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supernaturalgirl20 · 3 years

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Hi, new follower here! I just found 'betrothed - Oberyn x reader' (I only skimmed it coz I'm in a room full of people lol) and I was wondering if I can request a second part, dont know how specific you like to have people request but maybe something simple like, ellaria and Arthur join and if you want to, maybe add the reader finding out she's pregnant after and, ellaria now being her own paramore/concubine helps her through the pregnancy, oberyn and the sand snakes included (and ofc arthur, if he hasn't left for his homeland that is).

Just the perfect amount of smut and wholesome shit, yk. Thanks in advance xx.

(Also, this was just thought up on the spot coz I didn't know if saying, "I'll like to request a second part" would be enough.., and writers don't really bode well with that sorta ask so lmk how you like this. And I know this is a pregnancy and smut request and they want to intentionally make an heir but if it's okay can you limit the breeding kink thing, I ain't really into that)....sorry this is long.

Thank you for requesting a part two 🥰 I’ve never written a foursome before so I hope I did it justice. Hope you enjoy 😉

Betrothed

Part 2

Pairings: Oberyn Martell x reader x Arthur x Ellaria

Warnings: Smut 18+, p in v smut, unprotected sex, foursome, slight breeding kink, pregnancy.

Summary: Arthur and Ellaria join you in your bedchambers and Oberyn is determined to see you with child.

Part one

Since your wedding night two months ago, Oberyn has barely let you leave your bedchamber, determined to have an heir.

“You will look beautiful…..swollen with my babe….breasts full of milk.”

Your orgasm crashes over you, pussy clenching him right and he comes spilling his seed deep inside you.

“I have a feeling it worked this time my flower.”

“You say that every time.”

He pulls out and lays beside you, running his fingers over your hips. You reach over to grab some berries and feed him them.

“My love I have a request. I know you have been diligent in your efforts to impregnate me but I think we deserve some reprieve.”

“You wish to stop?” You laugh at the look of sheer horror on his face.

“No, I merely want to suggest that we open our bed to others for a one night.”

“You know I will never deny that request my flower, who do you wish to have?”

“Well Arthur is arriving today and he will only be here for two days and Ellaria of course.”

“I have no qualms with that, you know my one condition.”

“Yes my love, no one but you can come inside me.”

Oberyn had meetings with his brother so you decided to wander the gardens. You are eating a bowl of berries as you stroll, you’ve become quite addicted to them lately.

“There is our beautiful princess! You are glowing my dear.”

“Ellaria please, join me.”

She runs her eyes over your form and you feel slightly self conscious. “He must be overjoyed.”

“Who?”

“Our Prince of course. He has been so determined to see you with child that he has not graced my bed in some time.”

“He hasn’t?”

“No, he wanted to save everything for you. It appears his efforts have bore fruit.”

You laugh, “I do not know what you mean, you speak in riddles Ellaria.”

“You do not know! My princess you are with child.”

“How? How are you able to tell?”

“My flower I have had four daughters, trust me I know the signs. Come let’s go see the maester.”

Turns out Ellaria was right, you were with child and they estimate you are over a month along. Oberyn was going to be delighted. Ellaria had asked you not to tell him yet, to wait until tonight in bed. You were so deep in thought you were startled when a pair of arms wrap around your waist from behind. A smile creeps onto your face, “Arthur! I’ve missed you.”

“And i you princess, you look even more beautiful if is possible.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere.” He leans down and captures your lips in his.

“Will your Prince mind if I borrow you tonight?”

“Actually I have a proposition for you. Will you come to my bedchamber later after dinner and share my bed with Oberyn and Ellaria?”

“If it is what you want, then yes lass I will.”

“I look forward to it.”

After dinner you grab Arthur and pull him along to your bedchamber, Oberyn and Ellaria are already inside deep in the throws of passion when your enter the room.

“My Prince our flower has arrived.”

He lifts his head up to see you both and his pupils are blown wide in lust.

“You started without me, my loves.”

“It was my fault flower, he has been absent from by bed so long I could not wait.” You smile at the and turn to Arthur who looks like a lost puppy.

“Come Arthur remove your clothes and join me on the bed.”

When he lays on the bed you straddle his waist and line him up before slowly sinking into him. He moans at the feel of your tight cunt wrapped around him. You slowly rock your hips over him and you reach over to grab Ellaria and kiss her. She moans into your mouth and your hand wanders to her breast, pinching her nipple. Arthur looks at you both and he has never been so turned on before. He grabs your hips and begins to thrust up into you, needing more friction than you are giving him. Ellaria whispers into you ear and you move off Arthur and he groans at the loss of you.

“Shh you will get me again my love so not worry, Ellaria wants a taste.”

“I want to taste you first my flower, it has been too long.”

She lays you back on the bed and pushes your thighs apart, before licking a strip up your folds. She finds your sensitive bundle of nerves and sucks in it sending you over the edge. You cry out in the room and when the after shock of your orgasm as dissipated you flip her over and ravish her mouth. You begin to kiss your way down her body, popping her nipples into your mouth and she moans at the sensation of your hot mouth over her. You begin to kiss lower until your face is above her wet glistening cunt. Slanting your mouth over her pussy you suck and lick and bite before adding two fingers inside. She writhes beneath you and you reach up to grab her breast and it sends her over the edge and you lap up her sweet juices as she comes in your mouth. While you were both entrances with one another Oberyn had moved towards Arthur. “I wish to taste you my king, will you allow me?” He can’t answer he’s so turned on he simply nods his head in approval.

Oberyn grabs him in his hand and pumps him a few times earning a moan from Arthur, before licking the underside of his cock. He licks around the tip teasing him before taking him completely into his mouth. Arthur is a mess on the bed, never having had a man take him like this before, but wishing he had if it felt this good. Oberyn hollows his cheeks and relaxes the muscles in his throat. Oberyn let’s out an animalistic growl as you move his hips and take him in your mouth. He has missed this sort of pleasure, while he has enjoyed your body, he will admit he loves more than one lover at a time. Ellaria moves up the bed towards Arthur and captures his lips in a heated kiss. Her tongue pushes through his lips and tangles with his and the sensations are all too much as he come deep down Oberyn’s throat. You can tell he is also close to coming and so your massage his balls the way he like and he is spilling to you in minutes. You are rather exhausted and slump against the pillows. Ellaria turns to Oberyn and with a glint in her eye, “my Prince, doesn’t our love look absolutely radiant, why she is practically glowing. To emphasise what she is trying to say she slowly rubs her hand over your still flat stomach. It doesn’t take him long to catch on and he is elated.

“My love, is it true? Are you with child?” You simply nod your head.

“Congratulations Y/N, you will make an amazing mother.”

“Thank you Arthur that means a lot.”

“Out!”

Your startled by Oberyn and his tone, it appears so to us Ellaria.

“Please, leave I want to be alone with my wife.” He kisses her sweetly on the lips and she grabs her rob and Arthur and leaves.

“Why did you make them leave, we weren’t finished?”

“We are not my love, but I wanted to make love to my wife, who is baring my son, alone.”

“How do you know it’s a boy, with your track record it is more likely a girl.”

“Call it a feeling, but I know you are carrying my son. My little Prince.” He kisses over your stomach and you run your fingers through his hair. You’ve never been happier than in this moment right here. He did make love to you, many times, that night.

As the months pass and you got bigger, Oberyn was overly protective. When he was away on business for Doran Arthur made sure you were looked after as Ellaria accompanied Oberyn on his trips. He was away on one of these trips when your waters went, a month early.

“No no no, this cannot be happening. It’s too early.”

“Y/N is everything alright?”

“Arthur the baby, it’s coming. It can’t be it’s too early and Oberyn isn’t here.” Your completely distraught and he tries to comfort you as best he can.

“I need you to strip out of your dress into your under garments, lay on the bed and I will fetch the maester.”

“Ok, but please don’t be long.” Oberyn had left early hoping to surprise you but it was he who was surprised. When he arrived there was so much commotion he stopped one of the palace guards to see what was happening.

“My Prince, it’s your wife, she is in childbirth.”

“Where is she?”

“In your bedchamber my Prince.”

He rushed towards your room, Ellaria close behind, when he opens the door you were screaming at the maester that you couldn’t do it without him.

“I am here my love.”

“Oberyn your home.”

“I wanted to surprise you but you’ve surprised me it appears.” He kisses your forehead and moves behind you on the bed.

“You need to push now princess.”

“I can’t.”

“My love you can! You are the strongest person I know, just think only a little while longer and you will be able to hold our baby in your arms.”

With his encouragement you push hard and after an hour you finally give birth. You cry as you hear your baby’s cries.

“Your majesty’s you have a son.” He hands him to you and you cradle him in your arms. He is the image of his father, a mop of dark hair already on his head and those brown eyes you love so much.

“He is beautiful my love, just like you.”

“Oh hush he is the image of you Oberyn.” Ellaria and Arthur come over and coo at him.

“Congratulations Y/N, Oberyn he is a beautiful baby. Have you chosen a name?”

“I was thinking Nymeros Martell?”

“That is a good name, hello my little Nym, your mommy and daddy love you.”

“Welcome to the family my beautiful boy.”

Fin

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#pedro pascal #oberyn martell x reader #pedro pascal x reader #oberyn martell smut #pedro pascal x female reader #pedro pascal fanfiction

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grandcompany · 2 years

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[ 🌺 ] what is your muse’s relationship with their parents? are there specific things they like/dislike about them? (For Wolf!)

The stone bounced and clattered down the hill, flicking off the rough bark of a tall maple before it bounded into the underbrush and disappeared. The one that followed it flew and smacked the archery butte hanging from the low branch, and then made its own crashing path through the forest.

"Your aim's better," the elderly elezen quipped as he emerged from the treeline behind Wolf and lowered himself onto the stone beside her. His familiar voice and gentle hand on her shoulder brought all the anger she'd been burning through to a sudden collapse, and Wolf fell upon him, burying her face in his rough shirt as she sobbed.

"I thought... I though she'd take me with her this time," Wolf hiccupped through her tears as she clung to her grandfather.

"Oh, pup," he sighed, rubbing her back. "Thirteen turns is too young for that sort of work."

"Courel is just a baby and they took him," Wolf shot back, pulling away from him as hot anger rushed into her. When she looked into her grandfather's face she saw the answer she knew he wouldn't speak written in the lines of his frown.

"It's because I'm not his, isn't it? Obelisk doesn't like me," She sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve as she stared at her grandfather.

"Obelisk likes you fine, sweetheart. He just doesn't know you yet," The old elezen sighed and leaned on his knees, "But, that you're someone else's child is part of it, I'm sure." He looked out at the Archery butte, his face grim, "I told Leaf she couldn't keep showing up like this, but your mother is a stubborn woman. She loves you in her own way, or she wouldn't come back at all."

The cold comfort of her grandfather's words iced through Wolf's heart, cooling her anger and replacing it with a fragile bitterness. "I thought they were gonna leave Courel with us," she said finally, her head hanging into her lap as she broke into another round of sobs. "Like she left me. I thought we'd be t-together."

"Oh, pup," he said again, his old voice cracking like dry leaves, "I'm sorry."

Wolf was raised by her paternal great-grandfather, an elderly Elezen named Grumant Launaire. Her father died when she was only an infant, after which her mother, Ardent Leaf, dropped her off with his only surviving family in the Shroud. They were both extremely young at the time, but knowing that didn't make it easier for Wolf.

Leaf would return semi-regularly to visit her daughter, eventually bringing her new husband and their son with her on trips. As Wolf grew older she did join them on some hunting expeditions and traveled with them into the mountains of her step-father's homeland, but she was never really made part of the Hellsguard community they were from.

That's not something she's ever discussed with them, but she suspects even now that her 1/8th or whatever Elezen blood has something to do with it.

Wolf's main gripe with her family is that she's never felt like she was really part of them. Both the group in the Shroud, which were mainly Duskwight Elezen, and her Hellsguard mom and step-father. She and her half-brother, Felicitous Courel did eventually grow closer, and though he rarely passes through the shroud they both have a grand time catching up when he does. He's one of the few people that Wolf will not hesitate to confide in. Also a huge dopey nerd just like her.

Thank you for the ask @the-warrior-and-the-mage!

#wolf writing #wolf asks #wolf answers #wolf posts

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fireemblems24 · 3 years

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I am so glad you pointed out the imperialist vibes Edelgard has sometimes. As someone who lives in a country who was basically occupied ahem conquered because they said "we have better ideas that will improve your lives" and had our culture absolutely shattered, one of the main reasons why I disagree with Edelgard so much is because of that. She thinks her point of view is superior and the most morally right and I really don't like it whenever she sounds so confused about people defending their homeland. Especially that one line she has with Dimitri in Chapter 17 ffffff—

Like, girl, they have the fucking right to disagree with you please stop sounding so confused as to why they can't see eye to eye with you gahhhhh

I would be more tolerant with the war if she had say, did diplomacy before it? But she tried to had Dimitri and Claude killed in Part I (the prologue). I would also understand her better if the war was a last resort and the other leaders were corrupt and all that. But they're not. Many of the students (who have power because many are noble heirs) outside her house are heavily affected by the nobility and Crests (Sylvain, Ingrid, Mercedes, Lysithea, etc.) or at least understanding of the problems caused by them (Dimitri). It's so frustrating how so much of this can be prevented if she just talked about it.

Also, to those who said she wants the change to be quick, even with war it won't be. The fucking war basically caused continent-wide damage. It's going to be so hard to actually fix this. Hell, there's definitely going to be an eventual rebellion by former Kingdom / Alliance people or sympathisers. It's not going to be as clean cut as the game or some pro-Edelgard people make it to be. Not everyone is going to agree with her, whether she takes over or not. She just destroyed the stability of the continent and while yes, she can rebuild it again, it will still take time and who's to say future leaders won't be corrupt? Also, a hierarchy will always exist, whether she likes it or not. Especially if she plans to set up a meritocracy. Meritocracy is going to usually end up giving power and privilege to those with already pre-existing privilege as they the opportunity to show off their merits or develop those skills. Poor and disabled people are going to have difficulty as they don't have equal opportunity to develop skills and accomplish stuff. I'm generalising, but it just ends up as a hierarchy, again. Not only that, it also has ways to enforce discrimination.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is, she needs to long term plan out her systems. I apologise since I have bad memory but as far as I remember, the game doesn't give us too many details on how she wants to establish her system. All I remember is she does the war > Church / Rhea out of power > Establish her government > ???. Someone please clear this up for me because I'm confused.

...and again really, diplomatic reforms are an option. Yes, they're much more tedious. Yes, they take so much more longer. Yes, sometimes it feels impossible to accomplish. But did she not even consider it as an option?

All in all, I do like Edelgard. But I really wish the game let us go against her while we're with her? I wish it wasn't just general "agree with Edelgard" for CF. I remember someone pointing it out to me before that it would've been really great if she had someone in her house who does the same role Felix does in AM... which is basically disagree and call out the lord's shit. And they pointed out Ferdinand could've probably been that character for CF. And I kinda agree? I really think CF would immensely improve if Edelgard had a challenger / foil to her beliefs similar to how Felix does that for Dimitri.

Anyway, sorry for the very long ask lol. I like Edelgard and I agree with some of her morals and ideals such as the crest system being bad but....she's done so dirty asdfghjkl. I do think she's written well enough to incite these emotions in me, and she makes for a good antagonist. As a protagonist lord however.... yeah.

First off, sorry it took so long to respond, but I wanted to give an equally throughout response.

While I haven’t gotten to chapter 17 yet, I can attest to the notion that Edelgard’s rhetoric is eerily similar to Imperialist propaganda. I do understand this is fiction, and that it’s okay to hand-wave/enjoy things in fiction that you shouldn’t or wouldn’t in real life. Crimson Flower has its charms and parts I enjoy. Edelgard is an interesting character more hampered by things that plague Three Houses as a whole than anything else, but it’s still worth examining how dangerous her rhetoric is. Because, unlike you, my country sits at the opposite end - the Imperialist nation selling that rhetoric to its citizens, and, unfortunately, at the time I bought it - which makes me really sensitive to this.

I’m from the US and I’m specifically speaking about the US’s invasion of the Middle East. I was in middle or high school, just barely a teenager, and naive and ignorant enough to believe what my leaders said. Because guess what? I bought into it out of misplaced and ignorant (and racist) compassion. I was horrified at the idea these people were suffering unfairly just because of where they were born whereas I got all these promised privileges just because of where I was born. I really thought the US would go in there and give them democracy and everything would be great. Looking back, I realize they were lying, that we’ve only made things worse, that it’s horribly racist to assume the US was just inherently better, and I’ve sense then gained access to fast-speed internet, traveled, matured, etc . . . and thankfully this all happened before I had any actual power to do anything like vote. But to this day I’m beyond pissed off they used my own compassion against me to line their own pockets. It was ignorant and racist, but it was all based in concern that others didn’t have the same quality of life I had and a growing realization of my own privilege. And that’s what I hate so much. It didn’t sound evil. It sounded good. It used people’s good will and compassion against them and twisted it into evil for their own causes.

I don’t think Edelgard is after Faerghus and the Alliance because she wants oil. I think she honestly thinks she’s doing good. And, if this were real life, I think that makes her rhetoric even more dangerous than a corrupt politicians’. Because everything else is still the same. She’s being ignorant, nationalist instead of racist in this case, and honestly thinks her moral superiority will improve everyone’s lives even if it means ravaging the entire content in war. She is dangerously naive and ignorant.

Maybe I’d support her more morally if I believed for an instant the general populace welcomed the changes she wants to bring, if the leaders she fought against weren’t open and wanting change themselves, ect . . . But the dialogue indicated her presence inspires people running and screaming in terror, not welcoming her presence (see the chapter where you kill Claude). The Kingdom is still fighting tooth and nail against her. She’s not supported. Her changes aren’t wanted. And she hasn’t bothered to learn a single thing about the cultures she’s determined to squash under her heal nor the leaders heading them.

I also think I’d support her better if we had a clearer idea of what her plans were. But CF has shifted from Edelgard speaking about interesting ideas and classism to evil dragon overlords and chastising Byleth for making her blush. The decision to side with her or Rhea is not choosing between two ideals, but an emotional, spur of the moment thing. Edelgard’s early supports with Byleth attempt to convince the player to side with her not based on political ideals, but on feeling sorry for her.

CF gives you no choice but to agree with everything Edelgard says (as you said, there’s no “Felix” or a “Lorenz”). It wants you to support her war without question, and therefore you don’t get any answers to questions like - if this is really just about Rhea, why are we invading the Alliance? Because they won’t hand power over to you? Why didn’t you just stick to the Empire to enact your changes? In the end, you’re left with what sounds more and more like an entitled Imperialistic princess with absolutely no idea how ignorant she is hell bent on conquering what she thinks belongs to her based on a conspiracy theory.

All that said, I do think Edelgard has interesting ideas and isn’t wholly wrong, just how she goes about it is horribly wrong. And I fully believe the core issue is how CF has dropped the ball big time writing wise, because diving deeper into her ideas and not her crush on you would go a long way. So would shifting the narrative away from evil boogey dragon lady must die and everyone else is wrong and I am superior and right and more towards a clashing of ideals, this route could’ve been a lot more and seemed a lot less ignorant, naive, entitled, and Imperialistic.

#fire emblem #Fire Emblem Three Houses #fire emblem 3 houses #fe16 #fe3h #edelgard discourse #just incase any of her fans don't want to see this #and have that tag blocked #because this doesn't paint a pretty picture of her

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snarktheater · 3 years

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Hey, d'you have any French book recs? I'm trying to work on my French, and rn I have downloaded one of my favourite book series' French translations, but I figured maybe books already written in French might work better? Also have you read the Ranger's Apprentice series? 1/2

RA's def flawed - the books' narration does like to point bright arrows at the protagonists' intelligence, and the last few books def have the tone of 'old white man trying to write feminism', although at least he's trying? - and it's aimed more to the younger side of YA, but it is still a very fun series, and I can ignore the flaws fairly easily, at least partly due to nostalgia? This rather long lol but I'm wordy.

I'll start with the second question: no, although every time the series is brought up I have to check the French title and go "oh, right, I've seen these books in stores". But I've never purchased or read them. It sounds like something I probably would have enjoyed as a teen but I just missed the mark, and these days I'm trying to drown myself in queer books, so that probably isn't happening.

As for your first question, geez, I haven’t read a French book in years, so this is gonna skew middle grade/YA, though that may not be so bad if the point is to learn the language. I will also say that as a result, these may read a little outdated.

I'll put it under a cut, even if Tumblr has become really bad with correctly displaying read mores. Sorry, mobile crowd.

It's also likely that old readers of the blog will have seen me talk about most of these. I don't feel like going through old posts.

One last thing: while I was curating this list I took the time to make a Goodreads shelf to keep track of those.

The Ewilan books by Pierre Bottero

(It's a testament to how long ago I read these books that these are not the covers of the edition I own, and I can't even find those on Google. I'm settling for a more recent cover anyway since it'll make it easier to find them, presumably)

There are at least three trilogies (that I know of) set in the same world.

The first trilogy is essentially an isekai (so, French girl lands in parallel fantasy world by accident) with elements of chosen one trope, though I find the execution makes it worth the while anyway.

The second trilogy is a direct sequel, so same protagonist but new threat, and the world gets expanded.

The third one is centered around a supporting characters from the previous books, and the first couple of books in it are more her backstory than a continuation, though the third one concludes both that trilogy and advances the story of the other books as well.

Notably these books have a really fun magic system where the characters "draw" things into existence. It's just stuck with me for some reason.

A bunch of stuff by Erik L'Homme

I have read a lot of this man's books, starting with Le Livre des Etoiles.

They also skew towards the young end of YA, arguably middle grade, I never bothered to figure out where to draw the line. They're coincidentally also using the premise of a parallel world to our own (and yes, connected to France again, the French are just as susceptible of writing about their homeland), but interestingly are set from the point of view of characters native to the parallel world.

It also has a very unique magic system, this one based on a mix of a runic alphabet and sort-of poetry. I'll also say specifically for these books that the characters stuck with me way more than others on this list, which is worth mentioning.

This trilogy is my favorite by Erik L'Homme, but I'll also mention Les Maîtres des brisants, which is a fantasy space opera with a pirate steampunk(?) vibe. I think it's steampunk. I could be mistaken. But it's in that vein. It's also middle grade, in my opinion not as good, but it could just be that it came out when I was older.

Another one is Phaenomen, which was a deliberate attempt at skewing older (though still YA). This one is set in our (then-)modern world and centers a group of teens who happen to have supernatural powers. I guess the best way to describe it is a superhero thriller? If you take "superhero" in the sense of "people with individualized powers", since they don't really do a lot of heroing.

...I really need to brush up on genre terminology, don't I.

The Ji series by Pierre Grimbert

This one is actually adult fantasy, though it definitely falls under "probably outdated". It is very straight, for starters, and I'd have to give it another read to give a more critical reading of how it handles race (it attempts to do it, and is well meaning, but I'm not sure it survives the test of time & scrutiny, basically).

If I haven't lost you already, the premise is this: a few generations ago, a weird man named Nol gathered emissaries from each nation of the world and took them to a trip to the titular Ji island. Nobody knows what went down here, but now in the present day, someone is trying to kill off all descendants from those emissaries, who are as a result forced to team up and figure out what's going on.

I'm not going to spoil past that, though I will say it has (surprise) a really unique magic system! I guess you can start to piece together what my younger self was interested in. Which, admittedly, I still am.

Once again, this one also has a strong cast of characters, helped by rich world building and the premise forcing the characters to come from many different cultures (though, again, I can't vouch for the handling of race because it's been too long).

The first series is complete by itself, though it has two sequel series as well, each focusing on the next generation in these families. Because yes, of course they all pair up and have kids. Like I said: very straight.

A whole lot of books by Jean-Louis Fetjaine

OFetjaine is a historian, and I guess he's really interested in Arthurian mythos especially, because he loves it so much he's written two separate high fantasy retellings of them! I'm not criticizing, mind you, we all need a hobby.

The former, the Elves trilogy (pictures above) is very traditional high fantasy. Elves, dwarves, orcs, a world which is definitely fictionalized with a pan-Celtic vibe to it. The holy grail and excalibur are around, but they're relics possessed by the elves and dwarves with very different powers than usual. Et cetera.

Fetjaine also really loves his elves (as the titles might imply), and while they're not exactly Tolkien elves, there's a similar vibe to them. If you like Tolkien and his elf boner, you'll probably like this too. And conversely, if that turns you off, these books probably also won't work for you.

This series also has a prequel trilogy, centered around the backstory of one of the main characters. I...honestly don't remember too much about it, but I liked it, so, there you go, I guess.

I said Fetjaine did it twice. The other series is the Merlin duology, which, as the title implies, is a retelling of Merlin's story. Note that Merlin is also in the other trilogy, but it's a different Merlin; like I said, completely different continuities and stories.

This one is historical fantasy, so it's set in actual Great Britain, and Fetjaine attempts to connect Arthur to a "real" historical figure...but, you know, Merlin is also half-elf and elves totally exist in Brocéliande, so, you know. History.

Okay, that's probably enough fantasy, let me give some classics too.

L'Arbre des possibles et autres histoires - Bernard Werber

Bernard Werber is a pretty seminal author of French sci-fi and I should probably be embarrassed that the only book of his that I read was for school, but, it is a really good one, so I'll include it anyway.

It's a novella collection, and when I say "sci-fi" I want to make it clear that it's very old school science fiction. It's more Frankenstein or Black Mirror than Star Trek, what we in French call the anticipation genre of science fiction: you take one piece of technology or cultural norm and project it into the future.

It has a pretty wide range of topics and tones, so it's bound to have some better than others. My personal faves were Du pain et des jeux, where football (non-American) has evolved into basically a wargame, and Tel maître, tel lion, where any animal is considered acceptable as a pet, no matter how absurd it is to keep as a pet. They're both on a comedic end, but there's more heartfelt stuff too.

L'Ecume des Jours - Boris Vian

(no cover because I can't find the one I have, and the ones I find are ugly)

This book is surrealist. Like, literally a part of the surrealist movement. It features things such as a lilypad growing inside a woman's lungs (and, as you well know, lilypads double in size every day, wink wink), the protagonist's apartment becoming larger and smaller to go with his mood and current financial situation, and more that I can't even recall at the moment because remembering this book is like trying to remember having an aneurysm.

It is also really, really fun and touching. Oh, and it has a pretty solid movie adaptation, starring Audrey Tautou, who I think an international audience would probably recognize from Amelie or the Da Vinci Code movie.

I don't really know what else to say. It's a really cool read!

Le Roi se meurt - Eugène Ionesco

Ionesco is somewhat famous worldwide so I wasn't even sure to include him here. He's a playwright who wrote in the "Theater of the Absurd" movement, and this play is part of that.

The premise of this play is that the King (of an unnamed land) is dying, and the land is dying with him. I don't really know what else to say. It's theater of the absurd. It kind of has to be experienced (the published version works fine, btw, no need to track down an actual performance, in my humble opinion).

The Plague - Albert Camus

You've probably heard of this one, and if you haven't, let me tell you about a guy called Carlos Maza

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I'm honestly more including this book out of a sense of duty. The other three are books I genuinely liked and happen to be classics. This book was an awful read. But, um. It's kind of relevant now in a way it wasn't (or didn't feel, anyway) back in 2008 or 2009, when I read it. And I don't just mean because of our own plague, since Camus's plague is pretty famously an allegory for fascism, which my teenage self sneered at, and my adult self really regrets every feeling that way.

Okay, finally, some more lighthearted stuff, we gotta talk about the Belgian and French art of bande dessinée. How is it different from comic books or manga? Functionally, it isn't. It really comes down more to what gets published in the Belgian-French industry compared to the American comics industry, which is dominated by superheroes, or the Japanese manga industry, which, while I'm less familiar with it, I know has some big genre trends as well that are completely separate.

The Lanfeust series - Arleston and Tarquin

This is a YA mega-series, and I can't recommend all of it because I've lost track of the franchise's growth. Also note that I say "YA", but in this case it means something very different from an American understanding of YA. These books are pretty full of sex.

No, when I say YA I mean it has that level of maturity, for better or worse. The original series (Lanfeust de Troy) is high fantasy in a world where everyone has an individual magical ability but two characters find out they're gifted with an absolute power to make anything happen, and while it gets dark at times, it's still very lighthearted throughout, and the humor is...well, I think it's best described as teen boy humor. And it has a tendency to objectify its female characters, as you'll quickly parse out from the one cover I used here or if you browse more covers.

But still, it holds a special place in my heart, I guess. And on my shelves.

The sequel series, Lanfeust des Etoiles, turns it into a space opera, and goes a little overboard with the pop culture reference at times, though overall still maintains that balance of serious/at times dark story and lighthearted comedy.

After that the franchise is utter chaos to me, and I've lost track. I know there was another sequel series, which I dropped partway through, and a spinoff that retold part of the original series from the PoV of the main love interest (in the period of time she spent away from the main group). There was a comedy spin-off about the troll species unique to this world, a prequel series, probably more I don't even know exist.

Les Démons d'Alexia

Something I can probably be a little less ashamed of including here.

Some backstory here. The Editions Dupuis are a giant of the Belgian bande dessinée industry, and for many, many years I was subscribed to their weekly magazine. That magazine was (mostly) made up of excerpts from the various books that the éditions were publishing at the time; those that were made of comic strips would usually get a couple pages of individual scripts, while the ongoing narratives got cut into episodes that were a few pages long (out of a typical 48 page count for a single BD album). Among those were this series.

For the first few volumes, I wasn't super into this series, probably because I was a little too young and smack dab in the middle of my "trying to be one of the boys" phase. But around book 3 I got really invested, to the point where I own the second half of the series because I had canceled by subscription by then but still wanted to know more.

Alexia is an exorcist with unusual talents, but little control, who's introduced to a group that specializes in researching paranormal phenomena, solving cases that involve the paranormal, that kinda stuff.

As a result of the premise, the series has a pretty slow start since it has to build up mystery around the source of Alexia's powers, but once it gets going and we get to what is essentially the series' main conflict, it gets really interesting.

Plus, witches. I'm a simple gay who likes strong protagonists and witches.

Murena

There was a point where my mtyhology nerdery led me to look for more stuff about the historical cultures that created them, and so I'd be super into stuff set in ancient Rome (I'd say "or Greece or Egypt" but let's face it, it was almost always Rome).

Murena is a series set just before the start of Emperor Nero's rule. You know, the one who was emperor when Rome burned, and according to urban legend either caused the fire or played the fiddle while it did (note: "fiddle" is a very English saying, it's usually the lyre in other languages). He probably didn't, it probably was propaganda, but he was a) a Roman Emperor, none of whom were particularly stellar guys and b) mean to Christians, who eventually got to rewrite history. So he's got a bad rep.

The series goes for a very historical take on events, albeit fictionalized (the protagonist and main PoV, the titular Lucius Murena, is himself fictional) and attempts to humanize the people involved in those events. Each book also includes some of the sources used to justify how events and characters are depicted, which is a nice touch.

It's also divided in subseries called "cycles" (books 1-4, 5-8 and the ongoing one starts at 9). I stopped after 9, though I think it's mostly a case of not going to bookstores often anymore. Plus it took four years between 9 and 10, and again between 10 and 11. But the first eight books made for a pretty solid story that honestly felt somewhat concluded as is, so it's a good place to start.

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blindmagdalena · 6 months

Note

Firstly I hope you’re feeling better after your flu shot and booster shot💛

Eat Your Ego, Honey is an immaculate story but chapter six and seven had me punching the air because of how good they were.

They had me going feral because of how well written they were. The “it’s my birthday line” and then when Homelander was stuttering trying to explain that he can’t sleep in his clothes. I am a huge fan of the headcanon that Homelander has sensory issues because it would make sense given that his senses are superpowered or at least his hearing and smell are superpowered.

But I have to ask how far do you think Homelander would go to keep his s/o in his life? Like if his s/o did not want anything else to do with him but he was already unhealthily attached to them.

oh my god this is so unbelievably kind. i'm terribly sorry for the delayed reply. i wanted to be able to give a proper response. 🖤

thank you so very much!! eat your ego is very near and dear to my heart, so this really does mean a lot. i know oc x canon content doesn't have the same broad appeal as x canon or x reader, but using an oc has really allowed me to tell exactly the story i wanted to tell, and i'm so glad folks are enjoying the ride with me.

totally agree with the sensory issues!! he just has so many very specific little isms. it makes perfect sense to me.

as for your question... he'd go pretty fucking far. we've seen some fairly intense examples of this in canon, particularly with Maeve.

i do have a fic that leans into this, actually. this nameless breakup fic, which I really should add to my pinned and expand on because it's probably my favorite i've done when it comes to darker "meanlander" content. mind the tags!

i have a couple of wips in the works where i want to slowburn a good relationship with Homelander going sour, and what that would actually mean for the reader when he is simply Not willing to let them go. obviously he'll delude himself into whatever he wants to believe simply because he can. there's a sense of truly terrifying helplessness in being loved by someone as powerful as Homelander. there's really nowhere you could run and no one who could protect you from his attention. he doesn't actually have to do all that much. he can just show up and... take you. simple as that. put you where he wants you and tell you this is how it is.

he can be patient. you'll come to your senses eventually.

#EUGH he even gives ME the creeps sometimes and i'm the one writing this ahahaha #homelander x reader #homelander x you #homelander x oc #darling anon #ask and you shall receive #homelander headcanons #eat your ego

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ryuichirou · 3 years

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I saw one very stupid post on my dash about how snk is OBVIOUSLY nazi propaganda and trying to convert all of us into imperialists and white supremacists. tbh it’s not the first time I’ve seen that kind of stuff and probably won't be the last, but for some reason this time it gave me a lot of anxiety (I got wordy, I'mma need to send another ask, sorry)

(part 2) It's been more than half and hour and I still feel this awful sensation in my chest. It's just overall pretty fucked how to have something you hold dear being misinterpreted in the worst way possible, and I was just wondering what are your thoughts on this situation or how you deal with people claiming all sorts of awful shit.

(part 3) I imagine that as an artist some people probably direct their issues with snk towards you, 'cause I don't even post that much fanart and I've gotten anons "trying to educate me" on why this series is so wrong, after posting drawings. Of course, you don't have to reply, maybe the topic makes you anxious too and I don't want to bother you, so sorry for the depressing topic (｡•́︿•̀｡)

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

Tiiish, I want to hug you, I’m really sorry that this happened to you. I hope you’re feeling a little bit better now.

Like we already mentioned a while ago, when we were talking about that darn article, after we read through it and did a little fact checking (and I mean it when I say a little, because there weren’t many facts to check), we stopped caring about it. It’s not research at all, just a manipulatively written speculation on Yam’s motives and worldview, but sadly, people easily believe these accusations because they hate SnK and want to find a valid reason to hate it and shit on its fanbase. Because “I hate it because it’s nazi propaganda” sounds much cooler than “I hate it because it’s popular”, doesn’t it?

It’s easier to ignore the article itself though, and it’s much harder not to think about tumblr posts or those Twitter threads that get very popular (although there are a lot of bots on twitter, trust me…), and it’s especially difficult to ignore it when it’s specifically directed at you. But the only thing that these people deserve is a good ol’ block and (if they’re getting too offensive and abusive) a report for harassment. The thing is, their opinion doesn’t matter: it won’t change SnK’s story, it won’t affect its success and popularity, it doesn’t affect anything other than our mood (temporarily lol). Because they aren’t critics who actually give a flying fuck about the subject matter, they’re just random assholes with a hateboner for SnK, who sit in their echochamber and discuss the same shit over and over again. And if they’re “fans” of the SnK, it’s just them “consuming it critically” 🙄 such a convenient phrase and so easy to abuse.

If we think about these accusations again… they’re so damn nonsensical, it’s almost amazing. I’m not going to reread it or to make a proper counterpoint article out of this ask, so this is just based on how we remember these accusations.

Like, what part of SnK approves and pushes the idea of imperialism in any way? When the entire idea of the story is that war is bad? When people like Onyankopon, whose homeland was invaded by Marley, exist? And it’s never portrayed as a good thing? Having only one country dominating the world’s situation is literally the main reason why everyone’s suffering??

And come to think of it, Isayama is one of the few manga artists to kind of sort of openly critique Japan: he literally drew Kiyomi losing her cool and drooling while thinking about all the profit and wealth she would get from the deal with Paradis. Why do people never talk about that? What is it, if not a critique of greedy and two-faced nature of people from Azumabito clan, who are heavily implied to represent Japan? I don’t read a lot of manga in general, but do you know how many mangakas I’ve seen who directly talked shit about Japan while being Japanese? Two. Excluding Isayama.

Isayama is clearly invested in the Western culture and he understands the World’s History. He understands that political relationships are complex and that there are no “bad” or “good” countries. I don’t want to make assumptions about how much perspective of the world’s relationships the average person from Japan has, but I still feel like Yams has a pretty good understanding of it. He did his research for the subject matter, and while it’s obviously not perfect, it’s clearly there.

These people also claim that SnK is anti-Korean and anti-Semitic, but if Hetalia had taught me anything, it is that if the story has or used to have any anti-Korean undertones, the Korean readers wouldn’t want to have anything to do with it. They would be the first people to ditch the manga, they would be the first people to critique SnK, and rightfully so. They burnt Uniqlo clothes, their overall domestic policy is pretty anti-Japanese, so there’re literally zero reasons for them not to destroy SnK if they see it as anti-Korean. But the size of the Korean SnK fandom suggests otherwise, doesn’t it.

And the “big noses = Jewish caricature” argument, seriously? How anti-Semitic can you get? Who the fuck looks at people and goes “oh, those have big noses, bet they’re caricature of Jews”?? Sorry I’m getting heated lol The argument about “Asian artists portray Westerners with prominent noses because that’s what we look like to them” has been done a lot of times, I’m not going to go over than again.

And god forbid Isayama to use Germany and Europe to draw a story where his characters are (approximately) Germans and Europeans! Let’s go fetch our pitchforks to punish Isayama for using their aesthetic to make his story look more believable and authentic, right? “Oh, those areas where they hold Eldians resemble places from real life”, like no shit???? Ofc they would??? That’s what references for making the story more grounded are used for??? If I were to write a story about a fictional place based on a real one that I don’t live in, I’d use some visual references to help me to make it more believable??? Why do I even need to explain that?

In my previous post I talked about the armbands and ghetto and stuff, but I’ll reiterate: even if there are thematic similarities, it doesn’t mean that the story mirrors our history. And it doesn’t mean that there is an analogy, since Eldian’s situation is quiiiite different than what Jewish people had to go through. It’s just thematic similarities. And it still doesn’t plant any specific idea in the reader’s head, other than “having people shoved into ghettos with 0 civil rights is a horrible thing”, and I can’t comprehend what’s anti-Semitic or imperialistic about it. Also I’m sorry, but nazis are not the only people who genocided a bunch of people, breaking news. Nor did they invent armbands. Same goes for Japan in WWII.

And now for my favourite argument: Erwin is nazi because his name is Erwin and he was born on the same day than some nazi guy died… I won’t even talk about why this idea is hilariously stupid, I just want to appreciate the level of nitpicking that’s going on here.

So… yeah. People who have nothing else to do but to complain about the show they hate don’t matter. And people who consider themselves a part of the SnK fandom and still say this bs (yep, there are people who do that) are huge hypocrites. The heck are they doing in this fandom then?? Of course, any story is up to interpretation, but this is so backwards?

Sorry for rambling so much… anyways. We’re happy enough not to encounter any hate related to this topic, but we think it’s because we ship Ereri and people already hate us for that, so the majority of shit we get is related to that, I guess we’re a lost cause for them. We’ll see if anything happens after this post though.

But once again, I’m very sorry that you had to go through this. Please remember that this isn’t personal at all, and people who harass strangers on the internet just want to flex their high moral ground while acting like complete assholes. You don’t have to explain anything to them, you don’t have to talk to them, you don’t have to listen to them or give them any attention. I hope you’ll never stumble upon anything like this; but if you ever do, please block them, don’t even bother reading their attempts at “educate” you. Isn’t worth it.

Please have a good day, Tish. And everyone who’s reading this reply.

#replies

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qqueenofhades · 4 years

Note

I really don’t want to start a discourse™, but I want you to know that I really appreciate how you write joe and Nicky in deo volente. So many of the fics I’ve read have placed yusef in the role of more sexually experienced and less devoted to god, while Nicky is depicted as an inexperienced and virginal priest/knight/monk and so forth and so on. Your narrative of joe out there rescuing people and being faithful, while Nicky looks back on his life of gambling and pleasures of the flesh ...(1/?)

Not to say that there’s anything wrong with either, obviously. I love guilty priest Nicky and repressed Nicky and p much every Nicky. But in the vast array of fics out there, it’s rare to see the opposite. Not that you’re working in a binary morally good/religious vs. not way. Your writing in the fic is really subtle and and your characterizations reveal a lot of depth. I just think it’s cool to see Nicky, average second son of a duke, drinking and gambling and feeling terribly guilty (2/?)

Guilty about the crusades and the fucking horror of crusade 1 without being excessively devout. Just an average dude. Not some paragon of virtue (btw, I’m on chapter 2 of the fic, so I don’t know how much your characterization changes moving forward. You have a lovely ability to combine your incredible knowledge of history, your beautiful writing, and these intimate details of the characters that make them fit— fit the canon and fit the history. (3/? Shit I’m sorry this had gotten way too long)

I enjoy the way you’ve really inserted us into the quotidian aspect of history. Aaaaaanyway— the discourse that I was afraid of: I think that a lot of fans of the movie that are generating fan content (tysfm to all of you beauties, btw 🙏🙏♥️) are westerners (which is a whole nother kettle of fish) and that carries a sort of ignorance about the Muslim world in the Middle Ages and this desire to simplify Europe as “Christian” “fighters for faith” etc. (4/? Fuuuuck. One(??) more)

And when we do that, we end up as characterizing the brown people as “not that”. The thing I love about this fandom is that people are definitely down on the crusades. I feel like all the fic I’ve read has been particularly negative about those wars, but the thing I love about your fic is that you don’t just say war is bad because people died and it was despicable and this pious white dude says so and this one brown person agrees. (5/6, I see the end in sight I swear it)

Instead you give us a larger cast of Muslims and Arabs and really flesh them out and give them opinions and different interpretations of faith, and I really appreciate that. The crusades were terrible, and we know this because these regular dudes who struggle with their different faiths and lives say so. And I just. I think that’s really great. Also, I fucking love yusef’s mom. I feel like more people would be accepting of the gift in this fashion and I think she’s lovely and (god damn it 6/7)

Aaaaaaaand. The bit where yusef returns and she’s already gone breaks my fucking heart. Also the moment where he’s like “I’m not sure about Abraham’s god, but my mothers god is worth my faith”?? Just really fucking great. So. Excellent fic. Excellent characters. Excellent not-being-accidentally-biased-towards-white-Christians. That is what I came here to say. Thank you so much for your amazing stories. I love them and I love history. Sorry about the rambling. idek how I wrote so much. (7/7)

Epilogue: tl;dr: you’re great.

Oh man! What a huge and thoughtful comment (which will in turn provoke a long-ass response from me, so…) I absolutely agree that no matter what fandom, I don’t do Discourse TM; I just sit in my bubble and stay in my lane and do my own thing and create content I enjoy. And I don’t even think this is that so much as just… general commentary on character and background? So obviously all of this should be read as my own personal experience and choices in writing DVLA, and that alone. I really appreciate you for saying that you love a wide range of fan creators/fanworks and you’re not placing one over another, you understand that fans have diverse ranges of backgrounds/experience with history and other cultures when they create content, and that’s not the same for everyone. So I just think that’s a great and respectful way to start things off.

First, as a professional historian who has written a literal PhD thesis on the crusades, I absolutely understand that many people (and regular fans) will not have the same privilege/education/perspective that I do, and that’s fine! They should not be expected to get multiple advanced degrees to enjoy a Netflix movie! But since I DO have that background, and since I’ve been working on the intellectual genealogy of the crusades (and the associated Christian/Muslim component, whether racially or religiously) since I was a master’s student, I have a lot of academic training and personal feelings that inform how I write these characters. Aside from my research on all this, my sister lives in an Islamic country and her boyfriend is a Muslim man; I’ve known a lot of Muslims and Middle Easterners; and especially with the current political climate of Islamophobia and the reckoning with racism whether in reality or fandom, I have been thinking about all this a lot, and my impact on such.

Basically: I love Nicky dearly, but I ADORE Joe, and as such, I’m protective of him and certainly very mindful of how I write him. Especially when the obvious default for westerners in general, fandom-related or otherwise, is to write what you are familiar with (i.e. the European Christian white character) and be either less comfortable or less confident or sometimes less thoughtful about his opposing number. I have at times tangentially stumbled across takes on Joe that turn me into the “eeeeeeeh” emoji or Dubious Chrissy Teigen, but I honestly couldn’t tell you anything else about them because I was like, “nope not for me” and went elsewhere rather than do Discourse (which is pretty much a waste of time everywhere and always makes people feel bad). This is why I’m always selective about my fan content, but especially so with this ship, because I have SO much field-specific knowledge that I just have to make what I like and which suits my personal tastes. So that is what I do.

Obviously, there’s a troublesome history with the trope of “sexually liberate brown person seduces virginal white character into a world of Fleshly Decadence,” whether from the medieval correlation of “sodomite” and “Saracen,” or the nineteenth-century Orientalist depictions of the East as a land variously childishly simplistic, societally backward, darkly mysterious and Exotic, or “decadent” (read: code for sexually unlike Western Europe, including the spectrum of queer acts). So when I was writing DVLA, I absolutely did not want to do that and it’s not to my taste, but I’m not going to whip out a red pen on someone else writing a story that broadly follows those parameters (because as I said, I stay in my lane and don’t see it anyway). Joe to me is just such an intensely complex and lovely Muslim character that that’s the only way I feel like I can honestly write him, and I absolutely love that about him. So yeah, any depiction of hypersexualizing him or making him only available for the sexual use and education of the white character(s) is just... mmm, not for me.

For example, I stressed over whether it was appropriate to move his origin from “somewhere in the Maghreb” to Cairo specifically, since Egypt, while it IS in North Africa, is not technically part of the Maghreb. I realize that Marwan Kenzari’s family is Tunisian and that’s probably why they chose it, to honor the actor’s heritage, but on the flip side… “al-Kaysani” is also a specifically Ismai’li Shia name (it’s the name of a branch of it) and the Fatimids (the ruling dynasty in Jerusalem at the time of the First Crusade) were well-known for being the only Ismai’li Shia caliphate. (This is why the Shi’ites still ancestrally dislike Saladin for overthrowing it in 1174, even if Saladin is a huge hero to the rest of the Islamic world.) Plus I really wanted to use medieval Cairo as Joe’s homeland, and it just made more sense for an Ismai’li Shia Fatimid from Cairo (i.e. the actual Muslim denomination and caliphate that controlled Jerusalem) to be defending the Holy City because it was personal for him, rather than a Sunni Zirid from Ifriqiya just kind of turning up there. Especially due to the intense fragmentation and disorganization in the Islamic world at the time of the First Crusade (which was a big part of the reason it succeeded) and since the Zirids were a breakaway group from the Fatimids and therefore not very likely to be militarily allied with them. As with my personal gripes about Nicky being a priest, I decided to make that change because I felt, as a historian, that it made more sense for the character. But I SUPER recognize it as my own choices and tweaks, and obviously I’m not about to complain at anyone for writing what’s in graphic novel/bonus content canon!

That ties, however, into the fact that Nicky has a clearly defined city/region of origin (Genoa, which has a distinct history, culture, and tradition of crusading) and Joe is just said to be from “the Maghreb” which…. is obviously huge. (I.e. anywhere in North Africa west of Egypt all the way to Morocco.) And this isn’t a fandom thing, but from the official creators/writers of the comics and the movie. And I’m over here like: okay, which country? Which city? Which denomination of Islam? You’ve given him a Shia name but then point him to an origin in Sunni Ifriqiya. If he’s from there, why has he gone thousands of miles to Jerusalem in the middle of a dangerous war to help his religious/political rivals defend their territory? Just because he’s nice? Because it was an accident? Why is his motivation or reason for being there any less defined or any less religious (inasmuch as DVLA Nicky’s motive for being on the First Crusade is religious at all, which is not very) than the white character’s? In a sense, the Christians are the ones who have to work a lot harder to justify their presence in the Middle East in the eleventh century at all: the First Crusade was a specifically military and offensive invasion launched at the direct behest of the leader of the Western Roman church (Pope Urban II.) So the idea that they’re “fighting for the faith” or defending it bravely is…

Eeeeh. (Insert Dubious Chrissy Teigen.)

But of course, nobody teaches medieval history to anyone in America (except for Bad Game of Thrones History Tee Em), and they sure as hell don’t teach about the crusades (except for the Religious Violence Bad highlight reel) so people don’t KNOW about these things, and I wish they DID know, and that’s why I’m over here trying to be an academic so I can help them LEARN it, and I get very passionate about it. So once again, I entirely don’t blame people who have acquired this distorted cultural impression of the crusades and don’t want to do a book’s worth of research to write a fic about a Netflix movie. I do hope that they take the initiative to learn more about it because they’re interested and want to know more, since by nature the pairing involves a lot of complex religious, racial, and cultural dynamics that need to be handled thoughtfully, even if you don’t know everything about it. So like, basically all I want is for the Muslim character(s) to be given the same level of respect, attention to detail, background story, family context, and religious diversity as any of the white characters, and Imma do it myself if I have to. Dammit.

(I’m really excited to hear your thoughts on the second half of the fic, especially chapter 3 and chapter 6, but definitely all of it, since I think the characters they’re established as in the early part of the fic do remain true to themselves and both grow and struggle and go through a realistic journey with their faith over their very long lives, and it’s one of my favorite themes about DVLA.)

Anyway, about Nicky. I also made the specific choice to have him be an average guy, the ordinary second son of a nobleman who doesn’t really know what he’s doing with his life and isn’t the mouthpiece of Moral Virtue in the story, since as he himself realizes pretty quick, the crusades and especially the sack/massacre of Jerusalem are actually horrific. I’ve written in various posts about my nitpicking gripes with him being a priest, so he’s not, and as I said, I’m definitely avoiding any scenario where he has to Learn About The World from Joe. That is because I want to make the point that the people on the crusades were people, and they went for a lot of different reasons, not all of which were intense personal religious belief. The crusades were an institution and operated institutionally. Even on the First Crusade, where there were a lot of ordinary people who went because of sincere religious belief, there was the usual bad behavior by soldiers and secular noblemen and people who just went because it was the thing to do. James Brundage has an article about prostitution and miscegenation and other sexual activity on the First Crusade; even at the height of this first and holy expedition, it was happening. So Nicky obviously isn’t going to be the moral exemplar because a) the crusades are horrific, he himself realizes that, and b) it’s just as historically accurate that he wouldn’t be anyway. Since the idea is that medieval crusaders were all just zealots and ergo Not Like Us is dangerous, I didn’t want to do that either. If we think they all went because they were all personally fervent Catholics and thus clearly we couldn’t do the same, then we miss a lot of our own behavior and our parallel (and troubling) decisions, and yeah.

As well, I made a deliberate choice to have Nicky’s kindness (which I LOVE about him, it’s one of my favorite things, god how refreshing to have that be one of the central tenets of a male warrior character) not to be something that was just… always there and he was Meek and Good because a priest or whatever else. Especially as I’ve gotten older and we’ve all been living through these ridiculous hellyears (2020 is the worst, but it’s all been general shit for a while), I’ve thought more and more about how kindness is an active CHOICE and it’s as transgressive as anything else you can do and a whole lot more brave than just cynicism and nihilism and despair. As you’ll see in the second half of the fic, Nicky (and Joe) have been through some truly devastating things and it might be understandable if they gave into despair, but they DON’T. They choose to continue to be good people and to try and to actively BE kind, rather than it being some passive default setting. They struggle with it and it’s raw and painful and they’re not always saints, but they always come down on the side of wanting to keep doing what they’re doing, and I… have feelings about that.

Anyway, this is already SUPER long, so I’ll call it quits for now. But thank you so much for this, because I love these characters and I love the story I created for them in DVLA, since all this is personal to me in a lot of ways, and I’m so glad you picked up on that.

#history #medieval history #queer history #dvla asks #long post #the old guard meta #anonymous #ask

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royallyprincesslilly · 4 years

Text

Title: Partners {3}

OA Zidan/Zeeko Zaki x Reader

Warning⚠️: Cursing, Possible Trigger warning for Racism/Racist and Derogatory talk, Violence, Trigger Warning for Terrorism/Homeland Terrorists, Trigger Warning for White Supremacy Talk, LOTS OF Angst, LOTS OF WORDS, Plot, CLIFFHANGER

Words: 7.3k {LOTS OF WORDS}

Summary: You’re a damn good FBI agent in your own right. It is definitely partly to do with how well you’ve been trained and partly to do with you not letting anything or anyone distract you. You have a six-year plan that you’re fast-tracking for four. After being transferred from your office in Tampa you’ve been sent to New York which you’ve labeled the “big leagues”. On your first day there you were introduced to your new partner OA Zidan. It was then you realized you’ve moved out of the frying pan right into the pot of distraction. A year later and your rising attraction for your partner still hasn’t been snuffed out.

Note: If you’re thirsty and you know it clap your hands. Clap-Clap. If you’re thirsty and you know it clap your hands. Clap-Clap. I have no shame. This is a first for me writing about a TV show and interjecting into it. Let’s see how this goes. I hope you guys enjoy this mini-series.

⚠️⚠️Note #2: This is a LONG chapter, and it is even longer, but I broke it up at the only place where it made sense for me. There are lots of stuff that could trigger someone, take the warnings seriously. This chapter touches on terrorism, racist talk, derogatory talk and thinking, white supremacy topics and thinking, and violence. If any of this is a soft spot for you, please skip this chapter. This was not written to offend anyone or to express any of my actual thoughts or feelings. This is purely a work of FICTION.

***Loosely Edited/Proofread***

***Images are NOT my own**

~~~~~~~~~~~

You were in love with your partner. You stared at yourself in the mirror as you finished with your high bun. You liked to keep your hair simple, makeup lowkey and fresh, and perfume subtle. You learned early that you didn’t want to be that agent who wore bright red lipstick, six-inch heels, and extravagant, overpowering perfume. It always backfired and showed those around you that you fell into that cliché. You were not a cliché. You didn’t need your looks and body overshadowing that you were a damn good agent and damn good at your job.

Before you got to New York, your reputation from Florida preceded you. It wasn’t a reputation for being a flirt, or the most fashionable in the office, or even the sexiest. It was a reputation for being hard as nails, quick on your feet, and smart. Though you worried your looks would take focus, it never did, not with anyone, especially OA. You loved that about him. His head was always in the field, always keeping an eye on your six and not your ass.

You took another deep breath and slowly released it while staring at your reflection. “I’m in love with my partner.”

That was the first time you’d ever said that out loud. That was the first time you’d even allowed yourself to think it without admonishing yourself. The admittance scared the shit out of you, but you noticed the butterflies it gave you. You’d never felt butterflies like this before, and you’d dated plenty of men.

“Oh my god.” You scoffed and took a few breaths hoping the air would slow the butterflies. It didn’t work. The thought of it still made you woozy. It was annoying. You didn’t get woozy, that was not who you were.

“Yet here you are feeling butterflies with sweaty palms at the thought of him,” you said. Shaking your head, you wiped your hands on the backs of your black fitted skinny tuxedo pants.

Out of characteristically, you’d spent more time than usual trying to find an outfit. You’d tried on pants after pants and blouse after blouse finding fault with everything though you knew there was nothing wrong with them. One minute you wanted to wear something that OA would like, something that would make him not able to take his eyes off of you. You quickly changed your mind from that when you thought his eyes shouldn’t be on you. They should be watching your back. The next minute you were dressed in the plainest outfit you could think of. Even then, it wasn’t good enough. You found fault with it, claiming it did nothing for you. You couldn’t decide what to do. After six changes, you’d forced yourself to be okay with the current outfit. The blouse was cute and professional, but the neckline was a tad bit flirty. With your blazer buttoned over it, it passed as strictly business. When you had it unbuttoned, it teased your personality.

Your vibrating phone in your back pocket brought you out of your fussing. As you checked it, you saw the message from headquarters notifying you that there was going to be an unplanned meeting in the next forty minutes, and you and OA were expected to be there. You grabbed your badge and gun off your nightstand and gathered the rest of your belongings before finally walking out the door.

On the way in, you had a thought to stop by the coffee shop to pick up OA’s favorite drink, but you talked yourself out of it convincing yourself it was too personal, and it would be weird, especially if someone saw and read into it. You hated second-guessing yourself. You were so sure of everything work related, but when it came to matters of the heart, you were clueless.

Seven minutes before the meeting was to start, you walked onto the floor that looked busier than usual. As you passed your co-workers, you smiled and mouthed, “good morning.” Once at your desk, you found a folder that you carefully flipped through. Inside was information a group of people that called themselves The New Dawn Bringers or NDB for short. They were a supremacist group that you were familiar with. There was a branch in Florida that wreaked havoc on the city, committing a bunch of racist acts that ranged from protests to severe hate crimes like home invasions, assault, and even lynching. All of these acts were done to anyone that wasn’t blue-eyed and blond hair. You got so lost in the file you didn’t realize everyone had begun making their way to the conference room.

“Y/N.” Looking back, you saw Kristen waving you over. Quickly you took off your blazer and draped it over the back of your chair and hurried to her.

“Sorry, I got lost in this,” you said, holding up the folder.

“Yeah, real interesting read,” Kristen answered with an unamused expression on her face. You snorted and shook your head.

“You look nice today.”

“What? No. It’s just pants and a top.”

“No, yeah, but the pants and the top are nice. They look nice on you,” she continued.

“No--,” you began before she interrupted you.

“Y/N, take the compliment, you look good.”

You snorted, smiled, and nodded. “Thank you. You always look great, even when you were recovering in the hospital. How is it possible?”

Kristen rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Now I know you’re lying.”

The two of you laughed together as you made the final steps to the conference room everyone was meeting at. When you walked in, Jubal and Isobel nodded to you, acknowledging that they saw you. You filed into the room and sat at one of the empty seats with Kristen right beside you. You tried not to look around, but you did, OA wasn’t there.

“Where’s OA?”

You shrugged at Kristen’s question. It was your question too. As if sensing his name being called in, he walked like a ray of sunlight brightening the door. Your eyes met, and instantly, you smiled, a smile he returned before he bit his bottom lip. A shiver ran through you as you tried to play it off. OA brushed past you, but before he did, he placed a coffee cup before you then took a seat two down from you. Again, butterflies filled your belly. You immediately thought back to the coffee you wanted to buy for him and regretting not just doing it. You took it up and took a sip and smiled at your specific order.

“Okay, good morning, people. I know you’re wondering what’s up. Well, each of you got a folder, inside are the prized members of The New Dawn Bringers. No, it is not a new indie rock band. These guys are a branch of the Arian Brotherhood. You heard right; they are white supremacists.”

Everyone in the room murmured amongst themselves before Jubal continued. “I know. All of us are probably on their hit list because we are not blue-eyed, blond-haired, or considered pure. This morning at five, our tech department picked up a threat by a shy member who didn’t show his face. We’re still using the database to try to analyze his voice. He claims that they’ve planned the first of many attempts to cleanse the world. He claims somewhere in this city today at eight he will begin his cleanse. It is now nine-forty, we have eleven hours to find this location, figure out what the plan is, and stop him and bring him and his dawners to justice.”

Jubal looked around to see if anyone had questions. No one spoke.

“The Mayor and the Governor of the city want to keep this under wraps. The press has not been notified, and we have to keep it that way. We don’t want mass panic, which will make out job harder. So, we have to figure this out quickly and quietly,” Isobel added.

“All right, people, let’s get to work.”

Everyone quickly filed out of the conference room, making a beeline to their desks. You could feel OA behind you as you walked with Kristen. You could feel his eyes on you, and it made your skin tingle. When Kristen walked off to her desk, OA took her place beside you. The two of you walked in silence.

“Good morning,” OA spoke in his deep voice. You couldn’t help but smile.

“Good morning.” You couldn’t hide the broad smile on your face, it was impossible. You wondered what he was thinking about. Taking a chance, you glanced up at him to see he was also smiling very widely. The butterflies took over, and you had an overwhelming urge to push him in the closet you knew you were about to pass. Suppressing the urge, you took a long sip of your coffee.

“How did you sleep?”

You gently scoffed. If he only knew how much sleep you didn’t get last night. You literally tossed and turned the entire night while having the dirtiest, kinkiest dreams about him. You thought about him all night, and it was torture. Part of you wished he stayed, while the other part of you was happy he left. If he had stayed ten more minutes, you would have taken every single inch of him at least four times.

“It was okay,” you lied.

“Really? Cause I didn’t sleep a wink. I tossed and turned all night. I couldn’t stop thinking—” OA’s voice trailed off as the two of you passed a line of people. It made you pinch your lips to suppress the laugh that wanted freedom; when you felt OA’s breath close to your ear, a heat that you’d never felt before rushed down your spin and curled around to your belly. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you and how you make my heart race.”

Just like that, you felt as if you’d run a marathon, and every hormone in your body transmitted one message. It was the message that instantly beaded your nipples and flooded your panties. You bit your bottom lip and looked back at him. OA’s eyes were gazing at your lips in a transfixed way. Honestly, you were feeling transfixed yourself. As you were going to make a move, a most likely inappropriate one considering where you were, you heard your name being called. When you looked ahead, Jubal stood there patiently before he beckoned you over.

“Our techs that scour the dark web found some information that could be about this threat or a whole new one that is forming. They were able to single out an IP address. It belongs to a Robert Ritchardson. He served three tours in the army Iraq, Afghanistan, and Yemen. He suffered some injuries and some PTAD, but he reenlisted for a fourth tour. On an off-books mission where he acted on his own to slaughter an entire village of Muslim civilians.”

OA flinched beside you and blew out a harsh breath. “Son of a bitch.” You could feel the anger coming off of him. You knew he felt this news tenfold not just because of his beliefs but because of his military background.

“That was what got him dishonorably discharged. He wasn’t prosecuted for war crimes. Somehow the bastard got a job, and until six weeks ago, he was working for the Department of Veteran’s affairs before he got himself fired for harassment, racist attacks on his coworkers, and a slew of other offenses. He is the newest recruit of NDB. You guys head out and have a chat with him,” Jubal finished. He looked to OA accessing him.

“Are you good for this?”

OA rolled his bulky shoulders and straightened his already perfect tie then cleared his throat. “Better than good for this. I’m a professional. Come on Y/N.” OA walked off, leaving you and Jubal to look after him. When Jubal looked at you, though you felt like this case may be a little too close to home, you plastered a relaxed smile on your face.

“He’s good, Jubal. It’s OA. We’ll be in touch.” You scurried to catch up and hoped he was actually good for this.

~~~~~~~~~~~

After a twenty or so minute drive, OA pulled up to gun range.

“Of course he’d be here. You’d think after a dishonorable discharge there would be some strict surveillance on him for things like this,” OA chided. He made a move to get out the car, but your hand on his forearm held him back.

OA looked down at your smaller hand on his club-like arm then looked at you. His eyes softened.

“Jeez, even just a touch does things to me,” OA said under his breath, but you heard him loud and clear, and it sent your heart racing. In seconds though you couldn’t see yourself, you knew you were blushing.

“Your touches, my words. God, how in the world did we hide this before?”

You didn’t know. It seemed like all of these feelings and effects were just lying dormant just below the surface, just dying to seep out. Now that that imaginary line had been crossed, they must have felt as if it didn’t need suppressing anymore. You still were apprehensive, and you knew it was the job.

Forcing yourself to stop smiling like an idiot, you cleared your throat and got your head back in the game. “Are you sure you’re good for this?”

“I’m sure, trust me,” OA assured.

“I trust you with my life OA.”

“What about your heart?” That was the question you thought. He must have seen your hesitation because he pasted an easygoing smile on and nudged his head, signaling you to come.

The two of you walked into the gun range and to the clerk. While you focused on the clerk, OA scanned the interior, clocking every individual and every individual with a firearm.

“Can I help you, folks?” A stout middle-aged man behind the gun enclosed glass display case smiled.

“We’re looking for Robert Ritchardson,” you informed.

“Robby Rich? Why?” The clerk now looked suspicious, so OA approached and showed his badge.

“We just wanna talk to him.”

“Is he in trouble?” The clerk looked around behind him, clearly feeling shifty. A quick glance between you and OA said he noticed it too.

“Nah, no trouble. It’s about his service to our country. He did us proud,” you said.

“Damn right, he did. He deserved better than he got,” the clerk added. Nodding your head, you leaned closer.

“We just wanna talk to him about that. Can you point us to him?”

The clerk took you and OA in for a few more moments before he nodded and pointed the way to where he was.

“It always amazes me how easily you jump into a character and make it look so effortless,” OA complimented. Now you knew you were blushing.

“What can I say, I’m good at what I do.”

“I can attest to several of those things you’re good at, some more recently learned on a very comfortable couch,” OA declared in his deep baritone. You felt his hand on your waist as he slid you out the way of passersby.

It was sinful how much you liked his hands on you. You remembered the feel of them last night as they trailed down you back and cupped your ass. Fighting the flirtatious mood that washed over you, you stared ahead and zeroed in on the suspect. In seconds, OA did the same and made a plan with you using his eyes. The two of you were good together like that, always had been.

OA approached Robert’s back while you came around to face him. “Mr. Ritchardson?”

“Who wants to know, sweetheart?” You smiled and bit your bottom lip.

“Oh, no one. I’m agent Y-L-N with the FBI. You’d think this would be a violation for you especially considering what you did to that village in Yemen,” you barreled in. You felt like being bad cop today. OA always had all the fun.

Robert’s face got all tight. The colt forty-five Colt pistol he had lowered, he slowly raised it as if he were planning on aiming it at you.

“I’d think twice about that Robby Rich,” OA gruffly said. Robert’s motions stilled.

“Good choice, he has several inches on you and more than fifty pounds on you, and the icing on top of the cake is he’s a middle eastern man who would love a little—payback,” you said, ending on a whisper. Robert caught your drift, and he turned to look at OA. The disgusted scowl on his face deepened.

“You people are everywhere. This is my country. Get out!”

OA nodded and leaned back on the partition that separated each shooting stall. He looked perfectly calm.

“Nah, I like it here. Who doesn’t like the scent of gunpowder in the morning? Ain’t that right, Robby Rich?”

The man lurched forward, holding tightly to the pistol in his hand. In a quick move, you disarmed him and emptied the magazine then disassembled the barrel. “Maybe let’s go a little easy waving guns around. Look at me, Robert. I wanna talk about New Dawn.”

His face changed automatically. Bingo, you thought.

“I don’t know what that means.” He made a move to walk off, but OA pushed him back.

“This dark web username and IP address say differently.” OA held up the evidence. Again Robert’s face changed.

“Come on, Robert, just tell us what you know,” you bargained.

“You think I’d tell you anything? We’re doing the lord’s work.”

“And what is that exactly? Mass murder?”

“Cleansing the Earth, he entrusted us pure folk with,” Robert filled in. OA nodded and rolled his eyes.

“Enough with the shit, Robert!” You swiped your leg under his and brought him to the ground them stepped your heeled boot into his abdomen where you knew he still had shrapnel embedded in him. Robert groaned out in pain while OA held back anyone who got any bright ideas.

“I suggest you all back the hell up unless you want to be pinned as an accessory to this idiot’s crimes.” Each of the four men who looked inclined to help backed off.

“We can book your ass on four charges to begin with. Save yourself from us adding on more. We will dig into your past and reopen those military files. You will face a military court and be found guilty, and you know what they say about life in military jail. That’s when shit gets tough. Talk!” You stomped harder, again he groaned.

“What do you want to know?”

“Who is your contact? What is happening today, and where?”

“I don’t know about where. I just know it’s something big. They have all hands on deck,” Robert blurted.

“Who is they? Who is your contact!”

“Some woman named Tisha. I only met her once. I was supposed to meet her in a few hours for more details.”

With your foot firmly pressed to his gut, Robert sang like a canary. Once he’d finished his tune, you took your foot off. “You’re coming with us.” OA was the one to bend and drape him up by his collar to then cuff him. You led the way out of the gun range with every eye on you. Some of the men looked impressed; some looked enraged while a select few winked and smiled as if nonverbally shooting their shot.

When OA shoved Robert into the backseat and secured his cuffs to the seat, he turned to you. “I was going to compliment those boots earlier, but I think the compliment fits better now.” You smiled and shook your head.

“Head in the game, OA, head in the game!”

~~~~~~~~~

At headquarters three hours later with Robert questioned and scared shitless, he was ready to cooperate. Everyone was now prepping for an impromptu sting/surveillance mission. The plan was to plant Robert at his scheduled meeting with this Tisha. Intercept any information and bring them both back into custody. You and OA were, of course, the ones running point.

“I heard those boots were made for walking.” You looked beside you and saw Kristen in her FBI protective vest as you were finishing up pulling your shirt over yours.

“Let me guess; a tall little bird spread the word.”

“How could he not. I’ve sparred with you several times and know how fancy your footwork is.”

“Stop it. It was a simple leg swipe. OA exaggerates.”

“I don’t knock him; he admires his partner. He’s not the only one.” You smiled at her indirect compliment.

“Ready for this so soon after what happened at city hall?”

“It was a graze. I’m fine. This is a walk in the park—literally,” you defended.

“I know, but you never know with these supremacist extremes.”

It was true. You stood in the back of the van and checked your side arm before hooking it behind you in your pants. “I’m good. Thanks, though.”

“Of course, what are friends for.” You smiled and jumped out of the back of the van.

“Ready when you are Y/N,” OA said through the earpiece. Looking around, you found him by a tree in sweatpants, a white t-shirt, and a beanie. Without even a thought, your eyes skimmed his frame and stopped right where you’d felt just how much God blessed him. Even from this distance, you could still see the blessing.

“Damn, he looks good.”

OA chuckled, and it was then you realized you’d said that out loud.

“Thanks. Leave it to you to compliment me when I’m not in my finest. I’ll take it, though.” Fighting off the embarrassment that was filling you, you made it to the railing that overlooked the water.

“All right, everyone, mic check. Everyone on the line now?”

Everyone responded in code. You were grateful it was just you and OA on coms when your compliment slipped out. You shook your head and got it into the situation. Now was not the time to be unfocused. You watched and saw Robert get into place. He looked calm and collected, no doubt he’d done this in the military several times. You hoped he didn’t renege. At the thought of it, you surveilled your surroundings for possible civilian casualties if this went south.

“Ahead of you there Y/N, I counted twenty. Way too many.”

Damnit,” you mumbled under your breath. You clocked a woman fitting Tisha’s description and saw her approach, Robert. She sat and began speaking in code about the weather and cotton candy. After a few sentences, they started talking about what everyone had gathered to hear about—the attack.

“Everything is going according to plan. After I meet with you, Pat is my next stop at Flanigan’s, and he’ll know what to do. Are you prepared to do what has to be done?”

“I’m always ready. Where do I need to be?”

“Not yet. We’ll be in touch. Keep this phone near you. the cleansing hour is ahead of us.”

The woman stood and made a move to walk off. It was then you saw OA make his move to jog to the path. You knew he’d get her, and you’d secure Robert.

While the team at headquarters questioned Tisha and held Robert longer, you and OA made your move to intercept Pat. The car ride was quiet, but your thoughts weren’t.

“Were you checking me out earlier?” OA was always the blunt one. You glanced at him and saw his adorable smile, which made you smile.

“Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t.”

“You’re blushing. You’ve been blushing all day.”

“I have not; I am not.”

“No, you are. I like it; it’s cute.” You continued to smile while trying to stop but failed miserably.

“You look great today. I like the top. I’ve been checking you out all day. I hoped you couldn’t tell,” OA admitted.

“I couldn’t.”

“I check you out every day. It’s a hobby at this point.”

“OA stop,” you said through giggles.

He laughed at you but stopped with the compliments. It allowed your thoughts to wander, but they didn’t go far from him. That was your struggle the entire day. No matter what you were doing scanning files for information you may have missed, going through the tip line, or in the field; you couldn’t keep your eyes off of him. Every time you looked at him, he was looking at you, and when your eyes met, the two of you blushed like school children. Your heart had never raced for fast, and your belly never fluttered like this with anyone before. It didn’t take long to realize that this predicament the two of you now found yourself in was dangerous.

There were even times where you had constant thoughts of kissing him or pushing him against a wall or into a dark room or even pulling over and climbing on top of him in the driver's seat and having your way with him. The urges were overwhelming, and the need was powerful. This was definitely dangerous.

“I see him ahead. Ready?”

Nodding, you climbed out of the car and followed OA’s lead. OA scanned the sidewalk, making sure there was no one around to sneak up on the two of you. The guy made a move to walk into the nearby alley with his hands filled with boxes.

“Hey, let me help you, buddy,” OA offered taking the boxes and putting them down.

“Thanks, friend,” Pat responded. When OA stood and gave him a look of his face, Pat’s smile faded.

“You’re no friend of mine. Go back to your country.”

“Wow, is that any way to treat the man who just helped you out?”

“Get outta my way.” Pat made an effort to push past the two of you, but OA pushed him back and into the brick wall.

“Hang on; we have some questions for you.”

“I’m not answering shit.”

“I think that would be stupid. Considering we have Robert and Tisha in custody and they’ve been answering every single one of our questions, hell even some we didn’t ask,” you informed.

“We can’t get them to shut up,” OA added. Pat looked between the two of you. That was when you and OA looked to each other and smiled.

“Don’t you two have better things to do like making good with those googly eyes you’re giving each other and finally fucking to have those little brown mutts to further pollute the world with their dirty genes and low class bloodline?”

That one caught you off guard for several reasons, but it did sting. Your face must have shown your shock and dismay because Pat didn’t stop there. “What’s the matter, no one ever gave it to you straight? Women like you are good for two things; slapping around and fucking until you've been whored them out and then strung out to make money for us.”

Pat took your stupor as his opportunity to make a vicious move for you. In the nick of time, as you saw Pat’s hand swing out. OA pushed you aside, reached out in a fancy move to grab Pat’s hand to him, bent his wrist, and twisted his arm. The motion produced a loud “snap” and sent Pat into a screaming fit. OA didn’t stop there. In a fluid motion, he swung him around to body slam him to the ground on his back. OA then dropped down with his knee to Pat’s neck. Pat began to choke.

It all happened with such quickness you couldn’t believe your eyes. This was a side of OA you’d never seen before. It was a side you didn’t know what to make of, but you’d come down to the basics of it, and it was unacceptable. He’d intervened with whatever the perp was going to do, not just that; he pushed you aside. Pat’s screaming didn’t cease, and OA didn’t let up either. Jumping into motion, you tried to pull OA off of him. He was stronger and bigger and just wouldn’t budge.

“OA, stop it!” Still, he ignored you. It was like he was in a trance, and all he cared about was inflicting as much pain as he could.

“OA!” Your shout was loud enough to break through to him. His eyes met yours, and you could see the rage behind them. Your words must have hit him because he stood releasing Pat to writhe in pain on the concrete. OA stood there, refusing to lift a finger to help.

“Shit!” You pulled out your phone and dialed headquarters. “I need a bus to my location, stat.”

Ten minutes later, an ambulance arrived, loading Pat in to take him to the hospital. Once you and OA climbed into the car, you blew up.

“What the hell was that?”

“What was what?” He looked calm as he played dumb, which only made you angrier.

“OA, I’m not blind, and you’re not stupid. What the hell was that? You broke his arm?”

“Tell me he didn’t have it coming. Did you hear what he said about you?” OA looked at you with an incredulous look on his face as if you were the crazy one.

“Wait, you broke his arm because he said something stupid and irrelevant about me?”

“ Y/N, he was talking about--.”

“I know what he was talking about. So what!? It’s the job OA; you know that. Since when do you give a shit about what any of these assholes say?” Once the words left your mouth, OA’s torso rotated to you.

“Since it’s about you!

That stopped you up, caught you off guard, and made you swallow the words you were going to say all the while extinguishing some of your anger by adding another complex emotion, one that almost made you want to reach out to him and caress his bearded jaw. It annoyed you.

“You can’t just push me out the way when you feel like it and throw perps into walls and slam them into the ground to defend my honor. That is not okay.”

“So I was just supposed to let that slide, let him say that shit about our babies and all the other stuff. Then let him come after you?”

You blew up again. “I am not some helpless damsel in distress, OA. I am not the little woman in need of saving. I am your partner. I went through the same training you did, the same ass kicking, bone breaking training, and passed them all at the top of my class. I can handle myself and any asshole who comes after me. I don’t need you doing any of that shit whatever it was. I don’t give a shit about your need to play hero or protect me. I don't need you to protect me. I need you to respect me!"

You didn’t mean for it to be as loud as it was, but you were way past heated now thinking about just how his actions appeared. OA sat there looking at you as if you had three heads, and you had gone insane. He really thought he was in the right.

Before either of you could continue your phone rang, you knew who it was.

“Go for Y/N.” The voice of Isobel on the other end told you she was pissed. You’d been summoned.

Neither of you spoke again on the drive back to the office. You were still stewing in you’re anger and lost in your thoughts. You kept replaying what happened in your head. You had so many thoughts, so many questions about OA’s actions. He was a weapon; he didn’t need a gun. He was the weapon. He also had no right to treat you like that. In the bureau, women had to work three times as hard to make a name for themselves than the men even if they were better. It was hard enough without men who wanted to play the rescuer to every woman in sight. You didn’t need that, especially in light of what happened between you last night. You couldn’t have him treating you any differently, no matter what the status of your relationship was.

Fifteen minutes later, you and OA were sitting in front of a stern-faced Isobel and a confused Jubal. Both looked at the two of you waiting for answers. They’d both heard what happened and were now dotting there I’s and crossing their T’s. They needed to make sure this didn’t blow back.

“What the hell happened?” Jubal and Isobel spat the same question out at the same time. After Jubal asked his question, he began flicking his wrist with a rubber band.

“The guy has a broken arm and broken wrist, a bruised up face and a fractured larynx. What happened? From where I’m sitting, it looks like brutality,” Isobel added.

“It was self-defense,” you blurted out before OA opened his mouth. “He came after me; I wasn't paying attention, and OA saved my ass. It was an unfortunate accident, but one that couldn't be helped due to the suspect's actions,” you finished while keeping a straight head and looking both Isobel and Jubal in the eyes. It wasn’t a lie per se.

“He's claiming it was unwarranted,” Jubal informed.

You rolled your eyes and shook your head, “Of course he is. He's a white supremacist that’s pissed two “impure” pieces of shit got the jump on him. He'd say anything.”

Isobel looked to OA. “OA, anything to add?”

You didn’t look at him; you just kept your head forward. Jubal was looking right at you, and you were pretty sure he could guess what happened. He didn’t speak, though. He looked contempt to just stand there with his arms crossed and let the chips fall where they may.

“No ma’am, nothing to add.”

“All right then. Sounds like he got what he deserved. It's time to question him, let’s go. Jubal, you take point.”

You were the first out of the room and on your path to an observation room when OA pulled you to the side with a gentle hold around your bicep.

“Y/N, wait a minute, let’s talk.”

“Now isn’t the place or the time.” You tried to keep your voice low and emotionless.

“Why did you do that back there?” Looking at him, he truly looked perplexed as if he’d expected you to rat him out the first chance you got.

“You’re my partner, OA. I will always have your back no matter what, even when I’m raging pissed at you. My back, your back, we got that.”

You saw a fond half-smile stretch across his face knowing he too remembered the pact you’d made day one of your partnership. A pact that you both often said to each other.

Both of you watched on as Jubal expertly played Pat in interrogation. The way he worded his questions and read into every action, and every reaction was incredible. You’d always admired Jubal. You learned a lot from him in the last year and even more from following his previous cases when he was a field agent leading up to his current role. Not to mention he was a great guy. You always thought he looked a lot like the guy Elton from one of your favorite movies, Clueless. It had turned into a joke sometimes at the end of the day you’d part by saying “rolling with the homies” instead of good night. It gave him a good laugh because he said he didn’t see the resemblance.

By the time he was finished giving each of the three racists a go, he’d come away with a lead. That, coupled with Kristen’s unmatched tech and observation skills, provided you and OA a direct location. With a little under an hour left before the deadline, you OA and the rest of the team rushed to a stage house that was packed with the who was who of city politics, borough delegates, congressmen, and the like. What made it worse was the description given by Trisha and Pat of what was waiting for them was horrific. The entire building was tied to one mother of a bomb. If that one went off, the ten smaller ones would go off, creating destruction that could bring down the entire block of buildings. The death toll would be tens of thousands.

By the time the team got there, the neighboring buildings had been evacuated, leaving just a few hundred left to get to safety, but the main building was still being evacuated. Your watch said you had twenty minutes. Once inside, Kristen, Jubal, and Scola all went in different directions. You and OA remained together checking every possible crevice for the bomb and any civilians. After fifteen minutes of searching, OA suggested splitting up. The thought brought you anxiety and had you pausing even though you knew now was not the time to pause. Your eyes met OA’s; it was as if there was a lot to say.

“We got this,” OA said before you could open your mouth. Pushing the fear aside, you nodded and went off in your own direction.

Room after room came up empty, and corner after corner remained clear. Every time you heard “clear” in comms, you became more and more antsy, especially when you saw the time steadily decreasing. When there were only eight minutes on the clock, Jubal gave the order to get out. Everyone reported in that they copied the order--everyone but OA.

Once you were outside expecting to see him, an awful feeling washed over you. “OA, your ass better be out here going for cover.”

“I found the bomb.” Your belly tied in a knot.

“OA, do you have a visual on it?”

“Affirmative, it’s right in front of me. It’s in a sub-level of the basement. It’s pretty far down. I found it by chance. I can disarm it.”

“What! Are you insane? Get out of there. Everyone has been evacuated in a two-mile radius. Get out!”

You could hear the quiver in your voice.

“Jubal, let me do this. You know I have training in disarming bombs. This one doesn’t look bad, I’ve seen worse in Iraq.”

You looked over to Jubal to see him pacing, looking stressed. His eyes met yours, and you gave him a look that you hoped warned him not to do it. Jubal shook his head. “That thing goes off in six minutes now, OA. I’m giving you four before I tell you to haul ass.”

“I can work with four minutes.”

You slapped your hands to your face, not believing what you’d just heard. Walking away from everyone, you were able to find a quiet area hidden from your team and any civilians.

“OA listen to me, don’t risk it. Get out now!”

“You know I can’t do that. You know I love it when it gets hot,” he joked. Rolling your eyes, you stooped down.

“This isn’t funny. It’s not a joke. This is serious OA. We’ve gotten the last of everyone. You have to get out of there. It’s too risky,” you tried to reason with him. He didn’t answer right away, and the silence on the line made your blood pressure rise even more.

“OA!”

“I’m here.” He groaned and blew out a heavy breath. “These guys are amateurs. At this point, Y/N, I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I’d still get caught in the blow.”

It was then you felt as if someone had a hand around your heart. Your tears rolled down your face, and you sprang to a standing position. You pulled the earbud out and covered your mouth hoping to stifle the bawl that threatened to come out. You didn't see this ending well. The possibility of it going south was too overwhelming for you.

Placing the bud back into your ear, you began to speak but stopped yourself remembering this was an open line, and everyone could hear. That made you even more emotional because you had so much to say to him then and there. Several long moments passed with neither of you speaking. You tried to calm yourself, but no matter what, you just became more and more terrified.

“My back, your back. What about that?”

OA groaned again and continued to breathe loudly. “Well, I still plan on having it if this goes well, but if this goes south--,” OA began before you cut him off.

“Shut up, OA. Shut up!” You refused to hear it or even think it even though it was all you felt.

“Oh, all politeness is gone now, I see.” You could hear the teasing in his voice and some amusement. “Let me get this out, Y/N.”

“No, you’ll be fine. Just hurry up.”

“OA, you’re down to your last forty-five seconds, prepare to haul ass,” Jubal broke in.

“Sorry to say this, Jubal, but I’m not hauling anything. I can get this thing, but I’m going to need you to give me every second. Turns out, I’m a little rusty.”

“Of course you are you crazy son of a bitch,” Scola tuned in. Everyone chuckled, everyone but you. None of this was funny. You could lose him. This could be the last conversation you had with him, and he didn’t know how you felt.

“You there, Y/N?” More tears rolled down your cheeks as you rolled your eyes.

“Where else am I going to go, you idiot?” OA laughed a little.

“There you go. There are two things I want to say now that I have your undivided attention.” You looked at your watch as he spoke. He was now down to a minute and a half. You knew everyone else had begun to get back to the safety perimeter, but you couldn’t move.

“One, it's been an honor and a privilege being your partner these last thirteen months. You'll make an incredible ADD one day before you're thirty-five.” You smiled and immediately wept even more. “Two, I know you don't need a hero; I just don't mind being one to you. Thanks for the taste of a little Florida sunshine."

The last part you knew was code for last night. You knew with everything he was talking about what you felt last night, everything you said and did. The knowledge of that made you cry even more. You couldn’t speak anymore though you wanted to. It was then OA began counting down with the clock.

“Twenty, nineteen, eighteen.”

The more he counted, the more you freaked out.

“Twelve, eleven, ten, nine.”

Your breathing became even more and more labored. You were in full-on hyperventilating mode.

“Five, four, three, two--.”

You cringed and braced for the explosion, but it never came. Every second you waited and expected it, the more it destroyed you. Slowly you began to realize something had happened.

“OA? OA! Talk to me.” There was no response; all you could hear was static.

“OA!” slowly, you walked closer to the building. Everyone on the team seemed to have the same idea because they did the same as well.

“OA, talk to us,” Jubal shouted. Still nothing.

After a minute and a half, a garbled voice came through the line. “Hello?”

Hearing his voice, your heart leaped into your chest.

“OA?”

“Guess hero is the role I’m meant for.” It was then his figure walked back through the doors onto the sidewalk. A relieved feeling washed over you.

Everyone cheered and laughed out loud. You began walking toward him the same time he walked toward the motorcade of cars and agents that were there to help. From the side, you saw someone step out from out of nowhere with what looked like C4 strapped to his chest. Terror filled you again.

“Look out!” Everything moved in slow motion from there.

“Prepare for the New Dawn.” In an instant, the man explodes, sending the ripple effect across several feet. The blow sends OA, you, and most of the agents flying. You could hear the loud rumbling sound of falling bricks and stone along with the sounds of screams.

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

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karajaynetoday · 4 years

Text

everybody's got their demons, even wide awake or dreaming | part two

Photo credit: Jess Gleeson

Hello friends! Hope you’re having a lovely day. It’s time for part two of this series! Lizzie takes her opportunity to interview Calum one-on-one in this part. If you need to catch up on Part One, you can do that here. Onwards!

(This is a fem!OC story)

Word count: 3.2k

Warnings: none? i don’t think?

More writing here | send thoughts/feedback/suggestions here | if you’d like to be on my taglist go here

The day or so leading up to Lizzie’s one on one interview with Calum was a blur, as Lizzie tried to fix her body clock and orientate herself with how to get around LA. Her boss had offered her the opportunity to hire a rental car, but the idea of driving on the wrong side of the road was too much for Lizzie to stomach, so Ubers were the go.

Her body sometimes overslept, sometimes woke her up at 4am, so Lizzie had downloaded a yoga and meditation app to try and sort herself out. She might’ve almost given herself a concussion after toppling over while trying to do a particularly tricky pose, but no one needed to hear about that. The bruises on her elbow were embarrassing enough.

Danielle had sent Lizzie a text the morning of her lunchtime interview with Calum, confirming the time and place as they’d discussed. Lizzie had handwritten some notes for her questions, trying to contemplate what she could ask Calum that would differ to the others. Or maybe she should ask them all the same questions, and then in the piece she could compare and contrast responses? It was so hard to know what would make the best piece, especially with interviewing Calum in particular. Lizzie knew from watching other interviews, and in her group interview with all of the band the other day (and from back in their school days) that Calum was a man of few words. When he did speak, it was usually with purpose and thought, and made for some great content, but he wasn’t always particularly forthcoming. Which is why it had surprised Lizzie that Calum had volunteered for the first solo interview, but given Michael’s behaviour, she was glad to be continuing with the profile piece at all.

It was a really warm day, so Lizzie had to forego her usual blazer and jeans in favour of a long green dress with blue and white flowers on it. Her hands were sweaty as the Uber pulled up to the café Calum had suggested, and something in the back of Lizzie’s mind suggested it wasn’t just from the weather. She’d always been an anxious person, but she’d gotten a handle on it recently; this whole LA debacle had brought it back with a vengeance.

Calum was waiting for her just in front of the café, dark wayfarer sunglasses covering his eyes and his phone in his hand as he leant up against the brick wall beside the café door. He was wearing a grey hoodie and jeans, and nobody coming in or out of the café seemed to pay him any attention; but then again maybe people of Calum’s level of fame were just part of the furniture around here. It was near to Hollywood, after all.

“Hey, thanks for agreeing to meet me.” Lizzie’s voice wasn’t overly loud, but it still made Calum jump as he looked up from his phone at her.

“Of course, of course. I know I sound like a broken record, but we really are excited for you to do this piece. The new album era is something I’ve been looking forward to for a while, and - “ Calum began, smiling warmly at Lizzie, who cut him off by pulling open the café door.

“Before you start getting all meaningful and quotable on me, shall we get a coffee and take a seat?”

“A woman after my own heart. Let’s do it. Pro-tip, the brownies here are to die for.”

The café was bustling, but most of the patrons seemed to be lining up for takeaway orders. Calum stepped ahead of Lizzie and slipped into a booth towards the back, near a frosted window, greeting the wait staff by name as he went. Lizzie scurried after him, apologising as she accidentally bumped into a tall man with her shoulder bag in her haste and he glared at her. Guess not everyone was as friendly as Calum, then. She slid into the booth opposite Calum, pulling out her notebook and phone as she went.

“Is it okay if I record this? I’m not very good at taking notes.”

“Straight into it, LL? At least let a man have his coffee first.” Calum deadpanned, and Lizzie felt her face fall before she realised he was joking with her.

“Of course, sorry. Let’s order. The brownies, you said? How big are they?” Lizzie pasted a smile onto her face, grabbing for the menu on the table in front of her.

“I have it on good authority that they’re perfectly Lizzie-sized. Calum-sized, too - a real multipurpose snack.” Calum was teasing her now, but also being completely serious, as he got the attention of a waitperson who came over to welcome them and take their orders. A skinny latté for Lizzie, an iced coffee for Calum, and a warmed up chocolate brownie with a side of coconut yogurt for them each. They fell into easy conversation, about the weather, and Calum’s neighbourhood, and the other pieces Lizzie had written, almost forgetting why they were there in the first place. When their order of coffees and brownies arrived, Lizzie suddenly snapped out of her feeling of ease when she had to push her notebook and phone over on the table and remember that she was supposed to be interviewing Calum Hood, 5SOS bassist, not catching up with Calum Hood, her Year 9 science lab partner.

“Now that you’ve got your coffee, can I start recording?” Lizzie asked timidly, as she took a bite out of her brownie and audibly groaned at how heavenly it tasted.

“Depends. Will your brownie orgasm be mentioned in the article?” Could Calum say anything that wasn’t teasing her? Damn it.

“Maybe. Perhaps I’ll do a twitter thread of my trip food highlights, given that the profile piece will be under embargo until the album comes out.” Lizzie deadpanned right back, earning a smile and a small chuckle from Calum.

Lizzie hit record on her phone’s voicenote app, sliding the phone into the centre of the table. She flipped open her notebook to the page marked “Calum”, and she could see Calum trying to read her writing upside down.

“No spoilers, mate. I’ve got a strategy here.” Lizzie mused, angling her notebook so it was harder for Calum to see as he raised his hands in mock surrender.

“Well then, Ms Lawson from Junkee Australia, do your worst.” He flashed her a grin, before taking a sip of his coffee followed by a bite of his brownie (sans any groaning… that must only be a first-time brownie thing).

“So, in our chat yesterday, it was mentioned that this next album is, in some ways, a letter to your homeland, and a reflection on your journeys so far as individual artists as well as being 5SOS collectively. For you, as Calum Hood, what’s the main contribution or perspective that you feel you’ve brought to this album, and the band?” Lizzie saw a flicker of something in Calum’s eyes as she shifted into journalist mode easily, but he only paused for another sip of coffee before answering.

“I think at this point, my main contribution is balancing the collective contributions in the room. I have a lot to say, and I do a lot of songwriting, but I also think the others would agree that I’m also quite observant, so I can read a lot into things they’re saying, or not saying, and bring it out of them into the music. We’ve known each other for almost half our lives at this point, so we know each other better than anyone else, but when we work with other co writers and things like that it can be hard to feel entirely comfortable with the vulnerability you need to bring into writing a song or telling a particular story that day. I’ve got the rep as the strong, silent, shy type, I know - “ Calum paused and returned the soft smile Lizzie was giving him, as she nodded encouragingly.

“But in interviews, when I’m being asked to explain myself and validate my artistic choices, I’m immediately more defensive and protective of it, because there’s something magical about the writing room, and the vulnerability that can only exist in that context when we’re songwriting, and creating that art. The end product, which is the song or the album or whatever, conveys the emotions in a way that I could never say them with words, and the beautiful thing is that so many people can listen to it and relate to it in ways that I’d never considered before. But that’s the power of it, you know? We make these songs to express ourselves, and fulfil our creative outlets, but it extends beyond that, and that’s the part that gets me.” Calum finished speaking and reached for another sip of his coffee.

“Right. The magic exists in the studio, and on the stage, and in individual people’s lives when they listen to the music wherever they are in the world, and it’s the connecting thread that brings you together with your fans, a moment that you can share even if you never meet.”

“Exactly, it’s the universal experience, and everyone has their own interpretation of what it means to them. Pisses me off when people try and dig to find out who we wrote a certain song about, or whatever. Sometimes it is a specific person or a moment, other times I make shit up to suit the vibe of a chord progression or a concept someone’s brought to the table. It’s a juicier headline if we name and shame, but it’s not fair to the person I’m writing about, especially if they don’t have a similar outlet for a right of reply, and it’s also irrelevant, because my meaning behind a song could be completely different to yours, but that doesn’t make it less valid.” Calum shrugs as he speaks, his tone calm and nonchalant.

“Makes sense. The music can exist as art, and be open to interpretation, like everything in life. And with this album, and reflecting on your homeland… what does that mean, for you? Because 5SOS have lived almost their entire adult lives overseas, so I know it must be hard to self-determine a cultural identity that’s so strongly linked to somewhere you haven’t lived for so long.” Lizzie asks, munching down another bite of brownie.

Calum cocks his head to the side and rolls his bottom lip into his mouth, and Lizzie feels a lump rise in her throat. Had she phrased the question wrong? Was he mad? Had she struck a nerve? Fuck.

“Sorry, we don’t have to - I mean, we can keep discussing the album in a different way if you’d prefer -” Lizzie started babbling, and she froze when Calum reached across the table and rested on hers reassuringly.

“Breathe, Lawson. I just need a minute to think about a deep and meaningful response to your question. You’re fine.” Calum was speaking softly, and there was an apology of sorts in his eyes when Lizzie glanced over at him. She was about to ask him something else, when a waitress came over to check on how everything was going with their orders and offered a second round of coffees and Calum withdrew his hand from the table as he ordered another iced coffee to go, times two.

“If you could have it ready to go in about an hour, that’d be great.” Calum flashed the waitress a smile, and she shot him a wink as she headed back to the counter to update his order.

“A whole ‘nother hour? You spoil me, Mr Hood.” Lizzie joked, downing the last of her coffee and desperately hoping to avoid any awkwardness in her remaining interview time with Calum.

“Anything for a fellow Australian, mate. To answer your question, it’s strange, because yes I’ve never lived there full time as an adult, but there’s something about your home country and your hometown that stays with you, no matter where you go or how long you’re gone. Obviously, for me, my sister lives overseas, and neither of my parents were raised in Australia, but it still means a lot to me, because it’s home, you know? The industry there is… interesting, but I still think that if we didn’t have the background we all have as individuals and the band, there’s certainly a lot of decisions we’ve made and ways we’ve gone about things in our careers that are heavily influenced by our upbringings and the mindsets we all have from that experience.”

“Home is where the heart is, right?” Lizzie offers, thumbing her notebook absently.

“It’s true. But it’s also refreshing to go back and escape it all a bit, you know? None of my friends at home really give a shit about Calum from 5SOS. They just like hanging out with Cal, which is nice.” Calum shrugs, clasping his hands together on the table in front of him.

“Just Cal? Not cool guy Cal? C Dizzle Swizzle?” Lizzie bit back a grin, remembering the multitude of nicknames Cal had garnered over the years.

“Look, cool guy Cal is just my constant state of being. C Dizzle might make an appearance if I’ve had one too many, but either way, they’re just happy to see me. Or happy to tell me some home truths that I haven’t heard, or wanted to hear, so that’s important too. You can’t live in LA for as long as we have without having a good support crew to keep us grounded, you know? Even if some of the ones who mean the most to us are on the other side of the planet.” There was something in Calum’s eyes again as Lizzie looked at him, and she could tell it was more than what he was trying to say for the sake of the profile interview.

She swallowed down one final bite of the heavenly brownie, and turned the page to find her next question. Lizzie couldn’t entertain the idea of asking Calum why Michael was mad at her, because it would break the air of professionalism she was desperate to maintain; also, she wasn’t entirely sure he’d even tell her. Calum and Michael had been inseparable in their school days, and Lizzie knew that their bond and sense of loyalty no doubt ran even deeper now than then, given all of their shared experiences, trials and tribulations to date. But Calum had always been so kind and patient with her, whether she’d accidentally ruined their Year 9 science experiment, or she’d nearly thrown up on his shoes at the Year 11 formal after party, or when Michael had stormed out of the studio a few days ago and he offered her his time for the first solo interview. Lizzie brushed off the train of thought, and continued with her interview questions for Calum.

The conversation flowed easily, and Lizzie could already feel the profile starting to come together in her mind. She jotted down a handful of notes on how to adapt her questions for Luke and Ashton based on Calum’s responses, and before they realised how long they’d been chatting, the waitress returned with Calum’s two takeaway iced coffees.

Lizzie asked the waitress for the bill, but Calum waved her off.

“I’ve got it, Lizzie. Don’t stress.”

“But I can expense it! I have a receipts app, and everything!” Calum laughed at how excited Lizzie seemed at the concept of submitting a work expense claim.

“Okay, fine. You win this round.”

Lizzie pressed stop on her phone recording, and reached for her bag to slide her notebook in. The waitress returned with the bill, and Lizzie handed her travel bank card over, drumming her hands absentmindedly on the table while she waited for the waitress to come back with her card and the receipt.

“Lizzie?” Her head snapped up as Calum spoke.

“He’s not… I know it seems like he’s really mad at you, but he’s not.” It took a moment for Lizzie to register what Calum was saying.

“He’s not mad at me? He refused to speak to me and stormed out of the room the first chance he got, but he’s not mad? Right.” Lizzie couldn’t help but sound bitter as she spoke.

“I can’t speak for him, but I know him. He’s not mad, he’s just hurt about everything.” Lizzie could tell Calum was being very careful with his choice of words, and she eyed him curiously across the table.

“What does he possibly have to be hurt about? He’s the one that -” Lizzie catches herself halfway through her sentence, and squeezes her eyes shut as she inhales deeply.

“Here’s your receipt and your card back, miss. Thanks so much for visiting us today, have a lovely day!” Lizzie blinks and squints up at the waitress, who hands back her card and a paper receipt. Lizzie mumbles her thanks, and goes to stand up and slide out of the booth, and Calum follows her out of the café.

“Lizzie, I didn’t mean to upset you -” Calum’s apologetic tone had Lizzie spinning on her heel to face him once they’re through the doors of the café.

“You didn’t, Calum. It’s fine. I’m here to do a job, and I appreciate your time today, I really do. Michael and I… I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it, okay? I know it won’t be easy, but for now, I just want to focus on getting the best interview content I can from you all. That’s why I’m here.” Lizzie wrings her hands nervously, and she can feel how sweaty her palms are.

“Is that the only reason you’re here?” Calum’s tone isn’t teasing, or harsh. It’s genuine, curious, soft. He’s not moving as he stands in front of Lizzie and gazes down at her from his full height.

Before Lizzie can answer, Calum’s phone starts to ring, and he casts her another glance before stepping away to answer it. While he’s chatting to whoever’s on the other end of the line, Lizzie decides to order herself an Uber and make her way back to the hotel so she can make a start on transcribing the interview with Calum. Because that was why she was here, Lizzie told herself in her head, stubbornly. Didn’t matter about the feelings in her stomach, and the tightness of her chest. She was there to write a profile about a band, nothing more, nothing less.

“I’ve got to go and meet Ash at the studio, are you all good from here?” Calum’s question broke Lizzie out of her internal dialogue.

“Yep, all good. Thanks again for your time, Cal. I really appreciate it. I think it’s going to be a great piece, and I’m intrigued to see what comes out of the other interviews. All of them.” Lizzie’s pointed tone isn’t lost on Calum, and he grimaces slightly at the fire he seems to have ignited. Ah well. Lizzie and Michael had to sort their shit out sooner or later, right?

Right?

Calum was trying to convince himself as he strolled down the street towards his car, pondering if he’d made things better or worse between Michael, his best mate through almost his entire life, and Lizzie, the girl that he’d been sure Michael would love forever, but had walked away from in a shadow of hurt, betrayal, and disbelief. The girl that apparently had no idea Michael felt that way, or that if he did, it wasn’t justified. Someone’s side of the story just wasn’t adding up, but Calum wasn’t sure whose it was. Not anymore.

Taglist: If there’s a line through your name, I couldn’t tag you, so please message me to let me know your new URL or what the go is! @suchalonelysunflower @blackbutterfliescal @redrattlers @loveroflrh @spicycal @notinthesameguey @metalandboybands @cheekysos @ashton-trash @another-lonely-heart @queenalienscherrypie @becihadshawn @allthestarsandthemoon @wheniminouterspace

#5sos fanfiction #5sos imagine #calum hood imagine #calum hood fanfiction #michael clifford fanfiction #michael clifford imagine #ashton irwin imagine #ashton irwin fanfiction #luke hemmings imagine #luke hemmings fanfiction #my writing #everybody's got their demons even wide awake or dreaming #let me know what you thiiiiiiink #part 3 is already in the works but i figured i should post part 2 first lol oops

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youareboththebestbestfriend · 4 years

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This is LONG, I’m sorry. I have a theory about how Hoax & the 1 are linked. So I relistened to Hoax with lyrics ready, because I’ve heard it before but didn’t really LISTEN. I did now and I feel like, what ended Kaylor, is that Karlie did betray/deceive her with the Scooby thing. Or maybe she didn’t sell her out, but she didn’t STOP working with him, she didn’t end a contract. In a way, she choose HIS side. I feel that’s what Hoax is about (see lyrics below). I feel like the 1 is actually coming to terms with losing the person Taylor thought was the one. I think Hoax was written before the 1. I like that the ending track is host, because when you replay the album, it continues the story by saying she’s trying to feel better about it. So here it goes… (hehe)

HOAX

My only one // refers back to “the 1” (see below)My smoking gun // I think Taylor “killed” the relationship

My eclipsed sun // Karlie being the sun, but eclipsed, meaning in the shadows/not visible

This has broken me down // She’s hurt by her decision to end it

My twisted knife // Call it what you want reference or maybe TIWWCHNT or LWYMMD about backstabbing

Stood on the cliffside screaming, "Give me a reason" // For Karlie betraying her/SB drama

Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in // faithless (disloyal) love’s the only hoax (deception)

Don't want no other shade of blue but you // Never seen that shade of blue (Karlie Konfirmed)

No other sadness in the world would do // She’d take her back (I think, this is also a theme in more songs on folklore)

My best laid plan // Plan of coming out or going public together?

Your sleight of hand // skilful deception, she really didn’t see it coming

My barren land, I am ash from your fire // swaying as the room burned down (DWOHT reference)

You know I left a part of me back in New York // She moved to NYC (for her)

You knew the hero died, so what's the movie for // all my heroes die all alone (the Archer, where she asked “would you stay?”)

You knew it still hurts underneath my scars // (see below the 1)

From when they pulled me apart // Scooby Braun drama

You knew the password, so I let you in the door // I don’t like your kingdom keys, they once belonged to me (LWYMMD reference)

But what you did was just as dark // Dark side, I look for your dark side (the Archer)

Darling, this was just as hard as when they pulled me apart // SB drama obviously hurt but the fact that Karlie wasn’t on her side was just as hard

My only one, my kingdom come undone // KOMH reference??

My broken drum, you have beaten my heart // Didn’t she use drums in KOMH at rep tour as well??

THE 1

I'm doing good, I'm on some new shit // Better than when writing Hoax Been saying "Yes" instead of "No" // Seems like she avoided meeting with people/being depressed and finding her way back to normal life I thought I saw you at the bus stop, I didn't though // I forgot which song where she talks about them/her seeing someone/her ghost? I hit the ground running each night, I hit the Sunday matinee // both distractions to feel better You know the greatest films of all time were never made // ‘cause cruelty wins in the movies (the Archer) I guess you never know, never know // she didn’t expect deception, see Hoax And if you wanted me, you really should've showed // showed Taylor that she was on HER side not SB And if you never bleed, you're never gonna grow // she talks about herself, bleeding refers back to Hoax, how much that hurt (scars/beaten heart) And it's alright now // she’s doing better But we were something, don't you think so? // this seems like looking back on good memories And if my wishes came true it would've been you // pretty clear she wished Karlie would have been the 1, also refers back to some songs on Lover (including title track) In my defense, I have none // she has NO ONE, pretty clear bearding/Joe breakup For never leaving well enough alone // I never leave well enough alone (ME! Reference) Having adventures on your own // I think she wants Karlie to choose for herself, “my ride or die” reference You meet some woman on the Internet and take her home // I feel this refers to “stalk you on the internet” in gorgeous. Maybe Karlie was the one stalking her and taking HER home? I feel like she’s telling Karlie it’s OK to have adventures on your own and then let history repeat itself but making the ending different? We never painted by the numbers, baby // we were different, not following rules a.k.a. sounds like not following heteronormative standards You know the greatest loves of all time are over now // I don’t actually know this reference, it does give me the Archer vibes (would you stay?) I guess you never know, never know // this reminds me again of the archer, wishing you knew if someone would stay, I guess you never know if someone betrays you If one thing had been different would everything be different today? // pretty sure this is about if one of them was a man, their love wouldn’t have had faced many problems they had today – problems that may have broken them up For digging up the grave another time // I think this is referring back to Hoax, where she did dig up the grave, this is why I think Hoax was written before the 1

Other lyrics I think may relate to this theory:

Cardigan (Karligan) But I knew you, dancing in your Levi's drunk under a streetlight // Karlie was a Levi’s model and the drunk under a streetlight gives me YAIL vibes To kiss in cars and downtown bars was all we needed, You drew stars around my scars, but now I'm bleeding // Cornelia street/Delicate vibes and Dress “put your mark on me, a golden tattoo”, the now I’m bleeding refers back to Hoax/the 1 'Cause I knew you, stepping on the last train, marked me like a bloodstain, I knew you, tried to change the ending // she knew Karlie and hadn’t seen deception/Hoax coming and tried to save their relationship but Karlie didn’t show (Hoax) as in; stop hanging/working with SB It does feel like in the end of Cardigan they made up? Taylor did talk in Hoax about how she’d want no other sadness than that love. Basically all of Exile screams break-up, not specifically related to the hurt/deception in Hoax (explicitly). Except maybe the “you never gave me a warning sign/I didn’t see the signs” about betrayal. It does give me big KOMH vibes with the whole, “you’re not my homeland/crown anymore”. It also references bearding (you laugh but the joke’s not funny reminds me of how miserable Karlie always looks when she’s out with Josh). When I hear the song I think of Taylor as the Man singing, and Taylor singing Karlie’s POV.. My tears ricochet does reference quite a few things. We gather here, we line up weeping in a sunlit room And if I'm on fire, you'll be made of ashes, too// she mentions the fire and ashes in Hoax. I feel like this is when they decided to have a talk, and the possible break-up. Even on my worst day, did I deserve, babe, all the hell you gave me? // this breaks my heart, basically same as “screaming Give me reason” in Hoax Because I loved you, I swear I loved you till my dying day // Lover and CIWYW vibes I didn't have it in myself to go with grace // Don’t blame me reference? Or maybe she wanted to like, break up with Karlie and not be sad but strong and she couldn’t be strong? And if I'm dead to you why are you at the wake? // Feeling like Karlie still checks up on Taylor with their shared friends maybe? Or uses her for clout. Cursing my name, wishing I stayed, look at how my tears ricochet // I’m confused at this part We gather stones, never knowing what they'll mean, some to throw, some to make a diamond ring // Josh/Karlie marriage? You know I didn't want to have to haunt you, but what a ghostly scene you wear the same jewels that I gave you as you bury me // I feel like the haunting relates to releasing folklore which she drags Karlie with her basically. The jewel reference is pretty obvious, I guess. 'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave // the times before they went through negativity together (kimye drama? Kissgate?) And I can go anywhere I want, anywhere I want just not home // Cornelia street vibes when Taylor left her own home And you can aim for my heart, go for blood but you would still miss me in your bones // I don’t know what this means but it hurts And I still talk to you when I'm screaming at the sky // at the sun, perhaps? And when you can't sleep at night you hear my stolen lullabies // this relates to a song about her ghost following the other person? I cannot remember what song And so the battleships will sink beneath the waves, you had to kill me, but it killed you just the same // I think this is a reference to Karlie not wanting to break up (wishing I stayed), so by choosing SB’s side, she killed Taylor and therefore their relationship/herself You turned into your worst fears, and you're tossing out blame, drunk on this pain, crossing out the good years // I feel like this could be both of the girl’s POV. The fears remind me of the archer and DWOHT. Crossing out the good years because it hurts. The good years where Karlie did stay by her side. I feel like mirrorball is before that. It’s positive, shining just for you like the sun/Karlie shines for her. I’m still a believer, I feel like they have had their fights but she’s still a believer everything will be okay? I think this is written before Hoax? Seven is unrelated but gay AF, I mean “hiding in the closet” and “I still love you” about a girl with braided patterns. August is about their affairs/love even though Karlie was never hers, but unrelated to the Hoax/the 1 theory I think. It’s more like a good looking back but being sad? Okay so there’s a LOT in this is me trying. I feel like it’s Afterglow 2.0. She knows she crewed up, this is her trying to make up. Then there’s the I tried pin. I feel like this part might be about a different time in their relationship? I don’t think it references SB drama and deception. I feel like it’s also HYGTG 2.0? Maybe if Afterglow and HYGTG had a child, haha. I think illicit affairs is Delicate 2.0 and about their sneaking around. I don’t think it’s related to Hoax. It’s very gay tho, “You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else and you know damn well for you I would ruin myself ...a million little times”. This also makes me feel like Taylor was ready to come out (together) but Karlie wasn’t. I feel like we always thought it was the other way around? I feel like invisible strings is about clues that when you start to identify as queer you look back and you’re like “it makes so much sense”. The three-year trip down to the lakes reminds me of big-sur but I don’t understand that timeline. That was in 2014? That’d mean they’d been together since 2011? But I think they met/started seeing each other after VSFS 2013? Or maybe it’s not about Karlie, however the dive bar and gold have BIGASS delicate music video vibes. Like, the golden paper brought her to that dive bar in the video. So Delicate/invisible string are probably related. While mad woman might reference some things in Hoax, I don’t think it’s about that. I feel like it’s kimye or Scooby. I don’t think Karlie was poking a bear. I think she made a mistake that cost them their relationship, but not that she did it on purpose. The cursing my name, wishing I’d come back makes me feel like Karlie regrets it as well. I feel like epiphany is about her mom or maybe even COVID? Not related to Kaylor? I do think Betty is about Karlie ElizaBETTY Kloss, but I think the mistakes she refers to are more like the problems they may have in Afterglow/this is me trying. Fights, but not the one that ended it all. Peace screams The Archer to me and with that anxiety. Would it be enough if I could never give you peace//who will stay? Also DWOHT, about her fears. “I’d give you my sunshine” actually makes me feel like this is Karlie’s POV. I’m having an epiphany, what if it is Karlie’s POV looking at the sunshine line. That would make sense about “I see your brother as my brother” from Karlie’s POV because Taylor actually has a brother! Maybe this song is Karlie’s POV, because she can’t leave Josh? So she can never give Taylor peace? I don’t know, could be either POV! Not related to Hoax though.

Conclusion:

I think Hoax is about Karlie choosing SB side, whether she sold Taylor out, didn’t tell her about that deal and knowing, or not stopping working with him AFTER the SB drama. I feel like, in Lover Taylor was still optimistic about their relationship. Lover, Cornelia street and Daylight being the biggest clues. She was going to name the album Daylight (literally a synonym for sunshine “Karlie”). She changed it to Lover, which makes me think Karlie = Lover. I think they did probably have fights problems, I mean even DWOHT in reputation etc and Afterglow in Lover. I think some songs of folklore are also about those fights (Exile, this is me trying, Betty and Peace), but I think Hoax is about Karlie betraying her and Taylor breaking it off. I feel like the 1 is one of the last songs written (maybe with Cardigan), where she’s doing a little better? I feel like the break-up was quite recent, the SB drama happened in June 2019 I think?? Lover was already produced then, even if they may have broken it off at that time. I’m the biggest Kaylor and this album hurts AF. But there’s so many Kaylor references, I hope both of them get closure. I really thought they’d make it, but I guess you never know... Kookies for the ones still reading. Reply me with your theories/additions. :)

#kaylor #gaylor swift #taylor swift #hoax #the 1 #masterpost analysis #folkaylore #let me know your thoughts #sorry this is so long #woopsie

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naly1109 · 4 years

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Your Lovely Wicked Soul

~Chapter One~

Chan has just gotten everyone situated in front of the TV, each with a plate for today’s special dinner, ready to pick a movie to watch. The ‘00 line seems like they have it out for each other, or Chan. One would complain about the suggestion of another, then the latter would complain that the former is complaining, rinse and repeat.

“Alright, alright! If you can’t choose a movie, then I’ll pick for us.” Chan states as he takes the remote in hand. Most of the boys groan and Chan gives them a quizzical look.

“You always choose those sappy RomComs and they are not even good.” Jisung says in a groan. The other boys simply nod in agreement.

Just as Chan opens his mouth to come back with a rebuttal, an odd whooshing noise fills the room and the air becomes thick. Then, suddenly, the space above their heads morphs into what looks like a hole in their ceiling. They all stand and look up at the hole to see the back of someone wearing a long, teal cloak with white trimming and long hair flowing down her back. It seems as though she is standing upright where she is, while from the perspective of the boys, her back is facing down while hovering 7 feet above the ground. And she is shouting in a language they do not recognize

“NIE! GABA!” the girl screams right as she falls, rather suddenly and forcefully, onto the coffee table that is holding their dinner, and the boys attempt to escape the food splatter. The table collapses beneath her, causing her to grunt as she hits the ground with almost as much force, the food flying to the ground and at the boys sitting on the sofa. The hole in the ceiling closes and the ceiling looks back to normal. The boys could only stare in disbelief at what they had just witnessed. If they had not all been there to witness it themselves, they wouldn’t have believed it coming from even their own members.

The girl groans as she sits up, rubbing her backside in an attempt to soothe the ache that was only going to be worse tomorrow, and opens her eyes to meet glances with the eight boys. All the boys gasp in unison upon seeing her eyes. They're the most striking pair of white Opal colored eyes. “Whoa.” a few of the boys say under their breath.

“Yeah, this is definitely WAY better than a movie.” Jisung says aloud

Y/N’s eyes narrow when they land on Chan. “You! What are you doing here? You killed Gaba!” She speaks in her native tongue, Trysian, not realising that no one can understand her. Frustrated with the only response being silence, she casts a Spell, patterns of light dispersing from the tips of her fingers, to render the men immobile by levitating them in the air a few feet. The boys all shout in surprise.

Y/N once again focuses her gaze on Chan and again demands in her native tongue, “Why are you here? How did you manage to find me so quickly?!” Y/N shouts, quickly growing impatient. When he shakes his head in confusion, she sees it as a refusal to answer and changes tactics. Y/N begins to cast another wordless Spell to slowly pull his heart out. Y/N came upon the Spell while studying in her Grandfather’s study. She knew she wasn’t supposed to read it, but she couldn’t help herself. She still recalls the spell even after seven years. She normally wouldn't use a Spell like this, for it is a Dark Spell, but her emotions are getting the best of her, and she is not going to allow the man that killed Gaba to live. Even at the cost of her own life.

Chan begins to feel an odd sensation in his chest, as though there are fingers clasping at his heart. He looks at the girl in front of him, her eyes bright and watery from the tears that threaten to spill over, as she looks at him with all the loathing of the world. He briefly wonders to himself as to why she looks at him like that, but stops caring when he begins to feel the fingers around his heart tighten with the promise to crush it. Chan can only groan at the sensation, the pain being too great to even manage to take a breath to shout out.

Just as Y/N is completing the Dark Spell, her Dhornna speaks out, “Y/N, STOP! You'll kill yourself. Your Gaba wouldn't want you to die for this." Nolai looks around at the confused faces. "Also, I don’t think they know what you are saying, Y/N. Look around. Does any of this look familiar to you? These men look scared and confused.”

“Don't let them fool you! This is that bastard King, Talmas! Look at him! The resemblance is too similar to be coincidence. And the others could have changed their appearances.” Y/N attempts to reason, more with herself, her Spell halts around the man’s heart. The thing about Dhornnas is that, being that they are manifest from a Witch’s Gifts, they are honed in on any weakness they have. That includes any doubts or fears their masters may have during times of distress.

“Really, Y/N? Does that make sense to you? Don't you think he would have them change his appearance as well? You know it's not him. How could he have found you already? Look at him Y/N! Does he even seem malicious to you? And if the Members were here, they would have already intervened, even being detained by your Levitation Spell.” Y/N hates when Nolai is right, he always gloats. Y/N exhales sharply and releases her Spells, collapsing to her knees, slightly weak after only just starting the Dark Spell and using the Levitation Spell at the same time. The men all gently come down from their positions in the air, shock still written across their faces. Not one of them seems to notice the other voice coming from the Cat Dhornna “Good. Now allow me to see if I can smooth this over.” Nolai says in an arrogant tone. Y/N throws a dirty look his way and she swears he is smirking.

Nolai is great at reading people, and he knows a cat lover when he sees one. He approaches one of the men and gently meows to get his attention. The man looks down, eyes going wide when he sees a black cat with eyes the same Opal color as the girl’s. He kneels down and picks Nolai up. As soon as he is within reach, Nolai rubs his face against the man’s forehead casting the Spell to receive knowledge of their language. It is a common Spell used by merchants back home when they need to complete a transaction with someone speaking in an unfamiliar tongue. Nolai learns that the man’s name is Minho and they are in a land called Seoul, South Korea.

“Hello Minho.” Nolai states in the men’s native tongue. Minho gasps and drops Nolai when he hears him speak. All the men step back in shock.

“D-did that cat just gr-greet me?” Minho asks, pointing a shaky finger at Nolai, dizzy from the Spell casted unbeknownst to him. He puts an unsteady hand on his head, “Ugh, I’m so dizzy all of a sudden.”

“Sorry, that is because of the Spell I cast to learn your language. You’ll feel better in a few moments.” Nolai answers before anyone could say anything more. “And of course I just greeted you. And I’m not an ordinary cat. I am Nolai, a Cat Dhornna, familiar to a Witch. More specifically, that Witch.” Nolai tilts his head towards Y/N, “She is my master, and her name is Y/N. We come from a small village called Old Stone Village, in the Kingdom of Trysolia. She was sent here by her Grandfather to save her from a horrible fate. So she is very weary of strangers at the moment.”

A moment of silence passes before anyone speaks up. “Okay, but that doesn’t explain why she attacked us. More specifically, me. It felt like my heart was being pulled out my chest.” Chan states, hand still clutching his chest. He can still feel it, the sensation of a hand wrapping itself around his heart. It scared him, and he will need a damn good reason as to why he should look the other way.

“My apologies. It is just that you resemble the tyrant King of our homeland, and we were being attacked by him and his men in the moments leading up to us landing here in your home. She was scared and had thought you were him and she acted on impulse. It's no excuse, I know, but her emotions are frail. I do offer my greatest apologies and hope you grace us with forgiveness.” Nolai finishes his speech with a bow to Chan. He decides to leave out how her Grandfather was killed, not sure how something like that would be received in this instance.

Chan stands where he is for a moment in amazement at the cat, and oddly impressed at his speech. “I’m not one to hold grudges. And it sounds like you and Y/N(?),” he states her name with slight uncertainty, “have been through enough for one day. And so has my living room. So how about, now, we all sit and discuss this like civilized people, yeah?”

Nolai looks at Y/N and then back to Chan. “May I request that someone allow Y/N to perform a Knowledge Transfer Spell so she may also speak amongst us?” The men look at each other, then at Y/N, scared, then seven of the eight pairs of eyes shift to look at Chan.

“What?” Chan asks the other men, and Hyunjin gives him a look telling him exactly what. Chan opens and closes his mouth like he is going to say something, then hangs his head and sighs in defeat, lifting his hand, “I guess that’ll be me.” Minho gives him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before shoving him towards Y/N.

Chan approaches Y/N and kneels in front of her already kneeling position on the floor next to what used to be their coffee table. Her eyes go wide as she looks at Nolai and he simply gives her a nod of encouragement. Y/N shifts her eyes back to Chan’s, and she sees how soft they look in comparison to the King's. That’s one plus for him. She notices that his eyes are much darker than Talmas’, almost like onyx or obsidian, ‘Odd. I’ve never seen eyes this dark before.’ She thinks to herself, but doesn’t ponder on it for too long. She doesn’t allow herself to visually explore his features any further.

Chan gulps as his gaze meets with the Witches, his nerves going haywire as she scoots closer to him. Kneeling in front of her at such a close proximity, he could see the details of her face. He thinks to himself that she is quite beautiful. Even without the unusual eyes, she would still be stunning. Her light Opal colored eyes fringed with long, thick eyelashes put her on a level beyond human beauty.

“I’m Chan by the way.” he blurts out, then recalls that she can’t understand him and quickly smacks his forehead. “Sorry, you can’t understand me yet, duh.” He states awkwardly to her, despite her still not understanding. Chan decides to shut up when she gives him a look of confusion mixed with a hint of judgement, and sees his bandmates shaking their heads at him. He looks into her eyes and realises that, up close, he can make out specks of pastel pink and purple and blue and green and yellow. It looks like someone really replaced her eyes with actual Opals.

Chan continues to stare into the hypnotizing eyes as Y/N places the palm of her right hand on his forehead and begins casting her wordless Spell. Their eyes stay on each other until Chan starts to feel himself become lost in her eyes and slightly dizzy, so he closes his eyes. He quickly learns that closing his eyes was a mistake, because it only makes him feel dizzier and he begins to feel detached from himself. Opening his eyes again, he meets the mesmerizing gaze of the Witch, and instantly feels back at ease, so he opts to remain with his eyes open for the duration of the Spell.

Just as Chan starts to feel like his brain is swimming in his head, Y/N pulls away from him. Having completed the Spell, Y/N stands up to properly introduce herself, “Hello. My name is Y/N. I do wish to apologize for my behavior a few moments ago. I was not in a proper state of mind.” She states flawlessly in their native tongue, much to the boys’ surprise.

“It's nice to meet you, Y/N. My name is Seungmin.” the boy gives Y/N an adorably warm smile after a few moments pass. He reminds Y/N of a puppy.

“Hi! I’m Jeongin!” the one with fox-like features says.

The man Nolai used the Spell on sends a small wave and smiles, “I’m Minho.” he states, simply.

“I’m Changbin, but you can call me Binnie.” the stocky, attractive one says with a lopsided smirk.

“I’m Hwang Hyunjin. Pleasure to meet you, even under such odd circumstances.” This man would be a hot commodity back in Y/N’s world with a face like that.

“I’m Jisung, or you can call me Baby.” The man who resembles an adorable chipmunk says, presenting Y/N a beautifully crafted smile, accompanied with a wink.

“You’ll scare her away, Hyung!” A man with freckles says to Jisung. Then he turns to Y/N with a welcoming smile, “Hi, I’m Felix.” Y/N feels her heart prick a little, Felix’s freckles reminding her of her best friend's.

She gives him a sad half smile and turns to face the full group of men. “Thank you all for being so kind and understanding.” She turns towards Chan but doesn’t look him in the face, and it doesn't escape his notice, “Thank you, Chan, for allowing me to use that Spell on you. You should feel back to normal in just a few moments. Also, I offer my sincerest apologies for attacking you and nearly taking your heart out. And, also, about your low table.” She hangs her head then adds, “Now if you’ll please excuse me, I need to find a way back home.” Y/N turns around and starts looking for a way out. As she stands there, eyes circling the room as she tries to locate the exit, she begins to feel awkward under the watchful gazes of the men.

She is about to turn and exit through the window just to escape the odd looks coming from the group of men when Nolai speaks out, “Y/N, we have no idea about how that Spell Gaba used works or how to reverse it to get you back safely. Also, we don’t have anywhere to go. Or any currency to rent a room or buy food.”

Y/N straightens her back, noticing her Dhornna spoke using the language of this world. Y/N has never been too keen on strangers knowing of her struggles, it makes her feel too vulnerable. Especially now, surrounded by foreign people in a foreign world.

Speaking in Trysian, Y/N responds, "Gaba gave me his Grimoire, if you recall. I can figure out how to get there using this." She pulls out the book still wrapped in elk skin. "And please speak in our tongue. I don't feel comfortable with them knowing too much. Talmas could use them to find me."

Nolai rolls his eyes, "But Y/N, it's late and we have nowhere to go. You're really going to ask me to wander the roads of a completely foreign world in the dark hours of the night?" He whines.

Y/N narrows her eyes at the Cat to warn him to stop talking, and states through gritted teeth, "I don't know what you want me to do, Nolai. We don't have very many options here." Y/N is aware of the other eight persons looking at them in slight confusion at the conversation between her and her Cat, and puts the Grimoire back away in her Cloak.

Nolai is also aware of them. "Well, I refuse to sleep anywhere but in a warm bed." He states with the stubbornness of his Master. He gets a little gleam in his eye before saying, "I know! How about you ask these nice men to let us stay here? At least until we figure out what to do next?"

Y/N's eyes go wide at the suggestion of her Dhornna and she reaches out to him to shut him up. "I'm sorry about him." She says to the guys in their language, "He's usually not this talkative, so I have no idea where this is coming from." She smiles awkwardly, then throws a glare down at her Dhornna.

"Well I don't know of all that was being said between you two, but I'm sure we caught the gist of it, and your cat is right. Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say." Chan speaks out, "You can't go and wander the streets of Seoul at night. There are many dangerous people out there. So you should stay here."

"Plus, your outfit will put you in danger of receiving more than just a few judgemental looks." Hyunjin adds, unhelpfully, face deadpan.

Y/N looks at Hyunjin and eyes his outfit, then looks down at hers, realizing for the first time how different they are dressed. Her clothing is made of finest materials from her homeland, her pants and blouse were of the softest cloudcotton, her boots of sturdy softwood and warm moose fur, and her cloak was of the finest sea velvet and dyed her favorite shade of teal. Y/N takes off her cloak and begins to wave her hands over herself in what looks like a dance using just the arms, casting a wordless Spell. Light begins to leave the tips of her fingers and leaves patterns in the air around her, and her outfit suddenly changes to resemble what Hyunjin is wearing. "There. Now I won't stand out. And have you forgotten that I'm not some helpless Witch? I can take care of myself."

Some of the boys raise their brows in slight surprise at Y/N's full form. She is short, barely coming to eye level with Changbin's chin, so the boys all thought that she was a child in her mid teens. Looking at her now, in ripped, black skinnies and a light blue button up that snugs her chest a little and hangs loosely down the rest of her torso, they can clearly see just how womanly she is.

Changbin clears his throat, "Um. Y/N? How old are you?" He asks the question swimming in all the other men's minds as well.

Y/N raises an eyebrow at his question, "I age a year on the eve the Earth completes its cycle around the Sunstar. This one approaching will make my 22nd complete cycle. So I'm almost 22 years old."

"That makes you only a couple months younger than me." Minho states with a smile after completing the math in his head.

"Well, I guess that means the rest of us call her Noona." Jisung states, then asks, “Excuse me Noona? Do you have a boyfriend?” earning him a quick jab in the ribs from Changbin’s elbow.

"But my name is Y/N." She gives Jisung a confused look, making the other boys laugh. Despite her attempt to kill him only minutes ago, Chan thinks to himself that this girl is extremely adorable.

"Back on the subject of where to stay?" The Cat says, allowing his voice to be laced with annoyance, trying to get everyone back on track.

"Right!" Chan says looking at Nolai, then back to the group. "I still don't think it's a good idea for you to wander around by yourself, even if you are a powerful Witch. Magic is not something people can do here, and you may attract too much unwanted attention to yourself if you go around flinging people in the air."

"Magic?" Y/N asks softly to herself, then aloud to Chan without looking at him, "Okay. Then what do you suggest?"

"Well, like your Doorman said, it would be safer to stay here. I'm sure all of us feel the same?" Chan asks the other men of the house, all giving Chan mumbled agreements.

Y/N rolls her eyes. "It's Dhornna." she states. "And Nolai is delusional. There is absolutely no way Gaba would send me into a house full of men with intentions that I stay. I can't stay." She finishes with firm resolve.

"You're being ridiculous, Y/N!" Nolai says, voice slightly raised in annoyance at his Master's stubbornness. 'Oh now he uses Trysian!' Y/N thinks to herself "Gaba sent us here, and if you recall, he told you he was sending you to someone who can help you. I believe he knew that these men would be here to help you or could lead you to someone who can. If you would stop being so damn pigheaded, you would see that. Just accept Chan's offer." Y/N eyes go wide at the tone he uses with her.

"I liked it better when you said nothing." Y/N states to her Cat Dhornna, pouting. "Fine. We can stay here. That is if the offer is still open." She says, switching languages, looking at the boys.

"Of course!" Some of the guys say in unison, while others responded with “Absolutely!” and “As long as you need”. Y/N nods at the boys, quietly thanking them.

“So, two things.” Jeongin speaks out, “First, I’m still hungry and now our food is all over the floor.” Everyone takes a look around at the food splayed out on the living room carpet, sofa, and some of them. The guys all shift their gazes to Y/N and she gives them an apologetic look. “And second, where is Y/N going to sleep?” All eyes shift from Y/N to Jeongin, then back to Y/N.

“Well I can offer up a partial solution to the first issue.” Y/N says before stepping to the center of the living room. She closes her eyes and begins waving her hands around, making patterns in the air with light from her fingertips. Then, she begins to levitate and the room begins to put itself back into order. The soiled food and chunks of broken wood from the demolished coffee table going into the trash. The stains in the carpet, sofas, and the boy's clothes from the turned over kimchi, bulgogi, japchae, and various other foods, begin to disappear, almost like its dissolving away any evidence of the fallen dishes.

The guys all watch in astonishment at what is happening before their eyes. What would’ve taken hours and a whole lot of paper towels and stain remover to clean up, is now being done in only minutes by one person with no use of paper towels or stain remover. Felix looks at Chan, “Can we keep her?” he asks. ‘I sure would love to.’ Chan thinks to himself. He’s not willing to say the statement aloud, so he just shrugs at the younger boy.

Y/N finishes up the Spells and opens her eyes. Her gaze briefly falls on Chan before she looks away, and Chan feels a slight pang of hurt at the gesture. He tried pushing it away, but from the moment he first saw her falling from his ceiling, he’s been feeling a pull towards the stunning stranger. Almost like he is meant to know her, meant to have her beside him, and he unconsciously makes it his mission to have her at his side, looking at him.

“I guess I’ll go get the take out menus. Unless someone is willing to cook?” Seungmin asks hopefully. When he is answered with silence, he turns to get the menus from their place in the kitchen drawer. When he comes back, he places the menus on one of the arms of the sofa and speaks again. “I was also thinking about sleeping arrangements. Felix and I can just use the spare beds in the other room with Jeongin, Jisung, Hyunjin, and Changbin-hyung, and move our stuff out and into the other room with us. That way Y/N can take our room and have some privacy. It’s only temporary right?” Seungmin looks at Y/N, and she nods her head. “There, resolved.”

“Not quite.” Jeongin interjects, “I’m still starving and I refuse to help move anything on an empty stomach. So let's order some food. Chan’s paying.”

Chan gawfs at the younger boy, “Why me? Why can’t you or Minho or anyone else?”

Jeongin thinks on his response for a moment, then replies, “Cause I like food better when you buy it, Hyung.” He gives the older boy a brilliant smile, and Chan can only laugh. “And it's your birthday so it only makes sense that you pay.” he adds.

“Well Happy Birthday to me.” Chan mumbles under his breath. “Okay, but nothing too expensive. Since I’m going to have to buy a new coffee table too.”

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

A/N: Hello! I hope you all enjoyed Chapter One of YLWS! I know I had fun writing it. I did want to address that in the Prologue, the name of the village is different than what I put in here, I had decided to change the name of the village after I posted the Prologue and forgot that it had been mentioned. Sorry! I promise to be more diligent to give you guys the best experience

#witch au #fanfic #stray kids #skz #bang chan #lee minho #seo changbin #hwang hyunjin #han jisung #lee felix #kim seungmin #yang jeongin #kpop

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