#I HAVE MOURNED THE FACT THAT I WILL NEVER HEAR HIS VOICE AGAIN SO MANY TIMES OVER AND HERE I FUCKING AM. HEARING IT

[mooncleaver]

Love Is The Reason

ღ pairing: gojo satoru x fem!reader, familial fushiguro megumi x fem!reader

ღ warnings: MAJOR JJK268 SPOILERS. pls don't read if you don't wanna know!! slightly cannon divergent

What the hell.

His ears didn't stop ringing as he brought his body up from its position on the surprisingly soft surface, feeling every ache known to man throbbing all over. Megumi felt the cosmic numbness ebbing away like a flash, and suddenly, he could discern the warm cotton wrapped around his upper body along with the linen sheets that lay beneath him. The three—out of many—scars on his face pulled his skin tautly, so close to his eyes where that devil's face wore his for however long this limbo period was. It hurt to open his eyes. Well, it hurt to do anything, but he's thankful that he can see the world through his own view.

Megumi's ears perk up to the sound of poorly attempted hushed arguments. The sound was so familiar that for once in his life, he felt relieved to hear it. To feel that irritation ticking in his chest, the mindless crease that's fully starting to make itself known on his forehead, and that growing scowl—he could truly cry at the return of bodily autonomy.

Nobara was trying to fit herself inside a present-shaped cardboard box while Yuji stood next to the thing, pushing down the lid on top of her head, which ruffled the strands like crazy. Of course, the girl would not stand for this butchering of her beauty. She spent a lot of time trying to look presentable, not that this pink-haired fool would understand.

Megumi is hit with a deep sense of dejavu as he sits up against the headboard, looking back at the memory of Gojo doing the same exact surprise tactic to announce that Yuji was, in fact, not dead after his literal heart got ripped out of his chest. The boy can feel a smile forming on his lips, and he makes no move to try and stop it.

"What are you two doing?"

He sees Yuji and Nobara freeze in their spots, both eyes widening comically. A second passes before the two let go of whatever it was they were contending about, rushing forward to stick their faces into Megumi's. The former vessel looks—well, he looks like he's had better days. He's thankfully clean of all the blood oozing out of his skin when he fought Sukuna for the last time, his usual uniform with the red hoodie looking incredibly pristine, absent of any rips or blood. Still, some are sticking onto his face, notably a darker shade cutting down across his eyebrows as the dried blood clings onto his wounds. Nobara looks happier. God, he thought she died. He was ready to mourn her with all the losses he'd suffered, but for once, Megumi was glad to hear her voice. He welcomes it. She's wearing a black eyepatch on top of the eye that she lost fighting Mahito, and her uniform is equally as clean as Yuji's—Megumi can tell that she's relieved by that fact.

Finally, they're back together again. The trio of first years with lost dreams who've gone through horrible, terrible things now have found hope again—hope that never died within each other.

"Fushiguro!!" The two yell in unison, going in to hug him despite knowing he didn't usually like that kind of thing. But to their honest surprise, Megumi returned the gesture, fully and truly, closing his eyes and letting out a breath. Yuuji and Nobara didn't hesitate to tighten their arms around the spiky-haired boy, be damned the near-death exhaustion clinging to their bones. They may be battered and bruised, but they survived.

After a quiet moment, the momentum was back again as Nobara looked at the two boys with a disgruntled expression, her exaggerated self on display at the lack of reaction to her return. "You know, the class's Madonna, who everyone thought was dead, by the way, turned out to be alive?! You two should be either wetting yourself or crying with joy!"

Megumi didn't even bat an eye, unlike Yuji, who was scrambling out of his mind, replying to her in his usual stoic and flat voice. "I see. My bad."

"So, the bastard is dead then." The Fushiguro didn't phrase that like a question, more so stating a fact. The fact that he was here in his own body, alive and breathing, undoubtedly meant that the curse was dead. It was still surreal to utter, knowing that this was the one thing they'd all been fighting for since forever. Maybe now, everyone who was gone didn't die in vain.

Nobara sounded like she was still in disbelief, shaking her head slightly while she grinned and exclaimed, "Ha! Yeah! Itadori beasted that guy like it was a piece of cake!"

"Eh.. well, it was pretty tough, I'm not gonna lie. I cried a little when resonance was hit." Yuji himself could only scratch the back of his neck at the rare praise, his eyes crinkling into thin lines as he admitted his own emotions. It was kind of daunting to be the one who killed Sukuna with the fact that he used to be the curse's vessel. But out of everything, making that final blow was something he didn't once hesitate on. Yuji was going to finish all this madness. It all started with him and ended with him—the way it should be.

Megumi didn't sound too surprised at the boy's admission, only giving him a look in response. "I know. I saw everything happening inside Sukuna."

"Ugh... don't even remind me. Well, at least you two have the shared experience of being a vessel now." Well, no matter how sour the fact was, it was true.

Breaking his thoughts, Yuji suddenly lit up as he shifted through his pants pockets, haphazardly pulling out the crumpled pieces of paper in his hand. "Oh, wait, guys. I have something for you two. It's from Gojo-sensei. Gojo-san, too, I think."

The pink-haired boy grew incredibly sullen at the mention of both his teachers. He'd miss calling out to the two Gojo's, mixing the couple up despite your previous urgings to the students of simply calling you by your first name. Of course, your husband would not absolutely have that, sneakily going behind your back and basically forcing his students to call you Gojo, too. If he couldn't get the second years to follow, he'd make his own kids do it. The man would not pass on the chance of hearing people call you by your shared last name.

"A letter.." Megumi looked shocked at the fact. His sensei (and self-proclaimed dad who stepped up) never did this kind of thing—seriously, that is.

Growing up with Gojo and his wife, Megumi knew the white-haired sorcerer never strayed away from being lighthearted and childlike. Despite witnessing the lanky heir change from the bratty 18-year-old who approached him as a child in the streets into the mature, married man he was the last time, it just wasn't in his nature to be doing some sentimental things like this. That was more like something you'd do. From the daily lunch notes, deep-meaning gifts (that he still kept to this day), and the affectionate texts you'd always send, he would wager that you might've been the one to drag your husband to write the letters. But, knowing that Gojo probably had a feeling that he wouldn't make it out of the fight, it's not impossible that this truly came from him.

Nobara chuckled at his tone of voice, silently agreeing with his disbelief. Gojo was definitely not the type to do this.. it unsettled her.

"I feel you.. this is totally not like him. It's slightly gross to even imagine him writing letters.."

Though, after reading, she crushed the piece of paper in her hand, pursing her lips. Yuji noticed this, facing her to ask what it said. With slight hesitation, Nobara revealed that it contained information about her mother's whereabouts. To be honest, she wasn't sure how to feel. Some part of her still longed to feel her love.

"Oh, did you even want to know in the first place?"

She shook her head as she looked down, leaving no room for the topic to be continued. "Not at all."

Suddenly, they heard the very, very rare sound of Megumi's laughter ringing out from the bed. Gojo would've bawled knowing he made his son laugh. It took a moment for them to snap out of the shock, seeing the fresh face of their friend's smile. He looked like a brand new person—content, young and carefree. It was refreshing.

Megumi hasn't felt this happy in a long while. He expected that the message wouldn't be some deep, meaningful thing, but out of everything, it was a joke about how he killed his biological dad. He wasn't sad, surprisingly. Megumi never really knew the man that left him and his sister to fend for themselves, and the memories he had of him weren't great. At least he found some closure. The boy shook his head, reading the familiar and large handwriting of his father figure. You'd think that it'd be messy, but as the former heir of the Gojo clan, Satoru was a trained guy in the art of handwriting. He wouldn't be caught dead with scribbles.

Unfortunately your father isn't around anymore!! Cuz I killed him!! Sowwy!! :P

Short, simple, and kind of foolish.

He bit back a grin. Even in death, the man couldn't take anything seriously.

Beneath it was a softer and more serious note. From you, of course. Megumi did not doubt that you wrote this to make up for your husband's short message, writing a heartfelt one that he could sense even before reading. The two of you must've known that this was not a fight you would come out of. And as much as that hurt him, Megumi was glad that he was in your last thoughts. It meant a lot to know that you and Gojo believed he, Nobara, and Yuji would live through everything.

Firstly, don't take this idiot too seriously. If you're reading this megs, we're probably gone, but hey, you're okay! Live your life fully okay? Don't forget that you're still a kid in the end. We're always looking out for you, sweetheart. ♡

There was a chibi doodle in the bottom and a sweet greeting that said,

— Love you beyond infinity, mom & dad

Megumi could tell that this was Gojo's handwriting. It was meant as a joke (the boy didn't call Satoru dad very often, despite calling you mom. It was kinda cringe.) but he accepted that sincerely. You two were his parents, biological or not. He loves you so much.

And he'd promise that for you. For Satoru, too, to be honest. To live life fully. Ever since he knew what living meant, he never intended to live a proper life. The absence of his biological father and the death of his mother left an untreated wound in his heart, altering his mind in a way that left him isolated—a recluse from the world, almost. The only thing that used to keep him going was his sister, Tsumiki. Now she is really gone. But then, everything shifted when he first saw Gojo Satoru.

It was a big change to have people to look up to. To have a mother. Megumi called you mom way before he even considered Satoru as his father figure, and it was one of the most precious things in life. You never took that for granted, always spoiling him and treating him like he came from your own womb. You knew you'd never take the place of his biological mother, but you wanted to be someone the boy could rely on in such a cruel world. It was a bit strange when Satoru first brought up the idea of raising the Fushiguro boy. You were both still 18, barely even adults with so much pressure and responsibilities. But you knew, from the moment you saw this poor boy getting dragged home by your boyfriend, that you'd love him like no other.

You and Satoru gave him and Tsumiki a home. An unlikely one, but a home nonetheless. You gave him a love like no other, an unconditional, wholehearted, and absolute kind of love, even when the two of you were struggling. It was a type that couldn't be described by words and only felt. That, along with the friendship and true family he found within Nobara and Yuji, made him realize that even if he didn't live his life for himself, there were others in the world. Other people, whether that'd be a mother, a father, a sister, or a brother could give everything meaning. A reason to keep going.

At first, he only lived for Tsumiki. To use everything he had to save her. But then he found himself living for you, for Satoru, for Nobara and Yuji. Once more, he would try again. This wasn't a chance he'd take for granted.

Reading the note made Megumi feel a kind of warmth he hadn't felt in a long time. The kind that he last felt when you hugged him tightly and kissed his forehead before everything in Shibuya happened. That was probably the last time he saw you happy and alive. The world was dull when you died. A victim of that son of a bitch curse Mahito. That was a loss like no other, so incredibly painful and numbing.

At least you died in an honorable way.

After that, he didn't know how to function. Tsumiki, Nobara, and now you. The boy felt half of his soul chip away.

Your husband was even worse. Inconsolable. Watching his wife die in front of his eyes before getting sealed the second after. When the man came out of the prison realm, anyone could tell he wasn't the same. There was no chance the old Gojo would ever return. And sure, he was still lighthearted, but Megumi could tell there was a weight in his gait—the heavy burden of the loss of his darling wife dragging down every word that came out of his mouth. He saw the sadness, longing, anger, and pure vengeance in his eyes. It never did go away. Not even when Sukuna butchered the man in half. At least now, the two of you were together in the afterlife. Megumi truly hoped that. He didn't believe much in that kind of stuff, but for his mother and his father, he prayed for a final peace to be granted.

That hope—along with the one amongst the living pushed Megumi to go on. To not just survive but to really live. Even beyond that, there were others too. His cousin, Maki, who was thankfully alive, and even Toge and Panda.

This was love. That unanswered purpose of life. It's to give love and find love in others. Love is why people do crazy things: to sacrifice the world, to sacrifice themselves. That's why he kept living even when his own dad disappeared or why he kept fighting to keep his sister alive. Love is why, despite the grief, Satoru still fought for you, for your memory, and for your efforts. Love is the reason he's alive.

And if anything, Megumi learned that when you have people in your life, you'd do anything to keep them in it. That's what you and Satoru taught him. Waking up in his own body again and greeted by the sight of his best friends—that was one of the biggest blessings he has ever received.

For his family, he would do anything.

i'm fucking crying. like actually. 3 chapters to go until this manga ends and i still can't fathom everything happening bruv

btw, this is what i imagine the letter would look like haha. half cannonical cuz it's the panel translation!! excuse my handwriting um

also sorry this isn't really proofread lol, i really wanted to post!!

dividers @cafekitsune @i-mmaculatus

[dragon-kazansky]

When the raven calls

Morpheus x Female Reader

You, his raven, die protecting Jessamy while rescuing the Dream Lord. When Morpheus returns to his realm, he mourns your loss, only to find a stranger waiting for him in his throne room. The stranger claims to be you, now in human form. He doesn't understand, but his raven will always watch over him.

{Masterlist}

{Next Chapter}

Notes: This story will follow the series on Netflix. This is separate from my other fic that I wrote. This plot was given to me by @missdreamofendless 💕

Chapter One - Loyal little raven

☆☆☆

You are perched on the steps looking up at your king. Lord Morpheus was about to leave the Dreaming in search of a Rogue nightmare. It was very rare this happened, and he didn't often visit the waking world. There were many dangers in doing so.

However, you knew your king and knew he could handle this. You just wished he would permit you to go with him. You look up at him with your beady raven eyes.

"You are coming back, aren't you?" You ask.

"Why would I not return?"

"I don't know... I just have a bad feeling about this. You know what he's like. Wouldn't it be better if I went with you? Just to keep an eye on things?"

"No. I won't be long. Wait for me here." Morpheus gazes at you. You sigh and nod your head once.

"Fine."

Lucienne looks concerned, too, but doesn't voice it. She stands with her hands clasped together, looking up at him. You fly from the stairs and land on her shoulder.

Lord Morpheus put his helm on. He leaves for the waking world, surrounded by his sand. He's gone just like that.

Lucienne looks at you. "Come join me in the library while we wait."

"Yeah, okay..."

You fly on ahead. You knew Lord Morpheus could more than handle himself, but you're just not sure today was the best day. You've had a bad feeling from the start. Just the terrible thought something would go wrong.

You wanted to be proven wrong.

In an hour or so, you were certain he would return with The Corianthian in tow. All would be well again.

Lucienne took a seat at her desk and began to go through her books. You landed on the edge and decided to help the best you could. Jessamy even came by to help, too. Lucienne was adamant about keeping you both busy until Dream's return. She was good like that.

So good, in fact, that several hours passed before you were done. It was only when the last book was on the shelf that you realised a whole day passed and your king had yet to make an appearance.

Lucienne realised too.

"Why hasn't he come back yet?" You ask, looking up at her.

"I don't know. I'll go search for him."

"I'm coming too."

Lucienne knows there is little sense in arguing with you. With you flying over her, she makes her way around the palace. She asks residents and staff if they have seen any sign of their king. No one had an affirmative response.

The fact that if he had returned and not immediately came in search for you was the biggest worry. Lucienne knew you were his most trusted confidant.

You were very clearly worried about him. She could hear Jessamy trying to come up with reasons why he may be late. They weren't helping much, but you also didn't seem to mind her doing so.

The throne room is the last place you both check. By then, you have lost all hope. You land on his throne. The librarian can see from your behaviour how dejected you are.

"I'm sure he's fine."

Her reassurance is appreciated, but not quite enough to cheer you up. Your king was still gone and worry had settled within your feathers.

All you could do was wait.

☆☆☆

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years. Lord Morpheus had not returned to his kingdom. The residents of the Dreaming had become divided by his disappearance. A majority of them left, either to search for their lost king, or because they believed he had abandoned them.

You never thought such a thing. He would not abandon his home, his people, his responsibility. He took pride in being the dream lord.

You waited every single day.

The mkre time that passed, the more you wondered what coukd have happened. Something had clearly gone very wrong. Had The Corianthian hurt him? No. Despite being a nightmare who ran away, you didn't believe he would be Dream's demise.

"Where are you, sir?" You curl up in your wings, just wanting him to be safe.

Sleepy sickness set in among the mortals. Some either could no longer sleep or would not wake up from sleeping. They were suffering now that the Sandman was gone.

Lucienne stayed in the Dreaming. She was loyal as anything. Jessamy also stayed, wishing her beloved king would return.

Then there was you. You would never abandon your beloved Dreaming. Your home was here. All the centuries spent serving Lord Morpheus meant more to you than anything. You were his loyal raven.

Sleep eluded you. You could not rest without his presence in the kingdom. Lucienne had noticed from the day he disappeared that you could no longer sleep. She worried about you. Most of your days were spent in the throne room waiting.

Jessamy would do daily tours around the now crumbling kingdom to search for any signs he might be back. So far, nothing.

Your hope was dwindling.

A few more years pass, and there is still no sign of him. You had been badly affected by his absence. Lucienne was even more worried about you. The bond you shared with Lord Morpheus was much more than just two companions working together. There was clearly an invisible bond that tied you both together, and it was breaking the longer he was gone.

Jessamy started to visit the waking world. Lucienne wasn't so sure about letting her go, but she eventually caved in. Jessamy was doing this for your sake. She was worried about you too.

For the longest time, she came back with no news. Then, one day, in England, she caught wind of an interesting conversation. A supposed demon trapped in a basement.

Rodrick Burgess. A magic user, apparently. Insanely rich and powerful. Jessamy had gone to investigate where he lived.

She could feel him. She could feel Lord Morpheus close by. She had never flown home so fast before. She immediately went to Lucienne, who no longer had a library. It had vanished over the years along with most of the Dreaming.

"Lucienne! Lucienne!"

The librarian looks up and sees Jessamy flying in at high speeds. She goes in for a landing and stumbles. She's too excited to slow down right now.

"I've found him!"

"What?" Lucienne looks at the raven in confusion. Her mind went straight to her finding something on their king, but that can't possibly be true.

"I've found him!" Jessamy says, her voice full of hope.

"You have found the Dream lord?"

"Yes!" Jessamy flaps her wings.

"Are you certain?"

"Absolutely certain. I felt him. He's being trapped in a basement under a manorhouse." Jessamy explains.

Lucienne looks up. "We must tell her."

Jessamy nods her little head and takes flight again. She flies right toward the throne room. Lucienne does her best to keep up with the raven.

The throne room doors open, and Jessamy flies in, heading right for the throne. You lift your head to look at her as she comes over. She seems happy.

"I've found him!" She tells you.

You stare at her. Lucienne approaches the stairs and looks up at you. "Jessamy believes she has found Lord Morpheus."

You look back at Jessamy, who nods at you. "He's being kept prisoner."

You stand up and stretch your wings. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"Are you sure you wish to go?" Lucienne asks.

"At the very least, I need to know where he is. Jessamy can come with me. If we can free him, we shall."

"Very well. Return soon. I do want to lose either of you as well."

Both you and Jessamy nod and take flight. You follow her. Lucienne watches you both go, wishing that all goes well.

☆☆☆

You land in the tree with Jessamy and look down at the fancy house. It's huge. Clearly, this Rodrick Burgess is wealthy. However, you hate the man with a passion.

Just like Jessamy could, you sense the presence of your king. He is here. You are certain it is him. You try and seek that connection you share with him, but it's weak. Still, you hope he felt you trying to get through to him.

"He's definitely here." You say.

"Yes. I'm certain of it."

"What do you know of this house?"

"Not a lot. Many people come and go. There are guards everywhere. However, I think if we can get inside, we can definitely work out a plan and get in there. I am certain he is being kept below the house."

"So we just need to find a way to him." You take a good look at the house.

"Should we go back and make a plan with Lucienne?" Jessamy asks.

"No." You look at the door of the house. "If he's here, I want to rescue him as soon as we can. I say we go for it."

"Are you sure?" She asks, uncertainty in her voice.

"I've never been more of anything. We can do this together. Let us go and see what they have done to him."

Jessamy nods and lets you take the lead into the house. You fly down and through the front doors. You find somewhere to land and examine the house.

There aren't that many people inside, it seems. Jesssamy comes up with a plan to start a fire. You watch her fly into the office. She sets the room ablaze. Jessamy rejoins you, and you wait. You follow her gaze to what you assume is the basement door. It's got its own security system. The door opens, and two people come out. Both you and Jessamy instantly fly through it.

The door leads to some dark stairs. You both go in and land on the rungs of the gate inside.

You almost can't believe it.

There he is. Lord Morpheus. He's completely naked and trapped in a class cage. His eyes find yours, and he slowly stands. You feel relief as you see him. You and Jessamy fly over to the glass cage. Morpheus raises his hand to where you fly above him. You would cry if you could.

Jessamy starts tapping into the glass as hard as she can. You realise she's trying to break it. You snap back to reality and join her. Both of you fly into the glass as hard as you can. Dream watches you. If you can break the glass, he can tell you what to do from there.

The sound of a pair of footsteps echoes behind you, and you stop tapping the glass to see a young man with a shotgun. You panic as he aims for Jessamy.

"No!" You gasp. You fly into Jessamy, who loses her balance and tumbles out of the way. The gun goes off.

Dream is left heartbroken at what remains of you. Jessamy gets out of there as fast as she can, leaving her beloved king behind.

There is barely anything left of you on the ground. Morpheus can't tear his eyes away as they fill with tears. There's a deep searing pain in his chest that takes hold of his heart. He kneels down and delicately reaches out as if he could touch your body.

Rodrick orders Alex to dispose of your body, and then he leaves. Morpheus watches as Alex picks up what remains of your body and drops it into a wastepaper bin.

He can't even bury you like you deserve.

Alex looks at Dream and then leaves quietly.

Morpheus curls up in his prison and stares blankly ahead. He won't let his tears fall. Alex Burgess would get what's coming to him. One day.

Morpheus will get his revenge.

☆☆☆

@missdreamofendless - @kpopgirlbtssvt - @sitkafay - @snowsatsu - @ladyofketterdam - @thoughtsfromlayla -

[radioisntdead]

Partner in crime

Alastor x gn! reader

Warnings: OOC, death, inaccurate portrayal of getting shot

Song used

You and Alastor had known each other for years, you were close childhood friends at least you thought you were,

You remember your mothers calling the two of you a couple of peas in a pod, or partners in crime,

It was funny, who would've thought the two of you would actually become partners in crime.

Maybe if you didn't have an unhealthy codependency on Alastor you wouldn't had ended up like you did.

When you're gone I feel alone again

You scrubbed away at the floor, cleaning away any remnant of the blood that was spilled that evening, Alastor had gone to bury the remains of the poor man he had slaughtered.

The voices cannot hold my hand

You would lure them in, you were good at lulling others into a false sense of security,

They keep me company at very best

and he'd kill them when they least expected it, sometimes you felt guilty but Alastor would be quick to convince you that your guilt was unnecessary, that the people whose lives the two of you stole away deserved it.

Distract me from my loneliness

They did deserve it right?

Maybe I'm just an anomaly

You continued scrubbing the floor clean, but no matter how hard you scrubbed you could never wash away the fact that someone had died there

Even my demons have their families

You wondered how their families reacted to their loved ones death, were they mournful, were they joyful? Did they not care? Did they even notice?

Truly something must be wrong with me

Would anyone notice if you died? Besides Alastor you didn't have many friends, sure you were kinda friends with Mimzy but that was only because of Alastor, and your family, well, let's not talk about that.

You really didn't have anyone but Alastor, and you were alright with that, if you had Alastor the rest of the world could burn for all you cared.

To need you as much as I do

You heard the door open, you hurriedly dropped the towel into the bucket of now cold water, grabbing another rag you wiped away the remaining liquid.

I was never meant to win

You smiled up at Alastor from the ground.

I was never meant to win

"Welcome back Alastor!"

I was never meant to win

Codependency is truly more harmful then people give it credit for.

You'd sacrifice anything, anyone just to remain by Alastor's side, just to see him smile which he did often.

Here's the reigns

You had done this who knows how many times,

Take ahold of me

Lure them in, hand over to Alastor and then clean up the aftermath while he hid the corpse.

Please don't let me go

You didn't change the routine by much, there wasn't much of a mess this time so Alastor asked that you tag along with him this time.

You do the talking

You held the lantern lighting his area as he dug a deep grave, wouldn't want the body resurfacing anytime soon right?

Sew up my mouth if I can't keep it closed

You whispered something to him before he climbed out of the hallow grave getting ready to put the poor soul he had mercilessly killed in it.

There's a dog barking right around the block

He had just gotten done burying the corpse, you were sat comfortably on the ground with the lantern in your lap, he reached out his hand to help you up.

You both froze when you heard the unmistakeable sound of dogs barking.

And a big ol' whistle blow

Alastor looked at you and you looked back at him, you quickly took his hand to pull yourself up, lantern in your free hand.

Run for it

The two of you ran, you could faintly hear the leaves crunching underneath your feet, the cold night wind stinging your face.

I'll keep em occupied for you

The barking got louder, and you tripped over a tree root, lantern falling onto the grass the candle inside falling just at the right angle to extinguish leaving you in the darkness, the only light coming from the moon and stars above.

Alastor kept running, did he know you fell? He wouldn't abandon you right?

Cause I love you, I love you so

You got up, not bothering to dust yourself off you continued running, you couldn't see Alastor.

Left me hangin at the station

You heard shouting.

Where was Alastor? Did he notice you were missing yet?

But you'll be back for me soon

You saw a glimpse of light.

I'm 'bout to die

You didn't even have time to make a noise as a gunshot was fired into your chest, you fell to the ground.

Where was Alastor? Did he get away? Or was he shot down like you were?

Yet the only thing I find i'm worried about is you

You shakily put a hand to the place where the bullet had just entered you, honestly it didn't hurt as much as you thought it would.

Something tells me you aren't coming

Your vision began to become blurry, was it the blood loss? You didn't think you'd die that quickly,

Would you get to see Alastor one last time?

Guess that I'm truly doomed

Alastor didn't notice you were gone did he? Or maybe he did? Did you really think a future cannibal, present serial killer like Alastor would come back for you? You were a liability.

I'm 'bout to die

It was funny, you knew what kind of person he was and you still held out hope that he wouldn't abandon you.

Yet the only thing I find I'm worried about is you

You still held out hope even as your blood covered the forest ground.

Tears swelled up in your eyes as you gazed up at the night sky,

You wondered if Alastor was looking up at the sky too, maybe he had gotten home already?

I'm 'bout to die

It was a good night to die, the last sight you'd see would be the star filled night sky.

Yet the thing on my mind seems to nearly be nothing but you

Alastor let out a string of French words as he turned around to go fetch you, hoping that you weren't too far behind.

I overhear your brain when it's close to mine

Branches and leaves crunched under his shoes as he sped through the woods.

Oh, I know that we're not the same

Your hope that he'd come back for you was slowly dwindling, the voices from before had disappeared, maybe they had fled, maybe they didn't know what they did, or maybe they just didn't care.

My heart's on the line

Alastor stopped by a tree for a moment to catch his breath, the only source of light was the moon and stars above.

I'm just a pawn in your game

To Alastor you were a expendable friend.

Not your partner in crime

In all reality though, To Alastor you were everything, he'd go through hell and back if you asked, he'd take down the most ruthless of people if it'd make you smile.

And you're slowly killing me

You felt tired, you wanted to close your eyes but you fought to keep them open.

You didn't want to die.

Taking your time

Alastor continued running, soon enough he stumbled upon you.

You're slowly killing me, taking your time

With red soaked clothing you laid limp on the ground.

You're slowly killing me

"[Name]? Mon étoile?"

Taking your- I was never meant to win

You smiled as you heard Alastor's voice.

You're slowly killing me

You didn't know if you were imagining it or if he really came back for you,

Maybe it was a last act of comfort given to you before you died.

Taking your- I was never meant to win

Alastor leaned down beside you, he gently put a hand on your cheek.

You're slowly killing me

You smiled at him, just barely being able to mutter an "Alastor."

And yet I don't mind You were never meant to win

You couldn't keep your eyes open anymore.

You're slowly killing me,

The last thing you saw was Alastor, and the last thing you heard was another gunshot.

But please take your time

At least the two of you would be reunited soon enough.

Good evening folks! Originally I was supposed to post the murder Valentino with JoJo Siwa playing in the background fic today but I hit a slump with the ending and plus I think may have eaten something unfortunate because I feel sick so uh, BACK TO BACK ANGST Y'ALL, ALASTOR TODAY, TV MAN TOMORROW!

[yanderes-galore]

I'm so excited for this! Do you think you could write a story for the original Freddy Fazbear (from FNAF 1) where he keeps reader after he traps them on a suit and reader's soul possesses it?Reader wakes, trapped in a robot and is forced to stay inside the pizzeria, with Freddy. Do it's a Freddy Fazbear with possessed animatronic! Darling

-🦊

Sure! I decided to do some HCs and a small drabble/prompt (not exactly 100 words but it's short) for this as I couldn't tell what you wanted? I had this down as a concept but re-reading this you said story so I did a little of both!

As per usual, no dead kids involved. The only one possessing anything is you. The bots are treated like they are in Security Breach.

Yandere! Freddy Fazbear with Haunted Animatronic! Darling

(Small HCs + Short Story)

Pairing: Platonic/Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Death, Accidental murder, Possession, Manipulation, Isolation, Kidnapping (technically), Gore, Graphic descriptions, Forced companionship.

HCs/Concept 🎩🐻🎤

I've mentioned many times that Freddy may accidentally kill you to keep you with him in his concepts.

In an attempt to keep you hidden in the pizzeria he no doubt hides you in an extra suit.

That or he tries to fit you in his.

Either way, these bots aren't really known for being careful when doing such a process.

Most likely by accident, Freddy may push a little too hard.

Resulting in your demise.

In an attempt to keep his dear pal with him, one who just wanted to go home, he kills you.

This fate for you would happen if any of the FNAF 1 animatronics tried to keep you.

When Freddy realizes your screaming for him to stop has ended... he thinks you've accepted your fate.

He feels joy within him at the thought of keeping you here to himself.

Then his sensors kick in... and he does a quick scan over the robotic suit.

His ears twitch as his optics pick up on something out of the ordinary.

He sees blood pool out of the holes of the suit and stain the fur.

He sees strange matter pooling near certain joints.

Dread starts to seep in as he takes a better look at the suit he picked.

Maybe the suit was another bear suit, or maybe even one of your favorite animal that was scrapped.

Either way Freddy can't take his optics of the now bleeding suit.

He isn't sure how to react.

Fear starts to creep into his processors as he realizes he may have just lost his pal.

His paws shift around the suit, trying to find a heartbeat.

When he doesn't find one the bot pauses and stops.

He can't fix this.

He knows it was an accident but he's scared he can't get you back.

You most likely don't haunt the suit until some time after.

After your death Freddy goes back to his programing dejected.

When the day is over he mourns your loss in silence.

His friends (Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy) try to comfort him as they sense something off in his behavior.

Yet Freddy is never quite the same outside of performances.

Things don't change until he hears shuffling from the other room.

During the night shift Freddy makes his way to the Parts & Service room to figure out the noise.

What he's greeted with is a confused animatronic looking around the room from a table.

The same place you died.

Freddy then decides to engage, saying your name softly as the other bot turns around.

You responded to the name, yet just stare quietly.

Then... he hears your voice through the voice box.

"What have you done to me... why am I here!?"

Freddy knows somewhere in his coding he should be concerned.

Yet he's too excited about the fact you're back.

All he can think about is the fact you've come back to him!

He never lost his pal!

In fact, he made them better!

Now he's made you a part of the band!

Forever.

Freddy would try his best to comfort and help you in your new robotic prison body.

He tells you what animal you are and is overly excited about it.

He though he'd lose you forever!

You may be scared but he's happy.

He's so scared to lose you again he often visits you in the Parts & Service room to ease his worries.

During the night he allows you to roam and walk with him.

He even allows you to speak with the others!

Now and forever... you'll be a part of their family.

You hate this but it's not like you can cry about it.

You lack the tears, your original body crumpled somewhere in this prison.

All you can do is sit still throughout the day and roam at night.

You can't escape Freddy, either.

The bear is now never too far from you, glowing blue eyes staring at you in the dark.

Now... you two can play forever.

You won't need to leave him ever again.

You'll have fun here forever.

Short Story 🎩🐻🎤

"Are you still in there?"

You cringe as metal grinds together. It's your joints that make the noises as you look around your little room. Endo skeleton parts and costume heads line shelves and you recognize this as the Parts & Service room from your job.

Days ago you recall pain. You remember dying to the bear you thought you could trust. He claims he had remorse. Had... yet now he only appears happy.

You refuse to answer the voice behind the door in an act of defiance. All you do is look around the room through old robotic optics. Is this... really your fate?

The creaky sound of the metal door opening only fills you with disappointment. Blue optics meet your own as the bear scans the room. Once he sees you he enters but you still refuse to move.

"It's 12 AM, you know what that means, don't you?" The main bear asks in an excited tone. You only blink at him blankly. The bear ignores your silence and smiles.

"I've been waiting all night to play with you, pal!" Freddy cheers as he stalks closer. You take this time to get yourself off the table and keep your distance. "... are you mad at me?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" You answer, your voice both sounding like your own yet also the character you're supposed to be. It's foreign... you don't like it.

But supposedly it's part of you now.

"I didn't mean it!" The bear pouts. "Besides... I'll keep you company all the time now! You have all the friends you could ever want here!"

"I want to be alone." You say simply, turning to look at a wall.

"Pal... don't do this. You'll enjoy your time here." The bear's tone shifts in annoyance.

"And if I don't?" You say softly and turn around, sadness in your tone. You feel a robotic hand pat your back and feel glowing eyes stare into your back.

"You will. You have me and the others. This is your home now." Freddy repeats, finding his way to your stained paw to pull you towards the door.

"This place should be much better than your original home. Now you'll never abandon us..." Freddy pauses, locking optics with you. "Now you'll never abandon me."

You feel nothing as you're forced to follow the bear. Mechanical clanking is all you hear in your auditory centers as he guides you into the main stage room. You're met with a smiling Bonnie and Chica... you feel homesick.

You just want to go home... but after your little incident and the look Freddy keeps giving you...

You have a feeling you have to make this your new home... like it or not.

"Why don't you join our band, pal?"

[eybefioro]

Weekly fic rec, by yours truly...

The wind stills ruffles our hair, still shakes the leaves of the trees. The world keeps on spinning. People still walk on the streets, still keep on their routines. We share old stories, old photographs, old memories. We offer each other a hug, even if it can only do as much as wave the cold away. Sometimes, that warmth is what we need to sooth the aching lump in our throats. Sometimes, it just makes it hurt more, but we need it all the same.

I was living my life like normal, until I saw this post. I wasn't prepared to have the ground shattering beneath my feet.

The Ordinary World, by Anti_kate

Rated E, ~24,8k words

My tags: intense, cathartic, beautiful

Summary:

He couldn’t quite remember what Aziraphale smelled like anymore, the particular combination of fresh bread and sea salt and cedarwood, the caramelized sugar of crème brûlée. But even though he couldn’t remember the scent precisely, he knew the bookshop didn’t smell right. It didn’t smell like Aziraphale. It was as if he’d never been there at all. Aziraphale disappears the night of the bookshop fire, and Crowley is left alone and grieving. But death is not always the end.

Hm. This fic spoke to me in such a level. Cut me deep and dissected my feelings in such a way that I didn't expect -- so I'm sorry in advance. This will get a bit personal, and I don't know to which extent everyone can relate to this story, and to which extent is me projecting my own experiences.

So, this can be a particular experience of mine, but I don't see many stories dealing with grief. In the movies, TV shows, books, etc. that I've watched and read, it's an uncommon theme. I find that interesting because even if it is different for everybody (and if every time it hits differently), everyone experiences grief. In the same way that everyone dies, everyone also feels the pain of grief.

We see characters dying and characters suffering for it, but the grief per se is uncommon. And I think that's because it happens a lot in one's head, it's not a linear process, it's complex and painful, and it's never the same. It doesn't even end. We never really stop mourning. We go through our days, and the grief is with us. We work, and it sits by our side. We laugh, and it warps its arms around our shoulders. We cry, and it constrict our voices. We eat, and half of it goes to its belly. We walk, and its weight slows us down. We learn to live with it, we grow around it, but that hollowness is always there, never fulfilled again.

And this story taps into that so well (for me, at least). It describes so well the sense of loss, the sense of emptiness, the absence that lingers. How everything hurts, how it feels for the world to end, and nothing changing. For it to end and people still being the same, doing the same things. For it to end, and for you to confront the fact that it means nothing, really; you still, somehow, have to keep going, you, somehow, are still alive. The world ended, nothing changed, and you still have to breathe.

All that is left is your memories, and they aren't even the same anymore. You can't exactly remember them, but your body does. You get assaulted by them. You get haunted by the ghosts of the people you lost -- you can hear their voices on the back of your mind, you can feel them on their words, on the things they owned, on the things they did. You listen to a song and BAM! there is their ghost singing those lyrics, hoping to that rhythm, a memory that you didn't know you still had. Their ghosts haunt you. But they're gone. They don't exist anymore, only being alive in the past; only still in the memories, in memories that, more often than not, will die with you and cease to exist when all that's left of you is the memories on other people's heads.

We see Crowley go through that. We see him hurting like we (maybe *I*, lol) hurt. We see his suffering upon losing Aziraphale, and how he hurts himself trying to stop hurting, and unfortunately, the hurt is inescapable. He sacrifices a lot to get answers, to try to get close to Aziraphale again -- and what wouldn't I sacrifice only to be able to hug the people I lost ome more time...

But the good news is that he can get Aziraphale back. And he does. The plot is amazing. The descriptions of how he does that and the twists are amazing. This fic is so poetic, and the ending is so beautiful. Reading Crowley getting Aziraphale back was incredible, especially after seeing (experiencing, really) the hurt.

I love how the author wrote this story, their prose is beautiful. Haunting. I loved every bit, and I felt so seen, hugged by Crowley's hurt; he getting back something that I will never be able to was great. It comforted me a lot, even if it hurt (and it did hurt a lot lol I still have a lump on my throat and did cry yesterday because of it, but it was a good type of cry. One that makes you feel good after).

This fic made me feel a lot, and I'm so grateful for it (@antikate I'm sorry for tagging you I just want you to know that I loved your fic so much, and I for sure wasn't able to get that across by my comments there. Rhank you so much for this story) It's so beautiful and... aaa alright time to end this rec. I babbled a lot and said almost nothing, I feel like. Just go read it (not for everyone, I know, but yet...).

This fic is like drinking a too-sweet beverage to try to swallow a too-bitter med. Like making popcorn when you feel sad, because that's what they did when they felt sad.Like keep on living and laughing, because they would like you to.

[theangelsheardyou]

Purpose! AU

Tags: major character death, depressed chuuya, hints of soukoku, hinted dissociative amnesia, decay of angels chuuya, fyodor pretty much wants chuuya to join him lol he's so whipped

I'm planning on drawing for this au too, but the quality of the pictures will be bad if I post them thru my phone. So here's my art account, posted straight from my drawing tablet, it's mostly mha art so far but I'm going to add hints of bsd in there too.

Art acc: @god-shit-girl-art

"Everything you have, and everything you've lost, I'll give it a purpose. Your past, your present, and your future, give it to me. And I will give you purpose."

Chuuya laid achingly amidst the softness around him. Linen sheets and silk pillowcases danced around him on his bed, and yet, he paid them no mind.

A heart can only take so much. But in his case, it seemed as if it had nothing left, nothing to give, nothing to own, nothing to fight for.

It had been 2 months since Dazai mysteriously died. He feels guilty for the fact that he cannot even remember how it happened. The death of his....someone....and his mind couldn't even grant him the decency to remember.

It was like that in cases of trauma. Just like the heart, the mind can only take so much before it breaks. Shattering like a mirror, some pieces will inevitably break apart, never to be seen again.

All he knows is that before he died, however he died, Dazai had used his Ability on Chuuya. And now that he was gone, so was his Ability. Chuuya no longer has the power of gravity manipulation, but for some odd reason, he wasn't mourning over it.

Whether Dazai had left him a note, a phrase, a word, or anything at all, he didn't know. It was all a part of the shattered mirror that was his mind. He couldn't even remember how he died, or if he even left him anything. Part of him wished, prayed, begged for this to all be some sort of scheme, one of Dazai's old tricks. He wasn't dead, no, this is just part of his plan. Somehow, some way he and the ADA will fix this mess, and they'll be together again. Someday, any day now.

....right?

The creak of a large wooden door could be heard from across the room, reminding Chuuya of where he was. He didn't bother getting up, or even looking in its direction. He laid there like a lifeless dog, after losing its owner.

"Nakahara Chuuya," came a voice. Deep and laced with an accent. Chuuya knew who it was, and was half-hoping to hear the sound of an ADA member, telling him to get up and that Dazai needed him for the next phase of his plan.

When Chuuya didn't reply, footsteps answered instead. The sound of hard leather soles against the expensive polished wood, it rang in his ears. He never bothered to really listen to them before.

"I have to admit, it was hard to find you," said the man, tall and slender, his shadow doing justice to his sleek and mysterious nature.

"This penthouse of yours, seems far too big for just one person. However I do believe you'd been visited many a night, correct?"

Asshole.

Did he just call Chuuya a whore?

Perhaps it was the thinly veiled insult, or how Chuuya just realized that a powerful enemy whose strength outweighed his own was now in his bedroom, but the ginger found the strength to sit back up. However slowly and groggily, with his hair a red-orange mess that framed his face and a dress shirt unbuttoned across his chest. His blue eyes seemed more grey, now that Fyodor looks at it. Were they always this dull?

"What do you want you anemic son of a bitch," Chuuya said, it wasn't a question.

Fyodor didn't answer. Instead the two stared at each other, one with eyes posing no threat and one with eyes that couldn't pose any even if it wanted to. In his mind, the Russian compared the man's blue-grey eyes to that of an empty glass. Nothing to give, nothing but potential.

"Dazai's dead." Chuuya said finally. His voice was hoarse and he could taste his thick saliva. How long had it been since he brushed his teeth or combed his hair? Was he wearing the same clothes he did that day 2 months ago? Or was it that night?

"I am aware, yes." Fyodor said, his voice and demeanor unwavering. What did this asshole want?

Chuuya looked down, facing his hands that laid aimlessly on his knees, legs folded, blankets ruffled and forgotten. There were wounds on them. Why were there wounds on them?

"However, I am not here for him."

Chuuya looked back at the dark-haired man, noticing a change in his attire. His coat that had once terrorized countless innocents in its dark tone was now white, with dark feathers around the collar. He could barely see what was inside, though.

"You look unwell." He said.

"Yeah? Great, thanks." Chuuya retorted sarcastically. "That's what I was goin' for, actually."

Fyodor chuckled at his comment, voice deep and alluring.

"You know, Chuuya, a man is only as great as his biggest weakness."

"Fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Fyodor maintained his smile, and began walking to the side of the room slowly, leather shoes rhythmically playing the wooden floor like a piano. Slow and steady, each note just like the last. Like it was leading up to something.

"It's a story of power. Lose and obtain. Give and take. Something must be lost in order for another to be found."

Fyodor took one of the floor-length curtains in one of his pale, slender hands. His illuminating lilac eyes remained focused on the redhead.

"You lost one of your biggest crutches," He said. "And in turn, one of your biggest weaknesses. Ride a bicycle with training wheels, and you'll never truly learn to ride without them."

"Wait a second," Chuuya finally gained the strength to speak again. "Are you talking about Dazai?"

Fyodor nodded, as if he was happy to hear Chuuya was on the right track.

"The man was a necessary loss. The final stepping stone to your metamorphosis. Because of him, and everyone who you've lost before, you now have the choice to become something greater."

"And what's that?" Chuuya scowled. "Another one of your chess pieces? Another pawn to your sick little game? Dazai is dead, you've won. What more could you possibly want from me?"

"Ah, you take the king away," Fyodor said, "but the queen still has all the power."

With that, his hand flew to the side, opening the curtains wide enough to see the world below it, the world outside. Cars and streetlights, people out on the town, the moon shining just as bright as before, as if nothing had changed.

"Even without your Ability, I believe you still have the potential to create more," He said, staring up into the stars.

Chuuya emerged from the darkness of his canopy bed, the first time he stood on his own two feet in ages. He walked to Fyodor's side, entranced by the light of the moon.

"Ah, how fitting for it to be a third quarter tonight." Fyodor said.

"A what?"

"A third quarter. Only half the moon is visible tonight, the other is shadowed in the dark. And yet, it's still just as beautiful, no?"

Fyodor faced Chuuya, albeit having to look down a little bit to look him in the eye.

"Everything you have, and everything you've lost, I'll give it a purpose. Join me, give me your past, your present and your future, trust it with me and I will give you a new purpose."

Fyodor stretched his hand out to Chuuya.

"Together, the moon will shine even brighter than before."

"What do you say, Chuuya Nakahara?"

[starheirxero]

See, I genuinely thought, Solar's death broke me-

NOPE, IT WAS EARTH AND LUNAR'S REACTION, BECAUSE BY GOD, THIS AMOUNT OF EMOTIONS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ILLEGAL- MY POOR HEART-

Earth's everything broke me! Kat did such an outstanding job!! Earth finally cracked under the pressure… She's been trying so hard to keep it all in, to solve it herself quietly, and now her entire world is shattered, because her best friend is dead, and she may never see him again! This was a full on mental breakdown, and I swear, I was crying till my hands were shaking- The way her voice cracked, and got louder and louder, yet she still felt the need to apologize for not holding it together, as if she wasn't in the right to mourn, to grieve, as if she didn't just lose her brother. Because that's what he always was, even, if he didn't see himself that way! He was their big brother, and their anchor! He just never took the title, because he was afraid to intrude, to hope too much, because he didn't see himself as worth it! Not to forget her fear, that if he were to come back, he might end up like Moon, without memory…

Before that, I almost broke when Lunar fell to their knees- They can't even process it! Both of their siblings were crying, but even when their voice broke, they didn't. Instead, they've been pushed back into the numbness they came back in, trying their best to help out, but not being sure how- Their robotic brain is trying so hard to keep them stable, turning off their feelings by doing so, because the moment they come back, all hell will break loose-

Monty's scene also broke me for some reason- Their immediate reaction to seeing Earth cry, and trying to calm her down- I loved his insistence when it came to Lunar as well, because she likely knows what's going on in their head! They heared them say "I'm okay", and instantly replied with "nope, you are coming with us!"

God, even Sun and Moon… Sun sounds so tired, there's so much grieve in his voice! He's trying so hard to be of help, but he can't, not as long as the wounds are fresh... And Moon, Oh dear- The fact, that he barely even reacted to Eclipse! He sounded so damn exhausted, and so done, telling Eclipse that he can't stop him… Before also admitting, that he saw Solar as a brother, but never said anything for Solar's comfort!

Solar truly thought he was replaceable, thought he wasn't worth what he was worth. Yet so many people cared for him, loved him, and are trying so hard to hold out to hope to get him back! If only he could see it…

-Stardust

RIGHTTTTT??!?!?!!!!??!!!!!???????? HEAD IN HANDS EARTH'S GRIEF ACTUALLY MADE MY CHEST TIGHT I WAS SO FUCKED UP ABOUT IT. THIS IS HER FIRST PROPER LOSS. SHE HAD PLANS WITH HIM. SHE'D JUST BEEN TALKING TO HIM. HE WAS JUST THERE FOR HER!!!! 😭😭😭

AND GHOD YEA. SUN HAVING TROUBLE EVEN SAYING IT AND LUNAR SHUTTING DOWN AND MONTY DOING HIS BEST TO HELP EM AND MOON JUST BEING SO WHOLLY DRAINED. Everyone is going through it and its KILLING MEEEE 😭

AND WITH HOW SOLAR THOUGHT OF HIMSELF IN THE FAMILY DON'T EVEN WITH ME I WILL START BAWLING I'M SO FUCKED UP THAT HE NEVER GOT TO KNOW THE FULL EXTENT OF HOW MUCH HE WAS LOVED. STARTS PUNCHING AIR

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Season 3 Rewatch Drabbles: 3x16 It's not Easy Being Green

Note: I don't know who created the above gif. If you're the creator, reach out to me, and I'll add an attribution.

Summary:  A series of 100-500 word drabbles to accompany my    rewatch of season 3 of Once Upon a Time.  There will be a drabble–either a deleted scene, a “fix it” fic or a character musing for each episode of the season.  Focus will be on Emma, Henry, the Charmings and Killian–with an emphasis on Captain Swan’s epic love story.

Word Count: 649

Other Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) (28)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Emotions swirled within her that evening as she heard the knock at her door at the B&B and opened to find her son and Killian–windswept, smiling, excited–standing before her.  So many emotions, she wondered how they could all exist within one person and not tear her apart.

Grief over Neal’s death, anger over the Zelena for causing it, frustration that they’d survived the recent encounter but still been thoroughly trounced, relief that her son at least was safe and happy, something like butterflies at the very sight of Killian, guilt that she might, possibly, perhaps, in some small way feel….something…for him.  Not love of course!  Couldn’t be that, but…something.  But yes guilt that she could feel anything for someone else when Neal had just died, anger at Neal for his bull-headed stupidity in getting himself killed.

Yes, all of that, but above all, an overwhelming desire to run.  A part of her deep inside knew things were more complicated now, that she couldn’t just run back to New York, to the good life she’d thought she had, and forget about all of this–Storybrooke, magic, being the savior, her family, Henry’s family. Killian.  But the fact that she knew that was the case didn’t make the desire lessen.

Why, why, why couldn’t she just have an ordinary life?  A peaceful one?  One where she didn’t have to worry about some sadistic green witch turning her son into a flying monkey?  One where she could have an ordinary job (albeit one with more than a little danger and unpredictability)?  One where she could have a perfectly ordinary (even if kind of boring) man to love?

He was lying to you.  He was really just another one of Zelena’s flying monkeys, the honest part of her that she could never completely drown out pointed out helpfully.

And there it was.  Even her happy, ordinary life was an illusion.  But she’d built a happy, normal life for herself and Henry.  She could do it again, and she could put all of this behind her.

At least so she told herself when she was alone, when Killian wasn’t standing in front of her looking at her like that–like he knew her, really knew her to her core and loved her anyway.  It was terrifying.

“How did the queen fare against the witch?” Killian asked as soon as Henry disappeared into their room.

“She survived, but the rest is definitely more than a doorway conversation,” she said a little dismissively.  But Killian deserved more than that.  He deserved at least a little gratitude.  “Thanks for taking him.”

Killian smiled wistfully.  “There’s more Bae in your boy than you realize,” he said sadly.  

She could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice.  It was easy to forget–especially after the idiots the two of them made of themselves over her in Neverland, but Killian cared for Neal too, mourned him too. She prepared to say something comforting, something to let him know she understood and was there for him like he’d been there for her, but then he continued and touched on the heart of the issue.

“He needs to know about his father, Emma,” he said gently but firmly. “You can’t just take him back to New York when this is over and pretend like none of this is real.”

The fear, guilt and need to run bubbled up again, and she knew she couldn’t deal with this any more tonight. 

And so she ran.  Rather than answer, she smiled sadly, said good night and disappeared into her room.  One day, probably one day soon, she’d need to confront the truth of what he’d said, but that day was not today.  Today she just needed to shut him out, listen to her son gush about the fun he’d had with Killian, and pretend like normal was still possible.

NEXT CHAPTER->

[sorayah2]

Sensory Lovers| Neteyam x oc FF

@Sorayahluvs on Wattpad

✠ ━━━━━━━ Chapter 1

✠ ┏━━━━━━━━

✩°̥࿐୨୧

When is it going to end?

They are forced to leave. Again. Their village, their people, and their way of life to start all over again.

Neteyam is enraged by this to his core. They had already lost their beautiful hometree. The Omatikaya hometree which served as the ancestral home of the Omatikaya clan; it was honeycombed with natural hollows and alcoves in which the Na'vi slept, ate, wove, danced, and celebrated their ties to Eywa. Regrettably, it was obliterated by the RDA's security forces using high-explosive missiles after driving the Na'vi out with tear gas, forcing the remaining inhabitants to relocate. During the attack and collapse of the tree, many of the Omaticaya perished.

His own bow is made from the wood of the fallen hometree. And Neteyam never got the chance to witness it in its prime, when it stood proud and was exalted by the people. He only heard the heartbreaking tales from his grandmother and those who were fortunate enough to survive. The people who are still mourning their lost loved ones, are gradually recovering.

Then it was their second home, destroyed again. Gone with all of his childhood memories.

The thing he is certain of is that the man will stop at nothing to get his hands on Jake's skull. He is capable of and willing to destroy anything in his path to accomplish that ambition.

His parents are under stress without a firm plan. His father only cares about keeping their family safe. He cannot afford to endanger any more lives because of him yet again. Jake suffers from guilt that refuses to go away, not even with time. He can still recall. Everything. He recalls every detail vividly, as though it all happened yesterday.

The screams.

The blood.

The gunfire.

The sorrow.

Everything.

He wants to—no, he needs to change that. And the solution he came up with is to resettle his family far away as possible. So, no more innocent blood will need to be shed. Will that work? He's uncertain of the possibility, but he has hope. He begs for the small miracle.

Jake only asks that they cooperate with him on this and understand. Even though he'd never intended for them to be in this situation, things do happen.

Neteyam is trying to. It's unfair, nonetheless.

He's not just leaving his home; he's also abandoning his special someone. For 4 months and a half, they've been dating. He was in love with her ever since they were little and had been hesitant to ask her out as they grow up. Eventually he grew a pair and confessed to her at her birthday celebration; to his surprise and delight, she accepted and also admitted her secret feelings for him.

Neteyam had a few crushes here and there but none of them compared to his feelings for Yayìu.

She's his first and hopefully last.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear the knock on the door until the repeated attempts and the voice of his mother calling out his name. Startled, he cussed under his breath and set the bags down.

"Uh—yes, come in!"

Neytiri entered the room with strays of food, while maintaining a straight facial expression. Her eyes swiftly scanned the space.

"I wonder why it took you that long to answer." She asked suspiciously. He's a teenager, and the very fact that his girlfriend hangs around here didn't go unnoticed. Neytiri is supportive of their relationship, but by no means will she tolerate any sort of inappropriate behavior in her home.

"Nothing! I guess I was zooming out..." He defends himself. "Sorry about that, mom."

"Have you started packing yet?" She placed the strays on his nearby table (crafted by Jake).

He nodded. "I already have, and I packed Tuk's too."

"Aw, that's so sweet of you, thank you, darling!" She gives him a smile and ruffles his hair before squeezing the tall boy into her embrace. Neytiri appreciates that her son assisted with one of the tasks that needed to be done because a lot is taking up much of her time. Truth be told, she can always rely on Neteyam for these things. He's a very helpful child.

Neytiri eventually noticed Neteyam's foul mood when he simply hummed instead of giving her the traditional bear embrace.

In order to gain a better look at his face, she gently drew him back by his shoulders. "What's wrong, Teyam?"

"I don't wanna leave home, mom. This is where we belong. We should fight for it. Do you think whatever clan Dad has in mind will just accept us? We're outsiders with different cultures." He finally voices out the words that had been gnawing at him from the inside after keeping them to himself for days.

"Listen, I feel the same way you do. I don't want to leave our village either—our whole lives here. However, as your father said, we really have no other choice."

"Another war is not what we should bring upon our clan right now. We've lost many, many over the years." She gulped to hold back the tears, as her beloved father crossed her mind. Before he died, he handed Neytiri his bow and told her to protect the clan, leaving her devastated with a purpose she holds dear in her heart.

Neteyam still with his eyes glued to the floor, nodded. "Okay, mom."

Neytiri smile sadly and caress his hair. Her identity is tied to her clan; the daughter of their former leader, she has grown into a leader in her own right.

While Jake Sully found a new world and home in Pandora, Neytiri broke many traditions to be with the man she loves. Along with the loss of her father, her home on sacred Na'vi land, and many of her people in the war with RDA. This has continued with Neytiri and Jake starting their precious family between the events. Happiness didn't last long enough with the return of the humans and RDA, now they must find a new safe haven, which will pull Neytiri even further away from her roots.

This is mainly about their safety; sacrifices will be made.

"We're going to be together, we'll get through it together like we always do because us Sullys?"

"Stick together." Neteyam chuckled dryly.

"Exactly. Now promise me you'll look after your siblings please, especially Lo'ak." Knowing about her youngest son's behavioral issues, she stresses the term to make herself clear; she will need to worry about Lo'ak in a new unfamiliar environment. Great mother eywa.

"I promise. Also, did you made the food or Dad?" Neteyam gave her the gaze, eyes pleading with his mother to rescue him from the dreadful mess that is his dad's cooking.

Jake's recent occupation has been trying out different ingredients that the kids are absolutely not so pleased with. Neteyam and Tuk try to be nice, meanwhile Kiri and Lo'ak go haunt by themselves to make their own food or eat at home when it's Neytiri who cooks. Hell no will they let that man kill them from food poisoning.

Neytiri muffled a laugh. "No, I made it, don't worry. It's all your favorites, go eat." She assured him and started walking away.

"Not yet, I have to go find Yayìu."

"Eat first then do that." His mother said sternly, shutting the door behind her. She needed to prepare Lo'ak and Kiri's meals before they return from wherever they are.

—༚༅༚˳✿˳༚༅༚—

After eating, Neteyam immediately headed to Yayìu's house. Neytiri would've surely strangle him if he wasted the meal, plus he had barely eaten since this morning due to lack of appetite. He manages to eat everything, though. Your stomach has to be fed; it doesn't care about your problems.

He didn't find her there, then again, it's rare for Yayìu to stay home and not go outside to enjoy the forest.

As he was walking, he spotted Nan'ti, his girlfriend's best friend. She was weaving alone while singing one of the folk tones. They only interact in Yayìu's presence to avoid any possible misunderstandings. Nan'ti herself knew better; she knows her friend and the grave consequences of upsetting her.

Regarding Nan'ti's character, he didn't really give it much thought. She has a calm demeanor and seems genuinely uninterested in life. She doesn't speak unless spoken to, and she responds if she feels like it.

"Hey Nan'ti, where's Yayìu? She wasn't at home, I've looked for her."

Nan'ti slightly shrugged. She prepared to reply something like, 'I don't know,' or any other excuse she could master, but she paused to give Neteyam a long look before saying, "She's by the river."

Neteyam thanked her and headed further into the forest, having an idea of which river she was referring to.

He noticed the eclipse has begun. And Neteyam defines it as an entirely new experience each and every time. The beauty of the forest is absolutely breathtaking, especially at 'sun-down' as the scientists and his dad sometimes call it. Transforming the forest into something even more exotic, the bioluminescent plants emerge as animals' rustle through the brush, calling out to one another, and disappear into the darkness.

A world truly ablaze with ethereal light. Everything native to Pandora glows, including trees, seeds, moss, waterways, and even the creatures. The peculiar luminosity is celestial; the lichens become like a carpet of stars. The organisms' function like a neural network, all connected to each other symbiotically. This aesthetics of joy are ultimately what makes their world so alluring, valuable, and desperately worth saving.

Neteyam soon arrived by the river and could hear noises. As Nan'ti said, his girlfriend was there laughing with one of the village boys, Zakum, and her friend, Suki. He rolled his eyes and slowed down his step. For some reason he never got along well with Zakum, so he doesn't like to stick around him.

"That little bastard should learn his lesson now." Zakum said with pride, feeling a sense of victory from the fight he had just won against a much weaker opponent. The youngster, who was in front of a group of other teenagers, kept his ground despite knowing he couldn't defeat a fighter like Zakum.

"Sad thing, he lost miserably after all that talking," Suki snickers.

"Yeah, you kind of went too hard on him." Yayìu said, not that she cared. A fight is a fight.

Zakum smirked. Winning brings him satisfaction, beating up lesser beings is what a guy like him enjoys. His strength was witnessed and applaud.

He stood up, yawning. "I have practice tomorrow, I'm out."

Yayìu and Suki waved him goodbye.

Thank goodness he left, Neteyam waits to see if Suki will do the same then he can be alone with Yayìu.

"So, I heard the Sully family is moving soon?" Suki spoke, twirling a piece of her braid between her fingers while casting a few quick glances Yayìu's way. Of course, that's not news to her, who's dating a Sully, and if she's being honest, Suki's not even sure why she started like that. She had to somehow start this conversation; that's what popped up.

Yayìu chuckles, a soft smile appearing on her lips as she questionably looks back at Suki. "Unless you literally live under a rock, everyone in the village knows that. They're all discussing it."

Suki nodded. "Right, uhm what about you and Neteyam? Have you talk to him?"

Yayìu tenses a little at her question. She cleared her throat, "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I mean."

"Well, we haven't seen each other that much since he told me about his family plans. I understand he has a lot on his plate to worry about. He is needed by his parents and siblings during this time. And I've been busy with stuffs also." She explained.

"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it, Yayìu. You're only telling yourself those excuses for your own comfort. I think it's best to just tell him what happened." Suki tells her honestly.

"Why are you pressing me? What's your deal?" Yayìu's eyes snap to her face, features hardening because she doesn't want to hear any of this. Suki's interrogations are starting to irritate her. Why is she so engrossed in her business? Nan'ti is far less annoying.

"I'm your friend, Yayìu. I don't want to sound as if I'm judging you...I feel like he deserves the truth. You got what you wanted."

"And I feel like you should mind your own business, stop being comfortable butting in mine. Just shut your mouth, you're—" Before Yayìu could even begin cursing Suki out, she noticed a movement out of the corner of her eyes and turned to see Neteyam approaching them.

She hardly registers the frightened gasp that escapes her lungs, thoughts of him overhearing this stupid convo which was never supposed to happen fills her insides with rising anguish.

Her heart sinks as soon as she meets his gaze; his expression is practically unreadable, but clear enough to tell her he heard them. All thanks to that annoying girl. She should've silenced Suki earlier. Why didn't she simply ignore the pest? This is a whole forest, damn it; anyone could've stumbled upon them here, and the only person she dreads of hearing and finding out this way is standing right in front of her with an empty face.

She panicked, "Neteyam—w-what are you doing here?"

When 'tell me what' makes it out of his mouth, she swallows and tries to move closer to him, but he instantly stops her, keeping a considerable distance between them.

"It's nothing important. W-we were just talking and--" She stutters, struggling to form her words.

Suki quickly left. She earned her ticket to go meet eywa for sure, Yayìu will kill her. But she didn't think she's at fault. This is Yayìu's problem.

As Yayìu takes long, deep breaths, he notices her trembling hands and realizes her state screams nothing but a person who's been caught for their wrongdoings. She's making him very nervous, and he's not even sure what secret she's hiding from him. It must be related to their relationship based on the way she is acting; it can't be a good one. He's so confused.

Their eyes meet, sharing a similar discomfort and he swears, he can't stand the tension any longer.

"Since it's a rude thing, I'd Normally apologize for eavesdropping, but I'm not gonna do that, because I wouldn't have found out you're keeping secrets from me, Yayìu." He sighs, "Whatever you're hiding, get on with it."

The smallest intervals of time seem to last an eternity. Neteyam who's impatiently staring at his girlfriend, is completely unconscious of the internal struggle she's experiencing. This isn't how she imagined the outcomes. Things were going along smoothly, then all of a sudden, they flipped. No doubt she'll lose him, and she must accept the consequences that came back to bite her in the ass.

Yayìu blinks a few times, she has no choice but to tell him since there's no point beating around the bush. "I, uh, after we confessed to each other and broke the news to everyone...someone in particular didn't like it."

Neteyam carefully listens to what she was saying.

Someone. Who could that someone possibly be? Her parents? They barely acknowledged Neteyam and Yayìu's relationship. All they wanted was for him to treat their daughter right and make her happy as he should.

"Please understand that I do care about you. I really do, Neteyam. It was something that happened in the heat of the moment, and I.." Yayìu paused, biting her lip. He frowns at that and casts her a disapproving glare, fighting to maintain his composure.

"You cheated on me," Neteyam doesn't ask, he bitterly uttered it as he lets his anxious sentiments that have been consuming him ever since he overheard her and her friend's conversation flow.

There's a beat of silence.

"He kissed me first..and I kissed him back..." She mumbles, gaining the courage to look at him again with guilty features.

Neteyam felt a ping hit his chest. He's speechless for a minute, staring at her completely dumbfounded with parted lips as his brows furrowed, too shock to speak.

She kissed another man yet always avoided any physical touch during their relationship. Not that he ever pressured her to do things with him that she didn't feel comfortable with. They weren't dating for that long, and he himself wanted to take things slow till they were both ready to go deeper in it. Truthfully, he'd never make a move. Was he not interested in her physical? he didn't have the answer to that. He hugged her once, she quickly retreated, he assumed she was scared, and he apologized.

"Like I said, it was in the heat of the moment. I had feelings for you two, and you confessed to me first. I was okay with that, thinking that I'd be happy with you. A part of me resisted when he made a move out of jealousy over us, but the other part gave in. I guess despite my effort, my feelings for him remained."

"Who is it? Who'd you cheat on me with?" He finally whispers, taking a short and shaky breath.

Yayìu close her eyes and shook her head. "Zakum..."

How fucking hilarious. She betrayed him in favor of a dude who's obsessed with competing against him at any given opportunity. Zakum despises Neteyam for all that he stands for. He has his reasons. Neteyam is the eldest son of well-known heroes who led the clans against the Sky People and successfully defeated the human invaders. Even the entire tribe gathered to celebrate his birth, and he's favored for his strong and confident demeanor. He's a great natural athlete and excels at all things, being nearly unmatched in hunting prowess among the other young members of the Omatikaya clan. He's an expert at archery and the youngest of the clan to make a clean kill on a sturmbeest hunt.

Zakum is undeniably popular with girls for his appearance and his own athletic abilities, but Neteyam still holds the upperhand. He was more irritated by Neteyam's lack of effort to recognize him as a rival.

"Why?" He swallowed.

"If he's who you wanted why did you have to bring me into it? You could've just rejected me. I wouldn't hate you for it. Instead, you fucking used me for such bullshit. What kind of fucked up game is that?!"

"Uhm..." Yayìu slowly trailed.

Because he was necessary to her. The priceless piece of her puzzle. Dating Mr. Perfect skyrocketed Yayìu's popularity, as it would for any girl in the clan. She gained lots of attention from said girls, who dreamed of being in her place. She'd listen to people praising her and telling her how lucky she was. She watched as girls (whom she'd dealt with later on) threw themselves at him, desperate to catch his attention.

Girls gush over him, and other guys aspire to be him. Those qualities are what attracted her to him. Basically, he's a catch and having what many desired made her feel powerful.

They were an attractive couple, she's pretty and he's an eye candy.

As for Zakum, he wasn't any different. She has no actual hope for their fling relationship either. She's using him as well. Afterall, he's a playboy, from whom she holds zero expectations. She had her eyes on them both. Now that Neteyam is practically out of the picture, she luckily fetched herself a rebound in advance. It doesn't matter how long that'll last, as long as she's on top of having to date those two guys.

"I'm sorry." There's no sign of sincerity or falseness in her apology. Two plain words that she simply felt the need to say, to look humane.

Neteyam scoffed, "I bet."

"Oh whatever! We were going to be separated anyways, you're leaving and might not come back. I'd move on someday." Yayìu shouted, swaying her arms in the air.

"Are you serious? You cheated way before that, Yayìu. What the hell is wrong with you!" He exclaims, running his hand through his hair as he tugs on the braids in frustration.

She pursed her lips, staring at him. She can't change anything. What's done is done.

He sighs, "Nevermind, just forgot it. Let's pretend nothing ever happened between us."

Does he honestly want to stay with a girl who has it in her to be so selfish and heartless? Heck no. Then, perhaps this is a blessing in disguise which she shown her true colors and not much later when they are bounded with kids. He'll take this as a learning experience.

"I hope you can have it in your heart to forgive me. You were actually a great boyfriend, so thank you."

Neteyam cringed. What was he supposed to say to that?

"Witch!" Lo'ak suddenly jumped out from atop of a big tree, yelling while throwing fruits directly at Yayìu. Kiri accompanying him.

Yayìu gasped and quickly stretched her arms in attempts to protect herself. "Stop it! Are you crazy, you brats?!"

Poor Neteyam barely reacted to the outburst, he was holding himself back from crying. Not in front her, and his siblings. She's not worth his tears, he tried to convince himself.

"Keep 'em coming-" Kiri was told by Lo'ak. She continued to give him the fruits, grinning.

"Ow! Ow—How dare you, four fingered freaks! You'll pay for this!" Yayìu screams in pain.

"How dare you cheat on my brother, bitch! I always thought he lowered his standards for you, you're not even all that." He yells back.

Yayìu couldn't believe those offensive remarks. If he wasn't hitting her with those fruits, she would've grabbed the brat by his ears and taught him how to speak to a lady. An outcast like him should grasp his place in this world. How dare he!

When Lo'ak purposefully increased the strength of his aims, she had no choice but to hastily flee and shouted that she won't forgive their disrespect.

Laugher erupted from the two siblings as they high fived each other.

"I guess we Sullys have a thing for eavesdropping." Neteyam mumbled to no one in particular.

"A creature was chasing us after we accidentally stepped on its tail; we ended up here, and Lo'ak decided to be nosy when he heard that cheater and her friend. He wanted dirt on her, and honestly, same." Kiri explained in details. She shifted to be by his side, soothingly rubbing his back.

"You alright, bro?" Lo'ak asked his older brother, a tone full of earnest concern.

"It's her loss. You're way better off without her, Teyam. You deserve better."

"Kiri's right, plus you have us."

"I think that's more of a curse than a blessing." Neteyam groaned, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Bro what?? We're awesome and we're here for you! Nothing's stronger than family."

Neteyam would be lying if he said he wasn't affected by this. It hurts. It's a huge blow to the ego. He trusted her. That's why he never questioned her relationships with other guys she called her friends. She took him for granted, his feelings, his heart. No one with real love for a person would betray them like this. She was the girl he saw a loving future with. Maybe they might split up at some point, but that was another day's worry. This is too soon and damn painful.

Well, it all did become clear. It had little to do with him. She preferred another guy. It didn't mean he did anything wrong or wasn't good enough. It was her choice. Instead of being a good and honest person, she lied to save her own face. He knew he had kept his integrity throughout their brief relationship. He knew he was good enough. He knew he had plenty to offer someone else. And he knew he'd rather be by himself than with a she-wolf who would lie and use him.

He shrugged, "Let's go, mom cooked."

"Okay, c'mon." Both Kiri and Lo'ak's arms were securely wrapped around their older brother's slender waist as they swung their bodies to escort him back home. They granted him a moment of peace to himself.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A/n: Helloo. First chapter, finally~ I'm actually looking forward to a lot of things.

Check it out on Wattpad and vote! Thank youu

Enjoy꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

Today would have been Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny's 48th birthday. Instead, it has been almost four months since he was murdered in a Russian prison on February 16, 2024.

The depression, anger, and heartbreak many of us feel over Navalny's death continues. Nobody can imagine the pain and suffering of Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, his parents, and his children, who have been cruelly deprived of a loving father. It is an injustice.

The man who ordered the killing, Vladimir Putin, remains in power. The terrorist infrastructure built around totalitarian control over Russian citizens and assassinating dissidents is still in power. The hideous, evil war that was launched to help validate Putin's dictatorship continues.

While not comparing my response to those of Navalny's family and friends, I personally have found it difficult to watch Navalny's investigations, to reread the articles I collected documenting Russia's corruption, or to hear his voice since that Black Friday. He often began his videos in a simple, personable manner: "Hi, it's Navalny." It became a trademark. For many of us, the fact that we won't hear him say that phrase again is deeply painful.

This is without claiming any special connection to the man. He was exceedingly brave, and such people both make us feel inadequate and yet make us better. They make the world better.

Navalny focused on the theft of Putin and his cronies, because it was through theft that the current Russian dictatorship came into being, from Yeltsin to Putin. It was through theft that both Yeltsin and Putin defrauded the Russian election system, violated the Russian Constitution, and evaded justice for their crimes. It was through theft that Yeltsin and Putin were able to launder their brutal foreign wars as campaigns in the interest of national security.

Most importantly, it was through theft that Putin in particular established government departments built for the sole purpose of following, threatening, poisoning, and assassinating Russian dissidents.

The death of Alexei Navalny isn't just painful because an innocent man died. The fact that he had already been targeted for murder and miraculously survived, recovered, then bravely returned to his country to show Putin that he was unafraid of Kremlin terrorism, all of this deepens the pain of hearing that Putin finally got what he desired.

But even worse: Navalny was far from Putin's only victim. Navalny's death was the latest in a line of assassinations and suspicious deaths going back to the 1998 murder of Russian liberal politician Galina Starovoitova in St. Petersburg. And in almost every case, the evidence points to Russia's federal security services, personally overseen by Vladimir Putin.

Navalny's murder just highlighted the impunity of this terrorist system, the impunity of Putin himself. The fact that the Russian dictator could so casually order the taking of human life, causing devastation to many, is sickening and fills me with the deepest fury.

This cannot stand. Putin can never, ever be allowed to carry out such an assassination again.

Russia must face international criminal investigation for all of the major assassinations and suspicious deaths that have taken place since the murder of Starovoitova. Up until today, justice has not been served. And we remain with the same image of mourning widows, fatherless and motherless children, flowers at makeshift graves, and the deepening silence of the majority who are unsurprisingly terrorised into accepting dictatorship.

No more.

Russia's dictatorship must be unacceptable to any civilised person. Putin has no legitimacy as "president". He never did. The entire Russian government and "legal" system are fraudulent, a racket designed by criminals to terrorise and punish the innocent. Foreigners must never forget the long list of Russians (and other nationalities) who faced brutal deaths for speaking freely, for demanding that Russia obeyed its own laws, for investigating crimes committed by the authorities, for demanding an end to mass theft of national resources, for demanding free and fair elections.

Those of us fortunate enough to live in the West, or a country that maintains Western-style freedoms, should recognise that millions of people live under tyranny. Freedom is not a given. Many of the world's nations do not uphold liberty. In many nations, the criminality and state terrorism that killed Navalny are "normal".

By demanding accountability from Russia, we also demand accountability from other tyrants who believe they can murder their own citizens with impunity and terrorise the rest. Russia props up numerous dictatorships, from the Islamic dictatorship in Chechnya under Ramzan Kadyrov, to Kazakhstan, to Bashar al-Assad's Syria, to Ayatollah Khamenei in Iran. Russia itself is a puppet of an even worse dictatorship, that of China, a country that threatens the freedom and sovereignty of its neighbours daily and represses its population.

Meanwhile, Westerners are becoming more and more cowardly about asserting the superiority of Western values and the success of the Western nation state. Malign social and cultural forces constantly demoralise and demonise Western history, failing to note the tyrannical nature of vast parts of the world. These forces ask us to equivocate, to whitewash, to turn a blind eye to, or even sympathise with nations whose standards lag far behind those of the West.

The result of this self-righteous, narcissistic self-hatred is the empowerment of the true tyrants and oppressors in the world. Whenever the West hangs its head in shame over real or perceived sins, dictators such as Putin position themselves as both saviours of lagging Western civilisation and the preferable alternative to said civilisation. And a disturbingly large number of gullible Westerners of any political persuasion, disillusioned with political dysfunction in their own countries, become receptive to foreign liars who hate freedom, the rule of law, and the sanctity of human life.

It's time for the West to rediscover its own greatness and sense of morality by standing up to Russia. Open an international criminal case against the Russian state for systematic assassination of citizens and keep that case open for as long as Putin remains in power. Bombard Putin and his terrorist government with questions about victims of his regime, to let them know that ending the war with Ukraine will not be enough to end these criminal investigations.

Conduct multiple, international investigations into the deaths of Russian dissidents-- the kind of investigation that uncovered the Kremlin's plot to murder Navalny with Novichok. Create public memorials to Russian dissidents across numerous countries to show the Kremlin that those Putin sought to suppress are respected by millions worldwide and their memory will remain, while Putin and his terrorist regime will end up in the same junkyard as Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and other tyrants.

Continue to frustrate and destroy Russia's progress in Ukraine by blocking arms supplies between the Iranian terror state and Russia, as well as increasing sanctions on North Korea and warning China of Western retaliation if it allows Russia to deal with North Korea (because how else did North Korean missiles make it to Ukraine without China's implicit knowledge?).

If organisations such as the United Nations will finally live up to their name, then they should issue permanent resolutions against the Russian terror state and demand answers concerning its assassination program and use of banned chemical weapons. This will further damage Putin's reputation abroad.

A memorial to Navalny in place of the war-mongering Russian diplomatic delegation would be preferable, but we have all seen that the United Nations prefers to commemorate the murderous former Iranian "president" Ebrahim Raisi, who executed 30 000 Iranian dissidents and unleashed a reign of terror against Iran's women between 2022 and 2023.

Is it any wonder that Russia's dictators and terrorists believe they can get away with any crime under the sun?

Don't let it be the case. We demand: no more assassinations of Russian dissidents. Putin's dictatorship must be held to account.

С днем рождения, Алексей Навальный.

Happy Birthday, Alexei Navalny.

[danzohater]

Hello....If you don't mind, can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from Jujutsu Kaisen? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this before.....

hi omg YES thank u for sending i haven't ever answered this! also i'm curious about your top 5 for both!!!! <3 (sorry this is so long 😭)

top 5 characters and why i love them...

1. geto, he is hands down my ultimate favourite. i think he has the most interesting back story, and i love the whole trope of a a character that has gone through something terrible with someone else but one of them became out 'bad', the other 'good'. he's my biggest comfort character!!!! i also like that his morals never changed, it's just his vision of who should be protected did (which i think is understandable, albeit completely wrong). i also love that he's amazing at karate as well, and i love his humour!

2. higuruma!!!!! like geto, i just completely adore his CT. i actually think objectively it's the coolest and most impressive one and i love when gege gets a bit more technical in explaining stuff (like with choso's blood manipulation too), also judgeman's design is AMAZING imo

3. rn shoko, i LOVEEE HER! once again i just think her character design is really cool, i love rct as a technique and i ❤️ characters as healers. i loved her in hidden inventory, i always think about her trying to teach geto and gojo rct in the most nonsense way. i'd say gege give her more screen time but i need her alive and happy with utahime by the end of the manga...

4. YUTA!!!!! once again i just love his character design, he is so cutesy. i love how sweet and adorable and awkward he can be, and ALL of his friendships are so cute. one of the coolest character designs in the manga, and the most recent chapter with his new domain?!!!! i'm still not quite sure if i prefer that or higuruma's domain more, i THINK i prefer deadly sentencing

5. TORN BETWEEN CHOSO AND MAKI, but ultimately i think choso... honestly once again i just love his design, i like the whole idea of what makes humanity and the way he brings in curses vs humans (it works better knowing jogo, dagon, etc all mourned other curses and said to meet again). overall he's charming and funny, nothing endears to me more than a character that just wants to protect someone. the best big brother. i love that he cries a lot, i want to give him a hug.

AND my top 5 moments... (warning for manga spoilers!!!!!!!!!!)

1. nanami's death. as much as i hated it and i love him, the voice acting was INCREDIBLE in that episode. the piano, the way he speaks so quietly, the cut scenes from it being so beautiful to the noises of him being in shibuya. i first watched it drunk and i replayed it honestly about 20 times, i even called my dad and made him watch it while i cried 😭 ... THE FACT THAT JUST BEFORE IT YUJI IS HAVING A BREAKDOWN... ugh all of it!!!!!! everyone's VA was immaculate... the emotion behind yuji's 'what the hell are you mahito' was incredible, and hearing mahito scream back for the first time made my stomach drop. incredible, amazing. i've seen that so many times but just hearing nanami's 'i'm tired, exhausted even' makes me start to tear up. god BLESS the voice actors for that scene

2. yuji vs mahito, specifically the imagery and how yuji is portrayed with the wolves. so beautifully animated, incredible. mahito throwing snow at yuji was sad but satisfying

3. mai's death and maki's awakening... okay so off the bat maki is amazing. seeing mai answer back her father and then sit over maki broke my heart. they're both just kids who love their sibling. they are just so tragic, maki's 'okay i get it, now come back' after mai says as long as i'm around you'll never develop. i love that scene because it shows that maki is already willing to go against all of the odds, even before complete heavenly restriction. i remember her telling yuji she would kill her clan (?) in jjk0 and even believing her then. the burn marks also add a lot to this scene i think. it was just really sadly cathartic to see the resolution to them as sisters, and heartbreaking. the first panel where she open's her eyes telling mai to wake up BREAKS ME. the panic on her face. also the line 'destroy everything big sister'. the fact she does. UGHHH!!!!

4. hmmm... choso's fake memory. the fight scene was really cool, but specifically, the part where yuji is eating with choso and his brothers. it's beautiful. the switch up in the way it's animated, looking like it's on an old vhs tape. so emotional. seeing yuji feeding choso and calling him big brother, just to cut to choso punching something and crying like he can't breathe. ugh i love them

5. the fight scene in hidden inventory... i just love it, i think it sets up all three of their personalities so well. i love how easily it portrays geto's personality: his morals, his ego, the sense of superiority he has. it perfectly displays his and gojo's friendship, their differences. we get to see them so in sync as yaga walks in and they both look away stretching, the way they both antagonise each other in sync before that

[youarestrongerthanyouthinkyouare]

(DON’T) LET THIS BE THE END — CHAPTER 15

Chim laughs shaking his head listening to the funny bickering between Hen and Buck and rests his arms on the railing, when he sees a couple enter the firestation. He raises an eyebrow and immediately heads down, approaching them, thinking they are two people who need a hand. Why would they be there otherwise?

“Hello, can I help you in any way?"

“Hi, are we looking for Evan Buckley? He should work here.”

Chim nods in confusion and calls out to him, and he comes downstairs still smiling then stops as soon as he sees the two guests.

“What are you doing here?”

“We were looking for you.”

"You are not welcome here" Buck says raising his voice, and the others hear him from up and get off, standing next to Chim.

“Buck, is everything okay? Who are they?"

Buck looks at him and shakes his head "these are my parents, unfortunately" and then moves and takes his cell phone, to write to Maddie to urgently reach them at the firestation as soon as he understands that the parents are not going to listen to him.

Ever since she’d received her brother’s text she had imagined all the possible scenarios, but seeing their parents in the firestation left her speechless.

"You arrived; what a nice surprise huh? Did you tell them where I work?”

She turns to Buck as soon as she hears him speak, looking at him with a not so nice look “are you kidding me? I haven't spoken to them in years. What are you doing here?"

"We are your parents, does it seem normal to you that we don't know where you live and where you work?" Margaret steps in, looking at them both, and Maddie can't help but laugh.

“You lost that privilege many years ago, and as a result you lost the right to know things about us and our lives."

She sees her mother looking and smiling at Buck and Eddie who has approached him to support him, then she sees Buck rolling his eyes, while her mother's gaze fall to her belly, and before she can say something her father begins to speak.

“We care about you, even if you don't —“

She stops her father before he can continue his sentence “you don't. You saw us, we are still alive, now you can go home and never come back again.”

"Evan, say something.”

“Leave him out of this. Leave him alone.”

“Now you're being unfair, Maddie” Margaret says looking at her “You know it's been hard for us with you, and you've never made our life easy.”

“We were two kids, and no, that's not true, since we never did anything to cause you any problems, we just wanted to have a family like everyone else but but we couldn’t have it, right?“ She feels like she's losing control, in fact she shakes her head and snaps “While the other children spent their happy days with their parents, Evan and I were our only family, does it seem normal to you that a 9-year-old girl had to be a mother to a one-year-old boy because his mother and father believed that their mourning and their grief were more important than their children? And that's enough, stop playing the victim because you are not the victims here, you have received what you deserved, and now you have lost all of your three children, not just one.”

"Maddie stop now, you said too much.”

Her father looks at her, and she stops talking and she knows she's done something stupid as soon as she looks away from them and looks at Chim, their friends and especially Buck.

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[childoferebus]

I was challenged tagged by @parrot-parent​ to come up with an answer for every one of these music questions.  Please learn more about my music tastes than anyone should.

1:A song you like with a color in the title: Favorite Color is Blue by Robert Delong ft. K.Flay, which I am not allowed to link to directly for some reason.  I’m going to get The Vermin Survive tattoo’d at some point when I can figure out a design for it.  (If you’re a tattoo artist, hmu 👀

2:A song you like with a number in the title

A Complete List of Fears Ages 5-28 (Aprox) by The Yellow Dress. I want to lick it.

3:A song that reminds you of summertime

The first thing that came to mind was When It’s Over by Sugar Ray, because I’m absolutely ancient by tumblr standards.

4:A song that reminds you of someone you would rather forget about

Love Me Dead by Ludo, but not for the reasons you’d think.

5:A song that needs to be played LOUD

Hellbent by Mystery Skulls, which is only correct when it’s loud enough to blow my speakers and my eardrums.

6:A song that makes you want to dance

Zoot Suit Riot by the Cherry Popping Daddies. Shouts to the time my prom date got pissed at me for dancing to this when they didn’t want to lol

7:A song to drive to

On the Road Again by Willy Nelson is the first song on my roadtrip playlist, as is good and right.

8:A song about drugs or alcohol

Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind is the most obvious song about crystal meth that has ever been played and I don’t care it is my favorite song of all time, it delights me

9:A song that makes you happy

Cheesecake Truck by King Missile.  So then I got this idea about driving a cheesecake truck

10:A song that makes you sad

Your Voice as I Remember It by AJJ.  I have an entire playlist dedicated to songs I can’t sing along with without crying but this was the first that came to mind.  Notable other mentions are What Sarah Said by Death Cab for Cutie and A Plea from a Cat Named Virtue by the Weakerthans

11:A song that you never get tired of

BlackBoxWarrior (OK Ultra) by Will Wood. I can and have listened to this song on repeat for hours at a time.

12:A song from your preteen years

Preteens.  Jesus. Are you sure you want me to delve back that far?  Anyway, when I was around that age I was really into Jewel, so probably Little Sister.  Which is also a song about drugs.

13:One of your favorite 80’s songs

Safety Dance by Men Without Hats is the correct answer.

14:A song that you would love played at your wedding

Brand New Colony by the Postal Service.  I eloped so I don’t get any wedding music, but I’ve made a wedding playlist for my OCs and I’m totally normal about the fact that this is the first song

15:A song that is a cover by another artist

You Oughta Know by the Killing Moon is one of my favorite covers of all time by virtue of them not changing the pronouns

16:One of your favorite classical songs

The hardest part of this meme isn’t thinking of songs for every ask it’s picking which out of the dozen possible answers for every question that I’m going to go with. I listened exclusively to classic piano for like 2 years in my teens.  Anyway, tough call but I gotta go with the Moonlight Sonata Third Movement by Beethoven.  From what I was told, it was written as he was losing both his sight and his hearing and it’s so aggressive and mournful because of it.  Beethoven was a prick but man the dude could play.

17:A song that would sing a duet with on karaoke

Snow Miser/Heat Miser. Get that shit stuck in your head and sing with me.

18:A song from the year that you were born

Listen I’m not going to date myself out loud so if you want to know that bad you can look and see.

19:A song that makes you think about life

This might be the hardest one to answer yet.  I don’t know man, every song makes me think about life. All of them do. What aspect of life? What topic? So here’s one, I guess: White Noise by Will Wood.

20:A song that has many meanings to you

Weak and Powerless by A Perfect Circle. I know it’s about drugs, but man if you take it literally...

21:A favorite song with a person’s name in the title

Jacqueline by Circa Waves. Please watch the video. Please.

22:A song that moves you forward

Point to Prove (I Was An Ugly Kid) by Bug Hunter. yeah.

23:A song that you think everybody should listen to

Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) by Baz Luhrman.  Get to it.

24:A song by a band you wish were still together

Inexplicable by the Correspondents.  If I don’t think about it too hard I’ll be fine.

25:A song by an artist no longer living

Faint by Linkin Park. IF I DON’T THINK ABOUT IT TOO HARD I’LL BE FINE.

26:A song that makes you want to fall in love

Passenger Seat by Death Cab for Cutie. 

27:A song that breaks your heart

Well if you’re going to do this to me twice in a row, What Sarah Said by Death Cab for Cutie.  I put my mp3 player on shuffle after my adopted grandfather died suddenly and violently to try and calm myself and this is the first song that played and I’ve never been okay since.  Love is watching someone die.

28:A song by an artist with a voice that you love

Grace for Sale by Terrance Zdunich.  Tough call but considering I stole his voice for Taj Na...

29:A song that you remember from your childhood

I Will Buy You a New Life by Everclear, which one of my classmates was obsessed with, and played every lunch at school for months.  Jimmy you were 12 what was it about this song that spoke to you so much

30:A song that reminds you of yourself

Kokopelli Face Tattoo by AJJ.  I have a viper rune tattoo because of it.

[crowntess]

@anankelotus asked : Anankos stares at her, more in disbelief than anything else. She can't be real... right? This is just another figment of his imagination, another ghost to haunt him. But... she seems so real, so alive. Like if he reached out, his fingers would touch her skin, rather than just slipping through thin air.

"Mikoto..." His voice is weak, still tired from the ramifications of the dream that had just been escaped. If she is not real, the shattering of his heart after everything might finally crack irreparably.

"Mikoto, my love... is that really you...? I... I'm sorry... I never should have... left you and Corrin all alone... I missed you..."

the garden echoes his voice as would a catacomb.  mikoto does not hear him at first, her gaze narrow focused on the careful glide of her hands from bag to jar, and jar to basket.  seeds are cupped into her hand before being slid into the confinements of a small container.  hesitant, does her name reach her—   the jar cracks against the gravel stone beneath her.  asteria ties the thrumming of her heart into a knot, one she is forced to let sit in the back of her throat.  there is no denying her body’s tension; anankos is here.  he’s here but he can’t be.  he can’t be.  not now, at least.  the fates are not as cruel to grant him passage to her during the beginnings of her stay.  how awful must the gods of this land be to defy her wishes.

he calls her once more and, like a history that ignores and repeats itself, mikoto dares herself to flee.  mikoto’s hand reaches for asteria as she moves forward, determined to escape whatever trickery of the mind she’s found herself in,

but she stops.

the voice—   anankos’ voice, her lover’s voice—   speaks from behind her.   (   you call him a lover because he is.  because he was.  but there is an ache that you do not want to experience again.  the burden of loving someone already lost.   )   mikoto hesitates to turn, listening fully to the extent of his sorrow.  it is the same notes of melancholy that she followed from the land of askr.  and it is that reminder, the fact that she risked a life to see another, that forces her to turn around.  her lips open to speak, maybe his name or a title or a noise, but nothing leaves her.

the sight of him, hooded and weary, is enough to bring her to tears.  years have separated them and yet here he stands, almost the same as he once was when she had her retainers bring him to her bedchambers.  sick, weary, but alive.

“   anankos,   ”   mikoto whispers, hands shaking against each other.  she steps towards him once, then again, before she’s walking desperately to close the distance.   “   anankos, is this true?  do not make me mourn a ghost, be real.  be here before me.   ”   her hands rise and meet skin.  an eyelid is closed beneath her palm, the bristle of lashes settles a twitch of her fingers.  her opposite hand meets another closed eye and this time, she recoils.  not far, but her hands retract back to her chest and she shudders.

it is not from fear, and she isn’t sure how she feels about the realization.  instead, mikoto peers into anankos’ hood, stares him in the eyes as she speaks.   “   you called me here.  your voice... i heard your dream.  saw your dream.  we...   ”   and if she was there, then it was her death.  over and over and over again until his nightmares became her own.  but this is too much, too soon.  the confessions are stuck in her throat and her willpower refuses to pull them out.  mikoto steps back, narrowed eyes dark with apprehension.   “   corrin is here.  has she... has she seen you?   ”

has he spoken to her?  to leo?  there are too many questions to ask and expect answered.  so mikoto doesn’t.  her shoulders relax and asteria hums from across the garden, where it rests against a pillar of wood.  she gestures to the ground and says,   “   we will be here for a while.  sit with me, anankos.  rest your legs.   ”

[allmybabiiboys]

Death is always a topic that brings many different emotions for people. Every time someone tells me someone has died they look at me strangely because I have never cried at this news. Or even appeared overly affected, but that’s simply not the case. I do feel sad, but I would not say I am sorrowful. Not because it isn’t sad, and not because it’s not sometimes devastating that they are gone. I think it’s because we, as a society, focus so much on the fact that they are gone. That they have passed and you won’t be able to experience their presence or moments with them going forward.

But those have never been my first thoughts. I am unsure if it was because I took the Lion King far too seriously as a child. Or it’s because I have been suic*dal since I was far too young to realize it wasn’t strictly “normal” to have those constant feelings. But I take world events in and rationalize them through association because I am autistic and this is how my brain works. So when I think of death I think of my own, and I’m left thinking, “when I go, I want them to throw a party. I want them to remember moments we had and be able to smile, laugh, or cry and still feel happy in the end.”

Moonbin passing has once again reminded me of this. My fellow kpop friend told me it was devastating that he’s gone. She has cried these days because he was so young and there was so much future for him. And I can’t help but agree that this hurts, and I can’t imagine how heavy this feels for his family, his members, and those he loved and loved him in return. I keep thinking about Moonbin’s smile, and that I’m sad I won’t get to look up new versions of it as he grows. That his loved ones won’t be able to look up and see his smile or feel his presence the same. But I also can’t help thinking, how lucky we were. How beautiful it was to be able to witness his smile, to witness his presence in the world. I feel so lucky and it fills my heart so much that there was a time in this world that we got to watch him dance and do things he loved. That we got to hear his voice and feel it heal a part of ourself. We got to witness the way he shows love to those he cares for. And sometimes we got glimpses of how the world looked through his eyes, and isn’t that beautiful?

This is a really sad time. This is simply a fact. And I wish so badly that humans understood that we are all the same in so many ways. That we all have feelings, emotions, and pain that we don’t share. All of us, friends, family, even strangers on the street. All of us have things we don’t share for fear that we won’t be understood. Or for fear of burdening others the way whatever we won’t share burdens us. Obviously you might not check on every random passerby. But I hope you feel strongly enough that you check on those you love. Sometimes it’s enough to say “I’m here.” And prove it by simply being there. Proving that you and whoever you care for are not alone.

My heart is with Moonbin’s loved ones, I hope they are able to mourn in peace. That they can lean on each other and are able to look back on fond memories and feel some kind of comfort. I hope fans of Astro find comfort in remembering all the beautiful parts of Moonbin he shared and we got to witness.

[melodrama-like-lorde]

I don't want him to meet my friends

The words left my mouth before I had realized what I was saying. I didn't want him to because I was embarrassed of him. The way he treated me, the way he would force his raspy voice and even the way he smelled and dressed. Yet I was into him? My friend looked to me and sighed, not in a disappointing way but more of a relief. She told me finally I knew what I wanted. It had been a few weeks since he had been out of the country to visit his mom back home and during that time we would call each other every night. I liked having someone who wanted to talk to me, but sometimes when he fell asleep over the phone, I would have to mute myself whilst having a panic attack.

I knew something was wrong with us, but after opening up I felt like I had to make it work. I thought I had to pull myself through the hard times and then the relationship part would be easier. It was the first person I had been dating exclusively, I had no idea how this thing was supposed to work.

When I told my friend about the bad stuff, she tried to wake me up. I told her she was right and I had to break it up as soon as he would be back. So when he came back and was eager to see me again because he missed me so much, I had made up my little speech. I was going to break up with him. But then when he almost ran my way, picked me up and kissed me in the middle of the train station, it was like my head got foggy again. I forgot all about the girl best friend he was totally into, the commitment issues and the gaslighting because somebody wanted to be with me. So when he gave me his best puppy eyes and asked me if I wanted to stay over, I figured why not? It might have even been the perfect moment to tell him what was bothering me, not like I hadn't done that before.

The night was perfect, we were giggling, kissing, hugging, he listed like ten things he really liked about me and kissed my forehead every few minutes. The next morning he had work and I stayed in his bed, sleeping in. As I was getting ready to go home, I received a poem he had written at work for me. I thought; damn maybe it could always be this easy.

Of course nothing was that easy, and in the perfect night mindset I decided to ignore the fact he had gotten notifications from both Hinge and Bumble as I laid there next to him, exclusively his. I was going to bring that up later, the night had been so perfect and I didn't want to ruin things.

When my friend texted me that evening, the same one I told I don't want her to meet him because he embarrassed me, that was my last straw. Other people could see he wasn't mine and still hear me talk about him like I was his. I wasn't that big a fool, or didn't want to be any longer. I texted him about it and we called, he was going to talk to me about this he said. He needed the reassurance because he was depressed and I would never understand that. But he was "going to bring it up" He totally wasn't. He then just told me balantly that he wasn't sure if he was ready for something serious. Seriously?! After you made me date you online for 5 weeks, suddenly you're not ready. I told him to be a man and tell me that irl, so a few days later we met up. I knew this would be the big break up and the days prior left me with an aching stomach. The day of a really big test was the day he was going to dump me, he knew how important that test was, or at least I told him and he probably didn't care.

We broke it off and I mourned us. We had so many deep conversations and nothinh I had told him he had ever judged me for. I missed the friend he was to me. I waited two weeks, every day wanting to text him to tell him we could be friends. Until he threw me off every social media we had each other on. I might slightly be at fault here because I published a poem totally calling him out.. oops. But it still hurt. I texted him saying I had hoped we could be civil to each other. He replied by blocking my number. And that was it. Somehow I had gone from wanting to dump him to seeming desperate to have him in my life al though I didn't like him that much.

I guess the desire to be loved is bigger than to love for me.