#also not sure if I was on an island in the middle of the lake or a lake in the middle of an island? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

wonderlandwalker · 10 months ago

Text

Frozen Solid | Finnick Odair x Reader

THG Masterlist / Taglist / Inbox

Summary: Your past is haunting you, but Finnick is there to remind you it's going to be okay

Content Warnings/Tags: Nightmares, trauma, ANGST, character death, happy ending though dw, hypothermia, mentions of violence

Word Count: 2.6k

Requested by Anon: Do you think you could do something fluffy with Finnick Odair x Víctor! Reader where the readers games were in the extreme cold and they say something like “I don’t think I’ll ever be warm again” to Finnick

A/N: Please send me more requests! I am dying to keep writing but I don't have any more ideas. Also my spell check keeps telling me it's 'realized' not 'realised' and now I'm doubting my entire knowledge of the English language. Did not read this after writing it so praying my brain worked properly

To say the games left you with issues would be an understatement. But this particular memory always seemed to keep haunting you. Maybe that was because this had happened before you taught yourself to close yourself off from your problems. Maybe it was because you hadn't figured out how to find closure yet.

Maybe it was because you were still afraid. Afraid of the tribute towering over you. Even though you weren't a kid that hadn't hit your grow spurt anymore. Even though you weren't that defenseless, innocent child anymore. The tribute was still bigger, and simply the memories made you feel powerless.

The familiar trees surrounded you, but they didn't make you feel safe like they used to before. A layer of snow covered the leaves like a warm blanket, except it was anything but. You were shivering, trembling, not sure which one. So you ran, your fight or flight instincts trying to contradict the memory

So you ran from the man who had said he would help you. You ran from your problem. You ran from your fear.

But it didn't work, it never did. You ran out of the forest, but before you even realized, you were right back inside. Every time you ran you just got stuck again. But they were all different spots. All the ones where you had camped for the night, all the places where you sat silently, too scared to light a fire to warm yourself, not willing to take the risk of eating any food that needed cooking. They all made their way into your imagination, but they all had one thing in common, they made you feel afraid. For most, you thought, childhood memories should resemble a sense of ease, of making you feel secure.

But that feeling had disappeared for you when you first entered the arena. You could still see it in front of you as if it was a crystal clear picture. Your platform had come to a stop, and at first, you were blinded by the light, the bright sun. Your mind had tricked you into thinking the sun meant warmth, and comfort. But when your eyes adjusted, and you saw the frozen lake you were placed over. You saw the cornucopia, on a frosted island in the middle. It had weapons and food, but most importantly, it had thick coats and fur blankets. You wonder sometimes if you should have gotten one, if it would have helped you, but the risk was too great, so once you heard the canon, you immediately ran in the opposite direction, for the forest behind you.

The first thing you did was look for a freshwater source, but everything, everything, was frozen. When you had become desperate, you had started to punch a hole into the thick ice. It took a long time before you broke through the surface, your hands weren't strong enough, but you didn't give up. There was a small crack, and it gave you hope to continue. When you had managed to get to the water, your knuckles were bleeding, and you could see bruises starting to form. But it didn't matter. You had done it. You cupped your hands into the water and felt the cold come over them once again. It was soothing, in a way. Your hands had become warm from the strain, but it was the first time you had felt any sense of warmth since you entered, so you were disappointed to lose it.

You brought the water to your lips, and took a sip from it. You could feel it course through your body, and while it satisfied your thirst, it felt as if there was ice inside your veins. You had been cold up to now, but it was nothing compared to this. You could feel your insides losing temperature from the icy water.

You saw him walking your way, and even if you tried to forget, you could see his face in so many details. From his freckles that you had always admired to the dark look that filled his eyes as he came closer

You knew there was no use in running, but you still did, not wanting to confront him, having avoided doing so for as long as you can now remember. But all it did was pull you back into the forest.

He came from the same district as you, he had said you reminded him of his little sister, and he had offered a pact. You still weren't sure why, you didn't have much to offer him. But now you guess it must have been his own memories, his own innocence wanting to help the girl that you made him think of, made him think there was still good left in him. And so you accepted, and in a way, you were grateful, because you never would have won without him, but the turmoil that stuck with you was heartbreaking. Maybe it would have been easier if it had all been over then.

He was still walking towards you, and even though he wasn't saying a word, you could tell what was going on inside his head. You could see it by the way he walked, how his arms stayed tightly next to his body. You could even hear him yelling at you in your head.

You walked backwards until you hit one of the trees. You started calling out for help, even though you were fully aware no one would come. There was no one else left. You screamed, asking for someone to help you, and the fear made your voice shiver. You knew it was the fear this time. Your body had stopped shaking from the cold after a few days. You had thought that was it, your body had given up, the cold finally having overpowered it.

You stood up, scrambling to your feet. For once, you felt warm again, you felt the blood dilating your vessels, but you knew better than to get hope. You have seen this. You had seen this in other tributes. Your body making a last attempt to warm you up, giving you a boost of power right before it would all be over. In a way you were grateful, it would finally be over. You didn't even want to win anymore, you just wanted to be warm.

But your instincts still told you to run, and with the extra energy coursing through you, you did.

You ran to the frozen lake, to where it had all begun, it was the only thing you could think of to go to. You ran, you ran until could no longer even feel your legs moving. He followed behind you, of course he did. He was close behind, but you were smaller, you were leaner, and you might not have as much stamina, but when it came to a fast sprint you could only just outrun him. You didn't even watch where you were going anymore. The more you ran, the colder you started to feel again. You wanted to stop, to not lose any more. To keep this little bit you had been given, but you weren't sure it would even stay if you did.

The trees started to disappear, and before you knew it, you were on the lake. When you had first gotten here, the lake had seemed peaceful, tranquil. But now, it was nothing short of a battlefield. The bodies might have been taken away, but the blood still stained the ice, and the axes and spears still stuck out of it like weeds disturbing the carefully crafted landscape.

You ran as far as your fleeting body could carry you. You felt it before you saw it. Ice freezing cold. This was it, this was the end. It wasn't a haven to be at peace, it was even colder than you had been. Your clothes were clinging to your body like the blankets of snow you had first noticed. Your hair was stuck to your forehead and your neck.

You remember in the beginning, when you would run, and you would sweat. It was the first time you had carefully appreciated it in your life, the warm droplets gracing your skin. But not anymore, if your body even had the energy to sweat, it was cold, it stuck to you like the first rain of autumn. The brisk wind in combination only making you shiver more.

So you opened your eyes, if this was the end you had hoped for, you didn't want it anymore. You opened your eyes and focused on your senses. You saw the lake, but it had risen. You had fallen in it. You looked around you and saw the cracks in the frozen surface.

The fights, the violence, it hadn't just taken a toll on you. The ice was suffering just as much. It was hard to see from the snow that covered it, but from where you were, you could see it from the footsteps that had disturbed it. You looked behind you, and you saw him again. He had seen you fall in, and halted. You could see relief come over him. Relief that he wouldn't be the one to have to kill you, that the water would do it for him. You almost felt bad for him, he hadn't wanted any of this either. And if you had been in his situation, you weren't sure you wouldn't have done the same thing.

But the water was your friend, at least it used to be.

In your district, you grew up surrounded by it. Going to the sea in the summer, swimming until the sun went down. You remember you used to get so cold when it disappeared and you were left on the beach alone. But now you longed for it.

So you swam, you swam until you felt your hands meet the solid surface of ice again. You had been light before you came here, the lack of food taking a toll on everyone you know, but it was worse now. The only thing you knew how to get was fish. You knew how to fish, but anything else you had counted on was not there. There were no berries on trees, there were no plants that could survive in this environment. And so your frame had become even slimmer. Your arms were trembling as you tried to lift yourself. You weren't sure if you would manage. This couldn't be the end. If it ended like this, your body would float away in the water like the ice that was floating on it, and you would always be cold.

With a surge of motivation, you lifted yourself onto the surface and as soon as you did you fell down on your back. You looked up, thinking you had done it, you could rest now. You looked up at the sky, the sun was there, but you didn't trust it anymore.

You heard something else move, and it made your head snap up. He was still there.

He considered his steps, he couldn't reach you from where he was. But it was just the two of you, and something had to give. So he walked around the hole you had fallen into. He traced around it. He stood in the footsteps that had already been placed in the snow.

But you didn't care anymore. You had gotten yourself out of the water, and you laid your head back down, looking back at the sun. Trying to recall the memories it held. But you couldn't feel it anymore, you couldn't feel the radiating heat. So you made peace with being cold, at least it would be over soon.

If he had left you be, your body probably would have given up before his did. But he wanted it to be over too, he didn't want to wait any longer. He took another step, and you could hear the crack that echoed through the empty space. You looked at him, and you saw him realising his mistake as it happened. The footsteps had looked like a path, but really, they were weak spots. The steps had caused the ice strain, and it had decided it had had enough.

The cracking sound continued, until you could see the ice start to get lopsided. It started to slide towards the open water you had fallen into. You could see his eyes plead, he had convinced himself he had already won, and he was watching all his hopes disappear with one shift of snow. He fell in the water, but he wasn't friends with it. He trashed and tried to move forward, but his body was too broad, and all it did was exhaust him further. You wanted to reach out for him, to help him. You knew the cold that engulfed the water and you didn't want him to die that way. But all it would do was drag you in with him, and you found yourself watching. You watched him as his head sank under, you kept watching as if he'd come back out. You watched until you heard the last canon.

It made you feel even colder. You thought it was over. But you could feel your heart stop, it didn't stop beating, it stopped giving you warmth. The last piece you had, had sunken down with him. Your head was filled with panic. You would never feel warm again, you don't think your body knew how to anymore, and your mind was too frozen over to even try. And just as you felt your heart slow down, just as you thought you would die in this permanent state of despair, you heard a voice calling out to you

It sounded familiar, but you couldn't place it. It felt like a star calling to you, telling you to follow it into the sky, to fly, to be free, free of this fear.

It told you to wake up.

Before you knew it the smell of pine left you, being replaced with a mix of sea salt and jasmine, it smelt like home

You felt someone shaking you lightly, and you realised the smell wasn't bound to your surroundings, but the person that was next to you.

"Sweetheart, you need to wake up, you keep shaking." He told you in a sleepy, but still gentle voice.

As you started to get a better concept of your environment, you realised that in your distraught state, you had woken him up.

"I didn't mean to wake you I'm sorry, I know you haven't been sleeping well lately." You said, guilt already entering your mind.

"Hey, look at me, don't you dare apologise" He looked at you as if your worry pained him, and you couldn't stop the next words from leaving you.

"I'm scared I'll never be warm again Finnick" You started to cry, and he took you into his arms.

"If you're having nightmares, I will stay up with you until the sun rises again." He smiled down at you. And that's when you realized, he wasn't a star in the sky, he was the sun, he was your sun. His smile warmed you, and his arms around you made you believe again. He was your sun, and as long as you had him, he would warm you.

#finnick odair fic #finnick odair x reader #finnick odair x y/n #finnick odair x you #finnick x reader #finnick x y/n #finnick x you #finnick angst #finnick odair angst #finnick odair fluff #finnick odair fanfic #finnick fanfic #hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #finnick fluff #finnick imagine #finnick odair imagine #angst #fluff

377 notes · View notes

paladin--strait · 4 months ago

Text

soulmates part 1

luke hughes x reader

part 2 here! series masterlist here!

tw!!: none other than some language! use of y/n, reader can be depicted as any body shape/size.

this story moves kinda fast, since I want it to only be a couple of parts long. it's also pretty cringey...sorry about that lol

warning: this is a complete work of fiction. I am no way saying or implying that these people act the way the do in the story. I am open to any sort of constructive criticism! thank you!

I take another sip of my drink and look over at jack who has his arm around his 'fling of the day' as the guys and I like to call it. she's blonde with green eyes, which seems to be his type since that's what most of the girls he brings around look like. with a shake of my head and a sigh, I look over at timo, who gives me a understanding look with a chuckle. I ruffle my hair that is still damp from jumping off the boat into the lake with the guys earlier while I stand up and walk over to the kitchen island to talk to jamie, dawson, and john.

"yo luke!" dawson says, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me a little, "what's life like having to watch jack and his fling of day all the time?" he questions with a laugh, slapping me on the shoulder. my eyebrows raise and I sigh, shaking my head with a laugh. "its interesting, I guess." I say, shrugging my shoulders.

"you guess?" john asks, taking a sip of his beer. "doesn't it get annoying after a while? ya know? constantly coming home and he has some random girl in the house or when he comes home he has a girl? that would annoy the fuck outta me dude. I would honestly pack up my stuff and live somewhere else." he says with a chuckle, trying to lighten the conversation to some extent but it doesn't work.

"I've just gotten used to it over time. when we're in jersey I just go out for a walk or I just go over to cap's house and hang out with him. when we're here I just go out in the boat and stay in the middle of the lake for a while." I say with a shrug.

and its true, sad, but true. I'm just glad quinn doesn't act this way. at least, I don't think he does. I'm not in vancouver with him everyday so I wouldn't really know. but I don't really see quinn acting that way. jack's always been a bit of a player, but when all the guys are around during the off season he seems to want to show off.

sure, I've had a couple hookups here and there, but nothing like jack. he's my brother and I love him, but recently his player antics have been getting worse. I admit, I've been looking into some apartments lately. it's not like I can't afford them, because I can, it's just the fact that me and jack have lived in the same place for basically our whole lives. first it was our house and now it's our apartment in jersey. I don't wanna move away from him just because of some girls he brings back.

I make some more small talk with the guys, now including trevor, who had just woken up from his nap on the couch, and quinn, who had recently come out of his room after his shower, when the doorbell rings.

jack jumps up, almost knocking his girl on the floor in the process, and runs to the door. "I got it!!" he says, disappearing into the hallway that leads to the front door. the guys and I make our way to the couch, taking our seats and continuing our conversation.

soon enough, jack walks back in with nobody. "quinn, there's some girl here to see you. she's putting her stuff up and then she'll be in here." he sighs, sitting back down with his girl, who I've now learned is named kaitlyn. I look at quinn, who is looking at me with a confused look on his face, before he stands, waiting to greet who ever is here to see him.

Then, she walks in. she has got to be one of the prettiest girls I have ever seen in my life. her flowy hair, that sort of bounces with almost every step, her blue canucks jersey that fits her curves like a dream, and her eyes. god, her eyes are gorgeous.

I'm snapped out of my daze by her voice, "quinny!!" she says, practically running to quinn, who's face lights up, before grabbing her and hugging her tightly. they hug for a while and I can hear them talking, but i can't hear what they're saying. after a minute or two, they pull away looking at each other happily. brock stands and walks to the unnamed girl with open arms, yelling her name, and embracing her in a hug.

"everyone," quinn starts, "this is y/n. she lives in vancouver with me and works in media for the canucks so this is a surprise that she's here." he says, looking at her with a smile.

I can tell her likes her, crush or not, quinn likes her. he never smiles like that for anyone. she smiles back, and waves hello, a tiny of blush on her cheeks. she then makes eye contact with me, eyes widening a bit and her cheeks getting a bit redder before quinn pulls her away to introduce her to everyone.

I gulp, realizing that quinn's best friend might be the death of me. I get up quickly, walking outside with my drink in hand. I sit in a chair facing the lake and take in the sunset. I can't help but think about her as I sip my drink.

y/n's pov

"and this is the middle brother, jack, and his girlfriend, kaitlyn." quinn gestures to them, and jack stands to give me a handshake, but eventually settles on a hug. I notice that his girlfriend is eyeing me hard. but the look I give her back is enough to get her to look away. "and luke is over there." quinn points to where he and luke were previously sitting on the couch, but luke is nowhere to be seen. quinn frowns, before looking around and finally spotting him sitting outside on the deck through the window.

"you can stay in here, quinny. I can go introduce myself on my own." I say, smiling before quinn does as well, walking back to take his seat beside who I think is a guy named trevor.

it's a short walk to the porch outside. the sun is glaring in my face so I pull my sunglasses down from my head to cover my eyes. the wooden boards of the deck clack as I step on them, making my way to luke.

I sit in the seat beside him as he turns to look at me with a suspicious look on his face, wondering who followed him outside. I give him a smile and makes eye contact with him, which he returns for s split second before looking away. "hi luke! my name is y/n. it's so nice to finally meet you! quinn has told me so much about you." I say, hoping to get him to look back at me.

all he does is nod and say a quick hello with a 'nice to meet you'. I frown, my gaze settling on the wooden boards below our feet. I sigh, and stand back up, walking back to the house.

my mind is racing as I try to figure out why he won't talk to me or even look at me. maybe he's tired? maybe he just wants some privacy? I'm not sure but the sadness in my eyes is evident when I walk back into the lake house, my eyes meeting Quinn's and I give him a small smile which he returns with a frown.

Quinn walks to me and puts his hand on my shoulder as he leans in to whisper something in my ear. "I'm sorry about luke. I'm not sure what's gotten into him. I'll talk to him and see if he'll come around." he pulls back and gives me a smile before he walks outside.

"hey y/n!!! come sit with us!" I hear a voice say, soon figuring out it was that trevor guy. I smile and make my way to them.

luke's pov

my heart is racing when she sits beside me. I can't believe quinn is friends with such a beautiful girl. I feel my cheeks begin to heat up even more when she mentions how much quinn has talked about me.

I try to be nice to her and return her greeting but I just can't focus on what she's saying. my mind is thinking at a billion miles per hour, wondering what quinn had told her about me and whether I need to be worried if it's bad.

I'm so focused on my own thoughts that I don't even realize she's gotten up to leave until she was halfway back to the house. I stand, and outstretch my hand, wanting to call her name and tell her to come back, but nothing leaves my mouth.

I sit back down and wonder what I just did. is she gonna hate me now? is she wondering why I won't talk to her? does she think that I think that she's ugly and I don't wanna look at her?

I'm pulled out of my thoughts by a hand touching my shoulder and a voice calling my name. I snap out if it and look over at the person. its quinn. he's got a worried look mixed with a bit of anger on his face.

"why won't you talk to her?" he says, crossing his arms and looking at me with a look of confusion. "she was so excited to meet you and jack and you won't even look at her. I told her that you two would get along so well and she's been so excited ever since. what's the deal?"

his voice gets louder at the end of his questioning. I can tell he really cares about her.

"i don't know..." my voice trails off and I look down, fiddling with my fingers.

"you don't know?? luke, she was more excited to meet you more than anyone else. I didn't know that she was coming down today or even at all but I was planning in buying her plane tickets later to get her down here tomorrow or the next day so she could meet all of my friends and family. I don't understand what has gotten into you, luke." quinn's head shakes in disappointment and disbelief.

"listen quinn, I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me either." I say, about to play everything off. and then it all comes out. "all I know is that she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life. I don't even know anything about her but I can already tell that I'm about to have the biggest crush on this girl. so seems so kind and so fun from what I've seen. which is not much but still! I can already tell what kind of person she is. she just gives me that feeling of kindness. please don't tell her that I said any of that and I'm so sorry quinn."

I don't think I've even spoken faster in my life. quinn's face went from disappointment and anger to disbelief and happiness in a split second. he jumps up and puts his hands on my shoulders.

"luke. I wanted to bring her down not only to meet all of you guys, but I wanted her to meet you. you're perfect for each other! she's always so happy and excited for everything and that's just what you need! I'm not saying you're a huge party pooper or whatever, but sometimes you need more excitement in your life! look at jack. he's living his best life right now. sure, he's definitely had way too many girlfriends, but that's what makes him happy and you deserve something or someone that will make you happy too. if you wanna date her, go ahead. y/n hasn't had the greatest experience with relationships. and I think that you could change all of that for her. so I'm absolutely fine with it if you wanna take her out."

quinn's words shock me. he stands there with an excited look on his face and he urges me to stand up.

"I guess I should talk to her then." I look at quinn with a smile and he puts his arm around my shoulders, laughing excitedly as we walk back to the house.

#nhl #hockey #new jersey devils #luke hughes #luke hughes x reader #quinn hughes #jack hughes #nico hischier #timo meier #trevor zegras #jamie drysdale #brock boeser #vancouver canucks #paladin's soulmates series

103 notes · View notes

thebetawolfgirl · 5 months ago

Text

Back To You

Pairing: Timmy x Reader

Warnings: Mentions of drug use and smut.

A/N: Grab a snack and a hot beverage and cozy up with this one.

Back To You

She had seen the photos when she landed back in LA, of Timmy in the pool with Eliza. He looked high as anything and absolutely awful. Eliza clearly had him smoking the strong stuff, and she had been trying to contact his agent Mark for two days straight with no success.

She was in her kitchen just wiping down her units when she got an urgent knock on her door. She opened it and gasped as she saw Mark standing there with a terrible looking Timmy before he fell against her wrapping his arms around her tightly and burying his face in her neck.

‘Y/n. I’m sorry.’ He mumbled tearfully.

She held him against her tightly and set her glare on a sheepish looking Mark.

‘I want him to stay with you for a while, maybe take him somewhere-‘

‘Oh trust me I will be taking him away from here and I won’t be telling anyone ESPECIALLY YOU and those parasites you call his PR team!’ She growled at him laying Timmy on her couch and returning her glare on Mark.

He looked down shamefully ‘I didn’t think she would get him so high. He smokes weed with Scott sometimes-‘

‘NOT THIS MUCH!’

After she kicked Mark out of her house she called her older brother to come for them and take them to the lake house she inherited from her grandfather. She packed a suitcase for both of them and woke Timmy up just as Josh drove into her driveway, Timmy was still kind of out of it so she and her brother had to walk him to his pickup and put him in the back seat.

She and her brother drove to the pier silently, although Josh knew his sister was fuming. She had been trying to get in contact with Timothée’s agent for two days to demand he get him away from Eliza. She was a beautiful woman to be sure, but she was also well known to be antisemitic and very anti-Jewish. Or so y/n had heard from many people.

They arrived at the pier and thankfully it was quiet so they got everything onto the boat and then helped Timmy on and under the well furnished deck, y/n closed the door from the outside and sighed.

‘You need to do something about this y/n.’ Josh whispered so as not to be overheard. ‘They can’t keep dumping him onto every greedy celebrity who wants a piece of him. He’s still figuring this world out, this industry. He needs to stand up to them and just tell them no more.’

‘I know Josh!’ Y/n sighed again leaning against the door closing her eyes. ‘I know I need to tell him to set boundaries with his management. But like you said he’s new to this industry. He grew up in New York and around the theatre. And he’s worked his ass off to get where he is now, and he’s always afraid he doesn’t deserve it. He’s so self conscious about his talent. He overthinks every little detail.’

‘And that’s what drew him to you, he’s not like all the other assholes you’ve met in Hollywood. He’s real. And he’s down to earth.’

Josh looks at his sister as she smiles and nods.

‘Maybe this break will give you both the courage you need to finally get together and make it official. Put us all out of our misery.’

She scoffs and shoves him.

‘Get off my boat, I need to get going before it gets dark.’

‘Take care of each other.’

He jumps off as she begins to move out of the dock and sail off towards the mountains that held the large family lake house.

The house was surrounded by a large lake and hidden within even bigger mountains. On the outside it just looked like a family of huge mountains so it was the perfect place to hide a beautiful lake house in the middle of a small island.

Y/n tied the boat to the dock and took the cases into the house first then came out to get Timmy. He was a bit more awake when she went downstairs and she smiled at him as he looked around him.

‘Hey sleepy head, ready to go inside?’

‘Where are we? Last thing I remember was falling into your arms then passing out.’

‘Well after a… talk with Mark we decided it would be better if you and I went on a little break, just until you get back on your feet.’

He nodded and got up slowly and followed her outside, it was getting dark out so there wasn’t much to see but the lights from the house, so they went in and she instantly got him something light to eat then he just wanted to go straight to bed.

The next morning just as the sun was beginning to rise Timmy woke up feeling a lot better after some much needed rest and got up looking for y/n. He found her outside on the front porch and finally saw his surroundings and was in complete shock at the beauty around him. Y/n had never taken anyone here before, this was her sacred place, a sanctuary for her to escape the madness of Hollywood. The fact that she chose to bring him here to recover was everything to him. He walked over and sat down beside her before crawling onto the bench and lay his head on her lap sighing when she began to play with his hair.

‘Did you sleep well?’ He nodded closing his eyes contently.

‘Thank you for bringing me here. It’s beautiful.’

She smiled brushing his curls from his eyes. ‘I thought it was time to share my sanctuary with you. And there’s no better place to heal than this place. No phones, no crowds of people. Just the water and the fresh air.’

‘It’s perfect, thank you. The fact that you trusted me with this means everything to me!’

She smiles and leans forward kissing his temple as they watched the sun rising together.

After they went inside she cooked him breakfast, all of his favourites. Homemade bagels, ham and onion omelette and a bowl of oatmeal. They ate together in peaceful silence then they watched movies. Timmy turned the tv off then and they talked about where they were.

‘I don’t want to do the PR thing anymore, I’m too tired now. I’m so tired y/n. I just want to come home to you at the end of every night and wake up with you every morning. I just want it to be you and me.’

She pulled him against her running her fingers through his hair holding him tightly as he buried his face against her neck.

‘We will talk to Mark when we get home, we will end this once and for all then it can just be us. I promise.’

He nodded against her shoulder breathing her in.

He pushed her back landing on top of her resting his hips between her thighs and nuzzled her neck, shivering as she ran her fingers down his back from his shoulders to his lower back, he arched against her body as her fingers dipped into the curves of his spine and bit down on her shoulder before moving his head slightly to capture her mouth in his and sighed contentedly into the kiss as he began undressing them both. He tore the t-shirt over his head and tossed it aside as she removed her hoodie, and deepened the kiss opening her mouth more for him.

They removed and tossed their bottoms to the floor and he slowly slid into her groaning against her mouth, she gripped a fistful of his long hair as he began moving his hips against hers slowly to start but picked up his pace until he was rutting into her as she kissed and nipped his lips.

He gripped his fingers into the headboard behind her head and began ramming into her harder and faster letting his head falling against her shoulder breaking their heated and sloppy kiss as she clung to him pulling him closer against her panting heavily, he let go of the headboard and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her against him hearing their skin of their hips meeting in loud slaps, he whimpered and moaned into her neck as she grabbed his shoulders and dragged her fingers down his back again reaching the dip in his lower spine that made him completely lose it and caused his body to convulse on top of her before melting against her. It made him twitch and pant, once he actually ripped the bedsheets apart. Her fingers running down his spine her nails scratching him slightly did otherworldly things to him he couldn’t explain. It made him choke out a gasp and made the air leave his lungs.

He gave one last deep thrust before they both came and he was able to breathe again, he trailed his lips down her neck to her shoulder blade while gently biting her skin as they came down from their high covered in a thin layer of sweat.

He rested his head against her collarbone as she ran one hand through his damp hair and the other down his arm their lower bodies tangled together in the sheets, she moved her hand up his shoulder and stroked his face lightly with her fingers, before he took her hand and pressed them to his lips and parted them as he nibbled the skin on her fingertips.

She smiled and giggled feeling his teeth graze her skin.

‘Stop it. If you’re hungry go downstairs and check the fridge.’ She mumbled in to his hair kissing the top of his head.

He grunted and continued his trail down to her wrist and sucked the pulse point there making her gasp and grip his hair tugging gently just enough to pull him back.

He was obsessed with her skin. Even when they started out as friends. He could live on her body alone. She smelled like heaven and tasted even better. When he needed to be calm she would try giving him a bottle of the perfume she wore, but that didn’t work. It was HER. Her own smell. It was like a drug to him. That’s why even though in those pool pics in the papers with him and Eliza they looked cozy when actually every time Eliza came near Timmy and he was holding like that he was ill. It took everything in him not to kiss the woman’s neck and not throw up.

But now he was back with y/n his beloved y/n. He begged Mark to take him to her, begged on his knees and Mark thought he was high as Hell, but he just needed this here right now.

He kissed a trail between her breasts tasting the dried sweat there and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer and buried his face against her neck sucking on the skin lightly before laying down with her and falling asleep again.

@gatoenlaciudad

@kteezy997

@lixzey

@mel-vaz

@tchalamess

@tchalamss

@natnatj0-8

@lavendarhearts

@ducktapebar

@pmak2002

#lil timmy tim #timothèe chalamet #timothée hal chalamet #timmy x reader #timothée chalamet #timothee chalamet smut #timmy fanfics #timothee icons #timothee chalamet

65 notes · View notes

bubbleddisasters · 6 months ago

Text

Since Y’all liked the last one, heres something somewhat similar:

TWST Characters as funny / random ass moments with my friends/family

———-

Ace : A good friend of mine made an entire Cards against Humanity Deck including us, and we played it at like 4 am.

Also, one of my closest childhood friends of now 11 years, the way we first met was he insulted me, and then thirty minutes later I peeked at his notebook while he was drawing (our beds were next to eachother) recognized Sans from a meme, and then managed to bullshit through an entire conversation about Undertale without him suspecting I didn’t know what the hell I was talking about.

I made a joke about it a little less then a year ago, thinking he knew by now, but no. He looks at me and the conversation goes:

“Are you telling me our entire first interaction was you just fucking improvising through a discussion of a fandom you didn’t know shit about?”

“Wait you didn’t know?”

“NO?!”

“You genuinely believed that I knew what I was talking about then for 10 years?!?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

Deuce: I was biking with my sister, and she accidentally biked straight into a fucking lake. Also when my dad looked me dead in the eye after receiving one of my graded tests and goes

“How the fuck do you answer Maine four times on different questions and be wrong for all four times.”

Bonus Adeuceyuu combo: Me and two of my childhood friends once linked together to grab something we saw in a river, turns out it was just a broken fishing rod.

Also another on me and the above two friends meeting: The first thing one of them did was insult me, and I genuinely have zero memory of how I met the other.

Basically, we met at a sleepaway camp as kids, and for some reason, our sleepaway camp had some wackass shit, but one of them was this game. I don’t remember the name of it, but you had to go in groups of 3-4 and tie ribbons around each staff tent/cabinside without getting caught (and keep in mind each campsite and Cabins were very spread apart) at midnight, and the first to return to the cafeteria, where the staff were waiting, and did so after tying them all, on won.

Kids age 12-17, in the middle of fuck knows where in the woods Long Island, running around in the dark unsupervised with only any light bringing items they brought themselves.

So me, and we’ll call them C and M, teamed up. It’d take too long to go into full detail, but it was a very Prologue Mines fused with Camp Vargas core adventure.

Bonus First year gang in general : Me and three friends were waiting for something I genuinely don’t remember in an abandoned dorm area and got extremely bored, and one of them could do a perfect Donald Duck impression, and another a really good goofy, and this somehow led to us having a fake reality tv show verbal bitchfight as Donald, Goofy, Mickey and Minnie for a solid hour. We all regretted not recording it.

Cater: My friend from Wales entirely forgot about the existence of timezones and called me in the middle of my history class. Her ringtone at the time was just a clip of her screaming “Bread”.

How my teacher didn’t figure out who’s phone it was is beyond me.

Trey : Made Russian Roulette Spilt Cupcakes for a large group of my friends, and one is allergic to strawberries, while another’s favorite is, so I very specifically placed the strawberry filled one on the complete other side of the table with the intention of slipping it in after she picked her two.

Some fucking how, she ended up with the Strawberry one, which I had tied with a bow (basically the ones with bows mean they contain an allergen, and the color is the allergen. Ex: Strawberry was BRIGHT FUCKING PINK.) I’m to this day not exactly sure how, but my best guess is she traded hers with whoever originally got the Strawberry one before we ate.

Luckily, I told her partner, who had been my baking partner in crime and convinced me to add in the strawberry after I said it might be a bad idea, to bring two epi pens just incase.

Riddle : I am around 5’3, and I had a friend (?) who was 6’2-3 in middle school. We had almost the blatant definition of a Floyd and Riddle Dynamic, but he’d out of the blue be extremely sweet to me (kinda like that comic in the anthology), only on days I was going through shit. When I tell you I genuinely thought I was hallucinating when he did though-

Also, I yelled at him for nailing, yes, NAILING, a flag on the ceiling reading :”el sábado es para los chicos” (Saturday is for the boys) In the fucking Spanish classroom. Since nobody was as tall as him and the janitors didn’t notice it, it was there for like a week.

Che’nya : My friend and I have an ongoing inside joke where whenever we spot the other through a window in the hallway, we text the other “behind you” or “to your__”

Leona : I brought a pillow with a silk pillow case (gift from my mom) to a sleepover once, and my friend went “You trust leaving me in the room with this?” and I genuinely responded “Its a pillow, why wouldn’t I trust you.” entirely forgetting that Silk can be pretty expensive.

I felt so bad bro.

Ruggie : My friend once dared me to get a one plate of everything during a party. I misinterpreted this and brought a mostly to full plate of each thing, including water bottles.

Turns out they meant balance one of everything on a single plate.

I did not, infact, return the seven brownies, four cupcakes, two cookies, twelevish tangerines, popcorn and god knows how many grapes, but everything else was returned or snatched by friends.

Jack: My friend was throughly convinced she knew where she was going when we got lost outside at one of the biggest malls in fucking America, and we ended up walking a good 4/6th of the perimeter before finding the target (the store, we were still fucking lost) , which we called her mom to pick us up at.

Bonus: My friend, a few dormmates and I were at Starbucks and this random woman comes up to my friend and goes “Hey, they got my order wrong, want my drink?” and I was literally trying to give him this face of “BAD IDEA”. Yea so he ignored the obvious and drank the whole fucking thing and was bouncing off the walls for the rest of the day. (This one could also work for Jamil I suppose.)

Floyd : I was once walking with a friend of mine and jokingly said Trees are giant salads.

This motherfucker breaks off a branch of the nearest tree, takes a fatass bite, drops it, and goes “I want a refund.”

Jade : Randomly got interrogated my mushroom hunters—-

(I kind you the fuck not, MUSHROOM. HUNTERS. Basically, they go out to hunt/find/ forage for rare mushrooms. Atleast thats what they told us?! I wasn’t paying much attention, I was busy petting their dog tbh)

—While camping, my friend and I had zero clue what they were talking about, so she just pointed in a random direction and they thanked us and left.

The same friend also introduced me to mica, but always called them Mermaid Scales, and we more than once walked around in the water looking for them, I was the only one that would literally stop mid-trail to pick some up though. I have a massive collection.

Also she never let me live down the fact I once trapped myself in my tent with fucking dental floss overnight just to see if I could, then couldn’t undo it in the morning, and our adult / guide / trying to keep us alive person had to cut me out with a knife.

Azul : This one very specific time as a kid I was talking to two identical twins, who were standing on each side of me, wearing the same outfits but color reversed, and nearly had an internal breakdown trying to remember which was which, so I just did verbal gymnastics around using their names.

We later literally spent two hours fighting for ours lives together and I shit you not I STILL COULDNT REMEMBER THEIR FUCKING NAMES.

Kalim : Went shopping with my badass grandma and somehow left with a Second Hand Valentino (the brand) dress for $50 and a free bracelet one of the employees gave me because ….I actually don’t know.

Also, I got trapped on a really high up indoor water slide with my sister because the water entirely stopped (we learned later the water machine tied to that ride blew up) , and where we were was like a weird slope like between two drops. We couldn’t get back up, and going down was too risky without water bcs we could go splat.

There was like a window ish on the ride, so like a smart 8 year old, I start calling for help at the top of my lungs. My sister (10) also did this. There was this guy who I guess heard us that we nicknamed Chad because he looked like the most stereotypical 2000’s beach movie love interest lifeguard and was dramatically looking around for where the voices were coming from but NEVER LOOKED UP??

Anyway, My sister got us out in the end because she found a hatch and managed to open it, and I shit you not there was a spiral staircase with a gigantic fucking sign reading “DO NOT CLIMB STAIRCASE.”

So obviously, my sister chucks me across the gap onto the staircase and then jumps over herself, and we end up spending another 40 minutes after that fiasco trying to find our parents while i’m pretty sure Chad was trying to find us.

After the 40 minutes we just assumed we were now orphans and went back to where we left our keycard and low and behold our parents had just come back from wherever they had fucked off to.

Also Chad found us and felt super bad, and bought us a smore cake?!? Someone throw him back in time to be his destined role as an extra in Teen Beach Movie. The cake was great though, but that was one hell of an 8th birthday lmao.

Jamil : My friend from India (jokily) Divorced me after my dumbass asked her if Chai was an ingredient used in Chai Tea.

Spoiler Alert : Chai IS THE TEA. Apparently, asking for Chai Tea is the equivalent of saying “Can I have some Tea Tea please.”

Yea safe to say I felt real stupid in that moment.

Epel : My sister once locked me in the bathroom so she could test her new makeup on me. She left for one second and I kid you not I snuck out of the window.

Random bonus : Me and my cousins for some reason ended up roughhousing outside after one of our older cousins weddings, and I judo flipped a whole ass 17 year old man at age 12 and I felt so powerful in that moment.

Also If you saw about the ranch in the previous post, me that gang had an anonymous cookie provider who would leave us two tins of fresh cookies every day around 12ish pm, usually behind the kitchen or outside the equipment shack.

Yes, we tried to catch them once, No, we didn’t succeed. Also nobody wanted to risk loosing cookie privileges, so we didn’t try again.

Rook: Once scared the living shit out of my online friend by texting him “I am now several miles closer to your location.” . He lives in South America, and I happened to be in Florida with a friend, so I thought i’d be funny.

Vil : I was going to a cosplay convention with a friend, and instead of bringing like a normal amount of makeup, my indecisive ass brought basically a whole suitcase worth of it.

Also won a costume competition at my boarding school for Halloween, and wasn’t even aware there was a competition until the year after, when a good half or more of my dormmates asked me to do their makeup because they’d heard I was really good at it.

Idia: Ok, so, long story, but my friend invited me and two mutual friends to see Sweeney Todd on Broadway w/ the og cast. However, I was the only one who didn’t know we were going anywhere, because he thought his mom told my dad we were going to see Sweeney Todd, while my dad thought my friend told me, but also he was suspiciously alluding to it, maybe unintentionally

So I show up in a blue hoodie with a bad pun on it, mildly ripped sweatpants, mismatched socks and bright rainbow crocs. Not very “going to watch a musical about cannibalism and Serial Killers” attire. But it gets worse.

So around the 3/4ths into the first act is when I usually get snacks at musicals or plays, since they’re usually just finished setting up and theres no line, so I’m in and out and don’t miss much.

Well, I did that as usual, and its important to know we had front row balcony seats, because…

I slipped on my friends playbill on the way to my seat, and my fucking left croc went flying down into the seats below us, and hit an older woman in the head right at Sweeney did the first oofing, and the stage lights go red for a moment in this scene.

I felt so bad, and was literally too embarrassed to go get the shoe myself, so one of my friends got it for me. Apparently the lady thought it was somewhat funny (thank fucking goodness)

Ortho : My sister and I were biking once, and found out some reason the coats we had (school merch from field day I think). had the biggest fucking hidden pockets known to man.

So the next time we went out, she for some reason decided to put our dads entire laptop in there.

Also bonus: My friend once invited me over to their house to help with their costume, and when I came over, the costume was literally a gigantic trash can. No, not the actual object, They were literally making a giant trashcan costume.

I helped but still remained mildly confused in the process.

Malleus : I had a good friend who lived next to a graveyard, and sometimes we would just go on nice walks in the graveyard.

Lilia: Another Wilderness one: We were making Pasta, and one of the guys in our group was playing with a large thing of moss, tripped, and the moss got into the fucking pasta.

One guide said “Nature Consequence, we can still eat it” while the other screamed they were going to get fired.

Also, me and a friend were singing bo-burnham on a hike, and for some reason we had this stupid ass idea of making a fake fishing rod called…..

“The Child Catcher.”

(The irony ony of us both being 14 at the time so technically we were children)

We found a good fishing rod like stick and a vine, tied a vine on, and I kid you not we carried that thing for MILES. We also made a fork with a flatly shaped stick and a rock named Reddie.

Yea living in the woods does somethin to ya I gotta say.

Bonus: One of my childhood friends had a very giant dog, and one time we had a sleepover, she was laying infront of the other side of the door when we woke , and because of the way the door was, we couldn’t get through.

So my genius solution was to climb out the window (this was on the second floor) , Cha-Cha real smoothed to the nearest other window, go through there, and lure the dog away with a treat.

It worked.

Silver: Went to this make your own dipped popsicle thing with a good friend of mine, and watched in pure horror as she got a mango popsicle dipped in dark chocolate and rolled in fruity pebbles.

Another one: I was at a Sleepover and there was this tent like thing that was meant for tiny people (aka me, not really it was for toddlers but I was small enough to fit at the time), and at some point in the middle of the night, someone tripped on the tent and it entirely collapsed on me, and not only did I sleep through it, I ended up being the last person to wake up because they all saw the tent collapsed and assumed I was already awake.

Also I was camping once and I rolled away from my tarp and somehow down a road, and my friend said when she found me there was just several butterflies and caterpillars on me. I originally didn’t know but I found a caterpillar on my head that morning and apparently it was poisonous (I was fine and I named him Bob)

Sebek: I was in an escape room with some friends, and I discovered that a key we had gotten in the very beginning worked on another lock, so I did that, and later one of my loud friends finds a key and is SPIRALING because she can’t find what it unlocks for like 30 minutes, and after several minutes I realized, unintentionally slammed my hand on a desk and screamed “OH SHIT.” with zero context.

That experience was actually my first time in a escape room with friends, and not my family or a bunch of drunk strangers in suits + my concerned mother.

Second years : My friends in the priorly mentioned group consisted of who I’ll call N, who was doing 70% of the work, we had R, who was angrily searching for the lock to the key, we had T, the birthday boi, who was randomly making jokes about the 1930s, S, who genuinely forgot he had a key item in his pocket, and A, who dramatically serenaded the paintings after misinterpreting a clue and me, who kept accidentally unlocking shit ahead of time.

Third Years: Prior to the other mentioned event, we had gone to a small improv event that ended up being just us, and the poor guy running it kept giving us scenarios and random conditions which we would absolutely make the craziest shit from.

If I remember correctly, one of the skits was we were supposed to be a school board, and the condition was when someone said an idea, you had to say yes.

The result? a organ harvesting business thats front was a school, and everytime someone got detention, one organ of theirs was sold, and the funds went into funding the biogenetically engineered creation of Hatsune Miku and Cat Boys.

For some reason this skit also led somehow into atomic glitter and cocaine missiles, selling souls on Ebay with express shipping, using Sephora Products and Instagram to spread our propaganda, making meme complications of our crimes, and nuking the Bermuda Triangle.

Ask no questions because I have no answers.

——————————-

Yea thats it for now! Enjoy!

61 notes · View notes

lalalian · 2 months ago

Text

aethergarde academy interior pt.2

date: september 15, 2024

I was gonna post this yesterday but I didn't wanna spam a bunch of posts, yk?

Part 1 here!

Anyway, before we get to the images, let's talk take a quick look at a map.

Aethergarde Academy, as seen in the script, is located on a floating island. Unlike Naurena, Aethergarde's floating island isn't manmade, it's naturally occurring.

I wrote this in my script awhile ago but I'm pretty sure it's not in the public script.. you can place this paragraph the More Travel Details dropdown under the pic of Aethergarde's school building:

"The city that owns the territory Aethergarde resides in is called Itresal (ee-treh-sul), which is the capital of the Empire. It’s a very affluent city, and many many people want to live here (it's not cheap to live in Itresal though). The festivals here tend to be pretty extravagent, and there's always tons of vendors in certain streets. Do expect to see traveling merchants often at the docks or in festivals and vendor populated areas."

norcross archipelago:

This is essentially the play area for dragons, though many dragons also like to lounge around Tybees and Plymond. The islands in the Norcross Archipelago are:

Gyrios Isle (Guy-rose)

Summorset Isle (Summer-set)

Cruest Isle (Croo-est)

Noble's Board (the island itself is simply known as the Noble's isle)

Did you see the huge tree on Summorset Isle? That general area is where Talonspyre is celebrated on campus. A tree isn't always there (the talonspyre tree is cut down and the resources are used to make potions sold in the campus' apothecary store (potion and herb store)) but that general area is fenced in for this specific event. You cannot go in there unless you obtain a pass or yk just wait till Talonspyre.

Cruest Isle is a common bathing spot for dragons, a fence is placed at the edge of the waterfall to prevent any dragons from falling off the island. An older dragon does tend to sit near the edge of the waterfall just to make sure nobody gets into an accident.

Gyrios is pretty boring honestly; Both Summorset and Gyrios are frequented by the young to learn how to hunt.

Tybees and Plymond are also used for hunting. Dragons may venture off campus to hunt, but they're advised not to go too far. If a dragon needs to hunt off campus, they must go in groups of three (at least 3, the more the better). Dragons who are younger than two years old must go with two dragon advisors (these dragons are bonded to the teachers at the academy) but dragons older than that are required to take one dragon advisor to leave campus.

If you've seen the 1st part, you probably know what's on Noble's island... Yes, it's the noble's dorm, also referred to as Noble's Board. Before it was built, that island was simply another play area for the dragons.

These islands also serve as great flying practice areas for both riders and dragons!

guardian aviaries

An aviary is a essentially just a huge collection of dragon nests. There are two large aviaries, the one labelled on the map and the ones in the mountains behind the Aethergarde Academy building.

Your dragon's species does affect where their personal nest is. Your dragon will move into a nest when they are unable to stay in your dorm or in the nursery; so about 3-4 months. If your dragon is particularly clingy, you may have to deal with them trying to catch your attention in the middle of the night by roaring loudly around the dorms or, if your room has a window, peeking through the window.

Since you guys will be bonded to a gilded dragon, you will more than likely have a window spot near the Guardian Aviary just so you can monitor your dragon more closely as gildeds are quite infamous for being uncooperative.

tybees & plymond

These islands are, again, considered a play area for dragons. Sometimes, dragons will go to Tybees to get alone time, as Tybees is the least frequented island.

Plymond also has a large waterfall lake situation like Cruest; it also has a fence at the end of the waterfall.

harklorn embassy

Harklorn Embassy is the first building you'll enter when you go to Aethergarde; you will receive your student ID (Your Keystone) in this building. This embassy handles everything related to transportation in and out of Aethergarde. That space next to the building is where the dragons land, though Aethergarde is in talks with Aiellesbia to expand the island somehow to create more space on the island.

This island will likely undergo expansion of some kind in your 2nd yr of school.

Nobody goes directly to Aethergarde first; you must be approved through Harklorn to even fly onto the main island. If you try to fly directly onto Aethergarde's island first... it's like walking into a glassdoor. There's an invisible forcefield around the entire island, including Tybees, Plymond, the Guardian islands, and the Norcross Archipelago. If you try to enter without getting a pass of some kind, officials within Aethergarde are alerted.

Anyway, if you're entering Aethergarde temporarily, you receive a scroll that disperses into ash once you use it (1 full use is entry into the building and checking out). Similar to entry, you must go directly to Harklorn to leave.

Why the strict system? Well, Aethergarde needs to know who has and has not been in the area. If someone's gone missing or is considered a suspect in a criminal investigation, it helps to know who you are and if you're still in the area.

Students are automatically tracked into the system once you get your keystone, as soon as you fly out, a quill will take note of your departure. Your keystone tracks your location, so if you do need help, send a message to someone with your keystone.

What about dragons? Do they have to check into Harklorn? Yes! Sometimes older dragons will want to fly onto campus to check things out. Because the area around Aethergarde has a high concentration of mana, it attracts magical creatures, including dragons.

Dragons can sense the forcefield and will simply route to Harklorn to enter. It's not like riders can't sense the forcefield, they can, but humans cannot.

If you are a rider, you need to register your dragon into the system. You cannot just fly into the area on your dragon; again, it's like running into a glass door, you'll be bonked by the invisible forcefield.

onto the interior

Whew, that was more than I wanted to write, honestly 😭😭

Let's start with the exterior!

this is what the outdoor hallways would look like!

you may see some dragons perched around these hallways during class time (especially the younger ones) because they wanna get a glimpse of their rider

in the photo of the school in the script, there isn't a roof over the outdoor corridors, but there will be for some of the corridors + a forcefield will form just before it rains for the hallways that don't have roofs

there will be some of these outdoor grassy areas around the school

you will also see dragons perched around here too lmao

this is great area to have a picnic

another garden type area

more outdoor corrider pics

this pic and the next one are some of the larger courtyards that would be on campus

they have several tables around too for students to eat outdoors, though, there is a dining hall (cafeteria) in the building too

the table and chairs pictured here is one of the tables set up for the students to use

please pick up after yourself

I mean you can just leave your plates there (since most nobles aren't used to cleaning up after themselves, they'll usually do this 😭😭), but yk it'd be easier for the keepers if you just took your plates inside

the interior (finally)

this is like the stairs and stuff, idk LMAO

completely enclosed area

smaller classrooms are here

...more stairs

this is where the larger classrooms would be

This is the dining hall (cafeteria)

the dining hall can also be called the mess hall

usually knights and commoners refer to the cafeteria as the mess hall

nobles usually call it the dining hall, your teachers will call it the dining hall

anyway this is completely inside, the stairs leading up the to chairs are actually for the emperor, empress, king, or queen when they visit. You cannot sit here! If all four figures show up to the dining hall, the emperor and empress will sit at the chairs, and the king and queen will sit at another table reserved for them

If your dragon is less than a year old, I would recommend sitting inside bc they could easily swoop in and eat your food

aethergarde's crest will be visible on the bottom portion of those light blue banners

another angle of the dining hall

the entrance and exit to the dining hall through the double doors seen at the far left side of the photo (there is another set of doors across the ones pictured in the photo)

this is the meeting room (between all the students + the teachers)

you will go here for orientation

the inner most circle will have a large globe displaying the world map

the average student won't actually go here often

unfortunately for you, you are not the average student, and there is a world conflict going on that you will be directly involved with so... hope you like the room! the windows look nice don't they?~

This is the library

that gigantic book helps the librarian find books in the library

speaking of which, if you need a book, instead of finding it yourself, I really would just ask the librarian

this library is fucking h u g e, just let the librarian make the big ass book summon a novel for you

the book has the name of every single book that has graced the shelves of the library + it's status (like if it's been checked out, still available, destroyed, or is no longer in the academy)

the librarian will essentially cast a spell on the large book, and books you want will appear on the shelves along the stem of the book structure

there are multiple copies of textbooks you need for your classes, but do know that there's only like 10 max of each textbook

just get your own textbooks

there are also fictional books in the library, it's not all boring stuff!

this is one of the private apocathery rooms, you have to rent one out to use one

ask the librarian to rent a room; it's located in the library

wanna know more about my aethergarde academy dr? here's a masterlist with everything I've posted about it!

#reality shifting #shiftblr #shifting community #shifting blog #lalalian #desired reality #shifters #shifting diary #shifttok #scripting #aethergarde academy dr #dr scrapbook #original dr scrapbook

24 notes · View notes

valiantstarlights · 1 year ago

Text

[Dreamling Week Day 6: Sick] In Sickness

It's a fluffy sick fic featuring eldritch goo Dream of the Endless idk what else to tell you

CW: if you're fine with Dream being an eldritch being, then absolutely nothing. 😊 Enjoy! 🖤

Hob stares at the large black puddle of goo that flooded most of the living room. He just got back from work and found Matthew perched on a branch near his flat, looking as frantic as a raven could get.

Said raven is now perched on Hob's shoulder, eyeing the mess on the floor gravely.

Hob had been warned that Dream is 'in a state,' but he didn't exactly expect that 'state' to be liquid.

Because it is Dream on the floor, Hob can see that very clearly. Though the goo simply looks like dark glittery slime poured over the floor to the uninitiated, Hob recognizes a couple of nebulas on its surface. There, by the telly, is the Horsehead Nebula, there by the bookshelf that contained none of Shaxberd's works is the Trifid Nebula, and just by Hob's feet is the Lagoon Nebula.

"Darling?" Hob calls out, unsure if he's going to get an answer. This is his first time encountering Dream like this. "Are you alright?"

No answer.

He looks at Matthew a bit helplessly. "Do I just...scoop him up with my hands?"

Matthew fidgets. "Definitely don't vacuum him."

"Why the hell would I--"

"Well, why are you asking me? I don't know this shit! I was literally a human a year ago!"

Hob pinches his nose. They were like blind drunks stumbling down the street together. "Is he even sentient like this?"

The dark puddle vibrates, and Hob feels Matthew's talons dig into his shoulders from the jumpscare. He himself almost drops his suitcase. "I can hear both of you," the puddle grumbles, "and you are making too much noise for my liking."

"Oh, sorry, love," Hob says, his boyfriend instincts suddenly awakened at Dream's sulky morning voice. "Did we wake you?"

"I want some of your chicken pot pie."

"Chicken pot pie." Hob repeats. His brain is still processing the fact that his boyfriend is a literal puddle of goo on the floor. "Yeah. Okay. Let me just get some ingredients from the shops real quick. Can you get to the bedroom while I'm gone? I don't want to step on you when I return."

He leaves Matthew...not in charge, but overseeing goo Dream's long and arduous trek to the bedroom.

He hears the raven mutter something about this being like hell all over again.

Hob ignores that because he has a different set of problems to tackle.

Hob's panic sets in as soon as he gets out of the car carrying all the ingredients for chicken pot pie, as well as some other food and drinks good for sick humans.

Once the pie is done cooking and cooling down a bit, how will he feed Dream? Where is his mouth? Does Hob just...pour it on the goo and hope for the best?

What if that were the equivalent of dumping hot soup on his boyfriend's lap?

"Any improvement?" he asks Matthew, who has kept an eye on Dream while perched safely on the back of the couch.

Hob checked, and Dream's form is thankfully all contained in the bedroom, still looking like a lake of stars.

"Nope. But he says he wants you to make extra crusts because he likes that. I would also like some extra bits to snack on, if that's alright."

"Sure." Hob goes to do just that. Chicken pot pie for the boyfriend and a lot of extra crusts for the boyfriend and his raven.

No problem. This is all totally normal and fine.

"Dream? Darling? The pot pie is done."

The puddle looks a little smaller in size, and Hob can see a couple of hill-like formations near the middle of the mass. He hopes it's a sign that Dream is slowly getting better.

At his words, one of the islands move closer to him, like a shark. Its progress sends ripples throughout the lake.

"Finally," the island nearer to him says. Its peak splits open to reveal the inside of Dream's human mouth. "Feed me."

At this point, Hob isn't even questioning anything anymore. All he knows is how to be a good boyfriend, so he's gonna do just that.

He sits down at the very edge of the lake near the hill with the mouth, and scoops up a portion of the pie, making sure to blow on it before feeding it to Dream.

The hill hums in appreciation.

"Good?"

"Delicious," Dream's mouth says, before opening once more, like a baby bird waiting to be fed. "More. I want a larger portion of the crust this time."

Hob couldn't help the smile that bloomed on his face and obediently gets more of the crust for the next bite.

"What kind of juice do you like?" Hob asks, a few hours later. The goo now looks less like a puddle and more like gelatine that didn't set properly. It was on the couch, bundled up in one of Hob's soft knitted blankets, watching an earlier season of Game of Thrones with Matthew.

"What kinds do you have?"

"Uh, orange, apple, and pineapple. Oh, and I still got some banana milk from the Korean grocery store, if you prefer that. Or almond milk."

"All of them."

Hob and Matthew share an alarmed look behind gelatine Dream's back. "What, an equal amount of all those drinks together in a single glass?"

"Yes."

Hob looks heavenwards and prays for a little more sanity before complying.

And just for fun, he goes down to the Inn and gets a blue cocktail umbrella and a heart-shaped drinking straw to put in gelatine Dream's very questionable drink.

Gelatine Dream hums in delight and tells Hob he loves him.

Hob beams and kisses the top of the gelatinous mass, while Matthew chokes, very possibly because the scene on TV is Hodor...doing his thing, and that always gets to Hob.

(Matthew chokes because he is disgusted, he is revolted--)

Something thick and long, like an anaconda, slithers into bed with Hob, and it is only through his 600 plus years of living in this world does he calm his frantically beating heart and open his arms so big ass snake Dream can curl up next to him.

"I hate being sick," the snake hisses, its huge dark head tucking itself under Hob's chin. "I can't hug you like this."

'Please don't wrap around me and squeeze me to death,' Hob does not say. "I think you're adorable," he murmurs instead against Dream's coils, and kisses the nearest scaled skin in front of his face.

Dream is mostly back in his human form come morning, but he still dripped viscous dark liquid wherever he goes. It reminds Hob of Howl Pendragon from the Howl's Moving Castle Ghibli movie.

"How are you this morning, darling?"

"Wretched," Dream says as he drips onto his fry up. Hob mentioned preparing porridge for him as they got up earlier, only to be informed by Dream that he fucking hates porridge and would hurl it into the sun if he could. And so Hob cooked some fry up instead. "Must you go to work?"

Hob, already running late and in the process of putting on his shoes, stops and looks back at the pathetic picture Dream makes. He is sadly looking down at his perfectly cooked eggs, dripping dark sludge on the sun-yellow yolks.

"I'll call in sick," Hob decides, and takes his phone out to do just that. The department head is going to verbally flay him alive for only giving notice at the last minute, but nothing is more important to him than Dream. Hell, they could fire him over the phone and he'd be fine with it.

Dream hugs him around the middle as Hob puts his briefcase down, ruining his white dress shirt. Hob hugs him back and kisses the top of his head.

It's fine. He'll just buy another shirt, or get another job. But Dream is irreplaceable.

"Have I told you that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me?" Dream asks him a couple of days later, when they're both lying in bed after two rounds of fantastic sex, celebrating Dream's full recovery.

Hob kisses him on the nose and cuddles him closer. "Maybe once or twice in the last 24 hours," he says. "But it never hurts to tell me again."

Dream shyly hands him an unbreakable ceramic mug made from the sands of the Dreaming. It says, "The best boyfriend across all of time and space," in Dream's handwriting.

It takes Hob a solid month to stop grinning like a fool.

#don't ask me what dream is sick with because i'll probably say something like 'the slutty sickness'#but fr dream is too adorable here asdfghjkl #i was working on writing for the confession prompt but the story wasn't feeling it #so now we have sick eldritch goo dream of the endless and best boyfriend ever hob gadling #(sighs longingly)#manifesting for me to have a boyfriend!hob in my life tbh 🙏#dreamling #DreamlingWeek #DreamlingWeek2023 #the sandman #my writing

151 notes · View notes

cursedbeasts · 19 hours ago

Text

An illustrated guide to the Dread Masters

This will recap the complete story of the Dread Masters in the game Star Wars: the Old Republic. It is separate from both instances of my headcanon lore, which I think I will eventually make posts on as well. Just canon information, information from a few cut codex entries, and some minor speculation here.

I wrote this to have something to link to people instead of 10 disparate wiki articles.

Also I hope it has a bit more flair than a wiki article!

The Dread Masters were a group of six Sith. They served Emperor Vitiate of the Sith Empire for over a thousand years.

Most Sith are wildly selfish and individualistic. The Dread Masters were unique in that they were strongest when they worked together. They only achieved full power when meditating in unison, and were bound together by a powerful Force Union.

About a thousand years ago, Emperor Tenebrae gathered six promising Sith together. He sent them to a remote moon called Oricon, to study the mysterious Phobis Devices.

The Phobis Devices were three artifacts imbued with the Dark Side of the Force. When activated, they drove everyone around them mad with fear. Only the strongest of Force Users were able to survive the onslaught and master what the Devices had to offer.

At some point during the following centuries, Emperor Tenebrae took the main Phobis Device, the Core, and entombed it within the Dark Temple.

The six Sith were the ones to succeed. They returned to Tenebrae, and from then on, they were known as the Dread Masters.

They made Oricon their home, and stayed there in seclusion unless Tenebrae had need of them.

Oricon

Oricon is a remote moon in an unnamed star system located in the Outer Rim, not far from the area known as the Seat of the Empire. It is volcanically active, and the Dark Side is strong there.

The Dread Masters weren't the first to set foot on Oricon. Before them, a Sith Alchemist named Darth Vitus made it his lair. He left behind monsters he created using Sith Alchemy.

The Dread Masters imported thousands of slaves to build their stronghold on Oricon, an intimidating palace surrounded by an elaborately constructed fortress. Dread Masters Brontes and Tyrans oversaw the construction, making sure the fortress is secure. The Palace sat on an island surrounded by a lake of lava, and the Fortress was the only means of entry. Elevated roadways connected the Palace to two smaller towers and an outpost on the mainland.

The slaves met a horrible fate. When the construction finished, they all were expended in Dark Side rituals and other horrific experiments in the depths of the very halls they toiled to build.

The Dread Masters

Raptus

Raptus, the most eloquent of the six, became the informal leader of the group. Haughty and vain, Raptus was quick to smite anyone who disrespected him or the Dread Masters. He was capable of convincing others to act against their very character with words alone.

His sanctum in the Dread palace was a narrow, somewhat claustrophobic throne room. When challenged, he transported the opponents to a series of platforms suspended in a gloomy abyss.

Bestia

Bestia was powerful, possibly the most powerful of the six in terms of raw strength in the Force, and ferocious. Long ago, she drew the Emperor's attention when, as a mere apprentice, she quelled a slave uprising all by herself. She became an enforcer of sorts, responsible for communication between the Dread Masters and the Emperor. She brought the Dread Masters' insights to him, and in return, brought the Emperor's orders back to the Dread Masters.

Her sanctum in the Dread palace, called Sanctuary of Dread, was a large room completely overgrown with corruption, with a throne in the middle. Corrupted beasts milled about.

Styrak was a Sith Alchemist of considerable strength. His cruel experiments claimed the lives of many sentient and beastly subjects. He was solitary, often embarking on excursions away from Oricon.

He seemed to be fond of Kell Dragons, smaller cousins of the legendary Krayts, often seen accompanied by one.

Calphayus had a family once. Family that he did not fear. The Dread Masters became his twisted new family, and he became the most powerful prophet of them all. He sees all, the past, the present, and the future. Because of that, his insights are often difficult to understand.

His sanctum was a lush garden once, an oasis on Oricon's otherwise gloomy surface. It is a stark contrast to the other known sanctums of the Dread Masters.

Tyrans was a shrewd tactician. He didn't speak unless he deemed it necessary. His favourite trick was to sow dissent and discord in enemy ranks and then watch them go after each other's throats.

He was involved in the construction of the Dread Fortress, laying many traps and making sure it is impregnable.

His sanctum within the Dread Palace was a duel chamber with a trap floor. The tiles winked in and out of existence on Tyrans's whim, forcing any training Dread Guard or intruder to be light on their feet lest they suffered an unpleasant fall.

Brontes was a scholar, and her focus was Dark Side artifacts. This field of study took its toll on her, and she doesn't remember much, if anything, about her past. Her title was the Architect of Fear, earned by contributing to the construction of the Dark Temple on Dromund Kaas, and, likely, the Dread Palace. Her writings can be found in the libraries of the Sith Academy on Korriban.

She also seemed to have a keen interest in cybernetic augmentation. Her creations roamed the Dread Fortress, and she herself is augmented with four mechanical tentacles that serve as both weapons and additional limbs.

The War and Capture

The Dread Masters stayed in seclusion on Oricon or in their sanctum on Dromund Kaas for centuries, emerging only to accept gifts from their followers and to bring visions to the Emperor.

Three centuries before the Galactic War, the Emperor brought them a new subject for their tortures: Revan, a hero who had been both Jedi and Sith. They had tried to kill Tenebrae and failed.

Even later, when the Galactic War set the galaxy ablaze, Emperor Tenebrae had the Dread Masters put to use. They traveled the galaxy aboard a dreadnought ship, never stopping to avoid capture. They were able to stop a Republic fleet dead in its tracks by seizing its crews with terror.

Despite all the measures, they didn't evade capture. The Jedi Order sent a team of its bravest, led by Master Jaric Caedan. They boarded the Dread Masters' ship and attacked the six Sith. The Dread Masters, deep in meditation, couldn't put up much of a fight aside from waves of fear they emitted.

The dreadnought was set to self-destruct, so the Empire believed the Dread Masters were killed.

The Dread Masters were imprisoned on the planet Belsavis, where the Republic had a secret prison. They were put in cells in the max security wing. However, their mere presence killed other inmates and living things in a considerable radius. The Republic drugged them to keep them docile, and had them transported even deeper into the prison and put in stasis pods.

Not everyone in the Empire believed the Dread Masters were dead. The Dread Guard, the Dread Masters' followers, learned of the Dread Masters' location, and mounted an attack in hopes to free them. They failed, their ship crashing in an area known as Section X, its cargo of Hunter Killer droids dormant.

After the Dread Masters were captured, the Empire and the Republic signed the Treaty of Coruscant, stopping the war, at least on paper.

Dread Masters, Freed

27 years have passed.

The location of the Belsavis prison was discovered by the Empire. And with that, they learned that the Dread Masters were very much alive. A team of Imperial champions ventured onto the planet's surface, picking up the pieces of a previous, unsuccessful attempt to free the Dread Masters.

Once freed, the Dread Masters set course for Dromund Kaas. There they discovered that the Emperor had been seemingly slain by a Jedi Knight. They also likely retrieved the Phobis Device from the Dark Temple while on Dromund Kaas.

Not seeing anyone worth listening to in the Empire, the Dread Masters returned to Oricon. They started drafting plans for an empire of their own. However, an empire needed territory and an army to defend it and to conquer more territory.

So the Dread Masters gathered their followers. They sent agents into both the Empire and the Republic to seek out those sympathetic to their cause. Most of the new recruits were mind-controlled by the Dread Masters, with the most promising becoming their acolytes.

The followers of the Dread Masters were split into two groups. The Dread Host were non-force users: former agents and soldiers of the Empire and, occasionally, the Republic. The Dread Guard were the Force Users, usually Sith, although a few Jedi have fallen to the side of the Dread Masters as well.

Their uniforms were those of the Empire, but instead of the customary black, they were red. Masks were very common among the Force users, ranging from simple ones to elaborate golden masks similar to those of the Dread Masters themselves. The golden masks appeared to be a higher rank signifier among the Dread Guard and the Dread Host.

The golden masks started without any crests, but grew more adorned as the Dread Guard climbed ranks.

The Dread Host and the Dread Guard seemed to be more welcoming to members of other species than the Empire, but the bulk of it was comprised of former Imperials. Besides, what relief was that, if many of the Dread Host were mind controlled by the Dread Masters?

A new Empire

Once the Dread Masters gathered their army, they struck out into the Hutt Space. They didn't want to attack the Empire and the Republic head-on, likely knowing that even with their mastery of the Force, they would be defeated. So they sought a weaker opponent to seize territory and resources from.

Dislodged from their territories, a faction of Hutts led by one Karagga, has expanded its reach into Imperial and Republic spaces. Teams were sent to Nal Hutta to stop him.

The second conflict between the Empire, the Republic, and, indirectly, the minions of the Dread Masters, took place on the planet Denova. A Trandoshan Warlord named Kephess was quite a challenge for the strike team. Along the way, the strike team began picking up troubling rumours about an enigmatic group called The Masters.

The mystery was solved when visions of the Dread Masters and resurrected Kephess appeared before the strike teams aboard their respective flagships. The Dread Masters used their power on the strike team, and announced that all will fall before them.

The Dread Masters were no longer working in the shadows.

The Dread Masters' forces returned to Belsavis, invading an area known as Section X. They were after a superweapon called the Aurora Cannon. Both Imperial and Republic forces formed camps in the area to stop the Dread Guard's progress.

A great beast named Dreadtooth roamed a desolated courtyard within Section X. Among the spoils that would be looted upon its defeat was a Dread Guard mask, and a mysterious amulet, likely belonging to a Dread guard the beast had killed.

The Dread Masters struck next on a planet called Asation. The world belonged to a species called the Gree. Once, they were among the most technologically advanced species in the Galaxy, alongside the Rakata, who built the Belsavis prison. Now, they are going through a period of decline, grasping for understanding of their own technology

The Dread Masters were after a Gree Hypergate, a piece of technology that allowed teleportation over great distances. A team of Dread Guards, led by Dread Guards Ciphas, Heirad and Kel'Sara, descended upon the surface.

Strike teams from the Empire and the Republic once again arrived on Asation. They fought through the monsters, the automatic defences, and the Dread Guards, only to come face to face with a resurrected Kephess. While they fought Kephess, the Hypergate was opened, luring out a giant tentacled monster, aptly named The Terror From Beyond.

To those who defeated Dreadtooth, looted an amulet from it, and donned the Dread Guard Mask, there was an additional challende to be uncovered.

Beneath the bridge where the three Dread Guards made their stand, there is a cave. Aspiring Dread Guards could venture inside it, and summon a dreadful entity, that would judge their merits. Only those wearing a golden Dread Guard mask survived its judgment.

Once the entity was defeated, it left behind an unsettling glass orb inscribed with glyphs and infused with Dark Side energy. Its purpose was a mystery.

The repeated failures of the Dread Masters' plans caused one of them, Styrak, to strike out on his own once again. He set his gaze on the planet Darvannis, an unremarkable world in the Hutt space region. A large gathering of underworld arms dealers and mercenaries was under way, and Styrak sought to corrupt them from within his lair near Oasis City. That way, the Dread Masters would gain both new recruits for the Dread Host, and a large amount of weapons and other supplies.

At the same time, the Dread Masters attacked the heart of the Empire.

Seeds of Rage and Dread

Long ago, they had constructed a vault aboard a space station called the Arcanum. The Arcanum was made to house the most dangerous of Sith artifacts. One such artifact was the Seeds of Rage.

The Seeds of Rage were created by Lord Fulminiss, a master of Sith Alchemy, with the sole purpose of corrupting other living beings. They were his crowning achievement. When placed near people or animals, the seeds warped them into violent monsters and tainted the environment.

The Dread Masters stole the seeds and buried them across the Galaxy.

The seeds were likely reverse engineered by the Dread Masters to derive a corruption known as the Dread Seed. Unlike the Seeds of Rage, Dread Seeds focused on heightening fear responses in those around them, and on corrupting the environment so that the very ground exudes fear.

Fall of Styrak

Meanwhile, Styrak's activity on Darvannis didn't go unnoticed. The huge underworld gathering drew the attention of the Empire and the Republic, who once again sent in strike teams to investigate.

They fought through underworld forces until they arrived at a hidden gorge. A throne was set up in the back, and one of the Dread Masters paced in front of it, accompanied by a fearsome Kell Dragon.

Styrak was behind everything. He set up the gathering so he could perform a ritual that would shatter the free will of the gathered mercenaries and arms dealers, securing manpower and weapons for the Dread Masters.

The strike team attacked Styrak and his Dread Guard acolytes. The Acolytes fell first. Then, Styrak's Kell Dragon jumped into the fray, biting and rending the attackers with its claws.

The Kell Dragon was struck down, enraging Styrak. He summoned a massive Force Storm and attacked the strike team personally. He sent nightmares and apparitions at them, and brought down lightning upon them. It was not enough. In the end, Dread Master Styrak lay dead next to his Kell Dragon and his acolytes.

Styrak's death tore through the Dread Masters' Force bond. Their plans of an empire were all but forgotten in the face of despair and pain and madness. Their plans now narrowed down to either finding a sixth to replace Styrak, or bringing destruction upon the Galaxy. They wanted death, to join Styrak in oblivion. And they wanted to take the Galaxy down with them.

Controlling the underworld gathering may not have been the only goal Styrak was pursuing on Darvannis. An ancient Sith tomb can be found in a cave near Oasis City. Within it dwells a presence. It can be summoned by providing it with weakened prey it could drain of its remaining life.

It is unknown who this hateful entity was. Upon defeat, it left behind an ornate mask similar to those of the Dread Masters. Likely, the entity was either another Sith who mastered the Phobis Devices, or even their creator. The First Dread Master. Styrak may have been trying to communicate with the entity.

Death of Dread

Shortly after Styrak's death, Oricon's location was discovered by Republic's Strategic Information Service. Chancellor Saresh of the Republic sent an entire fleet to Oricon, only for it to be torn apart by the Dread Masters' powers. The survivors established a small camp. The debris from the ships kept raining down on the moon's surface.

Following that fiasco, Darth Marr of the Dark Council, the defacto leader of the Empire since the Emperor's untimely demise, sent a small team to Oricon, led by one Lord Hargrev. The Empire lost contact with the team.

Both factions then sent hardened champions to Oricon, in hopes of salvaging both operations. Those were the same champions that stopped the Dread Masters before, and who killed Styrak.

The champions rescued survivors from the crashed Republic ships to bolster their ranks. They destroyed the Dread Seed terraforming devices that polluted the air and ground, and they defeated Brontes's corrupted beast.

They ventured into the guard tower, and, upon recovering a datacron held there, received a vision of the Dread Masters.

An Imperial champion received an invitation to become the sixth Dread Master. The Republic champion received an admission of Dread Masters' desire to die.

The way to the Dread Fortress was clear. The gates were open, and the strike teams gathered once again.

To get to the Dread Palace, they needed to fight through the formidable defences of the Dread Fortress.

Brontes herself met them at the approach to the Dread Palace. A hive of mechanical tentacles and a host of failed experiments were at her command. The team was merely a potential set of test subjects, until they weren't.

After a long, grueling fight, Brontes was defeated.

The strike team descended into the Dread Palace.

Grim halls unfolded before them, with four passages leading to each of the remaining Dread Masters' sanctuaries. A small army of Dread Guards stood between them and the Masters.

Dread Master Bestia was the first to challenge the intruders in her sanctum. Her corrupted beasts attacked them alongside Bestia herself. She fought fiercely, but fell nonetheless, retreating deeper into the Palace.

Tyrans was next, welcoming the strike team into his sanctum. Floor tiles disappeared out of existence, plunging the unlucky intruders into the water below. Fire traps activated, giving the strike team even less room to work with, while Tyrans himself teleported around.

After defeating Tyrans and Bestia, The strike team ventured into Calphayus's desolate garden. Since Styrak's death, it has fallen into disrepair, the plants growing wild and neglected and Dread seed corruption creeping in.

Calphayus forced visions of the past and future upon the attackers, moving through the timelines with grace. The strike team braved the visions, and defeated Calphayus and his acolytes.

Raptus was the last one standing. He met the strike team sitting on his throne. They were teleported into the abyss, where they faced challenges atop platforms suspended in the air. All the while Raptus relentlessly poured lightning upon them.

He, too, fell.

The Dread Masters made one last stand in the Dread Council chamber, attacking the strike team together. Even spirits of Brontes and Styrak and his Kell Dragon joined the fray.

In the end, it was not enough.

The Dread Masters fell.

The strike teams returned to their respective camps with news of victory.

The Empire raided the now empty Fortress and Palace, seizing the Dread Masters' research for its own use.

Meanwhile, Calphayus, the last surviving Dread Master, stumbled into the Republic camp. He was alone, his mask was lost, and his mind was clear for the first time in centuries. Republic's Champions took pity on him, and he was taken in by the Jedi order to be healed and evaluated. His fate is unknown after that.

Sources:

Wookiepedia's pages on the Dread masters, Oricon, and Phobis Devices

SWTORista's codex database for the Phobis Devices cut entry

Vulkk's dreadful \ hateful entity lore speculation

Vulkk's how to become a Dread Master guide

#swtor #dread masters #swtor lore #swtor dread masters #star wars #star wars lore

13 notes · View notes

fortune-fool02 · 2 years ago

Text

Pollito

Luis Serra x female reader

Requested by: anonymous

Ok, Im latino, and in my family and with a lot of my friends we use pollito as a term of endearment but some people who aren't aware of that take offense because it means little chicken. Could we have a Luis x reader where he keeps calling them pollito and they get upset because they think he's trying to insult them and they have a whole moment where he explains that not what he means by it<3

Warning: No Spoiler for RE 4 Remake. Fluff.

I love this so much, it's so cute!

Thank you and please enjoy.

Looking back on this, there was a few questions that bounced around in [Name]'s head. Why did those people want Ashley so badly? What was their plan with this cursed parasite? But most of all: What the Hell was she doing here?

She was a researcher, brought on this mission to help Leon to learn more about potential dangerous pathogens and B.O.Ws, to gather intel and information. She had hardly ever been out in the field like Leon had. So, why on Earth was she standing in the middle of a plague-riddled island with a gun? Taking a moment, [Name] leaned against the building wall, her breathing rapid and sharp, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Leon, however, appeared unfazed as he checked over his ammo and reloaded his gun. Fear rushed along her body, sapping away her energy though she kept going. She had to, for Ashley and Leon. It gripped at her from the moment they encountered those infected people, the savage looks in their eyes, how they held no quarrel with charging weapons at them. Any attempt at reasoning with them was useless.

Still, [Name] tried her best to stand her ground. Even when Leon told her to move back and leave it to him to handle. She was dead-weight at this point. Thankfully, they weren't alone in their little quest.

Luis was a character indeed. A man riddled with a mysterious aura that only peaked her curiosity. Sweet flirtations spilling from his lips when it wasn't a witty quip or comment. The man was also a researcher, like her. Yet he held a bravery to him also, holding his ground against the infected. If he could do it, why couldn't she?

"Wooh! That was something, eh?" Luis smiled, spinning his gun a little before returning it to its holster. Pulling a tissue out, he wiped away the splatters of blood off his face before tossing it away. He leaned up against one of the crates that was spared from Leon's little rampage of destroying some to snatch potential bullets laying about.

"Yeah. Sure." [Name] hummed, trying to shake off the lingering panic. An axe had been launched at her head, missing her by inches as it embedded into the wall beside her head. At that point, she just froze. Luis having to step in to finish off the infected man before he launched another. Never in her entirely life had she had a close brush with death like that. Even when handling pathogens and experimentations, there were safety precautions put in place, ways to ensure the minimum risk of danger. Out here, there was no such thing.

"Oh, come on, pollito, give me a smile." Pollito? She knew some basics of the language to know what it meant. [Name] knew she wasn't the bravest but this was her first time in a situation as dire as this. She wasn't that bad of a coward to be called a chicken, was she? Embarrassment coiled inside her, chocking out the fear and clotting up in its place.

Her eyes tore away from Luis and looked down, pulling out some green and red herbs they got earlier, crushing them up to combine them together into a vial. They had shown to have some unique properties regarding healing, and often were of great use to them. She shuffled over to Leon and set the vial beside him without a word and turned to the small map they had, outlining the island and isolated sections.

They had to cross the lake still, now that they had the fuel for it. Luis having been trying to speak to her only to receive dry, short responses, if not a hum of some degree. Confusion painted his face at her sudden silent treatment. Leon told them to quickly check the surrounding shacks for supplies while he got the boat ready.

[Name] forced open some boxes and picked up any loose bullets or herbs that she found. The door to the small shack softly thudded as Luis stood there, his grey eyes locked onto her, swirling with a mix of concern and confusion.

"[Name], what's the matter? You've been awfully quiet." His question was only responded by a plain "nothing", that didn't satisfy his question at all. He walked over to her, closing the distance between them and had her look at him. "Tell me the truth, pollito."

Another wave of humiliation hit her and she could feel the light sting of tears threatening to build up behind her eyes. She couldn't cry now. "Look, I try my best here. I'm not used to this shit, those things out there! I'm a researcher who spent most of my career behind a desk or counter, not out in the field surrounded by murdererous madmen!"

Luis looked at her, listening to her pour out the built up concerns and worries. "So, I'm sorry that I'm a chicken but you have to get it." A moment passed before Luis softly chuckled at this. His warm smile lifting his face.

"[Name], pollito is a term of endearment for my family. We use it as a pet name or nickname, I'm not insulting you." He leaned against the table a bit, resting his weight. "I never once insulted your bravery. If anything, it's impressive."

His words cut through her, filling her chest with a pleasant comforting warmth, purging away the humiliation pestering her but moments ago. Luis smiled at her, noting her shoulders relax slightly as she took in what he said. He wasn't insulting her. He was just calling her a pet name.

"....oh." That was all she could say. She did feel a little silly now. Luis simply walked over and gently tilted her head up to him, a playful glimmer in his eyes.

"Do you think you can give me a smile, pollito?" He hummed. [Name] lifted her lips, giving him a small smile.

"Ah, there we go."

#luis sera #luis serra navarro #luis serra x reader #luis sera x reader #luis serra #resident evil #resident evil x reader #resident evil 4 #resident evil 4 remake #resident evil luis #resident evil luis serra

278 notes · View notes

forgotteneilionora · 3 months ago

Text

OOC | The Citadel Ideas

ok so ive been daydreaming abt the land of stafford a good bit! and i have some thoughts id like to share!!

so, if we're using mont saint michel and/or st michael's mount (two diff but v similar places) as our inspo, i had some notions!! first, i think @thelongforgottenrealm had mentioned asp that stafford was located at the southeastern end of the country? or was that just in my imagination? anyway hahaha either way, if it is indeed on really ~any coastline a la the above references, perhaps it is also located on a tidal island where the tides make it sometimes accessible from the mainland, and sometimes not??? so its pr self-sufficient, and a bit of a feat to conquer bc a large vessel can't really besiege it bc its too narrow but at the same time a land army will literally be swept away in only a few hours' time etc?

regardless of the above, tho, im thinking it probs does more or less have the conical shape of mont saint michel/st michael's mount, but probs higher a la mont st michel? in fact, w the exception of the literal mountains of lorcan and kil-kennar, im thinking -- given the celestial ties of house stafford -- that the castle at the top is probs the tallest altitude in astaira? and certainly the tallest manmade structure in and of itself??

also that, when the sea washes in at night, that its super clear both re: the sea and the sky, and the water reflects back the stars so that you feel like, above and below, you're awash in an ocean of starlight???? and in the mornings a deep fog often swallows it up reflecting back the colors of dawn and basically its that ancient city-in-the-clouds motif, so you almost always feel like youre in the sky when you're at stafford???? and that its got this aurora borealis action too and just <33333 magical ~amongst the stars~ vibes <333333

also thinking abt how we said that the stafford swords might be meteor blades as well as the legend of how mont st michel was founded, and maybe, according to legend, the ancient ancestors of house stafford took a page out of the three wise men's book and followed three shooting stars to the spot. where they landed, they founded their citadel and turned the remnants of the three glittering stars, fallen to earth, to the three celestial blades famous of their house!

im thinking too that -- inspired by mont st michel and its historical building/collapse/rebuilding thing, that perhaps, at the pinnacle lies the ruins of the og keep, its great domed vault collapsed so that its now open to the stars and lowkey a kinda observatory kinda thing now???

also!!!!! im not done!!!!1 ;DDDDD what if, this being astaira, theyve got a hanging gardens of babylon kinda thing going, given the potentially? conical shape etc, where the whole place is a green garden, overflowing from one terrace to the next, where flowering trees and shrubs and even lakes and creeks (inspired too by eze) flow and just!!!!!! v idyllic (at least pr!roderick who knows now alksjdfkljdf)

finally, idk how up you guys are on the full history of mont saint michel, its various parts in wars w the english, its supposedly haunted situation, the angel supposedly having appointed its creation, its falling and rebuilding again and again in the early middle ages, the fact that it repelled one of the greatest generals to ever live, henry v, and stood proud and impregnable for centuries, its status as a center of pilgrimage and a sea port supposedly protected by st michael himself, its involvement in the theft of relics and reliquaries, its status as one of the worst jails in france after the hunted monks were expelled and it had fallen almost to ruin via the revolution its rebuilding, and so many other bits and piecees, but i thought we might also take some inspo from that esp re: roderick, too!

anyway some pics etc of st michael's mount and eze since ive got specific points abt them and they're more obscure than the hanging gardens/mont saint michel etc so i wasn't sure if i was making my point so well hahaha! anyway you can find them below the cut bc yeah idk if i described any of these things well at all!

EZE

so you guys may know all abt eze idk, but id never heard of eze before i went there. its on the french riviera, near monaco, and its a JAW DROPPER!!! its this medieval town w tiny, winding streets but it in no way feels oppressive bc every turn reveals a new tree and a constellation of bright flowers, and vines cheerfully winding all along the walls! and the ocean below is a shade of electric blue so brilliant it reminded me of our lizzy's eyes <3 terraced gardens are everywhere, and just when you think the dazzling sun is getting too bright you emerge into a covered alcove w a babbling fountain or lil flowing stream to delight and cool you, once supplying fresh drinking water to the citizens in the middle ages. cobbled stone paths form pretty walkways in patterns that ofen suggest -- i kid you not -- stars <3 the further you go, the higher you get but its all so gradual its not troubling at all and tbh you don't even realize how high you've climbed until you come upon a window (almost all the doors and windows are flung open so that inside and out are only concepts w everything open and breezy) and you find yourself at a jaw-dropping height from which you feel you can overlook the world entire, but even to someone like me -- terrified of heights -- there's no fear bc the mount holds you in a warm embrace and you do not fear falling

none of these pictures do it even a touch of justice but they might help give a sense of what i mean (couldn't find pictures of the sights from the tallest towers or of the streams and fountains and mosaics tho!)

ST MICHAELS MOUNT

so i only realized that st michaels mount and mont saint michel were different places a couple years ago ngl lakjsdfkjldsf and i haven't been here so ill just present pics! but its got a port to one side bc the water's so deep there but part is so shallow you can walk across at low tide bu inaccessible at high tide! its got this ring of terraced gardens, its oldest parts are built almost like an organic structure, growing out of the rock, and the waters reflect back the sky when they're calm

#ooc #about #lore #aria stafford #siobhan stafford #rian stafford #garbhan stafford #major ravenclaw vibes throughout who'm i kidding??? ;DDD #waterfalls and paintings of stars and constellations and blue tiles and bricks and blue and silver everywhere feel like a thing too <3 #v dreamy starlight vibes <3333333 #a lil rivendell too i feel like <33333333 like picture a rivendell library/observatory <333333 idk!!!#i actually have just so many more thoughts but i felt like i should maybe hold back a lil lkdsjfalksjdfkjsdf you know me laskdjfkljdsf

18 notes · View notes

gingerlurk · 5 months ago

Text

Binding | Part II

Din Djarin x f!Reader

A Lovers' Crest one-shot (in three parts). Complete on A03.

Prev | Next

Here's the LC Masterlist.

Summary: Lost and alone in a dark cave, you need to figure out what happened to the Mandalorian.

Word count: 6.5k

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, established relationship, characters in peril, mind control, evil droid, being restrained, canon-typical violence. Also, lots of action, characters in peril, lots of peril, sorry. Please let me know if there's more to add I am rusty.

A/N: This story won't make much sense if you haven't read Lovers' Crest. Or even if you have, it may still be nonsense. I'm not sure. I really put all the characters through it here. The next chapter is well cosy though, I promise.

With a pained gasp and a flailing of limbs, you break the surface of putrid water.

Breathless and sputtering, you struggle to keep your head above the stinky pool you’d plummeted backwards into right after Din’s helmet had disappeared from view. You twist and thrash around for a bit before realising you’re unhurt, just treading water in total darkness.

It still takes several deep breaths before there’s enough air in your lungs to call out.

‘Din?’ You shout, craning to look back up. Back to where you had fallen from. ‘Din? Grogu?’

No answer. You jab at the light strapped to your arm, it buzzes a few times before fizzling out to nothing. But it had flashed just enough for you to spot a bit of rock poking out of the water. Strike out in that direction, kicking until you can smack a hand onto it.

Feeling about, you find the rock is quite large. Haul yourself out of the wretched water and sit, elbows on knees and panting. You look up again.

‘Din?’ you call, pushing down panic. Nothing. ‘Grogu?’

At that, a beam of light appears up above. The faint nervous trills and grunts of the child echo down to where you’re perched. You’d estimate it to be a ten metre drop.

‘Grogu? Hey, kiddo? Are you okay? Where’s Din?’

The pod drifts out into the open air and descends to you. The kid is now chittering with insistence as he comes level with where you sit, blinding you with his lamp. You shield your eyes to see him and take in the wide-eyed worry.

‘Hey baby,’ you gesture him closer and dig into the side of his pod for your little field tool kit. ‘It’ll be okay. Sit tight.’

Tugging the device off your arm, you motion for him to direct the light so you can see your work. You’re focusing hard on practical steps. Rather than the primal dread crawling up your spine. Steps like ‘need light fixed’. And not, Where’s Din? Where is he? Where did he go? Where– No, need light fixed.

Step one. Fix light.

A bit of fiddling and it blinks back at full force. You huff an exhale and point it around you and the child, who’s still murmuring and anxious.

This rock is indeed a small island in the middle of a vast underground lake. It must be one of the spots where the aquifer breaches the rock layer. You direct the beam up the sheer cliff. Next practical step is ‘need back up there’.

‘Okay Grogu, bud,’ you lay what you hope is a reassuring hand on the child. ‘Think you can manage a miracle?’ He’s squeezing his eyes shut and focusing before you finish the sentence. You manage a half smile, ‘Nice.’

Closing your eyes too, you try to channel energy toward his efforts, feeling, as always, that vast and intimidating power that lives on your periphery. It stirs, begins to move. Within yourself it is a fuzzy and flickering thing. When you see it in Grogu, it’s like looking into a sun.

Next thing you know, you are weightless. The sharp rocks that were digging into your legs drop away as you begin to float. You fight vertigo and fear, trying not to grip Grogu too tight. He raises you and the pod, depositing your feet right back on the spot where that creature had smacked into you.

Shining a light around the carnage, you will yourself to contemplate the next task. Find out what happened to Din.

‘Alright bud,’ you say, still with a hand on Grogu, ‘can you show me?’

He ‘wahs’ a little before raising a claw to clasp one of your fingers.

The vision sweeps across your mind’s eye. Din, on his knees, leaning over the edge to look down at you, raising a forearm to engage his whipcord. Behind him, a long, segmented mechanical... thing snakes across the ground. Toward him. It snaps a clamp over his ankles and drags him backwards. Back... that way... you turn and walk in the direction the vision showed.

Come to a dead end.

With shaking hands, you reach out to feel about the rocky wall. Nothing. It’s just a rocky wall.

‘Fuck.’

But Grogu saw him pulled this way, so there must be something. You decide to give this a go yourself, unwilling to ask more of the child. He’s already looking drained after the ambush of monster bugs and saving your ass. He needs his strength. And all of you are a long way yet from being out of danger.

Turning your inner eye to the energy dwelling within, you bid it to approach. It’s already uncoiled and slides into your senses. Changes the shape of the universe as you funnel the power of the Force down into understanding this cave wall.

And it becomes crystal clear. Not a wall. A hard light shield masking a weapons-grade bunker. A heavy door sealed shut via an… an access panel right… over there…

Trailing a hand along the illusion, gritty rock becomes smooth and glossy under your fingers. Opening your eyes to look, your lamplight shows you’re still just touching a natural feature. But the modular beeping and responsive hum under your palm indicates it’s a piece of tech.

Okay, now… How do I… On instinct, you press your whole hand flat to the panel – jump in surprise as it activates.

Well, that was easy.

It cycles loud. You push Grogu’s pod and back away with it to take cover behind a large granite pillar – watch a surreal process of the barrier grinding open to reveal a dim light just beyond its threshold.

Those hideous bugs would have drowned out the noise of the door opening. And you were a touch too distracted by being hurled off a cliff in any case.

But whatever that snaking thing was, it dragged Din in there.

You force yourself to wait a good thirty seconds and, when nothing appears and no movement can be seen, edge out to approach with cautious steps. The child follows close behind, quiet – just the hum of his pod echoing behind you.

A narrow corridor opens into a true nightmare and you have to work to beat back a rising hysteria. A cavernous space made difficult to comprehend by the chaotic array of items, paraphernalia, and junk scattered around and piled high. You spy everything from broken pieces of armour through to what looks to be a speeder’s engine mount.

Bones too. A lot of them.

With an arm up to keep Grogu back a ways, you continue to cast around, searching the place for any sign of--

Your sweep halts and blood freezes in your veins. A sight that is familiar and frightening all at once.

The angular chrome catches the beam of your torch. High arches you would know by touch glimmer in the low light. The dark T-visor stares, reflecting your wide-eyed horror.

But there’s no reaction to your gasp of shock. None at all. The Mandalorian’s helmet doesn’t move an inch.

Because it’s not Din.

It sits alone, still and silent, on a small mountain of discarded tech.

No life in there.

You take a trembling step toward it.

‘Now, now—'

A reverberating drone peels across the silence.

‘You wouldn’t be thinking of stealing from me, would you?’

Nothing about the voice makes sense save for the language you recognise. It’s ungodly. The sound of it grates on your ears like a corrosion – words being pushed through mechanical parts. It’s coming from all around you, disembodied and loud.

‘Because that wouldn’t make you a very worthy guest, now would it?’

Unable to place its source, you take another step – fingers desperate to make contact with the beskar piece.

‘Ah, ah, ah!’ clicks the noise in a mocking admonishment.

Another step, just a few more before you can lay hands on--

‘Wow,’ comes the staccato. ‘So rude. I think I need to have my new toy deal with you.’

From a darkened passage on the other side of the space, a new sound emerges. This one you know. Know it as well as you know the helmet just beyond arm’s reach. It sends a cascade of gooseflesh over you.

The clinking, steady footfalls of Din Djarin grow louder until he emerges from the darkness. There’s not even a shred of relief felt on seeing him. Something is badly wrong.

He’s not in there. Not at home. A blank, glassy-eyed expression tracks the room and peels over you and Grogu like you’re just features of the bunker wall.

And, somehow even worse, he walks right by the pile of junk on which his helm rests, no inkling there at all that it’s his sacred property. He comes to a stop in front of you. In the dim light, you can make out a blinking chip-like array at his left temple. Angry red lines radiate out from the attachment. The eye there is bloodshot and weeping.

It’s horrifying.

‘Grogu,’ you whisper, sights fixed on your vacant partner. ‘Go.’

The baby whines at the instruction and you wave toward the way out.

‘Go, go! Get Gaius. Get--’

He hasn’t moved yet when the grisly robotic voice clicks an indifferent, ‘Kill them, if you please.’ Din moves into motion so swift you shout in alarm.

His arm is up and bringing a savage swing down toward Grogu’s head that you only just manage to intercept, twisting into his elbow and throwing your whole weight into diverting the blow. It’s what it takes, his raw strength such that you have to body his entire limb just to counter.

It happens twice more, him swinging with vambraced arms as you lurch and throw yourself between him and the child. Grogu seems to be frozen in fear, staring up at his father with a trembling disbelief.

‘Grogu!’ you try again, caging Din’s wrist with both forearms to direct it into open air, rather than the hovering pod. ‘Go! ’

He still doesn’t move, paralysed.

Just as you drive a desperate shoulder into the possessed man’s fist, you twist flush to Din’s chest, lean into his cuirass and use the purchase to lift a foot and kick the baby’s pod away.

It does the job – Grogu whirrs out of reach and flops back with a grunt. But before you can move, a huge arm locks across your throat. It compresses your airway with a discompassionate ease.

Blind terror rips a strangled scream from you before losing breath. Gods it hurts. An instant burning. You claw and wheeze. Drown in the horror that this is how it ends, so sudden and so random. It crawls in your heart and you sob. Not Din... please not by him... It’s sapping strength as oxygen becomes an unknown to you. Arms drop and flail at the armour-clad tower behind you.

Futile. This is it.

But the muscles holding you firm ease. Just a little. Just enough so can you gasp air and drop weight to your knees to get free of the chokehold. You make a half-roll and leap to your feet to look back at him, hands to your throbbing – but open – throat.

He’s frozen, stock still. And you see it. You see him. His eyes are alight with horror, with fear and panic. Dark irises track over you, stare at where you grip your neck. He starts to spasm and shudder, like something is fighting to burst out of him. He whimpers your name and then—

‘Run,’ he gasps. A plea through shredded vocal chords, ‘Run!’

His eyes go blank again as you pivot on the spot, set your sights on Grogu’s pod that is now – mercifully – racing away, and bolt. Through ringing ears, you hear the voice crackle in delight, ‘Oh she’s fun! Secure the female alive. Kill the small thing.’

You can’t handle this alone. You don’t know what to do. Din groans and snarls behind you, in a war with himself and the alien tech trying to hold him in thrall. He fights it long enough for you to get a decent lead, then he’s chasing you down. Thundering boots send hammers of black dread to beat against your spine.

As you run, you manage to make three observations. One, he hasn’t used any of his own equipped weapons yet. Two, his attacks were clumsy – nothing like his usual precise and practiced brutality. Three, he’s gaining on you.

This last observation comes as you breach the cave opening into the white hot light of the surface. Your feet kick up dust that cakes on the soaked fabric of your pants. It swirls in the billowing tempest wrought by the Mandalorian closing the distance between you.

Time slows.

The first thing that happens is a hand landing hard on your shoulder. The other reaches to hug your ribs firm. You’re pulled into him and forced forward at the same time, held in an embrace of violent control. The ground rushes up to meet you. Like a ragdoll, you’re twisted side-on to slam into it, so hard the momentum of your legs carry on in a disorienting cartwheel over yourself.

You’re winded so full-bodily you can only go limp, try to brace your arms but it’s no use.

Shoved over, face and torso into the dirt, you’re helpless as he throws his full weight on top of you. Just trying to catch your breath – everything burning, throat, lungs, limbs. There’s nothing you can do against being straddled by him as his grip shifts on your body.

He takes your upper arms and – with a vicious yank – the ground tips away as you’re hauled up into a vicelike hold, pulled flush to hard beskar chest yet again.

Sagging in his merciless restraint, there’s just enough mental will left to observe that Grogu is nowhere to be seen. The barren terrain around you is quiet.

He got away… at least he got away…

Your captor comes to the same conclusion with a grunt of frustration.

He turns in a full circle, evidently unclear where to go in the hunt for his assigned target.

Huh, you think. He doesn’t know which way his ship is? That’s interesting.

After twisting and turning about, jerking you to and fro, he stops – seems locked by indecision, unable to fulfil one of the directives issued by that voice back in the cave.

‘You may as well just take me back,’ you say, sounding raspy – feeling the effort burn your throat. ‘You won’t find him.’

Wind and dust float around the two of you as he remains still, incapable of choosing a path forward. You’re craning your neck, pressing it into his shoulder to look up at him, when you see the chip at his temple blink a harsh blue light.

Orders coming in?

Your guess is confirmed when – with another frustrated snarl – he begins to move.

Back toward the opening of the cave.

You let yourself feel some kind of relief that Grogu has escaped – mostly so you don’t slip into hysterical terror.

He drags you into the dark and, as you struggle and plead to no avail, back into the hoard of horrors.

‘Chain her,’ the alien speech greets you, and you’re pulled to a wall dripping with cables and restraints. Arms are tugged behind your back for loops to be coiled around and around, secured – tight – until you’re bound against the solid surface.

The whole time Din does this – winding chains with clumsy hands – you’re murmuring to him, trying to get through. Din? Din – you’re in there, I know you’re in there. C’mon, Din. It’s me, it’s me. Din!

But you get nothing, and your arms are locked behind you so tightly, you begin to worry about circulation. Then he steps back. Goes still.

You have no idea what to do. Bide for time?

It’s all you have.

‘So,’ you start, speaking into the void. Have to clear your throat a few times, wincing. ‘What are you? One of those kid-enslaving droids?’

A long pause like it's considering whether or not to engage.

‘Technically…’ it grates. ‘I’m supposed to be. Up there.’

Another pause. Then talkativeness seems to win out.

‘But it’s just been so boring since the change,’ it reverberates and grinds. ‘I’m not even needed, really. Here is much more fun. Do you know how many like you I’ve rustled out of these caves?’

You could take a guess, looking at the huge amount of pillaged equipment and torn clothing piled and scattered about.

‘They just. Keep. Coming!’ it crumbles on. ‘And they. Never. Leave!’

Nauseated, weary, you let slip a morose conclusion, ‘You’re a monster,’ you say.

‘Hah! Yep.’

‘Why do you do this?’ you ask. Not really wanting to know, but trying to keep it talking – afraid of what comes next.

‘It’s fun. Watch this,’ it says. ‘Go stand over there.’

That blue light emits from Din’s temple again and he responds in an instant, turning away from you and walking to a random point in the room. It blinks off again when he stops moving.

Huh, you think again. Interesting.

‘But it wears off, yeah?’ you say. ‘He’ll be able to break out eventually, has done it once already – right Din?’ You look over to him. Get nothing in response. Direct your attention back to empty air. ‘So what then?’

‘Oh, no no no,’ it belches. ‘Nooo this is a modified device of my making. Once that pesky little breakdown starts it’ll ffzzzzz,’ it makes a horrible sound like a wet blender on turbo, ‘Scramble ‘em up real good.’

You swallow acid, feel the horror swell hot within you. Wrench on the bindings so hard your muscles scream.

‘Fuck you,’ you spit. It bursts out – you’re trying to convert fear into anger. Trying to muster something to get you and Din out of this. ‘Fucking, fuck, I am going to fuck. You. Up--’

‘Hah!’ it cranks. ‘My, my, I’ve had some feisty ones in my time but you – you take the crown.’

You brace a foot on the wall and try to—ugh, it’s too tight—try to twist side-on to get some slack in the chains. Fuck, owww, it has more effect on your shoulder joints than anything else. Pins and needles fizz in your hands.

‘And now,’ says the droid, projecting a low menace that vibrates the air. ‘Now it’s your turn.’

You freeze. No.

No, no, no no no no!

Your renewed struggles echo loud, bouncing around the place along with your cries of distress.

‘Go over there, pick it up,’ it intones.

Din’s movement summons your attention, pausing your desperate efforts. He strides to a wide bench littered with debris and tools, with weapons and circuitry – ignores it all to pick up a singular object.

A twin to the one clamped to his temple.

‘Put it on her,’ comes the command from all around.

Din turns with the thing in hand. He takes steps toward you.

‘No,’ shaking your head. ‘Don’t, don’t.’

As he gets closer, you can see little tendril-like appendages unfurl from a blinking body pinched between his fingers – they sway in the air, seeking flesh to latch onto.

Recoiling, you shrink against the wall. Try with all your might to get away from it.

‘Din, Din!’ you’re shouting, on the verge of screaming. ‘Fight it! Fight it, please.’

Muscles shriek in protest and your hands feel like they are going to explode, but you just thrash harder, mind blank with terror. He holds the thing out in front of him as he walks. Your head jerks back, smacks into the hard wall and your vision swims.

Groggy, disoriented, you sag in defeat and muster everything left into one final plea. A final beseeching of his name.

‘Din!’ It’s a cry of pure fear.

His steps halt. Almost within arm’s reach of you, he stops like an invisible wall has blocked his path. He lurches like half of him wants to carry forward but the other keeps him locked in place. The device in his hand continues to sway and seek, but it’s not getting any closer.

Working to calm yourself. Not sure what to do or say, lost and fretting over the thing blinking by his eye, you just ramble, ‘It’s me, it’s me. Please. It’s me, and I need you.’

Maybe- maybe if you can get him to free you, you can get that thing off before it kills him.

‘Please, I need you t—'

Din convulses. He shudders all over.

Hot dread washes over you as he takes another small step forward. No, gods, please!

But a grunt of pure grit coming from deep down bursts forth and he staggers back.

He twists from you in a clumsy pivot, almost falls to his knees but stays upright to lunge away. With an arcing arm, he hurls the device to the other side of the space. It hits a wall and clatters into a pile of litter.

A half a second to feel relief when--

‘Ugh,’ the droid hacks. Oh no, fuck, in the last few moments of panic – you’d actually forgotten about it. You stare at Din in desperation. Tears spring in your eyes. ‘Never had one go so quick,’ it goes on. ‘How annoying. Oh well, say goodbye to your--'

‘Now Grogu!’ Gaius’ voice.

From the shadows, the kid is a blur through the air. He leaps a massive distance across the bunker to land on Din’s twitching shoulder. Clamps a clawed little hand to the atrocity latched to his father’s head. With a pained ‘hhhhheh’, he channels his Force energy. You feel it flutter and writhe in your consciousness – a duel unfolding between it and the horror tech.

Din lets loose a torn scream – face a rictus of agony. But Grogu doesn’t let up. His energy growing and expanding, radiating in waves around the room. You watch, transfixed, beset with fear and hope.

The binding gives a violent whir and, at a final shout of pain from the towering figure, it detaches – the tendril-like appendages lifting from the skin of the temple. It wriggles in Grogu’s grasp like a caught insect.

The Mandalorian jolts and stumbles back a few steps. The child tumbles off his shoulder and into his arms, dropping the device. It clatters to the ground, where a huge boot is rising to slam down onto it. Din cradles his son as he grinds his heel before kicking the crushed object away and falling to his knees with a pained heave of breath. He takes a moment to tilt his head back in surrender, and relief.

Over the speaker, the voice that had been commanding this entire horrorshow clacks a sudden string of static.

‘Wait!’ it shrieks. ‘Wait, wait, wait, what are you—Who? No, no you, you can’t, you can’t. S-stop. Stop!’ It devolves into a kind of nonsense circuitry as the sound of metal crunching and mechanical joints being ripped apart echoes off the cave walls. With a final, khirrrrr… the place is quiet again.

From the direction that a possessed Din had first marched out of the dark, Gaius shuffles. Eyes glassy, expression blank. For a fearful second, you worry they’ve been put into binding too, but there’s nothing at their temple. Face clear, but in shock.

They’re holding the head of a droid in one hand and a phase driver in the other – look between the two items for a moment before jamming the tool into one of its eye sockets and giving it an angry twist. They drop the lot and slump against the wall.

‘My whole life,’ they gasp. ‘Been wanting to do that to one of those things.’

You’re taking that in when hands are on you. You jump with fright. But it’s Din. He’s put Grogu down and is by your side, releasing the chains on your arms. That dexterous precision is back, you can feel seeking fingers moving over your limbs, checking and testing for injury at the same time as he releases the locks. You try to make eye contact, but he won’t look at you.

The second your arms are free, while rubbing blood back into them, you dash to the junk pile to retrieve the helmet, stride back to him.

‘Din?’ you ask, searching his face, needing to confirm he’s still in there. ‘Hey, please look at me.’

His eyes shift to yours.

Seeing what you need to see, you give a sigh of relief and lift the helmet to gently lower it over his head. A desolate expression settles on his features, gaze dropping to stare into nothing as the helm goes back in place. You run each hand along the sharp arches on either side, look straight into the visor.

‘It’s alright,’ you say. ‘We’re alright.’

No response.

But you can’t linger in front on him. Have to trust that he is gathering himself behind the safety of the beskar.

You cross the cavern to where the droid’s head had rolled to a clanking stop. Pick it up and tug the driver out to peer inside it. Tilting it to and fro for a minute, you close one eye, hold it close – spot just what you were looking for. Sticking the tool in a pocket, you keep hold of the head and pace to where Din had hurled the grotesque little device. The one that had been intended for you. Shove down fear to lift it with ginger fingers, observing the thing’s chip for a moment.

‘Thought so,’ you say.

‘What’re you—’ Gaius starts, straightening up and getting closer. But you just move past them, on a warpath of your own now.

Heading into the dark, it’s only a few steps before a circular control room opens up. Banks of panels and stacks of camera screens line the space. You scan them. See footage of the tunnels you’d come through, the cliff edge where you’d fought the bugs, and the cavern – where you are pained to see that Din hasn’t moved an inch, though Grogu is at his feet, looking up.

The headless part of your tormenter remains in place, sitting in the middle of the surveillance set-up, plugged into multiple ports with various coupling appendages branching out from its chassis.

You move toward it, intent on your plan. Gaius has followed and gives a cry of alarm as you plant the thing’s head back onto its body, yank the phase driver out and start to affix the neck with angry little twists.

‘Wh-!’ they exclaim in horror. ‘What’re you d—’

‘Don’t worry,’ you say, not looking up. ‘You’ve fried its mobility array. It can’t move. But…’ with a violent stab of the hand tool into the top of the unit, you drag the whole back half of the cranium down.

‘It’s still networked this way,’ you go on. ‘With the system, and these things.’ You lift the binding monstrosity. Gaius recoils at it, watches with naked disgust as you hold it in the light of the monitor screens.

There’s a little port on the wide desk that houses the device perfectly. When you drop it onto the glowing surface and slap a button, an exploded diagram of the chip is projected in a holo floating in front of you. You point. The component is clear as day.

‘What am I looking at?’ they ask.

‘Data stream,’ you say, shift your direction to a similar looking shape inside the droid. ‘Connected to this. That’s how it could make commands by just saying shit.’

Technically, it didn’t need to say anything at all – could just transmit orders in an instant – but this fucker liked to showboat apparently.

‘Incredible,’ Gaius stares at you with awe. You turn away, land eyes back on the screen that is recording the cavern. See that Din is no longer where you left him. It’s a brief spark of panic when you can’t locate him on the monitor, but it drops when you hear footsteps approaching. He emerges into the room a moment later, the child on his heels.

He looks around, but doesn’t speak.

‘Just in time,’ you say. ‘I’m gonna fry all the droids. Shut ‘em down.’

‘You- you can do that?’ Gaius asks. ‘You’re going to do that?’

You just shrug.

It’s a few more steps. Jamming the phase driver into the droid’s screw plate, you wedge it tight so it destabilises the override.

Then you step to a keyboard and begin punching in a program you’d created during the trip to this cursed planet.

‘Will it hurt it?’ they ask.

‘Uh, yeah,’ you say, finishing up the last few lines of code. ‘In a manner of speaking.’

‘Good.’ Gaius and Din are a chorus, spitting the word out in unison.

With a final adjustment, you set the program running. The droid’s coupler arms begin to twirl and tool in the inputs. It’s an awful sound, like it's protesting with all its will against carrying out the commands you’d dumped into it. But it’s helpless and – as you all watch – red alerts begin to blink on, a few, then a few more, then more, then the whole bank is alight.

The room pulses a deep bloody colour and you fiddle with dials under the monitors. They cut to various feeds inside the factory and you get to view in glorious fuzzy resolution droids all over the place begin to spasm and drop.

‘Look,’ you say, pointing to a stream showing a set up similar to the one you stand in. Another insect-like droid – your original target, up on the factory’s command floor – whirrs in confusion. All of its alarms are chiming as well and, after a moment, the screen whites out as sparks and flames consume it.

You flick a few levers and the red alarms wink out, the room fades back into a mute grey. It’s silent for a long beat, until Gaius speaks up.

‘Now what?’ they ask, sounding a bit dazed.

In answer, you spin the dials again, find a feed of some kind of production line – where kids are stumbling backwards, dropping tools, leaning into each other. Touching disbelieving fingers to the sides of their heads. Looking all around.

‘Gaius,’ you say, stepping close. ‘The binding won’t work without the droids. The kids are free. Your sister’s free. We just need to find her.’

They stare at you, eyes filling with tears, before pulling you into a tight hug. You let them, looking over a shoulder at the Mandalorian, who’s still and watchful.

‘I can’t believe you did all this.’ Gentle sobs into your ear.

You lift shoulders and drop them again, ease out of the embrace after a moment.

It had always been the plan.

From the very moment you’d learned this tech existed, you’d been hellbent on destroying it. Rescue the sister, but end all this as well.

You’d needed to improvise, sure. But it had always been the plan. It’s why you took the job.

At what cost though, you’ll need to figure out later.

You move in front of Din, take his hands in yours and look into the centre of his T visor again.

‘C’mon,’ you say. The dark visage is on you, and you imagine a pained expression behind it – teeth clenched and eyes swimming with remorse and anxiety. ‘Let’s finish this.’

He squeezes your hands tight.

‘We’ll finish this,’ you continue, letting go and readying a weapon. ‘And then we can go home.’

He nods, draws a blaster, and follows you without hesitation.

There were no contingencies. No back-ups. No failsafes. The hubris of this tyrannical regime was such that all you needed to do was walk to the front gates and open them up.

So you get to stand and watch as crowds of children, youth, young ones, stagger out of the gaping maw of the facility, rubbing at their eyes and peering around. Get to watch a similar cohort of adults gathering at the threshold, moving into a kind of organised thrum to corral the children in and start to sort out who’s who.

Blankets appear, trays of food and hydration, little field med stations are whipped up in short order.

It’s so organised, it seems premeditated. Like something had been planned this whole time. Like they’d never really given up and, taking this boon, were ready to move and bring these kids into a safe haven.

You watch from a distance, and feel warm.

They also seem ready – as you observe a rank of the adults quietly emerge from the crowd, armed and in formation – to take the fight to the faceless cohort responsible for all the suffering they’d endured.

You see Din move toward the group, making motions to the gigantic building at your back and activating his vambrace to show the holo map of the facility. Pointing and gesturing to indicate the best approach.

Taking action, it’s where he finds comfort.

Cracking knuckles and adjusting each wrist bracer, you wait until it’s time to fall in and aid their endeavour. Because yes, you are going to finish this. Fully. The scramble you’d left running in the system to wipe all data related to binding was the penultimate step.

This last thing, taking down those who created it, is the least you could do.

Then you can leave this place and never look back.

Gaius appears at your side, a girl on their hip with arms wrapped all together. Her temple’s already been patched up and she chews away on a sweetbar. You try to make eye contact with her, give a wave. But she’s shy, and turns away, burying her face against her older sibling’s neck.

‘Gods,’ Gaius mutters. ‘You’ve gotten heavy.’

They give you a lopsided smile, which you force yourself to return.

‘Still can’t believe you did all this,’ they say. ‘You… are a miracle. And I’m sorry that-- I got there as fast as I could…’

You kick a stone to skitter along the dust. ‘We even now?’ you say, give up a sardonic brow.

‘Hah,’ with a long exhale and a disbelieving shake of the head. ‘I will never not be in your debt. But, we probably won’t be crossing paths again, will we?’

You nod, look out across the landscape.

‘Hell,’ they continue. ‘Running into you at that hub probably used up all the luck in the galaxy.’

A beat more of contemplation. The squad is moving toward you, Mandalorian in the lead. You shift your stance.

‘Tell you what,’ Gaius says. ‘My ship is still at that hub. Bay lease is good for another couple months. You can have it. Sell it. I um, don’t think I’ll be needin’ it anymore.’

You’re speechless, raise a hand on reflex to accept the keycode they tug from a pocket and drop into your palm.

‘Okay…’ you say, too stunned to argue. The irony of it almost making you laugh. Or scream. But you give yourself and shake and ask, ‘You gonna stay here for good?’

‘Think so. Lot needs doin’, but,’ they smile. ‘I’m ready to work.’

Din has come flush to you now, and you turn with him. Ready to follow. But you look back for a moment, a thought occurring.

‘You know,’ you say. ‘That droid down in the caves and the one up on the command floor are toast; but the hardware’d still be good on the rest. You folks could reprogram them? Get their help?’

‘Mm,’ they respond, ‘maybe.’

‘Okay,’ you say, satisfied to have planted the seed, letting it go. ‘Take care, Gaius.’

With a final nod, they hoist the kid up a little higher and move off, toward the bustling reunion efforts.

Later, back on the Razor Crest with streaks of hyperspace flying past, you tilt the controls to standby, flick off all the diagnostic dials, and stand from the pilot chair. Din has already unbuckled and ducked out of the cockpit, the waves of brooding energy flowing off the beskar telling you to give him space.

So you sit down on the floor and engage Grogu in a game of Force catch, the little silver ball whizzing back and forth between you.

Though you’re both quiet, pensive. Shared thoughts drift on the air, united in a preoccupation with the third member of the crew, somewhere deeper in the hull. More than once, Grogu glances to the door with a little ‘ doo’, but there’s no movement beyond.

You chew on thoughts of how you’ll help Din process what happened. How you’ll apologise for putting him through all that. Try to frame it in your mind for when you are back home on Navarro.

Praying he’ll be okay.

The kid gives a diminutive little yawn. Fatigue pricks at the sides of your mind too. Raising Grogu back up into his pod, he starts to nod off. You leave him there to doze and curl up in the flight chair the Mandalorian had vacated. Let your eyes drift shut and hope there’s no nightmares awaiting you.

Prev | Next

Planet scale says what? No sorry, yes. It’s just one gigantic factory. What’s your point? And did I spiral on the morality of killing droids? Also yes.

Thank youuuuu for reading x

#din djarin x you #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian x you #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian #din djarin #din djarin/reader #din djarin/you #the mandaloria/reader #din djarin x f!reader #the mandalorian x f!reader

15 notes · View notes