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questionableratatouille00 · 2 months

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𝓜𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓞𝓷 12

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader

Summary: Wanda and Y/n have decided to move in together, in Wanda’s house. Though Y/n is sad to say goodbye to her apartment, especially considering who used to live there with her, her friends help her say goodbye. Life goes on, even though bad things happen. And it’s true, bad things do happen. The most important thing is how you deal with them.

Warnings (Entire Series): This series deals with mature topics, including, but not limited to: death, mental health issues, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, grief, trauma, general unwellness, illness (both mental and physical), and a most likely inaccurate portrayal of group therapy (though it’s much better than whatever was going on in TFATWS.) Please mind the warnings below.

Warnings: fluff and the end. If you spot all the references to previous chapters I’ll kiss you on the mouth.

🌻Series Masterlist 🌻

𝐈 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐎𝐧

You walked down the aisle, your dress making you feel confident in every decision you’ve made thus far.

You felt beautiful as you glanced at the woman you love.

Looking at her made everything worth it. You continued to walk down the aisle as the music played.

The beautiful decorations still managing to catch your eye even though you’d obviously been there when they were picked out. Everything was perfect about this day, down to every second.

You were so excited to go home tonight with your favorite redheaded woman, who was wearing her own fancy dress. She looked beautiful and she smiled at you as you walked.

You hadn’t been to a wedding in a long time, especially one you were participating in.

You considered your role to be pretty damn important, considering where you were and what you were doing.

Even though your shoes were somewhat uncomfortable and didn’t fit exactly right, none of it mattered because you were happy.

As you reached the end of the aisle, you stood next to Bucky as he married the love of his life.

At the reception, you met up with Wanda again. She was wearing a beautiful dress, with a sunflower pendant necklace to match her sunflower earrings.

“They look so happy,” she smiles. “I’m glad.”

“Me too,” you smile warmly. “I’m glad we’re happy. All of us.”

She grinned, looking up at you. “We really are.”

“You look a lot better.” Sharon said as she took a sip of her vanilla latte.

“I feel a lot better.” You took a sip of your own drink. “Thanks. For everything. I don’t think I would’ve made it out if not for your texts every once in a while.”

She rested her hand on top of yours. “I’m glad I sent them. And I’m proud of you for signing up for therapy in the first place.”

“Thanks, Sharon. That means a lot to me. It does.” You smiled.

“I’m sorry. For ghosting you all. It was dumb of me, and I shouldn’t have just ran like that, and I’m sorry I hurt you, and—“ You were cut off by Melina wrapping you in a tight hug.

“We do not care, sweetheart.” She murmured affectionately in your ear. She then pulled away.

“We are just glad to have you back.” Alexei said, clapping his hand on your shoulder in an almost-painful way. You knew it was his way of being deeply emotional.

“I’m only kind of sorry for breaking in.” Yelena said after a moment. “But I am glad to see you again.” She hugged you.

“Yeah. It’s good to see you too.” You felt a sense of pure love fill you.

You’d developed a new routine with Wanda.

You get up. You get ready. You eat breakfast with Wanda. You go to work. You drive home. You make dinner with Wanda and eat together. You end the night by turning on the TV to watch your favorite shows together.

You didn’t need to divide your life into two parts anymore. The world felt whole, you felt whole. Things were okay.

Life was going good.

“Considering this is our last meeting,” Coulson began. “I’d like to talk about something special.”

“Oh, don’t do that, you’ll make me cry.” Clint laughed.

The whole group chuckled.

“Alright, alright.” Coulson grinned slightly. “In one of our earliest meetings, we played the secrets game. If you don’t remember, that’s when I had you all write down a vulnerable thought or secret down on a piece of paper and we read them aloud. I think now’s a good time to claim our papers.” He set out each piece of paper down on the small table in the center of the circle of chairs.

You found yours immediately and picked it up as the rest of the group picked up theirs.

“How about we go in a circle and read them aloud? To see how much we’ve changed as people.” Coulson guided.

When it was your turn, you read your statement out loud. “I wonder if they regret being with me,” you read from the paper. When Coulson asked how you thought you’d changed since writing the words, you smiled gently.

“I’m more sure of myself. And..I have faith in my relationships and connections now.” You explained. Everyone smiled at that.

Then it was Wanda’s turn.

“Everyone I care about gets hurt.” She reads.

You freeze. “That one—I read that one. That was yours?”

She nods, a sheepish grin on her face. “I know I’ve changed a lot since then. I’m not afraid of losing people I love. Well, I mean, of course I am, but I’m never terrified the world will just suddenly end. Not anymore.” She holds your hand as she says it.

You walk out of therapy with your hand tightly held in hers.

Maybe there had been a point to all of it. Just maybe.

“Anyone up to grab lunch?” Tony called out as he was hopping into his car, Bruce getting into the passenger side.

You chuckled and flashed him a thumbs up.

As you and Wanda hopped into the truck, you turned on the radio. As you pulled out of the therapy center, the soft song filled the car.

Then you're left in the dust Unless I stuck by ya You're the sunflower I think your love would be too much Or you'll be left in the dust Unless I stuck by ya You're the sunflower You're my sunflower.

A/n: hoping I got somebody in the beginning. I have been thinking about that part since ch. 4 lmao.

Anyways I’m gonna start rambling about this series because it means a lot to me. I started this series in the summer (I think??), and I was in a completely different mental state. I love this series and I hope the people who read it do too. I’m glad I got to finish it.

In conclusion, it’s okay to move on. It will take a long time, it won’t be easy, and it’ll be hard. Maybe the things you deal with don’t ever go away, but they can improve.

Love you all. 💕🌻

#moving on #wanda maximoff fic #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maxmoff x y/n #wanda maximoff #wanda x reader #wanda fanfic #wanda x y/n #wanda x you #wanda maximoff fanfiction #wanda maximoff x you

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cowboymantis · 2 months

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I am having so so so many feelings about Infinite Wealth and I've just been spamming my friend with essays about my overanalyzing brain that obsesses over every single detail in media I am obsessed with,, BUT THIS GAME IS JUST SO FULL OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR IT AAAAA!!!

I just wanna note some longer thoughts down, because I need somewhere to collect some of them,,,,

So yeah, uh, obviously:

LIKE A DRAGON INFINITE WEALTH SPOILERS

(any Yakuza game really, but this is the most recent one, so more likely that people haven't played that yet)

Number 1:

So first of all, Kiryu's parts are, because of the bucket list stuff, very focused on the past. He's trying to tie up loose ends, in his own way and how much he is actually able to do with the Daidoji restrictions.

So I think it was really fitting that he was the one fighting Ebina. In a way it felt like him fighting his past and trying to turn it around.

Now what do I mean by that? Let's start from an earlier point.

Basically, the game is a bit like a mirror to Kiwami in some ways.

Lani is like Haruka, hunted down by several groups of people and they even talk about this similarity being Kiryu's leading factor of motivation in helping her. I mean, there's also different mafias and a whole government conspiracy. But I mean, nothing new in a Yakuza game, but just one more thing added on top of it all.

Where it really starts to show and made me think "Ohhh...wait a second" is when Ebina held his speech about his past. Ebina and Ichiban, even though they didn't grow up together like them, are so similar to Kiryu and Nishiki. One being the Yakuza boss Arakawa's "favourite child", who also idolizes him, and the other one grows to hate him.

And I think this is also the moment where Kiryu realizes "Oh no...history is repeating itself again, isn't it..."

So at the end of the fight, when he actually breaks out in tears and begs for no one to die, it feels like all those deaths he couldn't prevent over all those years, good or bad people, just make him completely break down and he just wants this endless cycle to finally end.

Before the game came out, RGG and actors, in some occasions pointed out how this was a happier game. It makes you feel like looking up instead of being sad.

And while I was playing, I often just felt "Bruh, they lied to us. This game is so sad???", but after I then finished the game, I just sat there and felt such a big relief, the ending just was honestly perfect (well, I mean the cliff hanger was awful jddhd). But then later, it also made me think yeah, this is kind of like a positive version of Kiwami, isn't it? It just feels like it's in a way Kiryu's tying up loose ends with Kiwami's happenings. Fighting his past, finally getting over it in a way.

I thought more about this when I listened to Ebinas boss theme again, because one part has those bells(?) And they sound so much like in For Whose Sake. And then I thought back to the ending more and realized that the whole buildup of it was so much like Kiwami too!

In the finale, first you fight [Villain], who is also the main culprit behind a big government conspiracy. He has helpers with him, and attacks with a gun/guns.

At first you only fight the helpers, then him together with those helpers.

The music is intense and dreadful, everything feels really epic.

Then, after that fight, it goes to the REAL final boss fight. Inside a room, high up on the Millennium Tower, you fight him. Both Nishiki and Ebina are so similar already in their own ways. And the fight is more personal, with emotion behind it. Just that it ends with Nishiki killing himself, but Ebina, while he basically begs for Kiryu to kill him, survives.

The music during the fight has it's ups and downs (intensity-wise) and manages to feel both melancholic and relaxing, as much as they hype you up.

So yeah, it's all such a direct mirror up to the point how it ends. And Kiryu was trying his hardest to prevent things from happening again.

There are often similar themes and plots throughout Yakuza, makes sense, such a long running series, but I think in this particular case it's just so very fitting and it's just SO similar and fits the reflection and fix-it theme of Kiryu's part of the story so well. Especially with how Kiryu's tragic story all started with Yakuza 1 (going by release), still haunting him through every game with constant flashbacks, and now it ends with a story so similar.

Or well, let's hope so, I just want Kiryu to finally rest bruh 😭😭

Number 2:

"Rupture". The name of Hanawa's theme in Gaiden.

Just blatantly taking dictionary definitions here, but there are two ways the word "Rupture" works:

1) (especially of a pipe or container, or bodily part such as an organ or membrane) break or burst suddenly.

"If the main artery ruptures, he could die"

2) breach or disturb (a harmonious feeling or situation).

"Once trust and confidence have been ruptured, it can be difficult to regain"

Keeping that in mind, moving on.

Maybe listen to Hanawa's battle theme for this one, to really visualize it.

Now, whenever I put on the good ol' Gaiden All Boss Battle Themes video, whenever Hanawa's theme came on, I thought wow, this song is really completely different, huh.

But the nature of the song felt quite fitting for a character like Hanawa.

It starts of dark, mysterious, there's a sadness to it. Just like Kiryu now, he has been a man who once "died" and has since then been forced to live in the shadows, his every move being controlled by others. He's like a bird trapped inside a cage.

Then, the song picks up, becomes more intense.

Hanawa's internal struggle and his fight with Kiryu.

When you fight him, the whole scene around it honestly, is like the bird trying to escape this cage. And while nothing that happened was really "real", as in, no fatalaties would've happened because it was all a test, it did feel real for Hanawa and Kiryu. Now looking at the second definition for rupture, it's just like here, on a way more emotional level. And all so sudden. And this is the beginning of him being more and more risky when it comes to the Daidoji, and he keeps on helping Kiryu more than he should, its like his rebellion.

In Infinite Wealth, during the raid on the safe house, it was also all so sudden. It all happened so fast.

The music is picking up. It's nearing the end of the song, and everything becomes so loud and overwhelming - Hanawa suddenly gets shot and dies - then immediately after the wild and short final buildup, silence again. It's a slow, quiet somber tune, like at the beginning of the song, but now fading out... And Hanawa is declared dead.

The sudden rupture lead to immediate casualty, physical this time.

I'm sorry, I DON'T KNOW WHY I MAKE MYSELF SO MUCH SADDER OVER THIS SCENE. But come on, it's just... so perfect, right? 😭😭😭😭

I miss Hanawa so much man. I was really pissed that this is the way they let him go, but just now, after listening to his theme again for the first time since I even started Infinite Wealth, it felt like it just all made sense now. It just clicked. His theme is like a visualisation of his whole story throughout the games.

And it's honestly, sadly perfect. The composers for the Yakuza games are honestly such geniuses. Bringing out some of the best songs ever constantly and making them just feel so fitting for everything.

But yeah. Regardless of if this was meant to be interpreted similiary or not, it just kind of adds to it all for me personally. Especially since you could now maybe see his theme in Gaiden as a bit of secret foreshadowing?

I'd like to see it that way. And maybe, seeing a bit more importance in it all is what helps me to cope with his godawful death scene, RGG what were you thinking man 🥲🥲🥲

Number 3:

Eiji.

Oh boy. Uh, I don't really know yet what the general opinion on this pathetic wet cat (affectionate) is, but I really loved this character. In both a "you're such a damn loser" and "my poor little meow meow :(" way :'D

But most importantly, what I wanna focus on to follow the (over)analyzing theme: Eiji is like a mirror of Masato.

Now, Kiryu has his Kiwami mirror in his finale and Ichiban also has one. But I think this one is way more obvious and also very ironic.

Eiji starts off with trying to earn Ichibans trust and well- it immediately works, of course, it's Ichiban! But the tactic he uses for it, faking being disabled and needing a wheelchair. It was the perfect way to make Ichiban pay attention to him first, because it would remind him of Masato. I think Ichiban immediately just started to get attached to Eiji, and now I'm thinking that Eiji was probably a bit conflicted before he turned his back on him. But his deep rooted hatred was too strong for one nice interaction with a Yakuza, something he demonized, to stop him.

I think it was kind of funny how he was basically like "You're so evil, you Yakuza will NEVER be good people!!! See how good I am while I throw down this child tied to a wheelchair, down those stairs while holding a bomb!!! That'll sure show you evil Yakuza!!!"

Ah. He's so stupid 😭

And yet, whatever happened, Ichiban just constantly called him "Ei-chan", like he's still his bestie and everything is fine. Constantly protesting against it, Eiji probably felt more and more conflicted, because Ichiban is just such a big (and naive) sweetheart. (((Side note: What's not to love about him fr 😭😭)))

So by the finale, and after Eiji had time to say how much he HATED the Yakuza and also, y'know. The whole Bleach Japan thing. Kinda like someone else, hm? Someone else Ichiban constantly insisted on treating like a friend.

But Ichiban convinced him to just turn himself him, turn his life around. Just like he eventually managed to convinced Masato through blood and tears.

And the ending scene is literally an exact mirror to Yakuza 7. Ichiban carrying someone away...

Just in Yakuza 7, it is Masato, dying in his arms, and in Infinite Wealth, it is Eiji, and he's trying his hardest so he will get out of this completely unharmed, throwing himself in front of every danger facing them, getting beat up until he passes out by the end.

You could say this too, is like a good version of another game's ending, with a character mirroring a brother-like person to the main character.

Quite ironic how Eiji started off "imitating" Masato, only to end up like him. Just that one died and one lived.

And just like Kiryu did with Ebina, Ichiban tried his hardest to stop history from repeating itself. Stop more people dying again and again.

The logo having an Infinity symbol seems oddly fitting now, you could say each circle of the symbol is Kiryu and Ichiban, and their stories are intervined in certain ways. Just that their stopped the "infinite" circle from repeating once again.

Or...something like that. I'm trying to sound smart at 5 am, I need sleep I think 😭

#yakuza #like a dragon #ryu ga gotoku #lad #infinite wealth #like a dragon infinite wealth #lad infinite wealth #IM OVERANALYZING AND RAMBLING GAHHHH IM EMOTIONAL OVER THIS GAME

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and-claudia · 4 months

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His Heir pt. 40 (Darth Maul x pregnant! reader)

Hey guys... I am back. We're just not gonna talk about how my semester went there towards the end... Anyways, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!! Here is your present!!! The next part of His Heir!!

Wordcount: 2300+

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gif not mine

“Oh. I knew I forgot to tell you something about the plans for today.” Dasar said, upon seeing my shocked face.

“What is he doing here?” I asked, voice shaking. I wasn’t sure if I was nervous or heartbroken to see him.

“He’s here for you.” Was all he said.

The boat was docked and Totin got off first. Maul stepped closer as I approached the side. He offered me his hand without a word and I took it. Dasar stood behind me as Maul helped me step over the small gap between the dock and the boat. It felt like the silence that surrounded our small group was going to kill me.

“Well, Totin and I have a few things we need to check on.” Dasar said, breaking the silence.

I looked at him with panic in my eyes. He took a dramatic deep breath to show me to breathe. I took a deep breath and nodded.

“Have a good evening.” I said to them.

“You as well,” Totin said before addressing Maul, “We’re glad you made it, Lord Maul.”

Maul gave them a nod and we stood quietly watching them walk down the dock. Once they were gone Maul turned to me.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine.” I said quietly, I wasn’t snappy or short, it just felt like I had forgotten how to talk to him.

“Words cannot begin to express how sorry I am, I fucked up.” He said looking at me with sadness in his eyes.

“Yeah, you did, big time.” I couldn’t just forgive him, not this easily, “I can’t forgive you, not right now. I’ll be honest I could care less if you came to the wedding, what hurt the most was that you weren’t there for me and him when you promised you would be.” I said, placing a hand on my stomach as if to protect the baby from him.

“I know, I cannot forgive myself for that either… I know I’ll have to earn back your trust. I know it won’t do much in terms of regaining your trust, but I am hoping it will at least score me a few points… I had a picnic on the beach prepared for us.”

“You’re lucky that I am practically always hungry.” I said, cracking a small smile.

He smiled as well and offered me his arm, “We’ll let’s not keep you waiting then.”

I took his arm and allowed him to lead me down the dock. True to his word, a picnic blanket had been set up for us with an array of food. Maul helped me take off my shoes before he did the same. Then he carefully helped me sit down on the blanket.

“How did you have time to get all of this planned?” I asked, looking at how beautifully everything was set up, even down to the vase to put the bouquet of flowers into.

“Totin played a big role in it. He helped me get the kitchens to prepare the food, and then he obviously arranged for the servants to bring everything down to the cove and set it all up.”

I nodded along as he spoke. Even though he had help, it was still such a sweet gesture, especially when it came to the consideration of what food had been prepared. As I gazed over it all, it was all of my favorites and not a single piece of food that I had any sort of aversion to.

“Would you like something to drink?” Maul asked, reaching into the basket beside him and pulling out an odd-shaped decanter filled with a sparkly, deep green liquid.

“Is that Emerald wine?” I asked in shock.

Emerald wine was extremely expensive because the fruit used to make was only found in a few places. I had never actually had any before, but I recall it being had at certain events on Mandalore.

Maul nodded, “It is. This particular one is non-alcoholic. It’s completely safe for you to drink.”

“Well, in that case, I would love some.”

The decanter made a pop when he opened it making me jump slightly.

“Sorry.” Maul said, handing me my drink.

“It’s okay, I think me jumping scared him more, honestly.” I laughed as I took the glass from him.

I swirled the liquid around in the glass, watching the green glitter swirl around creating a mesmerizing pattern. Once Maul had poured his own glass he held it out to me and cheered my glass before we both took a drink.

“Oh, that is good.” I said.

“Have you never had Emerald wine before?” He asked.

I shook my head.

“Well, once he’s here, I’ll be sure to get us the best bottle of the real thing for you to try.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” I said before taking another sip, “Now, what all do we have?”

We ate and made easy conversation, it was nice. I was almost able to forget about all the turmoil he had caused a couple of days prior. Almost. But not quite. Maul must have noticed this.

“Please don’t think I am trying to distract you from what I did to you.” He said.

“I know you're not… it's just… it’s hard for me when someone I trust to be there for me lets me down. I was so used to being on my own as a child and having no real form of support from anyone that as an adult it takes me a long time to let people in and when I do, it means I truly trust them, and to be let down by someone that I have let in… it hurts, to put it plainly… I really don’t know how to describe what it feels like.” I said as tears began to form on my lower lash line.

Maul dropped his head slightly, “I’m sorry, my dear.”

“I know… I know…”

Maul reached over hesitantly and when he saw I wasn’t going to retreat away from him, he grabbed my hand. We weren’t looking at one another, instead we were both fixed on the horizon. The two moons had risen and were casting a beautiful glow out across the water.

I wasn’t sure how long we sat in silence but eventually, it began to feel like my eyes were barely staying open.

“We should probably get going. Tomorrow is the start of all the fun festivities, it best to get a good night's sleep tonight.” I said.

Maul agreed and stood before turning around and helping me stand up as well.

“Do we need to bring this all back with us?” I asked referring to the platers, blanket, and basket that had been used.

“No, Totin said that the servant droids will come to take care of it.”

I nodded before we began making our way back up the beach. It was quite a long trek back to the palace and by the time we got there, I was completely exhausted. Maul escorted me to the room I had been staying in but stopped once we got to the door.

“What are you doing?” I asked, clearly confused.

“I wasn’t sure how you were going to respond to me showing up like I did. So, a separate room was prepared for me.” He explained.

“Oh… well, can you have your stuff brought here? It’s a large room… and I would prefer to have you here… with me.” My voice was quiet as I made the request, I was still hurt, but that didn’t mean our whole relationship had to stop.

“Of course I can.” He said with the faintest of smiles graced his face.

He followed me in and took in the room. I dropped my shoes by the door since they were covered in sand and Maul slid his off next to mine. Despite how tired I was, I also felt quite gross. Between the salty air and the sand, I felt grimy and really wanted to wash up before climbing into bed.

“I am going to take a shower… care to join?” I asked, already heading to the bathroom.

“Of course.” Maul said, following not too far behind me.

The shower was nice. I was able to get all the grittiness off of my body, and Maul had even begun to give me a light shoulder massage.

“This feels great, Maul, but I need to get out and get off my feet. It feels like they are going to fall off.” I said, leaning back into him carefully so neither of us would lose our footing and slip.

He pressed a kiss to my shoulder after dropping his hands from them, “I can continue on the bed if you want me to.” He offered quietly.

I nodded as I reached over to shut the water off. Then I carefully stepped out and grabbed my towel. Once I was dried off I grabbed the silk robe that was on the hook and put it on. I used the large vanity mirror to make sure it was adjusted correctly over my belly before tying it shut.

“I’m going to go sit for a bit before getting ready for bed.” I said to Maul, looking at him through the mirror. He nodded as he adjusted his towel around his lower hips.

“I’ll be out shortly.” He said.

I nodded and made my way over to the bed. I could the baby moving a lot which was odd considering how late it was. Of course, his sense of time was thrown slightly by travel and being on a new planet with a different rotation time than back home, but I didn’t think it would cause him to be this off. By this time of night, he has usually settled down. I sat down with a sigh, glad to be off my feet. Then I laid back and put my hands on top of my belly.

“Ik'aad, why are you so active, hm? Do you have any idea how late it is?”

He seemed to move even more in response to my voice, which I took as him telling me no, he didn’t know how late it was.

“Well, it’s past midnight. You should be settled down for the evening.”

I got a kick in response.

“It doesn’t matter that we are on a small vacation, your buir would like to get some rest without you moving around like that in there.”

“Are you getting onto the baby for being too active?” Maul asked, leaning against the open doorway to the bathroom.

“Yes, I am. Come here. Feel how active he is!” I said, tilting my head to the side to look at him from the side of my belly.

Maul pushed himself off the doorframe and walked over. I was still lying down on the bed with my legs hanging off from where I sat down originally. Once he was close enough I straightened back up from where I had leaned to the side to watch him walk over. Maul stood between my legs and put his hands on my stomach.

“Wow…” He said after a moment, “What’s got him so riled up?” Maul asked with a small laugh.

“I don’t know… I hope it’s not like fetal stress or anything… I know that can cause a sudden increase in movements…”

“It’s not that, dear. If something was wrong the medical droids would have told you and wouldn’t have cleared you to go on the trip.” Maul said and I nodded, knowing he was probably right, “Maybe he can just tell that you’re happier than you were a day ago…” Maul suggested.

“Perhaps. Or maybe he just knows you’re back and he’s excited to have both his parents back together.”

“That would make two of us.” Maul said.

I shook my head, “Three.” I corrected him, causing him to smile softly.

“Would you like me to continue your massage?” He asked.

“Raincheck? We have a lot to do tomorrow and the following days. I know I’ll need one in the coming days.” I said.

Maul nodded, “Of course, dear. Anything you need in the next few days, please don’t hesitate to speak up. I know you’re going to be super involved with everything, so anything I can do to make your life easier, let me know.”

“Okay, well you can start by helping me up and changing to go to sleep.” I said, holding my hand up to him.

He carefully helped me sit up before walking over to the wardrobe that my clothes had been put into. He found one of his tunics that I had brought to sleep in as well as a pair of sweatpants that the servant droids had unpacked from his stuff while we showered. He brought them over to where I was still sitting. Once I was standing, he undid my robe and gently pulled it off my arms before tossing it on the bed. Then he slipped the tunic over my head and pulled it down over my belly, running his hands over it to smooth out the fabric. He quickly changed into his sweatpants before collecting his towel and my robe, but before he walked them back to the bathroom, he pressed a kiss to my forehead with the promise that he would be right back.

While he was gone, I climbed into bed and got situated under the plush comforter. When he returned he shut off the lights and pulled the curtains closed that would shine too much sunlight into the room come morning. Then, he climbed in beside me. I turned to face him. There were a few beats of silence as I just took in his features, softly lit up by the full moons.

“Thank you, for coming.” I whispered.

“Of course, dear. I promise to never abandon you ever again, okay?” He said, finding my hand under the covers and giving it a squeeze.

I nodded, “Please don’t.” I whispered as I scooted closer to snuggle up against him.

He held me close as we both fell asleep fairly quickly knowing we had a big day ahead of us.

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@lunanightguard @moonsua1

@mimisalad @satanlovedays

@yondus-girl @andrakass2 @bubusi11 @medicmiles18

@narcolepticduck @angelinerose @little-red-bone

#star wars #darth maul smut #darth maul fic #darth maul fanfic #darth maul x fem reader #darth maul x reader #darth maul x pregnant reader

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 7 months

Note

WIBTA if I asked my friend to stop joke-insulting me?

I (20X) am a part of a few friend groups, the newest one being a trio of me, Jamie (20M) and Tessa (21F) (not real names for privacy reasons).

I only met them about a year ago more or less through college but we got along fairly quickly. I'm usually more quiet and reserved with new people so for the first few months of me knowing them I was just this kind, polite and quiet kid who barely talked to them (maybe like once a week and even that was about classes since Jamie and I are the same major so we ended up with a lot of shared classes). I'd make sure to always be the ideal friend and be pleasant to make them happy.

But the thing is I am very different when I feel comfortable with people. And over time I got more and more comfortable and felt like I belong with my college friends (I even asked to change my schedule to take almost all of my classes with Jamie). So one day me and Jamie were going to my dorm when I realized my keys are not on my person and I have no idea where they were. Naturally, I panicked and me and him went looking through all of the places I've been to try to find the keys. After about half an hour of running around college he went to grab his phone from his jacket and lo and behold, my keys were there (apparently I asked him to keep them for me while I went to the bathroom). I was so relieved but I don't know what came over me so I just punched him and called him a whore and he looked really shocked for a second but then he just laughed and said I'm a dickhead. And since then it's been pretty much a joking insult war between the two of us, when once we used to call each other smart or cool now it's just saying mean stuff (while not meaning it obviously)

And as much as I have fun joking around with him sometimes I get sad about it because I worry he actually thinks those things (even though he clarified most of the things he says about me are not ment to be taken seriously) and he does still say nice things about me sometimes and we still have serious conversations and take each other seriously but I miss when it was just that because I have plenty of jokes with my non college friends and I was so happy to get new ones because I missed having people to actually talk about stuff with and not just say nonsense all the time.

So I thought about asking him to lay off the insults a little even though I'm the one who basically started it and I still do it a lot myself but every time I just end up feeling bad and wishing I'd just been serious for once. But I feel like an ass because again, I started it and it's unfair to let myself laugh at him and then get upset when he does the same to me. But again I don't really want to laugh at him it just comes out naturally because when I'm comfortable with someone it just happens.

Tessa keeps saying we fight non stop and I know she knows and we all know it's not serious but I just hate that idea even as a joke, fighting. I don't wanna fight I just want a comfortable space to be myself and have people like me and have fun with them.

So would I be the asshole if I told Jamie I don't really like the play fighting anymore even though it all started with me?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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oddlittlestories · 2 months

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Requisite Kung Fu Panda Post

Yes, I am going to see Kung Fu Panda this weekend, and I've decided to rewatch the series to prepare. Since this is the "digging deep in analyzing movies" site I'm going to talk way too much about it.

Specifically, I'm going to focus on the truly exceptional storytelling of Kung Fu Panda 1, how each subsequent movie feels like yet another installment of Po's story, and how while the first movie is the best, part of the power of the first movie is the ways in which the subsequent movies lift it up.

I like this series way too much y'all. I have not only seen each movie many times, I have also seen all of the bonus content movie shorts set in the same universe multiple times (the one that covers the backstories of the Furious Five is particularly good imo).

Spoilers ahead. Analysis below the cut.

Okay, first off, I forgot how emotional the first movie is.

There are so many tiny gut punches, but there are also so many funny and 'emotionally high' moments. I think what it comes down to is the first movie knows how to make relatable stakes that hold gravitas.

Here's what I mean by that. We start out with a dream sequence, right? and it's really cool. And then Po wakes up, and tries really hard not to disappoint his dad even though he obviously doesn't quite fit the life he lives (evidenced by his ongoing desire for something else, the way he feels like he's limiting himself to 'realistic expectations,' and how he doesn't quite fit between the tables and struggles to serve the customers).

So instantaneously, and I think this is like in the first ten minutes, we get the following stakes:

not disappoint his dad

enjoy what he loves whenever possible

It's a small life, but man. First of all, I find his problems extremely relatable (trying to keep his dreams 'realistic;' trying to make his dad proud and happy). But they're also resonant, because we get what they mean to Po.

So when we hit the first real goal—watch the Furious Five compete to find the Dragon Warrior—we know just how much it means to Po.

And the obstacles that get placed on him (the noodle cart) are both funny and thematically relevant. He is literally tied down by his noodle life, and his dedication to his dad. He cannot make it to Kung Fu unless he is willing to let go of the noodle cart. To admit to his father what he really loves and wants out of life.

And BAM, it is actually the minute that he admits to his dad (after a poignant and sad-but-funny near-miss) "I love Kung Fu!" that he finally is able to access the Jade Courtyard. (This is also an important moment because, well, him admitting what he wants to his dad. It's important. He's honest, and we get to see his dad's reaction—sympathy and kindness. His dad still only knows noodles. That's all he can offer Po. But he loves Po no matter what.) Also Po whamming into a wall and then fireworking over the wall is really funny. His poor dad, the way he just DOES NOT know what to do.

And poor Po, he does not get to see ANY of the kung fu. First task, 100% failed. Plus, he earns the ire of his heroes and general humiliation. This is one of the few moments where a character gets humiliated that I completely love. Secondhand embarrassment is like poison to me, and I often feel bad about humiliation. But Po's humiliation is funny and then, to me, warm.

I think it's because of the narrative framing. We know, because he is the main character, that Po is the Dragon Warrior. The Furious Five and Shifu are known as good and righteous people, and the way in which they defend each other from this stranger—they are deeply unkind to him but also kind to each other. I can sympathize with why they want Po gone. And then we have Oogway, who seems to hold wisdom and knowledge beyond what he says.

(And an aside about Oogway. The second and third movies give this even more oomph, because there's this person, right, who falls in front of his eyes. But he's also from a group of people thought to be all gone, who are known masters of chi. The weight of destiny in that!! And it makes sense for Oogway to say nothing, right? Because they'll internalize it only if they get to learn from themselves, and you can't argue with someone who won't argue with you.)

So, then, Shifu and the Furious Five conspire to get Po to quit. This is Po's next obstacle. (And, look, the way all the characters but especially Shifu and Tigress get arcs that parallel Po's never fails to impress me.)

And instead of a pure win / lose condition, we get to know that Po is highly tenacious (implied by him trying to get the noodle cart up the stairs), and that he carries a lot of shame.

But when we really get to know about his shame, when he tells Shifu, if anyone could make me not me, it would be you. Man, that's heartbreaking. And it made sense why he stayed before this—but it adds gutwrenching layers of depth to it.

Also Tigress's story breaks my heart every time. "More than he loved anyone before… or since." The way her voice breaks. Her little baby face. And although it's heavily implied in the movie that she too needed Shifu on a deeper level than just teacher, the backstory minisode adds SO MUCH depth. Because she's a little girl whose strength makes her difficult to handle and who, after abandonment, has rage which makes her terrifying. And Shifu shows up, and brings her to a place where those can be assets, not weaknesses. He adopts her, just like he adopted Tai Lung.

But he still doesn't give her all the love she needs.

I think she's my favorite character. And I like that Shifu, though a fair and caring mentor, is also not perfect by any means.

So Shifu confronts Oogway about Po, and gets a lesson in control. Shifu is so interesting here because, one, he's not controlling himself nearly as tightly as he does with the five. He is audibly frustrated and angry. He's making himself vulnerable with his master. And though he is careful not to disrespect him, he does argue with him. The way he argues that he can control when the peaches fall, and then one hits him on the head—hilarious.

And this whole scene makes Oogway's death emotionally impactful, because it's so clear that Shifu still has a lot to learn and still feels like he needs his master.

And just to wrap it all around full circle. "There IS no secret ingredient." Po's experience of social affirmation and self-love and feeling he is enough is what brings out his full potential and allows him to fulfill his destiny. And Tai Lung's tragedy is, that despite being loved, his ego tells him that only external things can ever bring power. The fact that he cannot see what Po can—that there is no secret ingredient—is his downfall in life. Which makes him a perfect foil for Po AND a perfect narrative vehicle in a story that is all about love, acceptance, celebrating our differences, and community. And none of these things would ring true if there wasn't a lack of acceptance to overcome at the start.

#kung fu panda #tai lung #kfp #kung fu panda po #kung fu panda meta #kfp meta #kung fu panda shifu #master shifu #kfp shifu #kfp tigress #master tigress #master oogway

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nushy · 1 year

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i won't be a second choice. pt.2

pairing: rockstar!Eddie x fem!reader

warnings: angst, cursing, mentions of alcohol and drugs, cheating, pregnancy , giving birth, death.

A/N: I really had no idea where to go with this, but... we are here. I've aged up the characters obviously - so they are between 25-27 years old. i'm sorry, okay

pt. 2 of this

...

"You should tell him, you know." Robin was behind the counter at Family video, chewing gum and watching you with sympathy.

"And where will this get us? I can't trust him anymore... the past 6 months I've been thinking about what to do. And I am... nowhere." you took a deep breath. It was hard, you were 8 months pregnant already, living with your mother and with no idea what to do with your life. Everyone of your friend group knew what happened - Robin, Steve, Dustin, and everyone were on your side, yet still you felt so alone. Deep inside you missed Eddie, you wanted to tell him, to fix everything and still... in the rare times you saw him around Hawkins (when he wasn't out of town for his shows), you made sure to hide so he wouldn't see you. Your heart wanted him, but your brain was telling you that this will only cause you pain.

"But he has the right to know... like... he is going to be a father after all. Plus, he is famous, he could help you with some money." Robin smiled, as if this was a joke. You looked her with a shock in your eyes.

"Great idea, Robin... and he'd think that I only want his money and I am lying to him." you rubbed your belly and looked down. "No, we are perfectly fine alone. Maybe what happened, when we broke up, was for the better - it's better if he doesn't know, we will be good on our own." Robin sighed and gave up.

...

All of this felt like ages ago, while you were lying in the hospital bed, pain crushing you, the nurse next to you chanting like a mantra "breathe." and you trying to stay sane.

It was 2 in the morning when you called Steve, as he was the only one with a car, to ask him to get you to the hospital as the baby was coming. Now he was holding your hand, but with a fogged mind you wished it was Eddie next to you, whispering calming words. You had no idea how much time has passed when you heard the doctor say "it's a girl." and a sweet cry in the corner of the room. You were exhausted and maybe some of the painkillers were kicking in, because you turned to Steve and said "we did it, Eddie." He moved a strand of hair from your forehead and just nodded. You didn't remember this or anything after that for that matter. But you were happy.

...

"You're a bit early, Robin." you were saying, as you opened the door. Then you froze, because it wasn't Robin in front of you - it was Eddie. He was looking at the little bundle in your hands, eyes not blinking.

"So it's true." you swallowed loudly - there was no room for lying, from day one it was obvious that she was Eddie's daughter - her big brown eyes and dark curly hair were evident for that.

"Yes." you answered shortly.

"Fuck." he said at first, dragging one hand through his hair. For just a few seconds there was silence. Part of you missed him so much, that you just wanted to hug him and beg him to be together again, to make him promise that this won't happen again, that you'd be one happy family. But your pride... your pride could not let you do this. He spoke again: "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because we are better alone. I was going to tell you the night we broke up. You can blame yourself for not knowing." you told him without any emotion in your voice. It was like a different person speaking now.

"Can I, at least, come inside, so we can talk?" Eddie was desperate. He looked so broken and sad - he knew what he did was wrong and you telling him only solidified it.

"No, Eddie, I want you to go. I don't know who told you about this, and I don't care, just pretend that it didn't happen." you were ready to close the door when he started talking again.

"Please, don't do this to me... you're the only one for me... I will leave everything behind, I don't care about my career, I don't want it if I don't have you, and now... our child." the words made your heart hurt. Was he really willing to leave his dream because of you?

"Eddie... I don't want you to do this for me... It's what you've always wanted, I would hate myself if I let you fuck it up." you felt yourself growing weak, so you added "Like you fucked up our relationship." it pained you to see him like this, so you took a deep breath and spoke again. "Look, I will let you see her, but I don't want you in my life anymore, not as a lover, not as a friend. Just as someone I knew."

"Please..." he said it so quietly, like a whisper.

"You did this yourself, Eddie. We'll stay in touch, now, please, go." and you closed the door. Like in a dream, you went to the baby's bed only to put her down and then you fell to the floor and started crying like you've never cried before. Until you felt your eyes couldn't take it anymore and your heart was dry as a desert.

...

There was only one other time that you cried like that - the day that Steve came to your house, exactly one week after you told Eddie to leave. You remember everything vaguely - Steve at your door, pale as a sheet, you were smiling at first, but when you saw him your smile faded. You inviting him in, he telling you to sit down and him, sitting next to you on the couch. You don't remember his words exactly, only the aftermath - you hysterically crying, not being able to find a place to stand, he trying to hug you, to ease your pain. Only three words ringing in your head - "Eddie, overdose, dead" . You cried for hours in Steve's arms, not speaking, only thinking one thing:

"You did this yourself." but this time the words were not for Eddie, you were telling this to yourself. "You did this yourself."

tagging: @haylaansmi, @poisonedluv, @corrodedcoffincumslut, @tlclick73, @sunnytkm23, @1paire2vans, @tiannamortis, @stylesxmunson, @bibieddiesgf

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x you #eddie x reader

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vbecker10 · 1 year

Text

Loki's Little Secret (Part 3 of 3)

Part 1 here / Part 2 here

Pairing: Loki x female reader

Warnings: fluff time (as promised)

Summary: You and Loki have been dating for three months and you've kept your relationship a secret from everyone... until now

Based on this Ask:

Dividers by @harlequin-hangout

(LOKI POV)

"Can we speak inside, please?" you ask hopefully and she nods in agreement.

She takes a step back and let's you go into the apartment first. You walk nervously to the couch and take a seat on one end. You look down at your hands and try to take a deep breath when Y/N chooses to sit at the opposite end of the couch. You can't blame her for being so distant after everything that happened but you wish she was closer.

"Loki," she says softly, putting her hand over yours gently. You hadn't realized you had begun rubbing your hands together again until she prevents you from doing it.

You look up at her and she says, "Please talk to me. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you before but I want to understand what happened."

You take another deep breath and begin to tell her what you should have told her when you first began dating. "I wanted to keep our relationship a secret in the hopes that anyone who meant to harm me would never think to come for you," you say.

Her hand squeezes yours lightly and you can't help but shift to sit closer to her. She moves a bit as well, closing the gap between you both. Every small action gives you hope that your relationship isn't completely lost.

You continue to explain, "As you know, the Avengers have an ever growing list of enemies both from Midgard and other worlds. Hydra and Midgardian criminals, Thanos and his army, dark elves from forgotten realms, anyone who has ever met Tony Stark."

She giggles lightly at your last example and although you are half joking you have to admit a disturbing number of people you have fought felt they had been wronged by Stark in some way. Her smile fades quickly as her eyes met yours, you can see worry replacing the brief moment of laughter. You continue to hold her hand tightly but move your other hand to brush a few loose strands of hair from her face. Your fingers brush against her ear softly as you tuck the hair away then you trail your fingers down her cheek. You let your hand fall slowly from her cheek, your eyes dropping to the hand that she is still holding.

"We are constantly being attacked and threatened as a group and as individuals for trying to protect this realm and I- I have more enemies then most," you tell her. "Fury and the Captain have made it clear to me that there are still many who see me as the villain who attacked this city. I will most likely never be able to change the opinions of those who lost loved ones during the Battle of New York, no matter how long I work with the Avengers. I am also painfully aware that there are several agents in SHIELD who feel as if I do not belong here. They do not trust me and would rather I had returned to Asgard. I imagine the only reason they do not express their disapproval of me more obviously is because of my brother and how much they value having him on the team." You hang your head knowing if it wasn't for Thor, you would never have been allowed to remain here. You would have been sent back to Asgard and the cell that awaited you there.

"I had no idea you were so worried about this Loki," she says quietly, letting go of your hand slowly as your heart sinks in response. "Why didn't you just talk to me?" She looks at you with a mixture of hurt and sadness.

"Honestly..." you start slowly and she nods. "I was afraid that if I told you the truth, you would leave me. I know that was selfish but I just thought... I thought I had it handled. I didn't realize how much pain I was causing you by pushing you to keep everything a secret. You deserved the chance to make your own decision about our relationship... if it was worth staying with me despite the potential dangers," you say as you lower your head in your hands.

"Gods, everything would have been so much simpler if we were on Asgard," you say quietly to yourself.

She touches your knee lightly, causing you to look up and responds by saying, "I would have still chosen to be with you Loki."

"You- you would have?" you ask, almost in disbelief and she nods with a small smile.

"Of course," she says and you feel like a fool for ever doubting her, for creating all of these issues out of your own fears. She reaches for your hand and you call feel her fingers entwine around yours. "I will always choose to be yours. I...," she pauses for a moment and you wait anxiously for her to continue. "I love you, Loki," she says.

Your eyes lock on hers as you bring one hand to her cheek. She leans into your touch and you tell her, "I have loved you since the moment I met you, Y/N." You feel your whole body relax as a warm smile spreads across Y/N's lips, a smile you were unsure you would ever see again. You run your thumb gently along the soft skin on her cheek and say, "There is one more thing you should know."

Her smile falters and she tries to look away from you but you keep eye contact with her. "This is not the first time I've told you that I love you, but it is the first time you've heard it," you tell her and her expression changes from worried to confused. You laugh lightly and say, "Every morning, before I would leave, I would kiss you softly so as not to wake you and I would whisper you that I love you more than anything in the nine realms."

Her smile returns, "I heard you once... but I thought I had dreamed it."

You shake your head no, still unable to stop smiling as you feel your relationship being back on track. Your hand moves from her cheek to the back of her neck, slowly pulling her towards you. She finishes closing the distance and presses her lips to yours. You put your arm around her as you lean back against the couch. She moves with you, pulling your other arm around her as she curls up against you. She closes her eyes and you kiss the top of her head lightly. "I love you," you whisper and she snuggles as close to you as possible.

After a few moments of comfortable silence she sits up and turns to face you. She bites her lip and you can tell she is thinking, you can't help but be worried about what her next words will be.

"I guess I have another question," she finally says quietly. "You said... things would have been simpler on Asgard, what did you mean?"

"If we were on Asgard, everyone would have known you were mine from the start, there would have been no need for secrecy," you say. "I would have asked you to move into the palace with me not only because I can't bear to be apart from you but also to keep you safe. You would have been under my protection and that of Asgard's army and the royal guards, no one would dare touch you."

"So... if you're solution on Asgard would have been to keep me closer in order for you to watch over me and keep me safe-," she pauses as if she is thinking of what she wants to say next.

"And because I love you," you add, pulling her close to you again. She giggles and kisses your cheek lightly before continuing.

"I just mean, why couldn't we do that here?" she asks and you raise your eyebrow curiously. "Wouldn't I be just as safe at the Tower, surrounded by SHIELD agents and the Avengers?"

"Yes, I suppose you would be," you answer, unsure of why you didn't think of this before.

She smiles but you can see the nervous energy rising in her, "So, maybe I should um..."

You keep one arm around her waist while your other hand slides up her back then begins to run through her hair slowly. She looks up at you as her words trail off and you finish her thought. "Y/N, would you move in with me?" you ask and she nods quickly causing you to laugh.

(Y/N POV - the next morning)

"Good morning my love," Loki mumbles sleepily, his arms pulling you closer to him.

"Good morning Loki," you reply as you open your eyes slowly. He starts to kiss the back of your neck and shoulders lazily as you rub your fingers up and down his arms.

The two of you lay together quietly for a few minutes then you decide you are thirsty enough to try to pry yourself from his arms. You try to get up, shifting away from Loki but he doesn't release you. His strong arms hold your back flush against his chest.

"Stay," he whispers and you giggle softly.

"I just want to get a drink, Mischief, it'll take one minute," you tell him, trying to slide away from him again.

He doesn't respond, instead he waves his hand and conjures a glass of water onto the nightstand with a green glow. You reach for the glass but it is just beyond your fingertips.

"Loki," you say with a laugh, "This doesn't really help much."

He sighs and relaxes his hold of you so you can sit up and take the glass. As soon you you rest your back against the headboard, he moves to lay with his head in your lap. You play with his hair gently while you drink the water. When you finish drinking, you set the glass back down and say, "I had no idea you were this cuddley."

"I'm making up for lost time," he responds and you kiss the top of his head. He sits up just enough to kiss you and you kiss him back.

Pushing him onto his back, you curl up on his chest and he wraps his arms around you. He runs his fingers up and down your back slowly and you close your eyes.

"I can't wait to spend every morning like this," Loki says.

"I'm going to be late for work a lot," you laugh.

(THOR POV - later that day)

You sit at the island and check your phone, you haven't seen or heard from Loki since you arrived at the Tower last night. You thought he was going straight to his room but he wasn't there when you stopped by this morning. You hoped that meant he was at Y/N's apartment and not hiding somewhere else.

You put your phone back into your pocket and ask, "I'm sorry Rogers, what were you saying?" as you rejoin the conversation.

The whole team was crowded around the island talking while Wanda, Bruce and Sam finished cooking dinner. You weren't sure what they were making but it smelled amazing.

The two of them walk into the kitchen and you can't help but ask, "Loki, anything you and Y/N wish to tell us?"

A few minutes later, Bucky stops making a joke mid-sentence and everyone in the kitchen goes quiet. You look over towards the doorway and see what the distraction is. Loki and Y/N are standing at the entrance to the kitchen, holding hands.

Loki and Y/N exchange excited smiles and she nods to him. He let's go of her hand and puts his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He looks at each member of the team then directly at you. "Yes, brother, there is," he answers.

@michelleleewise @ace-of-gay @high-functioning-lokipath @poetic-fiasco @soubi001 @lokisninerealms @lulubelle814 @lovingchoices14 @theaudacitytowrite @klaushargreeves420 @coffeeorsomething-irl @lokisgoodgirl @xorpsbane @avoliax @talesofadragon @lokiandbuckysdoll @animnerd @juulle987 @lokiprompts @javagirl328 @kats72 @lokisasgardianvampirequeen @mochie85 @princess-asgard @holdmytesseract @lokixryss @peaches1958 @lokidbadguy @hopefuldreamers-world @wheredafandomat @silverfire475 @goblingirlsarah @muddyorbs @tessathechild @huntress-artemiss @coldnique @sulthaaan @vickie5446 @cabingrlandrandomcrap @lokiswife-dark-fox-queen @marvel-love24 @moonlightreader649 @almosttoopizza @foranythingandeverything @nikkitc0703 @my-love-of-books @marvelboy27 @feltonswifesworld87 @ronanthesimp

Let me know if you want to be added or taken off the list 💚💚

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dragonbe-writing · 5 months

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Let It Snow (x John Price)

Day 1 of @glitterypirateduck's December Challenge!

(it wouldn't be a college kid doing a challenge if the first day wasnt late LMFAO)

This is (obviously) inspired by the song, so it's all cute and sweet. John Price coming home for Christmas for some much needed cuddles. Gender neuteral reader/ no descriptive pronouns. Use of pet names (duh it's Price). Only about 500 words, but it's nice.

I'm using this challenege to push myself back into writing, but I am about to start finals so bear with me for this first week. Enjoy :)

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

Four months.

That’s how long John had been away.

Four- miserable -months.

Stuck in the desert, sand in every part of his being, sweating day in and day out. No rain, no relief.

He’s fucking tired. He needs his love, and he needs them now.

Yet he’s here, at the airport, looking at the list of delays and downright cancellations. There’s a snow storm brewing, causing some difficulty up in the air. He’s flown in worse, he figures, but he knows they're doing their job.

His leg bounces sporadically. Another flight cancelled. Another group of people who won’t be home for Christmas. That won’t be him. It can’t be.

He pulls his phone out, huffing as he entered his password.

Still at the airport, love. Not looking great.

God, he hates himself. If not for his stupid job, he’d be home with them. They’d be rambling about something that happened while he was gone, or maybe gossiping about a new tenant in their building.

Another flight cancelled. This one, close to the area he was flying to.

Shit.

A vibration pulls him from his head, making him look down.

That’s alright, baby. I just want you safe <3

He damn near growls. It’s not alright, and he knows it. But they're so sweet, they wouldn’t dare even give him the impression that they’re sad. But he knows. He can picture it in his head- his sweet thing curled up in their bed, alone, again, heartbroken that he’ll miss Christmas.

Another flight cancelled. His flight.

He can’t sit anymore. He stands angrily, bag slung over his shoulder as he marches for the exit. People move for him- who wouldn’t, he’s huge and pissed. He’s already on the phone by the time he’s outside the crowded, loud airport.

“Nik? I need a favor.”

~~~

He doesn’t even take the elevator in their building.

He practically ran up the four flights of stairs to get to their apartment. He’s knocking on the door before he knows it, already smiling to himself. He dropped his bag to the side.

Seconds feel like hours, and he thinks for a second that something terrible happened. But then the door opens, and his love leaps into his arms.

And he’s home.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he chuckles, burying his face in their neck and breathing in their scent. “Missed you.”

“Missed you too. Missed you so much,” they whisper to him. He can hear the tremble of their voice, and he knows they’ve been crying. “I thought your flight was canceled?”

“Didn’t really think I’d leave you alone for Christmas, would ya?” he spoke, his voice deep and relaxed. They laugh, and it’s the best present he’ll get all year. He carries them inside, sitting on the couch. The news is on the TV, talking about the snow, about all the flights canceled. He reaches over and grabs the remote, turning it off.

“They said we’re supposed to get quite a bit,” they say, looking up at him with those beautiful eyes he adores.

“It can snow all it wants, now. Hope it gets you out of work all month,” he smiles, kissing them softly. “Hope nothin’ bothers us.”

“Merry Christmas, John.”

“Merry Christmas, love.”

#codholiday2023 #call of duty #captain price #john price #captain john price #cod mw22 #writing #fanfic #cod #cod fanfic #cod mw2

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idkjustletmescroll · 1 year

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Why do we love the red lotus so much?

It’s no secret that among the avatar/lok fandom that the red lotus in season 3 are some of the legend of korra’s most beloved villains. I started to wonder why that is, and I’m writing down all my thoughts because of course I am.

1: Cool character designs

Visually, the red lotus are super-interesting, especially when you put them altogether. Zaheer’s all-gray monochrome look and his little change from long hair and beard to baldness, and his eyebrow scar. Ghazan and his tattoos and that mustache he grew when he was ten. Ming-Hua is small but mighty, waterbends without arms and uses said waterbending AS ARMS, another shining example of the avatar franchise’s portrayal of disability. And P’li being a seven-feet-tall combustionbender with a cool braid. They look cool. What more do you need?

2: They’re human

Probably part of what makes the red lotus so popular is that they feel pretty human. Obviously Zaheer is the leader of the group, and I’d personally have loved some more moments reminiscent of the “seriously? right now?” scene, but they’re clearly all besties. Ghazan, as mentioned above, complaining about P’li and Zaheer making out in the truck; P’li getting a piggyback ride from Ming-Hua on her way out of prison and calling her a show-off; Ming-Hua calling the boys ugly mugs; Ghazan commenting, upon seeing Zaheer fly for the first time, that “i guess [Zaheer] doesn’t need a ride”; etc. They have distinct personalities from each other, with Zaheer being the planner and leader, P’li being quiet and menacing (unless she’s with her friends and her man), Ghazan being the chill, laid-back one, and Ming-Hua being snarky and hot-tempered. P’li and Zaheer obviously have their romance, which is sweet even if fans (*cough* me *cough*) would’ve loved to see more of it. They work incredibly well together as a team and in battle. Ghazan worries about P’li when she’s injured at Zaofu, P’li gets mad at Zaheer when he gets discovered on Air Temple Island and alerts the city to their presence, Ming-Hua and Ghazan are visibly surprised, sad, and confused all at once when Zaheer achieves flight and they learn that P’li is dead, Ming-Hua has the odd habit of sitting in trees and the backs of chairs instead of the actual chair...there are plenty of little moments that drive home the fact that they’re people who care deeply about each other.

3: They’re badass af

I mean, seriously. Zaheer was arguably more feared than the other three even as a non-bender, and is beaten with airbending only by his overconfidence and airbending inexperience against strong bending masters. P’li is a combustion bender who can a) talk, and b) curve her combustion beams. Ghazan is the franchise’s first canon lavabender, and Ming-Hua is its first bender who’s missing limbs. She supposedly uses her torso and legs to waterbend, despite the popular fan theory that she also uses at least some psychic bending. They have unique abilities that expand the possibilities of bending, make for unique and interesting fight scenes, and give our heroes a genuine challenge. Neither side is ridiculously powered-down; Bolin and Mako put up a good fight against Ming-Hua and Ghazan, for example, given their two seasons of battle experience and previous pro-bending careers, but still get their asses kicked and are captured, because they’ve never fought these kinds of benders before! How the hell do you stop a lady who can basically waterbend with her mind? How can Bolin stop Ghazan when all of Bolin’s ammunition is thrown right back at him in an even deadlier form?

4: No canon backstories

Hear me out here: I do agree that we could’ve gotten more hints of their backstories and how they all met, etc., but they don’t have a canon backstory like Amon, giving them that air of mystery. I love speculating on their pasts, which I couldn’t do if they had them in canon. But idk, I feel like this just depends on what you like in your villains.

In short, a large reason the red lotus is beloved is because they’re so different from anything we’ve previously seen in the franchise. They’re fresh, new faces who give us what is widely considered Legend of Korra’s best season.

#the red lotus #zaheer #p'li #ghazan #ming-hua #lok the red lotus #lok season three #legend of korra #p'heer

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woman-of-balnain · 1 year

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Undone in Sorrow Part 2/10 (Alpha Rick x Omega Reader)

Previous Part | Collection Masterlist | AO3 Ver. | Next Part

Pairing: Rick Grimes/Fem!Reader

Summary: Negan forces you all to get in line and accept that his way is the only way.

A/N: The first part of this switches back and forth between Reader’s initial meeting with Negan, and continuing on from the end of the last chapter, with his first words to the rest of the group. Hopefully it will make sense. I’ve indicated what time we’re focusing on by putting ‘Then’ and ‘Now’ before each section.

Most of this is original dialogue and added scenes to the line-up that involve the Reader. Most of it is also just angst. This is the last part where we closely follow the events of the show, as after this it’ll be more just moments between Rick and the Reader in between everything else that’s going on.

I skip over most of the actual line-up, because I don’t just want to write out what we already know. That doesn’t mean we don’t see how the Reader is feeling about it all though.

Lastly, I make no claims to be good at writing Negan, but I felt that it was necessary to try here. Sorry if he doesn’t seem like he should do, but I tried my best.

Warnings: Descriptions of blood and gore, broken Rick, angst, Negan scents you against your will, pregnancy, you and Rick are true mates but that is extremely rare and considered a myth.

Word Count: 4,731

Dividers by: @cafekitsune + @newlips

The sad, the lonely, the insatiable, To these Old Night shall all her mystery tell; God's bell has claimed them by the little cry Of their sad hearts, that may not live nor die.

Then

The first thing you registered was the pain in the back of your head as you were forced back into consciousness. Your eyelids were heavy and sore as you tried to open them and look at your surroundings. But your vision was blurry, and your head was pounding so you let out a groan, trying to remember what had led up to that moment.

You remembered parting from Rick and driving off with Eugene. You could recall the way you had tried to convince yourself that everything would work out and that Maggie would be safe. That everyone would be safe. But then what?

You tried to work out what had happened next.

It was a blur, but you could remember certain things. Being blocked off again and then surrounded… being forced out of the RV by the Saviors and then… then everything went black. The throbbing pain in your head was a pretty good indication as to why. They’d obviously knocked you out and now you were at their mercy.

With another groan, you closed your eyes, since your vision was still unfocused. You just hoped that you might be able to drift off again. Anything to ignore the way your body ached and the panic spreading through you.

But then there was a slap to your cheek, forcing your eyes open once more. It wasn’t a brutal or particularly rough hit, but it wasn’t gentle either. You waited for the blurriness in your vision to fade and then you realized that you were still in the RV, hands tied behind your back with a strange alpha in front of you but no sign of your beta friend.

“Eugene…” you groaned out, trying to see if he was, in fact, there somehow.

“Oh, don’t worry about him,” the man in front of you let out a sardonic chuckle. “It’s just you and me here, darlin’.”

“Who…?”

You struggled to get the word out, your throat raw and sore. The alpha leaned down, getting right in your face and you took him in. His dark hair, his beard that was almost completely grey, the black leather jacket he wore, and that scent… it made you screw up your nose and look away.

It betrayed his cocky confidence, the way he was used to being the top alpha and beating down anyone who questioned his authority.

“You know who I am,” he grinned in a twisted way, his features showing how self-assured he was.

He was right though; you could just tell somehow.

“Negan,” you grit out, glaring up at him.

“In the flesh.”

There was something off about him. It wasn’t just his overbearing scent or the reputation he had built for himself. It was something else, something unsettling. He wasn’t what you’d been expecting, in all honesty.

You had expected someone cold and ruthless, not someone with a sense of sadistic charisma. Yet, what unsettled you was the fact that he seemed to be both. Like the latter was just one side of him, masking the darker and merciless beast that lay within. Was it just to lull you into a false sense of security? Or was he just playing nice for now, until you did something to make him snap?

“Where’s Eugene?” You tried to ask again.

“He’s just fine,” Negan replied, though you weren’t at all convinced. “We’re here to talk about you. I have questions and you… have answers.”

“I’m not telling you anything.”

You tried to appear confident, but internally you knew that you were screwed.

“Well,” he huffed out another laugh. “You’re just an omega. I can make you talk.”

A laugh of your own escaped your lips before you could stop it. Negan raised an eyebrow, but you were just glad that he was so very, very wrong.

“You can try,” you told him. “But my alpha is the only one who’s ever been able to do that.”

His eyes narrowed down at you, but he didn’t seem angry. Not yet at least.

“Talk,” he demanded, already reverting to the commanding tone alphas used to force omegas into doing what they wanted. “I want to know every little thing about that home of yours. Half of it’s about to be mine, so you could say that I’m interested in how big the score’s gonna be.”

“No,” you refused.

His tone hadn’t worked, just like you’d tried to warn him. There was a brief look of surprise that crossed his features, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Well, hot damn!” He was back to the cockiness he’d been displaying before. “You weren’t kiddin’, huh?”

He seemed slightly intrigued, which you figured wasn’t surprising. Your bond with Rick was unique and rare, something that the two of you barely understood, let alone others.

“So, who do you belong to, then?” He continued, leaning down so that he was too close for comfort again. “What kind of idiot would let you out here after starting a god damn war with me?”

Anger boiled inside of you at the way he spoke about Rick, but you forced yourself to stay calm. Negan scrunched up his nose before moving even closer, sniffing at your neck.

“Whoever it is, you absolutely reek darlin’. I mean, more than the usual stink of a mated omega.”

You turned your head away from him because, really, that was all you could do.

“You’re pretty pungent yourself…” you got out, the scent of him unbearable now that he was so close.

If it wasn’t so strong, you likely would have kept silent. That would have been the smart thing to do. But it clouded your senses until you were desperate to breathe in some air that wasn’t absolutely polluted with his scent.

“Oh, is that right?” He laughed again. “Well, why don’t we see which is stronger?”

Now

Your eyes found Rick automatically, as Negan held you there with his hand tightly gripping onto your hair. You had never seen him so broken, so defeated and in shock. A whimper escaped your lips as you reacted to the sight of him.

It broke your heart as his scent finally reached your nose, wrapping around you even with the distance between your bodies. He was feeling helpless and distraught, and it only seemed to pick up in intensity once he saw you.

“So, this is Rick,” Negan observed from behind you, realizing instantly who was the group’s leader, simply based on your alpha’s reaction to seeing you. “Look at you now. Down on your knees like a good soldier.”

Rick’s gaze moved from you, darting over to Negan. You watched as his hands clenched into fists against his thighs, but you were glad that he didn’t retaliate. That wouldn’t be good for any of you.

“You know,” Negan continued, moving closer and dragging you with him. “This bitch of yours is quite something. We had a good, long chat. Once I took care of the stink all over her, that is.”

As the distance between you was closed, Rick’s nose twitched, and he seemed to pick up on the fact that your scent was now mingled with Negan’s and his gaze darkened.

“Let her go,” he said, voice cracking but his tone no less determined.

“Hey, I get it,” Negan continued, ignoring him. “You like to mark your territory. But she’s not yours anymore. Not really. She, just like all of you, is Negan. You all belong to me now.”

Rick’s expression grew steely, and you could tell that he was about to lash out, so you became resolved to stop him. The situation was already bad enough, you didn’t want anything to push Negan into retaliating further.

“Alpha,” you called out to him softly, knowing that it would have more of an effect in that moment than his name.

Rick’s gaze instantly found yours and you could see the conflict within him. But you just shook your head, silently telling him to stay calm. His jaw clenched and he looked away from you, clearly struggling to do what he had to, rather than what he desperately wanted.

“Aww,” Negan mocked the two of you. “Ain’t that sweet. Honestly, Rick, I’m surprised you let her come out here.”

Rick just ignored him, staring straight ahead again in order to resist letting his instincts take over.

“You know,” Negan continued. “With her being pregnant and all.”

Dread filled you as the words left his mouth and Rick’s head snapped back up in disbelief. The confusion and betrayal he felt was clear as he looked at you questioningly. You couldn’t handle the accusatory look in his gaze, so you turned your head away in shame.

“Come on now,” Negan continued to taunt your alpha. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

You could feel Rick’s eyes still burning into you, but he didn’t answer the other alpha. So, Negan continued to antagonize him.

“Yeah, congratulations. You’re gonna be a daddy. That is, if you both make it through tonight.”

Then

You squirmed in disgust as Negan rubbed his nose and cheek against your mating gland. Your body felt like it was on high alert as the alpha’s scent began to seep its way into yours against your will. The bond you shared with Rick meant that your body knew that this was wrong and a betrayal in every sense of the word.

“You know what I think?” Negan muttered against your neck. “Your alpha must be Rick.”

The fact that he knew Rick’s name was a shock to you, but the more pressing problem was the need to get him off and away.

“Please stop,” you begged.

Negan took in your scent again before he did as you asked, pulling back with a look of deep satisfaction on his face. You knew you must have been dripping in the smell of him by then and it left your entire body feeling on edge.

“Tell me about Alexandria,” he demanded once again, taking advantage of the fact that his scent was now all around you and likely clouding your mind. “Weapons, food, medicine, defenses... You’re gonna tell me all of it.”

“No,” you repeated, refusing to give in.

“Omega, in case it escaped your notice, you are buried up to your neck in shit right now. I’m just about done playing nice. Tell me, or we’re gonna start doing this the hard way.”

You just stayed silent, unwilling to do anything to jeopardize either your family or your home. Negan’s patience had clearly worn thin though, because your head was suddenly whipping to the side as he punched you across the face.

He gave you a moment, waiting to see if you would give in, but all that escaped you was a cry of pain. So, he pulled you up by the hair, pushing you down to the ground.

“Stop,” you cried out pitifully. “Please… just stop.”

Negan didn’t pay you any mind, because he didn’t care if you begged and pleaded with him. He would only stop when you gave him what he wanted to hear. Now that you were on the floor, curled up onto your side you were forced to watch in horror as his foot swung back and it looked like he was about to kick you right in the stomach.

“I’m pregnant,” you blurted out, unable to stop the words from escaping your mouth as fear overcame you. “Please, don’t!”

He stopped just in time, and you knew that the admission might have been a lie, but the fact that you suspected it was enough for you to become protective. You were relieved that he had halted, not wanting to jeopardize your child if you really were pregnant.

“Well shit,” he muttered, sounding more than just a little annoyed.

Now

“Damn, Rick,” Negan laughed sardonically, relishing in the other alpha’s despair. “You look miserable. I mean, shit, you should be ready to pop the champagne, not lookin’ like someone just pissed in your Cheerios! But hey, this is hardly the time for celebrations, isn’t it? My bad!”

He was still holding onto you tightly and your body was so tired and sore that you wondered if you’d even still be standing if he let you go. You couldn’t bear to look at Rick, too ashamed that he’d found out like this to face him.

But then you heard the sound of gravel moving and a struggle, so you looked back up to see that Rick had gotten up and tried to lunge for Negan. Panic spread through you as a few Saviors were quick to grab him and hold him back.

“Let her go,” he practically growled. “She doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

“No, you see Rick, that’s where you’re wrong. The minute you crossed me, you brought her into this. Now, I’ll let this little outburst of yours go, just this once. I get it, truly, I do, but you need to get it through your head that everything you own, half of it belongs to me. So, calm the fuck down or I might just take your little omega home with me. Is that clear?”

Rick’s anger and fury were clear, but so was his internal struggle to restrain himself. Negan nodded, accepting that as Rick’s acquiescence to the situation and the authority he held over all of them.

“Simon,” he barked out, calling over his second in command, the one who had originally blocked the RV from getting to Hilltop. “You hold onto Rick’s bitch. Keep her right where he can see her.”

The other man, also an alpha, moved to take you from Negan, his hold just as tight. You felt the cool and sharp metal of a blade pressing against your neck to hold you still and sucked in a fearful breath. Then Negan was moving closer to Rick, continuing to goad him on.

“Take a good look. Because if you try anything, it’s her neck on the line. Literally. Hers… and your baby’s.”

Rick was shaking all over and covered in sweat, but he looked Negan right in the eye, never once backing down. He didn’t say anything though, showing that he understood just fine.

“Good,” Negan nodded, seeing that Rick was right where he wanted him. “Now, let’s get down to business.”

You barely paid attention to what Negan said – something about him being pissed off about all of the men your alpha had killed. All you could focus on was Rick and the complete and utter hopelessness of the situation.

It was only when Negan started pointing with his bat towards every single person who was lined up, people who you loved like family, some of them who were family… that was when you snapped out of it and came back to reality. And when the screams echoed out around you, there also came the realization that yours was one of the loudest.

The gravel on the ground dug into your knees as you knelt with the others. You tried to ignore the splattered remains of the man you’d seen as your brother, in every sense of the word. Glenn hadn’t just been your brother-in-law, or the man your sister married and loved.

He’d always been a friend and someone who had your back, not just in dangerous situations but when you needed someone to talk to or to just enjoy the few rare moments of quiet with. He had been family, since pretty much right at the beginning.

You didn’t want to remember him like this. You didn’t want to be forced to hear Maggie’s sobs while you weren’t able to do anything to comfort her. You couldn’t comprehend how things had changed so quickly in just the past 24 hours. You couldn’t come to terms with the fact that someone as tough and steadfast as Abraham was reduced to the gory pile of flesh and blood somewhere on the ground before you.

And then there was Rick, who had been dragged off by Negan. While they were gone, Simon had forced you to join the others on your knees. Then the RV returned, and you felt helpless when Negan dragged Rick back out, the man you loved scrambling to gain his footing as he was pulled back towards you all.

Now, you still had no choice but to watch, as Negan tried to force your alpha into submission. He definitely knew that such a thing was unnatural for alphas, but he didn’t care. In his eyes, this was the new world – Negan’s world – and he would get his way, no matter what it took.

Rick was in shock and denial as Negan tried to make him cut Carl’s arm off. He kept slightly shaking his head, like he still couldn’t believe what was happening. Like he expected to wake up from the nightmare you were all being forced to endure.

But this wasn’t a dream, it was happening and there was nothing any of you could do to escape it.

Negan’s patience was quickly wearing thin and when Rick still wouldn’t move to do as he demanded, the older alpha decided to up the stakes. He brought his gaze to you and your heart seemed to skip a beat in fear, already anticipating what he planned to do.

“Simon, bring the omega to me.”

His second in command didn’t need to ask which omega Negan was referring to. You were the only one there, surrounded by betas and alphas. So, Simon was then hauling you up again, before roughly letting go of you, causing you to fall back down to your knees right in front of your alpha.

Rick seemed to move on instinct more than anything, reaching out to pull you closer. His hands wrapped around your wrists, clinging on tightly as though you would help anchor him within the swirling sea of emotions that he was currently experiencing. It was like he just needed to be touching you somewhere, so that he could properly convince himself that you were okay. At least for now.

“Nope,” Negan interrupted, pulling you back out of Rick’s reach. “None of that. You’ve got to earn that privilege. Now make a choice. You can fall in line like a good soldier, cut off your son’s arm, nice and clean. Or, I can give your omega the good ol’ Lucille special, and I mean, you’re very familiar with how that works by now, aren’t you?”

He waved his bloody bat, covered in bits of flesh to emphasize his point. That blood, that flesh… it was all remnants of the two friends you had lost that day. Your family. It was clear that Negan was losing his patience with Rick’s reluctance and defiance. But somehow, he was still veiling it behind taunting remarks and a sense of sadistic and twisted humor.

Rick leaned forward, his head hanging low, and the sweat was dripping off him now, droplets falling from his forehead where his hair was practically sticking to his skin. He choked out a sob and you wanted nothing more but to comfort him, to hold him close and let him know that he wasn’t alone. But you couldn’t and it killed you emotionally to see him break down when you could do nothing for him.

Tears welled in your eyes, and it was not out of fear for yourself, but out of love and despair for Rick. Carl was his son; how could he ever make that choice? The tears spilled over, and you tried to stifle the sound but it was no use. The cries of both you and Rick began to ring out through the clearing.

“Tick tock, Rick.”

“Please…” Rick sobbed out, finally looking back at Negan with desperation.

“Make a god damned decision, Rick! It’s not hard!”

“Please!” Rick begged, the words barely comprehensible as his body wracked with sobs and it all became too much. “Please, don’t – don’t do this. Let it be me… please…”

“Dad,” Carl said softly, far too calm.

Rick’s eyes met Carl’s and then his son was giving him a subtle nod from where he was pressed down to the ground.

“Enough stalling,” Negan’s voice boomed out. “I’ll make it easier for you, Rick. Give you a countdown. Get you nice and geared up and ready to go. Three.”

“Dad, it’s fine,” Carl continued, ignoring Negan. “Just do it.”

“Carl, no,” Rick was pleading with his eyes just as much as he was with his words. “I can’t…”

“Two.”

You whimpered involuntarily as Negan’s bat came to rest right in front of your face, the blood and bits of brains now impossible to ignore.

“Dad,” Carl insisted. “I’ll be okay, just do it.”

“One.”

Rick barely managed to pick his hatchet up off the ground, his mind a complete wreck as he cried, and his breaths came out in frantic pants. He was shaking uncontrollably as he took hold of his son’s arm and raised the hatchet. Carl gave him another nod of reassurance and you looked away, unable to bear it.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Negan asked calmly.

Your head snapped back to the scene in front of you, seeing that he had interrupted just before Rick swung the hatchet down.

“You answer to me,” he reminded Rick coldly. “You provide for me. You belong to me. Right?”

Rick could only nod in desperation, letting the hatchet fall back to the ground in his frenzied relief. You looked away once again as Negan snapped at Rick, once again. It was hard enough to come to terms with the reality of the situation, but seeing Rick so broken down and defeated… it was too much.

So, you drowned out the rest of what Negan said to all of you, your mind and body becoming numb. You were still in shock – all of you were – it was all just too much. You only came back to yourself when Daryl was being loaded back into the van and you realized that the Saviors were taking him. The way he cowered slightly as one of them – Dwight, you thought his name was – pointed his own crossbow at him… it just did even more to show how far you had all fallen, and how quickly.

You were all frozen as the Saviors left, just sinking into your grief and shock over the traumatic events that had just occurred. Maggie was the first one to move and Rick was the first one to speak, once you were all finally alone again. You forced yourself to stand, heading over to your sister to try and comfort her but she shrugged you off.

“Don’t,” she said, her voice cold and angry.

You couldn’t blame her. Not after everything that had just happened. So, you just stepped back away and gave her the space she clearly needed. She limped over towards Glenn’s body, with Rick being the only one to stop her, trying to gently remind her that she needed to get to Hilltop.

“No, we need to get ready.”

“For what?”

“To fight them.”

“Maggie…” you intervened. “You need a doctor. We can work the rest out later, but you can’t go on like this much longer.”

“No, I can’t,” she agreed angrily, but her voice betrayed how weak she truly was. “How can I go on, when Gle – he…”

Your tears spilled over again as the hopelessness crept back in and the reminder of her loss hit you all over again.

“Maggie, right now you need to worry about your baby.”

“Just go home,” Maggie got out, her voice wavering from the pain she was feeling – both physically and emotionally. “I can get there myself.”

“Maggie…” Rick cut in, trying as well, but she just pushed him away.

“You were out…” Your sister’s voice broke again briefly. “Out here for me…”

“We still are,” Rick assured her.

Maggie began sobbing, the reality of it all now truly sinking in.

“No, I… I can make it now on my own. I can’t have you all out here, I need you to go back.”

“Maggie…” Michonne approached her gently. “We’re not letting you go.”

“You have to,” Maggie whispered back, resolved in her decision.

“I’ll go with her,” you told Michonne, exchanging a look with the other woman.

She clearly didn’t think it was a good idea, but Maggie was your sister, so she seemed to reluctantly relent to the idea.

“I will too,” Sasha said resolutely.

“You’re not going off on your own again,” Rick argued, speaking directly to you.

“Then you come too,” Maggie snapped at Rick. “I don’t care, just… the rest of you go home.”

Your sister moved over to what remained of her husband, kneeling back down by his side. You followed, resting a hand on her shoulder as it wracked with her sobs.

“I’m not leaving him here…” she told you softly. “I’m taking him with me.”

“Of course,” you assured her. “I’ll help you. The three of us will. Okay?”

Maggie just nodded, unable to look away from Glenn – or rather, what remained of him.

“She’s suffering from abruptio placentae,” Dr. Carson informed you and Rick as he checked Maggie over while she lay down, unconscious. “A separation of the placenta from the uterus. But the baby seems healthy and fine. She’ll be okay.”

Rick sighed with relief from beside you and you felt your own heart and mind ease just a little bit. Your alpha had been quiet and distant during the journey to Hilltop, but you couldn’t blame him. And then Maggie had slipped out of consciousness during the trip, meaning your main concern was her again.

“She should stay here for now,” Carson continued. “So that I can keep an eye on them both.”

You just nodded and he began to put away some of his equipment.

“Can… can you check over Y/N too?” Rick asked, his voice cracking slightly.

“Of course,” the doctor replied, not thinking much of the request due to the black eye you were sporting, courtesy of Negan.

“I… I mean an ultrasound,” Rick continued, causing Carson to pause. “She… she’s pregnant.”

You hadn’t had a chance to talk to him yet, to tell him that you weren’t actually sure. Carson gave you both a look but then nodded before going back to what he was doing. Before long, you were seated with your shirt pulled up and the cool gel was being applied to your stomach. You could sense that Rick still wasn’t quite himself and you couldn’t blame him but you felt nervous to be doing this under such circumstances.

You turned to look at the screen as the feed began to show what the ultrasound was picking up. Carson adjusted things a little before he settled on a spot and your heart skipped a beat.

“There, you’re about two months along by the look of it.”

You were amazed by the sight, your suspicions confirmed as you took in the tiny little outline of the baby – yours and Rick’s baby. And then you felt Rick’s hand taking yours, squeezing it gently as he sat beside you, looking at the image too.

You turned to look at him and caught his gaze. He was tearing up, but this time from happiness and relief and hope. The slightest hint of a smile spread across his lips, and you choked out a sob because after everything you’d just been through, it was the most relieving thing you could have witnessed. Rick with a smile, with a little glimmer of hope again.

“The baby… it’s healthy?” Rick asked, tearing his gaze away from yours to address Carson.

“Yes, everything looks fine,” the doctor assured him.

Rick brought his attention back to you and he looked like he was struggling again to comprehend what was happening around him, so you brought your joined hands up to your lips, pressing a kiss against his fingers. He gave you another small smile, but his mind seemed to be drifting away.

You let it go for now, knowing it was a shock for him (all of it was) and that there would be time to discuss it all later in private.

Next Part

#rick grimes x reader #rick grimes/reader #rick grimes x f!reader #alpha!rick grimes x omega!reader #alpha rick grimes #omega reader #female reader #rick grimes x you #rick grimes/you #rick grimes fanfic

67 notes · View notes

elysianeclipxe · 1 year

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Sorry, but chan with kids is just ncjbufanob MY HEART

Okay, so I was listening to something a while back and instantly came up with the idea of chan reading to kids and just being the cutest with them. Maybe him being a volunteer at a daycare or something. Y’all remember that episode of inside seventeen about the 2021 online concert they did, right? That doremi concept with the mini doremiz. I have been watching that on repeat

Brainrot #1 - chan is great with kids

Just imagine this, you and your boyfriend chan walk into the daycare centre ready to apply because it’s a quick side job to do after college classes plus the payment isn’t too bad. While you’re signing some documents or your length contract as a volunteer you lean your head to peek at the children in the other room, but you just instantly see HIM. So fucking cute omg. Him just playing along to some kids magic trick and genuinely looking amazed by the beginner magic. I’ll just say it now but all of the kids love him, like his name is called every 5 seconds by another kid wanting him to play with them. You’re both accepted as the new volunteers and told to either observe or learn hands on how to take care of the children for the day since y’all start next week. You decide to just observe and obviously chan is doing it hands on. A couple of the children approach you and sit around you asking you all these questions. You just get so consumed conversing with the little ones that you forget to check how he’s doing with the other kids.

You look over at him and find him already looking at you. HIM LOOKING AT YOU WITH SO MUCH LOVE IN HIS EYES. So you blush and send a wave over to which he grins in response. ANYWAY, he hangs around with the kids even more and even dances with them when they want to. He looks so hyped, damn cute just vibing with them kids. He honestly is just a bigger version of a child, he’s adorable. They’re hyper, he’s hyper, at that point all the older workers are just chuckling at how well he gets along with the children even if it’s his first time meeting them. When did you get such a cute boyfriend? This job should have contained a warning that if you apply with your significant other and watch them with kids it might just be too sweet for your heart to handle!!!!

I haven’t even gotten to my favourite part which is… READING TIME!!!!!! THIS IS WHAT I THOUGHT OF SO SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME RANT ABOUT IT!!! It’s nearing the evening and he decides that it’s time for reading time so when the children’s parents pick them up they’ll be tired and sleep quicker. He gathers all the children by the reading corner and picks out a classic storybook and reads it to the kids. He makes sure to add emotion into his voice and emphasise on the scary/sad parts. The type to make sound effects, like if he were reading The Three Little Pigs then he’d probably go, “so he Huffed, and Puffed, and BLEW THE HOUSE DOWN” whilst making a loud blowing sound that has the children whining on how the big bad wolf blew another house down. He made sure to interact with the little ones as he read the story, it’s like a cute interactive experience for them. The children are pretty sleepy after chan finishes his story, right on time for the parents to pick up their children. You both walk home and he totally goes on about how fun today was and how he can’t wait till next week… He’s especially excited to see how you deal with the kids, since maybe it’ll come in handy for you both in the future hehe

can y'all guess who my bias is? it's dino, duh. also yes, i am a carat and yes, i do write for kpop groups as well.. but only the ones i stan since i'm familiar with them. i hope this turned out well but tbh this is more for me to openly simp over HIM. also i feel like i should write something like this for the other doremi members... it's only fair, right <33

#astrid writes🌸#seventeen x reader #seventeen #seventeen dino #dino #lee chan #dino x reader #chan x reader #seventeen drabbles #dino fluff #seventeen imagines #dino imagines #brainrot #HE IS SO CUTE OMFG #PLEASE MY HEART IS GETTING ALL MUSHY FROM THIS #😍😍😍

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stylesparker · 2 years

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Mutual Friends

PAIRING: Frank Castle x Reader

WORD COUNT: 2.1k

A/N: finally finished this fic that I started probably two months ago, ya proud of me? enjoy the handsome man that is frank castle, and let me know how you like it! reblogs and comments are always appreciated <3

Frank doesn’t make friends.

Karen wants him to, which is the only reason why he agreed to it in the first place. She cares, he knows that. But making a friend won’t fix him the way she thinks it will.

But he also knows if he didn’t he wouldn’t have met her.

Without Karen he probably wouldn’t have, but he wonders if he would have just found her anyway, eventually.

Supposedly, she needed somebody too, a friend so to speak. So setting them up would to be to help each other out. In a way, he guesses. He thought it was stupid at first, really, seemed silly. Though once he met her it didn’t seem all that stupid anymore.

***

Walking into the small cafe he was supposed to meet her at, he could already sense something was… off. Looking around first glance, it didn’t seem like much.

There were probably a total of ten people in the place; two waitresses, a cook behind the counter, a couple sitting in the booth near the window, a group of three on the island, and a girl by the phone, leaning up against a wall. A guy stands close next to her. One look and he can already tell he’s standing uncomfortably close.

Roaming his eyes over her, he thinks this is the girl Karen told him to meet. The description matches, so it has to be.

The guy’s hand juts out, grabbing her arm. It obviously was tight enough to make her wince since she attempted to pull away. Her eyes frantically jump around the room, finally landing on him who’s already stalking his way over. Even if she’s not her, he still wants to punch the guy for grabbing this poor girl and scaring her. It takes everything in him to not push his chest and pound him into the ground, make him hurt like he made her hurt.

But all he does is walk up calmly, sharing a look with her and he knows she’s taking a breath of relief when she takes a shaky breath.

“Hey, you alright?” He asks, looking at her comfortingly. She nods her head, giving him a slight sad smile.

“I’m alright.”

“Get out of here, man. This isn’t your business.” The guy lets go of her arm, so she rips it back, rubbing over the part he held. He takes a step so he’s chest to chest with Frank. He almost laughs. The guy has no idea who he is.

“Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“Get lost, ass-”

Before he can even blink, Frank’s hand jets out, grabbing his hand and breaking it back at a extremely painful angle. The guy whimpers, breathing hard and staring into his eyes.

“You want to finish that?” He shakes his head so hard, Frank thinks he’s gonna give himself whiplash. “Go.”

As soon as he lets go, he bolts out the door, and they watch him as he sprints down the street, far out of sight. As she laughs, he turns to her, remembering she’s still there.

“Thanks,” she smiles, “I didn’t think I’d have to deal with so much shit today, but here I am.”

“Yeah, what other shit you dealing with?” He grins.

“Been forced to make a friend today, by a certain blonde,” she squints, but her grin makes him smirk and he can’t help this feeling rising up in his chest.

“Wow, that’s weird, cause so have I,” he looks out the window, looking away from her before he looks back and she’s staring at the floor. “You wanna sit?”

“Sure.”

He sits down with her in the booth a couple feet away, sitting on the opposite side she’s on. It seems like their initial greeting wore off and the two of them go silent. The kind waitress comes by and pours them some coffee, they both give a quiet thank you and she walks off. It’s silent for awhile, until he decides this has got to go somewhere.

“Look. I don’t need some therapist friend.”

“Neither do I.”

“To be honest, I didn’t really want to come here.”

“Neither did I.”

They’re both quiet, but then all of a sudden Frank laughs, and it surprises him. She definitely doesn’t take bullshit that’s for sure.

She smiles, “Y/N.”

“Hm?” He hums, his eyes looking over the mug of coffee.

“My name. It’s Y/N,” you say.

“Frank,” he nods.

“I already knew that.”

“Just being polite!” He teases, which makes you laugh. The face you make when you smile or laugh is so... adorable, but he almost wants to punch himself in the face for thinking that way. He takes another sip before he clears his throat and asks, “So who was that guy?”

You shake your head, taking a sip of your own, “Eh, shitty ex-boyfriend’s brother who’s also really shitty.”

“Yeah? Where’s your ex?”

“Dead.” His eyebrows raise. “Hey, I doubt you have the picture perfect life either if Karen sent you here to me!”

“I’m not judging,” he shakes his head, “just curious.” You huff, letting your fingers fiddle with each other on top of the table as you contemplate actually telling him the truth.

“Well you can’t tell anybody,” you eye him.

“Who am I gonna tell, sweetheart? You think I got any friends?”

“Ha!” You chuckle, “Nope.” He rolls his eyes, but there’s a hint of a smile adorning his features. Your face falls, just a bit, as you get ready to tell him your story.

“You don’t have to.” Frank says.

“It’s fine, I don’t talk much about it anyway, and it’s not like you’re gonna tell anyone,” you replied. “I was with him for a couple a’ years before I found out he was a part of this gang that had inhabited Chicago for a long time. He’d been stuck in it for forever, before he met me even, but he’d never figured out how to get out. After he ‘fell in love with me’ and realized that by marrying me, some of his shit could get thrown on to me, he proposed. I figured it out obviously, but it took me two years to get away from him. He...” you took a deep breath. “He’d never been abusive until I started trying to run away. I guess the short version of this would end with that I finally got away and had to kill him to do it, and his brother found out of course. The long version would take a bit longer, probably including the part where I met Karen through all this. Want me to continue?”

He nods his head, tilting his head and throwing his arm up in the air, waving the waitress back over.

“I think we’re gonna need some beer.”

***

“I-I can’t even imagine that,” you muttered. Both of you were to the point of tipsy, just on the verge of drunk, and Frank just got done telling his own story. Your eyes locked with his and you gave him a comforting smile, grabbing his hand and squeezing it couple times. “I don’t think sorry is exactly what you want to hear so I won’t say it, but I do feel for you.” You can’t really read the look on his face, but you hope he appreciated it.

Frank couldn’t believe how easy it was talking to you. He hadn’t had such a nice conversation like this since his wife, and that’s… hard to think about. Even though the topics had been pretty heavy, not exactly what you would call nice, it felt nice talking to you. You tease at the right moments, you give a comforting smile at the right moments, and hey, you don’t make him feel like such a bad guy for doing the things he’s done. It’s clear your life hasn’t had as much death in it, but you do know the feeling of pain and grief and guilt.

Hell, you’ve killed before. All for your protection but still, you still live with the guilt, even if the people you’ve killed deserved it. That’s how he knows your better than him, but he can tell that you don’t think of him any different.

Frank sighs, looking at the dark sky outside and stands up from his seat, “it’s really late, can I walk you home?”

“Such a gentleman, but I’m okay.” You stand up out of your seat but sway just a bit, making your hand shoot out against the table to balance yourself.

“Yeah.. I don’t think so, you’re nearly drunk.”

“So are you,” you retort, lifting an eyebrow.

“Touché,” he squints, but still takes one of your arms and pulls you out of the seat, holding onto you as you both make your way down the aisle towards the door. The bell clings as you exit, and as Frank leads you he keeps an arm on you so you don’t fall over.

Nearly half an hour later you finally get to your door, having had almost pushed each other down the flight of stairs laughing since you had to take the elevator. You’d forgotten it hasn’t been working. You’re giggling as you half attempt to open the door and stall a little longer, not wanting to escape his presence just yet. His body is leaning against the wall, watching you with a grin on his face and looking around to scan the area. Finally as your key turns and the door clicks open, you sigh, opening it a bit before you turn around towards him.

“This is it,” you say.

“This is it,” he replies. You’re both quiet until you both start to say something at the same time and interrupt each other, insisting the other speaks first.

“Would you like to come in?” you falter. You glance at him, and suddenly you feel shy under his gaze.

He nods his head, “I would.”

Not a minute later does he have your back pressed hard against the door just as you both slam it shut, his lips already attacking the side of your neck and keeping a hand rested just above your collarbone. It’s not until you feel his hands snake down and grip onto your waist that you realize he’s sucking a hickey into your neck and you can’t help the groan that escapes you as he tightens his hold. When he’s done, he licks over it, kissing it and soothing the tiny bit of pain, but soon it’s gone just as quick as it was there as his lips smash into yours. You finally gain control of your hands and they come up by the side of his face to grip him by the back of the neck and pull him impossibly closer towards you. Just as one of his hands grabs your breast, he pulls away from you, sighing and resting his head on your shoulder.

“We shouldn’t.”

Shit. You look up at the ceiling, hoping you don’t start crying from frustration.

“Trust me doll, not that I don’t want to because I definitely do-” he chuckles, his forehead leaning against yours, “We’re too shitfaced. I’d rather us not be drunk when this happens.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” you whisper, nodding at his words. You know he’s right, but you don’t exactly like it. He squeezes your boob with a sly smirk on his face and you gasp, hitting him on the arm.

“Excuse me!” He laughs, letting his head fall into the crook of your shoulder again and kiss there a couple of times.

“Sorry, couldn’t help m’self.” You roll your eyes, but you rub your hands up and down his arms, calming both him and yourself down. After you stay there a moment, leaning into each other and letting your arms wrap around one another, you realize that you’re hugging him and it feels so nice to have such a gentle intimacy with someone, even if you’ve just met.

For him, it feels like he’s above the clouds and he might just throw himself out a window because he’s hugging you right now and it’s one of the best feelings he’s felt in a long time. He’s almost happy he has this rather than sex because yeah, sex is great, but he’s still going by baby steps. This, this is exactly what he needed and he has to stop himself from thanking you, since that would be kind of awkward.

“Damn,” you say softly.

“What?” he asks in a gentle voice.

“I owe Karen twenty bucks. I told her I’d leave within the first 5 minutes of meeting you.” His laughter erupts from his chest and he has to step back from you and look you in the eye, and the cheeky expression on your face makes it so much better.

“Twenty dollars well spent.”

#frank castle x reader #frank castle x female reader #frank castle x you #frank castle x y/n #frank castle smut #frank castle marvel

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