#we need more wholesome shadow sixes | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

writer-rubes · 28 days

Text

Head in the Clouds

A Wholesome Fic

A/N: No need to worry, I’m still invested as heck in SAMS/LAES. I’m just gonna take a break from writing about it for a while. I can only take so much angst! Besides, I planned to do more with this blog anyway. It’s for all my obsessions, not just one!

But anyways, onto something incredibly self indulgent. I’ve been stupidly obsessed with @fluffyhare ‘s Avery! And their love, Casper, of course! They’re so sweet and cute. I adore them with all my being and all their tomfoolery. So that’s why I’m throwing in a third whe- I mean, doing some cute interactions with them with my own persona! Because honestly- I’m lonely

Casper and Avery belong to @fluffyhare ! No worries, I got their permission!

I hope you enjoy it! And I hope I did Avery’s character justice-

————————————————————————————————————————————

Head in the Clouds

Chapter 1/3: The Meeting

CW: Drowning, Depression, Injury, Romantic Fluff, Teasing

(No real tickles yet, but they’ll come up, no worries)

————————————————————————————————————————————

What was with that night?

Not words I’d typically use to describe supernatural experiences and almost drowning, but here we are. Those words were all I could think of to describe that night.

One week ago, I had nearly drowned. It was late at night, and I had gone out to the pier to think. I had been experiencing a lot of difficult feelings, so I figured staring out into the foggy, dark sea would allow for my mind to clear.

It did clear my mind for a while. The crashing of the waves, the smell of the salty sea, and the view of the moon just above the horizon… it was a perfect picture for a calm mind. Staring out allowed for the fog within me to part and give me the strength to go onward.

However, as I turned to walk back to my apartment, I was faced with a strange, shadow like figure. Since it was too dark, I couldn’t make out their face. I tried to walk away, but before I could even process what was happening, the figure grabbed me by the waist, and threw me over the edge of the pier, and I plummeted into the sea below.

I didn’t have time to process it, run, or even catch myself. It all happened so fast. As I fell into the cold sea, I struggled to swim up for air. However, every time I tried to reach the surface, another wave crashed on top of me, pushing me down further. Though I could swim, I wasn’t exactly a strong swimmer. Eventually, the lack of air started to get to me, and I felt my consciousness start to fade.

Suddenly, I felt air fill my lungs again. Something held onto my hood, and yanked my head above the water. I could barely see due to the salt in my eyes, but the figure who pulled me out wiped it away with a wet cloth. I got a good look at them.

Their head… it was the shape of a cumulus cloud. They had glasses, and a puffy sweater for the current colder months. Wearing a sweater in the ocean? Blasphemy!

This being… I wasn’t sure what they were. A deity? A guardian angel? Or something else? Did I die? So many questions were running through my head. The figure rested their soft hand on my cheek for a moment as I stared in awe. They looked like they were about to speak, but police sirens, ambulance horns, and worried chatter were heard on the beach. Before I could thank them, the figure dropped me off on the beach, and disappeared.

Doctors, bystanders, and police officers surrounded me, asking me hundreds of questions. I could hardly process them all. I kept assuring them I was alright. But I didn’t tell them how I fell in. Or what saved me. They’d think I was crazy! So I just told them I was walking at night and a stray dog chased me off the pier. I hoped they’d believe it.

Now, a week later, I had recovered just fine. But I stayed away from the pier. I didn’t want that figure to come back. But now it was early morning, and I was up and walking, long before businesses were open. Why? I couldn’t sleep. I was too focused on my own work to realize that it was already six in the morning. Now, I was walking through a mist so thick, I could barely see my own feet as I walked. Who would he crazy enough to be awake and out in this weather besides me?

A cry of shock answered my question.

Upon hearing this cry, it sounded like someone had gotten hurt. I hated seeing others harmed. I followed the noise, and saw someone I hadn’t seen, despite living in Port Oleander for a while. They had blue hair, a green hoodie, and a pair of jeans, plus a pair of blue sneakers on. They were on the ground, wincing in pain. I rushed over to them, and bent down next to them.

“Are you alright?” I asked them. They turned to face me.

“I-I’m fine. God, why did I decide to go skating when I can barely see the ground?” They asked themself. I noticed that beside them was a longboard. That must be why they fell. I frowned slightly. I saw that they had a pretty bad cut on their hand…

“Oh, my…” I whimpered, opening my purse. “I swear I have some bandages in here somewhere…” I dug around in my purse for a while, trying to figure out where they were. I found them, and pulled them out.

“Come here, this won’t hurt.” I assured them. They held out their hand, and I took it. I wrapped up their hand in bandages, preventing any bleeding or infection.

“Thank you… that’s better.” They muttered. I stood up, and I helped them stand up. I led them over to a nearby bench, and I got their longboard for them before sitting down next to them.

“So… what happened?” I asked quietly.

“Oh…” I could tell they felt slightly embarrassed. “Well, I woke up early, so I decided to go and skate for a while. I figured it would give me some energy. But I wasn’t watching where I was going, and I didn’t realize I was so close to the curb. My board fell off the sidewalk and I tumbled with it.”

I nodded as I listened. I could understand going out and doing something nice. Something to clear the mind a little. I certainly did a week ago. But then they broke the silence again.

“And what about you? Why are you out here?”

My cheeks turned slightly pink. “I… have been struggling as of late. I also woke up early, and I thought a stroll would make me feel better.” I shrugged. I was also thinking of that odd being who saved me… but I decided not to mention it.

“What’s your name?” I asked the one beside me. They smiled a bit.

“Oh, I’m Casper.” They said. I got a full grip on him when he told me his name, and I softly giggled.

“Really? You don’t look like a ghost to me.” I joked. Casper chuckled softly.

“I’ve heard that one before.” He said. “And you are?”

“I’m Rubes.” We shook hands. At least, I shook his hand that wasn’t hurt. “Nice to meet you, Casper.”

“Nice to meet you too, Rubes.” He responded.

We spent a little while talking. Getting to know each other a little. I told him about my library job, why I moved here, and what I liked doing. While he told me about his drawing abilities, his love of skateboarding, and his own hobbies. There was something about him I really enjoyed. He was just so sweet.

“It’s wonderful that you have such a muse, Casper.” I said during our conversation.

“He’s a perfect muse! I expected him to come running after I fell, but he is a scientist. So may-“ He was cut off when a voice rang out through the mist.

“Dewdrop!”

In a blur, Casper was picked up and carried off the bench, held in the arms of a mysterious figure that I couldn’t make out in the mist.

“Avery?” Casper said nervously.

“Oh, Dewdrop, I’m so sorry! I woke up sensing you fell, but I couldn’t get ready to come out in time! I tried to hurry, I promise!” Casper assured the figure.

“It’s okay, but…” He pointed to me, and I was just sitting there, staring at them.

“What?” The figure asked, before he turned to look at me. He was a bit surprised to see me. Maybe he thought only Casper was nuts enough to come out in this weather.

But he looked so familiar.

The figure approached me, and I shifted slightly on the bench. A soft smile appeared on their cloud-like face.

“I’m glad you’re alright.” He muttered. Then it clicked.

“You…” I whispered, shock lining my voice. “You’re the one who saved me.”

A slow nod followed from the cloud. He was so gentle. He bowed his head in respect.

“I am. I’m Doctor Avery Nimbus. It is an honor to finally meet you.” He said, taking my hand. “And I must thank you for helping Casper. He means the world to me, and I wish I could have been here sooner to help…”

“Oh, it’s okay.” I assured the doctor. “I’m Rubes… And really, thank you. Thank you for saving me.” I whispered as he helped me up from the bench.

“Wait… he saved you?” Casper added. I nodded, started to quickly explained what happened.

“I… went to think on the pier, and I fell into the sea.” I left out the scary figure part. “But he… pulled me above the water just in time. And got me to the beach where a search party was.” I explained. “If I’m being honest… I thought he was a dream.”

Avery let out a soft chuckle. He lifted his hand and stroked it across my cheek.

“Does that feel like a dream, Rubes?” He asked. I smiled and shook my head.

“No… But you do have soft hands.” I whispered. Avery chuckled again.

“All the better to tease my Dewdrop with~” He went over to Casper, and hugged him from behind. Casper let out a gasp, and a surprised, yet happy squeak.

“H-hey! Avery!” He cried.

“What? Is my touch just too much?” He started putting light kisses on Casper’s cheeks. “Does it make your cheeks red? Does it make you happy?” Casper whined and giggled as his cheeks burned a deep shade of red.

I was happy for them. It was clear they loved each other. And I wasn’t the type to interrupt sweet moments. So I picked up my purse, and slowly started to walk off. Before I could get even three steps away however, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“Rubes, wait… where are you going?” Avery asked me.

“Oh, um… I was hoping to return to my apartment so I could get ready for work.” I answered. Avery shook his head.

“Oh, that won’t do! Not at all!” He cried. “I still need to thank you kindly for helping Casper when he fell!”

“Avery, I’m alright-“ Casper tried to tell his cloud love, but Avery ignored it. Not to be rude to him, but to be nice to me.

“How about you spend a little time on the beach with us? It’s so foggy that no one will find us. I could get you some tea, and we could become more acquainted.” I smiled a bit at the offer. He was so sweet… Besides, Avery didn’t seem like the type who was going to take no for an answer…

“Oh, alright.” I answered. “But just for a little bit… I have work in a few hours. The library opens at around ten.” I muttered.

Avery clapped his hands together in delight. “Wonderful!” He pulled both myself and Casper down the boardwalk to the beach. A thick layer of fog covered the sea and sand around us. I turned to face Casper.

“Are you sure being on the beach like this is… safe?” I asked quietly.

“With Avery around, we’re in the safest hands possible.” He assured me. I wasn’t sure if that was true, but I decided I had nothing to lose. Well, besides my cat.

Avery pulled out a towel for us to rest on. It was big enough for all three of us to sit down on. Despite the clouds above and the fog surrounding us, the beach felt oddly tranquil. Like I was floating in an abyss, with no thoughts plaguing me. Just the mist around the picnic blanket, Casper’s calm expression, and Avery’s kindness. Avery looked me over for a moment, and smiled a bit.

“Please don’t tell me what your favorite tea flavor is. I want to see if I can read you.” I thought about that. If he picked a flavor that I had never tried, that would be okay. I loved tea.

“Okay…” I just went along with him. His body blended in with the mist around us, and he vanished. I was surprised for a moment. That was a fun party trick. I turned again to Casper, who was sitting next to me with a relaxed expression.

“You two are… dating, correct?” I asked. Casper nodded.

“I guess it’s obvious.” He laughed slightly. “But he means the world to me. He’s beautiful, caring, soft…” His cheeks turned red as he fawned over his cloud love. I smiled as I listened.

“He sounds lovely.” I whispered. “And you two make an adorable couple.”

“Oh, thank you…” Casper smiled slightly at my words. “He saved you from drowning?” He asked me, and I slowly nodded.

“It was horrifying.” My breath shook slightly. “I really thought I was gonna die… But he pulled me above water, and I could breathe the moment my nose and mouth resurfaced…” Casper nodded as he listened.

“Avery… he’s a very powerful being.” He explained. “He can shut power off with his electricity, he can control water, he’s an amazing swimmer…” He started to blush. “He can even make… ghost hands…” He trailed off at that, his face turning a deeper shade of red.

“So… what is he, exactly?” I asked. “Where did he come from?”

Casper thought for a moment before answering.

“From what he told me, he’s from a place called Cirropa. A world full of cloud people. He’s told me he’s an elemental. Which makes sense… He also has wind powers and ice crystals in him.” I nodded as he spoke.

“And… how did you meet him?” I asked quietly. He laughed a little.

“Similar way you did. I fell into the sea, and he saved me and took care of me. From there, we bonded, and we eventually fell for each other.” He sighed in contentment, tracing shapes in the nearby sand with his finger. “He’s always so gentle. And so kind with his words.”

I nodded as I listened. Now I felt bad. I was probably being a third wheel to them, when they clearly adored each other. I was probably in their way. I turned away, staring out at the mist, watching it fold over itself. Before I could get too deep in thought, Avery returned with two cups of tea in his hand, and one on his cloudy head.

“Here’s yours, Casper.” He handed the boy a cup. “It’s your favorite.”

Casper chuckled softly, taking a sip. I smiled a little. Avery was truly a gentle one. The cloud took the other cup off of his head, and handed it to me.

“This one’s yours, Rubes. I hope you like vanilla chai.” I smiled as I took it.

“That’s actually my favorite.” I admitted to Avery. “Thank you…” I took a sip from mu own cup. It was a gentle and sweet flavor as I expected, but it was just strong enough to get the full flavor, and light enough to not feel like getting smacked in the face with it.

“It’s perfect.” I whispered softly. Avery chuckled.

“Only the best for my guests.” He gently poked my nose, making me giggle slightly. “So you say you work at the library?” He asked me. I nodded.

“It’s a paid internship, but yes. And I don’t do anything special. I just clean and help others who need my help. I’m basically just a supporter.” I shrugged. “But it’s nice. My boss is really sweet, and she supports my dreams of being an author.”

“You want to be an author?” Casper asked. I nodded slowly.

“Yes. It’s been my life’s dream since I was young. I love to write… it’s an escape for me. It allows me to throw myself into other worlds, be in other people’s shoes… Creating new concepts just from the mind alone…” I smiled slightly. “It’s a magical thing. And I want to share it.”

“That sounds lovely.” Avery said, warming my heart. “What do you intend to write?” He asked. I smiled slightly.

“Well, I have multiple stories in my head at once, but I’m going to flesh them out, one by one…”

I didn’t even realize I was rambling. When someone asks about my work, I get spun into a tizzy. I loved writing fantasy stories, and as such, a bunch of words spilled out before I could process it. At that point, I was just talking because it interested me. I didn’t even notice they were listening. Interested, even! I was just talking about the work I spent years perfecting. Normally, I’d only reveal them to those I trusted. But right now… I just wanted someone to hear it.

After I finished rambling with my tea, we started talking as a group. Avery told me of his own work, and both of them told me of their relationship. They were so sweet together. I never had a relationship like theirs. I hardly even know what romantic love felt like. No one was ever interested in me.

“I’m sure that someone out there admires you for who you are.” Avery told me. “You are a kind person. And I hope to spend more time with you in the future.”

“And you’ll probably see me often.” Casper added. “I’m always going to the library to pick up books for Avery.”

A sharp gasp escaped me. How long had I been here? I checked my phone.

Shoot! I had work in thirty minutes!

“As fun as this was, I… really have to go! Thank you for the tea, Avery!” I stood up. “Hope to see you both around!” I ran off to my apartment, ready to get changed for work. However, as I rushed, a special notebook fell out of my bag. I called it my purse, but it was more of a messenger bag than anything else.

Casper tried to call to me about it, but I was too far out of earshot to hear him. When the notebook fell, it was forced open to a page held with a feather bookmark. Casper, curiosity getting the better of him, picked it up.

His face turned immediately red when he read what was within. Pages and pages of characters of my own design, getting tickled. And it was descriptive, too. Not just a one off. There were even little doodles on the sides here and there. He practically choked on air for a moment.

“Dewdrop? Are you alright?” Avery asked as he noticed Casper’s burning face.

“Avery… look.” He handed Avery the notebook, taking deep breaths to try and recover from reading it. Avery’s face lit up in amusement. I certainly spared no details when it came to this stuff. Normally, I never took that notebook out in public. But I didn’t think anyone would be around.

“Do you know what this means, Casper?” Avery asked. Casper nodded.

“We have a community member we gotta welcome in.” Casper finished. “Should we return the notebook, though?” He asked quickly. Avery nodded.

“I will return it in due time. It is hers, after all. But I want to hold onto it for a bit…”

“For research purposes.”

#sfw tk community #sfw tickling community #minors do not interact #please #also do not interact with fluffyhare they dont like minors on their blog #be respectful #i love this cloud boy so much #and his relationship with casper #hope you like it!#a burst of inspiration hit me-#idk when the next part will be out #but hopefully soon #ocs #others ocs #mutuals oc #holy heck thank you for following me though-#it made my day

6 notes · View notes

joytraveler · 1 year

Text

73: Felinja

Another sequel: this time to Cat Rate, surprisingly. Bea didn't play the ninja cat in the last game, but he seems to be the star of this one!

Instead of a sports game, it's an action game, where your ninja cat can climb walls with his claws and hide in the shadows to avoid invincible dog thugs. Most of this one is just Bea making happy, high pitched noises, occasionally pointing at the screen when a new cute thing shows up!

aroseahorseboy: who made this cuteness for us and when is it going to get horrible HNV: Don't look a gift kitty in the meowth!

"I wonder if there's a whole Catverse? I sure hope so, this rules- Hey good I'm dead! I keep dying cause everything is so delightful that it just kiiiiills me! Oh, I have- I have six lives, down from- OH I STARTED WITH NINE, OF COURSE, THAT'S ADORABLE!"

DueyDecimal: One hit and you're dead, but ninjas aren't exactly known for their resilience, I guess! Bee52: especially against cars SORRY SORRY DueyDecimal: ...Oh, you meant cats. How charming.

"Many ninja kept unfoldable bamboo cars with them to escape after their mission, of course now and then you crash into other ninja, it does happen." She picks up a dog biscuit power-up that can lure the guards away, or bonk them into each other if they try to go for the same one at once!

Once she's lured the guards away, a big mean dog with a spiked collar shows up and starts patrolling; the object of this boss fight turns out to be luring the dog into attacking you so he gets barrels and crates stuck on his spikes!

"And now I can stand on him! The ultimate goal of any cat, to be on top of something taller than yourself.."

pigbarrel: a dream we all share HNV: I hope there isn't a basset hound bad guy, Bea will be mad Baconnaise: And then they jump and destroy the christmas tree Glockroach: Our cat mauled the hell out of Santa one year, it was a mess. jelly everywhere

The dog goes crashing through the wall in panic, and a sack on a chain is lowered from the ceiling-. There's a tiny calico kitten in it! Apparently Felinja is a daddy looking for his family-- the silhouettes of six more kittens appears on the Level Complete screen.

aroseahorseboy: oh thank god it wasn't creepy or some kind of awful metaphor

"No these are the seven kittens you slew in betrayal to your clan, you're just collecting their vengeful spirits so they can- BIRD NINJA! BIRD NINJA CUTE LITTLE BIRDY NINJA!"

TaichouSenseiKun: Bea, we need you, come back to us HNV: I think this game is TOO wholesome! pigbarrel: that's the twist Syrupentine: This game is far too kiddie to be on the Sega Genesis, which is far too graphic for tender young minds. aroseahorseboy: okay bea, seriously, do something else with blood and nightmares i can handle all those as long as they're not happening to cute kitties

#jtnuggets #mar 25 #aroseahorseboy #hnv #dueydecimal #bee52 #pigbarrel #baconnaise #glockroach #taichousenseikun #syrupentine

1 note · View note

yoonpobs · 3 years

Text

bad boy good thing | drabble i. | m

WARNINGS. jealous jk, jk's gf is hot and he's not the only one who thinks that, jimin and tae as instigators, i swear jimin and jk love each other, fucking in public spaces aka a car in a parking lot, jk luvs his gf, appearance of perpetrator jin!

NOTE. i missed this couple 🥺oc is living her hot girl summer life and jk does nawt know how to deal with it Lol. hope u enjoy loves!!!!

WORDS. 3k+

“I’m okay,” Jungkook murmurs, eyes fluttering shut as he repeats his own personal mantra. “I’m good. I’m fine—I’m chill. Chillest person ever. I’m good—”

“He’s not okay,” Taehyung snickers.

Jungkook blocks the negativity out, purposefully and intentionally. Nothing could ruin his day—not on his watch, especially as the sun shines over bodies across the beach while the waves break into beautiful fragments that he’s yearning to dip his feet into.

Personal affirmations came first.

“I’m good, I’m fine, I’m okay,” he chants like a crazy person, definitely earning some form of side-eye from the people next to him but he can’t be bothered. Another person thinking that he was insane wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to him—not when—

“You should open your eyes,” Jimin says, “How are you going to fight them if you don’t know thy enemy?”

Immediately, Jungkook’s peace is disturbed by the mouth of Park Jimin, who painfully reminds him of why he’s got into the entire personal mantra and affirmation thing. He used to think it was redundant, unnecessary. How could the universe return your wishes just as you’ve uttered them into the atmosphere? It didn’t seem logical to him.

But right now, that didn’t matter—not when he had bigger things to be worried about.

“Don’t disturb my peace,” Jungkook snaps.

“They did it first,” Jimin retorts, cocking his head towards the flock of people at a certain part of the beach, specifically towards where the water meets the shore.

Jungkook’s eye twitches. His peace is disrupted, his happiness is compromised and it’s all Park Jimin’s fault. He spent a good amount of time getting into his zone, reaffirming himself that he was in fact, fine, good—he was okay! But now, he feels all his resolve dissolve when he realises he can’t even see the main thing that was responsible for his dilemmas.

“You’d think a celebrity was on this beach,” Taehyung snorts.

“Not helping,” Jungkook says dryly.

“So isn’t your crazy person chanting,” Jimin points out, “but yet, here we are—listening to you reciting your own version of a biblical verse.”

“I’m fine,” Jungkook grits for the umpteenth time, and no less is his assertions any more convincing than it was a moment ago. The flicker of his irises towards to crowd is enough to prove that fact. “I’m just enjoying my day at the beach with my friends and my girlfriend.”

“See, there are two false statements in that,” Taehyung tilts his head downwards, offering a smug smirk that Jungkook wishes he could shove into the sand beneath him. “You’re definitely not enjoying this because I can see the veins protruding out of your neck at how hard you’re clenching your jaw, and”—the older boy makes the effort to taunt Jungkook further by letting out a low whistle the moment the crowd seems to grow slightly bigger—“you’re partially right about the friend part. Your girlfriend though … where is she?”

I’m good. I’m okay. I’m cool—

“Oblivious, as usual,” Jimin sighs, plopping back onto the beach towel beneath him while shooting Jungkook a pointed stare. “It’d be sad if you only called her your girlfriend for six months when you’ve been in love with her for seven years.”

“Okay that’s it. I’m going there,” Jungkook declares, huffing as he pushes himself off the ground while Jimin makes an effort to grab at his ankle, halting the younger boy from causing any damage and potentially getting them banned from ever returning.

“Not with that temper you aren’t,” Jimin snaps, “Sit your ass down. God. Can’t you take a joke?”

“A joke?” Jungkook splutters, abhorred. “You literally just said she’s going to break up with me!”

“I said that it’d be sad if—”

“Same fucking difference,” he hisses, rubbing a hand across his face before he kicks Jimin’s petty grip off his ankle while levelling him with a menacing glare. Jungkook’s eyes slowly drift to the side where you finally enter his vision, still smiling like the soft and sweet person you were as you help Namjoon with whatever crab hunting mission he had.

See, Jungkook’s mature enough to know that you and Namjoon were good friends, great ones, even. The two of you were smart and clicked well, and if anything, Jungkook was more envious of the fact that the two of you shared such a wholesome and meaningful friendship than anything else.

The fact that Namjoon used to have feelings for you didn’t bother Jungkook anymore, not when he knew where your heart truly laid. He also trusted Namjoon with his entire life and his firstborns (not that he’d ever tell you that, and God—did he hope that day would eventually come when it came to you). But still, Jungkook was mature—he did some growing up, and he was proud of that.

But Jungkook’s human, a flawed, ever-learning and constantly improving human. A human who’s crazy in love with his pretty girlfriend that he’s longed for years—and a human who isn’t blind. A human who can’t ignore the fact that, apparently, he wasn’t the only person that was trying to keep himself in check at how stunning you were. Every day—and especially today, with how your dainty yellow bikini drapes over the curves of your body.

Jungkook nearly cries. Yellow was his favourite colour. You wore it for him.

Not for—

“Maybe you should head over,” Taehyung murmurs, snapping Jungkook out of his love-filled mind as his eyes clear, immediately catching what his friend was referring to.

Some dude. Talking to you. Smiling at you like you carried all the answers to all the world problems as you giggle a tune comparable to birds chirping. Maybe Jungkook was exaggerating but it always sounded like you were singing his favourite song even if you were just explaining economical concepts to him like a soothing e-book.

“God, why couldn’t she have been ugly,” Jungkook groans.

“You wouldn’t have dated her otherwise,” Jimin retorts.

Jungkook gawks, affronted as he gives his two friends a scandalised expression as he places his hands over his chest to indicate the offence he took to that statement.

“I’m not superficial,” he huffs, “I fell in love with her because of her—”

“Personality, yada yada,” Jimin mocks him in a lower tune that has Jungkook glaring at him. “Yeah, okay. But don’t tell me that her being pretty doesn’t help you bust a nut every once in a while.”

Jungkook flushes.

“Well, yeah, but I’m her boyfriend—”

“Thank you for reminding me that you are in fact, still a boy,” Jimin rolls his eyes, “Men. Mansplaining everything, really.”

Jungkook’s jaw slackens as his eyes briefly land on Taehyung’s figure who doesn’t look too bothered with how the conversation turned out as he shrugs in response.

“How about you do the typical manly thing of being a jealous prick and go over there and stomp over all her fan club members,” Jimin says sarcastically, resting his arm over his eyes to shield them from the sun.

There’s a brief rustle from where the sand meets the towel, and a relatively long period of silence while the only thing that permeates the air is the sound of waves with laughter coming from a family a distance away.

“He did exactly that, didn’t he.”

“You need to stop giving him ideas,” Taehyung sighs, plopping a grape into his mouth before occupying the space next to his friend. “Should we find another beach to frequent?”

“Really?” you laugh, “That’s so cool! I’m actually planning on landing an apprenticeship there over the summer.”

“Oh?” The man is leaning way too close to you for comfort, but you’re unfazed. Jungkook doesn’t even want to know where the hell Namjoon had gone, leaving you with this broad-shouldered, terrifyingly handsome man. “I could definitely put a good word in for you if you’d like.”

You beam, appreciative rather than brazen. But Jungkook thinks the man doesn’t know that.

“I don’t think I can accept that, Seokjin.”

And of course, you knew his name.

“Why not?” Seokjin smirks, and Jungkook knows that it’s definitely done him justice in other situations. “For a beautiful—”

“____,” he interjects, smoothly (or not quite) sliding next to you as his arms wrap around your waist before his glare rests on the man before him, who looks both shocked and unbothered at his appearance. “Who’s this?”

You jump slightly at Jungkook’s arrival but relax when you realise that it was just him and not some other beach weirdo.

“Jungkook, this is Seokjin! He actually attended our university—”

“Really,” he says dryly, “That’s nice.”

“Is this your …?” Seokjin looks Jungkook up and down before settling with a rather unimpressed look. “Do seniors usually bring their shadows out for playdates?”

Your eyes widen at his patronising tone, and before can even think to correct him with a tilted frown, Jungkook’s fingers dig into your waist, a precursor to his jaw that clenches while he engages in his own version of a staredown with the man before you.

“Boyfriend.”

Seokjin raises a brow.

“Me,” Jungkook blinks, unnerved and quite frankly, tired. He’s crossed this bridge enough times, and it’s always the same. Some older dude who thought that you were doing charity work by having Jungkook tag along with like some puny little brother. “I’m her boyfriend.”

“Jungkook—” you start, softly reaching to grip his arm.

“Interesting,” Seokjin says offhandedly and Jungkook knows it’s anything but. “Well, my offer still stands.”

He’s directing it to you as you peer up at him with your notoriously innocent eyes. Jungkook hates that this douche is still unaffected by his blatant declaration of the fact that you were—taken.

“I—that’s fine, Seokjin,” you say softly, lips curling into a thankful smile before he nods.

The look he sends Jungkook is nothing short of unimpressed, and Jungkook’s thinking of clamming the dude into the sand and quite literally, bury the hatchet with him. Sure, he was handsome and broad, and undoubtedly ripped—but Jungkook trained to benchpress twice his weight so he could beat up assholes who tried to hit on his girlfriend.

Right before he leaves, Jungkook calls for his name—intentionally calling him Seokmin—noting the way his face drops into a scowl.

“You’re not her type.”

He scoffs.

“And you are?” he throws back, brows raised as a challenge.

“That’s why I get to hold her and you’re walking away.”

With that, Seokjin doesn’t bother responding to Jungkook, especially in the way that you gawk at your boyfriend’s blatant warning to the older man.

He titters off, and it’s effectively just you and Jungkook standing by the shore while you briefly see the way Namjoon stutters before deciding to return to where Jimin and Taehyung lays.

Jungkook’s still seething in his rage, clenching and unclenching his fists even though he got the last word. It wasn’t that he thought you’d elope with Seokjin and leave him—he trusted you wholeheartedly and vice versa. He knew you loved him and so did he.

It had more to do with the fact that Seokjin saw you, and eventually, him—and thought that Jungkook wasn’t fit to be your boyfriend. That he saw a gorgeous girl on the beach and expected her to be single, and if not—to be with a boyfriend that had his shit together and not … not Jungkook.

“Jungkook?” you say quietly, tugging at his elbow while you peer up at him with wide and apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry.”

It’s no good, the fact that you’re apologising. As if you were responsible for his insecurities when you’ve done nothing but shower him with love and support ever since the two of you started officially dating.

“Don’t apologise,” he says stiffly, though his heart isn’t angry—he can’t help the way his words get out. “It’s not your fault.”

“But—”

“If you apologise then you’re gonna piss me off, baby,” he says lightly, peering you down with a small smirk as your eyes widen.

“I—okay,” you say weakly, and before he knows it, you’re intertwining your fingers with his, eyes suddenly twinkling in a way he’s grown all too familiar with.

“You have the keys?” he murmurs softly.

You nod, blind and in love as you sigh.

“Take care of me?” you ask sweetly, and Jungkook forgets all about Seokjin when he has you right in front of him.

“O-Oh, fuck—Jungkook—ngh—”

Maybe Jungkook really was a crazy person, but he’d argue that you were equally as crazy to oblige to indulge in his lewd fantasies. He was crazy, for you and your cunt that was like nirvana, and it’s proven further when he fucks into you at a brutal pace, uncaring whether or not the car shakes with the exertion of the activities that were taking place in it.

It could be the fact that he had a decade worth of fantasies to play out, but he knows that he plays a huge part in opening your sexual nature and he couldn’t be happier about it, especially when you unabashedly throw your head onto your chest, whimpering with the dirty squelches of his thrusts that echo in the vehicle.

“You’re mine, aren’t you?” he growls, hand wrapping around the back of your neck to force your glassy eyes to look at him.

The look on your face is enough to get Jungkook even more riled up, your flushed cheeks and swollen lips while you nod your head manically, crazy—and his.

“Y-Yours,” you whimper, and just about then, Jungkook brings your hips down with his free hand and meets you with a sharp thrust that has your mouth dropping open and your face scrunched up in pleasure. “F-Fuck, J-Jungkook.”

“No one gets to fuck you like this,” he hisses, pressing a hot kiss to your neck as you whine, hips involuntarily swivelling to meet his fast pace. The car is shaking and it’s all too risky, Jungkook knows that—but his rationale is clouded with the antagonising face of Seokjin. “No one gets to see you like this. Only I do.”

“Y-Yes!” you sob, clutching onto him as he feels your pussy tighten viciously around him, the walls of your inner linings spasming as Jungkook hisses at the feeling. “Only you K-Kook. Only ever want you.”

Jungkook believes you, especially when you desperately hold onto him as he feels himself slowly reach the edge. He knows you are too, especially when your whines get higher in pitch, and your tugs against his shoulders get tighter. He knows because he’s learnt about your body as your boyfriend—and he’s the only person that will ever get to have you like this.

The thought, paired along with the risk of your situation only fuels his determination to get you off, his strong arms immediately wrapping around you to root you into place as he shoves his cock deeper into you.

“Come on, pretty girl,” he croons as you mewl in pleasure, breathless whines turning more desperate as your eyes flutter shut. “You wanna show me how much you want me?”

You nod manically, your pussy fluttering around his length as he grunts in exertion.

“G-Gonna—pleasedon’tstop—fuck, I-I’m cumming—!” you cry, tugging your face into the crook of his neck as Jungkook bites his lips in focus, all ready to accept your hot pleasure and his own.

“Come for me,” he encourages, lips hovering over your earlobe as you obey his orders, head thrown back as he watches your mouth drop wider and your eyes roll to the back of your head, pussy tightening around his length.

Jungkook thinks you’re beautiful. On days where you don’t feel like you do, but he may be biased to say that he thinks you look absolutely stunning for him like this. When he knows that he’s the one responsible for your reddened cheeks, the way you so desperately cling onto him whenever you’d orgasm (the only person that would ever know this fact about you), and the way that you’re left breathless, satiated and with that hazed expression after his resolute efforts.

Jungkook cums shortly after, with those exact thoughts plaguing his mind. He was so whipped. He really only had to think of you and he would get hard, and having you right above him, soft and warm with your arms draped loosely over his form made his heart all mushy and soft despite the way his cock stands erect.

You mewl in oversensitivity although you don’t complain. You never do, whenever Jungkook cums after you. Even now, when Jungkook comes down from his high with pants of his own, his own mind-clearing while his cock softens in you—you remain patient. Patient like the ever-loving, wonderful girlfriend that you were—one that Jungkook wasn’t sure he deserved.

“Wow,” you giggle, forehead resting against his as you return from your own post-orgasmic bliss. “I can’t believe I let you fuck me in a parking lot.”

Jungkook flushes, reality sinking in when he realised that the two of you weren’t hidden from plain sight. While the idea of being caught was definitely arousing, Jungkook knew he wasn’t too keen on having anyone see you delirious, even if it was all for him. He was lucky enough that your bikini top remained on the entire time, but both your sweaty bodies were enough of a dead giveaway.

“I just,” Jungkook tries to explain, words slurring in embarrassment as you raise a brow at him. “You look really pretty today.”

You stare at his forlorn expression as if admitting that pained him. Jungkook feels slightly embarrassed at how he reacted, and if you notice this, you don’t point it out—yet.

“Wore this for you,” you murmur, pressing a soft kiss to the mole under his lip. Jungkook’s heart soars at your admission even if he knew that. “You know it’s only for you, right?”

Your question is purposeful and Jungkook shamefully looks to his lap, and even then—you’re still connected. He slowly pulls out, wincing when his cum threatens to pool out of your pussy, but before he can pretend to clean you up, you’re putting your bikini bottoms back in place and clamping your hands over his cheeks so that he’d look at you.

“Jungkook,” you say sternly.

He sighs.

“Yes,” he groans, feeling a lot like a child who’s being berated. “I just—God. He was such a prick.”

“I know,” you say gently, fingers combing through his hair while he melts into your touch. “There are a lot of pricks out there, but you know that I only love you, right?”

Your confession is the same as the one you’ve made six months ago, and just last night before the two of you fell asleep—but it’s a confession that Jungkook never grows tired of.

“I know,” he mumbles as you giggle at him. “It’s just that … he really thought he had a chance with you, and when he saw me it was like—”

You frown, finger pressed against his lips to stop his rambling as he peers up at you with doe-eyes.

“None of that,” you chide lightly, “I don’t care what people think. The only person I care about is you, and no one will change that, okay?”

Jungkook feels himself relax into your touch, especially when you lean forward to capture his lips in a soft kiss that isn’t set to lead anywhere. He remembers. He remembers the times where you were unsure and all too worried of the words of others—and here you were, with him and with your gentle and loving soul, the embodiment of comfort as you tell him the words he’s always known but needs to be reminded of.

“I love you,” he says quietly as you grin widely at him, “Sorry for—you know.”

You roll your eyes, lifting your leg to get off his lap as you wince at the cum that threatens to escape your lips.

“I mean, it was kind of hot,” you shrug with a small smirk.

“God, I’ve created a monster,” Jungkook snorts, looking over at you when you shoot him a devious grin.

“You love it,” you throw back cheekily, leaning into his shoulder as he wraps an arm around you with a sigh.

He does. And he knows that he’s the only one that you’ll love back.

#bad boy good thing #bbgt #bts #bts fics #bts series #bad boy good thing drabbles #jungkook smut #jungkook fluff #jungkook angst #jungkook drabble #jungkook scenarios #jungkook x oc #bts fanfiction #jungkook scenario #bts jungkook #jeon jungkook

1K notes · View notes

friendlyneighborhoodcapricorn · 2 years

Note

Here it is luv!

I'm an Asian who uses she/they pronouns and an Aquarius and INTJ. My sexuality is bi demiromantic. I'm 5'0 with tan skin, black hair, brown eyes and glasses.I'm bilingual. People say I look intimidating and unapproachable since I don't smile or talk much around strangers but I try my best to be polite and nice.I'm very introverted and shy. I'll need to warm up to people but when I do, I will surprisingly be energetic.

I consider myself a fair, open minded and laid back person. I like to seek out my friends' company when bored. I either ask them to do something wholesome or something they are afraid of with me. I'm down to do anything with my friends. I'm hardworking if its something that interests me. I'm very creative but can't seem to make my ideas into reality. If I'm not good at something, I tend to put it on hold until I get motivated again. I'm kind of a pacifist but I will fight if pushed too far or my loved ones are endangered.

My friends describe my sense of humor as dark and cursed. I can be mischievous and chaotic but still reliable and smart.My hobbies are baking,gaming,art, true crime and supernatural stuff. I express my love with gifts and quality time more than physical affection but I'm ok with PDA. I'm gonna be emotionally unavailable at 1st. My fav kind of date is a picnic.A negative trait of mine would be barely taking initiative at 1st due to fear of rejection. My ideal type is someone who I can trust with my life,someone I've known for a long time, very respectful of my boundaries and protective. Like I said in my previous ask- I'm a Hades kid

Okay, this is going to be a long one, so get comfortable lol

You’ve been at Camp Half-Blood since you were six, and mostly stayed in a room in the Big House: the Hermes kids were too afraid of you to have you in their Cabin.

For a long time, it was expected that you’d be the one to fulfil the prophecy, but turns out you were just a few months younger than Percy.

You and Annabeth are pretty close, because the two of you were kind of the only ones around the same age for a long time.

In fact, you were probably the one to tell her and Luke that Thalia's spirit was still in the tree, being able to sense her with your powers.

As a child of Hades, you totally wield one of those Stygian iron swords.

So now that we have established a bit of background, let’s get to how the series progresses with you there.

When Percy is claimed, you kinda take him under your wing. The two of you bond over being kids of one of the Big Three, and it doesn’t take long to become friends.

You were very much against letting Percy, an inexperienced son of Poseidon, go on a quest already. He attracts every monster in a five mile radius and there’s no way he’s already had enough practice to be able to take them all. Also, he’s literally 12.

But there isn’t much that can be done about that, so you sit back and anxiously wait for him, Grover, and Annabeth to return.

The fact that Annabeth is there with him, is at least some consolation. She’s smart enough to keep the three of them alive.

While you stay at camp, you start getting a weird sense every night, like a constant chill running down your spine. You can tell there's some dark entity in the camp, but also... It's not really there?

You’ve felt it before, but never as strong as this. Naturally, your curiosity urges you to find out what it is. It could be a threat, after all.

But as you sneak through the shadows of the camp, dodging harpies along the way, you can feel the darkness start to fade. The night seems a little brighter now, and you are none the wiser as to what that presence was.

You feel it almost every night, but it fades away whenever you go looking for it.

Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.

You figure it out by accident, when you suddenly sense it while you’re dreaming.

It is so much stronger now.

That’s when it all clicks together: someone in this camp is being haunted by some dark entity in their dreams.

We know children of Hades can walk in others’ dreams, but it takes time to figure this out.

You don’t even know whose dream you need to invade.

So during the day, you start paying close attention to see if anyone looks more tired than usual.

Clarissa looks tired, but she was up teaching a spear-fighting class all day yesterday, so that’s not surprising.

Luke doesn’t look much better, but he’s the head of Cabin 11 and he’s probably stressed about Annabeth being on her first quest, so no surprises there either.

There’s Chiron, but he’s running a camp full of teenage kids with strange powers. If anyone’s allowed to be tired, it would be him.

So your search mainly remains fruitless.

You do get better at dreamwalking: it’s surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it.

When you feel the presence again while you’re asleep, you let yourself be pulled towards its energy. The closer you get, the more you get the feeling you’re about to fall.

Whatever entity this is, it’s ancient.

In the end, you don’t get to see it, but you hear a familiar voice whisper a name.

Kronos.

You try to warn Chiron and Mr. D, but they both pretty much dismiss your concerns. They say they’ll look into it, but you have a feeling it’s only to get you to go back to bed.

Everyone is surprised about Luke’s betrayal, but you least of all. You already knew someone was having very, very dark dreams. You just didn’t know they were having them voluntarily.

Chiron apologises to you for not listening, but ultimately, you both know it wouldn’t have mattered.

And that’s it for Lightning Thief! Let’s move on now.

Because children of Hades kan pick up on spirits, you’re the first person to know that Thalia’s tree is poisoned, because you can feel her spirit fading.

You once again stay back from the quest because, you know, child of Hades on the big open sea just isn’t a stellar idea. You doubt Poseidon is going to do anything that might risk Percy’s life, but there’s no need to take risks.

But it’s not like you’re not doing anything. The barrier is gone, and monsters can freely come and go as they please. All those demigods in one place… Camp Half-Blood had practically become a beacon.

You take a lot of night shifts on guard duty, as monsters -at least the more intelligent ones- turn around the second they see your sword.

At the same time, Chiron teaches you how you can use your powers to keep Thalia’s spirit from fading as long as possible.

And, whenever you manage to get some sleep, you use your dreams to try and locate your friends and see if they’re doing alright.

All in all, it’s a very tiring time.

Somehow, despite having taken an airplane home, everyone comes home safely.

And then the Golden Fleece resurrects Thalia.

You’re there when it happens, having resigned yourself to watching over her tree to see if it’s working (and to catch up with Annabeth, who tells you and Thalia all about her quest).

Obviously, you mercilessly tease her about Percy. That’s what friends do lol.

But then you suddenly feel a spike in Thalia’s life force.

And before you know it, she’s actually there. In the flesh.

And then there’s three kids of the Big Three.

But little do you know, things are about to get a hell of a lot more chaotic.

That one was a little shorter, but now comes the Titan’s Curse, and with that… well, you know who makes his entrance now ;)

You join Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth when they go to Westover Hall. You can’t explain it, but you have a feeling you need to be there.

Which means you get to meet Sally Jackson, who practically adopts you the way she’s already adopted Annabeth and Thalia.

Speaking of Thalia, you and her have become pretty close since she came back to life. Thalia seems like she’d enjoy true crime and she’s probably interested in the supernatural as well, so you bond over that.

You, Thalia, and Annabeth have basically become a chaotic trio. Sparring matches with the three of you are a frequent occurrence.

But anyway. At Westover Hall, you’re the one who uses the Mist to manipulate the teacher. You’ve been training to use it ever since you first came to camp, and even though Thalia is skilled with it already, all of you agree that it’s better to be safe than sorry.

While you’re at the party, Grover pulls you aside and quietly tells you that the aura of the kids he saw, is scarily similar to yours.

He asks if there’s a chance Hades had any other kids after you, but you doubt it. Breaking the agreement once is tricky, doing it twice? Hades is smarter than that.

Of course that’s when shit hits the fan.

During the battle by the cliffs, you mostly focus on keeping the two kids you came here for safe. Maybe Grover was right about them being related to you.

And then shit somehow manages to hit the fan even harder, because the Hunters of Artemis just had to interfere and chase the Manticore off the cliff -and Annabeth with it.

None of you know what to do, then. You, Thalia, and Percy are all devastated and full of guilt. Kids of the Big Three, and none of you were able to save her -your best friend, the girl Thalia practically raised, the girl Percy loves.

You’re grateful for the Hunters giving you shelter for the time being. Artemis herself offers both you and Thalia a position in the hunt, but you both decline. You’re a child of the god of the Underworld: you understand better than anyone that death is a vital part of the natural order.

Bianca Di Angelo, however, immediately says yes. Both you and Nico are hurt by her decision; by now you’re fairly certain the Do Angelo’s are your siblings, and for Bianca to ditch both of you so quickly, without even getting to know you… well, it stings.

You, Thalia, Percy, and Nico return to Camp with the Hunters, while Artemis goes her own way. The atmosphere at camp is horribly depressing.

Everyone at least knew Annabeth, and most people cared about her, or even loved her.

When Grover, Zoe Nightshade, Bianca, and Thalia embark on their quest, you are up all night. That’s how you catch Percy sneaking off after him.

You tell him to take you along, and he agrees before you can even try and convince him.

It would be a good time, you know, if you weren’t trying to find a missing goddess and your presumed dead best friend.

Percy explains his dream to you, about Annabeth being forced to take the weight of the sky. You try your best to reassure him by saying that if anyone can take it, it’s Annabeth.

When the two of you are caught, you have a shouting match with Zoe. She claims you’re endangering the mission; you accuse her of not giving a shit about Annabeth, and saying that Artemis would be disappointed to be the focus of this quest when there was a young woman who needed help.

It’s a mess, but Percy and Thalia have your back. Bianca admits that she, too, believes that Artemis would want them to rescue Annabeth first. Even Grover, who honestly just wants to stay as far away from the argument as possible, quietly agrees.

Apollo helps you guys get to the Junkyard of the Gods…

But Bianca is not lost in a land without rain, like she would normally be.

Because you are still the most powerful child of Hades present.

So when Talos activates? You create a fissure in the ground with your sword, one so broad and deep that even Talos can’t cross it.

Not without falling in and breaking down for once and for all.

When you get to Mount Othrys, tensions are at an all time high. Thalia, Percy, and you are all anxious to find Annabeth, but also dreading the prospect of having to see Luke again.

Zoe gets poisoned, but rather than Percy, you’re the one who takes the weight of the sky from Artemis so she can fight Atlas and make him take your place again.

It’s just in time to see Luke go ever the edge of a cliff. You can feel the moment his body hits the ground, but you don’t feel him die.

When the Olympians suggest to kill Percy to keep him from becoming the next child of the prophecy, after Thalia accepts Artemis’ offer, you’re the first to rush to his defence.

“What are you going to do, kill all of us? First Perce, then me, and eventually Nico?”

Luckily, Artemis stands in your corner as well, and she takes no shit from her fellow Olympians.

Important to note: since Bianca is alive and with the Hunters, Nico never runs away from Camp…

I feel like these are only getting longer and longer lol. Onto the Battle of the Labyrinth.

So obviously things go very different: Nico is still at Camp Half-Blood, and is quickly progressing in skill under your training.

The two of you have become close, especially now that Bianca is away with the Hunters -though she frequently writes to you both.

Still, Nico desires answers for why he can’t remember anything from the past.

He strays into the Underworld with unnerving ease, and he even manages shadow travel, something even you aren’t capable of yet. You can’t help but be a little jealous.

So while Nico is off finding his answers, you perfect your sword-fighting skills. It doesn’t take long before you meet Quintus, but you don’t like him. Granted, you don’t instantly like people most of the time, but something about the guy feels off.

You already know about the entrance to the Labyrinth: you worked with Clarisse and Annabeth to try and figure out how Luke and the Titan Army might use this to their advantage.

Naturally, when Annabeth embarks on her quest, she asks you along: even your geokinetic abilities aren’t fully able to find a way through the Labyrinth, but you at least can sense where exits and entrances are.

The Labyrinth makes you feel like you’re walking on the edge of a knife: one wrong step and you’ll spiral into madness forever.

You can sense the madness around you: of the man who created it, of those who perished here.

Certain parts are so full of spirits that walking through them makes you feel like you’re suffocating.

You don’t make a pitstop at the Triple G Ranch because there is nothing there for you to find.

Instead, you go straight to Hephaestus’ workshop.

Which leads to the incident with the volcano.

After Percy’s apparent death, you’re the one who leads everyone back to Camp.

That’s when Nico contacts you through a dream, asking for help. The contact is cut off before you can ask what’s wrong, but you caught a glimpse of his environment.

You head straight back to the Labyrinth, and focus on your powers like you never have before. You can feel your half-brother’s spirit if you try hard enough, and it leads to Antaeus’ arena.

That’s where you run into Nico -and Luke and his forces. Nico, not hardened by the loss of Bianca, still had the innocence to trust Luke. Until, you know, he got captured.

You put up a fight, but you’ve been wandering the Labyrinth for days with little to no rest while drawing on a great deal of your powers.

You’re embarrassed by how quickly they capture you to.

But thankfully, most of the Titan Army is none too clever. They let you rest and keep you fed, in the hope that you might change your mind and join their side.

So when you’re called upon to fight and see Percy in the arena… we’ll, Antaeus never stood a chance. You make your escape with Percy, Nico, Annabeth, ands mortal girl named Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

You yell at Percy for, like, 20 minutes straight for making you think he was dead.

When you meet Daedalus, everything makes sense. Of course Daedalus and Quintus are the same person.

You all arrive just in time to see Kronos rise, and from there it’s just a mad dash back to Camp to warm them of what’s coming.

Well. With one small interruption when you discover Pan’s last resting place.

You can’t explain it, but you feel as if Pan has a connection to you. Maybe it has something to do with the wilderness dying. Maybe it’s just because death is a vital part of life.

Whatever the case, it feels as if he’s trying to tell you something.

You arrive back at Camp just before all hell breaks loose.

Things seem to go your way at first, the monsters slowed by the narrow entrance, and with Daedalus, Briares, and Mrs. O’Leary on your side.

But then there’s Kampê.

Grover manages to summon panic and send the monsters scrambling back to the Labyrinth, but they’ll come back soon enough.

That’s when Daedalus asks you to release his spirit, as it will destroy the Labyrinth and everything in it.

So you do.

You’ve never actually set a spirit free, but it’s not hard.

And when you do, you become the Ghost Ruler.

Nevertheless, despite winning the battle, the losses are devastating. You can feel dead all around you…

… but you also feel life.

This was what Pan was trying to tell you. Children of Hades do not just sense death, but also the absence of it.

You start to wonder if it might be possible for you to reverse the dying process, or at least slow it down. After all, you also kept Thalia’s spirit from fading when her tree was poisoned.

There is power over life in the power over death.

Alright, onto the grand finale!

You know the battle is approaching fast, so you spent almost the entire year in the Underworld, perfecting your powers.

Nico is with you, trying to force some answers out of your dad.

You try to convince Hades to fight in the upcoming war, but he’s stubborn over how the Olympians rejected him, despite him being one of the most powerful gods. He reminds you that you and Nico don’t even have a cabin at camp.

And for a moment, you understand his bitterness, and with it, you understand what drove Luke and so many others to this.

But just because you don’t have your own cabin, doesn’t mean you don’t have a place at camp.

You return to camp not long after Annabeth sends you an Iris message about the disaster on the Princess Andromeda.

You arrive just in time to learn that the gods are trying to slow down Typhon.

Unbeknownst to you, Nico low-key kidnaps Percy.

You’re just trying to keep roughly 100 stressed and scared teenagers with free access to weapons from killing each other.

When you finally all go to the Empire State Building to defend the city and Mount Olympus, you run into Percy.

“Your brother kidnapped me.”

“Why do you have an aura of invincibility?”

“Shit, is it that obvious?”

You also reunite with Bianca and Thalia when the Hunters arrive.

“Bianca, your brother kidnapped me.”

Bianca, who has taken over Thalia’s sense of humor: “Good for him.”

The battle is in full swing, and while you’re not outnumbered, you’d feel a hell of a lot better if there were some Underwordly reinforcements.

There’s the disaster on the bridge, and Annabeth getting stabbed, and then some Titan tries to convince Percy to open Pandora’s Box and release hope.

When Percy refuses, it becomes clear how this is going to end: in victory or in death.

The battles go and on, and you’re not sure how much longer you can keep doing this.

But just when all hope seems lost, Hades arrives with Demeter, Persephone, Nico, and an army of undead warriors.

You are so happy you weren’t there for that awkward family gathering.

You’re with Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Thalia when they follow Kronos and Ethan Nakamura up to Olympus.

When the statue of Hera falls, you hold it back with your powers until everyone has safely passed underneath.

The battle in the throne room is a brutal one, but then Ethan suddenly switches sides after Percy talks to him.

Of course Kronos tries to kill him for it, but you manage to stop him from forming the fissure.

Still, all of you are incapacitated: Ethan is bleeding from a bad wound, Annabeth got flung against a throne with a sickening crack, and you and Thalia could only fight for so long after days of tiring battles.

In the end, it’s Annabeth who gets through to Luke.

In the end, Luke is the hero of the prophecy.

When Percy calls the gods out on their bullshit, you can barely refrain from laughing.

The Olympians put you in charge of working with the minor deities to give them the representation they want and deserve.

At the same time, you work closely with Annabeth and Ethan on new cabins for the camp.

Honestly, life is good.

And then Percy goes missing.

I feel like I should apologise for how long this got omg. I hope you enjoy it, though, and if you ever want a Heroes of Olympus continuation, let me know!

Anyway, thank you so much for the request, I had such fun writing this <3

57 notes · View notes

fruitcoops · 3 years

Note

I was wondering if I could request something? Maybe Sirius' first night at the Dumais' place and Dumo can straight away tell that somethings wrong. Sirius makes polite conversation and it all looks so painful until he retires for the night and Dumo passes by his room and he hears Sirius crying maybe? Because of what his mother said, and maybe because he has trouble adjusting to new situations? Just an idea that popped into my head :) Only if you want to write it <3 Thank you

Yes, I can! I love writing Dumo, but for some reason I don't do it that often--his and Sirius' dynamic is just so wholesome and wonderful. SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for implied child abuse and broken glass (no injury)

The first thing Pascal Dumais noticed about Sirius Black was how quiet he was. At only eighteen years old, Sirius was taller than most of the other Lions, with broad shoulders and gangly limbs. Yet he moved almost silently, padding along the wood floors in his socks and speaking only when spoken to. It was…honestly, a bit unsettling.

Dumo had expected a rambunctious teenage boy, still high on the thrill of being drafted to the NHL—instead, he found himself the guardian-slash-landlord of a ghost. Sirius unloaded his meager belongings with little fuss and accepted no help, his pale eyes never lingering on either of them for too long.

Celeste poked her head into the living room in the early afternoon when they returned from the grocery store; Sirius was sitting ramrod straight in the smallest chair they had with a thick book in his hands. She knocked gently on the doorframe, and he jumped. “Sirius, would you like some lunch?”

“I don’t want to be any trouble,” he said in that unusually soft voice.

“It’s no trouble,” she assured him.

“I can make myself a sandwich if you have other things to do. Really, I’m alright.”

“When was the last time you ate?”

Sirius blinked, as if he hadn’t expected her to ask, then glanced at the clock on the wall. “I had breakfast at seven and a granola bar on the plane.”

“Sirius, it’s almost two.”

“Is it?”

“Come with me for a moment, oui?” She ushered him into the kitchen; Dumo wasn’t sure he would ever get used to seeing someone so physically imposing walk so small.

“Papa?” Someone tugged on the hem of his shirt and he snapped out of his daze, leaning down to lift Adele into his arms with a smile.

“Bonjour, mon chou! Did you have fun outside?” She nodded, wiggling a little in her excitement, and put her hands on either side of his face. Dumo’s stomach sank. “Why are your hands wet?”

“I washed them!”

“Why?”

“Because we played with chalk!”

Both the boys were at day camp, and Katie was down for her afternoon nap. Dumo wracked his brain. “Who were you playing with?”

“Sirius!” she giggled, then held the front of her shirt out. Wasn’t she wearing a different one this morning?“An’ he said chalk stains, so he lifted me up so I could wash my hands and helped me get my new shirt on when it got stuck and let me braid his hair! Can we keep him? Please, Papa, I wanna keep him forever!”

Dumo kissed her forehead as a wave of emotion tickled the back of his throat. Less than six hours in their home, and Sirius was already connecting with his children. “Oui, we can. Did you say thank you?”

Adele bit her lower lip. “I don’t remember.”

“Sirius?” Dumo called. The clanking in the kitchen stopped. “Can you come here for a moment?”

There was a beat of silence before he appeared in the doorway, looking paler than before as he walked over to them. This boy needs to eat more, the parental part of Dumo’s brain thought instantly. Slate-grey eyes flickered between them. “She—she had chalk on her shirt. I’m sorry, I should have asked.”

“It’s alright. What do you say?” Dumo asked, turning to Adele.

She turned a beaming smile on Sirius. “Thank you!”

His whole face softened in the blink of an eye and he smiled back, giving her a light fist bump. “Pas de problem, petit papillon.”

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

Sirius opened up a bit over lunch; Adele perched herself right in his lap with her peanut butter sandwich to his clear astonishment, but his smiles came easier after that and Dumo treasured each one. He was already grateful that Sirius did not seem like the type of asshole player that Dumo remembered from his high school years.

Marc and Louis returned to the house just as they finished, and though Sirius offered to help wash the dishes—the boy was a blessing, really—they shooed him off to play with the kids for a while. It would do them all some good to get out in the sun.

“Quiet, isn’t he?” Celeste remarked as they stood side-by-side at the sink. Her tone was casual, but Dumo saw the worry in her eyes.

He hummed in agreement. “He’s probably just nervous, mon amour. They can take a while to warm up.”

“Pascal, I don’t think—”

The sound of shattering glass echoed from the other room. The house held its breath. “Is everyone alright?” Dumo called, drying his hands on the nearest towel as his pulse picked up. “What happened?”

Hushed whispers floated out, followed by the pitter-patter of little feet. He hurried down the hall with Celeste hot on his heels. “I’m so sorry,” Sirius said as they entered the room. He was kneeling on the wood floor, gathering fragments of a small water glass in one palm. “It was my fault. I hit it with my elbow.”

Celeste frowned. “Boys? Adele? I know you were here.”

Dumo didn’t miss Sirius’ hard swallow, nor the sudden nervousness—no, that was fear—on his face as the three kids crept out from around the corner, looking guiltier than anything. Adele stepped forward, but Sirius stood in a smooth, instinctive motion, keeping her behind him. “It was my fault,” he repeated. Dumo’s heart sank.

“Adele, is that true?”

She looked up toward Sirius, who kept his broad hand ever so slightly in front of her shoulder. Celeste raised an eyebrow. “Adele Marie, tell the truth.”

“No,” she said.

“Come here, please.” Dumo watched Sirius’ breaths go shallow as Celeste beckoned to Adele, but confusion took its place when she crouched to her level. “Thank you. What Sirius did was very nice, but we don’t let other people take the fall for our mistakes in this house, Adele. We accept responsibility. Who broke the cup?”

“I was chasing Marc and we both bumped into the table,” Adele confessed, toying with the hem of her butterfly-patterned shirt. “It was an accident, I promise.”

“Did anyone get hit by the glass?” Dumo asked. All three shook their heads. “Sirius?”

He cleared his throat. “No, Mr. Dumais.”

“Marc, Adele, I want you to find the broom and dustpan so your mother and I can clean this up. Thank you for being honest. Sirius, there’s a trash can in the kitchen, but be careful of the sharp edges. And please, call me Pascal or Dumo.”

But he didn’t stop thinking about the visible alarm on Sirius’ face when Celeste brought Adele forward all afternoon. Something was not right.

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

If it wasn’t for the baby, Dumo would not have heard it.

Katie woke around midnight with a quiet whine, which devolved into whimpering, and finally into full-out sobbing for over half an hour. He carried her downstairs so she wouldn’t wake the others and gently rocked her, humming lullabies under his breath until his throat was dry and her tears abated. “There’s my good girl,” he murmured, drying her pudgy cheeks with his sleeve.

The last bits of sleep faded away as he set her down in her crib again, and he sighed. The season didn’t start for more than a month, but he had been looking forward to a few consecutive nights of solid rest before then.

May as well check on the others, he thought, wandering down the hallway in his thickest socks and bathrobe to stave off the nighttime chill. Marc and Louis were each out cold; he took the open book splayed across Marc’s bed and set it on his dresser, turning the lamp off as he left. Adele was curled into a tight ball around no less than four of her precious stuffed animals and he tucked the blankets back over her shoulder.

Dumo’s feet carried him down the stairs before his brain fully caught up, and he paused—Sirius had been in their house for a single day, and already he had the urge to look out for him. The thought should have made him feel silly, but instead he felt…peaceful. He felt right. There was a lost and near-silent boy in his home, who protected his kids within hours of knowing them. Of course Dumo was going to make sure he was alright.

Summer wind rushed past the wide windows as he headed toward the basement. It was warmer there, and he took a moment to mentally pat himself on the back for remodeling two years prior. Hopefully, Sirius would be comfortable.

A soft sound broke through his thoughts. Dumo stopped on the last step.

There was a harsh breath, then a sniffle, as if the person inside was trying and failing to keep their tears in past the point of no return. He heard a few shaky, weak inhales, then a choked noise that cut off abruptly with a gulp.

Dumo closed his eyes to hold back tears of his own and knocked lightly on the bedroom door.

Everything went silent with a rustle.

“Sirius?” he whispered, raising his voice just enough to be heard through the door. “Are you awake?”

There was no answer.

“Can I come in?” he ventured.

An unsteady voice answered. “Ouais.”

The door creaked a little as he opened it and stepped into the dark room. Sirius was nothing more than a clump of shadows on the far side of the bed, squished tight against the wall with all his blankets wrapped around him. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Je vais bien.”

“Can I sit?” Dumo fully expected Sirius to tell him ‘no’, to make an excuse, to pull some arrogant teenager nonsense.

Instead, he tucked his legs up and made room near the foot of the bed with another sniffle. “Did I wake you?”

“Non. Katie was crying, and I thought I’d check on everyone.” He settled down and scooted until his back was against the wall as well—Sirius was still hiding in a cocoon of his duvet, but his hand came up to wipe his face. “Do you want to talk?”

“About what?”

“You seem upset. I know the homesickness is hard for the first few days, but—”

“No.” The vehemence of Sirius’ answer shocked him into silence. “No. I’m not homesick. I just—so much has happened, and I—it’s—this is everything I wanted, right here, and—”

He broke off with a wounded noise that broke Dumo’s poor heart right down the middle. He moved closer until their shoulders touched; to his surprise, Sirius leaned on him and shivered. “How can I help you?” Dumo asked quietly.

“Your family…” Sirius shook his head and drew the covers tighter. “You have a beautiful family. You should be proud of them.”

“I am, every day.”

“Your kids love you so much.” It was barely more than a whisper.

Dumo sighed through his nose. “I know.”

“No, you don’t, they—you’re their hero. And not because of hockey.”

That was Dumo’s dream, laid out right in front of him. If someone he hardly knew could see that, then it must be true. The impact was greater than he ever could have imagined; his lungs felt tight. “Thank you. Is it alright if I ask you something?”

Sirius stiffened slightly.

“You’re not in trouble, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I’m just…worried.”

He felt Sirius shift. “This is about the glass.” It wasn’t a question.

“Oui.” Dumo searched for the words and scrounged up any sliver of tact he could find. “Sirius, do you—what happens when you break a glass at your house?”

Sirius’ breath rushed from his lungs in a near-silent sob. Dumo gathered him close in his arms and held him, letting tears dampen his shoulder as he murmured soft reassurances in French. “I’m sorry,” Sirius croaked, though he did not move away. “I’m sorry for—for intruding, and for ruining your shirt—”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Dumo gave him a light squeeze of comfort and felt him go a bit boneless. “And you are not intruding. We love having you here with us.”

“Really?”

He sounded so unsure. So young. Dumo wished he could take away whatever horrible things had been said to ever make someone so kind feel so small. “Yes. Adele, especially.”

“She’s so…colorful.” Fondness dripped from every word.

“She is,” Dumo agreed. “She came running up to me, and went ‘papa, papa, can we keep him?’”

Sirius laughed a little at his imitation and straightened up, drying his eyes on his hoodie sleeve. They sat quietly for a while until the shaking stopped and his death grip on the comforter loosened. “Thank you, Mr. Dumais.”

“Call me Pascal, or Dumo if you like. ‘Mr. Dumais’ makes me sound like a grandfather.” They laughed together, then fell silent once more. “And you’re welcome. Any time you need help, you can come to me. I might not be your father, but—”

“You’re better,” Sirius interrupted, wiping his nose. His shadow turned to face Dumo in the dark, and though he couldn’t see his face, he could picture the earnest expression. “In every way. Please don’t tell anyone about this, though.”

“It never even crossed my mind,” Dumo answered honestly. “I should let you sleep now. We have some busy weeks ahead of us, eh?”

“Bonne nuit, M—Dumo.” The name carried new weight and he let it sink in as Sirius laid back down and kicked his blankets back into place. Something told him this was the beginning of a very interesting story.

“Bonne nuit, Sirius. Welcome to our home.”

#fanfic #my fic #sweater weather #lumosinlove #sirius black #pascal dumais #celeste dumais #dumais kids

257 notes · View notes

renegadewangs · 3 years

Text

Van Zieks - the Examination, part 7

Warnings: SPOILERS for The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles. Additional warning for racist sentiments uttered by fictional characters (and screencaps to show these sentiments).

Disclaimer: (see Part 1 for the more detailed disclaimer.) - These posts are not meant to be taken as fact. Everything I’m outlining stems from my own views and experiences. If you believe that I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, please let me know so I can edit the post accordingly. -The purpose of these posts is an analysis, nothing more. Please do not come into these posts expecting me to either defend Barok van Zieks from haters, nor expecting me to encourage the hatred. - I’m using the Western release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for these posts, but may refer to the original Japanese dialogue of Dai Gyakuten Saiban if needed to compare what’s said. This also means I’m using the localized names and localized romanization of the names to stay consistent. -It doesn’t matter one bit to me whether you like Barok van Zieks or dislike him. However, I will ask that everyone who comments refrains from attacking real, actual people.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Back to the second game we go for The Return of the Great Departed Soul! (Part one, this is another two-parter case)

Episode 2-3: The Return of the Great Departed Soul

So now, chronologically, six months have passed since The Unspeakable Story. Susato returned to Japan at the end of the first game and hasn't returned yet. Ryu was reprimanded for all the perjury and the questionable McGilded defense, so he had his right to stand in court revoked for now and instead had to focus on studying English law some more. He's done so quite patiently and now he feels he's ready to return. He just needs to get Stronghart's permission first. Meanwhile, the Great Exhibition is happening in Hyde Park, pulling in visitors and scientists from all over the world. Exciting! (S)Holmes hands Ryu a newspaper with an article on the exhibition, talking about how the brighter things shine, the darker the shadows cast behind them. By now, Ryu is fluent enough in (S)Holmes speak to know this means he should flip over the newspaper. There, we find an article of an entirely different sort.

So not only was Van Zieks apparently attacked, Ryu shows horror and concern at the notion. No hard feelings from our wholesome boy! (S)Holmes explains that London's finest criminals often find ways to get acquittals from trials through bribery, threats, sham witnesses... We saw this in McGilded, of course, so we know all too well how dangerous that can get. But since the Reaper and his curse are immune to such tactics, when a ringleader or fellow ends up being 'taken' by the curse, retaliation can occur. So it's established that this isn't the first time Van Zieks has been attacked by a group of thugs. Fortunately, Van Zieks is an “accomplished combatant” who doesn't take these attacks lying down. Unfortunately, the thugs were carrying guns this time. Uhoh.

This warms my heart, it really does. Van Zieks has been a terrible scumbag, but Ryu doesn't think he's gotten his comeuppance at all. He's genuinely concerned for this man and intends to find out more about his condition. So since he was planning to meet with Stronghart and ask for attorney permission anyway, it's the perfect opportunity to also ask about Van Zieks! Iris decides to tag along because she wants to visit the Great Exhibition. Let's shove the newspaper in Stronghart's face as soon as the game allows it.

The phrasing of “number one prosecutor” is interesting, but then... We never learn of any other (living) veteran prosecutors in this country, so of course Van Zieks would be number one. Stronghart says there's no need for concern; Van Zieks would not be so easily dispatched. Street ruffians are no match for him, since he's a very capable fighter. Seems like that sword he carries around isn't just for show after all. As for why he was attacked this time... Well, a month ago Van Zieks prosecuted a leader of a criminal organization. Nice to know he didn't just return to retirement and instead got back to work like a normal person without cherrypicking his cases based on what Ryu's doing. The defendant was acquitted, no doubt thanks to large sums of money being shifted around behind the scenes, but he still met a dramatic end just yesterday during an accident at the Great Exhibition. The man in question was Odie Asman, and the one now being detained on suspicion of murder without a defense attorney is Professor Albert Harebrayne. Albert's case has just been assigned to Ryu, so we're sure to find out more about Asman as we go. As as final touch, Ryu asks Stronghart why he continues to use Van Zieks as a prosecutor. Since the criminals are becoming fearful of the curse and attacking him, it's dangerous to Van Zieks himself. Stronghart explains that he has two reasons: Firstly, Van Zieks is the best prosecutor in the capital, bar none. And secondly, any deaths that have occurred outside the courtrooms after his trials have nothing to do with him. (S)Holmes alluded to the same thing, saying that Van Zieks had a rock-hard alibi for each and every mysterious death.

“So he will continue to prosecute on behalf of the Crown. ...Unless he wishes otherwise, of course.” With that, Stronghart admits he needs to get going since he's already 11 hours late to his next appointment (fsdkjfls). Ryu asks where he might be able to find Van Zieks and is told to head to his office. So even after being told that Van Zieks is just fine, Ryu is still concerned and wants to discuss the matter with the man himself. Let's gooo! Naturally, the first thing out of Van Zieks's mouth when he catches Ryu and Iris in his office is to wonder what the heck they're doing here.

So there's several things of interest in the office, with the game automatically addressing the biggest one: Van Zieks has an apprentice now! It's a mysterious, rigid dude wearing a hood and a mask who is absolutely not familiar to us, nope. We don't know him. Gosh, what a mystery. Van Zieks doesn't seem to know who he is either, instead just referring to him as his apprentice and nothing more.

Ryu sees this as an opening to ask about the attack on the Reaper that was in the newspaper. Van Zieks admits that he too is very interested in the true identity of the Reaper. “Assuming, that is, such a fabled fiend genuinely inhabits our great courtrooms.” The conversation halts for a moment so we can examine the office and this is the best opportunity for humanizing traits we've gotten so far, so LET'S DO IT! The enormous portrait in the back is the first thing to peek at.

Iris says whoever painted it exaggerated the subject's handsomeness, which in turn is reminiscent of Napoleon ordering the painter to make him look more attractive. That's super vain and not an attractive quality in a person at all. I laughed the whole way through that bit of dialogue and Van Zieks, who was in earshot the entire time, gets his feathers ruffled.

When Ryu asks who it is then, Van Zieks doesn't reply. BACKSTORY ALERT! Examining the chalices and bottles on the left leads to Van Zieks explaining the hallowed bottles are filled with the finest grapes from the finest vineyards he visits (so it is grape juice!!!) and he personally oversees the chalices being made by the finest crystal craftsmen in the world. Right, so not only is he filthy stinkin' rich, he's a perfectionist. Iris points out that Van Zieks throws the chalices and bottles around like they're worthless, to which Van Zieks says:

“Before you open your mouth next time, you should consider the poor artisans whose work you defile.”

As it turns out, passive aggression is contagious now. Ryu replies with a “So it's my fault? Silly me! How could I ever have thought otherwise?” and honestly I love that he's got enough guts to say this out loud. Our boy is growing a spine. Examining the wine casks has Ryu and Iris theorize about how there might be dead bodies in there, which once again ruffles Van Zieks's feathers.

Snrk. Examining the big diorama in the middle of the room has Ryu and Iris wonder whether Van Zieks can't go to the Exhibition in person and this is his way of dealing with that, which has Van Zieks snap that it's obviously an investigative aid. He even has pets of sorts in his office, in the form of a couple of bats hanging from the curtains. Alright, so the game's definitely humanizing this poor man now. No matter how many crazy stories Iris and Ryu come up with about him, there's usually a very innocent explanation to debunk the eerie myths. Something particularly interesting happens when Ryu shows Van Zieks his defense attorney armband. Van Zieks asks what the reason is for showing it to a British prosecutor, to which Ryu admits that he doesn't quite know. Van Zieks is silent for a bit, then says that he understands. “There's merit in reminding yourself of who helped you become what you are today.”

As he says it, he reaches for his prosecutor's badge and if you're aware of the backstory, you'll know he's thinking of Klint. More importantly, this conversation puts Ryu and Van Zieks on the same level. Ryu is always thinking of Kazuma, who 'helped him become who he is today' and the armband signifies this, along with the sword. Similarly, Van Zieks lost someone very close to him and he's walking the path of prosecutor in his brother's memory. Ryu thanks Van Zieks for understanding and it's very significant that Van Zieks understands in the first place. Remember, in the first game he was under the impression that a Japanese person could never understand a British person and vice versa.

Showing Van Zieks the newspaper article has him looking a bit embarrassed, pointing out that a reporter must've been nearby and he'd been careless to let himself get photographed. Either way, all the thugs responsible have already been apprehended. The investigation into Odie Asman's activities meant that their arrests were already imminent anyway, and some hoped to kill Van Zieks before that happened. Much like McGilded, Asman used his wealth to buy his way towards an acquittal in court, but “he got his comeuppance in the end.” Which is strange, right? Very suspicious. Van Zieks asks whether Ryu believes he has some sort of divine ability to make an accident like that happen. Ryu admits that would be far-fetched, and thinks to himself that even if Van Zieks were the Reaper, he'd have to be innocent of this particular death. We also learn that Van Zieks is familiar with Professor Harebrayne, the suspect in the Asman incident. When told that Ryu will be taking on the defense, Van Zieks is shocked.

Van Zieks goes on to explain that he knows Albert quite well. They were at university together. While he's lived in Germany for quite a few years, Albert is actually from a respectable British family. And despite Albert being in the science faculty and Van Zieks in law, they got along quite well. Now he's in pretty hot water for that Asman accident.

Hm. I don't quite know what to make of this reaction. I think what's going on here isn't that Van Zieks is rattled because Albert is being defended by a Japanese person, but because he's being defended by a rookie attorney who was just disbarred for six months for accidentally encouraging perjury, false witness and crime scene tampering in a court of law. Yes, Ryu has won his trials every single time, but it came at a price. Aside from this, there's one other thing Van Zieks knows about Ryu: he'll pursue the truth, no matter what. This means that if Albert indeed didn't succeed at inventing teleportation, it'll be revealed in court because exposing shams is Ryu's whole deal.

We learn that Van Zieks will be the one to prosecute Albert tomorrow, which is curious to say the least. Ryu wants to know why he'd do something like that, with Iris pointing out that so long as the Reaper is the prosecutor, Albert is doomed. Van Zieks replies that he's a Crown prosecutor and a mortal like any other; he's no demigod. In other words, he doesn't believe the curse to be a real curse. Iris points out that everyone who's been prosecuted by Van Zieks has died (which is already objectively wrong), to which Van Zieks replies that he usually prosecutes the vilest wretches of society.

… Harsh. Ryu points out that Soseki wasn't a vile wretch though, with Iris chiming in that Gina's also turned her life around and she's working very hard now. Van Zieks admits that things have changed ever since meeting Ryu- which of course has to do with Van Zieks's need to face Ryu in court even in mediocre trials rather than pursue his usual corrupted targets- but the point is that if any of those vile wretches died in mysterious circumstances, it was “at the hand of their own kind”, not Van Zieks's. So basically, he believes that they were killed because they were dubious people engaged with dubious activities, not because of the Reaper's curse. Not only that, but ever since the rumors of the Reaper began, the number of serious crimes in London has decreased significantly. Even the most hardened criminals can be made fearful of their lives. Therefore, if his pseudonym of the Reaper can serve a useful purpose, he'll “adopt it gladly and with honour”. Ryu repeats that which he already told Stronghart; that it's putting Van Zieks in danger.

He really is a prosecutor on the edge with nothing to lose, huh. So what Van Zieks is basically saying is that he doesn't care if he dies, so long as he spends the rest of his life serving the 'useful purpose' of carrying the Reaper moniker to intimidate the vilest of society. But is that really all there is to it? (Spoilers: It's not)

There's a bit more talk about the mysterious apprentice here, with Van Zieks explaining the man was placed in his care under Stronghart's orders. He's wearing a mask on Stronghart's orders and also doesn't speak to anyone from outside the office on Stronghart's orders. HM. Van Zieks claims that Stronghart isn't one for “meaningless follies”, therefore he must have a good reason. This implies that Van Zieks believes in Stronghart's judgment almost blindly. To round up the conversation, Van Zieks asks about “that Nipponese man. The one arrested twice in succession six months ago. With the stoop. And the moustache. And the jitters.” Looks super offensive at first glance, but I gotta admit, after six months I wouldn't remember Soseki's name either. Better to describe him than to guess the name and get it wrong. Still though, just because it's not super offensive doesn't mean it's not offensive. Just saying “the one you defended six months ago” would've done the trick. Either way, Ryu says he's doing just fine and a letter from him arrived by post just the other day.

So this is interesting. Earlier, Van Zieks claimed in his own words that he doesn't believe in the curse and those who died had it coming to them, but he's still inquiring after Soseki. Perhaps not so much because he's worried about Soseki himself, but because he's curious whether this man has successfully escaped the curse so far. He would know that for a fact about Gina, but the only way to verify Soseki's status is to ask Ryu about it.

Time to leave this glass cage of exposition and meet the defendant in person! Albert spouts a whole lot of dialogue about how his machine is treated differently depending on whether the case is treated as an accident or as murder. If it's murder, it can be examined up close and that's what Albert doesn't want. It has to be treated as an accident so that it'll be protected from prying eyes through The Special Dispensation for Scientific Equipment Act (wow that's a mouthful). Of course, that's not entirely what we're interested in. Let's ask about his friendship with Van Zieks! Ryu asks what he was like back in his university days and the answer surprises him.

HAH, wonderfully written exchange, this one. Albert goes to describe him as “the little darling of the Van Zieks family, with all its great aristocratic origins”. So Van Zieks has some very noble blood in him. We could've already guessed this from his title of Lord, but apparently it's a bit more serious. I could derail here with wild theories about his family originating from the Netherlands and having migrated to the UK around the time the first king of the Netherlands, Willem I van Oranje Nassau, rose to power in 1813. Willem changed the way nobility works to some degree in the country and not all noble families would've agreed with his way of doing things. But anyway, point is, Van Zieks is a big shot. Albert says that it was kind of a shock to him when he came back to Britain and discovered 'what Van Zieks had become'. He heard that there was 'a very big event' that completely changed Van Zieks after his graduation, but doesn't know what it was because he was already in Germany at the time. So here we have some more traces of that backstory and we have enough pieces to start sticking some things together. We know Van Zieks was once betrayed by a friend and we now know he was a very modest, pleasant gentleman when he was young. Whatever happened must've been very harsh indeed to turn him into such a sour lemon. Either way, Albert doesn't seem to know yet that Van Zieks will be the prosecutor and Ryu doesn't have the heart to tell him.

So let's investigate the crime scene! Here, it's confirmed that Gina Lestrade is indeed just fine and now in training to become a detective with Gregson. Cute! So eventually we get to talk to Gregson about Van Zieks and how he's acquainted with Albert. Gregson is overdramatically shocked to find out that the two of them are old buddies.

Remember when Van Zieks took a five year hiatus and nobody had to mysteriously die from the Reaper's curse? Those were the days, eh Gregson? Now he's even prosecuting his own friends willy-nilly. Gregson states he has no idea what goes on in Van Zieks's head (a sentiment we've heard before in 1-4) and goes on to bring up the newspaper article about Van Zieks being attacked. When told that our good old pal the Reaper is just fine, Gregson utters a very uncomfortable “glad to hear it” which honestly had me wondering whether he'd preferred Van Zieks to die.

Up until a certain someone gets killed and stuffed into a suitcase, I'd reckon. Gregson says that Van Zieks is a top class prosecutor, but not even he can always push the right verdict through. “Sometimes justice can't win.” Gregson explains that naturally, Scotland Yard suspected Van Zieks at first and assumed he was taking matters into his own hands. There was a very thorough investigation and the outcome was that Van Zieks was in no way related to the mysterious deaths. So that's three people now who all insist Van Zieks couldn't possibly have committed the murders. Gregson says he's willing to stake his reputation on it, even. Of course, Gregson would know for sure, wouldn't he? But the narrative is telling us over and over that Van Zieks himself isn't the Reaper, with even Van Zieks himself implying he'd like to know just who the Reaper is. There's a conspiracy happening that Van Zieks is the centerpiece of, with the narrative really pushing the mystery aspect of it. The writers want us to care about the truth of the Reaper for sure.

OOOH that's meta! Ryu, being nosy and overly invested in Van Zieks's life, asks Gregson whether he knows about the 'incident' which changed Van Zieks after graduation.

Okay he clearly knows. Even a first time player can tell from this single reaction that Gregson's lying. The mystery thickens! At the end of the conversation, when Gregson's gone off, Iris recommends asking (S)Holmes about it instead. Safe bet, since (S)Holmes continuously knows more than he's letting on. To the house of wax we go! When asked about it, it's clear that he does know something (and is described as suddenly clamming up), but before he can explain there's a distraction in the form of Madam Tusspells and we have to sit through a mostly-unrelated Joint Reasoning segment. It leads into a conversation about a mass murderer known as the Professor. Ten years ago, there was a series of murders which rocked the capital right around the time Van Zieks graduated from university. Five people were killed before the man was caught and executed. This fifth victim was Klint van Zieks, Barok's older brother.

I really, really dislike this phrasing because Van Zieks was already studying law to begin with. He'd just graduated as a prosecutor; his brother's death had nothing to do with him pursuing that path. Anyway...

OOOH that's meta! So remember way back in the first essay when I said the backstory is optional? Well, here it is. The Great Ace Attorney is going all in for it. It's being tied to the ongoing plot, just as pretty much all the main prosecutor backstories are. Edgeworth's backstory is tied to Von Karma being the final boss, Godot's backstory is tied to the Fey lineage, Klavier's backstory (I say this lightly) is tied to Phoenix's disgrace... Now Van Zieks's story is tied to the serial killer who ruined so many lives a decade ago. And technically, we already have all the puzzle pieces we need for the next twist; we know Van Zieks was betrayed by a Japanese person who was his friend. So really, we can now say with absolutely certainty that the man arrested and executed back then was a Japanese buddy of Van Zieks.

The investigation segment is pretty much over, but the game has one more scene for us. This is something Ryunosuke won't witness, but the scriptwriters deemed it so important that we're ignoring Ryu to focus solely on the two characters involved. And cutting away from our main character is something that usually doesn't happen in Ace Attorney. Even when characters like Phoenix or Ryu are out of commission for whatever reason, a new 'main character' takes over for a second and we see everything from their point of view. I can think of only one other scene viewed without Ryu there, which happened in 1-5 just before Susato had to leave London. So what we have here is a very private moment between Van Zieks and Albert.

AWWW... The scenes in the office were great and all, but this right here is perhaps the most humanizing exchange we'll ever see with Barok. The reason for that, I think, is precisely because Ryu isn't there. He's alone with an old friend now, which means he can let his guard down more than he usually would. Even so, it's worth noting here that he doesn't look directly at Albert. He stands with his back to him the entire time and I'm certain this is intentional, because they could just as easily have rotated him into that sideways view that's often used in dialogue and courtroom scenes. He made his way down to the gaol to speak with his friend after ten long years, but is reluctant to look right at him. The conversation itself feels rather distant as well. Albert is delighted to see Van Zieks, but the sentiment isn't returned vocally. Van Zieks points out that they're meeting again “in prison of all places” and that the court will decide Albert's fate tomorrow. When Van Zieks raises a warning, Albert says he already knows his friend will be prosecuting and doesn't appear bothered at all at first. He does try to raise a question in the form of “Are you really...?”, but ultimately drops it and says that he knows Van Zieks has his best interests at heart. Van Zieks says he wouldn't entrust the trial of his friend to anyone else, and Albert thanks him for that. So my first guess upon taking in that dialogue is that Albert wonders for a brief moment whether Van Zieks really is the Reaper/really is cursed, only to shake it off because he considers the man his friend. Van Zieks seems to know it's risky to prosecute Albert, but deems it more important to handle the case himself than to let someone else do it. This, as we learn later, has to do with the Special Dispensation for Scientific Equipment Act and the protection of Albert's scientific secrets.

Next day, we're at the Old Bailey! In the defendant lobby, Ryu is once again told by Albert that the true goal to aim for in this trial is to protect his scientific hypothesis. So hypothetically speaking, the ideal outcome here would be to prove the death was accidental and that the kinesis was a success at the same time. (S)Holmes and Iris don't believe Albert's theory to be sound though, instead saying it couldn't possibly be done. In the courtroom, Ryu faces off against Van Zieks once more for the first time in six months! The judge is quick to point out that Odie Asman is a name familiar to him; a man who was prosecuted only a month ago by Van Zieks. When he asks whether this death is the work of the Reaper, Van Zieks instead describes it as “divine retribution”, but also “a direct result of the actions of the accused, Professor Albert Harebrayne”. The prosecution asserts that the instantaneous kinesis demonstration was a success. He himself can't say for certain whether it's a sound theory, but it's being investigated by the British government since it was deemed to have potential and the prosecution's case aligns with the notion that there was indeed instantaneous- You know what? Let's just call it teleportation. That's easier to type.

Unfortunately, Van Zieks doesn't want to follow the accident angle. Instead, he outright accuses his old friend of murdering Asman using the totally-functional-teleportation-machine-which-totally-worked to be the sole benefactor of a scientific grant. Harsh. Very harsh. I don't entirely understand why he didn't pursue the accident angle instead, but then, I don't quite know enough about law. My guess is that as the prosecution, he's not allowed to. Scotland Yard found enough evidence at the scene to substantiate a murder plot, especially that damning screwdriver that Ryu so graciously handed to Gregson, so that's what the prosecution has to go with, maybe? It's up to the defense attorney to debunk that down to an accident, then, so in essence Van Zieks is counting on Ryu to 'defeat him' and prove the murder aspect wrong. It would align with the conversation Albert had with Van Zieks in prison, where he said that 'it was a terrible accident and the young Eastern man acting as his defence assured him that he can prove it'.

So speaking of that screwdriver, Albert tries to discredit it himself by saying that if he had stabbed Asman on the stage, there would've been a whole lot of blood. Van Zieks pours himself a glass of wine and 'congratulates' his friend on a good rebuttal.

“Here's to you, Albert!”

Albert laughs it off sheepishly, saying he's nothing compared to “Barok” (awww, first name basis), but a chalice is immediately flung. Van Zieks says Albert neglected to mention one crucial possibility, which is that the lack of blood is explained by the notion that the screwdriver remained in the victim's chest to plug the wound. Therefore, since the demonstration was totally a success, the screwdriver was teleported along with the victim. Ryu thinks to himself that he had no idea the victim had been stabbed and wonders whether Van Zieks kept that information to himself to keep the upper hand on purpose. This whole thing jars me a little, because the screwdriver is brought up relatively early in the trial during the very first cross-examination. Is not mentioning it during the opening statement and waiting for Gregson to bring it up three minutes later really the same as 'keeping it to himself to gain the upper hand'?

Either way, Ryu counters, saying that the screwdriver was found at the stage and therefore didn't teleport at all, with Gregson serving as an official witness to this location. It's pretty clear from the next dialogue that Gregson never told Van Zieks where that screwdriver was found.

“That you contravened the Special Dispensation for Scientific Equipment Act?”

Gregson is immediately up in arms, but it's fine. There was no investigation needed to find a screwdriver lying in plain sight. So now Ryu decides to tighten the screws. He claims that if the prosecution can't explain the inconsistency (the screwdriver being found on the stage but no blood being there so clearly it must've plugged the wound), the testimony is unreliable. Van Zieks doesn't reply and Ryu thinks to himself that he looks stumped, but uh...

He just looks annoyed to me. The person to object next is not Van Zieks, it's Albert. He says that metal can't be teleported with the machine, so it only makes sense the screwdriver stayed behind and there's no inconsistency at all. Van Zieks suggests: “Clearly we should hear the accused's explanation. … Or should I say, this brilliant scientist's explanation?” And I think here in these two sentences we have the crux of the issue. Albert wants to be treated as a legitimate scientist above all else. Even if that means he's branded a murderer, so long as his hypothesis is protected and the confidentiality stands, it makes no difference to him. This was likely discussed with Van Zieks the night before as well. Albert is apparently willing to die for the sake of his scientific principles and... Well. I'm sure Van Zieks can understand. He's willing to die for the sake of serving the Reaper purpose. In a way, this means the defendant and the prosecution are in cahoots together, which is another first in Ace Attorney history. The two of them are fighting to keep the hypothesis of teleportation intact and if Ryu manages to prove that it was an accidental death, then great! Unfortunately, the second that screwdriver was discovered, the chances of that became slim to none. It was murder, plain and simple. On a sidenote, I found this little gem:

I'm counting this as humanization, because the underlying sentiment here is that despite his haughty better-than-thou attitude, Van Zieks is still friends with someone so very scatterbrained, his name is forgotten sometimes. Even Ryu is taken aback by the purity of the friendship.

Heh heh... Time to cause some more havoc by informing the court that Asman's metal-rimmed glasses were still on his face and since Albert already said metal can't be teleported, his hypothesis is a load of tosh. The jurors go up in arms about it, saying the machine should be stripped down and examined. The game gives Ryu the option to either raise an objection or 'wait and see', but this is another one of those fake choices. Waiting and seeing just leads to a bit more dialogue between the jurors before Ryu steps in of his own accord. He says Albert would have no reason to build such an elaborate fake machine and put on a public display for murder, but Van Zieks counters with the very good reason: Money. The jurors are even more outraged, calling him a fake scientist who's only in it for the guineas, and Albert begs them to believe that his science is built upon a sound hypothesis. Van Zieks comes in to 'save the day' (sort of).

“The fact remains that the victim was transported instantly to the Crystal Tower. Which means that the experiment... was a success.”

And I gotta say, this next bit is just very enjoyable to me. The way it's written is so great.

HEH HEH.... Van Zieks has some more witnesses to summon who saw the incident from some 'very special seats', but let's end the essay here for now and pick it back up next time!

#dgs #dgs spoilers #tgaa #tgaa spoilers #barok van zieks

25 notes · View notes

isuckatreadinglol · 3 years

Text

Crooked Kingdom Review 🕰️

Holy shit.

(spoiler warning, duh)

Book: Crooked Kingdom (Book 2 of the Six of Crows Duology)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Rating: 5.5/5

The Plot

This book took me a bit longer to finish because I wanted to absorb as much of the plot as possible because of how much action there was. Every chapter had something going wrong (cough cough part 4) which made it impossible to put the book down. Some parts literally had my heart racing.

There were a lot of interesting moments and I would hardly say they were predictable. At some parts of the book I literally had to just...sit there and just think about how incredible the twists were. I never expected anything to happen, and the way things played out in the end were mind-blowing. I loved the way the plot expanded and it was very satisfying when the book ended.

The Characters

"Where do you think the money went?" he repeated.

"Guns?" asked Jesper

"Ships?" queried Inej.

"Bombs?" suggested Wylan.

"Political bribes?" offered Nina. They all looked at Matthias. "This is where you tell us how awful we are," she whispered.

I fell in love with every single character and watching them grow made me so happy. I think personally I loved Kaz Brekker the most in this book because you really got to see how his trauma left him scarred, as well as how skillful he really is when it came to the missions. The smallest details of Kaz's character just built him into such an awesome character. His backstory expanded, explaining so many things that I didn't even think I needed to know until I read them. Plus the fact that he basically wrote the book. Leigh made up the idea for the plot and Kaz said "I'll take it from here".

"I don't hold a grudge. I cradle it. I coddle it. I feed it fine cuts of meat and send it to the best schools. I nurture my grudges, Rollins"

And that was what destroyed you in the end: the longing for something you could never have.

Inej stole my heart again and again and for what. She really is such a well-built character with amazing determination. The beginning literally had me shaking (It was also the part of the book that had my heart-racing) because I really felt for Inej. Leigh also wrote Inej's kidnapped chapters perfectly, it felt so real. Her showdown with White Blade was so beautifully written and honestly Dunyasha was such a cool character I almost wish she was developed into something more rather than killed.

Anyway, Inej holds a place in my heart and it was refreshing to have such an in depth character, from her history at the Menagerie, to her references of her culture (which were so beautiful). It really made her stand out from the rest of the crew and she was just an incredible character.

"That was how you survived when you weren't chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway."

"The Suli believe that when we do wrong, we give life to our shadows. Every sin makes the shadow stronger, until eventually the shadow is stronger than you."

Her heart was a river that carried her to the sea.

Jesper was the character I resonated the most with. His backstory was so interesting and structured, but simple. I did enjoy the appearance of his father because it added an element of Jesper's character we didn't see much of before. We got to learn his backstory and learn about his relationship with his father. His unhealthy habits was also something I resonated with so it comforted me to be able to understand this character and connect with him. Also, I love the fact that his ADHD was given more attention to show how and why he dealt with situations the way he did. Also, when he bent the direction of the bullet at the last part...chills. He's my ultimate comfort character and I loved getting to know him.

Guilt and love and resentment were all tangled up inside him, and every time he tried to unravel the knot in his gut, it just got worse.

There's a wound in you, and the tables, the dice, the cards--they feel like medicine. They soothe you, put you right for a time. But they're poison, Jesper. Every time you play, you take another sip.

Nina was definitely one of my favorite characters to see grow. The creativity that was put into her powers was amazing and she was just such a badass. She could literally raise fuckers from the DEAD????? That shit made me lose my mind like how powerful can she GET. She was definitely an awesome character and I really wished we got some more on her powers and her story after they got their money.

She was the Queen of Mourning, and in its depths, she would never drown.

Wylan...sweet Wylan. I love him so much it hurts. He was such an entertaining character and his courage was awesome, he really stood out from the rest of the characters because of how different he was from all of them. He also admired all of the crows and was treated like a little brother by all of them which was so cute. The character development went from "Why am I here?" to "How can I help?" and I loved seeing him become a part of the crows. Also in that last scene where he's just leaning against the wall, beat the fuck up, was so good SAINTS.

Wylan summoned every bit of bravado he'd learned from Nina, the will he'd learned from Matthias, the focus he'd studied in Kaz the courage he'd learned from Inej, and the wild, reckless hope, he'd learned from Jesper, the belief that no matter the odds, somehow they would win.

But they were his first friends, his only friends, and Wylan knew that even if he’d had his pick of a thousand companions, these would have been the people he chose.

Matthias back with his long ass chapters (until chapter 40 LOL) (i'm so sorry that was outta pocket). Anyway, I still had meh feelings for him but I loved him and Nina's relationship. Yes, I shed a few tears when he died that shit hurt come on now. I did like to see his protective side and him overcoming his fears and past beliefs. The character development in him was immaculate.

He was on the ice once more, and somewhere he could hear the wolves howling. But this time, he knew they were welcoming him home.

The Ships

Kanej: cries. literally in tears. bawling my eyes out. throughout the entire book. THEY HELD HANDSSSSSS, HE OPENED UP TO HERRRRR, THE SHIPPPP AND THE PARENTSSSSSSSS AHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY HEARTTTTTT

I would come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together--knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting.

Wesper: adorable adorable adorable. my favorite gay mfs in the world. Jesper is such a fucking flirt though he had ME blushing. Also when Jesper kissed Kuwei HAHAHA WHATTT, the way Kuwei was like 😏 had me gone. Anyway, the chemistry between these two was something else (so much better than in the first book) and the ending with them was wholesome I'm so happy they got the happy ending.

Wylan shrugged. “Maybe. Not all poisons have an antidote.” Jesper snorted. “That’s why we call him Wylan Van Sunshine.”

This was the kiss he’d been waiting for. It was a gunshot. It was prairie fire. It was the spin of Makker’s Wheel. Jesper felt the pounding of his heart—or was it Wylan’s?—like a stampede in his chest, and the only thought in his head was a happy, startled, Oh. (<3)

Helnik: cries. again. sobs. This one hurt me so bad, I literally was just sitting in my bed staring at the wall, book in hand, crying. They had such a beautiful relationship and they grew so much together it HURT. The way Matthias was so protective of Nina and was always worrying about her. They planned their future together in their heads all the time. They were SO HAPPY WHY COULDN"T THEY JUST BE HAPPY.

They deserved the world.

I will always protect you, even in death, I will find a way.

You aren't a flower, you're every blossom in the wood blooming at once. You are a tidal wave. You are a stampede. You are overwhelming.

Final Thoughts:

My final thoughts are scattered throughout the review, but overall this book took everything from Six of Crows and made it better. It broke me, made me laugh, had me angry as fuck, but it also left me feeling like I knew these characters and they knew me. It really was so much better than the first book in so many different levels and I will never get over this book. Truly better than waffles.

41 notes · View notes

kindaangelic · 4 years

Text

A Dash Of Love

Bruce Wayne was not a man typically possessed of a nervous disposition, but as he sat on the ass-nummbingly hard benches of the Gotham City courthouse, he could not help but trouble his lower lip with his teeth.

“Courage, Master Bruce,” Alfred's gentle voice whispered next to him. Bruce startled and made a conscious effort to stop bouncing his leg. “Remember, stiff upper lip.”

“I'm not British,” Bruce pointed out.

Alfred raised a judgemental eyebrow. “I have raised you as a single butler for the past twelve years,” ha said, “and I shall not stand for the insinuation that I have raised a non-Brit.”

Bruce smirked at Alfred's indignation and after taking a deep breath, focused on the cases being called up. Just a few more...

“Wayne?” The bailiff called. Upon seeing Bruce, he gave a small whimper of exhilaration. Bruce flashed a smile and approached.

The judge looked up from her papers. “Mr. Wayne,” she said, and Bruce tried to look like he was not about to cry. “We are here to process your custody of one Damian Al Ghul.”

From next to Alfred,the Damian stood respectfully. “What ho, Madame Judge.” From beside him, Dick glowed like a proud, maternal firefly.

The judge looked at Damian and smiled. “Good morning, young man,” she said gently, before fixing Bruce with a glare. “Mr. Wayne. These documents show that for some reason, custody of Damian Al Ghul has been transferred to your eldest son, Richard Grayson-Wayne. Upon maintaining custody for six months, Mr. Grayson-Wayne successfully filed a motion for adoption which was granted.”

Bruce peered at Dick, who squeaked. The judge looked at Dick, who had shifted Damian into his lap. “Mr. Grayson-Wayne, may I know why you adopted your own brother?”

Dick stood up, and began to speak. “Your honor, we're only found out about Damian's existence an year ago. His mother hid him from us. Bruce was so happy to have Dami, but then, about six months ago, he-” Dick's eyes brimmed with tears and he choked.

“Bruce got into an accident,” a new voice declared. Bruce shifted his beady gaze to Jason, whose massive muscles were threatening to burst out of his suit.

“Who are-”

“Jason Todd,” he said with a grin. “Brother, son, and wholesome citizen. As I was saying, Bruce was in an accident, and were thought that we'd lost him. So Dick stepped up for the kid.”

Bruce longed to run to Dick and hug his poor emotional son, but the odious Wally West was already doing so.

No matter. He could deal with West later.

The judge looked back at the paperwork. “According to the filing, the clerk filed the motion as Mr. Grayson-Wayne being young Damian's mother.”

Dick smiled nervously and Bruce groaned. “Your honor, please,” he begged, “I can't- my son is my other son's legal mother! Please, I beg you, end this madness!”

The judge was not impressed. She turned then to the small, unassuming figure of Tim, sitting in Jason's massive shadow. “Mr. Drake, could you share your opinion on this situation?”

Tim stood and looked at Damian, who, for the first time, looked nervous. “If it please the court,” Tim murmured, “I will share the whole story.”

Taking a deep breath, Tim spoke. “When Damian first arrived, he was, for lack of a better word, an entitled brat. The type you would write about on reddit. After Bruce was- er, taken out of commission, the family fractured. We all did things we were not proud of. Everyone except me, that is.

“Possibly the only good thing to happen in that time was Dick took Damian under his wing. His mothering managed to help Damian see that he was loved, and that he had a place with us, and that he didn't need to fight for it, or prove his place.”

Tim looked at Damian, who was staring at him, slackjawed. “We've come together as a family, even Jason,” Tim continued. “And Jason once attacked me.”

“Mr. Todd-Wayne!” The judge cried, who had grown quite fond of Tim.

Jason flinched. “I did apologize,” he said, mentally promising Tim a firm punch to the tushy in there near future.

The judge harrumphed and looked at Dick, who was nervously holding Damian. “Damian, do you love your father?”

“Oh yes,” Damian said, and Bruce beamed. “Father is very robust and warm, and he shows his love in strange ways, but there is no doubt that he loves us all deeply. I am under no illusions as to whom my parents are. Grayson may not be my mother, but he is Grayson, and therefore matters just as much.”

The judge seemed to ruminate on Damian'sqords before coming to a conclusion. “Mr. Wayne," she said, “given the circumstances of this case, and the fact that Damian's birth mother was deemed unfit for custody, I believe that legally, it is safer if Mr. Grayson-Wayne remains Damian's legal mother. With regards to the odd situation, I am afraid that you will simply have to cope.”

Bruce groaned as Jason burst into raucous cheers. Bruce trudged back to his family and looked somberly at Damian. “I'm sorry that we could not resolve this ridiculous situation, son.” He looked at Dick. “You're a wonderful man, Dick. I can't think of anyone who is capable of so much love.”

In his corner, Tim sighed, thinking of how wrong Bruce was for neglecting the depth of Tim's love for Kon. If only Bruce would stop trying to pretend that Kon didn't exist and closing the windows every time he tried to fly in.

Damian's incredibly tiny face was stretched into an impossible grin, making him resemble the amphibian that was surely somewhere in his family tree. “I am alright with this result, Father. Truly, I am a lucky young man-”

“Frog-”

“TODD!”

Bruce ushered his family to the car, where he resigned himself to a long drive home. As he watched Dick try and smother all of his siblings with love, Bruce smiled to himself. After all, what did a little more love hurt anyone?

537 notes · View notes

retvenkos · 3 years

Text

blanching | helnik

Six of Crows - A Helnik Story, angst, slight fluff requested by @musicallisto

tw: a suggestive comment, grief, spoilers for crooked kingdom

word count: 1.5k

prompt: “i’m here for you. i have your back.”

A/N: y’know, this turned out pretty decent, but ohmygod... you guys should have seen the scene that was painted in my head... it would have made you sob.

Summary: Fear and uncertainty didn’t belong here. Not in Novyi Zem. Not with Matthias.

Novyi Zem was beautiful. In the morning, the sun rose steadily, filtering through slatted blinds and spilling across the floor, warming the shadows until they disappeared from view. In the mid-afternoon, its bustling cities were full of life - laughter seemingly reverberating from the very ground, the smell of food wafting through the clear air, the bright, sparkling ocean bringing in a soft breeze that ruffled skirts and jackets. In the evening, its farmlands hummed with the music of crickets, lush greens and dying yellows stretching onto infinity. Colm Fahey lived in Cofton, with rows and rows of jurda plants, all of them vibrantly orange, flowering under the warm summer sun.

Once, maybe a lifetime ago, Colm Fahey told Nina and the rest of the crows that his home was open to them, should they need it. Jesper had laughed as though the offer were a joke without a punchline, and Kaz had assured Mr. Fahey that they would never be passing by.

Nina was the one to laugh, now.

Novyi Zem was one stop on a trip to somewhere much warmer, and when they were running low on coin, Wylan pointed out that Jesper's family home wasn't far from them. Kaz said they would stop for only a day or two. How long had they been there, now? Two weeks? Maybe longer?

Nina was pleased with the arrangement. As long as there was enough flour for waffles and enough sun for warmth, she could gladly stay in Novyi Zem forever.

The sounds of the farm were a charming cacophony that rooted Nina to this reality - to this beautiful, warm world. Nina lay in the fields, her hair haloing outward, her palms digging into the fresh grass. She closed her eyes, feeling the sun on her face, its golden and amber hues playing against the dark of her eyelids. The sun was a brilliant ball of light, kissing Nina's skin and warming her from the outside in - penetrating the bone. Never had she known warmth such as this.

In the Heartrender rooms of the Little Palace, Nina was taught the secrets of the body and the science of bending it to your will. She learned everything - from releasing chemicals in the brain for good spirits to inducing heart attacks that could prove fatal, given a particular turn of the wrist. Nina mastered how to increase blood flow and quicken the heartbeat, and ever since, she kept herself warm.

Nina had only ever been cold twice in her life, in the orphanage where she grew up and on a boat lost in a tempest. Warmth was a luxury that a Grisha Heartrender could afford, and Nina swore that she would never be cold again. Not after the orphanage. Not after the storm. Not after...

Novyi Zem was beautiful, but mostly, it was warm.

"What are you doing?" Matthias' voice called out - rich, full of teasing and mirth. She could hear the steady beat of his heart as he came closer, walking toward her from the barn, where Colm kept his harvesting tools.

Nina didn't have to open her eyes to know he was smiling. "Enjoying the sun," she replied.

Matthias scoffed, but he laid down next to her all the same.

"Do you not do that in Fjerda, drüskelle?" Nina opened her eyes and shot him a teasing glance. His cheeks were a ruddy pink, full of life and love. For a moment, Nina didn't want to let go. She shifted onto her side, but her eyes never left him. "Do you just sit around all day and hope the temperature drops below zero?"

Matthias rolled his eyes. Hips lips parted softly. "We are not in Fjerda."

"Thank the Saints for that. I've had enough ice to last a lifetime."

Matthias chuckled, and Nina bit her lip to stop a giddy grin from crossing her face. The sun beat down on them, warm and full of zest. Nina moved to grab his hand but hesitated, pausing halfway in the space between. Matthias didn't notice - his eyes were on the sky, far away from her.

"I would like to go back, someday." And the wind came by at the mention of Fjerda, as though he were summoning it all on his own. It made the jurda sway, and the breeze seemed to carry a message.

"Take root... follow the water north..."

Nina grabbed Matthias' strong hand; it was warm. She squeezed it tightly, feeling the steady beat of his heart; warm, alive.

"We'll go," Nina said, her smile smaller than before. Her voice cracked, and something was breaking in her chest because of it - something raw and heaving that didn't belong in Novyi Zem. Not with Colm Fahey - so kind as to invite everyone over to stay. Not with a home with fields of jurda and always enough flour to make waffles. Not the with this sun that shined down on them, begging them to stay. Not with the warmth and the love and the life.

"You will come with me?"

Nina blinked.

"And let you go alone? You'd never make it." And Matthias chuckled again, an exasperated breath of delight. His blue eyes were sparkling with the light of the sun. She let go of him slowly, their hands still brushing. He was here - he always would be. Nina taunted him more. "Have you ever had to charm a barkeep for a meal?"

"No. But I would work for one."

"Oh, so you would sell your body, then?"

Matthias' expression turned scandalous for a heartbeat. He turned to her incredulously, but when he saw the wide smile that stretched over Nina's face, he heaved a dry laugh. Nina raised her eyebrows and started to chuckle.

"You—" but he was laughing too hard to finish, his breathy chuckles turning into bursts of rich laughter, a sound deep in his chest, warming Nina to the bone. She grinned with him, peals of laughter ripping through her until her sides hurt from the pure joy it all, the brightness of their love, all-encompassing and fading into the air. Nina's heart ached - it was too full.

She poked Matthias' sides, and his laughter intensified. Eventually, he captured her hands in his and held them close to his chest, still laughing, all the while. Their love was warm and radiant, but his eyes were an icy, frozen blue - the tundra from which he came. Nina stared into them deeply, wishing to memorize the look in his eyes. A beautiful, pale blue. Steady like the ice. Glassy...

Tears pricked Nina's eyes, spilling down her cheeks. She was crying.

For a moment, she wondered if it was from the laughter at all.

"We'll go together," Matthias affirmed, his voice no longer laughing, his expression turning back into that sculpted, strong sense of calm. He kissed her fingers before letting them go, reaching up to wipe the tears that glistened on her cheeks.

"Always?" Nina's voice shook, an uncharacteristic uncertainty in her tone. Her hands were shaking, but she couldn't understand why. Was it fear?

No.

No. Fear didn't belong here. Not in Novyi Zem. Not with Matthias.

Matthias had an easy smile on his face. He leaned back in the richly colored grass and sighed, content. "Are you planning on holding me hostage if I do not say yes?"

"If I say yes, will you stay?"

Matthias smiled and closed his eyes; he breathed deeply like he couldn't get enough air in his lungs. For a moment, Nina was in Ketterdam, crying over the dark cobblestones, holding Matthias in her arms. He was there, with her, and he was pale... so pale...

No.

"Matthias?"

He was smiling like some kind of victorious Saint, the sunlight woven into his hair. He didn't open his eyes.

"Helvar."

A jurda plant broke as though snapped by a nonexistent breeze. It fell on Matthias' chest, but its color was red, not that vibrant, wholesome orange. A red tulip from the Van Eck gardens - not from Novyi Zem. Not from here.

"Drüskelle!"

Matthias' eyes snapped open. He had just been dozing.

"Nina?"

They were on the dirty streets of Ketterdam. The world was chaos - full of plague alarms and hellfire - and Nina was slipping into her grief, drowning in mourning, floundering in this power that couldn't save him. She was holding onto him, again, but his body was already claimed by death; cold. So, so cold.

"Come back," Nina sobbed.

“I’m here for you, Nina. I'll always have your back.” But his voice was no longer his, just an echo of someone who once was, just the cruel imaginings of her mind, dark and hollow - grieving, still.

"Come back to me, then. Don't leave me, Matthias. Please."

"I have been made to protect you. Even in death, I will find a way."

Nina took in a shuddering breath, and all around her, the beauty of Novyi Zem crumbled. Her world - her beautiful, warm world - was fading, blanching into nothing and burning into pale, grey ash. The wind was whipping around her, and the Fjerdan ice was unforgivingly claiming her.

She was sitting on the shore with tears crystallized on her eyelashes. The sun had long since dipped over the horizon, and she was cold. So, so cold.

-- taglist: @musicallisto, @catsbooksandmusic // message me if you want to be added!

49 notes · View notes

quillify-tries-to-talk · 3 years

Text

Some of my favorite tropes in media

1. Found family

Welp. Why am I surprised?

In addition to a ton of platonic relationships, there's also a bang-on hilarity in each one of these groups.

Six of Crows (the progression in Kaz and Wylan's dynamic??? Nina and Inej being besties??? Jesper and Inej having a running joke of scheming face lol??? Matthias forgoing his prejudices to team up with Jesper and Kuwei???)

The Hargreeves siblings??? (We're not gonna talk about what's going on between Luther and Allison 💀 but the rest of them 🥺🥺🥺)

2. Ballroom dance scenes

Oh, to be twirling across the dancefloor in the arms of your partner (bonus points if it's your enemy💖) and you can't decide if your heightened breathing is due to the music's tempo or the 🌟tension🌟

Whyyyyyyy did we have to stop balls!?!?!? Whyyyyyyyy???? Are you telling me that we lost the opportunity to wear our most artful dresses and have a night of elegant dancing and food and it was replaced by nightclubs??? T_T

3. The sunshine character actually has problems.

Love, love, love it when the sunshine, always joking, always kind character opens up about their own issues and insecurities yet they don't stop being kind and don't lose their heart just because the world is going to hell

Prime examples: Ron Weasley (au contraire, HP fandom, this guy has one of the best characterizations in the books and y'all just sleep on him because you want your special ones so much), Leo Valdez (my boy repaired a whole dragon alone, dealt with losing his mom, was homeless and yet keeps the atmosphere light and happy and makes hilarious jokes T_T), Inej Ghafa (horribly traumatized, has done things to survive in a brutal world, deserves the world, and yet is so, so, so fiercely kind and compassionate and always there for her friends💖)

4. When the tough, scary one is soft for kids or animals

Nothing is more wholesome than watching a stone-cold badass softening towards a kid or adopting a baby animal or just showing love for their family (Five Hargreeves 🥺). Shows that they still have a bit of their heart unguarded wnd hopeful.

5. Wholesome friendships that just stay friendships + siblings being siblings.

My ace ass hates love triangles with a fiery passion and it's really tiring to see every friendship being shipped left and right or being pushed into love triangle *side-eyes CC*

Lucie Herondale and Cordelia Carstairs are my favorite parabatai duo and I need more content of their friendship and antics pleaseee. I need more of them being a chaotic duo.

Alastair and Cordelia are my favorite brother sister duo, just with the way they address each other and how Cordelia thought about killing him during the demon attacks in ChoG.

Percy Jackson and Grover Underwood. The guy sailed across the Bermuda Triangle to rescue his best friend.

Also the potential we lost with Hermione and Ginny because R*wling couldn't write more than one PoV -_-

But on a happy note, Ron and Harry are my favorite and I love these dorks so much. They really become brothers by the end *gross sobbing*

Aru and her Pandava sisters and the two braincells they share🤦‍♀️😂

Once more, the Hargreeves family going from strangers to dumbass chaotic family in TUA s2😂🤦‍♀️

6. Enemies-to-lovers

Bonus points if they're also academic rivals. Why is this trope not used more? We could explore some great themes on the shit education system.

No one? Fine I'll write a fic myself.

Also, enemies to lovers =/= abusive relationships. Keep that trash away from me where the love interests are manipulative, abusive towards their love interests and then later fall in love with them. My favorite progression goes like this:

Ugh pretentious ass, look at them==>ugh why are we working together?==>why do we work so well as a team!?==>goddammit why are they so nice!?==>I guess we're friends now==>what is this tension!?!==>*notices something pretty about them* uh oh. 😳😳😳

Prime examples: Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Kallias and Alessandra from The Shadows Between Us. Jude and Cardan from TFOTA (I know they're toxic. Would not stan that relationship irl but I loved their development in the trilogy)

7. When the best friends go to an event as each other's date and are mutually pining over each other but are oblivious dumbasses.🤦‍♀️

Bonus points if other people mistake them for a couple and they can't even get out a proper explanation ;)

*whispers* Harry and Ron should've asked each other to the Yule Ball

8. More thoughtfully-written boys in YA

Please move on beyond the bad boy and broody, immortal, muscular warrior trope. Give representation to my PoC, neurodivergent, trans and fat boys. Give boys dark features (I promise they are as entrancing as blue eyes or blonde hair). Make them emotional, make them something other than stoic, make them like teenagers (and not adults playing teens). They deserve the world and well-written role models as much as girls do.

Prime example: Ron Weasley, Jesper, Wylan, Enrique and Hypnos from TGW, and Julian Blackthorn.

I could write essays for Ron but all I'll say is that r*wling did a good job by giving the role of emotional support (that's usually considered a feminine job) to a boy and made him funny and kind-hearted🥺

As for Julian, like I said before ruthless characters being soft for their family make me go T_T

9. Showing feminism with an equal society (as Tricia Levenseller does it), wholesome f/f and m/f friendships, normalizing the presence of LGBTQ people, without trashing men or femininity.

If you have to deliberately create a highly patriarchal society to show off your progressive views and badass female MC, then you're doing feminism wrong :)

Oops my saltiness leaked out in the end 😳

69 notes · View notes

lovelivingmydreams · 3 years

Text

Paper Flowers: The Prince’s Enemy

You liked it so I made more of it!

Part 1 over here. Enjoy!

You sit in your room relaxing before dinner. Homework’s done and social media isn’t going to check in on itself. You are replying to a post one of your friends placed on their wall when a notification pops up. ‘Thomas Sanders just posted a new video’.

You smile as you finish your message and click the notification. Thomas is one of your favorite creators. And it’s insane what he can do in six seconds.

The first thing you notice is that it is a return of the prince character. It makes you smile.

Who doesn’t love a real life Disney prince?

“Stop you fiend!” the prince declares, standing in what looks like an old concrete building, which probably was meant to create the illusion of an old fortress.

Then the angle shifts and… Wait that’s not one of Thomas’ friends playing a villain. That’s Thomas wearing a black hoodie with the hood up to mimic a cloak and black eye shadow to make him look more threatening. Which is a tall order for the human cinnamon bun.

“Prince Dude! My arch nemesis!” villain Thomas growls.

Then the prince comes back into view. He looks shocked.

“Wait…” he dramatically brings a hand to his chest. “I’m your arch nemesis?” he asks... Why does he sound so emotional?

Villain Thomas comes back into view and looks… Flustered? What?

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to assume…”

Wait. This is… This is like someone calling their SO boyfriend or girlfriend for the first time. OMG this is the cutest!

“No!” Prince rushes as he comes back into view. “I just didn’t…” he sighs and shakes his head. “Shall we?” He asks as he raises his sword ready to continue their battle.

Villain Thomas comes back into view and smirks as he raises his own weapon and nods.

“Prepare to die!” He declares letting out a battle cry. The camera shows Prince again who lets out a war cry of his own, charging in.

And that’s the end. You smile to yourself as you leave a like. You’re curious what other fanders think of this new character. Will he ever come back? You hope so.

“Roman it’s so nice of you to include Anxiety in the fun!” Patton cheered when he found out about the new villain character.

Virgil rolled his eyes. Of course Princey was getting praised. Not that it would occur to Patton how hard it’d been for Virgil to agree to let Thomas use his aesthetic, his identity, to create a new character. Or that his heart was racing at the thought of how much the fans would probably hate it.

“Think nothing of it Patton. I merely had the idea for a nemesis, and figured that if Thomas played the character himself it would minimize speculation of the fans on any hidden meaning behind the skits. They are almost more eager to see Thomas find a partner than I am, and none of our friends need that kind of attention on them. So when it came to picking out a look, Anxiety’s… Style, seemed fitting. That’s all,” Roman explained, surprising Virgil.

Roman was passing up on the chance to bask in the praise? Praise he deserved, maybe… A little. Virgil knew that this whole thing was an olive branch from the Prince to him.

And honestly it was kind of a fun skit. Thomas had a lot of fun making it… But here Roman was, downplaying his good intentions and how thoughtful he’d been about it. He’d asked Virgil’s permission to do this. He never asked Logan or Patton to use their looks for the dad or the teacher character.

“Speaking off the raisin cookie… Anxiety!” Roman called. Virgil looked up from where he was sulking against the kitchen counter.

“What?” he scowled.

“I have a few more skit ideas you’ll probably want to criticize. Let’s get that over with shall we?” Roman suggested casually as he headed to his room.

Virgil made a point to sigh and roll his eyes in annoyance, grumbling under his breath as he usually would. Patton might not pay enough attention to him to notice anything amiss, but Virgil was pretty sure Logan would ask questions if the two of them started to act too different.

He entered the fanciful side’s room and took a look around. It was a nice place honestly. Both similar and opposite to his room somehow.

“Soooo… How did you like the skit?” Roman asked eagerly.

Virgil shrugged. “It was alright. Thomas really enjoyed it,” he allowed.

Roman grinned, happy he got some sort of positive feedback from the usually more sullen side.

“And um… It was really cool of you… What you said to Patton. You didn’t have to. You deserved some sort of, like, praise I guess, even if he didn’t know the real reason why you did,” Virgil muttered then.

Roman’s eyes widened. Did Anxiety just… Praise him? He hadn’t expected that. He’d corrected Patton because he didn’t want Anxiety to think that he was using their truce to earn extra brownie points with the fatherly side.

“Thank you Anxiety,” Roman bowed.

“Don’t mention it,” Virgil shrugged awkwardly.

There was a silence. Neither knew for sure how to continue from this point. Their interactions usually ended with one of them storming out of the room.

“Um… Want to watch some tv until Thomas checks up on the comments?” Roman suggested.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Virgil nodded.

Roman gestured to the couch and they sat down as far away from each other as possible.

Virgil chuckled as he realized Roman had put on Avatar.

“Is there a problem? Mr. moodbender?” Roman asked tensely. Clearly ready to call of the truce if Virgil criticized the show.

The anxious man shook his head. “No. Just surprised you’re not putting on Disney,”

Roman rolled his eyes. “I can love things that aren’t Disney, scorned king,” he huffed.

Virgil nodded, Princey had a point.

They both mouthed along to the opening narration and smirked at each other while the intro music played.

“So… What other things do you like Princey?” Virgil started casually.

Roman blinked in surprise, happy surprise that is. Anxiety was clearly making an effort, showing interest in making this truce evolve to a friendship. It was nice, to know that he was not the only one invested in this.

“Well it should come as no surprise to you that I adore all things musical.”

Virgil looked around to all the playbills and smirked. “I would’ve never guessed,” he teased getting a pillow to the face, though it was clearly in good humor.

“Sush!” Roman chuckled.

“Anyway. As I was saying…” Roman proceeded to talk about his favorite artists, some of which Virgil admitted to liking as well and Virgil, in return talked about his favorites as well.

“Oh wait…” Virgil suddenly interrupted as his attention was caught by the screen. Momo had entered the story.

“This is the part where I got respect for this show,” Virgil divulged.

“Why’s that?” Roman wondered.

“Well, on the one hand you have the first time you realize that Zuko isn’t bad. Cause he spares the commanders life. And on the other, the show literally looked at their demographic and said: you kids can handle some genocide. Here is an actual body, confirmed to belong to a character our protagonist cared about,” Virgil explained. “They don’t look down on the kids that watch the show. And they made that clear, very fast. I respect that.”

Roman thought about that, and he could see Anxiety’s point.

“Yes, I suppose they didn’t hide their vision for the show at all,” he nodded.

They continued watching the episode in comfortable silence, both silently noting that they’d moved closer together during their conversation, now only leaving enough distance for both of them to still keep their personal bubble intact.

“I guess it’s been an hour now…” Virgil muttered as the end credits played. Roman nodded as he paused the tv. Thomas would soon give in and see if anyone had reacted to his recent post.

“It’ll be alright. Worst case scenario, they don’t like it and we don’t bring the character back,” Roman assured the younger aspect. “I’d be a little disappointed, because I have tons of ideas for your character. But we’ll think of something else,” he assured Virgil, not willing to give up on his plan to make Anxiety feel more wanted in some way because of one hypothetical set back.

“What if people stop following Thomas because…”

“Anxiety, we’ve posted videos of much lower quality than this one and they didn’t make people run for the hills,” Roman countered.

Virgil nodded but curled in on himself anyway. Roman sighed.

“Things are as they are, we can’t change them now so we might as well face the music. Alright?”

Virgil took in a deep breath and nodded. That made sense.

“Okay. Let's do this,” he sighed.

Roman smiled and nodded as they watched Tomas ‘casually’ check notifications.

Oh no, Virgil thought as he could feel the way Thomas' heart skipped a beat when he saw all the likes and shares popping up.

“Comments!!!” Roman cheered.

And indeed. The Fanders had left several comments already. Some keyboardsmashes, some big eyed or hearteyed emoji's. Some one word exclamations like ‘Adorable’, ‘wholesome’ and even ‘perfection’.

Virgil couldn't help smiling as Thomas' excitement grew. He was about to be outed, he knew it.

But he didn't care that much right now.

Because someone demanded Thomas make more vines with his villain character. And another joked that they should call Disney because they found the new big hit Disney Channel show.

He couldn't stop himself from letting out a soft sound of excitement as he played with the sleeves of his hoodie to release some energy. He wanted to jump up and down and scream, Thomas was so happy.

“By Hermes' Sandals! Anxiety! Your eyeshadow!” Roman exclaimed. He'd heard his fellow side’s uncontainable excitement and had looked up, unable to pass up the chance to see the closed off side smile. He had not been ready for this. The layer of white foundation seemed to be less thick revealing it was hiding freckles underneath. That was not the most important part though. The usually black, smudged eyeshadow was brilliant and sparkly and a royal purple.

Anxiety blushed upon being caught but didn’t really stop smiling.

“Yeah, that happens when Thomas gets really excited. Don't make it a big deal,” he shrugged. Roman nodded, understanding that Anxiety meant to ask him not to mention it to the others.

He felt a sense of accomplishment well up inside him. Surely Anxiety had known there was a good chance Thomas would get excited upon seeing the responses to the skit. If he wanted it to be a secret he could've excused himself and hid in his room until the effect wore off. But he hadn't. He'd stayed and taken the risk of being seen. Roman wondered what he’d said or done to make the hooded man want to open up like that. Maybe he’ll ask, some other time.

“Anyway, good job Roman. Seems you’re stuck with me,” Virgil winked as he got up, pulling his hood over his face so he could hide his state until he got to his room.

“Princey , is stuck with the hooded fiend,” Roman corrected. “but I don’t think he minds. And neither do I,” he added while he basked in the glow of the complement.

Virgil felt his smile widen just a bit as he saw how happy Roman was with all this.

Once you gave him a chance he wasn't that annoying.

Virgil had found himself going from wanting someone to not hate him, to wanting Roman to like him over the course of their conversation. Their truce had been tense and awkward up until now. But even so, it had been going surprisingly well. Virgil could tell Roman was looking out for him. By distracting the others when Virgil felt cornered by example. And Virgil had tried to help Princey out as well. Making him go to bed, trying to push Thomas towards creating more content and trying his hardest not to be too, well, mean about actually posting it. And when he sensed Roman was getting overwhelmed by the spotlight he took the attention away from him too.

And now he had shown Roman that he was right. There was more to him than just anxiety. Sometimes he was bright, bouncy and sparkling excitement.

“It suits you by the way,” Roman added, janking Virgil back to the present.

Virgil froze for a second finding he had his hand on the door handle. “Um… thanks, see ya later,” he muttered before rushing out.

He was about to enter his room when he heard someone else call out to him.

“Anxiety kiddo, are you and Roman finished?” The question was friendly enough in and of itself, but as always Patton sounded tense when talking to him which set Virgil on edge. He wasn't that scary right? What did he do to make Patton so scared to be around him?

Sure he was trying to make them keep some distance. But he was going for cautious, not this.

He didn't know what he'd done and he wasn't willing to risk repeating it, so he kept was careful about keeping enough distance between himself and the resident dad as a rule. Now he had an extra reason though.

Virgil nodded, not looking up. Patton's precense might make him nervous in a less fun way, but a comment that called his character adorable flashed through his mind and set loose another swarm of butterflies. Easily overpowering the unease in the hallway. He was definitely still sparkly.

And if Patton saw, he'd ask about it. And Virgil would have to explain, trapping both of them in this conversation far longer than either wanted. Worse what if seeing evidence of a less broody side of him made Patton feel like he had to make an effort? He'd already managed to make Princey feel like he had to be kind to him. And sure that might be turning into something genuine, but that didn't mean things would work out so well for the others.

Another door opened. “Padre! There you are! I was just about to come looking for you. I had the most marvelous idea!” Virgil chanced a glance at the hallway and saw Roman drag a surprised Patton into his room. The prince locked eyes with him for a second and gave him a reassuring smile and a wink.

Virgil nodded, sending Roman a grateful half-smile, before entering his room.

Virgil had spent mostly all of Thomas' happiest moments in his room. Partly to hide his secret, first from J and Rem who'd probably tease him about it, and now from ��Thomas' golden three who would never take him serious again if they knew. Or well, two of them, Roman knew now…

Anyway, there was another reason. His room was very nice to be in when excitement dominated Virgil's functions.

It was the same, but lighter. The curtains were open, the clock was no longer a maddening reminder of the never ceasing passage of time, and the spider webs sparkled with dewdrops. Virgil took in a deep breath, even the air was more breathable.

What was it he wanted to scream about again?

Right.

He let himself belly flop onto his bed and screamed.

The fanders liked it! And more importantly, Roman might actually be his fried now. He could relate to the villain character right now. Were they friends? They had each other’s back, had bonded over common interests, shared a secret…

Would Roman consider them friends?

Maybe he was getting ahead of himself due to the butterflies. But it was definitely going that way.

Virgil turned around in his bed and looked up at the ceiling with a smile.

This was different than with Janus and Remus. They’d grown up together, they had to tolerate each other. But this was… Some sort of proof that he was likable. Roman didn’t have to hang out with him. He’d seen something in him and chosen to give him a chance.

He didn’t have to complement him, but he did and he didn’t turn it on himself right away as he tended to do.

Remus and Janus were… They just tended to trigger him more often than not. Not on purpose, he knew that, but he’d started having his meals upstairs for a reason.

He shook of that thought. It wasn’t important, he’d catch up with them later today or something. He was sure they’d have some things to say about the video. Maybe some of them would even be genuinely nice.

He smiled to himself. Look at him being optimistic.

Chapter 3: Green eyed jealousy

He was curious though, what he’d find around the river bend.

@selenechris

#Sanders Sides #ts sides #Roman Sanders #Virgil Sanders #Prinxiety #Platonic or romantic #Paper Flowers #au #fic

85 notes · View notes

valleyofpeacedefenders · 3 years

Text

Some Personal KFP Fic recommends (will be updated)

TaThe KFP fandom has so many talented writers and artists who contribute so much! Here I will list some of my personal favorite KFP fics from some really talented people!!

HufflepuffleMarauder‘s fics: @hufflepufflemarauder

“Fly” is the story that had me really reconsider where Crane stands among my favorite KFP characters. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13568474/1/Fly

“The Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom" features Po and Tigress having a talk many of us wished for after the events that happened earlier in the first movie https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13572910/1/The-Peach-Tree-of-Heavenly-Wisdom

"Nothing" is a very tragic Tigress tale that goes deep. Very introspective and very moving https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13630679/1/Nothing

"Affirmations" is a personal favorite of mine in which Po kicks off a chain of positive feelings all over the Jade Palace and our favorite Kung Fu Masters. Wholesome fic right here!

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13615885/1/Affirmations

"Absurdity" is a Viper and Crane story that REALLY puts said characters in quite an awkward spot... https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13636883/1/Absurdity

"Bird with a Broken Wing" is story focusing on Crane and Tigress set not too long after Secrets of the Scroll! Won't say much more then that! The title is probably already having you scramble to read it!! Also, the fact this is post SoTS is amazing!! A setting full of fic potential that needs to be utilized more in general https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13700691/1/Bird-with-a-broken-wing

"Power of Five, closeness of Six" Each chapter will focus on one of our favorite characters!! Guess who the first chapter focuses on and shows how well HufflpuffleMarauder really understands these characters! https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13720283/1/Power-of-five-closeness-of-six

FINALLY!!! "We Work in the Shadows" is THE biggest fic HufflpuffleMarauder is working on in size and scope! Very ambitious stuff here! A modern human spy AU! What's not to love?! Seriously, you all need to give this a chance! It's reallly good!!! https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13619823/1/We-Work-in-the-Shadows

MijumaruFan’s fics: @mijumarufan

The first of which is "It's not easy being cuddly!" A story from the perspective of our favorite cantankerous red panda, MASTER SHIFU!!! I won't spoil much because you all NEED to experience this. It involves a PLUSHIE! That's all I'll say. A lot of laughs and emotional feels packed into this one. Bring a tissue for the cry laughing and emotional tears, folks! https://archiveofourown.org/works/19442524

If you thought THAT was great (which it absolutely was) it was only the prelude! The next in this series of fics is "The Last Month of Summer and Everything in Between!" This one follows up on the developments of Tigress and involves a birthday... IT ALSO CONTAINS SOME AMAZING MISTER PING CONTENT!!!! Along with a very interesting dynamic between Tigress and Crane! Tigress begins a journey here I haven't seen ANYONE else attempt Great stuff here!!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/21990931/chapters/52476055

MijumaruFan’s latest fic "Märchen Star is also amazing! We follow Tigress on her journey after the developments of the previous story and this story really HITS! You all NEED to read this (after reading the first two)! https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065911

Mastrrtt’s fic: @mastrrt

“To the Weeping River” has been an amazing journey! It takes place Post SoTS (which, as you know, is a point in time I love and believe has sooo much potential to explore) and shows the Five going on a journey in what will no doubt be their most challenging task yet! It’s certainly an event I’ve always wanted to see after the way Po hyped it up in the first movie. Mastrrtt writes Tigress and the rest of the Five so well! You can really see the bond they all share and I’m looking forward to seeing that bond strengthen even more as the story continues!! No more spoilers for me but there is an original character that has such a presence!!! So well written all around!! https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13334496/1/To-the-Weeping-River

Tidrags’ fic: @tidrags

“Unspoken” is a fantastic oneshot focusing on Tigress and Viper! Tidrags expertly parallels the two in a way I personally haven’t seen anyone tackle! This was an awesome first entry and I am hoping we get more as there are certainly seeds and hints planted that could hopefully lead to it!! https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13797940/1/Unspoken

The Great Ying’s fic: @thegreatying

“Jaded Road to Acceptance” is a poignant look at the brotherhood between Oogway and Kai and the consequences of how things turned out for them in the past!! Amazingly introspective and a nice in depth look at Oogway!! Fantastically done!!!

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13367682/1/Jaded-Road-to-Acceptance

The Dragon Chronicle’s fic:

“Winds of Change” can only be described as “epic!” No, wait that’s not right... Also “engaging,” “captivating,” and a whole slew of adjectives!! This shows Po, Tigress and Crane going on a quest that has many twists and turns!! We get into the heads of all three characters and more!! Along with many original characters who are just as captivating!! Also, the return of a very underrated character!! This is indeed one of the best!!

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13098623/1/Winds-of-Change

#kung fu panda #fanfic #personal favorite

40 notes · View notes

thenightling · 3 years

Text

In defense of Tom Sturridge (Already!?)

Apparently Tom Sturridge needs defending from our own meager fandom... already...

Disclaimer: Though it is looking more and more likely that Tom Sturridge has the role of Morpheus in Netflix’s Adaptation of The Sandman this has still NOT been confirmed. We are still riding on pure speculation. However, I will defend the man.

Though it is not officially confirmed that Tom Sturridge will be playing Morpheus in The Sandman there are already people in the fandom complaining about the casting. (See the Neil Gaiman’s Sandman Facebook group. The one with over three-thousand-members that I left.)

In this post I will be addressing each and every complaint that I have seen thus far.

And you wonder why they’re keeping the cast a secret from us for so long? This. This behavior would actually be worse if you knew for certain who was in the cast.

When these negative reactions are in regard to who “might” be playing Morpheus, without any actual footage, or even images of him in character, they were wise to keep it a secret from us.

Now, let us begin.

1. “He looks too much like Robert Pattinson.” The hatred of Robert Pattinson is bizarre and irrational. It is as if a great deal of the population cannot separate him from a character they despise. The irony is Robert Pattinson never liked playing Edward Cullen anyway. He did it strictly for the money. And as far as vampire fiction goes, there is far, far, worse out there than Twilight. Twilight is not good but there is worse out there. It seems the hatred of Twilight is almost a knee-jerk reaction- a compulsive raw contempt against anything that appeals to teenage girls. I do not like Twilight but I do not irrationally hate an actor just because he was in the films. So what if Tom Sturridge resembles Robert Pattinson a bit? You’ll condemn an actor because of his bone structure? Because he “Kind of” reminds you of a man who played a character you don’t like? Really? I thought most of this fandom were grown ups.

2. “He’s too young to play Morpheus.” The casting call was for men between the ages of twenty six and thirty six. Tom Sturridge turns thirty-six this year. It’s true that a man in his forties or even a youthful fifties could probably play Morpheus perfectly well and Morpheus did have crows-feet wrinkles in the first issue but to condemn an actor based on his age is merely ageism. In this day and age a man can look any age with the right makeup. Look at the lead in the silent film of Faust, directed by F. W. Murnau (Director of Nosferatu). It’s impressive to know a thirty-six-year-old played elderly and youthful Faust in that film, and that was back in 1926.

3. “He’s too old to play Morpheus.” ...Seriously? What did you want? A CW teenager or early twenty-something college kid as the ten-billion-year-old dream lord? Yet again, I know a man can pretty much play any age with the right makeup. All else is ageism, even my cynical statement about the CW, that’s ageism.

When Lestat the musical was on Broadway the actor who played Lestat was forty, the woman playing his mother was only about two years older than him.

The actor playing Barnabas in the original Dark Shadows was in his forties. The character was (According to Dan Curtis) only twenty-five when he became a vampire. The woman playing his mother was only five-years-older than him.

Tom Welling was still in Smallville as pre-Superman Clark Kent and he was older than the actor who played Superman in Superman Returns. With good acting and makeup age doesn’t really matter.

4. “He’s a terrible actor.” The man has about ten acting credits in total according to IMDB. Most are bit parts and two are from when he was ten and eleven-years-old respectively.

Are you judging him on roles he had before he hit puberty!?

I have my doubts you ever saw him act in anything yet. You’re probably leaping to conclusions because the pictures you found of him are a stoic pretty boy with beard stubble.

5. “If he’s playing Morpheus that’s automatically a deal breaker. I’m not watching.” Okay. Okay, fine. Don’t watch it. You don’t have to. No one is making you watch it. However, you should be aware that Neil Gaiman watched the auditions. He had a say in the casting. If Tom Sturridge is playing him than this is the man HE chose. If Neil Gaiman doesn’t know who should play Morpheus, than no one does. I thought James McAvoy did an excellent job in The Sandman audio drama and I will not automatically assume Tom Sturridge is a bad actor just because there are people pre-determined to hate this.

6. “He shouldn’t be played by a white man. It indicates that The Endless are all white and white people rule the universe.” Morpheus likely will still have his bone-white (not human-white) skin from the comics (and I hope, the black void eyes with star pupils). This was pulled off successfully with the Frankenstein monster in Penny Dreadful, with his own inhuman skin and yellow eyes.

Morpheus’ bone-white skin, improbably thin build, and black void eyes are supposed to be without distinct race. He’s not a human being. He’s not Caucasian. He might be played by a white man, yes, but the actor was chosen based on talent, not racial background.

I saw the casting description. Race was not a factor. Since actual non-human / humanoid entities devoid of distinct racial background were unavailable, the show simply had to make do with a human being, instead. The real Endless were unavailable or refuse to act. You know how temperamental anthropomorphic personifications can be.

7. “He’s not thin enough.” Okay, look. A lot can be done with CG. I don’t want an actor killing himself for this role.

Back in 1976 David Bowie was close to ninety-pounds when playing Thomas Jerome Newton in The Man who fell to Earth. He was so under-weight that the wardrobe department had to buy his clothes in the children’s department of a store. Yes, the character was really that thin in the Walter Tevis novel that the movie was based on. But in the book Newton had hollow bones, like a bird, David Bowie, however, is a human being, not an alien. And Tom Sturridge is a human being, not an anthropomorphic personification.

When David Bowie played Newton he was on a diet mostly consisting of cocaine... He could have easily died. Thankfully Bowie cleaned up later, but he was not in a healthy state when he was in The man who fell to Earth. We do not need a return of The Thin White Duke. Not like that.

For a human to reach Morpheus’ comic book weight- that might require very unhealthy behavior, it would potentially be dangerous. This is something they can adjust with camera tricks and computer effects. He does not need to look like he’s dying.

8. “They should find an actor whose cheekbones stand out.” See above...

9. “He doesn’t look anything like Morpheus.” I am certain you have not seen him in costume yet. Neil Gaiman has (hypothetically speaking). Let us trust the author and believe that his character looks the way he intended. Remember how Henry Cavill went from Superman to The Witcher.

10. “I wanted Henry Cavill to play him.” ... What?

Have you... have you read Sandman? Henry Cavill is under contract to do The Witcher. He needs to stay buff for that role, and you want him to play “rake thin” Morpheus? Yeah, a lot can be done with CG but Henry is an action hero actor. He can act. He’s a good actor. But this is probably not the right role for Henry Cavill.

11. “He looks like an American Youtuber.” He’s not either of those things. Stop judging by appearances.

12. “He’s too pretty to play Morpheus.” Stop judging by appearances.

13. “He’s not attractive enough to play Morpheus.” See above...

14. “He’s too short to play Morpheus.” / “I heard he’s only five foot three.” / “I read that he’s just five foot eight.” According to Google and IMDB he’s 5′10. That’s the same height David Bowie was. That’s average adult male height. If they want him to look taller that’s easily done. Remember, Tom Cruise was The Vampire Lestat.

It’s just lather, rinse, repeat, when it comes to fans. Every adaptation the same thing. “Tom Cruise can’t play Lestat.” (Anne Rice apologized for leading that charge, when she saw him in action). Or “Michael Keaton is too wholesome to play Batman.” or even “Ryan Reynolds should never play Deadpool after what he did in Wolverine.”

People never learn.

Just give Tom Sturridge a chance. The casting isn’t even official yet. And if he is Morpheus- try and wait to actually see how he plays the role before you decide he’s the worst thing to happen to The Sandman. A few publicity photos don’t tell you what he is capable of as an actor. You might be pleasantly surprised.

#Tom Sturridge #The Sandman #Morpheus #Dream of The Endless #Neil Gaiman #Neil Gaiman's The Sandman

50 notes · View notes

casvist · 3 years

Photo

hello my lovely peaches , *puts my clown wig on bcs i’m shy* i’m back at it again, being a greedy bitch and bringing you my second and super fake muse, yeva. remember that part where the darkling’s fake ass pretended to be all nice and wholesome. well, yeva is faker than that. she probably has severe back pain from single handedly carrying all her lies on her back. anyway, i could slander her more but i will probably do that later. if you want to plot please LIKE this post or IM me/message me on discord and i’ll bring some clown shoes and ask for some plotting ( but in.... greedy )

PINTEREST . PROFILE . BIO (tba) . VIKTORIYA. discor*d six of hoes🔪#7888

[ yeva zudina ], an [ twenty-eight ] year old grisha in the little palace. she is a [ tidemaker ] and are known in the little palace as the [ mountebank ]. they are known to be [ adaptable ] and [ devious ] and vaguely resemble [ davika hoorne ].

( okay my soc ass had to make her grow up in ketterdam i’m sorry )

- before yeva knew that she was a tidemaker, she was what one might call an “ordinary” girl in ketterdam. ( as far as anyone can be ordinary in ketterdam )

- as many people living there, she didn’t really have the best time of her life there. her father, well, he was just a name causing an uncomfortable silence whenever one would mutter it. her mother, she tried her best to survive in that hellhole. although, yeva knew how much her did for her, the only person she really could get close to was her step-sibling. ( a wc i’ll elaborate more on when i’m finally requesting that wc). though not bound by blood, they meant the world to yeva and little yeva felt as if she had to protect her from whatever was lurking in ketterdam’s (shady) alleyways.

- despite of her noble intentions, realistically she wasn’t strong. and how so? no one taught her how to protect herself and she was still a child. however, yeva didn’t want to wait around for nothing. instead, she decided to take matters into her own hands and looking back this idea was really stupid, but she wholeheartedly believed that messign with some other kids would be a brilliant way to improve her combat skills ( all my muses have to be stupid at some point i’m sorry, theyre all dumb)

- of course this plan failed terribly ( and instead she was the one getting her ass beaten ). luckily someone witnessed that (comedic) unfortunate scene and helped yeva out. and this somehow became the turning point of her life. yeva, completely awe-struck with the stranger, wanted to know more about him. truth to be told, he didn’t do much and his presence alone somehow scared the kids away ( poor kids almost got into a fight with a grown-ass man) but yeva didn’t really care. turned out he was a drüskelle (retired though (as much as one can), thus he didn’t really have to rely on any grisha “magic”, something yeva really admired.

- long story short, he not only became a mentor to yeva ( who successfully convinced him to show her some “cool” drüskelle tricks) but also a father-figure. yeva really trusted him and his beliefs also became hers. which we might say weren’t exactly grisha friendly. at first she didn’t get why he hated grisha so much, to her they didn’t seem too bad but as time passed his words left a mark.

- however, what actually made her end up despising grisha was a certain incident. as much as this day affected yeva, everything happened within a second. a short moment of exchanged laughter, cruelly disrupted by two grisha. tidemakers ( a cruel twist of irony ) . looking back at it now, yeva figured that these two grisha had a long and unresolved grudge against him ( which wasn’t too surprising with him being a drüskelle) and had their eye on him ever since.

- to put it briefly, yeva was forced to witness the death of someone whom she considered a father to her. yet, fate couldn’t be more cruel on her and it was also the moment her abilities were triggered , and , of course, she turned out to be a grisha as well. make it worse. a tidemaker.

- skipping over all the formalities (bcs this is getting too long) and luck not really being on her side she was brought to the little palace. her mother wasn’t too surprised and knowing that yeva wouldn’t have a future here at ketterdam, she thought that ravka was far more appealing.

- yeva wasn’t happy of course. not only was she forced to be with the people who she despised she herself was one. at first, she refused to do anything at all, she didn’t mind if she were to be punished for her stuborness. no one knew why she was behaving this way, they just shrugged it off as her being a spoiled brat refusing to be useful. yeva, however, didn’t continue to be like this forever and what happened next surpirsed everyone. suddenly, she was eager to train and improved quickly. all they saw was a hardworking grisha but what they didn’t know was that yeva’s intentions weren’t noble.

- instead of wasting her time at pitying and hating herself, she realized that she was at the perfect place to learn everything about her ‘enemies’.

- basically, she has that grand plan of trying to destroy things from within, being the wolf in sheep’s clothing (cutting this short bcs this is getting long again).

personality

- honestly, as i’ve mentioned before she’s fake. and not in that way where she’ll just pretend to smile and go on with her day, she really goes out her way in acting as if she was the sweetest and kindest girl out there. however, everthing she does serves some purpose. she helps you with some training ? she gives you some advice on a personal matter ? she compliments you on your smile ? lets say she doesn’t do it out of kindness. not when you’re a grisha. of course, she isn’t perfect at keeping this act up all the time. and if one pays a little more attention to her actions, they can see her facade crumbling. still, where vika is all about being straight-forward and accidentally hurting one’s feeling without meaning it, yeva is all about sugar-coating when she needs to but also deliberately using one’s weakness against them.

traits ( adding some bcs i want to redeem her a little bit but i also don’t respect her so..)

[+] adaptable, decisive, loyal , observant

[-] ruthless, doesn’t think through consequences, blindly faithful, intrusive

headcanons

- tba ( but i just had to add that yeva prbly wouldn’t hesitate to push someone from the ship when they’d travel through the shadow fold.)

- every time she must do more than simply tolerating grisha, like saying that they’re great she probably loses one year of her life

- trying to keep her reputation yeva is known to give exceptionally good advice

- as much as she despises that “grisha magic” she believes in things like card reading, fortune telling and is quite faithful to the saints (regardless of being grisha or not)

connections

someone who sees through her (shit) facade and unlike everyone else who perceives yeva as that sweet angel, they find her suspicious and doesn’t trust her.

a grisha who is the complete opposite of what yeva think they are and might as well be someone yeva tolerates and might add that 0.1% of character development

listen an unrequited love bcs i’m laughing at the idea that someone might fall for her super fake persona and the more time they spend with her they start to realize that it is just an act.

someone who turns for advice to yeva bcs of her reputation

*sneakily puts my step sibling connection here so if u r intreested hmu ;) but i’ll also request it later but rn i’m too lazy*

HONESTLY EVERYTHING i love angsty and dramatic shit, but i’m super open for other ideas bcs my two braincells need that wonderful input and inspo so gimme all the connections PLS !!! *types this in thirsty for all ur wonderful muses*

#ravkahq:intro #death tw #bcs i need to explain her fake ass #dsdndss i know i still have to reply to my IMs and i'll do it asap but it's late here rn so i'll prbly head straight to bed and sleep---- ds #yeva is like "I don't hate grisha I know one or two grisha !!!#the way i put more effort into yeva's graphic is the vika slander she deserves #(my biggest european flex is having the ü on my keyboard and being able to spell drüskelle without having to do the copy and paste...#that's it and the rest is timezone crying hours :)#named father figure npc after my boi matthias #(in my head)

13 notes · View notes

a-lil-perspective · 4 years

Note

Hello! May I please request some Wrecker fluff?🥺 thank you! (ᵃˡˢᵒ, ⁱ ˡᵒᵛᵉ ʸᵒᵘʳ ʷʳⁱᵗⁱⁿᵍ!!!!)

Hello!! Thank you!! Wrecker fluff? Say no more. :)(Also has a twinge of kiss prompt #48 requested by @obiorbenkenobi) I hope you enjoy!

@shadow-hyder @thegoodbatch @obiorbenkenobi @starflyer-104 @everyonehasanindividuality @karpasia @kriffingunlucky

A Sweet Sense of Scents and Sweat

❣️▪️❣️▪️❣️▪️❣️▪️❣️▪️❣️▪️❣️▪️❣️▪️❣️▪️

“How many is that, now? One-seventy-nine?”

“One-eighty.” Wrecker grunted, a hint of pride looming over his response while his arms extended straight, elbows locking with the motion of hefting his bulk off the floor in completion of yet another push-up.

“Are... you sure you’re not tired yet?” You hesitantly inquired for what was going on the tenth time now, wishing you could see his face from your current position splayed flat across the wide expanse of his backside, stationary in your stance during the entirety of Wrecker’s current workout consisting of one hundred and eighty push-ups—and counting.

He faltered in his movements to regard you with full attentiveness, a hint of confusion coating his words.

“Y/N, if you think you’re hurting me—you aren’t, don’t worry. I barely even feel ya back there.”

“Does that mean I’m not providing enough of a challenge for you, or is that just your superior strength talking?” You muse, reaching up to pat his shoulder.

“Neither. I just wanted an excuse to have you on top of me.”

You could hear the sheer mischief in his voice fully effervescing in that instant.

“Well just say the word and I’m yours,” you smirked, unflinching in countering his proclivity for brazen declarations while deciphering any underlying subtleties that desired to be interpreted in that instant.

“I’ll remember that, for next time.” Wrecker flashed a wide grin. The two of you had been engulfed in various workouts the entirety of the day, and Wrecker finally halted his endeavors to lift himself off the floor and catch the towel you tossed him; taking a moment to wipe the sheen of sweat from his face before turning to address you with further clarification.

“You aren’t actually heavy, though. If it makes ya feel better—everything is light to me. I myself am the impossible one to lift.” He suddenly lifted a thick finger to prod with a sense of reverence at the soft contour of toned muscle adorning your upper arms before continuing in pragmatism. “Even for you, verd’ika.”

Was that a challenge? You took a moment to feel a deep sense of appreciation towards Wrecker’s underlying compliment in addressing your skill as a radiant confidence washed over you; a playful scoff and impish grin on full display. “Bet. I could definitely lift you.”

“You think so?”

“All six-foot-eight of you, ramikad.”

Wrecker’s bellow of laughter reverberated through your entire form. “This I have to see!”

“Oh, you will!” You blurt, eyes sparkling in determination before wagging a stubborn finger in his direction, to which Wrecker simply arched a brow in amusement while regarding you for a long moment.

“You are so—”

“Ah ah, I know you’re not about to say cute,” you tsk, having intercepted his claim by crossing your arms to coincide your ribbing tone.

“But... you are!” He sheepishly defended his innocence. “Especially with you wanting to lift me. You’re so funny.”

“What, you don’t believe I can actually do it?” You jut your bottom lip in a pout of feigned offense taken, seamlessly easing into the role of whimsicality alongside the larger man’s own.

He somehow missed your performance; eyes suddenly going wide in response to what he perceived to be your literal whine. His voice was laced with apology, a large hand rubbing the back of his neck out of discomfit. “No, that’s... that’s not it. I just meant—”

“I’m teasing you, Wrecker. Don’t get all flustered around me, big guy,” you chortle, the playful flick of your finger against the well-endowed muscle accessorizing his arms barely placing emphasis on your tease. You absentmindedly wondered if his sensory receptors to touch even registered your subtle gesture due to the utter density of his muscle mass.

Inwardly, Wrecker fully acknowledged your touch, and it never failed to send a wildfire spreading through him. He wanted to tell you that your teasing spanned beyond verbalization, but ultimately decided that was a conversation for another time and place.

Feeling an inflation of confidence return to his side, Wrecker contemplatively eyed the way you strolled up to his towering frame before your arms, petite in contrast to his hulking ones yet bearing impressive strength, wrapped tightly around his waist; the particular area of his body most closely aligned with your eye-level.

You weren’t even granted a chance to impress the man with your own physical prowess before your feet suddenly became absentee from the floor as you felt your form hovering, locked in place within large arms now pressing you firmly to his chest.

Not fair.

“Hey!” You complained over your new position with a laugh of surprise at finding yourself now directly eye-level with Wrecker, whose face greeted you with a handsome and knowing smirk plastered to his texturized features while he gazed at you with eyes of adoration.

“Yes, Y/N?”

His sense of humor was absolutely infectious.

You cleared your throat in dramatization. “In case you forgot... you were supposed to be the one dangling mid-air,” your legs swing in a childlike manner. “Not me.”

“Well, how else was I supposed to reach your lips?”

His teasing question held validity.

You quickly recover from your stupefied expression before addressing the hovering of his lips over your own with the light peck of a youthful and endearing kiss.

“Good point. I would’ve had to stand on my tip toes and then some, while you would’ve literally bent in half like a piece of flimsiplast from having to lean down so far.”

The sound of a simultaneous burst in euphoric laughter echoed the entire room, projecting off the walls as the air eagerly welcomed the permeating cheeriness and heightened spirits.

You loved Wrecker’s simplicity—a man straightforwardly unabashed in his emotions and affection; his ability to brighten moods by way of pure authenticity and whimsical wonder never ceasing to amaze you. His jovial demeanor kept everyone grounded in the present by way of tossing colorfully expressive grenades set to periodically explode into wholesome exuberance alongside an amiable personality.

If you were honest with yourself, you couldn’t get enough of the big guy.

Your chortling finally faltered as you became tangibly aware of the way your arms currently slung around Wrecker’s neck became clammy with the thin veil of sweat settling over the bare areas of skin between the two of you; a lingering result now manifested from the several hours of physical exertion that preceded your tender interaction. You playfully wrinkled your nose in feigned repulse.

“We seriously need to shower.”

“We? Are you offering your company during a shower session?” The suggestive wink from his good eye left you inwardly accepting the slight heat rising to your cheeks.

“Ah, not yet, handsome. However—” you pause in deliberation to briefly lean into the crook of his neck, and Wrecker vaguely noted the way your demeanor changed when you promptly retracted; a glimmer of mischief over some obscure confirmation or newfound revelation now flickering across your features as you continued, “—I am offering to share my shower products. You can keep using my sweet star-cherry scented soap—it smells amazing on you.”

The pure scarlet washing over Wrecker’s natural skin pigmentation to accompany his adorable reaction to your discovery of his little scented secret resulted in your head thrown back in a fit of unrestrained laughter as you lovingly pulled him close.

“Oh Wrecker—I love you, big guy.”

#star wars #Wrecker X Reader #my writing #it’s a Lil thing

199 notes · View notes