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neochan · 1 year ago

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RULE BREAKER (M)

PAIRING: rockstar!mark lee & fem!reader

GENRE: rockstar au! band au! pwop

SUMMARY: another city, another girl, another broken rule.

WC: 3.3k

WARNINGS: mentions of alcohol & drugs, cursing, explicit sexual content, fingering, pretty tame smut ngl, spanking, choking, hair pulling

NOTE: this was just to get me back in the groove of smut writing since it's been a couple months. this is also a submission for @nctpromptmeme . this is prompt 1 of this list!

mark lee knows it’s against the rules to take a fan backstage.

it’s not the venues rules. staff members barely spare a glance when he tangles his fingers in yours and pulls you down the nearly abandoned hallways just left of the stage. he doesn’t get a second look from a wandering sound engineer when he escorts you through the jungle of metal rails supporting the stage from beneath. and no one bats an eye when he slips past security to an empty green room nearing the back of the building.

it’s not his own personal rule either. mark has done this plenty of times; choosing someone within the first few rows at his concert, playing up the eye contact, having a security guard slip them a note telling them to wait up after the concert — and it almost never fails. after the band bids goodnight, and fans filter out on the street, mark hops back on stage to greet his lucky winner.

and they’re always there, eyes aglow with excitement and shock when they realize that yes, this was real. mark lee wants them for the night. leader of pop punk band parasocial wants to meet…y/n.

the taste of your name rolls off his tongue so beautifully, so intoxicatingly, he has to repeat it a few more times once the green room door is locked and the curtains are drawn — not too loudly though.

because while it might not be the venues rules, and it certainly isn’t his own, he promised his band mates this couldn’t happen. he swore up and down they wouldn’t become those kinds of rockstars. everyone knows the type — scandal starters, excessive partiers, seen with a bottle of alcohol or tightly wrapped blunt in hand, escorting fans backstage at every show to....well, to do exactly what he was doing right now.

but mark isn't stupid, so he hides it from his bandmates; despite them breaking the rules so brazenly. jaemin stacks up scandals like spare drum sticks, jeno gets off on the attention & fame, renjun self medicates with alcohol, and haechan couldn't be labeled as anything other than a junkie. but he can't be like that, because mark is the leader. the one that has to walk a straight line — at least in public.

so when he's finally locked away in private with his lucky hit, he let's go. there's no need to be an upstanding, careful leader — he can shake off the tension, relax his shoulders, and focus on what's right in front of him.

which, at the moment, just so happened to be you.

"you're gorgeous, you know that?" a tender hand tucks stray strands of hair behind your ear, "couldn't keep my eyes off you tonight."

you can't believe mark lee is right in front of you, touching you, praising you. it's every fantasy you've had of him rolled into one. so when his hands wash over your top, fitting themselves so perfectly on your waist, you giggle and take a little step forward. his body is warm, and he smells smoky with a tinge of bourbon, but what's catching you off guard is how much prettier he is up close. eyeliner is smudged underneath his lashes, and there's blue hair dye running down the side of his neck, on par with rivulets of sweat. the metal bar through his eyebrow is real, and when he flicks his tongue out to lick at his lips, you find a matching tongue piercing.

he loves this.

the wide eyes, taking him all in. the giddiness. the oh my god mark lee is touching me; and while he might not get off on it as much as jeno, he can't help the feeling rushing straight to his cock.

after a few beats of becoming completely starstruck by him, you respond, clasping tightly onto the front of his shirt, "i mean i'm not all that special, but you...." a blush warms your cheeks, "you're out of this world."

it's a reference to one of the songs he sang tonight, so he let's out a forced chuckle and mumbles the rest of the line, "if galileo could see you, he would fall to his knees." he catches himself by surprise when he slowly sinks down onto the floor, the cold tile seeping through the rips in his jeans. his fist curls around the waistband of your skirt, eyes raking your figure. hunger clouds his eyes, but you don't care.

you want this.

he almost thinks you're backing out when you clamp a hand around his arm, but then you say something that makes his head spin on it's shoulders, "you don't have to be gentle...."

it's the desire in your eye, the same glint that matches his own, that permisses him to yank the flimsy skirt down around your ankles, nearly throwing you off balance in the process. "pretty girl wants it rough, huh?" mark pulls himself back up to his feet, one hand winding through your hair, the other knocking your thighs apart, "don't worry, i'll make you scream." his fingers open you up, just the tips of them pushing into you. already you're stretched on your tip toes, trying to run from the warming sensation below your navel. but mark catches this and gives a harsh tug on the roots of your hair, "feet down."

you're basically sinking down on his fingers when you settle on the balls of your feet, the stretch welcoming yet too intense for your body, "f-fuck." you curse.

"baby," he coos, "if you're drooling over two fingers, i don't think you'll be able to take my cock."

"i can, i promise." you mumble, face burning with embarrassment. not because you were under the rough hand of your favorite singer, not because he was teasing you about how tight you were, but because he was peering so fucking deep into your eyes, like he was searching for your soul.

"oh she promises," he mocks, pushing his fingers deeper. he can feel your walls fluttering around his digits; pulsing when they curl and brush the sweet spot he knows all too well.

you're out of breath, eyelids drooping with the weight of having to keep them open, "s-stop toying with me." you plead, nails raking the arm that's holding your body against the cinder block walls.

theres no snarky comment that follows. instead, he leans forward and captures your trembling lips with his own, and you see stars. it's exactly like you imagined it be — feverish, rough and demanding, exhausting every bit of willpower from you. his tongue swipes at your bottom lip, and his piercing clacks against your teeth, forcing a shiver down your spine. he smirks, that much you register, before bullying his tongue into your mouth, the hand between your legs matching.

too many sensations cloud your head — his hot tongue swirling around your own, forcing you to open up and taste each other, the metal ball on his tongue sticking against your teeth, and his fingers culling you into a head high. your eyes drift shut and you push your hips into his hands, all but grinding down.

mark lee might not have been a guitarist, but he sure did know how to use those hands of his. he sets back and licks his lips, letting out a shaky breath. the wet heat of you was drawing him in; he eases two fingers back inside until his knuckles pressed against your folds, and you sighed his name again. he was hard and aching now; listening to the soft pants that fell heavy as he thrust his fingers in and out. the hand that was threaded through your hair finds home on the sides of your throat, squeezing just enough to get your eyes fluttering open.

"whaddya doing sweetheart? sleeping?" he teases, his voice a drawn out purr in the quiet room, "i can't be that boring now, can i?"

when you try to shake your head no, this was far from boring, you find yourself stuck in his grip.

"maybe you want my cock instead?" marks eyes go soft, melting with the way you try to squeak out a response, "what was that?"

"p-please," you cry out hoarsely, his fingers finding that sweet spot again — but, only for the last time. just as fast as he was in you, he was pulling out.

"look at how wet you were for me," he groans, showing off your arousal that dripped from his fingers. he doesn't hesitate when he sticks them both between his lips, the most vulgar sound emanating from his throat, "you taste good as fuck."

warmth returns to your face at his remark, and it's only then that you realize your state. he was still covered head to toe in his stage outfit; metal chains and dark black alt pieces of clothing hung off his body, but you....you only had your top on. from the waist down, you were completely exposed.

mark seems to realize this too. "take this off for me?" he asks, fingering the strap of your top. "don't worry, i'll do the same." the grin you'd seen splashed across magazines and album covers lights up his face when you do as he asked. and true to his word, his shirt was on the ground in a matter of seconds - right next to yours. dark spills of ink swirl up and around his torso, nearly becoming a second shirt, but you see the muscles. the abs everyone goes crazy for, and with a tentative hand, you reach out to touch them.

"aw, don't be shy baby, i won't bite." he grabs your wrist and makes contact for you. another wave of arousal rushes down your spine when the hard lines of his stomach flex in response to your graze. "you like that, huh?" furiously nodding your head, he chuckles,

"alright, let me give you what you want," he says it like his cock wasn't nearly bursting from his pants, swiftly aching at the mere thought of sinking into you. his gaze darts from yours to the couch to the wall to the table shoved in the corner of the room. where did he want to fuck tonight... "come here," his hand tugs you away from the cinder block walls, over to the soft looking leather couch, "let me see you bend that pretty body over...." he purrs, a wide sweeping gesture to indicate that he knew exactly how he wanted you.

face down, ass up...wasn't that the saying?

and you don't mind, gleefully shimmying across the arm of the couch, cold leather nipping at your skin.

"fuck, man...look at you," you can't see him, but you bet his gaze is hungry again, soft, but visibly desperate, "you really are out of this world."

a chuckle passes your lips at the joke, and for a fleeting second you wonder if you weren't the first girl to hear the phrase. but the thought is swept clean from your mind once you hear his pants slipping on the ground, his metal pocket chains scraping the linoleum.

"stop taking your time and fuck me."

he cocks his head to the side...did he just hear that right? a harsh smack lands on your ass cheek, the throbbing, searing pain causing you to lurch forward and cry out. marks hand rubs over the spot immediately, trying to soothe the sting.

"now come on baby, i just need you to be patient with me." you mewl out an incoherent acknowledgment. "here," he grins, "is this what you want?"

a gasp is pulled from your chest at the feeling of him dragging the head of his cock between your folds. "mark please, fuck." slowly, he pushes into you. one hand guides himself, the other is lazily wrapped around your hip. but you can't even think of that right now, because he was filling you to the brim. you've never felt this type of stretch before. it was mind-numbingly delicious,"you're so big."

both of you share a shuddered breath of air when he pulls out and pushes back into you, "damn." he swats at your ass again, this time not bothering to rub his hand over the sting, "you just keep getting tighter...."

his eyes flutter close for a second, lost in the wet heat of you. he's never felt this before — the mutuality of getting off. every other time it's felt forced from the other end; the overdramatic moans were always a turn off but you... you take it like it's real. like it's truly the best cock you'd ever sat on.

mark loves that the most.

"feel good?" the question is drawn out, too focused on keeping his pace even and sharp so that you wouldn't go face first into the couch cushions. you babble out some sort of response that mark can't quiet understand, "words baby..use your words."

"so f-fucking good," you choke on a gasp, "oh god, please don't stop." each word feels like it's ripped from your throat as mark works behind you, thrusting so deep you're left on your tiptoes again.

mark lets out a dark chuckle, fingers digging into your side so he can keep leverage, "be careful what you pray for baby, the devil might hear." it's another musical reference, one that you catch immediately, but you're too cock drunk to form a coherent thought much less a sentence. he feels the way your pussy clenches at his words though, "you liked that, hm?"

you shake your head, arms stretching out in front of you to keep yourself from slipping further down the arm of the couch before a squeal is wrenched from your throat. "you're so deep!"

before he can tease you about going deeper, a loud buzzing sound goes off on the coffee table next to you. it's his phone, lit up with someones caller ID. your eyes are glazed over and blurry, too unfocused to see who the hell was interrupting this. but it didn't matter, because mark ignores it and keeps fucking into you — a little more enthusiastic than before. his fingers still dig into your waist, yet this time, they pull you back to meet his cock. essentially you were bouncing on him without having to do most of the work, "look at that ass bounce."

the buzzing finally stops, replaced with another harsh smack to your ass. you cry out in pain, quickly drowned out by a moan as mark swivels his hips so that he was hitting your sweet spot. white hot pleasure courses through your entire body, and you all but thrash against the leather. "almost there, fuck, keep going. gonna c-cum."

the words are like music to his ears. "just a little longer," mark typically had great stamina, but after the performance tonight, and the way your pussy was sucking him in right now, his willpower was melting away. he was edging himself within your walls at this very second. he needed release. "you're so fucking wet, i can't... oh fuck." his phone starts buzzing again, and this time he glances at the name flashing across the screen and groans, "be quiet okay baby? i need to take this."

furiously, mark jabs the green button on the screen of his phone, "what do you want." through gritted teeth, he keeps his pace, thrusting into your warm cunt. it's difficult, but you manage to stuff your fist in your mouth and bite down, stifling any sound that threatened to come out. hot electricity was still running through every nerve in your body, but as mark mindlessly slows to concentrate on not moaning into the phones receiver, it slowly dwindles.

"i'm..." he glances down at the way your waist curved in, the jiggle of your ass when his hips met yours, "i'm outside. why."

you can't hear who's on the other end of the line. maybe it was his manager, or another member of the band. the only thing you knew for certain was they wanted to know where the fuck he was at.

"don't you dare talk sideways to me." the warning in his voice nearly makes you moan out loud. this side of mark lee was something to marvel at. but you don't. you just push your hips backwards onto him.

a breath of air rushes past his lips, "shit." he mumbles.

"i wasn't-" he grits his teeth, "i wasn't cursing at you......because i dropped my cig on the ground, i don't know jaemin."

ah so it was na jaemin - drummer of parasocial. hot head. scandal starter. covered in more ink than you thought possible.

"okay..." mark sighs, his pace slowing, "okay, i'm coming....yeah whatever." he presses the end call button on the screen and tosses the phone on to the couch in front of you.

"baby..." he warns, now lazily fucking you, "i gotta go..."

"why?" you whine, hips pushing back against him in an attempt to get his pace started again. you so desperately wanted him to keep bullying his cock into you.

"they said the vans packed up... if i don't go now, they're gonna leave me behind." he pulls out and helps you flip over to face him, hands instinctively come up to cover your chest, "i'm sorry," he breathes.

"it's okay."

maybe you didn't get to orgasm, but mark lee between your thighs was enough of a treat. as long as he felt good, it didn't matter. so it doesn't irk you when he says, "i'm sorry this couldn't be more..i'm worn out from the show, and...." his voice trails off into a sheepish shrug, his wrist flicking towards his phone.

"i know." it wasn't your job to reassure him, but you knew what this was. what his life entailed, even if it was from an outsiders perspective.

mark sighs, settling back against the couch while he watches you hurriedly throw your clothes on. there's something different about you.

"i can walk you to your car if you want," he offered, his voice tinged with a mix of earnestness and hesitation. he knew he couldn't, not really. the risk of being seen outside the venue with a fan was far too great — jaemin learned that the hard way. but still, there was something about your presence, something that made him want to break the rules just a bit more.

you responded with a wry smile, "nah, i'm good. appreciate it though."

he returned the smile, though a hint of disappointment flickered across his features, swiftly masked by indifference. "alright then, take care."

as you turned to walk away, his gaze lingered, a mixture of longing and apprehension in his eyes. the echo of the performance still reverberated in the air, and the cacophony of the crowd faded into the background. the isolation that often accompanied the applause and adoration settled around him—a sense of detachment despite the proximity to his admirers; to you.

"hey, wait up!" his voice rings out, more desperate than he intends. you stop and turn back to him, a questioning look on your face. "here." he thrusts a piece of paper into your hand, his fingers brushing yours for a moment. in messy scrawl, a ten-digit number is scratched across the paper. he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, the stage persona melting away to reveal the vulnerability underneath. "call me when you get where you're headed."

you take the paper, feeling surprise and curiosity bloom in your chest. "sure, i will." a smirk tugs at the corners of your lips as you tuck the slip of paper into the pocket of your skirt, a secret kept close to your heart. "have a good night, rockstar."

his eyes meet yours, a silent exchange that speaks volumes. in that moment, no other words are needed to understand that this is a fleeting connection, a chapter in a story that will continue for him in different cities, with different faces. another show, another night, another girl.

another fake number.

A. NOTE: this can be read as a standalone, but it is also part of a bigger series i've yet to release. so if you like this one shot, please let me know! you can send in an ask, or comment, reblog, or like <3

TAGLIST: @peachjaem00 @mrkis @downtonbabyah @vangoes @cutiepeas @yujuvly @nuttie-nv-blog @seuomo @mrkleelvr @kazuhateez @chardonnayyyy @hyuckiegirlfriend @jwijii @meowniee @leep0ems @hibye02 @girlwholoveslpreppyattire

#nct dream smut #mark lee smut #nct mark lee x reader #mark lee x reader #nct mark lee smut #nct dream x reader #nct dream band au #nct dream fic #mark lee fic #nctpromptmemedone #nct dream mark

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jakeyt · 3 months ago

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Covet: Chapter 12 (Sneak Peek)

a/n:

hi, friends!

yet again, I deliver a 4,000 word 'sneak peek.' l m f a o.

like I've previously mentioned, the monstrosity that is Chapter 12 was initially part of Chapter 11. buuut due to these two being quite the stubborn pair, the chapters continue on their pattern of being much longer than the I anticipated. hopefully they tone down after chapter 12 comes out, but... there is no telling. lmao.

the chapter count has increased by like 2 (? I think.....) chapters, if you check out the masterlist you'll see that. the ideas just keep on coming on my long drives to work everyday, as I blast the playlist to this silly little story.

plz enjoy the cringe manip of Josh... I couldn't help making it. just had to see him in the booth at Jungle Juice for god knows what reason l o l.

Warnings: (as always: MDNI 18+); vivid recollection of unprotected p in v sex; self doubt; body image issues; sadness; heartache; pregnancy; mentions of infidelity (sry not sry, maya); as always, if i missed anything that is triggering to you, PLEASE lmk!

-🌼🌼🌼-

Arguably, as you left that yoga class, you felt the most relaxed you had in a long while.

Your belly was still heavy at your front, but everything else felt so loose. Weightless. It was nice.

Josh had decided afterwards that it was a good plan to get a couple of smoothies. And who were you to argue that? It was even more tempting since he’d offered to buy them.

The drive to and from all of your ventures had been nice. You two had listened to music most of the car ride – enjoying the soul music you’d both bonded over several years ago.

But, as soon as “You’re All I Need To Get By” came on the shuffle, you quickly reached forward to skip past that one. And, it must have been your lucky day because as soon as that one was out of the way, the other song from that morning on the living room floor was playing.

"(You Make Me Feel Like) A (motherfucking) Natural Woman", to your lovely surprise. Because why not?

The only songs you’d skipped and, of course, Josh had noticed.

He’d snorted at you, making you glance in his direction. “What did Miss Aretha do to you?”

“Nothing,” you shook your head with a lip stuck out. “Just didn’t feel like listening to those songs, I guess.”

I imagine your brother stark naked, inside of me, when I hear those songs, if you must know, you thought with a skip to your heart at the memory. And that’s just not what I need at the moment, Joshua.

And, with absolutely zero surprise, you were back in that damn living room. No point in skipping the songs, it seemed. The gray morning, rain pittering against the windows. The stupid idea you’d had, forever haunting your association with the Queen of Soul.

You’d just sat up on your elbows to watch him as he thumbed through the records, appreciating the view. “You pick and I’ll let you know if I like.”

And, as he’d searched through the albums, you’d just let your mind wander, right along with your eyes. . .

His body was a work of art. Always would be. Your favorite work of art.

His thighs, ever-muscular, from the way they flexed when he’d move his body with his guitar on stage.

That perfectly round ass that was undoubtedly gifted to him by the body gods.

And his broad shoulders – strong to match his equally strong personality.

When he’d turned a bit towards you, you’d been given an image you’d never forget. His eyes, quickly scanning the back of a vinyl. And as he did so, your eyes had instantly found his straining dick.

And, in the current moment, right next to his goddamned twin brother, you had to cross your damn legs at the thought of Jake’s dick. Fuck everything. Even if you shouldn't, all you wanted was Jacob Kiszka. All. You. Wanted. It was stupid to ever think you could convince yourself out of that particular desire.

You could still imagine every detail from the morning. His tip, swollen from being pulled mid-sex. Your clit thrummed and twitched in current time at the thought, remembering how he'd still glistened from your dripping center.

He’d turned to you fully, the Aretha Franklin vinyl in his grip – her Greatest Hits. You’d found his eyes. They were questioning, but you hadn’t been able to focus entirely on his glance. No, you’d looked away from his eyes to admire your most favorite parts of his body.

His toned pecs and his solid stomach— fuck. They made you fucking weak.

There were truly no words for the way he was built— pecs naturally firm and rounded with lean muscle.

And his stomach— just a little soft and the perfect finish to it all, complimenting him just right— finishing out his sturdy, powerful stature.

His aura would always be compelling. He was utterly beautiful, with his sparkling amber-brown eyes, flowing chestnut locks – even longer now than then – and his sharp features. And the way he was built matched so well with how he carried himself. Without even trying, he could control any room he was in.

(And control you with a simple snap of his fingers.)

He was honestly what all of your dreams were made of.

And, in moments from the past, like the sacred one you were remembering. . . you remember wishing everyday – more than anything – that he was yours. Still wanted him to be yours. You could remember thinking. . . no matter how bad you could be for him, your selfish wants had you constantly feeling pulled towards Jake.

But. . . he wasn’t yours. Not then. Not now.

And that bitter thought had helped to snap you out of your trance on that simplistic, perfect morning. You'd finally looked at him to answer.

He was smirking, knowingly. “I love your body, too, Beautiful.”

Your thighs pressed even closer together as you tapped out the beat of the current song on your thighs. A Minnie Riperton song. Just focus on Minnie. Tried to remember the moment you were currently in. . . But you couldn’t. Not yet.

Wait. Minnie. This song. You focused for a second. Was fucking "Memory Lane" playing? O-kay. Your life was truly hilarious. (Meaning, it was, in fact, not hilarious in the slightest.)

You tried to tune her out, rejecting the lyrics that hit far too close to home for your taste. But all that happened when you tuned her out, was Jake repeating the statement about your body. . . You could only hear those words from his mouth on repeat when you squeezed your eyes shut, so tightly.

With a gentle touch, you placed a hand to the bottom of your tummy to hold it. Your body now was nowhere near the same as it had been then. . .

How the fuck would he talk about your body now? You knew how he felt about some of your newer assets. But. . . how would it feel now to hear him say things like that about your body? During sex? His dick, impossibly hard and leaking for your current, swollen body? Your belly, your bigger breasts? Your fuller thighs. . . Would he look at you the same during sex now?

Fuck. Why were you even thinking like that?! You were imagining things that were only breaking your heart. . . Getting your mind in a dangerous space it did not need to be in.

Realizing it was slightly safer in your memories, you leaned back against your headrest to feel the rest of the moment.

You’d flushed at the words then. Even going the extra mile to roll your eyes. Tried your best to play off the way his words made your heart flutter. Ridiculous attempt. With a peek briefly at the record, you nodded at the choice. “Aretha is always a yes.”

“Agreed.”

He’d turned to put it on the Crosley, and as soon as the needle hummed against the record, making its wonderful crackling sound, you knew he’d made the right choice. This record was something else.

And now, the Greatest Hits vinyl held your heart in ways you could’ve never imagined on that rainy morning.

You could remember how it felt to watch him – the intoxicating combination of seeing him walk back to you, with some of the most incredible music backing him. . . Shit. (If you know, you fucking know.)

“I hope you don’t mind. I skipped past the first few,” he’d said as he came back to you, falling to his knees beside you. So near to you and ready to resume sex with you. There'd been no constraints. No girlfriends. No ugly voice in the back of your head telling you how terrible you were for him. Things were still perfect.

You’d smiled up at him. “Perfectly fine. This is the best song on the entire record anyway.”

“I think so, too,” he said, eyes lifting with a grin.

God. You felt tears climbing your throat, right next to Josh, as you thought of his sweet face. The smile on his lips that could have cured every single piece of trauma ever. . . If you would have let it. He was so goddamn perfect. And you were. . . well. . . you.

Then, he’d come back to you. Laid on his back for you as you angled your body to straddle him, sinking onto him.

The look on his face when you fucked him was one of your favorite sights. He’d always watched you so closely. . .whether it be your face, your breasts, your ass, or your center that wrapped around him, so tight. He’d scrunch his brows and let his mouth open a bit with certain movements of your hips, and bite his lip at other times. . .

But, in moments like this one, with one hand holding your face while the other gripped your hip, a small, close-mouthed smile on his soft, plush lips. . . His emotion-filled eyes, boring into yours . . .

Your world had always tipped slightly on its axis when he’d do shit like that. Moments like the one from many mornings ago. . . Those moments had never failed to make a whole lot of gray in what should have been a strictly black and white situation.

And, as you’d listened to the soulful voice flowing quietly from the record player, your thoughts drifted further. . .

When my soul was in the lost and found,

You came along to claim it.

I didn't know just what was wrong with me,

Till your kiss helped me name it.

The song had perfectly summed up how you felt about this man. The same man who had once been the bane of your existence, was now a light on your darkest days.

And, in the present time. . . the father of your baby. Fuck.

As you’d glanced down to watch him, his hips had begun to move on their own – never failing to make you feel complete and right. . . You truly couldn’t imagine your life without him.

Having him around made you feel . . . whole. Without even knowing or trying, he’d helped you find missing pieces to your puzzle. Found hidden pieces of your soul that you hadn’t seen in a long time. Some good pieces. Some bad pieces. But all necessary pieces of you. Pieces you’d forgotten even existed. And by simply being near you, he made you feel authentic in a way you’d never felt with another man.

As you’d continued riding him, you had leaned down on your forearms to get close to his face. His handsome, handsome face. You’d given him a long kiss. A kiss that you’d hoped, then, was able to say thank you. . . Because, truly, you were so grateful for him.

But when you’d separated your lips from his and pressed your perspired forehead to his own, you’d found the deep pools of his eyes that held so much of your world in them. And you’d known then that you had to say the words out loud.

“Thank you,” you’d whispered, hoping he’d understand as new tears had clouded your vision. Your hips were moving languidly at the perfect pace, matching the slow rocking of his hips. You’d been holding onto him, keeping rhythm with the beautiful, now-special song.

He’d held your gaze for more than a few moments, a secret smile forming in his eyes as he spoke. “Thank you.”

You’d studied him seriously, the feeling in his eyes seeming to match the longing in your heart. Both of you had stayed there for a minute, taking the other in.

You’d kissed him once more. And, rather than continuing the conversation, you’d focused on finding a release for you both.

That hadn’t even been “You’re All I Need To Get By”. . . Not yet. No, that song, that blissful melody from your memory, was “You Make Me Feel (Like A Natural Woman)”. . . And that he did – he made you feel like the melodies of that song. Always would. He was every lyric of that song, sealed forever in your heart that way.

But the next song. . . When you’d fallen apart on top of him. And him, just barely pulling out in time, to finish onto your tummy. . . All while the song had been surrounding you, enveloping your senses. . .

“Y/n!” Josh’s voice called to you from the current moment, his fingers making you jump a bit, your eyes hurriedly blinking open as he continued to snap in front of your face. “Earth to y/n!”

Fuck. How were you going to explain getting lost like that? Thankfully, your eyes had been closed almost the entire time. You could just say you’d been sleeping.

“I was just sleeping, Josh,” you lamely explained, looking to your right, hoping you were already at the cafe.

And, for once, fate had worked in your favor, as he’d just parallel parked at Jungle Juice. Perfect timing. Avoid avoid avoid.

You hadn’t missed the curious look in his eye after your barely-there explanation or the way he’d opened his mouth to begin to question you. But as soon as he’d parked, you were hopping out of that Jetta.

-🌼🌼🌼-

You were just sitting down, pomegranate smoothie in hand, at a table inside. Josh was still at the counter, you having instantly put distance between the two of you. As you sat, your mind briefly drifted to the mundane task of taking a seat. You noticed how much easier than normal it was to simply sit comfortably, thanks to the yoga.

Soon, Josh was sitting down across from you. And, after he took one tiny drink of his smoothie, he pushed it ahead of him with a huff. His fluffy mess of curls flowed around his head with the noise.

There should’ve been no surprise when he didn’t drop what you'd started in the car. His ass had practically just touched his booth bench when he was asking you. “What the fuck is it with those songs?”

“What?” You crinkled your brow at that. He hadn’t ever been around before for you to skip past those songs. For all he knew, you’d literally fallen asleep after the relaxing yoga class. “Just didn’t feel like hearing them today. And I got tire–.”

“Jake gets weird when they come on, too. . .,” he interrupted with a raised brow, trailing off as if lost in thought while addressing you. “Specifically “You’re All I Need”,” he mumbled, sort of to himself as he looked down at the table. Then his eyes flashed back to yours. “And, no. You were not sleeping. Faker.”

Damn. Yeah, there was no explaining your way out of this one. Were you really going to have to be honest with him? It did not feel like the time – for more reasons than one. But you decided you’d say what you could. . . Maybe you could make him uncomfortable enough to move on. . .

“Jake and I just had some incredible sex to those songs,” you began, eyes not once leaving his. He held firm, even after that blatant statement. Okay. Second try. But you had to look down for this part, too embarrassed to look at Josh as you said it. “Got really close to making the baby that morning rather than the night we got high. He pulled out just in time to aim it on my bell–.”

“Noooo thanks,” the curly-headed twin stopped you, holding up a hand with his lips turned down. “That’s enough. Truly. Thank you, I now know what I need to know.”

You raised a brow, a tiny smirk on your lips as a laugh squeaked past your lips. “Joshua. You didn’t need to know any of that.”

“Well. . . maybe you’re right,” he surmised with another small sip from his green drink.

“I usually am,” you answered, relieved that he’d gotten all he wanted – no, needed – to know. “So, how are things going with–?” “Also, you are not ‘usually right’, my dear,” he corrected you, air quotes and all. His nose twitched with his own grin as he watched you narrow your eyes in his direction. “I can tell you that right now. Your little speech from last night. . . You and Jake both. Fuck,” he snorted before taking another drink. He covered his mouth with a silent laugh before smoothing the hand down the side of his face. “Both of you are the worst liars to ever live.”

The breath you should’ve been breathing got stuck in your lungs. Where was he going with this? This had the potential to be an extremely embarrassing and awkward conversation you weren’t in the headspace to have. “What are you talking about, Josh?”

“You and my twin, claiming you were ‘nothing’,” he began, lips quirked with a close-lipped grin and the air quotes coming out to play again with the word you’d both used to describe your situationship. “That all your relationship was was one night of meaningless sex that resulted in my niece or nephew.”

Niece, you silently added. You suddenly wanted to tell him really badly. But you would let Jake do that. Made a note to tell him he could do that whenever he was ready.

“I just find it funny,” he finished, his mouth still curved into a smirk. “I’m pretty sure we all knew that you were lying out of your asses. Well. . . except for that Theo guy. He’s kind of a moron.”

How did you even respond to this? Did you lie? Confide? Half-heartedly agree? Completely avoid it and tell him you didn’t want to discuss it? Fuck if you knew.

So, you just began talking.

“How are you so confident in this assumption that we were lying about it being nothing?” You quizzed him, taking a drink to hide a little. “You didn’t even know that we were doing it while we were doing it. Did you ever stop to think that maybe you didn’t know because it was nothing more than sex?”

“Oh, y/n. How in the world can you begin to question my empathic tendencies? You know I’d sensed the difference in Jake,” he reminded you, noting back to your day of the first OB appointment. “And, the more I thought back on it, I remember there being a rise in your spirits during the summertime as well. . . Only towards the end of it did you get all mopey. When, I can only assume, you started doubting yourself and Jacob. Enough so that Jake wanted to host a night to raise your spirits. . .,” he trailed off, taking another drink before tapping a finger to his chin, sitting the cup on the table.

“But, yes. You were nothing, mhm,” he continued with a sardonic nod, closing his eyes briefly with a mischievous grin before he was looking at you again. “You both were noticeably different – good different. And he noticed every shift in your mood. . . You got emotional way back on the day of that first ultrasound when I brought up his relationship with Maya. . . Um, what else? Oh! The motherfucker takes you to therapy! Of course he does, because you feel safe with him. Big fucking deal, by the way. And, yes, I know all of this, y/n – I’m watchful. Don’t you argue that fact with me,” he pointed at you with a raised brow and a slight smile. “. . .But. You were nothing. Okay.”

Well. “I–.”

“And then last night,” Josh giggled, taking a sip of his smoothie before placing his hands on the table in excitement. “Jake had his hands up your shorts, touching you. . . like that in front of everyone–.”

“It was a card he was playing, Jo–.”

“. . .Whispering in your ear, your fuckin’ body reacting to it. His bodily reaction to it – I mean, with an unfortunate glance downwards, anyone was privy to that situation in his pants,” he outwardly cringed, lips turned down as he shook his head at the thought. He’d been that noticeably hard? Fuck. “And then, going to the bathroom to relieve himself with everyone in the living room!” Josh couldn’t stop his wail of a laugh at the end of the last line, attracting multiple eyes from fellow customers at the sound.

“Josh, be quiet–,” you tried to intervene, once again getting stopped with his rambling.

“Well, not everyone, per se. I wish Elsie could have experienced that shit,” he shook his head again, but this time with a laugh as if remembering a fond memory. “She would have gotten a kick out of the free porn!”

Free PORN?! Josh.

“Joshua!” You were stunned, his voice still a higher decibel than it should have been for a proper establishment like Jungle Juice. Voice hushed, you leaned towards him. “Please quiet the fuck down.”

He observed your expression, still cackling. But soon, it calmed down. Calmed down enough to where he was still letting out little huffs of laughter, but his eyes bulged a bit. He seemed to remember at that very moment that it wasn’t just the two of you. Face set straighter than before, he turned, looking around to hastily address the people near you with an apology.

Meanwhile, your cheeks were positively burning at everything he’d said. How in the hell did you even begin to address that shit? And why was it always on you and never Jake?

When he was facing you again, you decided to try that line. Just to gain your bearings. “Are you going to quiz Jake like this? Or is it only the emotional pregnant lady who’s getting the heat?”

“Oh, he got it first. I actually crashed his and Maya’s morning this morning,” he replied, waving it off. Your stomach dropped at the thought of them in bed together, like you knew it shouldn’t. “Well. . . if I can even phrase it as such. Maya was getting completely ignored by him. He’d separated himself as much as possible from her, his body was practically pushed against the wall. I know she noticed how far detached he was, though. . . She was looking his way when I barged in, a sad look on her face and everything. Poor thing. Didn’t take much for me to make her leave.”

The way you snorted at that was unstoppable. He what? “Josh! You made her leave?”

“Well, again – if I can even phrase it like that,” he shrugged, one hand waving nonchalantly in the air with a roll of his eyes. “Like I said, she was already awake when I went in. I think she’d just woken up to notice he’d pulled totally away from her,” he grit his teeth, baring them with a hiss as he shook his head. “So it didn’t take much more than me asking if I could please talk to my brother for her to leave. She was already kind of pissy, so she readily agreed. I’m sure she thought I was going to confront him about blatantly cheating on her in front of us all.”

Blatantly cheating. Harsh words. True words. You felt guilty at them. Because, yes, you’d completely joined in on Jake’s antics – helped him be unfaithful to her. To be fair, you couldn’t have stopped yourself if you tried. . . Hence your new determination to be nothing more than a friend.

As much as it sucked.

“Did you? Confront him?” Was all you could croak out.

“I did confront him about it, yes,” he nodded assuredly, his tone stern. Damn. Was he actually super pissed? Why had he been all giggly if he was so angry?

So, you started apologizing. You felt really bad and you didn’t know what else to do.

“I’m sorry, Josh. I don’t know what came over me. I just couldn’t–.”

“Help yourself?”

You blinked with a nervous gulp. “Yes. I couldn’t help myself.”

“Well, of course not,” he replied, intonation light once again. You blinked again, this time in shock at the change in attitude. He continued before you could question it. “He couldn’t either, it seemed. There was no other reason for him to act so rashly in front of all of us.”

It was silent for a few seconds, your brain blanking on what to even respond to that. You were curious what he’d said to Jake. What Jake had responded. But you were scared to ask – didn’t want to make even more of an ass out of yourself by prying.

Thankfully, Josh kept on before you could consider it any longer. “So, I told him this morning,” Yes! He was going to divulge. You tried not to look too interested. He cleared his throat, his eyes finding yours seriously, your stomach dropping at what he could have said. “I told him that if he’s going to do that shit, he needs to keep it out of Maya’s sight. Because, while I don’t condone cheating, I do condone my brother being happy. And hopefully, she’ll be out of the picture soon anyway, so the cheating won’t even have to be a thought. Keeping it out of her sight and all - won’t be an issue.”

Stunned. You were stunned. What the fuck?! Josh had told him what?!

You couldn’t stop staring at him. Your eyes, wide and expression shocked. The way your mouth hung open would have been more embarrassing had you been more aware of how much it gaped. But before you could give it much more thought, you were talking without thinking.

“Excuse me?” You responded, rather loudly, you must say. "You told him what?!"

“Y/n!” Josh laughed, eyes bugged, pointing towards you before waving his hands theatrically around the restaurant. “‘Please quiet the fuck down.’”

-🌼🌼🌼-

a/n: I, personally, value Josh's opinions on the matter...... what about you? ;)

also. free porn. l m a o.

Taglist:

@jakekiszkapunchmeintheface, @jaketlover, @ohgodthefeeling-gvf, @starcatcher-jake, @anythingforjtk, @lucimoo, @indigostreakmorgan, @gretavanbear, @katelynn-gvf, @alwaysonthemend

@aintthatapity, @bowievanfleet, @fwzco, @takenbythemadness, @cherry-icecreamsmile, @laneygvf @hi-hi-hello11, @sinarainbows, @jakesbarbarian, @mybussyinchrist, @becinabubblegvf, @heckingfrick, @danigvf, @pinkandsleepy1934, @derrangeddumpsterfire, @klarxtr, @josh-iamyour-mama, @abby-gvf, @cassyface, @gretavansabotage, @sacredtheslay, @alienobsever, @hollyco, @age0fwagner, @raceb14, @stardustcatcher, @styles-canvas, @ladywhimsymoon, @earthgrlsreasy, @peaceloveunitygvf

@torniturntomyarrow, @joshsbonnet, @llrosee, @starshine-gvf, @itsafullmoon, @gvfmarge, @creadliz98, @mackalah, @lek-gvf, @carlyfleet, @profitofthedune, @mefiorini, @welllauragvf, @highway-tuna, @dont-go-home-without-me @sarah-gvf01, @polemicandcontent, @ageofbajabule, @texas-bbq-pringles

#you guys (gn).....#just you wait ;)#see you soooooon !!!!!#covet #sneak peek #oh also #the shower scene..... hope you're looking forward to it....#but-#it is definitely /different/ than the initial sneak peek you got of it.... :o

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spork-supremacy · 3 months ago

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Animal symbols

So I started deeply thinking about the meaning of each animal everyone gets as a representation and came up with all this.

Octopus: Amazing at adaptation due to its camouflage ability, suits Jay’s ability to blend into any environment and find a way to gain companions as he adapts, (for reference see: the one time he gained a cult-like fanclub, the ninja reserve team, joining the administration and somehow becoming middle management.) It also demonstrates how his true potential lied in understanding that he didn’t need to change himself because he was okay the way he was. While he is good at adaptation, at his core he is always going to be himself, like how even though an octopus can change colour and patterns, they can never change their shape.

For funsies we can also have the fact that octopi have eight limbs and take it as a representation for how Jay also has probably the most extensive list of hobbies and weapon mastery out of the entire team from what we have been shown. Jack of all trades, master of none.

Bird: The original phoenix design represented the rebirth and the continuous change of identity that Nya goes through as a character as she tries to be able to define herself, first just being Kai’s sister, to Samurai X, and then finally the water ninja. The change to water in the bird was obviously because of the element she gained, but it could also display her freedom and discovery of new identity, shedding the fire that came from her brother and becoming her own person. Like the phoenix the original bird died and reincarnated into something new as her true potential was reached through embracing of her power and new role.

Lion: fierce, often treated as a leader and protector, lions are often posed as a main character or authority figure in a story, as well as a creature with a considerable temper, and dubbed ‘The king of the jungle’ (despite mostly living in the savannah but I digress). This can refer the Kai’s need to be the protector/big brother figure of the group by wanting to take the mantel of the green ninja, the best of the best, the leader, until his eventual realisation that his true potential lies in being the guard to the green ninja and teach Lloyd as he grows and learns.

Wolf: pack animals loyal to their family, this is the first association when thinking about the behaviour of a wolf, their loyalty and dedication. This can be heavily reflected in Zane once, alone as he wandered around Ninjago aimlessly, dare I say as a lone wolf, before finding his family with the ninja. His true potential was reached once he was able to find his purpose, that he was built to protect those who could not protect themselves, but most importantly that came when he needed to protect his family. Like a wolf Zane is loyal to those he cares about and will do anything to ensure their safety, even if that means dying at least three times.

Gorilla: strong, protective, and courageous, these are the most prominent traits we can find in this animal. Of course Cole has all these traits, he possesses a super strength like no other, he is heavily protective of his friends, and he is one to never backdown from a fight. Most importantly his true potential was reached through gaining his courage and the ability to confront his problems, having the courage to tell his father he’s a ninja and wants to forge his own future not the one forced onto him. While it does take him until at least Master of the Mountain to be able to stop running away completely, in that moment he had all the courage he needed. Like the gorilla he is sturdy and courageous, able to get through anything.

Snake: The snake in the original green ninja gi calls back to how Lloyd was originally aligned with the serpentine, what we can also see it that the snake was an ouroboros. An ouroboros represents the completion of a cycle, or the concept of infinity, which can relate to Lloyd eventually gaining the golden power and fulfilling the prophecy of the green ninja. It can also represent the completion of the mission to restore and maintain balance throughout Ninjago through the defeat of the Overlord, as just another part of an infinite cycle of duty held by all members of the FSM’s family at some point in their lives. That fulfilment of his part of the cycle was what unlocked his true potential as he was able to achieve the ultimate power. Other than that Lloyd isn’t anything much like a snake which might be partially why his symbol was changed to that of a dragon.

Dragon: Often seen as the mightiest of mythical beings, in the context of Ninjago it also represents some of the oldest beings in the existence of the 16 realms. The dragon can also refer to his heritage as he is at least a quarter dragon. The dragon also best displays how mythical the power of green can be perceived as, it’s not a straightforward thing, either energy, power, personally I think it’s about general life force energy. Like a dragon compared to regular animals, Lloyd is powerful and a being above regular creatures, not completely something different but definitely not a normal human or elemental master for that matter.

Conclusion: Half the team is just about protection and I’m definitely over thinking everything as this was supposed to be just a few lines, not 900 words.

#ninjago #jay walker #ninjago jay #nya smith #kai smith #kai ninjago #zane ninjago #zane julien #cole brookstone #ninjago cole #lloyd garmadon #i can explain #spork rambilng

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whereianonymouslypostfics · 1 year ago

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Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x reader

Word count: ~5.1k

Summary: Little Nat goes to a birthday party

A/N: More inspired by ideas from @rianncreates

Warnings: fluff, slight angst, creeps, and cuteness

This was your nightmare. Honestly the idea of having near 2 dozen kids running around makes you more anxious than you ever would have imagined. Between keeping them from leaving your sight, and making sure no one fell off the jungle gym you didn’t get a moment to relax as you supervised your daughter’s friend’s birthday party.

This is one of the first events you’ve gone to like this and you are realizing quickly that you definitely don't give Wanda enough credit. She loved these types of things, and watching her now was truly an experience. She was somehow the social butterfly between the two of you. She wandered from table to table and talked to parents, kids, and their friends with a smile on her face and an energy that you couldn’t even attempt to muster at this point.

You’re out of your element and it feels painfully obvious as you sit off by yourself. Well, you have your dogs with you. You’d brought them because you had no idea how long this would last, and you hadn’t wanted to worry about them. They loved to get out anyway and after exploring the playground and getting their fill of scratches from the kids, they’d come to sit beside you. You’re considering getting up and making the rounds with Wanda when someone sits beside you with a loud sigh.

“Hanging in there?”

You turn to see Pietro shooting you a knowing look that you just laugh at. He doesn't like these things either, but he can wander off without getting judged. If you did that you'd be a neglectful mother, so you're sitting nearby-ish as you take a breather.

“This is exhausting. I don't know how Wanda does it.”

Pietro glances toward his sister who's smiling as she talks to one of the dads that has at least three kids of his own here. He’s not sure how his sister went from mobster to stay at home mom so seamlessly but it was never something he imagined for her. He was glad that she seemed happy, and he honestly could use some of her energy. He reaches down to scratch Boone’s head with a smile. The dogs have been very good during this whole thing. He’d been afraid that they’d be overwhelmed by the near thirty children here, but they were actually pretty chill. They mostly looked around and kept an eye on Natalya, but she was having fun with her friends and was being watched by more than enough people.

“She’s an impressive one, my sister.”

You smile at the thought and you hum in agreement as your gaze falls to your wife again. She really is spectacular and as you watch her laugh at something the birthday kid’s dad says you feel yourself sigh wistfully.

“She’s amazing, for sure.”

Pietro turns to you with a pinched expression when he realizes you’re practically drooling over his sister. He rolls his eyes before slapping you on the back to startle you out of your daydreaming. You flinch and turn to glare at him as he pretends to be annoyed.

“Hey, that’s my sister you’re drooling over.”

You roll your eyes before slapping your brother-in-law’s hand away. You shake your head before meeting your wife’s gaze briefly before she returns her attention to the host. You briefly wonder how much they spent on this party for their son who’s 4 and won’t remember it. They even hired caterers that are still milling about to make sure that there’s enough food to go around. At this point it’s mostly the parents eating as the kids run around and play on the playground or in the large field that hosts various games.

You hope that Natalya won’t want a party like this. Despite having the money to throw one, logistically it sounds like a nightmare, and you aren’t sure how many more of these you can sit through.

“I’m not drooling. She does look beautiful in that dress though; don’t you think Piet?”

You’re teasing him now because despite agreeing that his sister is pretty, he finds it a little awkward to talk with you about her looks. You know this and you’re just giving him a hard time because it’s what you two do. You take his lack of response as answer enough and you sigh before checking on your daughter again. She’s strayed away from her friend group to play with one of the other dogs roaming around here. You turn back to Pietro to see that he’s spaced out, and you sigh before getting to your feet.

“I’m going to make the rounds. Want to come?”

Pietro unsurprisingly shakes his head and you just leave him to sit and mull as you wave your dogs along. You’re not going to walk around alone, and you’re grateful that they both stand and follow after you obediently.

“Good boys.”

“Thank you.”

You roll your eyes and don’t even bother to respond to Pietro as you decide to get your wife something to eat. She’s been milling around for so long, and you’re not sure if she even ate, so you take a detour to the ridiculously large buffet with a smile. You make her a plate and grab her something to drink before you glance around for your daughter again. She’s wandering farther away and you frown and decide you don’t like this. You turn to Boone before pointing toward Natalya and waving your dog off.

“Go get her, Boone.”

You should do it yourself, but you’re lazy and you’ll check on her as soon as you stop by Wanda to make sure she’s not going to pass out. It’s way too hot for an outdoor party, in your opinion at least, but you’ll worry about that later. You walk up behind your wife and smile as you hear her laughing as she continues to chat. You check behind you and frown when you realize your other dog abandoned you, but since he’s going after his brother, you’re going to let it go.

“Hey there, Wands.”

Wanda’s exhausted. She underestimated how tiring such a large birthday party would be. She’s playing the part of a host despite not being one, but she’d wanted to get to know the parents of her daughter’s classmates in a setting that wasn’t run by the school. She’d learned a lot, but mostly she’s exhausted herself after nearly an hour of chitchatting. She’s beyond grateful to hear your voice behind her, and as soon as she realizes you’ve brought her food, she could just kiss you.

“Hi detka. Come sit.”

You set the plate and cup in front of your wife, and you’re about to sit down but you remember that you were going to check on Natalya. She would do anything to pet a dog and you have to make sure she doesn’t go too far. She was still in sight when you sent Boone after her, but you had to go make sure she didn’t stray any further. You kiss your wife’s cheek before you point over your shoulder and explain why you’re not taking her up on her very appealing offer.

“I will in a minute, I have to go wrangle Little Nat first. She’s over there.”

Wanda turns to where you’re pointing, but she doesn’t see her daughter anywhere. She’s frowning by the time she looks back to you and your smile turns down too when Wanda shakes her head.

“Where is she? I don’t see her.”

Natalya was getting tired of playing and she could use a second serving of cake. She had planned on doing this immediately after leaving her friends, but she spotted a new dog that she hadn’t pet yet and she couldn’t resist the urge to follow it. It was a small scruffy dog with a purple collar, and she followed him closely as he headed away from the party and toward the parking lot.

“Come here, doggy.”

Natalya reaches out and is just short of the dog so she starts to walk faster. She doesn’t even realize she’s getting too far away from everyone else until she follows the dog behind some trees. She stops short and turns around only to realize she can’t see her parents or uncle anymore. Her moms had told her before coming here that she needed to stay in sight at all times. She could only talk to the other kids at the party and their parents, but no one else at the park. She’s reminded of this last rule as she sees a man dressed in black and white waiting for his dog with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He holds out his arms and Natalya just stands where she is as she debates heading back.

“Hello there. Do you want to say hi?”

Natalya is conflicted. She’s not supposed to talk to strangers, but her moms never said anything about petting their dogs. She nods meekly before she steps forward so she’s in the shade and closer to the cute dog who’s panting from his run over here.

“Yes please.”

The man smiles before he drops the still smoking cigarette and stomps it out before pointing at his dog. He watches the brunette take a couple of tentative steps forward.

“Go ahead, he’s very sweet.”

Natalya reaches out a hand to pet the dog’s head, and she smiles as he licks her in return. She’s about to ask what his name is, but his owner catches her off guard as he grabs her around her waist and picks her up. She doesn’t get a chance to protest before he’s covering her mouth and hurrying off toward the parking lot.

You’re speed walking toward where you’d last seen your daughter with Wanda and Pietro on your heels. You are only a little worried when you walk past the field and toward the parking lot without seeing her. You don’t even see your dogs as you mutter under your breath anxiously.

“She was just here, I swear.”

Wanda’s response is cut off as she hears shouting nearby from beyond the trees near the path that leads back to their car. She frowns when she realizes that they’re screaming in pain and only a second later she notices that it’s nearly drowning out the sound of growling. You and Pietro run toward the sounds and as you get closer you recognize your dogs and run faster.

“Hey!”

The sight that greets you is a lot to process, but you don’t hesitate to run forward to stop Pietro from committing murder. Your two dogs have latched onto the legs of a man in a caterer’s uniform who’s holding something under his arm. It takes a second for you to realize it’s a person, and then only a millisecond longer to realize it’s your daughter. You ignore the small barking terrier as you call off your dogs as the man finally drops Natalya. She falls hard on the ground and you rush to grab her just as Pietro tackles her attempted kidnapper.

“You fucker!”

“Pietro!”

Wanda’s shocked to see someone with her daughter in their arms, and it takes her a second to realize that they’d been trying to run off with her. She had feared something like this would happen for only the first few years of Natalya’s life. However, every scenario that she’d imagined hadn’t included a birthday party. She supposes that was shortsighted on her part. She watches for only a second before she’s running forward to check on her daughter that you’re helping off the ground. She’s got dirt on her face, but otherwise she looks unharmed.

“Natalya!”

“Little Nat, are you alright? Did he hurt you?”

You’re frantic as you check over your daughter to make sure she’s not injured. Luckily you only notice a small scrape on her knee from the fall, but otherwise she appears unharmed. You ignore your brother-in-law as he beats up the man who had snuck into the party and lured your daughter away. Your anger makes you want to kick the man while he’s down and already bloodied by the older Maximoff, but you decide to focus on your daughter.

“Pietro, stop!”

Wanda gathers Natalya in her arms while you try to calm down your dogs. They’re still barking and snarling at the brunette that they’d intercepted, and they’re too on edge to listen to you. You see that Wanda has her phone out and she’s hopefully calling the police so you focus on Pietro. He’s understandably pissed, but you can’t let him kill the guy before you find out what he was doing. Rather if he was doing it of his own volition. You hadn’t heard anything about your wife’s work for years. Since she’s been retired, you’d never had problems, and you hope as horrible as it sounds, that this is just a run of the mill creep instead of a mobster creep.

“Who the hell are you?! What did you want with my niece?”

Pietro’s breathing heavily as he stares down at brunette who’s barely fighting back. He realizes quickly that this person probably isn’t anyone’s hired help. He’s too soft and the thought that he’s working alone is as comforting as it is disgusting. Pietro grabs the collar of his bloodied shirt, and he’s about to slam him on the ground again when he hears new voices.

Apparently, the dogs had attracted the attention of some of the other parents and they’d wanted to make sure that no one was hurt. Wanda noticed them first, but you’re the one who talked to them about the confusing, disturbing scene in front of them. Pietro reluctantly let the brunette up and he just held him tightly as he waited for the sirens to get closer.

Once he was in custody and everyone involved had been questioned, you decided it was time to leave. You look to your daughter who’s sleeping in her uncle’s arms, before turning toward your dogs. They were still a little wired, but they’d calmed down as soon as the cops showed up. You were grateful that you’d sent Boone after Nat and that they’d both protected their sister, but you’re feeling guilty about not going to get your daughter yourself. She would never have gotten that far if you had just gone after her, and you’re kicking yourself for what almost happened.

“Stop it.”

You turn in confusion at the sound of your wife’s voice, but when you see her knowing look you just turn away with a scowl. She’s not mad at you because there’s no way you could have known what was going to happen. Nat was still in sight when you saw her, and you sent Boone after her with the intention of finding her right after. She’s sure she would have done the same thing. She’s just lucky that the dogs had saved Natalya, and that her brother had beaten him up for all of them. She reaches out for your arm as you shake your head.

“I shouldn’t have left her alone. I’m so stupid.”

Wanda grabs your chin to turn you towards her, and you’re met with a stern look that you know isn’t something you should argue with.

“Stop it, Y/n. This isn’t your fault. You were going to check on her, and in the meantime, you made sure she was taken care of.”

Wanda takes a moment to look at the two dogs that might still have blood on their faces. She didn’t worry about that now as she knelt down to pet the duo with a wide smile. They had been loyal companions for years, and Wanda had always hoped that if a day like this came around, they would step up and protect their own. She couldn’t be prouder of them and she kisses both of their furry heads in thanks.

“Such good boys. You’re getting steak tonight.”

You guess that Wanda’s right. You hadn’t predicted that you’d face this threat today, but you’re glad that you were more prepared than you thought. Well, it was less you and more your dogs and your brother-in-law being able to thwart the low life who tried to steal your daughter. With any luck, something like this won’t happen ever again, but you can at least take comfort in the fact that your daughter has her own guard dogs.

“They definitely are.”

When the trio got home after the party everything seemed normal. They had dinner after spending some time on the couch watching one of Natalya’s favorite shows. Nat nearly fell asleep at the table after the tiring and stressful time at the party, so you picked her up to take her upstairs to bed. You’re distracted by tiny hands pulling on your hair as you walk through your daughter’s bedroom door. You frown when she whines quietly before speaking barely loudly enough for you to hear.

“I want to sleep with you and Mama.”

You aren’t really surprised to hear this, but you and Wanda still need to talk and figure out what you’re going to do about what happened this afternoon. The police had their own investigation going of course, but you knew your wife well, and you would be foolish to think that she wasn’t going to look into it herself. You decide to try and compromise and you figure you can stay here with Nat until she falls asleep and then go catch up with your wife.

“How about I stay with you instead?”

Natalya frowns but she nods and lets you get her ready for bed. After she brushes her teeth and changes clothes, you tuck her in and grab a book from her shelf beside the bed. You smile as you ask your daughter if she wants you to read this tonight, and after grabbing Winston and holding him tight, she nods wordlessly.

Wanda’s still downstairs trying to talk her brother down when you finish reading to Natalya. You leave her once you realize she’s fast asleep, and you head back downstairs to find your wife growing frustrated as she finishes her drink. She’d had a glass of wine at dinner, so this must be her second but you don’t pay much attention to that right now.

“I know Pietro, and I appreciate it, but we’ll figure something else out. I’m not going to blow our cover on this. He was probably just a lone creep.”

You had come to the same conclusion, but you just sigh in defeat as you go straight for the fridge for another drink too. You choose to grab a beer and are almost half done with it by the time Wanda hangs up with her brother. She takes a deep breath before turning toward you with a small smile. She’s tired and stressed, but she’s sure you are too so she takes a minute to check in with you.

“Natalya’s asleep?”

You nod in confirmation before setting down your beer as Wanda reaches out for you with a tired look. You hold her close before glancing over her shoulder at your two dogs that are resting in their giant dog bed in the corner. All of the kids seem to be down for the night, so you decide that you’ll go to sleep soon too. This had been a stressful experience and you could feel yourself crashing at the very thought of your pillow.

“She is. How’s Pietro?”

Wanda shrugs before muttering something into your hair about how he’s being an overprotective uncle, but he should calm down soon. You listen to Wanda’s plan before you lead her toward the stairs once you both finish your drinks and set them in the sink. Wanda squeezes your hand as she shuts the door behind her and keeps you from collapsing immediately.

“How are you feeling, detka?”

You sigh before you shake your head and admit that you’re still a little upset. This is understandable and Wanda’s certainly not happy either. She’s terrified and still shocked that you both could have lost your daughter today. If you’d been even 30 seconds later, or you hadn’t sent Boone after Natalya, she could have been taken. Wanda shivers at the thought but she focuses back on you when you finally respond as you lead her to the bed. You feel like you’re going to collapse if you don’t sit down right now.

“Still reeling. I can’t believe this happened.”

Wanda nods in agreement as she leans against you as soon as you’re both sitting on the edge of the bed. She wraps an arm around your waist before she hums in contemplation. She had thought that something like this would happen a lot earlier in Natalya’s life, but she wasn’t going to mention that now. Instead, she focuses on you and the fact that your daughter is sleeping safely in her bedroom.

“Me neither, but we’ll figure out what happened, and the important thing is that she’s safe.”

You can’t argue with this or the fact that you’re relieved to have your daughter safe and sound back at home. You offer your wife a small smile before kissing her cheek and taking a deep breath.

“You’re right, Wands. As usual.”

Her response is an amused smile and you just follow her wordlessly as she leads you to the bathroom.

You’re asleep almost before your head hits the pillow, but you unfortunately don’t stay asleep. You manage a few hours before something wakes you up with a start. You frown in confusion and wait to see if whatever woke you up happens again, but no luck. It’s quiet and you turn to your left to see that Wanda’s sleeping soundly. You sigh before you close your eyes and try to go back to sleep. You don’t know what woke you, but now that you’re up, you’re tense and finding it hard to fall back asleep.

Your mind wanders to the events of yesterday’s party, and you know despite how everything worked out that you won’t be letting your daughter out of your sight for a while. Whenever she leaves the house, she’ll either have you or Wanda within arm’s reach. This thought makes you want to check on Natalya, and you sneak out of bed only a couple of minutes later to see if your daughter is still sleeping peacefully.

You quietly walk down the hall before pushing the door to Natalya’s room open slowly. You see Winston is on the ground and you’re about to grab him and put him back in bed with your daughter when you realize she isn’t there. The sheets are in disarray and her pillow’s almost on the floor, but Natalya’s not anywhere in sight. You try not to panic, but you’re already looking around the room before you get on your knees to look under the bed.

“Natalya? Little Nat, where are you?”

Once you start tearing through the closet you truly start to panic. You stand up and nearly trip over the various shoes and clothes you’ve thrown around on your way to the door. You stop in the doorway when you run into a confused and slightly miffed Wanda. She’d just woken up to sounds coming from her daughter’s room, and given how on edge she was she didn’t hesitate to get up and investigate. When she realized you weren’t in bed, she quickly ran down the hall only for you to almost barrel her over.

“Y/n? What’s wrong? What’s-?”

You shake your head as you grab your wife’s shoulders to steady both of you. You’re starting to walk past her as you speak up in a jumble of words that you hope make sense. You plan on looking around in the other bedrooms before running back to your room to call the police.

“Nat’s not in her bed, Wands.”

Wanda’s eyes widen in surprise before she glances in her daughter’s room to confirm this. She curses under her breath before she runs back to the bedroom to grab her phone. She’s not sure if you even hear her since you��ve run to the next room to check for Natalya.

“I’ll call Piet.”

You see quickly that both of the bedrooms are untouched and after checking the closets, you’re sweating you’re so anxious. You don’t bother to shut the doors as you run back down the hall and look for your wife. She’s still on the phone with her brother and you hear her speaking frantically in her native language. You don’t know what she’s saying, but you hear Pietro’s equally frantic voice as you check to make sure that the security system is still armed. There’s nothing amiss and you start to tremble from the lack of leads and the idea of someone sneaking in here. You force yourself to take a deep breath as you look around frantically, and the sound of Wanda’s increasingly anxious voice fades into the background as you lay eyes on your dogs. They’re still lying in their bed, but they’re awake as they watch you and Wanda panic. You find this odd because usually they’d be all over you and any activity that’s happening. Instead, they’re curled up next to each other in bed with-

“Wanda, she’s here.”

You miss your wife looking over to you and then promptly hanging up after she spots her daughter. She’s sleeping beside her dogs in their oversized bed, and they’re both curled around her protectively with Boone using the brunette’s shoulder as a pillow. You breathe a sigh of relief and almost start crying as you hurry forward to check on your daughter. Rogue’s tail starts to wag and Boone tries to lick you, but you focus on Natalya who’s sleeping soundly despite being covered in dog hair and being squished between the heavy dogs.

“Hey, Little Nat. Wake up.”

You are still trying to calm your breathing when Wanda comes up next to you and kneels by your side. She reaches out for Rogue to scratch him as she waits for Nat to sit up. She grumbles slightly but she sits up and rubs at her eyes with a frown at the sight of her worried parents.

“Is it morning yet, Mama?”

Wanda shakes her head as you hold your arms out for Natalya, and you smile when she starts to crawl toward you.

“No, milaya. Mom went to go check on you, but you weren’t in bed. What are you doing down here?”

Natalya climbs into your lap before wrapping her tiny arms around your waist with a frown. She tries to hide her face in your stomach, but Wanda reaches out for her because this is important. She wants her daughter to look at her.

“I didn’t want to sleep a-alone, and you said no dogs on the bed.”

Both you and Wanda frown at this but seem to realize what Little Nat’s saying. You hate that this happened, and maybe it’s just yesterday’s events that made you freak out, but you’d let the dogs sleep in Nat’s bed if she wanted them to. It was much better than having a heart attack.

Wanda seems to be on the same page, and she smiles softly at her daughter who’s looking at her shyly. She thinks she’s in trouble, but you hold her tightly and kiss the top of her head which makes her look up curiously.

“Okay, next time if you want company come to us first, okay? I was really worried when I didn’t see you in bed.”

Nat’s lower lip juts out in a pout and she shoots you a guilty look before holding you tighter. You watch Wanda run her fingers through your daughter’s tangled hair before shaking her head. She surprises you by what she says next when Nat apologizes.

“Sorry Mommy.”

Wanda’s just grateful that her heart’s started to beat normally again and she didn’t call anyone but her brother. She’ll apologize for waking him up so early tomorrow.

“It’s okay, but from now on the dogs can sleep on your bed. On top of a blanket though. How does that sound?”

Natalya smiles widely and nods in excitement which makes you feel lighter. You let Natalya go and she hugs Wanda quickly before she starts to bounce excitedly in her lap while looking between her redhead mom and her dogs.

“Okay! Can they sleep there now?”

You can’t help but laugh as you see Wanda regret her decision almost immediately, but you nod quickly as you watch Natalya clumsily get to her feet and near tackle her dogs. Wanda sighs but you can tell from her smile that she’s happy as she watches her daughter throw her arms around Rogue’s neck. The shepherd had been watching lazily and he just lets out a surprised huff when Natalya falls on him. You just stand up before reaching out to help your wife to her feet as Natalya tries to coax her dog out of his bed.

“Rogue! Come on let’s go!”

The shepherd considers ignoring her, you can tell, but eventually he sneezes in her face before climbing to his feet. Natalya leads him upstairs after hugging Boone goodnight. You squeeze Wanda’s hand as you lead her upstairs following in your adorable daughter’s footsteps.

“She’s so cute, Wands.”

Wanda sighs in defeat but she can’t argue with you. As she watches Natalya lead Rogue by the collar to her bedroom while talking to him animatedly, she can’t help but be grateful for her daughter’s excitement at something so simple. She’d give a lot to see her daughter smile, and cleaning up a little extra dog fur didn’t seem like a big deal. You two tuck your daughter and Rogue into bed before leaving her to go back to sleep. You release another heavy sigh as you and Wanda arrive back to your bedroom. She wraps an arm around your shoulders before pressing a kiss to the side of your head with a smile.

“She really is, detka, but she’s going to be the death of us.”

You laugh in response but only nod in agreement as you sink back into the bed with a groan. Wanda smiles at you before cuddling up into your side with a yawn. She closes her eyes and hears you switch off the lights before settling beside her with a tired hum. As you both fall back to sleep for the second time that night, you hope that tomorrow will be calmer.

Little Nat Adventures

#silver springs #silver springs au #silver springs drabble #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff fanfiction #wanda maximoff #natalya maximoff #little nat adventures

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miscfandomgifimagines · 2 years ago

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Random Lyle HCs

These are purely selfish sfw headcanons of my favorite blue boy. I’m not personally really familiar with the Avatar lore so I’m just going off my own imagination on some stuff. Also not sure how I want to go about my smut hc/fic for him so I’m stalling by writing this lol. I’m hoping to have some free time later this week to sit down and write some more, but I can’t make any promises. I’m really torn because all of my writing so far is done with my human oc as the base of my headcanons and I’m not sure if people would read my stuff if I used my oc and not reader inserts. Let me know if you have a preference one way or the other, maybe it’ll help me figure out what to do.

* Lyle is the type of person who would carry around a picture of someone close to him wherever he goes. The specific picture of you that he carries around? It’s a mirror selfie where you and Lyle are standing in front of the mirror flexing your biceps with a huge grin on both of your faces. Every time he looks at the picture he feels comforted. I don’t feel like the other recoms would make fun of pictures like this because everyone has someone special in their life that they would want by their side during rough moments.

* I feel like Lyle would be the type of person who wouldn’t mind reading, maybe not college textbooks or romance novels. But magazines about cars, fitness, guns, or anything similar? Loves them and reading them is one of his favorite low-energy hobbies.

* Lyle actually thinks most of Pandora’s wildlife is pretty cool. Back on Earth a lot of animals had died out so there really wasn’t anything aside from the occasional house pets. (*Not super familiar with the lore of Avatar’s Earth so idk if this is even accurate but just roll with it*) Obviously has a very healthy fear of most of the things crawling around in the jungle but every time he sees a cool lizard or even those monkeys he always stares for a bit. His favorite animal on Pandora? Ikran, his specifically. He thinks they are dope as hell and loves how vibrant the patterns are. Flying is just an added bonus.

* Still dedicated to his mission but finds his mind wandering about other possibilities such as what would happen if they fail again. He’s weirded out by being in an Avatar body the way it is now and the idea that all his memories are on a data stick in someone’s lab somewhere makes him uneasy. He doesn’t want to die but has the sinking feeling that the RDA would keep bringing everyone back as many times as it would take to finish business so to speak.

* Not one to believe in happy endings, especially after everything he’s been through but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a nice change. Your presence through the readjustment period was a godsend and he’s crossing his fingers that you’ll get to keep in touch even as the mission progresses. Sometimes in the morning, he’ll just stare at you in the kitchen while you make yourself breakfast almost like if he moved his eyes from your frame you would disappear. When you catch him staring you make fun of him a little bit. “I’m not going to share if you keep staring like that.” Or “Why don’t you make yourself useful and start washing some of the dishes if you’re just going to sit there ogling.”

* Doesn’t like sharing even with the other recoms, but he makes an exception for Z-Dog simply because she’s the only one he trusts not to break his stuff. Quaritch is usually a no too surprisingly unless it’s necessary for the mission or to maintain a decent relationship. Gets kind of possessive over his stuff just because he hates when people take his stuff and don’t put it back.

* Lyle likes to listen to music when he’s at home base during his downtime. Whether that’s just by himself in his room, out in the common quarters with the gang, or in the science loft with you while you play your own music. I feel like he’d be the type to like mainly rock music personally, but he doesn’t make too much of a fuss about what other people are playing as long as it’s disrupting the quiet. I could totally see him branching out to metal music when he’s in the gym cuz it hypes him up.

* He’s surprisingly decent at braiding his own hair but insists that you do it when he gets out of the shower. He’ll sit on the floor crisscrossed in front of the couch and nestles between your legs, enjoying the warmth that comes from your skin. Sometimes after a stressful day, you spend a little bit of time massaging the back of his neck and the area around his queue gently and he just about melts every time. Also loves it when you sing to him while you comb and braid his hair.

* Sometimes if he doesn’t want your bonding session to end he’ll purposely make it harder for you by moving or swiveling his head around (to your annoyance). “Seriously, sit still! You are such a toddler. You want your shit fixed or what?” You smack him on the side of his head and he lets out a snort. “I thought we agreed to no hitting outside of the bedroom?” You let out a huff and tug his queue a bit. “I never agreed to that, especially not with how annoying you can be.”

* Hates going up into the science loft since the ceilings are shorter than the main level and he smacks his head into the lights and stuff but does it anyway to spend time with you. He’s a pretty selfish person and prefers to have his time with you be just the two of you. He’ll sit on the floor next to your desk and make small talk with you while you work on your projects. When he thinks you’ve been sitting for too long he makes you get up and go down to the kitchen where he’ll make you a snack and have you do some stretching.

* After a long day of you at your desk he loves to go into your room and stretch out (as best he can) on your bed. You like to complain that he messes up your pillows but you really don’t mind it. Lyle likes to pull you onto the bed with him and squishes you against his chest. When it’s just the two of you he doesn’t bother holding back his purrs because he knows you like them, but in front of the group he does his best to quiet it. You’ll usually stay cuddled up together until it’s dinner time or someone calls for him.

* I also think Avatars have scent glands just like normal kitties so when he rubs up against your belongings like your bed or your clothes he’s literally marking you as yours. As a “scientist,” you already knew about this, but you were a bit surprised to catch Lyle marking up the stuff in your room. He was a bit embarrassed when you caught him the first time, but continues to do it to the annoyance of the other recoms.

* I feel like Lyle wouldn’t mind cooking because it’s a necessary life skill to have and he’s pretty good at it. Hunting on Pandora would be a breeze for him. The fresh meat coupled with the veggies growing from your aquaponics would make a damn good meal. I feel like there are also a lot of weird recipes he follows, kinda like what broke college kids/ prison inmates would do (Ramen noodle burritos anybody?). Loves being able to “provide” for you which sounds silly but is always happy to cook for you, especially when you’re busy doing other things.

* Keeps his belongings and room pretty tidy. He’s not one to leave his stuff lying out which makes rooming with him preferable to the others, as you tend to trip on their stuff when they drop it all over the shack. Lyle catches wind of your annoyance and starts shoving stuff into the recom’s rooms so you have a clean living space to walk through.

* Likes helping you out in the gardens, whether it’s the native Pandoran patch outside the shack or the Earth one inside the outbuilding. You and your friend grow a variety of food found on Earth since you were still learning how to adapt to the foods on this planet. You head out each afternoon to check the crops and scribble notes down about the progress and Lyle likes to sneak strawberries when he thinks you aren’t looking.

* Lyle likes to make himself useful however he can whether that’s doing the heavy lifting, reaching for high objects, or fixing stuff around the shack. Does chores without being told to which was a pleasant surprise when you caught him outside fixing the rainwater basin. Loves helping out even more when you reward him with kisses and praise afterward even if he gets teased for kissing ass from the others.

* Hates when he has to leave for extended periods of time as he’s always worried about your safety out in the wilds. He knows he can’t get out of it so he does what he can to prepare you. “Okay so don’t go outside after dark, if you have to you both leave. One of you needs a gun and keep your-“ “Head on a swivel for any hostiles.” You give a small smile and grab his hand. “I know you’re worried, but we’re gonna be okay. You on the other hand need to promise me you’re going to come back. In one piece.” He squeezes your small hand and does his best to look sincere. “I’m always going to come back to you, no matter what happens.”

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tabbyxcatt · 1 year ago

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DEMON SLAYER CHARACTERS + KAI SONGS

♫₊˚.🎧 ✩｡

This a bit of a drabble, the idea just kinda spawned after listening to EXO and Kai while reading Demon Slayer fanfics lol. It is a bit random so read it if you're interested, or don't, that's okay too! But I hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless and lemme know if I should do anything similar for other characters, or not! Though it might take sometime for those to come out if you guys do want to read for other characters.

Characters: Sanemi Shinazugawa, Giyuu Tomioka, Kyojuro Rengoku x GN!Reader (I don't think there's anything that would hint otherwise besides the song lyrics lol, so I'll say that reader could be read as gender neutral <;3)

Genre: Fluff

Content Warning: None... Characters might be a little OOC..

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SANEMI

NOW PLAYING : PEACHES

The very first time Sanemi laid his eyes on you he thought you were the most beautiful person he had ever seen. This man was one hundred percent convinced you weren’t human and that kind of put him on edge, not gonna lie. But if you were a demon, you’d never have made it as far as you have in the Demon Slayer Corps and you certainly wouldn’t be holding that small arrangement in your hands, a bouquet of wisteria and wildflowers. No, maybe not a demon, but for sure you weren't human. The sun reflected off of your beautiful golden skin, an ethereal glow emitting from your body like a halo, not a demon but maybe an angel, he concludes.

Pretty girl, you're like peaches

it's a soft embrace

A sweetness that spreads in my mouth

Feels good to be the bad guy

He knows he shouldn’t get close to you, that he shouldn’t fall in love, you were both demon slayers for crying out loud, tomorrow wasn’t promised. But he just can’t say no to you, can’t stop himself from talking to you, looking for you, aching for you. He’s a goner and he knows it. And you don’t want to stay away from him either -or so you’ve told him- only spurring Sanemi to become an even better demon hunter. What's higher than a Hashira? Is there even such a thing? He knows for sure there isn't, but it doesn't matter anyways, because he’ll become it.. because now he has you to protect. And he’d rather watch the world burn than have anything happen to you.

I am your bad hobby

I'm getting more out of breath

It makes me smile

It makes me want to embrace you more

Sanemi knows he should not be pursuing you, but it feels right, it feels comfortable and why would he ever deny anything you have to offer him? He can't bring himself to say 'no' to you so he will gladly accept your love, wholeheartedly and with no regrets. Any moment spent with you is one he cherishes, strolling through the garden with you, listening as you happily tell him about the flowers and the trees surrounding the estate, a stupid, love struck grin permanently glued to his face whenever you're near. Both of you with excitement coursing through your veins as you'd steal glances at each other, hands softly brushing against each other. You make Sanemi feel like he's found heaven on earth, you're a paradise he never wants to leave. A jungle where we wander together

It feels so sweet

Baby close your eyes

Just feel it

Sanemi has been on cloud nine from the moment he met you. You make everything better just by being near him, the fact that he gets to call you his is something he can’t fully grasp yet. You are the opposite of him and that brings out a different side to Sanemi, a sweeter, gentler side he forgot he even had after so many years of burying. He can’t picture a life without you, not anymore. Before, he often daydreamed of what it would be like to hold you in his arms, all the things he’d say and do to you. After snapping out of his trance, Sanemi often turned into a bashful boy in those moments, embarrassed by his own thoughts, which more often than not were wholesomely pure. But now that he can make it a reality, now that he knows what it feels like to hold you in his arms, the soft brush of your skin and the smell of your hair, he never misses the opportunities to tell you, and do, all the things he dreamed about. He feels like he’s floating whenever you do the same to him.

At the very moment, we drink up each other

Our fantasies become more infinite

Whisper in my ears so it's sweeter than a dream

I'm already addicted

0:48 ───|────── 3:18

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

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GIYUU

NOW PLAYING : MMMH

You’re one of the very few people that constantly make an effort to reach out to him. And in the beginning he doesn’t understand why, why you even like him and why you go through the trouble of contacting him. But he finds himself growing attached to his new pen-pal, looking forward to the days your crow flies out over to his estate to drop off your letter. Staying until he’s finished writing his response, placing it inside the little bag he had previously taken your letter out from, tying it hurriedly before beckoning your crow closer. Swooping down to snatch it so that it could deliver it to you, your crow makes the trip to your estate, having the route memorized by heart after doing it for a little over a year. You understood his crow was older and oftentimes forgetful, so in order not to stress the senior courier, your crow enthusiastically took on the job. Your attentiveness to his crow and your persistence of staying in contact with him causes a weird feeling to bloom in his chest whenever he receives a letter from you.

‘Cause I'm too wicked

I want to take all of your heart,

Don’t you worry

Maybe you’ll have this whole world

It doesn’t take long for Giyuu to accept he’s in love with you because it sends him into a full blown panic when he first gets the inkling. The more he thinks about the way you make him feel, recalling the conversations you guys often hold, that tightening in his chest as he realizes he’s craving to be in your presence.. Yeah.. He definitely has feelings for you. He’s got no idea what to do now, now that he’s not questioning every interaction he’s ever had with you (to see if you’ve dropped any hints about liking him back) now that he knows in absolute fact that, even if you hadn’t, (you definitely have, he’s just a bit slow) he wants you. Giyuu feels a bit guilty about liking you, but he can’t help it, and he’s debating with himself whether he should even pursue you, he’s scared to ruin your friendship. Until one day you ask to meet with him and holy shit he almost forgot how pretty you are in person. He’s so overwhelmed with what he’s feeling that he almost doesn’t register what he just asked you, his entire interaction with you was so incredibly stiff - far less romantic than he was hoping- in an awkwardly endearing way only Giyuu can pull off. And he damn near almost forgets how to breathe as he stares at you, blinking owlishly, as it takes him a moment for the weight of your words to sink in. You just accepted his confession.

Their jealousy makes you shiver

Take my jacket and put it on

My shawty, that's not your fault

Just come into my arms, Destroy me if you want

Once he actually starts dating you, you find out he adores letting everybody know that you’re his, even if he’s not necessarily shouting it from rooftops. He prefers doing so in ‘subtle’ ways. Like actually communicating with you, another human being, for longer than 2 minutes. He's not a man of many words, but it's the first time anyone has ever seen so much life in Giyuu’s eyes- is that? Is he smiling?! He’s particularly fond of giving you his haori to wear, especially in moments where he knows some of the Hashira’s (or all) will be present, just so he can "subtly" show you off. Everyone ogles at the sight of you two, gossiping loudly amongst each other about the pair, it’s something they can't quite wrap their minds around. Because since when? And how?? Giyuu is so completely enamored with you that the rest of the world just fades into fuzzy white noise around you two. You were so honey-like, your large golden brown orbs dripping with a sweetness just for him, an endless pool of amber he found himself getting lost in. He knew they talked about you two, especially him, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not when you reassure him that you want him too and that he is worthy of love, not when you make the words sound so absolute, so incapable of lying to him.

Even if I'm already fascinated and stagger

Girl, I just want more

What have you done to me?

I only miss you

Giyuu realizes he’s acting a bit out of character, but he just can’t bring himself to worry about it. Especially when you’re the reason for his actions. He’s completely bewitched by you, by what you make him feel. Something that isn’t just his grief and damn near crippling anxiety, you make him feel like he belongs, you make him feel happy. And he has no problems accepting it either, because he has no problem believing you. The words are escaping him but it’s okay, because you gaze into his eyes, cradling his head in your hands and there’s a mutual unspoken trust in them. You’re both drunk off each other, an intoxicating, addictive feeling Giyuu never wants to let go of. He never thought he’d get to experience this, to have someone that actually wanted him, that stood by his side, listened to him, cared for him. Sometimes it’s too much for him, too overwhelming, but he greedily takes everything you have to offer.

(Mm-mhm)

Breathe out and exhale like like (Mm-mhm)

Beyond the boundary like like (Mm-mhm)

Hold you in my arms like like (Mm-mhm)

Don’t even think about other things

0:48 ───|────── 3:13

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

lıllılı.ıllı.ılılıı

KYOJURO

NOW PLAYING : SAY YOU LOVE ME

Kyojuro knows he likes you from the first time he met you simply because no one has ever made him feel like you have. He’s completely infatuated with you, but so unsure on how to approach it, so he remains by your side as your loyal friend. He only has space for you in his heart, eyes only for you. Which he doesn’t mind, he wouldn’t have it any other way, because the reward for being so patient was absolutely worth it. You both have a dynamic he has never experienced before. Knowing and loving someone wholeheartedly, becoming each other’s other-half, that naturally the next step is to become official. Truth be told, you both knew your friendship was destined to go to the next level, it was just a matter of who would crack first (it was Kyojuro). He goes all in the minute you two decide to date.

It's okay to show your deeply hidden heart

Wake up from your sleeping night

During the darkest moment

Sensitive to your fingertips (Tips)

There aren't many drastic changes after you both make it official. He still takes you out to sightsee the beautiful locations he stumbled upon when he was out on missions, visiting the delicious restaurants he stopped by in different towns. The gifts and flowers never cease, in fact it increases, the only difference is he now gets to hold your hand and give you kisses whenever he can. He was a very attentive friend, he knows you like the back of his hand, something that only strengthens the foundation of your relationship. Kyojuro wants to do everything with you, since he knows you are the only person he is going to spend the rest of his days with. Communication is key for him. He’s an open book and lives his life earnestly and honestly, something that only intensifies after he gets with you. It’s something he encourages from you, he wants to break you out from your shy and hesitant personality, at least only with him. He knows it’s a bit difficult for you, you’re hesitant about voicing your thoughts worried that you might come off as selfish (even though he’s always reassured you otherwise), but he doesn’t care, he wants to be the only person you confide in this way.

There's no need to hesitate (Yeah, yeah)

In this moment

Don't be cautious (Yeah, yeah)

You know about my еndless urgency (Yeah, yeah)

Kyojuro is a passionate man and that will never change, it’s one of the reasons why you love him, it’s only normal that he exerts that same passion in anything related to you. Kyojuro will never push you to do something you don’t want, but that doesn’t calm his impatient heart. Before dating you, Kyojuro wanted to profess his love to you nearly anytime you both met (he did it a few times in his head or to himself, sometimes he would shout it after a successful mission since even then you were always on his mind) so now that you both are dating, his heart yearns for you to tell him. Although you have yet to utter the words, he knows by your actions, everyone one of them dripping with affection for him that causes his heart to swell. (You hesitate to tell him because what if it's too soon? What if after hearing it he changes his mind? like relax cutie this is kyojuro we're talking about.)

Unlock your protected heart only for me

It's so fun, the tension is rising (Tension)

Don't stop this night that's getting shorter

I still haven't heard those words that will satisfy me

So when you do finally murmur those words in his ear, the ones he longed to hear, he cries. His heart grows, blood rushes in his ears almost violently as the words echo in his mind, he can’t stop the swelling of tears, much less stop them from falling. He basks in the moment, holding you in his arms, a long and slow kiss pressed hotly onto your lips before he pulls back with a satisfied grin. Then he’s asking you to repeat it to him. Again and again, over and over again. And everytime you do, he feels himself reaching an even higher state of nirvana. He’s addicted to the feeling and the sound. There’s nothing in this world that could tear him from you, he spends the rest of his retired life with you by his side. And no matter how many times he hears it, those words still have the same effect on him. Yes, the wait was one hundred percent worth it. And he’d go through everything once more if the end result was this, the beautiful life he has with you.

Tell me how you feel right now (Ooh-ooh-ooh)

I don't need anything else (Ooh-ooh-ooh)

It's okay, no matter how many times you say it (Ooh-ooh-ooh)

Just say you love me one more

0:47 ───|────── 3:22

↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺

ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯▯

I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS, IMAGES/GIFS OR MUSIC

Hi cuties! This is officially my first work here on my page, I hope you guys enjoyed reading it! If you did, or didn't, please let me know. Constructive criticism and feedback is deeply appreciated.

KYOJURO WILL LIVE ON FOREVER, THIS IS THE ONLY CORRECT CANON

p.s i've got something ready to come out that could be read as a part 2, though it's not completely inspired by this drabble, they're headcannons!

/) /) ( ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ ) / づづ ~ ♡

#demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #kny #kai #exo kai #sanemi shinazugawa #sanemi x reader #kny sanemi #SoundCloud #giyuu tomioka #giyuu x reader #kny giyuu #kyojuro rengoku #rengoku x reader #kyojuro x reader #kny rengoku #kny kyojuro

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ridiasfangirlings · 8 months ago

Note

NagaShiro Fantasy AU where:

You’ve always heard that dark elves are cruel and emotionless creatures, who view everyone else beneath them, and thrive off the pain of others. However, viewing the tall attractive armoured dark elf before you, and watching them stammer apologies and cover their flustered face, after having accidentally come across you skinny dipping, you cant help but think its all a huge pile of bullshit.

Reference: https://www.tumblr.com/write-it-motherfuckers/175763415158/youve-always-heard-that-dark-elves-are-cruel-and?source=share

Imagine Hisui wearing dark elf armor that has like magic robotic legs or some kind of restraining mechanism because normally his magical power is too strong for him to keep it in check, like he normally can’t take the armor off unless he’s fighting. The dark elves of jungle are waging a war against these other mountain elves who possess a great magical artifact known as the Slate, which they use to control all the mana in the area. Hisui and his elves believe they should release the Slate and let all the mana flow to wherever it wishes, even if this will make a bunch of super strong mages who could oppress everyone else and cause endless war. One day after a battle Hisui is wandering through the woods enjoying a moment of peace when he spots this small pool and waterfall in the distance. Something silver is moving in it and he assumes a silver deer has come to bathe in the pool. Silver deer are rare so he goes to look at it, and promptly steps through the bushes to find an elf with smooth pale skin and long silver hair bathing there instead.

Hisui normally isn’t the type to show a lot of emotions but he was not expecting this and he’s actually not very well versed in seeing anyone else naked (his dad is super overprotective okay) so he steps back and quickly apologizes. He’s already taken off his normal helmet because it was such a nice day, so the elf in the pool gets to see him blushing. The long-haired elf laughs, apologizing for surprising him, and Hisui says in this case Hisui is certainly the interloper. The silver elf isn’t so sure about that, this is probably someone else’s territory right. He does find it interesting though, because he always heard dark elves were emotionless and terrifying but Hisui doesn’t seem so frightening. Hisui finds this interesting, that even with those rumors this elf isn’t afraid. He asks the elf’s name and the elf considers for a moment before asking to be called Shiro.

Shiro seems interested in chatting more and Hisui wonders if perhaps he could put on some clothes first. Shiro laughs all sheepishly like whoops forgot, Hisui keeps his head properly turned while Shiro puts on the white robe he left hanging from a tree limb. Shiro looks up at the sun and says he has to go, Hisui offers to escort him home and Shiro says no, he’ll be fine on his own. Hisui nods and lets him go and Shiro just gives him a thoughtful look, saying quietly that dark elves aren’t so different after all, are they. Hisui returns to his encampment while Shiro himself uses some flight magic to return to the mountains, where elder elf Kokujouji greets ‘General Weismann’ with some exasperation, where did you run off to this time. Weismann says he was simply taking a bath and observing the dark elves. Kokujouji asks if he learned anything interesting and Weismann gives a soft smile and a laugh as he says perhaps.

#Nagashiro #Talking K #elf Hisui has to look really dark and sexy in is armor #but then when he takes it off he's just a li'l burrito #Shiro as a very gorgeous elf and he just wants to see if the enemy really is that scary

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questforgalas · 2 years ago

Text

March on the Temple pt 2.

Summary: While reflecting on memories of the 501st, Echo receives some disturbing news

Word Count: 4.6K

On AO3

Notes: WOOOO BABY DID THIS ONE GET AWAY FROM ME. This made me cry while writing it multiple times, so strap in for a lot of fond brotherly feels as well as post order 66 angst. Echo needs 8000 hugs, and Hunter is a good brother. Italics indicate flashbacks, all from Echo's POV. This chapter is all Echo's POV. I'm wicked proud of this one and feeling more comfortable in my writing, so I hope you all enjoy too!

Warnings: we be angsty babes. angst with a happy ending, post order 66, fond memories of the 501st, Rex is dogpiled by younglings, Ahsoka, Kix, Fives, Jesse, Hardcase, Appo, and Denal all make appearances, Hunter is there for his big brother

Pt 1 | Pt 2 | Pt 3

Tay's Masterlist

Read on AO3

“Echo, what does the reg manual say about loth wolves?”

Letting loose his sixth exasperated sigh since this conversation started, Echo closed his eyes with the false hope that he could block out Fives’ increasingly worrying questions.

“No animals of any kind are allowed in the barracks, Fives. Not tookas. Not loth wolves. Not eeopie. And definitely not rancor, before you even ask.”

“But hear me out,” Hardcase starts. “What if we get the general to ‘sign off’ on them? You know he barely looks at the reports before he signs them, always racing off once we land on Coruscant. No way he’d notice a petition for permission to bring a tooka on board.”

“Rex would love a tooka. He just doesn’t know it yet,” Jesse added.

The thing about the 501st, especially Hardcase, Fives, and Jesse, is that their boredom-induced plans were usually harmless. Echo could say that with 87% certainty. But that other 13% … well, the idea of bringing on a “mascot of the 501st” was being discussed longer than Echo was comfortable with.

“Fives, we’ve only been in hyperspace for a rotation. It’s too soon for you to give Rex a headache.”

“Oh come on Echo. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t ….”

The other thing about the 501st is that no matter how many times they made Echo groan, they made him smile twice as often.

Staring into the bright jungle of Saleucami, Echo found his mind wandering to his brothers and thinking of the trouble they would get into here. Hardcase alone would run Kix out of bandages no doubt thanks to the brightly colored fauna. Echo loosed a sigh and leaned his head back against the side of Su and Cut’s house. Since they fled Kamino, he’s caught himself thinking of his old squad more often than usual.Maybe it was the memories of familiarity while now in a galaxy of uncertainty that brought him comfort. Or maybe because any memories of his newest squad involved one missing member, and the betrayal Echo felt ran deeper than he wanted to acknowledge at the moment.

Fighting hard to not let his mind conjure up images of clones shooting at a Jedi padawan or, worse, a black chamber with the sounds of machines beeping out of sight, Echo reached for memories painted blue.

“Do you think they’ll let us eat in their mess hall? I heard the temple food is some of the best on Coruscant,” Kix hadn’t stopped rambling since they got the orders to meet Commander Tano at the Jedi Temple. Echo didn’t blame him. It wasn’t often non-command clones were summoned to the temple, and even though Fives and Echo walked the halls a few times before, this was Kix’s first visit. So, his energy was nothing but amusing to the other two.

“Is it even called a mess hall here? That doesn’t sound very Jedi. It’s probably called something like ‘The Nourishing Hall’ or ‘Meals of Enlightenment’,” Fives joked. “Yeah, that sounds right. ‘The Nourishing Hall – double your midi-chlorians with every meal’,” he emphasized the title with a streak of his hand through the air like he was displaying a holoboard.

“Sorry Fives, no midi-chlorian doubling meals here. And hate to break it to ya, but it’s just the cafeteria.” Commander Tano’s voice sounding next to them made all three troopers jump at the same time. They looked to their left to find the young Togruta chuckling to herself, clearly amused with her stealthy stunt. Echo whipped his head around wondering where in the Maker she came from. “Jedi stealth must be a nice trick to have,” he muttered to himself.

Once they made it to the top of the stairs, the three troopers stopped to face Ahsoka, awaiting an explanation as to why they were here, but first, she waved over a blue skinned Twi’lek waiting by the entrance. The Jedi, or Echo assumed they were a Jedi, had kind eyes and an even kinder smile – not uncommon amongst the force wielders.

“Echo and Fives, you’ll follow me as I bring you to the briefing room. But first, Kix, I’d like you to meet Jedi Master Vokara Che. She’s the head healer here at the temple,” Ahsoka explained.

Echo looked over and used every moment of his ARC training to refrain from bursting out laughing once he saw the look on Kix’s face. The 501st medic stood there with eyes wide and mouth agape, processing the presence coming toward them. Echo wasn’t familiar with the Jedi Master, but based on Kix’s reaction, he certainly was.

“Hello medic Kix. I’ve heard about the remarkable work you do on the field for your battalion, and, if you’ll allow, I’d like for you to spend time in the healing halls here over the next few rotations. I think we can learn a great deal from each other,” Jedi Master Che spoke with a sing-song voice.

Hands clasped together, the Jedi healer stood patiently as she waited to hear Kix’s response, which, to everyone’s amusement, never came as he was stuck with the same wide eyes and open mouth that formed when the healer joined them. Master Che’s smile quirked up at the corners in amusement. Not able to let their brother make a fool of himself any longer, Fives softly punched Kix’s shoulder to jolt him out of his stupor.

“Don’t mind him, ma’am. We’re still adjusting back to Coruscant time from our most recent mission, but I can speak for Kix when I say he’d be honored to learn from you,” Echo supplied for the medic.

With a bashful smile, Kix finally spoke up, “Echo’s right. It would be an honor, ma’am. Please, show me the way.”

As he was walking away, Kix gave one quick glance back at Echo and Fives with a face that only said “Can you kriffing believe this?” Echo and Fives finally let loose their amused chuckles, and with two casual salutes, the ARCs bid their brother farewell and turned to their Jedi.

“So, Commander, what do the generals have for us this time?” Fives asked.

“Rex hand picked you two for this one. It’s as big as it gets boys. You’re breaking into the Citadel,” Ahsoka informed them with a gleam in her eyes.

Echo jolted off the side of the house, breath coming in pants, needing to put his head in his hand. That was one of his favorite memories, but Echo forgot what it led up to. The gleam in Ahsoka’s eyes. Echo’s excited gasp. Fives confident smirk. Maker, if only they knew what 12 hours later was going to bring them. Was going to bring him.

Recalling the breathing exercises Tech taught him, Echo focused on bringing his heartbeat down and making the ringing in his ears stop. As he gradually recovered, he heard the footsteps of someone approaching from around the house. Based on the soft footfall, Echo knew it was Hunter. He was the softest footed of his brothers next to Crosshair, and sure enough, the sergeant rounded the corner to find Echo slumped at the waist with his elbows on his knees.

“Panic attack?” Hunter simply asked.

“Flashback. Nothing direct. I’m almost back.” Echo rattled off like it was a mission report.

“Mind some company?” Echo looked up and gave his permission with a curt nod. Hunter slotted himself in between the ARC and some feed crates which Echo assumed was to try and give him space as he brought himself back to here and now. Yet, even through the haze of his flashback, Echo didn’t could pick up on the nervous energy coming off of his sergeant. Sure, Omega was almost eaten by a nexu not an hour ago, but he didn’t think it would still contribute to Hunter being this on edge.

“Memories of your old squad usually help, don’t they?” Hunter’s gruff voice broke through Echo’s thoughts, and he looked up with a confused look that had the sergeant chuckling, subtly tapping his ear as if to say, “Enhanced senses, remember?”

“I’d hear you sometimes during your recovery sessions with Tech. Especially during the tougher ones. You’d resort to telling stories of the 501st. I think Tech realized this too. He started to prompt you when he noticed you having a tough time,” Hunter explained. Echo wanted to be surprised, but all Hunter’s observation did was wash a calm wave over his frayed nerves. Typical of his brothers to distract him from the horrors of war even when they weren’t on the same planet – or alive.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as his heart beat finally calmed to a steady beat. Soft rays from the late afternoon sun started creeping around the corner of the house and draped the two in a warm haze. Echo was starting to relax from his episode, but he noticed that Hunter was as stiff as if they were standing at attention on Kamino. Unable to handle the anxiety any longer, Echo spoke up, “Something on your mind, Hunter?”

Echo was expecting Hunter to blink out of his stupor. Maybe jolt his head in Echo’s direction as if he had been lost in thought and forgot the trooper was next to him. What he didn’t expect was for Hunter to let out a deep sigh and close his eyes as if he was struggling to find his next words. Quiet settled over them as Echo waited for him to choose when he was ready to speak. With one more drawn out breath, Hunter finally spoke.

“Have you seen any of the reports coming out of Coruscant?”

Echo’s eyebrows furrowed at the random nature of Hunter’s question.

“We haven’t exactly had a lot of time to take a Holonews break, Hunter.”

“Humor me.”

“No, I haven’t sought out any reports. If I’m being honest, I figured Tech would take on that responsibility and report anything of note,” Echo answered. Seeing Hunter continue to be wound tight caused Echo himself to stiffen. He’d never seen Hunter like this, even with everything that just occurred.

“What’s going on Hunter? Why should I care about imperial reports?”

At last, Hunter’s eyes met his. “Tech was scanning through records and reports during the trip here when he stumbled across something.” Hunter reached across his body, and that’s when Echo noticed a datapad dangling from his belt. Unclipping it, Hunter brought it in front of him and activated it. “It’s an imperial article detailing the attack on the Jedi temple. Would uh, would you like to read it?” He grimaced when he asked. If this exchange wasn’t clouded with nervous energy, Echo probably would have laughed at the sergeant’s attempts to be casual about something that was clearly the opposite.

“Hunter.” The sergeant grimaced again. “Just tell me what’s going on before you make yourself implode.” That earned Echo an amused huff.

“Turns out, the clones didn’t just turn on the Jedi in the field. A clone battalion marched on the temple in Coruscant and wiped the place clean. Tech theorizes that the number of Jedi scattered across fronts at the time was deliberate so the temple was vulnerable. According to Tech, the majority of those in the temple at the time were…”

“Younglings,” Echo finished for him. As he was taking in Hunter’s words, he cast his eyes to the ground finding the Saleucami dirt comforting.

“Yeah, younglings,” Hunter confirmed. Echo felt him angle his body against the house facing him now.

“Why are you telling me this? You’ve sought me out, made sure we’re alone and out of earshot. Why isn’t this something the squad is being briefed on? And why are you grimacing more and more with each of my questions? Hunter, what the kriff are you trying to tell me?”

Echo’s voice started low and puzzled, but it rose with each statement. He managed to keep it to a harsh whisper since clearly Hunter wanted to make sure they had privacy, but his chest was rising and falling rapidly as he tried to puzzle together what could possibly warrant this serious of a conversation. Thankfully, Hunter didn’t make him wait long.

“Echo, I’m sorry to have to tell you this. The clone battalion that marched on the temple? It was the 501st.”

Echo went still. He saw Hunter keep talking, but his ears were static as he processed the last sentence. “It was the 501st.”

When Echo watched the clones shoot down General Billaba, he’d accepted right then and there that he was going to have to process a lot of things that didn’t make sense to him in the coming future. He was proven right as he listened to the new emperor’s speech, as he saw Tarkin oversee clone evaluations, and as he saw Crosshair wearing all black armor. All of that he saw, he processed, and he adapted. It’s what ARC troopers did. But this? “It was the 501st”.

That one statement kept ringing in his head, refusing to be processed.

“Echo? Echo! Talk to me here,” Hunter’s worried voice broke through the static. Looking around him, Echo realized he’d gone from leaning against Cut and Su’s house to sitting on the ground with his knees in his chest, head held in his one hand. He didn’t remember sliding down nor Hunter coming down with him, putting an arm around his shoulder and giving it soft pats attempting to ground him.

Still feeling like he didn’t have complete control back in his limbs, Echo turned his head to look at Hunter. “That’s not possible, Hunter. Of all the battalions, no. It’s not possible.”

Hunter’s face softened as he took in Echo’s desperate eyes. He knew the look well – it was the same look he wore when he watched Crosshair walk into the hangar on Kamino. Desperate that what his eyes were seeing was a sick trick his exhausted mind was playing on him. He saw Echo struggling the same way as he let the news sink in.

“I know Echo, I know. I’m sorry.” It was all Hunter could come up with for now.

“They – they were there for the rescue. When the Chancellor was taken by Dooku. I spoke with Rex on the way to Kaller. He explained he, Jesse, and half the 501st were going to Mandalore while the other half stayed with Skywalker to go to Coruscant. I remember being envious he was getting to go fight with real mandalorians.” An amused huff passed Echo’s lips.

“The other battalions – they – there were on the fronts. It would’ve left just the Corrie Guard and the 501st.” His head thumped against the side of the house again. “But Hunter, Rex and Jesse were both on Mandalore. Who led the attack on the temple?” There was no one else left to lead. Everyone who would’ve been in command were sent with Rex. Even Commander Tano’s short return sent her to the warrior planet, and Echo admittedly wasn’t entirely up to date on the latest command structure of the 501st, but he was sure no one was left on Coruscant to…

Echo’s head snapped up, and he fought with everything he had to not hurl his lunch right there between his legs. “Hunter. Who led the attack? Who led the battalion into the temple?” Echo asked the questions so quietly that Hunter had to rely on his enhanced hearing to hear them.

“I think you know, Echo.”

“Say it.”

Echo felt more than heard the deep sigh Hunter let loose. “The article says the troops were led by General Skywalker,” Hunter finally admitted.

In war, you go through a lot of breaking points. They can be random, patterned, frequent, or rare. But every trooper has at least one story of when they finally felt it all cave in – the taxing missions, the losses, the anti-clone idealists, the deaths. The clones’ engineered adaptability could usually keep these episodes short, but that didn’t erase the mental scarring each one left. As an ARC trooper, Echo received additional mental simulations since it was assumed they’d see more gruesome realities. But right now, all of the mental simulations and breathing exercises in the galaxy couldn’t keep Echo upright.

It happened in slow motion. Hunter watched as Echo processed this last piece. First, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion like Hunter just spoke Huttese. Then, his eyes widened in shock when the words took meaning. Next, his pupils flared with anger like this was a tasteless prank Hunter was trying to pull. But when Hunter didn’t flinch and kept his face passive, Echo’s eyes showed a half second of acceptance before pooling with tears. In one last attempt to keep his emotions in check, Echo closed his eyes, trying to focus on his breaths. And then he crumbled.

The mental and physical exhaustion of the last 48 hours settled in, and Echo let this final hit tip him over the mental brink he’d been teetering over. The tears sprang quickly, and it didn’t take long for his body to be wracked with heavy sobs. As the world turned blurry, Echo found himself thinking one thing, “Thank the Maker Rex wasn’t there. Thank the Maker he doesn’t have to live with that nightmare on his conscience.”

The hangar of the Resolute was bustling as troopers loaded the last of the supplies. This was going to be one of their quicker relief missions, and the offload should only take an hour, tops. As the last troopers were loading into the LAAT/is ready to head down to the surface, Echo hopped up next to Rex.

“Fives make it on?” Rex asked him.

“And miss the opportunity to be revered like a hero? You know better than that, Rex,” Echo smirked at the captain as he gave an eye roll before putting his helmet on. Rex tried, but he was terrible at hiding his soft spot for the rambunctious ARC trooper.

“Listen up troopers, this is a simple offload and base rebuild. We’ll set the survivors up with basic medical, food, and communication capabilities. If time allows, we’ll assist with rebuilds of the school and main housing sector. Denal, you’ll take R2 and make sure their mainframe is online. Kix, you’ll head the medical setup. I’ll dole out the rest of duties on the ground. Understood?”

“Sir, yes sir,” answered in unison. Instead of relaxing though, all of the troopers on their ship, including Echo, remained at attention. Rex smirked to himself knowing what they were waiting for.

“Once your duties are complete, you have permission to free time,” he informed them. Soft whoops filled the LAAT/i. These types of relief missions were Echo’s favorites. Most of the time, they would unload the supplies, set up the required facilities, and then have to ship off to the next battle or war-torn zone. Occasionally though, they had a sliver of time where they could forget they were soldiers and just be.

2 hours later, Echo and Jesse had the common kitchen fully functioning, and they were now helping a group of clones and locals build shelter structures. The locals of this settlement on Haruun Kal were enthusiastic to receive the supplies and help from the clones. Pausing his hammering for a breather, Echo heard a commotion rise up behind him. Glancing in the direction of the noise, he found the source with ease.

Fives, Hardcase, and Appo were surrounded by a group of 12 younglings who were shouting questions at the clones. It didn’t take long for Echo to spot the holoball in Hardcase’s hand, and that answered nearly all of Echo’s questions. Gently, he nudges Jesse next to him.

“Looks like the boys are trying to get a holoball game going with the younglings. Wager on how quickly Fives gets knocked on his sheb?”

“Oh Maker no! They don’t think they’re playing without me!” Jesse exclaims before putting his hammer down and running over. Echo looked around and saw that the structure was complete, so he put his hammer back in the toolbox and wandered over to the group.

“What’s a holoball?”

“Do we have to run with it?”

“Does your armor give you super strength?”

“You’re twice as big as us! That’s not fair!”

“Can I hold your blaster?”

“Are you actually brothers?”

“Have you ever held a lightsaber?”

“Why do you have a tattoo on your face?”

“Ok ok! One question at a time. My brother here is going to explain the rules. Then, if you have any other questions about holoball, and holoball only, we’ll answer them before getting the game started!” Fives attempted to focus the younglings.

When more than 5 seconds of silence passed, Appo got started on explaining the game. Leaning against some crates off to the side, Echo felt a smile crossing his lips observing the younglings listening as if Appo was explaining how to obtain unlimited sweets. A moment later, he felt a presence come up beside him and settle on the crate next to him. Turning his head, Echo noticed Rex observing the scene.

“Holoball, huh? Nice touch. Hopefully, they know what they’re getting into,” Rex hummed. Echo noted Rex’s jaig eyes looking at him from his knee, and he appreciated that this is the most relaxed he thinks he’s ever seen his captain.

“Jesse and I think the younglings are going to run circles around Fives.”

Rex chuckled, “I don’t doubt that for a second. Fives is a skilled trooper, but he’s not the most athletic.”

“Hey Echo, we’re down a player! Wanna hop in?” Hardcase interrupted them from the makeshift field.

"I'm good Hardcase, just want to watch.” Then Echo tilted his head to the side. “What about you Captain? Wanna show them how it’s done?”

Echo was sure the look Rex gave him would skewer a rancor.

“Oh please please please Mr. Captain sir! You can be on our team!” A little girl with curly brown hair and big brown eyes looked up at Rex begging him to join. Echo had to keep his laugh in as he witnessed the stoic captain of the 501st melt directly under the youngling’s gaze. It was a similar tactic Echo saw Commander Tano use against the captain, and it appeared Rex was defenseless against it no matter the being.

“Yeah, Captain! Do it for the younglings!” Fives added with a cheeky grin. Rex shot him a quick glare, but he immediately softened again when he looked back down at the little girl.

“Ok cyar’ika, I’ll play.” The younglings erupted as Rex walked over.

To Echo’s glee, and Fives, Hardcase, and Appo’s horror, Rex turned out to be one heck of a holoball player. His team of younglings stood with rapt attention every time Rex kneeled down to draw up their next play. It was clear Rex’s leadership skills weren’t only for the battlefield because every play the younglings executed flawlessly, and soon they were leaving the other team in the dust.

Eventually, Fives gave the order to take down Rex with any means possible. Next thing they knew, Rex has carrying the holoball down the field along with 3 younglings hanging onto his arms and legs trying to take him down. At the last second, Rex was able to pass off to a young girl, but he wasn’t quick enough to stop himself from being tackled to the ground. Instead of stopping the little girl, the rest of the younglings decided this was the perfect time to take the 501st captain out.

Echo couldn’t believe his eyes. 4 younglings were piled on top of Rex tickling him, and Rex was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. Seeing the effective strategy, the other younglings turned on Appo, Fives, and Hardcase and managed to take 2 of the 3 down. So there in front of him was the captain of the 501st, an ARC trooper, and Hardcase on the ground being tickled by younglings. Echo looked over at Appo and Jesse, and after a couple shocked seconds, the three of them were doubled over in laughter. They soon found this to be a grave mistake though, because Rex had managed to gain control of the situation again and rallied the younglings to take down the remaining troopers.

Hours later, back in the mess hall of the Resolute, many were gathered around to hear the story of the great holoball tournament of Haruun Kal. Many parts of the story were going to go down in 501st history if Fives had anything to do with it, but the legend of Captain Rex crying from laughter under a pile of younglings was already Echo’s favorite.

A gentle arm circled around Echo’s shoulders, bringing him back to the present. He felt Hunter give him a gentle nudge in his direction. A simple gesture saying, “I’m here. You’re not going through this alone. Use me if you need to.” If Echo had the energy, he’d take Hunter up on his offer, but his body was exhausted and all he could manage was occasionally wiping the tears from his eyes as he huddled over his knees. Always the leader, Hunter remained at his side allowing Echo whatever space he needed to work through the news.

“Do the others know?” Echo managed to ask when his sobs started to quiet down.

“Only Tech. He came directly to me, but it’s your play going forward.”

After what felt like an hour but was more likely a few minutes, Echo was able to even his breathing and lift his head up from his hand. Tilting his head up to the late evening sun, he let the final tendrils of shock and sorrow work their way out of his system. At last, he felt like he could take a full breath again.

“Thanks Hunter. I imagine that wasn’t an easy one.”

“Certainly wasn’t one of our training simulations, that’s for sure,” Hunter chuckled under his breath. Even Echo found it in himself to crack a small smile.

“Well, thanks for telling me. And for staying with me. That w-that was a hard one to process. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to remain here a little longer while I finish collecting myself.”

“Of course, Echo. I know you’ve only been with us a couple months, and everything’s kind of flipped upside down right now, but you’re one of us and whatever you need, we’ll be right here to help you.” Hunter placed a gentle hand on Echo’s shoulder as he spoke, and when he was done, he gave him a soft squeeze before standing up and heading back inside the house.

The sun was making its final descent behind the horizon giving Echo a sense of relief that this day was done. With a slight wobble in his knees, he stood himself up using the side paneling as support. Process and adapt – that’s all he could do. Taking each day one at a time. Feeling his body relax as he accepted this new galaxy, Echo gave a final glance at the sky. A deep, familiar blue blanketed the quiet farm as if it was trying to reach and wrap around him. A thought from earlier popped into his mind – even when gone, the 501st were there to help him see the next day.

Sensing that the peace and quiet had lasted long enough, the galaxy jolted Echo back into reality when he heard the front door slam and Hunter’s voice following. “Tech! Getting our ship impounded is not my idea of a solution!”

Gifting himself one final moment of quiet, Echo readied himself for the next unforgettable memory his newest brothers have no doubt gotten themselves into.

#star wars #the bad batch #the clone wars #echo #arc trooper echo #the bad batch echo #hunter #the bad batch hunter #arc trooper fives #echo needs a giant hug #captain rex

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raaorqtpbpdy · 2 years ago

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In the Zone (4)

Based on the Phic Phight prompts: Danny and co. go sight seeing in the zone and get lost. Maybe they have to navigate weird ghost logic/physics/laws to make their way home (from @ventisettestars). And Sam and Tucker maybe getting Pharaoh + plant powers? ecto contamination for the win ig (from @corvidspectre).

Chapter 4: The Ancient Jungle Realm

AO3 Link

[Warning for jumping off cliffs, I guess? Nobody gets hurt, though, but it might squick some people out.]

Staying at the Metropolitan building was pretty nice, all things considered, but it would've been nicer if they weren't doing it because their only means of transportation through the Zone had been stolen. They shared a suite, but they each had their own beds, and the amenities were very posh. The following morning, they returned to the scene of the crime.

After an hour of useless searching, with no evidence and no witnesses, they were forced to give up, and sat down on the curb to rest and mope.

"I hate to say it, but we may just have to find some other way home," Tucker said.

"Man, when my parents realize the Specter Speeder's gone they're gonna have a cow!"

"Well," Sam patted her thighs as she stood up, "If we have to find our way back on foot, we should stock up on supplies. Who knows when we'll be able to get food again?"

Sam still had he backpack, since she'd taken in with her for their city excursion, but the boy's had just stuffed a few things in their pockets. Tucker's tech was limited to one PDA and his watch at the moment, and he didn't have a charger for the former. They wandered around the city until they found the appropriate stores and bought the supplies they'd need, then they took the monorail to the city limits.

Standing on the edge of the craggy cliffs that surrounded the city, they overlooked the swirling green skies of the Zone.

"I'm goin' ghost!" Danny declared, and his transformation swept over him. He held out his hands to either side of them and Sam and Tucker took them, holding on tightly. "You guys ready?"

"I guess," Tucker said.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Sam agreed.

It's said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That day, the trio's journey would begin with the most terrifying step of their lives. As one, they but one foot in front of the other, and as one, they stepped right off the island, and into the ectoplasmic sea. Since he was the only one who could fly, Danny took the lead.

"If we can get to the Far Frozen, we can asked Frostbite to borrow the Infi-Map," Danny said. "We can use it to get back home."

"Or, we could use it to get back to the Specter Speeder," Tucker pointed out.

"Even better!"

"But we have no idea where we are, and everything in the Ghost Zone is constantly moving," Sam said. "We have as good a chance of accidentally stumbling into the portal as we do of getting to the Far Frozen, or of landing in one of your enemies' lairs, or some other hostile realm."

"That's... a good point."

"Maybe if we tried some of these doors," Tucker suggested. "One of 'em could be a shortcut." He grabbed a doorknob and twisted it open. It instantly slammed closed again, the door sucked back by the thing behind it. They'd only had an instant to see it, but that was all they needed.

"That was a black hole," Danny said, his eyes wide in awe and horror. "Like, in outer space. That door leads to a black hole in the far reaches of space. That is so cool! But also if we'd gotten sucked through before the door got sucked closed we'd be super dead right now."

"Noted," Tucker said breathlessly.

"Let's not risk anymore doors," Sam proposed, and the boys nodded in agreement.

The three of them continued on in silence for a few minutes, all of them on the look out for someplace familiar.

"Wait, do you guys hear that?" Sam asked finally. "I hear... singing." The boys shook their heads. "Danny, take us that way!" She pointed in the direction of the noise and Danny obliged, allowing her to navigate for the time being, since they didn't exactly have any other plans at the moment. Soon enough, something came into view, and Danny flew them down toward the huge, jungle that had drawn Sam's attention.

"I still don't hear any singing," Danny whispered, but whatever music Sam was hearing, she had begun to sing along. Vines reached out to her, but not to attack, rather they caressed her skin, greeting her as if she was a distant relative they hadn't seen in a while.

"Is she... talking to the plants?" Tucker whispered.

"Looks like it," Danny whispered back. Sam looked... happy. She was dancing with the vines, swaying with the trees, twirling around the blooming tropical flowers. After a few minutes, Sam stopped singing and laughed. Her friends froze in fear at the sound. Sam almost never laughed.

"My friends and I are trying to find our way home," Sam said to apparently the plants. "Can you help us?" Whatever the plants responded confused Sam. "Your queen, I'm not your... oh... I see."

"Wait, what?" Danny asked. "What's going on?"

"This is Undergrowth's realm," Sam told him. "And technically, I'm still his queen since that time he tried to take over Amity Park, which makes this my realm too."

"You mean...." Tucker trailed off and gulped. "We have to get out of here!"

"No!" Sam refused. "Undergrowth is one of the most powerful ghosts around. He might know how to navigate the Ghost Zone enough to get us home. Besides. Nothing here is gonna hurt me, I'm their queen. And they won't hurt you because you're my personal guests. Just... don't provoke the plants and treat them with respect and everything will be okay."

The boys looked around nervously, but she made some good points. As long as they stuck close to her and didn't stir up any trouble, they'd be okay. Still, Danny remained in his ghost form, just in case. Tucker jumped at every rustling of leaves and shifting of branches, and Danny struggled not to do the same.

"Uh, I just want to point out, Miss queen-of-this-realm, that you're talking to plants that respond to your commands," Danny said. "Tuck and I don't hear anything when you talk to them, and we definitely can't control them, so...."

"What are you getting at?" Sam sneered.

"I was working my way up to an 'I told you so'," Danny admitted. "I mean, you can't keep denying at this point that you have ghost powers, and they're pretty obviously related to that time with Undergrowth."

"Shut up, Danny."

"Fine, but let the record show, I was totally right."

The plants led them to a sort of clearing, filled with ruins of some kind, cracked, green stones littered the ground, covered in moss and overgrown with vines. Reclining against a crumbling pillar was Undergrowth. He smiled when he caught sight of Sam.

"We meet again, my queen," Undergrowth said. His smile turned briefly into a scowl when he saw Danny, but he sighed and let the scowl fade into a neutral expression. "I must say I'm not fond in your choice of guests, but I suppose you're free to befriend whomever you please. So long as he doesn't plunge our realm into winter, I have no cause to object."

"Let's get one thing straight, Undergrowth," Sam said firmly. "I don't know what kind of weird ghost ceremony or whatever it was you did to make me queen, but we're not married, and I'm sure as hell not giving you heirs or whatever other bull you think you're gonna get from me."

"Samantha, I'm a plant," Undergrowth said, looking a little confused. "If I required an heir, which I don't, as I am also a ghost, I could create one myself, as I have grown many offspring. What we have is a mutual partnership for the benefit of this realm. You can care for my people in ways that I cannot, in places I cannot reach, and vice versa. You are the branches fanning out in the sun, and I the roots, burrowing deep into the soil. This realm's roots are just as important as it's branches."

"Can I be the roots?" Sam asked. "Goth's bloom better without sunlight."

"I suppose it doesn't really matter who is the roots and who is the branches in this metaphor," Undergrowth allowed. "What brings you home, Samantha? I was under the impression that you rather hated me."

"Not really." Sam shrugged. "I mean, being mind-controlled kinda sucked, but I've dealt with worse. Actually, my friends and I are lost, and we were hoping you might be able to help us."

"Ideally, we would like to get to the Far Frozen, to borrow the Infi-Map from Frostbite and find our vehicle." Danny tacked on, and Undergrowth sneered at the mention of that name.

"I'm afraid I cannot help you with that," he said. "The Infinite Realms are unnavigable by traditional methods, and I will not lead my queen into the hands of our enemy. The cold would be detrimental to her health, and she still lives, at least for now, so I cannot allow her to come to harm."

"A little cold won't kill me," Sam said.

"The Far Frozen is not 'a little cold'," Undergrowth said darkly. "To anyone without an ice attribute in their core, it is completely uninhabitable. An ordinary human, fully prepared, might last a few minutes. You, my queen, possess a flora attribute in your fledgling core. It would wither the moment you even came close to a realm that cold, severing your connection to your realm and causing you to wither yourself. It's far too dangerous for you. I'm afraid you and your friends must formulate another plan."

"Yeah," Danny agreed, his eyes wide. "I'm definitely in favor of not letting Sam instantaneously freeze to death or whatever 'withering' means."

"Hold on," Tucker said. "You said the Ghost Zone is unnavigable by traditional methods," he recalled. "Are their any untraditional methods we might use?"

"Well... it's less reliable when you're traveling as a group, but there is one way," Undergrowth told them. "The Infinite Realms are somewhat sentient, and can intuit the needs of their inhabitants. If you simply fly through, focus on your goal, the ectoplasmic currents may lead you to your destination."

The trio brightened, and looked at each other hopefully. That sounded promising.

"However," Undergrowth continued darkly, before they could get too excited. "The current may lead you down unexpected paths fraught with peril, so if you use this method, you must stay sharp, and be constantly aware of your surroundings, especially since the three of you are still alive... mostly."

"We understand, Undergrowth," Sam said. "But it sounds like we don't really have any other options if we want to get home." She bowed to him. "Thank you for your help."

"Raise your head, Samantha," Undergrowth told her. "A queen does not need to bow to others in her own realm. You're friends, on the other hand, could stand to show some respect." Danny and Tucker quickly bowed, not wanting to offend Undergrowth, especially not on his own turf. "You're very welcome."

One of his arms extended to take Sam's hand, and he kissed the back of it. "The trees and vines will lead you back to the edge, whenever you wish," he said. "But please, eat before you go." He gestured behind them, where a pile of fruits and berries, and vegetables had been laid out on a mossy stone for them.

Tucker gagged, but Sam and Danny both elbowed him, reminding him not to offend the host that had already mind-controlled him once. He shoved down his disgust and ate what he could, since he didn't know when they'd be able to find food again. To his surprise, he did actually find a few things he could stomach.

It was weird, being around Undergrowth without fighting him. Danny was on edge the whole time, but he didn't want to start anything and risk endangering his friends, especially with sings going so, suspiciously well. He ate as quickly as he could, scarfing down the faintly glowing fruits and veggies and subtly trying to get his friends to do the same.

When they'd eaten their fill and packed a few things away in their backpacks for later consumption, they said their goodbyes to Undergrowth and he wished them luck as they surrounding forest led them to the edge of the realm.

For the second time that day, the trio found themselves standing on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a vast, green expanse. And for the second time that day, they stepped off.

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#phic phight 2023 #phic phight #fic #things i wrote #in the zone #dp #danny phantom #danny fenton #sam manson #the ghost zone #undergrowth dp

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apocalypticavolition · 1 year ago

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Let's (re)Read The Eye of the World! Chapter 24: Flight Down the Arinelle

You see that tower in the background of this updated cover image? It's complete and utter spoilers for stuff that doesn't happen in this book but later ones. This post is too, so if you're not into spoilers, please go somewhere else. We can all wonder together why the heck they put it on the cover of this book some other time.

This chapter gets us another harp chapter icon, which reflects our dear friend Thom. This chapter is when he becomes Rand and Mat's main mentor since all of the other candidates are MIA, so it's pretty heavily about his influence on the boys.

There were stone bridges and railless ramps everywhere, all sprouting off from broad, flat-topped stone spires, all polished and smooth and streaked with red and gold. Level on level, the maze stretched up and down through the murk, without any apparent beginning or end. Every bridge led to a spire, every ramp to another spire, other bridges.

Rand's wound up in one of those shitty Unity tutorials where it's meant to look super cool that the video game world loops in on itself forever but when you look at it in the editor it's just the one thing so there's no real content. Ba'alzy wanted something cooler, but he's working with what little's left over from the AoL.

(Okay that's clearly not QUITE how it works since Ba'alz becomes visible in the distance but I still feel that there's a relationship here from a Watsonian angle.)

The gritty heat prickled his skin, and his throat had long since gone dry as he trotted down the thorn-hedge maze. How long had it been now? His sweat evaporated before it had a chance to bead, and his eyes burned. Overhead—and not too far overhead, at that—boiled furious, steely clouds streaked with black, but not a breath of air stirred in the maze. For a moment he thought it had been different, but the thought evaporated in the heat. He had been here a long time.

I feel like Jordan's channeling some more of his jungle memories here, with the thorn maze being a quick substitute for the jungle.

His heel had overturned one of the smooth stones, kicked it out of the dry ground. He stared at it, and empty eye sockets stared back. A skull. A human skull. He looked along the pathway at all the smooth, pale stones, all exactly alike. He shifted his feet hastily, but he could not move without walking on them, and he could not stay still without standing on them.

The human skull: it's simple, it's basic, it's cliche, and goddamn if it isn't effective. The Forsaken should have used it more.

There was only one face in those endless mirrors. His own face. Ba’alzamon’s face. One face.

The thing that makes Jordan's inability to handle Perrin's (and to a lesser extent, Mat's) arc so frustrating is that he clearly had Rand's biggest story beats planned out long, long in advance. Here's how Rand escapes his destined death, staring us in the face.

They did not put in to shore, neither by day nor by night.

Rand really is an uncultured swine if this is a surprise to him. Wander around by the shore and the ship could end up stuck or worse. Best to just follow the river to the docks of Whitebridge. Don't adventure stories mention this, Rand?

Rand noticed that Thom Merrilin stayed clear of the crew when they began whispering together and frowning, though usually he was slapping backs and telling jokes and exchanging banter in a way that put a grin on even the hardest-working man. Thom watched those secretive mutters with a wary eye while appearing to be absorbed in lighting his long-stemmed pipe, or tuning his harp, or almost anything except paying any mind at all to the crew. Rand did not understand why.

A rare moment in this book of Rand not understanding the politics, probably because it doesn't seem like politics to him right now. Thom is of course paying close attention to everything to keep the crew from mutinying, as the three passengers would likely suffer one way or another if they did. Thom explains this all, which is more practical explanation into politics than Rand will get from Moiraine for a longass time. He also teaches them acrobatics and music, so he's way more well-rounded than she and Lan put together.

When Rand mentioned to Mat that Gelb would cause them trouble sooner or later, Mat looked around the boat, saying, “Can we trust any of them? Any at all?”

Two or three days into having a cursed dagger of paranoia +5 thousand and Mat is doing just great everybody!

In the middle of the first day, the Arinelle ran between high bluffs that stretched for half a mile on either side. For that whole length the stone had been cut into figures, men and women a hundred feet tall, with crowns proclaiming them kings and queens. No two were alike in that royal procession, and long years separated the first from the last. Wind and rain had worn those at the north end smooth and almost featureless, with faces and details becoming more distinct as they went south. The river lapped around the statues’ feet, feet washed to smooth nubs, those that were not gone completely.

I haven't mentioned too much about the LotR parallels (the attempt to go down the road is the initial attempts to go from Rivendell across the mountains, Shadar Logoth is Moria), but it's interesting that the Argonath statues get an equivalent as well. I assume that these bluffs reflect the kings and queens of Aridhol and so are two to three thousand years old, give or take, since they're so close to its capital and probably some distance from Masenashar's.

The Breaking left a thousand wonders behind, and there been half a dozen empires or more since, some rivaling Artur Hawkwing’s, every one leaving things to see and find. Lightsticks and razorlace and heartstone. A crystal lattice covering an island, and it hums when the moon is up. A mountain hollowed into a bowl, and in its center, a silver spike a hundred spans high, and any who comes within a mile of it, dies. Rusted ruins, and broken bits, and things found on the bottom of the sea, things not even the oldest books know the meaning of I’ve gathered a few, myself.

This conversation started with the Tower of Ghenjei, which is an interdimensional portal to a convenient side universe, and mentioned the lady Chodean Kal statue on Tremalking (also the Coramoor, AKA Rand), which is just a sa'angreal. Lightsticks we'll see later, same with heartstone; the former is self-explanatory and the latter is unbreakable unobtainium. Razorlace though doesn't get mentioned again. It suggests a very sharp lattice or clothing of some kind, but I'm not sure what the AoL would use for that. Maybe it's just regular razor wire all tangled up?

The crystal lattice that hums in moonlight is another mystery to me and I can't begin to guess what its purpose might be except some sort of yard decoration that grew out of control. The hollow mountain with a spike is a satellite dish, and it's clearly emitting some kind of high energy whatsits (maybe even just literal microwaves), likely because it's broken enough to be dangerous but not broken enough to be off.

As he turned to go, Rand heard him muttering under his breath. “I’ll bet he just doesn’t want anybody else going after the treasure.” He did not seem to realize he had spoken aloud.

I feel like this is further evidence for my, "Mat was already being fucked up by Shadar Logoth once he walked in" suggestion for his insanity.

On sudden impulse he unwrapped his legs from the stays bracing the mast and held his arms and legs out to either side, balancing against the sway. For three complete arcs he kept his balance like that, then suddenly it was gone. Arms and legs windmilling, he toppled forward and grabbed the forestay. Legs splayed to either side of the mast, nothing holding him to his precarious perch but his two hands on the stay, he laughed. Gulping huge breaths of the fresh, cold wind, he laughed with the exhilaration of it.

And here's Rand's second crazy incident. This is only four days apart from his channeling, so the gap's already closed a lot!

He looked down and was surprised to see all the faces staring up at him. Only Mat, sitting cross-legged up in the bows with his back to the mast, was not looking at him. Even the men at the oars had their eyes raised, letting their stroke go ragged. And no one was berating them for it. Rand twisted his head around to look under his arm at the stern. Captain Domon stood by the steering oar, ham-like fists on his hips, glaring at him atop the mast.

This is one of the few moments in the series where nearly everyone in the room has incomplete information and is still making the correct assumption anyway: each and every member of the crew thinks that Rand's going crazy from channeling. This is also the moment when Thom gets his crazy suspicions "confirmed", because Rand is undeniably channeling and having post-channeling crazies in front of him. He probably still assumes all three boys are candidates.

Also, this is as good a point to mention it as any: the crew is all dudes. So far as I can tell, all the known sailors of the subcontinent are male. This is another point where Jordan's background rather messes with the work, since there's way less reason for there not to be female sailors. Even if the comparatively prudish westerners expected unisex crews lest the sailors spend their downtime ravishing each other (in this age no one would ever suggest sailors are homoflexible, that's two ages back), you'd think there'd still be ships loaded with gals who did stuff like "Left home for Tar Valon, found out they couldn't channel, needed to find a new way to make ends meet" or whatever. At least the Sea Folk and Seanchan are more progressive on this front.

Rand squatted on his heels, with his arms crossed on his knees. “Where did you get that?” Mat said nothing, looking quickly to see if anyone else was close by. They were alone, for a wonder. “You didn’t take it from Shadar Logoth, did you?” Mat stared at him. “It’s your fault. Yours and Perrin’s. The two of you pulled me away from the treasure, and I had it in my hand. Mordeth didn’t give it to me. I took it, so Moiraine’s warnings about his gifts don’t count. You won’t tell anybody, Rand. They might try to steal it.”

You have to hand it to early book Mat for ensuring that Rand's literally terrifying an entire crew in the grips of acrobatic pseudo-fever is still not the stupidest or craziest thing someone is up to this chapter. I was willing to blame Moiraine for being a bit vague about the dangers of Shadar Logoth when the boys went exploring, but she was not at all unclear about how stupid it would be to take anything out of the city and Mat's still doing it. Of course, he is at this point clearly in its thrall, but still.

“I didn’t know you had such a good head for heights, lad. We might be able to play in Illian, or Ebou Dar, or even Tear. People in the big cities in the south like tightrope walkers and slackwire artists.”

Little cities like Samara too! Let's book you guys a showing. Year and a half from now sound good? I'll just put it down in Thom's name and he can do it with whoever happens to be there.

Rand’s gaze drifted to the top of the mast, and he shivered. What’s happening to me? Light, what? He had to find out. He had to get to Tar Valon before he really did go mad.

Does getting there after you go mad but also got better count? Because that's the best Rand manages.

Oh well, next chapter we'll touch base with someone who does get to Tar Valon before she goes crazy, and also Perrin who has abandoned all hopes of getting anywhere before he becomes an absolute lunatic. See ya!

#let's read #wheel of time #wot #robert jordan #wheel of time spoilers #wot spoilers #rand al'thor #ishamael #bayle domon #thom merrilin #mat cauthon

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kiruamon · 2 years ago

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Part 23

Despite the fact that it was already late into the afternoon, there were still a few students roaming around the campus of Spooky High after school hours. Whether to hang out with their friends or because they were participating in one of the many club activities.

Carrying his little friend in his arms, Oz hurried across the schoolyard and over to the bathrooms to the spot where he had picked up Pip barely two weeks ago. "It must have been around here…" Quickly the entity looked around, but it didn't appear that anyone else was nearby, so Oz set the little hedgehog down on the ground without hesitation. "So... let's see if we can find that mirror somewhere."

Keeping his nose close to the ground, Damien constantly pushed aside annoying blades of grass with his tiny snout to make his way through this jungle of rampant weed. Was this the spot? Or should he have gone in the other direction? If only he could remember clearly! But the moment seemed blurry when he tried to. All he knew was that he hadn't wandered too far from the back of the bathrooms when he had taken a peek inside the messed up thing. Again he looked back at the monster sliding around on its knees at his side, which had so selflessly offered to help him. Several small phobias kept watch from Oz's head and shoulders with tiny binoculars for the lost artifact, while his classmate systematically searched the dry grass for the mirror or any clue as to its whereabouts. Damien was really glad that he chose to ask Oz for help. Good! "No time to stand around lazily!" he reminded himself, with a motivated snort, before continuing his search.

"Strange, I can't find anything unusual here." "Same over here! Nothing except this stupid grass, a few pebbles, a bunch of dirt, and some gross bugs and worms," Damien said, shuddering a little at the thought of the oversized pests that had been crawling right in front of his nose. Disgusting abominations! It was enough to drive him crazy! And they had already been searching here for half an hour or so!

"I guess you weren't lucky either… " Unlike what he had hoped for, Oz had not even found the slightest hint of anything being out of the ordinary. However, it had also been a while since he had found Pip. The grass had most likely recovered by now, if something had been lying here at all… Maybe they had to widen their search. "Or… ", Oz began thoughtfully, which earned him a questioning look from Pip, who was listening carefully to him in hopeful expectation for an idea. "Well… I was just thinking that if we are looking in the right place, but can't find the mirror here, it could be that someone else might have found it?" That would at least explain why their search so far was so fruitless. But it would also possibly complicate their quest if his guess was right. "… best case scenario might be that the person dropped it off in the teachers' lounge," Oz continued to ponder. "Shall we check there?", at that time of the day the sports clubs were still going so at least Couch should be somewhere on the campus to supervise them.

The idea that some weirdo had found the magic mirror before them wasn't really appealing to Damien. But it didn't sound so unlikely anymore, either. And while he didn't believed that anyone would ever turn anything in to a teacher at this school - and that also included homework for many of the students here - it couldn't hurt to at least check to be sure. "Let's give it a shot," at worst, they'd have to come up with a new plan. So Damien nodded towards his new friend to signify that he agreed with his idea. It was at least worth a try.

"Looking for something, you losers?" Damien was just lifted up by Oz when an extremely obnoxious voice - reminding him of a bloated, slimy toad - spoke up behind them. The smug tone lying in it sounded so offensive that, all of his spikes rose up on their own, while a low, threatening growl left his throat. His tail swung through the air in irritation, flailing fiercely, and it was only because he noticed the flinching in Oz's fingertips that he finally mustered the will power to flatten his spikes again. That damn voice…

Oz winced as they got some rather unexpected company. With an anxious look, he spun around and pulled Pip protectively a little closer to his body. "Um… hello Leonard… " Oz swallowed. Usually he wasn't one to judge his fellow monsters in advance, but if he had to put it nicely, he would describe his relationship with the small-sized kappa as not too good. Leonard's whole demeanor set off his alarm bells whenever he saw him. The personification of fear was used to many of his classmates demonstrating their violent tendencies and often being not overly coy about expressing their displeasure towards others. Even though the kappa didn't necessarily fell into the former category of monsters, but… as soon as the other opened his mouth, he somehow found a way to sweep aside any joy or good mood, making you feel only miserable in the end when he left. Usually Oz just avoided running into him. And usually there was often enough someone else around to chase the kappa away - before Leonard could do any long-term emotional damage to his fellow monsters. But this time, it was just them. Him, Pip, and Leonard. "I… I was… I mean we… were j-just… ", Oz didn't exactly know what he was trying to say. The words in his head were one big messy jumble in which he was getting more and more tangled up. His gaze wandered to the side, desperately trying not to look his unpleasant classmate in the eye and thereby accidentally provoking a confrontation. … wait. How did Leonard actually know that he… that they, were looking for something? Oz's head shot up and now he couldn't help but stare at the other with wide-open eyes. And there stood the kappa. With a wide smug grin holding a silvery mirror in his webbed hands!

Leonard also noticed how his gaze lingered on the mirror. The corners of the kappa's beak moved even further up and his eyes narrowed in spiteful mischievousness. "Neh! I know what you two dumbasses are after," he announced, gesturing over to them with his free hand. "You guys always think you own the whoooooole school! That just because you're a little popular you can get away with aaaanything. But your popularity is nothing! Nothing! And I will prove it today!" Oz didn't had the slightest idea what Leonard was talking about. Absolutely confused, he stared at the kappa, who continued to rant to himself, while the anxious entity lost more and more the thread of this conversation. "… taking everything from… " What should he do? It seemed hopeless to interrupt Leonard in his ramblings. But he had to do something. Especially… if it was really the mirror they were looking for. P-perhaps he could just ask nicely if they could borrow it onc- no… no, they were talking about Leonard here. There was no way the other would make it that easy for him. "… Money. Fame. Popularity. My lunch. Even my internet followers! But this time, I'll be the one laughing last! Because I have unraveled the secret of this artifact! No one will be able to match me if I use its power! And then everyone at this school will have to play by my rules!" Whatever Leonard's plan was all about, it sounded bad. Awfully bad. "Marvel and tremble at the power the mirror will give me!" the kappa shouted in a hysterical fit of laughter, raising the mirror triumphantly in front of his own face.

What in the name of all that was unholy was this shit? Damien gritted his teeth. That fucker! How could he! Stealing his stolen loot! No wonder they hadn't found that stupid mirror anywhere! "Hey! Shitface! Hand the thing back! Pronto! Otherwise I'll beat you to a fucking pulp!" He angrily roared at the baldy, not noticing until the second moment how the cooling hands that held him began to tremble. What? Damien looked up and noticed that Oz looked oddly pale. Was he afraid of the twerp over there? Huff, if only he were his old self again, then he could really show this clown who's the boss, and they'd be rid of the creep in a snap. "Don't let him fool you. It's all just hot air. Nothing more. That's all that asshole can do." Still, it made him furious just to have to look at this big-headed windbag, let alone having to listen to him! "Get to the point already, asshole!" No matter what, the kappa wouldn't scare him and regardless of whether he was a hedgehog or not, Damien was determined to protect Oz from this bastard. Should the jerk try to lay a single finger on his friend, he would drag him down to the deepest depths of hell! As his eyes darted from Oz back to Leonard, the guy was already holding the goddamn mirror up in front of his own face. Surely he wasn't going to… Oh fuck, he absolutely would do it…

It hardly took more than three seconds. Not much more than a blink. And instead of the kappa, there now stood a…. A… Damien honestly wasn't quite sure what he was looking at. It was darn big. Which was damn unfair, considering how he himself had become so much smaller after his transformation! Hell, he'd known it from the start, that stupid mirror just had to be broken! "Ugh, what the fucking hell is that? A giant roast chicken?" It had long legs, like a catwalk model. An abnormally long, strangely fuzzy looking neck. The huge body was covered with dark feathers while its head was way too tiny in comparison. Well, probably was such a tiny head more than enough for such a retarded idiot like Leonard. Anyway, it looked downright idiotic.

"Nehehehehe! Now you're speechless! Soon I will turn everyone at this school into an animal. And then I'll be the one who makes the rules!"

L… Le… Leonard turned into an ostrich! Oz could hardly believe what he was seeing. The animal looked incredibly huge compared to himself. And if it wasn't for the strange turtle shell and the water-sloshing bulge on its head, Oz would have thought his classmate had just swapped places with a wild animal, much like a trick during a magic show. But the one in front of him was without a doubt no one else but Leonard. And… Oz didn't understand a word of what his now feathered classmate was saying. The beak opened and closed several times, but the only thing the frightened student could hear was an angry hissing and a strange noise that sounded like the suction device dentists used when they had to extract spit from the mouth of their patients. The whole situation was more than just a little disturbing for him. And… yet this… animal… was still Leonard. And… Oz's head jerked up as he finally realizied what was going on. The mirror turned someone into an animal as soon as they looked into it. Pip had been looking for the mirror because he had done the same thing as Leonard! He was not a hedgehog at all! Instead he was… was one… of his… class… mates… His head felt like it was about to explode from all the new information it had to process in such a short period of time. He had treated one of his classmates like a pet. Trusted him with his embarrassing secrets. His dreams. He had sung in front of him. Tried to feed him insects! Washed him and… and… Before Oz could die of sheer embarrassment, he hastily slammed his memories behind the closest door in his mind. Stop. Later would still be time to ponder over the extent of all his embarrasing missteps! But not now! Now, he had to pull himself together. Maybe… maybe he could somehow talk with Leonard about this whole thing. For Pip. Or… whatever his little friend's real name was.

Oz gulped, still shaking slightly as he worked up the courage to negotiate with his intimidating classmate. "T-to b-be… honest… I-I'm not… not quite sure i-if I understood a-all of wha-… what you were saying e-earlier. B-but it… it would be r-really, really nice if you c-could lend us t-the mirror? Pl-please?" His words came out as an awful stutter, and yet Oz did his best to settle this matter peacefully. Maybe Leonard would be understanding. Maybe he would at least let them borrow the mirror for a moment. At least, in an ideal world, it would have been like that.

Unlike Oz, Damien was less patient or nice and didn't cared about haggling with an obnoxious toad like Leonard. "Dirty bastard!" he spat at the feathered scumbag. Why was he acting all mighty and stuff? "Damien LaVey," the big, dark pair of eyes fixed on him now. "Neh-hehheheh-heh! I always knew you were just a pathetic joke without your oh-so-great muscles. Your new look couldn't have been more fitting!" How could he! Damien's pupils became narrow slits and his growl increased even more. "Well, well, how does it feel to suddenly be at the bottom of the food chain?" That twisted grin… Damien was about to burst. Who did this asshole think he was? "Put me down Oz. Put me down right now so I can strangle this little shit single-handedly with his own stupid noodle neck!" With all his might he kicked and squirmed in his friend's hands. Only focusing on his target. So he could wipe that shitty grin from the face of the loudmouthed braggart!

"P-Pip! What… what are… ah, don't, stop!", Oz barely managed to hold onto the furious hedgehog. The little animal in his hands was suddenly completely out of control, kicking wildly with its small paws while its tiny but numerous spikes reared up and dug into Oz's skin. Surprised by this, Oz flinched. Taking advantage of the moment, Pip, despite the height, wriggled out of his grip and jumped down to the ground. The little spiky ball landed clumsily on the ground, but to Oz's relief his friend quickly recovered from his fall. Thankfully, he hadn't hurt himself! But that didn't mean everything was okay again. The small hedgehog shook himself vigorously before fearlessly stretching his snout towards Leonard with bared teeth. With his tail lashing angrily and taking only a few steps, the critter positioned himself between him and the so much larger ostrich, which was met with angry snarls as if the threatening gestures could somehow impress the latter. Oz had a very bad feeling about this.

"Pip?", Damien heard the amused croaking voice of his unwelcome classmate mimicking Oz mockingly. He felt like throwing up. Hearing Oz's normally affectionate nickname coming out of Leonard's mouth, of all places, disgusted him to no end and made his blood boil. "For real?" The dimwitted feathered creature laughed out loud, its head bobbing up and down several times in a cut-off motion on its long neck. Damien could even see the tears already forming in the frogface's bug-eyes from laughter. "LaVey, no more than a mere lap dog! How appropriate!", dark eyes still fixed on him, the kappa continued half-laughing. "Oooooh, is little Pippy mad?" Damien felt his face heating up. Both of anger and shame. Enough! Enough of this shit! No one but Oz was allowed to call him that and…. "I swear, call me a lap dog one more time, chicken leg, and I'll make you into a side dish for a nice hot boiling soup." Damien snarled at the other, growling even more. How dare this bastard make fun of him? About him or his relationship with Oz! Damien bared his teeth again, but the feathered scumbag ignored it completely and didn't take him seriously at all! "Somebody hasn't understood the situation he is in yet. You'll be dancing at my bidding from now on, you losers! But don't worry, your little whiny friend over there will follow your fate any minute now." "No!" roared Damien immediately, his eyes widening in shock. "Don't you dare! I'll kill you! I'm so going to kill you!" That was it! The straw that finally broke the camel's back. In blind rage Damien stormed on his four paws towards his so much bigger opponent. A fight David against Goliath. The prince would not allow that cursed bastard to harm Oz! With all his might, Damien threw himself against one of the feet and buried his tiny claws and teeth in one of the big, clawed toes. His tail thundered wildly through the air behind him as he redoubled his efforts. But the usually formidable brawler barely managed to pierce through his opponent's thick skin which was covered with horny scales.

To his terror, the bastard didn't even flinch and easily managed to shake him off his foot again. With a sardonic grin, Leonard's head lowered to him just far enough that he couldn't bite him in his stupid beak. "Is that all you've got, Pippy? Laughable!" Damien wasn't sure he'd ever hated anyone as much as this slimy toad! "Just wait until- " "Now I'm talking," this shrimp cut him off! The goggle eyes narrowed into an evil, vile expression that boded no good, before the kappa loudly announced: "I'm going to show you how a real man handles this."

Even before Damien could throw an insult at the other's head, or even react, one of the long, powerful stilt-legs lunged out. A choked cry of pain escaped his throat as the huge foot hit him in the stomach with the force of a wrecking ball and by that forcing all the air out of his lungs.

His paws lifted off the ground. Like a tiny, spiky soccer, Damien sailed through the air as he spun around and around. Unable to distinguish up from down, the former prince instinctively curled up into a ball to protect himself.

In the next instant, gravity caught up with him again. He fell. His small body crashed into the middle of a web of hundreds of branches and a sea of colorful leaves…

That couldn't be… Impossible… Horrified, Oz stood there. Several of his phobias had gasped loudly for air before breaking into panicked squeals now. But Oz's head was still trying to catch up with what his eyes had seen. It took several painfully long seconds before his legs finally complied with his silent pleas and started to move.

Half running, half stumbling, the entity - being on the verge of tears - dashed in the direction in which he had last seen the small figure of his friend before his fall. "Pip! PIP!" he shouted. His voice trembled with sheer horror and a low whimper came from ambulophobia on his left arm. He had to get to Pip! Now! He had to help him! See if he was hurt! Oh please, oh please, let him be unharmed! Almost drowning in his worry and with tears in the corners of his eyes, Oz ran without a thought.

But he didn't even cover two meters when Leonard, of all people, stood in his way like an insuperable obstacle. Spreading his wings wide, Leonard didn't allow the panicked entity to push its way past him just like that.

With blurry vision, Oz realized what it was that the giant ostrich was holding there tightly squeezed between his beak. Oh no… he wouldn't… or would he?

"One down. One left."

To be continued.

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drifterjo · 7 months ago

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Te o Toriatte

Chapters II, III & IV

II.

Spiders from Mars, the interplanetary casino, hung on planet Mars low orbit. Its freakish name was an oldie - David Bowie’s band in his early days of Ziggy Stardust.

The exterior framework of the casino was spectacular, a colossal metallic round structure which intentionally resembled a roulette wheel. I had admired it from a distance on several occasions and my attraction held every time I saw it.

The interior didn’t disappoint either. There was a number of distinct areas, wherein gargantuan waterfalls and allotments of tropical jungle fused agreeably with post-modern design and connectionist architecture.

Once inside, I pushed through row after row of slot-machines, ostensibly ignoring the hordes of dopamine addicts.

I headed straight for the table games lounge, my intention clear: to win a few thousand woolongs ASAP. I didn’t have any cash on me, but I needed some to get started.

I knew the place would be saturated with professional bookies. Right off the bat I counted half a dozen of them. They resembled vultures, patiently waiting to prey on the fallen.

These leeches in human form were nothing but scum and I would only recur to them as a last resort.

Not that I had much choice! My wallet was as empty as the dwarf moon of Dysnomia.

I wandered about for a while until I spotted this guy I knew from a previous monetary setback o mine. His name was Vex. He had the face of an ugly weasel and the eyes of a goat… a diseased one.

Adverse physiognomic considerations aside, Vex was willing to loan me enough credit to get me started on one of the poker tables. His interest rate was 100%, take it or leave it!

I took it!

III.

Even though it was Christmas (or perhaps because of it), most of the casino lounges were brimming. A hodgepodge of players, a fair sample of the different strata of population inhabiting our heliocentric system in those days.

I tried to figure how many of the players were playing on credit. If they were plebeians, their pockets should be as empty as mine. It was hard to tell.

There was a wide variety of types scattered across the room, from the gutter riff-raff, surely living on indigence, to the filthy rich, whose money they simply were unable to spend in their lifetime.

What I could tell was that all tables were full - all but one, that is, standing out like a sore thumb.

Dead center in the great room there was this solitary figure just sitting there, aloof from the gambling frenzy around him. A heavyset individual with a tailored white suit on, dark shades concealing his eyes and no drink on the table. Something about the guy was vaguely familiar to me, yet I couldn’t place it right away.

The green felt of the gaming table was as void as the five seats around it, something I found peculiar. Even though the guy looked tough enough, my instinct told me he was making a show of it. There was a reason for him being alone, of course, yet my guess was that he wasn’t a shark.

He was only pretending to be one.

IV.

I draw near to him, feigning a nonchalant attitude I didn’t possess. I felt tense, dying for a drink to calm my nerves and sooth my aching body. Before addressing him, I noticed that his eyes were undiscernible, hidden behind the black lenses of his glasses.

“5-Card Draw, no limit?” I said.

I was okay with Texas Hold’em, which I knew to be the most popular game around. I didn’t mind playing that game at all. But my favorite had always been 5-Card Draw, though. As far as poker is concerned, it is called «the old time greatest» for a reason.

The guy bobbed his head slightly, seizing me with a look that I was unable to fathom. Then he nodded slowly.

I stood indecisive, as if I needed a formal invitation to sit down.

“Grab a seat,” he said, as if reading my mind. He spread his arms, “Any seat you want!”

I sat down and faced him dead on. For a silent moment we seized each other like the couple of alpha males we were.

As if by magic, a freckled waiter in a tight sweater and a skimpy skirt appeared at my side. Her voice was as sardonic as her looks. “What will you have, sugar?”

“A double whisky on the rocks! Keep the rocks to a minimum!”

The waiter nodded and left.

The guy reacted, “Have you come here to drink or to play?” There was annoyance in his tone.

“Both,” I said swiftly.

I watched him took a card deck from a coat pocket - apparently an unused one, though you could never really tell. He removed a thin sheet of cellophane covering the deck and started to shuffle the cards rather sloppily. I couldn’t tell if the guy was for real or not.

The waiter returned with my drink. A black dealer impeccably dressed in a dark tuxedo, gloves and all, accompanied her.

My opponent ignored him. “Let’s dispense with the dealer, shall we?”

“Fine with me!” I shrugged.

#cowboy bebop #cowboy bebop fanfiction #cowboy bebop fanart

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punkscowardschampions · 8 months ago

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Lush pt.2

Dash: they’re still on you 🩰 from before, I can’t quit playing your vid

Lux: I should be embarrassed but I can’t be, it only makes me want you to see me more

Dash: I’ve gotta while there’s ☀️ light left to 👀 you by

Lux: There’ll be the 🔥 then the 🌟s

Dash: meet me in the orchard for a sec, we can choose our tree

Lux: Now?

Dash: just for 5

Lux: You’ve already upped how long but

Dash: but yeah? you wanna?

Lux: Yes

Dash: I’m off my knees & omw

Lux: Hopefully I know where you mean

Dash: [give her some directions]

Lux: I thought so

Dash: I don’t wanna lose you

Lux: [turn up at these trees after manoeuvring through this messy jungle of a garden, careful or you’ll need a tetanus hun]

Dash: [speaking of, catch this boy casually eating an apple off a pocket knife as he leans against a tree waiting, only to literally cut himself when she appears because he’s so down bad that he’s immediately LOOKING at her instead of what he’s doing, dropping this half eaten fruit because it’s got his blood on it and putting his finger in his mouth, what a greeting]

Lux: [walking over to him with the caution of being OVERWHELMED by how he looks, and actually allowing yourself to look at him, if not make full and consistent eye contact, this giving way to rushing over and cradling his hand, those eldest instincts kicking in, trying to see if this cut is superficial and chill or something to concern ourselves fully with, as I doubt you’re bleeding to death, shaking your head with a small smile ‘no hooks’ like what did I tell you about juggling knives, boy, taking the step back and moving from the contact that circumstances forced into happening that quickly]

Dash: [when you were trying to look so cool and you fumbled it haha, we can all hear his heart BEATING at this hand cradling moment because it’s the first contact she’s initiated, circumstantial or not, hence smiling a bit too big at her joke purely because he’s !! before clearing his throat when she steps back and looking up at the tree he was leaning against because that’s the excuse of why they’re here, then looking at her like okay how about this one? even though we all know he blatantly has a fave that he’d choose and is waiting to see if she will that isn’t this tree]

Lux: [looking up into the canopy too, swallowing back any response to his reaction there because you cannot, walking from trunk to trunk, not entirely sure what you’re meant to be searching for in a tree because you can’t even imagine it, dropping your eyes back down to meet his quizzically for a moment ‘do you tie yourselves in?’]

Dash: [have a lil wander through these trees, him either walking close enough to her that once again their arms brush if there’s space to be side by side or so close behind her that it would be laughable if that was the mood instead of this tension, casually reaching out to touch a random set of initials that someone has carved into one of these trees at some point because he’s thinking he has a knife and he literally could do theirs but he’s not trying to freak her out by being extra af ‘people do, I don’t’ in such a what will be, will be tone, as if, if you’re destined to fall out of a tree then so be it, again feel my Junie eye roll, sir your mother is paralysed don’t be a reckless fool]

Lux: [looking around y’all at floor level, a sigh of relief at there not being all the people around that there was in the living room when you were watching your film, tracing these initials with your finger, following behind his like you were just walking moments ago; raising a brow at this statement because you think that’s ridiculous and will not be chancing a paralysing fall from a height but you don’t need to come for him about it that hard]

Dash: [not noticing her eyebrow raise because he’s too busy being a silly lil monkey boy and climbing up one of these trees, despite it still not being his ideal one, staying on a pretty low branch and reaching a hand down to help her up because it isn’t his ideal tree so we don’t need to climb to the top but he’s just doing the vibe of when you’re looking around a house and you’re not at all interested but you still are nosy anyway]

Lux: [hoping he doesn’t notice you wiping your hands on your skirt because you’re scared they’ll be clammy when he reaches for them but you do let him help you because it’s practical but you also want the excuse to briefly hold hands, sit down beside him, dangling your legs]

Dash: [gonna say the hand he reached for her with is his dominant one and thus the one he cut his finger on and even though that isn’t deep it’s probably still bleeding/bleeding again with this climb in that annoying way fingers do, so at some point later when she’s gone back inside to carry on getting ready for this bonfire or whatever she can notice that she has some of his blood on her hand, for the peak romance of it all, but anyway, for now look around and incline your head towards some other trees in a check those out, what do you think of them from up here and this new angle kinda way, before he inevitably gets distracted watching her legs dangle because whether or not she’s in her bonfire outfit yet I nevertheless doubt she’s dressed for tree climbing and gotta check her out always]

Lux: [when you can barely bring yourself to look at these trees because you don’t really care but you do think it’s adorable that he does so of course you oblige, smiling to yourself about it as you let your eyes flicker back and forth from him and these trees, swinging your legs up and leaning your back against the bow of this branch, as if testing out what sleeping here would remotely look like but your feet are in his lap because he’s here and there’s not going to be room enough for the two of you to stretch out]

Dash: [this boy could likewise no longer care less suddenly from the moment her feet are in his lap, we can’t lie, LOOKING down at them and shifting as if to get y’all both as comfy as you can be but really you’re just HYPER aware of your own lap rn in that teen boy way like oh no please don’t let my body make it super obvious how into this I am and make this awks, nevertheless can’t help but LOOK over at her and try and make eye contact though despite knowing that would make said awks and said horniness much more likely, it all feels that out of his control rn]

Lux: [actually making eye contact because you said you wanted to and you meant it, the !! noise making you choke practically with your attempt to swallow it down, red-faced again but determined not to run away right now, shuffling forward, putting your feet either side of him, moving into the space between his legs, knees raised, resting your head on one like the cool skin there can calm down your blushing cheeks]

Dash: [it cannot be overstated how much every second of that makes him die because he didn’t expect to actually get the eye contact yet so that’s killing him because immediately feeling a type of way about it and then there’s her noise and her blush and then she’s moving and basically posing looking like art, tis a constant onslaught on this boy’s senses in a way he is not used to AT ALL because he’s usually the one having this effect on people and like she said, it being basically effortless, softly saying her name like he’s trying it out what he thinks of it and if it’s perfect for her or not, much like they are here trying out trees, because the first time he has said it, shamelessly also trying out the effect it’ll have on them both too, ofc, because already we’re so glad that her feet are no longer in his lap, let’s just say that, horniness off the charts]

Lux: [knocking your knees closed reflexively as he says your name for the first time because no one has ever said it like that or in a context even a little like this and that’s short-circuited your brain in this moment, the recognition and how right it feels, pushing yourself up and onto your knees so you are leaning over him, LOOKING down and doing a shaky breath ‘Dash?’ quiet but intense]

Dash: [has 10000% short circuited his own brain as well by saying it and how it made him feel, god bless, nevertheless instinctively and immediately moving towards and putting his arms on her to steady her as she moves, despite what he said about it being up to fate if he falls out of a tree or not, I imagine they’ve naturally found somewhere to rest that’s accidentally on purpose more saucy than the safety of it all requires, like her waist or something, not moving them away though as he LOOKS back at her for what would feel like a thousand years but is defs only a second, but still, SQUEEZING in that second so he’s really holding her in a deliberate way]

Lux: [when you say his name for a second time there is no hesitating question in your tone at all, the comparative loudness making it seem as firm as the way he’s holding you, a moan, instinctively sinking into him and getting as close as you can here, putting your hand at the base of his neck as if it’s just another steadying measure when that’s just a fraction of the reasoning]

Dash: [making such a !! noise about all of that, quietly but you might as well have screamed it for how dramatic it would feel because you can’t stop it from happening and how close y’all are to each other, moving his head so that they are close enough to forehead touch or kiss but not yet because in no world do you wanna rush that even though you blatantly also do, saying her name again, but with a question in it in the way that he’s clearly asking for permission]

Lux: [the concentration it is taking to not crash your face into his immediately, doing tiny pants, tongue slightly poking out with the effort, licking your bottom lip as you nod, swallowing to make your voice come, still hoarse, unavoidably so ‘I want you’]

Dash: [immediately crashing his face into hers the exact way she wanted to a second ago but did not because what a perfect mirroring moment and we love to see it, moaning against her lips almost before they’ve even touched because of how !! he is and how much he wants to, adorably despite feeling feral and literally unavoidably and instinctively PULLING her into him so dramatically with his hands which haven’t moved, trying at the same time to keep this kiss really innocent and soft and chaste because he remembers her saying she’s only done this with 1 other boy before]

Lux: [gasping as you likewise pull him to you, hugging your arms around his shoulders and finding yourself pulled back down so you’re sat between his legs and he’s between yours, god bless you trying but all logical thoughts have gone out the window so we’re really frantically and messily going for this kiss, even if the way we are is clumsy and teeth are knocked together, we aren’t becoming self-conscious yet we’re too in this]

Dash: [we’re all aware that attempt at chivalry is only lasting a nanosecond anyway before he’s abandoning it to match her in doing the absolute most as if y’all aren’t in a tree you could fall out of, letting go off her waist so that his hands are alternating between grabbing her hair and holding her face as if it’s possible to pull her closer and deepen this makeout sesh via either of those when it simply is not]

Lux: [thank god we’re not here to fuck y’all up like that right this second, you’re welcome, losing yourself in this so ridiculously, pulling his tongue into your mouth as far as you can, muffled words that can’t be understood, only in vibe alone, begging him to go deeper]

Dash: [imagine, that would be so rude, however low this branch may be that you’re on rn, I keep thinking that at any moment some peeps could appear to pick fruit or have their own shenanigans and see this, not that either of you can or would care at all atm lol, you’re welcome that we’re likewise letting you live and letting everyone be busy with bonfire prep and meal prep and all the things, anyway, giving her the same muffled nonsense back which if it could be understood would be a running monologue of exactly how he feels rn and about her because he’s so !!]

Lux: [undoubtedly someone will come a running and that will be what breaks y’all apart but we won’t do it this quickly, let you have a full Moment ™ here, making out ferally, not falling from the tree, just]

Dash: [this tension has been building over the course of however many hours and that would feel like forever to you hormonal teens so we gotta let y’all release at least some of it and have the privacy to do that because lord knows the bonfire won’t give you that, there’ll be hippies everywhere, Amber included I’m sure because as much as she’s sick of this her mum would lowkey force her to get involved in everything because she’s that bitch, for now you’re alone and allowed to make the most of that, cue him ferally running his hands over her entire body basically as this makeout continues, GRABBING her everywhere like he’ll fall to his death if he doesn’t]

Lux: [mhmm, and it’ll be a mission to convince you to go to the bonfire once you get quote-unquote caught out here so we’re truly not betting on that here and now, if we were thinking at all and not just following what feels right]

Dash: [mhmm, you’d feel like everyone was talking about you at said bonfire, I don’t blame you gal I would not be going in your place, meanwhile in the here and now I like to imagine that one of these branches are creaking ominously thanks to how feral this makeout sesh has become but it would take it actually breaking to stop him and it isn’t, so]

Lux: [exactly dr phil, it’s a valid paranoia honestly, who can fault you, a paranoia that exists to the point that this creaking has you pulling back, freezing, to assess where the sound came from, when your own movements elicit the same noise, you can laugh for now, pushing back into him, still laughing into the kiss]

Dash: [^^ it would be perfectly valid for a cis teen girl and she has the added fear for not being however much he claims everyone is nice and accepting because yeah hun they are to you, you’re not the target of these jk rowling-que terf lesbians or gross angry straight men, but I digress, join her a breathless hot lol even though it’ll turn into just shamelessly unhinged breathing when she’s kissing him again because that momentary pause was enough to have this fool almost forgetting/downplaying just how !! kissing her is but then he cannot and he’s moving her onto his lap with an unholy noise into her mouth about it]

Lux: [‘miss me?’ intended as a playful joke at his unhinged response but it’s too real and you have to make your own !! sound about it, pressing against him in an undeniable way, just to test it]

Dash: [doing the most insane nose rub of his down the entire length of hers as he emphatically nods in answer to that question because they are that close and lbr kissing again as soon as she’s asked it, doing a ‘yeah’ which is fully a MOAN in answer to the question she asked with that move because he’s so into it and needs her to know as if it wasn’t obvious af]

Lux: [rubbing your cheek against his, like you’re amazed it could get any hotter and he also needs to know RIGHT NOW, alluding to but not directly mentioning or drawing attention to the fact you’d both be able to feel how turned on you are, painfully so at this point, nodding back like your head’ll fall off, moving from cheek to cheek to a dramatic makeout once more]

Dash: [these two both found dead from how turned on they are tbh, which is very possible given how much he cannot keep still in any way in this tree rn, catch him taking a sec to kiss her cheek and all along her jaw and down her neck while she’s nodding, before like my boo said she’s rubbing against his other cheek and they are making out again]

Lux: [I’ll take this chance to be evil and cockblock y’all before you are allowed to get any more carried away, the way these people saw nothing but are now going to see this gal sprinting down from this tree back to the house like a gazelle, like hello??? Lol soz guys but you’ve had your fun]

Dash: [mhmm, we all know where that heading if we didn’t and nobody needs to see y’all doing that up a tree thank you, soz to whoever that gal collides with at some point on her way because peeps everywhere at all times, in every room, doorway and on every step, whoever you are you will be falling like bowling pins bye, catch him calling her name from up this tree with so much !! as if that’ll stop her in her tracks, nope sir it will not, following her down but by the time he has climbed from even that low branch she is long gone because not with it enough to be as immediate as her/really did think calling her name would give him that sec he needed for her to stop and him to slightly recover his senses, me imagining said peeps like oh hi Dash ?? fancy seeing you here lol lol how random so he is also getting waylaid to have a matey convo he isn’t in the mood to have whilst still the most noticeably turned on and flustered anyone has ever been]

Lux: [mortifying, you must have found some hidey-holes by this point and that’s where you’re trying to get to as fast as you can whilst apologising profusely to anyone you run into, RIP]

Dash: [soz huns but we had to do it to you, especially you Dash because you wanna be mr popular, how’s it feel here in this moment when you can’t just run away, hmm? How do you like the taste of them apples as my father would say LOL LOL, we could say Amber is one of the peeps she runs into btw as an in for doing a them convo after this because obvs she’d message like um are you okay sis?]

Lux: [good idea girl]

Dash: don’t flip out

Dash: they only saw me 😍 & 🤯😳🥵

Lux: I nearly ran them over

Dash: you’ve got a bonfire to dress outta sight for

Dash: it’s chill

Lux: That’s not how it looked

Dash: it’s what I said, I covered you

Lux: Oh my goodness

Dash: you’re a wallflower, [namedropping these peeps like she has any clue who they are or that’s in any way helpful that you’re saying they know she’s shy] know about being new

Lux: This isn’t about being new, or shy

Dash: nah but that’s why they think you bugged out is what I’m laying on you

Lux: They so do not, come on!

Lux: It was too obvious

Dash: they were looking down not up, trust

Dash: they didn’t even 👀 you before your split

Lux: They wouldn’t say if they had

Dash: why you so pressed if they did?

Lux: Are you serious?

Dash: it’s cold you don’t wanna be seen with me

Lux: No, that’s not what it is

Dash: what is it?

Lux: It’s just embarrassing because it is, not because of you

Dash: you 🏃🏼‍♀️⚡️

Lux: I shouldn’t have done that but I shouldn’t have been up the tree with you so it’s the lesser of two evils, I can say I felt sick

Dash: you’re rattled 👌🏽 but it cuts low you’d say kissing me was 👿 & a shouldn’t thing

Lux: Not like that, in a public place, in the middle of the day

Dash: alone in a tree

Lux: Someone could come at any minute, and did

Dash: I’d kiss you anywhere in front of anybody

Lux: You said they saw you 😍 & 🤯😳🥵

Dash: yeah

Dash: I am still

Lux: People aren’t stupid, what do you think they’re thinking

Dash: that I want you & I do

Lux: Why would you not just

Lux: never mind

Dash: nah, finish up

Lux: You knew how ashamed I was by the way I ran off

Dash: right on, they gonna 💭 I’m 😍 & 🤯😳🥵 one sided & you ran from me

Lux: Well, that’s not what I wanted

Dash: you freaked out, cut yourself some slack

Lux: I don’t know, I’m sorry

Dash: accepted, we’re good

Lux: You enjoy the bonfire

Dash: wait

Dash: you’re not coming?

Lux: I can’t

Dash: for real?

Lux: There’s no way I can see anyone now

Dash: we can just hang alone

Lux: No, you should go, you were looking forward to it

Dash: for you

Lux: I’m good here, I’ll chill

Dash: I picked a 🌳

Dash: if you change your mind, this’ll help you find me

Dash: [and a pic of his bandana, cos he’d always have one in his hair or around his wrist ofc, around a branch of said tree to claim it]

Lux: See you around, okay?

Dash: later, golden girl

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