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random-thot-generator · 18 days

Text

Reverse trope prompt: Fake amnesia

Full prompt list here by @out-of-jams

Soap x reader

Maybe? NSFW - Soap gets a wee bit handsy with reader, nothing sexually explicit, profanity, soap is a sneaky lil shit

dividers by: @saradika-graphics

"Where's me bonnie lass?"

"She's comin', lad," Price murmurs, giving Soap's shoulder a gentle pat. He squats down beside his wheelchair to peer into his sergeant's eyes. "Ya feelin' alright? Head hurtin' ya?"

Soap squints at his captain, suspicious. "Oi! Yer no' another one o' them doctors, are ye? Feckin' numpties willnae leave me alone."

Price sighs, shakes his head and stands. "No, lad. I'm— just visitin'."

Soap's face splits into a grin. "Oh. Well, tha's a'right, then. Dinnae mind visitors. Do ye ken tha' big bloke tha' wears a skelly mask? 'E comes t'visit meh, too." Soap leans in, voice dipping low. " Bit of an odd duck, tha' one. Tol' meh 'e was a ghost." His eyebrows arch high on his forehead. "An' the docs say I'm th'one wit' brain damage."

Price huffs a short laugh despite himself. "That's his callsign, lad. Do ya remember yours?"

"Callsign?" Soap repeats, looking confused.

"Never mind. 'S not important right now."

Soap nods, his eyes trailing back to the door. "'Ave ye seen the gas man about? Mehbeh he kens where me lass is."

"Gas man?" Price mutters, frowning, then understanding dawns. "Ah. Ya mean Gaz. He's uh— at work. Won't be around for a few days, I'm afraid."

"Oh. Tha's too bad. 'E's good at findin' m'lass fer meh." He raises a hand to scratch at the scar tissue on the side of his head. "Doan s'pose ye'd be willin' t'ave a look 'round fer 'er, would ye? Ah miss 'er." His blue eyes shine bright and luminous with hope.

Price nods, chuckling. "A'course, lad. I'll see if I can find her f'ya."

Price turns on the telly for him before he leaves, flipping it to a cartoon channel. Soap's loud guffaw follows him out into the hallway. Passing the nurses' station, he gives a nod to a couple of the nurses as he heads towards the cafeteria, where he last saw you. He breathes a sigh of relief when he spots you sitting with Ghost, a cup of tea in your hands.

You watch the captain's approach, taking in his expression, then grimace. His look is apologetic when he murmurs, "He's askin' f'ya, again, lass."

"Bloody hell," you mutter, squeezing your eyes shut as you pinch the bridge of your nose.

Ghost grunts, eyes narrowing. "Funny, tha'. Johnny can't remember any'a us, but he's got no problem remembering 'er?" He tilts his head. "Bit strange, innit?"

Price shrugs. "Hard t'say, with an injury like that. Docs say he might regain some of his memory, he might not. No way t'tell."

You sigh, turning your weary gaze on Ghost. "His memory of me isn't perfect, either, ya know? You remember how he used to give me hell all the time. Now he thinks I'm his bloody girlfriend, for Chrissakes! He told Gaz we were engaged yesterday. It's bloody mental."

Ghost hums but says no more.

Blowing out a tired breath, you push yourself up from your chair. "Guess I better get back up there before he comes looking for me again. Thought that head nurse was going to string those other poor nurses up by their heels when Johnny gave 'em the slip."

Price laughs lowly. "And in a wheelchair, no less. Made it all the way to the exit before they caught up with him."

Ghost grunts as he stands, shuffling away from the table to join you. "I'll go wiff ya. Johnny might behave himself better if I'm there."

You snort at that. "Yeah, right. Might as well restrain him, because he won't keep his hands to himself, I can promise ya that."

As soon as you enter Soap's room, he beams a huge smile, his arms up, grabby hands reaching for you. "There ye are! C'mere, bonnie. Gie us a hug."

You point at him, a stern expression on your face. "Promise you'll behave, first. No feeling me up this time."

He gazes up at you, looking like a whipped pup. "Ayre ye mad at me, bon? Did I do somethin' bad? Ah'm sorry."

His pitiful pout melts your resolve instantly. "I'm not mad at you, Johnny. Don't get upset. Everything's alright," you soothe, voice soft as you step close to smooth your hand over his shaggy mohawk.

Ghost doesn't miss the mischievous little flash in Soap's eyes before he grins and grabs you by the hips, pulling you into his lap. You yelp, trying to be careful of his head as you try to push his face from between your breasts. The man doesn't let up, wallowing you like a fussy toddler, his big hands holding you in place. You give another yelp when he gets hold of your ass cheek and squeezes.

"Oi, ya cheeky git," Ghost barks. "Yer bein' too rough!"

Soap cuts a sly glance his way before settling his chin on your chest, smiling sweetly up at you. "Ah dinnae hurt ye, did I, bon?"

You sigh, flustered, trying to be patient. "No, Johnny. You just— startled me." You puff out a breath, prying his hand off your ass.

Soap gives Ghost a smug little smirk, hugging you so tight, you squeak. "See, LT? Ah wasnae bein' too rough. Ah jus' startled 'er."

You lay a hand on his cheek to get his attention back, melting a little more at the open adoration in his gaze. "You should still be more careful, Johnny," you chide him gently. "You get excited and grab my bum too hard sometimes. You leave bruises."

He perks up at that. "Aye? Bruises, ye say? Can ye show me? Ah promise t'kiss 'em all better."

You can't help but laugh. "You're incorrigible, you know that?"

Soap nuzzles your chest and grins. "Aye, but ye love meh anyway, doan ye, bon?"

You only manage to escape when one of the nurses finally comes in to give Soap his medication and check his vitals. You scurry out the door, looking a right mess, disheveled and breathing heavy, mumbling something about getting some water.

Ghost stands by quietly as the nurse takes Johnny's vitals, eyeing him intently the whole time. Once she exits the room, Soap turns a guileless expression to his lieutenant. "Somethin' the matter, Mr. Ghost?"

Ghost huffs a laugh, shaking his head. "Give it up, Johnny. Ya fucked up, mate. She didn't catch it, but I did." He comes closer, leaning down to whisper at Soap's ear, "Or did ya jus' suddenly remember I'm yer LT?"

He chuckles lowly when Soap sucks in a sharp breath. He straightens back to his full height, looming over the now worried looking Scot.

"I'll keep m'mouth shut, so long as ya come clean wiff the captain. Poor sod's been worryin' 'imself sick over ya."

"A'right," Soap grumbles, bottom lip poking out.

You return moments later, a bottle of water in one hand, a pudding cup and spoon in the other.

"Look what I nicked for ya, Johnny. Butterscotch pudding. Your favorite."

He gives you a hangdog look. "Can we lay in bed while ye feed it t'meh? Ah'm feelin' a wee bit tired."

"Sure, love. Ghost, will ya help me get him in the bed?"

Ghost helps put him to bed without comment, but pins the sergeant with a knowing look while you're climbing into bed with him.

Soap slants a mischievous look up at his lieutenant, teeth flashing in a quick grin, and winks.

#john soap mactavish #cod soap #soap x reader #john soap mctavish x reader #@out-of-jams prompts #writing prompts #reverse trope prompts

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evilminji · 2 months

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You know? I kinda wonder...

In a Self Insert type scenario, in Star Wars?

They would be MUCH more open to listening to "buddy, a storm's comin'" type warnings. Their Cannon knowledge, even if spotty, would probably echo with the Force and draw its attention to them somewhat. Because they KNOW.

KNOW what is going to happen. Not guess. Not assume. KNOW. Like the Force does. And that? Coupled with their inherent strangeness? Would make them the oddly colored duck of the flock, as it were. Not Super Important... buuuut? Easy to spot.

One of the Force's Blorbos.

Just cause, really. Cause they look funny. The Force doesn't even have a plan for um! But they turned up, ate the Force's food, and look at their wittle faaaace~☆! So it's keeping them. You know... assuming they survive.

Which?

Brings me to my point?

Since they LISTEN? The Force probably chatters like a mofo. Since a Self Insert would be anxious and constantly ASKING for wisdom. For help. A friend. Guidance of any kind. The Force would be draped around them like a particularly pleased with itself shoulder cat. A hovering backseat driver.

Because you DO keep asking, after all.

It's like muscle memory. Building strength. Not... not GREAT, in all actuality? Because Self Insert is avoiding making their OWN choices, probably out of fear? But on the OTHER hand? Both of them KNOW that there is literally a Sith Master like... less then 5 minutes away from where they live. Constantly.

And they are a Youngling.

So???

At What Point?? Does the Force? Engage "Fuck it, we take our baby and run" protocols?

Just? FULL ON "you stop midway through making your dinner, turn off the soup, pick up your kids, leave the house, and NEVER LOOK BACK". Because? Yes. The Jedi KNIGHTS and MASTERS may have vows to try and protect the people of the Republic?

BUT THE YOUNGLINGS DO NOT.

They, in fact, need to be PROTECTED.

And if the Force itself? Says "if you stay here, they WILL die."? You gotta go. Hopefully? You have enough warning to like... pack a ship. But, ya might NOT. Might just be "aaaand, everybody put down your pads! Suprise field trip to Anywhere Else! IMMEDIATELY. Single file, younglings. No running!" Like?

What would you do?

I kinda wanna see it.

Just this somber, vaguely haunted, crechling walking up to import figures like Madam Nu and Yoda going "if I tell you The Force told me we have to take the younglings, ALL OF THEM, and any history we think is worth preserving, and LEAVE... would you listen? Or would you let us die here?" With their tiny lil face and to serious expression.

Like a prophet of Doom.

And WHERE? Exactly? Are they supposed to go? Oh, simple. They are to Trust In The Force. And let it guide them. Out IN THE UNKNOWN REGIONS of wild space! Because THATS fine! Is this a joke?

No.

No the youngling is dead serious. Terrifyingly serious. Has been studying how to pilot a shop like they will have to do so THEMSELF. Asking questions that paint a concerning portrait of a child that fully intends to take their peers on this journey, with or without them.

And the Force? The Force says they MUST. That it is impossibly important they DO.

WELL THEN....

Do they... TELL anybody?

No. Not a single soul. Specifically, not a single soul In The Senate. Ah. Concerning! Guess we're? "Losing" a ship in the war? Oh dear. Such casualties. All those lives. Oh noooooo, and such and so forth. UNRELATED note! It's been FAR too long since this temple was cleaned! Unacceptable. You, random clones definitely not assigned to that ship we definitely just lost! Help us... clean!

Just?

The power of "fuck it, we took our ball and went home/left"? Should be USED more in fics. The Force TOTALLY knows where some sweet, sweet habitable planets are. You'll NEVER fuckin find them if they don't want you too! An entire temple of Jedi asking for the SAME thing? Versus a crusty lil shit?

They asked first. And nicely!

With THIS, balance is maintained. Not through FORCE. But through walking away for a bit. Allowing OTHERS to decide if this is what THEY want for themselves. Order 66 may or may not still happen? But? At most? All you would kill is the current fighting adults. Not the teachers. Not the elders. And CERTAINLY not the young.

They? Are far away. Where the Force is still clear and the light is strong. Growing up. Reflecting on what went wrong. Farming. Building a new temple with the Clones. You know, the ones who didn't have their comms. Never GOT that dreaded order. Get to live free men on a peaceful planet.

Cause historically? You send your kids AWAY from active wars zones. Places that are priority targets for your enemies. And if the Force itself is saying "move the babies"? Welp! Guess you gotta move um, don't ya? It's scary. Uncertain.

But it is an act of faith.

And I just? Wanna see Sith's plans just COMPLETELY fuckin implode? Because they could not plan for Faith. For Trust and Community and Hope. All the things they believe so trite. So worthless. The very things that would lead grown adults, POWERFUL PEOPLE, to actually? LISTEN to a mere youngling. Then follow their lead.

It would be?

Inconceivable to them.

@legitimatesatanspawn @babbling-babull @hypewinter @babbling-babull @hdgnj @starwarsblr @starwars

#star wars #star wars prompt #minji's writing #the clone wars #fuck it we leaving #youngling exodus au #lol you thought you could out play The Force #Palpatine you fool #does The Force work like this?#maybe!#i am still learning

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bindeds · 5 months

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HIII CAN U DO VOX X FEM!READER AND THE ONLY ONE BED TROPE THING?? I LOVE UR WORK BTWW🫂🫂

thank you so much, I’m really glad you do! Thanks for the love guys, I’m so sorry I’ve been falling off writing recently but this was kinda fun to write hehe, hope you don’t mind that I put my own spin to it!

mlist. requests.

꩜ ﹒ LOVE HOTEL. — vox × gender neutral reader.

wc. 1k. tags. suggestive , mentions of fingers around sensitive areas , vox is pro consent omg wow , catching you almost naked , making out , fluff , both reader and vox being adorable

“Are you uncomfortable?”

Truly a strange question to ask.

Though, ‘strange’ and ‘Vox’ were never bound for the same sentence. No one would believe you if you’d ever tried to tie Vox down with such a word. No, not when you both laid in a red—or maybe pink, the colors were ever shifting just as the room had been in your slightly drunken state—tinted room.

Sirens wailed in the muffled distance, hell’s white noise slipping through closed windows as you laid on your back in bed. The room’s air conditioning was just starting to seep into your skin now, and when you touch your arm it’s almost electric how you don’t feel cold but your flesh does.

You can taste the stale air when you dampen your lips with a brief swipe of your tongue.

“No, I just … I didn’t think I’d be checking into a love hotel with, well—you, of all people.”

“Ouch.”

“I’m nobody, Vox. And you’re … you’re whatever your audience wants you to be.”

“Alright. This is getting personal,” Vox grunted as he rose from the bed, almost like a dressed corpse coming to life before he disappeared into the bathroom.

“Showering?”

“Mhmm,” he called from beyond the door he left ajar.

Your clothes clung to your previously sweat-slick skin. It had been your time now to sit up as you got up from your bed to change out of your shirt. The robes would have probably done just fine, at least, it wouldn’t retain the smell and memory of the night you spent with a man you’d just met. Oh god, you heard yourself think that as if the night had ended.

Your pants had completely been kicked off to the floor by now as you wandered over to the closet. You caught the brief second of darkness within before the lights flickered to action, presenting you with a pink robe with furry white lapels with hearts that trailed down them.

“Hey have you—”

You turn to your left and freeze up completely. The alcohol in you made a poor attempt at shooting up your system but it didn’t mean that it hadn’t rattled you just as much as the current situation had … oh god.

Vox’s eyes briefly zip down where they shouldn’t, and god, you thanked whoever had clearly possessed this headache-inducing room that you still had your undergarments on but neither of you had been inclined to move.

Finally, you rolled your eyes, then quickly regretted the motion that took your head for a spin before you scoffed.

“Vox. Please.”

“Please what, dear?”

“A love hotel, really?” You finally let out the question held within the grasp of what withered self restraint you had left.

“I called up Vel and Val, the tit fuckers used my house for their stupid dinner party. Said they had a deal to close and my house was apparently the least trashed. And anyway, this is the best love hotel on this side of the pentagram, and …”

Vox’s hand crawled up the closet door where your hand still rested.

He ran the tip of his index finger down your forearm. The faint yet acute touch of his nail guard had you reeling back a shiver you couldn’t let free. You clenched your jaw.

“We did meet at a bar.”

Vox’s eyes had dropped to half-mast now, and it wasn’t as though you hadn’t seen this coming.

“Vox,” you couldn’t help the smile that overtook your complexion. “You’re a handsome guy—”

“Mhmm—”

“But I’m just … not looking for that right now.”

“I know. But I just find it funny that you should say that because … I’m still looking at your incredibly bare body.”

“Underwear.”

“Doesn’t make you any less sexier.”

And you don’t know what came over you in that moment, but your arms crash landed around his neck as you tasted him on your lips, his tongue quick to lap at your mouth as you opened wide for him too.

Your body was too hot on his, his own hardware whirring so loud that you heard it over the moist sounds of your tongues meeting.

Even if you had really thought this over, really, this might have been the worst and best decision you would ever make—worst because you barely know this man and you knew people who smiled for the press were shells of who they once were. Can’t put your tongue into or around something that’s hollow, that’s just wasting time.

But it was the best, because, oh fuck did his fingers feel so goddamn good where they lingered. And he hasn’t even slipped them into your underwear yet.

But you grabbed his wrist at the highest height of your hastened heart and you smiled at him.

“I’m sorry. I can’t.”

Vox looks down at you for a moment, almost as if he’d needed a moment to part with the view before he gave you a little nod.

“Fuck. Okay.”

After you both untangled yourselves from each other, it hadn’t taken very long for you to settle down on the bed, your arms around him as he draped his arms around you as well, adjusting your duvets to cover you up nicely as he rubbed your shoulders.

“You cold?”

“No. You?”

“I’m just fine. You keep me overheating, you know.”

“Oh, Vox, you have such a way with words!” You dramaticized, and you chuckled almost like a small child but his shoulders shook as he joined you.

“Fuck you. It wouldn’t have been bad if we fucked.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I don’t kiss and tell, sweetheart.”

“Of course not. Vox shooting his load in sinner trash? Oh god, what will the papers say?” You had begun to think you were getting too good at this.

“Oh, darling.”

Vox’s hands left your body only to arrive at your chin as he angled it to face him.

“You’re not sinner trash.”

“Is that so?”

“My dear if the exterminations rained down today, they would have taken you back.”

taglist : @garfieldthomas @lvstyangel (dm me if you wanna be in the taglist <3)

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tiredfox64 · 5 months

Note

Sooo I was thinking of Tomas trying to learn how to flirt because he wants to impress the reader however the reader (who has feelings in return) catches him flirting with another female Shirai Ryu member and mistakes it as he has feelings for someone else, cries about it to Kuai Liang who decides to help the reader out by taking her on a "date" to make Smoke jealous. When Smoke sees them together on their "date", he becomes consume with jealousy that fires him up to tackle Kuai Liang and bluntly tells the reader how he feels. 😅😅

It Should Be Me!

Prior notes: Oooh i like this one. I hope you don’t mind me using my oc as a place holder for the female Shirai Ryu member.

Pairing: Tomas x Afab reader, and Kuai Liang is there I guess

Warnings ‼️: Silly goose, there is none! I think

Who fell harder: You or Tomas? Could be both. You sure do like each other a whole lot.

Conversation that last for hours. Training together even though he should be focusing on the others. Showing each other your favorite genres of music. Oh the memories get you kicking your feet and rolling around in bed. Everyone thinks you two would look cute together. A perfect match really. But one of you has got to confess already. Ah but it won’t be you.

You are brave enough to take a horde of assassins head on. Confessing to someone that you like them takes a whole different kind of braveness. A kind that you have to build up. For now you will carry on with the hope that no one else tries to take your man. Actually, now would be the usual time you would meet up with him. Get to it, honey!

You were about to round the corner until you heard Tomas. You stopped yourself, peeking your head out to see who he was talking to. He was talking to the new girl. There was something strange going on. Her giggling, his closeness to her, that look he was giving her, that tone in his voice. Oh no! He’s flirting with her.

You heard it, compliments about her eyes and how any man would be lucky enough to have a funny girl like her around. You practically felt your heart rip apart. It hurt to hear those words being told to another girl. You always wished he would say such things to you. A wish that may never come true now. To you it was already over. It seemed he picked another girl over you and you’re left questioning what did she do that you didn’t.

Your eyes started to grow watery and the last thing you wanted was for Tomas to see you cry over this. It was his decision on who to date, you can’t change that fact. You silently walked away while you sniffled and wiped your tears with your sleeve. The only person you trusted to share this heartbreak with was Kuai Liang. At least you knew he wouldn’t judge you since he’s not that kind of guy.

But wait! You made a mistake! You didn’t hear the rest of their conversation.

“Ah Tomas, you’re getting better every day with your pick up lines. Soon enough you’ll be getting more girls than Johnny does.” The girl complimented him.

“Aw thanks, Kris. But you know I’m only doing this for you know who.” He whispered the last part, unsure if you were around or not.

“Oh yes, yes, yes. Well I can certainly say that she will fall for your charm easily now, if she hasn’t already done so. When do you plan on asking her out?”

“Tomorrow. There’s a festival going on and I was hoping she would say yes to going with me. When we are there I’ll ask her to be my girlfriend.”

The look of Tomas’ face showed how enthusiastic he was to ask you out. He was clueless to the fact that there was some miscommunication before he could communicate to you. That girl was already hyping him up to go find you and ask if you wanna go to the festival tomorrow. You were already in Kuai Liang’s office when they were done talking.

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

“I don’t know what happened. I thought he liked me.” You cried into your hands while Kuai Liang just sat there awkward.

Therapist was not in his occupation but looks like he has to play that role for you. He is somewhat confused of Tomas’ actions. He thought his brother liked you a lot considering how much he gushed over you. If his brother changed his mind suddenly he had no idea about it.

Kuai Liang lightly patted your back to soothe you, “I am unsure of what to tell you. Just…please stop crying, it will be okay.”

He wasn’t being mean he just didn’t want anything bad between you guys. Kuai Liang conjured a plan in his head of what to do while still trying to soothe you. An idea popped up in his head. It may have seemed extreme but he wanted to fix the issue fast and effectively.

“Okay, how about this. I take you on a “date” to the festival tomorrow. Someone will tell Tomas where you are and the thought of being with me might make him realize he wants you instead.” He tried to sound confident with this plan like it could actually work.

“Your plan is to make him jealous?” You asked as your crying died down.

“I guess you could say that. Do you have anything better?”

You immediately nodded your head no. Even if the plan didn’t work out at least you could get out for once. Spending time wouldn’t be bad either. You just wished it was with Tomas.

Will you ever recover from this sorrow?

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

Plans were set into motion. You had your plan and Tomas had his. Tomas was preparing himself to ask you to go to the festival with him. He was all giddy and he came walking up to you with a warm smile on his face. His heart was pumping just thinking about you saying yes. His emotions made him miss the sour expression on your face.

“Hey! I’ve been looking for you. I had something important to ask you.” He started off.

“Oh yeah…what is it?” You seemed dismissive but once again his emotions made him miss that.

“I was wondering if you and I could go to the festival tomorrow. I thought it would be nice. Plus I’d love to go out with a pretty girl like you.”

He thought his flirting would really get you this time. This should have been easy but what you said next shocked him to his core.

“No, I’m already going out with your brother. It’s a date.” You said it so casually before walking off as if you didn’t just crush this man.

How could this happen? This was a joke right? Yeah, this had to be. You were joking with him and you would actually come around later to tell him to come with you to the festival. Oh you’re so silly…right?

Tomas was in a daze throughout the rest of the day which continued over to the next. You saw the plan was actually working so you planned to continue with it. Though it still saddened you that he didn’t try to stop you already or ask why you were doing this.

Have patience, soon he will take action.

He was pacing around in his room, blabbering to the same girl he was practicing his flirting with about how you were just messing with him.

“I mean it just doesn’t make any sense. The two are close but never would I think they were that close. We are the ones who are that close. Oh what am I thinking? I’m sure she will be coming around soon and just tell me it was a prank and then we’ll go out there and I’ll ask her to be my girlfriend.” Yeah, yeah that should be right.

“Tomas.”

“What.”

“They’re leaving.” The girl pointed her thumb to the window where Tomas saw you and Kuai Liang leaving for the festival.

Tomas immediately bolted out the door. He didn’t care if he looked crazy to the other clan members for running out into the world, he had to catch you.

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

You sighed in disappointment. The festival seemed wonderful with warm lighting around and yummy smelling food. If only you could’ve spent the time with Tomas. You kept walking with Kuai Liang, arms locked as if you two were on an actual date. He looked at you with a concerned expression. He was hoped this would go differently but he’ll do his best to make the most of it for you.

“I’m sorry about the outcome. I was sure my brother would come after you once he found out you were going with me.” Kuai Liang apologized since he didn’t want you feeling heartbroken.

“It’s not your fault. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.” Your voice cracked a little when you said that.

Kuai Liang brought you in a hug, having your head rest on his shoulders. He whispered to you that it will be alright and he’ll buy you some food. That should help.

Unbeknownst to both of you, Tomas was nearby watching you two. He really couldn’t believe you were out with his brother. When Kuai Liang pulled you into a hug it damn near drove the man crazy. He could never hurt his brother but this was the first time he has ever felt the need to destroy him. And when Kuai Liang started to rest his head on top of your head Tomas thought he was going in to kiss you.

A blaze of fury ignited in his body. Hell hath no fury like a man who is after a woman. By the gods he was pissed!

When Kuai Liang pulled away from you, Tomas saw that as the opportunity to attack his brother. Kuai Liang had no time to react as he heard the quick footsteps coming right towards him. His brother slammed into him, tackling him to the ground with a harsh thud emitting from the crash. Kuai Liang was in a daze as Tomas grabbed him by the collar of his uniform.

“How could you?! You know how much I like her! How could my own brother do this to me?” He kept shaking Kuai Liang.

Like? Wait, did you hear that right? Did he just say that he likes you a lot?

Tomas turned his full attention towards you now while still on his knees.

“Please don’t do this to me. Don’t go out with my brother. I’m the one who loves you. Don’t you remember all those nights we would listen to music together? I want to have many more nights like those but with you as my girlfriend instead of just being my friend. I love you.” He announced.

You looked down at him with shock. His eyes are begging you to accept his affection. His tone showed he was desperate and possibly even worried you wouldn’t date him.

“Bu-but I thought you were trying to go after Kris. I heard you flirting with her.”

“No,” he started to get back on his feet, “She was teaching me how to flirt. I was hoping to impress you. I just really wanted you to be my girlfriend and I didn’t want to ruin my chances.”

A blush crept onto his cheeks as he felt embarrassed for admitting that. He was also embarrassed that he was caught before and that the incident caused this great confusion.

Knowing the truth, your heart started to flutter as you realized he was doing all that just to get with you. In a way those words that he said to that girl were actually meant for you. He truly is the sweetest guy around.

You practically leapt onto him, wrapping your arms around his neck. Your lips attacked his lips in a passionate kiss. You were overjoyed by the fact he wants you as his girlfriend. The extent he went through just to better his chances showed he is committed to you. This is like a dream come true for you.

Tomas was surprised by the hug and kiss but happily accepted it. His arms wrapped around your waist. This was a magical moment for him. It didn’t go as planned but he is happy that the outcome still gained him a wonderful girlfriend. He placed you back on the ground while smiling at you. And then he remembered what he just did to his brother. He swiftly turned around and saw his brother wasn’t lying on the ground anymore.

“He must have walked off. Don’t worry, he’s capable of taking a hit.” You tried to calm Tomas’ concerns which luckily worked.

“Yeah, that must be it,” He started looking around, “Well, I would hate to waste this opportunity with you. How about we explore the festival together. As girlfriend and boyfriend.”

“I would like that a lot.” You smiled at him as you two locked arms.

The night ended off on a good note. You enjoyed your time with Tomas at the festival. A warmth enveloped you as you recognize that this is no dream but a reality. A reality where you and him are happy. Just the way you guys both want it.

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

Bonus ending

“Damn! You got knocked the fuck out.”

Kuai Liang heard a familiar voice speak to him as they grunted from yanking on his body. Warm liquid spilled on his face and when he opened his eyes he saw Kris dragging him while drooling over the grilled squid she had in her mouth. He grimaced as he wiped her drool off his face.

“What happened?” He asked.

“Like I said you got knocked the fuck out. Yup, Tomas done fucked you up.” She responded very casually.

“Kris, please refrain from cursing it’s improper. Now help me up.”

He expected Kris to do as he said but she just dropped him.

“What are you talkin about? It’s not improper. I’m just puttin some fuckin love in there. You can drag your ass back home yourself, grandmaster.”

He watched as she started to walk away, more focused on the grilled squid on a stick. When did she even have time to get that?

“Alright! You can curse. Just help me up.”

She listened this time and yanked him to his feet. Poor Kuai Liang, may the elder gods help him.

After notes: I got a 90 on my asl final yippie! And I should have been working on final papers but instead I was finishing this fic at school. Pick and choose, people, pick and choose. Now I better get my ass to communications even tho I hate it. Adiós!

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swallowtail-lotus · 6 months

Text

Sweet & Sour {Buddha x Kanae!Reader x Loki}

Repost

I know they don't like each other, but I thought this was funny at the time

~~~~~~~~

You ran down the huge corridors, excited to go see Buddha after he asked if you wanted to spend time with him. Of course you agreed, considering you got along with him so well. The thing that bothered you was how he said you couldn't say you were going to him. Just like the other times.

You slowed down, your brows turned to a frown and bug like eyes blinking in confusion. You nearly reached the destination he told you but felt a pair of hands on your shoulders.

"Little butterfly~" A voice cooed in your ear, a mischievous laugh following after. You yelped out and swung your arm, nearly hitting whoever was behind you.

"You missed again~!" Loki spoke playfully, his eyes meeting yours.

"Ah! Sorry for nearly hitting you! You've already felt my reflexes and didn't wake up for four days straight!" This was true. You have smacked Loki once, and he couldn't wake up for four days, which worried you to no end.

"I know, but that was centuries ago. Besides, I've learnt to move when you strike." Loki reassured, waving the distant memory off even if it did scare him a bit.

"So, is there something you need?" You asked politely, intertwining your hands behind your back. Loki stopped, getting lost in your unusual eyes. He admitted he thought your eyes were the most beautiful pair, seeing that they resembled a pair of insect eyes.

"Nothing much, just wanted to know where you're going since you ran away so quickly." He answered, leaning back with his hands behind his head. Your eyes widen at his answer, fearing how he'll react if you told him the truth. You know about the two gods not getting along at all and honestly, it was annoying to break those two up when they had arguments.

It was difficult to answer the God who can easily see through any lie, so you did the only thing you could think of...

You backed away from the levitating God. You turned around, taking off faster than Loki could even properly respond to your lack of answer.

"Hey! Get back here!" You continued to run, your haori and hair flowing through the wind. You looked back to see if Loki was close, not looking back to watch your surroundings. You collided with something hard but soft at the same time, hearing a steady heartbeat.

"Couldn't wait to see me, huh?" You felt your cheeks heat up and your heart did backflips as soon as Buddha's voice chimed in to fill the silence that only lasted a minute.

You got off the taller God, pulling him up with your hand.

"I'm sorry. I was just-"

"There you are! Little- oh..." Loki stopped his sentence when he saw the long hair god standing in front of you, his smile turning into a glare. Buddha just took one look at the floating God and put his attention on you.

Loki's eye twitched at the smirk on Buddha's face, reaching out to grab your wrist.

"What are you doing with this traitor?" Loki hissed out the question, his grip tightening. The strength of his grip was hurting you, but you sucked it up and sighed.

"We were just gonna spend some time together." You responded quietly, trying to get your wrist out of his grip. That answer didn't calm the God down at all. It just fueled his anger more. Buddha noticed the intense glare from the other God, deciding to mess with him.

"What, you jealous or somethin?"

Buddha teased, his hands on his hips, his smirk still present. Loki's grip on your wrist had loosened, his face flushed a slight red. You managed to take your wrist from his hand, rubbing it to soothe the pain.

"Strange. You've never done this before. Sure you scared off a few males, which I'm thankful for, but never this." You commented, looking at the two gods in pure confusion.

"....." Loki didn't say a word, which was starting to scare you. Buddha calmed down, his hand patting your shoulder.

"Let's leave this idiot." He said, turning around to leave. You saw the blush fade from his face, feeling relieved he didn't suddenly catch a fever. You reluctantly followed Buddha, leaving Loki in his place.

"Want one?" Buddha asked, holding out a spare lollipop to you while the other was already in his mouth. You grabbed it from him, opening it up and put it in your mouth.

It wasn't rare for the candy loving God to offer you some of his snacks when you were with him.

"Thanks." Your reply was muffled by the lollipop in your mouth. Buddha found your muffled words amusing, a quiet chuckle leaving his lips. While you were too occupied with the delicious taste of the lollipop, Buddha took the time to admire you.

Your eyes were sparkling as usual, but there was more in them now that you're happy. Your butterfly hairpins suited your perfectly, fitting for someone like you. But that wasn't what got his attention first.

It was your personality. He respects your love for the humans. If you dared to turn against the gods, he'll gladly stand by you.

While you were savouring the lollipop, you felt it get pulled out and the feeling of someone's lips on yours. Your eyes shot open, meeting none other than Loki, who seemed to have snapped out of whatever trance he was in and teleported near you.

With Loki, he was enjoying every second of it. One, because it was fun to piss off Buddha. Two, the lollipop made your lips taste sweeter.

You immediately started to push on Loki's chest and succeeded when Loki pulled away.

"What the-"

"See you later, Little Butterfly~" Loki cooed, teleporting away from the two of you. You stared into space, the lollipop now in your hands. Buddha rolled his eyes and leaned down, wiping your lips with his thumb.

"What- when-" You were at a loss for words, trying to process what happened a few seconds ago.

"That damned bastard."

Buddha mumbled, rubbing your lollipop on your lips to get the taste on them. Your face heated up from the closeness between you two.

"Guess I'm gonna try harder to steal your heart, huh?"

#my mind was in a different place writing this #record of ragnarok #record of ragnarok x reader #buddha x reader #loki x reader #ror buddha x reader #ror loki x reader #kanae!reader

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kentocalls · 4 months

Text

gojo satoru | supernatural sfw. alien!satoru fluff anyone?

alien!satoru who steps out of a beam of light and the first sight he’s ever seen on this planet is you. you and a companion, he thinks, are frozen solid. you’ve bend the companions wrist in an odd manner and it seems funny for a greeting — but satoru is here it learn. so he walks over, places a hand on your shoulder and mimics the look on your face, opens his mouth to introduce himself. (you’re scared, frozen. the asshole has been following you since you left the bagel shop, got loud and handsy. you’re proud of yourself for not freezing up and removing his hand from your body with force but then a fucking beam of light appeared and now a gorgeous blue eyed man is looking at you with a crazed face. and speaks gibberish)

alien!satoru who quickly absorbs all your memories, lessons, education, senses, perceptions all of it the second his hand lands on your shoulder. he realizes he was speaking his home language and you —humans, here speak words differently. but before he can correct himself, he realizes the person with you is not your companion and has been a bother to you all morning. he turns his eyes to the asshole and places a heavy hand on his shoulder, “never, ever bother my friend again.” the asshole runs off, satoru shudders at all the memories he’s indirectly inherited. are human beings so weak they don’t protect their minds? he turns to you again, “hello, my name is satoru.” (you blink at satoru, not sure if you’re hallucinating him or not.)

alien!satoru who quickly explains his mission, he’s here to learn everything about your planet, calls it something in gibberish and the smile you give him is polite. its the one you give to solicitors and he frowns. he’s not a solicitor, he’s basically a consultant! he’s here to understand what your species is doing on this side of the galaxy. satoru is committed to collecting all the information possible. (“thank you, satoru. i need to go to work now. umm, take care?” satoru nods, pauses, looks around himself and at the empty crosswalk, “what am I supposed to take care of?”)

alien!satoru who sits on a bench and watches humans walk to and fro. some walk quickly and hurriedly, and some walk slowly. they all come in various shapes and sizes, speak in different ways and he wants to absorb all their memories and information. how are there so many humans? what makes them so different? he ends up walking around and introduces himself to many people. some don’t want to shake his hand, some don’t want to let go of his hand. all of them have a unique story that floods his brain as soon as his skin makes contact. but satoru finds himself looking for you in their memories

alien!satoru who is so …famished? he doesn’t need to eat for years on his home planet, had enough snacks on his ship but right now is oh so on his very last energy stores. he’s hunched over and walking, legs moving to the path you usually take to work and he hopes and prays to find you again. you told him to ‘take care’ and it meant to ‘take care of himself’ and he has found he does not know how to do that here. you are probably a ‘take care’ expert.

alien!satoru who stands out wherever he walks with his long frame and pristine white hair, other worldly blue eyes. he sits near a kofee? cart and sighs. his body is leaking something strange and it makes no sense. he has not done anything strenuous, he can feel his heart beating in his ear and this is no good. the planet felt cooler in the day and no amount of adjusting his breathing is regulating the heat he feels from the dang sun. he rubs at his eyes and no amount of scratching is getting them to dim and shift. he can’t modify himself here? (you spot a very unforgettable mop of hair outside your office window. he’s dressed in a full black outfit and you note how hot it is outside and the guy hasn’t moved into the share. sighing, and praying that you’re not losing your mind, you head out.)

alien!satoru who feels something cool touch his cheek, turns into the sweet relief from the heat, barely opens his eyes and its you! its you! he sits up instantly, wants to do what other humans do to greet each other - pull you into a hug! but he realizes unwanted physical affection is not welcome. he does not want to make you uncomfortable. you open a plastic tube with clear liquid. “you seem to be breathing okay here so this shouldn’t be poisonous.” he scoffs, “i’m the strongest in my cadet class, i can handle any liquid.” but when it cool fluid cascades down his throat he’d happily let himself drown in it. he finishes the entire thing in go. the relief is appreciated even though its fleeting. (you hand him a bunch of napkins and when he looks confused you dab at his forehead and space. he probably should get some electrolytes into his system, before you can finish the thought, you hear his stomach grumble too.)

alien!satoru who follows your orders and stays super, duper close to you when entering your work cafeteria. he’s both amazed and unimpressed with the food selections and payment process. he asks why you sit in the chair and not on the table, the chair is uncomfortable and the table is wider and cooler. he easily accepts ‘social conditioning’ as a response and pokes at the arrangement of items on his plate. he’s selected mostly fruits, the bright colors compelling him, but you know that’s not filling and leave to secure more carbs, protein and fats. (you watch his curiosity with a smile on your face. if he is an alien, he seems to be nice and harmless.)

alien!satoru who states he will sit outside now that he’s regenerated energy and you watch him walk out into the roaring sun and immediately squirm and close his eyes. you’re pulling sunglasses form your pocket and asking satoru to bend down towards you so you can place the contraption on his face. he grins wide and proclaims you the bestest of his human friends. he begins to tell you about his adventures of walking around the city and touching (shaking hands he clarified) everyone who would listen to him. he has zero sense of self preservation you realize. you make him go into the mens bathroom and wash his hands with soap twice and dry them. he spends twenty minutes confused by all the contraptions in the bathroom.)

alien!satoru who access your memories to find your office and gets very friendly coworkers of yours to badge him to your floor. youre talking to a black rectangle when he waves and sits down across from you. he knows you’re on a communicator device and sits patiently, eyes roaming your office. (he tries to sit patiently but gets bored. walks around to where you have binders and binders all related to insurance policies, insurance billing codes and the wonderful exclusions binders. he seems to be glancing over everything quickly.)

alien!satoru who is so very, deeply concerned at how breakable you are. “you can fracture a foot in multiple places? you should never walk. i will bring my warping tool!” but you only hold a finger to your lips and shush him. the rectangle is still speaking to you and satoru inhales all of the information in binders. he has to commit everything to memory, this planet is so very weak! the humans are too brittle. even a sneeze can cause a back to spasm and over stretch. what the hell is a sneeze? satoru searches your memories and realizes that sneezes are unstoppable, once your brain registers the need to it must happen. how is satoru going to protect you from that? (the alien has gone from boredom to intense concern and sadness. you want to talk to him but you’re in the middle of a workers compensation claims trail and the damn lawyer is messing up the approved claim body parts. you are not paying for someone’s knee injury from highschool volleyball, you will pay for the injury to their hand because of a shitty manager and printer.)

alien!satoru who finds the lights still too bright, is relieved when you’re done speaking to the rectangle and turn the lights off. “you could be hurt from so many things, things you can’t even see! you could die!” (well that…that is a very strange concern the alien has.) “…toru that’s…that’s the risk of living here as a human.” he frowns, “my name is satoru, sa-to-ru. toru is currently investigating neptune.” he doubly frowns as he recalls neptune being your favorite planet when you were shorter. “are you… you really came from out there?” your hand is waving at the ceiling and satoru knows you have better eyesight than that. “i came from…” more gibberish. (you figure that’s his original alien language and well, grat, if you’re not losing your mind you’ve somehow befriended? an alien?)

alien!satoru who doesn’t like the fact he can’t regulate or modify his body freely. he’s constrained by elements and wants to study them. when he asks you about this you bring up a topic called chemistry and physics and he needs to meet with professors who teach this now. but he stands too quickly, feels himself dizzy, his eyesight getting fuzzy and your cool hands are there, steadying him. your voice is a whisper, asking him to ‘take it easy’ but satoru hasn’t taken anything yet. why can’t you speak more clearly? and why are you leaving him again? he isn’t done talking. (you tell him you’ll bring him more water and something to change into. your company has some tshirts as swag that satoru should most definitely change into.)

alien!satoru who looks very young and old all at the same time. he has never felt the need for social contact but not being around you is stifling. it hurts in part of his chest and general well being. he doesn’t feel good. maybe the clear fluid was poisonous. “satoru?” you’re back, you’re back! he makes to stand and somehow you move quicker than him, he feels his legs getting heavy. “change into these, i brought more snacks and water. you’re probably overheated. it’s summer right now, the sun is dangerous.” oh, it makes perfect sense. he starts to undress when you quickly gasp and shuffle to turn around. close the blinds in your office so others can’t see and what’s the need for privacy? everyone looks the same under their garments afterall. (oh my god. he is either a really good actor or an actual alien. what are you going to do? is homeland security going to come after you for harboring an extraterrestrial being? even if they’re nice and handsome and simply want to learn about earth?)

alien!satoru who feels so much better in a tshirt and oversized shorts. the colors are not pleasing but he can feel his lungs breathe freely. you mentioning needing to do more work and prepare for a meeting and satoru promises to behave and only ask questions if they are of dire importance. (he doesn’t like your cellphone, says it’s radiating bad waves. he is really curious about the binders and book, why isn’t data downloaded into your brain directly? he asks very politely and you don’t have the heart to tell him to stop, something about his eyes they’re earnest and pretty.)

alien!satoru who promise to guard your office but when he see’s someone from your memories, debra? stalk into the break room he knows he must defend your lunch tiffin. it’s debra who keeps stealing them afterall. he catches her in the act and she shuffles away with just a glare. satoru feels proud, feels useful. he also spots your main nemesis, the printer! gives it a very fine talking to and it beeps in submission.

when he returns to your office he realizes he didn’t knock and that’s part of proper socialization. you knock before entering anyone’s office, so he turns around but is greeted with a …coworker. he searches your memories and this guy is? adam? “who are you?” satoru hates his voice, won’t shake his hand ever. doesn’t want this man’s memories or stories at all. “who are you?” satoru replies. the man ignores his question, nods at your desk and says your name in such a ugly way. satoru should defend your honor here too. he could break adams foot in many places.

alien!satoru who frowns greatly at your “this is satoru! the overseas consultant!” you’re rushing to get between adam and satoru but satoru does not need defending, heck satoru is ready to be on the offense. adam entered your office, without knocking! but the man now smiles but it’s not kind, “oh, satoru welcome! we hope you enjoy your stay here” lies lies lies, adam is not pleased to receive satoru. adam extends his hand and well, satoru could break that in multiple places. you laugh, a fake laugh and now satoru is frowning at you, “he doesn’t shake hands adam, did you need something?” and satoru zones out the rest of the conversation. its clear you don’t like adam but you’re being ‘nice’ to him. it feels off. satoru closes his eyes and reviews your memories of adam and it’s super duper obvious that adam deserves the most terrible sneeze that results in never ending back pain!

alien!satoru who is all but growling by the time adam leaves and you have to physically stop him from following adam out. when he starts yelling about last years holiday part and adam’s unprofessional conduct you slap a hand over his mouth and mush him into the wall. (it’s a very kabe-don! moment you realize but satoru is not calming down.) satoru does his best to breathe, there’s a uniqueness to how your hand smells and it still feels soft on his face. this close satoru is aware of your touch, your body pressed close to him and oh—maybe humans are different underneath the garments. his hands twitch, he wants to pull you closer? the little pressure he has of your body against him feels nice. anchoring. what if he were to feel the full weight of your body on his? he’s made awfully aware of the fact your lips are a different shade than the rest of your face and what would the sensation of feeling those be like? “ahem—“ fucking debra. you pull away from him quickly and move faster than a gazelle. (satoru has never seen one, nor have you but he assumes the expression is correct.) you slam the door in debras face.

alien!satoru who is satiated with his own communication device once you connect it to wifi. he hears you sigh and knows that is mostly not a good thing. “adam will not fire you, you have 359 open cases and 120 maintenance cases. plus you’re the only one who shiu and toji work with.” (why does he know that? you locked your computer before you left the office but even then he shouldn’t know who shiu is. your conference call was with toji today. “you can read my mind?” satoru scoffs, “download. your mind wasn’t guarded. and neither is this website!” wait—what? “satoru that’s not, you cannot download a website from an ipad into your brain.” )

alien!satoru who diligently follows you out of the office, sticks close to you as he crosses the street, he tries to introduce himself to people, especially the ones that come up to him first but you’re quick to warn them off and shoo them free. this beautiful alien knows everything that you’ve ever experienced, learned or thought. “this is definitely turning into a cinnamon bun kind of day.” before satoru can question you on how you can manipulate material he smells the most divine smell of a bakery. “hot kento lives here!” satoru gasps and you’re immediately in his space again, pulling him close and shushing him. he likes it. you being close, not you shushing him. “we’re going to keep that a secret, yes?” satoru loves secrets! no one makes those with him back home. he nods eagerly and sees hot kento for himself. the glorious bakery man of your literal dreams. but satoru is confused, what is hot about him?

alien!satoru who is very pleased to shake hot kento’s hand and learn exactly what an outstanding citizen he is. it’s not like the hands he’s shaken today, the way those minds describe you is awful. the way kento perceives you is respectful, calls you earnest exhausted cinnamon bun and vanilla oatmilk latte. satoru thinks these words are wonderful and after having tested them the most delicious compliments! he whispers really close to your ear as you head out of the bakery, “i understand why hot kento is hot.”

alien!satoru who has experienced your living spaces multiple times in his mind but nothing prepares him for the sensory overload. the physicality of being in a space that smells like you, is filled with trinkets you adore and foods you love and soft things is a lot. too much. he sits down from standing. “satoru?” his name on your lips secures his breathing, “you doing okay?” he nods. “of course.” you disappear further away from him, he doesn’t like it, wants to reach out but its all too much. the lights get turned off and you’re coming back, a different outfit and more clothing, “these will fit, they are a softer material. let me show you the layout.” there is no need. satoru knows the exact layout, the exact rules you have for yourself. he will abide by them. is diligent in wiping and picking up after himself. deposits his used garments in the laundry basket and sits on your sofa.

“where are you going to sleep satoru? do you have a ship?”

“i don’t need to sleep not for another year.” he yawns and sinks himself deeper into your couch. glasses removed reveal all the fatigue in his eyes.

“well, on earth, when the sun goes down and the moon comes up, sleep happens. your body is adjusting to this rhythm, so you will need sleep.”

sleep is restorative and would make satoru extremely vulnerable. his ship isn’t going to be back until next year, where is he supposed to rest? “can i stay here?”

alien!satoru who refuses to sleep on the sofa, you find him under your dinning room table, lying on the very hard floor. claims its the hard surface is good for human backs and you have to coach him away from the dust. you promise he can sleep there after you map and clean but satoru reminds you, he’s the strongest. dust cannot defeat him. (and how you bite your tongue because he’s not strong here, not on earth. he doesn’t even realize whatever magical powers he had at home are gone. and oh my god, you’re really going to help him, aren’t you?)

alien!satoru who sleeps for five hours, brain processing all the new memories and experiences and information but keeps looping the moment you were close to him. your eyes are expressive, it’s novel. back home the cadets are trained from a young age to be neutral but curious. a friendly poker face to bid good will but never ever a mirror or the truth. this is satoru’s last chance to promote into a true cataloger, he wants to explore as many planet as possible and meet as many species. earth feels kind, inviting. you are kind and inviting. soft and lovely.

alien!satoru who wakes you up at 6am on the dot, a box of cinnamon buns shoved into your face, “hot kento said yes! i have a job! i can shake peoples hand easily now! i can pay you rent too, but at the end of the month.” satoru will not abandon his mission due to lack of resources, the technology he brought with him doesn’t work, not all his manipulations materialize on earth nor do his requests for assistance work but he can. as much as he’d like to stick next to you he realizes, eventually, he will hurt debra or adam when they make you upset near him. he won’t let you get fired. so he can keep busy in a safe and positive environment, around food so he will be well fed and where the sun cannot harm him. “why is your hair out of place?”

alien!satoru who learns that you do not wake up at 6am on a weekend. he remembers the rules, you like to warm up to the morning, allow yourself thoughtless time of sitting in bed before energizing for the day. it’s not fun to have you at an arms length and not engage. he is patient though, and it’s absolutely worth it when you greet him with a “good morning!” and he is listing your smile as the #1 best thing about earth.

#gojo satoru fic #satoru fluff #jjk x reader #satoru x reader #gojo satoru x reader #sfw #this wrote itself #april writes

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whisker-biscuit · 3 months

Text

Sonic Big Bang 2024

Close Encounters of the Grim Kind

Rating: Gen

Summary: Sonic did end up telling his friends about the Shatterverse, but it’s clear to Tails that he's still hiding something. In an effort to find answers and with Shadow’s reluctant help, he uses the Paradox Prism to create a device capable of jumping dimensions. When he sends it out, however, what was meant to be a one-way trip returns to him with a cryptic greeting from a stranger who seems interested in researching the dimensions with him.

Now, Tails finds himself trying to solve two mysteries - why Sonic is acting so weird around him, and who this unorthodox, anonymous cross-dimensional pen pal really is.

It's a lot harder than it looks.

--------------------------------------------

Chapter 1

The day Sonic finally told his friends about the Shatterverse and all that entailed within it, Tails had no idea how significant it would truly end up being.

He, his brother, Amy, and Knuckles were gathered together at the beach. The fox was in the pilot seat of the plane, adjusting some of the inner controls, while everyone else lounged about. They all listened with rapt attention as Sonic described the disaster that would have happened had he smashed into the Paradox Prism – the disaster that had already happened, if events were to be believed.

Frankly, it wasn’t very hard to go along with the idea. Weirder stuff went on in their lives at least twice a year; dimensional and/or timeline shenanigans sounded like par for the course.

“A bunch of miniature dimensions, huh?” Tails drummed his fingers against his screwdriver, thinking about the logistics of such a thing. Alternate universes were an aspect of quantum physics that he’d never delved very deep in.

“Yep! There was a pirate dimension, a jungle dimension, and even a dimension with five Eggmans!” Sonic shuddered and stuck out his tongue. “I always thought ours was bad enough, but then I met an Eggman baby. That’s one memory I’ll never be able to get rid of.”

“Did you kick the Eggman baby’s butt?”

“Knuckles!” Amy scolded.

“What?” The echidna asked defensively. “It’s a valid question! If that version of Eggman was still evil, then I don’t see why you wouldn’t also teach him a lesson.”

“Oh, trust me, he was definitely evil. Kicking his butt was extremely satisfying.”

Knuckles folded his arms with a self-satisfied smirk he tossed Amy’s way. She huffed and rolled her eyes, gesturing for Sonic to continue his story.

“There weren’t just other versions of Eggman, though,” he said with an excited gleam in his eye. “Every dimension I visited had new versions of you guys! Even Rouge and Big and Froggy!”

“Ooh, really?” Amy clasped her hands together. “What were we all like?”

“Well, the pirate versions of you all talked with these funny accents and were on a ship’s crew together. Knuckles was your captain but he was a big bonehead.”

“Hey!”

Tails smiled, going back to the wiring in the Tornado as he listened to the hedgehog tell them all about this strange new adventure that he’d found himself in. One eye he kept on his work, the other he kept on Sonic to show he was still paying attention, tuned into the rhythm of his brother’s storytelling just as much as the words themselves – and that was the only reason he caught the stumble.

Sonic was in the process of telling them how the Chaos Council had put the entire Shatterverse in jeopardy by punching holes between dimensions using shards of the Paradox Prism, and that he, Shadow, and an alternate version of Tails had stolen the shards back and were planning to put the prism back together. Then he paused, very briefly, and sheepishly admitted that they were unsuccessful before the Council had caught up.

That pause had been barely half a second long, but for the hedgehog it might as well have been a full minute. Tails stopped working as Knuckles began teasing Sonic for letting any version of Eggman be faster than him. He watched his brother carefully, noting the tension in his quills that the fox could only see from his place in the cockpit above. To the others, it seemed like Sonic was embarrassed about his failure, but Tails knew that wasn’t what it was.

Embarrassment was fidgeting in place and wanting to change the subject immediately. It was not standing rigidly with fingers twitching like they wanted to curl into fists, nor was it too-loud laughter at the ribbing his friends were giving him.

The fox quietly placed his tools in his lap and turned his full attention onto his brother.

When the teasing finally stopped and Sonic got back to the rest of his story, it felt different than before. More pauses, shorter descriptions of events, and vague answers to questions about how the Shatterverse was saved from ripping itself apart. The hedgehog’s expression was tight with sadness as he told them of the goodbyes he’d shared with all the different versions of his friends before he and Shadow found their way back to Green Hill.

“Don’t get me wrong, I was so excited to see you guys again – the real yous instead of those weird ghost holograms – but I also knew it was a permanent goodbye for them. All those different versions of you…they were still their own people, with their own goals and dreams and lives. I got to know each of them, and it was hard to walk away knowing I’d never see any of them again.”

“It’s not like you to dwell on goodbyes,” Amy said gently.

“I know. I just…” Sonic glanced up at Tails, then looked away immediately before their gazes could properly meet. The fox narrowed his eyes in confusion. “It was really bittersweet, in the end. I wish you all could have met each other.”

As Amy pondered over what her “sisters” might have been like and Knuckles pointedly declared that the other hims would have probably just gotten on his nerves, Tails’ namesakes curled around each other in a slow mimic of his flying movements. It seemed like the hedgehog was simply melancholy over the loss of his new friends, but it still felt…off. Like there was something he hadn’t told them, or even something that Tails had missed, that was obscuring the whole picture of his experience.

He briefly considered asking Sonic outright when they were alone later, then immediately nixed the idea. His brother was open about nearly everything right up until he suddenly wasn’t, and then pulling information from him was just as hard as convincing Knuckles to part with the Master Emerald for more than a week.

“Do you think the other dimensions are still out there even though you put the Paradox Prism back together?”

Everyone fell silent as they all looked up at the fox. Sonic’s mouth pulled sideways like he wasn’t sure how to answer.

“I mean, I assumed they are. Don’t really like thinking of the alternative.”

“I’m sure they are!” Amy was quick to reassure. “You can’t just unmake a bunch of worlds once they exist, right? And you said it yourself, Sonic – the Shatterverse collapsing only happened because the Eggmen misused the Prism Shards. All you did was make them whole again.”

Tails tapped the end of his screwdriver twice against the Tornado’s steering wheel. An idea was starting to develop in his mind, formed from a swirl of thoughts and his admittedly shallow knowledge of Quantum Physics. He kept it to himself, however, as he continued to study his brother’s body language and the tension still present there.

Just a few days later, that particular tension was gone from Sonic but the idea was still firmly in the fox’s head. He took every physics book he had that touched the subject, plus several that were “liberated” from one of Eggman’s laboratory libraries, and began researching. It didn’t take very long for him to conclude that no matter what theories he read about, or potential blueprints he began to draw up, he wasn’t going to make it very far on speculation alone.

If this idea was to become tangible, then he needed the Paradox Prism. And achieving that, Tails remembered with a grimace, would be more difficult than any mathematics he puzzled through.

He could only hope that its keeper would be in a good mood.

-------------------------------------------------

Contrary to popular belief, Shadow was not particularly difficult to find. He was a creature of habit, much like Sonic. The real issue was that those habits tended to seem erratic at best and completely nonsensical at worst to anyone who didn’t know them well. To the average person, Sonic was flighty and never settled down in one place for long, and Shadow just couldn’t be found to begin with.

But Tails was not an average person, and he had a lot of experience in tracking down speedy hedgehogs.

There was a large waterfall in Green Hill that overlooked an even larger lake. It cascaded constantly down from a giant cliffside that was difficult to climb and get down from. Sonic avoided the area entirely unless absolutely necessary, but Tails loved to practice his aerial maneuvers there. It was for those three reasons – his many visits, the general seclusion, and the consistent lack of Sonic – that the fox knew how much Shadow preferred the place, too.

It was here that he looked for the black hedgehog first. He started at the base of the cliff, shielding his eyes against the sun as he peered up past the waterfall while lake water lapped just a few inches short of his shoes. After a minute or so of squinting and scanning, Tails caught sight of a dark figure standing at the very top of the cliff, arms folded and looking out at the scenery.

Excited, the fox began to fly up towards him, making his presence known as obviously as possible so Shadow knew he wanted to talk. He felt the moment those piercing red eyes snapped over to him. The fur on the back of his neck prickled by instincts honed from years of Eggman battles before settling down immediately afterward, recognizing the gaze as non-threatening.

That didn’t mean the hedgehog was happy to see him, though. Irritation was visible in every line of his face when Tails touched down a few feet away from him.

“Is Sonic with you?” Shadow asked, in a tone of voice that suggested he was going to teleport at the first syllable of a ‘yes.’

“No, he doesn’t know I’m here. I wanted to talk to you about something.”

One black-furred eyebrow rose in mild surprise. He tilted his head the tiniest bit forward to acknowledge he was listening.

Tails took a deep breath and took the plunge without wasting another second. “I know you have the Paradox Prism. I was hoping to run some tests –”

“No.”

The answer came so strong and curt that it made Tails’ mouth click shut before he even registered what was said. He blinked, caught off guard by both the reaction and the way Shadow’s entire body seemed to tense. It almost looked like he thought the fox was going to attack him, which was as bizarre an assessment to make as the realization that Shadow saw him as a viable threat.

“Why not?” He asked, thoroughly confused. “I didn’t even tell you what kind of tests I’d be conducting.”

“It doesn’t matter what kind; the answer remains the same. The Paradox Prism isn’t something to be tampered with.”

Tails resisted the urge to let out a huff. “I’m not going to tamper with it. I just want to learn more about those other dimensions Sonic was talking about.”

“Then ask him about them and stop wasting my time.”

The hedgehog turned on his heel and began walking away. The hum of his hover shoes coming to life threatened only a few seconds left before he disappeared entirely. Tails knew his one and only chance was slipping out of his grasp.

He didn’t think; what came out of his mouth next was pure panic.

“I think something’s wrong with Sonic!”

Shadow froze mid-step. The fox blinked and then suddenly they were an inch apart. That unreadable glare seemed twice as potent now as it searched his face for any kind of deception.

“…Elaborate,” the hedgehog finally said in a quiet yet uncompromising demand.

“W-Well, he told us about the Shatterverse, and you guys trying to get home, but I feel like he’s…omitting things?” Tails paused, thinking over the last week or so. “He’s been clingier, too. He wants to hang out with everyone more than usual. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him plan so many get-togethers before now.”

Bringing everyone together had usually been Amy’s or Tails’ idea, and Sonic always popped in at the last minute or stumbled into the group in the middle of a run. Now, he was asking them all to hang out so often that Knuckles had threatened to slug him if he didn’t leave him alone for at least a day.

“And then, yesterday…he got really upset when he couldn’t find me.”

Tails remembered it vividly. He’d made an impromptu trip to the nearest junkyard in search of parts for his idea, forgetting to leave a note for potential visitors because of how short the excursion was, and had come back to his workshop in disarray and one agitated hedgehog looking ready to tear down the walls in search of him. His brother had grabbed him in a tight hug without any words, visibly shaking, and had stayed with him in the workshop for hours afterward. There hadn’t been any explanation; Sonic had remained tight-lipped in embarrassment and so Tails had assumed it had to do with the brief loss of his friends during his Shatterverse adventure.

But putting that odd encounter alongside the clinginess and simultaneous avoidance now, it was starting to paint a much more concerning picture. The fox wanted to kick himself for not connecting the dots sooner. Hyper-fixating on a new invention was no excuse.

Shadow was still watching him. Tails took a deep breath and spread his hands out in an honest, pleading gesture.

“I’m just really worried about him. I think there’s stuff he’s not telling me, and I don’t know how to approach him about it.”

“What makes you think studying the Paradox Prism will help with that?” The hedgehog’s voice was flat but no longer as harsh. He had a funny look in his eye that was impossible to place.

“I want to figure out whether those other dimensions are still out there. If they are, I think it will perk Sonic up. But the only way I’ll know for sure is with the Prism’s help.”

Silence floated between them for a long time. Tails swallowed the urge to continue making his case, and instead waited as patiently as he could for Shadow to come to a decision. A myriad of emotions flitted across the other’s face, all small and fleeting and unreadable.

“…Fine. I’ll let you look at it.”

“Really?” The fox gasped, excited, but Shadow held up a hand before he could say anything else.

“On three conditions. One: that I’m present the entire time you’re with it. Two: that you do exactly what you told me you want to do and nothing more. No using it to power machines unless it’s explicitly for finding other dimensions, no tampering with it or trying to break it apart, and no additional investigations. I don’t care how fascinated you are with it.”

“Okay, I can do all of that. What’s the third condition?”

“That you don’t involve Sonic in your studies.”

Tails frowned. “Why would I involve –”

“Agree to all the terms, Fox, or you’re not seeing a hint of that crystal.”

“I agree!” He replied, quick as he could before the hedgehog changed his mind. “You’ll be with me the whole time, I won’t mess with it, and Sonic stays out of the process.”

“Good.”

With the deal struck, Shadow nodded once before walking off again. The fox watched him, uncertain, until he threw a glance over his shoulder.

“Are you coming or not?”

Tails didn’t need to be asked twice.

-------------------------------------------------

And so, two hours later, they were both back in Tails’ workshop with the Paradox Prism floating innocently in the middle of a containment chamber. Shadow leaned against the closed garage door – which he had demanded stay locked while they were working – eating out of the can of raw coffee beans he’d requested when Tails had offered food. It would have been quite the sight if he wasn’t already used to the bizarre black hole of a stomach that belonged to his brother.

Maybe liking weird food was just a hedgehog thing.

The fox, meanwhile, was in the middle of making complex calculations as he studied the Prism, adjusting for energy levels and power output with every spike that appeared on his scanner. He was quickly realizing that developing technology that could reliably run on this energy was going to be a careful balancing act; it fluctuated sporadically in seemingly indecipherable patterns, and every sudden jump was volatile at best, downright dangerous at worst.

If not for all his research into chaos energy, handling the Prism would’ve been infinitely harder. Their properties weren’t all too dissimilar, now that the thought crossed his mind, and it took a lot of willpower not to get sidetracked by that line of theorizing. The promise he’d made to Shadow was one he intended to keep no matter how painful it was for his scientific mind to ignore every other possibility.

“What are you doing now?”

The hedgehog’s question broke the melody of furious pencil scribbling. It was a common occurrence while Tails worked; he barely even glanced up when he answered.

“I think I’ve finally isolated the most benign wavelengths of energy the Paradox Prism is giving off. Using that, I can power the interdimensional device without risk of it exploding.”

“What is this interdimensional device for?” Shadow asked, suddenly right behind him.

Tails absolutely did not jump, but the grip on his pencil went tight as he pulled back from his blueprints a bit to blink owlishly at his suspicious companion. “I told you already – it’s to determine whether those miniature dimensions still exist.”

“How is it going to do that, exactly?”

The fox resisted a great urge to sigh. “It’s just going to be a probe. If prism energy is capable of making things jump between dimensions like Sonic said, then even a tiny amount will make my invention cross the theoretical inter-dimensional barrier and hopefully tell me what’s out there.”

“Hmph.” Shadow’s eyes darted across the schematics laid out on the table. It was hard to tell how much of it he understood, but Tails had a feeling it was more than most people usually could. “Remember: only for this function.”

“Loud and clear, sir,” he mumbled with a roll of his eyes before he could stop himself. The hedgehog’s glare sharpened considerably, but he went back to his place against the door to finish off his coffee beans without another word.

Now that Tails had successfully found a safe power source from the Prism, it was time to actually build the device that would make use of it. He wasted no time getting to work – grabbing scrap metal and wiring and as many tools as he could carry, then starting the process of putting together his newest invention piece by piece. Just like with anything powered by the chaos emeralds, the probe couldn’t simply be built and then pumped full of Prism energy. Every aspect and every addition had to be tested for durability. If it could channel its power source without issue, then he moved onto the next section and repeated the testing process. If it couldn’t, then he had to rework his calculations completely until it wasn’t at risk of frying from a single jolt of energy.

A tedious endeavor, but one he enjoyed wholeheartedly just for the way it occupied his mind. The fact that success meant a new, fully-functional invention was just the icing on the cake.

When at long last the fox was satisfied that his interdimensional probe wouldn’t blow up the moment he turned it on, he swiveled in his chair to hold it up triumphantly. Shadow, to his credit, had not made another sound nor moved a single inch through the hours it had taken to complete the device. He peered at it with a mix of curiosity and wariness.

“Are you going to send it out, now?”

“Yeah, but first…”

Tails turned it around in his hands to reveal a tiny screen and keyboard on one side, pulled straight from Knuckles’ most recently-busted flip phone. He typed in a string of code and watched with a satisfied snicker as a message appeared on the screen in response.

– Hello Worlds! –

“What is the purpose of that?”

“Tech joke.” He placed a solid metal cover over the keyboard, but left the screen visible. “I doubt anyone is going to find this, because it’s supposed to only travel through the space between dimensions, not actually visit them, but it’s funny to think about.”

“Hm.”

If Sonic were here, he probably would have told Shadow to lighten up. Tails, on the other hand, was much more aware of the precarious state of their arrangement, so he didn’t do that.

Was definitely thinking it, though.

Before turning the device on, the fox double checked that its connection to the Miles Electric was strong and secure. Sending it out without a way to relay information back would have been a silly mistake to make. Confident that there was nothing else to be done, he flipped the single switch on its underside, and they both watched as it hovered out of his hands for a few seconds before disappearing in a flash of rainbow light.

Shadow eyed the spot where it had just been, expression tight, then lifted the Paradox Prism’s container with ease. “Keep me informed on what you find. I’m…curious, as well.”

“Okay.”

Their gazes locked for one brief moment before the hedgehog also disappeared with his charge – in a green flash instead. Tails let out a long exhale. He was exhausted but in a good way, like running a marathon and beating your best time.

He checked the Miles Electric. Nothing yet. That was to be expected; interdimensional travel was probably not as instantaneous as Sonic made it out to be. All he had to do was wait.

So, he waited. And waited.

And waited.

A week passed with no signal. Not a single, shallow blip on his radar to show that the probe had survived its attempt at escaping the barriers between their dimension and whatever lay beyond. Disappointed but not entirely surprised over the possible failure, the fox stopped checking for it as often. Every hour dropped to a few times a day; a few times a day dropped to only once per day. As yet another week began creeping by with nothing to show for it, he finally took the Miles Electric off his desk and put it away to make room for other, more pressing projects.

The device might have ended up a bust, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other ways to confirm the existence of the Shatterverse. Tails began sketching up tentative ideas for his continued research. He didn’t have any Prism energy left to work with, though, and Shadow probably wasn’t going to be as generous if he asked for help again. The power to cross dimensions was going to be the biggest hurdle.

Just as he was debating whether chaos energy would work as a potential substitute, there was a sudden flash of rainbow light to his left. The fox startled, whirled around with his hands up in preparation for a fight – and stopped.

Stared.

There was his device, hovering in the air. Tails’ ears twitched as the Miles Electric suddenly let loose a muffled cacophony of sounds from within the desk drawer; the familiar, loud pings that meant a probe had been successfully connected to. Stunned and unable to think of doing anything else, he slowly reached out to stop its hovering and hold it instead.

From the way he had grabbed it, the little digital screen was visible. Tails looked down at the message and felt his heart skip a beat.

[ hello stranger ]

-------------------------------------------------

A/N: Several months ago I joined the Sonic Big Bang event, and today is the culmination of that event where we flood the fandom with fics and art! We are Sonic Fans and we cannot be stopped lol. Expect a chapter release every day until the fic is finished!

The fantastic artists paired with my fic are @currantlee, @phantom-howl, and @dewdropdraws. I'll link their artwork when it's all posted, please please check them out cause they're all wonderful! Thanks so much to @sthbigbang for hosting this and letting me participate! I had a blast!

#sonic big bang 2024 #sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #tails nine #shadow the hedgehog #fanfiction

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biconickyoshi · 7 months

Text

Okay y’all… I was very critical of eps 3 & 4 (especially 4) of NAtLA. Then all of a sudden eps 5 & 6 kinda slapped me in the face with how much better the show suddenly got.

Spoiler-free thoughts first:

Zuko, Iroh, and Aang have cemented themselves as the best parts about this adaptation - which is really funny considering I’m currently writing a longfic AU where Zuko and Iroh discover Aang in the iceberg right after Zuko is banished at age 13 and end up becoming the first members of the Gaang (albeit reluctantly at first lol). Episode 6: “Masks” (the Blue Spirit adaptation) was so good, I’d venture to say that it actually improved and fleshed out some things from the original series.

Episode 5: “Spirited Away”, while not as good as E6, was not as bad as I heard people say it was going to be. I think that the changes they did make didn’t bother me nearly as much as the changes they made in the last episode, and it was actually entertaining.

There were several scenes that made me cry in both of these episodes (moreso in episode 6, which I’ll get into further down in the spoiler section). These are the scenes that I feel like really tapped into the heart of the original show rather than feeling like a soulless remake.

Now for my in-depth thoughts (INCLUDES SPOILERS):

EP 5: “Spirited Away”

- Staring out, I was bummed because I had just rewatched the first two eps of the original animated series lol.

- It was an interesting choice to have all three members of the Gaang get stuck in the Spirit World, but I think it worked.

- Wan Shi Tong just showing up randomly was a bit unnecessary, but I suppose it will be kinda interesting to see him again in S2 since he’s already met the Gaang

- Hei Bai plays a much smaller role in these eps, but I strangely didn’t mind that either?

- Seeing Katara’s last memory with her mom was devastating, especially the fact that she had to witness her death and hide in the igloo with Kya’s charred body :(( she definitely has severe PTSD.

- Even Sokka’s memory made me tear up a bit

- Koh being the villain and a soul-eater or whatever was a bit of an odd choice, but I guess I can see why they did it. I do prefer him just being an asshole who steals ppl’s faces lol

- Appreciated the Fog of Lost Souls reference from the LoK lore

- Aang reuniting with Gyatso made me cry. I know some people didn’t like him being in the Spirit World, but I really liked it. Also, the fact that Gyatso was the first person to tell Aang that it wasn’t his fault the Air Nomads died, and that if he had been there he would have died too? THANK YOU! My poor boy has been berated enough for “abandoning” the world.

- We got some interesting lore about the afterlife for humans from Gyatso and Aang’s convo, which we’ve never gotten in AtLA media before. Idk if it’s just for Air Nomads, but Aang mentions that Gyatso stayed behind instead of “seeking enlightenment”. I know that the end goal in Buddhism is to reincarnate until you eventually achieve nirvana, so I wonder if that’s what they were alluding to (I’m not an expert on religions so pls correct me if I’m wrong)

- Oh yeah, I forgot June is here lmao. As a queer person I loved her (bc beautiful goth woman) but I didn’t like the weird choice to make her hit on Iroh - I guess to contrast the Iroh being creepy towards her thing in the OG series. I wish they would have just had them interact normally tbh, no weird “flirting”

EP 6: “Masks”

- Here we go y’all. The best episode in the show so far and probably the best the show is gonna get this season. I’m still pretty shocked at how good this one was.

- I think the decision to include flashbacks to Zuko’s Agni Kai was a good decision here. It felt like an appropriate episode for them and the flashbacks were very well done.

- In general, Dallas is doing a phenomenal job at portraying a Zuko who is angry and aggressive, yes, but also so very sweet and compassionate at his core. I love when little inklings of his true self shine through.

- Roku was… not what I expected. He was very much more of a lighthearted and jokey person… I didn’t hate it, it was just unexpected lol. I wonder if they did that to contrast him with Kyoshi. Which, speaking of, I’m glad Roku clarified that Aang doesn’t just need to be a merciless warrior (and that he didn’t berate Aang for “abandoning” the world like she did). But I still am annoyed about the mischaracterization of Kyoshi in general.

- RIP Shyu :/

- Thought it was kind of strange how June captures Aang at Roku’s temple lol. Like how did she get on and off the island??

- Zhao continues to feel like a completely different character to me lmao. I think this version is pretty funny, but it’s so weird to see Zhao being portrayed as so goofy and incompetent when he was such an intimidating force and the main villain of Book 1 in the OG series. Just a weird direction they went with his character.

- The Yuyan archers look cool as fuck. 10/10 no notes

- Still not sure how I feel about Azula already being this insecure and jealous of Zuko. I think it makes her feel a bit more realistically like a child, but the whole point of Azula’s character is that she is really good at maintaining this cool and calm persona on the surface, which she uses to scare and manipulate people. I can see her maybe getting to a point later on to where she hardens herself into that though. We’ll see.

- Baby Zuko asking Iroh how he looks and his little smile 😭😭😭😭 I had a physical “aww” reaction to that. THAT’S MY SON (me and Iroh shouting in unison)

- War Room scene was handled very well. No complaints. I like how Ozai tried to test Zuko with battle strategies.

- Blue Spirit break out scene was extremely close to the original, and it was really good. They adapted it almost shot for shot with all the important parts.

- Here’s probably my favorite part of the episode: Zuko and Aang’s talk inside the abandoned house after they escape from Pohuai!!!!!! Gahhhh I could gush about this scene all day. I love how they expanded it to be an actual friendly conversation between Aang and Zuko. Like we get to see Zuko’s true self coming through - the sweet, kind boy we know he is. Zuko and Aang just have such great chemistry as well, wayyy more than Aang has with either Sokka or Katara. Like I adored them bonding over painting and caligraphy!!! I think this is the best acting we’ve seen from Gordon so far, and Dallas did a phenomenal job switching back to that hurt, angry version of himself (of course a trauma response). And the fact that Aang said “sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you” when he blocked Zuko’s firebending attack??? My sweet boy 😭

- The final flashback to the Agni Kai was really well done too. I’d already heard Zuko fights back, which I wasn’t sure I’d like, but I actually didn’t mind it. I really liked that they showed Zuko’s hesitation whenever he did actually have an opening, and that was what angered Ozai the most - Zuko showing compassion, “weakness”. Daniel Dae Kim is of course doing a phenomenal job (no surprises there), and I really liked that Iroh actually attempted to stop Ozai at one point. It also looked like young Azula had tears in her eyes, which I again actually liked because it humanizes her.

- I loved that Aang was still there when Zuko woke up on the boat 😭 he wanted to make sure he was okay!! I full on started crying when we got the “do you think we could have been friends too?” lines from him. Again, Gordon killed it. I love how you can tell that Aang knows Zuko has been hurt and that’s why he acts the way he does. He doesn’t blame him for any of it. 10/10

- the last flashback to Zuko in his bed recovering from the burn… god the tears just kept flowing. I really liked the choice to have Ozai almost give Zuko a chance to like… idk understand why he did what he did, and how compassion is “weak”?? And then Zuko’s response to give people a chance 😭😭😭 as if I couldn’t love him any more!!! And then of course Ozai gets pissed. But seeing baby Zuko just cry in his bed UGH I’m dehydrated at this point

- Of course I can’t finish this review without mentioning the 41st division. What an incredible way to expand upon the source material by making them Zuko’s crew!!! It shows just how much Zuko truly cares about others and it moved me so much (once again to tears).

I don’t have high hopes for the last two episodes, but honestly, if this is what the live action can be, it gives me a bit of hope (at least for future seasons). I really think that Dallas, Gordon, Paul, and Daniel were the stars of this ep and are a big part of what made it so good.

#atla #natla #netflix atla spoilers #natla spoilers #atla live action #avatar the last airbender netflix #avatar the last airbender #atla netflix #atla meta #natla meta #zuko #aang #iroh #ozai #zukaang

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tarydarrington · 7 months

Text

There is one upside to the spiderwebs: Dorian can usually tell that he’s dreaming.

“Tell me,” he says, examining his lute, refusing to make eye contact with the presence looming behind him, “is this actually you? Or am I imagining you all by myself, these days?”

There comes a wet clicking as though of pincers or long, sharp legs. He forces his shudder into a sigh.

That’s the thing: the Spider Queen, her royal creepy highness, never whispers to him anymore when he’s awake. Two beds over, she’s doubtless playing in Opal’s head instead, trying and failing to spin her into a trap.

A sticky tangle of webs weaves itself between his lute strings. His skin crawls with dozens of tiny, invisible legs.

“Is there really a difference?” whispers that familiar voice. “What makes you think I couldn’t hear you if you called for me in that pretty little head?”

Her rumble of laughter comes from every direction at once. Dorian fights the urge to dig into his ear, where the tickle probes deeper and deeper. The itch feels too real for comfort.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility that this nightmare is her making. Opal herself says that things have been quieter lately, and that the voice in her head is more often than not afraid.

And after all, what does a frightened spider do but seek out a new place to hide?

“This is your fault, you know.”

Dorian whirls, finding nothing but empty black laced with spiderwebs. His brother’s voice is unmistakable, but Cyrus is nowhere in sight. Something thick and wet drips down walls he can’t see.

“If you had just stayed where you were supposed to, we would both be safe at home right now.”

“Well, that’s not very nice,” Dorian says lightly. “I hardly think I’m responsible for your decisions.”

There comes a sound of derision that is somehow at once his brother, his mother, and his father. Dorian rolls his neck and hopes it doesn’t look like the squirming it is. The clicking of spider legs grows louder, closer, more insistent. He blinks, leaving his eyes squeezed shut just a heartbeat too long.

“Dorian?”

His eyes fly open. Was there a stone in his hand before? It rests there now glowing faintly blue, warm to the touch.

“Why’d you go?”

Orym’s voice, layered strangely over itself, rings in his ears. Dorian’s fingertips feel numb. He forces a breath of laughter.

“Oh, things to do,” he says. “You know how it is. Something always comes up, doesn’t it?”

With a tight, mirthless smile, Dorian tucks the stone into his web-lined pocket. It will take more than that to fool him. Even neck-deep in nightmares, the memory of headache after headache reminds him that Sending hasn’t worked in weeks.

“Wouldn’t it be so funny if you were doing this to yourself?” Fearne’s voice whispers directly into his ear. He manages to only jump a little, composing himself again as her voice dissolves into breathy laughter all around him.

“Maybe it’s funnier if the Spider Bitch got to you after all that fighting,” says Opal’s voice, just over his shoulder. “You really thought you won, huh? And you didn’t even get anything good out of it.”

Her voice multiplies until it sounds as though a thousand copies stand in a circle all around him.

“You didn’t protect your friends.”

Opal’s voice, Fearne’s voice, Cyrus’s, Orym’s, and a dozen others repeat it one after the other, running together into one continuous whisper. From a thin line of web, a tiny spider drops down onto his shoulder.

He takes a slow breath, deliberate and steady. A dream. It’s only a dream. A few more moments and he’ll be startled awake, and all of this will fade from memory.

Unless the Spider Queen is really here and burrows into his mind too deeply to pull back, of course, but that isn’t a very useful thought.

“Dorian.”

The whispering stops. As though a curtain has fallen around him, muffling an unseen audience, all is suddenly silent. Dorian turns in all directions, finding everything still and black.

The stone is back in his hand.

“We’re alive,” Orym says. “Been to the moon. Going back.”

Behind his voice, the whispers begin to build again. Dorian strains to hear Orym over them. Something about this feels different.

“Find the Tempest.”

Tempest, Tempest, Tempest echoes in the dark, melding with the murmuring.

“If I don’t get the chance again…”

“Enough.”

This is too far. This is knocking on a door Dorian has kept carefully shut—a door through which the Spider Queen is most certainly not invited. He takes a step forward into nothingness, a liquid that might be water splashing underfoot.

“I’ve really missed you.”

The ground gives way, and Dorian falls headlong into waking.

Catha hangs brightly in a sky that stretches as far as the eye can see. Around him lie his friends, and around them a sprawling field rolls with the wind. Dorian’s heart pounds as he braces both hands on the ground, sitting up to feel the wind on his face.

His fingertips dig into the dirt. The dew-soft ground is clear of spiderwebs. Just an ordinary, everyday nightmare. The gods are far too preoccupied to whisper in his ears.

He shouldn’t have needed the spiderwebs to know it was a dream. His brother would never blame him for any of this, and neither would Orym.

There are a lot of things that Orym—grieving, heartsick, married-at-heart Orym—wouldn’t do.

Dorian takes a breath, running a thumb over the Sending Stone in his pocket. It feels warm to the touch despite the weather, the way it might if a message had truly come through. Dorian stuffs it into his bag with a knot in his chest.

Morning comes after very little sleep, and Dorian crawls out of his bedroll to find the others already gathered around the remains of their campfire, breakfast in hand. He waves off Dariax’s offer of a stale pastry with what he hopes resembles a carefree smile. The Stone weighs heavy in his bag.

He finds an excuse: they’re running low on water, and there’s a stream nearby. It’s easy enough to slip away from the group and find a quiet clearing out of earshot. He sits cross-legged beside the rushing water, spends a moment debating exactly how foolish he’s being, then fishes the stone from his bag.

He clears his throat. Takes a breath. Lets it out, clears his throat again, and takes another.

“Orym.”

The stone buzzes with magic. Dorian’s heart hammers in his ears.

“I hope you’re out there somewhere. Silly to think this time would be any different. I miss hearing your voice.” He grimaces. “Opal and Dariax say hello!”

The message cuts out before the last word is out of his mouth, his head crowding with static. Dorian winces and rides it out, wiping a thin trail of blood from his nose.

Well. That settles that.

Probably for the best—what was he thinking with a line like that? ‘I miss your voice?’

He tucks the stone away, dipping his waterskin into the stream. Only a dream. He will call the awful feeling in his chest resignation and examine it no further.

It had been a silly thought, he reminds himself as he returns to the group with a smile and a wave. He ought to have known by the spiderwebs.

#hello friends. i have wrat #dorian storm #dorym #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #c3 #mine #i am rusty but i am not immune to dorym crumbs #there is some exu-typical spider-based creepiness in this one if that is not your jam #dorian

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doggone-devil · 7 months

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How (Not) to Summon a Demon: Chapter 5

Chapter 5 is here! After this, we're gonna start getting into some actual plot! I'm excited hehe Pairing: Alastor x fem!Reader No warnings today~ :3

As you step into your car, you shouldn’t be surprised when Alastor voices his recognition of the neighborhood. He notes how the streets have surely changed along with new houses, but some of the buildings were around when he was alive. He continues to make comments, telling you about how things use to be as you drive him around. It’s fascinating to hear, learning something new about your hometown. You feel like you’re getting to connect to the city better than most, having your very own historic tour guide.

Now that was a funny thought. Alastor becoming a tour guide. He would make a killing with how much he actually knew about New Orleans and its rich background.

“It’s such a shame,” Alastor states. You glance at him quickly before returning your eyes to the road.

“What is?”

“The thrill of the night, my dear. Such a wonderful experience of which you nor anyone born after my time will have.”

“What do you mean?”

Alastor shifts in the seat, facing you a bit more instead of looking out the window. “In the 1920s, alcohol was highly illegal. We had to sneak about into speakeasies just to get a taste of the night life.” You can tell he’s reminiscing and you start to feel bad for him. Dying so young, not able to live a full life, made room for regrets. No doubt he missed his era, the people he once new. Here you were, practically dangling his old life right in front of him and forcing him to see it’s no longer the same. Maybe this was a bad idea.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble. Alastor looks at you with wide eyes, his smile almost gone if not for the very corners of his lips still slightly upturned.

“For what, my dear?”

“For,” you pause, taking a breath. How were you already about to cry? “For bringing up old memories. Reminding you of what you lost. I can’t image what that must feel like.” You manage another quick glance at him and he seems almost shocked.

He faces forward, quiet for a minute. “You’re quite the strange mortal, indeed,” he says, the smile back to stretching across his features. You frown.

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Smile,” you answer. “You’re always smiling, even when I know you don’t want to.”

“What makes you think I don’t want to smile?” Alastor asks, slight offense in his tone. “My dear, you’re never fully dressed without one, as I always say!”

“Ok,” you shake your head, “but it’s not healthy to hold in other expressions. You should let them out. Frown, pout.” You make a face at him, exaggerating your bottom lip into a deep crease. Alastor coughs on a laugh, trying to bite it down.

“And be naked? Certainly not,” he states. You give up on the topic, changing it back to the city.

“So how does it feel, anyways? Being back?”

“New and yet somehow, still the same,” he says, looking out the window. “I’m not alive, like you, just taking on a physical enough form that’s tethered purely by our contract. I can’t feel the world like you are doing now.”

“I would love to say I understand, but I don’t.”

“Suppose you wouldn’t,” Alastor chuckles. “Being dead is very different than being alive, after all.”

“Did it hurt?” You didn’t mean to ask the question but it had been tugging at you in the back of your mind ever since the reality of demons and Hell became a thing for you. You put the car in neutral, parked in a random car lot. You don’t know when you two arrived there, but it was convenient as you could now fully face Alastor without having to pay attention to driving.

“It’s been so long, it’s hard to remember,” he speaks slowly. “From what I do know, no, it didn’t hurt. The fall did, though.” He shakes his head, body perking up as he looks around the car now. “Where are we, my dear?”

“Uh. Good question.” You look around to get your bearings. “Oh! Jackson Ave. There’s a nice place around the corner I like to eat at, actually.”

“Good thing I can eat cause I’m starved!” Alastor is already stepping out of the car. You go to open your door to get out, but Alastor tuts at you. “That won’t be allowed with me around, darling! Why, what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t do this much?” Now, you blushed and couldn’t stop it.

“You’d be the only one.” You let him help you out of the car. “Shame to say it, but chivalry is dead.” You don’t miss the sound of a record scratch, the sudden noise piercing your ears and making you wince.

“Darling, as long as I exist, whether in life or afterlife, chivalry will never die. Now, come along! Take me to this highly praised establishment you seem fond of!”

“I wouldn’t call it highly praised,” you giggle, taking his offered arm as the two of you begin walking down the street. “But it is nice. I go here sometimes with Veronica.”

“Veronica,” Alastor repeats the name. “She’s the one we spoke to earlier, correct? Your roommate.”

“Yours now, too, but yes, that’s her.” You take the lead and move towards a short, rectangular building. It looks like it’s made of glass, a neon open sign hanging in one of the doors. You excitedly begin to drag Alastor inside, not noticing the way your hand grasps his when you let go of his arm. Once inside, you eagerly turn to see his expression and it nearly makes you giggle.

Alastor takes in the space around him and his eyes widen, smile strained.

“So? Whatcha think, old timer?” you ask and cover your mouth to hide your laugh when his eyes get even bigger, looking down at you.

“Firstly, never call me that again,” he says, lips tight. “Secondly, what is this place?”

“Welcome to Subway, what can I get started for you?” A worker speaks up before you do, smiling friendly as they wait for your order. You move closer to the counter, Alastor in tow.

“Hi! This is actually my friend’s first time so we might be a minute, I’m sorry,” you apologize. The worker seems thrilled, nodding their head.

“Of course! We’re excited to have you!” They must see Alastor’s clear confusion as they point to the menu above them. “As you can see, we have all sorts of subs such as the classic Philly cheesesteak but of course, we have loads of ingredients for you to make your own personalized sub if preferred.” Alastor glances down at you, still lost. You shake your head with a smile and start your order first.

“I’ll have a pizza sub, toasted and on Italian Herb please,” you say with ease. It’s a favorite of yours to get most of the time you come, able to enjoy both the convenience of a sub but the pleasure of a pizza. The worker starts your first, allowing you a chance to ask Alastor what he likes. “So, you a meat or veggie person?”

“Meat,” he answers quickly, his smile almost sinister. You slowly nod, eying the choices.

“Chicken or beef?”

“Beef.” He seems excited for a second, asking, “Do they have venison?”

“Uh, I don’t think so,” you say, never hearing of someone eating venison with a sub, but then again, Alastor was from a different time. Maybe that was normal.

“A shame,” he hums, looking with you at the ingredients. The worker has yours done when they come back to get Alastor’s order. He still doesn’t know what to get so you decide to order for him, getting him a simple steak and cheese from the menu. You move down to checkout, pulling your phone out to pay, but Alastor is already placing the appropriate cash amount into the worker’s hand.

“Hey,” you protest but he stops you.

“Chivalry is alive and well,” he says and you roll your eyes. You two take your subs and walk over to an empty table. Alastor pulls out your chair before you can touch it and waits till you’ve seated before pushing it forward. You feel weird, being treated kindly like this. It makes your head spin as you remind yourself Alastor is a demon. Demons were suppose to be blood-thirsty, evil creatures hellbent on corruption and torture. Alastor was the furthest thing from those monsters you watched in horror movies. He was courteous, polite, and well mannered. It was enough to make your heart flutter which you did not like. Stupid heart.

Ignoring any more of those thoughts that tried to crawl through, you instead focused on eating, watching the way Alastor's expressions changed with every bite. The two of you finish up and leave. The warm air outside feels nice and you find yourself stretching, a yawn forcing itself out.

"Tired, my dear?" Alastor asks next to you. You check your phone. Since when did time start flying by so much?

"Yeah, getting there," you admit, "but I can still show you around?"

"Another time. For now, let's get you back home. Without adequate rest, how are you to come up with a wish?" he asks, offering his arm. Ah. The wish. Right. You take his arm and begin walking back to your car.

You hadn't thought of the wish, yet. Not because you didn't want to, really. You just couldn't seem to come up with anything and so far, you were enjoying Alastor's company. Sure Veronica was your friend and you loved spending time with her, but that time was becoming rare and few between as her work increased. She also seemed to be going to Josie's a bit more and that left you alone in the apartment, no one but yourself to be entertained by. Since Alastor appeared, you've not had a quiet moment and for that, you were surprisingly thankful. Did you really want to hurry and make that wish?

"Darling? You alright?" Your heart fluttered again, hearing Alastor call your name. It shouldn't flutter, it shouldn't be feeling anything regardless of how sweet his voice seemed to be when talking to you. He was a demon. You were just another soul for him to collect and nothing more. You shake your head, clearing any more stupid thoughts.

"Yeah, guess I'm just more tired than I realized," you answer, realizing you're already parked in your driveway. You must have autopilot here, as scary as that was. Turning the ignition off, you manage to exit the car before Alastor had a chance to get the door for you. You don't wait for him to join you as you unlock the front door and step in. He closes it behind you and you set your keys down, kicking off your shoes.

"I'm going to go ahead and go to bed. I'll, um, see you in the morning." You pause at your bedroom door, lingering for just a bit. You're tempted to say something more but swallow it down, closing your bedroom door.

You fall onto your bed with a sigh. It was frustrating, your heart. You'd just met the man - the demon, you remind yourself. You had summoned him, entered into a contract where your soul was the price. You couldn't allow yourself to do this all over again, to become attached to something you can't have. Surely you learned your lesson the last time your heart went through this.

Great.

Now you were thinking of him.

You roll over onto your side, not bothering with the blanket as you tuck your hands under your head. It had been a few years since you thought of him, the sight of his face unwelcomed as memories dragged forward. Pink skies, the smell of vanilla, and soft touches flood your mind, making your skin grow hot. You hate it. You don't want to remember, to be reminded of the pain that came after the charm. That's all he had been. Artificial charm laced with deceit and you had fallen for it. Stupid, stupid girl.

Fed up with your own head, you close your eyes and let the tired ache in your body consume you.

taglist: @i-like-potatoes12533, @girl-nahh-two, @mcntsee, @projectdreamwalker, @sassmasterxx, @alsemain, @yunimimii, @noraunor, @justneo11, @dragonlover123a, @falsemain, @ephemeralxv

comment to get added to the taglist and as always, feedback is welcomed! Thank you <3

Masterlist ... Ao3

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin alastor #alastor #the radio demon #alastor hazbin #Alastor x You #Alastor x Reader #Alastor Fanfic #alastor fanfiction #hazbin hotel fandom

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jadededge · 10 months

Text

Siren | Christian Yu - Ch. 2

Pairing: Christian x You

Genre: Demon AU, Romance, Smut, slight Horror

Rating: M

Summary: That voice. It started calling me during the darkest moments of the night, like a siren luring me further into the deep and it has continued for weeks.

Wattpad | AO3 (will likely always update these 2 places first)

Navigation: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

I'm awake. "I'm awake. What was that?" My heart was racing as I tried to cling to the details of what I'm sure was just a dream. A very vivid dream. But it felt so real. As I tried to sit up, I wince. My body is sore all over but I can't remember what happened to me.

After laying for what felt like hours, I got up to get ready for work. I slowly make my way to the mirror and take a look at myself. "What is that?!" I zero in on a strange bruise just below my right breast. It's got a funny shape, but I cant remember exactly how it got there.

In the distance of my mind I vaguely recall bits of what happened in the dream but with every passing moment I forget more and more, including his name. I can only see clearly his eye, his eyes. And that voice.

Shrugging off the unease that crept up my spine, I continued my routine, inspecting my body for anymore abnormalities. I wasn't looking forward to going to sleep that night but I told myself, just get through today and worry about that later.

Though, since that day, I stopped hearing the voice. The first couple of nights, I was afraid to fall asleep. I was afraid I would be lured back into his or its lair. But nothing. I slept peacefully for quite a few days. On the sixth day, I chalked it up to my imagination. The bruise disappeared, and I slowly began to go back to normal. His eye, his eyes, and that voice were the only memories of the dream that remained.

On the 7th day, however, my literal world turned upside down.

"I'm exhausted. How much longer must we carry this load." My coworker Kira laments as we chat during lunch at a café near the office. "It's been 3 weeks since Jason got fired and we're still carrying these extra assignments."

"I know. I didn't think he was the type to steal. He's honestly the best director I've worked for. You know, other than the stealing thing." I add.

She nods, "Same! I heard they may be close to finding someone. They need to hurry it along. We've got a deadline and a butt load to go."

I nod in agreement.

Once we arrived back at the office, we noticed quite a few people up and gathering around one of the manager's door. Another coworker Andrew is hanging back and looking on.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Boss found a replacement for Jason. Guess they finalized everything over lunch." He whispers to Kira and I.

"Oh wow! I wonder if he's cute." Kira says excitedly causing Jason to roll his eyes.

I can't clearly see the new person from where we're standing. But just as the crowd parts slightly, I get a clear view, and my heart stops.

I gasp and freeze in place. "You okay?" Kira asks.

I can't answer and my vision tunnels. As if he sensed me, he turns to me and stares directly into my eyes and smiles slowly, a bright devious smile. I start to panic.

"I'm uh. I'm okay. I just need to sit down for a second." I retreat to my office quickly and shut the door.

"It's him. I- I can't remember what he did but it's him. How?" I start panicking. I really wanted to go home. I can't think straight and there's no way I'm going to get any work done. "Let me at least email Kira and let her know I'm working from home the rest of the day." And tomorrow.

As I'm packing my things to go, a knock at my door broke me out of my thoughts. "Come in."

I don't know why I didn't expect him to walk in, because of course.

"Hi." He steps in smiling brightly at me. Something about it was sinister. "You must be..."

"You." It slips out before I'm able to contain myself.

He tilts his head to the side, still smiling. "Me?"

"Yes. Y- you" I'm stuttering I never stutter. I realized I'm scared, but I cant scream. I can't ask for help. His voice sounds similar but not the same. It's not as deep. Am I imagining things?

"Yes I'm Christian. Your new supervisor." He steps further into my office, not closing the door completely. That does little to comfort me. "You must be..." he extends his hand to shake mine.

The way he sounds when he says my name makes my head spin. It was much deeper. Guttural. Just like that voice. Deep down, I know it's him. But he shows no signs of skipping a beat. I feel like I'm losing it again. I quickly stand trying to grasp my sanity. I place my hand in his and it all comes back to me. The dream I had mostly forgotten. I've got to get away from him. I pull my hand back quickly.

"I'm uh-sorry, I was leaving early for the day. I'm not feeling well and I really need to leave."

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you get some rest." He's just smiling.

#dpr ian #DPR #dpr ian smut #dpr ian fanfic #kpop fanfic #krnb fanfic #Smut #eventual smut #romance #christian yu fanfic #christian yu smut

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darkdemeter · 2 months

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SEVEN, THE ALBUM TO THE SECOND

◤✘BUCKY BARNES COLUMN | Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

WARNINGS! ↳ 18+ MAJOR DISCRETION! This fic contains some minor profanities and heavy depictions and allusions to suicide — major angst — little hurt/comfort? — I think that's it, please let me know if I've missed anything that you feel is beneficial to the fic's warnings. SUMMARY: ↳ Seven seconds that reflect all that's happened in your life. Is it possible to take seven steps back, instead of the one second forward?

✎ 1.2k ────────────────┘

‘What you saw there was my album. Precious memories I’ve collected over the years. For me, it’s what I saw in the last seven seconds.

I suppose we should take a step back, or seven or so. However many we need to get through this together.’

Your love with Bucky had been strong. The best cluster of feelings you could ever experience in this lifetime. It was perfect. The way he held you, kissed you, made you feel loved in ways that never could be outmatched by anything. Love is blind, truly it is. People around you weren’t kidding.

You had fallen so far deep into that rabbit hole, how could you ever escape? Not that you wanted to. After all, it was all so perfect and so right.

So what changed?

As always, even the brightest of days can suddenly become overcast by dark clouds. And on those days, you shut people out. The memories would fade into slow moving blurs until the cloudy weather cleared, letting you move on. Allowed you to make bright, happy memories that moved far too rapidly. Far too quickly.

Sometimes, you wondered if you dreamt it all or that if any of it was real, if you were moving too fast and not slowing down to enjoy these sweet moments.

How you met Bucky. Oh boy, what a story. A strange accident that many chuckled as cliche. You just left the coffee shop and were on your way to join your family at the park when all of a sudden, a force had run straight into you. Wham!

Your coffee was beyond help at that point. A string of strung curses and apologies led to a shy exchange of smiles, a kind offer of a renewed coffee — and at the end of it all, a passing of phone numbers.

You’d never forget the way your heart pulsed hard in your chest or the way your cheeks were brightly lit with a heated blush, or the way your family carried on when you told them. Love’s arrow, they had all said. You’d been struck blind by love. It had finally found you after all this time, in the most unlikely and unexpected of places.

Things with Bucky moved at a pace neither of you could really keep up with but still managed to. Phone calls and messages left you missing the other, date nights were savoured between the tender holding of hands and the most delicate of kisses that stole your breath every time. Funny, how you wished you could have that feeling now. To have him steal your breath for the right reason.

Meeting the adorable fluff of snow white fur he called Alpine was one of the best moments you can account for. Is that really saying something? Every moment you shared with Bucky was the best.

All things had to come and go, all good things, unfortunately. You had your ups and your downs. Your mind was scary during the low tides of your mental state. And that’s what led to the browsing of your albums. Seeing the archive of memories printed black and white, each one a capture of a frame of time you never wanted to forget.

Never wanted to abandon. But how could you keep living like this? Things were getting harder and each step you took to run from it, it only made you stumble. The bright flash of sun rays became less, became minor flickers between the clouds that grew darker and heavier.

How could things become so fucking wrong? Why was it so hard to put it all in a box and toss it to the recess in the back of your mind?

Why did you have to do this?

Your loved ones will grieve for a while. They’ll be sad as they wish they could have you back. They’d give anything to hear your voice on the phone, sharing stories and promising that you’ll meet up that weekend for family dinner and invite your boyfriend along. Can’t be keeping him from mama’s dear old recipe, nor dad’s stories from his youth. Your family would cry themselves into stupors that leave them overwhelmed, unable to find solace in the thought that your childhood bedroom gathers cobwebs and your old toys will never be passed down onto your kids. To have one more photo taken with you to put in the album – please just one more.

Ready… smile… and say cheese.

Bucky will cry into his pillow, beautiful blue eyes swollen and red as he wishes he could hold you against his body for one more night, feeling the weight of you and the way your skin feels under his touch. He’d crave beyond anything to share your blissful smile, hearing your laughter flutter into his ears like the old tunes that play on the scratchy records while you both sip on your beer, all the while, he bathes in the comfort of your presence that seemingly cured him. He’ll continue now in sadness, dreaming of a life that was taken from him once, and just when he thought he’d have it again, there you go ripping it away from him. He’d wish he could have one more kiss – please just one more.

You know they will hate this process of having to pick up the pieces, but eventually it will fade. The hurt will become less and less. It’s just going to take some time.

Nobody wants to attend a funeral for someone they loved with all they had. Nobody ever wants to attend a funeral as they watch their child, their sibling, their true love be sealed away in a heavy box.

And that’s why you put the knife down. Tears flowing down your cheeks in stained streams, you back away from it. You take seven steps, take seven seconds to look in the past and then the future. Where would it all fit in without you in the frame of those album photos? Your eyes come to life from the void, again alive that light that is you. Bucky finally releases a breath he was holding, his own eyes painted with a thickened brim of tears, they fall in shattered rivers.

Your lips feel dry and there’s a disgusting coil lurching in your stomach that rises to your throat. You feel like you’re going to vomit.

How long have you been thirsty?

Your fingers feel cold as they place the knife down on the counter. Tears continue, falling slowly. Your vision is half blind by them, you barely see Bucky step closer and suddenly he’s right there. He holds your face in hands of flesh and metal, the blend one you almost robbed yourself of.

“Never do that again,” he says behind a grit of anger. No, it’s nothing like anger. It’s more ferocious than that. There is not a word you can possibly use to describe the way he spoke those words.

Seeing you hold a knife to yourself is a sight Bucky will forever be haunted by. It’s a dark memory you mustn't put in the album. But it’s one that you have to always remember, never forget, that you have people here that love you. Even when shit goes wrong, when times get tougher than usual and it seems everyone you care about has turned on you without hope of mending the driven wedges between bonds.

“I can’t be without you. None of us can. Don’t you see, doll? If you go now, we’ll miss you.”

Nodding, your eyes fog again. Bucky then raises your phone to his ear, your family screaming over the speaker. They’re begging you not to do it. “She’s okay. She’s still here with us.”

#female reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes angst #tw sui implied #bucky barnes x you #james bucky barnes #bucky x you #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky x female reader

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fire-emblem-drabbles · 1 year

Text

Pairing: Karlach x durge reader, Gortash x durge reader

Prompt: Some thoughts I had when I brought my dark urge and romanced Karlach to face Gortash.

Description: Having just survived a divine revelation from daddy dearest Bhaal and making your way to Wyrm's Rock, you're a little shaken but ready to face whatever Gortash may throw at you. You wanted to see Karlach have her revenge as sure as it was your own. Yet... something familiar and strange stirs within your blackened heart when you look at Gortash. And most frighteningly, he looks to you the same.

Rating: sfw

Word Count: 2678 3037

Notes: Happy 4:30 am I got off work and like a man possessed wrote this. It's not edited (yet) but if I don't post this and get validation I may just fucking die so. Have this terrible little brain baby! I just think it would be so tastey. No one wins here btw!

oh this is huge spoilers for dark urge/act 3 btw! I took some liberties but it's my fanfiction and I can if I want to

Edited: 10/1/23 (read it and there was a lot of mistakes lol)

Curiosity has guided you far, in this adventure. It’s helped you find the pieces of your past life, both those that proved to be a boon and that which you would have rather left buried. You’ve repressed your dark urges, fought them, proved to yourself and your allies, and especially your lover, that you’re better than that. Better than the person you once were. Better than what your father would have you be.

And it’s never been more clear than when you stand before Gortash now. You can feel Karlach before you, bristling at seeing his face. The way Wyll panics at seeing his father, obviously not himself. Gale, too, is is all wound up-- the emotions held in this room are fit to burst, and you and Gortash are the center of it.

You felt a flicker of it before, when seeing his face in the Ilithid colony beneath Moonrise. There was familiarity there; not the burning hatred that seized your heart when you looked at Orin, nor the cool indifference you felt upon taking Kethric’s life but something far different. The closet thing to normal you felt from your previous life. It scared you more than the murder, than the blood on your hands and the bile burning the back of your tongue.

He felt like home. A feeling you thought only Karlach could bring about you, of calm and happiness acceptance and all things nice and lovely that father would surely disapprove of. And when he speaks, when his disgusting honeyed voice and hardened gazes softens upon landing to you, when “My favorite assassin,” leaves his silvered tongue, you can see whispers of the past before you.

A part of it, mind, you might have preferred to keep lost. It comes in flashes and fuzzy moments, in warm feelings and beating heart. Your hand, held in his; your lips lost together. Bodies tangled and thoughts lost... You linger in those memories a moment, remembering how right it all felt. And thinking, how funny, even back then you were pulling away from father's puppet strings.

As you come back to the present, you're left stunned silent a moment, as his words flow in one ear and out of the other. This is Gortash-- the man who sold Karlach to the Arch Devil Zariel, who abducted Wyll’s father and whose manipulating the cult of the absolute and all the people of Baldur’s gate all at once-- and he’s the man who helped you learn what love is.

It's also so sickeningly familiar, the way your heartbeat picks up upon meeting his gaze. How he reserves an easy smile just for you, even if you’ve seen it hundreds of times. You have to close your eyes, to reach out and take Karlach’s hand despite how hot she’s grown. It's almost too much for you, to remember how happy you were with Gortash when you've been fighting for so long to find a way to keep being happy with Karlach.

“Solider?” Even through her own anger, her own disgust and sorrow and rage and madness, Karlach pauses, (your whole party does, in fact) in seeing the familiarity between the two of you. Seeing the effect Gortash has on you, their dauntless leader, their dear friend. If only they knew who they were calling their ally now...

“Holy shit,” Is all you can manage out in the moment. So many thoughts, little forgotten memories blink past your eyes. Karlach squeezes your hand, and you squeeze back just to let her know you’re still there.

“I didn’t think I’d have quite that strong of an effect on you,” he chuckles and you hate how you can tell it’s from genuine affection, and not twisted glee. He truly is glad to see you-- and why shouldn’t he be? It can't have been that long ago that the two of you were lovers.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” You have to steel yourself in front of him, in front of your friends. But how can you deny it? Things have always been this way between the two of you. Delicate and strange and so wrong as to feel right.

“It’s nice to see you haven’t changed.” That charming smile, turned business as he turns to face your party whole. “I was worried, after Orin did you in. But I should have known you would return, find your way back to me.” He’s all confidence as he speaks, and you notice its mostly to you. It’s almost as if the room isn’t filled with courtesans, as if your party isn’t there to back you up. Like you aren’t clutching to Karlach like a lifeline.

“You’ll… have to fill in the finer details.” You admit softly, frown fitting your face. “I’ve reclaimed bits and pieces of my former memory but I’m afraid much of my former…” You hesitate as you consider who you were before all this “...life is beyond me.” You decide to remain as passe as possible. But perhaps he already knows you remember. Actually, your certain he does-- there’s a look of mischief twinkling in his eyes that surely only you can see. But cruelty is in his nature, as begets the chosen of Bane. You’re lucky, then, that for you, and only you, his urge can be diminished into something a little more charming.

“Why, without you this cult would be nothing! Well, without us.” He laughs again and you can feel your companions eyes upon you. “You and I came up with this whole plan-- to steal the crown of Karsus, overpower the elder brain, and use its powers to create a loyal army of cultists… if Orin hadn’t overthrown you, things wouldn’t be near a mess as they are now.” He rolls his eyes dramatically, a sigh fitting past his lips. “That sister of yours is quite the handful, and far less careful about controlling her urges. Why, with you back, and with Kethric’s nether stone no less, I dare say we have a chance to get things back in line again.”

“_____, what is he talking about? Why is he talking like he knows you?” Karlach’s voice tears through your thoughts, just as you feel her warm hand leave yours, and your party's gaze all land on you.

“Oh Karlach, dear sweet Karlach…” Gortash speaks again. “Are you certain you want to hear that?” Your breath hitches as he speaks. You were hoping Gortash would have more decorum than to admit what the two of you once hand. Perhaps its obvious to him how you feel about Karlach now. Maybe you looked at him the same way, once; maybe you are now.

Perhaps then, it's jealously that causes him to speak. You can't imagine how he must feel, seeing someone he got rid of so long ago stroll up with the person he thought was taken from him. Yes, now that you think about it, that would make him quite mad...

“You shut the fuck up, Gortash!” Karlach raises her voice before you even think to speak; Gortash merely smirks, speaks again with mockery lacing his tone.

“Indeed, _____, why don’t you enlighten your friends, your lover, about your past self?” Your name spoken from his lips was so, so nice. It made you ache in a sickeningly familiar way. And so too, was the venom in his when he spoke of your lover. Of Karlach…

“They know,” You manage to croak out. “With the tadpole they saw… saw the vision my father sent to me.” One that you had gotten hardly an hour before coming here, even. That you were a Bhaalspawn, of your dearest fathers own flesh. That you were his chosen before Orin struck you down. You knew that wasn't what he met. You were desperate to hide this-- like when your urge first overcame you, when that poor girl Alfira's blood stained your hands and camp...

“Then surely, you remember, about us?” Daring as ever, Gortash moves forward, to cup your chin tenderly with his gauntlet that held his nether stone.

How easy it would be, to twist the arm that dared hold you, to rip that precious nether stone from the sorry hand that dared touch your hallowed flesh.

“Us? What is he talking about?” You could hear the desperation in Karlach’s tone, even if you couldn’t see her. Your eyes were locked with Gortash’s, lost in them really. “_____, why are you letting him touch you?” Even from here, you could feel her heat. She was angry, so angry that he dare touch you. But scared, too. Scared that you weren't even trying to stop him.

You tear away from Gortash’s intense gaze, gently remove his hand from your person and ignore your urge. And so to, ignore the urge to reach out for Gortash in return. So many parts of yourself you have to deny, it was getting hard to know what’s really you…

“Fine. Fine!” You raise your own voice, uncaring of the puppets in the room. You turn to Karlach, to the only reason you’ve gotten this far. “You deserve to know anyways.” Still, you heave a sigh, for what is a heavier burden than the truth? “Yes, before Orin betrayed me, I was the chosen of Bhaal. But beyond that…” Even still, as the truth lingers on your lips, tingles on the tip of your tongue, you hesitate as you meet Karlach’s gaze-- as you filter to Gale and Wyll as well.

Your breath dies a moment as you see how worried they are for you. You’re scarcely worth such kindness, moreso from such good people as them. “Gortash and I were… close. Far closer than any plan may have merited. One might have even called it love, if you believe such evil capable of it.” You admit, looking to the floor. You wouldn’t be able to take the look of betrayal in their faces, nor the grin Gortash surely wore.

“I…” You can feel the way the anger leaves Karlach. Even if she didn’t want to show it you can feel through that dammed tadpole how numb she suddenly feels. “Right. You guys finish” She gestures vaguely to you, to Gortash “whatever the hell this is. I gotta go.” You don’t even have the heart to stop her. Don’t have the courage to watch her retreating form.

“Karlach, hold on!” Gale is quick to follow. You’d have to thank him for that. For doing what you should be doing. You can feel Wyll’s hesitation. But he stays. You’d have to thank him too. You don’t want to be alone (as much as the word means in a room fool of likely tadpoled individuals like yourself) with Gortash right now. Even if Wyll is just staying for his own father.

“There she goes.” Gortash is brazen now, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and pulling you in to his chest. You don’t know if it’s right to be this close to him, to hug him like you so desperately want to. “I do miss our time together. We could be still be together, work together. It would be my honor to restore you to your former glory-- to help you regain your title as Bhaal’s chosen once more.” The idea fills you with twisted glee. You recall, with errie smile, how Gortash was once wrapped around your little finger. How easy it could be to twist him to your designs, and kill him when it suited you most. How it would please father, how it would only make you stronger, to get such a distraction out of your life.

“That’s not who I am anymore.” You say with much force, creating some distance between you and Gortash. You're not sure if its about the two of you being together, or you being Bhaal's chosen. Still, he does not falter. He gets down on one knee before you, looking up at you with adoration. You hate it. You love it. It’s disgusting and beautiful and you know this isn’t the first time he’s been on his knees for you. Play your cards right, it may not even be his last.

“Even so, I can see how much your heart cries out for revenge. You mean to kill Orin, and as it happens I want her dead as well.” Again, beautiful hands, coveted nether stone, circle around your own. “We could rule together. Even your little… friends.” This was your plan, after all. Your genius that got this terrible cult going.

“Just what are you proposing?” You can’t help but squeeze his hands. Can’t deny the beat of your heart-- for the evil within must hear this promise of power. Coming from a man you may even still hold dear a part so strong it can't look away.

“We reforge our alliance. Bring our empire to fruition. My steel watch won’t harm you, so long as you kill Orin and bring her nether stone back.”

“_____…” Wyll’s voice surprises you. For a moment, it really was you and Gortash, and the empire you stood to create. “I know this must be a hard decision for you. Gortash seems to know you better than you do yourself this moment. But we need to consider all our options.” He reminds you. Pushing you towards neither extremes at this moment. A level head when yours was, as always, a shambling mess. "Remember how far we've come. How far you've come."

“That’s not a decision I can make right now.” You admit, hastily pulling away from Gortash. His face falters a little as he rises to his feet. “There’s a lot I need to consider.” When he stands tall again, looking to you, that familiar cocky grin is again in place.

“I understand. You always make the right choice in the end. But, just to prove my loyalty,” That word stings just a little. You hadn’t proved loyal to most anyone who trusted you, at least in this particular moment. “I’ll share this with you; an impostor is at your camp, right now.” You frown again as you look to him.

“Orin…” You grit your teeth as you consider your sister, how any one of the people you had come to trust with your life could be the backstabber herself.

“So if I were you, I’d act quick.” He smiles at you but you see how it doesn’t meet his eyes. “So, my dear, why don’t you stay for my coronation?” He laughs softly as he turns towards Duke Ravengard, who seems more statue than man at this moment.

You do just that, watch with wary gaze and heavy heart as Enver Gortash is ordained ‘Archduke Gortash’. Many tough decisions lie ahead of you and you couldn’t will yourself to think on a single one of them as you watched Gortash rise with a new fervor. He seeks your gaze, your approval, as the room erupts with applause. But it’s high time you left, to figure out what to do next.

You climb down the barren halls of Wyrm’s Rock with Wyll, unsure what to say or do next. You feel like you’ve had enough adventure and learning of your old life for once day, but of course Gortash gave you fear to return to your own camp as well…

“Are you alright?” Wyll stops you as you slowly walk towards the south span of Wyrm’s rock, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. You jump at his touch, only to sigh and relax when you realize it's just him.

“No not really, that was a lot for me.” You admit with a shaky laugh.

“I… were you truly involved with Gortash before… well, before?” He frowns, the look on his face hard to read.

“I… yes. I was.” It would be no use to lie.

“And now?” He asks, unexpectedly. “What now?”

“What now indeed.” You sigh and lean into him. Wyll supports your weight with a good natured hug. “I love Karlach, Wyll. I love her so much. But… old feelings linger in my twisted mind. Gortash was…” You shake your head. How can you explain that who you were, who you use to be… Gortash was the only person that you respected? That seemed to understand you, to meet you at your level? Even now as you thought of it, more cursed thoughts of your time together came back to you. It hurt, mentally and physically.

“I can’t say I understand, friend, but I know yours is a troubled past.” He pulls back from you, smile fitting his handsome face. “I think it would be best for us to head back to camp for the day.” He guides you that way, and you decide to follow his judgment.

“I just… hope that Karlach is okay. Had I known, I…” You shake your head. How could you have known? In a past life, you were lovers with the very man that ruined her life. The man that made it difficult for you two to even start a relationship to begin with.

“Rest, friend. You can’t of helped that.” You nod. He was right. But that still left you in the middle of some ridiculous love triangle…

You just have to decide, dearest, darkest urge, who is most important to you; Enver Gortash, Bane’s Chosen, tyrant of Baldur’s Gate and the matching mind to your own criminal plot to rule it all… or Karlach Cliffgate, the woman he ruined in the pursuit of his own power, and the one you promised to help end him.

Either way, there would be betrayal. Heartbreak. And fighting, for sure.

You could, of course, kill them both. That would solve so many problems for you! Feed your urge, please your father, and remove any obstacle that would distract from your goal. Wouldn’t it be delicious, to drink in their desire, thinking they’ve won your favor-- only for you to break that precious trust as their bodies twist under your blade…

This all of course assuming you could fight off your dark urge still... Rest would not come easy tonight, if at all. But it wouldn't be the first time. Come what may, you would forge your path forward.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #karlach x reader #gortash x reader #karlach x dark urge reader #gortash x dark urge reader #dark urge bg3 #karlach bg3 #gortash bg3

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