#Bo: I would murder him if the price was right

[mando-abs]

Basically how the conversation between Din and Bo-Katan went

Din: Whaddup bestie??? You just sulk on a throne all day? That’s bonk man

Bo: First, I hate you. Second, okay well at least I got off my ass when it mattered, Sunday school ass bitch. Round up my exes and start a crusade. See if I give a fuck

Din *pretending he didn’t just hear that*: Well I’ve got some errands to run. When I get back here you better be ready. I’m taking you skinny dipping you despressed bitch. Laterz ✌️

Bo: I never want to see your face again

[waves-against-a-cliff]

She-Wolf - Feral!Reader x Ghost

Content Warnings - Violence, blood, descriptions of murder, smut, afab!fem!reader

Description - Soap notices something new about Ghost.

A/N - here it is @groguspicklejar I finally made it.

That's new.

Soap has never seen that before. In the military you get used to the general disregard for privacy. You shower together, sleep in the same place together, eat together and bleed together. So Soap has gotten used to the bodies of those around him. But also, he's always noticed when things on his teammates' bodies changed.

Like when Gaz got that new scar on his thigh. And like now, with a tattoo on Ghost. Which is odd, he's never seen a new one on him before, always that same sleeve. Weirder still... Is that a tattoo of a bite on his left arse cheek?

For a moment, Soap thinks his eyes are deceiving him so he rubs them. Ah fuck- his hands had soap on them. Fuckfuckfuck. He rinses his eyes out and then looks over at Ghosts arse again. No, that's definitely a tattoo of a bite, a nasty one too. Like someone just tried to get as much as his arse cheek in his mouth at once.

Soap jabs Gaz in the ribs, "What the fuck?" Gaz hissed but Soap redirects his attention.

"Do you see that?'

"Ghosts ass? Yes I've seen it before." Gaz replies but Soap shakes his head.

"No you dumb fuck, look closer."

Gaz squints and gasps. "Oh my God."

Soap grins at him, "I know. Hold on, I'm gonna ask him about it."

"Soap-"

"Hey LT." Ghost turns his head, a single brow raised. Soap had never been more grateful that Ghost had decided to suck up the communal showers. For both this moment and not having to deal with the vague smell of his BO on the flight back to the U.K. “What's with the new tattoo?”

“Yeah my girl’s a biter.” It's said so simply, Ghost turns and resumes washing himself. The soap suds run down his body and into the drain. Like he didn’t just say the most confusing shite ever.

“What?” Gaz laughs, “A biter?” Ghost shrugs and it dawns on Soap that he’s going to pull that classic Ghost move of saying out of pocket shite ever and then not elaborate.

A few months pass and Soap would like to say that he’s forgotten about it. That the bite mark tattoo did not haunt him and he didn’t- doesn’t- look at Ghost’s left butt cheek and wonder. Then they get a new mission and its all hands on deck, another task force joins in. Task force Medea. The 141 had worked with them a few times in the past, all very successful missions. The Medea task force was made up of seven women with varying skills but one always came to mind whenever Soap thought of the task force his mind wandered to She-wolf.

You’re wild, feral almost to a degree that makes him wonder how you managed to stay in the military. But your team members love you and when you’re not gnawing at the collar your captain tries to keep on you, you’re an amazing soldier.

“For this mission,” Price begins, standing at the head of the meeting table. On one side is Gaz, Ghost, and him. On the other is you and three other members of your task force (Viper, Circe and Artemis). Soap splits his attention between Price’s briefing (A terrorist group and cartel are working together to smuggle both weapons and people across the Polish and the Slovakian border) and you. You’re tapping your finger inaudibly, you keep glancing between Price and Ghost.

Despite having worked with you before, Soap tends to forget the gruesome details. Viper and Circe were brutal in their own right, both combining their skills to gas out anyone in the building, Artemis and Ghost picked off the ones that fled. Now it was down to you and Soap to help clear out the building of any stragglers. Soap knew he was good at clearing rooms, it's how he got his call sign after all. But much like your call sign, you were a wolf. Predatory, sneaky and brutal. If you were a dog, he was sure you would be foaming at the mouth.

Soap tries not to focus on the gory details of your current appearance, (blood flecks on your face, hands soaked with blood after you gutted a man twice your size like a fish, blood smears on your pant legs from a man choking on his own blood and grasping for any sort of life line while you sneer at him), and instead clearing out the last room. 

“Steamin’ jesus.” Soap mutters and Gaz noticeably averts his eyes. Ghost, however, sighs.

“Lieutenant.” You chirp as Viper hands you something to clean your face with.

“Do you ever not make a mess She-Wolf?” Ghost asks and you bark out a laugh as you wipe the dried blood from your face.

“Nope.” You quip as he just sighs and Soap turns his attention to Gaz who is certainly not looking like he was enjoying this any more then he was.

Your fingers dig into his pecs as you pant, your thighs, already sore from the mission, scream. “Did you like seeing me like that?” You ask between pants as you bounce on Ghost’s thick cock. You swear you can feel every detail of it, the veins rubbing against your walls, his tip constantly swiping against your g-spot and the very weight of him. “Did you like seeing me covered in blood?” You ask again as his hands dig into the meat of your hips. You stare down into his eyes that are swallowed up by his blown out pupils as he nods, a whimper crawls up his throat as your nails dig into him further.

You lean over and scrape your teeth against the junction between his shoulder and neck, you revel in the way he shudders. You bite down right as the thread snaps inside you and you gush all over his cock. Your moan around him as your pussy pulses rhythmically around him, your hips slow only for a moment. Instead you grind your hips against his as the last few shocks of your orgasm echo through your body. Ghost doesn’t move as you ravish him further in marks all over him. You love that about him, that no one will know these marks are here but you. He covers himself up a nun and only you know that he’s under you every time.

Only you know that his voice cracks and he throws his head back as he fills you. “Fuuuckkk.” He whimpers, his voice cracking and breaking. Only you know this view, of tears nearly spilling from his eyes as his chest rises and falls faster as you push him further towards overstimulation. When your hips finally stop you collapse onto his chest, he holds you close as you trace the multitude of bite marks and crescent nail marks.

“Wish we got to see each other more often.” You whisper.

“We’ll see each other when leave comes around.” Ghost- Simon, reassures you.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice that little tattoo you have.” You tease and pinch his vulnerable nipple. He hisses and smacks your hand away while you giggle.

[shuaflix]

driving lessons for dummies (preview)

PAIRING ▸ kwon soonyoung x fem!reader

GENRES ▸ fluff, humor (i am bringing back romcoms), smut, strangers to lovers au, college au (WHO GUESSED IT)

WARNINGS ▸ profanity, so much pining, mc has the worst luck imaginable, soonyoung is down horrendous, he is also an olivia rodrigo stan, there is a minor car crash, there is also a very minor description of blood, almost car sex at some point, probably sex that is not in a motor vehicle at some other point if plot allows, pet names (but not in the sexy genre sorry), friend group shenanigans (ft. mingyu, seungcheol, jihoon, junhui) bc im a my little pony friendship is magic type bitch, and other warnings tba bc i haven't finished writing

SUMMARY ▸ you've finally passed your written test and gotten your permit after six failed attempts. eager to get your license while attempting to avoid overpriced driving lessons, you enlist the help of kwon soonyoung, who only requires a STIIZY pod as payment.

RELEASE DATE ▸ out now!

WORD COUNT ▸ around 12k (hopefully......)

AUTHOR’S NOTE ▸ i was actually very on the fence about who this fic should be for at first, but...... it was destined to be for hoshi :') also this preview is kinda short because there's so much i don't want to spoil! anywho send an ask or comment to be added to the tag list !! ♡

KWON SOONYOUNG.

Junhui sent you his number after he dropped you off at your apartment. Apparently, Soonyoung was one of his good friends, who also happened to have a side gig where he gave out driving lessons at a discounted price. Of course, the downside was that Soonyoung wasn’t exactly certified to teach people how to drive, but he was allegedly a good driver.

His lessons were normally for high schoolers, and he charged their parents around a hundred. For adults over the age of 21, though, he had a special offer that you couldn’t resist. 

You texted him to ask if he had any open spots for you. He took a few days to reply, but you eventually got a two-hour slot for the next week. You weren’t sure how effective his lessons would be, but you figured you would give it a shot since he was your age and giving out classes for cheap. 

When the day of your lessons rolled around, you were slightly anxious while you were waiting for him to arrive. You needed Junhui to reassure you for hours last night, promising that no, Soonyoung was not going to kidnap and murder you. He was a student at your university, actually, and he was a public health major who never had a murderous thought in his life.

soonyoung (driving instructor): i’m outside your house 

Okay, if he wasn’t a murderer, then the least he could do was not text you like one.  

After replying with an omw that autocorrected to On my way! and left you feeling very distressed that your communication sounded overly-enthusiastic, you worked up the courage to walk outside to his Honda Accord. 

“Hi,” you greeted shyly when you opened the door. “You’re Soonyoung, right?” 

Honestly, you didn’t care if he was Soonyoung or not. The man sitting in the driver’s seat was probably one of the most attractive people you had ever laid eyes on. Even if he wasn’t Kwon Soonyoung, you would happily let him kidnap you. Maybe you’d even blush a little because he picked you of all people to kidnap. 

He turned to look at you, seeming a little surprised that you opened the door but smiling nevertheless. “Yeah, that’s me. You’re Y/N?” 

When you nodded, he got out of the driver’s seat and motioned for you to take it. You skirted around the car to sit inside while Soonyoung took the passenger’s seat. 

You also got a glance of his off-brand, beige Fear of God Essentials sweater that read M.I.L.F. Hunter instead. Classy. 

“So, you came to me because you didn’t wanna give up your semester’s worth of college tuition for driving lessons,” Soonyoung said with an overwhelming air of confidence. 

“Yeah, pretty much.” You huffed. “Here, I heard this was your payment.”

You handed him a paper bag, not bothering to take out the receipt from the dispensary. Inside was the King Louis XIII STIIZY pod. One gram. 

“Ah, good. You know your stuff.”

Soonyoung hummed as he examined the box, and you were just wondering when he would get to business and start showing you the controls in his car. You were slightly overwhelmed by his impressively relaxed demeanor. Maybe it would have been better if you settled for an uptight woman in her sixties. Pretty boys were always trouble. 

“You made the right choice coming to me. I’m a much better driver than those hags from the driving schools around here,” he continued. It was like he could read your mind; it was almost terrifying. “Plus, way less likely that I’ll get a heart attack in the passenger’s seat.” 

He was a total weirdo, but he was hot, so you supposed it canceled out in some obscure, mathematical sense. 

"That’s… good to hear, I think,” you replied. “So, are you, like, good at this?”

“Are you kidding? I’m basically the Lebron of driving.”

“I see.” You nodded along, unsure. “I don’t watch football, so…” 

“He plays basketball, but close enough.”

[standupcomedyhistorian]

Today (12/16/23) is the 10th anniversary of one of my favorite comedy specials—

what.

Yes, it's been a whole decade since Bo Burnham graced the world with his YouTube special (and now major comics are following his model lol). While people think of what. as a Netflix special, Bo's plan was to distribute it freely via the internet on 12/17/13 (and he took a pay cut to make it happen!).

Here are some other fun facts about Bo's second comedy special:

1. The trailer is filmed in the Ruhm, Bo's guesthouse and studio that makes an appearance again in Make Happy and in a little special called INSIDE 😉

2. This comedy special was Bo's first professional collaboration with Chris Storer (creator of The Bear) after they met on Adventures in the Sin Bin and it marks Bo's first time directing. They would go on to co-direct Make Happy together and Bo's obviously directed MANY items since, including his incredible story about a teenage girl called Eighth Grade!

3. Bo begins the special wearing three pairs of pants—two red ones and one black pair—a white tee, a dark gray hoodie, confetti in one pocket, a pack of playing cards in his OTHER pocket, and his mouth is full of water. Damn, that's a lot of stuff! 🤯

4. But he doesn't have the water IN his mouth for the stool scene! That was spliced together with the live performance footage (and pretty seamlessly, clearly, since folks asked him about it online).

5. The song Repeat Stuff has a brilliant music video that accompanies it. And the girl that Bo murders at the end is none other than the Vice President's stepdaughter! That's right, Ella Emhoff is Kamala Harris's daughter through marriage, and she is a famous model and artist.

6. Speaking of that music video, the exterior of the house Bo breaks into at the beginning is Bo and Lorene's own home at the time. And that house was used in The Nightmare Before Elm Street franchise (a fact the realtors emphasized when selling the place in 2021—I would have focused on Bo's studio personally haha).

7. The music video also has a cameo from one of Bo's friends, Paul Scheer, as the manager! I actually met Paul at a Human Giant event back in the day, and he was very nice (along with Aziz Ansari and Rob Huebel).

8. While Bo released his special entirely for free, he did have two other items that were for sale at the time—the what. CD (recorded in Madison, WI, thus he says "Get on my level, Madison" in Sad) and his book of poems Egghead. I own the poetry book, obviously, but I cannot find the CD for sale anywhere.

If you or someone you know is willing to sell their copy, PLEASE DM me! It's the only item he put out that I don't own in some capacity—and I would love to complete the collection! 🥰

9. Egghead is amazing in both its print and audiobook versions. In fact, the latter is like a whole separate comedy special and well worth the price to hear Bo reading so enthusiastically and with different hilarious voices. Highly recommended...and I have a kid-friendly list of poems here if you're interested.

10. Finally, what. features two of my favorite subversive bits: Andy the Frog and the Fishing song.

I was thinking a fun video idea would be to create a Bo Burnham "Kids Show" with all of his darkest routines that seem like they came out of a demented Sesame Street (so like Wonder Showzen haha).

Here's the potential order:

-Disney Lessons (Words Words Words)

-what. Intro (starting with "melted into childlike wonder" to Lizard)

-How to Make the Perfect PB Sandwich

-A Slow Joke

-Andy the Frog

-The Squares poem

-Fishing in the Park

-How the World Works (can include Outtakes Bo and Socko as well)

-YouTuber Thank You

Anyway, I just think that would be hysterical if any editor wants to take a crack at it. Please give me credit tho! ✌🏼🐔

[applesontheground]

road dog 🕯️

something really short and with minimal editing because i missed my murder mechanic and both @hersweetrevenge and @early20sfailingplenty got me all in my feelings about him today. sorry if it’s too soft, you know how i get u-u

SFW | Word Count: 1,270 | Bo Sinclair x GN Reader

🎼: just pick a pearl jam song that makes you cry if you have one

When you’d first seen Bo’s truck, you didn’t think you could ever get used to riding around in it. Luckily, there wasn’t a lot of need to – let alone for you to come along unless he was fishing for the company.

He had seen the way you looked at it, tracing the chipping paint job or flinching at the way one headlight sometimes came on without being turned on. He’d play it off, call it a fluke that even he couldn’t figure out in an attempt to take your eyes off of the little things. Climbing inside was another battle in itself between Bo laughing at your inability to get up without clinging for dear life, and hearing the way the old metal creaked underneath your shoes at the slightest nudge.

Once it started going, though, you felt secure enough to at least trust that the damn thing wouldn’t bite you. Being inside was much more stable than standing on the outside. So secure that you had sank against the car door during the night’s drive, listening to the simultaneous noise of the vehicle rumbling under your feet and the man in the driver’s seat until the first stars began poking through the foggy, smudged windows.

“So then he tells me ‘I’ve never paid forty dollars for some goddamn hubcaps.’ Doesn’t really matter when I’m the one who messed ‘em up for him, but still. Who raised the boy?” You smirked at the question, Bo going on from pausing just to hear the quiet laugh and his voice taking on an easier tone despite the gripe, “That’s how much I fuckin’ pay for ‘em. It’s not a bad price, I’ve seen more expensive.”

“It’s believable.” You yawned. He grumbled in affirmation and turned the radio up a few notches, but maybe sat like that for a few seconds and one slight road bump before rolling his neck and opening his mouth again “And another thing that didn’t sit right about ‘em. He didn’t even hold the damn door open for his friends. Don’t think he looked at ‘em once while he was talking to me neither. Wouldn’t have even known they were friends, he was s’posed to be engaged to the one lady.”

Your eyes fought to open again from a blink, head knocking against the window as you hummed back because you were too tired to verbalize it. Another pause only solidified what was already in motion, you slowly slinking to grab something off the floor as Bo continued to ramble about the tourists that had come in the day before. He liked to mull over details, even long after they had passed him. Things that shouldn’t be important, but soon realized were things he would keep in mind for the next time visitors stopped in.

“What kinda man doesn’t know how to check the oil every once and awhile if he needs to, huh?” When Bo didn’t hear you answer, he finally glanced away from the road, brow furrowing slightly. It immediately released when he saw your eyes well past closed under a passing streetlight as the truck continued down the road. Any thought he might’ve had before slid out the half-cracked window at the way your head was tilting down, ready to topple forward should he hit the brake too hard. The passing thought made him smirk, but soon the full smile as he finally shut up for your sake.

You couldn’t have looked any smaller, finding his jacket from the floor just to pull over yourself in between being awake and passing out. He had asked you if it had been too cold, but of course you had said you were fine. Still, all the excuse to do this, he then realized. The quiet roll of the static in between the song playing made a sullen feeling settle in, and he finally had to slowly roll his hand over the knee closest to him. You lifted your head, eyes barely open to glance over at him. “Where are we?” You asked groggily, and he almost chuckled at the way you immediately shifted from the window towards him, eyes still half closed. Watching you slide over the bench slowly, pulling on the edge of the seat for your own support, Bo replied, “Just ten minutes away. You tired?”

“I look tired?” You squinted at him harder, making him laugh a little louder as you settled your temple against his shoulder, pulling the jacket over your mouth and the tip of your nose as you sighed, “Wake me up when we get there.”

His arm went around your shoulders, hand securing your opposite arm to keep you upright. Your body was so warm from the sleep, immediately snuggling against his side and pressing against him with a tired but comfortable slouch. Your hand slithered out from under the jacket to sit on his thigh loosely. Bo slowly relaxed under the light weight on his ribcage, and when he was sure you were out again and the lull of the radio would drown out anything he said under his breath, he let his low voice hum, “Well, what am I gonna do with you, [Y/N]?”

The resounding silence, your head rubbing slightly to readjust against his chest, only made him clear his throat to choke down the wobbly feeling threatening to show itself. He knew that for one, he wasn’t going to let anything tear you away from him. It had been awhile since that was even on the table, you good at staying out of the way and him more than willing to lay down a bit of work to keep it that way, but he now knew that this hold between you and him -- this weight against his hip -- was going to be taken away over his dead fucking body.

Pulling up to the house, Bo murmured into the top of your head, pressing a kiss there before he spoke, “C’mon, we’re home. Get up.” He tried not to break out into that soft laughter when you jolted at his gentle shaking. You inhaled sharply in waking, rolling your shoulders in a stretch, and that was when Bo had briefly wished he had just carried you in without disturbing that peaceful expression.

Still, you glanced up at him, and that same lazy smile was back on your face that was impossible not to mirror. “A’right.” You rasped. He only got out when he was sure you weren’t leaning so heavily on him and would very well fall out after him, watching you have control in your fumble and laughing at the haphazard stumble to the ground.

You grinned, inhaling deeply to prepare for the cold surrounding you. You took your time before starting to hold your arms out to him with the jacket, hesitantly pull it off your body. Bo took one look at how you stiffened before taking the garment in his own hands, but instead pulling it back up to your shoulders. You only stared up at him as he asked, “I look like I need it?”

You only blinked at that, and he turned to walk with a smirk trying to hide itself. You followed his shadow like a puppy, and murmured, “You’re too good to me.”

Bo held his arm out, letting you duck underneath and settle against his side again. Warmth flooding over, he replied in a dry voice that only served as a wall for the softness that wanted to break through, “As good as you’ll ever need, darling.”

He only hoped that he could mean that one day.

[nogenderbee]

Danganronpa v3 reacts to your suicide

gender: neutral (female only for Tenko)

type: headcanons

characters: Kokichi Oma, Kaede Akamatsu, Schuichi Saihara, Maki Harukawa, Miu Iruma, Tsumugi Shirogane, Angie Yonaga, Kaito Momota, Tenko Chabashira

TW: suicide and murder, threats

Polska wersja

Despite relationship with your partner you had enough of this killing game so you decided to end it before someone will do it for you.

Kokichi Oma:

· probably noticed it the first but he prefered to believe that someone else did it to you

· also he was determinated to reveal the killer and to make sure that they will pay it's price

"It wasn't any of us, they did it to themself"

"Shut up Schuichi! Don't try to get out of this situation! Everyone knows that you killed them and now you're trying to blame it at them! But guess what, I saw right through you and I'm not going to lose this gsme!"

· at the end everyone trusted Schuichi which obviously was true but some people had trouble believing anyways

Kaede Akamatsu:

· she was determinated to reveal person who did it to you but after some time she saw first evidence that confirmed that it was suicide

"...which shows that it wasn't really a murder but a suicide"

"That's wrong! YN would never do anything like that!"

· she knew that what said Schuichi probably was true but she couldn't accept it

Schuichi Saihara:

· he quickly noticed what really happened but he couldn't say it our loud, not at first at least

"YN...committed suicide..."

· luckily after this Kaede noticed in what state Schuichi is and taked care of the rest which is end of class trial

· if he could he'd get our of this room but he had to stay and he was happy because only one person died and he learned many i mportant things but he losed you...

Maki Harukawa:

· from the very beginning she was sure that Kokochi did it to you but she couldn't just take revenge on him, so she waited for Schuichi to say the truth

· but instead of hearing evidences that Kokochi is a killer, she heard something completely different

"Kokichi isn't a killer, YN really committed suicide."

· w tym momencie udawała że potrafi sobie z tym poradzić ale w głębi czuła jakby coś się złamało

· in that moment she pretended that she can stand it but inside she felt like something just breaked

Miu Iruma:

· she was ready to show who the killer is

"Can we end this stupid Class Trial? We all know that it's Kokichi!"

"Oh...Miu, don't make me so sad. Only because your partner is dead doesn't mean that it's me!"

"Shut up dwarf! Can we vote now?"

· on Class Trial she a little...got carried away by her feelings

Tsumugi Shirogane:

· doskonale wiedziała kto za tym stoi ale mimo wszystko zwaliła wszystko na Kokichiego kogoś innego

"Mówicie że to samobójstwo ale wszyscy wiemy że to Kokichi! Pomyślcie, od początku rozprawy mówi same podejrzane rzeczy!"

"Tsumugi, wiemy że byłaś blisko z YN ale nie możesz pozwolić żeby to cię zatrzymało"

· na rozprawie większość osób nie zwracała na nią uwagi bo wszyscy wiedzieli że nie umie poradzić sobie z twoją śmiercią

Angie Yonaga:

· suprisingly she was...calm when she heard that you're that and on Class Trial

"Atua fair God so I'm sure that person who did it to YN will meet deserved punishment!"

· she was sure that culprit will have deserved punishment but after getting to know the truth she reacted calmly

"Oh my my...in that case I'm sure Atua will take good care of themand will protect them from any danger!"

Kaito Momota:

· immedietly after getting to know that you're that he tried to stick close with Shiochi or Maki becaise "he knows how close you were so he can't leave them alone" but they both knew the real reason

"Good work Schuichi! It's time for weapon! Maybe...chair? After all it was overturned..."

· in that moment something clicked in Schuichis head

"Actually chair only helped in murder, true weapon is rope."

"Aha! So the culprit hanged YN-"

"If I'm understanding Schuichi right then YN committed suicide..."

· he tried to act like he has everything in conrtol but it was easy to tell that he don't

Tenko Chabashira:

"Tell the truth, which one of you did it to YN? I recommend you admit it fast, degenerate of male!"

· she was sure that one of the boys did it to you so she believed it to the end, she even voted for the most suspected boy for her

· after getting to know the turht she really didn't wanted to believe that and she hated men even more if it's even possible

In this post there's so much hate on Kokichi :'>

[rimechaser]

Genshin Characters as John Mulaney quotes

Sequel to Genshin Characters as Bo Burnham quotes.

Albedo -  "Well, have you tried mixing daiquiris with Ambien?"

Amber - Flying is a war against gravity.

Baal - Some people give off a vibe of… Right away, they’re like, “Do not fuck with me.”

Barbara - “Ah! One feels like a duck splashing around in all this wet! And when one feels like a duck, one is happy!”

Beidou - Pirates never bring a big enough chest. Why is that? I think that maybe, with the eyepatches, they have poor depth perception.

Bennett - I thought I would be dead in a trunk with my hand hanging out of the taillight by now.

Childe - As long as you weren’t still there when the police arrived, you had a 99% chance of getting away with it.

Chongyun - I keep walking through cold spots being like, “I wonder who that used to be.”

Diluc - “Brush your teeth. Now, boom, orange juice. That’s life.”

Diona - Nickel shot night should be illegal.

Eula - Well… you know how I’m filled with rage?

Fischl - I’ll keep all my emotions right here, then one day I’ll die.

Ganyu - It was charitable, but it was also fast and violent.

Gorou - [He] does not like me, and barks at me and bites me all day long.

Hu Tao - He could look at a child and guess the price of their coffin.

Jean - "Yeah, we're all on board. We all love mom. You don't have to advertise for her."

Kaeya - “Hmm, we’re not so different, you and I. You have your law practice, and me, I have all these fucking markers.”

Kazuha - “We’re gonna frame you for murder and you’re gonna go to jail for thirty years!”

Keqing - "Ma'am, could you turn off that Bluetooth? We're at a baptism!"

Klee - “Well, I was gonna put this bottle rocket into this carton of eggs, so that when I lit off the bottle rocket, the eggs would explode everywhere."

Lisa - In terms of instant relief, cancelling plans is like heroin.

Mona - If you’re looking to make this up to me, might I suggest a gift certificate of some kind?

Ningguang - "Wow, I turned twenty dollars into a hundred dollars. I am a financial wizard."

Noelle - I was like a young motown singer, I was just shiny and dumb and easy to trick.

Qiqi -  Was there ever even a ghost, Mother, or was the dead Victorian girl you saw just me all along?

Razor - "Grrrr, ah, I don't know what this B-E-D shit is. I just know that I'm gonna get screwed."

Rosaria - “God can’t hear you.”

Sucrose - You could pour soup in my lap and I’d apologize to you.

Tohma - I have a girlfriend now which is weird because I’m probably gay.

Traveler - Traveling can get kind of lonely sometimes, or no, not traveling. What is the word? Life. Life can get kind of lonely.

Venti - They said “Is this whiskey or perfume?” and apparently I grabbed it, drank all of it, and said “It’s perfume.”

Xiangling - My favorite foods are lobster and skittles.

Xiao - He has this look on his face like he just got his 30-day chip from anger management.

Xingqiu - I was also confused with a woman sometimes over the phone, because before I went through puberty, I had a voice like a little flute!

Xinyan - Oh, a guitar player. Oh, another guitar player. Oh, an accordion player- OH NO.

Yanfei - You ever heard a joke played in court? Never goes well.

Zhongli - You spent it already? I gave you more money than the Civil War cost and you fucking spent it already?

~~~

Baizhu - If you’ve been nervous your entire life, you should ask your doctor about Xanax because if you lie to him, he will stick his finger in your ass.

Crepus - "I thought it was a little too dramatic. I didn't need the whole little brother dying thing."

Dottore - “You have the moral backbone of a chocolate eclair.”

Dainslief - Her body is young, her face is as old as time.

Katheryne - I smell a robot. Prove, prove, prove. Prove to me you’re not a robot.

Nimrod - He’s standing on a 45-degree angle. Or, as junkies call it, first position.

Scaramouche - And then, he ordered one black coffee for himself.

Signora - My wife is a bitch and I like her so much.

Timmie - Everybody get out of my way. I just want to sit here and feed my birds.

The gacha system in general - You don’t always get to see the things that you paid to see.

[amiedala]

SOMETHING DEEPER

CHAPTER 3: Without Armor

RATING: Explicit (18+ ONLY!!!)

WARNINGS: sexual content, violence

SUMMARY: “You’re an excellent leader. Tell me what to do.”

“Nova—”

“Prove it,” she whispers, her voice barely air. Her blood is pumping so heavily in her ears that her own words sound distorted, like they’re under a waterfall. “Show me you’re a good leader. Because I believe you are, but I know you have to prove it to believe it.”

“This isn’t what this place was made for.”

Nova stops, her forehead pressed against his. Everything in this strange arena is quiet except for their breathing, an urgent pulsing in the cold, dark night. “So fighting is sacred to Mandalorians,” she breathes, feeling the airlocks that keep Din’s helmet secure around his face hiss. He doesn’t move, letting her lift off his helmet, to have him without his armor. “You’re sacred to me. Every inch of you.”

If you're a newcomer, my fic "Something More" is the first installment of this story! <3

AUTHOR’S NOTE: hello hello my friends!!! this is where i offer a deep, massive apology for Chapter 3 coming out a week later than it was supposed to. i was traveling to visit my best friend who lives states away, then my family had a slew of emergencies and crises, then i was too drained with a flareup of pain to write a single word. writing SD is literally my happy place, and being forced to take an unplanned break was painful and hard. this chapter isn't as long as i wanted it to be (i'm so sorry for that as well!!!) but i think it's as fleshed out as i can get it, because, as usual, Big Things Are Coming. thank you so so much for being patient with me in my hasty, largely unexplained absence, and i hope you LOVE this week's chapter!! <3

*

Hoth really shouldn’t feel warm and welcoming. The climate is horrible, temperatures that drop to dangerous lows, the ice that breaks and shifts and opens into the gaping maw of the planet’s icy interior. It’s a wasteland, white-blind and horrible, but the small Rebel base located in the heart of the planet is enough to keep Nova’s heart anchored here, even when she’s parsecs away.

Landing Kicker isn’t an issue. The second they descend onto the landing pad, a small crew of the mechanics Nova spent most of her brief stint here with racing towards the underbelly. Nova waves at them, pointing over the noise at the makeshift patch on the mainline of fuel, and they nod, enclosing on the issue in a matter of seconds.

Din’s tense. Nova’s eyes roam over the silhouette of his impressive, taut body, knowing that most of what’s underneath the beskar is in fighting mode, ready to expel energy like a hurricane whenever he faces the opposition. He tilts the visor over at her, and Nova offers a tiny smile, her heart kicking an arrhythmic beat against her chest. She’s trying her best to not look relieved that she’s here and not on Mandalore, but she knows she’s a horrible liar and that her body is full of betrayal. When the airlock doors hiss open and the two of them are beckoned into the insulated hollow of the Rebel base, Wedge is there waiting. Behind him, like a silent sentinel, stands Bo-Katan, her owl-painted blue helmet obscuring the expression on her face.

“Rebel girl,” Wedge calls, and something cold in Nova’s heart thaws. His arms are strong and purposeful, and he envelops Din’s hand with that same warmth and vigor, nodding at him. Bo-Katan doesn’t move an inch, her pristine hands folded behind her back, every muscle in her body the same kind of tight and purposeful as Din’s are, Mandalorian strong. “Welcome back.”

“It’s—” Nova inhales, eyes flicking, uncertain, over at Bo-Katan, “good…to be back. I wish it was under better circumstances, but—”

“You’re Andromeda Maluev,” Bo-Katan interrupts, and the mention of her old name sends a spike straight through Nova’s chest, puncturing on scar tissue that’s never fully healed. “Aren’t you?”

Nova swallows, running her tongue over her bottom lip. “I was,” she answers, finally, voice far away and small. “Why do you ask?”

Bo-Katan gestures with her head, a tiny movement, and then she’s turning on her beskar heel to move towards the war room. Silently, Nova and Din follow behind her and Wedge, Nova’s heart still hammering, erratic. The space is smaller than the giant one on Mandalore, but because it’s empty except for the four of them, it seems massive. Dangerous. Lonely.

Nova steps up to the holotable, twisting her tongue behind her teeth, trying to remain calm. The mention of her old name, twice in less than a week, feels like shrapnel. It reminds her of everything she’s been running from for a decade—her parents’ deaths, Jacterr Calican, the Empire, the resurrected evil in the First Order—and it sits sourly in her stomach as Bo-Katan presses buttons on the holotable. When the image of Nova comes up—so much younger than she feels now, dark hair long against her back, her features glitched and glittering in the hologram projected towards the ceiling—she winces at it. Beneath her portrait, her name is written in Basic: ANDROMEDA MALUEV. AGE: 26. CRIMES: EVADING CAPTURE, MURDER, AIDING AND ABETTING CRIMINALS. It’s bold and terrifying and Nova can’t look away. The word MURDER, screaming at her in capital letters, is too much to bear. She swallows, throat dry, blood rushing in her ears. It’s such a dangerous, horrible thing that it takes Nova a minute to read anything beneath the portrait of a girl she hasn’t been in years, but when she finally gets past the roadblock—MURDER, MURDER, MURDER—she sees a price on her head.

“Five million credits?” she asks, her voice rocketing through three octaves in her disbelief. The word credits cracks down the middle, incredulous. She presses a hand to her mouth, flattening her fingers flush against her face, trying to steady herself. “Why—why is the bounty so high?”

“That’s not from the First Order,” Wedge starts, gently, but he’s interrupted by Bo-Katan’s knife of an arm, cutting up between him and Nova. She jabs a long, gloved finger at the script underneath Nova’s image and her bounty, and Nova blinks hard, trying to get her brain to focus on what the words say.

“Novalise,” Bo-Katan says, her voice clipped, “you’re wanted alive or dead. Do you see that?” She enunciates her point with her finger again, stabbing it on the shimmering blue words reflected in front of them. “This is from the fucking Guild.”

“Easy,” Din cuts in, the word hard in the air. He steps forward, knocking Bo-Katan’s angry hand out of where it’s shaking in Nova’s face. “Take it the fuck down, Bo-Katan, or I will do it for you.”

“The—Guild?” Nova asks, trying to make all of the moving parts fit right in her brain. “I—I don’t understand. The Bounty Hunters’ Guild? The one that Greef Karga runs? I—I’m wanted? Why?”

“You’re not,” Din interrupts, his voice clipped and intense. Nova shuffles to the side as Din steps towards the holotable, magnifying the strange text. “It’s not Karga’s Guild. And you,” he adds, shoulders tossed back, facing Bo-Katan, “had no right to yell at her with those theatrics. Save that for the enemy.”

Nova can’t see Bo-Katan’s face, hidden under the blue beskar of her helmet, but she knows that Bo-Katan is glaring daggers at the both of them. Nova swallows again, trying to keep her heart rate steady, her racing mind calm, but she just keeps seeing the word MURDER flash before her eyes. Din’s saying something else, and she can’t concentrate, turning her body away from the three of them, staring off at the ice that makes up every corner of this room, clear and dangerous. She closes her eyes—MURDER, MURDER, MURDER—and opens them again, just as rapidly.

Inhaling shakily, Nova starts counting the deaths she’s been responsible for on her long, shaking fingers. Her skin, usually so warm and radiant, is fallow and pallid in the low light. Her thumb sticks up first, wearing Jacterr’s name. It wasn’t intentional, she tries to console herself, but her hands are still quivering. It was an accident. She didn’t mean for the lightsaber to ignite. She didn’t even know she had the power to do that, let alone use it as a weapon. It was self-defense, killing him before he had the chance to kill her. And then there were all of the faceless troopers in the TIE fighters she shot at when trying to get out alive. For years, hordes of them, shooting back at them before they had the chance to blow her to smithereens or capture her for something worse. You’ve never shot first, Nova tries to reason with herself, eyes focused on the outline of her boots, old and worn, warm against the icy floor of the room she’s standing in. It was all self-defense.

Except, that tiny little voice in the back of her mind whispers, insidious and awful, you killed Xi’an all on your own. Nova’s heart hangs heavy in her chest, like it’s on trial. She tries to inhale, but there’s no air in this ridiculous ice block of a room, and everything is purple and wounded, the imprint of Xi’an’s cold, dead body embedded on the back of her eyelids. That could be argued as self-defense, too, Nova tries to rationalize, but the reminder of the bullet that hit her wicked body head-on is still so horrible in her head. Logically, Nova knows that the only reason that she shot and killed Xi’an was because Din would have died if it weren’t for that bullet, and that Xi’an hurt her husband in ways she’d never felt fully comfortable asking about, but it’s still a dead body on her hands. Her gorgeous, terrible, radiant, shaking hands.

“I g—I gotta go,” Nova mumbles, and then her feet are carrying her out of the war room, into the hallway. They’ve put up more insulation since the time she lived here for a few weeks, when Din and Grogu left her and the world stopped turning, but the recognition of it barely registers in Nova’s mind as she sprints through the empty hallways, picking up her feet so that they don’t tangle in the loose generator wires curled across the floor. It only takes a few more turns, and then she’s through the airlock, back out into the frozen climate of Hoth’s exterior, her heart hammering something horrible, her pulse erratic, her blood pressure high and dangerous. Slowly, she sinks onto the frozen ground, right outside of the door, pressing her bare hands into the snow, trying to calm anything back to its usual resting place.

It’s freezing out here. Nova’s still in her outfit from Ahch-To, and even though her pants are lightweight and the cold cuts straight through, she’s not getting wet from the snow. Her upper body is slightly warmer, fabric of her shirt protective, the shawl wound tightly over her shoulders, flapping slightly in the wind.

“Nova,” a voice behind her cuts through the silence, and Nova turns at the sound of her name, breath stuck somewhere between her chest and her mouth. Din’s standing there, tall and stately. “Are you okay?” he asks, and the timbre of his voice makes it very clear that he knows full well that she’s not okay.

“Why?” she manages, and then she’s being hauled to her feet, Din’s gloved hands warm and steady around her waist. “Why is there a bounty on my head—alive or dead?” She blinks against a loose lock of hair blowing in her face, and before she can react to it, Din’s already tucking it gently behind her ear. “I thought the Order wanted me—”

“I don’t know,” Din interrupts gently. “I don’t know why you have any of these charges on your head, or why there’s a bounty at all. Gideon and everyone we’ve interacted with associated with the First Order always insisted that you would work for them, not that you were to be eliminated. I don’t know who put the charges out there, but we’re going to fix it. I’m never going to let anyone touch you.”

Nova looks straight up at the visor, swaying slightly in the frosty breeze. Her head hurts. Her scar aches. The pressure that’s constantly blossoming on her shoulder blades feels incredibly heavy, and even though the wind is frozen through, it makes her heart burn for Ahch-To—its gorgeous greenness, its holy ground—and Nova just stares at her own, unhinged reflection in Din’s helmet.

Her teeth press down onto her bottom lip before she can muster up the strength to speak. One of Din’s gloved hands is pressed protectively against the small of her back, and the other is holding her right cheek, a fortification, a promise. Nova looks desperately into the visor, trying to see straight through to Din’s brown eyes. Her voice is barely there when she’s able to talk. “How?”

Bo-Katan’s helmet is off by the time Nova feels stable enough to walk back inside. The airlock door hisses shut behind them, and Wedge is the one that Nova catches first. He’s outfitted in his regular orange jumpsuit, but the spark that usually burns behind his eyes is replaced by a sadness that Nova’s never seen before. He offers her a small smile, beckoning into the room, but she knows his mind is racing just as quickly as hers is, and when she looks at the holotable, the horrible image of her isn’t projected anymore. She inhales once, exhales, and tries to coax her heart back to a normal rhythm.

“Novalise—”

“It’s okay,” Nova whispers, nodding in Bo-Katan’s direction without looking at her. “You—you were right to call us here. I’m just…” she trails off, a small glint of light catching the stone on her ring finger, and she sighs. “I was taken by surprise. That was—I wasn’t expecting it. I know the First Order wants me. I know that my…powers, however mysterious as they are, make me valuable, and that makes me dangerous. But I don’t understand who wants me dead if it’s not the people we’ve been running from for the last year.”

Bo-Katan steps forward, uncrossing her lean, muscled arms. Silently, she pulls up the shimmering holograms again, but this time, Nova’s bounty doesn’t come up. It’s not anything recognizable until Bo-Katan points to a blue, rotating sphere. “I think,” she finally says, her tone unreadable, “that whoever put this bounty up on you wants your face out there in a bigger capacity than what it already is. You’re known in the Alliance, obviously, and now you’re known on Mandalore.” She stabs her finger at the hologram of the planet, rotating in silence. “And you’re wanted by the First Order, for whatever horrible plans they have next. But whoever this other force is—”

Nova holds up a hand, and, miraculously, Bo-Katan stops talking. “They want me to be a martyr,” she whispers, and all three of them look over at her with various expressions of disbelief. Din’s face is still hidden underneath his helmet, but Nova knows exactly what the contours of his features look like right now. Wedge’s worry lines deepen, dark and troubled. Bo-Katan raises one sculpted eyebrow, but her eyes focus on Nova’s like she knows it’s the truth.

“What did Luke say?” Wedge asks, finally.

“I don’t see how that’s relevant right now,” Bo-Katan interjects, but Wedge holds up a hand. It’s so sharp in contrast to his usual easygoing demeanor that her mouth snaps back shut.

“Nova’s a Jedi,” Wedge continues, eyes drifting to the lightsaber hanging off her belt. “Or at least she’s going to be,” he amends, “so she’s rare. One of three still existing that I know of, so that makes her incredibly important. Luke has been off on his own the last few years, trying to piece back the history of the Jedi that got lost or erased in the war. And that’s the Skywalker family lightsaber she has right there,” Wedge continues, nodding again at Nova’s belt loop, “so I know she went to go see him. What did he say, rebel girl?” he asks again, and Nova exhales lowly through the tiny gap of her open mouth.

“He knows something is coming,” Nova manages, finally. “He wanted—he wanted me to stay and train. He’s trying to locate all of the remaining Jedi in the galaxy, to try and rebuild what got destroyed. And,” she continues, exhaling, “he told me that what died may not stay dead.”

“Well,” Bo-Katan interjects, huffing, “that’s incredibly cryptic and entirely unhelpful.”

“Don’t start,” Wedge snaps, an edge to his voice. “Did he mean Gideon?”

Nova slowly shakes her head. It’s the truth, even though, to Bo-Katan’s point, Luke was being cryptic when he gave her that particularly sage warning. It’s not Gideon. Luke was talking about something deeper. “No,” she whispers, finally. “He meant someone—or something—much worse.”

Bo-Katan raises another eyebrow, a scorn so distasteful it makes waves on her face. “Yet another cryptic and unhelpful point, Novalise.”

Din steps forward before the expression on Nova’s face even changes. Bo-Katan Kryze doesn’t cower much, but she sure as hell shrinks underneath Din’s stance. He’s all anger, electric wires running currents throughout his entire tense body. Even the beskar pales in comparison to his rage. His hand slips to his own waistline, and Bo-Katan’s startled eyes glaze over the Darksaber before she backs down.

Nova has no idea how to diffuse this situation. Maybe Din’s right, maybe she is an expert at getting out of things, but the mountain crushing down on top of her shoulders just keeps growing bigger and bigger. Soon, it’ll be the size of Mandalore, and then she’ll have two planets to try and keep balanced on her already aching back. Nova rubs at the sore spot between her eyebrows, trying to worry out the knot that’s been growing in intensity there.

Bo-Katan’s talking again. Nova registers it, faintly, in the back of her mind. She’s long since grown tired of running, but right now, all her legs want to do is make a break for it. She’s exhausted and frozen in place and so unsteady on her feet. All Nova craves right now, this very second, is to lay back down in the piles of frigid snow outside and let it cool down her body right to the core. Din’s voice is angry, direct, curling in waves through the modulator, and when Nova whips back around to face the three of them, somehow, miraculously, they all grow silent.

“They want me to be a martyr,” Nova repeats, her voice barely anything in the chill of the chamber. Wedge’s thick eyebrow raises, his careful eyes searching over her face, trying to find her angle. “I’m not going to be. But I’m also not going to sit and wait on Mandalore for them to come find me, whoever they are. I’m not going to make it easy for them. Besides,” she finishes, eyes locking on Din’s, even under the obscurity of his helmet, “I’m a Rebel. Laying low isn’t in my blood.”

“Maybe,” Bo-Katan says, and there’s a razor’s edge to her already sharp voice. Something is wrong, Nova knows that, because underneath all of that icy venom, there’s a tremble that ricochets through her words. “But you’re forgetting something. You aren’t just a Rebel anymore. You’re the queen of a planet—”

“I’m a figurehead,” Nova spits back, exasperated. Maker above, her head is seriously killing her. Somewhere, distantly, she aches for the quiet crush of hyperspace, the dazzle, the glimmer, the flair of it all. Out there, running didn’t feel like running. And out there, home actually felt like home. “I’m nothing. I’m married to the Mand’alor, that’s it. I don’t rule. I don’t interact with anybody but the two of you. I wear Mandalore colored clothes, sometimes I’m in the war room, but most of the time, I’m staring up at the sky, and I can’t see the stars. I cannot see,” she continues, her voice unhinging into something desperate, “a single star from the planet’s surface. Bo-Katan, Mandalore is a ghost town. There’s only a handful of people left. Why did you battle Din for power in the first place,” she finishes, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, “if this was all that it was for?”

The room is silent. Nova can barely see straight, her eyes burning with the tears she’s trying to hold back. Bo-Katan looks like she’s been wounded—not pissed off, not royally wronged—wounded. Hurt. It’s written in the fracture lines of her face, and even though she’s been cold and hostile and a pain in everyone’s asses, Nova aches knowing she put them there. “Because,” Bo-Katan says, finally, and her voice isn’t icy anymore. It’s flat. Monotonous. “I love Mandalore. And I wanted something more.”

Nova inhales shakily, letting her shoulders round, clutching her arms around herself. The shawl wrapped around her upper body has fallen down to her shoulders, her loose hair flying in curls around her face. She’s exhausted. Behind her, she can feel Din stepping forward, his presence like a locus, an orbiting star. She staggers backward, mouth struck open, unable to conjure any words to fix this. “Bo-Katan—”

“Maybe I was wrong,” Bo-Katan interrupts, and her regular permafrost is back. “Maybe I was wrong about you. You’re right. You’re not a ruler. You’re a figurehead, Andromeda.” Nova recoils as if Bo-Katan slapped her. Slapping her would be better, actually, because the gut punch that comes with the stab of her old name is almost too much to bear. “And you’re sure as hell not a Mandalorian.”

Nova closes her eyes at the impact, but Din shoves his body forward, the whoosh of the Darksaber igniting in his hand before Nova can react. When she finally opens them, Din is standing like the warrior he is, like the bounty hunter he used to be. The horrible, flickering blade is up in front of Bo-Katan, an inch from her throat.

“I agreed to do this job because you insisted. I only promised to follow through if you were in my corner.” Din’s hand doesn’t waver once. Nova watches, horrified, as the terrible blade crackles and hisses in the low, cold light. “You intentionally disrespecting my wife is the opposite of being in my corner. If you ever,” he continues, and Nova can hear the grit of his teeth through the modulator, “use that name to refer to her again, those words will be your last. Do you understand me?”

Bo-Katan stares up at him, all malice. “You’re playing with fire.”

“Believe me,” Din spits, voice even and dangerous, “you haven’t been burned by me yet.”

Finally, she steps down, jutting her chin downward in a very reluctant nod. “Maybe you’re not a Mandalorian,” she concedes, staring back at Nova. Nova’s frozen to the spot, arms hugged tightly against her chest, knees shaking from the proverbial impact, “but Mandalore is still your home. For now, at least. And until we figure out who’s after you, that’s where you’ll stay. No Rebel missions. No alone time out in the stars.” She stares up at Din. “You wanted me in your corner? Fine. But your corner is on Mandalore, and Mandalore only.”

“I can’t do that,” Nova manages, quietly, her teeth aching in her mouth. “I need to train, Bo-Katan, I—I need to go see Grogu, I’m a commander in the Alliance, I cannot be grounded on a planet indefinitely, not with the entire galaxy on the brink of another war, not while there are two groups of people who want me dead or to be their slave—”

“Your home,” Bo-Katan interjects, her eyes dangerous behind her solid voice, “is on Mandalore now. What better place to protect you than a planet full of born and bred warriors?”

Nova’s heart is in her throat. It aches, pulsing and twisting and waning, like she has a knife lodged in her esophagus. “I can’t stay there indefinitely, I—I’m a Jedi—”

“No,” Bo-Katan interrupts again, “you are not. Not yet, and not until we figure out what danger the Order and these bounty hunters are to the rules of Mandalore. Besides,” she tacks on, leaning back on her heels, “Mandalorians and Jedi do not get along.” Her glance that flickers over to Din’s intimidating, awful silhouette, the Darksaber a ruthless weapon in his capable hands, is the only thing that gives away all the fear she’s tucked away under all that venom.

“Ahsoka Tano,” Nova manages, and something painful runs through the hard lines on Bo-Katan’s face. “You led us to Ahsoka. So no matter what you’re telling us right now, I know that you get along with at least one Jedi better than you think.”

Bo-Katan stares back at her. For a horrible beat, nobody breathes. Nova’s almost forgotten Wedge is still in the room until he lets out a quiet, exhausted sigh. “We’re going back to Mandalore. Wedge will run the Rebel operation from here, with people who aren’t responsible for a planet and the next collective fight of the galaxy. You leave Mandalore,” she says, and this time her gaze is trained expertly on Din’s visor, “you’re on your own.”

“Stop,” Wedge says, finally, and the singular word shatters through the tension, bringing everything down to the icy floor in one fell swoop. “Stop it. You,” he says, pointing at Bo-Katan, “were in here less than a month ago talking about unity, wanting to build something better, to protect the galaxy. I never thought we’d be close friends, Bo-Katan, but I at least thought you were on our side.” He lets the intention hang there, before turning to Din. “You are an incredible warrior, Din. I think Nova was right about you being a good leader. I think you have great potential. But I’ve seen power easily go sideways, and if you keep fighting against your own, you’re going to end up in another war. And you,” he enunciates heavily, turning on Nova, “you’re the best person I know. Kindest heart I’ve ever seen, except maybe for Luke. You’re an incredible pilot, a fantastic Rebel, and I don’t doubt for a second that you can save the galaxy from whatever evil it brings. But you’re not immortal, Nova. You’re not a saint, or a god, or anything bigger than a human being. Bo-Katan is right about one thing, and that’s you being in danger. They want you to be a martyr? Don’t let them make that a reality.” He pauses, and there’s something ancient in his eyes. “Go back to Mandalore. Work with each other, in whatever capacity that means. And when the three of you realize that we’re all in this together, no matter what threat we’re facing next, then you get to call the shots again.” He lets that hang in the air too, and it’s so heavy with genuine care, Nova’ heart breaks over itself again. “And I don’t make a habit of saying this, but may the Force be with us all.” His gaze roams over the three of them again, and Nova swallows, nodding against Wedge’s words. “We’re certainly going to need it.”

Mandalore is deadly and quiet.

It doesn’t welcome the three of them back in open arms. Bo-Katan’s ship is so much sleeker than Kicker, but Nova revels in the groan and tumble her starfighter makes when it touches down on cool, ashy earth. Her teeth are still shaking in her mouth. She has a headache, one she can feel in her jaw, right down to the bone. No one has spoken since Wedge gave his rebel rousing speech back on Hoth, and Nova knows that nothing she can manage can top that one. She’s silent in her flying, her disembarking. Slowly, she and Din trail Bo-Katan up the marble steps of the palace, and Nova can barely remember to offer her usual smile at the guards before the tall, impressive doors snap shut.

“I meant what I said,” Bo-Katan offers, finally, and there’s a wicked set in her jaw. “I can’t protect you out there. Mandalore is my home. I’m not abandoning this planet to run after the two of you and your masochistic need to save the galaxy. It’s been through enough, and I’m not going to let either of you ruin that. I meant it.”

Nova stares at her. She wants to snap back, to repeat what Wedge said, to shake some sense into Bo-Katan’s tense shoulders, but she doesn’t. She left all of her vitriol and fire back on Hoth, and she’s so incredibly tired. It’s nearly impossible to remember that DIn only took the throne a little over two weeks ago, that the ragtag group of their collected rebel fighters seemed so confident that they could stop the First Order, take down the evil lurking there, and restore peace to the galaxy. “So did I,” Nova whispers, finally, and Bo-Katan blinks uncharacteristically, a tiny slip in her usual armor before she opens her mouth again.

“We’ll talk more about this tomorrow,” Bo-Katan allows, and then she turns on her beskar heel and walks off somewhere in the dark haunt of the castle, her steps receding into nothing but dread.

Nova’s scar hurts. These days, it always seems to hurt, this horrible sucking wound that still aches, an aftershock of a trauma long gone. She sighs, long and heavy, wanting to sink into bed for a day or two and sleep all this responsibility off. She wants to be back up there in the stars, moving from planet to planet with purpose. She wants to use the lightsaber hanging from her belt. She wants to hug Grogu to her chest, to feel his tiny green body give off that special kind of warmth. She wants to lay with Din without armor, the rest of the world falling away.

When she finally manages to pull her heavy head up, Din is staring at Nova in the silence. There’s only a small strike of moonlight cutting across the strange, blue floor. He’s still wearing his helmet, but she can practically cut straight through the shield by the way she can feel his eyes piercing hers. This aches, too, such small hurts that accumulate across the map of her body.

“Come with me,” he says, finally, and when he reaches out his familiar, steady hand, she takes it.

It’s quiet in the palace, as per usual, but something about the moon striking through the windows as they move through the empty halls feels loud and haunting. Quietly, Din and Nova walk, hand in hand, past the throne room, past the staircase that leads to their massive bedroom, into the maze of corridors in the yawning belly of the beast. The amphitheatre is massive, something holy in its own right. Mandalorians treat battle like it’s divine, and the giant stadium built into their palace is made of marble and blue stone, the sky open and glittering above the arena.

“Why are we here?” Nova asks, finally, breaking the silence holding the both of them captive.

“Because,” Din answers, his voice level, leading her to the center of the ring, “this is where I won the Darksaber.”

Nova raises a dark eyebrow at him, and even though Din’s face is still obscured by the helmet, she can feel his face softening. “I know, mighty Mand’alor,” she deadpans, her own voice gentle, “I was there for the fight of the century, remember?”

“Stop it,” he interjects, but there’s no venom in his tone. She smiles, relaxing slightly, letting her aching shoulders drop. “I meant this is where it started. When we stood here, you said you thought I could be a good ruler. A fair one. Someone people would listen to.”

“I still think that,” she echoes, and Din’s fingers flutter over the makeshift hood of her shawl, dropping the blue fabric so that her hair falls loose. There shouldn’t be a breeze in here, but something rustles Nova’s long curls, letting them spiral over her right shoulder. “Actually, I know it—”

“I’m not,” Din interrupts, and Nova watches his movements, how calculated they are, how he’s pacing back and forth in the pit around her. It’s empty in here except for the two of them, but there’s some strange sense of exhibition, as if they’re being watched. “I’m not a good leader, Nova, because I’m not a leader. Bo-Katan told me Mandalore doesn’t take kindly to outsiders, but you were right earlier. This place is a ghost town. Besides the people who live and work in the palace, I’ve never seen anyone in the village. I’ve spent hours in the war room just looking at the maps, trying to figure out where all of the Mandalorians are.” He sighs, and Nova chances a half-step forward. “There aren’t any. They’ve either fled, been killed, or have left Mandalore to hide on other planets, like my covert.”

“Din,” Nova starts, but when he holds up a single gloved hand, the words die on her tongue.

“There’s nothing here left to rule,” he says, finally, like the words are both an incredible burden and the truth that sets him free. “Mandalore is gone. Whatever it used to be, whoever used to live here, what we see is all that’s left. Maybe I am meant to rule this planet full of nobody, I don’t know. Maybe this is some sort of strange...riddle that I can’t figure out. But I can’t understand why it’s so imperative for the two of us to step into these roles, to follow rules that make no sense, to try and be a leader for a planet that’s barely anything.”

Nova stares at him. A small smile winges across her lips before she even realizes why. “You don’t want to stay here,” she whispers, which is an echo of the same sentiment she’s been saying for weeks, but this time it feels like the truth laid bare. “You want to be where the fight is.”

Din’s quiet. His shoulders are still rigid. “I don’t run from things.”

“True.” Nova steps another foot towards him, her head cocked to the side, trying to puzzle out what’s happening in his head without seeing a glimpse of his face. “That’s usually my M.O.”

“Stop it,” Din whispers, but there’s no fire left in his voice. Nova studies him—his stature, his stance, the Darksaber hanging off his hip, the proverbial crown balanced over his helmet—but there’s nothing hardened there, nothing sharp, regardless of how regal he is, how his presence cuts through every room like a knife. When she’s finally close enough to touch him, her hands immediately go to his helmet, pressing her palms against the smooth, cold beskar, an invitation and a question all at once. “Novalise,” he tries, and her name sounds like something more, something deeper, something holy. Quietly, she presses her body against his, letting the coolness of the armor heat up against the soft curves of her skin. “We can’t do this in here—”

“You’re the one,” she breathes, hooking her fingers under the rim of the helmet, “who said this is our place to desecrate.”

Din’s breath comes out sharp and wicked, like he’s been impaled on her words. “And I meant it then,” he manages, as she starts to pull his helmet off, “but now all I want to do is be back out there in the stars. Not be this figurehead. Not being the leader of a dozen people who all hate my guts and want to slaughter me for the throne.”

“You are a leader,” Nova continues, pressing her body closer to his. Even through the armor, she can feel him harden against her touch, stiffening against her trousers, a sign that she’s pushing the both of them closer and closer to the edge. “You’re an excellent leader. Tell me what to do.”

“Nova—”

“Prove it,” she whispers, her voice barely air. Her blood is pumping so heavily in her ears that her own words sound distorted, like they’re under a waterfall. “Show me you’re a good leader. Because I believe you are, but I know you have to prove it to believe it.”

“This isn’t what this place was made for.”

Nova stops, her forehead pressed against his. Everything in this strange arena is quiet except for their breathing, an urgent pulsing in the cold, dark night. “So fighting is sacred to Mandalorians,” she breathes, feeling the airlocks that keep Din’s helmet secure around his face hiss. He doesn’t move, letting her lift off his helmet, to have him without his armor. “You’re sacred to me. Every inch of you.”

The sound that erupts from Din’s mouth is even more wicked as the modulator cuts off in the middle of it. Nova pulls the rest of the helmet off of his face, her eyes roaming over every single pore, trying to memorize the way he’s staring at her, half-frenzied, his eyes fluttering somewhere between pleasure and pain.

“Novalise.” Her name still sounds like a prayer. Nova doesn’t break Din’s eye contact, just drops the helmet with a clatter against the floor. It’s loud, deafening almost, but he doesn’t flinch at the sound. “You can’t say things like that to me—”

“Then stop me,” Nova counters. Her heart is hammering. She’s being a brat, she knows she is, a whiny, wheedling baby that only wants one thing, but she can’t help herself. Din’s gloved hand closes around her wrist, squeezing lightly, and even though it makes her heart skip a beat, she’s unhinged and dangerous right now. Silently, she unhinges his hand from where it’s gripping her arm and places Din’s fingers against her throat, leaning into his touch, eyes wide, inviting. “I know you. I know what you want. I know that I made a Rebel out of you, Mand’alor, but I also know that when you give people orders, they’re helpless to do anything other than follow them. You can have whatever you want. You just have to prove it.”

His eyes glint for just a moment. It’s in a flash, over almost as soon as it starts, just a nanosecond, but something glittering and dangerous sparks up behind Din’s measured brown eyes, and Nova barely has time to inhale before his grips tightens around her throat, his other hand anchoring her hips in place. It’s an exact replica of the way he’s held her a million times, but his touch still feels brand new. “I want you.”

Everything stops existing. The war, the ghost town of a planet they’re supposed to rule, the First Order, the insidious war that’s gearing up in the underbelly of the galaxy. The pressure for Din to be a ruler, the urgency of Nova becoming a Jedi, every single piece of their lives fall away. It’s devastating and divine, vivid and vivacious. “Then take me,” Nova breathes, feeling Din harden against her leg, hot and heavy even through her pant leg and the beskar that’s protecting him. “Take me, but do it without armor.”

He stares at her, just for a second, and despite knowing that she has her husband wrapped around her pinky finger, Nova’s own eyes widen, heartbeat quickening, worried she took it a step too far. When Din’s hands disappear from her body, a panicked apology is already trying to hurtle its way out of her mouth, but Din doesn’t break eye contact. His hands pull the armor off of his body, letting each piece clatter at his feet like it’s nothing. Nova’s breath has barely been returned to her lungs by the time that Din’s finished undressing, standing in front of her with nothing but his underclothes, Mandalorian blue, and then he slams himself into her, knocking both of them back a few steps with the centrifugal force. Her knees buckle as she lets herself be swept away, wind knocked right back out through the hollow of her open mouth, Din’s hands purposeful and intentional.

Nova’s pretty sure she’s seen Din this vibrant before, this full of desire, but the way he devours her means something deeper. It’s desperate, and yearning, and haunting, leaving his mark all over her body to be worn as a prize later. His lips trail down her jaw, his teeth sinking into her skin, tongue licking out a symphony on the pulse points he’s expertly mapped over the last year. “Din,” she manages, before his name is sucked straight out of her mouth, and his hands twist and writhe underneath the clothes she’s wearing.

Almost as immediately as he started, his mouth disappears. Nova’s eyes flutter open, trying to find where Din retracted himself to, and his large hands, suddenly bare of the gloves he was wearing just a second ago, grasp onto her face. She inhales sharply as he grabs her, the force of his grip puckering her lips up. Nova feels like putty in his hands, like she’s buzzing. “You want me without armor, cyar’ika?” he asks. Din’s voice is so low, it rumbles straight through her, everything between her legs a hurricane. “You want me to be a ruler?”

Wordlessly Nova nods, trying to coax air back into her lungs. “Yes,” she manages.

There’s something torrential in the low blaze of Din’s eyes. Nova thinks she’s still standing, that he’s keeping her upright, but honestly, she can’t tell. The only thing she’s focused on is the darkened outline of his gorgeous face, the flash of his eyes. “Then I want you like that, too,” Din breathes, yanking the shawl right off of her shoulder. Nova’s hair springs out from underneath it, ricocheting against her face as Din grasps her cheeks, pulling her forehead against his. “No armor. Submissive to what I say.”

Nova gasps, nodding against Din’s touch, and when he tears her clothes off of her, she doesn’t even try to tell him she needs them intact. It’s just fabric. It doesn’t matter, not when his hands can burn against her. When they sink down to the floor of the amphitheatre, kissing so hard their teeth knock together, nothing else exists anymore. It’s just Nova and Din and the stars they’re under, just like always.

The ground is cold against her back, but the second Din pulls his pants down and gets on top of her, the chill is immediately forgotten. Nova stares up at Din, trying to map every single inch of his face, even though she’s already memorized it, even though he’s shown it to the rest of the planet, it still feels so incredibly divine. He’s inhaling sharply, and when she flutters his eyelashes up at him, she nods. Permission. It’s just a second, wordless, but he understands. Usually, Nova wants foreplay, to be kissed, to have every single inch of her body blessed by the man she loves, but that’s not necessary tonight. When he pushes inside of her, hard and warm and huge, she gasps against the pressure. It’s devastating. It’s perfect. It’s hot and heavy and loud, and the force of how Din’s fucking her makes her head slam back agaisnt the floor. Before she can mutter a single word, one of his hands comes up underneath her skull, creating a barrier against Nova and the marble. She lifts her hips, locking her ankles around Din, trying to keep herself in the place he needs her, eyes rolling back in her head.

Somewhere, something devious whispers to her that she’s being used, but right now, Nova doesn’t even care. Every inch of her body is screaming out for Din’s, and every place where he’s touching her feels sacred, complete.

“Nova,” he whispers, and she’s a hymn, a prayer, something deeper than herself in this strange, makeshift place of worship. She wants to talk, to reassure him that she’s here, but then Din’s mouth is back against her lips, ravenous, unyielding. It’s everything. It’s dark in here, and still eerily quiet, and for the first time, she’s unabashed about filling this space up with their noise. It feels like a rite of passage, something divine, especially when Din licks his vows into her mouth, murmuring in Mando’a, swearing in Basic, and his other hand finds the curve of Nova’s hips, lifting her up so he can fuck deeper into her. Suddenly, every single insidious thought evaporates, her hand fluttering down across her stomach to reach her clit.

“Din,” she manages, breathy and disconnected, and immediately, his expert hand knocks hers away, replacing her touch with vigor. Before Nova even has a chance to adjust to his pressure, he’s pushing her over the edge, her oragasm quick and loud, deafening and ecstatic.

“Wait for me,” he grunts, his mouth back on her neck, and Nova’s eyes are flooding with collapsing stars, her ears buzzing, and she wants to apologize that she’s beating him there but when he’s touching her like that, she doesn’t even care. But then Din breaks away from her, angling his hips to slam deeper and deeper into Nova, and his lips tear off her neck, knocking their foreheads together. “Now,” he orders, and his voice is low and commanding, and that alone sends Nova through the roof.

Din grunts as he’s about to cum, writhes into her like it’s the last time that he’ll ever get to touch her. Usually, he pulls out soon afterward, rolls over on his back beside her, but tonight, he just grabs onto Nova’s jaw and stays pulsing in her. Every time his cock twitches with the aftershock, it extends Nova’s own orgasm, and she lets herself be held there, not wanting to move.

“I could,” she starts, panting.

“Stay here forever,” Din finishes, his voice barely anything at all. “I know.”

For what feels like lightyears, they stay together, a tangle of limbs and warmth, trying to catch their collective breaths. Slowly, the rest of the world filters back in, and the quiet, starry darkness of the amphitheatre doesn’t feel desecrated. It feels used, for something better than it was designed for, at that, and Nova feels her heartbeat pound down to a regular rhythm before she lets Din lay down beside her, both of them exhausted, staring up at the ceiling.

“I meant it,” Nova finally says, closing her eyes to feel the hum of her own voice in her throat. One hand is tracing the outline of her scar, the other is tangled up in the discarded shawl that Din thankfully did not eviscerate. “When I said you were a good leader. I think you’re a great one, Din Djarin, and even though I want to be out there.” Nova trails off, gesturing at the ceiling painted with stars, “if staying put means you get to do that, I’ll stay right here. I’ll be a Mandalorian.”

Din’s quiet. Nova doesn’t dare to move, because she knows the significance of what she just said, the crushing weight of it. “I meant it, too,” he whispers, finally. “When I said I’d follow you anywhere.”

Nova inhales sharply, finally turning her head to search her husband’s eyes. “I know,” she murmurs, eyebrows furrowing down the middle. “And I believe you. But what do you want?”

Din’s face is entirely unreadable. Nova counts the beats of her heart as they sit there in the silence, trying to encourage him without saying a single thing.

“You.”

Nova inhales, wetting her mouth with her tongue. “What else do you want?”

Din stares at her, moving only to press the open palm of his bare hand against her cheek. “I want you without armor, too,” he whispers, and then pulls both of them to their feet. Nova knows there’s more to that sentence, but she’s fighting sleep, and she doesn’t want to put pressure on more points than either of them can take. Wordlessly, they redress, and Nova follows Din out of the eerie amphitheatre, out of the maze of tunnels, back to the first floor where the giant war room sits, beskar throne impenetrable at the highest point. She wraps her shawl tighter around ehr shoulders, all the warmth that sex gave them blown away by the startling reality of the situation. Without a word, Din presses the ignition to the holotable, and the strange, blue, fractured image of Nova ten years ago illuminates.

She inhales sharply, her old reflection a sucker punch. Din grabs her hand, and Nova squeezes it, trying to stare at herself head on, without flinching.

“I want to kill off Andromeda Maluev and everyone who’s after her,” Din breathes, his voice so much louder without the barrier of the helmet and the modulator. “I don’t want to rule this planet and ignore the war that’s coming while there are people out there who want you.”

“Din—”

“Listen to me,” Din whispers, grabbing Nova’s face in his hands, and she turns away from her painful reflection, letting him become the only thing she orbits, even if it’s only for a second, even if it’s only for now. “You are Novalise Djarin. I’m not going to let anyone take that away from you.”

Nova’s green eyes flood with tears. Above them, above the mist and fog and haze that hangs over Mandalore like an omen, her stars are sparkling and clear. She inhales, focusing her blurry gaze on her husband, something concrete, something real. “What does that mean?” she whispers, and Din’s right hand goes to her right hip, purposefully knocking into the Skywalker family lightsaber, and Nova’s sharp inhale comes out stuttered.

Din’s eyes are a promise, a prayer. His bare hand smoothes back over her cheek, and something dangerous and pulsing inside of Nova suddenly quiets. “It means,” he says, guiding her own hand down to the weapon hanging from her hip, “that we do what Mandalorians do best. We’ll take it one day at a time,” he continues, and Nova nods, “but we’re going do what we do best. All of us.”

“What are you—?”

“I’m saying,” Din sighs, pointing up through the domed ceiling, and Nova strains her eyes to look through the clouds to the stars above, pulsing and flickering with the promises they’ve made to each other, “that Bo-Katan is going to protect Mandalore, Luke is going to train our kid, Boba and Fennec are going to avenge, Cara’s going to forcefully keep the peace, Karga’s going to figure out who put the bounty on your head, Wedge is going to rally the troops, and you and I are going to save the galaxy.”

There’s a smile on Nova’s face before can register everything Din’s saying. “Din—”

“You’re the only one who gets me without armor,” Din whispers into her ear, and Nova feels the giant door sliding open behind them. She’s going to turn around to yell at Bo-Katan that it’s not the morning yet, and that she just wants one tiny minute of happiness before returning to the weight pressing down on all of their shoulders, but multiple voices filter into the throne room, and Nova lets Din pull her up the steps onto the dais, watching as the space fills up with the people who still make up Mandalore. Bo-Katan raises her chin at them, but something’s replaced the fear and vitriol in her eyes. Din lets his helmet clatter on the floor, the noise loud enough for the rest of the hushed noise in the room to fall quiet. Nova swallows, staring out to the scene of people gathered in front of them, trying to look like a leader, like someone trustworthy. “We’re going to fight,” Din promises, his voice full and honest, a vow, and then he turns to face the people he rules in the center of the room. “Let’s get started.”

*

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*

I HOPE YOU LOVED IT!!! writing this story is truly my biggest joy, and getting to share it with all of you is priceless! i lovelovelove talking to you about your theories and comments and questions, so please leave them below or send me them on tumblr (amiedala)! i think i am finally back on track, so CHAPTER FOUR WILL BE UP SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2ND, AT 7:30 PM EST!!!

i love you all, have a lovely week (hopefully with fall weather coming your way)!!! <3

xoxo, amelie

[katerinabythesea95]

HEY EVERYONE!! SO HERES PART ONE TO FOREVER AND ALWAYS

WARNINGS: sad ending, angst, sickness, mentions of killing

You are the newest member of Ambrose, Bo, Vincent and you meet after you accidentally crash your bike into Bo while you were running away from a guy who's been stalking you for weeks. Bo was walking with Vincent on a supply errand and you were speeding too fast and looking around for any sign of the creepy stalker man, and you didn't see the twins as they crossed the street. You'd apologized profusely and explained yourself. The stalker man was right there a few feet away from you three and stared at you before walking away. Bo and Vincent offered you to go with them, and lure the stalker to their town where they would set a trap. Long story short, the plan actually worked and the stalker ended up being the new wax addition in the house of wax. You had nowhere to stay or go since you had recently been evicted after being fired from your job because your boss was a pervert and you wouldn't be like the rest of your co workers and let him have his way with you. So all you had was your bike and worked at a diner where the pay was too low to get a home. You lived in a old run down motel which is where you had run into the stalker. The motel was no longer safe. The twins offered you to stay with them and you accepted.

Fast forward to a month and a half later, and you are very close with Bo Vincent and their younger brother Lester. Bo was a bit hard to get to open up but he really did care about you, Vincent, Lester and you got along really well and you loved all three of them like they were your family. You helped them around the house, cooking and cleaning, and even helped Bo lure in folks from out of town. You knew that you were going to pay the price one day, yet you helped the murderous brothers in their hobbies. Why? Mostly loyalty and because you had a lot of repressed anger from you abusive childhood. You knew you were messed up and had dark thoughts but you'd never acted out on it and now the volcano had erupted. It felt like relief when you executed someone, as if those people were the people who had hurt you in the past.

But. You knew. You knew there was a day of reckoning coming for you and your beloved Sinclair men.

That's why it wasn't a surprise when you found out you were going to die. You had seen the same symptoms in your own mother, and you knew. But how were you ever gonna tell the boys?

The end was near, and there was nothing you could do about it.

You try to keep it hidden from the brothers, but as time passed it was harder to do so. Your legs would become weak, and you started to loose your balance often, and you'd feel really tired all of a sudden. The boys started to notice something was up, but you played it off as being clumsy.

You were washing dishes and putting them away in the cabinets, doing your usual morning routine.

"welp, y/n, imma head out today, Lester called and says there'll be a group coming soon, gotta get ready."Bo says, entering the kitchen.

"Oh okay, be sa-" you start to say but your legs suddenly give out and you fall to the floor. You were holding a plate as you fell and it broke and cut your hands and arms pretty bad as well as a scratch on your face.

"Y/N!" Bo yells and rushes over to you. He helps you up immediately but you can't move your legs. "Oh sh**" Bo says in a concerned tone. "B-bo, I-I can't feel my legs." You try not to cry but your face says it all. "You're gonna be okay, sweetheart, VINCENT GET OVER HERE!" He calls out to his twin. He picks you up bridal style, carefully so as not to touch your wounds, and takes you over to the pool table as Vincent walks into the room. He looks frantically between you and his brother, and signs "what happened??"

"She fell again. Get me some wax, hurry she cut herself with a plate." Bo says urgently. Bo was usually aloof and didn't really show emotions except anger, but when it came to you, he could never seem to keep his tough guy act for too long. Vincent nods and quickly goes to get the things he needed. Bo gently takes your arms and inspects the damage. His eyes are full of anger and concern, he hated seeing you so hurt, you were like a flower to him and his brothers, which must be protected at all costs. (Bo never admitted it to you or himself, but he had fallen for you and he wasn't gonna let anyone or anything ever happen to you. Over his dead body.) "I think you may have some glass stuck." He sighs sadly. " It stings." You say. Bo ticks his tounnge as he looks at your face and notices the tiny scratches. He couldn't believe his little flower was all scratched up and in pain he shouldve been faster and caught you before you hit the ground, but it just happened so unexpectedly. Vincent came back then, and bo moved a few steps back so that his brother could start fixing you up.

You were quiet, and tried not to make noises as Vincent cleaned the blood and started taking out the shards of glass one by one. You just focus on Vincents face (mask) and then you look over at Bo. His eyebrows were furrowed in thought. He wanted to know what on earth was Going on with you. You've been acting a bit off lately and he has noticed youve been loosing weight and youve been looking paler, and it's noticeable cause your skin is light, but tan so he's seen the difference. You usually have so much energy and lately you haven't been yourself, a bit sad Even. You hid it well, tho And Bo knew because he did the same thing as well he hid all his pain and sadness. And he knew you had past trauma, so he didn't think much of it at first, especially since you started helping with the tourists, he thought you were feeling better. He wished he could get you to a actual doctor but right now it wasn't that serious of a situation so they didn't risk it. You'd be fine with some proper care and rest. Hopefully.

He never in a million years expected what was to come ....

[slashersins]

I deadass feel like the only slashers who would encourage their SO, who's already in a snuggly mood, to continue snuggling are Jason, both Ghostfaces, and Bubba

Jason is happy to have you cuddled against him . While he can’t feel tempatures like you do , as in he doesn’t get hot or cold , he does enjoy his cold skin being warmed by yours . He’s always going to be shy to initiate , unless it’s been a rough day and he just needs it , but he’s always more than happy to hold you or have you curled up on him . However , his duty to the camp will mean that cuddle sessions can be cut short .

Billy and Stu love to cuddle . Even if billy is less clinging than Stu is . No matter the position , no matter who is where , once the cuddle has reached max comfy no one is moving . Even if the vhs is static and there’s white noise in the background , it’s too comfortable to move away .

Bubba loves loves loves cuddles . He’ll pull you into cuddles anytime of the day , no matter if he’s dirty or not . Cooking ? Cuddles . Cleaning ? Cuddles . Napping on the couch ? Cuddles . Feeding the chickens ? Cuddles with chickens .

Lester , Brahms , Carrie , Martin , and Jacob should also be included here ! And to an extent Thomas as well .

Lester will only pull away if Bo starts yelling on him on the radio about some victim getting loose . But every other time he’s happy to hold you . Just know that Jonesy will also be cuddling with you .

Brahms has no reason to let go of you ever . And you have no real reason to pull away . If cuddling is the price to pay for a late dinner he’s more than happy to starve .

Carrie is content to stay in your arms , not realizing how much she desperately needed the human contact . More than likely you’ll be the one pulling away to get water to adjust the cuddle .

Martin craves intimacy . He truly does even if it clusters him . More than likely he’ll want to be on top of you , arms around you and face in your hair . Think missionary for sex , but clothed . It feels so right to him . However , you can get him to shift to a different cuddle position . He will be flustered . Expect all the blushes .

Jacob is a surprinfly cuddly man . He loves to touch and feel , loves to hold you in his lap and have you close . You’re a comfort for him . An anchor that grounds him . He’s most likely to not want you to leave , mummering “one more minute” or just following you so he can keep touching when you try to move away . He’s a cuddle monster .

Bo is busy and hates it when he starts getting all soft and mushy , he violently pushes it away despite craving the sweetness of it . Catch him accepting cuddles the most when he’s sleepy .

Michael chooses when and how long cuddles last for the most part . However he will allow you to snuggle . But only until he feels overwhelmed and shoved you away .

Vincent has art to make and will get bored of being stationary for too long . He’s not a busy body persay , but he knows there are always things he can and should be doing to help Bo run the town .

Jesse has an actual job when he’s not off murdering . So while he’ll let you cuddle and coddle him , he might not be returning the affection . He’ll let you sit in his lap in the middle of a meeting , showing you off , but he’ll be more focused on work than you .

[hockeysweetheart]

Hunger Games Characters I picture in Disney  Characters. 

Katniss  I Put her with Merida ( Brave) Belle ( BATB)  Meg ( Hurcules) Elsa (Frozen). 

Why Merida. Well shes good with the bow and arrow ( I actually haven’t seen Brave fully so I don’t know much about her). 

Belle. Both are strong willed women Willing to do anything for family.  Both have no choice but to stay where they are “captured” both are like if I have a will to live through this I’m not gonna go down without a fight. Both have 2 men after their hearts, Both know how to survive on their own if needed.   She learned to fall in love with a beast. 

Meg.  This is more the love side  for Katniss. The Song I wont say I’m in love is basically Katniss’s theme song. Like she wont admit it she loves Peeta but girl we all know.. 

Elsa. In a way Katniss did shut out Prim to protect her. She didn’t want to hurt her sister strong willed to protect her sister at all cost.  Plus I know Cinna is to credit for this but her mockingjay outfit *Chefs kiss* plus they wear their hair the same. 

Peeta.  Hercules  Kristoff ( Frozen) Kovu ( Lion King 2)  The Beast (BATB)

Hercules he’s strong. But he literally gave up everything for love. Which is so Peeta. 

Kristoff. Okay this one both  have such a charm that attracts everyone. Tho both have obessions and flaws So they are a bit of fixer uppers.  But both are somewhat accpecting to the fact  I will wait until you make your choice. Both have kind and sweet hearts.  Both are kultzy but pull it off like a champ.  ( And Katniss didn’t fall in love with a man she just met. They knew each other since the age of 5) But Never truely met until the games. 

Kovu. Hes the sexiest damn thing. In Disney characters I freaking swear  He has a way with his words. Charming.  Loyal tho. He is willing to go against his families ( whos kinda a bunch of ya know bad guys) for Love and whats right. So Peeta. 

The Beast. This is Peeta in Hijacked Form ( Some parts). Besides the totally Hitting on Belle part. We all know deep down the love he had for Katniss never left. He never stopped loving her.  Not based on how good she looked but who she is.  Plus A Kiss broke the spell.  Also he had a bit of charm in his hijacking but so much anger and Katniss was the only one who could truely break him outta it.  Also I was hoping that He would of said so you came to look at the beast have you. 

Finnick  King Triton ( Little Mermaid)  Maui ( Moana) Flynn Rider ( Tangled) Aladdin. 

Kin g Triton. Well for that  Trident comes in handy.  ( The king is kinda a jerk why are most fathers in disney movies total jerks I’ll never know) But I hope that Finnicks son at least knows what a fork is compaired to a freaking trident ( and doesn’t use it as a hair brush) man that was stupid. Both are basically the big shot of  where they live.  Both  love water live  near or in water... ( What they hell do they eat under the sea ?) 

Maui. Okay Finnick is a bit of a show off a little.  Not his fault hes so damn good looking.  Both have that sarcasm that makes you laugh but your like oh my god please stop. Both have there  if Finnick had a song It would be your welcome. But still so much we never know about them both.  

Flynn Rider.  Okay  well both just have the certain personality that is strangely Alike.  Both know how to fight if needed. Both  are like well the ladies are okay but not intrested until they find the one..  Both have their charm.  ( Plus I love Flynn rider). 

Aladdin. We know that Finnick has a huge part of him he never opened up. Before when he spilled what the real price to winning is. That was not everything. There is a part that  Beetee said If you knew Finnick it’s amazing he’s still with us at all. So hes been though it.  

Johanna  Bo Peep ( Toy Story 4)  Mulan  and Mulans Grand mother ( Mulan) Tiana (Princess and the Frog) 

Bo Peep. From the first toy story to the 4th one Bo peep has changed a lot. ( Kinda like Johanna from  after her games to who we met in Catching fire) Tho a lot of them is still there that hasn’t changed. But their will to fight. and that they dont take BS as an answer.  That they  both may look weak but inside them so much more then that. ( I was shocked to see Bo Peep kinda like Johanna in toy story 4). Not scared of a little fight and blood.  Frankly I’d be worried that they both would try to kill someone in their sleep.

Mulan. I love in movies where the weakest person goes to the strongest like that. Totally Johanna.  And they are the girl worth fighting for I see more of her in Johanna then Katniss because  Johanna went from faking being weak to deadly like that. Where as katniss she didn’t hide it at all really. Plus if this wasn’t a disney movie i would of love to say what Mulan would of said  when they found out shes a girl really.  But both are bad ass females. Who really had no choice to go into this ( Mulan had to save her father Johanna got picked to be in the games) 

Mulans Grandmother ( I didn’t realize I did this) But I Johanna’s humor she says what she wants and no damage. They don’t ruin the moment they make the moment 100 times better. 

Tiana. She was totally fine not finding love ( But its disney she did) I really like her will to not give up no matter how many changes are thrown at you.  and  tolerting her best friend but I freaking love Charlotte She is the one who knows what to say in a moment where no one else would understand basically the girl talk that Katniss hates but we all have it in us. 

Prim  Repunzel ( Tangled) Baymax ( Big Hero 6)  Anna ( Frozen) 

Lets Ignore the fact that I brought up 2 of these lovers before to other characters 

Repunzel  The healing part Prim has it is in her born with it.  and she has a nack of many talents. And In a way is locked up in District 12 ( But Protected by her sister) 

Baymax He is the cutest thing out there. Caring knowing when you need a hand ( Like katniss)    a healer  ( I might of went out to look for the healer of disney).  Not much of a fighter ( But I swear if you did what  Hiro did if you did that to prim oh my god the fight in her but the healing will always be apart of her) 

Anna. Okay I basically but Anna here because she is Elsa’s sister. Simlar hair styles but.. Both are willing to do anything for each other.  Prim had a knack to see if the fence was on to see if Katniss was gonna be late coming back from hunting. Both are gental who wont hurt a fly (Unless your almost husband is a total jerk)   

Effie Charlotte ( Princess and the Frog) Dory (Finding Nemo )  Yzma ( The emperors  New Groove) 

Charlotte. Oh my god If this isn’t effie I have no clue what is. She  does stuff to get a better district. But then Truely cares about her district 12 tributes 74th Games. She would almost do anything in her power to make them on time and for her victors.  

Dory Okay Effie is a bit clueless in her own little world.  Telling them about the pearls lol and whitty. Effie doesn’t have short term memory loss she has I’ve been living in the capitol and this is what I know. 

Yzma This is the effie we dont wanna see Frankly I am happy we didn’t see this side of her. It’s the one who gets really pissed off I’m sure it would be something else tho to see. 

Cinna.  Fairy God mother (Cinderella) Genie ( Aladdin)  Nick ( Zootopia) 

Fairy God mother. Cinnas out fits are like  bibbidi bobbidi boo I make an awesome outfit for you. Also He takes good care of Katniss.(  Like sent from up above) On her side beyond his end.  A bit of a rebel but over all a really good guy 

Genie. Cinna is like the Genie without 3 wishes.  But he is there and supports Katniss fully.  And just  helps her out when se needs it.  and Is a friend in Katniss. Basically the one  she trusts first and fully, 

Nick  Okay this is an odd one But he  rebeled from his bad guy character to help Judy ( Police officer) with a crime.  Cinna helped out katniss and pretty much a rebel to go beyond to help her. To show shes the symbol of this war... To show that she  should go a head fight for it all its worth. Plus I got your back making your costumes not only good looking but you wont have to worry about death yet your costumes prevent that. 

Haymitch.  Mushu ( Mulan) Lumiere ( BATB)  Crush (Finding Nemo) 

Mushu He is that reality check that Katniss and Peeta needed but also will do almost anything to protect them ( Even lying for there own good)  But also oh my lordy funny. 

Lumiere. It’s his carefree side where Katniss shot an apple at the gamemakers and just like oh well. That happened... Plus not playing by the capitol rules and  He is just like a good mentor to Katniss and Peeta hell the best. He really wants them to try to win this thing.  

Crush. Okay that turtle was the most stoned turtle I’ve met. To this day. And as for Disney Characters this might not be the most drunk but It’s one i can Find. 

Gale Robin Hood  Hans ( Frozen) Gaston ( BATB) 

Robin hood Umm he shoots I think he hunts thats about it

 Hans  Not only did he confuse Anna for a love  But we see his true colours too. I mean they were not even friends first but still. Like so Gale. 

Gaston.  He’s a hunter after his girl Katniss ( But shes already taken) Really wanted her once she was gone  also is strangly after Katniss and only katniss ( when shes around) when he has plenty of takers. 

Okay I realized this is very long. So these are the last picture. 

Snow.  Evil Witch ( Snow white) Scar ( Lion King) 

Evil  both are totally okay with murder and poison. At least she only poisoned Snow white enough to put her in a coma. 

Scar. If you read the newest  Hunger Games book ya know.  What snow did to a certain someone...  And like wont take the blame but he will tho at the same time 

Coin  Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)  Mother Gothal ( Tangled) 

Maleficent I am deeply scared of her just saying and Coin as well

Mother Gothal. Totally Coin.  They both dont want there golden Flower to leave protection  if it was really up to Coin she would never let Katniss go. But she had little control over her Frankly Katniss never trusted her at all.   But like Mother Gothal we all knew she was bad going in but   Coin first time Reading I said I bet you will be bad lol. 

Annie Hei hei (Moana) Jane ( Tarzan) 

Hei Hei ( Sorry Annie ) But kinda crazy.  Kinda out of it...  

Jane I have no idea why but I see this crazy girl from 4 Jane. Just going a bit crazy at everything like Jane 

Wiress Clogsworth ( BATB) Okay simple very smart  but Kinda out there and  has a thing for clocks 

Mags (Grandma from Moana) A little crazy but alright. I mean better then alright down right awesome. 

Beetee Wall’e I have actually  never seen this movie but I am like hell robot  Beetee.

Careers Bruce and the other sharks (Finding Nemo)  Scary yet the biggest idiots on the planet. Sure they get the best of best  as districts go but damn who doesn’t know how to climb a tree or knowlage to idk chop it down burn it down.. 

The Claw 

Not Sure who this is ( Monters inc) I just thought Plutarch at Katniss’s propo attemps lol.

Caesar Flickerman  Kuzco ( Emperors new groove)  If this isn’t him I have no idea what is. Total Kuzco vibes the but also somewhat caring but most of the interviews is how he does.  Its beauty and its grace its Caesers face. But He does try to help out to the best of his ability. 

Boggs Mattias. Frozen 2  Basically he actually cares for Katniss doesn’t want to see harm done to her. A  rebel against his leader. ( I think he would of honestly be proud of Katniss for Killing Coin). But Only hopes for the best. 

Cato Prince Eric ( Little mermaid)  No offence but  holy crap hes an idiot lol  ( Eric I mean).  Cato is smart but clueless.  If he beileved that 2 could win. ( I honestly have no idea why I chose him for Cato) 

Katniss’s Mother ( Iduna) Frozen ( Anna and Elsas mother). Yeah  Mrs Everdeen did leave her daughters to fend for themselfs but bits of her came back to life every day.  and if she had a choice she would of died with her husband but she is the strongest damn person because she could of  died if she wanted to but she stayed for her daughters sakes. I would like to think Iduna would of done the same if she had that chance.

Game Makers  (More monster inc dudes_ This is their faces when Katniss blew up the arena)

Madge Moana. Okay I will admit stange but Madge is pretty bad ass like Moana tho she doesn’t leave she is very family is everything quiet. But not a sas for a village leaders daughter Moana isn’t bad at all. I could see her being the Madge we don’t get to see. 

[returnn-of-the-mac]

Hello! Sorry to bother, but could you possibly do the companions +Maxson reacting to Sosu begin almost killed by a raider in power armor because the raider stepped on Sosu (Who had been previously knocked down) and the raider just slowly keeps adding pressure. I'd greatly prefer romance, if I may. Thank you for your time! I also apologize if this is too graphic, you don't have to do this if it's too gross.

I got really into this one. I’m a sucker for the romanced companions. Please enjoy!

FO4 (❤️) Companions (+Nick, Deacon, & Maxson) React: Sole Getting Slowly Crushed By a Raider in Power Armor

Sole and their companion had spent the greater half of the day attempting to take over Outpost Zimonja from a group of Raiders, and they appeared to have the upper hand.

Just when they thought they had taken out the final Raider, Sole was roughly picked up and slammed onto the ground facedown.

The Raider boss— a man in power armor who called himself Boomer— placed a foot on Sole’s back.

Sole yelped in pain, and the Raider boss let out a sinister laugh.

He stepped on Sole harder, this time resulting in a sickening crack.

Sole’s eyes began to water, and Boomer looked menacingly at [companion].

Preston:

“Is this really necessary?” Preston pled, “How you Raiders get satisfaction from torturing others is beyond me.”

Boomer laughed thunderously.

“Because,” he said, pressing down harder on Sole, “It’s fun to watch them suffer.”

Preston clenched his teeth. He didn’t have the manpower to take down the Raider.

Or did he?

“Now are ya gonna do anything? Or is your little friend gonna be squished like a Radroach?”

Preston set off a flare.

Boomer did not take kindly to this.

“Why I oughta—“

Crack!

Preston used the butt of his musket to crack the Raider’s helmet.

Before the Raider could fight back, he was brought down by the force of about ten bodies tackling him in unison.

The Minutemen had arrived.

Preston ran over to Sole, helped them up, checked to see if they were okay, and then got right back into the heat of the battle.

The surprise ambush had severely weakened Boomer’s armor. He eventually succumbed to the relentless attacks.

“Thank you, everyone. We couldn’t have defeated him without your help.”

When the Minutemen had dispersed, Preston approached Sole and pulled them into a hug.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he whispered, “I love you.”

Hancock:

“If you think I’m just gonna sit her and let ya step all over my friend here, then you’ve got another thing comin, punk,” Hancock threatened.

Boomer laughed.

“Yeah? And what’s a ghoul gonna do about it? I could probably snap ya in half between my pinky and my thumb.”

Hancock smirked before reaching into his coat and pulling out a syringe of psychobuff. He injected himself with it, and his mouth immediately contorted into a deranged grin.

“Shoulda quit while you were ahead, pal,” Hancock stated before charging at the enemy.

Boomer staggered a bit, buying Hancock enough time to whip out his knife and stab the Raider’s helmet.

His drug-induced jabs were strong enough to smash through the protective facepiece and right into the Raider’s eyeball.

“ARGH! My fuckin eye!”

Hancock didn’t stop.

He stabbed the raider in the face so frantically that his enemy had become almost unrecognizable.

Boomer fell to the ground just as the drugs began to wear off. Hancock then pulled out his shotgun and blew the man’s head off.

After he was sure Boomer was dead, he helped Sole to their feet, pulling them into a tight embrace.

“That’s what he gets for messin with us, doll,” the ghoul rasped, gently petting Sole’s hair, “I’m just glad you’re doin okay.”

Gage:

“Boomer! What the fuck,” Gage hollered, “Back off!”

“Aw, looks like Gagey’s getting soft, ey?” The raider taunted.

Gage growled.

“You n your little clique here has done nothin but cause problems. We sent ya out here to claim this turf. And ya have. But for yerselves. You lyin, greedy sacks of shit,” the raider continued, “And now yer gonna crush the fuckin overboss? The fuck’s the matter with ya? They already want you dead over in Nuka World. Why not give em another fuckin reason?”

“Do ya think I give a rat’s ass about the overboss, Gage?” he hissed, “The last one ya picked was a fuckin tool. Screwed us all over. How can we trust this one ain’t equally as shitty?”

Boomer chuckled and pressed down harder, causing Sole’s nose to spew blood.

Gage had had enough. He picked up a molotov and whipped it straight into the Raider’s head.

The force of the throw caused the fiery bottle to shatter across Boomer’s face, prompting him to roar in pain.

“Fuck you, Boomer,” Gage as he cradled a severly injured Sole in his arms. He looked at them softly, “Sorry ya had to suffer like that, babe. Ya gonna be alright?”

Sole nodded and Gage gave them a tight hug.

“Yer a real trooper, bo

Cait

Without hesitation, Cait whipped out her baseball bat.

“That’s it! I’m gonna bash yer skull in ye bastard!”

The redhead proceded to furiously whack Boomer on the arms, legs, chest, and head.

The Raider chuckled before lifting Cait off the ground and throwing her behind him like a ragdoll.

Cait hit the ground with a sickening thud before hearing Sole cry out again.

Boomer was crushing them.

Cait racked her brain for ideas when she spotted it: the fusion core.

She gripped her bat tight and bashed the core with all her might. It shattered into a million pieces.

The power armor went limp and she charged into it, effectively knocking Boomer to the ground.

She pulled out her shotgun, ripped off Boomer’s helmet, and stuffed the barrel into his mouth.

“You sure do know how to show a girl a good time,” she scoffed, pulling the trigger.

She scrambled over to her lover, sitting them upright.

“Yer safe now. Please, talk to me darlin,” she pled, slightly shaking Sole. Hert companion groaned and cracked an eye open.

“Yer alive! Oh, thank god!” She exclaimed, planting a rough kiss on their cheek, “I knew ye wouldn’t let yerself die to a spineless raider!”

Piper:

“Stop! You’re hurting [him/her]!”

“You got a good set of eyes there, doll.” Boomer hissed. He applied more pressure to Sole’s back and they let out a weak cry.

“Oh god…”

“Ya gonna try tah free em, or am I gonna haveta crush em?”

Piper racked her brain for ideas, but she was so flustered she couldn’t think of any. He was frozen.

The raider applied more pressure and Sole’s nose started to bleed.

“Blue! I—” before she could finish, something caught her eye. A note.

Boomer if we fucking find out where you’ve been hiding.

We’re coming after you. And we’re going to fucking murder you.

-Shank

Piper grabbed the note and held it up.

“Look bud. I know you’re in some hot water with the raiders, and I happen to be a reporter,” Piper announced, “Let my friend go, or I will make sure every raider across the Commonwealth knows where you’re hiding. Got it?”

Boomer growled.

“Why you little— I oughta— I— argh! Fine!” He said, stepping off Sole and kicking them to the side, “This weak fucker ain’t worth sparin with any of the raider gangs.”

He turned on his heels.

“Not a fuckin peep about my whereabouts. Got it, bitch?”

Piper nodded. “You got it.”

When Shank was out of sight, Piper lifted her injured companion into her arms.

“Oh, Blue. I’m so sorry I couldn't help you sooner than I did,” she cried, “But I’m so happy you’re alive!”

The reporter proceeded to shower her lover in kisses as they weakly clung to her.

MacCready:

“What’s your problem? Let [him/her] go!”

Boomer laughed, “Yeah. I don’t think that’s gonna happen, little man.”

MacCready grit his teeth.

“How much do you want?”

Boomer stopped laughing, his face suddenly serious.

“How much you’ve got to offer?”

MacCready laughed, “Look dude. I know how this goes. I’m not going to be the first to number drop. You want the caps, you name the price.”

Boomer rolled his eyes.

“Fine. 2500.”

“A little high, dontcha think?”

Sole glared at MacCready. If looks could kill, the merc would be six feet under. He caught their gaze and winked at them.

“2300.”

“Do I look like I’m made of caps, pal,” MacCready pressed, “2000 and you got yourself a deal.”

“Fine! Fine! Just give me my fucking money.” Boomer huffed.

MacCready fished through his duster and pulled out the caps.

The Raider greedily accepted the caps and turned around to walk away.

MacCready then helped Sole to their feet and briefly assessed them to see if they had any life-threatening injuries.

They didn’t.

Before Sole had the chance to rip MacCready a new one,however, he gave them a quick peck on the forehead, equipped his sniper, and climbed onto a bluff.

Boomer was still in plain sight. MacCready smirked as he aimed for the fusion core and shot.

He saw Boomer’s armor go limp, before watching him crawl out.

“Excellent.”

The merc aimed for the Raider’s head, held his breath, and pulled the trigger. He watched his enemies head explode, creating a shower of blood and skull fragments.

He then slid down from the bluff and ran up to Sole, pulling them into a hug.

“Before you kill me! I knew the only way to get him off you was to offer caps. I didn’t want to esculate the situation,” MacCready explained. He planted a gentle kiss on the top of Sole’s head, “I didn’t want to risk him hurting you. I didn’t...I couldn’t...I wouldn’t be able to watch you suffer like that. I love you too much.”

Nick:

Ting!

Something barely noticeable hit Boomer’s armor.

“The fuck was that?” He asked, looking around, “Was that you,tin can?”

“Says the guy in the power armor.”

“Yeah, whatever. It was probably a bug or some shit.

Nick smirked and put away the syringer rifle he was holding; the Raider was completely oblivious to the hack dart he had been struck with.

“You know Boomer, I think it would be more badass to crush [name] with your fists. I mean anybody can get crushed. It happens all the time.”

Sole looked horrified, but Nick continued.

“But to crush the life out of someone with your fists, Now that. That’s nothing to scoff at.”

The raider contemplated for a moment and agreed.

“You know what, grandpa? You’re right.”

Boomer picked Sole off the ground with the intent to squeeze the life out of them.

Sole closed their eyes and grit their teeth. They couldn’t believe Valentine, of all people, was a traitor.

“This is gonna be fun” Boomer growled, “Rest in pe—“

He suddenly dropped Sole.

“Hey what the hell?”

He then started to punch himself in the face.

“What...the fuck...is...argh! Goin on!?”

“Stop hitting yourself,” Nick teased, controlling the power armor’s actions, “Why are you hitting yourself?”

“Leave me—argh! Alone!”

“Fine, fine,” Nick agreed, putting down the controls, “Run along now, Boomer.”

“Yeah, I will! And Tenpines Bluff is gonna get the blunt of my anger!”

“He just had to push it, didn’t he?”

Boomer turned on his heels and fled.

Just before he was out of sight, Nick pressed a button and the power armor exploded, instantly killing the hostile Raider.

“Yeah, he isn’t going to be messing with any settlements on my watch,” Nick stated, while walking over to his lover. He held out a hand and Sole accepted it.

“Glad to see you’re alright, dear,” Nick said, pulling Sole into a hug and giving them a kiss on the cheek, “Now. Shall we get moving?”

Curie:

“[Name]!” Curie called, “I will get you vree!”

“Like hell you will.” Boomer called, swinging at Curie. She dodged, and then pulled out a knife.

“Zir! I eenzist you stop!”

Boomer grabbed at her and tried to fling her to the side, but Curie clamped onto his arm.

“H-Hey! Get off!”

He tried shaking her off, but she wouldn’t budge.

“Eef power armor ees anyzing like human anatomy, zen— ”

She swung her knife under the crack between the helmet and the chest piece and sparks went flying. She had severed one of the most important wires in the suit.

“Aha!”

“Argh! You bitch, what the hell did you do!? My power armor ain’t workin!”

Curie took a deep breath and calmed herself before mustering a powerful voice, “Leave or eet eez you’re neck...uh...zir!”

The raider grumbled.

“Fine, whatever. This dump ain’t worth all the trouble anyway.”

When the raider had stomped out of sight, Curie giggled.

“Did I zound zcary, [Madame/Monsieur]? I��ve been practicing my inteemidating voice!”

She helped Sole up and pulled them into an embrace.

“I’m zo glad you are zafe, my love,” Curie whispered, “I was truly worried.”

Danse:

Danse didn’t hesitate— he charged directly at Boomer in his own set of power armor.

The raider was taken aback by Danse’s swift response and staggered a bit.

Danse used this moment of hesitation to deliver a powerful blow to the enemy’s fusion core.

“Shit!”

Shards of glass flew in every direction, the dead suit slumping into a useless pile of metal.

Boomer was forced to crawl out of the suit and meet his opponent face-to-face.

“Not so tough now, are you?” Danse asked, towering over the Raider.

“Fuck you,” Boomer cursed, “Why don’t ya come outta your power armor and make it an even fight?”

“I’m not fighting for entertainment purposes,” Danse explained, trying his hardest to keep his cool, “You tried to kill my friend, and I’m not standing for it.”

“Yeah? And what’s stoppin me now, huh? Just cuz I don’t have fancy armor doesn’t mean I ain’t gonna kill [him/her]!”

“You lay one finger on [him/her], you’re dead,” Danse growled, “Leave. Now.”

“Urgh. Fine. None of ya’lls are worth my time anyway. I’ll just go slaughter some stupid settlers. They’re easy pickins anyway.”

Just as Boomer turned his back, Danse picked him up and piledrived him into the concrete ground. The force of the impact made the Raider’s head splatter.

Sole looked appalled and Danse furrowed his eyebrows.

“I...I didn’t mean for his demise to be quite so...barbaric. I just couldn't stand by and let him walk free knowing he was going to murder innocent civilians,” Danse shook his head, “But enough about that. Are you okay, [name]?”

Sole nodded and Danse smiled. He planted a gentle kiss on the top of their head and opened his arms as if to embrace them, but playfully ruffled their hair instead.

“I would have given you a hug, but I’m sure you’ve exceeded your crushed-by-power-armor quota for the day.”

Maxson

“As the Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel, I order you to let my partner free.”

“Big talk from a little man in a fluffy jacket.”

Maxson clenched his fist. “You’re digging your own grave, punk.”

Boomer smirked.

“Oh, really? Well, what are you going to do about it?” He hissed, pressing down on Sole’s back harder. Sole let out a yelp.

“This!” Maxson tossed a signal grenade and within seconds two Vertibirds appeared overhead.

“What is this shit?”

A storm of bullets rained down on the Raider.

“ARGH!!”

Sole got pelted by a few bullets, but the Raider absorbed most of them.

The next thing they knew, Sole was being lifted off the ground

“You’re safe now, sweetheart. Don’t worry.” Maxson reassured, carrying Sole to the nearest Vertibird, “I wasn’t going to let that scoundrel crush you.”

When Sole and Maxson made it into the aircraft, the Elder planted a kiss on their forehead.

“We’ll have Cade examine you for injuries, but you should be alright. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Deacon:

Deacon— who had managed to strip down to his underwear and throw on a brahmin skull— started clapping, prompting Boomer to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

“Wha—?”

“Congrats! You’ve passed!” Deacon exclaimed.

“Passed? Passed what? Who the fuck are you?”

Deacon pretended to be surprised.

“Wha—you don’t know me? I’m Bones. From HQ? I was sent out to test the raider bosses. Yanno, see if they can hold their own against intruders.”

Boomer scoffed, “Well of course I fuckin passed then. I ain’t no pushover.”

“Right,” Deacon smirked, “Well, you’ve earned yourself a shipment of supplies. Just clean up the corpses and let my partner go.”

Boomer nodded and stepped off Sole. Sole took a few moments to recuperate before scrambling to their feet. Deacon winked at them,

“Thanks. We’ll be on our way now.”

When Sole and Deacon had gotten far enough away from the raider boss, the duo loaded up a Fat Man and sent a mini nuke his way.

“Enjoy the shipment, jackass!”

[evabellasworld]

Death of Mandalore

Chapter 6

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

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Summary:  After murdering Chancellor Palpatine of the Galactic Republic, Vanya Doyvesky joined leagues with both Death Watch and Darth Maul, hoping to reclaim her Mandalorian warrior heritage. But with broken promises and betrayal against Death Watch and Maul’s crime syndicate, the former Mandalorian Jedi had to choose the right path not only for her but for Clan Doyvesky as well.

————————————————————————————

As Satine sat on her throne with a frown on her face, she could hear Vizsla's name echoing throughout her palace. Her disappointment ran deep as her vision for a peaceful Mandalore had finally shattered into pieces. Is this how Mandalore dies? she thought. By allowing violence to thrive?

“Vizsla! Vizsla! Vizsla! Vizsla!” the people of Mandalore chanted aloud.

She sighed as one of her aides addressed her, bowing in respect. “Duchess, Pre Vizsla and his men have entered the palace,” he informed her. “Should we stop them?”

“How can we?” she relented. “The people are on their side now.”

The sliding door hissed, revealing Vizsla, Bo-Katan, and Vasilia, facing the Duchess with pride, except for the third one, who was hiding her guilt and shame beneath her helmet. The guards pointed their pikes towards them in defense, but Satine stopped them before more harm could be done. “No, there will be no bloodshed.”

“But Duchess!” the prime minister protested.

“I will not be provoked to violence by these terrorists,” she affirmed, raising her hands.

“Listen, Duchess,” Vizsla pointed out the echoing voices outside the palace. “Do you hear the people? They cry out for change. Your weak-minded rule of Mandalore is at an end. The resurrection of our warrior past is about to begin.”

Vasilia could only sigh as she stood on the podium behind the current leader of Mandalore, her eyes focused on the crowd, who were cheering blindly for their new saviours. Among the crowds, she noticed her parents standing there, clapping along as well.

Mama, who had jet black hair and brown, almond eyes as Vanya and Katrina, locked elbows with her husband, who had dark blond hair and blue eyes, just like Vasilia and Maria. Noticing their eldest child staring at them, the loving couple smiled and waved at her.

Vasilia waved back, blowing them a kiss. Whether she was successful or a failure in life, Mama and Papa always supported Vasilia and her younger sisters, doting on every single one of them. She wished she would be happy for her achievement, but instead, dread consumed her as her focus shifted on Bo-Katan, who was addressing the whole citizen.

“Duchess Satine and the New Mandalorian leaders have fled in cowardice while the Death Watch brought these criminals to justice,” the red-headed woman declared, before turning to Pre Vizsla, who had Savage Opress and the leaders of both Black Sun and Pyke Syndicate Inc chains. “Your new prime minister, Pre Vizsla, leader of Death Watch, exiled governor of Concordia, the true son of Mandalore, presents you with the lords of the most feared crime families in the galaxy.”

“Vizsla, Vizsla, Vizsla, Vizsla,” the crowd roared, making his smile bigger. After years of struggling to return to their old warrior roots, he has finally made it on top. Everything he ever wanted, he has earned it with his own pride and ego, at a cost of innocent lives along the way.

But that was just a small price he had to pay, and it wasn't a big deal for him. Vasilia, on the other hand, couldn't wait any longer to get this over with so that she could check on her sisters, who were waiting for her inside the palace. They wanted to see Mama and Papa and enjoy their box of pizza so badly that she would sprint herself out of here just to fulfill her promise that she made with the

Trapped inside her tight, cubicle cell, the former could only bang on the glass window as she looked at the Death Watch guards, who were now in charge of her home planet. “You cannot hold me here! I am the Duchess of Mandalore!” she warned them. “Your actions will bring our civilization to ruin!”

“Is that you, Satine?” she heard a familiar voice, prompting her to look at the prisoner beside her cell.

“Almec?” she recognised the old man with a long face, who once served in her administration.

“Here for a visit? Or has peace betrayed you, too, Duchess?” he asked, in a sarcastic tone.

“Peace exists only in the minds of the faithful,” Satine sighed, closing her eyes.

“And faith has been the greatest disappointment.”

Only when it is broken,” she argued, turning to him. “What you did for the people as prime minister betrayed their trust.”

And you betrayed mine,” Almec fought back. “Destitution leaves little room for faith. My actions allowed the people hope in your leadership. The supplies I bought on the black market kept you in power.”

‘Another error of judgment,” Satine shook her head, expressing her disappointment towards the leader that was elected by the people who put their trust in him to perform his responsibilities. “The people made willing sacrifices for their freedom. Corruption is not the answer.”

Almec let out a sardonic laugh, as he rested his hands behind his head, leaning against the blank wall. “Then enjoy your freedom, Duchess. You'll have plenty of time to tell me all about it.”

Satine could do nothing but weep, realizing that the peaceful Mandalore that she had built from the ashes had already perished. Her people already stopped believing in pacifism the moment Death Watch decided to hire those lowlifes to wreak havoc on her home, hoping to resurrect the violence in Mandalorian traditions.

She remembered the time when she and her younger sister would hide underneath the bunkers whenever the air raid sirens went off throughout the city on Kalevala. Hearing those sirens, again and again, made her shiver as they sounded as if the dead were wailing in the air, followed by the bombings spreading across the city.

Satine and sister would lean closer towards the parents as turmoil and rampage ensued outside their homes, wondering when it would end. Her eyes and cheeks were soaked as she would beg for a peaceful night, where she could sleep without worrying about Death knocking on her door.

Sometimes, she had occasional nightmares where she was trapped underneath a burning building and was unable to breathe or escape at all. Ever since she had to shelter herself inside a war bunker, Satine would avoid small, tight spaces at all cost, to the point of taking the stairs rather than using the lift to get to another floor of her palace.

Many nights of air raids and bombings made her despise the warrior culture among Mandalorians, along with the wars and the damage that was left by them everywhere they go. The smell of burning flesh, schools that were destroyed by the air raids, and corpses piling up in the city square, was part of her childhood, which pushed her to end this nightmare that she endured when she was younger.

[smylealong]

Year in review - 2020

2020 has been a mixed bag of an year. Where on one hand it has been a raging dumpster fire with a global pandemic, lockdowns, social distancing, online schools, politics, forest fires, Karens and the general sense of ennui that the year brought. On the other hand, the year gave us all time. Time to reflect on ourselves. Time to teach ourselves new things. Time to binge watch. And boy did the streaming platforms make full use of it. Listed below are the best things I saw in 2020. (Across languages and in no specific order.) IT IS A LONG POST. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

HINDI Thappad: Dir: Anubhav Sinha. Starring: Tapasee Pannu, Pavail Gulati, Diya Mirza, Kumud Mishra and Ratna Pathak Shah. On surface level, the premise seems frivolous. After all, it was just a slap. Just. One. Slap. Yet, with that one slap, the protagonist’s neatly organized world comes apart at the seams. From there begins Amruta’s (Tapsee Pannu) journey into exploring the micro-aggressions and tiny slights that she has turned a blind eye to, for the sake of keeping peace. The film never veers into a glorification of violence nor does it get overly preachy. It is a mirror to the patriarchal society and raises pertinent questions about the things that the society as normalized. Things that shouldn’t be normalized.

Bulbbul: Dir: Anvita Dutt. Starring: Tripti Dimri, Avinash Tiwari, Rahul Bose, Parambrata Chatterjee and Paoli Dam.

Horror does not always lie in the things that go bump at night. Sometimes, horror is what society expects of you. Horror is the consequence of not fitting into the role that has been written for you. Sometimes, it is terrifying to be a woman in a male-dominated society. That is what Bulbbul explores. Wrapped in a beautiful package, Bulbbul tells the raw story of a child-bride who is punished, harshly, inhumanly, for acting her age. If you haven’t seen it yet, drop everything and watch it. It’s on Netflix.

Lootcase: Dir: Rajesh Krishnan. Starring: Kunal Khemu, Rasika Duggal, Vijay Raaz, Gajraj Rao.

This was a charming little movie that had me in splits. A story of a simple man who chances upon a bag full of money. What follows is a hilarious tale of lies, deception and comedy of errors. Kunal Khemu proves that Bollywood does not realize just how talented he is. Vijay Raaz’s deadpan comedy and Gajraj Rao’s evil smiling desperation are a delight to behold. I’m smiling even as I am writing this. This was fun!

Raat Akeli Hai: Dir: Honey Tehran. Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Ila Arun, Shweta Tripathi, Tigmanshu Dhulia.

This was India’s answer to Knives Out. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is at his finest as the honest and frustrated (in more ways than one) police officer who finds himself attracted to the mistress of the murdered man. What follows is a tale so full of twists and turns that I could not predict where it is going. When you have Siddiqui at the helm, you are almost certain to get a good film. But when he is backed by stellar performance from the able cast, that takes the film to another level altogether.

Patal Lok: Dir: Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy. Starring: Jaideep Alhawat, Niraj Kabi, Abhishek Bannerjee, Swastika Mukherjee, Gul Panang, Ishvaak Singh.

Wow. Just. Wow. This is arguably the BEST thing that I have seen all year. On the surface this is an attempted murder case. But what it actually is, is a mirror to our society. It is a human story. A story of greed, corruption, power, violence, misogyny, depravity and true evil. It is a story of love, hope, support, kindness and humanity. It is a story of us. My hats off to the entire cast and crew for coming up with something truly special.

ENGLISH

Haunting of Bly Manor: Created by: Mike Flannagan. Starring: Victoria Pedretti, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Amelia Eve, T’Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli.

Based on Henry Jame’s Turn of the Screw, this was a poignant tale of love, loss and pain. While it pales in comparison to its brilliant predecessor, Haunting of the Hill House, and the 1961 screen adaptation of the novel, The Innocents, Bly Manor still manages to be a worthy watch. In Mike Flannagan’s deft hands, we get to see a completely different perspective of the Haunting. I won’t say more, for spoilers, but this was definitely one of the better things I watched this year. Especially since I almost eschewed English movies/series this year. (I did watch some forgettable movies like Extraction and Mulan, but even mentioning them here feels sacrilegious.)

Korean

This year, I returned to Korean Dramas after a long time. My last Korean Drama before this year was Faith that I saw in 2014. Since Boys Over Flowers (Read Kim Bum) is my guilty pleasure watch, I decided to have it on in the background sometime in March or April this year. (Honestly, in 2020, who knows?). BOF took me to The King: Eternal Monarch. And TKEM introduced me to Woo Do Hwan who gave me some of the best times in this year. Three of his dramas feature here.

Save Me:- Dir: Kim Sung-soo. Starring: Ok Taec-yeon, Seo Yea-ji, Woo Do Hwan, Jo Sung-ha, Jo Jae-yoon.

Do you fancy a kick to your teeth? Because that is what this series is. What starts a simple story of a regular family’s struggles upon moving to a new town, quickly turns into a harrowing nightmare in which you are simply the viewer. The story delves into cults and the insidious power they hold. Through Seo Yea-ji’s brilliant performance as Im Sang-mi, we see a K drama heroine who is not a damsel in distress. She isn’t the one throwing the punches, that is done by Ok Taec-yeon and Woo Do Hwan. Still she is the one that leads the fight. If that wasn’t enough, Woo Do Hwan, plays Seok Dong-chul. Arguably one of the best male leads I have seen.

Mad Dog:- Dir: Hwang Ui-kyung Starring: Yoo Ji-tae, Woo Do Hwan, Jo Jae-joon, Ryu Hwa-young, Kim Hye-sung.

What a treat this show is! Smart protagonists pitted against equally intelligent antagonists and a taut plot that rarely sags (It does sag just a wee bit in the middle but it picks up pace very quickly). Woo Do Hwan is fantastic as the ever changing, tough to pin down, Kim Min Joon. The layers in this character! This show will keep you guessing. Every cast member is stellar and no one has a single misstep. A must watch!

My Country: Dir: Kim Jin-won Starring:  Yang Se Jong, Woo Do Hwan, Kim Seol-hyun, Jang Hyuk.

This series brings a set of very complex emotions in me. Don’t get me wrong. I love the series. Its story, characterization, costumes, cinematography, acting, action scenes, OST. They are top notch. A+. But... and this is a big one, this series is also a glaring display of what happens when a writer falls in love with one of their characters. As a writer, I can say that we love all our characters. But it is very dangerous for a writer to move from simply loving the character to falling in love with the character. When that happens, the writer becomes afraid of letting that particular character make mistakes. Or glosses over their flaws. Often at the expense of the other character. Which is what happened here. The writer fell in love with Seo Hwi and Nam Seon ho paid the price. Hwi could literally assassinate people in front of Hui Jae and still be forgiven for it, while Nam Seon-ho gets demonized for trying to save Hwi by telling lies. I could go on and on about how unfair this series was to Seon-ho, but that would be a separate post altogether.

Tale of a Gumiho: Dir: Kang Shin-hyo Starring: Lee Dong Wook, Jo Bo-ah, Kim Bum.

I started this series for Kim Bum (I LOVE THE GUY). I was prepared for some cheesy, goofy fun with some good looking people. But soon, I was watching it for the story. A smart Urban Fantasy with elements of Korean Mythology, this was UF done right! This series made me do research. I am so tired of seeing the same old myths in fantasy that this came as a breath of fresh air. Intelligent protagonists who communicate well (gasp! what? That happens?). A flip-flopping anti-hero. A truly psychopathic villain and a bunch of other well-fleshed characters make for one entertaining watch. I highly recommend it.

Chinese:

K-dramas made me revive the Tumblr account that I had created sometime in 2017 and which lay dormant since then. Soon, my Tumblr feed was filled with gifs and metas of a show with pretty men. I did not pay much attention to it, till a post about Jin Ling’s Uncle made me snort. Even though I didn’t understand what it was talking about, it was still funny. Realizing that the show is on Netflix, I saw the trailer and wasn’t impressed. Then there was the length. 50 episodes! Holee-moleee. “No. I ain’t got that much time,” I said and moved on. But then, I saw a gif of a man smiling. I had never seen a smile that dazzling. There was something about that smile that made me go back and click on the first episode. And in less than ten minutes of the episode, they killed the man whose smile drew me to the show. WTF? But I had seen gifs of him. There had to be more. Then, the show began and I had no idea what was happening. I decided no smile could be worth the brain-cells I am having to expend for this. Chuck it. But people in Tumblr said, hold on. You will understand it. Episode 2, and I still wasn’t sold. I gave it till episode 5. Then, before I knew it, I finished the 50 episodes and currently reside in the rabbit hole that is The Untamed.

Dir: Zheng Weiwen and Chen Jialin Starring: Xiao Zhan, Wang Yibo, and a host of others. I can’t write the name of the entire cast, even though I want to.

PS: In case you don’t know, the man with the pretty smile is Xiao Zhan.

[reverseblackholeofwords]

Bo and Yancy

After weeks spent in solitary, Yancy is fragile, and just as it seems that the Warden has won, Professor Beauregard has a plan to make sure that her jailbird friend is safe from Warden Murder-Slaughter once and for all.

Part Seven: Safe and Sound

“Yancy, look at me, please.” Bo smooths his hair to the side, usually gelled back and shaped just so, now a tangled mess. But even when she can see his eyes, he won’t look up at her. “What did he do to you?”

His fingers curl around the fabric of his pants, and he starts to hum, soft and scratchy and distant, as his fingers clench and twist the fabric.

“I’m sorry,” she says through gritted teeth, through a clenched jaw, through the regret bubbling up in her chest. “I never should’ve taken you away from here. Maybe it wasn’t perfect, but...” Bo looks around. Security cameras are scattered about, in the corners and on the columns intermittently placed around the room. The Warden is watching from his office; she’s sure of that. And there’s not much she can do about it.

But that doesn’t mean she can’t use them to her advantage, too.

“Yancy, I can help,” she whispers. “But I need you to do something for me? Do you think you can?”

His humming rises in pitch a little, the closest to an affirmation that Bo figures she’ll get right about now.

“The Warden let me come here to get you to tell him what he wants to know.” Again, she feels that guilt like hot tar in her lungs and in the arteries and ventricles of her heart. “It’s about my experiments, isn’t it?”

Again Yancy’s soft humming rises in pitch, and he crosses his arms in front of him on the table before resting his head on top. Bo lays her chin down on her folded hands, watching him breathe, shallow and quick like he’s having a nightmare that he can’t wake up from. “This really is all my fault, isn’t it?”

The humming falls a pitch, and she thinks she sees his head shake just enough to toss his greasy, tangled curls.

“Oh, don’t be kind, not now,” she snaps gently. “If I’d never taken you in the first place, the Warden wouldn’t have put you in solitary. Your friends wouldn’t be starving themselves.” Bo shuts her eyes. “But that doesn’t matter now. I made my decision, and now I’m going to get you out of this.”

Yancy scratches at his tattoo absent-mindedly.

“I think he knew there was something special about you, even before I took you away, and now he wants to know how he can use you.” Bo reaches one hand across the table and takes Yancy’s wrist, pulling on it so he’ll stop scratching at his tattoo. “But I’m not going to let that happen. I promise.” She takes a deep breath, the sharp ends of her anger prickling like quills. “So I need you to tell him the truth. Tell him what he wants to know.”

Yancy flinches, pulls his wrist back, and curls his arms across his stomach, hugging himself as his humming turns to a moan. Bo curls her hands on top of the table. “I know, I know, but I’ve thought this through. I think this is the only way, and I’ll be with you the whole time. I know I can get you out of this.” She bites down on the inside of her cheek. “You still trust me, right?”

His eyes slowly rise up to hers, frightened as an injured animal ready to bite and scratch if necessary, but he nods.

“Okay,” she says, offering her hand again, “then let’s go together.”

She walks him out of the visitation hall where two guards are waiting to escort them, and Bo has to restrain herself from gouging their eyes out when she feels Yancy wince back like he’s been struck across the face just at the sight of them. Still, with iron in her spine, she pulls him along behind her.

“Come on. You can do this,” she says as much to herself as to him. “You can do this, just be strong a little bit longer, okay?”

When Beauregard opens the door to the Warden’s office, he’s waiting, but he’s not alone. Bo freezes. A man looking just like Yancy in almost every way stands at the Warden’s side. Only she doesn’t think Yancy could ever look as dead inside--even now--as this... thing parading as a human. He’s like a walking corpse, smiling and all the while decayed and unnatural.

Yancy peeks out from behind her, every bit a child hiding behind his mother as the Warden stands and claps his hands together. “Well, it’s about time, but I really must thank you, Professor. I knew you could do it.”

Bo ignores him pointedly and looks past him to who she might assume is Yancy’s twin if the man behind her didn’t seem just as confused as she is. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Professor Beauregard, and you are?”

He comes forward, dressed in a dark scarlet suit with a sleek black tie and a cane in one hand, offering his other as he says, “You can just call me Mark, sweetie.”

“No,” she says and turns back to the Warden. “So? What is it you want to know?”

Murder-Slaughter smirks. “You’ve got some nerve.”

“Yes,” Bo tilts her head to the side, looking up at him, “I do. And you’re stalling, which is rich considering how long you’ve waited for this information.”

His jaw twitches. “Alright.” Then he looks at Yancy. “You know what I want, tell me why she took you. Tell me why you’re special when I know for a fact that you’re not, boy.”

Yancy holds out his arm, the temporal map with its boxes spiraling out from a long-forgotten center, all the choices laid out before him, and yes, he wishes he’d picked so many different things now. He wishes he could’ve ended up anywhere but here. “It’s this,” he whispers, his voice shaking like he’s not sure how to use it anymore. “Sometimes I can change things, go back and make a different choice and get a different ending. But I’ve only done it once or twice.”

The Warden’s eyes widen, sparkling with wonder as he grabs Yancy’s arm. Yancy cries out as Murder-Slaughter’s fingertips leave bruises from even his lightest touch. Bo takes a deep breath. Patience. She can’t kill him, as much as she wants to. “There, you have your information. Now what are you going to do with him?”

Mark leans forward onto his cane, black eyes deeper than black holes and twice as dangerous, too. “I can think of one or two things...”

“Surely you must know,” Murder-Slaughter laughs, dropping Yancy’s arm. “The reason I’m here, the reason this here penitentiary is built right where it is.”

“There’s an anomaly here.” Bo’s instruments picked up the strange readings around this building months ago. It was what drew her attention in the first place, but even among all the noise, there was another signal that caught her eye. At first, she thought that one of the prisoners must be the source of the anomaly. But Yancy turned out to be nothing more than an innocent bystander, broken for reasons he didn’t understand, and the real anomaly was something outside of him, something about this place.

“For years, I’ve been trying to understand it, drilled down trying to find its source,” the Warden admits as he goes back to his desk and pulls out a stack of files from one of his drawers. “A human shaped hole leads to it, a bright light at the end of a tunnel, so to speak. Of course, I needed to send someone in to see what it was, but I couldn’t go myself. That wouldn’t be very smart, so I needed people who wouldn’t be missed if they disappeared.”

Yancy’s eyes widen. Prisoners did go missing from time to time, ones with no family or friends to miss them on the outside. Only their fellow prisoners would know, and no one believed them anyway.

The Warden always claimed they’d been transferred or escaped or got sick and needed to be moved to a hospital somewhere, but Yancy always felt it was something else, something Murder-Slaughter didn’t want them to know about. Barnum’s picture is clipped to the top file. Something behind Yancy’s eyes sparks, bright and loud and painful, and he winces again. Something he’s not supposed to remember screams his name.

Beauregard presses. “What happened to them?”

Murder-Slaughter shrugs. “How should I know? They never came back out.”

Mark chuckles and adjusts his collar. “A small price to pay for the advancement of knowledge, wouldn’t you say, Professor? But Yancy here is different. Perhaps he might be more useful in gaining that knowledge if he can come back.” He steps closer to her, regarding her from the top of her head all the way down to her high heels. “Maybe you’d like to observe the experiment as well?”

Bo raises her chin. “I would, actually.” And Yancy recoils from her, his hands rising to cover his face to shut out the idea that, after everything, she might really be betraying him, too. “Maybe we’ll both get the answers we’re searching for, right?”

Murder-Slaughter’s smile only widens. “Perhaps. Why don’t we find out?”

[borhapstyles]

Gwil proposing headcannon!!! I would die

listen so i’ve never been to london (but i still wanna live there lol ridiculous i know) but i just took this off how i’d imagine things in Regent’s Canal to be okay!! READY FREDDIE MY GWIL SLUTS

Gwil had known for weeks he wanted to propose to you

It was actually cute, the moment he realised he wanted to marry you

The day itself wasn’t anything special, except Gwil was coming home from America after finishing up Bo Rhap completely and 

he knew how demanding his job could be, you knew going in what your relationship was going to be like a lot of the time

but you accepted him anyways and you were grateful

though it was difficult not seeing him as much as a normal relationship would and if Gwil was honest,

he was scared you were going to leave him because he knew even the strongest seeming relationships sometimes couldn’t pass the Hollywood couple test

but when he came home from the airport that day, at 2pm on a Wednesday when he was sure you had work, he was delightfully surprised

you were sitting on the kitchen counter with a book, the water already boiled and ready for him to make tea with, his favorite biscuits laid out and a patient smile on your face

“you skipped work today?”

“wanted to see you, Gwil, I didn’t want to wait” you simply said

that’s when he just knew 

and so he kissed you passionately

you two made up for lost time under your bed sheets of course

and when you guys were finished, after you two had caught your breaths and just lied their in each others arms, he looked at your sleepy figure

“you’re tired?” he chuckled and you slapped his arm and said “shut up, i also cleaned this house before you came.”

and he’s like “…so you’re not up for round two?” 

jskksks lol anyways after he went down on u and made u cum two more times

he waited till you got in the shower to sorta sigh at the revelation

“i want to marry her” he spoke to himself

and his heart swelled at the thought, it only made him love you more

so when you went to work the next day, Gwil group facetimed the Bo Rhap boys 

and they were like “is there any reason this shit couldn’t wait until you actually saw us”

and Gwil’s like absolutely not, it’s important and i wanna share it

so he tells them of how he’s gonna propose to you

and they’re happy for him of course, no doubt, they love you guys together

but also once Rami is like “so how do you plan on doing it?”

Gwil’s just kinda like “…I-I dunno, really. I hadn’t thought that far”

the guys quite literally all roll their eyes and they’re like “you called us and you didn’t even have a plan”

sO THEY HELP HIM PLAN

I mean Gwil has a general idea, the sweetheart, but he employs the help of his best friends and your best friend and finally they come up with an idea on how to

and when it comes to picking the ring???? Gwil’s the pickiest bitch alive 

He gets to the jewellers with his brothers and Ben who’s already in london

and he has an idea of what you’d love but nothing seems to fit when he’s there so what does he do?

Gwil has the ring custom made, bitch

Ben’s like wow that’s a hefty price tag 

but Gwil literally does not care because nothing is too much or too expensive when it comes to you

in the weeks leading up to it, Gwil hides the whole proposal plan quite well

but he’s terrified Joe or someone will blurt it out accidentally because even if they’re actors they’re terrible at keeping secrets sometimes

on the Saturday of, Gwil says he’s got a surprise for you at dinner

but you don’t really know what to expect because out of all the things this man has showered upon you (i.e. spontaneous trip to Paris because he just can on a weekend, flying you out to America because he just can’t stand to be without you, surprising you at lunch at work because he knows how much you need it most days) 

you really can’t expect much more

and so you’re like alriiiight when Gwil tells you to dress nice

and as you’re driving out through London, just holding hands and chatting with him about everything

you get out to Regent’s Canal Walk in London

he opens the door for you and you two stroll out

it’s not really busy at all surprisingly (i’m not from there so idk if this is true lol)

He has your hand in his and he says “do you remember when we first came here?”

and you smile and say “yes, on our second date. i was scared took me  here to murder me” 

in a sarcastic voice gwil’s like “ah no you ruined today’s plan!” 

but as he slows his pace, he stops in front of the cutest little boat with fairy lights round it 

and you’re like Gwil you didn’t

but he did

He rented out a little boat house for you guys,, where you two would have dinner in

And you’re like did you cook this

and he’s like lol no i was with you all day but friends of ours did

and so then you’re like alright… something’s going on

but you’re like eh and eat the delicious dinner

and eventually, when you’re turned around to grab your phone out of your bag cause you wanna photograph the precious memory

when you turn back, Gwil take your hands in his, towering down over you

you’re wondering why he’s looking at you with such an intensity he never really has before

and he’s like “Y/N, when I took you here on our second date because our first one was so terribly ruined by the rain,”

((he’s referring to the fact that he had a picnic planned for your first date but lmao it rained harder than ever))

“I just knew right away that I didn’t want to let you go. Because even on that shitshow of a first date, I had the best time with you. I knew we could just be sitting somewhere in Hyde Park on some bench with a bag of kettle corn and you’d still make me laugh all the same.”

you’re already crying at this point and Gwil reaches over to swipe the tears away, a light laugh coming from both of you

“And on our first morning in Paris, when I saw how beautiful you looked in the sunlight, bare-faced and all mine, I had to fight everything in me not to just ask you to stay there in bed with me cause I knew how much you wanted to see the city”

and now you have to fight the urge not to just kiss him right then and there lol

“And then on the day that I came back from The States, when I saw you sitting there with your book, the kettle hot because you know how much I need tea after a flight, that’s when I knew I wanted forever with you”

“and this is me hoping you’ll want that with me as well”

“and so, Y/N,” he says before getting down one knee

you gasp and youre like GWIL

“will you marry me?” he asks firmly but his voice is sweet, gentle, as if afraid you might say no

but of course you don’t 

because he’s fucking Gwilym

and he’s the love of ur life

so you say yes and he places the ring on your finger and he kisses you like he had never really before, like it was all your kisses combined 

then you guys get married and have lots of sex and babies if ya choose and happy FOREVER YAY

heh this was kinda fun i hope you guys enjoyed !! lots of love xx