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spiderrrling · 2 years ago

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Anybody have a map? - Chapter 1: Welcome to camp Sunshine

Series Masterlist - Masterlist - General Taglist

Chapter summary - The summer is finally here, and you've arrived at camp, happy to know that your sworn enemy is no where to be seen. Sadly, it doesn't take long before he shows up and bursts your bubble of hope for a happy summer, instead now you are stuck in the middle of no where with the person you hate the most in the world.

Word count - 9.3k

Chapter warnings - Brief mentions of smoking

A/N - thank you guys so much for the support you’ve already shown to this fic, and thank you so so so much to the genuine mastermind behind it @uglypastels i literally wouldnt have been able to do it without you

Day 0 - Sunday, 19 Days before

There was something special about a place like Camp Moonglade. Barely an hour and a half away from the chaos that was downtown Hawkins, and yet a completely different world. There was no rush of traffic in the morning, no peering eyes from pestering neighbours who would rather be caught up in other people's business than their own, and no pressure to maintain the expectations laid on you by the social society of Hawkins High.

All of that was to be exchanged for the happy smiles (and screams) of children seeking out adventures and stories to be told years down the line. An escape from pesky parents, bullies and teachers and where anyone could be whoever they wanted to be. A place where the trees grew tall and the birds tweeted with glee, helping you forget about the worst of times.

It was a complete and total getaway into a lakeside summer paradise. That's what this summer was supposed to be. But the reality settled in hard and was far from the idyllic summer escape you had imagined in the months leading up to what should have been long and lazy summer days. You had been looking forward to it for ages, couldn't wait to see the returning campers again and help them create an unforgettable experience. So, it was infuriating to know that your entire plan had been tainted with something so dark, vile and evil that had taken root in them.

Eddie Munson, your (camp) arch nemesis. Because, even though this was only your second year of counselling at the camp, the one summer of experience had been enough for you to realise two things:

1. You absolutely loved the camp and the job. 2. Eddie Munson was the Devil's spawn.

He was bad news, you could tell it from your very first meeting, and you had all of your first year at Moonglade to prove it… not to mention your shared three years of high school. So, by this time around, there was nothing that could still surprise you. Not that that stopped you from wishing this time would be different.

Eddie Munson wasn’t some bully though, who did things out of malice. He just enjoyed winding you up and seeing your reaction, he was a tease. And ever since last summer you absolutely despised him.

You should have known better, though, than to set up these high expectations for your return to camp. Ever since you had heard that Eddie wasn’t set to graduate, you knew this had been a possibility. He would come back for his third year of Camp Moonglade, just as he would return for his third senior year once the fall semester would start. And in the meantime, in the five weeks of exile, he would make sure to put you through living hell.

Well, he hadn’t directly decided to ruin all of your summer plans, that you knew of, but when Eddie was around one thing was for sure– You would get to spend yet another summer along with a person who hated your guts (not that the feeling wasn’t at least partially mutual). It wouldn’t have even surprised you if he came back solemnly just to spite you. To have yet another summer of wreaking havoc on your cabin and the planned activities ahead.

That is what you knew would happen, but, against all odds, you had really held out hope until the very last second that he wasn’t going to show up. That you would at least get these few weeks of rest away from him.

The first day at Moonglade had not helped your ideals either. In fact, it created a false hope, actually. A glorious 24-hour period had gone by on the camp site and Eddie was nowhere to be seen.

On the second day of preparations, with kids set to arrive just the next day, you and the other counselors were fast at work dusting off the mess hall and the cabins to get ready for the summer ahead. And you were intently working, sweeping out one of the cabins, ridding it of old cobweb and the thin layer of dust that had settled in the past eight months.

The strong afternoon sun was hanging high in the sky, blaring with the early Indiana summer heat when the beat up, rusty, old van pulled up into the staff parking lot. With the windows rolled halfway down you could hear the blaring music before you even laid eyes on the car.

Jumping out of the driver's side was Eddie Munson, truly he must have believed he was a sight for sore eyes. His messy brown curls pushed back with a pair of aviator sunglasses and combat boots halfway laced up. Flashing you a little too much thigh for your liking with a pair of black home made denim shorts he had clearly cut off himself based on the fraying around the hem. And he was wearing last year's camp T-shirt, or a mutilated version of it, the sleeves and side seams cut off, the shirt hanging together with barely an inch of material. You weren’t sure if it could even be called a shirt, barely covering his chest and you could visibly see one of his chest tattoos peeking out from beneath what little fabric was left.

A half smoked cigarette was dangling between his lips as he swung an old and battered duffel bag over his shoulder, stuffed to the brim with everything he might need for the next month and a half. His other hand was carefully wrapped around the handle on his guitar case, the metal of his rings glinting softly in the blaring sun. Making his way over to the mess hall, completely nonchalant to the fact that he was over a day and a half late to when he was supposed to arrive.

Standing on the terrace to one of the campers' cabins your eyes followed him the whole way to the mess hall where he greeted Zoe with his usual infuriating charm and wicked smile that always made it look like he knew something no one else knew.

You watched as they spoke, and even from a distance you could tell Zoe wasn’t particularly pleased with his late coming, her pen tapping against the edge of her clipboard impatiently as she listened to whatever poor excuse he had managed to concoct.

It was almost fascinating watching him try to flirt his way out of it, while being completely oblivious to Zoe’s dead eyed stare that she was returning to him. Or maybe he just believed in his abilities that much?

You could tell the exact moment she had told him, his face dropped and his mouth made a perfect o-shape before he yelled, “WHAT?!” His eyes wide and frantic as he searched around the camp grounds, and when he happened to find you, you were glad that looks couldn’t kill.

Eddie took a moment to compose himself, clenching his jaw ever so slightly, quickly returning to his conversation with Zoe, And you watched them from a distance, your eyes intently following Eddie as he disappeared into the main building and out of your line of sight. It is what you would have to settle for, for now.

You had decided early on that if Eddie was going to make his appearance, you were not going to sit back like you did last summer, this year you were going to be his problem. You were done letting him play elaborate pranks on you and your campers.

And seeing him just reaffirmed this, this summer you were going to hit back.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, tasks that needed to be done piled up quickly as you worked your way through an already tedious list of chores. You were hiking up the crossroad of paths to the dining hall, the promise of dinner hanging softly in the air as you got closer to the main building.

A low two story building, old and with its red paint chipping in the corners desperately trying to hold on another summer, which housed the dining hall (frequently called the mess hall by the campers), the nurses office (the infirmary), and the office (the base).

“And there she is! My favourite counsellor!” Eddie’s voice sounded and he appeared out of the mess hall as you approached, his voice was like nails on a chalkboard which contrasted with the signature flashy grin he gave you. “How is my favourite happy camper?”

"You're late." Was all you said in response, your eyebrows elevated slightly as you took in the sight of him, close up you could see even more of his chest tattoo and the faint shadow of his chest hair. Even with the sun hanging low in the horizon he was adamant about wearing the horrid tank top.

"And yet I'm still here, and the canoes have been cleaned off and are ready for the water, plus my cabin is in tip top shape and ready for inspection." To underline his point Eddie gave you a military salute and stood up just a little bit straighter, forever the main audience for his own antics.

“Cute- did Mark teach you that?” The reference to your fellow camp counselors managed to place a crack in Eddie’s stone cold facade into a smile for just a split second. "And I suppose that'll be the only time this summer that cabin will look presentable?" Both of you cringed slightly at the thought of what had happened last summer, when one of his campers unbeknownst to him had adopted a pet frog they'd found down by the water. The results of which were not pretty.

"Who's got time for grudges and complaints, we have an entire summer in front of us to enjoy." Eddie slung his arm around your shoulders like the two of you were old friends, helping to lead you into the dining hall, and you had to fight the instinct to flinch away. “But first- dinner I am starving after a hard day’s work.”

You and Eddie were the only counselors who attended Hawkins High, everyone else originated from a couple of different high schools in the surrounding areas. And while you and Eddie knew each other from camp, you didn’t speak in your regular day to day lives. You just saw each other in casual passings in the concrete tiled hallways of Hawkins High School.

All of you were upperclassmen in school and about the same age. All of you responsible for your own cabin and campers.

Everyone else was working, setting the head table with disposable paper plates since none of you were particularly interested in doing the dishes before camp had even begun. With Tiny Sal not set to arrive until tomorrow along with the rest of the campers Zoe and Lisa had taken the executive decision to nurture every last opportunity on your last day of freedom and ordered pizza for the whole gang from the nearest town. Which was still over 20 minutes by car.

Eddie’s grip loosened on your shoulder and his arm fell away from you as he walked off to chat with Connie #2 and Richie without saying a word of goodbye to you. All of you knew each other from the previous summer, and after five weeks of working together they had quickly become your home away from home, your own little camp family.

And even though it was unspoken, your seats around the counselors table had remained the same. Walking over you took your old spot between Joan and Connie #1 who were already deep in conversation.

In total there were ten of you who together ran the majority of activities at Camp Moonglade. There was Zoe, the activities leader and head organiser, you wouldn’t dare cross her in a million years. Joan, who was possibly the sweetest soul alive and helped run the arts & crafts activities. Lisa, a complete sweet tooth and the sole supplier of snacks, and is one part of the music team. Connie #1, sometimes referred to as just Con for convenience, the first half of The Connies, and co-leader of the water activities. And of course, yourself.

Then for the guys there was Richie, Eddie’s partner in crime and helps Joan with arts & crafts. Tommy, your wildlife expert and a mean games strategist. Mark; Zoe’s right hand man and sports director, complete hard ass but with a heart of gold. Connie #2, who you believed no one actually knew his real first name, who helped Con with water activities. Then last but not least, Eddie Munson, resident musician and outdoor survival skills leader.

Along with the ten of you there were three "adults", Lenny the camp director, Tiny Sal the camp chef and Maureen the nurse. Meaning in total the thirteen of you ran and operated Camp Moonglade for the summer.

“Ok but Joan we need you to join our team for capture the flag-” it was no surprise to you that Con was already fast focused on game strategies, and it would be no shock to you if the other Connie was chatting Eddie’s ear off about a team up. “With your strategy and with our energy then we’ll win for sure!”

“Well I suppose I could-” Sadly, Joan never got to finish her sentence.

“You know, I thought we had a strong sense of tradition here at Moonglade, canoeing, capture the flag, and yours truly having Cabin 9.”

Great, you could tell this was going to be another Eddie Munson spectacle. If you were a resident student at Hawkins High, you were probably unlucky enough to have caught at least a couple of them.

Eddie’s voice was loud enough to be ringing off the walls, and as you looked up, he was staring directly at you, truly something only second to rage in his dark brown eyes, mixed with some form of enjoyment he was taking out of having everyone's eyes on him.

The other counselors falling quiet around you, they'd been waiting for this. What they expected to be your moment of reckoning with Eddie. Based on his interaction with Zoe earlier, you figured that Eddie had been informed that you had taken Cabin 9 this summer, but he was yet to confront you about it.

"That is my cabin, you know that is my cabin." Eddie swung his leg over the bench directly opposite you. You did know that was Eddie's cabin for the past two years at Moonglade, and maybe that's the exact reason you had picked that to be your camper's cabin this year, but you weren’t one to kiss and tell. Taking a bit too much pride in snatching it right from under his nose due to his late coming.

"Well now I suppose that it was your cabin Eddie, it isn't anymore," you could feel the smirk tugging at the corners of your mouth and you had to resist to not let them show.

Your eyes fast on Eddie's face, thoroughly enjoying his almost frantic wide eyed stare back at you. The fellow counselors around you were intently listening in on your conversation, not soon about to forget the intense rivalry and nuclear fall out that had occured last summer.

"Besides, it's not like you're staying in the cabin anyway." You were enjoying yourself way too much, but what truly made it worth it was Eddie’s reaction to you teasing him back. “So I don’t see how it’s going to be a problem.”

It was clear he had not been expecting you to be teasing him back, there was some semblance of genuine shock on his face, but he was doing his best to hide it with his sly grin. But you could pick up on that little glint in the back of his eyes that was telling you differently.

“I suppose we’ll see whose problem it really is sunshine,” Eddie said, his smug grin fast plastered to his face and you bit the inside of your cheek, and before you could think of anything to quip back at him, he swung his legs over the bench and went back to chatting with Richie.

“Trouble in paradise.” You heard Connie whisper to Connie along with a soft snicker, but after a quick and hard look from Zoe they both fell deadly silent.

You didn’t stay long after, quickly losing your appetite and not too interested in spending the rest of the evening trying to avoid contact with Eddie. Muttering some excuse about being tired and wanting a good night's sleep before tomorrow you retired back to the counsellors cabin.

Laying on your back in your bed, your eyes were glued to the wooden ceiling above you, slowly counting the slats as you attempted to fall asleep. It was a special kind of atmosphere when it was just you at camp, time almost seemed to stand still when there was no disruption of little kids running around weakening havoc, yet you also couldn’t help but be excited for your campers to arrive and for moonglade to once again be filled with screams of joy and laughter.

Somehow this is where you always slept best, in a small cramped cabin with four other people in the middle of nowhere. With the window wide open you could taste the soft summer nightair, hear the soft sounds of the lake as water hit the shore, the creaking sounds of the forest as the breeze travelled through branches and leaves. There was something oddly calming about it all, which brought you a sense of peace you couldn’t get anywhere else.

It didn’t take long before you finally fell asleep.

Day 1 - Monday, 18 days until

The next morning started with a bang, quite literally. Mark banged on the door to your cabin, at what felt like the very crack of dawn, resulting in a synchronised groan from the ones of you still half asleep inside the cabin.

“Breakfast in the mess hall at exactly eight-hundered hours! Campers arriving today!” How anyone could have this much energy at this hour you could not figure out. But you were glad to know that even though a year had passed, Mark was still insistent on using his military terminology.

Yet you didn’t dare disobey Mark's words, quickly slinging your legs over the side of your bed and jumping out from your top bunk, looking around you could see Zoe and Joan’s beds were already empty. But Connie and Lisa seemed to be quickly falling back asleep where they laid in their bunks.

“Good morning sunshine.” Eddie looked up at you as you stepped over the threshold into the mess hall, and you were immediately convinced that he was the spawn of the devil. You yawned and rubbed sleep out of your eyes, doing your best to ignore him where he was sitting with a half empty cup of coffee.

“What? I don’t get my good morning kiss?” Eddie said as you walked past him, you turned around and raised your hand as to blow him a kiss but you finished by flipping him the bird as you walked backward through the swinging doors into the kitchen, which gave away with a soft groan.

After taking a quick glance at you Joan quickly poured and pressed a mug of steaming hot coffee into your hands to which you muttered a quiet thank you as you gladly accepted the offering.

The hot mug between your fingers served as some level of comfort, the dark and bitter liquid sloshing around. You hated black coffee, but it would have to do for now.

Around you everyone else was either deep in their planning, or having some off conversation, and you swore you heard the Connies discussing their capture the flag strategies, or was it boat strategies? You were honestly too tired to fully tune into what they were saying.

Besides, you had already started your own scheming plans for capturing the flag that you weren’t quite ready to disclose to anyone just yet. You were not about to let Eddie Munson’s team beat yours this year and if you wanted that reality you would have to play your cards just right.

Capture the flag at Moonglade was almost a religious experience, and the winner of the tournament won every possible bragging right over the rest. Last year Eddie’s team beat yours after he played dirty, and you would rather be six feet under before you let it happen again.

Sliding into the seat next to Zoe, she didn’t even notice you. Her eyes fixated on the sheet of paper laid out before her, a pen clutched in her hand, the pen cap stuck between her teeth was littered with bite marks.

“What are you working on?” You took a sip from your coffee, sipping at the hot liquid and savouring the taste as caffeine coursed through your veins, slowly waking you up.

“Finishing the week's schedule…” her eyes were completely glued to the papers in front of you, and you were honestly shocked she heard you, given how in the zone she could get. “Wow this late? Don’t tell me that queen Zoe is slipping from her throne,” you said in a playful sarcastic tone.

“Don’t you have things to finish? You know before campers arrive?” She turned towards you and rested her head against her hand, flashing you that slightly evil Zoe smirk that she always had hidden up her sleeve. “It’s good to be back.” You laughed and glanced down at your wrist, the watch strapped to it read just a little past eight, which meant you had at least a couple of hours to get your schedule and finish preparing Cabin 9 for its guests.

You had cut your morning in The Mess short, grabbing a stray piece of unclaimed toast to tidy you over as you hurried over to Cabin 9.

—

The gravel under your shoes crunched softly as you trekked your way up to the campers cabins, ten of them in a circle and in the middle a massive tree. Cabin 9 stood at the corner furthest down towards the lake. It wasn’t much but you couldn’t help but feel some level of satisfaction as you approached the low wooden building. Knowing that this year Cabin 9 belonged to you and your campers, and not Eddie.

The front deck had a couple of chairs and a table standing in front, on the inside the walls were lined with bunk beds along with a couple of drawers. However what made Cabin 9 so special was that the back window was bigger than the rest of the cabins. Meaning that you could see all the way down to the lake with a proper view, the blue shimmering surface peeking through luscious green leaves just added to the idyllic summer paradise that Moonglade was.

Yesterday you had managed to clear out most of the dust and cobwebs that had settled since last year, so luckily there wasn’t much left to be done. Still you found yourself picking at all the little details, quickly losing track of the time.

A loud bang sounded among the cabins, pulling you from your work and you rushed to the window to see what had happened.

Looking through the front window you could see Cabin 10, the unclaimed cabin that had become Eddie’s by default. He was rummaging around trying to get the last of it ready. His curly hair hanging messily around his shoulders, thankfully forgoing the hideous mutilated yellow shirt for a proper one today. The newly minted green counsellor's shirt hugged the curves of his shoulders as he worked.

Eddie ran a hand through his curls, in what from a distance looked like frustration, before he quickly walked away from the cabin in an almost half jog.

But something caught your eye, a sheet of paper stapled to the inside of the widely opened front door, but you couldn’t read it from a distance. You looked around quickly, checking to see if Eddie was coming back before running across the short distance between the cabins, climbing up the steps onto the deck.

Your eyes reading over the list Eddie has stapled up to the door, chuckling quietly to yourself.

“Curiosity killed the cat?” You jumped at his voice, not expecting him to come back so soon. “Just checking out your cabin, what number is it again?” Eddie didn’t answer you, just shot you a dirty look instead. You turned around and started reading off the list out loud.

“Camp constitution… solid name I’ll give you that… respect other people's stuff, obviously… maintain personal hygiene, good one… no summoning demons?” you read off the last one and turned to Eddie who was grinning from ear to ear. “Without permission and adequate supervision-” he leaned past you and tapped at the appended point at the end of the document, “it has to be done with proper care,” he finished.

“I am pretty sure Mark and Zoe aren’t going to be happy if you decide to summon a demon,” you almost wondered out loud as your eyes grazed his face.

But before he could quip back, you both heard the bell ring in the distance, meaning the first campers had probably started arriving, you cursed under your breath knowing you were late and you still had to pick up your check-in list from Zoe.

Both you and Eddie turned your head towards the sound of the bell and you could hear Eddie curse under his breath before quickly checking the time on his watch.

“I’ll have to catch you later sunshine, our queen Zoe cannot be kept waiting.” With a quick flash of a grin and the turn of his heel Eddie was gone, leaving you standing all by yourself once again.

—

When you arrived at the parking lot there was already a sea of campers waiting for you. Buzzing with excitement and some tears, most of them wearing backpacks larger than their bodies and stuffed to the brim, making them slightly unsteady. Like the slightest miss step would cause a domino effect of falling campers.

“Everyone listen up!” Eddie stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled so loud your ears hurt. Quickly he climbed up on the registration table, his check in sheet in hand.

"Could I have Dustin Henderson, Will Byers, Lucas Sinclair and Mike Wheeler report to me please? Spread the word, thank you, that will be all." He finished off his little charade with a bow to his audience and you swore you could see some of the campers with a sheer look of terror in their eyes, and you couldn't blame them.

You had to at least give him credit for the idea, because as soon as he finished speaking it was clear who his campers were and they quickly shuffled their way over to Eddie’s table to get themselves checked in.

When all campers had finally managed to be situated with their counsellors and parents excitedly drove away to enjoy their few child free weeks, Zoe got up on one of the tables, her trusted megaphone in hand.

“Hellooo happy campers! Could I have everyone's attention for a moment?” When Zoe said it, it wasn’t a question, it was a demand, and everyone there knew it. New and returning campers alike, meaning the crowd fell silent within moments. “Thank you! Now that you all have your cabin counselors and are checked in we’re going to let you head down to your cabins to get settled for a moment, but please could all councillors make sure to have everyone in the dining hall in an hour for camp introduction and rules.”

As it always was, Zoe’s word at camp was law. Even the new campers could feel the presence she had when she picked up that megaphone.

The next couple of hours passed in a blur of trying to get your campers situated in their cabin, answering any and all questions that popped up, and hurrying to make sure that you weren’t late for camp meeting.

The grand circle was finally teeming with life once more, kids running around already enjoying the freedom away from parents, and your poor counsellor friends running after them.

And before you knew it, you had reached the end of the first official day at Camp Moonglade.

Day 3 - Wednesday, 17 days until

Rocks crunched softly beneath your feet as you walked along the shoreline, with the exception of the beach, most of the shore was either covered in big flat rocks or the stretch of grass reached all the way down to the water.

Your sandals dangled from your fingertips as you walked along, letting yourself feel the cool rocks against the rough pads of your feet.

The water gulped softly against the shore with every beat of the waves, and the only light came from the reflected image of the moon. Softly illuminating the night ever so slightly, but you still found yourself needing to squint to make sure you were still placing your feet in front of you.

The overwhelming hot swell of the day had finally faded, letting the cool night air finally seep in and you felt like you could breathe again for the first time. Relishing in every soft breath of night summer air that washed over your exposed skin.

Three full days had somehow already been and gone, passed in a blur of excitement and activities. Which your mind and body ached from, and you already found yourself longing for a break, nothing big but just a little get away.

Which is how you found yourself trekking along the shoreline of the lake, slowing your breathing, and taking in every sound of the lake, of the forest. The creaks and groans of the trees as they shifted with the wind, the rustle of leaves and the soft chirping of cicadas.

Even at night Camp Moonglade was never truly silent. Especially not when you were left with your own thoughts ticking away and churning around in your head.

But your thoughts quickly came to a grinding halt as you came upon the last person you expected, or at least wanted to see tonight. Eddie Munson, sitting by the lakeside.

His shoes were tossed almost carelessly to the side, along with his socks, allowing him to sink his feet down into the cold water. A half smoked lit cigarette dangled from his lips, glowing a soft red in the darkening night with every drag he took.

“Of course, it’s you, you know you’re not supposed to smoke at camp, right? Against camp rules.”

“Ah, my favourite happy camper, come to join me, sunshine?”

You didn’t really think about it, you just kind of sat down next to him, but you made sure to keep a distance between you. Snagging the cigarette from his hand and taking a puff before he could oppose you. The smoke filled your lungs and you immediately gagged, trying to hold back a cough, and failing spectacularly.

“You know smoking is against camp rules, right?” Eddie echoed your words from earlier, and you had to fight the chuckle that threatened to bubble up in your chest.

“So, what’s on your mind this evening, sunshine?” “Nothing-” your voice was calm into the empty night.Realising you were still holding it, you passed the cigarette back to Eddie. And you stuck your feet in the cold water, kicking your feet ever so slightly.

“Oh, c’mon I know there has got to be a reason if you’re desperate enough to sit down with little old me,” Eddie laughed, taking a drag from his cigarette much more skillfully than you did, letting the thin cigarette smoke hang in the quiet air between you, “so please, enlighten me why are you so desperate to be hanging out with yours truly.”

“Did you pack enough cigarettes to last you the next five weeks?” you asked instead to deflect the question, and pulled your thighs up to your chest, wrapping your arms around yourself, trying to fight off the sudden cold that started seeping in now that you were sitting still.

“Hopefully, as long as I make sure I don’t smoke em’ all, then I’ll be ok,” Eddie laughed, and he could tell you were trying to deflect, but hey, he wasn’t one to push. Knowing he was probably the last person you would ever want to talk to about anything running through that mind of yours. Any semblance of trust you might have had in him was long gone after last summer.

You sat there with him for a moment, almost finding some sense of peace in the comfortable silence you shared between you. It was different to anything you had experienced with Eddie. He was always the loud, fidgeting, bold, bouncing off the walls, walking on the cafeteria tables Eddie Munson.

But sitting there by the lake with you, he was calm. Calmer than you think you’ve ever seen any person. Almost as if there was no worry on his mind, despite actively breaking camp rules by insisting on smoking his cigarette. And that, you thought, might be the most Eddie Munson thing, breaking the rules and not breaking a sweat doing it.

“You know Zoe caught me down here once last summer, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that pissed,” Eddie said, and you couldn’t help but stare at him with wide eyes, it was almost as if he had been reading your mind just then, “I was sharing a joint with Richie, and we heard her approach, we both panicked and just ran for our lives, not thinking she would still see us the next morning and-”

“So that’s why you and Richie had that unexplained cleaning duty last summer!” you blurted out before you could stop yourself, instinctively clasping your hands over your mouth as you realised you had forgotten your manners and interrupted him. Which Eddie seemed to find immensely entertaining, laughing wildly at the sight in front of him.

“Yes, that is indeed why,” he chuckled at your response, quickly glancing over at you from the corner of his eye. Stumping out the cigarette bud on a nearby rock and throwing the end of it into the lake to be swallowed by the water. “You know- I think the only reason we got away with it is because I’ve known Zoe for so long.”

“Wait you’ve known Zoe since before you were a councilor?” His words puzzled you a little bit, you had no clue they’d known each other before hand, and maybe you found yourself a little bit dumbfounded for judging their interaction on Sunday.

“Yeah- me and Zoe used to be campers here together. My uncle used to send me here for the summers so he could get me out of his hair for a little bit, and so that I wouldn’t get bored and go around getting in trouble.” His eyes were looking anywhere but at you, wandering the scenery in front of them as he spoke, transfixed on the soft slopes of the water that surrounded his feet.

“So… you come here to cause problems instead?” you looked over at him and asked with a rise in your brow.

“And because you’re so much more fun to vex than my uncle,” Eddie finally looked over at you and flashed you his infamous cheeky grin. And there it was again, that same smile he’d flashed you last summer and you were ashamed to say it still elicited the same reaction in you as it had back then, and you hated yourself for it.

“Sooo, what was little Zoe like?” you kicked your feet in the water as you spoke, the water sloshing around gently, adding softly to the sounds of the night.

“Oh- not so different from how she is now. Even when she was little, she had more command than anyone else, even the old councillors back then.” He fished his lighter out of his pocket and fidgeted with the lid, flipping it open and closed rhythmically, lighting the flame every now and then.

“Why does that not surprise me,” you wondered out loud, but it was clear your tone was littered with sarcasm, and you earned a little chuckle out of him.

“Shit, are you cold?” He noticed the soft dusting of goose bumps that had gradually settled on your skin and the way your hands ran up and down your forearms trying to settle into the gentle chill of the night. Eddie shuffled out of the jacket he was wearing and held it out to you, letting the article of clothing dangle between you on the tips of his fingers.

Suddenly, you became aware of just how small the distance between you had grown, and how he offering you his jacket was painfully similar to last summer.

And perhaps, he had felt it too.

“Oh- no thank you I’ll be just fine.”

“You’re shivering like a leaf, c’mon just take it.”

“Eddie seriously I’m not cold-”

“Listen- I know after last year you might not be my biggest fan, and it's pretty clear that you’re still upset-” Eddie started. “Under exaggerating there just a little bit, Munson,” you interjected quickly, making him reconsider his words for a moment before he spoke up again.

A deep crease forming between his eyebrows as he gazed at you from the short distance between you, and you were convinced you could see the tiniest tug at the corner of his lips before he spoke.

“How about I make it up to you? Say if by some incredible, and I mean truly incredible, miracle you manage to win camp championships, I will let you give me a stick and poke tattoo. Whatever design you want, sounds good?” And you absolutely could not deny it, it was a tempting prize he was offering you. Eddie was already covered in tattoos, one more wouldn’t be much of a hassle for him, but one from you?

“And what if I don’t win, what do you get then?” You asked and Eddie bit down his bottom lip and stared at you, simply to drag it out because it was clear he already knew what he wanted. “A kiss,” he finally said and your blood ran cold.

“A kiss?” you raised your eyebrow and fought the urge to bite into your lip in the slight bit of anguish the thought caused you. And in that moment you knew, this is what he had meant when he said you would be regretting taking Cabin 9, but what you didn’t know was that this was only the beginning.

“Y’know it wouldn’t be-” Eddie started, but he never got a chance to finish.

“I know Munson, trust me I know,” you cut him off before he could finish, not wanting to think about what he was insinuating, trying your best to shake off the feeling that had washed over you.

“So what do you say, we got a deal?” Eddie reached out his hand to you, letting it hang in the space between you, and your mind was still running wild with contemplations. Your eyes darting between his hand and his eyes, feeling that little pit of anxiety in your stomach gnawing away at you, telling you not to do it.

“Deal,” you said and grabbed his hand, shaking it quickly. In the end it was too tempting not to take on the challenge. Besides, there was no way that you were going to lose anyway.

“Now will you please just take my jacket? It’s almost painful seeing you this cold.” Oh, right, his jacket. He had placed it in the space between you once the talk of the bet started. And while you had agreed to kiss him, in the slight chance you would lose, his jacket felt way too intimate, way too special for you to take.

“Oh- I’m fine, I really should be going anyway, early morning tomorrow,” you mumbled as you shuffled to get your feet beneath you so you could stand up, grabbing your shoes and quickly, but rather awkwardly, slipping them on. “Thanks for the conversation, and bet, I guess.”

“Good night sunshine!” You heard him call out to you as you were almost out of earshot, and when you looked over your shoulder you saw his jacket was still lying on the ground next to him, but his eyes were fixed on the water in front of him. “And I’ll be looking forward to that kiss!”

Day 5 - Friday, 14 Days until

Finally, Friday night rolled around, another day filled with endless activities in the baking summer sun. While only a couple of days had passed since the beginning of camp, you could already see more than one set of sunburned shoulders, an inevitable case no matter how hard you and your fellow councillors tried, and it didn’t help that some of the councillors weren’t particularly skillful at it either.

Friday nights at Moonglade were always marked by bonfire nights. Late nights around the bonfire, fingers sticky with marshmallows and soft sing alongs being played on guitar. And while most of the campers weren’t particularly vocally inclined, it was still a regular highlight of the week.

The bonfire pit laid down towards the lake side, a big stone pit with wooden benches lined up in two circles around it. The sun had just barely dipped below the line of the horizon, but the evening was illuminated in the soft orange glow of the cackling bonfire and the heavy smell of smoke hung in the air.

Eddie was sitting on one of the inner benches, his guitar in hand and perched across his knee. Picking at the strings to make sure they were in tune.

You knew Eddie liked music, his band played at some run down bar at the edge of town every few weeks, but despite that you had never really heard him play more than at camp.

At camp, the songs he played were far different to the ones you heard him blast from his van at all ungodly hours of the morning in the school parking lot before classes started. His hair was pushed back between his ears, someone had placed a small white flower in the mess of his curls, which you couldn’t help but smile at.

It was such a stark contrast to who he was as a person, a metal head with clothes to fit, now sitting there in cut off denim shorts, an old worn out camp t-shirt and a soft delicate white flower in his hair.

But the irony wasn’t lost on either of you. He knew how silly he looked, but it was part of the fun while being at camp, he could look silly and also have fun with it.

Besides, he was so focused on leading the sing along, his fingers rapping against the guitar with ease as he drew out the melodies. And while his choir wasn’t the most talented, what they lacked in skill, they made up for with volume.

Finishing off the last song with his own personal improvised guitar solo, the need to always be the centre of attention continued to surprise you even though it really shouldn’t at this point. You did attend high school with him, and while you were far from being on speaking terms with each other, Eddie Munson was impossible to miss.

Mostly because he did stick out more than most, with his classic metal head attire, long curly hair and a band of nerds following him. But also because he refused to make himself invisible.

Eddie placed the guitar by his side, scooting down and settling in on the ground, urging the campers closer towards him. “Closer… closer… you too Wheeler-” soon he had them all huddled around him, almost like a herd, every pair of eyes was on him.

Looking across the circle you shot Joan a questioning look, and she simply shrugged in response, having no clue what he was about to do either.

“Everyone’s here? Ok good, then we can begin,” that same evil grin he had was once more plastered to his face, and you immediately feared for what was about to come, absolutely no good could come from a look like that. There was something hidden behind that smile, it was the kind where you could tell he was scheming for something, but you could never quite anticipate exactly what was about to happen.

“What I am about to tell you is the story of a man. A completely ordinary man, who goes by the name of Victor Creel.”

You didn’t have to look, you could practically hear Con rolling her eyes from where she was sitting across from you. Looking around, you couldn’t see Zoe or Mark, which meant Eddie was practically left to his own devices, no one else would be able to stop him.

All the kids were laser focused on Eddie as he spoke, dramatically retelling the story of Victor Creel to the children. The soft glow of the fire illuminating his face perfectly

“And you know what they say, all of this happened not too far from-”

“Ooohkay I believe that is enough for today.” Zoe walked into the circle, up behind Eddie and placing her hands on his shoulders, Eddie’s mouth slid shut immediately and he pressed his lips together.

“I think it’s time for lights, don't you agree Eddie?” Her voice was sweet but heavy with annoyance, and you had to bite your lip to hold back a laugh at the sight in front of you.

“I think that’s a great idea.” You couldn’t tell from the dark night if Eddie was blushing or if it was just the warm light from the campfire.

Half an hour later you were sitting in the mess, after a hassle of getting the campers settled into their cabins and countless questions about Victor Creel you wanted to murder Eddie more than ever.

“Wow, way to go scaring the crap out of the kids just four days into camp," you said as you heard Eddie’s heavy footsteps cross the threshold into the mess, the old wood giving away and squeaking softly as he walked

"What are you talking about! They loved it!" Eddie quickly made his way over to the table where you were all gathered around, and he snatched the deck of cards Mark was shuffling from him.

"I'm pretty sure I saw at least three kids crying…" Con mumbled as she picked at her nails, and next to her Connie gave a soft chuckle.

"I didn't like it either," Joan piped up and put her hand up in the air in consensus.

"And none of you stopped me, so who is really to blame here?" And you all fell silent at that.

"Soo how long do you have cleaning duty for?" Richie elbowed eddie in the side playfully.

"Undecided," Zoe said as she walked into the room, her slightly evil grin just barely tugging at the corners of her lips, but it was clear she was enjoying it, "for now."

Eddie twirled the deck of cards expertly in his hand, shuffling them until he was satisfied enough with his job. He was sitting at the head of the table, the rest of you in a ring around him with a stack of poker chips in the centre of you all.

A more secretive tradition at Moonglade, councillors poker night after bonfires. Where you all repeatedly lost what little money you had to each other, and Connie somehow always ended up winning.

He was just a really good bluff.

With Eddie as the designated dealer you made sure to sit as far away from him as possible. Still not convinced he wasn't rigging the game to make you lose, since you always ended up with the worst possible cards.

Outside rain softly started pattering against the windows, soaking the forest and earth with water. It didn't take long before rain was hailing down while you all exchanged cards and laughs between you continuously.

The rain was still hammering down as you stepped onto the deck, ready to tuck in for the night, eyes heavy with sleep and you longed for the quiet comfort of your camp bed.

Day 6 - Saturday, 13 days until

The rain was hammering down, on every surface it could, creating small echoes which ricocheted around the entirety of camp. Soaking the forest floors and rippling the water of the lake which was now reflecting the dark storm grey of the sky compared to it's normal brilliant blue.

This is what you had all been afraid of last night, but then it had only been soft pitter patters of rain droplets against windows. Now you were struggling to think over all the noise.

It was the kind of rain you couldn't see through, the kind that created a curtain of water and you weren't sure if the water was coming from up or below.

Zoe and Mark had you all called to The Mess, leaving your campers sitting tight in their cabins for the time being.

Lisa was the last through the door, her long blonde hair a couple of shades darker from the rain soaking it.

But all of you were practically dripping onto the wooden floors beneath you.

"I don't want to say it and you guys don't want to hear it, but we have to cancel," Zoe said as she boldly drew a red marker through 'capture the flag' on today's itinerary, she wasn't the kind to sugar coat anything but right now you really wish she would. Her declaration, a bold one at that, practically led to an uproar of complaints from the lot of you.

"It's tradition!"

"Cancelling because of a little rain?!"

"What about camp championships!?"

You also couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment in your stomach. This was supposed to be your first real match up against Eddie since last summer, and you would have been lying if you said you weren't looking forward to it.

The wooden floor creaked beneath you as you swayed softly against it.

"We know you're upset!" Zoe said in an almost useless attempt at calming the group. "But it would be a hazard to let them play in these conditions!"

"It's just a little rain!" Connie #2 insisted again.

"Do you want to be in charge of bandaging scrapes and cuts afterwards, Connie?" Zoe asked simply, and Connie's face immediately faced the crooked floorboards.

"Please inform your campers about the schedule change, well try to reschedule for another day ok? In the meantime let them know they'll have the afternoon session off instead before dinner. Morning activities will resume as normal.”

At least she didn't bring out the megaphone this time, you thought. The tiniest victory.

You pulled the hood of the rain coat well over your forehead and zipped up the jacket until only your eyes were visible through a small slit.

"You know you look ridiculous right?" The only thing that could be worse than capturing the flag being cancelled had to be dealing with Eddie.

"Well at least I'm dry." You gave him your best cocky smile, which was completely lost given most of your face was hidden by your coat and Eddie chuckled softly. "In comparison to some other people, forget to pack your jacket, Munson?"

It was clear Eddie hadn't brought his jacket with him, his shirt drenched in rain water, enough that you could see through it.

"No, this is simply a fashion choice…" "Besides, I'm not scared of a little rain."

"Well, I'm not making you soup when you get pneumonia," you laughed as you looked at him, he really did look ridiculous, even though his shirt was practically glued to his chest. His curls were dead and flat, sticking to his face and you couldn't help but think he looked like a rain soaked dog.

The whole group tracked back to the circle of campers cabins, a couple of you huddled together under a couple of too small umbrellas, to deliver the unavoidable verdict to your campers.

"Hey! Don't shoot the messenger, Zoe's verdict!" You threw your hands up to proclaim your innocence in the matter, truly one of the scariest demographics on the planet had to be middle schoolers. Just as you expected, no one was happy about the cancellation of capture the flag. And you couldn’t blame them, you had been looking forward to this more than you expected to.

However with morning activities still scheduled to take place like normal, there was no time to hang around. Quickly gathering your campers and hurrying them off the regularly scheduled arts and crafts. Always the same pleasant mix of glitter and craft glue.

But as you looked around Eddie was nowhere to be seen, which quickly created an unsettling feeling in your stomach. Where was he? Why wasn’t he here?

All of his campers were here, they were fairly easy to spot all things considering, but their so-called fearless leader was nowhere to be found.

However, you didn’t have to worry for long. You had sent your campers back with Con, staying back to help with the inevitable clean up of almost forty kids doing arts and crafts. Finally, after what felt like hours, the arts and crafts room was left in a somewhat decent state, you had settled in with your campers in their cabin, a deck of cards being passed along you all with soft laughs drowned out by the roar of the rain still raging outside.

And you were finally dry. After misplacing your raincoat and having to walk back to the cabin without it you were completely soaked head to toe. But now you could appreciate the feeling of dry clothes against your damp skin as the warmth slowly returned to your body.

But your peace was not long lasting. Eddie’s voice sounded from outside your cabin, the door cranked slightly to let fresh air in, and somehow he was so loud you could still hear him over the thundering of rain outside.

“Hey Sunshine!” Sunshine, ironic nickname considering the weather conditions. But Eddie stuck with it, knowing whenever he said it you got just a little crease at the corner of your eye. “Could you come out here for a second? I need your help with something.”

You shut your eyes to keep yourself from rolling them, and reluctantly got up from your comfortable position on the floor, pushing the door to the cabin open all the way.

The freezing shock hit your body before you could even react, the water that washed over you made you cold to the bone and it took you a moment to realise what had happened. The bucket fell to the ground with a hollow clang, and you were once again soaked completely head to toe.

You wiped water from your face and had to resist the urge to scream until you cried. When your vision finally returned to its fullest, you could see Eddie standing leaned against one of the support beams on Cabin 10s deck, with probably the biggest smile you had ever seen plastered to his face.

“Nevermind- I think I’ll manage on my own.” Behind him in the window you could see his campers lined up along the still to look at the play out of what they must be considering the funniest prank ever pulled considering their inability to hold in their snickers and laughs.

Then and there you knew, the game was afoot.

Mutuals - @uglypastels @catastrofhe @eddiemunsonbrxinrot @eddiemunsons-girl

Taglist - @pastel-abyss-x @fayetheenthusiast @obi-wanakenobi @starbeambo @chloebeansack @a-villain-vying-for-attention @meaganjm @prettytoxix @magicalxdaydream @ghoulsgraveyard @emmaginanni @eddie-munsons-girlfriend @munchabunch @kaydancegilr0y @eateraa @satorix @avery-needs-more-fics @kbakery @milly-louise @salome-c @hopebaker @moonlight-and-stars @sweetpeapod @eddiemunsonsfuturewife @cherrypieyourface @theglitterymess @eddieshellfireshirt @lovelyladymayy @hellfire-state-of-mind @itsmoonyhere @missriverred @crabravee @escape-in-time-x @eddiemunsnon @alternativelit @nightless @ruinedbythehobbit @evilunicorn4minions @bohemian-war @lili-pond @hb8301 @emotionaldreamer @eddies-lover @audrie-bryant @munson-burner @luvbug8 @love-conqures-everythingg @shamidreamer

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marybeatriceofmodena · 4 years ago

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You know, I’ve been thinking today about how Alina doesn’t even really work as a Reluctant Hero, compared her to Frodo to see the key differences (since Frodo is pretty much the Poster Child for the Reluctant Hero), and then I realized...

You know, I think L/eigh B/ardugo wrote TGT as a very black-and-white fairytale, where Alina is the princess, Mal’s the knight in the shining armor, and the Darkling is basically the dragon, except it doesn’t really work because the worldbuilding requires an approach that’s... a lot more grey?

The thing is, though, I realized... Alina and Mal are basically meant to be Frodo and Sam. Except that, again... it doesn’t really work.

Frodo works as a Reluctant Hero, because he makes it clear multiple times that he doesn’t want to carry the Ring. He asks Gandalf to do it for him, he asks Galadriel, he asks Aragorn, and they all refuse, because they are (or are called to be) in a position of power, and while them being in a position of power is presented as good, the One Ring essentially represents the fast, easy way to get to it, which will ultimately corrupt them rather than have them fight their way towards their goal.

Frodo, meanwhile, is the right person to carry the Ring, because he comes from a humble place and he doesn’t really have any aspirations to become powerful. And while he’s clearly burdened by having to carry the One Ring, and that he makes it clear that he wishes the Ring had never come to him, he still goes on anyway, despite all the hardships he faces, because his ultimate goal is to save the Shire and his friends, and that desire is stronger than any fear or greed he may have.

Now, J.R.R. Tolkien himself said that he didn’t really see Frodo as THE Hero, and that Sam is the real Hero of the story to him. Which makes sense, given how Sam was based off young men from rural England he met while fighting in World War I. But also, the story makes it very clear that without Sam, who’s arguably the most pure-hearted person in all of Middle-Earth, Frodo would have definitely failed in his task. The reason why he resists the temptation to carry the One Ring is LITERALLY because him protecting and helping Frodo is more important to him. Sam doesn’t give two shits about power. Helping Frodo save the Shire and coming back to everything he’s ever loved is more important to him.

Both Alina and Frodo are pure-hearted orphans who are given tremendous power: Alina is the Sun Summoner, and Frodo carries the One Ring. In both cases, power is represented as a corruptive force, that makes people go mad with greed. It works in the context of The Lord of the Rings, given how the rings were given to leaders of Elves, Dwarves and Men, and that Sauron created the One Ring to rule over and control all of them. The Grisha, on the other hand, unlike the Ring-bearers, are not in a position of power, given they are essentially victims of Fantastic Racism in pretty much every country. While Ravka treats them slightly better than in Fjerda or Shu Han, it’s still not ideal and it’s something that could be taken away from them at any moment. It would be an entirely different matter if the Grisha were the ones rulling over Ravka and viewing otkazat’sya as lesser, and in that context, Alina being the Sun Summoner would be a very obvious road to her becoming corrupted.

Frodo refusing to carry the One Ring and asking other people to take that burden from him comes from a place of genuine fear of what the Ring might do to him. In his place, we’d probably all do the same thing. That’s what makes his acceptance of his task all the more admirable. Alina, on the other hand, refuses to be the Sun Summoner and to help her fellow Grisha because that stands in the way of her ending up with Mal. She never gives any sign that she’s truly empathizing with the Grisha’s plight, she tries to run away not once, but twice, and most importantly, she never sees herself as one of them. They are othered, but it matters little to her, because she doesn’t want to be othered herself, because that stands in the way of her running off with a boy. It’s basically the equivalent of Frodo being overcome by fear after seeing the fate of the Shire in Galadriel’s mirror, and just demanding to be sent to the Grey Havens straight away to save his own ass from it all and just leaving the One Ring to whoever wants to deal with it. At that point, it’s not being a Reluctant Hero: it’s being a coward at best, a selfish bastard at worst.

(And that’s why I don’t really buy her when she tells Aleksander that they could have had it all if he had told her all the truth from the start, because... again, she didn’t seem to care about the Grisha that much and Aleks telling her everything would have actually been a sure way of having her run as fast as possible the other way. I know the story is trying to tell me otherwise and that the plot point I’m supposed to see here is that Alina was willing to do something until she felt betrayed by Aleks, which is... not what was shown here, and it’s especially annoying considering how Alina is a deserter in every sense of the word, and that any army would have court-martialed her for running away.)

So if Alina is meant to be a pure, selfless heroine, who loses her powers because she also refuses to be greedy... that just falls completely flat, because if anything, she’s as selfish as Frodo is selfless, because all of this really just boils down to her wanting to run off with Mal.

Now, onto Sam and Mal. Both of them are basically Everymen who are there to help the Hero and keep their feet on the ground. As mentioned earlier, Sam is the one who helps Frodo finish his mission to Mordor, and the story makes it clear Frodo would have failed without him. TGT meanwhile presents Mal as Alina’s “True North”... which could work on paper as Alina’s reminder to temper Aleksander’s efforts and to remind him that in order for Grisha to be viewed as people, it is important for them to also remember that balance and peace between Grisha and otkazat’sya will be essential, so resentment and hatred can be healed between both groups.

The key difference here is that Sam is completely supportive of Frodo at all times. Even when Frodo sends him away in the film, Sam goes back after him the minute he realizes he’s been tricked by Gollum. He never shames Frodo whenever he falls prey to temptation, he simply reminds him of who he is and what he must fight for, and even when he’s climbing Mount Doom, he still carries Frodo on his back despite being probably completely exhausted, because Frodo’s more exhausted than he is. He completely accepts Frodo as both his friend, the Hobbit from the Shire, and the Ring-bearer he needs to help, even if he might die in the process.

Mal (in the books, that is) makes it very clear that he does not accept Alina as both the girl he knew and the Sun Summoner. He only wants the girl, and whenever Alina makes steps towards being the Sun Summoner, he basically sulks and yells at her for not paying attention to him. Despite Alina becoming othered in the eyes of the world, he refuses to see her as othered, mostly because it is inconvenient to him rather than because he loves her for who she is. That’s why in the end, people feel like Alina lost her powers in order to be with Mal, because Mal would never accept her in her entirety. Sam, on the other hand, accepts Frodo as both Ring-bearer and Hobbit, because if he didn’t, Frodo would have failed.

And while they made Mal in the show a lot nicer than his book counterpart, he still doesn’t work as Alina’s “True North”, because he cossets her in her selfishness. He may say he doesn’t care about how Alina is a Grisha in this one, but he also doesn’t consider the implications of it all - which is especially glaring given he’s a soldier himself. Like, look, if you’re going to slap in a racism plotline to make Mal/ina work, you’d think that being half-Shu would give Mal a little awareness that people are going to treat Alina badly for being half-Shu AND a Grisha, and given Alina is the MOTHERFUCKING SUN SUMMONER AND A SAINT, maybe, just maybe he’d tell her: “Heh, it’s kinda lame we’ll just run off and let everyone else in the dust, you know, especially since we could make our lives as well as everyone else’s better?” Seriously, if you’re going to make Mal Alina’s “True North”, have him face her duties and her calling whether she likes it or not, don’t coddle her when she wants to run the other way because she wants to hide under a rock for the rest of her life.

With all that being said, that leaves us with the Darkling, who... I mean, given his whole schtick is that power corrupts and makes you evil and crazy, I guess that makes him Gollum, but sexy.

Gollum, but sexy.

That single expression has been haunting me ever since I started writing the above novel and I fucking hate it. You’re welcome. No one wanted Sexy Gollum. Absolutely no one. Fuck this shyte. See, this is why I want Darkling Redemption. I do not want to live in a world where Gollum is sexy. I need brain bleach.

Even here it doesn’t even fucking work because Gollum hid in a cave with the Ring with a strategically placed cloth because no one wants to see his crusty ass family jewels anyway, while Aleks worked his ass off to give the Grisha a safe place to live and to at the very least ensure they’re useful enough to not be killed like animals. Like, if you’re going to give the world something that’s gonna definitely not make me sleep tonight like Sexy Gollum, at least do it right.

#now i have thoroughly traumatized myself :)#anti grishaverse #anti leigh bardugo #anti mal #anti malina #darklina #alarkling #rants and reviews

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reluctant-mandalore · 4 years ago

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A Sniper’s Routine (Crosshair x gn!Reader)

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This blog supports unwhitewashtbb and does not tolerate any defense of the racism shown from the bad batch show. Anything I create is never reflective of the whitewashed canon of the bad batch. I'm wishing anyone who defends the bad batch’s whitewashing to have the worst time always ❤️

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Crosshair has a routine he likes to follow after returning from a mission. One that includes visiting you for cuddles and comfort, though he’d never admit to liking such things.

Warnings: fluff, established relationship, comfort, cuddling, kisses (sorta), not beta read.

Word Count: 2753

Pairing: Crosshair x gn!Reader

a/n: This was only meant to be like 600 or so words, but I had a lot of fun writing this. I don’t usually write for characters like crosshair but I found it to be enjoyable tbh and I do like him a lot lol. Anyway enjoy some cuddles with our favourite grumpy sniper!

Paperwork was never an easy task, and it was one that you found yourself buried in repeatedly the longer the war had gone on. It had to be done though, and currently you had found your desk overflowing with it. The piles of paper only seeming to grow more, as the night had gone on.

Though soon you would find a brief freedom from your work thanks to a knock at your door. The sound of which had caused your head to snap up, and had made you move to go open it for whoever it may be. You had a pretty good idea of who had come to visit. As you knew that a particular group of clones were due back any day now. Which had also meant that a certain sniper would be coming to see you soon.

He always did after they had completed a mission after all. Always.

When you had opened the door, you were met with the familiar sight of Crosshair standing there. His helmet had been tucked under his arm while he waited, and he had chewed on the toothpick in his mouth with his usual scowl. Though you had found yourself quite happy to see that he had made it back without a scratch to be seen on him. His moody expression only seeming to make your own grow brighter.

“I’m back.”

“I can see that.” You had smiled at him, before stepping aside to open the door more to let him come in. “Welcome back crosshair. I take it the mission went well?”

“Yeah.” He had simply at first as he brushed past you. Although soon he had paused again to look over his shoulder at you. His face still holding that famous irritated expression he loved to wear. “Well as good as it can go when working with regs.”

“And we all know how much you love them.” You had said with a teasing smile. One that had only made him roll his eyes and let out an annoyed huff at the sight of it. Though you had only smiled more at seeing his reaction when finally closing the door.

You had gone back to work soon after letting him in, and at first he had stood almost awkwardly in the center of your room. His eyes had watched you work away at the paperwork for a long moment, before he had eventually moved to sit on your bed. He hadn’t said another word the entire time though. Instead choosing to remain silent as he stared at you with a narrowed gaze.

Crosshair’s fingers had tapped against the top of the helmet in his lap as he waited for you to finish. The sound of it only stopping when he had cleared his throat in an attempt to grab your attention. It had worked of course, and you had stolen a glance at him from over your paperwork at the noise he had made. A small smile finding itself crossing your lips, as you watched him look away from you again when your gazes had locked.

You both knew exactly what he had wanted. It had basically become a routine by now. Every time he would return, he would first tie up any loose ends involving the mission with his brothers, and then afterwards he would head straight to your room to find you. If you weren’t there, he’d let himself in with the passcode you had given him, and then he would wait for you to come back. If you were though—like tonight—he would usually end up taking you into his arms to just cuddle with one another.

Crosshair would never admit it, but he actually enjoyed cuddling quite a bit. He even seemed to love it with you even more. You weren’t sure if it was just because had missed you while away, or if he truly just liked being able to hold you, but he always seemed to be ready for some cuddle time. He would never say that he enjoyed such things though, and he would definitely never ask for them. You didn’t mind of course. It was just how he was after all, and you were quite used to it by now anyway.

Tonight was no different of course in this regard. He had come to you with the same intent just as he always had. Though unfortunately for him, you had a pile of paperwork to do this evening. That—combined with your sudden and growing need to tease him—wouldn’t be doing him any favours at the moment.

“You know usually when people want something they use their words.” You had smirked up at him again from over the paper in your hand. His scowl only deepening at your teasing remark, as he bit down harder onto the toothpick in his mouth. “If you want to cuddle all you have to do is ask. Then I can be all yours.”

Crosshair had let out a scuff at your teasing suggestion, and his hand had picked up the toothpick in his mouth to toy with it as he spoke. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t even like cuddling... You’re the one that’s always insisting on it.”

“Oh is that so?” You had said with mocked surprise and a raised brow. “How strange... I could have sworn that’s what you came here for.”

“Definitely not why I’m here.” He had said as he stood from his place on the bed. Now moving so he could stand before your desk to face you properly. His brows raised in surprise at seeing your still wide grin. Though his scowl had soon come back at your next teasing remark.

“So you’re here because you missed me then?”

“Nope.” He had said quickly. Although he had seemed to almost tense and even frown more at his own words. “Not that either.”

“Oh I see.” You had said with an amused hum. Soon leaning forward to rest your chin in your palm, as your elbow had firmly planted itself onto the desk. The fingers of your free hand tapping against the old wood with peaked interest as you smiled at him. “So you’re here just cause you wanted to see me do paperwork then?”

“Yes exactly. Glad we’re on the same page.” He had said while sounding almost relieved. As he had visibly relaxed a little at still hearing your joking attitude. He had stepped more towards the desk by this point, and had leaned forward onto it so that he was closer to you. Your noses brushing together, as his lips had threatened to steal themselves a kiss while he had spoken to you again. “Seems boring though... and if I wanted to be bored I would have stayed to listen to Tech ramble about his newest fixation.”

Crosshair had gone to pull back, but your hand on his arm had stopped him in his place midway. He had watched your fingers toy with his armor for a brief moment, as you had let out a little laugh at his previous words. Your thoughts briefly going back to how excited Tech had been when he found that scrap piece on their last mission. You weren’t sure exactly what he was using it for, but he was happy with the discovery regardless, and hadn’t stopped talking about it for some time.

“I take it that he’s still going on about that new piece he managed to find from last time?”

“Oh you have no idea.” A small fond smile had crossed his features briefly at the mention of his brother, though it was gone before you could truly grasp onto the sight of it. He had pulled back completely soon after that, and your lips had twitched at the loss of the kiss you had found yourself leaning towards earlier. Your own frown now mirroring the snipers earlier one at the loss of his closeness. “Anyway... Clearly you’re busy tonight. So I’ll head out.”

“Ah wait crosshair! Don’t be like that...” You had trailed off, as you had also stood quickly from your spot to gently grab onto his arm again. Putting on your best pout and puppy dog eyes when he had looked over at you once more. “You know I was only teasing.”

“Yeah I know.”

“So you’ll stay then?” You had asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear him confirm it anyway. “I could really use some cuddle time after all that paperwork.”

He had stared at you for another second, twiddling with the toothpick still in his hand before flicking it out onto your floor. “I guess I don’t really have anywhere else to be anyway.”

That was good enough for you, as instantly a smile had replaced your pout. Your smile being so bright and happy, that Crosshair himself had to do his best to stop his own smile that tugged at his lips from showing itself. Sometimes he both loved and hated the effect you seemed to have over him. He wouldn’t exchange it for anything else in the Galaxy though. He’d never tell you, but you were probably one of the most important people in his life, and he’d do anything to keep it that way.

Holding onto his arm more properly, you had pulled him over to your bed. Humming a tune and smiling, as you went to sit down with him. Trying to bring him down with you as well, so that he could join you among the sheets. “C’mere grumpy grump.”

“Told you not to call me that.” He had grumbled out with another frown. Although he had settled onto the bed with you without much more complaint anyway. His arms soon circling around you in a tight embrace, as he held you closely into his chest.

The hold he had on you had kept you snug against him. The position you two were in having it so that you were laid over top of him with your head resting on his chest like it was a pillow. He had still remained in the majority of his armor, and some of the sharper edges had dug into your skin uncomfortably. Though you had found you didn’t mind it too much. As you were more focused on cuddling yourself more into his embrace.

“I’ll stop calling you that when you admit you like to cuddle with me.”

A chuckle had left him this time at your reply, and he let out a small hum while his hand trailed his fingers down your spine. “Oh that’s never happening darling.”

Your own laugh had left you that, and he had smiled a little more at the sound of it. Although from your spot on top of him you couldn’t really see his grin clearly. You would forget trying to see it soon anyway. As his fingers drawing shapes mindlessly over your back had distracted you from doing so. His eyes now firmly closed while he had cuddled with you quite happily.

The two of you had laid there for a long while. Allowing the time to pass without a care as you both held one another on the bed. You had found yourself listening to his heart beat. The gentle and reassuring thump of it making you forget about your earlier work completely. Its thundering sound just making you happy enough to have him in your arms again.

“I did miss you.”

The unexpected words from him were soft, and if it weren’t for the quietness of your room, you probably would have missed them completely. You had heard them though, and you had shifted so you could look at him properly. The sight of his soft expression at the moment melting your heart within seconds. How he managed to look so soft, and yet so stern, would always amaze you, but it was something you found that you absolutely adored about him.

Mind you—regardless of his grumpy attitude most days—it was hard not to care for him.

Crosshair had looked away again when he had noticed you looking at him. His frown having crossed his lips again. As he had found himself biting the inside of his mouth to distract himself from your own gaze. His eyes only ever meeting yours again at the feeling of your hand resting against his cheek.

For a brief moment he had stiffened at your touch. Not quite expecting it—and still not quite used to your affectionate gestures—no matter how long you two had been together. He had relaxed again quickly though, and on instinct he had even found himself leaning into your hand. A gentle sigh soon leaving him before his eyes had closed. All while his earlier stress and annoyance had left his features for the time being.

“I missed you too Crosshair.”

The sniper had smiled a little at your words, and his eyes had flickered opened to lock his gaze with your own once more. He had soon moved to cup his own hand over the one you still had resting on his cheek. His fingers now intertwining themselves with yours, as he had pulled your hand back just enough, so that he could place a kiss to the inside of your palm. The gesture tickling your skin and causing for a warm feeling to flutter within you as he did.

Crosshair could be so sweet when he wanted to be—especially when it had come to you.

He had laid back again after that. Once again settling himself against the bed with you held snugly on top of him. His one hand had gone back to rubbing soothing shapes along your back, while the other had lazily held itself across your waist. His gentle touch relieving any of the remaining ache and stress your muscles may have still held from earlier. The release of such things, and calmness you had felt from him, making you let out a pleased hum.

Crosshair himself had appeared to be on the edge of sleep. His breathing soft and eyes firmly shut, as he basked in your own comforting warmth. You had watched him for a moment, smiling slightly at the little yawn which had escaped him, and soon had felt yourself becoming tired as well. Though your mind had still found itself buzzing with thoughts of your earlier interactions of the evening.

“You still owe me a proper kiss you know?” You had said before you could stop yourself.

A disgruntled sigh had left him at your words, though his eyes had still remained closed. “No I don’t.”

“Yes you do.” You had shot back with another pout. “From earlier at the desk.”

“Why do you always have to ruin a perfectly good moment?” He had asked with another sigh, though there was a certain fondness to his tone as he spoke. His eyes now cracking open to look at you once more, as a tired scowl crossed his features at the sight of your still wide awake self. “I’m trying to sleep, and you should be too.”

“What? I don’t ruin-” Your words had been cut off by the man suddenly rolling you both to the side. A surprised gasp and a laugh of his name leaving you at the sudden movement. “Crosshair!”

“You’ll get your kisses later.” He had said while he tucked your head underneath his chin with the new position. His arms cradling you into his chest again, as you found yourself tangled within his hold. “Now go to sleep. I’m exhausted.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Sleep.” He had shushed you more sternly this time, though his tone had sounded more tired than anything. “Go to sleep.”

A giggle had left you at his prompting, though the irritated huff he had let out had kept your words at bay for the time being. Instead you had chosen to nuzzle yourself closer to him. Letting out your own tired yawn, as you had found yourself closing your eyes to try and drift off to sleep as well.

“Goodnight Crosshair.”

A long silence had drawn out between you both again after your words. The need to rest now clouding your mind as well and bringing you closer to the brink of sleep. Though the gentle feeling of the sniper pressing a kiss to your forehead, had kept you awake just long enough for you to hear his final words. As you had finally fallen into a deep and peaceful sleep with him.

“Goodnight love.”

#the bad batch #crosshair #crosshair x reader #tbb crosshair #the bad batch x reader #tbb #tbb x reader #tbb crosshair x reader #star wars #star wars fanfic #the bad batch fanfic #my fics

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tarotinapinch · 3 years ago

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Messages for the Signs

Virgo: You are overwhelmed at what you have to do. Don’t put too much on your plate at once. You can get everything done that you need to, just take things slow and let them unfold naturally. You will get everything accomplished that is on your list. Rushing things will not help the situation. Relax and indulge in self care while you wait for your manifestations to come in.

Libra: You have such a strong sense of empathy. This is not a bad thing, but make sure that it does not stand in the way of you making the decisions you need to for yourself. While caring for others is important, know that you are not responsible for anyone’s feelings besides your own. Continue to make the choices you need to to get yourself comfortable, to get yourself further down the path of healing and self love. Now is a time of new beginnings and great opportunities for you. Even if you feel scared, know that you are fully supported by the Universe to go after these goals that make your heart sing. Know that true happiness awaits you on the other side of the door, you only need to let go of the past and walk over the threshold to the future.

Scorpio: You are extremely well grounded at this moment in time, and this positive energy reaches many people around you. It helps them to see where they need grounding within their own lives. Because of this, people may come to you for advice. Use your discretion on who you want to help and what information you give out. Your gut instinct knows the difference between someone who truly wants to heal versus someone who just wants to ride off of your own high vibrations without doing any of the work themselves. Don’t be afraid to set boundaries. Protect your inner peace and you will always be able to find your personal happiness.

Sagittarius: Whatever structures and boundaries that you have built with others, and especially the ones that you have built with yourself, are very important. They show how much you have grown as a person, how much you care for yourself and your current path. They show how solid you are in your authentic truth. If you have been worried lately about where you are going, know that all is well. You have chosen with great wisdom, using your inner guidance, and now is not the time to reevaluate or change your boundaries. If the choices that you made feel right to you, then they are correct. No questioning needed. You are the only person that you need validation from.

Capricorn: You are such a loyal and protective friend. This is both a strength and a weakness. Stay kind to those around you, but be firm with your boundaries. Don’t do anything that goes against your personal ideals. Feel through and heal your emotions so that they do not get in the way of your decision making. Above all else, stay true to your authentic self.

Aquarius: Use your passions to guide the way. You are a unique individual and may have made some decisions that are quite different from others. Let this fact be an inspiration to keep going forward. Not everyone has the strength to pursue things that go against the “societal norm” the way that you do. You could very well be starting your own business, leaving a job of many years to start something entirely new, moving far away from your childhood home, getting into a study or practice that your friends and family may have never heard of, breaking family traditions, or even just doing a total reevaluation of the self so that you can truly understand who you are at a soul level. Whatever the case may be for you, know that you are doing the right thing! Keep making those unique choices that lead you closer and closer to your authentic self.

Pisces: Now is the time of karmic justice, it is time to reap what was sown. Know that rewards are coming for your diligence, that hard work you put in is finally paying off! And oh, the sweet rewards that are coming are unimaginably radiant and joyous. Also know that whoever has done you wrong in this life are going to get karma served to them as well, there is no need to take action on these matters. Let karma work itself out, just focus on you and your own. Keep working on bettering yourself and attaining your inner peace and the abundance of the Universe will continue to flow to you.

Aries: No matter how you may be feeling now, know that the worst of it is behind you. You’ve made it through the toughest part. This is a sign of exactly how strong you are. Look at how far you’ve come from where you used to be. I bet the you of the past never thought that you’d make it as far as you have. Be proud of yourself for all of the things that you have accomplished. Because, frankly, they’re amazing. You’re amazing. You didn’t make it here by accident. This is a result of all that hard work you put in. You truly have a deep inner strength that nothing else compares to. Keep up the good work! You’ve almost made it to the finish line and the sweet rewards are calling your name, cheering you to victory!

Taurus: You’re feeling very curious about something right now. This curiosity could be leading you down paths unknown to yo. This can be scary, but let your intuition lead the way. The unknown is feared by almost everyone, so know that it is okay to be scared, even when you have already put your faith and trust into the Universe to guide you. It’s only human nature to fear the unknown. Let yourself feel through these emotions, but don’t let fear dictate where you are led. Stay true to the paths and options that you want to explore. You’re going to gain so much knowledge and wisdom about yourself through these times. Release and truly let the mind expand as you traverse these new pathways.

Gemini: Now is the time to push ahead and lean into progressive energies. Any choices you make now that you feel are for your highest truth, in line with your authentic self, will be hugely beneficial for you and pay off in the near future. Just remember that if you want something, you have to put the work. The Universe acknowledges when you get serious about living your truth and creates your reality with you. Some may call you a rebel, but you thrive in this energy. Use it to propel you even further forward!

Cancer: There are changes coming your way! They could be big, they could be small. You may be aware of them, you may not be. But trust that you have all of the tools and knowledge to handle whatever comes your way. This is a sign from the Universe that you are ready to take the next steps in your spiritual journey. You’re leveling up, so to speak, and have received all of the increased stats and items that you need to proceed further along the path. You’re going to crush this next level of life with ease and grace, attracting all of the amazing opportunities for abundance along the way.

Leo: This is a sign that all of your dreams and wishes are being manifested now or in the very near future! You are surrounded by people who love you for your authentic self and fully support your goals and dreams. What a wonderful energy to be in! The only thing that is needed from you at this time is to let go of any negativity that you may still be holding onto. This could look like negative self talk, limiting beliefs, people who don’t support you or your dreams, harsh judgements, etc. You know what it is that needs to be released in order to heal. Once this is done, your manifestations will be able to come in full force. Rejoice and celebrate your accomplishments. You’ve come so far and now is the time to open your arms and accept the abundance that you have attracted.

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rotshop · 3 years ago

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GONNA B HONEST W/ YOU ,,,,,, i rlly dont like how this is written lmao ,,,, but also im sleepy tired so i get a pass dhmu /j

[ TW ; gore, some violence, death ]

notes ; based offa DIS ,,, u might wanna read it for some context n shit ,,, lawl ,,,

Between the two of you, it's hard to tell who's suffocating more. It's hard to tell if its you, with the little pants that pass by your teeth in shaky steps, hitching whenever they're cut down when you have to stop to cough up blood. It should be you, you who has your guts spilled out onto the floor and your blood staining all the concrete underneath the both of you. It has to be you, who's leaning heavy against 2b's chest and drawing unfocused circles onto his shoulder. It had to be you, you just had to go inside by yourself, you just had to be slow on the draw and nearly be ripped clean in two. It just had to go wrong with just you.

Even with all that in mind, he feels like there's nothing in him. There's no lungs to draw in breaths, no mind with clear thoughts on what to do and how to stop this once more, and certainly no heart beating steadily. In those places was instead viscera, a mangled, nameless mess of pink and red weighing him. There was some clump of pink that drew in some shaky puffs, barely reaching him as he choked on his own pride. There was nothing but tangled strings and weights in his head, making his skull pound as something in the back of his mind screamed to do something. There was a heavy weight behind his ribs that stayed put, a finality hanging over his shoulder as it always would.

He doesn't want to cry. He shouldn't be, you're the one with your innards exposed to the eyes of any and all and your face buried in the crook of his neck, it should be you who's crying in pain. He shouldn't be crying, he shouldn't be shedding tears when there's not a single bleeding wound on his skin. He shouldn't be and yet they're tight in his throat, threatening to tumble past his lips and create an embarrassment of himself. A shift brings him back from his thoughts, turning his attention back to you.

There's a little stutter in your movements, a quick pause as your vision momentarily fails you and your breath is wheezed past your lips. A quick, aimless grasp at your innards to have them follow your movements, rather than stay partially stuck to the floor, tugged further from your soon-to-be-cadaver as you readjust. You're just pulling yourself ever closer to him, little to no space left between the two of you as you support yourself on his figure. He can't help the way his own movements choke and pause as he moves his arms to wrap around you. He can't help the way he takes a sharp, shaking inhale as the skin of his arm ghosts over the start of your gash.

He remembers the first time he'd been with you in your 'final' moments. He remembers how the line had fallen dead on your side and the others all fell into a silence. They'd only told him later on why, they 'didn't want to scare him off.' He was still a little upset about it, even now. He had always been stubborn like that, it was a fact of him that you regarded with warm laughter and endearing teases.

He remembers the pure terror that'd gripped him as he came across you, choked squeaks and hisses leaving your lips as you writhed. The debris around you and the tangle of pipes and bars you'd been impaled on told the story he never bothered to ask, the one he'd never truly questioned you on even to this day. Something about the way you'd glanced at him in that moment never left him. Maybe it was how the pure agony you'd been in moments before shifted to confusion on his being there, shifted into something gentler yet still as forlorn and miserable, either way it haunted him endlessly. He remembers how you were such polar opposites after he'd managed to tear himself from his place.

The clatter of his goggles against the ground fell on deaf ears when he'd rushed for you. He barely even noticed how quick his breath was speeding up, he was far too focused on helping you, on getting you back to base so he could fix this. It'd taken your weak swipes at him and breathless pleads to just stop to snap him back, he didn't want to listen to you. He wanted to tear you from that metal and drag you back to base, he wanted to set you down and get to work, and then he wanted to grab you by the collar and ask just what was going through your head. He wanted to be mad, he wanted to argue and to let go of all the tension wracking him and making his hands shake. It was tearing him limb from limb in the worst way possible, in the one way he never wanted to feel.

He was afraid. Honest to god terrified from the moment his gaze fell on your bleeding-out form. It shook him to his core in a way he hadn't felt in forever, breaking past the facade he'd worked so hard to build in an utterly humiliating manner. He hated the way he had to clench his hands and bite his tongue as he stared down at you, his weak attempt at keeping his tears back that hung by a thin string. He hated how he fell to his knees, coming face to face with you as you looked back at him.

Your eyes were still soft with accepting misery in the moment, a weak smile finding it's way onto your lips as you reached for him. You'd struggled, finding it difficult to meet his face when the world was spinning so dizzyingly. He'd hesitated, hand shaking as it found your wrist, him leaning into your touch with an unsteady breath. If the tears weren't already hanging behind his eyes, they would've burst up with a vengeance when you started brushing your thumb over the bandages on his face.

He couldn't remember how exactly you'd spoken, how you'd been able to between the gurgle of blood in your throat and the copper piercing you, but you had. It was a request ; a final wish of sorts he didn't want to deny you. You could've asked for anything in the moment and he would've done it for you, he would tear through whoever and whatever he had to for you. He would rend flesh and ruin relationships and scar the world if he had to in that very moment. He'd never been an especially generous type, he could extend a certain amount of kindness to others but there was a limit to his softness. Yet, you managed to turn him so, managed to make him give an excuse of 'it wouldn't hurt,' or 'it's just a one time thing,' when it came to you.

Even so, you'd made such a simple request. One he would've asked you himself in other circumstances if he weren't so stubborn with what little ego he clung to. One he would've been happy to hear from you in the comfort of home and privacy. Even so, he'd nodded when you asked. Even so, he'd ignored how his own hands shook as he held his over yours gently.

It was an odd feeling, your blood seeping into his mouth, iron heavy on his tongue as his lips met yours. The taste would've been revolting under any other circumstances, making him recoil and pull away with a note to never repeat the cause. Yet, he didn't. He kept his lips against yours gently, experience slipping him in the thick anxiety of the moment. Even then, reluctance followed when he pulled away.

Content lost its footing when you'd given him once last smile, then it fell with a crash when your gaze grew glassy and unfocused. He'd never forget the panic that gripped him so tightly, enough of a disturbance to slip past his guard and make the tears start to fall. He didn't even notice them in the moment, all he saw was your corpse and the end of the compassion and emotion you'd helped him regain over time. He never asked the others if they heard him then, if they heard him plead with you, if they heard the sobs and begs he never would've given if it weren't you. He's glad they never brought it up, it was just a touch easier to forget how he'd completely broken down for the first time in a long time when you'd fallen still.

He was glad you weren't able to hear them. He's sure you would've made some dumb comment about it as you stood before him, alive and well as though nothing happened. He's sure you would've smiled and hummed a question he wouldn't answer, he's sure he would've reacted all the same. He's sure he still would have grabbed you by the collar and shoved you back against the wall, he's sure he would've still hissed at you to explain yourself, ignoring the desperation laced in his voice as his eyes began to burn again. You had an effect on him, one he wouldn't ever admit to even if you poked and prodded at it time and time again by simple virtue of you being yourself.

You were a surprisingly good kisser for someone on the brink of death once more, but you were better at it when you could count how many of him there were.

He's not sure what pulls him back as he looks down at you again, noting your still form blankly. He's not sure why he pauses for a few long moments, simply keeping his arms around you as your body grows colder and colder. He's not sure why he tucks hair behind your ear and lets his hand linger, warm by contrast against you. He's not sure when he pulls himself up off the floor, careful of your innards as he pulls you up with him.

He is however sure he feels a hell of a lot better when you sit up from your previous place on the table, hand trailing over the stitches that line your stomach and chest as you give a little hum of approval. He's sure he's smiling a little at that simple bit of praise. He's sure you'd make a comment about it if you noticed.

"Happy to see me, huh?"

He's happy to be right.

#2b x reader #2bdamned x reader #madcom x reader #madcom imagines #madness combat imagines #madness combat x reader #rot writes #oughhhh imf uckgin tired but its only 1am (head in hands)

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blueink2k · 4 years ago

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Propaganda in Death Note and How It Played Into Light’s God Complex

[This is based on information from the anime, as I have yet to read the manga for myself. Caps from or references to the manga may be included to emphasize points or provide visuals, but the version of the plot I'm referring to is taken from the anime.]

Light Yagami does not pick up the Death Note knowing he’s going to use it to commit mass murder and become the God of his New World.

Actually, he does the opposite. He kills someone to test it as he’s under the impression it isn’t real, convinces himself it was a freak coincidence, and decides to try it out in a way that will provide a more concrete conclusion. When it does end up working he’s stunned, to say the least.

“I killed them both...I killed two men. Those were human lives. I-It won’t be overlooked. Besides, who am I to pass judgment on others?”

Light Yagami, the perfect, straight-A, model student, has just confirmed he killed two people using some strange supernatural notebook that just happened to fall into his hands. He’s always believed strongly in his morals. He’s been on course his whole life to join the police force like his father an deliver justice, and here he is, an indirect murderer.

So what does he do about it?

...He comes up with a reason to justify himself.

The people he killed were criminals. Mere scum who do nothing but rot and infect the world. Wouldn’t everyone be better off without them? It isn’t that he’s never considered this before, he has, albeit not to the same degree as taking their deaths into his own hands. But now that he has the power to do so, why shouldn’t he? He’s smart, he’s determined. He’s capable of it.

In fact, in his mind, he’s the only one who is.

He’s kind of right. He’s the top of his class, he comes out on top in national tests, he barely even has to try. Plus, he’s the only one that has a Death Note, and therefore the power to do this.

At this point in time, he doesn’t consider himself a god. He doesn’t want to rule the world, he just wants to change it. Something else important to note is that he doesn’t refer to himself as Kira or anything other than Light.

...That is, until...

Websites start popping up all over claiming that whoever this mass murderer is is named “Kira”, a god among men risen to punish criminals and save the world.

Two things to note here;

Apparently, “Kira” is returning, meaning there must have been some kind of previous belief in an entity that either did something similar to Light or had the same beliefs. There isn’t any other canon mention of a previous Kira, and this in and of itself is pretty vague, but given that there’s tons of religions in real life that have never had a big breakthrough, it’s reasonable to believe this could be something similar. That, or a creepypasta. Or a cult.

Light created this understanding that he had to be the one to change the world to cope with his murders. Actually - that might be the worst way to put it, since we know how strongly he feels about justice and being given an outlet to carry out this wish of world peace just enhanced this, but nonetheless... It’s impossible to assume he’s doing all of this without even a speck of guilt. Therefore, this is the first hint of appreciation or even just acknowledgement that what he’s doing is right.

Disregarding the first point (as interesting as I find it), this is really the first time Light is ever told what he’s doing is good. His own father - who he idolizes -considers Kira evil. His sister flat out says she hates him. Of course, this is all after Kira actually does become popular, but still, all he receives from that point on is disapproval from the people he cares the most about. The online love for Kira is all he has.

So, yeah, he probably internalizes it.

He thinks he’s doing the right thing. He thinks he’s giving others justice. He thinks he’s the only one who can do this. Others agreeing is only enhancing this. They’re the ones who call him God.

As the story progresses, Kira’s power and popularity grows. He gains direct news coverage, people begin sending him names of people to kill, his following grows. So much so, that when someone gets a Death Note and figures out that must be what he’s using, their immediate response is to find a way to contact him.

Cue Misa Amane and Sakura TV.

Sakura TV is a news program known for its unreliability. Demegawa, the director, even says he’s willing to make things up for publicity. And that’s when the Second Kira tapes arrive.

This, however, is only the first encounter with Sakura TV.

After this, the only direct involvement the police has with it is in the Yotsuba arc, when it’s used to lure out Higuchi. Otherwise the program promotes Kira all on its own, even going so far as to create Kira’s Kingdom - half a scam for viewers’ money, half a way to get more people to see Kira as God. And it works. He gains a following of people who believe he will create a new, better world, and will even give themselves up to help him.

An example of this following is when a mob of followers attacks the SPK under Kira’s orders. They’re so quick to join in, and are even willing to put their names and faces on TV in trust that Kira will not kill them.

All of this publicity sparks fear in the general public. People begin fearing that if they do something wrong Kira will kill them, causing crime rates to drop nearly 70% over Kira’s 6 year reign, as well as completely stopping wars.

Demegawa is eventually killed. Other news programs begin scrambling to claim the voice of Kira, topped by NHN, where we are reintroduced to Kiyomi Takada as Kira’s spokeswoman as well as one of his greatest supporters.

Light, as much as he hates Sakura TV and NHN’s depictions of Kira, uses them to his advantage as much as he can.

But really, imagine what this is all doing to him.

At the beginning, he struggled with grasping what he was doing as right. His sense of justice, righteousness, and perfectness shattered by a single notebook. But this is perfect, he figures that if he really wants to fix the world, this is one surefire way to do it. And yeah, his family hates Kira, but online he’s worshiped as God. We already know he has a pretty decent ego, and all of this is doing nothing but fueling it.

To top it all off, as he continues with his killings, his following grows. More and more people begin to support him, every single day there’s news stations upon news stations covering his story, some negative, some positive. People from all over express admiration towards him, even the President of the United States sides with him. He is literally worshiped as Kira, as God.

This all makes it sounds like his god complex starts later in the series, so to clarify; no, he does not pick up the book with plans to become God, but the second people start fueling his ego, the more twisted his ideals and motivations become. He’s the only one who can fix this rotten world. He holds the power of a god in his hands, he does what only a god can do, and everyone treats him accordingly. He is Kira, he is God.

Between websites, news programs, and his cult-like following, Light had enough attention to feed into his ego for a lifetime. He was perfect pre-Death Note. Smart, charming, set for success. There never was a time where he was particularly not narcissistic, it was just that he only felt this way inside of himself. The way he presented to others? A perfect, cool guy persona with an - in all honesty - annoying prickly jerk hiding inside. But no one ever knew this, he never let them know, and because he was always naturally successful it was more of an expectation he just met rather than surpassed, so he wasn’t consistently praised and this incredible self-esteem wasn’t propped up by anyone but himself.

To cycle back to the title of this rant-essay-analysis-whatever you’d like to call it, I want to share some examples about exactly why I even classify this news coverage and whatnot of Kira as propaganda.

Kira’s supporters cause a riot at SPK HQ under Kira’s orders and Demegawa’s direction.

Mikami providing his insight as to why he supports Kira on television, openly promoting Kira and encouraging others to join him.

Takada announces her new role as Kira’s spokesperson on NHN.

Mikami uses his power as Kira to kill members of Kira’s Kingdom, supposed followers of Kira who have been using his publicity to gain money and attention.

Most of this doesn’t exactly look like your standard propaganda posters or news story, but it does fit the overall criteria;

Information from a biased viewpoint used to promote/publicize a certain view (accepting Kira as God)

Shows exclusively positive views on Kira

Assigns Kira positive adjectives and makes him appear as good (God, savior, messenger from Hell), never considering or showing the bad

Presenting only positive statistics (Light does this in his monologue where he brings up the 70% crime rate drop, and given there’s no way he could have calculated this on his own he likely got it from one of these media sources. Not that it’s incorrect, per se, but he does fail to mention how many innocent people he’s killed in order to do this.)

Appeals to regular, everyday people by talking about how he’s doing this for the betterment of the whole world. People who are directly affected by crime are also likely positively impacted by this.

Initiates and spreads fear by explaining how Kira only attacks those who do wrong.

In the end, Light’s personal descent into his god complex, as well as his effects on the world can be attributed to many things, but it would be a crime to ignore just how big of a role news and other types of media played in this without his direct input. To think, if Light had won and overtaken the police like he was going to, he’d have absolutely no problem stepping into his shoes as God. Everyone else already set the stage, he just had to get there first.

This is my first Death Note analysis, so please excuse any errors, I just watched the anime for the first time and am doing my best to piece together all of the plot and especially Light’s deep characterization the best I can. If I ever read the manga or find something new, chances are this will be updated. But as for now, it’s finally finished after a week or so of procrastinating. Thank you for reading if you got this far! <3

#death note #light yagami #kira #analysis #anime analysis #rant #essay #hitoshi demegawa #do people even care enough about him to have a tag #💀#death note anime #teru mikami #kiyomi takada #yagami light #mikami teru #takada kiyomi #long post #meta

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sweetwolfcupcake · 4 years ago

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Allurement: Chills and Creeps

Yandere Namjoon x Reader

She was not liking it at all, not even a bit. (Y/N) knew that she was sometimes a bit too naive and trusting, the girl was well-aware of her follies. But she was no fool. It was the eighth time she had received a gift- not just any gift- it was an item she remembered vividly checking out online, or perhaps it was what she had eyed when she was passing through the street market. The last time had been a book she had been wanting to read, but of course, she could not afford to spend on anything inessential, (Y/N) had to save money.

There were handwritten notes with each bouquet of flower, or 'gifts', (Y/N) did not know what else to call, them, even though they were gradually making her paranoid.

But as she read the hand-written note, while a bouquet of burgundy roses in her grasp, she felt chills running down her spine.

'The love of my life. I think it is time, we must leave this vain world behind and create one of our own. I shall pick you up tonight when you would be off to your home from your draining shift at the restaurant. You would never have to worry about a thing when you would be with me. I have everything prepared. And tonight, we shall elope. And we will live happily, ever after.'

- Your faithful and devoted soulmate.

The girl felt sick reading the note. Her stomach churned and her eyes welled up with unshed tears as her heart dropped to her stomach. Until now, she had been unsure what to do with all of it, the notes had been getting creepier, first, it was a comment on how her hair seemed to be in perfect sync with the wind, the next one had been a compliment on her dress, even her voice, the person then had commented on her sneakers, and how to smelt like a rare, sweet, untouched flower he wanted to 'bloom in his garden alone'. She could not take it anymore, it was turning terrifying and she was already regretting not going to the police. She felt her cheeks dampening as the terror set in. What would she do now? She could not afford to miss even a day at work! All (Y/N) had ever wanted to support her mother, complete her education and live in peace. Her lips quivered as she sniffled, trying to stifle her sobs, or she could wake up her mother- the woman needed to rest.

"What do I do? Whom had I ever wronged to deserve this?" she whispered, feeling the panic brewing in as more tears cascaded down her flushed cheeks.

-----

(Y/N) had gone to work anyway, she could not even think of missing it, it would take a strain on her bills. And she did not want that. Despite her requests, her employer had not let her off earlier than usual. It was close to midnight when she had stepped out of her workplace and had begun to briskly walk towards her home. Her legs were tired, but she knew that if she would slow down, she could be in danger. She prayed that whoever it was, they were playing a sick prank on her, just a sick prank. Yet, all such thoughts vanished the moment she heard footsteps behind her, it was at a distance, but it was fast approaching. And without a second thought, she broke into a sprint. With her mouth open, gasping air as she forced her legs to move faster as she ran, she ran for her life, the sound of boots chasing her pushed her further into the edge of fear. She huffed, feeling short of breath. Her lungs burned and her feet ached, but she did not stop, she could not.

Not until she crashed right into another body and screamed in surprise, expecting the worst, but the familiar soothing voice floated in as the person held her close, breaking her out of her panicked state-

"(Y/N)! (Y/N) what happened? It's me, Namjoon! It's alright, you are okay, you are fine, (Y/N), look at me."

She blinked, getting her breathing back into normal, at least that was what she tried. The dreaded footsteps ceased at a distance and as Mr Kim's eyes focused ahead of her, with his jaws clenched and eyebrows drown together, she knew that he could see the person, "L-let's just get out of here, please." she pleaded while finally letting a single tear escape her eyes. Her voice had caught Mr Kim's attention as he looked down, eyes reflecting deep concern

"Are you hurt, he hurt you? Why were you running?"

"I-"

"Just stay here, okay?" with that, before she could protest he was marched past her, she turned back, only to catch sight of a man running away before Mr Kim could confront him, but instead of returning, he took off behind the man. And she was left alone, shivering, sniffling, frightened and incredibly tired.

"Please..." she whispered out to the air. Footsteps floated in once more, only this time, it was the familiar silhouette of Mr Kim that had greeted her sight before she felt relief flooding her tensed nerves.

"He got away, bastard!" Mr Kim hissed, despite the sense of relief and security she felt in his presence, the sliver of his rage had her gulping as she realised that after all, he beyond those polite smiles and benevolent eyes. As soon as his gaze flickered at her, the anger simmered down "Are you alright, Darling? You are trembling, here," he generously took off his coat and dropped it over her quivering form.

"Tha-thank you." fear had not left her yet, if anything, the withdraw of adrenaline hit her all at once and her already weak legs turned completely boneless, but Mr Kim was there to hold her, pull her closer to his comparatively warmer body as he supported her weight.

"Careful there, calm down okay? My car is right here, I have some water. We will talk when you are better, hm?" his voice was soothing, gentle, calm, the depth only added to the calmness as he gently rubbed her shoulder with his thumb.

Under any other circumstances, she would have been uncomfortable, but at the moment, it was addictively reassuring and she wanted nothing more than to lean on him and go to sleep. She was exhausted. A weak squeak escaped her lips as he felt his hand on the back of her thighs before she was heaved up. "W-wait, Mr Kim, you don't need to!" Now pressed flush against his chest as he carried her in his arms, she could feel the vibration of his deep chuckle.

"Don't worry, I won't drop you. Besides, you need to rest." she protested no further, only held on to him in silence.

The short walk was silent until he reached his car and put her on her feet again. Opening the car door, he gently ushered her inside. The warmth of the car added to the relished feeling of safety, and it also made her realise how vulnerable she was. Had Mr Kim not been there...She did not want to even think about what could have happened.

"Here, have some water." he offered her a bottle of water as soon as he was inside the car, as well.

"Thank you," she whispered before accepting and opening it and attaching her lips to the opening straight away, she was parched and the lukewarm water felt like nectar of immortality.

"Slow down, you will choke otherwise, slowly." he fussed and her cheeks warmed up as soon as she realised that she had rendered the bottle useless to him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I-I" she could not hold back the sniffle, the fear and anxiety had never left her

"No, no, relax, it's okay, I have other bottles, but I want you to relax first, okay? Here, have some." he cooed as he produced a lollipop from the dashboard, it smelt of fresh lemon and honey "Whenever I am tensed or upset, I used to pop open my favourite lollipop, it helped me relax." suppressing yet another sniffle, she accepted the candy with her shaky hands "Relax, okay? Let's get you home first." she nodded mutely, that was the best he could do for her. All she wished to do was to curl up on her bed and let sleep take over. With that thought, she passed Mr Kim a smile as she put the lollipop inside her mouth. He smiled at her, yet, it seemed sharp. But she was sure she was thinking too much, she was a bit shaken after all.

The car started and Mr Kim took to driving, the silence was comfortable, added to the smooth motion of the car, and the tiredness taking over her, she felt her eyes turning increasingly tired with each passing moment. But she fought it, she did not want to fall asleep in his car, he was already being too kind, too generous. At least she could wait until she fell on her bed. The sweet and sour taste of the lollipop was addictive, it made her realise how long it had been since she had bought herself a stack of her favourite candies. She could not ponder over it long enough but, the tiredness was too much and the call of slumber was compelling enough for her to finally give in and sag against the passenger seat and let her droopy eyelids flutter shut.

****

Taglist (Kindly remind me later if I missed anyone)- @whatpageisthis @amoc94 @theresa-nam-nam-me @dearbambideer @casualminiaturetimemachine @njrwifey @kpopisnicee @illnevertrustmyselfagain @potterbrooke @luvaffaire @bighitfics @rkive-diary

#yandere bts #yandere namjoon #yandere namjoon x reader #yandere rm #yandere bts x reader #yandere rm x reader #yandere ceo namjoon #yandere dom namjoon x innocent reader #yandere ceo namjoon x reader #yandere dom namjoon #allurement

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strxngemxgick · 3 years ago

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@cherryfinolahobbes asked: ⏰ 👤 (for Cherry)

Meme /// Accepting

(This one... also got long.)

The first time he had met her was at the funeral.

As first meetings go, it was on one hand not his best, and still not his worst on the other hand. In fact, it hardly could have been called a meeting at all, considering how they hadn’t even spoken. He could feel Cherry’s grief across the yard, loss weighing heavy on her very soul. the look in her soft eyes would have been completely devoid of emotion, if not for the overwhelming pain in their depths. The way she nearly crumpled under her grief was enough to be gut-wrenching, Stephen unable to keep from peeking at her as Rhodey - Colonel James Rhodes, he had to remind himself, given their actual lack of connection - practically had to support her as Pepper - Miss Potts - had sent her touching tribute to Tony Stark down the river.

Wong, too, was suffering, unable to help the woman who had apparently helped keep the normally steadfast and stoic sorcerer together during those five long years. He could see the near need that drove him to move to her side, though he respectfully kept his distance as she sobbed through her mourning. Despite the will of his heart which ached for her, he remained close to a very selfish Stephen, who grieved the man that he had come to value and care for, even if he had never actually gotten to know him.

And as much as Stephen wanted to encourage Wong to approach her, as well as offer his own condolences for the woman that Tony had mentioned so many times in those millions of unrealities, he just couldn’t bring himself to do so. He couldn’t find his voice, his legs so weak that he could barely carry himself through the gateway that he had created after offering Stark’s widow his shaky well-wishes.

The next time he saw her, Stephen considered to be their first actual meeting.

It was uncharacteristic of the Sanctum to open its doors without his permission. As private and introverted as its master, the Sanctum Sanctorum tended to keep itself cloaked from the perception of most passersby, and certainly didn’t welcome them inside. So to hear the normally sealed door open on its own, when sorcerers tended to default to the usage of gateways, was mildly alarming. Lounge pants and sweatshirt shifted into traditional robes, and the Cloak of Levitation settled on his shoulders to carry him from the library and through the halls. No one in the foyer, he noticed, brows knit with growing concern. Whoever they were, they were on the move. But he could sense them, their life force like a shadow in his periphery. It accompanied the soft clanging of pots and pans down the hall. The kitchen, then.

He was more surprised than he really thought that he should be to see Cherry puttering away in the kitchen, as caught off guard by his appearance as he had been. They startled near simultaneously, a little yelp coming from her as one hand lifted to his heart, as if he might keep it from pounding out of his chest. Panic mingled between them, both cowering back from the other as fight or flight took hold and was slow to let go. But even still, Stephen thought, seeing her had grounded him more in reality than anything else had since his journey through time.

He knew the odds of her being in the Sanctum, knowing what to do and where to go.

There was still fear in Cherry’s eyes as she found her voice, small and apologetic. “I’m sorry,” she practically whispered. “I was, just... I can-.”

“You were looking for Wong,” Stephen finished for her, before she could offer to leave. He already knew, and the Sanctum welcoming in a supposed stranger made so much sense. Wong had said, after all, that she was nearly the sole reason that the New York Sanctum still stood on its mystical foundation. He smiled kindly at her, hoping to reassure her. His eyes found pain in her gaze, veiled by her politeness. She still carried her agony from losing so many precious to her all at once. He imagined that she could see the expression mirrored in his own. “I’m sorry; he’s not here now. He’s back at Kamar-Taj.” He didn’t miss the disappointment, and just a bit of shame in her expression, and he was quick to follow up. “But, he should be back any time now; he’s been visiting, often.”

That, at least, seemed to help her perk up. Not much, but just a quirk at the corner of her mouth. A tiny smile of relief and affection.

“I’m Stephen, by the way. Stephen Strange.”

“Wong’s told me a lot about you,” she said softly.

He smiled. “He’s told me a lot about you, as well. He speaks very highly of you.” That much, he noticed with no shortage of interest, brought a tinge of color to the apples of her cheeks. “Welcome back,” he assured her, wanting to remind her that she was welcome. All sorts had been uprooted after the Snap had been reversed, losing their place in an unsteady world. He didn’t want to include her in that list of people. Not her, who had come to make Wong so happy. Who had meant so much to Tony.

Despite the shine in her eyes, that, too, made her smile.

#cherryfinolahobbes #summoned /// answered #this also got long!#i hope this is okay!

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ahsxual · 4 years ago

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🌹 - congrats on 400!!! can you write a james smut where she’s insecure and he’s helping her realize just how beautiful he sees her as pls? my name is Madi, i’m 5’4, and kinda shy around most people. could you please make the insecurities that she has acne scars and stretch marks? thank you 💞💞

A/N: Thank youuu! I hope you enjoy this darling, and I want you to know that you're still beautiful no matter what! I'm sure James loves you a lot, and so do many people! I could relate to you on this one, because my acne scars are one of my mine insecures... but we can't let that affect us!! Our skin is unique and deserves all the love in this world <33

Warnings: insecure reader

Genre: Smut, fluff, angst

It was a outstanding afternoon outside: the sun decided to show up and illuminate the beautiful city. It seemed like that day, the world gave an opportunity for people to smile, to be optimistic and feel happier, since the nature’s happiness is the most contagious of them all. Apparently, it had affected everyone... everyone, but you.

Most of the ghosts of the Hotel Cortez, including your charming husband, who founded that amazing, yet terrifying place, were having a great conversation in Liz's bar. You excused yourself to go to the bathroom a while ago, yet it felt like hours had passed because, according to you, you were looking at your worst enemy: your reflection on the mirror.

You took that opportunity to undress yourself from the long, red silk dress you were wearing, your husband's favorite. And once you did it, more tears fell down your hot, red cheeks: your stretch marks were pretty visible, and your acne scars made you feel disgusting and undesirable. How can James love me???, was the exhausting thought that always haunted your mind, nonstop.

"Darling..?" you heard James calling you, making you get out of your painful trance, to clean the damage on your face caused by the expensive makeup you were wearing, and get dressed as fast as you could... yet not as fast as your husband. "My love, tell me now what made you cause such distress??" he was extremely worried to see his beloved hurt: he had promised to kill whoever dared to hurt a single hair of your pretty head... however, what he didn't expect, was that the person who hurt you, was actually yourself.

"Please James, just give me a moment..." he could sense your sadness from afar, and that sigh made his heart completely ache. He immediately kissed your forehead and hold you in his tight, yet comforting embrace, and you couldn't help but hug him back in attempt to let some of your pain out.

James wasn't dumb: he could notice the many times you avoided to take your makeup in front of him, the many times you asked him to turn the lights off whenever you two made love, the many times you hesitated his touch because something was stopping you... and so he discovered you had your insecurities. Like everyone else... like himself as well.

"My love, please look at me!" he pleaded softly, and you obeyed. His eyes were also covered in warm, yet heartbreaking tears, but he didn't let them go, because he had to be strong for you. "Please... may I have the honor to show you, just how gorgeous and desirable my beautiful wife is?" he asked, before kissing gently your hands, and you smiled at his kind gesture.

"Y-yeah, I guess so..." all you needed was a little bit of reassurance from the person you loved the most, and that was what you were about to have.

James lead you to your shared room, and before he undressed you carefully, like you were the most precious, yet fragile diamond in this world, he kissed you. However, that kiss wasn’t hungry and rough like the other times. No. This time it was soft, slow and utterly loving. He pushed you gently on the bed, and started to kiss every beautiful stretch mark of your body, before you felt his handsome face getting closer to where you needed him the most.

"May I?" he asked like the real gentleman he was, the lust in his voice pretty evident. The moment he saw you nodding, he didn't waste any time in connecting his plump, soft lips to your swollen clit, that was desesperate for some attention.

"Fuck James..." you moaned at the sudden pleasure. No other man could eat you out better than James himself, and he seemed to be very proud every time you told him that. He switched from kissing and sucking gently your clit, to lick your wet pussy lips with his skilled tongue. It didn't take much for him to make you come undone right on his face.

When he finished his job, by offering you the first delicious orgasm of the day, he got up so he could look you straight in the eyes, and kiss every inch of your face. His lips were wet, a sweet mixture of your cum and his own saliva. Once he provided the needed attention to every acne scar of your face, he stared at you once again while putting his soft, yet cold fingertips against your skin.

"Everyone says that perfection is what we see in a model with soft skin, slender figure and blonde hair... but for me... perfection is right in front of me." a few fresh tears escaped your eyes once again, but this time it wasn't because of your insecurities. It was for being accepted and loved just the way you were created. "These... marks of yours, my darling, is what makes you unique. It's what makes my precious Madi the woman I fully immersed myself in true love, even when I thought there wasn't any hope for a man like myself. I wouldn't change any single feature of yours, because you're everything I deeply desire. These marks of yours, are pure art. Unique, gorgeous, incredibly outstanding and loved by your husband. And I won’t allow you to think any differently! You must see yourself as the absolute Goddess you are: nothing less, nothing more." while he expressed his true love for you, you could feel the tip of his cock being pressed against your tight entrance. Before you could answer to him, he entered gently, sending you a mix of pain and pure pleasure, since he hadn't prepare you previously. His thrusts started slow, but with time and your eager pleadings, he fastened his speed. While he fucked you fast and hard, his lips and hands never left your body: he bit, kissed you and sucked on your most sensitive spots, whispering sweet nothings in your ear, while his strong hands gripped your stretch marks hard, like he was marking them as his.

After a few minutes of pure love, lust and reassuring, you both laid by each other’s side breathlessly on the soft bed, smiling to yourselves. You could sense his stare burning into your body, until you decided to ask him what was wrong.

"Nothing wrong happened, my dear. I was simply contemplating my outstanding wife." his compliments never failed to make you blush furiously and feel better about yourself. "What about... we married again?" it came out as a simple whisper, yet you could still hear it like he was screaming.

"Honey, we can only marry once!" you answered him, while slightly laughing at his suggestion.

"And who decides that, huh? In this place, I make my own rules. That being said, if I wish to marry my Goddess over and over again, then my desire must be accomplished." he kissed your hand once again, and it was at that moment that you realized you don't need to use any makeup or expensive clothes to look pretty for him, for yourself, or anyone. Just being yourself and loving James was all he ever wanted and dreamed about, nothing more... and you couldn't be happier for having such a loving and supportive husband by your side... for all eternity.

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ddejavvu · 2 years ago

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I finally found time to read a fic that I’ve been so excited to read only to find out that the author deactivated their account and I can’t read past the “Keep Reading” prompt :( I really wish people gave more love and support to authors on this site because, as someone who can’t write to save her life, I’m so thankful that there are people who will put in the time and effort, despite having lives outside of this site, to write and create content. Sorry to bother you with my feelings but I’d also just like to say thank you and you are amazing!

THAT'S THE WORST 😭 there's many reasons to deactivate a blog but that's definitely one of them! i hope that whoever's blog it was isn't suffering from that, but to those who are, i'm so sorry :( i hope people start improving! and thank you sweetheart, you're so appreciated :') <33

#mei's mail

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loveislattes · 3 years ago

Text

Everything Comes at a Price (Demon!Dark/Fem!Reader) Chapter 1

Commission prompt: Reader is really depressed, and Dark decides to roughly Fuck the depression out of them

Important: Reader has female pronouns and is a vagina owner!

Warnings (For this chapter specifically): Talk of depression and stressful life, mentions of unnamed character death, mentions of beheading/dismembered head and some minor blood/gore (not too detailed), cursing, mentions of family in the hospital, demon!Dark (akin to jinn or genie), and pet names.

A/N: PLEASE READ THE WARNINGS! This first chapter is allllll story setting. Part two will have the good ol' rough and dominating Dark fucking.

As always, if you would like to support me, I have a Ko-Fi (here) for donations and I usually have a few slots open for commissions (unless life gets in the way)!

“Look, I think it’s just best if you take some time off.”

Though worded nicely, you instinctually felt the pang of panic and anger already bristling in your chest.

“Time off…” you murmur, eyes sliding down to your boss’s desk in thought, “As in, a week or two or…?”

You let the implication hang heavy in the air. There was a telling silence that followed your question. When you finally met his gaze again, your boss let out a hefty sigh. Before he even said anything, you knew what his answer was by the sympathy on his face alone.

“We won’t fight your unemployment for the first few months, which hopefully will be enough time for you to find another place of employment. I’m sorry, Miss Y/N, but between the company making cutbacks and your recent drop in productivity, I had to-”

“Don’t you dare,” you hissed sharply, interrupting him before he could finish the excuse.

Rage fueled your motions, forcing you to your feet while your eyes narrowed on the man you’d once thought a decent person.

“A drop in productivity?” you scoffed, “My apartment building was just destroyed in a freak fire two weeks ago that, of course, my insurance refused to cover. I’ve been bouncing place to place between motels and friend’s homes until I can afford another deposit on the measly pay you give us. My mother is in the hospital, in the ICU, after a freak hit and run. My car broke down yesterday and I walked thirty fucking minutes in the pouring rain today just to make sure you assholes weren’t a man down with all this work. And you knew all of this, but you still decided to fire me? I can’t- You know what, fuck you. Fuck you and fuck this place! I hope this whole company shuts down and you get to experience even a modicum of the instability I’ve had to!”

Before he could respond, you slammed the chair back into place against the desk and stormed from the room. You could feel the confused gazes from your coworkers as you marched to the door but didn’t dare spare them a glance. Most of them you considered to be your friends and you knew you’d have to explain everything later, but you couldn’t allow anything other than anger to inhabit your body at that moment. One bit of sadness and you would crumble. Rage would keep you safe until you made it to your temporary home for the night.

Little curses and fury-filled resentment spilled from your lips as you stepped out into the dreary public. Of course, it was still raining. You hadn’t even dried off from your trek to work and now you were thrown right back out into the storm. A timely crack of lightning rumbled across the sky as you shot one last middle finger back at the door.

“I can’t believe this shit,” you grumbled.

Pulling your raincoat up over your head, you kept your gaze down and began your journey back to the hotel. The one upside to all the rain was that the sidewalks were nearly barren. Cars sped by on the busy roads but you were alone on foot. In fact, you didn’t see a single soul until you were on the block housing your hotel, and somehow that lonely occupant still managed to slam into you.

“Excuse you,” you muttered.

“So sorry, please excuse me.”

The person’s voice sent shivers down your spine and every last hair stood up on your arms. Reflexively you pulled back as a hand touched your side, ready to give them a mouthful, but they were moving on by the time you could gather your wits about you. All you caught was a tall form in a black business suit striding off in the opposite direction.

With an irked tsk and a mutter of “Fucking asshole”, you rushed into the lobby, stomping the rain from your shoes along the rubber mat. Sure you were pissed off but you still had the human decency not to create more work for others.

You managed a little nod to the desk clerk on your way by to the elevator. As you watched the numbers climb slowly down, you mentally questioned the fates if the world was against you. The elevator stopped on literally every- single- floor; All 25. Trying to maintain your composure, you leaned up against the wall and let your eyes flutter closed, slowly breathing in and out rhythmically. Just a little longer and you’d be in the safety of solitude. You could let it all out.

The ding of the lift doors opening pulled you out of your little meditative session and you immediately let out a grateful sigh of appreciation upon realizing it was empty. Being stuck in a small metal box with others for an undetermined amount of time made your skin crawl, much less when you were already on the edge of snapping. You mashed the close button repeatedly until the metal doors finally sealed shut and the elevator began to move. The rest of the journey was a blur until you stopped at your room door and fished your card out of your pocket, coming out with not only the plastic key but a large silver coin.

“The fuck?” you muttered.

As the door buzzed open, you flipped the coin over in your fingers, trying to think back on when you had gotten it. You were pretty sure you’d never seen anything like it before; completely void of any details on one side but the other filled with finely engraved words.

The loud startling thump of your keys as you threw them on the nightstand wasn’t even enough to draw your concentration away from the interesting little trinket. It took a few minutes and some good lighting but you eventually figured out what was written; the discovery only confusing you further.

“Clutch this coin to thee whilst ye make a plea

In return ye shall become my endless devotee”

“Yeah… that’s not creepy at all,” you sighed.

Tossing the coin on the nightstand next to your keys, you sloughed off your wet clothes and tossed them in the small hamper next to your duffle bag. After this horrid morning, you needed a long hot shower before you pondered on any strange coins or the mental shithole that had become your life.

You weren’t sure exactly how long you spent under the burning water but, by the time you exited, you were both hungry and in dire need of some caffeine.

“Or a nap. A nap could be heavenly,” you murmured to yourself.

Towel around your head, you dropped into the bed naked and took a moment to revel in the sheets against your freshly lotioned skin. There was hardly a better feeling. Thank god you had the good sense to buy some of your own sheets rather than rely on whatever the hotels had to offer. It made your day the tiniest bit better.

As you leaned back against the headboard, you snagged up the coin once more. The metal was cool against your warm fingers as you flipped it around and around. Did you dare give it a try? What was the worst outcome: You felt silly for believing a random coin and no one would ever know? Although, what if it was legit...?

Now that thought made you feel silly. A little chuckle passed your lips before you clasped the coin between your hands and brought it to your chest, closing your eyes as if about to pray.

“Alright, I don’t know how this works so I’m just gonna state my wishes out loud. I hope that works for, well, whoever you are. First off, I want that backstabbing business ruined. They fucked me over after I bent over backward for them, now they deserve to feel the same. Please. Second, I don’t know how you could do it, but I’d really like my insurance company to finally approve my apartment claim so I can find another place soon. Third-”

You trailed off as emotions immediately welled up behind your eyelids, the burning already tingling in the back of your throat from holding them in.

“My third and most important wish, please, if nothing else, find the one that put my mom in the ICU and make them pay. Those idiots down at the police department couldn’t find them, or so they say anyway, so just… give them what they deserve, please.”

With a stifled sniffle, you wiped away the few tears that had escaped and fell back against the headboard, eyes staring unseeing at the ceiling as you let the pain wash over you; Rage, dread, hope, apathy, desperation. Eventually, the unending barrage became too much to deal with. This wasn't a new thing in your life, but it had certainly culminated into something worse with everything going on in your life; clinical depression exacerbated by a series of unfortunate events.

With no other plans for the day and the weight of your heart heavy in your chest, you chose to simply roll over and bury yourself, and your troubles, in the fluffy comforter. You’d feel better after a nap. You were almost certain of it.

Even as you drifted off into sleep, the tears didn’t cease.

When you first woke, you weren’t sure what had roused you but you knew it wasn’t good; All you could feel was bone-trembling terror. You couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, felt frozen in place with only the ability to stare at the now dimly lit wall; watching the shafts of setting sunlight ever so slowly creep down by the minute.

“Come now, darling,” a low voice crooned in the void behind you, “I know you’re awake.”

Like a rubber band snapping, the grip on your body suddenly released and you shot up in bed, immediately turning around to find out who had spoken. You weren’t sure what you expected but it certainly wasn’t the devilishly handsome man that was seated next to the window. The sunlight pouring down on him made it very obvious that his skin was lacking any range of melanin, rather being pallor shades of whites, blacks, and greys, but that didn't detract from his appearance at all. In fact, he looked like something out of a Gothic romance novel or a Tim Burton movie. Once the enchantment of seeing him began to wear off, you finally noticed what sat on the table next to him.

A human head.

“Holy fuck!”

A hellish screech escaped your lips as you hastily scrambled backward, trying to get as far away from him as quickly as possible, only to go careening off the edge of the mattress. The pain of impact on the floor couldn’t even deter you. As your back hit the wall, you kept your eyes pinned on the intruder, watching for any sign that he was going to follow you or attack.

“While I’m certainly not minding the show, don’t you think you’re rather underdressed for this occasion?” he spoke suddenly.

It took a few moments for his words to sink in but the moment they did, you launched yourself back at the bed with a hushed curse and promptly pulled the sheets up around your naked body.

“Who are you? How did you get in here? I-Is- Is that real?”

Long clawed fingers made their way into the matted, bloody mess of hair and pulled the body part free from the table with a sickening pop.

“It is undoubtedly real, but I figured you’d believe me much quicker if I had a visual aide to my claims,” he replied, dropping the offending thing before tossing you a sharp, seductive, smile, “The name is Dark. I’m a demon and the owner of the coin you wished upon.”

Your tongue felt too heavy to move while you watched in horror as he licked the blood from his fingers like a cat bathing itself.

“I- I don’t-”

“You don’t understand,” he supplied helpfully.

As he rose from his seat, you stared at him owlishly, unable to take your eyes off his graceful form as he nearly glided across the floor to stand in front of you.

“That coin,” he hummed, pointing at the metal disc in question, “It belongs to me. When someone makes a wish while holding it, I’m able to hear them. In your case, I heard all three.”

Trepidation tickled the nape of your neck when your eyes slowly rolled over to the head once more. It was as if you couldn’t breathe. Sick crawled up your throat and it took every ounce of your strength to keep from vomiting at the man’s feet. You don’t know how long you sat there, struggling to breathe and ease the nausea but, when it finally went away, rage took over.

“I didn’t want you to actually KILL them!” you shouted.

The demon casually arched a brow in your direction before saying, “You specifically wished for the one involved in your mother’s accident to get what they deserved.”

“Yeah! Like prison! Not death!”

A soul-trembling crack resounded through the small hotel room as he slowly craned his neck side to side, ethereal pulses of red and blue emanating from his being. Some of the previous ire slipped from your hold when he moved even closer, step by step until his knees were touching yours.

“I will never understand you humans and your sense of righteousness. Would it ease your mind to know this wasn’t the first time they had committed such heinous crimes?” he asked.

“W-What?” you questioned softly.

“I will not delve into details but rest assured that your embarrassing sense of compassion was lost on them; they were vermin,” he explained, “Now, that makes three wishes fulfilled. You have two remaining.”

You thought back on exactly what wishes you had made and were immediately overcome with dismay.

“Wait, what did you do?!” you demanded, jumping to your feet and glaring up at him, “You didn’t kill anyone else, did you?!”

A twinge of disdain passed through his features. His hand landed heavily on your shoulder and you were shoved back down onto the bed with a 'tsk' of disapproval, as if scolding a misbehaving child.

“Fortunately for you, no. Your previous place of employment has simply been condemned for multiple code violations that have mysteriously come to light during a surprise investigation, and your insurance company has been informed that they’re facing a lawsuit if they don’t reevaluate your claim with a more positive outlook.”

Relief flushed through your veins and you thanked him meekly. You wouldn’t have been able to live your life knowing you had caused the deaths of so many people, let alone friends.

“So, what now?” you asked.

“You have two more wishes before your soul belongs to me.”

He said it with such finality and ease that you almost didn’t react at first. Once his words settled in though, oh, panic quickly followed.

Gaping up at him in wide-eyed disbelief, you tried to stammer out some rebuttal or plea, but nothing would come out. Panic soon gave way to defeat as you realized there was no obvious way to get out of this ordeal. It had been clear as day on the coin.

Thinking on the offending piece of metal, you looked over and snagged it up, reading the inscription once more.

“Clutch this coin to thee whilst ye make a plea

In return ye shall become my endless devotee”

“So that’s what this meant,” you sighed quietly, before gazing at him once more, “And there’s no way to bargain out of this?”

He looked mildly pleased by your inquiry, letting out a little hum before falling back into an ornate chair that definitely hadn’t been there a few seconds ago.

“And what would you bargain?” he purred, “What could a simple little human such as yourself have to give to me, other than your soul of course.”

You cursed his infallible logic and stayed quiet as you tried to think over your options. Truly, you had nothing else to give him; no money nor gifts. Your soul was the only valuable thing you owned, and there was no undoing what had been done. A person had died because of your wish.

With a heavy sigh, you sat up to your full height and prepared yourself mentally.

“Is there a time limit? Do I have to make my wishes today or can I think about them?” you asked.

“You’re free to use them when and wherever you wish. However, do not think this a loophole. Choosing to postpone your wishes until death does not release you from this contract. Your soul will still belong to me when you die.”

Well fuck. There went that option. If you were doomed no matter what, you might as well make use of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity... right?

“I’m going to need time,” you whispered.

“Fair enough,” he replied, finally taking a step back, “You have my calling card. You can call for me if you have any questions, otherwise, you know what to do.”

He strolled back to the window and snagged the dismembered head, flashing you a wide smirk that framed his fangs perfectly.

“I’ll just be taking this with me. Hope to hear from you soon, darling.”

#Demon!Dark #Dark/reader #female reader #PLEASE READ THE WARNINGS PEOPLE #This chapter is a little dark #heh... dark #pun not intended #two part series #Chapter 1

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