#thank you for being glad for his survival instincts! i love how you described how he knew something wasnt right! he's glad too!!

[chocoladieimagines]

1) Love ya blog already I need more black x readers on my dash

2) Is it possible to get some fluffy headcanons about dating Zenitsu and introducing him to black culture? (I hope that made sense this is my first time ever sending in an request liek this)

Thank you, also yes it makes sense! I’m excited to get my first request and I’m glad you feel comfortable about asking for a scenario! That’s what this place is for, helping readers feel comfortable.🤎🍫

Zenitsu x Black!Reader

(A bit long)

“In the mid-16th century, a significant number of Africans came to Japan as crewmen, servants or slaves on European ships. Their presence generated great interest and wonderment. But along with the presence of white Europeans, it influenced an evolving discourse on race among a people who had previously divided humankind into three civilized nations: Japan; China, and India, and miscellaneous barbarian people. Their skin color caused Japanese to link them with the inhabitants of India yet their treatment by the Caucasians who had brought them to Japan implied that they were an inferior people who ought to be despised. During the Tokugawa period, (1603-1868), the increasingly critical, even hostile view towards India and Buddhism had a negative impact upon all peoples considered dark skinned. Thus, black Africans, and other peoples with whom they were commonly conflated, were alternately honored, tolerated and disparaged.” (Leupp).

- This would change years later as you set foot in the final selection.

- You succeeded honing a unique breathing style; executing it with expertise as your sword was cloaked with green ribbons of ectoplasm.

-You took in the scenery of the beautiful vining plants with cascades of blue to purple flowers. They felt ever so alluring to the fate sealed for an examinee’s failure.

- As you caressed the velvety petals between the pads of your fingers, you heard a blood curdling scream nearby.

- Of course it was as expected due to the exam you were taking, but the primal cry bypassed your eardrums to the lining of your brain; coming from a place of terror, telling of a mind in absolute fear.

- A boy ran under the safety of the wisteria trees, as they are poisonous to demons, thus the creatures must stay on the mountain top.

- You looked at him as he ducked his head into his body with his hands covering the back of his neck. His trembling form curled into a ball, hearing as he talked to himself in a whisper.

- “I don’t know if I’m ready. I won’t be able to catch up to the other slayers. I’m going to die...I’m going to die...in fact I’m already dead.” He spoke in self doubt and despair, his mind already subduing to the pressure.

- You walked over to him and crouched to his level. You reached your hand for his shoulder, lightly prodding your fingers against the yellow fabric of his haori.

- He lifted his head at the touch of comfort, turning towards the direction of someone’s hand.

- “Do not cower.” You tell him. “We are to fight to rise above demons. To prevail against the monsters who try to level us to the bottom of a status quo. But we are strong, we will not submit to them, we are more powerful if we band together and fight as one. What’s your name?”

- He froze when he saw you; paralyzed in surprise and silent panic. Under the moonlight, the moon bounced off your melanated skin. The light shined under the construction of your cheekbones, defining the muscles in your cheeks and showing your risen smile of your full lips. Your kinky hair huddled in profusion as they defied gravity. Then it was your eyes.

- He couldn’t stand eye contact but yours captured his into a trance, stuck in the mental state of high arousal as nervousness washed over him like a wave.

- “Z-Zenitsu...Agatsuma.” He finally spoke. “Zenitsu Agatsuma, my name is y/n l/n. They will remember our names and I will remember yours. Would you like to fight by my side?”

- Despite his rosy cheeks by your presence, he nodded.

-After you two became demon slayers, you caught the eyes of many people.

- To be honest, it wasn’t common to see black people during the time. No one was used to your skin full of the sun’s rays or your voluminous hair that others described as being “all over the place”, “showy”, “lazy”, “a distraction”.

-Nevertheless, Zenitsu warmed up to you and found you an easy person for seeking comfort. He hated himself for cowering, running away and sniveling but your calming voice reassured him that everyone is scared of something. That we were born with survival instincts necessary to respond to fear when we sense danger or feel unsafe.

- Not only did he constantly want comfort and motivation, but he was curious. He knows little to nothing about black people because of his lack of seeing one.

- He found your beauty intimidating and overwhelming; the transformations of your hair, your curves, the vibrancy in your walk and the way you talked. You expressed yourself fearlessly, not boldly, but such as being able to remain calm without altering under an opponent which helped your teammates stay levelheaded during battle.

- One day, you two shared a conversation. It was about your past missions and some of the funniest looking demons you came across. It suddenly faded into the awareness of how people looked at you like you were an alien.

- You only shrugged it off with a laugh but it lured Zenitsu back into curiosity. He wasn’t sure how to word it; “How come your skin is so pretty?”, “How is your hair different from the others?”, “How are you so magical?”

- Once your talk came to an appropriate pause, he hesitantly asked a question, “H-Hey, erm, y/n, can you tell me about yourself? Like your ethnicity or who you are as of people?”

- You smiled at his big brown-golden eyes showing his intrigue. It was almost the biggest he’s seen you smile before it elicited your sweet laugh.

- “Well, it’s really a long story but my favorite is to study about my culture. There is a such thing called ‘Black is beautiful’, which included identifying and expressing yourself by doing your hair in a myriad of styles. Using a grooming tool like a pick, which is a type of comb, customized with a black fist was a way to proudly assert political and cultural allegiance to the black power movement. Black writers used their creativity to support a black cultural revolution. Soon enough, we rose into mainstream like music entertainers, sports figures and in stereotypical roles on television. We increasingly demanded more roles and more realistic images of our lives, both in mainstream and in black media.”

- You doubted Zenitsu understood what you were saying so you showed him pictures from school books and showed him videos from a film projector. He could hear the thrill in your voice as you spoke and explained things to him.

- Learning these things from you, he fell even deeper into his crush for you, telling you out uniquely from other girls.

- Sometimes, he watched you braid your hair into protective styles or listened as you sang a song to him that was picked up within your clan. You explained that as slaves, black people prayed and sung joyful songs to keep our heads level headed with what was going on.

- But you felt bad since you thought you were blabbering on about the things you were interested in, instead of finding out the things that Zenitsu would want to hear.

- So one night, while getting ready for bed, Zenitsu wanted to confess to you. Although he is aware of his desperateness of wanting someone to commit his love to, he could no longer take ogling you day to day without the imagination of what your lips felt like or what it would feel like to be ultimately comforted by cuddling and sharing kisses. He wanted you more than anything.

- That night, you two were unbeknownst that you wanted to talk to each other about something. While everyone settled in to go to bed, Zenitsu bumped into you while you were in your pajamas. He blushed at the sight of your hair being braided into cornrows; openly showing your face to him.

- “Zenitsu, what a convenience, I just wanted to talk you.” You chuckled. “Heh heh, I-I had something to say to you too.” He stuttered. “Ok, come in my room.”

- He followed you in, adjusting the collar of his shirt as he felt his body temperature escalate. “You can go first.” He said, clearing his throat. “Well, I just wanted to say, I don’t want it to seem like I’m making you bored, ya know about the things I talk about. I wonder if it’s fair to talk about them to you or if I could be scaring you. History is just a nice thing I like to talk about, one of the things I favor most.”

- He looked at you in shock, “Oh no! I-I don’t mind at all of you coming to me about that. I want to be a person you can come to talk about anything to. I-If anything, I see you as a really pretty person. To see you idolize people and—because of them—feel empowered to show your beauty means a lot to me. As long as it means you will continue to appreciate who you are as a person, I love that about you, y/n.”

- He lost himself in his words and felt himself carrying on and on. You stood in silence, completely surprised how he confessed his feelings to you. “I really really like you. You’re so unique from everyone else, you help me feel better and saved me from getting my ass killed god knows how many times. I...I...”. He felt his nerves come to him, cutting his words short as he looked at you with fear.

- He suddenly watched your lips stretch into a smile, feeling himself freeze in place as you walk closer to him.

- You say to him, “Although people may think you’re a coward, no matter how many times you may break down into tears or feel scared, you are just as much brave. You have the biggest courage of everyone to overcome your fears and take a leap.” And you gently captured his lips with yours, comforting him just as he yearns.

Hopefully I answered just as you requested. As well as having hope that everyone else enjoyed this scenario🤎🍫

#kny x reader #demon slayer x reader #demon slayer #zenitsu x reader #black reader #demon slayer x poc!reader #demon slayer x black reader #zenitsu fluff

[okay-victoria]

What do people think of Tanya? AKA: Actually, a lot of people agree with Lehrgen

Summary: WHOOOOO BOY. You know it’s going to be fun when my subsections have to have their own subsections. Briefly, there is the Good [people who like Tanya both personally and professionally], the Bad [people who like/love Tanya professionally but not personally], and the Ugly [people who ideally, Tanya will never speak to, look at, send mail to, or be in the general vicinity of ever again]. 

I would say most people fall into the “Bad” category - they recognize her value as an officer, sometimes to a worshipful degree, but on a personal level range anywhere from thinking she’s a creepy child to actively disliking her. Unfortunately for Tanya, the people that fall into the Ugly category are as a rule higher-ranking than the ones in the Good category, and most people in the Bad category seem to like her specifically in her military role, and it is questionable they’d want her as even a coworker outside of that, let alone as a friend.

The Good

People who’re in here: People who have only ever heard of Tanya in the context of the Silver Wings award, people she interacts with in the Imperial Navy; rando soldiers; someone kinda high up in the later-war Eastern Army command; Ugar

People who only know her from Silver Wings:

V1/C1

Describes the nice aura people would see in someone who wins the Silver Wings.

The Navy

V3/C2

A naval officer does assess Tanya as having a predatory look, but doesn’t seem to think particularly badly of it, he just notes it, and then says “Degurechaff was a fellow soldier he could be proud of, which was why he extended his hand in utmost seriousness to wish her well.”

Rando Soldiers

There’s no real good single quote on this, but over time Tanya comes in to reinforce various units and leaves behind various impressions, ranging through Good, Bad, and Ugly, but anyway, there almost have to be low & middle ranking officers and soldiers who are presumably nothing but grateful to Tanya for rescuing them, even though we never get much of anything from their perspective.

Others

A superior officer of Tanya’s in Eastern Army command, in V5/C1, gets a transfer request for Tanya’s unit and reflects he is sad to be losing her.

Ugar - I don’t have down any specific pieces, but IMO it comes across in the LNs that Ugar is generally well-disposed to Tanya and doesn’t have the positive professional/negative personal thoughts that most other people close to her do.

The Bad

People who’re in here: Tanya’s academy/war college instructors, the 203rd battalion & later Kampfgruppe, Zettour, Rudersdorf, Generic Superior Officers, Romel, Lehrgen’s professional opinion

Tanya’s Academy & War College Instructors:

V1/C1

Tanya’s zeal during academy scares her instructors.

V1/C4

The instructors scrawled “abnormal” across the top of Tanya’s file.

“In the academy, we were told over and over – and, for some reason, over again – to love our troops. Weirdly, now that I think about it, I feel like they emphasized this the most when talking to me.” <= Tanya...you’re...you’re so close.

V1/C5

Mentioned that some teachers in the academy are on Lehrgen’s side of the What The Fuck Do We Do With Tanya debate.

V3/C5

Romel’s summation of her personnel assessment notes that at least on paper, the academy and the war college gave good overall evaluations of her.

203rd Battalion:

V1/C3

[Visha] “The moment she turned her icy cold eyes on us like we were objects to be appraised, I shrank from her in spite of myself. People might laugh at me for being afraid of such a little kid, but those eyes reminded me of the way a cat looks when it’s playing with a mouse, which creeped me out”

[Visha] “I was different from Lieutenant Degurechaff, who could calmly nail fleeing soldiers in the back with optical sniping or explosion formulas. I was relieved because I wouldn’t have to shoot.”

V1/C5

[Visha] “Was she an agent of the devil or of God? It had to be one or the other. Ahh, I can’t believe I have an ally more horrible than the enemy. She’s not human. I would bet my life on it. Me and a few others saw it once. During training, one of our teammates dropped like he was dead. The captain gave him a good kick, and before we knew it, she was back on his feet. I had been staring into the abyss of death myself…the captain heaped abuse on me. But I know, I saw it: she charged into the avalanche to save me. Even after my friends told me that she tossed my busted body aside like a used rag, I believe. She is definitely a good commander, even if I’m not sure about her as a human being. Of course, we all laugh and bad-mouth her…if the captain is an apostle of God, then only the devil can possibly exist.” <= in good news, Tanya, you are currently winning on your quest against Being X and mostly making people believe that he’s the Devil for allowing you to exist!

V2/C1

[Weiss] also refers to Tanya as a vampire

[Weiss] thinks Tanya is arrogant

[Visha] “her thought is That’s so low, Major.” <= this is in response to Tanya pulling out her child voice to announce they were going to bomb Dacia’s factory.

[Weiss] “Weiss has only known her for a short time, but even he can pick up the displeasure his superior doesn’t bother hiding. Her mood is as dangerous as nitroglycerin. When Weiss quietly takes a step back, everyone discreetly follows suit. Nobody wants to be so close to Major von Degurechaff when she’s irritated.”

V2/C5

[Grantz] “If the devil exists, it has to be our instructor, the commander of the 203rd Aerial Mage Assault Battalion, the legendary Major von Degurechaff. The way she smiled. The way she looked at us like we were maggots. The way she seemed thirsty for blood. I’d believe she had tried to kill a rebellious underclassman or crack his skull open. If I screw up on the battlefield, she’ll definitely kill me. That’s how threatened I felt by the instructor who just had to also be my advisor…I wanna cry.”

[Grantz] “This was the major who had once said during a speech at the academy that deadweight should be killed…This is crazy. No one said it aloud, but it was the look on everyone’s faces. This was a nighttime mission to abduct enemy soldiers…Magic Second Lieutenant Warren Grantz realized he was shaking. My survival instinct was screaming. I wanted to avoid the war, the combat, the killing. I was hesitating. But one glance from Major von Degurechaff was enough to subjugate that instinct. She was far more terrifying…I was so terrified I hardly felt like myself anymore…How could the major just calmly sing a hymn?”

[203rd banter] Visha asks if anyone wants to trade places with her so she doesn’t have to be with Tanya all the time, and Weiss and Grantz are not itching to take her up on the offer.

V2/C6

[Grantz] Is really, really bothered by how chill Tanya seems to be about Arene.

V2/C7

[Weiss] Reflects on all the horrible things Tanya has put him through, but ends his reflection on the note that he understands why it was necessary to prepare them for war.

V3/C5

“Apparently, the troops serving directly under her thought she was a great field officer” <= Romel re: Tanya’s personnel file

V4/C5

“‘Please have the 203rd be part of your Kampfgruppe. All of us in the battalion wish to continue serving under you.’”

Tanya doesn’t get what she wants, is then pissed, and it gives off weird abusive-parent vibes where all her children try to flee and not be present, and for the ones who have to be (Weiss & Visha), they take it by flinching, cowering, praying to God for Tanya not to explode, etc.

V5/C4

[Visha] “Reality is far too unreal. She’s crazy. There’s something strange about her...The colonel cackled – no, she giggled, smiling like a child. It was positively surreal to see her eyeing the enemy with her tender gaze and licking her lips. She snickered, but what was so funny? She was terrifying...Dripping red liquid. Pink things that used to be humans, flying everywhere. And opposite that scene was a beaming little girl. It was so surreal, it made more sense for me to suppose I had gone insane. No, maybe I really did go insane. The sight of my superior officer nodding with satisfaction and beginning a confession of her faith was horrific. I didn’t get even a glimmer of madness from her beautiful, innocent eyes. They were the eyes of a stubborn servant of logic, full of pure reason. But that’s what was horrific: those eyes stuck on that doll-like face.”

V5/C5

Tanya has some good banter with her Kampfgruppe soldiers and it seems like everyone’s getting along.

V8/C4

T: ‘Are you saying you throw yourself into the slaughter purely, justly – sane and sober? Don’t make me laugh. That’s a broken man talking. Going to war after downing some liquid courage with a grimace is much more human.’ He frowns for a moment, perhaps thinking to argue back, and then whines, ‘So are you drunk, then, Colonel?’ <= yes, a random officer from Tanya’s Kampfgruppe just asked if she was drunk and that’s why she’s always throwing herself into battle so excitedly.

V8/C5

T: ‘Glad you’re safe, Lieutenant.’ V: ‘Thank you, ma’am. That said, I would have rather you spared me from getting caught up in that attack.’ T: ‘What choice did I have?’ V: ‘What is that supposed to mean?’ Serebryakov puffs her cheeks out in a pout, which is surely a sign that she’s feeling better. <= Tanya, Visha wanted you to apologize, not excuse yourself, damn!

Zettour

V1/C5

“He doesn’t know whether they should praise her original ideas or call her insane.”

“Apparently, she hasn’t forgotten that she once said she wanted a battalion. She, a first lieutenant, to a brigadier general…something liable to provoke antipathy? She’s already done that.”

“The smirk on Tanya’s face reminds Zettour of some unpleasant rumors he’s heard about her.”

V2/C5

Zettour both remains horrified that Tanya was able to speak so frankly about a world war, yet he is sympathetic to the fact that she could do it because she understood what would happen.

V4/C3

Tells Rudersdorf that he “unwaveringly trusts” her military decisions.

V4/C5

Tanya comes to Zettour to request better units than he’s given her. He finds the request beyond arrogant, seeing as how pressed they are for men, especially for the fact that this is shortly after the Moscow situation and her battalion has “gone too far and been a handful”.

“Somehow, he didn’t think there could be that many damaged kids in the Empire like this young teen back from the battlefield. And actually, regardless of how he felt about it as a soldier, personally, the idea of interacting with them was terrifying.”

“But Degurechaff was unfazed and inquired about their experience with killing people. She saw people as products, and she was asking if they had been tested – that was the nuance. Could such a completely utilitarian view of people even be taught? Certainly, the army is an organization that pays attention to individual functions. Substitutability and cost consciousness are two factors hounding everyone. But can you really judge a human being by those criteria alone?...That innocent face and her straight back made her look something like a surreal doll. Doesn’t…Doesn’t anyone think this is strange?”

Zettour is mentioned to have originally had the same doubts about Tanya as Lehrgen, but after her performance he claims he is ready to “swallow any pill, no matter how bitter” (I think working with Tanya being the bitter pill) to win the war.

Zettour gives Tanya a little discretion to commandeer some equipment, she takes a lot of discretion. Zettour sort of laughs at off saying “this was Degurechaff” but does also mention that Tanya’s actions “amounted to a borderline interference in Supreme Command.”

V8/C4

Zettour is impressed with how Tanya has trained Grantz and thinks that if she wasn’t so good in the field, he’d put her in education.

“Sure, Degurechaff may have been broken, but not as an officer.”

Rudersdorf

V2/C1

Rudersdorf says that Tanya has a “distinct” [read: probably means difficult] personality, but if he just divided people into useful and not useful, she was useful.

V4/C3

Zettour and Rudersdorf debate Tanya, and he mentions that he only thinks she is talented in the military realm.

Generic Superior Officers

V2/C5

Tanya has a misunderstanding with her CO on the Rhine front. He wants her to train some new recruits normally, she mistakes it as saying “well, kill as few of them as possible, but do what you gotta do,” she gets kind of reprimanded over it.

V3/Intro

“Performance Evaluation: Major Tanya von Degurechaff:

Counselor’s Notes on character and conduct [this is printed normally]: Abundant loyalty and excellent fighting spirit. Follow regulations to the letter. Devoutly religious.

[this part is handwritten] Has a bad tendency to take matters into her own hands. Competent but as difficult to handle as a mad dog.”

V3/C1

“Some of the officers even added another thought in the back of their minds: Major von Degurechaff might actually be able to wring out even better results.”

V3/C3

Tanya goes wild on her base commander when he won’t let her sortie to Brest to prevent the French army from evacuating. <= Oddly, IIRC, no one ever like, apologizes to Tanya for not believing her, which is kinda rude, so mostly the incident reflects negatively on her instead of being a balanced: ok she did violate some rules, but...maybe if we’d listened to her we’d have avoided the rest of the fucking war, so seems like it might have been called for?

V3/C5

“The most important evaluations during a war are the ones from the battlefield, and those were all over the place.” <= Romel, re: Tanya’s personnel file

“The second was that although the evaluations were contradictory, she had achieved enough that she was considered an outstanding soldier. Awkwardly, regardless of how she was as an officer, as an individual mage, she was thought very highly of. Her number of kills was among the highest on the Rhine front.” 

“In any case, strictly as a mage, she was unrivaled. As an officer, too, she was by no means incompetent. So they must have been giving her to him as reinforcements and as an excuse to get her out of their hair. Honestly, he felt like they were foisting off their problem on him. ‘They’re telling me to take a mad dog out on a walk with no leash?’ He let slip a complaint. Maybe it was just prejudice, but that wasn’t what it felt like to General von Romel. After all, he was basically being asked to bet on a bad hand.”

V4/C2

Everyone on the General Staff realizes the huge amount of fallout from Tanya attacking Moscow. The backstory of this is that when Tanya asked for permission, the General Staff thought she was just going to do a fly-by and freak them out, not attack the city. It pretty much kills any opportunity they had to negotiate a quick settlement with Russia in the cradle.

Romel

V3/C5

Romel’s first meeting with Tanya pretty much goes: “so arrogant it’s invigorating...unbelievably insolent...in addition to her self-important attitude, it exuded heavy sarcasm...not only was she arrogant, she was clearly horribly warped.”

“Any commissioned officer would understand just from hearing her make that one comment why the Northern and Western Groups couldn’t control her. Having a mage battalion drop out of the command structure was almost like losing a whole division” <= ie, Tanya’s previous superiors must have really disliked her to give her up.

“She simply decided she would be a patriot if it was good for the nation. In short, she’s a capable lunatic, but the bad part is she doesn’t realize she’s twisted…She’s crazy. And competent. And more sincere than anyone I’ve ever known.”

“Without a doubt, she’s going to end up being the most horrible person I know. And she’ll probably also be one of my most reliable friends on the battlefield.”

V3/C6

Romel reflects that she is a mad dog, and that she is an ego-crushing entity for the average officer. <= while Romel never brings this up, this has a *ton* of important real-world implications for Tanya, especially assuming men still have more than a little trouble listening to women outside the military. Even if you believe the best rumors about Tanya, you still might not want to hire her because she’s going to be better than you, and most people hate that feeling.

V4/C1

Tanya goes to the Eastern Front, and Romel reflects that he is sad to lose her and that once you got used to her, he found her easy to work with.

The Ugly

People who’re in here: Lehrgen’s personal opinion, Some wartime randos, OG Eastern Army Command, OG Northern Army Command, Imperial Government, people who mostly know Tanya from her Arene reputation, Western Army Command; Implied Future View of Tanya

Wartime Randos

V1/C5

“Some of those who had been on the front lines had a strange reaction to the name [the 11th Goddess] we picked. They claimed it was the worst joke they’d ever heard.” <= ie, Tanya was the Devil, not a goddess

V2/C1

Tanya is happy that Dacia has zero airpower. She displays her happiness by smiling maniacally and skipping around her tent. Everyone thinks Tanya is happy that they just got invaded again and the war is growing and she can go kill people. 

V2/C5

A kinda random infantry guy is still having nightmares about Tanya in like, 1960, and reflects back on how he felt when he heard Tanya casually call for friendly fire to go right through where her men are flying. He questions why anyone listens to her.

“But when I replay the memories in my mind, I can’t help but shout, You monster! A hero, a star, and outstanding magic officer. You, ma’am, were a great officer. To all of us imperial soldiers serving on the Rhine lines, you were a god...Yeah, she’s a god – an immensely powerful one who presides over life and death. Her words, brimming with a spine-chilling anger, swept over the area as if she was planning to attract all the enemy hostility like moths to a flame. Major von Degurechaff had bared her fangs. It invited a violent reaction. The Republic wanted to hunt the devil. In other words, they devoted all humanity’s wisdom to killing the god of death. Gods don’t die, but those of us next to them? …They were right to call her a god of death. She killed the enemy, and the enemy killed our men. Then the noble major, with a glance at all the dead in the mud, took her leave. Fucking hell.” <= and you thought Lehrgen hated her. But, again, real-world implications of this could very well be that post-war, Tanya is a total persona-non-grata as someone that had a high degree of influence on how rabidly everyone fought against the Empire, and how the Empire was treated in the aftermath. I don’t make it out quite that bad, but it could be really rough if someone wanted to make it that way.

V4/C5

“The Guard Division had been on many assignments dealing with formal events, so we had experience…But what is that? That absurd, expressionless, doll-like creature was giving orders to people who appeared to be bloodthirsty mages just back from the war zone.” 

“Could it really…could it really be possible for a child to wear such a smile?...Her hands were soft and would have looked more natural holding a doll, but instead, this odd, human-shaped creature spread her arms as she delivered a welcoming address. No one. None of the high-ranking officers present could raise an objection to this thing. The veteran mages all obeyed this inhuman being in the form of a person.”

OG Eastern Army Command

V1/C5

“The members of the eastern army had been openly angered by her annoyed look until days before, but now their faces were pale. She said exactly what she thought: ‘Incompetent, pitiful, lazy, arrogant, unprepared, mentally disabled, inattentive, no powers of observation’ and her conclusion was that ‘all mages of the Eastern Army group require reeducation’”

“The ranking officers from the regional field armies who had come to protest ended up bearing the brunt of the General Staff members’ critical glares.”

OG Northern Army Command

V2/C3

“With no idea when Colonel General von Wragell might explode in his seat at the head of the table, Lieutenant General and Chief of Staff von Schreise was inwardly annoyed, but at the same time, the atmosphere was so tense he wanted to bury his head in his hands.”

“Schreise couldn’t be the only one thinking that he would have thrown her out immediately if she weren’t a representative of the Central Army’s view.”

“‘You’re very humble, aren’t you?’ one of the staff officers murmured, curling the corners of his mouth into a smile that was more of a sneer.”

“Schreise had never seen a major with such a big head without making light of him…without hesitating even a little, she – a mere battalion commander – matter-of-factly gave her opinion to the staff and even had the audacity to disagree with them. Even with the sacred, inviolable General Staff’s power behind her, she was nearing an inexcusable challenge to authority. A head could be allowed to swell only so far. There’s a limit to what can be tolerated, even for recipients of the Silver Wings Assault Badge!...the major, though still rather new, was readily crossing a line of which all graduates from the war college should have been aware.”

V3/C5

“There was a pile of especially severe criticism from the Northern Army Group. They said she was transferred after voicing a clear objection to those in authority.”

Imperial Government

V2/C5

Tanya sinks a Commonwealth vessel, she is court-martialed, the military says she did nothing wrong [which I agree with], but the diplomats want to punish her to appease the Commonwealth. After the not-guilty verdict, Tanya’s smug-ass smile makes everyone go: umm...should we really have let her get away with this??

V4/C2

She then further makes the diplomats hate her over her Moscow raid.

V4/C3

Rudersdorf warns Zettour that Tanya going overboard is earning Zettour criticism from the government.

V4/C4

During her second court-martial, Tanya doing the most in Moscow manages to fracture the relationship between the government/supreme army command & the guys more in charge of the day-to-day war, like Zettour & Rudersdorf.

International Post-Hoc View on Arene

V2/C6

“They gunned people down like they were so many targets in a firing exercise. They got ‘points’ for shooting people. People had blocked themselves in, so they used heavy-explosion formulas to bombard whole districts. Those are all painful memories of the tragedy being shared today. Even counting only the confirmed deaths, the city of Arene lost half its population that day. In order to avoid the heavy responsibility for each soldier that would result if they went into the city and had to visually confirm their targets, they aimed to cause widespread fires via artillery bombardment from positions surrounding the city. A portion of the documents shows that they had chosen targets that were likely to spread the flames as proof-of-concept for firestorm.” <= the reporter doesn’t know this, but Tanya is the person that comes up with that proof-of-concept for creating a firestorm, as well as the person that creates the case to make it legal to repress a civilian revolt with a military. To me it seems like Arene is presented as the Tanyaverse Bombing of Dresden, except how it would be viewed if Germany had won WWII.

Tanya thinks about how if the Empire loses, her reputation is in the toilet if it becomes known that she did this.

Western Army Command

V2/C6

[The Lt. General or above that is in command of the Western Front] “A terrifying report or a proposal from hell. The one who thought of this was either a lawyer so cunning the devil would invite them to join forces or a criminal. This way of thinking is practically inhuman. Only a devil who forgot their reason and conscience in their mother’s womb could come up with such a tactic. That someone would equate having the technical capabilities for an operation with actually doing it…Are they deranged?”

“Luckily, an army corps commander summoning a mere major is extremely rare. Exceptional though it was, it meant there was a chance he might have to summon this monster again someday…Doing his best not to look directly at the monster straightening her posture in front of him, the army corps commander accepted that it was for work and met her.”

“The principles behind the actions of this major in front of him were impossible to understand using anyone’s logic or emotions. Her inorganic eyes compelled you to conclude that her thoughts, her frameworks, her way of being were all warped.”

This guy keeps going on and on more than I have here, tbh he’s one of Tanya’s main haters. It’s fine Tanya, it’s only the guy in charge of Western Army Command, who listens to him?

“I hope no one noticed that I just flinched, thought the army corps commander, sensing that he was distinctly afraid of her…No worries about what? He deeply wanted to ask what she was planning to do, but he held back. He told himself it was surely better not to know…But there is probably no one more suited to being a soldier than you. Perhaps you feel at home in hell on the Rhine front.”

V3/C5

“The Western Army Group declined to evaluate her, saying her good and bad points neutralized each other, so it was difficult to rate her. Furthermore, she had attempted to resist orders.”

Implied Future View of Tanya/The Parable of the Salamander

V4/C5

“From what I heard, the Salamander is adorable and very clever. If you show it affection, it’ll get attached to you. Like a German shepherd, it can become a trustworthy member of the family. Sometimes it begs or plays tricks, but apparently, everyone ends up overlooking these things. Of course, Mrs. Legen grew angry and screamed that it went too far, but…Well, in the end, everyone doted on the Salamander. Because when it’s even more reliable than a German shepherd, how could you not? At some point, though, the Salamander’s requests and pranks grew to be too much. But what do you think happened when no one was sympathetic to dependable Mrs. Legen, who had continued to angrily scold it the whole time? That’s right. No one was able to stop the Salamander! Of course, the Salamander loved and cherished everyone. But sadly, there was no one to teach it right from wrong. So the Salamander never realized that everyone disliked it. Soon it had exhausted everyone’s patience.” <= for reference, Tanya commands the Salamander Kampfgruppe; this is told as a cautionary tale that Andrew says circulates throughout the future Empire.

Your Author’s Take on Tanya’s Reputation vs Reality

The above should have real-world implications for Tanya’s personal life as far as friends, and for her career both within and beyond the military once the war is over, because, you know, people talk. Anyone who phones up an old pal because said old pal had some quality time with Tanya and they’re curious what she’s like is probably not going to receive a glowing personal recommendation, and the higher up those people are in society, the worse it is likely to be. 

Even for people who think she has a genius applicable beyond the military sphere, outside of extreme circumstances people generally don’t want to employ anyone, no matter how smart, who is known for being unpredictable, uncontrollable, arrogant in the extreme, abusive towards coworkers, manipulative, possibly just straight up evil, etc etc. Within the military, after the war I would expect her to be hampered by the fact that a lot of people won’t want to work with her unless there’s a really pressing reason they need her skillset.

I can’t believe I’m bringing this show up from years past, but she’s sort of in the same position as Dr. House from the TV show - famously talented; famously toxic in the workplace; only one place will employ him, and at a much lower salary than his reputation should command, and even so, thinking that he could get away with that in real life is pushing the suspension of disbelief for the show. The same goes with friendships - very few well-adjusted adults are willing to befriend The Cool Asshole in real life.

When it does happen IRL, those relationships usually aren’t healthy & happy, and can easily end up with borderline-emotionally-abusive undertones because the follower is afraid of losing the leader, and molds themselves to fit what the other person wants so as to be an unchallenging, uncritical presence in the life of their idol.

For a story about an adult man reincarnated as a young girl fighting in magical WW1.5, YS manages to put a surprisingly interesting twist on the Main Character is a Cool Asshole Without Consequences model, with Tanya getting away with it in the present due to extreme circumstances, not realizing that the war is the only reason she’s getting away with it, and facing many implied future consequences for it.

While it’s entirely possible and often completely necessary to handwave Tanya overcoming this for storytelling purposes, as you can’t go many places story-wise if Tanya is as screwed as it sounds like she’s going to be, standard reality is that she’s gonna need to do some serious legwork to dig herself out of the hole she’s in, both personally and professionally. 

I appreciate that the crux of a good Tanya story is often Tanya thinking normal reality will apply to her but then bypassing normal reality to end up somewhere she never intended on being, much to her chagrin, and readers therefore may feel adhering to realism violates the reality of Tanyaverse. 

For the purposes of this story, I have chosen to stick with where the preponderance of evidence leads and apply a good amount of normal reality to Tanya, because that is exactly what allows me to proceed along a different avenue of Tanya misunderstanding things and ending up somewhere she never intended on being, keeping to the spirit of Tanya stories. Plus, Tanya doesn’t seem very intent on growing as a person in the absence of consequences and I need my character growth drivers.

...and I can’t avoid admitting I still end up handwaving some portion of those consequences for Tanya, since, as stated above, it’s...hard to go anywhere with a story if you don’t.

#LN Reference

[kingandfireheart]

High Lord's Heir

A/N: I'm not super in love with this, but I wanted to get it out so I could focus on other things. It's not technically Elucien, (don't worry I'm still an Elriel fan), I just needed these two to resolve some tension)

Summary: Lucien finds out he's Helion's heir and tells Elain about it. They offer some truths about themselves.

Words: 2705

Elain was in the River House’s garden - she had been hiding there for hours now. Well not hiding, she had been very productive in the weeding the flowerbeds, but at this point she was just passing time until the house was safe. Lucien had arrived after lunch and had been locked in a study with Feyre and Rhys for hours now. She knew it made her a coward, but she didn't care.

She felt unsettled and uncomfortable - attributing it to too many hours in the sun. The tea Nuala had brought out for her would kick in soon enough. But it wasn’t a normal feeling - she didn’t feel sick in a way she had ever felt before - this feeling was coming from something else.

When Elain was about ready to give up on her gardening and risk running into Lucien, Feyre spoke to her mind to mind: Lucien is coming out to the garden. He wants to speak to you. I have to feed Nyx, but shout in your head for Rhys if you want an escape.

Sure enough, Elain saw Rhys and Cassian walk onto the roof of the house, as if they were casually sunning their beautiful wings. She waved up at them and Cassian waved back.

We’ll be here if you need us. Rhys said.

What is going on? Elain asked

He’ll explain. He wanted to be the one to tell you.

Will you be listening in?

Only if you want me to.

I think I’ll be okay. Thank you. she said back to Rhys.

She heard the glass doors leading to the garden open and shut quietly. Elain found the source of her discomfort standing before her, wringing his wrists. Lucien was always extremely well dressed and put together, but from the look on his face alone, Lucien looked rough. Undone almost. Elain knew something was very deeply bothering him. It wasn’t just the mating bond - she was used to that feeling after two years of avoiding him - this was much much worse.

Elain stood from where she had kneeled next to a flower bed and turned to face Lucien. “Hello” she said, as she wiped her hands on the skirts of her dress.

“My lady.” Lucien said from a polite distance away. “I’m sorry to bother you - I wouldn’t have disturbed you if it wasn’t important.”

“Feyre warned me.” she said as she walked past him toward the table and chairs she had put out.

“Of course she did.” He chuckled half-heartedly.

“Shall we sit in the shade?” she said, as she moved toward her usual chair.

Lucien blinked in surprise before he followed her, settling in the furthest chair from hers - Azriel’s usual chair. She stiffened at that - Azriel used to sit in the garden and read his reports while Elain worked. She often missed that quiet companionship, even though she understood the distance the shadowsinger had put between them. Every time they were in a room together, the tension felt palpable.

“Are you alright?” Lucien asked quietly. He stretched out his long legs as he sat in the chair. The angle of the sun made his red hair and golden eye shimmer in the light. If Elain hadn't been so against the mating bond, she may have even found him attractive, beautiful even.

“I think I’ve probably spent too many hours in the sun, but I’ll be fine.” She answered with a half-truth. “Are you alright?” she added even though she knew the answer. Whatever conversation Lucien was having with Feyre and Rhys had caused Lucien to feel the turmoil and pain she now was experiencing. It wasn’t often she felt the tug of the bond between them, since she largely ignored that it existed. Every once in awhile, she would feel emotions that she had no reason to feel, or have dreams of events from eyes that weren’t her own.

He sucked in a deep breath, closing his eyes for a minute. “I’m…..I’m dealing. I received some news today, which may impact… your safety. That’s why I wanted to talk to you, actually.” Even though his words were filled with discomfort, Elain was relieved he wasn’t there to talk about their bond. “Have you met Helion Spell-Cleaver?”

Elain had met the High Lord during the war, when he had broken off the enchanted chains Hybern had used when the kidnapped her. She only survived because her sister and Azriel had come to rescue her. Pushing away the painful memory, she said, “High Lord of Day? He was at the Starfall party.”

“I suppose he was.” Lucien observed her. “It's a long story, but your sister has discovered that I am his Heir. Apparently, he and my mother had an affair over the centuries. I don’t know why I didn’t see it until now.”

Elain didn’t hide her surprise. She hadn’t ever met Lucien’s family, but had heard terrible things about them. What Eris had done to Mor, how they acted during the war… part of her was glad Lucien wasn’t truly one of them.

“Why are you telling me this?” She couldn’t stop the words coming out. She realized it may have come out as callous, maybe even rude, but she had to know. She barely knew anything about the male, how would this impact her safety? Feyre had told her that Lucien had fled the Autumn Court, but she had left the other details out. She never bothered to ask more about his story either, she didn't want to her sister's hopes up.

Lucien put a weary hand over his face, covering his russet eye. “When I was young, I fell in love with what my fa- Beron would call “a lesser fae." I thought we were mates, that it was a matter of time before the bond would snap in place - we were planning on leaving the Autumn Court together. When he found out… he killed Jesminda, and made me watch. When he was done with her, he sent my brothers after me. That’s how I ended up in the Spring Court.”

All of the words went out of Elain’s mind at the revelation. She had dreamt or seen something like what Lucien was describing often - a beautiful female being killed by a brown-haired man. Red-haired sentries holding her, or Lucien she supposed, down while she pleaded for her life - Jesminda's. Occasionally, she saw her face or Vassa’s, instead of the females. Or she saw Jesminda go into the Cauldron in her place. She always thought it was a vision from the future, but she realized now she had seen one of Lucien's nightmares. “I’m sorry to hear that.” Elain murmured.

“Don’t apologize. It was long before you were even born. I’m telling you this, because being connected to a High Lord’s Heir puts a target on your back. Feyre and Nyx are safe, only because people fear them, believe Rhys is the male they knew Under the Mountain. If my fa- If Beron realizes what I am, that I'm powerful, he'll go after me and he'll likely use you to do it. He'll stop at nothing to make sure another court does not have access to his - to my mother's power. Just like how Amarantha used Feyre against Tamlin and Briallyn used Cassian against Nesta. ”

“But… we aren’t...we aren't like them.” She said quietly. It wasn't fear that made her uncomfortable, it was acknowledging the thing between them, the mating bond.

Lucien looked out onto the garden. “It doesn't matter.” He said. “Ever since I met you, my instinct has been to protect you. It may even be why I warmed up to Feyre so quickly. Even if you ended up… even if you never acted on it, the bond makes it my instinct to shield you from harm. Hurting you would hurt me.”

His throat bobbed, as if he was debating what he said next. “And the death of a mate... whether it be mine or yours… it would be… unsurvivable, even if we never... act on it at all, we'll always be linked in some way.”

The pain in his voice was something she had never heard before. Elain knew he was telling the truth - she fought hard to keep memories of Feyre’s labor at bay — Rhys’s yelling, his fighting, barely restrained by Azriel and Cassian’s fourteen siphons. It was something she would never forget.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want you to feel like a pawn in all of this. I know you haven't had many choices in any of this." He added. Part of Elain wondered if Lucien’s pain and devastation was because of her, of the role he would play in her death if history repeated itself, and the risk his new role created for her.

That thought made her say, “Don’t - don’t apologize for something you have no control over and don’t worry about me being a pawn.” His eyes snapped up to meet hers in surprise. “I have been a pawn from the moment the King of Hybern broke into my father’s house and put me in the Cauldron, even before that. The fact that you’re in the Night Court shows I still am one. Adding another court to a mix doesn’t change much.”

His expression was one of pure guilt. “I’m - I- “

She cut him off before he could deny anything, “Don’t apologize for that either. I know neither you nor Tamlin knew what was happening and I know you fought against Hybern’s wards to help me.”

Lucien’s shoulders sagged. He said sighed wearily, “I should have known then. I had never used that power before - Helion’s power. I thought it was the bond's reaction, but I realize now that the fire came from my mother, not Beron. He opened up his palm and let fire dance on his fingertips. "He won't pleased to know I have Autumn and Day gifts."

She's never seen Lucien use his power before. It was mesmerizing, they way he did it so casually, as if he didn't fear getting burned. Part of Elain wondered what her power would look like if she trained, like Amren had suggested.

He let out a chuckle, extinguishing the fire on his hands and snapping Elain's attention back to his face. “For someone who has switched court allegiances and had my world turned upside down as often as I have, you would think I would be used to it.”

Elain made herself laugh at that, and looked around for way to relate or lighten the mood. “I spent my whole life thinking iron would protect me from faeries. And now, I am fae sitting in a iron chair, talking to a High Lord’s heir, while living in another High Lord's house. I know it's not the same, but...the world way of turning upside down when we least expect it, you can’t plan for things like this.”

“When Feyre told us she thought faeries couldn’t lie, Tam and I laughed ourselves hoarse.”

The shadows in his eyes shifted - a different guilt taking their place.

Elain only nodded again, deciding to offer a truth the way Lucien had offered his own. “I’m sorry” she said.

“Whatever for?” Lucien asked, surprise coloring his voice.

“You wouldn’t have left Tamlin if I wasn’t, if we weren’t -“ she trailed off. “I know it pains you to see him like this.”

Lucien looked at her as if he was disappointed, not in her, but what she had said. “I thought we weren’t apologizing for things we can’t control?”

He let out a hoarse breath. “I was blind to a lot of things, Lady. After losing Jes, Tamlin was my only friend, my protector. After he refused Amarantha for what she did to me -“ he gestured to his golden eye and scar - “I couldn’t see past that loyalty. But the male I knew, I haven’t seen him since he sent Feyre back to the Human Lands.”

Elain just looked at him, realizing they had never spoken for this long, never this openly. She didn’t know what to say, if she could say anything to make him feel better about this. She was almost as shocked that she wanted to make him feel better, as she was by his honesty.

Lucien continued. “I didn’t want to see what he was doing to Feyre. I wanted to believe that he didn’t act Under the Mountain. because it would harm more than help. I wanted to believe that the Spring Court was my home, and I need to help keep things stable, show unity. But when Feyre came back to us, and she pushed back on him - I realized how wrong I was. I let her use me to get to him and Ianthe, because I was angry with him. Angry for how he got us into the war, angry for how he hurt Feyre, angry for trusting that two-faced priestess. ” He shuddered.

“It took a lot of time to realize that. When I came here, I realized what a court could be like when people are treated like equals. For all my power, I could never question Tamlin the way your friends question Rhys and Feyre. I would try, but he never listened." A long pause. "So yes, it pains me to see my friend in pain, and it pains me that the Spring Court will suffer because of my choices, but I do not regret leaving with your sister. Even when she lies to me, and fights with me, and uses me, and pushes me, she was a better friend to me than Tamlin was in years. Jurian and Vassa are too."

Elain was speechless for the third time since Lucien had walked into the garden. She let his words wash over her, and the tightness she felt, that feeling of turmoil in her gut - it was duller now, as if saying the words had given Lucien a release he desperately needed.

She reached for his hand, laying hers on top of his momentarily, before pulling away. “I’m glad you got out.” she offered.

Lucien went still at her touch, but mastered himself enough to say, “Me too, Lady” smiling softly. “Me too.” Lucien began to stand, as if forcing himself to put space between them, “Speaking of Jurian and Vassa, I should probably head out. If I’m not back by the time Vassa shifts to her human form, I’ll have hell to pay,” he said with amusement in his tone.

Elain hadn’t realized how quickly the sun had begun to set around them.“Of course.” She said. He stood, and Elain joined him, deciding to walk with him until the anti-winnowing wards ended.

The silence was overwhelming, so she asked: “Do you like the Human Lands?”

“I do.” He said, smiling as if he was thinking about some memory. “I can’t say I fit in, but I enjoy Jurian and Vassas company. They are at each other’s neck’s constantly, but I can’t say I’m ever bored.” She couldn’t imaging Lucien fitting in particularly well in her old home. She supposed that with humans as strange as Jurian and Vassa were - a centuries old human that was resurrected by the Cauldron and a firebird cursed by a Death Lord, who had been freed by her own father - they could at least bond over how they didn’t fit in.

“I suppose you aren’t used to experiencing seasons.” She found herself saying.

“After spending most of my life in eternal autumn and spring, it’s refreshing to feel the weather change. I can’t say I loved the winter, but it’s different... It makes me appreciate time more.”

“I haven’t been to the seasonal courts, but I enjoy it too - seeing how the seasons change. I would like to see more of Prythian, more of the world some day.” She said in response. It was true. Elain loved watching the leaves turn and watching flowers bloom again in spring. She longed for a time where her greatest wish was to see the Tulip fields in the continent with her sister.

“I think you would like the Spring Court in its former glory, the gardens were almost as enchanting as yours.”

“Thank you.” She forced herself to respond to the compliment. Feyre and Nesta had both mentioned how she would love spring. Elain was content to watch the seasons change in Velaris.

Lucien nodded to her, coming to a standstill where the wards ended. “I’ll be back in a few days to meet with Helion. Thank you for speaking with me... Are you truly not scared, knowing about the risk?.”

"I'm not."

“Maybe we can… talk again soon, Lady.”

“Elain. Call me Elain. I’m not technically a Lady, and you needn’t be so formal with me. I'd like us to be friends.”

He looked surprised at that, and well - Elain was too. She had no idea what possesed her to say that. To offer up friendship, when she was still hurt from another loss, still processing her new life, her role in this Court.

Lucien just smiled at her in a way she had never seen before, and said “I'd like that too, Elain.” before disappearing.

#elain archeron #lucien vanserra #elain x lucien #lucien x elain #there's hints to elriel and vucien but they are subtle #elucien #kp writes #acotar series #mtp

[merakiui]

i don’t remember actually sending a request, sorry about that- anyway, how about the noctu team realizing they’re crushing on the manager? make it like a puppy crush for aiyachi bc the baby is only 14

(Here are the hcs! Please forgive me. I don’t know why they took so long to post. :< But I’m happy with the result! I hope you’ll like it too. Thank you for requesting! These are really cute to think about.)

Noctu Team With a Crush HCs (Aitachi, Kirr, Nine, and Day)

🎯 Aitachi 🎯

Aitachi looks up to a lot of people. He’s not bothered by the fact that most of them might be older and taller. That just means they’ve got more years under their belt and plenty of wisdom to share with him.

He’s so used to being around adults that your presence doesn’t faze him in the slightest.

Intimidation? He knows no such thing! Aitaichi hardly considers fear when you treat him with the same respect as everyone else.

Just don’t baby him. Aitachi may be the smallest and youngest out of the group, but that doesn’t mean he’s a child. He’s a mature Reaper with the courage and strength of a true, pure-hearted warrior!

That’s why he’s always willing to put his life on the line if you’re ever in danger, which is extreme and illogical considering he’s already died once and is now immortal.

He means well, but you’ll still clarify that he doesn’t need to go to such lengths to ensure your safety.

“I’ll be fine,” you told him after a vengeful spirit tried to attack you. “You don’t have to worry so much. As long as no one’s hurt, we can continue with our work, right?”

The very next morning you find a talisman on your desk, along with a small note telling you to keep it close whenever you’re in danger.

Since then, you’ve kept it as a good luck charm, knowing that as long as you’re careful you won’t fall prey to any wandering spirits.

Aitachi takes up the role as your unofficial errand boy ever since he discovered the special spot on your desk for the doll he made. He insists on bringing you every important document because it’s a warrior’s duty to provide for those in need.

His fellow Noctu Reapers think it’s quite charming that he does this, especially Day, who makes all sorts of comments doting on how his “little brother” is so helpful and sweet.

You’re grateful that Aitachi’s so willing to lend a hand without a single complaint, and you make sure he knows just how thankful you are.

Even if the gesture is reserved for that of a child, you still pat him on the head. Aitachi pouted about it at first, saying that head pats aren’t suited for warriors.

Now he just blushes at the contact, proud to have gotten your recognition.

He’s almost like Day in a sense, unintentionally following you around like a lost hound.

It’s quite obvious that he’s got a case of young puppy love.

He’s making another talisman doll for you when he comes to the realization of his wholesome feelings.

Are warriors even supposed to feel this way?

He’s stuck thinking about it the whole day, and he’ll probably be less confident to admit to it.

In the meantime, though, he’ll continue helping you to the best of his ability, secretly doing everything he can to be considered your number one. Almost like a teacher’s pet, but in this case it’s manager’s pet.

All of those talisman dolls are starting to pile up on your desk, as well as his innocent adoration for his hard-working manager.

🏹 Kirr 🏹

Having a crush is such a foreign concept to Kirr.

When he first heard the word, he took it quite literally, wondering why anyone would want to crush another person. That should only happen in a survival scenario where life and death is at stake and you’re facing an enemy with negative intentions.

Yet as he learns more about what it means in a romantic sense, it gives him more confusion. So a crush is a strong sense of admiration for another person?

In that case, wouldn’t it be his manager who he holds in high esteem?

He doesn’t really know how to bring this topic up with the others, so he’s debating it internally. It’s definitely a struggle for poor Kirr, who can’t seem to figure out whether or not what he’s feeling is a crush or just simple respect for his colleague.

So he ends up watching how the Reapers act around you. They’re so kind and sociable. And he acts the same, albeit at a serious level where most jokes go over his head.

Kirr is so busy troubling himself with these inner debates that he doesn’t even register when someone’s trying to talk to him, and it’s a bit concerning.

One afternoon he’s sharpening the arrowheads on the ends of his arrows when he sees you crossing the field. And you look serene as you walk, not paying any mind to the wind that rustles your clothes.

He’s shared plenty of conversations with you before, but during those times he never had a chance to appreciate you in all your astounding form.

It’s almost too much for him, and a slew of feelings catch his heart in a vice.

Maybe he does have a crush after all.

But where are all these emotions coming from? Based off of what he’s heard from the Department, Kirr knows that a crush is normal for everyone of all ages. It’s a sign that you’ve taken romantic interest in someone.

He wonders what one does with feelings like these. Obviously he could confess or get to know you more, but something’s holding him back. Suddenly, he’s become indecisive.

Normally, when he’s hunting, it’s easy to rely on logic and instincts. Now he’s not so sure which will help him out in this situation.

When you catch his staring and wave, a smile on your face, Kirr holds up his arm, returning the gesture. You really are a great person; your personality glimmers underneath the glare of the sun, and he’s glad that someone so amazing is his manager.

Logic might fail in this case, and instincts won’t get him anywhere as he has no idea where to begin. So maybe he’ll settle on his heart, following it like it’s a searchlight in the blurry haze of confusion that’s overtaken his reasoning.

Kirr’s definitely going to gravitate towards you more as he tries to navigate his newfound feelings. He’s doing his best, so please encourage him.

🎼 Nine 🎼

He catches you slacking off one day, absorbed in the videos on your mobile device.

Nine isn’t one to snoop, but he does happen to catch the swish of a colorful pen against a sheet of unwrinkled paper. He knows what it is at once.

You’re watching calligraphy videos.

“Do you enjoy that, Manager?” he’ll ask, awaiting your answer.

Once you confirm that you do like it, Nine’ll be happy to know that his manager shares similar interests with him.

Since then, the two of you have bonded over calligraphy, and Nine’s even showed you what his skillful hands can do. Just give him a pretty pen and some paper and he’ll be scribbling all sorts of gorgeous words.

He finds that the best word to write is your name, which is a tad confusing, but you seem honored.

Before he can even register the extent of your relationship, you’re already inviting him to places. Whether it’s in your office talking over paperwork or rendezvousing in the human world during a successful mission, Nine enjoys your presence.

Nine realizes that every day spent in your company is fun, albeit a dangerous erosion to his heart, which is beginning to wear at its foundation.

He manages to stay composed, but there’s something strange in how he hopes of eventually surpassing the border known as friendship.

He’s not used to getting so close to others; usually he keeps his distance, only upholding a conversation when needed. But now he feels as though he’ll lose you if he doesn’t stick around, and the idea of that is crushing.

You’re already such a ray of sunshine, a soothing force against the hectic work days, so he wants to ensure that you’re also content.

He’s writing down the remnants of a composition he recalls, testing his memory of his distant past life, when everything starts to click into place. The stars align as he writes in the final notes, reviewing the completed composition with tranquil eyes.

If he’s right, it should be played slow and steady, transitioning between notes of melancholic hope and satisfied bitterness. Quite a tragic piece, if he’s being honest, but maybe that was his intention. Or his memory might be faulty. Either way, he’s certain that this composition describes his inner turmoil perfectly. Bittersweet like chocolate and uncertain like his intuition.

Nine can’t remember the name to this particular composition, so he writes the first thing that comes to his mind.

The moment he finishes writing your name is definitive proof of what he’s feeling.

Some would say it’s a crush, and others would say it’s unfiltered endearment. Regardless of what it is, it holds the same implications.

Nine’s in love.

Though his previous life was cut short and he refuses to sort through his cracked past, he has all the time in the world to start anew. And that’s all he needs to act upon these feelings that have blossomed.

It’ll take time, but he knows that he’ll be able to confess when he’s certain that his love isn’t completely one-sided.

In the 14th Department, Nine seems to wear his smile purposefully, and there’s a bright shine in his gaze.

🍦 Day 🍦

He’s with you 24/7. At least, that’s what it feels like to you.

Realistically, it’s because of your role as manager. But at some point he just starts to forget that that’s your job and he begins to consider you a friend.

He’s in your office all the time, sitting on a swivel chair or trying to lounge on your desk while you’re writing up reports.

In the beginning, you would always kick him out, lightly advising him that work hours are not play hours—even if there aren’t any ongoing missions.

But Day is so loyal, constantly flitting around you like a butterfly. He seems to smile even brighter when you address him, and despite his carefree demeanor he wants to provide as much help as he can.

“Let me carry that, Manager!” or “Hey, hey! We should get ice cream to celebrate your hard work. I want to take you to the best place. You have to try the new flavors with me!”

You give up pushing him away and start to welcome him into your office.

The other Reapers begin to suspect something’s up, especially those who are more perceptive than the others. Day’s own team members can’t help but wonder what’s got him so fascinated with you.

He claims he can never be bored when he’s around you, which proves to be true because this man can talk about anything and everything.

All it takes is for you to mention that you’re in the mood for something sweet, and he’ll be on that topic faster than a moth to a light.

Without meaning to, he memorizes all of the information he learns about you, accidentally mentioning some facts during a conversation.

It makes you realize just how close he pays attention to you.

Even Nyang Lead Manager has noticed his attachment, but he’s uninterested for the most part. As long as Day doesn’t let himself get distracted from work, he’s not bothered.

But it makes things harder for you. Your focus diminishes whenever he’s near, so much so that you begin to take in different aspects of his actions.

He rarely blushes, but when he does it’s usually whenever you do something that warrants bashfulness. And he’s started to compliment you a lot now, always recognizing changes to your fashion.

Day happens to be relaxing in his dorm, reading an ancient tome about magic and its connection to the heart, when it finally makes sense.

Wait. Hold on.

He peers at the symbols with undeterred intensity, recalling memories of you and him. Eerily, his feelings fit the exact description in the book.

He really does spend a lot of time with you, and you’ve been occupying his thoughts day and night since he first got to know you. Some would say it’s too much, but you can never have enough of something you love.

Love. That’s the word he was looking for.

He’s in love. True, real, authentic love.

Day pops up from his sitting position so fast it almost throws him off balance. The other Noctu members look at him in confusion, but he’s too busy to even give them an explanation.

Now wired with too much excitement to feel worried, he rushes through the 14th Department, completely shirtless and in a hurry to get to your office so he can give you a rambling soapbox speech about his inner thoughts and feelings.

Someone give him a shirt before he gets himself in trouble with Nyang.

#afterl!fe #after l!fe #afterl!fe aitachi #afterl!fe kirr #afterl!fe nine #afterl!fe day #noctu team #night team #crush headcanons #afterl!fe x reader #afterl!fe headcanons #afterl!fe hcs #afterl!fe the sacred kaleidoscope #aitachi #kirr #nine #day

[thefanficmonster]

Like Wind At Sea

Conrad x Fliss (The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man Of Medan)

Warnings: Swearing, !SPOILERS!

Genre: Fluff, A tiny bit of Angst

Summary: Conrad stays in French Polynesia after the events of the game, a force beyond his control forcing him to stay. A feeling he can’t explain keeping him tied to the place. It’s not the place per-se, more like a soul and mind that endured similar torment. Takes a while for him to admit it to himself though. Typical Conrad.

Requested by Anon (we both know who you are XD) Sorry to be getting to your request so late! You know I couldn’t wait to write this fic though! Thank you so much for being my first and only ConFliss request so far, means a lot to me! Please enjoy! Love, Vy ❤

He has just gotten off the phone with Julia. She calls him every other day to check if he’s still alive and functional - as functional as a mildly unstable alcoholic could be. Not that she’d ever outright say that’s why she’s calling him but he sees it, hears it loud and clear in the tone she uses - the same tone people use to talk a child away from a tantrum or calm them down once they’ve already started one. There’s also the subliminal ‘get your ass on a plane and fly back home’ during every phone call, but he pretends it’s so subtle he doesn’t catch it. Julia never points it out specifically, so he gets away with it.

His sister has every right to worry. It’s been approximately a month since they survived the horrors out on that ghost ship. ‘Survived’ in the most minimal sense of the word - half of their minds are still stuck there, healing the wounds that place left on them. Each person’s healing differently - Julia and Alex seek comfort in one another, the events having brought them closer than ever. Brad has thrown himself head-first in his studies, giving them all his focus and time so the memories can’t haunt him. Fliss has not been seen on land since then. She goes out at sea on her own or with tourist groups, never taking them for long trips or trips far from land - never in the direction of the ghost ship. And Conrad is stuck in a cycle that will kill him eventually. Minimal eating, overdrinking and oversleeping. He barely sees the light of day. He lives in a cheap, rundown motel, leaving his room only in the morning to make his way to the docks to ask about Fliss. He would never admit to himself that he is looking for her per-se. The way he sees it - he’s looking for closure. She’s the only person he feels he could discuss what happened with but he can’t explain why.

Just one conversation, and he’ll be on his way.

When he doesn’t find her - as expected - he goes back to the motel, passing by a liquor store on the way and obtaining his fix for the day. He knocks himself out until further notice. Said further notice is late into the afternoon/early evening when he finally stumbles into the small restaurant near the shore where he always takes a seat by the windows - his gaze always fixated on the docks. Always expecting to see her in the distance. He has a feeling he’ll recognize her no matter how far away she is. His eyes could always find her.

But he only needs them to find her this once, give him closure, and let him go on his way home to his sister and parents. He is so convinced she’ll free him from the invisible chains keeping him here, he has contemplated borrowing a boat to go search for her out on open water but managed to talk himself out of it every time.

“Give it up, son.“ One of the fishermen told him one day when he performed his usual routine of showing up at the docks to ask for her. He has been looking more and more homeless with each passing day, the fishermen and boat captains witnessing this ‘golden‘ boy crumbling under the pressure of the trauma.

“I can’t.“ He replied, eyes searching for the Duke, knowing damn well there was no way he could find it. He believed what he said - he still believes it - he feels trapped and has established that he will stay that way until she frees him.

“You can’t or you don’t want to?“ The fisherman’s question shook him up, sobering him up from the foggy state he has imprisoner himself in. That one question felt like a slap across the face and a punch to the gut simultaneously. 

He didn’t buy liquor on his way back that day.

Dropping the phone on the bed he hops in the shower, a sense of excitement keeping his heart beating faster this morning. His tone surprised Julia - he sounded so alive, lively, enthusiastic. Almost like the Conrad she knew prior to those horrors. Sure, every time he called he masked how he truly felt using his sarcasm, humor and Conrad-ness, but Julia saw right through it. Today, on the other hand, it was genuine. Not an act. Hopeful is how she’d describe him.

And he has what to be hopeful for.

Yesterday, one of the older captains actually had something useful to tell him: A female captain reported her return in the next two days. This sent Conrad’s heart racing and mind haywire. He was practically counting the hours, he barely even slept a wink last night. He thought his patience had thickened after a month of waiting but now that she is so soon to return he realizes his patience has only been worn thinner and thinner. The alcohol masked it well though. Now that he’s sober, however, he’s got all the impatient symptoms: bouncing leg, tapping foot, cracking knuckles, muttering to himself etc.

The captain didn’t know a time to tell him for her arrival. That didn’t pose a problem for Conrad though. He is prepared to sit out by the docks all day and that’s exactly what he’s gonna do. He’s been lacking sunlight too, so it’s a win-win situation for him.

He stopped for a quick breakfast in the restaurant - sat in his usual seat, his gaze ten times as focused and sharpened at the boats dancing on the tiny waves, making a plan to rush out of the restaurant the second he laid eyes on the Duke. After the first breakfast he has had in a month he went to sit with the captains and fishermen, all of which poked at him for more details either about his relation to Fliss or about what had happened. The whole town heard of it, some believed it, some didn’t, others questioned it. Conrad knows better than to tell them what happened, or what DIDN’T happen. He knows they’ll peg him for a nut-job with no further discussion.

That was all hours ago, he has lost track of time and despises the idea of checking his wristwatch to see how much of his life he has wasted on the docks. The sun’s setting, so that’s gotta be some indication.

With his mind travelling the oceans and seas in search of her, he’s rather startled to feel a hand on his shoulder. He turns to see the fisherman that tried to set him ‘straight’ a few weeks ago. “Let’s grab a bite to eat, son. Maybe a drink to go with it.” When Conrad shakes his head in the response, the man sighs, “You really can’t give her up, can you?”

“I don’t want to.“ The words automatically leave his lips, like a truth he’s been dying to speak out loud. A smile appears on his face at the sound of what he said. He knows it’s authentic, no matter how automatic it was.

The man chuckles and pats his shoulder. There is an abrupt but odd pause however, Conrad can see the astonishment in the his eyes as they travel to the sunset. “Maybe it’ll be worth it in the end, after all.” He points ahead, causing Conrad’s head to snap back in the direction it was originally facing. A boat, a familiar one, is approaching.

The man steps away right in time for Conrad to jump to his feet, his heart pounding like it did this morning. It’s not an illusion or a hallucination, he’s fucking done with those. It’s real and it’s her.

The time it takes for the boat to reach the docks is killing him, he has to restrain the urge to swim to her and give her a hug. No, that could earn him a slap to the face. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time - but he still wants that hug.

She on the other hand is baffled to say the least. She has grown wary of her own eyes and now she isn’t sure if she can trust them with what they’re seeing. Conrad. The man who was supposed to be long gone from her life is standing in front of her, a smug smile playing at his lips as if to convince her it’s really him. To say her heart dropped at the sight of him would be an understatement. It’s certainly a shock and a surprise but far from unpleasant. She only now realizes how much she’s missed having him around even if they haven’t known each other for long. She can say with 100% certainty that she has never met, nor will she ever meet a person like Conrad.

And not that she’d admit it, but he has a special place in her heart.

“Aren’t I glad to see you!“ He’s the first to speak up, as expected. To his surprise, she’s the one to initiate the hug though. A more than welcome surprise.

“I could easily say the same.“ She mumbles in the crook of his neck, fighting her instinct to hold onto him for a long time and forcing her arms to free him, “But what are you doing here?“ A very reasonable question on her part, one he doesn’t have an answer to. “And why do you look like you just left that boat after years spent on it?”

“Don’t even joke about that.“ He scolds her playfully, causing her to roll her eyes - playing the ‘unbothered‘ card, much like him.

“Answer my question. Both of them.“ She fixates his gaze on hers with a strict glare, not allowing him to look elsewhere. Which seems to have backfired cause he can’t utter a word. She shakes her head, “I guess a drink will unknot your tongue.“ She waves him over, hopping back into the Duke.

He follows without needing to be told twice, “No drinks, thank you. My liver already hates me enough.”

“Your eyebags do too.“ She points out, taking a seat.

He scoffs though he can’t correct her. Who knew oversleeping could cause eyebags too? He sits down opposite her, mind overheating in search of what to say. “So....about that night...”

“It was a nightmare.” Fliss cuts him off, “One I’d like to forget.“

Her words sound familiar to him. He almost laughs when he recalls saying the exact two sentences, word-for-word to Julia over the phone.

“But you can’t.“ He says firmly. “Drop the act, Fliss. I’ve seen it before. No, I’ve DONE it before. You’re not fooling the master of ‘I don’t give a fuck’. If I’m still troubled by it, you are too.“

Frustration is clawing at her, her thoughts contradicting each other. “You’re right, I can’t. But I don’t wanna talk about it either.”

“Ok then, what do you want to talk about?“ He’s not to keen on talking about it either, he was using that as a front. All along, closure is the last thing he’s needed. Company - her company - is the answer.

“What’s ahead. How we’ll let it go, you know? That cheesy shit like the sunshine after the storm.“ She motions to the Duke and the open water, “This is mine. What’s yours?“

He stops to think for a moment, but for some reason he feels obligated to deliver a reply quickly so he automatically blurts out: “First I plan on going back home. I’ve been planning to do that, but I wanted to see you, talk to you first.”

She feels a pang in her chest. Missing. She’s already missing him again at the very thought of him leaving. She tries to brush it off, call it ridiculous, but it refuses to leave her so she pushes onward, ignoring it to the best of her ability. “So you’re leaving soon?”

The logical thing to say here would be ‘Yes’, but he feels like the word has been removed from his vocabulary at the moment. He can’t say it. It’s not what he wants anymore. Or is it? “I mean, that was the original plan but...” he rubs the back of his neck nervously, “I’m not so sure anymore. I guess it depends...” He trails off, his voice dying down - a rare occurrence. He’s never had this happen to him around any woman ever. He’s a ladies man, and look at him now, timid you could call him.

“Depends on what?“ A feeling worse, more ridiculous than missing him - the hope of him sticking around takes firm hold of her. She knows she should know better, but hell, it’s not time for pride at the moment.

Their eyes meet. “If you’d like company or not.“

His response sends a wave of relief over her, stealing a smile that turns into a laugh from her. “I’d typically say no, but...”

“But my charm has finally knocked you out cold, huh?“ He smirks in his cocky, really-Conrad way.

“That comparison still makes no sense.“ She stands up looking at the sun’s last rays but at the moment it feels more like a sunrise - a new beginning - or it’s the true sunshine after the storm she’s been looking for. “Now, let’s discuss terms over dinner cause I’m starving.“

He chuckles, offering her his hand, which she gladly takes as they start walking down the dock back to the beach. “Terms? You really know how to take the fun out of it.”

She rolls her eyes, stopping to give him a brief kiss on the cheek before quickening her pace, dragging a star-struck Conrad behind her. “That shut you up.” She shoots him a smirk over her shoulder.

It really has shut him up. All he can do is grin at her in awe, mesmerized by how she flipped his life on its ass in such a short amount of time. A month of misery has been erased and turned to bliss in less than thirty minutes.

A phenomenon that he’d like to call - like wind at sea. He’s a sailboat, she’s the wind. She decides his path, he abides. And they’ll sail in harmony together, healing one another, and healing themselves in the process. Just the two of them: Mr. Golden Playboy and Miss No-Nonsense. 

If anyone has ever doubted the accuracy of the phrase ‘Opposites attract’, if this doesn’t kill any and all doubt, I don’t know what will.

@chairtiger

#the dark pictures #the dark pictures little hope #the dark pictures house of ashes #the dark pictures anthology #the dark pictures man of medan #dark pictures anthology #dark pictures little hope #dark pictures man of medan #man of medan #until dawn #supermassive games #supermassive #man of medan alex #man of medan julia #man of medan brad #man of medan conrad #man of medan fliss #confliss #conrad x fliss #fliss x conrad #julia x alex #video game fanfic #video game #romance #fan #fandom #fic #fluff #fanfic #fanfiction

[nickblaine]

season 3 script summaries (nick)

first of all - special thanks to reddit user cablab123 and @dystopiandramaqueen​​ for making phonecalls to the writer’s guild that resulted in them getting the season 3 scripts from the studios this soon 💖 we have these because of you!

just to clarify, these notes are about nick scenes only. am i biased? yes. will i go back and read the rest? i don’t know. i didn’t like this season, so i don’t have much energy for it. but i did read the other cut scenes which i will summarize in another post later. this one is about nick.

reminder that anything i put in quotes is direct phrasing from the scripts. however there are copyright laws in place, which is why i can't provide copies or photos. edited to add: because i’ve seen some doubts about my authenticity, click here for proof.

i do accept questions, but i will only respond if i have an answer. i may come back and respond eventually if i find the answer on a future library trip.

possible spoiler warning: there are 2 cut scenes in here which may or may not be considered spoilery if they use them in season 4. the cut scene from 3x12 in particular could be a big indicator of what’s to come next season.

finally - please do not share this post without my permission, and thank you in advance for respecting my wishes.

3x01

nick has fred trapped in the room. after serena says, “we should give her more time to get away,” and leaves, fred turns to nick and accuses him of having so little respect for their family that he would involve them in his crimes. nick straight up tells fred, “I did it for her. For June.” it says fred knew this but hearing it shakes him up. this is the catalyst for their open disdain for each other from now on.  

there was more to nick & june’s argument that we didn’t see, which showed june regretting staying in gilead. after she says “don’t you think i know that?” she breaks down and admits: “I fucked up. I fucked it all up. I should’ve gone. I’m a fucking idiot. But I couldn’t leave her here, I couldn’t leave her behind.” nick feels deep sympathy for her after this confession, and they let go of their anger and share an embrace. i’m real mad this got cut, it showed a lot of june’s vulnerable side.  

after the house fire, nick is leaving and: “June searches for something to say. Goodbye? I’m sorry?” but she can’t because they’re in public. originally he said “Take care” and she settled on “Bless you.” (personally, i think i like the onscreen version better.)

3x03

there was lots of nick “finding this exchange excruciating” during the commander meeting at the lawrence house. he just wanted to help june the whole time joseph is tormenting her. they are “desperate to communicate” throughout this scene. also, joseph was carefully observing nick, june and fred the whole time. they never explain why, but june seems to think he’s just amused by it all.  

when nick came back to visit that night, he and beth share a sweet moment at the back door. nick asks her if she’s okay. beth tells him she’s scared shitless. he comforts her with a hug, during which she jokes, “You look ridiculous in that get-up,” and nick says, “I know.” (i love beth and nick’s friendship... i wish they didn’t throw away the opportunity to show it this season.)  

when nick goes upstairs, his and june’s conversation was written to be a lot less cold than it is in the final cut. june immediately goes to nick for comfort when he comes to her room. “She needs him desperately. She needs his help.” but the news of his deployment shakes her. they are both described as infuriated by their situation, and “drowning in their own futility.” when june opens the door and invites nick back in, they share a kiss and “wrap themselves around each other. For the last time.” 😭 then june closes* and locks the door (to juxtapose her old bedroom with the door that never locked.)   *still disappointed by that closed door? see here!  

3x05

in luke’s tape, june is scripted to say, “You met him. He helped me to survive. I was in love with him." the description of luke’s emotions here say he feels stunned as well as “relief that Nichole isn’t the product of rape... and yet, June found love. She moved on.”  

3x06

when nick and june reunite in DC... nick was spicy during that prayer scene 🔥 june could feel him trying not to look at her. and this line killed me: “His fingers trail, just barely, over June’s hip. Across her bare fingers. On June, feeling his hand.”  

nick and june’s kiss in the snow did not have much description. just lots of natural chemistry on max and lizzie’s part. also, they were supposed to share one more kiss after nick agreed to meet with the swiss. speaking of...  

NICK. MET. WITH. THE. SWISS. people can stop claiming he ditched his daughter now. the script makes it clear. nick walks into the room with mattias and meets lena and sofia before the scene cuts. we don’t get to see what they talk about, but he tried to do the right thing for holly per june’s wishes, against his better judgement.  

no further explanation for why the swiss don’t want to work with nick. when lena tells june she can’t work with nick, all it says is that june’s “association with Nick has left her somehow tainted.”  

june feels “betrayed” by learning that nick was a soldier in the crusade, and continues to throughout the season. though the script never explains why she feels so betrayed by something that she has done herself (killing innocent people under orders) or why she is so quick to believe serena joy when she is familiar with her manipulation. her thoughts in that scene are described as she is “absorbing the fact that Nick was a terrorist.” take that as you will. however, the following scenes clarify exactly what he did...

THE TRAIN SCENE: there’s a very important line describing how nick really feels about being a commander: “The troops salute him. Nick returns the salute, hating all the choices that led him here.”  

immediately following that line is a cut NICK FLASHBACK! here’s the summary: nick was in DC during the coup. he was on guard duty. yep, big bad terrorist war criminal nick blaine was a glorified security guard. in this scene, nick and a young soldier named trevor are guarding an empty basement stairwell in the capitol building during the coup. trevor is complaining that they are “mall cops” while “everyone gets to actually do something,” meanwhile nick is described as “looking sick.” then there is an explosion in the stairwell, followed by a brief shootout where trevor is killed. nick shoots back “out of instinct” and it’s revealed he’s killed a capitol security guard and a bureaucrat.

immediately after the flashback is the cut shot of nick (above) looking sadly out the window, remembering those choices that led him here.  

it’s worth noting that the flashback scene contrasts starkly with serena’s words just prior, which were scripted as: “He served Gilead. He believed in something greater than himself. He was a soldier in the crusade. We wouldn’t be here without him.” so it seems pretty clear they are setting this up to be misjudgment on june’s part.  

the shot of nick looking sadly out the window was supposed to be followed by a parallel shot of june looking sadly out the window of the winslow house, reflecting on her meeting with nick the night before. 😢  

3x10

just wanted to note here that despite june feeling “betrayed” by nick since 3x06, when fred suggests transferring her to DC she actually considers it could be a good idea because she would be “closer to Nichole. And maybe even Nick.” so he is not absent from her thoughts.  

3x12

warning: the following scene may be spoilery for season 4??

thank god, we were right about a cut scene in this episode. there was exactly one (1) nick in chicago scene, and it took place immediately after luke punches fred. and just like max said, it confirms nick has been one step ahead all along.

in this scene, nick is observing the war in chicago and talking with his “lead commander” (pictured in the promo still above.) the lead commander tells him that they are being transferred to lake huron to put pressure on toronto in lieu of waterford’s capture and winslow going missing.

nick - hiding his shock at this news - carefully presses for more info. the lead commander doesn’t have anymore to say about waterford, but he laments the fact that this means he’s not going to get his weekend leave and that his daughter will be disappointed. his daughter’s name? agnes. that’s right, the big reveal of this scene is that nick is now working directly under commander mackenzie, and it is no coincidence. the scene ends on nick, “watching [mackenzie] walk away, wheels already turning.”

guys... this means NICK IS GOING AFTER HANNAH!

this must be what max was referring to when he said that everyone is in an interesting position for season 4 in this interview. so much for him being irrelevant to june’s story just because he’s a dude, i guess. 🤷‍♀️

there was also a whole bombing action sequence in this scene including fighter jets, it sounded very extra and VFX-intensive. nick and commander mackenzie are watching it all go down from a distance while they talk.

i can’t say for sure why these scenes were cut, but the producers served up 3 different sets of excuses, some of which don’t line up with what was written (e.g. “strictly june’s perspective” ...sure 🙄) so it’s safe to say that whatever led to them cutting these scenes out, we will probably never know for sure. but i do know they were filmed and the decision was made post-production, we have evidence of that.  

additional observations:

there is still no real explanation for why or how nick got promoted to commander, and i don’t think they ever will. it appears to me that it was just another contrived plot point so they have a reason to send a low-status driver into war.  

while i am glad they softened the extent of nick’s involvement in the coup, it also makes it harder to understand why he said he was “due” a promotion to commander when his contributions to gilead are so relatively insignificant. again, we may never know.  

there were several cut voiceovers of june praying to god throughout the season, and despite calling holly mainly by “nichole” in dialogue, she only referred to her as holly in her prayers. so her real name is still holly. i will die on this hill.  

commander mackenzie mentions to nick that the move has been hard on hannah but the script does not clarify where they have moved to. hannah and mrs. mackenzie are presumably far from the great lakes region because nick’s response is, “May God bring you home to her soon.”  

can we talk about how nick has an active plan for hannah? and how he never gave up on his promise from 2x03? and that while june has lost all hope of seeing her daughter again, she has no idea how close nick is? and that this is sounding a lot like one of my fics? hire me already bruce. these are things i think about A Lot  

lake huron means nick is going back home to MICHIGAN so rebel commander blaine is back on the menu boys  

nick in the script is - as always - a bit more rough and forward than what we see onscreen. max has a talent for softening nick’s interactions with june and showing respect with his body language, while maintaining the intensity between them. i also cannot praise enough how much he makes out of little to no script direction and minimal dialogue.  

that sweet, sweet vindication of confirming yet again that nick is worth a lot more than viewers (and june) give him credit for. i only hope his value in this story isn’t realized too late.  

(gif credit: @splitscreen​, @outlassed​ & me)

#the handmaid's tale #nick x june #osblaine #june x nick #nick blaine #june osborne #tht scripts #tht meta

[occasionallyish--archive]

Escapade

H.Shinsou x S.Todoroki, H.Shinsou x I.Midoriya, S.Todoroki x I.Midoriya, I.Midoriya x O.Uraraka, and various hints to other ships

Warnings: Slow burn(?), unrequited love, brief breaking of the fourth wall lmao

Have been writing since 03/07/2019

Word count 2810

Reblogs > Likes, pleasepleaseplease–

Lengthiness under the cut!

xx/12/xxxx ; The afternoon ; Outside ; Hitoshi Shinsou

Hitoshi shuddered, hands instinctively reaching to cup over his mouth in some attempt to warm them through his thick gloves. He gave warm, drawn out breaths that helped to spare his lips from the almost burning cold, however otherwise, the gesture proved fruitless– Even more than the occasional, leafless trees that he passed. And so, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and gave a somewhat frustrated sigh that easily converted into Winter fog.

He hated almost everything about the season– Shivering in the snow, persistent carolers, and the pressure to buy gifts for people that he barely knew. At least he had the excuse to take a break from school and hide inside during the whole of said break.

Regardless, however, the purple-haired male was there: Walking through the snow, toward the mall– clad in two-and-a-half layers of clothing–, with the intent to buy a Christmas present for a bush.

Said bush's name was Izuku Midoriya, one of the famed former students of class 1-A who not only survived multiple villain attacks, but also managed to help get Hitoshi into the hero course. Maybe it wasn't the achievement that he was most recognized for, but it was the one that truly spoke of his sincerity and kindness, in Hitoshi's heart.

...So what if he had a crush? Izuku already obviously had his own on a certain brunette from 2-B, so he knew he didn't have any chance– Having fallen for a straight boy.

As he continued to walk, a bitter taste was left in Shinsou's mouth.

xx/12/xxxx ; The afternoon ; Commons room ; Shouto Todoroki

A gentle sigh flitted from between the heterochromatic boy's lips as he laid on the sofa in the commons room, scrolling through a website that he'd found on his phone. As if to loosen the tense feeling that only Shouto seemed to experience, he hummed to himself, searching through lists upon lists of gifts upon gifts.

And still, nothing.

He wanted to find the perfect gift– Something that conveyed his feelings to Izuku without needing to use words; Something unlike anything else that he had ever even seen; Something special and completely unique, made only for him. That was what Shouto wanted to give his classmate; That was what Shouto wanted to give to his favorite person;

That was what Shouto wanted to give to the boy that he loved. While he was aware that his feelings weren't returned, and while he was aware that they never would be, he was going to tell him, come Christmas. And, with their relationship becoming deafeningly awkward, he was going to ruin the holiday for everybody in class 2-A. And he'd run back to his mother, and cry, and hide from the rest of the world until somebody other than Enji would inherit the agency– And then he'd become a hero through that and never have to see the pro hero Deku, again. He could already see it happening.

The boy with bicolored hair blinked before shaking his head, turning to pick his dead phone back into his hands.

As he stood to charge the pocket-sized computer, a solemn, cold feeling spread throughout Todoroki's veins.

25/12/xxxx ; The morning ; Commons room ; Neito Monoma

Neito was somehow of the first up, slipping down the stairs to see a pajama-clad Tooru, Mina, and Denki. The electric blonde was sitting at the table, 'recharging' himself with some oatmeal topped with whipped cream and banana slices– A combination that the former 1-B student saw disgust in. Tooru and Mina, however, were sitting near their bad excuse of a Christmas tree– of course, bless Ibara for growing it for them, but she admitedly could've done much better–, snooping around to see who got the most presents and guessing what said presents were. And Monoma, of course, was going to be the one to put a stop to it.

"Ashido, Hagakure! Don't be so childish as to peek through the presents! While it is to be expected of you 1-A brats, those are saved for later when we're all up together!"

"Omigosh, Monoma, you're starting to sound like Iida–" Ashido's attention was immediately captured by the boy, albeit not for the reason that he'd been looking for. Monoma's frown grew.

"That isn't the point!–"

"Eh?... 'S too early for this..." An all-too-familiar voice complained tiredly, an open yawn sounding from the same direction. "...Why not be Christmasy 'n cheery 'n stuff, instead?" Hitoshi sounded half asleep, as he always was before his usual morning coffee– Bitter and black, as he often described his soul.

A steel-haired boy– having previously gone unnoticed– then gave his hum, sending a sunshine smile from the kitchen to his classmate, "Coffee's on the pot if you need some, Shin!" Tetsutetsu called, being one of the few 2-A students who could easily bear the early hours.

A thin, lazy smile found its way onto Hitoshi's face. "Perfect timing. Thanks."

25/12/xxxx ; The early afternoon ; Kitchen ; Momo Yaoyorozu

The bushy-haired boy hobbled downstairs with a yawn, fuzzy sock slipping at the bottom– But, of course, a tall ravenette was there to catch him.

"Good morning, Midoriya." The young woman called softly as she gripped his shoulders, easing him into more of an upright position. She chose not to comment on it, as based on the shorter's expression, the near incident was enough of a wake-up call. "Did you sleep well?"

"Um–" Izuku began as they headed toward the kitchen, still recovering from the split-second panic. "Y-yeah. I was really excited, last night, so I think I went to bed, too late, though..." His voice trailed off into more of a tired mumble, which was always adorable– Sometimes, Momo was convinced that she was surrounded by a litter of cute, rambunctious puppies and not the future's greatest heroes.

"Yes. I think that you're the last one up, actually." She commented matter-of-factly, reaching into a cupboard to retrieve a pouch of caffeinated tea. "Would you like some tea to help wake you up?" She asked before her friend had the chance to feel guilty.

Sometimes, Yaoyorozu very easily read her peers. More than just Izuku knew this, as he nodded with his "Mmhm, thank you."

25/12/xxxx ; The early afternoon ; Dorms ; Fumikage Tokoyami

Quite the diverse group was walking through the snow, making the short trek from class 2-B's dorm building to class 2-A's– Said group consisting of an explosive boy, a bubbly brunette, a horned blonde, and a bird-headed boy. Katsuki Bakugou and Ochako Uraraka were exchanging their comments, as the frenemies often did, while Fumikage Tokoyami and Pony Tsunotori kept to themselves.

That was fine, however, as the trip was short– It wasn't long before a sharp redhead was opening the door, laughing at something that his twin-like friend had said. "Come on in, guys!" Eijirou'd said between chuckles.

Of course, Fumikage gratefully accepted the invite to come in, happy to shed his thick scarf and jacket– Even if he enjoyed the cold, he could only take it to an extent. The crow-like boy made a point to leave his garments on the coat rack, for later, before perching onto one of the arms of a couch.

He only observed, for a time– How Ochako easily found her way toward Momo and Izuku, and how two other boys also seemed to be carefuly regarding the group. How Mina and Denki seemed to momentarily deflate when they'd been told their tape friend was celebrating off-campus. How festive Yuuga looked, with his Rudolph-inspired makeup and fake antlers. How Tooru and Nirengeki seemed to really enjoy decorating Ibara's head.

25/12/xxxx ; The afternoon ; Commons room ; Ochako Uraraka

Eventually, conversations around the sofas seemed to float toward Ochako's distaste with being separated from her previous classmates. "Yeah, I've gotten to know lots of great people in 2-B, but kinda miss sharing class with my friends from last year, y'know?" She'd pointed out, which had lit flares of passion in those such as Katsuki and Eijirou.

"I miss my friends, too." Izuku chimed in, at some point, which seemed to easily halt Ochako and Katsuki's oncoming argument. "But, I think it's just natural that we.. Mm, I don't know how to put it. Expand? But, also, well..." The green-haired boy paused, trying not to spiral into a moment of muttering. "And, we can all still see eachother, after classes." He pointed out with a smile, and that was that.

"Such is the way of life." Fumikage added as somewhat of a word of advice.

Ochako couldn't help but notice how Pony folded her hands in her lap, leaning back into the couch as her blank stare and almost wistful smile faced nobody in particular. "I have no idea what you just said." She commented, which did cause some giggles and snickers to sound around their sort of cirlce– Ochako's sweetly humored one, included.

25/12/xxxx ; The afternoon ; Commons room ; Eijirou Kirishima

Everybody who said they'd attend the gathering seemed to be there, and most importantly, everybody seemed to have relaxed. The faux-redhead gave a shark-toothed grin as he carefully slid a headband onto a blonde's head– Of course, as soon as said blonde felt it, his hand lifted for a deathgrip around Eijirou's wrist.

He was glad that his quirk easily resisted his friend.

"Can you guess which reindeer you are?" He gave suppressed giggles as Katsuki's grip lightened, hand soon dropping into his lap. It was nice that the explosive boy's temper seemed to have lengthened– Even if only somewhat, at least something had definitely changed between his first argument with Tenya, and now.

Katsuki shifted slightly, his expression more of a neutral sort of grumpy. "Rudolph?" He guessed the obvious one, an eyebrow raised.

"Nope! I'm pretty sure Aoyama's got that covered, haha."

"...None of the other names are important." The blonde mumbled lowly, head leaned back to ensure only the boy behind him heard that. It was his way of admitting that he had no clue what the other reindeer's names were.

"Blitzen–" Kirishima couldn't help bursting into laughter, and admittedly, a small smile did tug at Katsuki's lips. "Because– Y'know–" He tried to speak between laughs, as he imitated the sound of an explosion.

25/12/xxxx ; The late afternoon ; The kitchen ; Rikido Satou

"Hey– Where are Midoriya and Todoroki?" Rikido asked, just about finished with handing out his festive sugar cookies– Only a little candycane and bushel of holly were left. He set his tray onto the counter as he glanced around the kitchen, no Izuku nor Shouto in sight.

"I saw them head for the elevators," Ochako chimed in, finding her seat atop the corner of the table. "Maybe Deku's giving Todoroki another present? Or– Y'know, the other way around?"

It made sense– Not long after the bushy-haired shounen protagonist had woken up, the group took their turns around the tree to hand out gifts. While they both received their abundance of presents, it'd seemed Shouto was still somewhat anticipatory, an emotion unlike his usually stoic self. Though the brunette gave a shrug, deciding to dismiss that detail, for the time being.

"Oh, well– Todoroki can reheat them, when he gets back, if they're cold by then."

25/12/xxxx ; The late afternoon ; The hall ; Mina Ashido

She didn't mean to eavesdrop, she swore to herself– She'd only been headed to the bathroom, when she'd overheard Izuku mentioning something about how much he loved something. And Mina, being the occasionally less-than-polite person that she was, couldn't help but to stick around, pressing her back to the wall and listening to two boys, around the corner.

"I'm glad– I wanted to make sure that my gift for you was special." She could tell that that was the deeper voice of Shouto, albeit uncharacteristically warm. And maybe Mina was somewhat upset that she didn't have the chance to know whatever the supposed special gift was, but she wasn't going to risk compromising her position in what sounded like a private moment.

"Well, thank you, Todoroki. I... I really appreciate you, y'know."

"And I–" Shouto cut himself off, though, and the pink girl physically recoiled as she realized that now was the moment that he'd finally be attempting a confession. She may not have been the most academically exemplary girl, but she'd been damned if she hadn't noticed every fleeting touch, every shy glance, every missed opportunity that her peppermint peer had suffered through.

She decided to walk away, though, keeping quiet as not to alert the boys. Part of her felt guilty, feeling as if she'd tainted the secrecy of the special interaction.

But as she stepped away, she did catch a quieter, forlorn phrase. "...You're my best friend, Izuku."

30/12/xxxx ; The morning ; Dorm room ; Kyouka Jirou

"The original is a lot less shitty." A certain Katsuki Bakugou commented gruffly, as the plumette experimented with her playlist. At current, she was playing some song called 'Hey There Delilah,' albeit sung in the Japanese that she knew, as opposed to its originally English version.

Kyouka raised a brow, ony briefly letting her attention flit toward the other. "Sure, but none of us can really understand the lyrics." She spoke nonchalantly, pushing herself up to fiddle with one of the speakers that Momo had previously helped her set up.

Katsuki gave his little "Tch," as he turned away, mentioning something about how he had no problem understanding English. And knowing the overachiever, that was likely true, she figured as he left the conversation.

This year, part of class 2-A– and even some 2-B students– had decided that they would be staying at the dorms for the New Year, watching whatever festivities and celebrating behind the safety of their tv. As such, Kyouka, Momo, and an unexpected Katsuki had banded together in lieu of decking out the Heights Alliance, for the upcoming holiday.

They mostly spent time cleaning and setting up a dorm sound system, but if all went well, every second of effort was going to be worth it.

31/12/xxx ; Shortly before midnight ; The commons room ; Izuku Midoriya

His peers had really done well with decorating, Izuku acknowledged for the umpteenth time as he chose his spot beside Ochako. Admittedly, he's been set on confessing for a while now, but never quite found the courage to voice his feelings.

But that was okay, as he gently tapped the brunette on the shoulder– Her cheeks grew rosier than usual when she noticed his outstretched hand, taking it after only a second of overthinking.

Maybe he didn't need words, after all, because he already had a passion in his heart and what seemed to be reciprocated feelings. Their fingers intertwined as the television flashed, counting down to a moment that both anticipated dearly. And Izuku couldn't stifle his shy grin, watching tentatively as Ochako's attention flitted between his face and the brightly-colored screen.

Neither had to say anything. Not now. Not until the rest of the small group cheered "Zero!", and not until they shared a wonderfully perfect kiss.

01/01/xxxx ; Shortly after midnight ; The roof ; Hitoshi Shinsou & Shouto Todoroki

After that, Hitoshi found himself fleeing the scene. Of course, he knew that it was inevitable, but that didn't stop him from hurting as much as he did. He rode the elevator and then climbed the stairs, stopping only once he stood atop the roof.

Shouto couldn't help but trail the plumette up to the top of the building, masking his similar need to escape with curiosity and concern. Considering they were heroes-in-training, it had been unusually easy to do so, to slip out of the room and follow him. Almost concerningly so, as the bicolored boy paused to eye the other's silhouette– To anticipate his next move.

Now, he wasn't stupid. He knew that much as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the roof's railing. Hitoshi glanced over his shoulder to acknowledge the other's presence, sending a silent invitation to join him. With the way that he strode beside him, it was apparent that the youngest Todoroki was reluctant.

But neither had to say anything, for a long time. They simply stood beside one another, gazes focused on the moon or the sky or the city below them. Or maybe even one another. Shouto found comfort in this moment, but he did eventually break away, wanting to allow the plumette to mourn in peace.

But as the other turned, Shinsou reached and gently gripped his forearm. "Hey," his voice was smooth and gentle enough to coax Shouto back, to make him want to return to that moment. And he did, standing closer to his peer, now.

#bnha #mha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #fanfiction #fanfic #rarepair #kiribaku #izuocha #shintodo #christmas #new year #ish original #ish writes #ish bnha #ish top

[danetobelieve]

Torple In Paradise || Nic and Winston

Alright. Nicodemus promised, in some kind of manner, that he wouldn’t get into any more bullshit while the sun was temporarily dead. But that didn’t mean he agreed to stay cooped up in his shitty hotel room while the world did what it did. He got his shit relatively together, strapped a minimal amount of weaponry on him, and went out into the night. He was going stir crazy in the room. Too much lingering blood smell and a weird sea smell to stay in there. Downtown seemed his best bet as he found a decent enough tree to relax under, the streetlights far enough away to not bother his aching eyes. Isolated, yet not. It was quiet. He sighed and leaned his head back. Quiet until it wasn’t. Was that yelling? Nope. He wasn’t going to get involved. He learned his lesson with Blanche. Bedrest was what he was on.

Honestly, when Winston looked back on their life, they wondered what they had done to get such bad karma. Maybe it was because they didn’t believe in karma. But with the continuing series of unfortunate events that had since become the narrative of their life, Winston was starting to reconsider their opinion on whether or not the universe was at least a little bit pissed off with them. Shouting a series of expletives, they hurdled over a fence as they sprinted away from the car park. They’d been collecting some groceries, they hadn’t told Ricky where they were going because they knew they’d complain about them getting stuff in this situation on their own. But as they’d finished loading their car up with their shopping, they’d felt a large globule of drool drip onto their shoulder and turning had spotted the most hideous creature they’d ever seen. It was a long tube with a big mouth. Winston had run. They hadn’t even bothered to lock their car. “Fuck, fuck, fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk,” they screeched as they did their best to gain some distance on this thing, sweat pouring down their back and neck as their body went into overtime, they really needed to get fitter. This happened far too often for them to be this out of shape. 

Maybe Nicodemus was having a bad dream. That had to be it. Too much shit was going on lately and he was passed out on his hotel room floor, imagining that he was resting underneath a tree downtown and that the distant screams were growing closer. Just his imagination. With the tip of a freshly sharpened knife pressed to his thumb, he was sadly mistaken. No. This was real and the screaming wouldn’t stop until something happened. Yeah, so much for fucking dreaming. Goddamn, why did he have to be immune to the bystander effect? He pulled himself up by his bootstraps and grunted, stretched out his tense back and cracked his neck. His shoulders popped as he stretched them back. The hunter rounded the tree and rolled his neck as he did. He waited as the yelling drew closer and stepped back as the runner passed him. He waited a breath before he front snap-kicked the pursuing...flesh tube right into the adjacent building. Right. A torple. It was starting to get back up, slightly started by the hunter’s appearance. With tired eyes, he turned his head and looked at the one fleeing. “You can stop runnin’ now, Jesus. Gonna wake up every hungry thing in this fuckin’ town doin’ that.”

Honestly, Winston themselves would not have believed their good luck if you had told them and they had not witnessed what happened next. They darted past a tree, screaming expletives as if it would make this any less terrifying, but it did at least make them feel a little better. Then, the burliest man that they had ever seen stepped out from behind a tree and with an almighty kick sent the flesh toothpaste tube that was pursuing them into the side of a building with a squelch and a crunch. “What the fuck,” they said, pulling to a halt and standing jaw agape at what they had just witnessed, “uh … good point, sorry, I don’t normally do this sort of thing.” That wasn’t exactly true anymore, unfortunately they had found that in the last however many months since they became aware of the real world that existed in White Crest, well everything had become somewhat more complicated and they kept finding themselves in compromising positions. “Maybe we should run away?” Winston asked as they did their best to summon the energy required to do something, anything with magic, “Like run away pretty much straight away before that thing can try and chew me into a paste?”

Nicodemus reached into his jacket and took a small sip from the flask he carried, limited himself to just a touch of whiskey. It took everything to not down the damn thing, but that wouldn’t be practical given the circumstances. The circumstances in that, yet again, he found himself pulled into someone else’s monster shenanigans. “What the fuck is right,” he rumbled out as he looked between the stranger and the mess of a torple on the wall that was slowly but surely getting its shit back together. The stranger didn’t look any sort of armed and the hunter didn’t expect them to be. His nerves, his senses, lowly buzzed. “Most people don’t. Least you had the right mind to fuckin’ book it.” Most people just stood there and gaped while they were being eaten alive. The hunter fiddled with the frayed strands of his jean pocket as he considered his options. He’d partially solved the problem. The torple was kicked away but the fuckers were relentless when hungry. He forgot what it was that they hungered for right in that moment. Surely it’d come back to him. “Run away? The hell for?” He considered it. Yeah, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to start killing a creature that could be mistaken for a hairless dog from a distance. “Fine. But it’s gonna follow you to the ends of the fuckin’ earth. Best to get it away from cityfolk, you follow me?”

Sucking in colds gasps of air, Winston used the bottom of their t-shirt to wipe away a cascade of sweat that was threatening to envelope their face. For the thousandth time since they had started frequently having to run for their life from things that wanted to eat them, Winston decided that they really needed to do something about their fitness. This was getting ridiculous. “Yeah what the fuck,” Winston agreed once more, “why would I decide to stay and let a giant tube of colgate with massive incissors try and chew me into a human paste?” They shook their head and watched the thing nervously. It wasn’t stopped but they felt much better now that G.I Joe was on the case. This guy was tough as nails. At least Winston hoped that they were and that this wasn’t all just an act. They really needed to make more friends who could deal with shit like this so that they didn’t have to. “Why wouldn’t we run? That thing is terrifying and it’s definitely going to keep trying to eat me and I don’t know about you but I definitely don’t think I can go toe to toe with this thing.” Even with their magic, without it they would definitely be screwed. “Oh, well that’s just great, I love having toothpaste chase me and never give up, the ends of the earth is really fucking great,” Winston took a deep breath, “sorry, diva moment over, I’m good to follow you, let’s get out of here.” They were going to have to run again. Great. But the thing, well it was stirring and Winston didn’t want to find out what it would do to them if they were still here when it got back.  

Tube of Colgate with massive incisors. That was a way to describe it and Nicodemus had to hand it to them, they really had a way with words. Next time he ran into one of those fucking book nerds, he would pose including that into whatever bestiary they kept on hand. For now, he would include it in the next page that he sent off to Blanche to keep in her notebook. “You’d be fuckin’ surprised. Really think some people just get born without that fuckin’ survival instinct,” he said as he shifted on his feet. “Lucky you, it’s pissin’ me off too.” Torple innards went for a decent price in some markets. For what? He wasn’t sure and he didn’t want to ask. That was for the supernatural black market to deal with. His brows rose as he looked at them and blinked. “You sure? You don’t wanna throw another name at it? Like, I dunno, shitty meat puppet with baby hands or somethin’?” He shrugged his heavy shoulders and started walking, gestured for them to follow. Not at a particularly quick pace. An unbothered one, really. “Y’know, it’s comin’ back to me. These things don’t let up real easy, especially when they got your smell,” he said thoughtfully, with little mind to how a statement like that could very well jostle them. They already seemed very unhappy with the slimy, toothy situation. “Wanna say it’s...fuckin’ shit, it’s been a minute.” He put a hand on his head in thought as he moved, eyes squinted into the distance to try and find the answer. He stuffed his free hand into his pocket and curled it around one of his folding knives. “Ain’t wolf shit. Don’t think you’re a vamp…” He hummed as he looked at them with a scrutinizing eye. “Magic? That sounds a bit more right.”

“Well, thank god that I have the good sense to run the fuck away when a giant supernatural monster decides that they want to take a piece out of me.” Winston replied with a shrug, “but I am very glad that it choose you to also piss off because I’m not sure how much more running from this thing I have in me and I don’t think that I could take it on in a fair fight.” They were very aware of the size of their muscles in comparison to this guys. This guy was built like a brick shithouse and Winston resembled a very feeble sapling in comparison. “Shitty meat puppet with baby hands is very creative, I would prefer flesh dildo without eyes, but then again I guess that’s just a dick.” Sweat poured down their neck and Winston was struggling to catch their breath. BUt they weren’t going to die to a shitty meat puppet with baby hands. “Magic?” Winston asked even more panicked then before, were there really things that would come after them because they could use magic? Fuck. They were fucked. They’d never considered that before. Fuck. “What do you mean magic? You’re saying that this thing comes after me because of magic? Because that is completely absurd, look at me, if I could’ve done any magic against this thing then do you not think I would’ve already tried and teleported it into space or something.” First of all they weren’t sure that anyone could teleport things with magic. Secondly they would absolutely run the fuck away rather then try and fight it with magic because they were incompetent as fuck. Thirdly, they were convinced that if things could hunt them because of their magic then they were going to have to step up their efforts. This guy really seemed to know his stuff though and Winston couldn’t help but wonder what he was. Was he as human as he appeared?

“Yup, you sure do. Keeps the blood goin’ and all, keeps you lively,” Nicodemus mused. Nothing like a near-death experience to both extend and shorten the life in one breath. “Well, it got you runnin’ and hollerin’. Broke up my nap and I ain’t had a real chance to get a nap lately. Most things don’t survive doin’ shit like that.” His voice went deathly serious as he looked at them from the corner of his eyes. The hunter didn’t want to assume, but yeah, they looked like a person far more comfortable behind a desk. If there was ever a point in Nicodemus’s life that he got stuck behind a desk and expected to work nine-to-five, something went horribly goddamn wrong and a preacher would need to be called. Maybe even two. The hunter hummed and nodded at their assessment of well, yes, that was just a dick. They didn’t seem to like the utterance of the word magic and the hunter found that particularly interesting, but not enough to go into an elaborate spiel about goddamned wizardry. That manner of talk went beyond him. He knew enough to get by by the slimmest margin. “Magic in that they eat that fuckin’ shit,” he said plainly, brows inched together. “Listen, I don’t know your fuckin’ magical life and I don’t care. I just know what that fuckin’ shit sausage does.” He said, taking a moment to point at said shit sausage that trailed behind them. Slimy and fucking gross. Picking up speed. “When it smells magic, whatever you did, it’s suddenly free-for-all at the Mickey D’s ballpit, alright? It’s fuckin’ gross and it won’t stop. Kinda like now.” He could hear the spittle and chomping of its absurdly large teeth. The hunter pulled the knife out of his pocket and flicked it open. Turned his head and eyed them. “You got a strong stomach?”

Winston wanted to point out the contradiction that the burly man had just made, but somehow they got the impression that maybe this wasn’t the time to tell them that they had just committed a logical fallacy, this guy would probably just leave them to their fate and they really needed the tough guy act to be true and not an act at all. Not that they really knew the difference between an act and not an act. Winston realised in that moment that the act was up and there was probably no point acting as if they couldn’t do magic. “Okay, fine, I’m really fucking new to this though and even if I could do something then I don’t think it would really be all that helpful unfortunately, I’m not exactly well known for getting this shit right most of the time.” The flesh tube was intent on eating them and Winston was keen to put some distance between them. Winston looked this guy in the eye, with a big fucking knife in their hand and a look of just non-concern in their eye. “Uh, sure, I have a stomach of iron.” Winston replied, lying completely. They’d thrown up in their first dissection biology lab and then everyone since then until the teacher suggested that they simply observe rather than joining in. But they could definitely tough this one out.

The hunter nodded along as he checked the sharpened edge of his knife, a distant street light glinting off the edge. Them being new to magic sounds about right, Nicodemus thought. The first time an ahuizotl had come his way, he had been just as panicked and nervous. That panic and nervousness went away as soon as he killed it. He doubted that it would go the same way for them. Unlike him, they didn’t seem all that numb to the fuckery that life could throw someone’s way. “Yeah, well, nobody gets shit right most of the fuckin’ time,” he said with a shake of his head and a quirked brow. “Anyone says different, they’re both a liar and a fuckin’ assclown.” Then they looked him in the eye and he nodded, gestured for them to stop walking. Supposed it was time to see how true that iron stomach was. “Thing doesn’t give a fuck about me, so if we stop…” The hunter trailed as he saw the torple bunch itself like a slimy headless, hairless cat. Goddamn disgusting. With the spellcaster so close, the torple couldn’t be bothered to give a good god damn about the hunter in front of them. The creature threw itself like a fucking pool noodle towards the pair as Nicodemus adjusted the knife in his hand. And stepped to the side. Mouth open, it dove towards the spellcaster. Paying no mind to the knife that the hunter stabbed into its long, exposed belly. He casually blinked and pulled the knife out, torple blood pouring out as the creature dropped to their feet in shock. Wasting no time, the hunter grabbed the flesh tube of a creature and dug the fingers of one hand into the open wound. Then the other. Once he got a fair enough grip, slim and guts be damned, he ripped and tore until the torple wasn’t one piece but rather, two.

Winston hadn’t expected to learn so much about life whilst also doing everything in their power to run for their life. They had never been one for keeping fit but it seemed as if the universe was going to force them into fitness out of virtue of nothing other then the fact that they would force them to get fit or Winston would die for lack of trying. “Uh, yeah, sure, definitely, I guess you’re right, it always takes practice … and … shit.” They were beyond out of their depth and scrabbling to stay above water, but they were convinced to make it through this. When arrested with a steely stare, Winston gulped as they guessed what was happening. It immediately became a game of chicken that Winston wasn’t sure they wanted to play anymore. “On second thought I think that we should definitely start running again,” but it was as if the burly man couldn’t hear a word that they were saying or didn’t care to listen, “we should definitely get going,” Winston couldn’t move, they weren’t sure but they were rooted in place. But whoever this guy was, they wasted no time in getting to work. A knife glinted in the dark light and flashed out along the side of the exposed belly. Almost as if it were cutting through the skin of a sausage, and then gruesomely the creature was torn one piece from another and suddenly it stopped moving. Winston wasn’t sure that they preferred it in two parts or one, but either way they were glad that it had mostly stopped moving. “What. The. Fuck.” They looked at him, eyes wide open before turning their head and vomiting violently. Once they were done, they reached up and wiped their mouth clean, and looked at them once more. “That was fucking amazing.” 

“Don’t think life really gives one whole fuckin’ shit whether you practice or not,” Nicodemus said, voice decidedly less harsh than his words. “Happens as it happens. That’s all.” White Crest inspired more philosophical conversations than he ever felt comfortable with in his entire isolated, grunting silence of a lifetime. It wasn’t his element. Far from it. Hunting was hardly the lifestyle or profession that allowed for such thinking. Generations ensured minimal free will and maximum lethal force. Now that had Nicodemus thinking. Thinking far too much than he should have been as he willfully ignored what they were saying and set about his business. The bloody, gutsy kind. The sound the torple made as it tore apart wasn’t satisfying or fulfilling. It was just a sound. Same as the thump it made as it hit the ground. “Nah, ain’t no need to run.” A slight frown formed as he looked at his torple blood covered hands. Along with a small assortment of other things, he had hand sanitizer clipped to his belt. It didn’t do much as he put a generous amount in his palm and rubbed his hands together, looking at them as they went about their business of vomiting everything they seemingly had in their belly. Loudly. The hunter had assured one thing: if the sound attracted any other critter, it wouldn’t be a fucking torple. That was for damn sure. “Problem solved,” he said as he waved his wet hands off to the side, the smell of sanitizer and blood strong in the air. “How’s that iron stomach feelin’ now?” He paused and cocked his head as he looked at them. “...Name’s Nic, in case you were wonderin’.”

“Either way, I try and be as prepared for this as I possibly can, so I’m not spending every waking moment of my life sprinting away from flesh tubes that are determined to end my life if they possibly can.” Winston was honestly ready for a break, somehow they were beginning to realise that in White Crest that was never going to happen. Winston wiped their mouth and looked at the pile of vomit guiltily. Nic as he introduced himself hadn’t seemed bothered by it. “I’ll be okay, that was just a couple of levels of horror movie above what I’m used to,” was it about desensitisation or just general toughness? Either way, Winston was sure as shit not ready to be doing something like that. Blood and guts made them feel light headed and in that moment they were glad that they’d only been sick and hadn’t fainted too, that would’ve looked real impressive. “I’m Winston,” they didn’t offer to shake their hand, after all they had just been sick and promptly wiped their mouth and it seemed kind of impolite, “nice to officially meet you Nic, and thanks, I’ll have to get you a thank you something, generally seems the right thing to do if someone saves you from potential death and that hand of a flesh tube…”

Jesus, they talked a lot. Nicodemus stood, torple guts on his hands and jacket, as they talked. How many words did it take to just say that you were prepared? A metric fuck ton apparently. The smell of the backstreet they found themselves in was starting to hit him as he tried to take in much smaller breaths through his nose. He grunted a sound similar to a laugh. “Walkin’ through this town is like movin’ from one fuckin’ horror set to the other,” he said. It both thrilled and annoyed him, a complex pull of emotions that left him in a strange stasis of existence. “You, uh, handled it pretty fuckin’ okay.” He glanced at Winston. It was always odd for him to stay behind and linger with someone after yet another spur of the moment kill. Not an act of saving, he assured himself. That wasn’t him, he repeated. His expression soured only slightly as they thanked him. Add it to the fucking list of shit that kept him up at night. “Yeah,” he said slowly with a nod. “Oh hell. Ain’t gotta do shit. I’d be real pissed if you got killed by one of these fuckin’ meat puppets after all this. So, uh, don’t do that. Guess that’d be thanks enough, Winston.” Now they had him saying a bunch of words at once. He looked at Winston with a furrowed brow, face stern. “...gonna make it where you’re headed alright?”

Winston considered trying to talk to this guy more, but something about the way that they asked if they would make it there okay gave Winston a clue that perhaps it was time to say their goodbyes and start to look for an adequate thank you for their saviour.  “You’re right, this place is the worst.” But also the best. “But still, thanks anyway, it’s not everyday you see someone tear something in half for you,” that was not a sentence that they ever thought they would say, “but it is also really great that you did and yeah, thanks.” They swallowed and nodded. “Of course, I wasn’t planning on dying but now I’ll be sure to extra not die for you.” They flashed them a quick smile and took the hint, nodding and slipping their hands into their hoodie. “I think I can make it okay, it isn’t far now, I kind of ran most of the way anyway.” 

#p: nicodemus #para #p: nico #wickedswriting #torple in paradise #//lora thought of the title and it has BLOWN my mind

[slvtbible]

his two girls

your one year old baby is the most precious and adorable little creature harry and you have ever encountered and you are the most precious and beautiful woman Harry has ever laid his eyes on

[this is really short but I haven’t write anything in a while so i hope this dad!harry piece will make it up to you:)]

**

“Dada!”

Harry peers his eyes off from the laptop to the empty hallway, hearing his baby’s little footsteps running towards his office. A small smile appears on his face, shutting his laptop close as he waits his baby to approaches him.

This normally doesn’t happen to Harry. Before Elora, Harry would never ever abandon his work or emails, even for you and the two of you often argued about that. Reassuring you with kisses and dinner date as an attempt to make it up to you making your heart melt and gave in.

But now after Elora was born, there is nothing in this world that Harry wouldn’t do for her. Nothing. She has him wrapped around her tiny finger, the pout and squishy chubby cheeks that Harry has completely smitten over won his heart multiple times and he hates how whipped he is. You often remind him to not spoil her too much or else she’ll grow up to be a spoilt daddy’s girl that always have to get what she wants.

Yet, Harry doesn’t mind,

“What is it pumpkin?” He asks, rising up from the seat as his small baby making an appearance in the doorway. A baby pink bodysuit clads her chubby figure with two tiny ponytails. He sometimes calls her ‘Boo’ from Monster. Inc because she looks so much like her.

“Dada” she repeats, giving him a toothy grin as she spreads her arms, wanting him to carry her. “Up up”

Harry looks down at his babygirl, chuckling to himself as he shakes his head. “Is tha’ wha’ you want little booger? For me to carry you? A little menace you are” he grabs her under her armpits and huddle her close,

“Where’s mommy, baby? Hm? Have you seen her?” He questions, walking out of the office and struts downstairs. He catches a feminine figure standing in the kitchen, cooking one of his favorite dish. But you haven’t realized he’s here yet,

“Momma” your baby squeaks out, chubby hand holding on his shoulder but her eyes looks over at your figure,

“Mommy is busy cooking at the moment bub. Let’s do something fun, yeah?” He suggests, walking over to the living room and set her down on the floor,

He grabs a few of her toys. My Little Pony figures and tiny cars for her to play. He sets himself down in front of his baby who’s busying herself with the pink unicorn toy.

“Wanna watch something too, bub? What do you want to watch? Elena of the Avalor? Dibo? Moana? Barney?”

Her big brown eyes looks up to him as soon the name Barney falls from his mouth. His lips twitches into a smile in a realization that his baby wanted to watch the purple dinosaur and sing along with her daddy.

“Okay baby, let me search it for you.” Grabbing the remote, he goes to the Internet searcher and types few of barney episodes. Soon the familiar intro rings through, making Elle snaps her head towards the screen.

“Who’s that baby? Who is it?” He prompts his baby cutely who has a big smile on her face,

Clapping her hands, her tiny butt rises from the floor repeatedly in attempt to dance making harry laugh. “ ‘arney!” She yelps cutely, continuously to clap her chubby hands,

His tattoed arm makes it’s way to gently brush the hair on her head, careful not to ruin the hairdo. “That’s right baby, that’s barney!”

Elora continues to let out adorable baby voices and nonsense words that Harry cannot understand but who does? He’s just happy that his baby is happy. The last time he has seen her was a long time ago and he feels like a bad father who keeps missing out on his own baby’s life.

Even you. God, words cannot properly describe how much he misses you. Nights consisted only him sleeping alone in different hotel rooms that doesn’t smell either of his two girls. They smell strange and unfamiliar. Like any hotel rooms should have smelled. It didn’t feel right.

Harry sometimes wonder how could you survive the chaos throughout being with him. Six years you two have been together. Facing through the storm and heavy rain alongside eachother. The beginning of your relationship with him was not easy. Some of his fans— who he doesn’t even wanna call them that— are constantly up in your ass about the ‘Larry’ theories. It disgusted him in so many ways but he knew that they won’t stop no matter what he would have done. That wasn’t even the worst part.

He knew about the fans who compared you to his past flings. Kendall, Nadine, Camille, Taylor have always been the most beautiful creatures in their eyes. Telling Harry behind the screen that he made a mistake by choosing a path with you. But the thing is, he didn’t. He didn’t make a mistake by starting a family with you. If only they knew the horrible things his exes had done in the past— and now— but he finds that necessary to talk about it now.

They are beautiful, yes. He wouldn’t lie about that. But you? God have mercy, you are fucking gorgeous. Your figure, your features, your mind, your soul, your smile, your laugh, your ability to make people laugh, he can go on and on what he finds gorgeous about you but they’re too many.

And then, he has this baby. This smart, adorable, multi-tasking baby that can anything she wants from her dad just by giving him the ‘look’. He still can’t believe that you and he had made baby elora. He still can’t.

“Momma?” He hears his baby speaks, her eyes are now looking at you in the kitchen. “Momma!” She yells with a big smile,

Hearing a cute and familiar voice speaks out, you turn your head around. Grinning to yourself and turn the stove off before making your way towards your handsome husband and your adorable baby,

“Found little one running to my office. Thought something happened. Turns out she only wanted me to carry her” Harry jokes, tickling the side of her chubby belly a little causing her to let out the most adorable baby giggle ever making both of your hearts swell,

You sit down next to him, smiling over at your baby“Did she? Did you run and interrupted Daddy, baby? Hm?” You ask in a baby voice, smothering her cheeks with your kisses making her giggle uncontrollably

Pulling away, you grab her tiny hand giving it butterfly kisses. “I think she misses you. She’s glad you’re here.” You say without looking at him,

He smiles, kissing his baby head. Sighing soft to himself. Picking her up from the floor and place her on his lap, bouncing her to keep her distracted “I’m glad I’m here. Don’t wanna be away from the two of you anymore. Couldn’t bare it.”

The way he speaks like that feels like he’s in a pain. Or more like he’s guilty. Ever since he came home from tour and sees how big Elora have gotten while he’s away, he feels like a terrible father. Six months after Elora was born he went out on a tour for 8 months. The only way he could only see the two of you is through skype and it hurt him a lot. The band heard him cry in the dressing room each night before the show. They feel bad but there was nothing they can do about it. It’s his job, he had to do it regardless.

Before he had you and Elora, he believed that the fans are everything to him. He couldn’t live without them, because if it wasn’t for them then who was? They gave him everything.

But now that changed. He met you. Talked to you the first night the two of you had met and he fell hard. Like, really really fucking hard. He knew you were the one for him. His instincts were never wrong,

And now, here he is. Married to you and have a beautiful and adorable babygirl. His priorities changed drastically since then. No one could ever tell him differently.

“H..” you start, brows furrowed at how pain he looks at the moment. He’s not looking at you anymore instead setting his attention to his daughter who has her tiny mouth wrapped around his ring cladded finger, chewing and leaving a drool on his finger tip. But he doesn’t stop her,

“You are the best father, i and Elora could’ve ever asked for. You had done everything for the two of us, please don’t ever think you aren’t good enough. You have a job, darling and you must fullfill that. As your wife, you have my 100% support on this. I married you, remember? I knew all the consequences that came along. I knew all of it. I love you, baby. I will never stop.”

He pulls off a small smile after, looking over at you with his eyebrows raised in reassurance. Though knowing that you wouldn’t lie about something like that to him. He trusts you.

“Yeah? Still feels like i haven’t given the two of you enough. You girls are the loves of my life. Don’t know what i would do if i didn’t see you that night at the party.”

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” You say, half joking. Thumb rubbing small circles on your baby arm,

He frowns, shaking his head quickly. Pushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “No. I wouldn’t. You are the most kindest, beautiful and sexy wife, God has ever given to me. I’m very thankful for that. I was glad to matched up to your standards.”

You laugh a little at his cheesy comment, six years of being together he still managed to get you to blush like a little schoolgirl. You love that feeling.

“How about this. You and i don’t have to go to work tomorrow? Let’s go to the Zoo. Elora has been whining about wanting to see the elephant and giraffes. Then we can go eat ice cream and watch a movie. How’s that sound?” You ask, running your hand through his short hair making him sigh in a bliss.

He smiles at you, eyes fulled with adoration and love he has for you and he doesn’t ever want to give someone else that look. Ever. “I’d like that baby. Finally, a full day with my two favorite girls.”

Smiling, you lean towards him and kiss him softly on the lips. You can feel him smile against your mouth as he mumbles the word, ‘i love you’.

Your smile gets even wider, and before you get the chance to say it back, you hear a small whimper coming from your baby. The two of you pull away and sees her mouth forms into a pout, wanting a kiss too.

Harry and you laugh at your cute baby, knowing just what to do to get her parents attention.

“Alright alright, baby. Come join the family kisses.”

#harry styles x reader #harry styles fluff #harry styles imagines #dad!harry #harry styles #harry styles one shots #harry styles writings #harry styles blurbs

[oadara]

Hey, now with three episodes left and another war coming their way, when do you think Jon and Dany will get married? Also, a stupid question, but what's with Tyrion betraying Dany? Why? I spent the last year avoiding all spoilers and info about the show and now I keep seeing this. P.S. I love your blog, it's always been a light in times of darkness for Jonerys shippers

Hey friend!

Thank you, I’m really glad you like my blog. I’m just going to use you ask to answer a bunch of other questions sort of related. Please forgive me for hijacking your ask. 

First things first, let’s talk about how the Night King was killed. 

Foreshadowing for the end of the Night King

We are all freaking out because the end of the Night King and his army of the dead was not something most of us expected to happen so soon, nor did we expect it to happen the way it did end up happening. Personally, I feel like there are many loose threads that have yet to be probably taking care of in regards to the magical storyline. Having said all that, there was foreshadowing for how things did end up going down. On my prediction post on April 9, 2019, I wrote the following (you can read the rest of the post HERE)

6. The Valyrian steel dagger that Bran gave to Arya will play an important role, perhaps even be used to finally destroy the Night King.

The dagger was quite prominent throughout season 7 including making an appearance in one of the text Sam was reading in the citadel, perhaps it’s even one of the texts he brought along with him to Winterfell. We are clearly meant to see this as an important object.

Going off this I believe that Arya’s training as a Faceless Men is important to the endgame. I don’t think she went through that training just to get revenge. The Faceless Men worship the gods of death and the Night King has been described as Death incarnate, so there very well could be a connection there. If we take GRRM at his word and we won’t see the typical fantasy trope of the good guys coming together to destroy the evil monster, then the other very typical fantasy trope of the hero battling the monster in a sword fight might not be the route that GRRM goes in. It might very well be that in order to destroy the Night King characters will have to work in unison to do whatever needs to be done to destroy him.

I don’t know how one destroys the Night King but perhaps it has something to do or it’s tied to the shard of dragonglass the Night King has in his heart.

Now, I was wrong about the other stuff and didn’t think things would go down exactly as they did, however, I did recognize the importance of the dagger and that it would play an integral role in destroying the Night King. 

So, now we find ourselves having dealt with the dead is time to deal with the living. Now, we actually had foreshadowing for that as well, and I actually picked up on it right after season 7, however, I completely ignored myself and decided to take my prediction in a different direction. But let’s look back to what I wrote on September 19, 2017, season 7 was very much present on my mind and this was my immediate impression after watching the season (you can read the full post HERE)

Generally speaking, I think we’ve been going about predicting the ending of the series the wrong way. Most of us assumed (not wrongly) that the Wight Walker/Others would be the final enemy, the last battle of the series. But now, I don’t think that will be the case.

While the WW/Others SHOULD have been the ultimate enemy (in-universe) and threat to all of Westeros, they won’t be. Why? Because the nature of man is to pursue and retrain power and even battling a natural disaster (the WW are somewhat symbolic of climate change) won’t dissuade those who want to retain power, to give it up. Think of our current issues with climate change, while it might seem like a no-brainer to combat it many people don’t care or don’t want to fight it because fighting it would diminish their bottom line, i.e. the money.

Having said that I believe that the Wight Walkers will be defeated by the end of episode 4. I think they’ll come pretty far south but I don’t think they’ll get to King’s Landing.  

So having dealt with what should have been the ultimate threat to humanity our heroes, those who survive should be able to go home and have nice quiet lives. But unfortunately, our heroes live in Westeros so the war is still not over for them. There is one more enemy that they must battle but this is not some mythical antagonist, no just a human one: Cersei Lannister assisted by Euron Greyjoy (in the books it’ll be the reverse).

I’m not sure how Cersei’s defeat will go down but if the Red Keep hasn’t gotten kaboom yet, it probably will. I still believe in the Valonqar theory so Jaime will bring an end to his twin sisters reign. I think she’ll be defeated by either the end of episode 5 or the beginning of episode 6.

I’m not quoting myself to brag because I ended up being completely wrong about how things unfold. but at some point, I was right, when I allowed my instincts to guide me. 

Having said all this, what I’m really trying to get at is that there was clear foreshadowing for how things were going to go down this season. We all just chose to ignore it, but the foreshadowing was there. Which means that anything that happens from now on should have already been foreshadowed. 

What we need to do now is to accept what we are being told and not what we would like to see. This is something I say all the time but it’s hard for me to do as well, as the evidence above shows. 

Tyrion’s Betrayal

Before I answer your ask on Jon and Dany, I want to answer your ask about Tyrion’s betrayal. 

I believe it was last fall when Frikidoc told us the Tyrion would be tried in episode 6 for betraying the Starks. 

After season 7 my initial instinct was that there was something off about Tyrion. I couldn’t put my finger on it, however, in that same post from September 19, 2017, I replied to a comment:

I can’t see anyone dying after Cersei, so it’ll have to be before that or during it.

I think Jaime’s death is a good bet. In the past I would never have guessed Tyrion but, I donno, after this season I can see it happening. There was something off about him.

I’ve always thought that there would be a good chance that Jorah would die and I still think that’s the case.

For me to feel that way, they had to be putting something out there for the audience to pick up on. Again, later on, I chose to ignore it, but the feeling had been there. So, the foreshadowing is there if the story goes that route. 

There are other clues in the books that hint at Tyrion’s betrayal and you can read those HERE.

Now, to Jon and Dany. 

This morning has been extremely frustrating for me as it seems the entire fandom has forgotten all the foreshadowing that has been laid out throughout the series not only for the union of Jon and Dany but also for their child. 

 The parallels and connection between Jon and Dany have been laid out on countless metas and post so I will not reiterate them again here. However, I will note, what I would consider, the foreshadowing we’ve been given the last two season. 

Marriage between Jon and Daenerys

First, the theme of “togetherness” that was introduced in season 7. This word is woven throughout almost all the interactions Jon and Dany have with each other. It’s actually the last thing they say to one another when Dany agrees to sail to Winterfell with Jon. 

Additionally, Littlefinger very pointedly tells Sansa, before he dies, that a marriage between Jon and Dany would make the unstoppable. I’m paraphrasing here. Again, touching on the theme of “togetherness” introduce in relation to Jon and Dany. 

This season, we have Davos boldly announcing that what Westeros needs is a just Queen and am honorable King and that Jon and Dany would make an excellent pairing in that regard. This is as bold a statement as it comes and a truthful one. 

Point being, that the themes surrounding these two have always pointed to them coming together to form a complete package, two halves of a whole. I see no reason why they wouldn’t be married. 

By the way, this isn’t even taking into consideration Jon’s Targaryen heritage and how beneficial it would be for the two of them to unite their claims. 

Jon and Dany’s Child

The first hint of this is from season 1, however, it doesn’t get picked up again until season 6 when Dany tells one of the khals who is holding her hostage that she will never give him a son. 

In season 7 we get no less than 5 clues hinting at a child between Jon and Dany.

The first conversation between Tyrion and Dany where he brings up the issue of an heir. (This happens in the Painted Table Room)

The second conversation between Tyrion and Dany where he once again brings up the issue of an heir (I think this one is by the fireplace)

When Jon tries to return Longclaw to Jorah, beyond the Wall, Jorah tells him to keep it so that he can pass it on to his children. 

When they are sailing back to Dragonstone after the Wight Hunt, Dany tells Jon that the dragons are the only children she’ll ever have. 

At the Dragonpit, Dany and Jon once again talk about Dany’s belief that she can’t have children but this time Jon challenges the veracity of what Mirri Maaz Durr said. 

They went out of their way last season to let us know that a child between Jon and Dany was something that could very much happen. You don’t get this amount of foreshadowing for nothing. 

The moral of the story here is, that what happened in episode 3 did have foreshadowing, we might have read the foreshadowing incorrectly or missed it all together but it was there. 

So, in short, I still expect Jon and Dany to marry. 

TTFN

#daenerys targaryen x jon snow #jonerys #gots8 spoilers #tyrion lannister #foreshaodiwng

[tsukishima44]

The Other Side of The Storm

Warnings : child abuse, starvation, self-harm

The day after Green's failure, Daisy almost never saw her brother in their home. She only knew that Prof. Oak locked Green in his room and there was nothing she could do other than placing a tray of food outside. After a week, she knew Green was never allowed to go outside ever again.

Daisy saw it all. She was afterall, Green's (the shortest champion ever) sister and also one of the famous Prof. Oak's grandchildren. So she knew the immediate change in what remained of her family.

The day after Green's failure, Daisy almost never saw her brother in their home. She only knew that Prof. Oak locked Green in his room and there was nothing she could do other than placing a tray of food outside. After a week, she knew Green was never allowed to go outside ever again.

In the night, she couldn't help hearing the muttering from the wall beside her where Green's room was. Even when she was awoken at three a.m, Green's incessant murmur still continued. It lasted until 6 a.m and Prof. Oak awoke her at 7 o'clock, Green at 6.15.

The next time she saw her brother was when the Professor went to an event in Unova, two months after Green's "study" started. She bravely asked a neighbourhood's ferrow to fly her to Green's window. Daisy gasped a loud when she saw how thin Green was. She saw black bags under his dimmed green orbs, Green's ginger spike was depleted like he didn't care much about appearance anymore, and the purple shirt he loved so much looked baggy on his stature. Daisy knew it was his favourite shirt because she had bought it for him on his 8th birthday. It was supposed to fit his brother's body. But now it hang loosely on one shoulder. The little fat Green had had disappeared, like he hadn't eaten anything while she always refilled the empty tray with new food everyday.

Did he vomit it? Or throw it away?

Daisy felt tears rolling her cheeks when she saw Green's wrists. The lavender sleeves was rolled up, so she could see the aftermath of Green's decreasing mental status.

He was not only went into starvation, he had depression. A deep one as the suicidal tendency was on sight.

She knew she had to do something.

The next day, she went to their neighborhood's house. Daisy was greeted with Red's mother cheery smile but her own lips could only lifted itself a bit before they turned into a frown again. It might be her mother instinct, but Daisy was immediately ushered to the small house cozy living room. Andrea didn't bother to offer Daisy a drink. She sat on the sofa opposite her and gently asked

"What happened Daisy and how can I help?"

She broke down there.

She told her everything, about their family's circumstances, the dynamic changes, Prof. Oak cold attitude, Green's well-being, anything she had withold for 7 years long. Andrea had embraced her and softly rubbing her back, patient when she went into another outburst when describing her brother's physic and mental.

When her crying had subdued, Andrea gave Daisy a box of tissue and a glass of water before sitting back beside her.

"I-I really am sorry for my earlier crying"

Daisy felt the warm arms enveloping her being again

"Oh, honey. You should never apologize for it. I should have met you and Green since a long time but I never had the courage" then Andrea's arms migrated to her shoulder "I will help you filling a complain to the police about this and I will be there to see him went into jail"

Daisy was taken a back by her determined and protective side.

She shook her head.

"Thank you for the offer. However-" Daisy stopped for a breath "I just n-need one thing"

"What is it?"

"I need Red's contact"

-chapter break-

Mt. Silver, the living place for many wild pokemon, has never been a place for human. Many trainer had tried to capture some strong pokemon in the snowy mountain. Until now, only few of them survived. Red, the current Kanto region champion, has been living in Mt. Silver for two months. He had told her mother, Andrea, about him leaving once again because he couldn't handle the sudden attention upon him. He was never an extrovert since his child phase and he will never be one. Red had felt guilty for leaving his mother once again, but Andrea had understood him. She gave him a hug and made her only child promised her to call whenever he could. Due to her DNA, she couldn't stay long in the cold area. So she prepared a pidgeotto to deliver food and supplies once a week. Sometimes a letter because they were one of those family who saw the effort and aesthetic behind a handwriting. His mother never once told anybody about his current living nor cracked under journalists who went to their house for his location. All they knew was the pokemon champion had disappeared and nobody knew about it. Red was happy and glad for his mother.

Currently he was training a lapras he found injured a week ago near a small lake. He had addressed the small gash and gave her potions. In a night she was good as new. Today he had released her from his pokeball, but the lapras kept trailing him to his cave. Red smiled at the increase companion on his team. Snorlax had let Lapras leaned on his side, Charizard and Venusaur played cautiously, Pikachu helped her hunt some berries, and Blastoise often helped her learning a move or sparring. All of Red's pokemon had learned that he was selectively mute and steadily saw his small quirks in commands. This not only gave them advantage in battles as their opponent didn't know what his move, but also enhanced their instinct to small movement. They lived in wildness, they must always on their guard.

As he gave the sign 'waterfall', he felt vibration coming from his cell phone. Red took the small device from his pants pocket and saw her mother's number. What's wrong? They had just exhanged letter two days ago.

With an eyebrow lifted, he took the call.

"Mom?" He asked

"Red, this is Daisy"

Red's memory immediately recognized her voice. It was his best friend's sister name and voice.

"Is something wrong?"

Red was sitting in the snow as he heard Daisy's story. Lapras had went to his side as soon as she realized her trainer was busy with something. When she felt her trainer's hand tensed, she immediately surged into defensive position. Her trainer realized and quickly petting her neck, his arm slung on top of her. Several minutes later, Red stood. His hand made a signal to come back to their home. The moment Red stepped through the small cavern, his pokemons attention was on him. He only spoke one word, one word and everyone understood.

"Green"

-chapter break-

Green didn't know what had he done to deserve it. He had been a good boy since his parents died in an accident and they were placed under his grandfather, Prof. Oak,'s care. He had learned everything about pokemon the morning after the funeral. He was the next successor in line. He had limited his friend to one, the neighborhood kid who has selective mute. The three of them, Red and Green and Daisy, had been friends. Green realized early that his grandfather had preferred Red more than him. He was jealous and angry at Red. So he went to become a pokemon champion. Unfortunately for him, Red also went to a journey. They had clashed again and again and Green always asked for a match. Never once had he came out as the winner. Even when he had chosen Charmander to Red's Bulbasaur. Speaking of Charmander, he wondered what had happened to his Charizard after Red beaten him at Indigo League. He really hoped he didn't died in his grandpa's hand, just like his raticate.

Ever since he had lose his title in a matter of minutes, Prof. Oak demeanor had changed even colder. The next day, he had been locked up to his room. At 6.15 he would be awoken, 8 a.m to eat breakfast, 1 p.m for lunch, 7 p.m for dinner. The rest of the hours were spent on studying. Each day he would be given one book to read and understand for a whole day. At 10 p.m Prof. Oak would come to give him 20 questions from the inside of the book. Each false answer meant a strike, and if he had 10 mistakes, he wouldn't had breakfast until he could answer all questions perfectly. However, the lack of food meant lack in focus and lack of studying. Green forgot the last time he touched the rice Daisy had prepared for him because his stomach had stopped grumbling after two days. At first he had tried to whisper while studying as not to disturbed his sister. After a while, he didn't bother anymore. The reading and his own voice kept him from falling asleep. When he had received his 238 hits, Green was tired. His back had lacerations, fresh and old, littered and still he had to read the same book, which meant no dinner, again. He had cried of course, but his tearducts had dried after his first week. He never wanted to look into the mirror ever again, afraid to see a human failure as his reflection. When he saw a small swiss army under his sink, he was happy. He could finally ended his torture. But suddenly he heard the laughter from outside. His eyes glanced at his sister lithe body playing in the grass with other neighbors he didn't bother to know. His sister. Daisy. He must live for Daisy. If he leave her alone, he was afraid his burden would transferred to her shoulder and Daisy, his beautiful sister, should never felt this. He would do his best to protect her smile, even if he needed to sacrifice his own happiness. That day, he tucked away the device and bandaged his wrist. When he almost lost hope, he would placed several slits, never to deep, redressed the wound, and hidden everything again.

Yesterday, Prof. Oak had told him that he was going into a conference in Unova and will be back in three days. He had placed 6 books on top of his unread books (3 books; 2 thick 1 thin) to a total of 9 books, his current book excluded. He wondered what would happen if he didn't finish everything. Would it be more belt strikes? Maybe no more food for a week? He wondered when will he died out of starvation? If he die, would Daisy cry for him? Would anybody cry for him? A piece of human garbage chosen to be the genius Prof. Oak's successor. No wonder he couldn't do anything. He would never surpassed Red, he was afterall just a trash.

When the moonlight shone upon his bedside, he was on his third book. When he opened the next page, he remembered the last page was about the weakness of a pokemon...which pokemon was it?...he heard a knock on his window. He looked to see a blurry figure on top of....a flying pokemon. The pokemon looked familiar, but he had forgotten what its name. Green tried to rub his eyes, it might clear the fog in his sight. But to no avail, he still needed to squint. Then he saw the red hat. Oh he knew that. It was Red's hat. Years of growing up with his friend had made him easily distinguished Red's signature hat from the others. What was he doing here? Wasn't he gone? It also seemed like he tried to open the glass window.

So Green had tried to stand, only to fall to the floor. His head hurt and everything spinning, even if he closed his eyes. He knew that Red had frantically knocked on the glass now. But Green had no more strength to walk, not even to sit. All he could do was lying on the floor and seeing Red's figure hitting his window and slowly slipped into darkness.

-chapter break-

Red was shaken when Green just lied there unconscious after trying to stand. He could see how little energy left upon Green's battered body. Daisy had been right about everything. Green had been suffering and he knew nothing about it. As he was helplessly calling for Green from outside, Prof. Oak had left with Green's room key, he realized that Pikachu had poked his shoulder again and again. He looked to his precious pokemon to see him pointing to a small opening of Green's other window. Red understood and without directing, Charizard had moved them. Red helped Pikachu slipped to the small space and the mouse pokemon managed to open the window latched. Red came in through the medium window space to Green's side. He placed a finger to his friend's neck to find a weak force pushing into his finger. He gave a relief sigh. Then Red took Green's old sling bag and stuffed several clothes inside it. He ran to the toilet for a first aid box beneath the sink. Some bandage and medicines he deemed worthy was placed inside the bag's pockets while the box was left behind. Red slung the bag on his body before taking Green's fluffiest blanket on the cupboard to cover its owner's body. Red easily lifted Green's body to his arms, realizing how thin the man was. After everything was ready, he climbed back, this time slowly as not to lose his hold on Green, into Charizard's back. The fire pokemon descended them to the ground. Daisy had been waiting for them there and hugged her pale brother for awhile. Then she kissed his cold cheek before Red moved him back to his earlier position, head on his shoulder.

Daisy then handed him things, another bag and pokeballs. The bag turned out containing light foods and the pokeballs, as Red predicted, was Green's pokemons that had been kept in Prof. Oak's room. Red gave her a sad smile and Charizard lowered his neck so Daisy could placed the bag on his neck while Pikachu holding the pokeballs which placed in another bag. His mother was also there, giving both boys hug and then Charizard flew back to their home in Mt. Silver.

Red exhaled as he felt the usual snow on his skin. He was adapted to Mt. Silver's extreme weather. But the figure on his arms trembled and curled itself in attempt to chase the cold. Red murmured an apologize. His hold on Green's body tighten as they neared the cavern.

-chapter break-

Green felt warm. His mind still loading from the overwhelming warmth which was enveloping his body. He slowly recognized the soft material of his blanket. His eyes glanced down to see green clothe surrounding him. Did he fall asleep? He still had 7 more books to read and the Professor was going home tomorrow! He didn't have enough time to sleep!!

His body caught up with his brain and he managed to twitch his hands. But his body. Wouldn't. Move. At all! What-What happened? His body wouldn't cooperate at all and he was afraid he couldn't even sit. Why didn't he fallen sleep on his desk, preferably on top of his book. That way he could still read it. Maybe, maybe the answer would come from there. He might be able to eat! But no! His treacherous body had decided to stop working. He felt tears pooling before they poured to the clothe in front of him. His body shuddered from his fear and he curled, trying to hide his tears.

"Green?"

Green's silent cry stopped. That was Red's voice. What?

"Green, are you awake?"

Then a hand cupped his hollowed cheek and lifted his face to stare into a familiar face.

"Red?" He called.

Was he dreaming? Or dead? Because Red had been missing for two months and nobody knew where he was. Was he finally kicked the bucket?

Green felt a thumb swiped his tears away.

"I'm sorry"

Then Green was embraced, the warmth was from his favourite blanket and Red's body covering him. Green could only laid there while Red rubbed his back through the flannel.

After a while, Red helped him sat in front of him, Red's leg on each side, his head tucked on Red's neck crook, and his back could lean on Red's warm body. Green sighed contentedly.

Then he saw a yellow figure stumbling to them from the corner of his eyes. Green felt Red took something from the pokemon, he guessed pikachu, fumbling with it, and Green's nose smelt Daisy's miso soup. It smell heavenly. Unbeknownst to him, his stomach gave a pitiful sound at the stimulate. His cheek immediately redden in reply but Red just gave him a smile, pecked his forehead, and spooned some of it. Green saw the plastic spoon moved to the front of his mouth and continued up away from him. Atop him, Red blew for a bit then lower it down to Green's lips. Green opened his mouth and the liquid poured gently into his parched throat. It felt good. Before he knew it, another spoonful of miso had arrived again. Green obediently closed his lips on the spoon and let Red's deft fingers took it again. It continued until half of it was gone. Even though it was a small portion, it had been awhile since his stomach had food inside. He still ate pieces of crackers and small cup of water Red offered. Feeling content, Green slipped into another sleep.

Their routine continued for a month before Green's mind finally cleared enough to work. That day, Red retold Daisy's story while Green laid beside Red on Snorlax stomach.

"Since then, you have been asleep and woke up to eat for 28 days. Prof. Oak had went into custody  two weeks ago and jailed after his trial two days later. Daisy had moved into my house. We had been keeping in touch"

Green nodded slowly.

Does that mean Green was free? He didn't have to study anymore? He was allowed to eat when he was hungry? Did he have to go back to the 'house' after he was healthy?

"Daisy told me-" Green halted his mind "-to take care of you. Whether you want to be here or in my house in Pallet Town is up to you, I will still take care of you whichever you choose"

Green thought for a bit. If they went back to Pallet Town, he would finally be able to meet his sister and give his gratitude to Red's mother. Yet his body still trembled thinking he would be near Prof. Oak's house once again. It was quite obvious.

"A-Am I allowed to be here?"

He could see Red frowned at him. Did he ask wrong? Was he tricked? Afterall this time and Red didn't want him to add his burden. Oh, how wrong he was to think everything Red did was because he care. Red himself should've realized how big their difference. Red DID beat him along their journey and-

Red pulled his body to him

"I want you here"

It was the second time Green breakdown in front of Red.

The days after, Green slowly build back his physic, he still loved to make Red fed him, and mental (Red praising him when he learned new things when they were sparring). His pokemons had hugged him the second they were released from pokeballs. Charizard followed his original trainer since day one. Each day, Red taught him how to live in the cave. Unexpectedly, the place was quite homey. You need fire? They have Charizard. Water to drink or bath? Blastoise to the rescue, and lately they found a hot water source on the deeper side of the cave. Some earth type pokemon had helped them build a pool after Red healed their injuries from other trainers. Food was readied by Pikachu, Venusaur, and others to pick near the forest when their supply had diminished. Not to mention they have a weekly parcel of food and potions and two pieces of letters both eagerly wrote back. Their bed was several rugged clothes on Snorlax side to protect them from the wind near Charizard and whoever pokemon wanted to gather near. Green had shared his blanket for they both use. Red had refused at first, saying Green hadn't adapted yet. But the previous champion was stubborn and Red reluctantly use it. Each day their body had migrated to each other and Green often found himself spooned by Red. Sometimes his eyes opened to see Red's black shirt in front of him and Red's arm slung over his waist. When he realized the condition he was in, he couldn't help the blood rushing to his cheeks and even more when Red awoke to kiss his nose, muttering a 'good morning, Green'.

He doesn't have to study excessively anymore, he eats and sleeps regularly, his sister safely living with someone he can trust, and he is always near his Red, his champion, and his partner. He is free. Green has never been this happy in his entire life and he is proud of who he is.

#pokemon #pokemon red #pokemon green #red (pokemon) #green (pokemon) #ookido green #reguri #red x green #red x blue #pikachu #eevee #daisy oak #green oak #samuel oak #lapras #charizard #snorlax #abuse #child abuse #hurt/comfort #angst #starvation #self-esteem issues #self-harm #selective mutism #red's mom #fanfiction #ao3

[shanlulu-writing]

Levi X reader  - I Am All Yours - Part 2

So here it is, I hope that you like it, I have been really worrying about keeping true to Levi. I hope I have done him justice. Please let me know what you would like to see in the future, or what we could throw at Levi to make him fall off his throne  I am more than willing to be a sacrifice to be thrown at him *wink wink* Any Critique or comments are always welcomed as it will further my writing skills. Thanks to all of those who have commented so far, I really do appreciate it. Much Love, Lulu xxx !!Caution!! Swearing and Mature themes from the outset Part 2 “I think it has everything to do with me.” His fingers trace your wound, you can't help but feel there is something wrong with him completely ignoring your personal space. Every touch was agony, and you try your best to lean away from him. “Idiot, stay still. It will hurt more if you struggle.” “Say that to all the girls do you?” You retort flippantly. He glares at you, which makes you feel a little better, you managed to piss him off. Yet you can't help but notice a hint of a smirk at the edge of his mouth, you didn't like where this was going, being this close you could see flickers of what he was thinking, even if they were generally only taunting you. He looks away from you and tilts your chin upwards so he can take a better look. It is only then you realise that he is leaning most of his body weight on you so he was close as he could be to look at your neck. You never thought you would be this close to him again, especially outside of a fight. He smelt, the only way you could describe, as clean, with a hint of cologne. If it had been anyone else you probably would have gone weak at the knees, but you could only feel defenceless and bitter around him. Something about him completely disarmed you, and all you had were your words, which seemed other than an annoyance, completely ineffective. “At least I can control myself around the opposite sex.” He didn't move away from his ministrations. Is he going on about Eren again? What was his problem with him? Your tensing made your muscles ache, and against your better judgement, you relax your body. You hear a small chuckle emanate from your 'personal doctor', he obviously felt the change in your body. His hand moves to the side of your neck and rests it there, supporting your aching muscles. His hands were like Eren's, rough, but so cold, you could almost feel the icy grasp seep into your skin, you decide to   concentrate on the ceiling, rather than the uncomfortable situation. He tilts your head in the opposite direction from him and sighs. “There's no permanent damage, you may have a little scar tissue here.” He traces a finger down a particularly tender part of your neck. It stung, but within that touch, your heart started to beat a little faster and you became increasingly more conflicted in what you were feeling. What the heck was going on? Why were you acting like this? He was an asshole! One that almost killed you!! “No thanks to you.” You reply offhand manner. “Yes, I am aware of that. I do not have any remorse as to what happened, however, I am regretful that you are in unnecessary discomfort.” He distances himself from you and cleans his hands in a wash bowl in the corner of the room. You raise an eyebrow. “Is that some kind of convoluted way of saying sorry?” It would be a bloody miracle if it was, you watch as he dries his hands and settles back down at his desk. “Tsk. Take it as you will.” You sit back down and wrap the discarded scarf back around your neck. You eye him, carefully trying not to draw too much attention to what you were doing. His skin still looked perfect, his black hair falling over his eyes as he wrote. You wonder what he would look like if he actually smiled, probably quite attractive at any rate, if he wasn't a class A prick. You watch his hands as he writes, his hands weren't so much like Eren's at all, on reflection, his were smaller, with slender dexterous fingers. Interesting that you had never noticed these details before, and it frightened you as to where your thoughts were taking you. You reprimand yourself, you were still angry at him, and scared as hell, wondering when he might snap again. Maybe it was because you were so scared that your body was reacting to him like that, almost like a survival instinct. You ponder on whether you would prefer to be killed by a titan or the Captain, it didn't take much thought, you would take your chance with a titan. “You can paint a picture if you like.” You jump as you hear him speak, you didn't realise he had noticed you watching him. You laugh nervously. “What do you know, I'm all out of paint!” You flash him an obviously fake smile and watch him roll his eyes. “Look Captain Ackerman-” “Captain Levi is fine.” “Fine, whatever, Captain Levi. Do you actually need me for something or am I just going to sit here all day?” He raises his eyes to meet yours, his tongue quickly flicking over his bottom lip. “If I require you to sit there then you sit, brat. However, now you mention it I wouldn't mind a cup of tea.” “What?!” He raises his eyebrow. “Black, strong, and bitter.” He lowers his head and returns to his papers. Sighing you get up from your seat. “Are you sure we are talking about tea?” You say as you walk out the door with a smirk. He mumbles something under his breath but you aren't able to catch it. Happy to be out of his office, you almost skip at your new found freedom. You head towards the kitchen, glad to be away from his intense stare and the even colder way that he manhandles you. It shocks you how happy you feel, though why, you couldn't say why. You feel your stomach growl, you hadn't eaten, now you think of it, you hadn't drunk anything either, and felt your head start to feel fuzzy. You make a note to grab something while you are in the kitchen. You are just about to turn the corner when someone grabs your arm and pulls you into an adjacent corridor. With a yelp you land in warm arms, and blink a little at the confusion, only to see blue-green eyes staring back at you. “Eren?” He smiles at you and lets you go. “Heh, Sorry about that. I wanted to get to you before he finds us talking.” His comment sounded strange to you. He finds us? You look at him quizzically. “The girls told me he had sent you to his office. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” “I'm fine Eren. He just creeps me out that's all.” Eren looks at you sceptically. “Has he laid a finger on you?” You couldn't lie, but you didn't want Eren to make things worse. “Well-” You start. “He fucking has, hasn't he!” You can feel the anger radiate off of him. You start to feel yourself shaking, all of this stress had really worn you down. “I'm going to kick the living shit out of him when I see him! I will not have him treat you like this!” “Eren, please. Stop. I can handle this. He just grabbed my chin that was all. Nothing bad, and he was just looking over my neck, that's it. Nothing to worry about.” You weren't going to mention that he had his body pressed up against you for about fifteen minutes, that would only add fuel to the fire. You couldn't believe that you were defending him, in a sense, a few days ago you would have formed a queue for punches, but this situation was so odd, you were confused about what exactly you were meant to do. “He tried to kill you!” He lowers his voice, obviously trying to make sure that your conversation wasn't overheard. He places his hand on the wall behind you, making sure you will listen to him. You were sandwiched between the wall and Eren, another first, you might get an award at this rate. “I really appreciate that you are trying to protect me, and I would do the same for you if the roles were reversed. But I cannot, and will not have someone fight my battles for me. You are so caring-” You place a hand on his cheek and gave him a friendly smile. “And you have no idea how much that means to me, but I will not have you getting involved in this, it would only make things worse.” He places his other hand wall beside your head, you were well and truly trapped now. Your head feels like it's about to explode as a sharp pain rips through your head. Typical now a headache! “He's threatened you! You are going to tell me next that you aren't allowed to talk to me, for some fucked up pathetic reason, but it will be because he knows that you cannot protect yourself from him. Don't you see? I don't know what his aim in all of this is but it can't be good.” “Eren, he-” You feel another wave of dizziness, and a second stabbing pain in your head. Within moments you feel yourself falling and losing consciousness. ~ “Jaeger! What the fuck do you think you are doing?” The sound was fuzzy at first becoming clearer as you come to. You try to lift your head, but with your neck the way it was, it was too much of a struggle. You open your eyes as you see that you are being carried, on the way to the infirmary, with Captain Levi marching towards the both of you. Oh, Shit! “What do you think I am doing?” Eren replies angrily. “I am taking her to the infirmary so she can rest like she is supposed to. Not only is it bad enough that you are the one that caused all of this shit, you make her work when she is meant to be healing!” His voice was getting louder with each word. “Brat, shut your fucking mouth. The orders came from Commander Erwin. Not that I have to explain myself to you. She was off making tea and I came to find her, only to see that she is unconscious and with you.” The Captain sneered at Eren, you can feel Eren's grip tighten on you as you sense him getting angrier. “What does it matter that she is with me? At least she is safe. You almost killed her!” “Safe? May I remind you of what happened to Mikasa, while she was under your protection?” Captain Levi's voice was mocking in tone, face as always, devoid of emotion. You feel Eren's heart beat louder and faster. “You shut the hell up about that! It wasn't like that! This was different, you did it with the full intention of hurting her.” “Tsk.” You hear him tut. This was going to get nasty if you didn't do something to stop them. You wiggle free of Eren's grasp and set your feet on the ground still feeling wobbly. “Both of you, calm down!” Your voice cracks as you speak, and sounds laboured. “Please stop arguing. I don't know why you are butting heads over this.” You look at Captain Levi. “It's true you tried to kill me, for what reason, I'm at a loss. I've never done anything to you to warrant your anger and neither has Eren. You have a problem with me, take it out on me, don't involve him.” You stumble as you begin to take a step towards him. You are caught before you manage to hit the floor and find yourself being held up by the Captain. “(First name)” Eren shouts as he tries to come to your aid, but all you hear is skin hitting skin, you hear Eren grunt and stumble backwards. What the hell had Captain Levi done? You had told them to stop. May as well have been speaking fucking Latin! You try to put weight on your feet again, in an attempt to put an end to this stupid squabble; only for your legs to do a very good impression of jelly on a plate. “That's enough discussion, Jaeger. Go and ask the cooks to make something for her to eat and drink.” Eren tries to object. “Enough. Do as I say!” You hear Eren growl at him and walk away. He picks you up, very much in the same way Eren was carrying you. “For fuck sake woman, can you not doing anything you are told? You have no respect at all, do you? Fucking useless brat.” You look up to meet his face. He seemed angry. Was it because of Eren again? Or the fact that you hadn't made him tea? You feel completely hopeless, being carried by someone your mind hated, your body was scared of and your heart...should bloody well despise him too! You hang your head, ashamed of yourself. “I. I'm sorry Sir.”  You sound, for the first time, remorseful, though really you were just bitterly disappointed in yourself. You hear him chuckle, he doesn't speak, but you know then, whatever battle you were fighting, you had lost. You were soon sat on the sofa in his office feeling particularly sick. All you wanted to do was go to your bed in the dorm and sleep for a week. Whatever had been happening, you still couldn't fathom, why you were still in the Captain's office was any ones guess. A knock at the door echoes into the room. “Enter.” Eren walks in, you can tell he is clenching his teeth and eyes are raging. He must have still been fuming about the remark about Mikasa, you wonder what had happened. It was a cheap shot, even for the Captain. He places the tray on the table in front of you, and you see that the cooks have prepared a bowl of soup and a glass of water for you. You must remember to thank them, it looks delicious, but you know you couldn't eat a mouthful, your stomach turns at the thought of eating it. “Thank you,” You say helplessly. You hate the way you felt, it was so alien to you. This was the first time that an injury had affected you this much, and you hated it. Just as much as you hated what was going on. You see Eren watching you cautiously, he pauses, and you shake your head, looking at him pleadingly, you couldn't take any more fighting. “Go.” Captain Levi commands. With one last glance, Eren resentfully leaves you alone with him again. Great. Feeling sick and being stuck with Mr obnoxious. “Eat.” One word, that's it, just one. Not are you okay? Did you need to sleep? Did you want me to jump off a cliff? Yes. Fucking. Please. “I'm not hungry.” You answer sullenly. He walks round the table and bends down to you, nailing you with his stare. “I told you to eat, so eat.” “I am not hungry, I feel sick.” He sits down next to you stiffly. He seems uncomfortable with the situation. You hear him take a deep breath. “Just eat the fucking food” He pauses. “Please.” You cough as your breath gets stuck in your throat. He just said please. Hell has well and truly frozen over and the dead will rise from their graves! You blink at him aghast, words formulate in your mind but never make it to your mouth. He sighs. “Don't look at me like that. I am more than capable of asking nicely, and as I have done so; Eat!” You try your hardest to eat but only manage a few mouthfuls. You do drink deeply, however, and start to feel less dizzy. You were still reeling that he even knew how to say please, this was definitely a revelation but even eating was unnerving as he just sat there observing that you do as he says. He was really quite odd. “I take this is the reason no one goes out to dinner with you.” You give him a sideways glance, just to see if he reacts. “I have no reason to take anyone out to dinner.” He says matter-of-factly.   “Ah, hah! I'm right! You're a creep, and just a bit of advice, you might make a few friends if you don't try and either insult them or kill them.” He gets up from his seat and sets your tray on the sideboard close to the door. “Fancy yourself as becoming my friend, do you?” His voice gave himself away that he was actually amused. You think back on what you just said and wonder where you went wrong. You shake your head violently, instantly regretting it as your neck reminded you that you are still injured. “No, I didn't sign up for that. I like living. Thanks for the offer, though.” You breathe in relief, glad  you had got yourself out it, completely missing he had just played you. “Such a shame.” The sarcasm just oozed out of his mouth. You clench your teeth as you realise he had completely outwitted you, again. He sits down on the table, where your tray previously sat. “And I had already arranged walks in the park, and feeding the ducks together.” “Thank goodness for that, I hate ducks.” You desperately try to deviate away from the winning look he had in his eyes. You sit back in the sofa, trying to make a bigger gap between you. You stifle a yawn and feel your body desperately fighting off sleep. “Look, I am really tired, Captain Levi. The last couple of days have been deathly tiring.” You shot him a glare of disdain. “But I really need to get some rest. I feel like shit.” He nods, eyes becoming their standard emotionless state, and he stands up. “It would be best if you were to stay in my quarters.” You were half getting up as he said the words and you pause. “Excuse me?” “It is merely for your benefit. My room has a fire, and is also closer to the infirmary if an emergency occurs-” “Like me being murdered” you mutter. He continues, ignoring your comment. “If an emergency occurs, then I will be able to get you to a medic sooner. Believe me, it is an inconvenience, I will have to sleep on the sofa.” “Don't put yourself out Sir” You say in a desperate attempt to get yourself out of his clutches. “The infirmary still has me reserved in for another night of observations, so it would be best really to stay there.” “You will stay here, brat. That is final.” Oh, joy, now you weren't even going to be awake to witness your own death. Maybe he might even write a eulogy explaining your death at your funeral. “For now, however, rest.” He walks you over to the closed door on the opposite side of the room and guides you through. He starts making a fire as you scan your eyes over his room. It was still fairly bare, much like most others, with a few books dotted on tatty dark wood furniture. The bed was neatly made, and in your current state, captivatingly inviting. Gone were your worries of death, you just needed to sleep. You sit on the bed and take your shoes off, slowly, as your neck threatens to cause more pain. You unwrap the scarf from around your neck and slip your jacket off and lay them on the end of the bed. You sit there for a while as you watch the Captain expertly fan the small flames to help the wood catch fire. The flames entrance you being so close to sleep, and even sitting up you can feel yourself drifting off. You feel yourself slipping away, when you hear a 'tsk' close by, and hands pushing you onto the bed ,lifting your feet up so you are fully laying down and cover you up with numerous blankets. You try to say thank you but your body doesn't respond and just before you slip off into sleep you hear the Captain speak, though not to you, as he walks out the room. “What the fuck am I doing?” ~ You wake feeling a little more refreshed and feeling better than you did before your sleep. You look outside to see that it was still daylight. Had you slept at all? Taking your jacket and your boots, you slip them back on quickly, finishing with wrapping your scarf around your neck. You get up, making the bed, and glance at the fire. It was still slowly burning; Captain Levi must have kept it topped up, or not at all, you muse, reminding yourself that it was still light. Walking into the office you don't see the Captain. Taking the chance, you walk out and proceed to the infirmary to get checked over. It didn't take long, and they give you some more salve to put on your skin. It is when you are told it is actually a day later, you had slept all of yesterday and all night. Crap it! You thank them for all their help and make your way to the mess hall, you were desperately hungry. “(first name). I'm so glad I caught you.” Sasha bounds over to you, she seems excited to see you. “It's lunch time!” You laugh, you should have known. “But asides from that, you didn't come back to the dorm last night, and when I looked for you in the infirmary before breakfast you weren't there either.�� She squealed. “Were you with Levi? What's going on?” “Nothing is going on Sasha. I stayed in his room because he has a fire.” You speak very slowly for the next part. “He didn't stay in his room.” You made that part very clear, there was very distinctly nothing going on. “Well, people are saying that he did it so he could spend time with you.” You roll your eyes, and laugh, beginning to walk with her to the mess hall. People surely had better things to do rather than gossip, they also needed to get their heads straight. “Really? Come on. He probably just red misted, we have seen so many people do it, there's too many pent up emotions in this place and the fact we are all stuck together. He had a massive fight with Eren yesterday though..” you trail off. “That explains why Eren was moody yesterday then. What did they argue about?” “I don't really know. I don't think he was happy with me being around Eren and he mentioned something about not keeping Mikasa safe.” It still seemed strange to you, half of it, you didn't understand. “Oh, yeah. When Eren turned into a titan to block up the wall he went for her. Could have been quite nasty.” She paused and changed the subject. “But, he wasn't happy with you and Eren, surely that must tell you he likes-” You clap your hand over her mouth as you reach the hall, and place a finger on your lips to show silence. “Enough, he is an asshole! It doesn't matter whether he does or not, nothing is going on.” You glare at her as she inanely giggles at you. Maybe talking to her wasn't such a good idea. You make your way to the far end of the hall and grab your lunch. You take the chance to thank the cooks for your food yesterday and walk off to find your teammates. “Well well look who it is, Mrs Ackerman.” You hear Jean jeer at you. “Don't tell me you're listening to that shit as well? I thought better of you.” You roll your eyes as you sit down next to Armin. “Hi (first name)” Armin greats you smiling. “Hey, Armin. You don't believe the crap that everyone is gossiping about do you?” He was one that you hoped wouldn't be swayed by the rumours. “I don't think that Captain Levi likes anyone particularly. Just hates us all equally.” He offers you a reassuring smile, you could have hugged him. You feel triumphant that you had managed to find someone who actually possessed a thought for themselves. Worrying really, the saviours of humanity couldn't work out fiction from reality. “Thank goodness. I honestly thought everyone had gone mad.” You laugh and begin to eat. “I think there is something in it, though.” You gaze across at the voice opposite you, Mikasa, chin resting in her hands looking thoughtful. You can't believe that Miss Stoic was actually entertaining the idea. Maybe you were still in a dream. “No, think about it. He gives you a hard time from the get-go, punishes you for the silliest things, especially if Eren is involved, and then loses his temper, really hurts you and then spends the next day keeping an eye on you.” “I am really disappointed in you Mikasa, I expected you of all people to know it was all bullshit.” She gives you a dismissive look and shifts her weight onto her other hand. “I am just giving my opinion. The facts are there to see, it's just how you put it all together.” “Wrongly, that's what it is.” Eren sits down at the table next to Mikasa. “I don't care who it is, no one should treat anyone like that, especially my friends.” You smile at the thought of Eren calling you a friend, it was a very lovely sound to hear. Sasha bounds up to the table and joins in the conversation. “Oh don't get all angry again Eren. He likes her it's obvious, we need to do something to get him to show her.” “NO!” Everyone shouted, at least they were in agreement with that. If by some twisted reality they were right, then him 'showing he liked her' was a death wish. Sasha's face fell and sat down at the table quietly. You had stopped eating, you didn't feel hungry anymore. You look despondently at your food and sigh. “Hey, don't worry about it. Have you put more of that cream on your neck today?” Eren changes the subject, your shoulders relax in relief, you had had your fill of stupid gossiping for the day. You shake your head and pull out a small bottle out of your pocket to show him. He nods, walks round the table and gets Armin to shuffle up so he can sit facing you. “You want me to do it? Take your scarf off then and I'll put it on.” You wind the scarf off your neck hesitantly, you didn't want the whole squad to see. You hear gasps from your table and other tables around you. You close your eyes, trying to pretend that you were somewhere else. You feel Eren shuffle closer to you. “It's okay, just ignore them. Right, this will probably hurt, grab my hand again, like last time and I'll get it done as quickly as possible.” You nod, move your hand to his, your eyes still shut tightly. You gasp as he starts applying it, it stings like a bitch. You grab his hand as he runs his fingers across your skin, you can feel your eyes watering at the pain and you bite your lip. One day you would make Captain Levi pay for this pain, you promised. Finally, he finished and you breathed deeply, opening your eyes. Everyone was still looking at you, horrified. “I am so sorry (first name)” Sasha stutters. “Yeah, shit I'm sorry if I knew he was hurting you that badly I would have got him off of you” Jean adds, you can see his eyes were full of guilt. “Don't worry guys, honestly it's fine.” You wrap your scarf around your neck once more and feel the  hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Your eyes widen, as you see the look on Eren's face, you turn quickly to see Captain Levi striding towards your table. How long had be been there?You stand up quickly to stop his advance. “Captain Levi, what can we do for you?” You are shocked to see that he is almost boiling over with anger. Eren stands up behind you, you reach out behind you and put your hand on his chest to stop him from coming closer. You see the Captain, try to compose himself. “You did not report to me as soon as you awoke.” You raise an eyebrow, that wasn't what he was angry about, you could see that quite clearly. “I had to go to the infirmary for more cream and a check up. I then came here to have some lunch. I am eating like I was told to do so. So there is no problem here is there?” You said firmly, you were not having these two starting a row in the middle of lunch. Captain Levi had to maintain a sense of decorum around his subordinates. “You completely disregarded a direct order, brat.” You could feel everyone around you starting to tense. Eren was trying to push your hand away but you stood firm. You had your friends around you, you weren't going to back down now and you were fed up of being called a brat. “My name is (first name, Last name), not brat! And what order was that sir? The one where I am not allowed to talk to anyone? Or a new one that I am not allowed to let anyone help me put cream on the injury that you caused?” You heard a few intakes of breath and everything was silent. “No, it was back chatting me!” He grabs your wrist and yanks you towards him. “You will not fucking disobey me again” He jerks you so hard you lose your balance and start stumbling towards him, in the same moment he starts pulling you down the hall. “No fucking way” You hear Eren shout and footsteps behind you. You look back and see Jean and a few others holding Eren back. He tries his best to get loose but fails. You hear someone trying to calm down and Armin runs off to go and find Erwin. You try to get your arm back but without much luck, you wonder how you ended up in this situation again. You were just beginning to feel normal again and he had to start acting weird. What the hell was his problem? “Why are you such a fucking idiot?” He was still dragging you, you hadn't a clue where you were going. “I ask you to stay away from Eren and as soon as you can, you go straight back to him. It disgusts me.” “I haven't got a clue what you are talking about! I honestly must be missing something here, you are acting like an asshole for no reason and I don't know why!”He stops dead, causing you to crash into him. “You really are a fucking idiot” He grabs your other wrist and pushes you into the wall behind you. The thud jerks your neck instantly, and you start to panic, he was going to kill you there and then. Within the next second, you feel his lips on yours, in a hard, rough kiss. You freeze, what the fuck was this?! What the fuck was he doing?! You try to wiggle free of his hands, which he grips tighter, stopping you completely. You felt like you were watching in third person just watching it all happen, and scream internally as you see yourself relaxing into the kiss and letting him deepen the kiss. You were completely insane, maybe this was your dying wish because you would be in the ground before the night ended. If he didn't kill you, you'd dig the grave yourself. “Ahem, Levi. A word.” The kiss stopped, and you turn your head to see Erwin. You watch Levi walk off still giving you an angry glare. What the actual fuck?

#levi #levi x reader #levi aot #levixreader #fanfiction #aot #aot fanfiction #levi ackerman #levi attack on titan #levi fanfiction

[theyearoftheking]

Book 5: The Stand

Bloggers note: if you’re looking for a complete plot summary and a list of all the characters in this epic tome, this is not the blog post for you. Proceed with caution. 

Once upon a time, there was a precocious ten year-old, with divorced parents. One parent embraced her weirdness and didn’t pay attention to what books she was bringing home from the library; and the other parent was my dad... who constantly wondered (aloud) why I wasn’t like normal kids. 

Being of slightly above-average intelligence, I saw this as an affront, and did subtle things just to piss him off. Subtle things “normal” children probs wouldn’t do. The summer I was ten, my dad had picked up a paperback copy of The Stand, and was raving to me about how good it was. I remember he was fixated on people falling dead in their bowls of Chunky soup. 

“Sounds like a cool book, maybe I’ll read it,” I commented. 

“This isn’t a book for children. You still haven’t read that copy of The Hobbit I gave you.” 

Hold my beer, motherfucker. I’m here for it. And The Hobbit was boring af. I never got past all the singing. 

Just to piss him off, I read the book cover to cover, faster than he did. You know, like normal vindictive ten year-old girls do. I don’t have a lot of memories of my dad growing up, but I hold onto this one fast and tight, because I got mine in the end. I was like the Trashcan Man of the fifth grade set. Just with a worse haircut. See below. 

Needless to say, my comprehension of The Stand almost thirty years later is a little bigger, wider, and deeper. It’s also colored by other epic “Good vs. Evil” reads (sigh, yes... even Tolkien); and King’s other works (mostly The Dark Tower). While at times this was not an easy book to read, I’m glad I powered through it. Ultimately, I feel rewarded I didn’t give up on page 872 like I had initially wanted to. I’m also glad I didn’t go with my gut instinct of reading the original released in in 1978, and then later on the uncut edition that was released in 1990. One reading of The Stand per year is more than enough, thank you. And besides, there’s fun pictures along the way! I mean, if I’m being honest, the book is mostly pictures with just a few words here and there to break it up. I’m absolutely kidding. 

Let’s get into it, shall we?

First of all, I picked the worst fucking time to read this book. Coronavirus is probably going to kill the whole world, and I refuse to be one of the survivors like in The Stand. There’s not enough bourbon in Kentucky for me to survive that shit show. Additionally, my family is huge into board games, and we thought Pandemic might be a fun cooperative game to try. Spoiler: it’s awesome, we’re all hooked on it. I highly recommend it for your next game night. Maybe an End of the World/Pandemic theme?? You can all wear gloves and masks, eat shelf stable foods and bottled water, and play REM on repeat. Sounds... awesome. 

But I digress. The Stand is your ultimate post-apocalyptic good versus evil showdown. A government employee with Captain Trips (the world ending virus) goes AWOL from his base, and takes a frantic road trip across the country with his family, where he manages to contaminate everyone he comes in contact with. 

What is Captain Trips? Well, I’m so glad you asked! To hear a doctor explain it, “We’ve got a disease with several well-defined stages... but some people may skip a stage. Some people may backtrack a stage. Some people may do both. Some people stay in one stage for a relatively long time and others zoom though all four as if they were on a rocket-sled...” 

The virus spreads (like viruses do), until there’s less than 15,000 people left in the country (rough estimate). The people still alive start having two types of dreams; either scary nightmares about The Walking Man, or peaceful dreams about Mother Abigail. Again... good versus evil. Guess who is who. If you need clarification, let me give you this one little quote about Randall Flagg, courtesy of Mother Abigail, “He’s the purest evil left in the world. The rest of the bad is a little evil. Shoplifters and sexfiends and people who like to use their fists. But he’ll call them. He’s started already. He’s getting them together a lot faster than we are. Before he’s ready to make his move, I guess he’ll have a lot more. Not just the evil ones that are like him, but the weak ones... the lonely ones... and the ones that have left God out of their hearts.” 

And his followers?

“They were nice enough people and all, but there wasn’t much love in them. Because they were too busy being afraid. Love didn’t grow very well in a place where there was only fear, just as plants didn’t grow very well in a place where it was always dark.” 

Yeah. I’m just going to leave that there for you to read and digest. 

So, the remaining people from all over the country either ended up in Vegas with Flagg, or Boulder with Mother Abigail and The Free Zone; which is basically Bernie Sander’s Utopian dream. 

God damn it! I swore I wasn’t going to get political and compare Donald Trump to Randall Fla- 

Ok, so The Free Zone. Most of the people who come to Boulder, want to meet Mother Abigail Freemantle, the one hundred and eight year old black woman they’ve been dreaming about. She’s got a self-described case of the shine, and speaks stupid relevant truth to her followers, “I have harbored hate of the Lord in my heart. Every man or woman who loves Him, they hate Him too, because He’s a hard God, a jealous God, He Is, what He Is, and in this world He’s apt to repay service with pain while those who do evil ride over the roads in Cadillac cars. Even the joy of serving Him is a bitter joy. I do His will, but the human part o me has cursed Him in my heart.” 

I’m not religious, but that hit hard. And it shows you the clear difference between Randall Flagg, and Mother Abigail. 

Later on, Mother Abigail also hits us over the head, and explains to us why this book is titled, The Stand: “But he is in Las Vegas, and you must go there, and it is there that you will make your stand. You will go, and you will not falter, because you have the Everlasting Arm of the Lord God of Hosts to lean on. Yes. With God’s help you will stand.”

Spoiler: it doesn’t quite go according to her plan. Very few are left standing at the end.

 So, The Free Zone. People come together, dispose of dead bodies, get electricity turned back on again, clear the roads of abandoned cars, and form a de-facto government. While lots of characters come and go (die. They die.) throughout the book, there are a few mainstays in The Free Zone: Franny, Harold, Stu, Larry, Nick, Tom, Nadine, and Lucy. But again... good versus evil. While most of the residents of The Free Zone are good, Flagg is able to whisper in the ears of some members, mostly Harold and Nadine, who end up defecting and making the trip to Vegas. 

While socialist utopia is succeeding in Boulder, Flagg is ruling with fear of crucifixion in Vegas. His henchmen include Lloyd, and The Trashcan Man. Oh, Trashy... maybe one of King’s most iconic characters. He’s a bit of a firebug (understatement of the century), and really goes out in a blaze of glory (ha. Pun intended). 

In fact, the two heroes of this book are Trashcan Man, thanks to his epic nuclear disaster; and simple-minded Tom Cullen, who is able to infiltrate Flagg’s inner circle, and successfully make it out, rescuing Stu Redman, who is dying in the desert with a broken leg and a horrible infection along the way. Tom Cullen is the character you root for. But Trashy is the character you’re always curious about. He’s like that rebel guy you dated in high school for ten minutes, and now stalk on Facebook, because you want to see what shady shit he’s up to twenty years later. 

This is the biggest oversimplification I think I’ve ever written. The onus is on you to just pick up the damn book and read it yourself. Do it soon, because you might not have a lot of time left, what with Coronavirus breathing it’s death fumes down our necks. 

For those still keeping track, we have TWO Wisconsin references in The Stand. The first was on page five, set in a gas station in East Texas, “...had covered himself with glory as a quarterback of the regional high school team, had gone on to Texas A&M with an athletic scholarship, and had played for ten years with the Green Bay Packers...” 

I can’t help but feel Steve is a closeted Packers fan. He lives in Maine, so I know he’s contractually obligated to be a Patriots fan (gag), but come on... homeboy loves him some green and yellow. 

The second reference comes from our friend Trashcan Man, while trying to find a walking route of possible destruction. “He had planned to get over to the west side of Gary, near the confusion of interchanges leading various roads towards Chicago or Milwaukee...”

Question... does Gary, Indiana still smell in a post-apocalyptic world? Asking for a friend. 

We also start getting the Dark Tower references fast and heavy. I didn’t make note every time Steve referenced wolves, crows, or wheels; because we’d be up over a million references now. And Randall Flagg himself is straight out of The Tower. So that’s fun. And we have our first “ka” reference: “And it came to him with a dreamy, testicle-shriveling certainty that this was the dark man, his soul, his ka somehow projected into this rain-drenched, grinning crow that was looking at him...”

‘Tis ka, bitches. 

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 8

Dark Tower References: 4

Book Grade: A- 

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books 

The Shining

The Stand

‘Salem’s Lot

Carrie 

Night Shift

Next up is The Dead Zone, which I must have watched a million times as a kid, because my mom was obsessed with it, but I’ve never actually read the book. So this should be fun! I mean... who doesn’t love reading a book and imagining Christopher Walken without his cowbell as the main character? 

Long Days and Pleasant Nights, Rebecca 

[angelkurenai]

Making memories - Bucky Barnes x Reader

Title: Making memories

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: None

Prompt: Hello love! I was wondering if you could do a Bucky x Reader one shot where Bucky and reader have always been close, she helped him regain his memories and such. And instead of the events of Infinity War tearing them apart, none of that happens and he is shy about asking her out. lots of fluff please! love you 

The sun was beaming at the beautiful land that lay before his eyes. A soft smile graced Bucky's lips as he fed the animals and appreciated the warmth and peace he found during these days. It somehow made him feel as if the sun of Wakandawas different from that of the rest of the world and he could gladly get used to it. After all, he knew you loved animals it would be that hard to convince you to try this out. You, well, whatever he was doing or thinking it seemed like you always had a way of finding your own way into his thoughts before he could stop it.

Lately, whatever he did, he caught himself wondering what you'd think about it. Maybe it was th fact that he was missing you, but he couldn't ask you to stay with him in Wakanda when he wasn't nothing more to you than a dear friend. Despite how close you were, you had a family to go back to that missed you. But maybe, one day and if he was brave enough, he could manage to experience the warmth of Wakanda's sun with you by his side as you both woke up in a shared bed in your own home. Frankly, he knew you'd follow him anywhere because he would too do the same, so long as one day you could find peace together. And maybe that day would take time to arrive but he was willing to wait.

After all, he'd waited all of his life to find his other half... what would a couple more days do? That was, so long as he survived.

He took a deep breath and pushed away every thought of you or your beautiful smile so that he could prepare himself for the inevitable when he locked eyes with T'Challa. He had to gather all of his strength and will, but above all reminded himself to not let the disappointment that all of this had to be over soon show on his face.

He took a look at the arm of vibranium the king provided him with before daring to speak “Where's the fight?”

He was looking at the hand, missing the small smile that formed on T'Challa's lips before he said calmly “There is no fight this time for the soldier.”

Bucky looked up in surprise before he frowned, not sure if he should believe him or he meant to say something worse “Then what is this for?”

“Well...” T'Challa left a soft breath when he looked at him “There's only a very happy young lady, excited to see you after some time, that I believed you'd need both hands to hug her... and preferably dance with her, too.”

And no sooner had the words left his lips than realization downed on him and his lips parted in surprise. He soon caught himself smiling as he looked at it, for the first time feeling his heart soar instead of have a difficulty beating inside his chest because of the weight resting on it.

“Something about you owing her one?” T'Challa asked with a smirk.

Bucky caught himself chuckling before nodding his head “Yes, yes I did promise her one when things got calm and quiet again.”

“Then it seems like it's time for the soldier to have that dance.” he nodded his head as well.

~*~

“Took you long enough.” your cheerful voice was the first thing he registered that made him smile before he could even realize it “And then they say women take too long.”

As his eyes finally met yours he felt his breath get caught in his throat and every word he had in his mind just died in his lips as he breathed out in awe “Wow”

“Is that a good wow or a wow you look like shit?” you bit on your lower lip, giving him a nervous look.

He shook his head, approaching you with a big grin “That's a: Wow you look even more beautiful than last time I saw you, how do you do that?”

“Accepted.” you giggled before, unable to wait anymore, you hurried and jumped straight in his expecting arms that didn't miss a split second to wrap around you in a tight hug. You hugged him back with just as much longing, burying your face in the crook of his neck and taking in his scent that despite how many years passed didn't seem to change in the least bit. It reminded you so much of home and made you feel so comfortable and at peace that you only wished he could feel at least half of the things he made you feel, with you.

“You haven't changed one bit, though.” he breathed out when you both finally pulled away with smiles that were bound to make your cheeks hurt very soon.

“Wish I could say the same thing about you. Your hair's gotten longer, did you do it because I like braiding them?” you raised an eyebrow and he chuckled, leaning in to kiss your temple. He still remembered the first time he had instinctively done it and could swear he had forgotten how to breathe until you just smiled and calmed down his nerves. Ever since then, the display of affection despite you being only friends was common. You had always been more close than you could easily describe to begin with, so it hadn't surprised everybody else as much as it surprised you two – because you were ever on the phase of denial as far as the other's feelings were concerned.

He shrugged softly “Mhm perhaphs? I'll let you figure that out... that is if you actually decide to stay here long enough?”

“Smooth” you laughed softly, taking a better look at him and his clothes “Just like you today, are you trying to impress me, Barnes?” you asked and he only winked at you before linking arms with yours and you both started walking “But to answer your question, yes. Yes I'm here to stay, for as long as I possibly can.”

“And that can actually be... how long?”

“Hopefully forever.” you breathed out and he nodded his head with a grin.

“I thought you'd want to spend time with your family.” he pointed out, trying not to let his hopes get up.

“I do but I've gotten my chance with them ever rinse they beginning of my life. It's now my choice on who I spent the rest of it with... or where, of course.” you shrugged, looking away from him but he did take notice of the way you bit down on your lower lip, the way you did every time you got nervous “And Wakanda has always seemed like a good choice.”

“So I don't have a lot to do with your choice then huh?” he tried to catch some reaction and even your soft shy laugh, was enough of an answer for him.

“You really wanna hear it don't you?” you looked in his direction, meeting his eyes “Buck, you've been a constant throughout a great part of my life, you stood by my side for so long I- I can't imagine myself living a better life away from you. You're very important to me, I-” you looked down, shrugging sheepishly “I really hoped you knew that by now.”

And he did, but when you didn't include the 'best friend' part you always somehow found a way to bring up, he couldn't control the butterflies from going crazy inside his stomach “I do. As you are for me.”

“And I'm glad to know it too.” you whispered softly “Anyway, no more about me. We'll have time to talk about it later, not that there has been much going on. How have you been here? Is it all as calm as it seems? Have you found at least some sort of peace?”

“Well, I must admit this was the most calm I've been in very long, next to that one week in your old home.” he confessed with a soft sigh and smile “I've got a mall farm, you'll love the animals there, and a hut bigger han I expected so I've got some space saved for you in case, you know, wanna come by.” he gave you a small shrug before sighing softly “It feels like it's been years, though. I guess it must have been because you were away too.” he looked at you to see your smile fall and rushed to add “Not that I blame you, no. Really, (Y/n) I don't. You had a life before my old ass walked into it and brought everything upside down. I'm just- I guess you got me kind of addicted to your hugs and comfort, that's all.”

“I can't say it's not nice to hear it.” you grinned “And what about, you know, nightmares and any new memories?” you always seemed to worry a little more about those when it came to him, and he couldn't deny it made his heart skip a beat or two. You had been there through his hardest moments and helped him stand on his feet again. If you weren't there to help him deal with every piece of information his brain there at him, he knew he'd have lost it sooner or later. He regained almost every single memory thanks to you and above managed to learn how to live with the things that he'd done as the Winter Soldier because you ultimately made him realize that it wasn't him and none of it was his fault.

“I've been good so far, surprisingly so. I think I've really learned how to put everything in an order in my head, all thanks to you that is.” he smiled, looking at you “I've always been thinking about everything you told me and it always helped. Always. But then again, you always seemed to be able to occupy my mind no matter what I was doing.” he added the last part a little shyly and you bit your lower lip to keep yourself from grinning like an idiot but mostly failing.

“Can't say you're the only one suffering with that to be honest.” you admitted, eyes casted down a little awkwardly. Despite how close you were or how well you knew each, you somehow always had this effect on each other without realizing it.

“No matter what I was doing, even though I didn't really have much going on to be honest.”

“Not even a new love interest? I won't believe that, a girl like you should have all kinds of men after you, definitely the best of the best though.” he raised an eyebrow and you chuckled, shaking your head.

“Not even that. Heck, I can barely remember the last time I've been on a date to begin with.” you breathed out and despite how nervous he had been about the thought, he forced himself to utter the words in a second of bravery and courage before he could shy away.

“Then how about I give the opportunity to?” he breathed out and your head instantly perked up as your eyebrows raised in surprised.

“Pardon?” your voice was barely audible as you stopped dead in your tracks.

“I mean-” he cleared his throat, feeling more nervous than he ever had in his life before “I did promise you a dance and it would be the perfect opportunity to catch up on everything so... would you like to go out on a date with me, (Y/n)?”

“I-” to say you were at a loss for words would be a vast understatement “I would love to.”

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