#and it's not just the bosas either...

[v6quewrlds]

gossip pages are truly the personification of delusion

[katnissandpeetamellark]

“Any girl who goes to such lengths to preserve her life isn’t going to be interested in throwing it away with both hands.”

- President Coriolanus Snow, Catching Fire

[darthnell]

hey. Hey lionsgate. Capitol academy seems great and all.. but what about the fucking hunger games

[hopefulatrocity]

Snow And Embers

Notes: Uh so I've fallen into my Hunger Games hyperfixation again. This is just something that came to my mind while watching the movie. I needed a refresher from my TWD fic(I have not abandoned that I swear). This leans more heavily to the movie than the books, except for Lucy's eye color, I stuck to the book with that. So spoilers. NOT PROOFREAD. Also, I'm highly of the notion that Coryo did love Lucy but not all love is healthy. His bordered on obsession. And with a tendency for paranoia, it didn't end well.

Pairing: Lucy Gray Baird x Coriolanus Snow (SnowBaird)

Part 2

CW/TW: Spoilers for BOSAS, darkish thoughts, ideas of claiming/possession, Smut!(18+ breeding kink, creampie, fingering, slight somnophilia, very slight inexperienced Coryo).

The first time Coriolanus and Lucy Gray  became one, it was slow and euphoric. There had been hesitation for him. As ashamed as he was to admit it, he had never been with anyone, romantically or sexually. He'd spent his life worrying about status, money, and academics. With the fragile state of his academic career due to Dean Highbottom's hatred for him, and the ever looming threat of eviction and starvation, even after the Dark Days, he hadn't had the time nor emotional ability to even attempt either. The beautiful rainbow that was Lucy Gray Baird, was the catalyst that changed everything. 

He'd been enchanted by her singing during the Reaping, and initially he thought his interest was simply hope that maybe she could be the key to his family's troubles. That she could be the one to turn his fortune around. Those thoughts turned the moment he watched Lucy Gray pluck a petal from his proffered white rose, and place it on her delicate pink tongue, the two colors contrasting and trapping his gaze. When her lips sealed around the soft sepal, his blue eyes traced the plump flesh, wondering what the skin there tasted like. Would they taste like roses? Or would it be something wholly Lucy Gray? 

He'd had to snap himself out of his trance, scolding himself for falling victim to his brain's carnal desires. He was there to be a mentor. He was there to fix his family's status and finally land on top, just like snow was supposed to. For a while this train of thought had worked. Every time his mind wandered to tanned skin and silky hair colored like the rich dark chocolate from his starvation-induced childhood dreams, he would think back to his interaction with Dean Highbottom, the threats, and the reasoning for why he was interacting with the tribute in the first place. 

It didn't help matters when Lucy Gray had threaded her fingers into his own when they went to view the arena with the other tributes and mentors. Her palm was sweaty, so was his, but the way their fingers fit together perfectly had his heart beating faster than ever before. He'd looked into her eyes and the fear there had him tightening his grip, a measure of reassurance. His inner Capitolite had reared it's head then, warning him about getting too close to her, a district girl. A tribute at that. One likely to die within the next few days. He'd dropped her hand, almost like the soft creases of her palm were instead the fangs of the snakes she so easily mastered. 

Within minutes everything had gone to ruin, the bomb had gone off, flaming rebar fell on top of him, and suddenly he knew he was going to die. He'd called for her, the dust and rubble making his throat and eyes burn. In the haze, he had seen her look towards the exit, she had a chance to escape. Surely this meant she would leave him to be engulfed by the flames on his back. But she hadn't. She had pushed away another tribute who told her to run and had gone to help him. A district girl saving the life of a Capitol boy. It was the kind of propaganda that would have made his grandma'am's heart stop. 

Lucy Gray had saved his life. He had to save hers. So he snuck his mother's poison filled compact to her in dead of night. Through the bars he had poured his heart out, not in words of love or passion but of strategy and advice for winning the games. It was all he could do. When she had leaned forward, her lips seeking his through the bars, he had pulled back in shock. As much as he wanted to kiss her, he couldn't. If he did and she died the next day, he wasn't sure he would survive it. Internally, he promised himself that if Lucy Gray won, he would do everything he could to finally find out what she tasted like. 

And she had won, his tampering with the snakes and the compact being her lifelines. Despite the fallout from his treason, Coriolanus kept his promise to himself. He'd bribed his way to District 12, unsure if he would even be able to find his rainbow songbird. For all he knew, Gaul could have killed her. 

But then he saw her in that bar. Singing so beautifully. When her eyes met his, his heart lept and so did his cock. 

The first time they kissed, it was like the world turned on its axis and nothing else mattered but Lucy Gray. She did taste like roses, fresh and floral. And the softness of her lips balanced the slight roughness of his own. He had to leave her, return to base, but he knew that kiss was just the start of something more. Something powerful. 

Over the next few weeks, anytime he was able to sneak away from his peacekeeper duties, he was with her. Soft touches, handholding, and hugs turned to bruising grips, roving hands, and passionate kisses. Despite his inexperience, Coriolanus felt like a connoisseur of intimacy when he was with Lucy Gray. She had a bit more experience than him, the idea of another man touching his songbird made his stomach turn but he knew it wasn't something that could be changed. She guided him whenever his feelings of inadequacy crept up. She would push his hesitant hands under her skirt, letting his recently calloused fingers graze over the smooth skin of her thighs. Or press her tongue past his lips and tangle it with his own. Each step a domino collapsing and pushing him to move further with her. 

They didn't have sex until the second time they visited the cabin by the lake, that time without the Covey. By some miracle, his unit had been given a weekend of rest and he took advantage of it. As soon as they had stepped into the cabin, their lips had collided and clothes fell to the floor in a trail, leading directly to the one bed in the corner. 

Night had fallen, and the only light was a small oil lantern on the bedside table that he had briefly gotten up to light. The flickering flames danced along the contours of Lucy Gray's naked body and he stared at her sleeping form for hours. He was laying on his side, the thin blanket covering his waist, with one hand propping up his head. The short spikes of his hair tickled his palm and he thought about how Lucy Gray had tried so hard to grasp it. He wished it was longer, he could easily imagine how good it would feel to have her tugging at his long curls. 

Coriolanus’ blue eyes traveled over Lucy Gray's face. Her dark locks where sprawled over the one threadbare pillow, coiled like snakes from the arena. Occasionally her eyelashes would flutter against her cheek and she would sigh. His heart would stop for a moment, both with happiness and fear. Happiness that he would be able to see her warm gray eyes gazing up at him lovingly, but also fear to be losing that moment of retrospection. His eyes moved from her face, down her neck, and to the top of her breasts. The perfect handfuls were covered by the blanket they both shared, as was the rest of her body. She had one hand laying across her stomach, while the other was tucked under her head. 

With a mind of their own, his fingers moved out to lightly stroke the soft skin of her hand. The same ones that had stroked his cock expertly, and had teased their way across his thighs. Needing to see the rest of her, Coriolanus slowly pulled down the blanket until it was laying over her knees. Heat began to pool in his stomach as he saw goosebumps bead on her skin. Her dark nipples peaked in the chilled air and he had to stop himself from running his fingers over the pointed tips. Blue eyes caressed her stomach and moved  over the slight curve of her abdomen that led to the thick patch of curls between her legs. She had one leg bent and the other splayed out, giving him a glimpse of the heat that lay hidden by the soft hair that guarded it. Her dusky folds still glistened, even though it had been hours since he'd been inside her. But his full focus was drawn to the pearl of white that sat at her entrance. A small amount of his cum was still there and it made the animalistic part of him purr. He had cleaned between her legs with his shirt shortly after their coupling, but she was still dripping with him.  A dark part of his mind wondered if it had taken. If he had claimed her fully. 

At the time, they hadn't spoken of contraception. Not that there was much of that available anyways. The Capitol had just barely begun manufacturing any type of birth control again after the war. It was expensive and no one in the districts could afford condoms or anything like that. Even their base commander had told them to be careful during leaves. The last thing they needed was news of Peacekeepers knocking up the district women. It would only bring more rebels to their doors. 

He knew the Covey was adept with herbal remedies but he hoped that they didn't have one for this type of thing. It was shocking to him, as he hadn't spent much time thinking about the possibility of having children. His priorities had revolved mostly around the intertwining of his family's status and his education. But now here he lay, his girl by his side, wondering what it would be like to make her his own. To have his seed plant itself deep inside her. She'd be marked by him, her pregnant belly a sign that she belonged only to him. That coal rat Billy Taupe would finally understand that Lucy Gray Baird was his. No one else would dare look at her. And if they did he had no problems with killing them. 

Coriolanus painted along her skin with the tips of his fingers, gently rasping them over her puckered nipples. He stared at her breasts and wondered how big they would they get. He imagined them swollen with milk, the tips dripping and the flesh overflowing his hands. 

Lucy Gray's stomach was smooth and her hips weren't very wide, but he knew they would adjust to hold his child. The supple skin would become taut and her hips would expand to accommodate their child. Would she get stretch marks? He hoped she did. That way she'd be marked even after giving birth. A beautiful scar to remind her and anyone else who had fully claimed her body. 

Drawn again to the small bead of cum at her entrance, Coriolanus ran his fingers through her lower curls and pressed his seed back inside her warm channel with his pointer finger. A low moan escaped Lucy Gray's lips and she clenched around the thin digit. As if her body was trying to pull his seed back inside her. His chest tightened and he looked up to see if she had woken up. But her eyes were still closed. Good. He wanted a few more minutes to indulge in this fantasy. No.. not fantasy. Plan. The animal inside him refused to forget about this. It had made up its mind. Lucy Gray was his. And her body was destined to carry his child. 

Gently he removed his finger from inside her, the tip brushing against her clit and causing another moan to leave her parted pink lips. If her singing voice was perfection, her moans were solace for him.

Coriolanus lifted his small corner of the blanket and moved his body over hers, his stiff cock brushing her thighs and settling over her public hair. The slight pricking of the coarse hairs across the tip of him was shocking. He had to stop himself from thrusting against her, seeking more friction. His body was still inexperienced, still desperate for any touch. 

His nose brushed hers and his fists caged either side of her face. 

“Lucy Gray….”

The rasp of  his voice saying her name vibrated across her lips. She woke slowly, the look of sleep and pleasure keeping her lids drooping. As soon as she realized what had woken her up, a small smile crossed her face. 

“Coryo.”, she brushed her lips against his. His name sounded like a possession. He didn't want anyone else to say his name. Just like her body belonged to him, his name was hers alone. The twitching of his cock against her slit had her pressing her hips up to tease him. He pushed forward a bit, notching himself at her entrance, her still dripping cunt practically begging him to thrust into her. Lifting one of his hands, he cupped her cheek, and stroked his tumb over the apple tenderly. Her gray eyes latched onto his own, both searching for something unknown in his gaze. 

“Mine,” he whispered it, almost lovingly, but with a note of passion and mastery. A declaration of his possession, daring her to contradict him. 

Lucy Gray nodded her head minutely, and  placed a ghost of a kiss on his chin. Those lips that had bewitched him from the moment he saw them wrapping around that rose petal were soft as silk. Since then he had found that she truly did taste of roses and something smokey, like embers. 

Drunk on his floral scent and the need to be filled, she whispered, “Yours, Coryo.”

Darkness clouded Coriolanus’ light blue eyes and she gasped as he thrust to the hilt inside her. The tip of his cock brushed the entrance to her womb and her channel began to pulse around him. Begging him to fill her. Lucy Gray's body instinctively knew what it needed from him. 

She wasn't fully his. Not yet. But she would be by the end of the night. 

[onlymollygibson]

The og Hunger Games book gives this sense of, "Just because you have the things I've longed for my whole life, doesn't mean you're in a good situation." The Seam kids see the Merchant kids and think, "their lives are so much better than ours, they must be happy." And throughout the book, you (and Katniss) realize that life is difficult for the merchants too. And while went to bed hungry, she never went to be afraid of either of her parents. It's am important coming of age lesson.

Meanwhile Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes tells us that just because a character has problems, doesn't mean they're going to make the right choices. Having a hard life isnt a moral examption. If anything, the tragedy of bosas is that Coriolanus had the chance to see the district people as people and learn compassion and treat them well, but instead he doubled down on all the crimes of the capitol. He was given every opportunity to learn and yet he chose wrong in the end.

[leclercsredhelmet]

Pretty Young Thing ⟡ Brock Purdy

A/N: Hi there! I'm back with another imagine, this time its none other than Brock Purdy! Apologies if it's a little short but I hope that you all enjoy reading this!!

"Let me love you to the max, I want to love you pretty young thing"

Offseason in the NFL meant that you had Brock glued to your side most of the time. Instead of leaving San Francisco right after the season ended, you had decided to stay for a bit and perhaps do some traveling later on after your wedding. For now, you were staying home and getting some much-needed rest. Sun filtered in through the windows in the kitchen and living room. Brock was with you in the kitchen “helping” as he had put it. His idea of helping was just sitting on the countertops as he watched you cook while occasionally hopping down to dance around the kitchen. 

Opening the oven you popped in the mac n’ cheese and closed it carefully so you wouldn’t burn yourself. “Well Mr. Purdy the food is in the oven, thanks for your help,” you said emphasizing the word help and using air quotes. Brock laughed, “I did help, I  chopped the bacon and provided entertainment,” he said with a cheeky smile. Laughing you playfully slapped him with the dish towel, “Besides I’d much rather watch you in the kitchen than disturb the perfect dish in the making,” he said. You threw your head back and laughed. “There’s that laugh, I love so much!” he exclaimed before picking you up to spin you. 

Laughing louder at the action he joined in on the laughs and set you down. Capturing your lips in a kiss his arms went around your waist and he hugged you. Pretty Young Thing came on and you smiled knowing that he’d break out in a dance. “Baby you gotta dance with me!” he exclaimed. Smiling you started to shimmy your shoulders a little and Brock spun around you to grab a wooden spoon to use as a microphone. 

With the spoon in hand, he came over and put a hand on his hip as he danced and you laughed while moving your arms around and singing. “I want to love you, pretty young thing!” you both sang and Brock did a spin and popped his hip out twice and you laughed. “Smooth moves Purdy!” you said and laughed and grabbed your waist and spun you. You landed flush against his chest and kissed him sweetly. “I have smoother moves future Mrs. Purdy,” he said and you giggled. “Cheeky Purdy, I love you,” you said. “Me too babes,” he replied.

More songs came on and you kept dancing in the kitchen while the food was ready. By the time the food was done, you took it out of the oven and he set the table. “ Pretty Young Thing has to be in the wedding reception,” Brock said and you giggled. “It’s on the list already,” you replied. “Yes!” he cheered and you laughed. “It’s crazy that we get married in four weeks,” you said. “It is, I can’t wait to be married to my girl,” he said plopping a kiss on your cheeks. “And I can’t wait either to be married to you B,” you replied laying your head on his chest. 

You proceeded to talk about what you looked forward to in the wedding and decided to finish planning your honeymoon. 

Four weeks later

Brock and you had been a married couple for seven hours already and it was blissful. The party was in full swing, Brock was somewhere off talking to his teammates while you were talking to some of the wives. “You’re going to love Costa Rica, the resort is stunning,” one of the wives said. “I’m so excited, if it was up to me I would leave tonight!” you exclaimed. The wives raised their eyebrows suggestively, “Someone’s in a rush,” Kristin said and you blushed. “I just want to enjoy my husband’s company in a beautiful place,” you said. “Not just his company,” Olivia said coyly, giggling you all drank from your cups. 

You were about to speak but the lights dimmed, a chair was placed in the middle of the dancefloor and you furrowed your brow. “I think I need to find Brock,” you said and turned to leave but Nick Bosa came up to you. “Mrs. Purdy you are urgently needed,” he said. “Is everything okay Nick?” you asked. “Come with me,” he said as he led you to the chair. “Where is my husband?” you asked. “No time for questions just stay there,” he said. You sat down and watched him dart away to some dark corner. The lights had dimmed more and you sat there puzzled. 

“What in the fuck is going on?” you muttered. Suddenly a very familiar song started playing and you chuckled. A spotlight turned on in the far corner of the room and you saw some of the players, you laughed when you saw them part and Brock was walking. The spotlight moved at the same pace as him, the volume increased and he started to dance, the team was in tow and you broke out in a fit of laughter. 

Brock was singing along and the crowd started to clap he stood a few feet away from you and did the classic spin when the chorus came on. You giggled as Brock did an intricate dance number with his teammates as the backup dancers. 

The song was over and everyone clapped, Brock kissed you passionately and you wrapped your arms around his shoulder as you kissed him back. “Did you like the dance Mrs. Purdy?” he whispered and you chuckled. “I loved it, Mr. Purdy,” you replied. 

Brock and you spent the entire night dancing with your friends and family at your wedding. 

[vampirehizzies]

what my favorite thg characters would be doing in a modern au: (i did as many characters as i could but bolded my favorites)

cashmere, former lingerie model, now a makeup artist

gloss being a men's underwear model

glimmer works as a student at the cosmetology school effie runs, training to become a hairdresser while pursuing fashion design as a side hobby

marvel as an aspiring and semi-successful actor even if it's just in commercials

cato, former college football star, as a personal trainer

clove and enobaria teach self defense/knife throwing classes and clove considers pursuing professional cooking one day

brutus... probably does the same thing cato does

beetee & wiress design technology/are computer programmers/software engineers (can you tell idk how that industry really works) for a big company

haymitch is a bartender but he also hangs around effie's cosmetology school like a surly and mean cat that wants attention

annie cresta is a marine biology student at the graduate level at university somewhere and is doing research/getting a phD (or a master's idk the difference sorry)

finnck works for the same modeling company gloss does but does beach themed shoots/products and helps with his father's fishing gear store

peeta is obviously a baker and delly works at the bakery as well

katniss teaches archery classes to local children to take them off their parents' hands

prim is at nursing school getting a degree with plans to be a nurse practitioner

foxface studies botany/plant biology at the same college annie does

gale.... uhm. i don't care about him but i'll say he either works in a warehouse, a 9 to 5 in an office somewhere, or assists katniss's hunting classes. i think he'd like college though so maybe he'd learn something there

madge is a strawberry farmer!

johanna... is difficult to predict as to what she would want in a modern au but i think she would work a 9 to 5 at something because, money, and then run a snarky podcast on the side/have a popular twitter account

lucy gray baird is an old famous singer-actress from glamorous 50s style hollywood, like evelyn hugo, and coral can be lucy gray's celia st james

i couldn't think of much for the rest of the bosas characters sorry

[xxspringmelodyxx]

Deception~

Ch. III | Morax (Zhongli) x Adepus!Reader | Ch. I | Ch. II |

And here it is everyone, the final chapter to “Deception”. That’s all I’m going to say, so enjoy my lovely readers <3

Warnings: Slight mentions of suicide…like just one sentence, but thats it. Some vulgar language, etc. Slight mentions of death.

Word Count: 4.7k

Guizhong had come almost every day for the past 7 months, providing me with gifts for our baby and food for me to eat. It was all so kind and sweet of her to do so. She never asked for anything in return either! Honestly, all of her gestures helped settle my previous doubts with her. Ever since I came back to help my friends from succumbing to their demise, Guizhong always seemed so…cold towards me. I never understood why, however. It really bothered me because she would constantly ignore me or treat me like I was being bothersome towards her whenever I tried to talk to her. When I gave her a compliment, whether it be about her hair or her gadgets that she created, she would always just look me up and down, scoffing a bit afterwards. Now, it seems that that character is gone and has been replaced with a completely new being.

And who knew she was an amazing cook! Every dish she brought to me was different…which I didn’t even know could be possible. And each of them had such a strong and salivating smell, making the dish ten times better. Just the thought of it made my mouth water.

Currently, Morax and I were walking around the palace together, enjoying each other's company and the vegetation that surrounded us.

“And remember that time when Bosa put black ink around the lenses of Xiao’s brass telescope?” I spoke, giggling as the memory suddenly appeared in my head.

“I do. Poor Xiao couldn’t figure out why everyone was laughing at him after he used it.” “It was funny, though. I saw you try to hold back your laugh once you saw the black circle around his eye.” I said to him, making him chuckle.

“I will admit, it was humorous to say the least. Poor boy struggled to get the ink off of his face for days.”

I smiled up at Morax as I saw him smirk from the memory.

I felt his hand slowly wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to him. Though, my baby bump was making it hard for us to get any closer. Boy could I not wait for this baby to get out of me. Sure, it is great that I am carrying our soon to be child, but I was NOT ready for the consequences. I was constantly hungry and had the weirdest cravings ever! I had cramps all throughout my body, and my mood was constantly changing over the smallest things. For example, I accidentally stepped on a butterfly a week ago, and I couldn’t stop crying over it. Morax tried his best to calm me down, telling me it wasn’t my fault. But I couldn’t get over the poor baby butterfly. What if it had a family?? What if it had a mother and father?? So many questions, yet so little answers!!

“My love?” Morax said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Oh, sorry, dear…I was just thinking about that poor butterfly.” I said, making him chuckle a bit.

He placed a finger under my chin, lifting it up so that he could stare into my eyes.

“I could stare into your eyes all day, my love.” He said out of nowhere, catching me off guard. Heat rose to my face from his compliment, making my stomach bounce. Dammit! I still can’t get over his flirting. Pull yourself together, woman!!

He slowly pulled me closer to his face, his lips just inches away from mine. I could feel his breath barely hit my upper lip, making my heart jump.

“I love you, Y/n. With all that I am. You are my everything, and you are constantly in my mind and in my heart. There is not a single day that passes where I don’t think of you. Your beauty, your kind heart, your love…everything. You are all that I have…and that is more than enough. I am the luckiest man to have you as mine…I just hope you know that my dear.” He said, closing the gap between us. 

My eyes teared up a bit from his sweet and loving words, knowing full and well that he truly meant every single word that he spoke. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him as close to me as possible.

He placed his other hand on my baby bump, pulling away from the kiss for a second.

“And I am so happy and excited that I get to start a family with you. Just think, in a couple of months, a mini us will be crawling around, ready to explore the wonders that the world brings them.”

“And we are going to enjoy every second of it.” I spoke back with a small smile, kissing his cheek.

“Indeed, we are. I can’t wait.” He said, a large smile prominent on his face at the thought. He couldn’t wait to hold his newborn child in his arms. He knew it was a big step for the both of you, but he also knew you two were ready for any challenges to come, especially since you two would be at each other's side no matter what.

However, that moment was short lived when you suddenly felt your water break. You looked up at Morax with a terrified look. The baby wasn’t supposed to come until two months later!

“Morax…something is wrong!” You said, making Morax look down at you with concern. Suddenly, you fell in his arms from the pain that was starting to begin in your body as it was preparing you for labor. 

“The baby…it's coming!” You yelled out as you gripped his arm tightly. Morax hissed a bit, but quickly stopped as he realized you needed to get help right away. He picked you up in his arms and ran towards his palace, alerting everyone that you were having the baby. 

“She’s not supposed to have the baby for another two months! How could this be?” A lady said, running up to you to help prepare you for the baby. 

“I don’t know, but right now, we just need to help her. She is in a great deal of pain.” Morax said, worry and panic filling him up. He knew you were way too early, and that alone made him terribly afraid that something was going to happen. What would happen to the baby? What would happen to you?

“Ngh, get this baby out of me!” You yelled, your body glowing from loss of control. 

“What’s going on?” Bonanus ran in with the others, hearing the screaming.

Another lady helping you with the baby walked over to them and pushed them out of the room.

“Hey lady, what’s the big idea?” Bosa asked.

“For once, I have to agree with the bozo. What are you doing?” Menogias asked.

“I'm sorry, but for the sake of Y/n, we are only allowing her husband to be by her side.”

“Why? What’s going on? Is Y/n okay?” Indarius asked with worry.

The lady stayed quiet for a bit, not sure what to say. 

Suddenly, you screamed out loud once more.

“It’s coming! The baby is coming!” 

The Yakshas all perked up at your voice, making sure they heard you correctly.

“Baby?” Bona asked.

The lady sighed, nodding her head.

“But the baby-”

“Isn’t supposed to be due for another two months, yes, I know! Which is why I need you five out of the room so I and my other partner can help her.”

“Is she going to be okay? Is the baby going to be okay” Bosa asked with worry, his voice shaking.

The lady stayed quiet once again.

“I-I am sorry…I can’t answer any more questions. Now if you’ll allow me, I must get back to Y/n and help her. Goodbye.” The lady said, slamming the door in the Yaksha’s faces. 

All five of them looked at each other with fear, not understanding how you could possibly have gone into labor this early.

–

“Come on, you need to push, Y/n! Push, you can do this.” The lady said, seeing the baby's head.

Morax held onto your hand, looking worriedly at your body. He could see that it was glowing, but it was like your body was trying to heal you…and the baby at the same time. What the hell was going on?

With one last push, the baby finally came out and you relaxed as you felt the baby leave your body. 

You felt so weak, however. So tired. The ladies looked at each other with concerned looks as they saw that the baby was not crying as they usually do. Not only that, but it was barely moving as well…it was barely breathing.

“Well? Is the baby okay?” Morax asked, his voice in a panicked state.

The ladies looked up at him and you, both with apologetic looks. One of the ladies stood up, wrapping the baby up in a soft cloth. 

She had tears in her eyes as she walked up to you two, handing you the baby boy.

You stared at him, holding his fragile little body in your arms. Tears instantly formed in your eyes as you realized your baby boy would not be a part of this world for much longer. 

Your heart dropped to your stomach as you saw his tiny hand wrap around your finger.

Not only that, but you sensed that something was wrong with you. You felt unusually weak, almost like there was something in your body that was causing your health to quickly decline. 

You looked up at Morax and saw him in a distressed state. You knew what you needed to do.

You looked down at your baby, softly placing your forehead on his and whispering a few words. 

Quickly, what was left of your power slowly seeped into the baby, allowing it to live just for a little while longer so that Morax could hold him. But you knew it was the final straw for you…even if you didn’t do that to your baby boy, you knew you would’ve eventually ended up this way. 

You had no idea what or how this happened, but you knew that it was unfortunately going to be the end…but you had to hold that back so that you could be there for Morax. 

“Come here, my love…” You said, completely exhausted. 

Morax walked over to you, letting you place the baby in his arms.

Morax started to tremble as he felt the baby's life slowly seep away. Out of all the things to happen, this was one of the things he had prayed would never come to reality. The baby made soft breathing noises, not once opening his eyes. 

“Ikari…” You said breathless, making Morax look down at you. He saw your body in its current state, seeing how lifeless you looked. He was starting to get worried about you as well.

“W-What was that, darling?” He asked, trying to be tough for you. He can’t imagine what you must feel like. You are the mother after all, the one who had to carry the baby and feel the baby the entire time.

“His name…should be…Ikari…” You repeated, a small but sad smile plastered on your face. 

Morax smiled a bit at you, nodding. I think that name is perfect for him, sweetheart.” He said, his voice quivering.

You held onto his free hand, squeezing it tightly.

“Hello, my little Ikari.” Morax whispered softly, caressing your hand with his other hand.

Seconds passed, and all there was was complete and utter silence as everyone grieved. 

“I love you, Morax…and I love you too, my sweet Ikari…” You said, your voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.

Morax instantly felt his heart stop once he felt your grip on him loosen. 

He quickly looked down at you and saw your body limp. 

His eyes widened a bit as he gently shook you, making sure you were still okay.

When your body wasn’t moving, he shook you harder this time, trying to get you to wake up.

“No, no, no, no. Come on baby. Come on. Wake up. Wake up!” He said, trying to do anything to wake you up. You couldn’t be dead…not now. He needed you in his life. “Come on, Y/n. Wake up!” He spoke. He shook your body violently this time with his free hand, desperate to find any sign of life still in you. 

“Morax, that’s enough!” One of the ladies said, pushing him away.

“No! She can’t be dead! I need her! I can’t live without her!” Morax yelled at them, desperately trying to wake you up. Tears were flooding his eyes now as he knew you were gone. 

He knelt to the ground, Ikari still in his arms as he held onto your arm.

“Please…Please don’t leave me. We were supposed to be in this together…” He sobbed. 

He looked back down to his baby boy, seeing him take his last breath of life as he too, slowly passed away in Morax’s arms. 

One of the ladies ran over to Morax and hugged him, tears falling out of her eyes.

Morax just stayed still, completely emotionless as he realized everything, he ever loved…everything he longed for…it was all completely gone forever.

–

Weeks had passed after yours and Ikari’s funeral, and everyone was completely devastated, especially the Yaksha’s. You were like their sister to them. They all loved and adored you. They made a promise to never let anyone hurt you…only for them to fail. Everyone was still so confused. Why did you go into labor so early? 

Guizhong also started to come into the picture more often after your death, visiting with Morax as much as she could.

“Knock knock.” She said, pushing the bedroom door open. She looked and saw Morax in the same position he had been for the past 6 weeks. He was in the fetal position, holding onto your picture for dear life. 

Guizhong rolled her eyes a bit, still frustrated that you were still on his mind. 

“I brought you something to eat.”

“I don’t need it. Leave.” He said, still staring at the photo of you and him together. He stared at your beautiful smile, remembering that day like it was yesterday. You and he had gone to go get some tools to help the Yaksha’s build something. They were taking photos of everything. Random birds, flowers, themselves, and you and Morax together. 

Bosa accidentally threw a rock towards Morax and Morax instantly became annoyed at the fact that Bosa had ruined a sweet moment between the two of you. He lifted up a large boulder, pointing it towards Bosa. When you saw that, you started to laugh as you saw your lover's angry face compared to Bosa’s “Oh shit” face. 

At that moment, Bona took the camera that Guizhong had built and snapped a photo of you two.

You were so beautiful. Your eyes held such happiness. 

Morax’s eyes started to tear up once again as memories of you flooded his mind.

“Ill just set this here for you, then. When I come back, it better be finished. You need the nutrients, dear.” Guizhong said, liking the way that sounded on her tongue.

She then left, but as she did so, her smile slowly disappeared into a scowl. 

“Just be patient, Guizhong. Soon enough, he will finally get over the bitch and fall in love with you~” she said.

–

Years had passed and while Guizhong was hoping for a new romance to appear between her and Morax, she was severely let down when all she came back to was the same old grief-stricken Geo Archon.

She was just getting pissed at this point. Sure, he started to do his “job” again. He began to run the area like he always did, he would help others out, and he would even talk to others…but that was it! He wouldn’t make a move on Guizhong like she had wished and dreamt about.

Eventually, she couldn’t handle it any longer. 

“That’s it!” She yelled, slamming her hands on the table where her and Morax ate. It was completely silent between the two of them, like nothing mattered.

Morax looked up at her, seeing her body full of anger.

“What are you talking about?” He asked her, confused by her sudden outburst.

“Five years.” She said, making Morax glare at her as he knew where she was going with this.

“Five years it’s been since she died! For fuck’s sake, Morax! It’s time to move on! Other people deserve a chance to be with you! I deserve it!” She yelled, quickly getting interrupted by the ground violently moving. 

She looked up at Morax and saw that his eyes were glowing, showing her that he was pissed, no…enraged from what she just said.

“If I were you, I’d watch what you say next Guizhong. For if you say the wrong thing, you will most certainly regret it.” 

“No, Morax. I am done waiting. After all this time, you still have not gotten over her! Well, I have! I got over her long ago! I want to move on…and I want to move on with you! I want you to be with me! I want you to love me like I have loved you for so long, longer before she came into the picture!” She yelled, making Morax slam his hands on the table this time. Unfortunately, he slammed his hands on it so hard that the entire table shattered. 

“How dare you! How fucking dare you! I loved and still love her to this day. There is no one better than her and there never will be. I’m sorry that you feel romantic emotions towards me…but I do NOT. I feel absolutely nothing for you, and I never will. I can’t even fathom the thought of being with someone else other than Y/n. She meant everything to me, and I wish to this day that she was here by my side. I would cross several oceans, fight every creature here on this planet, and destroy all evil if it meant I got to be with her again. She is my heart. She is my love. And there is not a single day that passes where I don’t wish to see her.” He said, his voice breaking down at the mention of you.

He missed you so much that it hurt to just think about you. He missed your warm embrace, he missed sleeping next to you in his bed, he missed your smile, your laugh, your voice…hell, he almost took his life just to be with you once again…but he knew you wouldn’t want him to ever do something like that. 

“In fact, I don’t ever want to see you again! Ever!” He said, making Guizhong’s heartbreak from his words.

‘Now, leave.” He ordered.

‘W-What?” She asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I said, LEAVE!” He yelled, making the ground shake once more.

Guizhong stood up and bowed.

“Yes, Morax.” She said in a whisper, trying to hide her sobs.

She quickly turned around and ran out of the palace, running all the way back to her place to cry it all out.

–

A few months had passed and Guizhong slowly felt her body slowly die from a broken heart and the guilt building up inside of her. She had no more tears left to cry (So I’m pickin it up, pickin it up, sorry just trying to lighten up the mood)

She was walking towards the palace when she saw Bosa walking in her direction. Bosa awkwardly waved at her. However, he quickly ran towards her when he saw her body fall forwards. 

“Guizhong…are you alright?” He asked with concern.

Knowing her final moments were coming to an end, she needed to confess. She needed to confess everything.

“Bosa…I need to tell you all something...something terrible I have done.” She said, slowly going limp.

“Hey, I need your guy’s help!” Bosa yelled, calling to the other Yaksha’s.

They all quickly grouped up together and helped Guizhong into the Palace.

They set her on a table and tried to help her out, but Guizhong stopped them.

“No, do not help me…for I do not deserve it.”

“What are you talking about?” Bona asked.

“I…Have committed a terrible crime...” She spoke out, barely audible.

“Go on.” Indarius said, staring down at the woman with a suspicious look.

“I….” Guizhong started, her throat becoming tight as she tried to find the right words.

“It was I who caused Y/n to die…” She said, causing all of the Yaksha’s to freeze completely. It was completely silent, so silent you could hear a pin drop. Seconds passed as they all tried to process what Guizhong just confessed.

“What did you just say?” Menogias asked with a menacing tone.

“I killed Y/n. The gifts and food I brought her were laced with ingredients that were made to slowly kill her…and the baby.” 

“You bitch, I’m gonna kill you!” Bona yelled, trying to run towards Guizhong, but Bosa stopped her.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry. I just…I wanted Morax to love me the way he loved her. I fell in love with him first. He was mine to begin with…and then she came in and stole him away from me. I thought he would’ve gotten over her by now…but I was wrong.”

“You’re absolutely right, you were wrong. We all loved her. And you took that away from us.” Xiao said, staring at her with complete and utter hatred.

“And sorry isn’t going to fix the damage you caused everyone. You took something that was important away from us. Someone we all loved and adored. You ripped her and the baby out of our lives just like that.” Indarias sobbed, struggling to speak.

“Do not worry…” Another voice pitched in.

Everyone looked up and saw Morax with pure darkness in his eyes as he had just heard everything Guizhong said.

“Morax…” Guizhong said.

“What do you mean, do not worry?” Bosa asked.

Morax smiled sinisterly at the five of them, placing his hand on the table the Guizhong laid down on.

“Do not worry, for Guizhong will pay the ultimate price. She will descend down to the underworld where no other man wishes to go. She will face her consequences down there…and get what she fucking deserves.” He said darkly, his body full of anger, though he wasn’t showing it.

“I’m sorry, Morax…I really am. I-”

“You should’ve thought about that when you took the love of my life away!” Morax yelled, shaking the entire room.

Tears welled up in Guizhongs eyes once more, feeling her life slowly fade away. But before she let fate take its toll on her, she needed to ask him one more question.

“Why…” 

Morax and everyone else suddenly looked down at her, seeing tears pool from her eyes.

“Why couldn’t you love me…the way you did with her?” She asked, making Morax look deep into Guizhong’s eyes as he fought the urge to yell at her.

“Because you are nothing like her. Y/n is the epitome of life. She brought happiness wherever she traveled to. She loved everyone with all her heart, going as far as putting her own life in danger just to help others. She taught me how to love myself and how to appreciate the life I have now. She taught me what it is like to truly be in love. She taught me what it feels like to fully trust someone. She gave me life. She gave me love. She gave me everything I needed. She truly cared about everyone and their well-being…all while you cared about yourself and this little fantasy in your head. I never loved you, Guizhong. Not even before I met Y/n. And now…the only person who I did love…she’s gone. Because of you…and for that, you will pay the ultimate price…and I will make sure of it.” He said, turning on his heel as he left her to die. 

“M-Morax…I…sorry…” Guizhong said as her last breath of life escaped her mouth, leaving her limp body on the table.

The Yaksha’s watched with hurting hearts, helping get rid of Guizhong’s body to have a funeral for her…if anyone came, that is.

–

Morax walked all the way to your grave, seeing the beautiful display of flowers all over yours and Ikari’s graves. He knelt down, placing a kiss on both gravestones as tears fell down his eyes.

“Hello again, my love and my son.” He started, staring at both of your names engraved on the tombstones.

He sighed, trying to find the right words to say.

“I miss you both dearly.” He started, feeling his body relax.

“I wish you were both here in my arms, feeling how much I love you. I can’t wait for the day until we all meet again…but that is only until my time is over here on this planet. Guizhong’s funeral was only a couple of weeks ago, yet somehow, it feels like it was years away. With you both, however, it feels like only yesterday I just saw you both, alive in my arms. A part of me wishes to blame myself for not seeing it sooner. For not seeing her evil intent…but I know you wouldn’t be too happy with that, Y/n.” Morax said, as a small chuckle came out of his mouth, tears still spilling from his eyes. 

“The Yaksha’s all miss you too. Sometimes they still fight over who would’ve been the better godparent…I think they all would be great. Oh, you would’ve loved them, Ikari. They would’ve made you the happiest boy on the planet.” He spoke, placing his hand on the child’s grave.

He looked behind him, seeing the Yaksha’s waiting for him. He smiled at them.

“And now I’ve got to take care of them. I have to take care of everyone and make sure I do my duty as an archon. I promise to make you both proud.”

“Come on, Morax! We gotta huge list of villages to help!” Bosa yelled.

“Yeah, and this time, can we not allow Bosa to direct us? We almost didn’t make it out alive when he did.” Xiao asked.

“That’s not true! You were the one who gave it to me upside down!” Bosa retorted.

“The words were literally upside down, you big goof!” Bona said

Morax chuckled a bit more from their bickering. He looked back at the graves, smiling sadly at them.

“Looks like I have to cut our conversation short this time…but don’t worry. I’ll be back soon enough to talk with you two for a bit.” He said, standing back up, kissing both graves one last time.

“Until we meet again, my love and my dear son.”

_________________________________

Currently crying, sobbing, and throwing up! Thank you once again to @sailorstar9 for this wonderful but heartbreaking request! I hope I met your expectations when making this…and it absolutely broke me as I wrote this…so I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY. Jk, but seriously, thank you for this amazing request! Here is the final part of the request btw:

“The poison forced Reader into premature labor; Reader dying from childbirth and the baby boy taking his final small breaths in his father's arms before passing away like his mother. Now that the two main obstacles in her pursuit of Rex Lapis were gone, Guizhong sought to inject herself into the Geo Archon's life, hoping that he would finally see her as a romantic partner. But the Lord of Geo was too stricken by grief to even consider Guizhong as a potential lover and she was firmly rejected. It was only on her dying breath that she confessed her sins towards Reader to the Yakshas sealing her energies away; her final question to Rex Lapis was 'Why do you love her and not me?'”

Taglist:

@dreamlessnight

[balladofmyramblings]

One thing I find interesting about the difference between BOSAS and THG is the reaping. In BOSAS, the mayor reaps the children. He chooses a name, reads it, and that’s done. However, in THG, a capitol (escort? person?) Q citizen reads it.

Makes you think about why such a change would happen. Why would anyone waste more valuable capitol people on these games? And it’s been going on since at least the 50th games, probably sooner.

Who has enough power to make that big of a change? Who would be the one to know that mayors have personal connections to each of the possible tributes? Who else knows how easy it is to change the tributes?

Coriolanus changed it, for Lucy Gray. Or maybe not Lucy Gray. Maybe just children like Lucy Gray. But I’d bet money on the fact that Coriolanus was the one to make the switch, and let y’all interpret that however you see fit.

Personally, I think he just didn’t the districts to have any control over the games at all. He couldn’t handle the idea that they could be doing this and what could be going on behind closed doors. I think this is something he told Dr. Gaul, and she probably fixed.

Or maybe he really does care about fairness (lol). Either way, the change is interesting. I think he realizes how well it works out when Effie calls Haymitch’s name, though. That also shows a lot about Effie, too.

[thekindwolf99]

So I’m kind of in a Bridgerton / BOSAS mood at the moment and I keep flipping between the two and my mind came up with this kind of what if scenario if there was a cross over between the two.

I mean it’s Polin based fic idea - Penelope (16) volunteers for the Games after either Eloise or Felicity is chosen (but it’s really Cressida (Mayor’s daughter) fault because she hates her and wants Colin for herself) and Penelope knows that the Bridgertons would suffer if they lost Eloise or Portia does not really care about Pen so it’s better that she goes instead of Felicity.

However nightmare moment, Gregory (12) is picked (let’s say it was accident that his name was even in there - for plot reasons once a tribute is chosen from a family and that tribute wins, the rest of that family then has immunity from the Games unless they specifically want to volunteer) - Anthony has already been in the games and won so the Bridgertons were supposed to be safe.

Back to the Plot, Anthony has already been in the games, Benedict is above the age range, so can’t volunteer so that leaves Colin at 18 who can and decides to save his little brother.

Now it’s Colin and Penelope who are the tributes for their district (which breaks Pen’s heart because she loves him and knows she has to do everything she can to get him home to his family).

Plot points that I’m struggling with is

- what district would Colin & Pen be from?

- what would their talents be?

Colin is strong and probably got some training from Anthony after he came back from his games.

Penelope is more of a struggle - should I go down the Lucy Gray vibe of being secretly charming because of Lady Whistledown or go down the Katniss route of having to hunt to survive because Lord Featherington is a gambler & Portia is not exactly a hands on type of person, I.e leaves it all to Penelope?

I was kind of thinking that if doing a mash up of the interviews - like Pen & Colin’s reputation is of being protectors, they protect their younger siblings - they both get the whole you know family must be proud type thing, and the I just want to return home to them. But I’m wondering if one of them should get the Question Flickerman asked Peeta of is there anyone waiting for you?

I would love to give this to either Penelope or Colin - like he/she came here with me? and you just have the other person’s reaction to that.

In terms of mentors, I would be debating about Anthony and Kate being the pairs mentors (they won separate games) with Genevieve Delacroix or Benedict being Pen’s stylist and Lady Danbury over seeing it all like Haymitch (but without the alcoholism).

I don’t think I’ll make Charlotte president because I can’t see her in the same light as Snow, maybe she was forced to be a game maker?

I also wondered if I should base this in like the 50th anniversary of the games, but it’s still 24 tributes and the capital has agreed that if two tributes from the same district remain at the end then they’ll both get to go home?

Anyway I would love to get feedback and ideas for this if anyone interested? Please reblog with your ideas or share it in the chat. 🥰

Any help is most appreciated.

[lukeevangelista]

Justin Herbert

Smut/Fluffy

Prompt 1 :)

“Shut your fucking mouth.” You groaned as you listened to Justin babble on and on about something that he had been talking about for days, “If I hear either one of you talk about stats one more damn time, I’m going to lose it, Herbert.”

“Make me.” He grinned over at you.

You two were just friends, Joey introducing the two of you as you had grown up around the Bosa’s.

Joey knew Justin had a crush on you, but he also knew Justin never admit it.

His comment left you stunned as he looked over at you, a smirk on his face. You were hardly ever at a loss for words and the fact he had you speechless made his ego soar.

“I-uh..” you couldn’t find the words as Justin stared from next to you. You swallowed roughly as your eyes darted to his hands that were currently rubbing at his thighs before his left hand engulfed your right hand that was resting on your thigh.

You finally found your voice as you watched Justin’s hand mess with yours, “You’d like that, huh?”

Justin spluttered out a cough as he didn’t expect that response from you, “Honestly,” he leaned closer to you, “yeah, I would.” He slowly slid his hand up your thigh, “but i know you would too.”

[not-the-dum-e]

Definitely gonna need to read lyrics for these songs, the music is so interesting.

Drum Beat

Straight off, great choice for title track, it's such a catchy, feel good song that sets up the pace for the rest of the album.

Onew's rapping is so good in this, it suits the song perfectly a highlight on a song full of great moments.

I love the outro, that kinda talky bit at the end sounds so nice I don't even know why but hm, hits just right.

I wish it was longer, I could listen to a five minute version of it, but I will have to settle for looping it ┐⁠(⁠￣⁠ヘ⁠￣⁠)⁠┌

Hola!

The vocal melody in the beginning of the verses reminds me a lot of latin american pop from the 70s and 80s. It's such a strange thing to me because the song instrumental itself (sans the percusion) is very different, taking sounds more specific to bosa nova, at least that is what it sounds like to me, I had not heard that combination before and gives me a strange sense of familiarity and nostalgia (at this point I was interrupted by Onew's live lol)

Made me wonder if the latin influence is on purpose, since the title is hola, if so 10/10 executed perfectly. Why haven't i heard any latin american artists do something like this?(if anyone has any recs for something that has this same kind of sound, in any language, but specially spanish please let me know)

Maestro

Contender for favorite on the album from the first listen, the bass line, the syncopation and how spacious? the chorus sounds. Floaty, idk you get what I'm saying?

The robotic voice too just fits the mood, the entire song is full of so many textures and layers, pulling forward and falling back, it's so engaging.

It reminds me a little of MGMT's Little Dark Age, but with the added charm of melodic breaks that are more grounded.

To say that I love it is just not enough.

Shape of My Heart

There is this sound in the background, that sounds to me like someone is carving/shaving ice? or perhaps sharpening a blade, i need lyrics for this one haha.

Either way the piano chords sound kinda out of tune at times, like a really old piano; or perhaps it's like a distortion —like the piano is coming in and out of focus, some chords are rattly, out of tune. This song has a lot of interesting stuff going on in the background.

The outro though, it feels like suddenly everything is finally sorted out, every element fits together by the end, the vocal melody, the chords on the piano stop sounding distorted, and it all sounds melodic and sweet. Also those backing harmonies to boost that feeling of order and peace, where before everything was extremely chaotic, going in and out of focus.

It sounds like resolution, i really need the lyrics for this one. I looped it a lot just to get this down, it's such an interesting sounding song.

월화수목금토일 (All Day)

Now I've been listening to this one quite a lot since it came out, and it still is such a feel good kinda song, which seems to be a thread through this whole album, it's so catchy no wonder he picked it for a pre-release.

It showcases his vocals beautifully, what else can I say?

Focus

The synths, the dramatic rests, come on.

I think Shape of My Heart took most of my brain power cause I'm struggling to come up with more than that, but it's a great song, great closer.

The instrumentals in the whole album compliment his voice perfectly, I can't imagine how hard it was to pick the title, half the songs in the album could be strong contenders for title.

I do wish the songs were a bit longer though, but that is just a teeny tiny thing, really.

I keep thinking about it and there is a lot of joy in this album, idk why i got that impression, because it's not like all the songs are happy, maybe it's just Beat Drum, All Day, and Hola!.

I love it so much.

It is just as 'Onew like' as Circle, even though it is so different.

I hadn't really realized how much I had missed him during this hiatus, and it seems to have hit me all at once now. I'm so happy that he is back and maybe that plays a role on it too.

It does seem like the ten months of rest did wonders for him and I can feel a huge amount of joy in the music. He seems to be really happy to be back making music again, and it shows in every second of this album.

He really seems to know how to express himself through music, and it's just wonderful to be here to witness it💖

[littlebirdhighhitt]

BoSaS spoilers✨

Imagine how Coriolanus would have reacted to Sejanus’ execution if he hadn’t killed Mayfair.

I think that all of Coriolanus’ anxiety, guilt and regret from Sejanus’ execution was build on his assumption that Sejanus realized Coriolanus betrayed him and therefore told the peacekeepers about the murder. Of course Coriolanus has always been paranoid and skeptical of others, but it really peaks towards the end.

Perhaps his paranoia only worsens since he doesn’t understand why Sejanus hadn’t betrayed him. What was his motives? Was he really that stupid? Was there nothing more to it?

Sejanus was everything that Coriolanus couldn’t believe existed. Someone who was loyal, righteous and infinitely kind. Someone who wanted to protect the people, who couldn’t defend themselves. Someone who would sacrifice themselves for the greater cause. Everything Coriolanus wasn’t.

I believe that if Sejanus had nothing to put Coriolanus in danger with(except his ability to get into trouble), Coriolanus might not have reacted to his death and his part in it at all. After all Coriolanus might have been Sejanus’ best friend, but Sejanus wasn’t his. He was only a piece from home, who had powerful connections, someone worth having around for status. He even found him annoying and a bother to deal with. A burden dumped onto him. He was also in the way of Coriolanus’ perspective on the human kind.

When Sejanus died, there wasn’t anyone left to oppose Coriolanus’ opinions that humans are at its core terrible, evil creatures who will do everything to survive. Something that makes sense to Coriolanus, because it’s always easier to expect the worst than getting hurt. Also because that’s literally just Coriolanus as a person.

At the end all I could think of was how much Coriolanus hated the mockingjays and jabberjays, but I think he himself resembles a terrible bird. He is a cuckoo, a bird known to lay its eggs in other birds nest for others to raise their young. The young either eats or push the birds real youngs out of the nest. Just as Coriolanus kills Sejanus’ and takes his place in his family.

I truly doubt he ever felt bad at all.

[cemeteryreviews]

Cemetery Reviews #9 - Cementerio Parroquial de Bosa

I mentioned how in Bogotá the north is wealthier while the south is poorer, something you can somewhat see in the Cemetery of the South, well, Bosa is even further to the south, and Bosa, being further south, reflects a modest and tightly knit community.

There are lots of businesses and small stands around the cemetery, there is even a small field for micro soccer at the side in the same block, the streets are small and usually just one way only, you can see people are doing the best with the small space they have. There are some houses at the side in the same block as well and I saw the windows of an apartment probably no more than a few meters away of the tombs, sleeping with tombs so close to you... it must be give a bit of a solemn feeling. I also thought I wouldn't be able to find a place where to eat, I didn't see any big malls anywhere and it seems most places here might take cash only and I don't usually carry cash with me, it just ends up in me wasting money a lot faster. Thankfully there was a KFC at the end of the street, yeah it looked a bit out of place having an international restaurant with the rest of local businesses, but oh well, it worked for me and that's where I had lunch.

So well, this is a cemetery of cement. You know, it mostly is cement, the collections of mausoleums and that's it, I know that I usually rate, the more green areas it has, the higher the score, but its still not a fair way to rate cemeteries if the people who handle them just don't have the space to add more green spaces, you know what I mean? I rated the Usaquen Cemetery poorly because it didn't have any green but it seemed to have a green area that could have extend to, so it gives the impression of less care, though this could be simply due to practical constraints. Not because a cemetery is fully on cement it means that is poorly taken care of, like this one. Besides, it's not like I take the ratings actually seriously, it's just a bit of copium sass for the losses really, we aren't running any contests here at the end of the day.

There are some nice mausoleums here and there, it is mostly just columbariums but everything is properly taken care of, I read some reviews on Google that it had been abandoned and even there was waste of street people around, but when I went it was in a good state thankfully. There were even some workers painting around, and it is always nice to see, it gave me manicure vibes, you know, but for the death. I like when cemeteries are taken care of like that.

The many walls and collections of tombs give the cemetery an almost maze like atmosphere, I think that if it ever was in me doing a cemetery for columbariums like this, I would make it as a maze, or just a bit as a maze.

Now here is the curious thing about this cemetery. it is not just columbariums, it has some graves too, they are all in small green areas and they even have a small sign that says "tombs cannot be moved since they are considered historical pieces." But then you look at the date of death and they are either from the 90s or the 2000s, you know, dates that could imply people who knew these people are still alive. It makes me think that maybe the switch from "permanent stone tombs" to "columbariums for rental" wasn't as far ago as I thought it was. There is a sign that says the contract for rental is for 4 years and some of the graves in these columbariums are set for exhumation. I guess it is a bit sad that you still have to rent a place after you are dead, and such a small one at that, but well, when you are dead, you really don't notice how small your place is, so I guess it sorts itself out.

This made me realize how beautiful tombstones are, like, not just the stone table with your name, but also the stone that covers your grave, it is just so beautiful and I can't explain why. There is something about the lasting nature of the stone that seems it could extend the proof of your existence on earth for just a little longer.

I saw a small room similar to the morgue on the San Gil Cemetery, but this one is just the "place for exhumations" and in here the windows are covered in dark glass thankfully so, since it seems more sanitary.

The last curious thing I saw was this wall with tiny stone tablets with names on them, they are all piled together on the wall and the rest of the wall is covered with either plaster or stucco, I wonder the reason for such arrangement, are those the people whose families stopped paying rent and were exhumed? Why were they placed permanently like that on a wall? It's a bit of a mystery.

Overall, this cemetery is modest yet quietly dignified. The gray of its floor gives it a bit of a sad appearance which I weirdly enjoy.

6/10

[goldrushenthusiast]

Have you read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? 🎼🕊️🪱

If you have not read it, what do you think about the title? What characters represent birds and snakes?

*spoiler alert*

If you have read it, how birds and snakes play a part in the narrative? Also what do you think about Mockingjay role in the original trilogy and this prequel?

Thank you.

@curiousnonny

ofc!!! literally I live for BOSAS. like I’ve read it so many times I’ve lost count.

I think the second part is supposed to be if I have, even if not I’m gonna answer anyways, but I love the title, especially because Lucy Gray loves ballads.

Like she literally writes them. And this is their own story- of themselves. Which also really represents them, writing stories about themselves lol.

I think that the Coriolanus and Lucy Gray are the snake and songbird respectively. While I have seen cases made for the other way around, and some points are valid, I can’t really understand it as well.

Maybe that could be interpreted as how they’re not too different overall. How sometimes, when you love someone, you start to adopt parts of them you wouldn’t have normally, and you take parts of each other too. Idk. But Coriolanus is definitely a snake, not a songbird, and Lucy Gray is definitely a songbird although she for sure could be a snake.

Coriolanus is constantly tricking and manipulating people & things for his own gain (snakelike behavior), is in general a snob, and very ambitious. Lowkey I’m just naming slytherin behavior but you get the idea.

Of course, Lucy Gray loved to sing, but she also knew where danger was and how to avoid it, like Mockingjays did. She sang songs passed down from Covey member to Covey member and still kept her own voice, making songs of her own too. She is who she is because of something naturistic (the Covey) and something Capitolistic (the Games), like the Mockingjays.

Really I think that’s just surface level, and the most obvious (imo) but there’s many other things the songbirds & snakes could represent in the book too.

Like the fact Lucy Gray used snakes as crutch, and knew how to manipulate them (hmmm, makes you think of how she treated Coriolanus, who I’ve alr labeled as a snake), and how Coriolanus’ first military order/idea thing was to immediately get rid of Mockingjays (a songbird, which I’ve alr related Lucy Gray to) because they…unnerved him. And covered it up by saying target practice.

I think this shows how they saw each other, although both at different parts in the relationship- Lucy Gray saw Coriolanus as someone to help her stay alive during the beginning of their relationship and used him for that, and at the end, Coriolanus couldn’t handle Lucy Gray leaving him so he starts blindly shooting (remember- he wasn’t too good at catching Mockingjays). It’s why songbirds is first- she’s the beginning. Coriolanus, a snake, is what leads to the end.

Songbirds and Snakes could also be a metaphor for the capital vs the districts.

The districts, the songbirds, flocking to what keeps them safe yet never actually being guaranteed it. The snake, the capital, controlling said songbirds. It’s a ballad of the differences between the two, a showcase of what they represent and what happens when you mix two of them. I don’t think BOSAS is a love story, but it’s not not one, either.

Genuinely a case could be made for Dr. Gaul & Sejanus being the snake & songbird. The snake constantly toying with the songbird. The songbird who has a voice but is constantly confused on how to use it.

It could also be a nod to how important both songbirds and snakes are to the story, but I’ll get to that in the next question.

This is basically a testament to how all-encompassing the songbirds and snakes are, and how many things they can be interpreted as.

Ok, yay, now next question!!

The story wouldn’t be what it is without birds and snakes.

Coriolanus’ first sighting of Lucy Gray is her dropping a snake down Mayfair’s dress. This drastically impacts how the capital and how Coriolanus view her from then on- a preformer and a fighter. Without that small act of rebellion, and the performance onstage, she wouldn’t have half as many sponsors or interest in her.

Lucy Gray also leaves a small snake as a present for Coriolanus when he tries to kill her. Like a last goodbye, almost. That snake really drove the point home Lucy Gray wasn’t playing around or anything. She was fr. It shows Coriolanus who he thinks she truly is, and drives the point home she’s wrong for him.

Songbirds are a bit trickier/less obvious. Songbirds help represent the differences between them- Lucy Gray’s love of music, Coriolanus’ tolerance of it. Lucy Gray’s love of freedom, Coriolanus’ disgust of it (in large portions when anyone other than him has it).

As I mentioned earlier, Coriolanus, upon hearing them for the first time, wants all the Mockingjays dead. He literally can’t help saying how much he hates them ((as we see with him & Dr. Kay, while he usually has good control. Also good lesson on how songbirds (Lucy Gray) make him lose control)).

Songbirds provide a gruesome opportunity to show Coriolanus’ true colors.

Last question! Ok lowkey feel like that all sorta answered it, but I love the mockingjays. They’re such a vibe, honestly, and I love how crucial they are to BOSAS and the OG series.

Rue’s whistles (representing safety and codes).

Coriolanus’ hatred (representing his hatred & slowly sliding grip on self control).

Their mutative state (the capital can’t control everything, good always wins, yada yada what Katniss says basically).

Like what a W for birds all around, honestly. I’d love one that just sits outside my window all day.

As always, thank you for the question @curiousnonny, and anyone else feel free to debate but not argue these points in reblogs or replies, but please stay civil.

[tomsfoolery]

headcanons abt Astarion’s past ft. my bc of his mom

+ her in my origin run as his guardian bc nobody is safe

ok ok so onto the headcanons

personally I’ve named her Lysistrata in my head by complete accident bc I was rereading bosas when I was first thinking abt this so

for his mom i think she was a Paladin/cleric of sorts?? or some kind of good-aligned mercenary

so like she’d come back with all these grand stories about monsters and magic for wee little Astarion and I think he would’ve found them so fascinating as a child which would’ve led him to become interested in monsters & monstrous things up until he was an “adult” and began pursuing darker things like more power and immortality n stuff

Astarion has her hair texture & thickness, and before he was turned he had her eyes bc I cannot stand blue-eyed astarion (he needs to be able to look at the sun)

Between his two parents Astarion was much closer with his mom bc she always had such interesting stories and she absolutely spoiled him with gifts and books n stuff

I see her being the type to try to see the good in everything so she’d often sympathize with some monsters (let’s say in cases like a parent trying to protect its young) and I think that kind of stuck with Astarion in terms of him being more willing to deal with the less savory as a magistrate (or just an excuse for him to take bribes because “they’ve all got families to feed” or whatever)

in connection to that I think the biggest reason Astarion never went to her for help was bc he didn’t think there was any good left in him and that she’d hate him and end his misery in the name of what she once stood for (also lowkey hc her as being a follower of Lathander so…)

she taught him a lot but I think she herself wasn’t the greatest abt love and opening up to people and she has a hard time putting complex feelings into words so all Astarion really got was “sometimes you really like a person?? but sometimes you just like their body but also sometimes their soul and um. don’t commit to relationships you don’t want to?”

her husband is definitely a dork I’m sorry

like my original headcanon is him as an inventor but I could see him dealing in magic as well

I don’t think that he wasn’t necessarily loving but I think he just didn’t pay as much attention to Astarion as his mother did so they just naturally weren’t super close

However his dad did drag him to a bunch of social functions n all that so combine that with how spoiled Astarion was and you get classic rich boy

Astarion got his hair color & most of his face from his dad and I keep really wanting to call him Felix

After Astarion became a magistrate his mom didn’t approve of some of the things he did but she still loved him anyway, once he started trying to carve out more power and immortality she tried getting her husband to speak to Astarion abt the dangers of such ambitions but he didn’t really talk to him abt it and when he DID talk to Astarion, astarion didn’t really listen

When Astarion first disappeared Lysistrata practically tore the city apart looking for him and called in a lot of favors from old flaming fist friends n stuff but they couldn’t find him. So she resorted to a fiend warlock pact trying to find him but all she was led to was this overgrown grave with suspiciously fresh dirt and she was convinced she was lied to and broke the pact so now she’s got horns :] good job Astarion look what you did to your mother

^after this her marriage became extremely strained as she began to blame her husband for not warning Astarion but she also blamed herself for not trying to do anything herself. Thank goodness she was invited to a dinner by a local noble to help cheer her up! I sure hope he wasn’t an oily little weasel. Nowadays she does a lot of investigations on missing children in and around Baldur’s Gate and she helps out with orphanages

for my durge specific i think she would either learn of some shit going down at the Crimson Palace between this elf and cazador OR she would run into Vael (durge) picking up a portrait of Astarion and she would then inquire about why Vael was getting such a thing

idk overall she’s just very, very tired. as of now in my headcanons Astarion is her only child and to lose him so soon with no answers took a lot of her hope away from her. Especially since any gods she prayed too wouldn’t have answered for the whereabouts of some disgusting vampire

girlypop probably prayed to send Astarion a guardian Angel and then he gets sent durge

Vael’s trying his hardest but he was raised half in the hells and half in the cult of Bhaal he stinks so bad