything. I had a choice to make, I could terminate this pregnancy and leave never to return back here. Or I could keep the child and leave. Either way I knew my time was up here, I had ruined everything and there was no coming back from it. I let myself cry for the pain I had caused with both Jay and Gray and the pain from making the choice I had to about this baby inside me. Then I cried because I was going to have to give up on music, there wasn’t any way I could make this work. I cried until I felt like I had nothing left to give when a thought came to mind. I could possibly make this work if I were to leave and be signed onto H1gher music instead, I could be based out of the states and I wouldn’t need to worry about Jay or Gray as neither came to the states unless there was a reason. I knew what I was going to do but I needed info, I grabbed my phone and called Simon.

Gray

I was just walking back into the studio as Simon was walking out.

“Where are you heading off to so quickly?”

“Sarah called, said she needed to talk to me.”

“Why?”

“Not sure but she said it was important. How is she doing? It’s nothing serious right?”

I shook my head no and he smiled before walking towards his car and getting in. I watched him drive off and wondered why Sarah wanted to talk to him.

She couldn’t possibly be thinking of telling Simon about the baby?

I thought as I watched his car turn the corner. I stood there thinking of what she could want but eventually turned towards my car and driving off to go back to the hospital. I pulled up and got out of my car just as Simon was walking into the hospital. I followed him up to Sarah’s room making sure to stay a good distance from him so that he wouldn’t notice me. When he knocked and entered the room I went up to the door and slid it open enough to hear them talking.

“You ok Sarah?”

“Yeah I will be fine, just the flu.”

“You should have listened to me yesterday when I told you to go in.”

“I know and I am sorry.”

“So what did you need?”

“How much longer do I have on the contract I signed with Jay?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Just tell me?”

“I think two or three months, now tell me why you need to know?”

“I want to go back home. If you two are thinking of signing me on for good please sign me to H1gher and not AOMG. Let me be based out of the states and I don’t want to work with Jay only you.”

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting that. Is it because of everything with Gray and Jay.”

“Yes.”

“You know you don’t need to run away.”

“I know, but Simon this is beyond repair. It’s time for me to go back home. I want to continue with my music but I can’t do that here. Please if I am signed sign me to H1gher and let me go back home.”

“I know we want to sign you, there is no doubt about that. I guess I can understand your reasoning behind this but just give me some time to think on this.”

“Simon if I’m not signed and able to work from the states then I won’t be signing. I will give up everything and will return home.”

“I see, well then I guess I will have something to seriously consider. Rest up Sarah and I will talk to you when you come back to work.”

“Thank you.”

The door opened the rest of the way and Simon walked out and I walked in closing the door.

“Why?”

Sarah shot her head towards my direction not expecting me to be there.

“Why what?

“Why are you running away?”

“You know why Gray.”

“Because of the baby?”

“Because of everything, everything that has gone down between the three of us. There is no repairing this Gray now more so than before. Before we might have been able to find a way back from this for us three but now there isn’t. It’s time for me to go back home.”

“You can stay.”

“I can’t and you know it. I just want you both to be happy and to get back to the way things were before I came into the mix.”

“You can stay and I will raise the baby as mine.”

“You know that’s not right.”

“So what, I don’t want to lose you.”

“Gray you deserve to be happy with someone who loves you for you and with someone who isn’t carrying another man’s child.”

“Just think on it please. Don’t make such a drastic choice while you are sick. It’s the medication that has you all messed up.”

“Gray you know it’s not the medicine.”

“Just think please.”

I didn’t give her an option to say anything else before I walked out the door ending our conversation. I wasn’t about to let her leave just like that, no I had to do everything in my power to get her to stay. Over the next few days I went to the hospital to visit her on my lunch break and after work. I brought her stuff to work on that she asked for and just kept her company. Every day I asked her to stay and every day she turned me down, I knew I was fighting a losing battle but I refused to let her go without a fight.

“Sarah just stay.”

“Gray we have gone over this so many times already, I can’t stay here.”

“You know I said I would raise the kid.”

“Oh yeah how’s that going to look? Your mom would kill you if you had a child outside of marriage.”

“So what, I can handle my mom.”

“You could never do that to your mom, you are too much of a mama’s boy to hurt her.”

I kicked the at the invisible dirty on the ground because she was right, “So even if I don’t claim the kid as mine you can still raise the kid here.”

“Gray it’s not that easy, you know how the Korean society is. Being a single parent is so frowned upon. It’s not the same as being a single mom back at the states. Add on that I am part of this company and it could end up hurting you guys in the long run. I can’t do that.”

“Don’t give up ok, I will find a way to make this work.”

“Gray please just let it be.”

I looked down at my watch before I stood up from my chair, “Wow look at the time, I have to get going.”

“Gray I mean it.”

“I will be by tomorrow to pick you up ok.”

I didn’t give her a chance to answer me as I walked quickly out of the room. She made some valid points, my mom wanted a grandchild but she wanted it the right way. I had to find a way to get her to stay and I was running out of time because I knew Jay and Simon would want to get her contract settled soon. I went right home and didn’t bother eating, I just laid there in bed thinking of ways to get her to stay.

NEXT CHAPTER

#Jay park #jay park scenario #jay park scenarios #jay park imagine #gray #gray scenario #gray scenarios #gray imagine #aomg #aomg scenario #aomg scenarios #fan fic #loves painful sting

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webcricket · 7 years

Text

The Lies We Tell Ourselves

Characters: CastielXReader ft. Sam Winchester

Word Count: 1503

A/N: Drabble request by @charlotteofcamelot – “Could I maybe request a super short drabble of Cas interacting – and I don’t mean sexually – with an overweight character that has body image issues, please?” Reader has serious self-doubts about their body. Enter Castiel stage left with the fluff. I have a theory that’s why he wears the trench coat all the time – extra pockets to carry more fluff. (P.S. You specified “super short” length, but my muse is not so great at following instructions. I had to give up editing it because more words kept getting added. Oops!)

This is pointless! I have nothing to wear! Your frustration grew more and more unbearable with each article of clothing hastily pulled from the closet and tugged over your round shoulders or yanked up too generous thighs and ultimately yielding the same unsatisfactory reflection in the mirror. Ten minutes. We’re leaving in ten minutes. You’d have settled for looking just okay at this point. You weren’t out to win any beauty pageants tonight. Far from it – only going out for cheap drinks and live music in a hole-in-the-wall bar with shitty lighting. But nothing fit right. Nothing made you feel good enough to go out with the Winchester brothers. Not with Dean and his gorgeous green eyes and charismatic personality and boy-next-door bod who managed to make flannel and layers simultaneously approachable and sexy. And certainly not with Sam and his devastating combination of a swoon-worthy sculpted muscular build and bottomless intellect for deep conversation – not to mention better hair than you on your best days. Ten minutes, ten hours, it doesn’t matter. I look terrible! Worked into a tizzy, you chucked your favorite oversized sweater at the mirror, knocking it from the dresser in a cacophony of shattered glass, and flopped defeated onto your bed. I’ll just stay in tonight. It’s not worth it.

“Y/N,” a sharp knock echoed on your door, Sam’s warm voice sounding from the other side, “you alright? I heard a noise.”

“Dropped something is all!” you half-shouted, scrambling to your feet. Making your way to the door, careful to avoid the glinting shards of reflective glass littering the floor, you quickly threw on a robe and cracked the door ever so slightly to assure Sam you were fine.

“You’re not coming out with us?” he inquired, astutely noting your casual state of undress.

“I’m actually not feeling well,” you lied, the well-worn excuse spilling from your pouting lips without a second thought, “you guys have a good time though.” Lying was easier than admitting the truth – you hated the way your clothes looked because no matter how flattering they might be to your figure, none of them could hide the fact that in your mind you were overweight. You knew every lump and bump and rolling imperfection hidden beneath the thin fabric, and nights like this the knowledge was so overwhelming it paralyzed your ability to participate in life.

“You gonna be okay?” he asked quietly, brow knitting in worry. “You need anything? I could stay back, order some pizza or something. That new series we wanted to watch is up on Netflix.”

Despite the genuine concern in his timbre, you were so far into the pit of self-disillusionment that you instantly rejected his offer of company, imagining he sounded wholly unconvinced of your feigned malady. He feels sorry for me, dammit. Sympathy offer to hang out, wonderful. “Nah, don’t let me hold you back. Got another bad headache. Already took Aspirin, just gonna sleep it off,” you winced and rubbed your temple for effect. You hated yourself even more for being dishonest with a friend.

“Feel better then,” Sam frowned, politely nodding goodnight, lanky legs swiftly carrying him down the hall to disappear around the corner.

And you did feel better – the receding thud of footsteps unburdening you of social commitment, freeing you to wallow in your insecurity without an audience for the night…or so you thought.

Comfy pajamas donned, freshly popped bowl of popcorn in hand, bunker to yourself, you made your way from the kitchen to your bedroom, ready to snuggle under the covers and get lost in a favorite movie – to be swept up in another universe, far away from the body image issues that plagued you. Rounding the hall corner, you stopped up short at the threshold of your door, unexpectedly catching sight of a familiar shock of tousled dark hair atop a tan trench coat.

Castiel stood in the middle of your room, blue eyes concentrating with indiscernible intent upon the various piles of discarded clothing scattered across the floor and dresser you had yet to remand to the closet. He held aloft a broken sliver of the mirror you must have overlooked when sweeping up, turning the shining piece over and over gingerly in his long fingers. The near inaudible shuffle of your socked feet drew his attention, striking blue eyes resolving their focus upon you as he spoke, “Y/N, Sam said you were unwell. I came to see if I could be of assistance.” Gesturing wide at the tornadic mess of clothing, head inclining askance, he questioned, “What happened in here? Are you okay?”

Your eyes stung with the pressing threat of tears. Telling a little white lie to Sam to persuade him to leave you alone was one thing – lying to the angel wasn’t an option. He would see through your deception, however innocent, immediately. And that would mean more questions. “I’m fine, it’s nothing. My usual clumsiness. You know me,” you tried to impart a chipper quality to your voice, avoiding directly meeting his inquiring gaze, brushing past him toward the safety of your bed.

He did know you, and he knew you were anything but clumsy. By virtue of the multitude of experiences weathered during his friendship with you and the Winchesters, he also knew humans could hurt in ways not obvious on the surface, and that they didn’t always know how to ask for help. Unconvinced by your explanation, insistent on providing whatever aid he was able, he gently caught your arm as you flew past, “Y/N, you know I’m always here if you need to talk.”

“I know,” you sniffled, trying to shake free of his light grasp. You couldn’t talk to him, not about this. The way you saw yourself, all your flaws bursting at the proverbial seams, wasn’t something he could fix with the tingling caress of his grace like some bloody wound or fractured bone. No, this literal weight, this encumbrance upon your very being, was something you condemned yourself to suffer alone. You wouldn’t understand. The thought screamed to be liberated as you fought to suppress it. How could you? Look at you, the very definition of angelic.

He released you, features fretfully falling as he observed you sink into the bed.

You felt his lingering gaze, endeavoring to ignore his continued presence as you fluffed the pillows behind your back and idly arranged the comforter over your legs.

He remained standing there in the middle of the chaos, awkwardly silent, expressly because you hadn’t outright refused his offer to talk. He would stand there patiently until the end of time if that’s how long it took you to either share what troubled you or ask him to leave.

“Cas?” you finally submitted to the quiet persistence of his demeanor, peering up to find his blue eyes fixed, gentle and undemanding, upon your countenance.

He listened, waiting for you to summon the fortitude to speak he knew you possessed.

“Do you ever hate yourself?” you unceremoniously spit out the crux of your problem, however ineloquent in its presentation. You searched his face for any judgement, discovering instead a sad shared empathy gloomily clouding the edges of his shining eyes.

Breaking off his steady gaze, he walked to the edge of your bed, motioning to the open space at your side, “May I?”

You nodded ascent, scooting over a bit further and smoothing the comforter so he could sit.

“Hate is a strong word,” he reclined against the headboard beside you, still not looking at you, admitting, “but I do frequently doubt my own worth.”

“You do?” you couldn’t mask your shock, “But why? You’re practically perfect – self-less, kind, intelligent, brave…handsome.” You blushed at acknowledging the last part aloud.

“That’s nice of you to say, but in truth I am broken, burdened by failure, perpetually disappointing those I love while trying to do the right thing, and trapped between Heaven and Earth and not truly belonging anywhere,” he disparaged, pausing before going on to glance over at you, bearing intensely earnest, “I could ask you the same thing, Y/N. What do you possibly have to hate about yourself? You’re the most beautiful soul I’ve had the privilege to know in the entire span of my existence.”

“I-I am?” you stammered, wetness blearing your vision and brimming over to streak your cheeks.

He wrapped an arm firmly around your shoulders, drawing you to his chest in a tender hug, confirming, “You are. And more important than you seem to know.”

You let yourself relax into his embrace – daring to believe, if only for a little while, that he might be right. Maybe you were too hard on yourself.

And Castiel likewise surrendered to the moment – for if this human, flawless in his summation, and whom he cared for so profoundly experienced the same crippling pain of self-doubt he did, then perhaps there existed some small hope he wasn’t as damaged and alone in this world as he led himself to believe.

#castielxreader #castiel x reader #castiel x you #castiel fluff #castiel x y/n #castiel reader insert #casxyou #castielxyou #castiel #spn fluff #spn reader insert #castiel oneshot #castiel drabble #castiel fanfic #castiel imagine #cricket writes cas

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galactic-atom · 7 years

Text

Dragon Blood

CHAPTER 2

the darkness finally began fading. The horrible burning had been numbed as well,concentrated now mostly in her back and palms. Her eyes began flickering beneath her eyelids. I’m still alive She slowly opened her eyes, feeling fragile and vulnerable than ever. Painfully dragging herself up and feeling her chainmail vest creating unbearable friction with the wound on her back. yet.. there’s no blood When her sight cleared up, she noticed the witch sitting not too far from her, watching. She grabbed her dagger as fast as she could, considering the torture that every move caused her. She Pointed the blade towards the witch, trying to look fierce as possible when she was half-laid on the rocky ground. why is she smiling.. “Relax child, if I had wished to kill you I wouldn’t have saved you from the hoard” She lowered her dagger, relieved..the short sword was heavy on her bruised palm. She took her gauntlet off, looking closer on her fresh scar. A burn mark, creating a circle with strange-looking runes in its center, which she didn’t recognize. The scar looked old but touching it felt like peeling off her own skin, and the pain was already horrible enough,even without poking in her wounds. She now turned to face the witch, eager for answers. “What did you do to me?” Her voice cold and harsh. “Merely what we agreed on” the witch stood up. “That is nothing like we agreed on!” The witch took a step towards her, glancing over her scars. “Nothing your sister’s magic fingers couldn’t fix” Flemeth offered her hand to help her stand up. She raised herself on her own. “now come, you’ve rest enough, we should be on our way” Hawk grinded her teeth,trying to get used to the pain, and unwillingly followed the Flemeth back to their temporary camp.

“I was beginning to worry” Bethany stood up when they approached. I wonder how long I had been unconscious “It’s fine, sis, we were discussing the best route to follow” Hawk grind her teeth. ignore the pain. “Are you sure you are alright..?” Bethany asked skepticly . “Well what route is it?” Aveline said abruptly,saving hawk from lying to her little sister once more. “Flemeth will take us to the closest port to kirkwell, then we’ll sail from there” “before i take you anywhere,however, there is one more matter to settle” Flemeth stated and turned to face the suffering Templar on the ground. “NO.leave him alone!“Aveline quickly stood in front of him,protecting her dying husband. “What has been done to him is already in his blood” Flemeth stated the obvious . Wesley’s veins were painted black, contaminated with the curse. his breath shallow, his body fighting the inevitable . “She’s right..I can feel it..the corruption…Aveline please end this, don’t let me become one of them..”Wesley pleaded. “you cant ask me this!i wont!” Aveline kneeled beside him. ”the corruption is a slow death..” wesley convinced her. “we’ll get you through this..please..”aveline turned to hawk “dont make me do this..” “This is your call, I won’t make you do anything” hawk provided her the only comfort possible in this situation . “Aveline…please..” Wesley put a knife in her hands and nodded.Hushed weeping came out of her as she took the knife and caressed her love’s face for the last time. “I love you Wesley..” And then the knife pierced through him. “Without an end… there is no peace”.

The journey passed quite fine, with occasional complaints from mother, and having Aveline staring at the distance most of it, the group finally reached Gwaren- a small port city. “Thank you,Flemeth. You saved our lives” “I was only fulfilling my part in our deal” Flemeth nodded ,accepting Marian’s kind words. Flemeth took a few steps back but then had an urge to continue the conversation. “How do you feel?” Marian thought for a moment, knew that she meant her scars. The pain did not fade, but she grew used to it. I might look ungrateful.. “I…am better” Flemeth looked unconvinced, but let it pass with a nod. “It does not get easier..” She turned to walk away. “Your struggles has just begun”. And with that, she transformed back to a vicious dragon,and took off towards the horizon . this woman sure likes to keep everyone around her guessing .. Hawk turned back to her family, Flemeth’s words echoing in her head.

Their next step was taking a ship to kirkwell. Luckily they did not wait for long, and got on one without spending many nights in Gwaren. The sail itself was a curse of its own-being huddled with many other refugees, sharing the little food they had between the four, and occasionally have it stolen by another hungry refugee, never having privacy, and not to mention the horrible heat during the days…the sail itself seemed endless, and hawk’s pain made it seem to her like the maker himself sent her to hell. Late at night, if there was no one awake, Bethany would use magic to heal her sister, little by little..and after the two weeks of the sail, Hawk felt brand new. Aveline eventually talked to the Hawk family once more..after dealing with her grief ..or perhaps repressing it. Since she had no family left, Aveline treated the Hawks as hers, and took a vow to herself to help them, what ever the cost. She liked the younger sister’s enthusiasm ,and positive thinking, but Marian was her favorite. Over the time on the ship, they got to know each other better,and deep in her heart Aveline admired Hawk for her dedication and strong will, but also feared her reckless soul,knowing that it will give her many troubles one day. Hawk herself cherished Aveline’s company, if only just for the fact that it gave her an excuse to stay away from the unending complaining that her mother kept shooting in the air, no matter if someone listened or not. It even pushed her little daughter Bethany away from her,although it was only for a few days until they reached the city. The first thing they saw when they came near it was the huge statues, the signature of kirkwell,the city of chains. Seeing the huge weeping slaves, although carved in stone ,made Marian cringe. But she tried to let that thought pass on, and focusing on their new beginning ,and their new life.

“they’re not letting anyone into the city” Aveline ran back to them as soon as possible. “What? It can’t be!” Leandra,being the always-right mother she is, denied. “It’s true,look” Marian pointed over the crowed gathering near the city gates. and the “we’ll starve!” Shouts heard from there made it clear that they were not happy. “They’re Ferelden,just like us..fleeing for their lives..” Bethany spoke with pity in her eyes. “And they would throw us all back to the wolves..unbelievable ..” Aveline said. “We’re getting into the city. One way or another.” Hawk stated and stepped forward. “We need to find Gamlen. Our family has always been highly regarded in kirkwell, he can help us, I’m sure of it” Leandra suggested . it’s worth a shot.. “I only hope he received your letter” “The guards seem to report to that man over there, perhaps we could speak to him” Aveline suggested. Hawk quickly moved and finally got back to the armored soldier who yelled back at the crowd. “Get back! Trying to bully your way through won’t get you to kirkwell any faster!” I guess he is not happy with his guarding duty “Is there someone in charge here I can talk to?” Hawk carefully chose her words. “You want to talk? Go see captain Yewld. I’m just here to keep you refugees from climbing up the walls.”

“let us through,you flaming blighter! We’re not staying in this pit!” An armored and armed man yelled on who seems to be Captain Yewld. The man was accompanied with five more men ,who were armed as well with daggers and swords ,and probably annoyed too. The guards were obviously doing their dictated duty-protecting who lives in the city, and helping as much as they can to the outsiders. Marian understood it well, yet hoped for a different fate for her beloved family . “Then get back on your ship and leave. Kirkwell has no more room for refugees!” The Captain shot back,clearly annoyed. “The ship’s already gone!! We paid good coin to get here!!” Another man from the group spoke, and a heated argument followed. “You and half of Ferelden! There’s nothing I can do!! THE CITY IS FULL!!” it’s now or never I guess… “You must be letting some people in..” Marian joined the conversation with a sly hint. “That’s right!we’ve seen you let lots of people through!” The group’s leader spoke and crossed his hands, demanding . “Citizens,and merchants that make it worth our while.” The captain spoke. bribe. The captain turned to Marian now “I assume that you don’t have more coin than these gentlemen?” He did not wait for an answer.“we’ve been letting you Fereldens for months now. you’re too late. there’s no more room.” “But we have a family here” Bethany pleaded “doesn’t that mean anything?” “I’ve heard claims like that for a thousand times already ,trust me” the Captain replied coldly,and turned to face the men as well “we’ll find ships and take you all back to ferelden-eventually. Until then you have to stay here”. “Our uncle is Gamlen Amell, he knows we’re coming .surely someone can find him.” Marian tried her luck. “Gamlen? I know that name..” “He’s a nobleman here in the city!” Bethany used the opportunity,“our family has an estate ” “A nobleman?the only Gamlen I know is a weasel who couldn’t rob two coppers together” and then he noticed Bethany’s pleading eyes and sighed. “If he comes back, I’ll bring you to him. But I don’t have time to-” “What?? You’re going to let them through?!” The men yelled in disbelief . “I didn’t say anything about-” “We’ve been here for four days! They just got here!” Captain Yewld open his mouth to speak but the men stopped him. “THAT’S IT!men, we’re carving our way in!” The men yelled and drew out his sword. Captain Yewld drew his as well, with a stressed look in his eyes. Backup was no where in sight. It was only him and a young looking soldier ,against the six armed bullies, who looked experienced in battle . this isn’t fair Marian took out her daggers and ordered her mother and sister to stay back. Aveline joined her with her sword and shield . A thug charge towards them and Marian smoothly evaded his slash. Adrenaline flowed in her veins and her heart raced. The thug charged again, and Marian used the clumsiness of his attack to avoid it and land a wounding stab between his ribs. The man fell with a groan and clenched his side . Aveline was in sight, fighting back to back with the guard captain. Another thug ran towards her, and Marian felt heat spreading inside of her. It was not the usual adrenal rush she experienced every fight. It resembled more the feeling she woke up with on ferelden ,after the shady deal she made with Flemeth. Yet, it did not hurt as it used to. She just fell…invincible . Her reflexes were fast as lightning , and none of the blows the thugs tried to land on her hit. She did manage to kick one of them in the knee, and heard a sickening snap ,followed by his cries of pain. She never had this feeling before. Yes,she was skilled with her knives, and her small and agile figure did help her avoiding getting hurt during battle, but it was only appropriate since she never wore heavy armor, or carried a shield with her. And now, with Flemeth’s blessing, she could beat almost anyone ,including the now-injured-or-dead group of thugs laying in the Gallows’ yard. The Captain rolled his eyes “unbelievable”. “Captain!!” A guardsman came running,a few minutes too late.“are you alright??” “I am,not thanks to you. Where is everyone? Go call them! I want this kept under control!” He wiped the blood on his face with his sleeve “You have my thanks” the Captain told Marian “look…I can’t get you into the city,it’s not my decision .but I’ll find your uncle and bring him here”

“it’s been three days..this waiting has to end” Aveline sighed. “I’m sure it won’t be longer..Gamlen must been still looking for us!” Leandra tried to defend her remaining family. “And if he’s not?“Aveline got annoyed. "someone’s coming” Marian ,who leaned on a wall in the shadows, said briefly. “Leandra! Damn girl, the years haven’t been kind to you” a grey haired man with a foxy face ,and that carries the stench of liquor on his breath, came towards them. “Gamlen!” Her Mother spread her arms and embraced her brother with a huge hug. His expression changed in an instant “let me say this upfront …I wasn’t expecting this…your husband’s death..the blight…I was sure you’ll be ferelden for life” Leandra opened her mouth to speak, or more precisely,to complain and weep, according to her expression. Gamlen noticed it too. “Maker’s breath…Leandra don’t drop this on me..not here…I’m not even sure I can get you in the city” “There must be a way to get in” Marian spoke from a distance,her head still low. “I was hoping to grease some palms. But the night commander is pressing , we’re going to need more grease.” “What about the estate ? Surely father left something after he died” Leandra said in disbelief . how typical.. “Yes..about the estate..it’s gone,to settle a debt..I was meaning to write you..” “Then there’s no hope…” Leandra caved in. “I know some people who can help..if you’re not too delicate about the people you keep company with” Gamlen told Marian. never bothered me before.. “What are the options?” “I talked to my contacts ,and there might be people who will pay your way into the city.the catch is you and your sister have to work off the debt.for a year…it’s the best I could do! A bunch of refugees won’t get any better option ” “So what’s a year?” Marian shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Mearan...hes a mercenary working for the red iron, he’s here in the gallows ,so you could talk to him personally” “Well,” Marian turned on her heels and raised her chin “let’s find him”

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