Tumgik
#yeah i always thought a lion fits him better
splendontcore · 11 months
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oh, look what I found! I forgot these were the first storyboard scraps I made for Franky Jones pilot chapter
I hope this counts as artwork
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alexisomnias · 10 months
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— "CUTEST COUPLE IN TOWN" . . . | twst
⤷ their family comments on how cute you would be married to him!
requested by anonymous ,,,
characters | dorm leaders
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RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS + chenya / trey
• its as if chenya never leaves him alone about this! his face is nearly always red everytime the idea of getting married to you gets brought up as a tease. whats worse is that he does want to marry you. so riddle can't even deny it! trey has his back on the occasional manner, whenever chenya brings up the idea of a happy marriage with you, it leaves riddle fuming for two separate reasons.
"what am i telling you trey? they're purrfect for eachother." chenya laughs, "i can't im-eow-gine them separating."
"i can see what you're talking about, they are rather a cute couple."
"shut up you both."
LEONA KINGERSCOLAR + farena
• leona is not a fan of his brother meeting you. why were you so insistent on meeting his family in the first place? it could've all been avoided. (he would sigh, but in the end there's some warmth in his heart seeing you fit in so well). for the most part, leona was phased out of the conversation. choosing to just instead lay on your side lazily, eyes shut.
• "you and Leona would make such a cute married couple!" farena casually throws out into the conversation, the dumb smile leona is so used to destroying his brothers face as his lions ear twitches., a scowl painting upon his face.
• "farena, mind your own." he mumbles, leaning further against you feeling your stomach bounce with laughter. he feels much better himself, in the arms of your own laughter. "be nice, Leona."
• he rolls his eyes, scoffing perhaps. classic leona behavior (the kind you grew to love), but if you took the time to translate it over to the language of love. leona would love to make you the ruler of his heart, for you already conquered his life.
AZUL ASHENGROTTO + mother / father
• azul was embarrassed. he knew his parents were less then... casual, but of course he loved them (as he loves you, which is why he hoped this interaction would go well: it did.), though he never expected for the topic of marriage to be brought up either in conversation. and the idea sent him into a romantic spiral, for how his heart beat at the thought of putting a ring on your finger. a ring to signify he was yours, and you were his.
• "M,,, mother! You shouldn't say things like that..." he stumbled, word tumbling over word. His mother merely laughed, his step-father joining in, and don't think azul missed hearing your chuckle from the side.
• "i'm sure you two would be adorable, married."
• azul did not deny, for he knows you'd make the perfect spouse for him. you'd make him the happiest man in the world, but he's not ready to discuss that with you... not until he has found the perfect ring.
KALIM AL ASIM + siblings
• kalim is utterly ecstatic knowing he has so much support behind his back, and when its suggested that his siblings thinks of you and him as an adorable couple? and even suggest marriage? oh how quickly it propels him to the marriage rot. if anything you should expect a proposal by the end of the visit for how much the thought of marriage excites him, even if you decline he's perfectly happy by your side..! marriage isn't always the result of love, just an existence between two people is enough for him.
• "big brother! you and [name] are so cute together!" "yeah, when are you two getting married?!" "I hope soon! they make you so happy!"
• kalim loves his family dearly, and he wants to welcome you into his own as well (jamil isn't as welcoming with that idea as his kalims arms are...)
VIL SCHOENHEIT + dad
• vil had no doubt in his mind his father would love you, and he wasn't wrong. his father was utterly welcoming at the idea of you and vil as a couple, in fact he even brought up how cute you two would be married, (vil can't deny how happy it made him, even if it doesn't show.)
• "i think you and [surname] make a cute couple, i wouldn't be surprised if you two got married."
• as vil moves his gaze over to you, he can't say his father was wrong... oh how happy he would be if he could lockdown and secure you as his. a beautiful wedding, taking you as his spouse. yeah, vil likes that idea. "maybe one day."
IDIA SHROUD + ortho
• "you're perfect for my brother! I can already see you two being in a happy marriage!" ortho happily exclaims, unaware of how those two simple sentences destroyed, and crashed his brother. feeling as if he made a fool of himself, he finds himself wishing to lock himself in his room away from everyone, and never bare to see your face again because omgimaginegettingmarriedtoyou?!
• he's not.. against the idea, but at the same time! is it really that casual of a thing to be brought up!? an actual marriage?! not like.,, a silly online one or one with a fictional character?! imagine if you did want to actually marry him!
• he catches a glance over at you, through his pinkish, blue hair. and when he see's your smile, he wonders if you truly were meant to share the same last name... surely that day will come... right? [Name] Shroud...  
• that thought sends him spirally again.
MALLEUS DRACONIA + lilia
• lilia commonly teased you and malleus about marriage. much like how a close friend would ship a couple, funnily enough malleus never caught on. in fact, he's already under the impression your engaged, and lilia is hyping up the ceremony. you don't have the heart to admit he never proposed (who knows? maybe he did, just in some type of fae courting system). so you let the teases happen.
• malleus is utterly blissed, the fact that lilia is so accepting of your marriage (that's not even legalized), and ready to support makes him happy! if anything he's already booking a venue, with lilia helping him with the organization (you think lilia's only doing this for his own entertainment at this point)
• malleus must've already foresaw a marriage from a long way ago, for every time he looks at you, its as if his eyes say "i do."
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mylovejimimi · 4 months
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The Kims, your breeding problem | SJ & NJ TWO SHOT PT. 1
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— PAIRING: mafiaboss!seokjin x mafiaboss!namjoon x mafiaprincess!reader — GENRE: smut +18. minors dni — WARNINGS: dirty smut (hell yeah), vaginal sex, oral sex (f receiving), dirty talk ofc, fingering, ass action, anal penetration, double penetration, lots of degradation, some slaps, a bit of pain kink, breeding kink as per request <3, some plot that will be explained in part 2 (stay tuned), seokjin is MEAN — SUMMARY: Desperate to save your empire and your name, you walk into the lion's den with a plan. Turns out those two lions had a plan of their own, and now you're the piece of meat they had been so starved for. — WORDS: almost 9k SORRY DEAL W/ IT Ok babygirls i apologize for this eternal wait, it took me a month to finish bc i like to carefully plan my craft to not fall into boring stuff or repetitiveness. I hope it is worth the wait and you all like it <3 ALSO! part 2 will be up maybe tomorrow bc i wrote everything and it was way too long and u know, i wasn't gonna post a 20k words shot lmao Anyways pslease remember you can send me a tip by buying me a ko-fi if you like my works, it will meant the world to me ⸜(。˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ And as always, i look forward your thoughts on this. Enjoy !
Being the princess of an empire wasn’t as easy as you once thought – but you had triple the fun you expected.
The businesses of this lawless side of the world weren’t just for anybody, that’s why only a couple families survived and thrived despite of time and mass murders. In those select families, in which the highest honor was to have no fear of law or men, one must just grow up strong and shameless to fit in them; if not, it was better to step down (which, more often than not, meant dying). And you must, at all coast, beat anybody else with your intelligence and cleverness, or else you were relegated as a mere pawn. Even worse if you were a woman.
One of the top families in the businesses was yours, which couldn’t make you prouder – because you were the one behind their success.
For the world, you weren’t particularly different from the average woman, but you had many hidden qualities that set you apart: you had money and influence, charm and wit, though most important than anything, you had dauntless drive. Enough drive to make you break rules, promote corruption, break as many families as you had to, terrorize all other elite families into submission. You had the world in your hand and you were ready to eat it.
And because you knew you were danger, you recognized which other menaces out there were as deadly as you.
“I don’t give a shit whatever you plan” your older brother spat in your face, throwing at you the documents that you compiled so carefully, all of them full of valuable information about your biggest enemy in the business. You gritted your teeth; you went to the deepest of holes to get all that data, you bought many men for it – with money and anything you could give.
“I didn’t ask for your fucking opinion, I was just informing you before you get your stupid ass in my business and fuck it up.” The relationship with your brother has never been the greatest. Being raised to be ruthless, it only worsened when your parents got old and sick, because it meant that you were now competitors for the throne. You despised him mostly because he was a useless piece of shit that only leeched off of your hard work.
“I’ll fuck it up? You would get all of us fucked in the ass and then decapitated in a public park. Those fuckers are at the top of the food chain for a reason, shithead.” You reacted violently at the cowardice of your brother, hitting his desk with your fist.
“And they are burying our business! They’re already fucking us and massacring us! They stole all our dealers and our spots on the west and south; they killed all our links in the government; they even opened their disgusting brothels next to all of our strip clubs. And you will do nothing about it?!” Your brother rolled his eyes at your outburst.
“It’s not big deal. You will think of something else to avenge us.” And he turned around on his spinning chair, ending the conversation. You were fuming, to say the least.
“FUCK YOU!” you yelled before taking the lamp on his desk and throwing it towards the nearest wall. Then, stomping out, you decided to proceed as you wanted.
Your shiny dress moved with the wind and blinded the security guards as you stepped out of the car that drove you. Currently, you were in the Kim mansion, the territory of your enemies, infiltrating in the intimate party they were throwing for one of their birthdays. You thanked in your head the trusted friend that popped up out of nowhere when you needed them the most, offering you a way to take down the Kims. It was all you needed, the way in, you would take care of the rest.
After the long walk from the exuberant entrance to the more exuberant halls, you finally were in the big ballroom that hosted the most people. You noticed there weren’t that many; a couple you recognized from negotiations and such, and nodded your head in acknowledgment to them, but there were many new faces for you. And that worried you, because you didn’t know which ones were the Kims. Maybe it was a little careless to go there with just a description of their appearances instead of researching more for pictures (which was really difficult since the most powerful people in the business, including yourself, didn’t show their faces ever).
Taking a random glass from the service station and bar, you scanned the room and downed the strong drink in one go, thinking what to do next. But then, your luck struck again:
“Mister Kim, congratulations for your birthday.” You spun your head almost instantly to look behind you, to the supposed mister Kim. He was right behind you in the bar but giving you his large back dressed in black. And, damn, what a back. Peering down, you also checked his ass and legs, draped in black too. And daaaamn. How could all his behind look so hot? Was it the height? Were his proportions just mathematically perfect? You hoped he was as nice in the front because it would be really disappointing otherwise.
Right at that moment, Mr. Kim turned around to look at someone that called him in the distance, and you saw him clearly, but most importantly, he saw you. His dragon eyes fixated on yours intensely, pinning you in your place, for what you felt was an eternity. You recognized his fiery stare. He was deadly.
“I don’t think I know you, dear” he started in his deep voice, flashing you a smirk. You looked at him from behind your lashes, batting them coquettishly.
“Would you be interested in knowing me, sir?” Despite your strategic flirting, you were eclipsed by him. He was tall, graceful and so, so handsome. He looked like he could be on the cover of any magazine; be the face of every luxurious brand. And as far as you knew, he was single. Manly and powerful – your kind of man. If he wasn’t your literal nemesis, you would have tried to seduce him for real.
“A sweet thing like you? Very much.” Knowing as much as you knew, it ringed an alarm that he was that easy to approach, to fool. It was weird. You decided to be careful. “Tell me, beautiful,” he said, stepping closer to you and smiling darkly. “do you know who I am?”
“I do. And I find you a fascinating man, sir.”
“Do you now?” You nodded shortly, feigning shyness and sipping on your drink to avoid his sharp eyes. You realized quickly that he was a very calculating, very analytic man; he was observing you meticulously, and you felt like a rare specimen being studied when he dragged his attention all over your body and every inch of your face.
Though, you weren’t dumb. You knew how to pose, how to talk and how to dress to captivate a man; you did it a million times already, and you had big plans for this man and his brother in particular. His lingering on your almost naked legs; how he tilted his body more and more close to you; his constant smirk – everything told you that he was interested in whatever you had to offer. Still, the deal was yet to be seal.
“You are very well-known for doing what you want and getting what you want. You’re like a god, I heard.” You batted your lashes, also inching close to his standing body. “I like powerful men – and they usually like me back.” And you looked away, like ashamed of sharing that.
“So you like danger” he stated, while moving a strand of your hair behind your ear. His hand went down your neck slowly, caressing with the tip of his cold fingers your skin.
I am danger, you thought while smiling cutely for him.
“I find it kinda romantic to give yourself completely to a forbidden man.” You bit your lip lightly, mirroring his action when you grazed your fingers on the hand he rested on the counter.
He stared at you for a long moment, in absolute silence. It was difficult to read him with his impassive face and controlled attitude. Just in case, you passed a hand through your hair, the decided signal for your guards to be alert. By the corner of your eye, you saw one of them signing back discreetly. If needed, they would fire all guns to take you out of there.
“Would you like to watch the big man at work, sweetheart?” Mr. Kim suddenly said. You looked at him with big, naïve eyes, nodding.
“Really? I would love to, sir.” He offered his big hand, which you took eagerly. Once more, you carded your hand through your hair.
His slender fingers enclosed your hand firmly, guiding you from the bar across the groups of finely-dressed people in the open ballroom to long, dimmed hallways. You knew you were venturing into the lion’s den but what else could you do? You needed both of the Kims alone, and getting one of them at the time was easier. You would seduce one and get him, and later you would find and do the same with his brother – if they didn’t cooperate with you, of course.
“You know, sweet thing, we get lots of women at our feet daily. Some are useful, some are just a hindrance” Mr. Kim casually told you. You were getting to the end of a particularly secluded hallway; the end of your walk, it seemed. You decided it was safer to keep up with the façade until the very end. “Which one would you be?” Stopping at a large, wooden door, he looked at you expectantly. You found his eyes, and even in the dimmed light you saw something shine in his pupils.
Just now you realized the energy that swam between you.
His strong hand squeezed yours and he couldn’t take his eyes off you. You bit your lip. Kim Namjoon (you guessed it was the younger Kim based on the descriptions you were given) was the hottest man you ever saw: his secure posture, his devilish expressions, even his work ethics were attracting. You would never admit it out loud, but you were really impressed by how the Kims ran their business. In no time, they build up an empire equal to yours, which had years and years of existence, and took over almost all of the city. It was really hot to you how they were fierce, and ruthless, and did whatever they wanted without a care for consequences.
“I’ll be whatever you want me to be, sir” you replied in a low tone. His obscure smile showed up again.
“Mhm, I think we would get along really well, dear.” The door in front of you opened, and a spacious and well-illuminated office appeared. It was modern and austere, with scarce black furniture a desk that had not a single trace of clutter as you would see, for example, in your own. “Hyung, I just received the biggest gift for my birthday.”
The chair at the desk spun around to reveal the most stunning man you have ever seen. Kim Seokjin had his hair perfectly brushed back to show the most well-proportionated face you’ve seen so far: plum, kissable lips; round, conceited eyes; an instant derogatory grimace when he saw you. His haughtiness was nothing; what worried you the most was that now you would have to deal with the two Kims together.
 “Really? That’s the big gift? A cheap whore?” You had to bite your tongue. You may be a whore from time to time, no shame in it; but cheap? CHEAP? When you had your own queendom and where the owner of half the city? When powerful men had died just for touching your hand without permission? He definitely didn’t know who he was talking about.
“No, hyung, no.” Namjoon chuckled. Getting bolder, he circled your waist with an arm and took your jaw to emphasize his next words “I got us a toy to spend the night, and if it is good, maybe we could consider giving it more use.” Seokjin just arched an eyebrow to you.
“I admire both of you, sir, that’s why I want to serve you” you expressed, lowering your eyes to the floor in a submissive manner.
“Serve us? Are you a fucking slave or something, stupid bitch?” The older Kim didn’t need to yell to be aggressive and threatening like a rabid dog – his words, neutral tone, and overall mean energy was enough to aggravate you. It took everything in you to stop yourself from setting your jaw.
“Do you want me to be one?” It came out harsher than you intended, and yet, you felt a slight shift in the air.
“You couldn’t handle being my slave, dear” Seokjin said as a matter of fact. “I’ll make you and your slut holes unusable after a day.”
“How are you so sure of that?” you counterattacked calmly.
“It would only hurt you, sweetheart, really” Namjoon joined in with a teasing tilt in his sensual low register and a mild push of his hips into your ass. Well, at least you could be sure one of them was interested in you, judging by the hard member that poked your behind.
“Do you really think I’m a virgin in any way?” Something burned in Seokjin’s eyes. Bingo. “Would I be offering myself to you if I were?”
“Your performance as a poor, submissive girl was shit, but I was hoping you dropped the act sooner than later.” The man at the desk smirked. You thought that maybe he wasn’t the brightest of the two.
By his hold on your waist, Namjoon walked you around the desk until you were in front of his brother, who turned in his chair and was watching you expectant, with his legs spread apart and hands clasped together. “Why don’t you show who you really are then, angel?” As he said that, he pushed you to the floor until you were kneeling between Seokjin’s long legs, inches aways from his crotch. Honestly, what was about to happen kinda excited you.
You had understood right away that they were the typical hyper-masculine control freaks. As most men you had met in the business, you assumed they would feel challenged as soon as you showed a little bit of character. What dominant, powerful man didn’t enjoy taming a brat from time to time? And thus, you would put up a little fight, just for funsies.
“Would you be able to handle me, sir?”
“I’ll fuck you up so bad, don’t mess with me this early.” You scoffed at the warning.
“But I said nothing yet, sir. Mr. Kim,” you called the other Kim, turning your head to look at him. “can I ask you, then? Like, does your brother have any idea of anything? It feels to me he is capable of words and nothing else.” Namjoon snorted.
“You’ll fucking see what I’m capable of” The elder grunted and proceeded to stick your face on his groin. “But your nasty mouth won’t be on my cock.”
Unceremoniously, you opened your mouth and closed it on the shape his member made in his pants. The cloth was very thin and he had no underwear beneath it; you could feel almost every detail of him, including his faint throbbing and the very massive girth. You let yourself indulge in it a bit – Kim Seokjin was too damn hot after all. You sucked enthusiastically on his shape, lapping obscenely with tongue and all for the greedy eyes of your spectators. After a couple minutes, you realized that Seokjin´s cock pulsed more when you looked up at him, so you fixated on him while suctioning on the place his tip was.
“Hyung, look, she’s rubbing her legs together like a desperate slut. Is your hungry cunt too empty, sweetheart?” Namjoon said from above you but you had no time to even form a thought before you felt a cold object between your legs, pressing on the apex of your legs. “Get off on my shoe, baby, let’s see if you aren’t just talk.” And he pressed even harder on your pussy. You let go of Seokjin’s hard member with a high-pitched moan when the shoe’s tip hit directly on your clit, and Namjoon, as evil as his brother, touched that spot over and over again. But the oldest Kim couldn’t let you slack off on your duty; no, he had to push you onto his cock once more, shaking your head until you got back to gobbling him sloppily.
“Fucking filthy whore, look at the fucking mess you made” Seokjin grumbled, and you confirmed he was right with a quick peek. The dark and expensive fabric was even darker all over the lap, and the man’s penis would stand all the way up proud and hard if not for the restrictions of the pants. You patted yourself in the back for your great work, before getting down to devour him some more – though, you didn’t because he continued: “Aw, look at you so eager to spread your legs for the enemy to save the family business. Daddy must be really proud of you.” You froze. Stopping all motion midair, you stared at him. Kim Seokjin smiled joyfully while he caressed your hair.
“Did you really think we didn’t know you were coming? How, if we were the ones that invited you over.” Them? Your blood boiled once more at realizing you were betrayed by one of your closest, most beloved friends.
From behind, Namjoon took a hold of you by the hair roughly, yanking you back painfully until you were looking directly at him. You yelped and grunted loudly at that. And then, the door busted open and one of your guards entered pointing his gun at Namjoon; but the criminal wasted not a second in pulling out his own gun and firing it at the intruder.
“Shit!” you exclaimed as you saw the body fall down with a thud and Namjoon took hold of your arms, gripping them behind your back to immobilize you. If only one of your men got there, it must mean the others were already dead.  “You fuckers, let me go!” you yelled at the men holding you. Struggling to get free from their tight grasp, you could only lift your knee with force, colliding into Seokjin’s crotch.
“Fucking bitch!” Despite his brother folding into himself and holding his crotch, Namjoon cackled. You felt a little proud for causing him pain.
“I see you’re not as average as I thought” the younger mused near your ear. You turned as much as you could to look at him and spit at his face. He was shocked but still grinned.
“There’s no bitch like me, you better learn it now.” Namjoon’s hold on you tightened as his tongue peeked out to wet his lips, catching a single drop of your spit that rolled to his mouth.
“No bitch like me my balls” you heard Seokjin grunt, but when you turned to look at him, he took you by the hair like his brother did previously. You catched just a glimpse of him putting a liquid onto a rag but you knew right away what it was, and so you started to insult them louder, fighting them violently. “Oh, shut up already, stupid whore.” And when the rag was over your mouth and nose, it only took seconds for everything to turn black.
Consciousness came back to your body in what felt to you like an instant. You groaned, opening your eyes slowly. Why did your body feel so heavy? You could barely move to get on your side, feeling your wrists tied together but lying on a comfortable bed. And why were you in your underwear? Though, that was the least of your problems.
Looking around, you found yourself in a luxurious bedroom. You grimaced at its ‘single man’ decoration though, disgusted with the lack of good taste. Was it the room of one of the Kims? It looked like an isolation room in a psychiatric ward. Well, you thought, they’re fucking insane so it checks out.
“I have to get out” you murmured to yourself, but you couldn’t even try to sit up without feeling too lightheaded. Groaning, you left yourself lie on the soft surface momentarily. You would see how to escape on the go.
“Look who just woke up.” You grumbled when the voice of Kim Seokjin entered the room. You moved slightly to look at the door, watching your two enemies getting in and nearing the bed. Seokjin smiled to you. “It’s our favorite girl.” When he brought his hand down to stroke your cheek, you tried to bit him, missing him for an inch. “Wah, you’re a feral one, aren’t you?”
“I’m your worst nightmare, asshole.” Both men chuckled mockingly. Namjoon stepped forward and took a sit on the bed beside your body.
“Maybe you were, before intruding in our home and getting tied up by us. But you seriously thought you could just walk in and shoot us up?” You held his stare without an ounce of shame because they hadn’t realized yet that wasn’t your real plan. You played along. Men in power were that easy to trick, you only needed to show a little bit of skin and act a little clueless and their ego would get in their way to make them think you’re so stupid and they’re so in control. Truth be told, you were pretty desperate to end them, but you not only had beauty – most of all, you had brains.
“Whatever, just kill me now so the fuckface of my brother drowns in his own shit.” You resigned to your possible fate with a roll of your eyes. Namjoon smiled at you for the nth time.
“No, baby, that would just be the easy way out for you. You’d been in this line of work since birth; you know we can’t just let you go without a lesson.” Your breath hitched a little when the man posed a cold hand on your hip, fondling the zone. Got you.
At this point in your hectic life, you were not afraid of whatever these guys might do to you. If it was something sexual, it would be just a short-cut for the ending you expected. Also, you had sex with all kinds of men and women, who had all kind of kinks and weird shit, so sleeping with the Kims wasn’t big deal – it could even be fun, in your honest opinion. Fun like a smart cat playing two buff, dumb dogs that thought they were in charge. They didn’t know what kind of cat they just caught.
“And so? You want me to cry and beg for forgiveness? Please, sirs, spare me my life! Don’t defile my pristine, virgin pussy!” you exclaimed in a mocking tone, snorting for the absurdity of your own joke. Not even a shadow of a smile graced the Kims’ faces before they pull the serious, mafia-men façade up. They were not happy with your mocking attitude. “Yah, is not that serious, really.” Seokjin got close to the bed to grip your neck menacingly. Like he could scare you.
“It is serious if you come with the intention of murder.” You snorted. So fucking dramatic, and for what?
“It is so obvious that you both are newbies here. We, the real crime-syndicates, just have fun with it.” Seokjin tightened his grip. “Woah, you feel threatened by the tied up, drugged girl, I see.”
“Nah, baby, we just want you to be silent.”
“I swear I’ll stop!” you replied with a short laugh. You could see on their faces that they didn’t find you funny. “Just let me say –”
“Just shut up before we really make you to” Namjoon warned with a pointed look. The frustration became evident on them; they clearly wanted you to submit, scared of them taking advantage of you. They were too used to frightening people into submission. What pair of fools.
“Oh? Why don’t you try?” you dared, batting your eyelashes at both men. Seokjin scoffed before taking you by the hair (again) to lift you until you were sat on the bed, and he got nose to nose with you. You complained for the harshness of his action, but loved it nonetheless.
“Remember you asked for it, sweetheart” Seokjin said lowly, almost in a grunt, before crashing his mouth on yours so hard that both your teeth clashed and clicked. He kissed you with vigor and violence, making it really difficult to keep up with his rhythm. Your lips ached already from the way he suctioned them. The only thing you could do was to whimper.
It was even hard to breath properly in that heated make out, so you felt more and more lightheaded than when you were drugged. His tongue wasted no time entering and reclaiming the whole inside of your mouth, and you could feel his warm spit getting into your cavity but also dripping from your lips the sloppier he became. It was safe to say that you were elated with the ferocity of the older Kim and proof of it was the wetness that you felt leaking from your see-through underwear to your inner thighs. Suddenly, the man separated from you with a wet sound, and you instinctively took a big breath quick enough before Seokjin moved you by the hair to collide with Namjoon’s mouth this time.
If Seokjin was dizzying, Namjoon was electrifying. He wasn’t as pressing but his hands seized your hips roughly and his tongue wasn’t letting go of yours; he even bit your lower lip here and there. At some point, his lips took a hold of your tongue and he sucked it viciously, while his brother pushed your head against the assaulting mouth insistently.  
“Open up, honey” Seokjin grunted in your ear, and you didn’t know what he was talking about until you felt a big, cold hand on your inner thigh, a hair away from your pussy. He dabbed the skin there, no doubt entertained with all the wetness that seeped from your panties, but the demon that he was could not give you the satisfaction of touching your cunt properly.
With a man devouring your mouth and the other holding you still and rubbing nimbly your folds and flesh, you did start feeling overwhelmed – the kind of overwhelmed where you need more direct stimulation, though. So you whined loud. Namjoon released you.
“Want more, baby?” No words were left in your mind, so you nodded. The younger Kim, with wild fire lightning up his hooded eyes, smiled big in a shark-like smile – deadly, deadly, deadly. “Hyung” His brother looked up at him, and both shared a knowing look, like they already had planned the next step. Maybe they did.
But you had no time to think about anything. Each of them took one of your knees and shoved you back until you were lying on top of your tied hands; then, they parted and lifted your naked legs as much as your damned good elasticity allowed, ending up folded in half. And, somehow, they made themselves fit in that space side by side, as large as both were.
Next thing you knew, someone’s teeth were pulling your flimsy underwear down, grazing lightly your folds. You cursed, throwing your head back and thinking how the hell did you ended up in the best-case scenario possible. Taking you underwear out of your body in a flash, the Kim brothers seemed very eager to please you – or to torture you in their own way. Whatever they planned, you had no other choice but to take it.
Soon enough, a rough tongue parted your folds rudely and licked your juices away with the urgency of someone that doesn’t want a single drop wasted. Then, another tongue appeared, but this one went straight to your clit to punish you in the most delicious way possible: whoever it was, started by sucking it fervently, petting it with his tongue at the same time until he touched a nerve that made you scream, and jabbed at it repeatedly. They didn’t spare a single gaze in your direction, and, with the way you were losing your mind piece by piece, it was difficult to focus and distinguish who was who when both their heads were down – but whoever was lapping at your labia, now circled your wet hole with his whole tongue just the way you liked, both to tease and lubricate you.
Though their attention was getting overwhelming, it was also nice, because you had been shared by several men in various occasions in the past but none of them ever used you like this. No, they only cared to get their dicks in whatever part of your body they could and get off in there – and, really, you never minded since you weren’t expecting (nor didn’t want) a romantic lovemaking night where you ended up satisfied and chirping. Business was business. The Kims, however…
“You were so smart a minute ago, now can’t even form a single word?” It was Seokjin taunting you, lifting his head from your mount and you realized he was the one assaulting your poor clit. Of course it was him.
“You fucking idiot,” you started in a breathy voice, trying with all your might to fixate on him and not get distracted by Namjoon penetrating you with his tongue. “you don’t need my instructions, you’re eating my cunt like you’re my good bitch on your own.” At that, he pressed his thumb on your sensitive button roughly, and moved it in circles keeping the same pressure. “Fuck!” you exclaimed out of surprise.
“Goddamn, do I have to force something down your throat, stupid slut?” And then, he did force his index and middle finger into your mouth, pressing on your tongue to slide down your throat. The older Kim was extremely short-tempered, you concluded – it explained why people kept talking about the violent Kim brother whenever a massacre was done out of seemingly nowhere.
You have heard millions of stories of them, one worse than the other, but you were too prideful to believe even an ounce of whatever dumb shit they supposedly did. Burning down a whole building? Yeah, right. Bombing an enemy’s car? Suuure. Kidnapping a whole family because the father dared to go and try to take advantage of them? Well, maybe that had some truth, given your actual position. No doubt, all of those things – if true – were Seokjin’s idea.
Speaking of the devil, he almost hits the back of your throat with the tip of his longer digit, forcing the ugly and loud sounds of gargling out of you. The choking itself wasn’t so bad, but his insistence of keep pushing and pushing was making your jaw hurt a little. Drool was all over your lower face and his fingers, sliding down from between them and dripping into his palm. Through your teary vision, you catch a glimpse of Seokjin’s sadistic smile, so pleased with your degradation. You made sounds of complaint between gargles.
“See why you have to watch your tone with me, dumb cumdump? And quit pushing your luck because we will fuck your whore cunt into submission.” Right at that moment, you felt a hand parting your asscheeks and something wet circling your wrinkled hole. A surprised whimper escaped you. With a short chuckle, Seokjin took hold of your face with his free hand. “Right, and we will fuck your ass too, sweetpie.” His fingers left your mouth suddenly, and you took a big gasp of air, not knowing what else to expect from the brothers.
You didn’t have too much time to wonder because a finger surprised you bottoming out in your back entrance. No easing into it, no finesse, just plain, old Seokjin penetrating your ass with his long finger as a punishment of some sort. But was it really punishment if you were enjoying it? It was not, but Seokjin didn’t need to know that.
You could feel every knuckle, every ridge of his digit grazing your tender insides; stretching you, sliding in and out with the help of your saliva on his index. You whined out loud shamelessly at the sensations, which only spurred the men to go faster. You saw it in his eyes: he was merciless.
“You like it, sweetheart? You like when we’re rough to you?” This time, Namjoon got up on his knees to speak to you, in his low, raspy register. You moaned and clenched on Seokjin really hard when his eyes fixated intently on yours. Like bewitched by his dominant aura, you nodded to him dumbly. “Oh yeah? Should we take it up a notch?” His brother got out of his way so he could descend on you and capture your mouth in another ardent kiss. His whole frame pinned you down, coercing you to accept whatever nibs and licks he was giving into your cavity – not that you weren’t willing to accept them in the first place, though.
Distracted enough by his searing kiss, he seized his chance to push down your bra and take hold of your left breast; most precisely, to take hold of your nipple between his index finger and thumb, and squeeze it. He swallowed every noise or gasp you made while squeezing and rolling your nipple until it hardened. Meanwhile, his older brother had made way for a second finger in your ass and was scissoring them to open you up more and more. All of this was way more than you expected, but in a good way.
“Please,” you gasped when Namjoon went to suck your lower lip. “untie me, please” you begged in a whine. If there was just one thing you would beg for tonight, it was for them to let your arms go, because having your own weight on them plus Namjoon’s was cutting your circulation fast. Both men stared at you pointedly. “I swear I’ll not try anything funny, I just can’t feel them anymore.”
None of them believe you; however, Namjoon gets off of you and turn your whole body over with a single move of his hand, getting off the bed too. Seokjin is quick to get you on your knees and get his fingers back into you, now adding a third. You face to the side to the night table just in time to see the younger man opening the drawer and getting out a small knife. Your heart accelerated at the prospect of real harm but you didn’t show it. It would only put you in disadvantage in front of the men.
Luckily for you, Namjoon only used the knife to cut the ropes that bound your wrists. You let them fall to your sides with a satisfied moan at being liberated, despite not being capable of moving them yet.
“Does the princess have any other request?” The younger Kim, who was the one that tied you in the first place, inquired sarcastically with a tilt of his head, toying with the tip of the weapon. Closing your eyes and exhaling heavily at one deeper thrust of Seokjin’s fingers, you nodded.
“Can you fuck me already? The fingering is getting boring” you taunted in a thread of voice, weakened at the feeling of Seokjin’s dry digits grazing harshly your insides. The aching in your fingered asshole only added to your over-stimulated body – and to add to it, you felt a sting on your right ass-cheek that spread all over your skin. It barely even hurt on your long-stimulated body; instead, it felt like electricity hitting right on your sensitive clit. Seokjin’s hand was big and heavy, and he slapped you one more time on the same place. You moaned when it echoed between your legs.
“Boring? I was being nice.” And he slapped now on your other cheek. You yelped. “I was being a gentleman and stretching you.” He hit you a couple more time on the tender and red flesh; you kept your eyes close since the first impact and whimpered but still took it like a good girl. While all of that was going on behind you, something sticky and wet rubbed on your upper lip. When you opened your eyes, you were met with the sight of Namjoon’s monstruous cock pocking the corner of your mouth. You opened it to let him in, but he was content with painting your face with his precum. “But ungrateful whores like you don’t deserve niceness” Seokjin spat – figuratively and literally. You felt his spittle drip down the crack of your ass, and then, a hard rod impaling you.
You screamed out of surprise and the pain of being overstretched; the man’s fingers, as many as they were, did not compare in the slightest to his penis. The thick and curved meat hammered into you as soon as it entered, leaving you breathless with the vigor of the movement. Seokjin’s drove his hips into you with guttural groans and wild abandon, not giving you a moment to catch your breath. Honestly, you felt a little in love with the way he was rearranging your guts – and more so when you felt the tips of his fingers wandering on your clit.
“Ah, so now you finally have nothing to say?"
You were just about to give Seokjin an out of breath but clever retort, when Namjoon took advantage of your wide-open mouth and eased his own dick into it. Gentler than his older brother, he just glided his member in and out, more so to wet it with your saliva than to pleasure himself. Despite being a heartless hit man with no morals, he saw the overwhelming pounding Seokjin subjected you to and felt a little compassion for your clearly tired self.
Taking his cock out of your mouth, he started to fuck his own hand. You stared at him in confusion – didn’t he want to use you like his brother? – but you understood what he really wanted when he got his crotch closer to your face, still jacking himself off. Keeping your mouth open, you received one of Namjoon’s balls inside, slurping it right away. You licked and sucked on it hard, until you could hear him groan louder than the slapping of Seokjin’s hips into your ass. Letting saliva pool in your cavity, you soaked his nut thoroughly before passing to the other, and lave on it. Looking up pass the standing penis invading your vision, your eyes found Namjoon’s heated ones; you just now looked at him but his piercing dragon eyes hadn’t left your face not even for a second.
You intuited there was something behind his intense staring, but Seokjin’s hand snaked, once more, to your scalp and grasped, hair tightly in a fist and pulled back.
“You’re slacking. Weren’t you supposed to lure us to ruin with a good fuck?”
Namjoon seated with his back on the headrest and his legs on each side of where you and his brother were on your knees. Seokjin, with the zero consideration he had with you, threw you sideways onto his brother and you realized he wanted you to face him now. You smirked and gulped enough air to push his buttons again.
“You’re the one doing all the work. Can’t you not even satisfy yourself? Maybe the problem isn’t me but that teeny weeny peanut dick.” You saw a frown appear on Seokjin’s handsome face and, next thing you knew, his hand was coming down to slap you on the cheek. Just like the slaps in your ass, this one stung but send waves of electricity all over your skin. You groaned and put your still weak hand on your cheek to sooth the dull pain. “You’re too easy to work up, dude. Insecure much?” you sneered.
The man’s response was to take hold of your legs and open them to fit himself. He moved close enough to your body that you felt every inch of his manhood when he grinded it roughly in between your folds, which, at this point, were drenched and dripping, and that only made the glide very slippery. You moaned when his tip aimed to your nub, hitting the bundle of nerves repeatedly. He just grunted.
Behind you, Namjoon got his hands on your breasts, massaging them almost tenderly, while his hips thrusted up a little until his member lodged between your asscheeks. You didn’t expect his lips roaming on your neck, and much less for him to leave open-mouthed kisses and a trail of saliva there where his tongue licked; you were too distracted squealing as Seokjin gripped your waist and rammed his cock into your pussy in one go. By now, after everything you went through, nothing too soft or vanilla would satisfy you enough; the spark of excitement was always missing when men fucked you slowly and carefully. You were a woman of action, of adrenaline – so you liked how he was rough and wild.
“Are you liking how Seokjin fucks your pussy, baby?” Namjoon murmured right in your ear before taking your earlobe between his lips and sucking it. He was the real menace. “You want him to fill you up? Because, I’ll tell you a secret,” If it wasn’t for his closeness – his mouth glued to your ear – you wouldn’t be capable of hearing him due to the smacking of skin with skin and the blood that was rushing in your ears. “That’s all he thought about since he found you.” Through half lidded eyes, you looked up at the older man while Namjoon kept talking. “Fill you until you were gushing with his cum. Mark you as his bitch, he said.” He cupped your breasts and played with both your nipples, but you couldn’t even close your eyes at the feeling because you couldn’t miss even a second of the sight Seokjin was.
You didn’t really like him like that, but it was undeniable that he was one of the most beautiful men you have seen – now more than ever. His face was flushed and glowing, with a drop of sweat down his side; his full and bitten-red lips a little open in a panting; his cold stare down to you, judging you, hating you, and yet, fucking you franticly… And you haven’t even started on his god-like body. If you had to be attracted to someone, it would be someone like him: heartless, vain, profane. Someone not afraid of wanting, not afraid of taking.
“And, you know? Good bitches have to be bred.” Out of a sudden, Namjoon had his fingers shamelessly torturing your clitoris. You squeeze Seokjin’s member and moaned in a high-pitch, feeling your insides tightening fast. “That’s why we brought you, to stuff you with cum until our bitch is well bred– fucked until you beg to be filled over and over again.” Your breath shook as a result of his words, and your core was clenching until the point of no return. Just then, the older Kim reangled himself and penetrated you deeper, nudging all your hot insides with the tip of his long cock. “Would you like that, sweetheart? For us to put a baby into you? To fuck you until you´re round and can do nothing but take our cocks in all your holes all day?” The speed of his digits on you increased, rubbing past the hood that covered you most sensitive part. You cried when he started touching directly on the nervous nub. “Come on, baby, I know you want it. Beg for it.”
“Ye-yes” you exhaled, overwhelmed with sensations. You were so close that anything you heard sounded hot and cum-inducing. Being reduced to a bearing slave and a hole to warm their cocks? Hell yeah. “I wa-want you to – want you to b-breed me. Please!” With a sharp movement of his index finger, Namjoon made your tense core snap. You cried louder when your climax hit you all at once; your cunt tensed and gripped Seokjin like a vice, while all blood flushed down south of your body and electricity ran all on your clit, folds and thighs. For a second, everything was white and muted, and Seokjin’s clash with your body prolonged your climax, sending wave after wave of more electricity. “Please, breed me. I’m your bitch, cum in me, please” you murmured in the middle of ecstasy. You couldn’t keep your mouth shut normally, much less in that mind-altering moment.
Seokjin stopped for a moment, releasing your legs, though you didn’t realize it until you felt his tongue forcing his way into your mouth. You had no energy to kiss him back, but it was not needed; he took your jaw and forced your lips to apart with his. Once again, he licked all inside your cavity, brushing your tongue with his and sucking each of your lips until they were red. You let him do as he pleased, and it even felt quite nice to make out so passionately after cumming so hard.
However, none of the men had cummed yet. Still hazed, you felt strong arms hooking under your knees and lifting you, causing you to circle your arms around a neck to avoid falling. You hugged yourself to Seokjin while he got up from the bed and stood on the floor beside it – cock never leaving your pussy. Focusing again on reality, you felt the heat of Namjoon’s body behind you when his skin sticked to yours. With an extraordinary strength you didn’t know he had, Seokjin moved your body up on his standing dick and down until he bottomed out. From this upright position, gravity naturally made your body go lower and the thick penis go deeper. You whined from overstimulation.
“Shush, whore. Didn’t you wanna be bred? This is how filthy whores have their cunt filled” the older brother grunted. You whined louder like the brattiest of brats just to annoy him. At this point he could only roll his eyes to you. Though your fun didn’t last long – next time Seokjin pulled you down, you found yourself filled to the brim suddenly.
It took a little patience and team work from all parties to make both of them fit into your pussy at the same time. You whimpered for real the whole time, closing your eyes tightly, because you were stretched to the limit, and despite having done this before, it was never with two cocks that large. Between shaky exhales, you felt Namjoon tonguing at the spot under your ear and nibbling his way to the base of your throat.
“Holy shit, it’s better than I thought” Seokjin groaned, half lidded eyes posed on your strained face. “Do you like your cunt stuffed like this, baby?” He saw the intention to clapback when you barely opened your eyes, so he thrusted the tiniest bit up to tear a yelp off of you. He admitted to himself that he kind of admired your tenacity; you came this far and never once had you showed the littlest trace of fear or regret – no, you kept pushing and challenging them even in that moment. It really was admirable how far you would go for your fortune.
Finally, you felt yourself reaching the base of their penises, with much, much effort. You couldn’t think, much less utter a single word from how overwhelmed you felt. All you could do was gasp and gape like a fish, digging your fingers on Seokjin’s shoulder – who was enjoying every second of your helplessness. Having you at his mercy was all he had thought about for years, and all he had needed was patience and time. And there you were.
“You turned out just a meek kitten, baby” Namjoon commented on your left ear, swiveling his hips slowly into you. “I don’t like proving Seokjin right and I told him he was fucking crazy with this stupid plan, but here we are.” Both of them secured their hold on your legs, and just like that started moving taking turns; each time one was out, the other penetrated you with a hard thrust.
“Told you this dumb whore would fall for it” Seokjin grunted, looking down at the place where all three of you connected. “She thinks running a business is fucking people and that’s it. ‘Cause that’s how you made your way to the top, right? There’s no other way for you to get anywhere, as useless as you are.” Seokjin was really, really into degrading you. He spat his words to your face with the utmost disgust, pounding into you harder whenever he said something demeaning. “You’d been a disgusting slut since daddy gave you the wheel, hadn’t you? Letting anybody use your cunt, dripping everywhere you go with any bastard’s cum.”
Now they were really getting into it – and so were you. Heat stirred up in your core again and you found yourself panting and whimpering, needing more. You opened your glazed eyes and focused on Seokjin, expecting he catches up the silent begging. He did, but he would make you suffer before anything.
“It was going to be a surprise, baby, but your beautiful, tortured face is weakening me a little so I’ll tell you.” Still shaking you everywhere with their pounding, the older of the brothers got his mouth on the juncture of your neck and shoulder, and he bitted hard enough to hurt. When he heard you scream, he sucked the tender spot and laved his tongue on the dents he left, before getting right by your right ear to talk. “You’ll stay here with us. We will shoot your brother, steal your kingdom and make everything, including you, Kim property.”
Namjoon fucks into you at the last sentence, not waiting for his brother to be fully out. You shout as he fills you suddenly; the pressure of his entire cock inside of you, alongside the half Seokjin didn’t get out, got your whole body quivering. A collective gasp echoed in the room, and after that, the smacking of skin with skin resumed.
“You know what your future here holds, baby? It was true, we will knock you up,” Namjoon’s satin voice paired with his ramming into you every time he said will made goosebumps run up your spine and your insides to tighten. “We will make you bear our children, and we will make you tend to them only for the rest of your life. What about that, baby? The great mafia princess lessened into a breeding machine, good for nothing but popping out our babies.”
After hearing his brother, Seokjin begins fucking into you rougher, more urgent, moving one hand to your throat so you won’t look anywhere but at him as he fucks you. Sweat was making it difficult for you to keep your hold on his strained biceps so, in a particularly hard thrust, you sank your fingers, nails and all, deep onto his skin with a moan. Both brothers bang into you together, cocks heedlessly slamming and dragging over your walls, their pace picking up as they jackhammered into your pussy at the same time, into the same spot. They were rubbing your insides raw; sensitive skin swollen and unbearably tender, way past the point of pain and pushing into pleasure.
“This is your life now, sweetheart” Seokjin panted on your face, now holding you by the jaw. “Get used to being my bitch because I’ve been waiting for too long to fuck” he thrusted up with force. “my seed” His brother caught on his rhythm and now you had to cocks punctuating every word with rough movements. “into you.” With one last pound of the two members, filling ridiculously stretched and overly sensitive inside and out – and with a single stroke of Namjoon’s magic fingers on your clit – you tip over the edge. You scream, your muscles tense everywhere like a rubber band before releasing all at once, and both men keep fucking you despite you blacking out for a moment.
Fucking themselves into you, both brothers knew they wouldn’t last much longer given how you clenched around them, your walls throbbing alongside their cocks. Unable to hold out anymore, Namjoon groans low, hips getting sloppier as he started pumping his come deep into you. It just took Seokjin one more spasm from your cunt to moan loud and long and come beside his brother, white ropes filling you up as both of them continued to fuck every last drop inside. White, liquid cum seeped from your pussy and between their joined members to their thighs. All of your chests heaved in and out to catch your breaths, and just then they realized you let yourself fall onto Seokjin, body liquified and mind still out there.
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salty-an-disco · 1 month
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Hey bud! If you had to give your favorite voice a favorite movie, what would it be? And would their matching vessel like or dislike it?
I know this wasn’t the assigned task, but I couldn’t resist–
Here’s me headcanoing a fave film for every single voice and their respective princess’ opnion on it–
Hero: Shrek 2. No it is NOT just because of the Holding Out For a Hero scene, tho that is a very nice scene that always makes him start bouncing on his seat the moment it starts playing. It isn’t Default Princess’ favorite (she prefers Shrek 1), but she still appreciates the satire and subversion of common fairy tale tropes and the exploration of Shrek’s character here.
Contrarian: The Emperor’s New Groove. It’s memeable, it’s funny, it has such iconic characters, what else could he ask for? Stranger likes what they saw of it well enough, but they can’t really bring themselves to focus on a movie for the entirety of it. Would rather be doing something that requires them to be proactive.
Cheated: Fight Club. I haven’t watched Fight Club myself, but from what I hear from it, sounds like something Cheated might enjoy. Razor isn’t allowed anywhere near a TV.
Cold: Inside Out. Am I projecting? Yes. Do I care? Absolutely not. She watches Inside Out over and over again, imagining those little emotion guys as some of its friend, and getting a weird tight feeling in its chest when the control panel starts going gray because of Riley’s increasingly depressive state. Spectre likes the movie :)
Paranoid: Paranorman (I didn’t realize how similar those names are, but holy shit that’s funny), she finds Norman’s struggles to fit in and being seen as a ‘weirdo’ relatable and finds the way he’s fascinated with horror weirdly compelling. Both the fact it’s a stop-motion movie, and that it’s ‘children’s horror’ helps Paranoid feel safe watching it, and she doesn’t even jerks her arms once! Nightmare finds the zombies funny and gets… weirdly emotional during reveal at the end.
Hunted: The Lion King. It’s pretty, it’s colorful, the scenery and characters makes it feel at home, and it’s really compelled by the lion hamlet storyline. Beast tries to paw at every animal on screen and starts howling sadly when Mufasa dies.
Opportunist: Says it’s The Devil Wears Prada, but actually, it’s Legally Blond. The musical, specifically. Constantly has ‘Gay or European?’ playing in his head. Witch also loves The Legally Blond musical and is constantly grumpy that it’s also Oppy’s favorite.
Stubborn: Kung Fu Panda. It has FIGHTS, it has a panda struggle to become stronger, it has a compelling emotional core, he loves that shit! Adversary prefers John Wick, personally, but she’s also cheering for that white leopard guy every time he’s on screen (yeah, she knows he’s the villain, so what?).
Broken: Winnie the Pooh. It’s comforting and so nice to watch! It always makes them feel better. Tower doesn’t concern herself with this kind of leisure.
Smitten: The Princess Bride. Do I need to explain this one? Damsel also likes it, though she prefers Enchanted; especially the animated bits, she finds animation much more compelling than live action. :D
Skeptic: Knives Out. The mystery is compelling, the characters are engaging, and the set design! Skeptic could spend hours dissecting every frame of this movie and he did. Prisoner thought the culprit was too easy to figure out.
Extras–
Long Quiet is very fond of the Rio movie, while Shifty really likes Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (she’s also fond of The Lego Movie :))
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Text
Code Blue Ch. 50 - Red Dawn
Summary: A tense car ride is full of twists and turns. Josie gets an upsetting message. Craig softens and he and Jo seem to bond as they share another long talk. A phone call leaves Jo with more questions than answers.
*Chapter Warnings* language, angst, anxiety, drinking,
Chapter characters: Luke, Josie, Craig, Lee
Chapter word count: 7,953
Stories Stories Stories Masterlist:
Salem, Massachusetts
March 22, 2022
The tedious drive back to Salem seemed like an eternity and it was deafly quiet, except for the cat-like purr of Luke's Charger. As soothing as the subtle sound was, it still couldn't calm the seething tension between you and the law abiding bad boy that consistently chewed on his thumb nail, for it was much too close for comfort in the compacted side by side space.
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But as the cruising car entered Essex county, your focus then went to the mile long monster that lied up ahead. The Salem Harbor Bay bridge that you had recently drove over with Orlando with no choice, for time had been of the essence to get to Dave and this time, your reaction was not much different as your anxiety began to rise, but at least that time, you were in the driver seat. You had control and had someone with you that you trusted and felt safe with and that got you through it. Now, you were literally bound by your wrists and at the mercy of a man who's personality was all over the place. Hot, cold, gentle, savage. It was mood swing madness and you had been stupid enough to wake the lion.
The no speaking agreement was now over for you as you became desperate. "Can you please go another way?"
Luke's tone was cold and his words were straight to the point. "Nope. Freeway. Nowhere to turn around. This way is faster. The sooner I get you out of my car and my sight, the better."
You supposed you couldn't blame his anger after shoving him like you did. You were angry with yourself too, for look where it had landed you. In cuffs and facing prison time for assaulting a cop. Jesus, how were you going to get out of this one? You hated to admit it but Luke was probably right. Gerry couldn't do anything for you. Not without jeopardizing his job and his morals, but...it didn't mean he wouldn't try and you had to hold out hope for that, for if anyone could find some loophole to free you, it was your ex-fiance. You also knew that his guilt over his drunken one-nighter with your sister would give him the extra incentive, not to mention, he still loved you and now you were the one who felt guilty for even thinking of using that against him. BUT, you had the same issue you recently had with Dave. Gerry was M.I.A. and now with that added onto the Brobdingnagian bridge rapidly approaching, your nerves might just send you into a code blue.
Seconds before the wheels thumped over the divide from stable ground to an abyss of lung filling liquid, Luke couldn't help but notice your fear through his random side eyed glances at you as your body stiffened up, your breathing ceased and your eyes clenched shut. He pretended not to notice as he stared straight ahead and tried not to care but deep below the hardened shell of a man, the Grinch's small heart grew 3 sizes that day.
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"What's going on Jo?"
"Just shut up and drive. Faster would be great." you muttered, eyes still closed.
"Can't. There's a truck in front of me and I can't pass. Double lines."
Your left eye peeked at Luke. "Oh my god mister holier than thou. Trying to make up for the shitty things you've done by being a model citizen now? What happened to the skillful driver who perfectly whipped my Monte Carlo around every turn in town like he was Luke Duke in the General Lee trying to outrun Rosco P. Coltrane?'
"But Bo always drove the majority of the time."
"Yeah I know that! I just thought it was more fitting to say Luke since that's your name and your hair is dark like his."
"True I suppose. I didn't care for Bo anyways. I don't like blonde hair."
There was silence as both of your eyes were now open and glaring at him as he stared straight ahead with that curled smug smirk of his.
You then raised a smart ass brow. "So that's why you cuffed and stuffed me."
Luke's eyes swung right over to yours and now you were giving the smug smirk.
"I cuffed you because that blonde hair of yours caused you to do something extremely stupid. Now, I thought we weren't talking?"
Your lips pursed and your eyes slitted. "We're NOT! So just hurry up and get us over this bridge already."
"We've been over it for the past 30 seconds."
"What?"
You straightened up in your seat and looked around to see that you were now on a rural road surrounded by forestry.
"Hmmph." you marveled as you burrowed back into your heated leather seat. "Guess I was distracted."
Luke grinned as he glanced at you. "Exactly. It usually does the trick."
"Wait, so...you only engaged in conversation with me to distract me from my fear??"
"Yep and it worked like a charm. Guess I' m not such a bad guy after all."
"Says you."
His eyes snapped to you as he grimaced. "Why do you hate me so much?"
"Is that supposed to be a rhetorical question??? Can you please just STOP talking now??"
"Whatever." he mumbled and sped up.
Not even a minute passed and Luke was speaking again. "So...you're afraid of bridges huh? Why's that?"
Rolling your eyes, you sighed and continued to gaze out the window as you reluctantly replied.
"I'm not afraid of bridges. I'm afraid of heights. There's a difference."
"So, more so, you're afraid of falling really."
"Well duhhhh...and falling into what lies beneath it. All the weight of that water, just pulling me down further and further into it's ice cold depths where there's nothing but darkness and it fills my lungs as my panic forces me to suck it in, trying to breathe."
"Or...you could always swim."
Your eyes lowered as you became quiet and began fidgeting with your fingers.
As Luke looked at you, awaiting your usual mordant riposte, he quickly realized why you hadn't.
"You...you can't swim?"
"Does this even matter? Why can't you just leave me alone and quietly revel in my misery? I got my just deserves. But hey, if you do happen to find a heartbeat under that cold and austere armor, could you not mention this to my mother for the time being? This is the last thing she needs right now."
You wriggled your hips in the skintight seatbelt so you could turn towards the window to hide the oncoming tears of shame and once Luke couldn't see you, they poured out of your eyes like a waterfall. What you didn't consider was that he could see your emotional reflection in the glass as you silently sobbed.
5 minutes of faint intermittent whimpers and sniffles were unwillingly heard loud and clear by Luke. As he came to a stop at a red light, he looked over at you and that's when his own anxiety got the better of him.
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Seeing you all vulnerable and huddled against the door like a child sent a stinging twinge of empathy through his heart and made him question if what he was doing was right, even if you did break the law, for he had goaded you and not only that, your anger was justified about Lee. He wasn't going to tell you that though or the fact that he spent many nights weeping and beating himself up over what happened between him and his once upon a time good friend. It was extremely hard for him to speak about just as it was for Lee, for Luke knew it was all of his own fault by intentionally knocking over the first domino, he just never knew the chain of events would lead up to what it did. What he did know is that someday, you would know the ugly truth.
As Luke neared the road that led straight into downtown Salem, the guilt trip he was on forced him to abruptly stop and turn around.
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As he pulled to the side of the road and parked, you were already sitting straight up with wet and wildly confused eyes.
"What are you doing? The police station is the other way?"
"I'm not going there. Give me your hands."
"What??"
"Jo, just give me your hands before I change my mind."
As you slowly and unsurely swayed your hands in his direction, he grabbed them, startling you as he vigorously unlocked the cuffs, then yanked your seatbelt off.
"There. Go on. Get out of here."
You sat speechless for a moment, staring at him as he stared out of his window, chewing his thumb nail once again.
"You...you're letting me go...just like that??"
"Did I not just take the cuffs off and tell you to go?"
"Ok but...here? You want me to walk? It's at least another mile to get back to my apartment."
"Can't you just thank me and get out?"
"Why won't you look at me and WHY are you doing this?"
"God damn it." he grumbled and side eyed you. "Why are you such a pain in the ass??!! Just fucking go!"
"Not until you tell me why you changed your mind and are freeing me into the wild like some caged bird??!!"
His palms slapped over his face and then he roughly dragged them down as he groaned in frustration.
"If I tell you, will you fly away???"
"Depends on what the answer is."
"Holy fucking hel..." he began as his fuming eyes met yours, but abruptly paused when he saw the remnants of your tears, then popped the glove box open, ripped a tissue out and held it in front of you as he continued, refusing to look at you once again.
"It's what you said about your mum. You're right. She don't need this. I spoke with her briefly last night and she was quite distraught about Megan so, I just feel with all her grief over one daughter, she don't need the added stress from another."
"So you're telling me you're doing this for my mom??"
"You sound like that's incredibly hard to believe."
"I don't know what to believe from you anymore Luke. One minute, you're this sweet and caring man that seems to have a heart, like the one who once came to my mom's house and comforted me through an anxiety attack and even defended me against my sister and stopped me from strangling her, WHICH ironically I was doing for you with Landy only 24 hours prior when you morphed into robot Arnie the freaking terminator...and the next minute, you're back to being human again, helping me back there on the bridge and now you're claiming to let me go out of sympathy for my mom."
You sat back in a huff, realizing that Lee was behaving the exact same way and you were at a crossroads, literally, on what to do anymore about either of these messed up men.
Luke sighed and softened up a bit. "Look Jo. I don't know what else to say. I pushed you over the edge, waving a red flag at you. If I hadn't done that, I don't think we would be sitting here right now."
And so you softened up a bit too. "Yeah well, I pretty much came at you sideways and got you all riled up."
Luke chuckled and shook his head, then looked right at you with a disbelieving smile.
"What?" you asked, returning a half smile as your eyes curiously tried to figure him out.
"You. You're so afraid of all these things that are bigger than you and here I am, at least 3 times your size, yet you weren't afraid to shove me on my ass. I'm not sure what shocks me more. The fact that you did it or the fact that you were even able to do it. I admire that fire in you Jo. Don't ever let anyone try to put it out. With that said though, use that fire on those other than authority. If it were anyone other than myself or Gerry, you'd be at the station right now being booked as we speak."
You gasped. "Oh god, speaking of, I better call Dave and tell him because I guarantee he's already on his way to bail me out and you'll be busted. I mean, it's the least I can do so you don't lose your job over me."
Luke sat quietly stunned as you made the call, telling Dave to turn around and asking him to keep what he knew under wraps.
"There. He won't say anything. I really hope you are going to lay off of him now."
"As long as these ferry tickets he gave me and the ferryman's words all coincide, he should be good. Thank you Jo and... for the record, I wouldn't have just left you out here. I would have let you sweat for about 5 minutes and then came back." Luke teased with the usual curled grin, then put the car in drive.
Your riposte came out of left field and definitely struck a nerve. "Thanks for sparing me from being another victim of love em and leave em Luke."
Luke gritted his teeth, appalled by knowing that either Orlando or Lee had told you about his notorious moniker of his younger days that he had long forgotten about and wanted to keep it that way.
"This joy ride is over. It's time for you to go home and...about Lee. Just stop asking me. It's his story to tell. Put your seatbelt on."
"It's not just his story when you're involved."
"Wasting...your...breath." he firmly certified and slid a cd in, hoping to shut you up.
You buckled your belt then crossed your arms and scoffed as you sank back into the seat. When a song came on, Luke cranked it up and began mumbling the words as he tapped his fingers upon the wheel and both the singing and the choice of music had your eyes gaping at him with an severely raised brow.
"There'll be no strings to bind your hands..." he began and then snickered as he glanced at you. "How fitting eh?"
"Seriously? You have a Juice Newton cd? Why am I not all that surprised."
"You're mocking me when you clearly know who she is?"
"Nope. Not at all. It's just that the night you drove my car, your choice of music was quite different and frankly much better."
"Oh, you mean Radar Love. Yeah well it was fitting for the occasion just like this one because now here we are with you, a cheery oh angel of the morning." he razzed and then beamed a snarky smile full of teeth.
Shaking your head, you heavily sighed and looked away, trying to ignore the overgrown infant beside you, but that quickly became impossible when he began crooning out the chorus, which you knew was solely just to annoy you.
"JUST CALL ME ANGEL OF THE MORNING BABY! JUST TOUCH MY CHEEK BEFORE YOU LEAVE ME BABY! Then slowly turn away...from meeeee."
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"Whad'ya think? Next American Idol winner?" he gloated and howled on with his karaoke session, which if you were to be honest, Luke had a damn good set of pipes but you wouldn't dare tell him that because then he would certainly never shut up.
"Goblin king, take this baby away from me!" you irrationally jeered, then flung your head back against the seat and closed your eyes to try and zone him out, hoping he would take the hint to leave you alone, but you should have known better than that.
Luke's speedy riposte was a breath stealing punch to the gut and you had pretty much had set yourself up for it.
"Oooo ouch. That's rich coming from you. You know Jo, you should really be careful what you wish for since children seem to go missing when you're around."
Just as your eyes snapped open from the sting of his tongue, Luke was pulling up in front of your apartment and low and behold, Craig was outside speaking with what appeared to be a gardener.
"What a coinkydink. Daddy dearest in the flesh. So, does he know that Blaise was right within his reach that night and you knew and didn't...."
"He knows alright! I..I told him yesterday and now, I guess I'll be moving back in with my mom."
"Oh? Why not move in with Lee? You're basically at his place and up his arse all the time anyways aren't you?"
"Now you're the one wasting their breath. We're done here Luke. And if I were you, I'd get out of here before Craig sees you. Besides me, you're not exactly his favorite person."
"Not worried in the least."
As you opened the door, Luke touched your shoulder. "Hey Jo."
"What now??"
"Just be careful around him ok? You're probably better off to get away from him."
"And that's rich coming from YOU." you argued and got out.
Before you could close the door, Luke had more to say.
"Oh and Jo."
"Oh my god, what Luke??"
"Don't let the door hit you in that cute ass."
You shot a death glare at the derogative detective, then slammed the door and heard the blacked out window roll down.
With an arrogant wink, Luke put on a pair of mirrored sunglasses and attempted his best terminator voice. "I'll be bock."
Your eyes rolled so hard, it made you dizzy. "Ughhhh!"
As you stormed off, he revved the engine and sped off which then alerted Craig to your arrival. The last thing you wanted was another confrontation, especially with your rightfully pissed and soon to be ex-landlord, so you kept your head down and moved quickly, feeling his eyes upon you the entire time as you trekked up the sidewalk and into the building, but he never said a word.
You were now safe inside your apartment, all alone to finally gather and process all of your scattered thoughts, but first, you needed to call your mom and see how Megan was.
Slipping off your coat, you let it fall to the floor and went straight to the fridge for some wine, not caring that it was only 10 in the morning, the same time Craig had been drinking yesterday that you hypocritically gave him a lecture about. As you sat down on your bed with your full glass and turned your phone screen on, there was a text from Lee.
When you opened it and read his woeful words, your heart dropped down to your stomach as if you were falling.
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Lee always expressed himself with such endearing words from his heart, but sometimes, he let poetry and music speak for him and this time, it was lyrics from a song you knew.
"I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you. Take me back to the night we met. I don't know what I'm supposed to do haunted by the ghost of you. Take me back to the night we met when the night was full of terrors and your eyes were filled with tears. When you had not touched me yet. Take me back to the night we met and then I can tell myself what the hell I'm supposed to do. And then I can tell myself not to ride along with you."
Your heart began to pound, for Lee was basically telling you he wished he could go back to that day in the hospital and never visit your room and that meant you never would have found his bracelet under your bed and took it to his house where your love story all began. You knew he wasn't trying to hurt you. He was just being honest about how he was feeling, but it still hurt. It hurt immensely.
You didn't reply. You didn't even know what to say to that, so you just picked up your wine and let the entire contents of the glass roll down your throat as you fought back the burning tears.
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Desperately trying to distract yourself, you called your mom. She told you Megan was doing well but was still too groggy to speak. She also told you that she saw Lee that morning when she came down for coffee. He was on the phone with someone, seemingly upset, so she respectfully kept her distance but she couldn't help overhearing his scolding tone to the unlucky recipient. He spoke about his father's one month of passing and that he was going to his grave to pay his respects after attending the evening mass and told the other person that they should be going too, then Lee abruptly hung up and stormed out. You knew instantly it had to be Gordon and had something to do with the farm dispute between the two bitter brothers.
You told your mom you would be there later to sit with Megan so she could go home, eat and shower. When you hung up, you then nervously wondered if you should still go to the cemetery too, like you and Lee had planned, for if you saw him, you might not be able to walk away again.
Undecided, you got up to begin packing up some things since Craig had given you till the end of the month to move out and that was now only 7 days away. Luke's words haunted you about moving in with Lee as you sorted through your clothes. Yes, you were there all the time and everything was perfect in that area. You were so happy there with him. You would have been happy anywhere with him because Lee was home to you.
Your distraction tactic of keeping busy was failing miserably and it was quickly blown to bits when you were going through clothes you hadn't laundered yet and found a shirt of Lee's that you wore home a few mornings ago. And if that wasn't gut wrenching enough, it was still saturated in his Drakkar cologne and all you could do was scrunch it up against your nose and inhale his intoxicating essence as you laid down and cried your exhausted eyes to sleep.
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Meanwhile, Craig was on his way up to your apartment to give you back your deposit and as he approached your door, he raised his hand to knock, but humbly lowered it when he could hear your muffled laments from within. Whatever you were going through, he felt that he should not add to it and it aggravated him that he even cared. Was any of it due to how he had treated you?, for he just witnessed you had rushed to avoid him at all costs or was it because of the depraved detective he had come to despise?, solely because he was Ethan's brother. Craig's street smarts told him Luke was still a red flag, no matter what surname he took on to disassociate himself with the flyblown Bloom blood and if Luke became a threat to you as Ethan had, he would handle him too. Regardless of what was ailing you, Craig decided to leave you alone for the time being and slipped the check under the door, then left, feeling rather disheartened over making you leave.
3 hours later.
You awoke in the same position that you fell asleep in, still tightly clutching Lee's shirt against you and now, not only did his sweet succulent scent seep from your pores, it was also imbedded in your purple satin sheets. You had to get rid of it. ASAP.
The bed was torn apart as you ripped the sheets from it and threw them in the basket along with the perpetrator, Lee's guilty shirt and then headed to the door to take them all down to the laundry room which is when you discovered the check laying on the floor.
Upon picking it up, the amount floored you, for it was hundreds more than what you had given Craig and attached on the back was a sticky note, scribbled in red ink with incredibly perfect penmanship for a man.
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Craig certainly seemed to be on the wealthy side but this was too much and was clearly not about your clothes. It was his guilt over kicking you out and you weren't about to accept a payoff apology, especially when he didn't even have anything to be sorry about. You were the reason his 4 year old daughter was missing, even when you weren't the one who snatched her.
Exasperated over that and everything else, you hurried downstairs and packed the washer full of clothes along with an undetermined amount of soap while sobbing the entire time, then went back up to cry some more in the shower, a shower that was cut short by a burst of water as cold as the Atlantic and rust as red as blood....just like what happened to Dave. AND...you had the same reaction as he did.
Gasping and frantically rubbing your eyes, you huddled in the corner waiting for your sight and the water to clear. What was happening?? You did not believe that to be a coincidence all in a matter of 8 hours at two far away different locations, especially when that had never happened in your shower before. Was it some kind of sign, more so an omen or was it merely a plumbing issue like Dave believed his was?
Now that you were all primed and primped for the day, you resumed your packing while debating on calling Craig about his demonic shower needing an exorcist and to come get his money, or...you could just simply shove it back under his door with your own note attached so you didn't have to interact with him. Option 2 seemed best.
You scrawled out a note on the back of his and reattached it to the check, then quietly creeped down the hall to his studio where all was silent inside. Hoping he wasn't in there, you bent down and slipped it under the door, cringing at loud the sound was. Just as you stood up to tiptoe off undetected, footsteps swiftly approached the door.
Spinning around with a gasp, you rushed off only to freeze solid at his shout from directly within the door.
"Just Josie. Come on in!"
With a gulp, you hesitated then slowly made your way back to the door and walked in. There he stood, dressed in all black attire as usual and wickedly grinning while holding your check.
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He then turned it over and began reading your note out loud in a trenchant, yet amused tone.
"Thank you but no thank you. My outfit only cost twenty bucks at a thrift shop."
"Well, if that's so." he continued, "then you obviously like deals and that's what this is. A hell of a bargain actually."
"Craig, the added amount is almost as much as one months rent. All you needed to give me was my deposit."
"I was trying to apologize for my wine induced behavior and the harsh things I said to you and a simple "I'm sorry" just didn't seem to cut it."
"You don't owe me an apology Craig. I deserved all of it and the paint bath too."
"You were only trying to help my drunk ass up and even after the first failed attempt that ruined your clothing, you still tried again. And no, you didn't deserve my spontaneous misguided anger. You didn't kidnap my child and you certainly couldn't have known that it was going to happen."
"How could I have not?? I witnesses Elizabeth drop her off at Angel's in a panic over Ethan harassing her about paternity. I should have tried a hell of a lot harder to reach you, end of story... and for that, I will forever be so damn sorry, but as you said, those words just don't seem to cut it. I..I pray that you find Blaise safe, sound and soon. I really do and I will do whatever I can to help make that happen and make things right for you and her. Now, I have to go finish packing. Your apology is accepted and please just keep the money."
"Alright." Craig agreed with astonished disappointment all over his face as he watched you walk out.
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His agreement was short lived though and he chased after you, squeezing in your door just before you turned to close it.
"Craig, what the..."
"Just hear me out. Please?"
"Do I even have a choice since you barged right in?"
"Do you want me to leave?"
"Ok fine, but whatever you have to say, you'll have to say it while watching me pack. I have a lot to do today."
"Fair enough. I guess I'll start with Jason. Are we even now?"
"Even?? Craig, I swear I didn't use Blaise to get back at you for..."
"No no no. Jo, I know you didn't and I'm sorry I ever said that. What I meant was, well...if I forgive you, can you forgive me for not telling you your brother was alive? I mean, you were pretty rabid mad that day. Just a little bit scary." he teased with a smile.
You chuckled as you thought of what you just did to Luke. "Yeah umm...I guess I too had spontaneous misguided anger. It was meant for Jason, not you. I know you were just trying to keep him safe and you did. You saved his life, so how can I not forgive you?"
"Sweet. So we're square now. Well, except for one thing."
Craig walked over to your suitcase and began tearing your clothes out of it.
"What are you doing??"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm unpacking your clothes."
"What...wait...why?? Put those back!"
"I will not. I don't want you to leave. I kinda like you a little bit if I'm honest AND I think you kinda like it here and maybe even me too and..."
He held up a long blue dress and placed it against his brawny body. "And oooh wow. Smokin hot."
"Give me that!" you barked and grabbed it, but Craig laughed and wouldn't let go.
"Nope. Not until you agree to stay." he demanded as you both were now playing tug of war...until the dress split right down the middle.
"Oh, well THAT'S great. It's all yours!" you huffed and plopped down on the edge of the bed.
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Craig sat down too and slowly handed you the ripped remnants.
"Sorry." he whispered.
You couldn't even be mad, especially when he had the shameful expression of dog who got busted for chewing up a pair of shoes. Instead, you did what you were becoming a pro at lately. Broke down crying with your face buried in your hands.
"Whoaaa, hey now sweetheart. What's this??"
"Everything!" you squeaked and then rambled on. "My sister was hurt really bad and is in the hospital. She could have, would have died if she hadn't been found and I know Ethan did it, and I was almost arrested today for what you described as my rabid madness and Jason took off with Britt because of your creepy ass father and Lee, he is...I don't even know anymore with that and then everyone's showers are spraying blood and..."
"Alright slowwww down and breathe love. Let's start with the psycho scene. Showers are spraying blood??"
"Yes, mine and Dave's. Well, he said it was rust but with all this ghost shit, I don't know what to think."
"Ghosts??"
"Long story. Is your shower doing that?"
"No...and what did you do to almost land yourself behind bars?"
You mumbled your answer in shame. "I...assaulted a cop."
Craig's eyes popped wide open as he released a titter out of is grinning lips. "Oh how I would have loved to have had a front row seat to that event. What a little baddy you are. Remind me to never piss you off."
"Not funny." you sniffled.
"Ok, maybe not then, but you're obviously not in jail. So, how'd you get out of that mess? Oh wait, was it your ex-fiance cop?"
"Let's just skip this part ok? I shouldn't have mentioned it."
Considering Craig saw Luke drop you off and how fired up you both seemed, he knew it was him you spoke of, but per your request, he would drop it and the overwhelming desire to take the little piggy to market...for now.
"Yeah cops aren't exactly my favorite subject either. Ok so...what's going on with your sister? Ethan attacked her?"
"It certainly appears that way but she hasn't been alert enough to finger him. I'm going to the hospital later to see if she's talking, but I just know it was him. I think he did it because she told Luke that she thinks Ethan took Blaise because he thinks he is her father or maybe he did it to scare me because he hates me and wants Lee all to himself."
"That measly inbred maggot. I should have just taken care of that problem when..."
Craig stopped himself but, it was too late.
"When? Does that have something to do with what you said yesterday? About something you did for me involving him??"
Craig seemed stunned and he was. "I...said that??"
"Yes..I...I just forgot with all that was going on. Craig, what did you mean?"
"Jo, I was quite sauced yesterday remember? I tend to say a lot of things when I drink. What...exactly...did I say?" he probed with an curious brow so he could figure out if he had to tell you what he knew about Ethan and Lee.
"You said you protected me from him but never said why or how."
Craig made sure that his explanation wasn't a lie, it just wasn't the entire truth because he felt you didn't need to know Lee was still Ethan's husband during a meltdown.
"Ohhh...that. Yes, well...I...I saw him once and I basically told him to stay away from you or he'd be fish food." he paraphrased as his heart began to beat again.
"You did that for me?"
Craig suddenly felt awkward. Not in a bad way, but more in a "too close for comfort" kind of way, so he gave a logical answer instead of admitting he had taken a sweet fancy to you, which was the last thing he wanted. He had vowed to himself after Elizabeth's destruction that he would never allow himself to become close to another woman ever again.
"Well...you're my best friend's little sister, so, you know. What's important to Jason is important to me."
"Well thank you and well... I wish you HAD fed Ethan to a mosh pit of sharks, still ALIVE and baited in a pool of his own blood and then let me watch so I could hear his screeching screams and the satisfying crunch of his bones as the angry aquatic vampires with a thousand razor sharp teeth chomped him to death in a splashing feeding frenzy of pure diabolical rage."
"Yeeesh. Easy there Annie Wilkes. Tell me how you really feel, minus the Stephen King synopsis. Horrifying image."
"Arrrgh. Jason was supposed to have taken care of him by now and for saying that, I feel like such a fucking hypocrite for giving him and Lee such a hard time about Liz when she was no better than Ethan."
"And I married the black widow. Even had a kid with her, or so I thought. Creator of life, destroyer of mine. "
'"So did Lee basically. She fooled everyone, EVEN Ethan. God Craig, how could she do that to her own son??? That little boy was my nephew and now Ethan has your daughter and I know he's not just going to forget about Lee. So much keeps happening. No wonder I ended up in the hospital."
"I...I heard about that and...I wanted to maybe send you some flowers or come visit but...I..I didn't think my presence would have been appropriate, you know, just being your landlord and all and well...there's the little tidbit of my primary profession as well that I'm sure Lee isn't too fond of. Anywhoooo...I'm really glad you're ok. You're...ok..right?"
"For the most part yeah. Just gotta keep my iron intake up and stress levels down, which you can see is damn near impossible with the life I'm stuck in."
"You're only stuck if you choose to be."
"It doesn't feel like a choice anymore, even when I try to...ugh, it doesn't even matter."
Craig's ocean-like eyes were consoling as his hand went to your cheek. "Hey, it does matter. What else is bothering you? I have really good listening ears like that of a faithful family dog, only much less hair and a strong but soft shoulder to lean on and even comforting arms if you recall."
"I don't know. Like, for one thing, I'm supposed to hate my sister after all the horrible shit she's done to me and yet, I'm having a hard time hating her after what happened. Like, why...why do I care about people that don't deserve it???"
"Because you have a good heart which can sometimes be a curse really. You're supposed to be able to trust the people closest to you and when they go and give you a reason not to, it's a total mind fuck. It's hard to let them go even when you know it's what's best for you. I get it Jo."
"What I don't get is why I'm not good enough for the truth. I'm always being lied to. It's become nothing but a pattern and how am I supposed to trust someone when I don't know what they're holding back?"
"Ok first of all, you are good enough and if someone doesn't see that, then they are the ones not good enough and second of all, why do I feel this is not about your sister?"
"I appreciate what you're trying to do Craig, but...it doesn't matter."
"It does matter because you're clearly not happy. Tears don't lie. Are...you happy?"
Your eyes fell. "No. No I'm not. I'm miserable."
"Me too. Why don't you stay. We can be miserable neighbors together and drink wine every day and night to the point of inebriation, creating terrible art as a hobby while being covered in a rainbow of paint. You know, kind of like I already do? It's actually kinda fun and therapeutic. A little bit of good trouble..per se. I could use some inspiration as you well know."
You giggled. "Right...because we would actually be the artwork. How inspiring."
"Exactly! Except you'd be a firework. Oh, and you still owe me a viewing of your own masterpieces. So...whad'ya say?"
Craig got down on one knee and took your hand as he gave you a pathetic puppy face.
"Will you be my neighbor?"
"Oh my god you're such a nerd. Get up." you chortled and stood up.
"Well, I've been called much worse. Things I cannot even pronounce. You don't want to know, trust me. Sooooo, is that a yes?"
"I'll think about it."
"YES!" he jeered like an old lady at a bingo game winning the jackpot.
"So now, I'm really sorry but I need to get going. Thank you Craig...for listening and for the advice. It was nice. I want you to know I'm thinking of Blaise everyday and if I can help, I will. You'll never convince me that it wasn't my fault."
In the blink of an eye, Craig became all serious as he placed his hands on your arms. "Alright but, before I go, I need you to listen to me. Don't be letting your guilt cause you to do something dangerous. You let me handle this ok?? I don't want anything happening to you. Let me know what you decide on the apartment and...I'm really glad you're ok Jo and I...I hope you will stay. I like having you around."
He softly smiled and headed to the door, then turned back around.
"Oh and...I'm also glad you don't hate me."
"Ditto." you smiled. "Talk soon."
Craig left and you felt terrible for him. The formidable mafia man, always full of quirky humor wasn't so tough on the inside and was clearly lonely, but even so, you had to do what was best for you and if you stayed, would it really be a good idea? Had you known when you first moved in that Craig was one of Sonny's men and Jason's bff, you most likely would have ran away as fast and as far as you could. On the other hand, he could protect you and he wanted to and you felt safe around him. BUT, that didn't mean you would be. Things could always go wrong, especially in his world, which was now your world. Although, hadn't it always been your world because of Jason? And things always went wrong then, no matter where you were. Even your own brother couldn't keep you safe.
In your confliction, you knew you may still need to leave on a temporary basis because of your sister. No one knew yet what happened to her or where Ethan was, so she could still be in danger and that put your mom in danger as well with Megan living with her.
As you carried on with packing the rest of the one suitcase for the time being, once again you were interrupted. This time by the cordless phone ringing that Lee had talked you into getting for extra ways of communication. You decided to let the answering machine get it because you were in a hurry to get to the hospital, but when Lee's hypnotizing voice was heard, you stood frozen in time.
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"Hey sweet girl. I tried your cell but...I don't know, it must be on silent or maybe you just don't want to talk to me. I wish you would. I'm sorry about my text. I didn't mean it in the way you must think. If you're there, could you please pick up? I'd really love to hear your voice."
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He paused and waited a few moments, then continued.
"Ok, well, I...I'll just say what I need to say and leave you alone. Jo, I know I've said this so many times and it just sounds so meaningless, but I mean it, with every ounce of my being. I'm so sorry baby. For all of this. For all I have put you through. It's only been a single day and I miss you in ways that there are no words for. You are a mental and physical ache. A longing woven deep into my DNA and I...I don't know how to live like this. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm nothing without you. I'm inside out. I merely exist in this soulless shell and because I know you exist, there's no going back for me. There will never be anyone else for me but you. No one else could ever do. The heart wants what it wants and mine wants you and I knew it. I knew you were the right one from the get go and I still know it because the word "forever" does not sound like enough time."
As your heart was being torn in two and devoured by his agony, you walked over to the phone and picked it up, letting your finger hover over the call button, but you couldn't bring yourself to answer, so you just kept listening to his unintentional torture.
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"I know I have no one else to blame but myself. I know I'm broken. We were both broken. By life. By others. By our own serious dysfunctions, but we finally found each other after a decade of near misses. We were so close to each other all that time, yet so far apart and when destiny finally stepped in and we finally came together like the sun and moon during a total eclipse, all of the jagged edges of our broken pieces fit together like a puzzle, as if all that time, we were being broken for that purpose, to be a perfect fit for each other. But now I feel like I don't fit anywhere at all. Not anymore. Life goes on around me as i sit here and watch the boats sail by on the bay and I feel like I'm just a spectator, watching from the sidelines. You were...are my life. You are where I belong. You are my purpose, my reason. God Jo. Without you, all I want to do is drown my sorrows away and Lord knows I've tried, but even then, a sea full of whiskey couldn't intoxicate me as much as a drop of you. Because of you, I believe in love and fairytales and soulmates and everything that is magic. I followed the signs because you showed them to me. Just tell me it's not too late. Don't give up on me. I want to tell you everything and if I can bring myself to do that, maybe then you'll understand. I guess I've wrote a novel here and I should go. I still wish you would come today...to the cemetery. I'll be there around 4. If you don't come, it's ok. I will understand. Ok well..."
There was a pause and then he finished as his voice became very shaky. "I...I love you Miss Massachusetts. God I love you."
Lee quickly hung up and sat down. He had too. The 3 Red Bulls he downed earlier paired with the threat of an oncoming panic attack had him jittery, weak and breathless.
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"Lee wait!" you shouted as you punched the red button, but there was nothing but a dial tone.
Should you call him back? It would be so much easier than speaking to him in person because he had this wicked way of breaking you down and getting what he wanted from you that no one else had ever possessed, but of course he could say the same thing about you. Now the real question was, should you go? Lee clearly needed you and you were worried about him. You could hear it in his voice, the fear, the destitution and desperation...the love. And just because you and he were having problems didn't mean you would abandon him, but were you strong enough to uphold your boundaries in his presence? The mere sight of him was like some invisible magic in itself. You felt so guilty because he was fighting like hell for you and you were keeping him at arms length and just running away. Fight or flight? That was the all out question now and you knew exactly who to go to for the answers. Someone who had been through it all. Your mother.
@redeemer46
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implalazz · 25 days
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Waaaaaaaaa I’m back with more yokai fusions & also a comically small Buchikoma
L-R: Blazitina, RoboGrapenyan, Damonono, Buchikoma, Komajisan, Pandatina
Again more design thoughts under tha cut ✌️
My fingers always feel sore after typing this much….. Lots of learning about the details of traditional clothes this time. I chose these pairings cuz I felt lazy & wanted to draw the simpler ones first lol
Blazitina: Lion girl 👍 First thing I can think of in my thought process was making the belt an obi sash. Tattered at the ends to batch Blazion’s & with an obijime for fun. I didn’t super feel like giving her the same kind of Miku-esque kimono sleeves that I gave Lord Lie-In so I just made them weird kinda arm warmers. Did the same for her pants too, I’m not sure what they’re called but they’re inspired by the leg warmer kinda things in PLA on the fancy kimono. Also gave her a juban cuz idk I made her gi dip too far under her arms & yknow she’s a little lady she’s gotta stay covered up. I know all of this traditional kimono gear isn’t conductive to good karate but whatever…… She doesn’t get boots cuz I like drawing paws & her ahoge mimic Blazion’s scar (I didn’t have enough room to fit it in). I was thinking of giving her an x shaped hair clip but I thought it’d be too busy on her head. Overall despite some things I’d change (the way I shaped the obi I know realize the shape is TOO stylistic) I think this is my favourite design of the bunch
RoboGrapenyan: Very much inspired by the pkmn Violet paradox mons* (*See the bells & eyes.) Not much to say it’s a pretty straightforward fusion. The tail onibi are lightbulbs because it feels more robotic & I thought it’d be cool. The jet exhaust is grape soda……. That was a choice. LOOK I’LL EXPLAIN, uh….. grape….. grape exhaust? Grape vapor? Grape soda????? Sure. Also I think in the back of my mind I was thinking of that soda gun from that one episode of SpongeBob. Naughty Nautical Neighbors. I had to google it I had to know what episode it was….. yeah.
Damonono: YAAAAYYYYY FIRST TIME DRAWING HAKAMA THEY’RE WEIRD BUT I’LL GET BETTER AT IT!! They’re supposed to be split leg hakama but in every reference I looked up they’re so wide that they just look like the skirt kind rather than having two leg holes. I gave them hakama cuz bootleg jeans would be weird with a kimono. And I like hakama. That’s it. The sleeves….. Let’s talk about those. I didn’t wanna give them the heart guns/cannons cuz idk…. I liked the way Damona’s hands were posed & I wanted to keep that. So instead they have weird fucked up heart shaped kimono sleeves. I wanted to keep Damona’s long obi too but I thought it might mess with the silhouette already having the sleeves & also that’s just not a thing you do with hakama. So….. her sleeves are kind of like the end of her obi…….. I’m only now realizing she could’ve had them tied up normally & they could still hang that low….. whatever. In my mind they go under the obi, get tied up so they can put on the hakama, & then untie them & let them hang over the hakama. Look I don’t think of fashion in terms of is this normal? Is this practical? If it looks good I do it. Not much else to say. I had to look up a tutorial on how to put on hakama cuz I wanted them to be as accurate as possible……. And now I know how to put them on so that’s cool I guess. I LOVE LEARNING!!!!!!!!
Buchikoma: Again pretty simple. I gave him a little tuft of hair to emulate Buchinyan’s wispy hair tuft. I forgot to draw the spot of the side of the right thigh, lol. His eye spot is shaped like an onibi cuz it’s cute 👍. His haramaki has the patterning of Jibakoma’s tummy spot cuz I can’t not give him the haramaki that’d be a crime. His ears are farther apart & smaller like Jibakoma’s, & his tail onibi are shaped like that cuz idk I tried to imagine what Jibakoma’s tail looked like & I thought of that. Overall another one of my favourite yokai fusions I’ve done. That’s my son
Komajisan: SPLIT EARS!!!!! Inspired by a fandom design of a certain character from a certain comic I won’t name….. IYKYK. Split ears cuz 2. Also extra swirly bits on the swirls cuz 2. I was thinking of adding blue spots to his bindle but I didn’t like how it looked so I didn’t do it. Fun paw spots cuz it’s cute. Forehead onibi are kinda angry lookin cuz idk….. I just felt it. Also mini onibi in between the forehead ones cuz 2. Some makeup accenting cuz……. IT’S CUTE!!!!!!!! I was also thinking of making the onibi half brown & half blue but it looked bad so yeah, I didn’t do it.
Pandatina: Probably my favourite in terms of lineart. I actually got noticeably better at drawing kimono particularly the sleeves. I’m proud :]. I honestly didn’t feel like giving her a haori/cape/whatever so I didn’t (also I just forgot to lol.) So she has a good sewn into the collar of her kimono. Clover shaped obijime like Slimatina cuz it looks cool & I like it, also I needed more clover shapes lol. She’s got one in her hair because of that too, I was thinking of making it blue but I thought nahh. She’s intentionally very pale cuz I wanted her skin tone to really match the snake part of her body. And she has eyeshadow on to emulate the spots around Pandanoko’s eyes, same with her pupils. Again just a simple fusion
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pinkskytwst · 1 year
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LION'S PRIDE, HYENA'S CACKLE - Part I
Savanaclaw - Leona/Prefect/Ruggie eventual romantic poly.
It was almost embarrassing to admit to themself when the Prefect fell for Leona Kingscholar, second prince of the Sunset Savana.
He was incredibly attractive, absurdly intelligent, highly skilled at magift or any sport he attempted really, a Housewarden, and a literal prince.
It was like admitting you fell for Vil. People would roll their eyes and laugh at the audacity that someone would have to think that someone so amazing would like them. A nobody with no magic, no status, and no real skills or talents to speak of.
It was why they stayed silent.
Or at least they tried to.
The Savanaclaw dorm had become something of a second home along side Ramshackle and more often than not their evenings – and nights when it was particularly cold – would be spent in the loud and active dorm. It was a nice change from the isolated and empty mansion that Crowley had put them in and even Grim was starting to become friends with some of the therianthrope students there along with Jack.
They had grown a lot closer to Ruggie too, even if the hyena boy thought that their friendship had originally been trying to get something out of him. Ruggie was friendly, smart and talented, and so it was nice to spend time with him and helping with his chores so that they could have some time to study together.
Jack would join them a lot too but with his early night routine often it was them left alone with Ruggie and a sleeping Grim.
It was actually the hyena who taught them more about therianthropes and the different cultures and norms to expect from the various species of students. How to avoid fights, how to read different body language and what to look for when a therianthrope was unintentionally misunderstanding how to interact with humans and just how to generally make being around them easier. Jack knew as well but he wasn’t as good at being able to articulate these social differences as Ruggie.
It led to the Prefect actually picking up some habits that their other human friends didn’t always catch or understand but were completely at home in Savanaclaw.
It also meant that even though therianthropes didn’t always catch onto subtle human expression and interactions, Ruggie was able to quickly notice the way their feelings started to shift towards his Housewarden.
They knew they were about to be roasted when, one evening after watching a rare magift practice where Leona had actually shown up, Ruggie was suddenly beside them with glinting eyes and a devious smirk.
“Sooo....” he teased, breaking them from their thoughts as they had finished passing out water bottles to everyone and handing a towel to Leona – who grabbed it and walked off without a word. “Going to be joining our leader’s fanclub?”
They felt their cheeks flare up and nudged Ruggie in retaliation, though the other just threw his arm around their shoulders and started dragging them back to the dorm as he hissed his laughs.
“Like I would have time for any kind of club.” They said, side stepping the question.
Ruggie just snorted, ears flicking in amusement and his tail swishing back and forth the same way Jack’s did when he was excited.
“That wasn’t a ‘no’, kitten.”
“Oi! Just because Leona-senpai calls me that sometimes doesn’t mean you can!” they pouted, sticking their tongue out at him. “Should I start calling you ‘puppy’?”
“I wouldn’t mind. I’ve been called worse. It would fit better for Jack, though, since hyenas are closer to felines.” He said with a shrug.
“Yeah, well then I’ll start calling you kitten back.” They said defiantly, earning another laugh.
“Now that would be funny. But I bet you would prefer calling a certain prince that instead.”
“Why are you the worst?”
“Aw, that breaks my little heart.”
“That would be more believable if you had one.”
“So cruel, Prefect, really, you are picking up some nasty habits around here.” He wiped a fake tear from his eye. “I’m so proud.”
The Prefect couldn’t completely hide the amused smile tugging on their lips, and glanced around to make sure that everyone was already far ahead and Grim was hanging off of Jack as he chattered his ears off. Seeing that no one would over hear them even with sensitive ears, they heaved a sigh.
“I know, I know. It’s kind of the most embarrassing thing ever.” They said defeated, dropping their head against his shoulder.
“Shishishi, yeah, pretty much.” Ruggie agreed gleefully, earning another groan and finger digging into his side, under his ribs where he was ticklish.
The hyena-boy yelped a laugh and danced away a step before returning and throwing his arm back around their shoulders, only this time to put more weight on them and pull them into a headlock.
“Watch it there kitten, I might just let it slip to Leona about your little crush.” He giggled.
“Uuuuugh Ruggie!” The Prefect complained, trying to wiggle away as he began to roughly mess up their hair. “I thought you were my friend! I want a refund!”
“Shishishi, not likely! I was on discount!” he cackled.
After a minute of squabbling – Ruggie won as he always did – the Prefect gave up again and just wrapped their arm around his waist as the hyena let up on the headlock and just continued as they were before.
They didn’t bother trying to fix their hair. No one in Savanaclaw cared after all and they were going to be getting ready for bed anyway soon and need to take a shower.
“I can’t believe I like Leona, I have the worst taste.” They complained under their breath after a moment, head leaning against Ruggie’s shoulder again. “He has the worst personality in existence and will literally fall asleep in the middle of me trying to talk to him! I don't think he even remembers my name! He just calls me herbivore to cover it up.”
They threw their hand up in the air exasperatedly before wilting just as quickly.
“It’d be easier if he was an actual asshole and not just a jerk sometimes.” They said. “I mean, he’s an asshole but not…ugh, you know what I mean.”
Ruggie chuckled and shrugged.
“Yeah, I get it. As much of an insensitive bastard as he is, he’s also a good guy.” He agreed. “And hot.”
“Exactly!” they exclaimed, throwing their hands into the air again. “He’s so annoying and rude but then he’ll do something like hold me down to take a nap with him when I get too stressed about everything. And he gave me money to get new shoes since my sneakers were tearing apart and he lets me ask him suggestions about homework sometimes! Why can’t he just commit to being an asshole so I don’t have to have a crush on him!”
Ruggie hissed another laugh but they both quieted down as they reached the dorm and began heading upstairs to his room. They typically roomed with the hyena since Jack woke up at like four am and the Prefect was never going to let him try and talk them into a morning run ever again. They refuse.
“Well, ya got two choices then, Prefect.” He said, leading them past the students that were still milling around in the main rooms and kitchen and up to his bedroom. “You can either forget about him and wait for it to pass, or you can try to win him over.”
The human gave a startled squawk at his words, almost falling down the stone stairs in shock and having to have the hyena pull them up the last few to prevent from breaking their face.
“I can’t do that!” he hissed flustered, elbowing Ruggie when the other rolled his eyes. “He’s-…I just can't. Why would he even want someone like me anyway? I’m still on like a third-grade level of understanding this world, I have absolutely no magic, and I don’t even have dazzling looks like the Pomefiore guys do as a backup!”
“Oi.” Ruggie said as they entered his room, shoving them over to his bed and shutting the door behind him. “I don’t wanna hear that shit from you. Leona would be lucky to have someone like you even put up with him let alone want to date him.” He said firmly, reaching out to poke their forehead harshly.
“I’ve listened to assholes talk about 'not worthy’ this, and 'not good enough’ that my whole life. I’m definitely not going to let you talk about yourself like that when you have literally saved lives and are braver and more badass than most mages in this school.”
The Prefect rubbed lightly at their forehead but wilted under the hyena’s harsh look and gave a nod.
“Sorry, Ruggie. You know I don’t think of you like that.” They promised softly. “It’s just…I mean Leona could have anyone. He’s been around royalty his whole life and probably has met people like Vil all the time. There’s probably a reason he’s never gotten with anyone and I doubt he would make an exception for me. He doesn’t even seem to care about that sort of thing and I don’t…I don’t want to be someone that forces their presence on him like that, you know?”
Ruggie watched them for a moment, hands on his hips and ears tilted slightly with an expression that they couldn’t quite decipher before he heaved a sigh and reached out to ruffle their hair again, pushing their head down.
“Yeah, yeah, alright.” He said. “I won’t say anything if you don’t want me to.” He promised. “But I still say you’re selling yourself short.”
They couldn’t help but smile warmly when they were able to lift their head again, leaning forward to wrap their arms around Ruggie’s waist and rub their face into his chest playfully.
“Thanks, Ruggie. You’re pretty amazing too.” They said before making a face and pulling back. “And you also stink like a warthog so go get a shower.”
They yelped as the hyena shoved them over on the bed and proceeded to tug his sweaty t-shirt off and toss it over their face with a cackle as they made a disgusted noise and flung it back at him.
“Stinky puppy!” the called after him as he grabbed his things and skipped out the door, cackling all the while.
Once he was gone they gave an amused huff and fell back on the bed to stare up at the ceiling.
Crushes really were stupid. They should just ignore it like Ruggie said and wait for it to go away.
A memory of Leona catching them around the waist earlier that day to keep them from tripping over their own feet and face planting into the wall flickered through their mind. How easily he lifted them and how warm he was as he set them back on their feet.
“Watch it, herbivore, or you’re going to embarrass yourself more than you usually do by being sent to the infirmary because you don’t know how to walk.” He said with a teasing smirk, ruffling their hair just as Ruggie always did before waking off to skip whatever class he was trying to avoid.
They had called a ‘thanks, Leona-senpai!’ after him but the prince didn’t answer.
UUUUUUUUGH.
They dropped their arms over their eyes as they tried to force the memory and dozens of other small things that made their heart stutter in their chest when they were with the lion.
They really should just ignore it.
-
“Oi, Leona.” Ruggie said as he entered the lion’s bedroom while the Prefect was currently showering, shutting the door behind him and crossing his arms over his chest. “We gotta talk.”
One of the prince’s ears flicked his way but the royal didn’t move from where he was clearly trying to sleep after cleaning up from magift practice.
“Fuck off, Ruggie, I went to practice like you asked.” He grumbled.
“This ain’t about that.” The hyena glared, ears tilted back. “Stop fuckin’ around with the Prefect.”
Leona’s shoulders tensed and he turned his head just enough to glare at the one person he could consider calling a ‘friend.’
“Watch it.” He growled lowly, making Ruggie tense a little more, ears flattening against his head but he didn’t back down.
“Don’t give me that, Leona!” he snapped, “I can see what you’re doing and I know you don’t got any plans on actually giving them a chance so stop being a prick and trying to get their attention when you’re not going to actually give it.”
“Back off, Ruggie.” The prince growled, sitting up now and leveling an dangerous look on the other. “You don’t know what you’re fucking talking about.”
“Like the Seven, I don’t!” Ruggie shot back, his shoulders tensing and yanking his hands down into fists at his side, claws digging into his palms. “Everyone can see that you’re soft on them but you fucked up and now they like you!”
That cut the prince off short, his eyes widened as he froze on the bed.
Ruggie gave a low, bitter laugh. It was nothing like his nice or happy ones.
“Yeah. They like you, asshole, and I know better than anyone what happens after that. You and I both know they don’t deserve the fucked up shit you’d put them through.” He glared. “So this is me telling you. Leave. Them. Alone.”
Leona’s expression closed off, his claws gripping the sheets so tightly Ruggie could hear the way they were beginning to rip.
Neither of them moved for what felt like forever before Leona turned away and dropped himself back down on his pillow.
“Get out of here, Ruggie.” He said simply.
Ruggie continued glaring at the lion for a moment before flashing a bitter, sharp grin as he turned to leave.
“Funny thing is, they actually think you’re too good for them.” He said softly, his words stabbing deeper than a dagger ever could. “Ironic, isn’t it?”
The sharp click of the door shutting behind him almost seemed to echo in the silent room.
====================
Look! I broke my Octavinelle streak! lol
I PROMISE THIS WILL HAVE A HAPPY ENDING! This is the first time that I've seriously written any of the Savanaclaw boys though so be patient with me as I try to feel out how best to write them.
Hope you like it though <3
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fruitcoops · 10 months
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hello lovely eve. ive been having thoughts, recently. anyway wondering if you would want to write something to do with the day/time after a hard day. youve done some of my absolutely favourite fics for like Bad Days (im thinking esp rn of what we deserve (i think thats what its called)) but also after that? bc the after support is so crucial and i think the lions would do so well. any ship!! if not, i totally understand, i hope your day/week is lovelylovely!!
This is such a great prompt! The aftershocks of hard events are just as important as the conflict itself--this ask was combined with one for a timeskip followup to Self-Care, a fic about Finn's bad habits. All characters belong to @lumosinlove <3
Leo paused at the back of the couch and bent, nestling a kiss on the top of Finn’s head. “Good book?”
A quiet hum answered.
“Good part?”
Another hum; Finn pressed up and Leo tilted his head to leave another kiss on his temple. A clatter and a soft curse filtered out of the kitchen, but Finn hardly flinched.
Leo nuzzled against the wispy, silken ends of his hair until his cheek could slot just above Finn’s ear. The couch dug into his stomach a bit, but he didn’t mind. “You tired?”
Finn’s laugh answered his question before his words ever could. “Yeah.”
He picked at the hem of Leo’s threadbare Saints sweatshirt with a sleepy kind of apathy. His book hung limp from the fingers of his other hand, abandoned only two pages past where it had been the last time Leo checked on him. Finn’s breaths were methodic when he rubbed a palm over his chest and nibbled the shell of his ear, just to watch a smile pull at his tired eyes. “Come to bed.”
Finn cast him a sideways, skeptical look. “It’s 8:45.”
“And you’re the sleep police?” Leo hooked a finger in the collar of his sweatshirt and pulled. “It’s been a long day. You’re tired. We can fix that problem with our nice new mattress.”
Finn was quiet for a moment; Leo felt him lean back into the cushions and the cradle of his arm, a slow breath leaving him when Leo began toying with the hoodie strings. “You know, I kind of miss the old one.”
“It barely fit us.”
“Yeah.” Fondness shone on every word. “It was nice. Waking up all over each other. Always had you in arm’s reach.” Another beat of silence passed. “I lose you at night, sometimes.”
Oh god. Leo’s heart yanked—he held Finn a little tighter. “Sorry, cher.”
“Not your fault.”
“Is that…is that why you were upset today?” Logan came out of the kitchen with a precarious tray of tea, tongue poking out over his lower lip as he balanced their mugs on the table. Leo caught his eye and gave a small smile that relaxed the pinch of his forehead.
Finn took no notice of the change, save for a shift to the side in an obvious bid to have Logan sit next to him. “Nah,” he said as Logan took the hint and tucked himself between the arm rest and Finn. “Just a bad day, I think. Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for.” Logan tugged the book from Finn’s hands and set it aside, then replaced it with a mug of tea and pressed his fingers around the warm ceramic with an encouraging nudge. “Drink. You’ll sleep better.”
Finn smiled wryly. “Morphine? Chloroform?”
“Decaf. Very potent.”
“Thanks, Lo.”
Logan poked his ankle with his foot and snuggled Finn under his arm. “Don’t thank me for things you do every day.”
Finn went to protest, but something on their faces must have stopped him, because he bit back the words and took an obedient sip of tea. Leo didn’t know why he watched so intently—maybe for reassurance, maybe to make sure Finn was really on the up-and-up. Steam curled up around his copper lashes and turned the tips invisible when he blinked. He gave a nod. “ ‘S good.”
“Of course it is.”
“I’m—” Finn pressed his lips together and exhaled; steam billowed off his mug. “I’m sorry my brain doesn’t work right.”
Once, that would have broken Leo’s heart. Once, he would have jumped to soothe and bent over backwards to fix it all. Once, he would have taken it as personally as a slap to the face. Not enough. Not good enough. Missing Finn’s signals left and right—did Leo even love him, if he couldn’t pay attention?
The tight ball of insecurity in his chest may as well have been a marble, rolling about and looking for something to knock over in an empty room. He kissed the top of Finn’s head again. “I don’t see anything you need to be sorry for.”
“I’m sorry I missed your pass earlier,” Logan said, taking a long sip of his own tea. “It was a good one. I just wasn’t looking.”
Finn’s shoulders relaxed under Leo’s hand. Fuck yeah, Tremblay. There’s my MVP. “Really?”
“Mhmm.”
“What about—”
“You were on form.” Normally, Leo didn’t like it when Logan interrupted. This seemed like a much-needed exception. Logan raised his eyebrows at Finn’s suspicious look. “You were. I know you don’t feel like it, but you looked really good out there. That pass was on me.”
Finn’s punch to his shoulder was a roll of knuckles at best. Logan still smiled, still took it with faux-hurt and a hand over the heart. “Eyes up, Tremzy.”
Logan whistled quietly. “Five for fighting and two for roughing. What would Coach say?”
“Doesn’t count if you deserved it.”
“Oh, is that how that works?” Leo laughed. Logan glanced up at him with an impish grin, and passed the last mug over the couch. Peppermint filled the air, sweetened by honey.
They drank in relative silence, hands and legs and arms looped around each other until Leo could hardly tell where one ended and another began. Finn was right; however nice it was to not risk falling off the mattress in the middle of the night, he did miss the inevitable proximity of fitting three people on a single bed.
He supposed it wouldn’t be too hard to make an effort tonight.
The clock ticked as nine o’clock arrived at last. Leo finished the last of his tea and leaned over Finn to set it on the table, offering an apology in the form of a kiss to his cheekbone. “Bedtime.”
“Yeah.”
Logan took the mugs, Leo took Finn, and Finn went without protest into a brief, firm hug. “Love you,” Leo murmured. He felt the answering mumble more than he heard it. “Your brain isn’t broken.”
Finn sighed, slipping his hands under Leo’s shirt to rest against his skin. “Feels broken.”
“I think it’s pretty great, regardless.”
“You’re just a really nice person, Le.”
“I just love you a whole lot.” He let Finn pull away and cupped his face in both hands, running his thumbs along the summer lilac under his eyes. Exhaustion tarnished his bright edges. “Come to bed with me?”
Finn rested there for several seconds, then nodded. They went together.
Leo had only just managed to tuck Finn into the curve of his body before Logan was there, shuffling under the sheets to join them and reaching over Finn’s waist to hold the crook of Leo’s elbow. Finn made a quiet, sleepy noise and pushed his face into Logan’s chest; Logan’s eyes crinkled at the corners, and his expression only grew more contented when he looked up and found Leo already watching them.
Leo waited until Finn had mostly relaxed into drowsy limbo before risking a thumbs-up across the sheets. Logan fought back a smile and returned it, nose scrunching. Success. Another win for their tally. It was a shit day, a hard day, but they could still end it like this and that would be more than enough.
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atlas7seo · 4 months
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Voltron has become my Roman Empire.
Hear me out. I wish the Blue Lion was the left hand of voltron instead of the right leg. I know crazy. Just let me explain my insanity.
So season 3, I think, the lion switches always like bugged me. I know that's like not uncommon, but like Keith and Lance are not alike. Like you're telling me that Lance is enough like Keith that the Red lion just is okay with that?
When I first watched the show, I thought lion assignments were based on personality or on a paladins' motives and goals. And I always thought Allura was more like Keith than Lance was to Keith. Not that I'm saying Allura should have been Keith's right hand man.
Keith and Shiro are very different, and their leading styles vastly differ from each other. Based on flashbacks I can see the similarities between Zarkon and Shiro, but not Shiro and Keith. (At least before the weird keithification of Shiro after he came back)
So to alleviate this issue of lions not matching paladins, what if Keith was the first left handed black paladin. I know Keith is right-handed, but like imagine. Keith is the Red paladin so as a leader Keith wouldn't need someone like a red paladin to help him lead. Unlike Shiro who soemtimes needs that impulsive push. Keith has that personality and thought process already. But what if he needs someone like the blue paladin which was already proven when Lance took Red. But that bugs me because that just implies Lance needs to take similar position to Keith. So if hypothetically the Blue Lion was the left arm instead of right leg then it could be a clear visual indicator that Keith is a different type of leader to Shiro.
He's LEFT handed so he doesn't need a right hand man like Red, but a Left hand man! Where Blue takes the position of 2nd in charge. And that could make it so everyone has to struggle more under Keith's leadership after they form Voltron because different dominant hand. It's like learning to fight all over again. Because let's face it, Voltron combat got old really fast. So adding this would spice up combat a little more. Add some uncertainty to the conflict.
Also, then Allura, who I think fit the red paladin more because honestly Allura was just kind of mean and rude sometimes for what reason? Also stubborn like Keith. She fits the "hothead" type more in my opinion. AND then she would be piloting the same lion as her deceased father and that would be such an interesting character conflict! Trying to live up to expectations. PLUS in that one episode where they fight the old paladins, Allura can literally FIGHT HER FATHER! Think of the angst!
So yeah there's my insanity that Voltron has created in me. Honestly it sounded better in my head, but im committed. The Blue Lion should be the left hand instead of the right leg and Keith should be left handed.
I cannot believe my first real post is about Voltron.
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unfinshedsentec · 2 years
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TAIJU’S BIRTHDAY ♡
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a/n: it’s Taiju’s birthday!! Yayyy happy birthday to him! Of course, I had to write a little birthday blurb because I actually like him now!
It’s a little short cause I’m taking a break, but it’s something! Hope you guys enjoy <3
reader is gender neutral
character pairing: taiju shiba x reader
tw: cursing (maybe)
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‘I told you Y/n, I just don’t do birthdays! I never have and never will! So don’t worry ‘bout gifts, or parties, or cakes or any of that shit. I. don’t. care!’
That was what Taiju told you every time you asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday. No matter what, he’d turn down any celebration. Whether it was a party, or just simply going out to eat; he always said no.
However, deep down you knew he wanted to do a little something. He always looked a little down at the thought of not doing anything to celebrate, again. A glimmer of disappointment appeared in his eyes when no one would bring up his birthday. And dare I say, you even saw a frown a couple of times when he said no.
It was just so clear that he wants to do something! Unfortunately, Taiju himself didn’t believe he deserved a birthday of any sort, so he always said no, despite wanting the opposite…
Of course, as his s/o, you decided to take it into your hands! Though, even you weren’t exactly sure what to do. You didn’t want to do too much, because Taiju would without a doubt hate that, but he most definitely deserved a little something.
So, when Mitsuya approached you a few days prior and told you Luna and Mana wanted to give Taiju something, you had an amazing idea…
Why not plan a little picnic with the Mitsuya’s? Luna and Mana loved Taiju, and Taiju loved them, so why not do something small with them? You’d also get to exchange gifts and Taiju would get blow out his birthday cake (courtesy of Mitsuya who knows how to bake much better than you).
Of course, Mitsuya thought this was a great idea and agreed. So, on the day of Taiju’s birthday, you asked him to meet you at the park, while secretly, you walked with the Mitsuya’s to meet him. Of course, the moment Luna and Mana laid eyes on him they got excited and ran ahead along with his gift.
“Taiju-chan!”
“Tai tai!”, the girls yelled while they excitedly ran up to Taiju, who was casually sitting on bench. You could see a look of surprise come onto his face as the kids approached him and excitedly handed him the gift. You and Mitsuya both stayed behind and grinned while watching the adorable interaction. Taiju carefully inspected the gift (which he was very much so not expecting) while Luna and Mana both kept yelling at him to open it.
Of course, after enough yelling, he carefully opened the gift which held an adorable little stuffed animal that Luna and Mana both asked Mitsuya to make. It was a dark blue lion that, “looks exactly like Tai tai”. The soft lion looked tiny in Taiju’s, but at the same time, fit him perfectly. Although Taiju only quietly muttered a ‘Thank you’, you could see from the smile on his face that he loved the little lion. It would be something he’d always treasure.
Not long after, Luna and Mana began beckoning you and Mitsuya out, begging to have some lunch. While Mitsuya walked over with Luna and Mana to set up the picnic, you sat beside Taiju, who watched them curiously.
“Happy birthday, babe” you whispered, laying your head on his broad shoulder.
“Thanks Y/n, thanks a lot”
“Of course!”, you giggled. “Now let’s go over to Mitsuya and eat. Luna and Mana won’t want to wait for cake much longer”
“Yeah, yeah” Taiju muttered, as you dragged him along. The younger Mitsuya girls were excitedly jumping up and down, pulling Taiju next to them, while you peacefully sat in the shade.
Luna and Mana, of course, argued over who would get to sit next to Taiju. And it was only after Mitsuya intervened that Taiju got to sit down in between the two of them. He sighed, and reached to grab a cracker, only to get his hand slapped by you.
“We’re still waiting for someone” you said.
“Wha-“
“Sorry we’re late!!!!” Hakkai yelled, dashing towards all of you. Yuzuha quickly trailed him, yelling something about not running. Taiju however, looked shocked. He just couldn’t believe it. After everything he’s done, his sibling still came here to celebrate with him? He truly couldn’t believe his eyes, but here they were, right in front of him, yelling happy birthday to him.
He couldn’t help but smile at it all. From Luna and Mana begging for cake, to Hakkai screaming happy birthday, he couldn’t believe it. For once he was in a happy, peaceful atmosphere. One where he didn’t have to watch his back, one where people weren’t looking up in fear, one where the love of his life was in front of him.
He was happy. And this birthday, was the happiest.
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h2llish · 4 months
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leona rambles becuz he deserves it
this is rambles from one of my leona fics;
i think leona is a neat character to write for. he's seen as lazy and prideful (and yeah, he is) but a lot of the time, people fail to realize that that isn't his whole person.
he's the second born in a royal family, and that itself is reason enough to not be the biggest fan of his status. the second is always seen as second best because their older sibling, is well, older. they're the one taking the throne and what is the second born going to do? nothing, because they can't have the throne after the first born, that goes to the first's born child once they step down.
he spent his whole life being looked down on by the servants in his own kingdom because he just didn't fit up to expectations. he would hear everything, all the whispers and the insults, yet he did nothing except take it. and naturally that would make anyone feel insecure. i know i would if i was in his place; hearing people whisper about me being nothing compared to my older brother?? that's harsh, especially since he was still a child while hearing all this. what do you think all those harsh words will do to a child's psyche? absolutely destroy it.
so yeah, i think he's insecure. his entire life and talent is seen as second best; even in nrc when standing alongside the heir of briar alley he still isn't first. so of course, that would fuck with someone's already shaky psyche of viewing yourself as nothing more than second place. i also think this really plays into why he's still in nrc despite being intelligent and magically talented. riddle couldn't collar him because his magic was so strong and he's as cunning as he is smart so that begs the question why hasn't he graduated? i think it's because he doesn't want to go home any more than he already has to when it comes to holiday breaks or when cheka pays him visits. he'd rather stay in nrc, where he can keep up appearances and avoid hearing the whispers in the hall. (and plus, they already look down on him, what's failing a few years going to do? it can't get any worse.)
so when it comes to gaining romantic feelings for someone and someone gaining romantic feelings for him, i don't think he'd know what to do. in his mind he's second place, that's all he'll ever be, yet he entertains the thought of being someone's first choice. and when he is, he's unsure. can he really be someone's first choice? can he really be seen as anything more than the second-best category he spent his whole life in?
it's why i wrote the reader the way i did. he loves leona and he's willing to prove that to him by pushing past his own trauma to show leona that "yes, i love you. i pick you. i want you." and leona doesn't know how to react to this to confession so he chooses to avoid him, scared he's seen he's never someone's first and that the reader's feelings have changed. but when the reader shows up in front of him, showing a part of himself that he's never shown to anyone else and admitting to leona that his feelings haven't changed and he's still in love with him, probably even more despite leona avoiding him, leona has to accept that reader chose him, that he loves him.
he's a beastman guys, a lion, he is literally meant to be prideful. but not just that, do you think he'd let everyone see that he has insecurities just like everyone else? of course he's gonna be prideful if it means keeping up an image, especially around his brother and family.
do you know what it's like to be compared to someone? it's shitty. and leona had to be compared to his brother his whole life, and he still is.
leona is strong, his power is amazing, and his intelligence is envied. and at nrc people acknowledge that. but at home? he still amounts to nothing. the servants still whisper and his brother is still better. to these people, he can't do anything right. and it's because of this, i think he deliberately chooses to be held back. he has the means to graduate, he can fly through it np, but he doesn't because that gives him more reason to not go home.
as for his relationship with his family. or more specifically cheka.
i don't think he hates cheka but i do think he resents him just a bit. to resent something = to be very jealous. to resent does not equal hate. cheka is a constant reminder that he is seen as nothing. that no matter what he does he could never be good enough for those in his kingdom. and while that is not cheka's fault we can't exactly control who we're jealous of.
he's more than the prideful lion you guys paint him as.
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taybatwo2 · 2 months
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Off White Raven Rhapsody Part 1 of 2
I just spent waaaaay too much on a doll; -but I really didn’t buy too many Skullectors last year, so I’ll say that it evens out.- To date, this is the most I’ve ever spent on a doll. Monster High really pulls me in with their new and interesting monster head sculpts….always has and always will….so I bit the bullet and bought her. I didn’t take a photo of her box, but it is a very heavy duty box. I feel like a lot of budget went into that damn box too as it uses really thick paperboard, has four interlocking (like a much bigger version of paper board jewelry boxes) pieces, and four acrylic pieces. I am not an inbox collector, so this is just some very expensive trash to me. -I can’t even recycle the thick paperboard here locally-
Anyways, let’s see if some of my money went to the doll. -I know the lion’s share of expense is due to the Off-White brand, blah blah-
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I wanted to compare her to her MH gargoyle brethren: Create a Monster Gargoyle (in a Granite City High jumpsuit I started to make him, but never finished), Garrott du Roque, and Rochelle Goyle. She seems a little more radioactive colored than the other gargoyles. Maybe she was carved out of uranocircite or metatorbernite instead of granite…. It does bother me that she doesn’t have any speckled skin. She was an expensive doll, why not make her skin the same “off-white” color and throw in some speckles! She also did not make her with clawed hands, which is very strange because Skullectors put that shit on everything. Well, let’s take a closer look at the thing I mainly bought her for. Her face!! Her face is so pretty….
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Let’s compare her face sculpt and Rochelle’s.
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I am very certain that the face part of the head is the same. The nose is identical, they both have the “worried bumps” in the middle of their foreheads, and the jawline looks the same. Rochelle’s lips are fully painted in, while Raven’s look under painted (especially on her upper lip). Their eyes have varying styles. Rochelle’s eyes have thicker lower lines, larger pupils and irises, and much longer eyelashes (ghoul is using the same mascara Yuma). Raven’s eye paint looks much more crisp, seem to fit the mold better, and a bit more detailed (her make-up uses several more colors than Rochelle’s). Raven’s eyebrows look a bit pixelated though.
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Yup, their profiles look pretty darn similar. Now her HORNS! YESSSSSS! Look at those detailed horn ridges.
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They’re detailed all the way around too.
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Her painted scalp could be a bit better. You can also see that her horns are separate pieces.
Now, lets look at their “ears.”
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Rochelle doesn’t have ears in the traditional spot.
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Her ears are very similar to Create a Monster, but her ear tip is a lot more rounded and the inverted scalloped edge is a lot deeper too.
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Garrett’s ear is actually more detailed than either of them (there is more detail on the tip of the ear and the base of the ear). The veins are much more prominent too.
Now let’s look at their wings!!
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Raven’s are the BIGGEST by far. Even the shape is completely different (I thought maybe it was a bigger version of Rochelle’s but looks like it’s a completely different mold).
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Rochelle’s and Creat a Monster both have two separate wings, and a lot texture to their wings. Garrote has a smoother texture and is only one piece -THAT NEVER STAYS IN- Raven’s wings actually does stay in REALLY well.
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The front has veins, tons of cracks (that off white color that doesn’t like to be photographed), and lightly translucent. ….I wonder if they will reuse this mold in some aspect for Ru Paul’s dragon MH doll??
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Yup, no veins on the back. I wonder how it will look if I add a light wash to those cracks…
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She also has these little horns on the top of her wings. Mine had some scratched off paint…yay…also, the horns don’t look cleanly sculpted (especially compared to her horns).
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Yeah, her horns look a lot more defined. Also, this is as far down as her arms go at the shoulder…
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Also, her arm joint on her left arm is messed up. She can bend it but it really did not want to turn around.
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Well, I guess I can look at her expensive branded clothes. In Part 2!
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science-lings · 1 year
Note
For the writing prompt
Stargazing 🌠🌌
"-and you see those three stars forming an acute triangle?" Zelda pointed at the night sky painted by the colorful goddess lights, the full white moon adding to the impressive twilight illumination.
"That's the head of the King of Red Lions, beneath it are five more points that make up the rest of the boat and you can just make out the triangular sails." She traced the image with her finger in the frigid hebra air.
Link couldn't quite identify the constellation she was describing, but he wasn't looking too hard and kept getting distracted by the multicolored light reflecting off of his companion's face.
He liked to think he had an eye for beauty, more so than people expected of him. He liked to wake up early to enjoy the sunrise and had spent an astounding amount of rupees and recourses into dying all his clothes multiple times simply because he thought the colors were pretty.
So seeing Zelda's face engulfed in shifting light was at the very least, objectively mesmerizing. He couldn't help but stare, it was hopeless to tear his attention back to the stars when their beauty simply couldn't compare to the sight right in front of him.
It was probably obvious, they were huddled together for warmth, despite being wrapped up in the warmest clothes they had on top of some intense heating elixirs. There was no way she didn't notice that he was looking at her and not the stars above them, he was so close to her that he could feel the rumbling of her chest when she spoke about the legends long past. Her fingers were deeply entangled in his hair, which would make her even more aware if he moved.
Thankfully she didn't seem to mind, not when his head rested against her as she explained the relation between the stars found within ancient sheikah chambers and how they changed over ten thousand years, how her favorite constellation was one of a fairy that she used to argue all the stars could look like.
She didn't mind when his eyes slowly blinked shut as she pointed out that her mother's favorite constellation was one in the shape of a large bird, once said to be ridden by their ancestors, she wondered out loud if that's where they got the idea for Vah Medoe, and if they could make a smaller version.
At that point, she stopped talking, probably assuming that he had fallen asleep. He squinted an eye open in mild annoyance, raising his eyebrow as if to say 'did I ask you to stop?'
"I like listening to you talk." He muttered, his voice muffled by the fur from her cloak.
"Oh so you were listening, well then, what's your favorite constellation?" She didn't sound like she believed him, he shifted his head to look at the sky.
"The wolf. In the book of heroes, they have an illustration of him where they use all the little stars to make his ears look extra fluffy." He tried looking for it but all the little white dots started to muddle together in his tired sight.
"You'll have to show me some time..." The princess yawned, resting her head on top of his, "I like listening to you talk too."
"What do you think our constellations would be?" He prompted. She took several minutes to answer, promising a detailed response.
"Honestly? A silent princess. I've always compared myself to one, but I've never really been silent. I think it fits better with both of us. Besides, we're the hero and the princess of the Wild, it would be pretty outlandish to symbolize us as something less... natural."
"I like that... but a dragon would be cool too,"
"Yeah, a dragon would be cool."
Send me prompts?
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bitterarm · 1 year
Text
The Sorting Hat remembers every child it Sorts. It remembers every mind it poured over, every trait it read, and it’s never been wrong. There have been a few where it believes the child could have done equally well in another House, but that doesn’t make their initial Sort wrong.
It remembers the young Riddle boy, brimming with ambition and cunning – it would have been a crime to send him anywhere else. Slytherin House did not turn that child Dark. He would have gone just as Dark in any other House.
Harry Potter, the Hat maintains to this day, would have thrived in Slytherin, but there’s something to be said about self-sabotage, and the Hat could not place a boy who was literally pleading not to be placed in Slytherin in the House of snakes. Gryffindor suited him equally fine, after all, and the boy wound up being just as great as the Hat knew he could be.
Neville Longbottom belonged in Gryffindor not at the beginning, but because of who he’d become. The Hat saw the possibilities for the boy there in his head, and knew with the right environment he’d flourish, so he placed him with the Lions despite the fact that perhaps the eleven year old may have initially fit in better with the Badgers.
And Sirius Black. The Hat remembers every single Black, had sent the lot of them to Slytherin. Families often Sort similarly. But when Sirius sat down, his head was nothing like the rest. Where his older cousin was cunning, vicious, ambitious, and cutthroat, he was determined, loyal, bold, and brave. Perhaps if he had gone to Slytherin, those traits may have been shaped into something different, but Slytherin was not where that boy belonged.
The Hat rarely saw such pure characteristics of a House, but Sirius Black embodied Gryffindor more than most any other child the Hat can remember.
The Sorting Hat doesn’t usually take a child’s parents into consideration when placing a child, but they come up occasionally.
“Mr. Lupin,” the Hat says. “My goodness, what a mind.”
The boy squirms on the seat. Uncertainty rises up to meet the Hat, temporarily obscuring anything else in that mind, but the Hat is used to this reaction and waits patiently for the boy to take a few gulping breaths and calm down.
“You’re all right,” the Hat tells him. The boy is relieved. “Quite nervous to be here, I see. Did your godfather not reassure you adequately?”
“He did,” the boy thinks. “But I’m still scared.”
“Worried about filling the shoes your parents left behind?” the Hat guesses, and the boy squirms again. “A common issue. Are you worried that they wouldn’t be proud or that everyone else won’t be proud?”
The boy is quiet for a moment before the answer floats up, unbidden.
“Everyone else.”
“Hmmph.” The Hat has had quite enough of other people telling war orphans what they have to live up to. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Yeah.”
“Your father thought I was going to refuse to Sort him,” the Hat says. “He was so frightened he was hardly able to walk up to the stool. He thought he’d be kicked out.”
“But my dad was a Gryffindor,” the boy thinks, bemused. The Hat laughs.
“Gryffindor doesn’t mean always brave,” it tells the boy. “It means brave when it matters. And your father was quite brave when it mattered.”
“When he died.”
“Certainly,” the Hat says. “But also every single month.”
The boy perks up. It’s clear he’d forgotten that part of his father’s past.
“Your mother, on the other hand, came up to this stool and said hurry up and put me in Gryffindor, I’m starving.”
“You put her in Hufflepuff,” the boy giggles.
“Because I could see that she was one of the kindest children I’ve seen in some years,” the Hat tells him. “Many people think they know better than me. Your godfather argued with me for five minutes on his placement, and I only put him in Gryffindor because he was clearly stubborn enough to fit in.”
“What was the other House?”
“Slytherin.”
The Hat can feel the boy’s utter shock. Many strides have been made to try and repair the House divisions, but there are still stereotypes. There is still work to be done.
“What about me?” The boy’s question is timid, but the Hat’s had his answer from the beginning. There’s really only one place for a boy who knows that the legacy of his parents will follow him throughout his school years but still chooses to come and face it, after all.
“That’s an easy question,” the Hat says. “You’re a Gryffindor.”
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f-117-nighthawk · 11 months
Text
How about we trade? You receive: playlist update. I receive: plot
What is UP buttercups it’s pride month and along with a fic that’s been in my drafts for LITERAL YEARS I bring you….
Playlist update.
Under the cut, because as usual this be Long
Two side notes: since, for complicated and somewhat stupid but out of my control reasons, I cannot access Apple Music at work, some of you have been treated on Spotify to the in progress versions of the playlists that usually only I see, not just the versioned ones I keep active. Surprise? 
Second, keep in mind if you see a repeated (or remixed) song, that means something. Sometimes it’s different than a simple “these take place at the same time” ;) you should also pay attention to similar lyrics, things about the same concept… there is a lot of thought put into these. 
An organizational note: there’s seven playlists now! They’re sort of ordered here to what they’re most closely linked to: the main one and Dystopian Fiction, Through Apocalypse Skies and Endless War, Filaments and For Who I Could Have Been, and Design Your Universe is… mostly by itself, except the times it’s not.
Dark Matter
I am Dark Matter, your road to ruin…
Your World Will Fail and Dark Matter are what they’ve always been: the beginning. the end. Everything. Nothing. 
(Your world will fail my love/It’s far beyond repair/Your world will fail my love/It is already there)
(Bring me your soul/Bring me your hate/In my name you will create/Bring me your fear/Bring me your pain/You will destroy in my name)
Things got shifted around a bit here to accommodate some things that fit better in another playlist, but No Remorse No Regrets is still the key one here. It is Haggar, and sort of Zarkon, but also not. 
(It won’t remember so it won’t forget/It knows no justice or regrets for the blood it lets/Believing nothing, it knows no pain/And it feels no remorse when it enters your brain)
The End of the World and Apocalypse 1992 are the two halves of the Fall. More in that playlist :)
(Sold on a dream of a future serene/then why does it feel like the end of the world)
(Fly high through apocalypse skies/Fight for the world we must save/Like tears of a unicorn lost in the rain/Chaos will triumph this day)
Apex is the final moments of the Fall from the Blue Lion’s perspective (yeah, I said Red Lion last time, but this makes more sense. Trust me)
(Now we sleep/for a thousand years/something is coming/coming for me)
You Keep What You Kill covers the slow degeneration of the Empire between the Fall and present day. The knowledge harshly taught by the Thuranial War has been long lost, and the Devourer reigns once again, searching after Its missing part and the Burning Star. Zarkon and Haggar, under the Devourer’s… guidance…, scour the universe, adding to Its power. Marzin and Galraasa rise the ranks as the left and right hands of the Empire, omens of destruction before the might of the Empire. The ‘holy half dead’ that shape the devouring of the universe.
(Defying dimensions/These ruthless creatures will steal your soul/Breaking away from the chains of mortality/They won’t be taken down/Bow now to the holy half dead/The master to death mongers calls)
Ensheath is about Kolivan, placed here due to its relevance as he is forced into the role of Fourth General under the worst circumstances, and everything that almost causes him to follow Raelos in losing faith, were it not for the first of his ‘radiant knight’s. (Side note, if you play Arknights, guess who Margaret Nearl is here?)
(I once had the fight of a radiant knight/before I learned that justice may never exist)
Immutable is about Krolia. It’s her thoughts as she joins the Blade, as she leaves Earth and Keith behind, as she makes her way through a universe changed in the ten thousand decaphoebs she was asleep. It’s about the universe passing one by, and what she’ll do to keep her hope safe. 
(She’ll risk it for the lives/She’s left behind/Hope’s on the rise/But she’s flying blind)
The Glory and the Scum is the reason Krolia isn’t around until MGHM. Suffice to say, she isn’t happy with some of the fallout of the events that lead into Ensheath, and decides that if Kolivan isn’t going to listen to her, she’ll go save the universe somewhere else. She is, after all, a Paladin.
(Look at what we’ve done/Take a step back/Shake your head at what we have become/We’re the glory and the scum)
The Seven Sisters is about Keith, and is the first of four fics connected to Closure by its influence on Child From the Stars (Lost in the Dark), as well as its relation to MGHM. It’s half the source for the Pleiades symbolism that crops up throughout Dark Matter. 
(I cast my hope upon The Pleiades/The Seven Sisters who would come for me/They’d fall to Earth to grant a child’s dream/But I’m still waiting)
Starlight is the Adashi song. Here is the sad part, where they’ve separated by the launch of the SFSS Genesis and the things that were said. It’s also Shiro’s thoughts from the war as he watches Earth from ‘distant skies’. 
(At night the earth will rise/And I’ll think of you each time I watch from distant skies/Whenever stars go down and galaxies ignite/I’ll think of you each time they wash me in their light/And I’ll fall in love with you again)
Waking Dream and Abyss are Awakenings. Mostly the Red Lion, but also extendable to the others. 
(Centuries like flowing streams as years go rushing by/Waiting in the dark for afterlife)
(Open my eyes in a daze/How long has it been? Am I so out of place?/Warmth I can no longer feel/My mountain is gone, I’m surrounded by steel/The strangest of structures arises ahead/Seems to be held up by nothing/Where have I gone, do I dream?/How can the stars be all I can see?)
Who Will Save You Now is about the Paladins in First Contact. It’s the video messages they send to their families, the warning that Something Is Out Here. It’s a declaration of protection for the Earth, but also a recognition that they may not be able to do it themselves.  That is, of course, if they even get the message.
(I will not take from you and you will not owe/I will protect you from the fire below/It’s not in my mind/It’s here at my side/Go tell the world that I’m still alive)
It Has Begun is the Battle of the Sarnan Nebula (aka: Blackout)
(Even a well lit place, can hide salvation/A map to a one-man maze that never sees the sun/Where the lost are the heroes/And the thieves are left to drown…We will face the odds against us/And run into the fear we run from/It has begun)
And then it’s, of course, The End of the Beginning, it’s eponymous fic. And one of many, many connections to String Theory. 
(Every night I die just a little/All this time, I’m caught in the middle/All your life, you fought with no winning/This is just the end of the beginning)
A Simple Plan is, well, not so simple. Several ‘simple plan’s come together, from Lotor’s scheming, Haggar’s suspicions and own needs, Galraasa’s orders to go beyond, and Team Voltron struggling to fit into their new roles while also building the Coalition. And to top it all off, everyone needs one thing to make all this happen: marthuzitok. 
(How long can we hold off ending?/How long can we pretend we’re ok?/No one goes on fighting it forever/I know I’m better this way)
Crown of Mine is at the very end of A Simple Plan, but also woven together. It’s about a Black Paladin who doesn’t think he deserves the title, and his eventual desire to ‘burn this crown’ he never wanted. This also makes ASP the second of the Closure fics. 
(I wish I could be the me that you see/But I’m too drawn to black and white/Don’t be confused, spare me the excuses/It’s not even worth the fight)
Outnumbered, Bringing it Down, and Wildfire are the Siege of Naxzela/Breaking of the Naxzela Line, the one major victory the Coalition manages to get before the Raid on Hell due to the success of Project Kuron. Oh, and remember that episode where Shiro tries to talk to Lance in the meld? Yeah that. Wildfire is specifically related to that one scene in String Theory where the real Shiro tries to help Voltron.
Why is it that songs from two different gachas ended up here with the same motif about breaking the clouds? I dunno, but it’s useful
(Outnumbered but we can’t back down/It’s us against the world, us against the world/Outnumbered but we can’t back down/Ten to one, on the run/We will still overcome)
(Devouring me/Devouring me alive/There’s something inside you that isn’t right/Something that haunts your dreams/There’s something that you have lost/And you’re bringing it down/You’re bringing it down, on top of us)
(Unsheath a sword to rend those clouds above the ground/wake up it’s time to gather now)
Shortly after is Memories of a Girl I Haven’t Met, which Every Time Our Earth Shakes is the end of. Krolia content!
(In this lonely place, bathed in silence and thoughts of you/I can’t see your face but I’m trying to envision you/So are you really out there? Are you awake with memories/Of a boy you haven’t met yet who’s wished upon the Pleiades?)
(Surrounded by lonely, bruised, and broken love/I’ve seen it and I won’t be like everybody else/Wave after wave, no change in my faith/I’m here for you through high or low/And every time our Earth shakes, I’ll fight through the pain/I’ll die before I ever let you go)
Remember that line about dinosaurs in MGHM? Laser-shooting Dinosaur. I’ll leave it there. 
(Here I come/drop your jaws to the floor/I’m riding on my mighty shooting dinosaur)
Then, the aftermath of MGHM and Laser Shooting Dinosaur is Brothers of Crail, where Allura finally makes contact with Oriand. 
(A secret ancient brotherhood, with laser sword in hand/guardians of ancient technology from centuries gone by)
Legion features the Whispers, Voltron, a few mullets, the Druids making a dangerous mistake, and… does this thing count as a robeast?
(Fallen angels ripping through/The circuitry inside this suit/Of flesh and bone that’s overthrown/No matter how hard you try/They keep waring deep inside/Where there’s a star collapsing in your heart/There’s something in your eyes/That’s coming back to life)
And then, which you can finally read, TRIALS (reimagine), Wrathful Cerulean Flame, Fools of Damnation, String Theory, I Am the One, and Final Mission ~ Quantum Burst. Yes the last one is mostly here for the whole big fun mess in The Architect to Rule Your Fate :3
(Hear me from the bottom/Forged in regret, I’m the silversmith/Doomsday, you we had it coming/Marching the streets with an iron fist/Obey no more in silence/The steel in our hearts will be monuments/Today, they’ll hear the violence/We’ll rise from the dark like Lazarus)
(So follow me/And we’ll burn the clouds away/And we’ll burn the clouds away/Keep our demons all at bay/There will be an end someday/And I must lead the way)
(Fool, dance for me again/I am your destiny, mark my words/Don’t you ever disagree/Fool, kneel for me again/I am your agony, walk my way/I will never set you free)
(You don’t believe in space/You don’t believe in light/You don’t believe that anything is well beyond your might/We walk across the sky and beneath the ocean floor/We’re never going anywhere we’ve never been before)
(I am the one/I am the architect to rule your fate)
House on Fire is the follow up to String Theory, dealing with the political fallout of having a spy in Voltron itself for decaphoebs, as well as the more personal struggles the Paladins go through in that fact’s wake. 
(So I’ll just hold you like a hand grenade/You touch me like a razor blade/I wish there was some other way right now/Like a house on fire we’re up in flames/I’d burn here if that’s what it takes/To let you know I won’t let go of you)
Belgrade, which I'M POSTING RIGHT NOW! Is the klance shenanigans in the aftermath of House on Fire and finally resolving that little plot point about Lance’s reoccurring crush. 
(We pretend in the darkness/We pretend the night won’t steal our youth/Singing me the sweet songs of seduction/Let me be the fool, fool, fool/Who will live and die for you)
Here to Save You is about Sam. And Pidge. And Matt. And Zaivorg cannons. 
(A slave for humankind/I made sure I would survive/To stay alive/Now it’s time to move on/When there’s nothing left to prove/I’m coming to get you)
Iron is the third Closure inspired fic, and I cannot believe I have managed to give away so little of the plot so far so we’re gonna keep it that way. But it is, as all Closure fics, about Keith and his struggles with identity. 
(You can’t live without the fire/It’s the heat that makes you strong/‘Cause you’re born to live/And fight it all the way/You can’t hide what lies inside you/It’s the only thing you know/You’re embracing that, never walk away)
Storm the Castle is very related to the next few, but wouldn’t have happened without Iron. It’s our Last Marmorait making a point. One that Zarkon isn’t happy with. 
(We will not be prisoners/In a kingdom taken hostage by her crown/But we will not abandon her/…Rise now, stand and fight/Take your freedom, claim your right/Rise now, stand and sing/Storm the castle, kill the king)
The second major turning point in the war is Monarch, Birthright, and Firewall. The first two are about Lotor more than anything else, and the very high level target the Coalition is after. Firewall is the same event, but focused on a very… specific thing. The Devourer is not happy, and things learned in the framing story of Through Apocalypse Skies and String Theory swing back with a vengeance. 
(I am not the person you remember from before/The one you patronized and stepped on, the one you hurt/And I have pulled the arrows, now my skin has become stone/No longer am I prisoner to your empty fucking words)
(The voices in my head have all begun to sing/(The voices in your head have all begun to sing)/And they sure as hell hope I am listening/(I sure as hell hope you are listening!))
(They come to your dreams with illusion/They come to bring shape to your mind/You know how to stop the intrusion/We all have to fight for our lives)
And then… The Day the Earth Collapsed
(How much time has been elapsed/Since the day the earth collapsed?)
Here Comes the Reign doesn’t fully come into effect until several months after Firewall, but starts with The Day the Earth Collapsed. The Burning Star rampages through the universe, taking back what is rightfully Its, but the Devourer Star won’t take that lying down. 
(You made something they can’t take away/Now bring the fire of the burning sun on everyone)
Supersonic is here as a microcosm of everything that happens between Firewall and Soulbound as the Colation go after the warlords, culminating in Holding Out for a Hero as the Paladins, exhausted of war and going a little crazy from their string of victories, decide to have a little fun
(Supersonic, polyphonic, this is our war/Mustering the armies, marching faster than before)
(I need a hero/I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night/He’s gotta be strong, and he’s gotta be fast/And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight)
Earthrise and But Tonight We Dance are the last Closure fic. They’re both very much klance songs, although BTWD is a little more than that. Earthrise is Lance mooning (hah), while BTWD is here to remind everyone that Keith is Very Aro. Also, Keith loses a fight with a rock.
Have I mentioned they need to stop having relationship milestones in a war zone?
(I still fall for you like suns do for skies/Cerulean pouring in from your eyes/Just a hollow moon that you colorize/So powerful, I feel so small but so alive/Like watching the Earthrise)
(Tomorrow we might wake in servitude and silence/I will give you everything if only you would have me/Tomorrow we will sweat and toil/Our hands will quiver, caked with soil/Tomorrow we’ll give it one last chance/But tonight we dance/But tonight we dance!)
Closure is placed here with the last of its fics. Closure in general is a lot of Keith’s character development, coming to terms with his identity in many ways and accepting his place in the universe and amongst his family. So this last one is then bright light at the end of the chorus, with a ‘last goodbye’ meaning never having to say goodbye. 
(I am the child from the stars/That got lost in the dark/Between heaven and hell/I am forced to live on/I am the cause when you sin/I am the demon you skin/But there is no more tears to beautify/This is my last goodbye)
Alchemy and Soulbound swing us back to universe level action. Revelations from String Theory and Firewall slam themselves into a Whispers-Voltron mission, leaving them reeling and Krolia questioning her very identity in Disappear. 
(Synthesized and transformed/pathetic life form)
(Soulbound, endlessly forever/Locked between the darkness and the light/Don’t drown in the swarming, blackened rising/Hold on to humanity and fight)
(Stone heart, paired with empty eyes/That stared right through mine)
Something Wicked is. Well. Too bad this song isn’t on the album Vessels. 
(When all of the forces/Have been overrun/You’ll whisper, serpent tongue/What you fear you have become/Something wicked this way comes…)
Shortly after that is My Darkest Hour and Faster than Light. Haggar decides enough is enough and goes after the final piece of her puzzle with [something wicked], sending the Blade into chaos and the Coalition scrambling. And this leads directly, and I mean directly, into…
(When the sun comes crashing down/When the world is spinning round and round/I will face what must be my darkest hour)
(Once more we’re flying fast as light/Dark matter passing in the night/Pursued by a force we can’t outrun/As we hurtle towards a dying sun/We maneuver through the remnants of a moon/On the solar winds of supernovas/There is not a place to hide, the Matriarch is close behind/It’s plain to see she’s coming for us all)
Cosmic Vertigo and Other Worlds than These. Together they are the second of two revelations into the truth behind the Devoured Star and Burned Star. 
(Banish me like burned down planets/Write my fate with sparkling lies/I am the universe; you’re just one sky)
(Pull the wool out from your eyes/It won’t shade your frail belief/In the end we cannot hide/There are other worlds than these)
Godhunter is Team Voltron, well, hunting pieces of the gods.
(She’s been watching for a century/With hatred, and with scorn/If you know the hunter’s coming/Then you hide or keep on running/'Cause she’s slain the gods before)
Trophy Hunter, Coldharbour, Ember, and Redemption are the culmination of Godhunter. They also link directly to Soulbound, and are one hellish battle, which is a problem because they lead directly to…
(You, you won’t escape me, I’ll rise from the deep/In this final moment, no words left to say/I can’t let you be when a life fades away/You, you won’t escape me ‘cause I’ll set you free)
(If you kill my flesh tomorrow/then I’ll take my final breath/it’ll turn into a last laugh/and I’ll lay in a silent death)
(Dark matter falling from the sky/Dancing flames reflecting in your eyes as you watch them burn/Watching all your riches witches burn) 
(Remember me not for the mess I’ve made/But who I could have been/Finally I’m going home)
World on Fire, This is a Call, The Reckoning, Game Ender, The Wind that Shapes the Land, and Louder than Words. :3
(World on fire with a smoking sun/Stops everything and everyone/Brace yourself for all will pay/Help is on the way)
(This is a call to action/This is a call to arms/All lives for one, together/There are no false alarms)
(I see your face, find peace of mind/Between the madness and the sadness and the fire burning/The end of war, the great divine/We’ll see the day of reckoning)
(We will rise as one/Stop what has begun/Bringing down the main offender/If you hear me now/Scream the words out loud/We will be our own defender)
(Search within/Uncover the will to win/Turn against the tide that washes o'er/Find the strength to fall and rise again/Open up the gates, unleash the force/I am the wind that shapes the land/Old as time and twice as strong/Oceans arise at my command/I alone can carry on)
(We have the force to fight/We have the blinding light/A war is more than heard/Coming in louder than words)
Of course, we can’t leave without the denouement. World with no Sun is Haggar’s final thoughts at the end of Louder Than Words, while Diving Bell is the Paladins’. 
And a sequel hook. ;D
(I wish I could give it all back/But it’s tied to the moment that I took/I followed a most selfish path/Waiting on a world that can’t see me/Waiting on a world that can’t see me/Waiting on a world that wants no one/Waiting on a world with no sun)
(Wake me when the new day comes/Together we will ride the sun/The future is an empty gun/We fire onto them one-by-one)
Dystopian Fiction
The pages of our lives aren’t bulletproof…
Dark Matter is here as it always is, but it’s also about… something super spoilery. 
(Don’t stop, don’t think/Move up, don’t blink now/On your knees pray for rain/Don’t breathe when you take your aim)
Waiting on the Sky to Change is Akane’s song. It’s about ‘The Necromancer’ and her drive to fix Earth, how she’s tired of sitting around waiting. It’s time to do something.
(I’m done running towards the eyes of tornadoes/pretending this is hope)
The Human Condition is the advent of the Éshkayklos and Cascade, who oppose Project Necromancer and everything it and its champion stand for. Infected then is the slow, uhm, infection of the Sol Federation with their ideas and some of the results of that.
(We have the cure for the disease/Locked down inside us/When all is dead, then we will see/We are the virus)
(Here’s a challenge for all mankind/The preacher man is warning of the end times/The weatherman agrees but she don’t know/So she’s got to go now)
A Place I Thought I Knew is Earth, but especially Adam, in that tumultuous time after the Genesis disappears. 
(And here I remain/still crying out his name/I stand alone at the dawn of a new horizon)
Who Will Save You Now is Sam’s abrupt arrival back on Earth, and several things that follow from that. 
(Alone with this vision/Alone and blind/Go tell the world I’m still alive)
Tunnelvision is Team Earth going “no, fuck you Sanda and Torrent, we need to tell people about the impending alien invasion”. It helps, but…
(You took me for a fly/And fancied yourself a spider in a web of little lies/What a nice surprise/When the curtain’s pulled back, you can see the whole trap inside/And now the emperor has got no clothes/What a lovely show/When your cover’s blown, you’ll never know/'Cause you can’t see past your nose)
Codebreaker and Cross the Line are the Éshk’s final offensive before things really hit the fan in:
(Codebreaker can’t you find/Can you read between the lines of code?/Tell me all that you know/How far down the hole does it all go)
(Cross the line, redefine, break away unbent, unafraid/Together we stand in the dark/Seeking the light and what is right, together we cross the line/Our journey will come to an end and then our human cause will be/Justified)
The Day the Earth Collapsed
(How much time has been elapsed/Since the day the earth collapsed?)
Leaving Earth and Help is on the Way are the common populace dealing with the effects of the previous song. More specifically, they’re Adam’s parents, and all the horrors they never wanted to see. Dystopian Fiction, in contrast and as the title track, is the Garrison, specifically everyone left at Levitt Base, struggling against the same effects. 
(We were told just to sit tight/cause somebody will soon arrive/help is on the way/but it never came)
(I’m a dead man/In the wasteland/I’m a soldier fighting for superstition/Under searchlights/In the long nights/We’ve been written like dystopian fiction)
World on Fire and The Reckoning are the two songs of that big finale that make it over here, as they’re the ones that have bits that happen before This is a Call comes into full effect. 
(Sent by forces beyond salvation/There can be not one sensation)
(We’re all alone, walking in twilight/The night has been long and so many have fallen/Feel no remorse, light will be breaking/Our freedom is worth it all)
Through Apocalypse Skies
Chaos will triumph this day!
TAS starts off setting the stage for everything.  Not all of the five main members of the Daibaaltea-Taibderion Alliance have songs yet, but they will eventually. Holy Flaming Hammer of Unholy Cosmic Frost more sets the stage for everything broadly, about how the five of them fit together, and the trouble brewing under the surface. Hail to Crail is Altea, more specifically the Knights of Zhael. Questlords of Inverness, Ride to Galactic Fortress is the Dalteri, with focus on the flagship Invernes itself. Fellows of the Hammer is the Aberdéts, because, well, dwarves. And guess what’s back for the Galra: Remnants of Stars
The Taibdee will get one. Eventually.
(Behold the knights of Crail/atop the city walls/they swore a mighty oath to say/Dundee will never fall!)
(Here every day the warriors train/in the art of epic fights/riding on eagles, questing so true/a legion of powerful knights emblazoned cross the sky/hear the kingdom cry/hail to Crail!)
(Ride on the wind and hail to the king/when the questlords of Inverness ride)
(The new blood of the realm now/flows from the seven stars/and spoken by all of us/to be strong when the time comes/is the oath made by everyone)
(As children of space/with stardust in our veins/we will give in to know the truth/we are the remnants of stars)
Rigor Mortis is the Voltron Comet slamming into Daibazaal. The beginning of the end. Dark Matter rises from its open, frozen maw. 
(Hydrate in violence/the darkness that you see/awaken the virus/to spread your disease)
(Bring me your soul, bring me your hate/in my name you will create/bring me your fear, bring me your pain/you will destroy in my name)
The Promise is exactly what it sounds like: the first of the Harbingers making a deal with the devil. Alchemy and No Remorse, No Regrets are her experiments in this context, echoed throughout the other playlists. 
(It won’t cost you much, just a single drop of blood and I’ll hand you the things you have long been wishing for/ it’s an easy way to choose, what do you have to lose?)
(Drink me/you know I can guide you through oblivion/trust me/I know what’s inside you makes you bleed)
(Strange persuasion/clearing the way to the clearest path/dreams illuminating/parting the seas to take it back)
Summon the Choir is a success, from a certain point of view. 
(First blood from cosmic wonders/a dark flood of power from under)
Can You Hear It? is… well. Remember the Sinkline Comet?
(Can you hear it?/the tolls of madness ringing/do you fear it?/an ancient choir is singing/all consuming/calling to me/in a dream, it’s a thorn I can’t dig out/can’t you hear it too?/if you listen close now)
Unfortunately, all that leads right into The End of the World, the end of Daibazaal. All is quiet for a moment, like the happy little whistle at the beginning of the next song.
(Sold on a dream, of a future serene/then why does it feel like the end of the world?)
Then we record scratch into The Fall. She Will Weep is a dialogue between two siblings, unwilling to compromise on their ideals, even if they ultimately want the same thing: peace and stability for their recently displaced people. But the one who’s side god is on, who is crucified but still alive, escapes to Altea, bringing the horrors with her to the Battle of the Five Armies. (Yes, this is a LotR song, but also, guess what serves a very similar purpose to the arkenstone. I’ve been looking for a song explicitly about the arkenstone to stick in here, but haven’t found one. I’m surprised Wind Rose doesn’t have one tbh). Crack the Sky is… it’s not quite a literal crack in the sky, but it might as well be. All of this is Apocalypse 1992
(What used to be two loving hearts/what we felt at the start/somewhere down the barrel of a gun/it was all torn apart)
(Confounded, distracted/trapped by a stone of power/Ensorcelled, corrupted/await the final hour)
(I know that you hate me but I think that I can live with that/last man standing, last resort/I’d rather walk alone than save myself)
(Fly high through apocalypse skies/fight for the world we must save/like tears of a unicorn lost in the rain/chaos will triumph this day)
But again, we can’t leave it without the denouement. Silent Tears of Frozen Princess, Ashes, and Apex are all the perspectives of survivors of the Fall, waiting, watching. Voltron will rise again.
(Frozen princess in this land of fears/your mighty kingdom has fallen/I see the glitter of your silent tears/afar in the wuthering dark)
(What will we do when the world it is ending/and time it is halted for friend and for foe/try to hold on to the time as it passes/I’ll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes)
(Brother mountain, now we sleep/for a thousand years/I will see you again/something is coming/coming for me)
Endless War
‘Cause you’re fighting an endless war, hunting a miracle…
The beginning of Endless War is from one of the perspectives of She Will Weep, the other sibling than we follow during most of TAS. Dark Matter here intwines with I Am the One far, far earlier than the Paladins of the present time figure it out. That’s what happens when one stands directly next to two Harbingers throughout most of Apocalypse 1992. 
(Don’t stop, don’t think, don’t look back/You’re a bolt of lightning in the sky now/Don’t stop, don’t think, don’t look back/I’ve pulled you in, nowhere to hide now)
(I am the one/I hold the dreams from fallen heroes)
(From the caves beneath Dundee/Ancient hermit arrives/A messenger to the war in the stars/Korviliath is nigh!)
Ashes is a needed perspective of one sibling on another, the beginning of the Fifth General questioning her orders. Meanwhile, remember how I said Alchemy was an experiment of the Witch’s? 
(What will we do when the world it is ending/And time it is halted for friend and for foe?/Try to hold on to the time as it passes/I’ll tend to the flame, you can worship the ashes)
(Take the poisoned cup/you cannot hide behind golden shrines/you can be the one in crisis, give into your greed)
The Truth Beneath the Rose is the birth of the Fifth General of the Blade of Marmora, although no one calls her that yet. Raise Your Banner is her newfound resolve and her first steps to creating what will become the Blade. 
(Blinded to see the cruelty of the beast/It is the darker side of me/The veil of my dreams deceived that I have seen/Forgive me for what I have been, forgive me my sins!)
(Wake up/I’m defying you, seeing right through you, once I believed in you/Wake up/Feel what’s coming deep within we all know)
Silver Moonlight is her ultimate goal, but not everyone agrees with it. Not everyone thinks it’s even possible, or that it still exists, or that this will be anything but an Endless War.
(I’m impatient, but it’s colors that I need/Too many shades of grey, I cannot breathe/The dreams I have ain’t tainted, I need you to believe/The only way to make them real, oh)
('Cause you’re fighting an endless war/Hunting a miracle/And when you reach out for the stars/They just cut you down/…/Is it worth dying for?/Or are you blinded by, blinded by it all?)
Of course, the fact is that the Endless War does end. Alchemy’s effects are still strong, even as they fight Against the Tide. The Fifth General is betrayed on Holy Ground, with her final stand in I’d Rather Burn. 
(I finally get what you’ve been saying/now that we’re knee deep side by side/the storm clouds are circling above us/as we struggle against the tide)
(You got inside my head, I want you out/'Cause I’ve been betrayed on holy ground)
(Won’t let you take my soul away/I’d rather go to the stake/I’d rather burn)
But even that isn’t enough. Empty Eyes and The Departure are [beeeeeeeeeeep]
(I don’t know where I’m going/In search for answers/I don’t know who I’m fighting/I stand with empty eyes/You’re like a ghost within me/Who’s draining my life/It’s like my soul is see through/Right through my empty eyes)
Filaments
Filaments is intimately connected to both the main playlist and the following one, and I’m doing my best to explain some things, but some you’ll have to wait and see. 
How long is the body beholden? How long ‘til we run out of road?
First Light is the dawn of something… a little different. Filaments is the title track, and I’m not going to say more than it’s connected to the same exact things First Light is.
(We can change our fate. We can change the future. We can change… the past)
(These glowing filaments/Conducting this enchanting/Sarcophagus that’s holding us)
Starlight and Carry Me Home are primarily adashi songs, but also follow the transition between the two playlists’ proper stories, as well as Shiro’s retirement from Voltron.
(Don’t leave me lost here forever/I need your starlight and pull me through/Bring me back to you)
(Carry me home to the morning light/carry me home before you wave me goodbye/Oh, carry me home…)
Prognosis is about record skips that only certain people can remember, and the decision that it’s time to back into The Breach. 
(How long is the body beholden?/How long 'til we run out of road?/Deep down in the black of the ocean/Fading from the glow)
(Follow me/Follow me now once more into the breach/Can you see?/Can you see how this is the way to destiny?)
This next part is supposed to act similarly to the beginning of TAS. there is an overarching story, but there’s more specific songs for specific… well, Other Worlds Than These. Right now the only song here is Masters of Destiny though, which is also sort of an overarching thing and also sort of a single world. We’ll get there. Of course, as these things sort themselves out, Something Wicked this way comes.  
(In the end we cannot hide/there are other worlds than these)
(I used to be sure it’s me who sleeps/but can it be/somewhere there’s a life/that dreams of me?)
(And it clawed/Back in the world again/Here for a new revenge/An enemy I can’t condemn)
The Art of War is the beginning of the end, with Cascade finally showing his true colors, the Sol Federation not having a good time, and Voltron getting dragged into it. But the consequences…
(I can remember all the days of violence/I can remember all the days they fought for rights/When men united all by fear and interest/I mustered them with hopeful promises I’ve broken)
The Future is Now and Tresspasser sort of take place during The Art of War, sort of not. Team Voltron is trying to figure out where their Black Paladin is, why exactly all their sensors are so incredibly broken, and what’s up with Krolia. Meanwhile, Keith is in the middle of an argument with himself.
(They said there was no way/But they forgot the black hole in the sky/Yesterday is nothing/I have half a life to rewrite)
(Where’s my heart?/I want to feel whole again or nothing at all/Where’s my soul?/Because I’m not myself)
Centigrade is Keith exposing a fraud, and Team Voltron [BEEEP], and Miserable Me is very related
(What did you hope to find adrift and lost in time?/Is this the end ready to begin?/It’s time to escape the fate of destruction, excavating within until salvation/No longer pretend the future’s a lie from a past you cannot hide)
(history misunderstood this deity/miserable me!/oh why is the deep dark shored sea the only friend to me?)
This all leads into Unveiling the Architecture, Altas Obscura, Dark Matter, and A Theater of Dimensions. No I will not be explaining.
(All human history a sigh from their endless lungs)
(I am the keeper/I am the secret/I am the answer/I am the end)
(I’ve seen our freedom in the mist of time/The old signs I’ll follow and the day of relief will be yours and mine)
Afterlife and For They Shall Inherit the Earth are a fitting denouement to everything. The Immortal has frequently been used in place of Voltron within the playlists, which given the parallels means it make sense to end on this note. 
(But with such power, think how you could rule/Hold to your promise to watch over those in despair/Why would you choose to serve when you could be master of all?/Be true to your honor and fight for a world that is fair!/Out of shadow, out of darkness, welcome to the light/As the day shines boldly over night/Follow me to finally be who you are inside/Open wide, embrace the afterlife)
For Who I Could Have Been
Your world will fail my love, it’s far beyond repair…
Conflict is also connected to Filaments in ways I will not explain here. Something Wicked is almost the same thing it was in Filaments proper. 
(Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster…)
(A prisoner of time and space/Construct we can’t escape/A fleeting moment alive)
(When all of the forces have been overrun/you’ll whisper, serpent tongue/what you fear you have become)
Rise and Fall serves a very similar purpose to the Art of War. It ends with The Art of Bargaining. 
(You push my back against the wall/when I attack I’m taking all)
(I might be guilty but can a person change/I’ll say it like I mean it but believe it, that’s insane/You’re only making this harder/I’ll make you an offer/An offer you can’t refuse)
Widowmaker, Eon, and Reset Rewind are all about a single decision that changes the fate of the universe.
(Rise above the shadows putting forth your hands/God will shield his eyes in spite of all your prayers and he will not hear/Your hands, stained of blood/What have we become from a smoking gun?/What have we become)
(If time’s a song I won’t wait for it’s reprise/I am done wishing farewells and goodbyes)
(Erase bad times/create a timeline/with the pleasure/heavier than all the pain)
Frequency, Your World Will Fail, The Future is Now, and The End of the World are the fallout of that decision.
(And now the silence screams that you are gone/you’ve tuned me out, I’ve lost your frequency)
(Your world will fail my love/It’s far beyond repair/Your world will fail/If you are alive you must run for your life)
(They said there was no way/But they forgot the black hole in the sky/Yesterday is nothing/I have half a life to rewrite)
(Is everyone everywhere forsaking?/ or is there anybody else out there?)
So, in a way, is Dark Matter and A Theater of Dimensions. 
(Tear down hollows/Take back eternity)
(I’ve seen our freedom in the mist of time/The old signs I’ll follow and the day of relief will be yours and mine)
It’s such a quiet thing, to fall. Far more terrible is to admit it, and to fix it. But that’s what the catalyst does in Redemption, Endlessness, and For They Shall Inherit the Earth. 
(To know that your days are numbered/To know that your time is short/Death is what gives life meaning/So who will you be at the end of the road?)
(Soon, beyond the fields you’ve come to know/You will join the silent flow/Follow me, I am the spark/At the end of everything/Tip the reaper to ensure/The blade is sharp/As soon we’ll go/Follow me into the dark/To the birth of everything)
Design Your Universe
(this playlist is DM canon. But it’s not the DM canon we know and love. We will get to see at least part of it. Eventually.)
Who decides about what’s true or false? 
Dark Matter, because it’s not DM without it
(So climb up and come clean/Move back the smoke screen/It’s all here, it’s all you/Get clear on the darker view)
Divide and Conquer explains where things changed from the DM canon we know and love. It’s about how a dictator, no matter their intentions, is never the correct choice.
(Seek the mastermind/The one who’s always right/We’re searching now and endlessly to set us free/Seek the mastermind (Seek the mastermind)/There’s no one you will find)
Martyr of the Free World is a very specific piece of that change from main canon, while Black Smoke Assimilation is what she leaves behind
(If you gun down the messenger/You guarantee that she will be made/Into a saint/A martyr of the free word)
(Out of reach/I planted you, the seed/You’re learning to believe/That you’re the one that changes everything, everything)
Cosmic Vertigo is here for the same reason as in the main playlist
(Just enjoy it while it lasts/Cling not to the broken past)
The Land of Unicorns is Gloryhammer finally making a comeback, and Team Voltron meeting up with, well, Team Voltron.
(Ride far away, cross the mighty River Tay/Over mountains into the unknown/Follow your heart, let it guide you through the dark/To the Land of Unicorns)
Legendary Enchanted Jetpack is a journey into the depths of the Altean Empire. Return to Me is another fight over the Black Lion, but the players aren’t who you think, which is the final goal of Storm the Castle
(Quest for Fife to end pain and strife/in search of the enchanted engine)
(Return what you have taken from me/Rightfully mine, I will not allow this, thief/Think you know this weapon in your hands?/You are a fool, I am his only command)
(We will not be prisoners/In a kingdom taken hostage by her crown)
Unleashed is from the perspective of The Matriarch, for once, showing a little about how this version of her was not particularly willing
(Where was I meant to be?/I feel I’m lost in a dream/Long for the day I can be myself/Free)
Hootsforce and The Epic Rage of Furious Thunder are a final battle. 
(Fight for the king, for the hammer and the ring/Fight for the ancient story)
(In the epic rage of furious thunder, legends create their tales/when the twilight calls and the dark lord falls our glory will prevail!)
Design Your Universe, as the title track of this one, is all about how a simple change can change the world. It’s also uh…. pretty literal
(We can’t undo what we have done/So show us now what we’ve become/Confront us with our viciousness/And our weakness/We can’t evade our destiny/So show responsibility/For we all surely have a sense/Of our consciousness)
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kenjiyabuki · 1 year
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thoughts on the 2nd ep of THC
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last week they started w a dark hidden story to make a boom which worked (if the intention was to get a lot of backlash lol). thankfully this week’s story wasn’t disturbing, it was only really boring. why are we so worried about what these boys were up to during their pubescent years?
my cringe tolerance for bad liars and men trying to be suave is extremely low, so all of them trying to gaslight each other was a struggle for me to get through😭 please boys, at least don’t do this in front of the Mile Phakphum Romsaithong...
the young ones talking about their past love lives made me laugh. being all “i was a player” or “i gave my %100 back then″. yeah, when you were in middle school. what did you give, some of your gaming or homework time?
naturally it took like 0.1 seconds for the truth or dare to get dangerously TMI. i saw angry/critical tweets about it, esp towards lotte’s confession. i don’t like that these boys are encouraged to be open by production without considering the repercussions. 
so, we can safely say they chose competitors with pasts of being unruly/rascals on purpose. maybe to show people change, maybe to get more views. idk whatever Pond was thinking. yes, people can put in the work and change but to do it in public eye is whole another story. feels like they are setting the boys up for failure by laying out too many of their questionable antics/qualities and making them more unlikable than honest. of course boys aren’t exempt from being judged, they are responsible for their actions but still, they are rookies in this industry and they are getting dropped into piranha infested waters by this experienced producer. all the boys seem to trust and respect Pond a lot which makes me worried but i would love to be disproven
i had to watch voting scene several times to figure out which FOOLS chose Max but couldn't see clearly
“but Max seems nervous”, my dudes, Max constantly looks like a gazelle who just sensed a lion
now i need Apo just loitering around in his cool fit and serving Mile in every ep
i find Mio really endearing and everyone else seem to think so as well. loved him trying to talk deeply about love and the boys cracking up
i am not exactly enjoying or hating this show, i am experiencing just some other third thing. it’s what you feel when you watch a bad reality show. someone should invent a word for that feeling.
all i will say about the preview is that i am afraid about next ep
i don’t want to be all negative so i’ll say one positive that applies to everyone: all the boys looked so dashing in their tuxedos. if there is one thing about BOC men, it will be that they will always clean up nice and serve looks
some judgments about the boys:
last week Max’ story seemed to get a lot of angry reactions from viewers (rightfully). i didn’t take it that seriously for several reasons, biggest one being: i find him a really weak figure among these strong/loud personalities and YES its early to make a judgement like this but still, i cant imagine him winning at all.
New gets on my nerves A LOTTT and nothing i learn about him makes it any better. i want him gone like yesterday and i don’t feel bad wishing he’d be the first one to get voted off the show. 
Copper gets on my nerves too but i’ll give it to him, at least he doesn't have an homophobic past, he is just plain annoying. he can stay for now. 
every time I see Bump, i think “damn, not a thought behind these eyes, huh?”
like Perth, JJ being self conscious is such a shame. What makes a person appealing isnt just having perfect features, it also requires charisma and sincerity, which are qualities he seems to possess. ALSO someone should tell him that BL fans go absolutely rabid for tall men so he can feel better. 
so far i like Jet, JJ, Perth, Woody and ofc, sugar daddy Mio!!!!!!!
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