#go ahead and try that see how that works out

[dragonridersandhighlords]

As you have one-shot coming up, this idea could work as a long one shot or mini series.

Though I'm just halfway through Iron Flame and don't know how Xaden turns into a venin and of like rest of the fandom and Vi, as of now we don't know the cure for it too. I stumbled upon some 'venin-cure' theories and one of it inspired this idea so hear me out.

Ik Xaden turned into a venin for Violet. As per theories, if he can become one for his love, he has come into the realization and give up what he took (the direct power).

Finally the idea: the reader is actually pregnant. It's up to you if Xaden knew it earlier or not but maybe like idk they're in a war zone or whatever situation, he was going to kill somebody or whatever and at that moment reader faces Xaden. Telling him that she's not going to fight him, she let go of her dagger or sword, trying to remind him of himself, showing him his ring still on her finger. When she sees him calming down, she may take his hand and touch her barely visible (or visible) belly, begging him to let go of the power, reminding him that he's in control of himself, begging him to come to her and their baby.

So I got lost in the writing and made it an OC instead of x reader but it can still be read as a reader instert! That being said, please please please wait to read this until AFTER you've read Onyx Storm as I did use actual events in this!

⚠️MAJOR ONYX STORM SPOILERS AHEAD⚠️

What Love Left Behind | Xaden Riorson

Summary: In the wake of war and unexpected loss, Briar Veyloren–now Riorson–is left to lead Tyrrendor alone—pregnant, grieving, and haunted by the man she loves. Briar must navigate politics, power, and the whisper of hope that lingers in a mysterious letter. She learns that love may be the most dangerous weapon of all—and the only one worth wielding.

Pairing: Xaden Riorson x OC! Briar Veyloren

Notes: I included a couple theories that have been circulating. But seriously if you haven’t read Onyx Storm, you should before reading this.

Warnings: Onyx Storm spoilers, surprise pregnancy and concerns around maternal health, emotional distress and PTSD themes, implied past violence and death, mentions of planned death, war context and threat of battle, angst

Word Count: 6.5k

Masterlist | FW Masterlist

“Your Grace.” 

The words echoed in my mind like a relentless drumbeat, each utterance threatening to send me over the edge. One month had passed since he vanished, leaving behind only a marriage certificate, a noble title, and an unexpected pregnancy. The last month spent poring over maps and sending out search parties, each return bringing nothing but disappointment. The latest team would be back any day now, but every second dragged on like a lifetime.

As the Duchess of Tyrrendor, I was trapped by my responsibilities, drowning in meetings and decisions that felt foreign to me. No longer just Briar Veyloren, I was now a figurehead, a woman expected to wield authority, yet all I wanted was a moment to breathe without the suffocating weight of my new title. 

The next person who bowed low and addressed me as “Your Grace” just might find themselves on the receiving end of my very real frustration—and it's not my hormones talking.

“Briar? What are you doing?” Brennan’s voice cut through my thoughts, his brow furrowed with concern as he approached. 

“Walking? Did you not just tell me I needed to be more active?” I shot back, rolling my eyes. At barely eleven weeks pregnant and not even showing, I felt more like a burden than a mother-to-be. Brennan’s worry was sweet, but it had become suffocating since he and Imogen had found me unconscious in the courtyard of Riorson House. 

And let's be honest, my whole world feels suffocating without him.

“With someone! What if you tripped on any of the stairs between your room and here?” His voice was laced with the kind of earnestness that made me want to scream and laugh at the same time.

“Brennan,” I began, pinching the bridge of my nose, “I’m going to be honest with you for a minute, okay?” He nodded, earnestness replaced with curiosity. “I appreciate your concern, I really do. But if you lecture me again for walking through my own home, I will strangle you.” I raised an eyebrow, my expression daring him to argue.

Brennan's face shifted to one of understanding. I wasn’t just battling the challenges of my pregnancy or the burdens of my title—I was facing the reality that the one man I had trusted to stand by my side was missing, and with him, a part of my heart.

“Understood.” Brennan nods, his expression betraying a mixture of sympathy and concern, but I know this won’t be the last time I’ll have to remind him of my boundaries. “Garrick and Bodhi landed a few minutes ago; they’re in the Assembly Room waiting for you.” His words cut through my thoughts like a sharpened blade as I turn to continue my walk.

“And you waited to tell me that because?” I gasp, the weight of urgency pooling in my chest. The minute those two returned from their mission, I should have been the first to know. 

“Sorry, Bree.” Brennan’s smile emerges, almost sheepish, as a chuckle escaped his lips at my reaction. “I’ll walk you down.” I eye him suspiciously, skepticism knitting my brow, but he’s quick with a rebuttal. “Merely because I’m a part of that meeting too, not because of what I said earlier, I swear.” 

My laughter, albeit strained, breaks through the monotonous hum of everyday life in the halls, a sound that feels foreign yet welcome. It’s probably the brightest anyone has heard since his departure, a small glimpse of the woman I used to be, if only for a moment. 

As we approach the grand double doors leading into the Assembly Room, Brennan leans forward, his hand resting lightly on the polished wood, a silent invitation. He swings the door open, and I step inside, the air suddenly thick with the weight of expectation. Instantly, all eyes turn towards me, the occupants standing with a blend of respect and trepidation as I walk through the threshold.

“What did I say about that shit?” I groan, exasperation lacing my tone as I stride to the opposite end of the throne, settling into one of the more ordinary chairs that line the table. 

“Wouldn’t you prefer to sit on the throne, Your Grace?” Major Ulices Ferris’s voice cuts through the murmur of the room, sounding less like a suggestion and more like a command. I refrain from reacting, my gaze fixated on the imposing throne that looms across the table, a symbol of power that feels unlike something that's mine. 

“It is the Duke’s throne, not mine.” My reply is curt, resolute, as I remain anchored in the chair I’ve chosen, fighting the sorrows that gnawed at me.

“You are the acting leader of Tyrrendor, Your Grace. The Duke is not–” 

“If you tell me what to do in my own province again, Major, you will find that my temper is much, much shorter than his.” The words escape my lips like wildfire, a hand slamming onto the table with a resounding bang that silences the room. “If I do not wish to sit on the fucking throne, then I won’t.” Wide eyes are fixed on me, some filled with surprise, others masking concern, as I struggle against the tears that threaten to spill. “And the next person to call me ‘Your Grace’ will find their vocal cords ripped out.” I realize then, perhaps it is the hormones talking, because I never raise my voice or lash out but the frustration surging within me feels all too real.

A palpable silence envelops the Assembly Room, heavy and suffocating. The clatter of chairs scraping against the floor echoes like thunder as everyone hastily settles at the long, polished table. I take in the scene before me, trying to read the emotions etched on the faces of my advisors and comrades, but I find myself floundering. My dragon, Ríogh, had decided to block me from his power until my child arrives, severing the tether that usually grounds me in the whirlwind of feelings surrounding me. The air feels thick and stagnant, as if charged with unspoken fears and burdens, and I have no way to discern why.

The murmurs fade as the Assembly begins their weekly reports—information that should be routine yet now seems to hang like a dark cloud overhead. One by one, they share updates on the army's status, the progress of the riders’ and flyers’ classes—classes I should be attending, but the demands of governing Tyrrendor weigh heavily on my shoulders. The mention of Violet’s training under Felix pulls my attention momentarily, but I am drawn back to the map spread before me, its worn surface marked with notes and symbols that pulse with urgency.

“And the search?” My voice, low and steady, cuts through the air, my gaze still focused on the map as if the answers might leap off the parchment and reveal themselves to me. Hope is a fragile thing, and I’ve learned not to cling to it, especially during these grim reports. Two weeks of relentless despair in the beginning had left their mark, and I understood all too well the reason Ríogh had shielded me from his power.

“We arrived a day, if not a few hours, after the attack.” As Garrick's voice reaches me, a dagger suddenly plunges into the map, piercing the inked details with alarming accuracy. My hand hovers above the blade, a physical extension of my shock. “There were no signs of Venin or wyverns remaining in the area.” 

“But we did find this, Briar.” Bodhi’s voice breaks through my daze as he slides a letter towards me, its wax seal glinting ominously in the dim light. I reach for it, my heart racing as I analyze the unfamiliar seal. Yet, it is the handwriting that sends a cold shiver racing down my spine, his handwriting.

“Where?” I manage to ask, the urgency in my tone rising as I set the unopened letter back on the table, a weight growing in my chest.

“Hung on the main gates of the city,” Bodhi replies softly, his gaze downcast as he sets the blade alongside the letter. “With this stabbed through the corner.” 

My breath hitches, and I struggle to contain the emotion that threatens to spill over. One look at the familiar blade sends a sob escaping me, and I lift it trembling from the table, tracing the delicate carvings along its length—my initials, BV, just below the hilt, carved by by parents before my entry into the Rider's Quadrant. The leather wrapped around the hilt, added by him after he won the dagger from me during a challenge in my first year, brings an achingly familiar feeling. The weight of the dagger in my hand felt like a tether to a past I desperately wanted to cling to, yet the reality of its current context made my grip falter. 

I was acutely aware of the bustling energy around me as my friends hastily ushered the Assembly leaders out of the room, their murmurs becoming a distant hum, barely piercing through the fog of my thoughts. 

“He always carried this dagger,” I whispered, the words escaping in a broken whisper that was almost lost amidst the scuffle of chairs and the echo of hurried footsteps. My eyes remained fixed on the intricate carvings adorning the blade, but the simplest carving of my initials below the hilt that my parents had placed there. The worn leather, a reminder of him, that was added after he had won in a challenge.

Garrick’s voice broke through the haze, steady and firm. He spoke of the dagger’s significance, recounting tales of how it had become an extension of him. As I absently twisted the blade between my fingers, the familiar weight brought fleeting comfort, grounding me amidst the turmoil swirling around me. 

Using the dagger, I carefully pressed the tip against the wax, the sharpness gliding through it with an ease that mirrored the memories flooding my mind. As the seal broke, I felt an exhilarating rush that felt eerily like both dread and anticipation. The letter now lay before me, a promise of answers that beckoned me closer, even as it threatened to unravel everything I thought I knew.

The world around me quieted. I could sense the worried glances of my friends, the weight of their expectations heavy on my shoulders. Yet, the only thing that mattered in that moment was the letter before me, a bridge between despair and hope.

As the last remnants of the wax fell away, the air shifted, thickening with tension as if the universe itself held its breath, waiting for me to unveil the secrets hidden within the paper. My fingers tremble slightly, and I could almost hear the heartbeat of Tyrrendor in the silence, a reminder of the stakes that lay beyond my personal anguish.

“Briar,” Bodhi’s voice penetrated my concentration, laced with worry. “What does it say?” 

The question hung in the air like a charge, electrifying and daunting. I felt as though the answer would either condemn me or set me free. I inhaled deeply, my heart racing with the weight of anticipation.

Briar,

Can’t you ever listen to me? 

Against all odds, I know you’ll make the right decision.

Leave your resources where you need them most.

Look where you least expect.

Don’t take this as a clue on where to find me.

You are Tyrrendor’s only hope.

Remember the good moments.

I trust you.

-X

“What does it say?” Bodhi asks again, leaning over my shoulder, his breath a warm whisper against my neck. 

I carefully reread the letter, its words swirling in my mind like a chaotic tempest. “This makes no sense.” A heavy sigh escapes my lips, carrying the weight of despair that clings to me like a shroud. “Maybe he is too far gone.” The reality of the cryptic message settles in my chest like a stone, and I stand, tucking the letter into my pocket, the fabric of my clothes brushing against my skin, grounding me. I slide the dagger into its empty sheath, the familiar clink of metal against leather echoing in the silence around us. 

“I’m going to watch flight maneuvers.” My voice is firm, a declaration against the unease that threatens to consume me.

“Briar—” 

“Brennan, if you tell me I can’t go sit in a fucking field with my dragon and watch the cadets, I’m going to scream.” The softness in my voice belies the storm brewing within, and I don’t even turn to face him, my focus fixed on the door that leads outside.

“I was going to suggest taking a waterskin. It’s warmer today than it has been.” He sets a sturdy waterskin in my now outstretched hand, the leather cool and reassuring against my palm.

“I don’t want to be bothered while I’m out there. I just need some peace and quiet.” The words tumble out, a plea wrapped in frustration.

“Of course.” Garrick steps up beside me, his presence steady and calming. “We’ll handle everything.”

“We will?” Bodhi questions, and before I can reply, a grunt of pain escapes him, quickly followed by his reluctant agreement with Garrick.

I turn to face them, a small smile breaking through the cloud of anxiety that looms overhead. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Crash and burn?” Bodhi laughs, the lightness of his voice a balm to my frayed nerves, only to be silenced by Garrick’s elbow jabbing into his side.

I laugh at my friends' antics, the sound echoing through the Assembly Room, a momentary distraction from my turmoil. With a heart a touch lighter, I walk towards the exterior door, its wooden frame worn and familiar, leading me to the open path that winds toward the valley below. 

As I begin the trek, the anticipation of watching the cadets fills me with a  fleeting escape from the shadows that linger in my thoughts. After a bit of a walk, I finally arrive at the designated field, the vibrant hues of summer in Tyrrendor blooming around me, and there, nestled in the grass, I spot Violet curled up with Andarna, her laughter mingling with the rustle of leaves. My own dragon, Ríogh, stands sentinel beside them, an unmistakable warmth emanating from his scaled form.

“Hey Ríogh.” I smile at the sight of him, the bond we share a steady anchor amidst the storm.

“Feeling better, Little Foot?” His smirk dances through our connection, teasing and light-hearted.

“I’ve told you this before, just because your previous riders were all men does not mean I have small feet.” I pause mid-step, crossing my arms, my glare playful yet fierce, challenging him as the sun beams down on us.

“Oh, but it's so fun to rile you up. Even if the Mender had Marbh lecture me about being nice so you kept your blood pressure low.” Ríogh's voice cuts through my simmering irritation hangs heavily between us.

I release an annoyed sigh, feeling the weight of his words settle in my chest. My feet begin moving again, almost as if they’re propelled by sheer frustration. “I’m going to kill your brother,” I mutter, the declaration slipping from my lips as I pass by Violet, my stride purposeful and swift. I collapse onto the grass beside Ríogh’s massive head, leaning against his warm, scaled neck, seeking solace in his steadfast presence.

“What did he do this time?” Violet asks, laughter lacing her tone as her gaze remains glued to the pages of her book, the sunlight casting a golden glow over her hair.

“Lecturing me about walking alone, reminding me to grab a waterskin before I walked here, and apparently having his dragon lecture mine about my fucking blood pressure.” The words spill out of me, laced with exasperation. “I’m running a fucking province by myself while my husband—who I can’t even remember marrying—is fully Venin and apparently leaving cryptic letters at the cities he destroys now. My blood pressure hasn’t been normal in years.” My voice trembles with the weight of it all, each word a release of pent-up tension that has festered within me.

“Xaden left you a letter?” At the mention of his name, a sharp pang pierces my heart, each syllable feeling like a jagged blade. In the early days after his disappearance, the mere utterance of his name sent me spiraling into tears, raw grief threatening to consume me. Yet Violet never adhered to the unspoken rule her brother had set.

I pass the paper over to her when she sets her book aside, moving closer, her curiosity igniting a flicker of hope within me. She studies the words intently, her brow furrowing in concentration as she reads them over and over before finally speaking. 

“Holy shit, it's an acrostic.”

“Acrostic?” The word feels foreign on my tongue, an enigma until it clicks. “Like a poem?”

“The first letters of each line spell a word or phrase.” As she hands the letter back, I analyze the words once more, and adrenaline surges through me. With newfound clarity, I leap to my feet, urgency propelling me forward. 

“I know where they’re attacking next!” I shout, my voice echoing as I barrel through the doors of Riorson House, where Garrick, Bodhi, and Brennan still remain in the assembly room, their faces a mix of surprise and concern at my sudden arrival.

“Are you sure?” Aaric’s voice cuts through the tension, his brow furrowed with concern as he steps closer, the urgency of the moment hanging heavy in the air. I had sent for him the moment I returned, a spark of desperate hope igniting within me because if I was right, then a Prince of Navarre was urgently needed.

“Violet said it’s an acrostic,” I explain, my heart racing as I recall the words that had danced before my eyes like the flickering shadows of doubt. “Xaden has never written a poem in his life; that’s why it made no sense. He just needed to spell a word, not a whole message.” My hand trembles slightly as I hand the letter to Aaric, eager for him to see it with his own eyes. I spell it out, enunciating each letter clearly, “C-A-L-L-D-Y-R. He’s trying to tell us where to find them.” The hope in my voice feels fresh, like the first breath of spring air after a long winter, awakening a purpose within me that had been dormant.

“Briar, this is a stretch,” Garrick interjects, his skepticism evident as he pulls the paper from Aaric’s hands, the furrow in his brow deepening. 

“I trust you,” I implore, my gaze locked onto Garrick’s, willing him to see the truth within my conviction. “It’s a code we came up with before he graduated.” My eyes are pleading, a silent plea to embrace this fragile thread of hope. “Sign off with ‘I love you’ if it’s just a letter. ‘I trust you’ means there’s important info woven into the message.” The weight of my revelation hangs in the air, heavy and uncertain. 

Every pair of eyes is fixed on me, the silence thickening as I break down the implications of his words. 

Can’t you ever listen to me? He told me not to search for him in the note I was found with, but defiance had driven me to ignore his warning. 

Against all odds, I know you’ll make the right decision. The decision to seek him out? To stand and fight instead of hiding behind the wards? 

Leave your resources where you need them most. Aretia had ample defenses; between the riders and flyers we housed. The entire fleet wasn't needed here.

Look where you least expect. I’d never have imagined this—his clumsy attempt at poetry-- would be a desperate lifeline crafted in the dark. 

Don’t take this as a clue on where to find me. I had never been good at listening to him. 

You are Tyrrendor’s only hope. The echo of his words  from after he first channeled resonated within me, a haunting reminder of what he was preparing me for. 

Remember the good moments. He’d been sharing his plans during those fleeting, cherished instances, hints interwoven throughout our laughter and love, guiding me to this very moment.

“He laid it out for us.” The words hung in the air like a heavy fog, pressing down on my chest as I took in the skeptical expressions of my friends. I may not have been able to read emotions at this moment, but their faces told me everything I needed to know; doubt shadowed their brows, and disbelief flickered in their eyes. “Please, let me have this last bit of hope.” My voice cracked with desperation, and I felt as if I were grasping at threads of light in an encroaching darkness.

Bodhi, always the one with a heart so large it often outshone his doubts, was the first to break the tension that wrapped around us like a constricting serpent. “What’s the plan?” His tone was firm, a lifeline cast into turbulent waters.

“Aaric and the flyers leave today to prepare King Tauri for our arrival.” My mind raced, each word tumbling out like stones rolling down a hillside, gathering momentum. “The Dark Wielders have at least a three-day advantage on us. We leave a riot first-years along with a mix of second- and third-years and officers so Aretia is not defenseless.” My voice steadied, emboldened by purpose. “The rest of us leave for Calldyr City at dawn.”

“The rest of us? You are not going to battle in your condition.” Brennan’s protest cut through the air like a sharp blade, concern etched into his features. I could see the worry pooling in his eyes, a turbulent sea of emotions that mirrored my own.

“I’m pregnant, not dying!” My defense came out more forceful than intended, but the urgency of my plea propelled me forward. “If he’s there, then I have to see him. At a minimum, he deserves to hear the news from me.” A gentle hand rested over my stomach, a silent promise of the life that blossomed within me. I watched as my friends exchanged glances, their expressions softening ever so slightly, an understanding threading through the tension.

“If you need to, assign people to defend me, but I have to talk to him. If he’s truly gone, I’ll drive the knife in myself.” The words tasted bitter, yet they felt liberating, a catharsis of intent.

They looked between each other, silent deliberation flickering in their eyes before nodding in unison. 

“Fine,” Brennan agreed, the weight of his acceptance settling around us like a comforting cloak.

“The minute we tell you to run, you better be on Ríogh’s back and gone,” Garrick warned, his expression fierce and protective. I nodded, resolving the hardening in my chest.

“Thank you.” My heart swelled with gratitude, a flicker of hope igniting within me, illuminating the path ahead.

The flight was interminable, each beat of Ríogh's powerful wings echoing the urgency that thrummed through my veins. My back ached from the prolonged strain of clinging to his scaled form, the chill of the wind biting through my cloak.Had Aaric not successfully persuade his father to trust me, the kingdom might have been plunged into chaos with an untested ruler on the throne. 

As we soared through the sky, a heavy pall hung over us, the dragons sensing the approach of the Dark Wielders with an eerie intuition that prickled at my skin. It hadn’t been long since my arrival, yet already the atmosphere crackled with tension. Instead of convening with King Tauri to strategize, an urgent edict had been issued: protect the city at all costs. High above, with Garrick, Bodhi, Brennan, and Violet by my side, we hovered, scanning the horizon for any sign of him.

I was taken aback when we left to see Tairn willingly alongside us, his massive wings cutting through the air with a grace that belied his size. Violet had shared with me the heart-wrenching news of his bond with Sgaeyl fracturing during my lost twelve hours, and my heart ached for the dragons, their shared pain palpable even at this distance. Tairn, who had not been seen for weeks, now glided silently, his sorrow evident in every powerful stroke of his wings.

Suddenly, Ríogh’s voice broke through my reverie. “Sgaeyl nears.” The words resonated with urgency, and I turned to Violet, who nodded in understanding. 

Moments later, the majestic navy blue silhouette of Sgaeyl emerged from the clouds, a dark shadow against the sunlit sky, but there was something unsettling about her presence—she bore no rider.

“Tell her I need to speak to him,” I urged Ríogh, my heart pounding as Sgaeyl approached us with a grace that felt both regal and mournful. Ríogh scoffed at my command.

I felt the connection between Sgaeyl and Tairn, a profound sadness swirling in the air around them. Gathering my resolve, I broke tradition and shouted, “Tell the Duke his Duchess requires an audience.” 

After a tense moment, Ríogh relayed her message. Violet and I were to follow, the others had to keep their distance. 

“Tell the others, and don’t lose her, please,” I instructed, my voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions inside me. As Ríogh and Tairn took the lead, I felt a strange calm wash over me, a stillness amidst the chaos that enveloped Calldyr City. 

We descended into a tranquil field to the east, the sound of battle faintly echoing from the city, contrasting sharply with the peaceful serenity of our surroundings. 

“Briar,” Violet called, pointing ahead. When my feet met the earth, I looked ahead. There, standing before Sgaeyl, was him. 

“Stay here, be ready in case this goes wrong,” I instructed Violet firmly, but my heart raced with hope and trepidation. Ríogh's growl vibrated beside me as I began my approach. “He won’t hurt me,” I reassured him, though his huff conveyed his doubts.

“Quiet the venue for a meeting, Your Grace.” His voice sliced through the heavy air, resonating with authority yet laced with a fragility that echoed the distance between us. I halted mid-step, the tension thick as I stood roughly ten feet from him, yet I could feel the magnetic pull towards Ríogh, who fidgeted behind me, his wings slightly unfurling as if sensing the charged atmosphere.

“You’re a hard man to nail down, Your Grace.” I matched his tone, defiance cloaking my emotions like a shield, even as I took in the sight of him. 

My heart ached, and I fought to mask the tumult within. The man who stood before me was a shadow of the one I had known. The once-familiar onyx depths of his eyes now held a tempest of turmoil, rimmed in red, and deep red veins at his temples. The only trace of familiarity was the intricate relic winding up his left arm and creeping over his neck. But the moment he stood before me, my heart betrayed me, skipping a beat at the sheer presence of him. 

“Xaden,” I breathed, the name falling from my lips like a tender sigh.

“You shouldn’t have come, my stillpoint.” His voice was devoid of the softness that once enveloped our conversations, each word striking me like a knife to the chest. I steeled myself against the ache of familiarity that felt foreign now, a haunting reminder of the love that felt so distant.

“I had to see you—needed to see you. Considering I don’t remember our last moments together.” The words slipped out, edged with a growl that I could not suppress. “Including our wedding.” I watched him flinch, the shadow of pain flickering across his face.

“It was for the best.” His response was hollow, a sentiment that did little to assuage the storm raging within me. 

I took a step closer, determined to bridge the chasm between us. “Why’d you turn?” I demanded, the question a relentless echo in my mind since that fateful night. 

“It's what I had to do.” His voice was strained, and the weight of it hung heavy in the air.

“Why?” I pressed, the urgency in my voice flaring. 

“Briar!” Bodhi’s warning cut through the tension, but I paid it no mind. 

“Little Foot.” 

“You told me once that your love for me was strong enough to keep you from channeling,” I said, taking another step forward, my heart pounding with a mix of fear and hope. “But something else was stronger that night.” I drew nearer, driven by an inexplicable need to understand. “What drove you to channel?” 

“They were going to hurt Sgaeyl.” The admission fell from his lips, raw and broken, a lament that shattered the fragile moment. “I wasn’t going to let someone else I love get hurt for being connected to me.” 

I nodded, allowing the weight of his words to settle in. His love for me had once kept him off the ice, but in an instant, it was his love for Sgaeyl that had broken the ice below his feet. Understanding flickered like a candle in the wind, and with each heartbeat, the threads weaved together, drawing me inexorably closer. 

His love had been the driving force each time he channeled, a tempestuous tide that surged through him in moments of desperation. 

At Basgiath, because the sage had threatened me.

In my room, because he lost control when with me, leaving greyed fingerprints that still littered my hips.

Beyond the wards, because Garrick the wyvern were surrounding Garrick.

In Deverelli, when Courtlyn’s guards had turned their murderous sights on me.

When the venin were after Sgaeyl.

If his love was strong enough to drive him to channel, then could it also be the anchor that brought him back?

“The only time I will ever love someone more than you is if we get the chance to start a family.” 

Those words echoed in my mind, a haunting reminder of the future we once envisioned together. He had spoken them with a weight while he was subtly preparing me for a time when I would need to kill him, should he lose control.

“I’m a lost cause, Bree,” he laments, an air of resignation clouding his features. “Against all odds, I know you’ll make the right decision.” 

I paused, my heart pounding as realization washed over me. The ink of his letter still fresh in my mind, I understood at that moment that he had anticipated my arrival. This conversation, laden with unshed tears and unspoken goodbyes, was not a mere coincidence. It was a final chance to see me.

I will not let this be that moment.

“Can I tell you something?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper, yet laced with determination. A soft smile broke through the anguish as I drew my dagger from the sheath, its familiar weight grounding me in a chaotic storm of emotion. Recognition flickered in his eyes when he saw the blade—the one he had left for me, a symbol of our intertwined fates. 

“Anything,” he breathed, the vulnerability in his tone echoing the tempest within. 

“I know you can fight it, the venin side of you.” Though he opened his mouth to protest, I pressed on. “Everything you’ve ever done was for love. For me, for Garrick, for Sgaeyl. Your love for those close to you was enough to break the ice from under you. So let a new love be enough to make you swim.” I reached for his hand, my heart thudding in the silence that enveloped us. He flinched at my touch, but miraculously, he did not pull away.

“Briar!” Brennan’s voice pierced the haze of urgency surrounding us. I glanced down at Xaden’s hand, instinctively placing it over the almost imperceptible bump that was our future.

“Swim for the life we created, please,” I implored, my voice trembling as I saw the flicker of understanding ignite within his stormy gaze. “I know you’re still in there, deep down, Xaden.” Each word felt like a lifeline thrown into turbulent waters, hope anchoring my desperate plea. “If you can’t come back for me,” I felt the sting of tears threatening to spill, the weight of our love heavy in the air, “come back for our child, who deserves to grow up with their father.”

In an agonizing moment, he pulled his hand away, and I watched as the red veins, once pulsating with venomous fury, began to fade like mist at dawn. Xaden collapsed to his knees, fingers clawing into the earth, as if seeking refuge in the very ground beneath him.

“Back away, Little Foot.” Ríogh’s warning was accompanied by a fierce gust of wind, Sgaeyl launching into the air. But my eyes remained fixed on Xaden, his anguish palpable as the soil around his hands lost its color, wilting under the weight of his struggle. I instinctively retreated, the dagger slipping back into its sheath as I stumbled backward, my heart pounding.

Suddenly, a sturdy form blocked my path. Garrick’s arms encircled me protectively, but panic surged through me, propelling my feet forward just as the circle ceased expanding, a scream tearing through Xaden’s lips—a sound that reverberated with raw, unfiltered emotion.

“You need to go, Briar,” Garrick urged, his voice a mixture of fear and insistence as he attempted to guide me toward Ríogh. Yet, I stood firm, rooted to the spot.

“Wait.” My voice cut through the air, defiant.

“You promised—”

“Just wait!” I shouted, breaking free from his hold, my resolve solidified as I approached the very edge of the circle. Xaden’s screams morphed, a shift from frustration to fierce determination. I could see him lifting his head, and through the veil of tears, I caught a glimpse of what lay beneath—the onyx eyes now flecked with gold, igniting a spark of recognition in my chest. 

It was my Xaden staring back at me. 

As the circle began to shrink, color returned to the desaturated landscape, and instinct took over, guiding me back to him. 

“The little one says she senses no darkness in him. I’m inclined to agree,” Ríogh’s voice broke through, a beacon of hope as I drew closer.

“You’re saying my absolutely insane idea to put mine and the baby’s lives on the line by touching a venin actually worked?” I laughed, disbelief mingling with relief coursing through the bond between us.

“Sgaeyl thanks you for saving her rider,” came the response, and I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

“Xay?” I called softly, my voice trembling with the rush of emotions that flooded through me. Standing at arm's length, I could see the myriad of emotions flickering across his face like shadows dancing in the twilight. His eyes met mine with a deep intensity, shining with the remnants of the man I had fought so hard to save.

“How’d you know it would work?” His voice was shaky, a fragile thread woven with uncertainty. I caught sight of his hands, trembling ever so slightly, surely because of Sgaeyl's hesitation to let him tap into her magic for fear of him slipping.

“I didn’t,” I admitted, the truth spilling from my lips like a breath of wind. My heart raced, both from the thrill of his return and the perilous gamble I had taken.

“That was insanely dangerous, Your Grace.” His chastisement cut through the tension, but the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth contradicted the gravity of his words. Thank you for saving me.

“I really hate being called that.” A laugh escaped me, light and buoyant, as I reached out to cup his face, feeling the roughness of his stubble beneath my fingertips—a small, grounding detail that reminded me of who he truly was.

“Then what should I call you? Duchess? Mrs. Riorson? My savior?” His voice held a teasing lilt as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer, the warmth of his body enveloping me like a protective cocoon.

“Your wife will do just fine.” Relief coursed through me, mingling with joy I thought I had forgotten. I searched his eyes, yearning for confirmation, and finding it—an unwavering promise. “No urges?”

“None, my beautiful wife.” With that, our lips met in a passionate kiss, a moment suspended in time. As I melted into him, I prayed to the gods that he would never let me go.

But just as the world around us faded into a blissful oblivion, a throat cleared behind us, pulling us back into reality. Turning to see our friends gathered, I felt a tinge of embarrassment sweep through me.

“You’re not going to kill us, right?” Garrick asked, his voice laced with wariness as he remained a cautious distance away.

“Because I’m venin? No.” Xaden chuckled, releasing me from his embrace to pull Garrick into a hearty hug. A sense of camaraderie filled the air as he moved on to his cousin, laughter easing the tension in our group. “For bringing my pregnant wife to a battle? Definitely.” 

“Technically, the Duchess brought us into battle,” Bodhi interjected, a smirk lighting up his features. “Rank is a fickle thing in this world, especially considering she’s still a cadet yet somehow out ranks Brennan.”

“I did try to stop her regardless,” Brennan defended, his eyes revealing the weight he carried of having to contend with me but he smiled nonetheless.

Xaden's laughter rang out again, and it warmed my chest, igniting a flicker of hope amidst the chaos. 

“She’s never listened to anything I’ve ever told her.” With a playful shove, I pushed my husband away, but his hand caught my waist, pulling us back together. He pressed another kiss to my lips, sealing the moment with an electric spark that ignited my heart.

 Violet broke through the haze of our shared bliss, her voice sharp and steady amidst the charged atmosphere. “As sweet as this is, we do have an entire city under attack.”  Her words hung heavily in the air. 

Xaden muttered into the kiss, his breath warm against my lips, “Go back to Aretia.” 

The protest slipped from my mouth like a child’s plea, raw and desperate. “I won’t leave you.” My fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt, the coarse material grounding me in this moment that felt both infinite and fleeting. I felt his shadows swirling around me, a tender yet protective caress that ignited in my chest. I leaned further into him, craving the solidity of his presence, already missing everything about this moment, as if it were sand slipping through my fingers.

“I will return to you as soon as I gut the Sage like a fish.” A smirk played on his lips, a flicker of mischief that danced in his stormy eyes. “I have a new reason to end this war, and something tells me it’s going to stick.”

“Come home to me.” My voice, tinged with urgency, turned into a command, a plea wrapped in iron resolve. “Don’t make me a widow before I can experience married life.” 

“Are you saying that as my wife or as the Duchess of Tyrrendor?” he asked, his brow arching, a challenge mingled with affection.

“Both. Never different people with each other, remember?” I pulled on the words he had spoken after he received his title back.

“I love you, my wife.” 

“I love you, my husband.” 

I thought of an entire series for after this so if you would like to see more of what I'm calling The Aretian Chronicles, please let me know! I'll make a post of details and a poll if there is interest!

Everything Taglist: @lxnvmvrzx @bodhidurrans

Comment, ask, or pm to be added to a specific character or everything taglist!

Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated!

[fishnapple]

Positive changes coming into your life

This is a general reading meant for multiple people. Take only what resonates and leave out the rest.

Your feedback is much appreciated. If you find the reading resonated with you, leave a comment, I’d love to know 🎐

About me | Masterpost

Book a reading with me - KO-FI (Read this post : personal reading)

LAPIS LAZULI

The theme is balance, your life will be much more balanced in terms of material comfort, resting and working, dream and reality. Balance means that you will learn how to adjust various areas in your life to fit each other. You will slowly understand the "rhythm" of your life, when you need to rest, when you need to focus, when you need to give, when you need to ask for what you want. During this process, you will come to get to know more about both your physical body and your spirit, giving them both equal care.

You will gain more independence, feeling like you have more control of your life than you previously thought. It might come from the stability of your surroundings, you gain more financial independence, or you will gain a new insight that helps you feel more contented with what you have, rather than seeking more and more and never feeling enough. One thing I notice is that you will focus solely on doing what's good for your growth, your decisions will be based on your gut feelings and your introspection. You will no longer feel the pull to compare yourself with others, as you follow your own heart and not be distracted by everyone around you. This period will be a tremendous growth for you.

Life will treat you fairly for your effort. Problems won't go away all at once, but you're capable of tackling them one by one. Your emotions will run high, sometimes you will feel like you're being swept along by the current of your emotions. But you will not let yourself drown in them, instead, you will surf along with them, make them into your greatest inspiration and motivation. Your mantra will be "I got this". Your inner strength will manifest outwardly. You will shed old unhealthy habits and look after your physical vessel more, being more active and flexible. A healthy heart and a healthy body will be accompanied by a fresh mind, one that can conjure up magic out of the most mundane thing.

ROSE QUARTZ

Spring is here, after a long bitter winter. A joyful time ahead. You will feel like waking up from a long slumber, sleepiness will still follow initially, life will still feel groggy, but not for long. The cold winter will finally go away, new spirit will fill your heart, and along with it, your whole body. Your steps will feel lighter, smiles will grace your face more frequently. If you've been feeling down, lost or disappointed lately, you will soon see the light peaking through new leaves. 

Your life will be much "softer". You don't need to force anything or try too hard to achieve something. You learn to feel at ease, to let yourself rest more and dream more. You don't have to walk briskly with purpose or run towards a goal, you can stroll along the streets more leisurely. Not that everything will suddenly become better or solve itself, but your attitude will change, and that's enough to make some previous problems dissipate.

If you're struggling with feeling confident and worry a lot about security, you're going to gain a new confidence boost. Maybe you will meet someone new or stumble upon a new knowledge that encourages you to take a step forward, to dare to dream bigger, be more daring. I see new acquaintances, people who are much different from you but can lift you up greatly. 

If before, pursuing what or whom you desired might seem out of reach with too many obstacles then now, you won't see those obstacles as anything of consequence anymore. You're willing to give it a try, no matter the result. And you will be rewarded for that attitude. The act of going after your dreams is exhilarating. You perceive it as a fun challenge, an experiment that you can enjoy and go at your own pace. Your energy feels both fast and languid. No frantic move, just a little bit of faith in luck and a heavy dose of romanticising that will expand your connections with the world and its people.

CARNELIAN

The theme of mental clarity will be prevalent in the upcoming period of your life. Confusion and misunderstanding will be solved quickly, or if they still linger from the past then you will gain a new understanding of them and be able to move on or find closure. You will likely gain decisive information from people around you, especially those who are close to you that will help you make decisions more easily. Prepare to speak the truth and hear the truth, no matter how unpleasant or unexpected it is. You will be more receptive to it, even when it's harsh or feel criticising, you will no longer react with hurt or too much sensitivity, because you can be detached enough to not let things go into your heart too deeply. It doesn't mean that you will be cold, on the contrary, you will be more compassionate and humble, that's the quiet power you will gain.

Unexpected events might happen around you that can alter the way you perceive the world. They might not even be related to you, you might just hear them from your friends or acquaintances, but they will open a new way of thinking for you. It's like waking up from a long slumber, you're jolted out of the sleepiness and wide awake, with a clearer mind. Don't be too alarmed if you have some arguments or debates with people, they will be great opportunities for you to sharpen your mind and exercise objective judgement. People might remark that you seem much more lively, much more assertive than before. It's just the beginning, you're slowly waking up to yourself, prioritising the vitality and jollity of your life.

TIGER'S EYE

I see fluid movements, gentle and expanding, like a person dancing. The energy inside your heart will uncoil itself and spread out gracefully. A more gentle melody will be playing for you.

This upcoming period of your life will be much more simple and straightforward. You won't concern yourself with complicated matters, heartaches or imminent catastrophes. Your focus will be on finding peace, be in it and keep enjoying life as much as possible. The energy is very soft and playful. And that's how you will overcome any hardships lurking around. 

What might have plagued your mind recently won't be so as you adopt a more carefree and spontaneous attitude. You know that nothing lasts forever, so you enjoy every moment yet also don't hold on tightly to any. The heavy burdens will be lifted from your shoulders. You need this very much. Not everything has to be about being good, being proficient, being orderly, being responsible. You will still hold yourself highly with maturity, but you don't let life's obstacles put a hiccup in the great melody that you're playing. Social life and enjoyment of beauty will be a great focus of yours. Pleasant new connections will be formed, old connections will be strengthened. 

You will find fulfilment in everyday activities. Giving and receiving will be very satisfying. You give and you will be given back in return. You will see the flow of life, the cycle of if and you will go along with it, not against it. You're active but in a quiet and accepting way. You don't need to be constantly moving, constantly striving. You let yourself rest and still, so that the working of nature can work its magic for you.

CITRINE

If you've been busy lately, having lots of things and people to take care of, or you've been feeling depleted lately, lacking the time and energy to have fun and pamper yourself, then it's about to change. You will have time to retreat into yourself, stay away from the draining influences around you for a while and have time to recenter yourself. You've been working hard, it's time to tuck yourself in cosily, have a rejuvenating rest and allow yourself to rest, to feel good. 

Life will slow down for you, not the kind of no-progress slowing down, but the kind that lets you catch your breath. The fight is over, you don't need to exert yourself all the time. Now it's time to heed the call of your heart, pull away the worries and let your energy flow into where you're called to. I see a time of discovery, of opening a new perspective. You're about to get your mind opened wide and let in many new wonders.

If you're pulled to spirituality and the occult, trust that the more you dig deeper, the more free you will feel, the more clear the road is for you. You will get intuitive messages about where to go, what to do, those messages will likely come from the sensations of your body, the involuntary reactions, like a jump of excitement, heart beating fast full of anticipation. You might wonder why you feel a strange sensation out of nowhere, or called to try out new tastes, new scents, new activities. Don't hesitate, grab hold of that sensation and honor it, you might never know what promising future it could lead you to.

AVENTURINE

You will be blessed with wise insights that allow you to move forward cautiously and strategically. You might have the tendency to act from the place of fear, defending yourself against invisible threats that endanger your stability. This survivor mentality can't protect you from harm all the time. There will be times when you have to step outside of your comfort zone and be bold and adventure forth with blind eyes. But the good news is your heart won't be blind and so is your mind. 

In the incoming period of time, you might have to face some untrustworthy words and actions that raise your doubt about the trust you placed on people. But your discernment will be wide awake during this time. This is the time of illusions shattering. You will hear clearly, see clearly and make your decisions based on facts and concrete proofs. Glibness won't be able to hide the truth from you. You stand firm in your stance and trust yourself more than ever. Your words hold wisdom and faith. You will be able to chase away trickery with humour and prudence. 

In turn, you will be rewarded with pleasant surprises. More fun adventures await you at the most unexpected times. Your light will finally have the space to shine. Don't hesitate at breaking away from old habits. You know deep within that your heart has already set its sight on a farther horizon. 

[bbina]

it was nice that kun wanted to treat you out for lunch to celebrate your first month of successfully working and dealing with chenle because last time he checked, all previous assistants didn't even last a full week

"a toast to y/n" kun raises his glass up in the air. you let out a chuckle, wiping your mouth with a napkin as you too raise your own glass

"to being overworked" you chirp, clinking your glass with kun, side eyeing chenle who rolls his eyes but raises his glass nonetheless

"i'm literally not overworking you but okay" chenle murmurs, clinking his glass against yours and kun

you and kun both share a laugh of disbelief. him not overworking you? yeah right. says the same man who makes you work overtime just to finish an unfinished report he had given you 5 minutes before you had to clock out

"so, y/n.." kun starts, "any complaints, reviews or what not that you've kept to yourself for the past month about working with chenle here?" kun nods his head towards chenle's direction who glares at him

because in his defense, why do people keep saying that he's such an evil boss?

you take a good look at chenle and kun before you try to formulate your answer. if you had to be honest, you had a lot to say about working under chenle

first of all, he was unpredictable. you literally cannot guess if the day was gonna be a calm day because most of the time, it won't be one

second, there are times that he's so moody but maybe that's what running a company does to you at such a young age. you do admit that you commend him for such feat. it isn't easy being a young and successful ceo. you can say that now because you literally work with him

sure there are some positive sides working with him but it's mostly with chenle's overall character that you still can't quite get a hold of properly but given that it's been a month and chenle hasn't fired you despite talking back to him more now, then that should be a good sign itself

"oh she's thinking. there must be a lot" kun comments, shooting chenle a look to which the latter brushes off

"let's not get ahead of ourselves. we already know what she feels about me.. right, y/n?" chenle smirks, clearly referencing to your viral tweet. its been two weeks since the incident but it seems like he's the only one still holding onto the comment

"i bet you liked the compliment since it clearly got to your head" you murmured, sipping on your water as you look at chenle

kun snorts at your answer, clearly amused by the way you talk to your boss. it's honestly so refreshing to see someone who isn't afraid of chenle. maybe that's why his previous assistants didn't last long, or so he thinks

"but seriously though. it's an actual miracle that you lasted this long. chenle here had 3 assistants and they all ran the way" kun recalls, reminiscing the three assistants that only caused them more work than help since they all just left without a trace, "so you still being here has to mean something" he smiles, reaching over to pat your shoulder

"so sir zhong is the problem?" you ask, obviously a joke but the way you say it makes it sound like you were being genuine causing chenle to glare at you across the table and kun to laugh his ass off

chenle scoffs, remembering those dark times (not really) at the company where he and kun managed everything themselves. how he had to constantly rely on kun for the smallest of things because he couldn't keep track of anything anymore with everything going on all at once. how he had to balance his work and life balance all himself. review all those slides, papers, reports all on his own because he couldn't find competent people to actually help him and get the job done

it wasn't easy at the time but now, things have felt so much lighter now that you stuck around

not that chenle will full on admit that out loud. so what if you lasted a month with him? so what if you just magically get the shit he dumps on you done before the day ends even if it costs you to work over time (little did you know, he actually takes notes of the hours you spent working over time and adds it to your paycheck as incentives. huge incentives at that. his own silent way of thanking you for your hard work but you don't have to know that)

"i'm not hard to work with" chenle grumbles, eyes straying to you, "it's just that the previous assistants didn't do their job properly"

"so you're saying i do my job properly in your standards? thanks for the praise boss. i'll be sure to remember this forever" you coo dramatically, putting your hands on your chest as you smile at chenle

"thin ice. ms. jung. thin ice" chenle warns, eyes narrowing slightly at your playful remark. he would rather die than to admit that right now

"you said that earlier but look at you treating me out for lunch to celebrate me dealing with you" you retort

"you mean kun is treating you. not me because if i did, i would've chose the cheapest thing on the menu here"

"yeah sir kun did. with your company card so thanks anyway" you smile fakely at your boss

kun could only watch the way you two bounce off each other. even if it sounded like you two hate each other, the banter was something else. you actually match his energy. maybe that's why chenle keeps you around

"you two get along so well" kun comments, smiling between you and chenle

"no we don't" you and chenle both say at the same time. you let out a little gasp as chenle turns away huffing

"my point exactly" kun grins, seemingly happy at the situation. chenle had found his perfect assistant for him

BUSINESS PROPOSAL ᝰ.ᐟ . . . A MONTH

✎ . . . things aren't going as planned the way you thought it was going to be. especially the part where you find yourself falling in love with your own boss– which was definitely not part of the agreed proposal.

[ PREV / NEXT ]

✎ AUTHORS NOTE . . . we're getting somewhere + i think this might be the last implied timeskip chapters for now. ive only been doing that to establish how theyre getting closer lol

✎ TAGLIST . . . @mrkleelvr @jenodigital @https-dandelion @rik0shii @spacejip @yyangj3lly @multifandomania @taroddori @222brainrot @amouriu @defzcl @va1entinaa @carelessshootanonymous @onlywonb @flaminghotyourmom @do-you-remember-summer-127 @grimlinshere @yayayaiheardyouthefirsttime @hoeingthefuckup @meltinghershey @alwayswook @dutifullyannoyingstrawberrie @dudekiss3r @sibwol @planetmarlowe @doraemiz @morklee02 @httpsxnox @firydst @yuyita-rosier @ayukas @cottonjaems @monomya @neocults26 @greenyweirdo

[mswifestealer]

idea suggested by @dionysusk !! woohoo

shy!wife reader x ghost but reader is trying to take the lead in bed? mentions of: dickriding, cum, vaginal sex, shy fem wife reader

"Honey!" You call out to Simon, who's downstairs, leaning back against the sofa with the TV playing some sort of documentary infront of him.

Simon readjusts his posture with a slight groan as he calls back, "What is it, luvie?!"

"Come help me with something!" You reply.

Simon stood up with a big stretch before dragging his feet upstairs to your shared bedroom, assuming you just needed help with something like the cupboard door not opening or you'd seen a bug somewhere.

Imagine his surprise when he sees his pretty birdie wife sitting at the edge of the bed, fresh out the steamy shower and wrapped in only a plain white towel around her torso.

He watches the way the water droplets drip off her hair and down to her shoulders, how some strands cling to her skin and how soft and plump she looks.

He also notices the tube of warm vanilla scented body lotion next to her.

"Need help with that, luv?" He takes a seat next to her, already picking up the tube of lotion and squirting it onto his hands.

"Yes please, Si.." You reply a bit late as he already begins massaging the lotion delicately onto your back, encouraging you to remove the towel wrapped around you by hooking a finger over the towel and pulling it down to make space.

You happily remove the towel, letting it fall onto the bed as the fabric pooled at your thighs, leaving you naked. Simon chuckles when you shyly lift the towel over your tits to hide.

"Luvie, I've seen them before. So many times that I've practically got their shape n' size memorized jus' by lookin' at them." He proudly boasts with a wide, teasing smile on his scarred face.

"I know but.. It's jus' embarrassing!" You reply as your cheeks blush pink.

His rough hands that were so used to combat and gun-handling somehow work like magic, gently massaging the lotion into your plump skin, delicately reaching into every blindspot and inch of skin. He runs his hands down the smoothness of your back, before he moves to work on your front.

He makes you face him as he runs his hands up n down your tits and belly, kneading your skin softly while he occasionally rubs his thumbs over your nipples. He can't help but feel excited at the sight of you infront of him

And you can't help but notice the growing tent in his sweatpants.

You take a glance down, before looking back up at him and a moment of sudden courage and bravery convinces you to speak.

"It looks like you need help with something too.." You mumbled softly as the momentary courage almost immediently drained out of you.

In Simon's eyes, you're the sweetest thing ever - looking up at him prettily and batting your lashes at him shyly. "Wouldn't mind some help.." He spoke back.

.

Both his hands are planted on your hips to hold you tight as you sit on his lap while he's laying down with his back slightly elevated by a pillow.

You kept your hands on his chest to keep you balanced as you grind yourself against his clothed hard-on while he subconsiously dry-humps up against you, groaning and mumbling for friction.

As one of your hands work to slightly slide down the waistband of his sweatpants, your other hand works to to take his fat cock out of his boxers, letting it spring out as the tip of it lightly thwacks against your belly.

"Mmh— Si.. I know that you usually.. do all the work but.. I want to make you feel good today.." You admit your intentions to him and he responds with a smile he just can't hold back.

"Y'too sweet to me, birdie. You wanna take the lead today? Go ahead." He chuckles.

He watches you hover your soaked, warm cunt over the tip of his leaking cock, looking down to line yourself up before you slowly sink down on his dick with a squirm and a breathy, soft moan. He holds back a groan as your tight cunny swallows him until you sink onto the base of his cock.

"Fuuuck, luvie.. You were made for my cock, weren't you?" He moans as you lift yourself up to sink down on his dick again, repeatedly doing so until you got used to the feeling of his fat cock inside of you

You could barely keep your pretty eyes open, already seeing stars as your movements stuttered with your plump, soft legs becoming too shaky and weak to lift yourself again and again.

A string of inaudible whimpers and babbles escape your mouth as your movements slow down.

"Si.. Simon.." You call his name softly, as a wave of embarrassment suddenly overcame you, making you stop your movements completely with his hard dick still inside you.

"What's goin' on, luvie? Keep movin'.." He mumbled breathily, panting as his climax was unintentionally robbed from him by his pretty birdie wife. His grip on your plump hips tighten as he practically lifts you up himself, letting you sink back down as the tips of his fingers press into the flesh of your ass while he tossed his head back from pleasure.

You keep your arms wrapped around his neck, burying your face in the crook of his shoulder as your cheeks blushed a soft pink.

He was practically holding you up at this point, but he liked it like that. He found it cute that you even tried to take the lead.

Soon enough, you were cumming hard with a needy, sweet moan while he made you overstimulate yourself riding his dick. He didn't even bother to try and get you off his cock before you came, instead letting his hot, sticky cum explode inside you.

When you finally manage to crawl off his cock, his hot cum leaks out your swollen, wet pussy. He sits upright, placing a trail of kisses on your collarbone up to your neck while he circles your clit with his thumb, pushing his thick cum back inside of you with his fingers.

After washing his hands and changing the bedsheets, he runs you a hot bath with your favourite soap even after you insisted that you'd already showered just to hold you in the bathub in hot water.

"Oh, Simon.. You didn't have to.." You look up at him as he carries you in his arms to the master bathroom, a sweet, pretty smile drawn on your face.

Simon inhales your sweet scent before placing a kiss on your neck, "Jus' wanna hold you for a bit.. Clean you up a tad unless you like walkin' around with my cum inside you.."

He laughs when you lightly whack his chest.

Writers note: i jus realized how to change the colour of the text loloool

hope you enjoyed!!!

not proof read

[therealmilfdennys]

Pope gives me switch vibes

I feel like Pope practices causal dominance outside the bedroom as part of a tough older brother thing he has going on, and that naturally translates into the bedroom, especially early relationships. And even later, he'll switch back into this. It has to be tough and take care of you mode, which can be something simple as ordering your food or fucking you in his car cause you couldn't wait to get home first

But as soon as you get him to open up and drop the "act" and let him know that he can be taken care of for once, it's game over. He whimpers and moans in your ear, especially happy when you call him a good boy, still trying to take care of you, but he slowly gets used to the fact that you both take care of each other

Also, man is a boob guy. Big small, perky not perky doesn't matter. He likes boobs final

oughhoughh...anon you get me...

nsfw under the cut!

cw: emotionally repressed male, slight femdom, canon typical violence, uhhh crying, my usual shit 🩷

Pope, in canon, likes to bottom.

We see it with Amy, mostly, but some with Angela too. He does well with instruction, he LITERALLY puts Amy on top of him when they finally have sex. The only times we see him dominant are with women that he doesn't know well.

I don't think he ever expects you to WANT to touch him like that, tbh. He isn't exactly insecure about it or anything, he just..literally doesn't think you'd want to. You have to initiate anything intimate at first.

I do believe he'd try to be the one with the most control the first couple of times you guys go at it. He's too paranoid, needs to know you aren't doing this to get something out of him. He doesn't trust tender affection that's freely given. He doesn't trust the fact that when you go down on him the first time, you don't expect him to return the favor.

But when you finally, FINALLY get him to relax? When you get it through his skull that you want him just as much as he wants you? Oh baby all bets are off.

He's whining into your mouth while you jerk him off, hiding his face against your neck while you ride him slow on the couch. He likes it when you pull at his hair, is ashmed to admit he likes it more when your fingers dig into the bruises and scrapes that cover him after a rough job.

Something about you seeing the damage done to him, and not flinching away? Not cringing and avoiding it? Accepting it as a part of who he is, accepting Him. Nothing makes him harder.

I really need to make like..a kink list for this guy because there's so much to work with there.

But yeah! You hit the nail on the head! He's casually dominant outside of the bedroom, because that's just how he Is. Controlled and ten steps ahead, knowing what you need/want before you even do. But in the bedroom? He lets himself be weak. Or at least as weak as a man like him can get. He lets you gentle him into a soft, warm sort of bliss where he feels safe and more importantly seen for once in his godforsaken life. And yeah he's gonna cry about it. All teary eyed and wobbly lipped. Don't mention it or he'll probably implode.

Kiss him and let him hide his face between your tits for a while and he's yours for life.

(i also think he maybe has a breeding kink but idk if yall cool with that or not lol)

[laertive]

An Analysis of Henry's Cybernetics

Long post ahead! Goes over his injuries, what we know, and what we can apply!

I've got a nutty little mind that gets sparked by trying to figure out how things worked, so I figured I could apply that to my favorite ending, Revenged. I'd always assumed Henry's cause of death was due to hypothermia or drowning. I spent a few hours compiling this, doing research, and rewatching the cutscene. Without further ado, I present to you all, my findings.

CANON INFORMATION

Cybernetics Capabilities

Under the assumption that fails are within his range of abilities, just not the correct choice, we can gather that:

His jetpack is able to fly at supersonic speeds (When he first took off, he caused a sonic boom able to be heard from ground level, implying it to be at least 750 mph.)

His left hand can transform into a machine gun, a thin blade, a baseball bat, and an energy absorption funnel.

His left hand can also fire itself, and have a spare hand. The spare hand is also used if the transformed hand becomes damaged. We see him replace hands two times in the right path- Once when the blade snaps in RHM's lens, and a second one when he staples Reginald to the airship.

His spine, at least from the front, can withstand being hit an upwards of 10+ feet into the air by RHM's blade without being cut in half.

Able to form a small energy projectile that explodes into a big blast on impact.

Increased strength.

He has a built in jetpack

Henry's Injuries

Upon first falling from the airship, and being dead in the water, what is shown to the player is as follows (Keep in mind that stick figures don't bleed)

No visible damage to the back of the head, either arms, or upper back. All are intact. We're told he was "gone for a bit" from Dr. Vin, and it's implied to be for ten hours at most. His head is bandaged when he first wakes up, implying some sort of abrasions were there when Dr. Vin found him dead.

Dr. Vin tells him that she was forced to replace his spine and left arm, whether or not his full torso is robotic is kind of up to interpretation, he's a stick figure.

10 Hours, huh?

An average commercial aircraft carrier flies at roughly 575 mph. We know they were flying south for ten hours before Henry woke up.

Doing the math, they've flown 5750 miles so far.

For context, this is 5750.62 miles.

Henry's first reaction is to take off, and he hits supersonic speeds FAST. He has less than a minute of consciousness before he's after them, so he most likely took zero breaks.

Let's say Henry is going 1000 mph. Fast enough to cause an audible sonic boom, and high speed for military jets. Dr. Vin did say she specialized in military augmentations, after all.

My first conclusion was that it'd take Henry 5 hours and 45 minutes to reach the Airship, but that's not quite right. The airship is STILL FLYING when Henry gets there. Henry's chasing after a moving object, not a stationary one.

Our equation is

1000x = 5750 + 575x

x is the amount of hours it takes for Henry to catch up, so we just had to solve for x. The equation is

(Henry's flight speed)x = (Airship head start) + (airship speed)x

1000x - 575x = 5750

425x = 5750

Dividing this by 25

x = 230/17, which roughly equals 13.5 hours.

13 and a Half Hours of Flying at Supersonic Speeds

This is our number, and it's a generous one at that. We're assuming that the Toppat Airship is flying at the average speed of a commercial airliner, Henry is able to hold up supersonic speeds the whole time (Very rarely can military jets hold it for over five minutes), and Henry doesn't take any breaks.

Cybernetic Surgery

While doing my research, I found out that scientists HAVE returned some patients with fully severed spinal cords back to being able to walk with electric implants. Neat! (Link to the BBC Article, I highly recommend giving it a read!)

We see Henry fall in the betrayed, and it's from pretty high up. A drop of 100 feet onto water is already considered fatal, and 20 feet is enough to break a bone. He landed on his upper back, back of the head and neck. I'm surprised he doesn't have much brain damage, especially in the visual processing area. What kind of beating did his occipital lobe take? I'd love to see fics where Henry's battling with a newfound inability to recognize faces or words.

Using this as basis, I'd assume that Dr. Vin decided to replace the spinal cord in it's entirety. Completely severed spinal cords are typically a complete loss of leg function, and a completely removed spinal cord does count as such. As for the arm replacement, I'd assume it'd taken damage, rather than exposure to the elements, as the right arm would've needed replacement as well. The nerves that connect our arms to our spinal cord is known as the brachial plexus, so it's safe to assume that Henry's left brachial plexus was damaged enough that it was simply easier to replace it than to leave it.

Both brachial plexi attach at spinal nerve T1, or thoracic spinal nerve 1, and because Henry retains full functionality in his right arm, the spine severing would have needed to occur below T1.

We can gather a lot of information over the spine's functionality when it's shot, more so than what we see otherwise.

Reginald's shot didn't destroy the spine. Not entirely. Henry's still able to move his legs, and his left arm gives out shortly AFTER the crash, not after the bullet. Also, he can feel pain in his cybernetics. Neat!

Upon being shot, Henry grabs onto the cockpit chair for support, showing sudden weakness or imbalance.

After the crash, we watch as Henry's left arm gives out, he's forced to use a branch as a cane as his left leg gives out, and we can see his right leg still have functionality as he dies.

For all we know, Reginald's shot could've been the final nail in the coffin. Henry might've already been on death's door, from overexertion alone.

My Assessment

Henry's initial drop severed his spine somewhere in the thoracic grouping of vertebrae, and likely caused death on impact. His left brachial plexus was most likely deemed too damaged to be worth salvaging, and Dr. Vin decided to replace his whole left arm. His lumbar nerves however, were left in good enough condition to still work when stimulated by the cybernetic spine.

IN CONCLUSION

Henry flew a minimum of 13.5 hours straight before reaching the airship

While far fetched, scientists have already repaired broken spines with electronic implants

Reginald's shot only partially severed his spine, leaving reduced function in his legs

And lastly, Henry Stickmin is a stick figure, and this is all mere intellectual play. Don't feel pressured to change up your headcanons or lore because some teenager spent an hour trying to apply real world science to the silly stick figure game, I want to see your own takes on it!

[immodestly-marina]

Pretty In Pink

a/n: hey so! Babygirl @j2archives sent this a whole ass month ago and I just didn’t come in clutch for it *crowd boos, Rina gets tomatoes thundercunted at her*

Warnings: trying on lingerie, praise kink, implied oral sex (tfem receiving), tfem!sammy my darling sapphic babygirl angel princess, always here for you miss girl xx

“Present..?” She tilts her head, “What for?”

Sam scored an average of 93% on her midterm exams last week, those of which she’d studied tirelessly for since the beginning of the month. After how hard she worked to achieve a score that high, you decided she deserved something she’d been eyeing for a while; a pack of lacy panties that came in five different shades of pink, and a satiny nightgown with little bows on the lace trim that lined the neck. She’d been too nervous to buy them herself because she doesn’t feel like she passes enough, so afraid that she’d embarrass herself in the store as if anyone would look at her with anything but awe.

“Well, I figured since you did so well on your exams, you deserve something special.. And a little birdie told me just what that special thing should be.” You sit down, grinning at her as you place the ribbon wrapped box in her lap. Sam smiles bashfully and pulls on the ends of the ribbon, moving it away to lift off the top of the flat box.

Her breath catches in her throat when she moves the tissue paper off of the garments, looking down at the pinkest panties she could ever want. She brings her hand up to gently gnaw on her thumbnail, a blush creeping over her face as she smiles.

You tuck her bangs behind her ear and place a soft kiss on her shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Sammy.. So proud.”

When your hand comes up to cup her face, she leans into your touch with a hum. “Thank you, darlin’.” Sam takes the panties out of the box, flipping through them to see all of the different colours and lace patterns. She involuntarily gasps in awe as a sudden wave of euphoria and sense of validation hits her like a cement truck. She looks down at the other tissue wrapped gift, setting the smaller garments aside to see what the other gift is.

“It’s to go with those, by the way.” You whisper, earning a little shudder from Sam.

She pulls the sheet away to find the nightie she’d been wishing for, her eyes go wide when she sees it in all its pink glory. She quickly pulls it out and holds it up in the air to examine the size, smiling at the look of it before it’s even on her body.

“Want me to go try it all on?” She says shyly, ducking her head down a little as if she needed to be discreet. You laugh when she does that, nodding and motioning for her to go ahead. Sam smiles and hurries to the bathroom with the bundles of pink lace in her hands. She closes the door and sets it all down on top of the bathtub ledge, immediately yanking her shirt over her neck and shoving her jean shorts down her legs.

She stumbles over her feet trying to pull the denim off of them, while leaning down to tear the packaging away from the panties. She carefully rips the cardboard in two, before pulling on the plastic tags to snap them apart, eventually resorting to using her teeth instead. She excitedly takes the baby pink pair out of the pack, opting for them as they matched the silk gown she now owns.

After putting everything on, she takes a minute to look at herself in the mirror. She smiles at the length of her hair, long enough to curl around her ears and tickle the skin near her shoulders. She takes in the way her arms and legs have gotten smaller, less bulky and muscular than before, but the muscle on her chest stayed. That’s alright, they can almost pass as breasts, she giggles to herself.

For the first time in months, Sam feels like herself. She feels like Sammy.

You tilt your head up when the door cracks open, Sam’s eye peeking through the opening with a grin. When she pushes the door open she stands against the doorframe, a little awkward, but visibly gleeful. “Get over here..” You chuckle, curling your finger at her. She blushes and holds her hands together at her waist as she moves towards you.

Standing up, you push her hair from her face again before standing on your toes to kiss her cheek. Her hands find your waist and she leans down to capture your lips with hers, swaying a little. “So pretty, baby..” You mumble against her mouth, one hand curling around her neck to tug on her hair a little. She groans against you and presses her forehead to yours, looking at you through her brows.

You smile all cocky and turn her around to move her towards the bed, straddling her once her knees bump against the mattress. Sam moves the two of you backwards to fully lay on the bed, with you still on top of her as always.

You bite her lip gently to coax another sound out of her, “You did s’good on those exams.. didn’t you, Sammy..” you say while kissing down her neck.

She lets out something in between a grunt and a whimper next to your ear, one of her knees rising to slot between your thighs in an attempt to create pressure between them. You smile against Sam's neck before moving down her body, pressing warm kisses into her skin with each inch you pass.

When you’re fully between her legs, you lean down to just barely hover over the pink lace. Sam looks down at you with her bottom lip pulled between her teeth, fingers fumbling with her new night dress. Her eyes go a little wider when she watches you slowly take the hem of her panties between your teeth and start to pull them down.

[callme-naomi]

reader and Nanami are coworkers

Nanami Kento's first rule when he's working: let him focus.

he's not the one who focuses when he listens to music and while he can work with a whole zoo around him, he will lose focus (and his temper) the moment someone disturbs him directly.

you want hundred percent results? then you let him concentrate.

And if anyone wanna help him out, then there's one way they can: help him focus.

When he began office work, he realized he's never going to get the silence he needs to work. Living five years around Gojo prepared him for that. So he found an alternative.

Holding something in his hand.

It didn't have to be a fancy item: even a pencil would suffice. A pencil, or his phone, or the computer's mouse. If working alone and overtime, he'd use his tie. He needed something to hold on to while working to optimize his focus.

When you joined the office as his assistant, your colleagues told you of this peculiar habit, and intrigued, you planned on a little mischief.

While all your colleagues left for break and Nanami stayed in to work, which was common for him, you waltzed your way to his table.

Without looking up at his visitor, he asked politely, 'how may I help you?'

'it's lunch hour, sir.'

'that I am aware of. you can go ahead.'

'What about you, sir? shall I bring you something?'

'I'm working, and thank you, but no.'

'Well, I can see that. Is there any way I can help?'

'No, thank you.'

'Alright. May I sit here?'

Without dividing his attention from the screen, he pulled up a chair for you. taking the opportunity, you swiped away his pencil.

you held your grin as you saw his hand absently reach for the pencil, eventually breaking his gaze from the computer as with furrowed eyebrows he searched for it.

'what are you looking for?' you innocently asked.

'my pencil. do you happen to have seen it?'

'no.'

Ducking to pull out a new pencil from his drawer, you began hiding other things that he could use as focus. It was getting harder for you to keep in your giggles, seeing him dart his gaze over the table for a thing he'd most certainly just put there, but you got slightly disappointed because instead of getting annoyed, he'd only sigh and continue his work with another object to ground his focus.

Finally, all that was left was his mouse.

He stood up, going to take a glass of water, and taking the time, you began to detach his mouse. You were just going to tuck it away when-

'I suppose you were here to help?'

Your heart jumping into your throat, you meekly sat back down as Nanami drew up his chair to sit again.

But you weren't done just yet.

Your hand inched towards the new pen he pulled out, in one last attempt to try to see if it annoys him, when he evenly asked, 'you asked if there was any way you could help, right?'

Surprised, you responded, 'yes sir. is there anything?'

'well, yes.'

All ears, you closed your fingers around his pen, eyes never leaving his face. Just when you darted your eyes downwards, his hand grabbed your wrist.

with a thumping heart, you looked to his face to see him finally looking away from the computer to stare at you.

'you've been taking away my focus. so i suppose i'll use what I have, now, won't I?'

barely hiding your grin, you relaxed your hand under his grip. 'i suppose so, sir. after all, i'm supposed to help you, aren't I?'

******

Hello everyone! So, yeah I know it still isn't 19th May, and yes I am still in my break, but this was sitting in my queue and I decided to give y'all something!

[auncyen]

Okay one last thing about other looper aus from me. for now, anyway.

So the trouble for most of the others is in beating the King. After that:

Bonnie: nothing nada. This kid's wish was for their sister to be okay and that perfectly lines up with the King's defeat. As soon as the King's defeated they do not loop anymore, they are good and done. They......probably have some trauma from the looping. Maybe the others help them get to Bambouche to make sure they're okay I am still so bewildered that in friendquest ending Odile's like "I GUESS WE'LL FIND SOMEONE TO TAKE BONIFACE TO BAMBOUCHE" m'dame. M'DAME.

Mirabelle: .....honestly I think Mirabelle's wish would also probably line up with the King's defeat and mean she's free as soon as the King's defeated but I could see her phrasing/sentiment veer just slightly far enough that her wish is actually to prove herself worthy of Euphrasie's blessing. By defeating the King, of course! That counts, doesn't it? Even if she's still the same Mirabelle? Even if she would have failed and gotten all the friends who joined her on this quest killed if not for the looping? ...Mirabelle's act 3 is a quick spiral downward emotionally but she is not as committed to hiding all her feelings like Siffrin. So. Probably a sobbing confession about the loops at some point where she gets comforted and the others help her start to change perspective on if she's really never changed/is a bad housemaiden. Still...trauma...but. yeah

Odile: assuming a wish more serious than the coin flip, Odile probably makes a wish like Siffrin's, to stay with the others. It's just that, well, Odile would probably figure out a lot faster that her wish is probably what caused the looping. She might even ask as soon as she thinks they're likely to defeat the King. The only way I see this really going awry is if she's accidentally having some strife with Siffrin (Siffrin's need to Be Useful and Good at their Job vs Odile's "NO I'M JUST GOING TO GO AHEAD AND HIT THE SWITCH I DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOU CRUSHED AGAIN--I'm just going to grab the key from the journal, I'm tired of hinting about it--I already know which drawer we need to look in--") where like. Siffrin thinks she's only including them in the invitation for the group to keep traveling to be polite, she doesn't actually want them (because look how bad they were, look how useless they are now) so they decline traveling with her. They think they're doing her a favor! SHE'S LOOPING AGAIN. (And, yeah, Odile could be having friction with someone else, too, if trying to kill the King's rubbed her raw enough. It's just so easy to picture how it would happen with Siffrin.)

So like Odile either solves her looping flawlessly as soon as she solves killing the King, OR she has several loops of seething frustration and growing horror ("BUT THERE MUST BE A WAY YOU WOULD SAY YES, I CAN'T BE TRAPPED") before she realizes to her disgust that there is a way. And that way. Is through at least one feelings talk.

(She would probably feel much better at the end of the talk. A looping Odile would not be thrilled about starting it.)

Isabeau: Isabeau's wish. If it's to confess to Siffrin. Could make a huge mess post-game. Because Isabeau realizing his wish is responsible. And seeing Siffrin repeatedly die. Slowly becoming numb to seeing Siffrin die and then just numb to Siffrin (because, well. trauma). They finally beat the King, and Isabeau loops again, and realizes:

he's still got to confess. even if he doesn't feel that way anymore.

Like. This would just be a really messy thing where Isabeau probably does still love Siffrin, he's just so traumatized from the loops that he'd benefit from some time to just focus on resting and recovering not trying to start a relationship he doesn't know if he even wants but that was his wish!!! He's got to fulfill it!! (He only had to confess but he doesn't know how "the Universe" works, if he didn't follow through on his confession would it seem insincere? would it drag him back to the loops?) And Siffrin, who loves Isabeau but he's not sure if he loves him that way? with all the self-esteem issues and now the guilt of teaching Isabeau to wish, figures. well. if Isabeau wants him that way, that's wonderful!!! They want to make Isabeau happy and they can do it this way, in the relationship Isabeau wants!!! It's where the Universe has led them, so it... must be where they belong, and they shouldn't have any reservations, in fact they don't! it's...... fine. Everything's fine.

...and hopefully things work out eventually there but I'm really not sure how it would. (Honestly the one thing coming to mind is that. Isabeau just gets so sick of who he's turning into being insincere with someone he wants to still care about that he does something drastic and y'know if the Universe drags him back IT DRAGS HIM BACK. ...and then once he sees the Universe is not shoving him back into the loops he has to deal with the consequences of whatever he did and both he and Siffrin take a break to get some perspective on what they actually want.)

[gudfornuthin]

The Baker and the Ballerina

Chapter six

Pairing: Frank Castle x fem!reader (au)

Summary: Frank confronts the workers. Y/N confronts Frank. The pair come up with the best possible solution to their problems.

Word count: 2k

Series warnings: slow burn, cliché tropes, mentions of PTSD, mentions of abusive relationships, (eventual) smut, violence

A/N: I wrote this ahead of time as I’m on holiday. Hope you all enjoy, and feedback is always appreciated :)

Frank has been stood in the same place behind the bakery counter for at least half an hour. Unmoving, glaring through the window and towards the building across the street. To be more specific, his focus is on the workers lounging around outside of said building, chatting to each other and doing a whole lot of nothing. Of course, Frank knows they deserve their time off, but this wasn't just a quick break. This was them taking the piss. And it was starting to annoy him.

David moves around him, packing up orders and serving customers. He's aware of his friend's cold stare piercing the men on the other side of the road, trying to focus his attention elsewhere.

"Frank, buddy, this isn't any of your business," David says, passing a bag to an old lady over the counter. "You're always telling me to focus on work, so how's what you're doing any different?"

"It's completely different," Frank mumbles back, still not taking his eyes off the workers. "They're taking advantage of her."

David nods in agreement. "Yeah, and that's awful. But Y/N told you herself, she doesn't wanna cause problems and this isn't any of your business."

Frank crosses his arms, knowing his friend is right yet still feeling like he needs to do something. Just as thoughts of the young woman cross his mind, he sees Y/N leave the building and walk past the workers. Her heads down and the grip on her bag is tight. She's more than uncomfortable and Frank knows that.

As she brushes past the workers, they begin to ogle her, scanning up and down like she's a piece of meat. They start whispering amongst themselves and laughing. Frank doesn't need to hear what they're saying to know he doesn't like it. He knows the disgusting things those kinds of men say to each other when in close proximity to a beautiful woman. He grunts under his breath and moves around the counter, heading for the front door.

"Frank, hey where're you-" David doesn't finish his sentence as Frank leaves the bakery and crosses the road. He shakes his head and continues working, muttering under his breath. "Pain in my ass, Castle."

Frank checks to make sure Y/N is definitely gone, not wanting her to see what he's about to do. Just a quick word to set them straight. That's all.

One of the workers spots him making his way over to them, noticing the obvious frown on his face. "Can we help you, bud?"

"Yeah, just wanted to ask you fellas a question?" his gruff voice sets the tone for where this conversation is going. "You think it's tough and manly to objectify women?"

The worker huffs out a laugh. "Beg your pardon?"

"You heard me asshole," Frank continues. "You get paid to sit on your asses all day and make her feel uncomfortable?"

They start to catch on that the person in question he's talking about is the woman who hired them to do work on the studio. They all look between each other, unsure who's going to stand up to the less than happy muscle man.

The original worker who spoke first risks it, feeling overly confident. "Listen pal, we're just taking a break, and I don't think any of this concerns you. I mean, what? You her boyfriend or somethin'?"

Frank almost says yes, wondering if it would change their attitude, but decides not to. no point making things more complicated.

"No, but that doesn't matter," Frank says. "She's nice. Been way nicer than what you guys deserve. So I'd suggest you stop acting like a bunch of jackoffs and do the job she's hired you to do."

All of the men are stood up now, burning holes into Frank's head.

The main worker steps closer to him. "We'll get the job done, and we'll drain her of all the cash she's got if we want to. So why don't you mind your damn business and go back to making your little puff pastries."

Frank is prepared to retaliate, but her voice plays in the back of his head. Don't want to cause any problems. He knows she's right, and they're not worth it. He'll never be able to get through to them. So just leave it be.

Frank doesn't say anything else as he turns to walk away from the heated confrontation. Take the high road. Unfortunately, the worker isn't thinking the same thing.

He hears the man snort under his breath. "No boyfriend means she's free game."

Frank sighs, looking down and placing his hands on his hips. High road be damned. He doesn't give the worker much time to react before he's turned back around and punched him square in the jaw. The man yelps, stumbling back and onto the floor. The others jump up and stalk towards Frank but hesitate slightly.

"Go ahead," Frank snaps at them, his arms out wide. "Try something." They all remain still, none of them willing to test his already thin patience. He moves away from the shocked group, heading back towards the bakery. He already knows his actions will come back and bite him in the ass. He also knows it was worth it.

David watches on, rubbing his eyes in desperation. "Just great, Frank, you dumb idiot."

- - -

It's early morning the following day, and Frank is walking to Bakehouse 31. Surprise, surprise, the workers had called the cops and reported the incident from the day before. Although he explained to them that it was provoked assault, they still put it on his report and set bail for him to be released from jail. Frank owes David big for paying that out.

As he gets closer to the bakery, he hears quick footsteps following behind him as well as his name being called. He knows it's Y/N and turns around, happy to see her. That is until he notices the angry expression on her face.

"You have some nerve, you know that?" Y/N says, arriving in front of him and standing almost toe to toe.

"What're you talking about?" Frank feigns innocence, already knowing exactly what she's referring to.

"You seriously think you can go around punching people in the face?"

"I can when the people are saying awful shit about you."

Frank tries to go into a deeper explanation, but she stops him, rubbing her forehead in distress. "Well, thanks to you, they've quit on me and left an unfinished job at the studio."

Frank knows it's wrong, but the news fills him with relief. The idea of those men being over there and gawking at Y/N, objectifying her whenever they wanted to made him feel sick. He hates to have complicated things for her, but if he could go back in time and change what he did? He wouldn't.

Frank sighs. "Look, I'm sorry-"

Y/N shakes her head. "I get you were upset with what they were saying. I was too. But now because of this, the studio has no chance of opening even close to on time and I'll need to hire new workers for even more money!"

She can't help but yell out the last part, startling Frank and a few people passing by the pair. Tears start to form in her eyes as she looks down at the ground. Now is not the time to cry in front of the good-looking baker. Frank sees, and puts both hands on her shoulders, rubbing slightly, trying to provide any kind of comfort.

"God, what am I gonna do?" she whispers through her hands covering her face.

"I'll do it," Frank says the words without much thought.

Y/N looks up at him in confusion. "You'll do what?"

"I'll finish the work on your studio," he shrugs, as if what he's just proposed isn't a big deal.

Y/N continues staring at him, unsure of how to respond. Despite her current anger aimed towards the man in front of her, the offer is incredibly sweet and deep down she knows she'd accept in a heartbeat. That is, of course, if Frank did this kind of work for a living.

"Uh, I dunno-"

"Hey, I did all the work on Bakehouse 31 by myself," Frank says. "I can make the place look professional. And I've been told I'm really good with my hands."

The last sentence makes Y/N feel flushed, smiling as her mood lightens. She contemplates for a moment, trying to weigh any pros and cons that may present themselves to her. Pro, she gets her dream studio and spends more time with the handsome baker. Con, she spends more time with the handsome baker and her feelings for him start to move into dangerous territory.

One other thing plays on her mind that she knows has to be brought up. "It's not like you have free time, you're busy with the bakery."

Frank waves her off. "S'fine, I can work on it in the evenings. I'd be willing to work through the night for you." Her face is really hot now. "Frank-"

He interrupts. "I have trouble sleeping most nights, might be nice to have something to do while I'm up."

Y/N pauses briefly, thinking it all through. If he's offering, how can she possibly say no?

She laughs slightly, shocked at how fast the plans crashed around her just to be built back up again. "Okay! I guess we're doing this." Frank smiles, holding out a hand for her to shake in mock agreement.

She does so, smiling back.

"So how much d'you want to do it?" Y/N asks, knowing the money side of things can't be put off.

"Nope," Frank replies. "I don't need you to pay me."

She looks at him with wide eyes, scoffing. "I'm not gonna let you do overtime work for free."

Frank scratches the back of his neck, appearing nervous and shuffling his feet. "How bout in exchange for working on the studio, you go on a date with me?"

Y/N feels like she could explode. Her first thought is to immediately say yes because obviously. When a guy as attractive as Frank asks you out, it's a sin not to agree to it. But flashes of her ex-boyfriend pass through her brain, as nerves begin to take over. What if it's the same thing all over again? Could she take that risk?

Frank seems to notice her hesitation, mistaking it for rejection. "Sorry, maybe I read this wrong I just thought-"

"No, no!" Y/N is quick to shut down his worry. "It's not that." She stops for a moment, accepting that now would be the best time to mention Jonah to Frank. If she wants this to go anywhere with him at least.

"I was in this relationship with a guy not too long ago," she rolls her eyes just thinking about it. "It ended….. messy to say the least. And I'm terrified of rushing into a new one and not being ready for it. Then what if it ruins the friendship we've built and with you also wanting to do work on the studio I-"

She's beginning to run out of breath as she tries explaining her reasons to the man in front of her. she's unaware of how close he's standing until he's resting his hands on either side of her face and looking deeply into her eyes. She stops talking, entranced by his soft stare.

"Hey, it's alright," he says. "We don't have to call it a date. It's just two friends working on the studio together, hanging out, and maybe eating some Chinese food."

Y/N nods, her head still cupped gently in Frank's strong hands. "I like Chinese food."

"Good," Frank replies. "So we'll just take it easy. One small step at a time."

She nods once more. "I'd like that."

- - -

Taglist: @nialhero-blog @luvrgirlsworld @britt217 @solstararis @legit9thlunaticwarrior

[callsign-rogueone]

Heyyy idk if you will do it or not because it might be a little weird request but I hope you do it!

Soo I would love to see how they would be like if their girl was being a little insecure cause she’s a little chubby(chubby girl requesting this))and like how would they comfort etc.I hope you really do it and I hope you don’t find it very weird😅

it's not weird! fellow chubby girl here to declare to you that none of our boys would mind if their girl is a little extra soft. some of them might even prefer it... I'm getting ahead of myself.

if you have doubts, my points are three;

they are all beautiful human beings inside and out, and see you for who you are (and also do not give a fuck what society thinks)

they are all gigantic and therefore all of them could still feel like the strong manly protector even if their partner isn’t Violet-sized

when I started this reply I had a third thing in mind. that was an hour ago, and it’s gone now. I’ll replace it with “and because I said so.”

now, moving on. the kind of scenario that I had in mind is that they hear you say something negative about yourself. and today’s categories are:

1) it would be upsetting how logical they’re being about this if they weren’t so cute while doing it:

I have a whole scene written for Dain and love of him being so sweet to her when she’s upset that her pre-Basgiath clothes don’t fit anymore. the TLDR of that is that she’s still the girl he fell in love with years ago, regardless of her looking different now. he reminds her of that, and that it’s for a good reason, that it means she’s healthy, and that it's part of a natural process. so while that isn't exactly the same scenario, I imagine him still being his logical self.

I know I lump Dain and Brennan together all the time, but he is also going in the logical category because he is also a nerd (affectionate), and the thought of you ever being insecure about anything just never crossed his mind. he does have some experience in the reassurance category via Violet, who is on the other end of the spectrum, but it works the same way. he has the whole "you are more than your physical presence and also there is nothing wrong with looking the way you do" speech down pat.

2a) gives you a very sweet speech about how much they love you

Bodhi owns this category. he might actually cry if you say mean things about yourself, because it genuinely breaks his heart to hear that the person he loves most in the world doesn’t love themself. he’s so sweet and loving to you, but also manages to know precisely how you want to be comforted. for example, and maybe I'm just weird, but when I'm having a "bad body image day" I don't want to be touched. I won't elaborate because I don't want to be negative or triggering. but my point stands that Bo would know exactly what you want in that scenario, and does it automatically.

Sawyer is also in this category, though he'd be a little bit more awkward than Bodhi. him and insecurity are old friends, and while his are much different than yours, he knows how it feels to be embarrassed by just existing. he starts by saying what he wishes someone would have told him two years ago, but nobody was around to (wrong. Love was there for him. as much as she could be, anyway.) and when he gets past the general stuff (promising he loves you, etc etc) and into the specifics, he trips over his words a little, and is definitely blushing a little (a lot) but it's so cute and you can tell it's 100% genuine.

2b) listens quietly to everything you have to say, and THEN gives you the speech:

Cam is rather quiet and aloof, from what we've seen in the books. he's not very chatty, probably because he's trying not to give himself away, but also I think that's just in his nature from being the ignored last-priority son... ANYWAY. he sits there listening, and once you finally run out of steam and stop talking, and you see him there, not having said a word, your heart breaks a little, because does that mean he agrees with you? nope. he was just listening and waiting his turn to speak. he knows the pressure to keep up appearances from being part of the Royal Family, so while he doesn’t agree with the statements you’re making about yourself, or the idea that pretty = thin, he understands that there’s outward pressure to look a certain way, and also rants a teeny bit about how much that's bullshit. (as an aside, should I keep calling him Aaric in these posts? or make the switch to Cam? I like Cam better. idk.)

Liam is an observer through and through. he's also sitting there listening, though he's easier to read -- you can always tell his emotions from the way he looks at you. there's so much softness and genuine sadness in those lovely blue eyes, because like Bodhi, he's so saddened that his favorite person feels this way about themself. I also see him as more touchy than Cam, so maybe your eyes just catch his mid-rant, and you see how he's looking at you, and just break... and he's there to hold you and help you glue yourself back together, holding you if/when you cry, and speaking to you so gently...

3) is more playful about it

Garrick is immediately offended — excuse you, how dare you say those things about my beautiful girlfriend. gets handsy, presses kisses everywhere he can reach, and even proves to you that he can still throw you over his shoulder like a sack of flour. holds you like that, upside down with your legs hanging in the air, until you're dizzy and giggling, your mood thoroughly lightened. if you're up for it, he'll continue demonstrating the extent of his attraction to you long after he sets you back down.

Ridoc is also in this category, to nobody’s surprise. while he's not tossing you around, his approach is similar to Garrick's -- lightening the mood, providing a distraction, and proving to you that you're fucking sexy, and not despite of your appearance, but because of it. of course, both he and Garrick know when to fuck around and when to be serious, so if this was a genuine breakdown on your behalf, he's choosing the 2a or 2b approach instead. he's incredibly emotionally intelligent. and I think his constant joking is partially because he wants to provide others a distraction from all the shit going down at Basgiath.

bonus category: 4) immediately assumes that someone else put these ideas in your head. "who said that to you? I just want to talk to them." (no he doesn't)

Xaden is not tolerating any kind of slander about his partner. but when you tell him it wasn't anyone in particular, it was just your own head, he softens. his response is kinda a mixture of all of the above. we know that he's a speech-giver, but also very physically affectionate with his partner... so expect speech followed by the both of you clearing your calendars for the next hour so that he can kiss every inch of you.

[vivalas-vega]

fine line / part one

look at me trying new things !!! dipping my toe into a new fandom - long time lurker, first time contributor. first four parts are written, I just wanted to get this out and get some feelers and feedback. this is gonna be a big one, i'm working very hard !! please please please, let me know what you think (gonna update the header - just wanted to put something for now lol)

fine line / mcu x reader / part one

summary: Three kids from Brooklyn. A war that asks too much. And a woman with secrets stitched into every seam.

also - seems obvious bc of the title but fine line by harry styles is the song for this fic, if you like listening while reading that should def be on your playlist (maybe I’ll make a playlist, I’m undecided)

to be tagged in future works, please turn on post notifications for @vegaslibrary

word count: 2.5k

warnings: (not specific to this part, but for the series as a whole. this fic is 18+, you are responsible for your own media consumption). language, angst, drinking, smut, violence, references (and descriptions) of bucky's abuse within hydra, canon-typical situations - this is the mcu y'all, shit will get a little crazy, and a little devastating

Summer, 1943

“Come on, doll,” Bucky sighed, hand on your waist gripping firm to try and stop you but you just gave him one of those looks that was so classically you. A little annoyance, a little mischief. “A double date with Steve and Bonnie isn’t really what I had in mind for our last night.” 

His hand shifted just slightly, not enough to be considered indecent for how publicly you were situated, but enough towards your hip that you knew what he meant, what he wanted. “There’ll be plenty of time for what you’re suggesting later, Sergeant Barnes,” you replied, the smirk on your lips completely undercutting how innocent you sounded. You pushed him closer to Steve, forcing them to soak up as much conversation as they could before Bucky left at first light tomorrow morning. 

“I don’t see what the problem is. You’re about to be the last eligible man in New York.” Bucky said. “You know there’s three and a half million women here?” He was trying to make him feel hopeful and optimistic about his departure but you and Steve both knew it was fruitless. Bucky was leaving, leaving the two of you behind to go fight the war. It had been just you three since you were children, against the world, and your trio was about to fracture… in ways the boys didn’t even know. 

“I’d settle for just one,” Steve sighed and you flashed him a bright smile, trading places with Bucky and looping your arm through his. 

“Well, then it’s a good thing I’ve taken care of that, isn’t it?” you asked, waving to Bonnie in the distance, waiting for you all just at the entrance.

“What did you tell her about me?” he asked apprehensively.

“Oh, only the good stuff, Steve,” you replied, leaning closer, “and there was a lot to tell.” You made introductions and nudged him forward, trying to push him out of his shell but Steve didn’t do well with letting the rest of the world see who he was. You and Bucky were larger than life, and so was he according to you, but you two seemed to be the only people who knew that.

Howard Stark took the stage—a technology man so ahead of his time you half-believed he was a time traveler. You considered yourself a fairly practical woman, but even you couldn’t help feeling giddy as he spoke of a flying car. You watched in awe as he made it hover above the ground and you turned to face Bucky when you heard him mutter holy cow, with an awe struck smile on your face and delight in your eyes.

He leaned down to press a kiss to your cheek before turning to say something to Steve, who had disappeared at some point in the last five minutes, causing him to look around confused. You gave a sad smile, pointing toward the recruitment center. Bonnie didn’t notice, still marveling at Stark’s other inventions.

“I’m not sure why he wants to face the rejection time and time again,” Bucky said, a mix of disappointment and sympathy in his tone.

“He’s a dedicated man,” you said. “It’s a fine trait in what would make a fine soldier… I just wish they could see that.”

“Well, not everyone can see the world as you do, doll,” he said, pulling the door open for you. “But it’d sure be a good thing if they did.” You frowned slightly when you found Steve, standing in front of a mirror meant to show the person in front of it in a full military uniform… and Steve’s eyes rested where the neck was supposed to be. You thought the world of him, as did Bucky, and you hated how much him and everyone else fixated on his size. You always said a man was measured not by his stature, but by what his heart contained, though Steve could only hear you say it so many times before he stopped believing it.

“Come on,” Bucky said, clapping him on the shoulder and Steve turned, almost a little embarrassed at being caught in front of the display. “You’re kind of missing the point of a double date, we’re taking the girls dancing.”

“You go ahead,” he replied, stepping away from the mirror with his hands in his pockets. “I’ll catch up with you.”

“You’re really going to do this again?” Bucky asked with a disapproving look and you shot him one of your own.

“Well, it’s a fair. I’m gonna try my luck.”

“As who? Steve from Ohio? They’ll catch you… or worse, they’ll actually take you.” You gave Steve a sympathetic look, you’d watched him torture himself with this since the war began, and it broke your heart.

“Look, I know you don’t think I can do this-”

“This isn’t some back alley, Steve. It’s a war,” Bucky shot back and you sighed, realizing Bucky’s little side mission before he met up with you was pulling Steve out of another fight.

“I know it’s a war.”

“Why are you so keen to fight? There’s lots of other important jobs-”

“What do you want me to do? Collect scrap metal in my little red wagon?”

“Yes! Why not?” Bucky was exasperated and you let out another sigh. This is how it always was, it was you in the middle of them constantly… because you could so clearly see both sides. Bucky had points, but so did Steve. 

“I’m not gonna sit in a factory, Bucky. Even Button is doing more than me,” he protested and your eyes darted around… of all the places you didn’t want your laundry aired, a recruitment center was pretty high on that list.

“Steve,” you nearly whispered, a warning. You didn’t need any attention on you or what you did for the war, the less people knew the safer you’d be and the better you could carry out your tasks.

“Sorry,” he muttered, giving you an apologetic look. “Men are laying down their lives, Bucky. I’ve got no right to do any less. It’s not just about me.”

“Right, cause you’ve got nothing to prove,” Bucky shot back and the air grew more tense around you. You wished they wouldn’t fight, not when you had a gut feeling things would never be like this again. Tomorrow Bucky would ship off to war, you’d disappear into your work, and Steve… you didn’t know what Steve would do. This moment could have been the last where you were all still just kids from Brooklyn.

“Come on, aren’t we goin’ dancing?” Bonnie called out, lingering near the entrance.

“Yeah, we are,” Bucky answered, a slight edge to his tone as he tried to pull you away but you planted your feet.

“James,” you said, voice firm. “Not like this.” You gave him a look and he glanced back to Steve, letting out a sigh as he conceded. You were right, as always.

“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid until I get back,” he said, a teasing lilt to his tone as he fixed the distance he’d created just a minute ago.

“How can I?” Steve asked. “You’re taking all the stupid with you.” You cracked a smile, watching Bucky pull him in for a hug, both of them muttering something like punk and jerk. “Be careful,” he added when Bucky pulled away and you could see the longing in his eyes. Longing for his best friend’s safety, longing to go with him.

“Stop by the shop this week, okay?” you asked, leaning down to press a kiss to Steve’s cheek and he nodded half-heartedly. “Don’t disappear on me too, Rogers,” you prodded, keeping your tone light and he gave you his full attention, promising he would come by before you ran to catch up with Bucky. Perhaps it was a low blow pulling on his heartstrings like that, but you felt you had to. You didn’t have much time to make sure he’d be alright without Bucky… without you. You all had jobs to do, and as soon as Bucky shipped out yours would be your focus, you just didn’t know what Steve’s focus would be.

You and Bucky burst through the door like you were outrunning the end of the world, clumsily making your way inside your small apartment without letting your lips stray from his. Your back hit the wall with a soft thud and he took the opportunity to trail kisses down your neck as his hands roamed everywhere, trying to memorize the feel of you as best he could and you were doing the same. You wanted his touch burned into your skin, the memory lodged in every fiber of your being.

He groaned when you grabbed him by the lapel of his coat, one you’d made for him, and pulled him back to your lips, kissing him with such an intensity that his grip on your waist became bruising. Good, you thought. Give me something to hold onto when you’re gone. The sound that tumbled from your mouth when he hoisted you off the ground to set you on the table shot straight through him and he couldn’t get his hands to move fast enough as they pulled your coat down your arms and began working on the buttons of your dress.

Each inch of skin he exposed made him crumble for you, and his hands landed on either side of your neck to pull you back into a kiss, demanding and hungry… possessive. The slide of his tongue against yours melted you into him, sent tingles to the tips of your toes…. Your fingers were more controlled as they undid his belt, more graceful than his movements had been but the way you tugged it off and threw it on the floor was anything but. You slid your fingers through the loops and pulled him flush against your core, softly biting his bottom lip as he groaned into your mouth.

“God, Button,” he whispered, pushing the hair from your face. “You tryin’ to kill me before I ship out?” 

“Maybe just incapacitate you,” you replied and he shook his head before his lips traced a path along your chest. Your fingers tangled in his hair as he lingered just above your heart and when he lifted his eyes to meet yours they were dark, unreadable.

“You’re gonna vanish, aren’t you?” It was barely above a whisper but it felt loud as it rattled through your ears, heart still thudding rapidly and his hands still holding you like you might vanish right now. You’d grown so still you felt a little like glass beneath his fingers but he pressed on anyway. “I know what you’re planning, you might be able to fool Steve, but not me.”

You didn’t answer, just let your hands slide up to rest on his chest… not quite pushing him away, but not pulling him closer either. “You think I’m stupid?” he asked, catching your chin and pulling your gaze to him… not forceful, but insistent. “You’ve been wrapping things up for weeks, meeting people you won’t name. Soon as I got my papers, you started pulling away. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

“Bucky-”

“I get it. You want to do more. You’ve always wanted to do more.”

“So please don’t fight me on it,” you replied, soft and sure. “Not tonight.”

He swallowed hard, jaw flexing as he considered his next words. “I’m not trying to stop you, I just-” he exhaled sharply. “I don’t know how to walk out of here tomorrow and feel like it’s really you that’s leaving me.”

“Because it’d be so easy if it were you leaving me?” you asked as you ran your fingers through his hair and he didn’t have an answer, because it wasn’t easy either way. “Forget tomorrow. Just be here. Just… be here.” 

There was nothing else to say, and he didn’t know how to deny you anything, especially not when you pleaded. His eyes scanned your face for a moment and his grip on your face squeezed, just slightly, before he pulled you back into him, kissing you with a new purpose. Now, it wasn’t just him that had to make it back home to you, you had to make it back home to him, too. He didn’t like those odds, both of you being out there.

He pulled you up and helped you pull off the rest of your clothing before pushing you back onto the bed and settling above you, hands taking in every inch of flesh they could. Each movement felt loaded, a whisper of I love you, of I miss you, of please don’t break my heart. Each push of his body into yours filled you like fire and you wished you could stay here like this with him forever… that there wasn’t a war you were both so determined to fight, that you didn’t have to worry about the world outside your apartment door. You wished you lived in a world where the only thing that mattered was you and Bucky in this bed, giving and taking everything you had to offer.

You laid curled against his side, head resting on his chest and listening to the steady thump of a heart that you knew belonged to you. Your fingers moved idly along his skin, as if you were trying to stitch something into him. “I keep thinking about everything we’re never gonna get.”

Bucky was quiet for a long moment. His hand moved slowly along your back, like he could calm the ache out of you one inch at a time. “Like what?”

“Sunday mornings,” you said. “Stupid arguments over curtains. You kissing me in a grocery store, and it not meaning goodbye.”

He smiled, a little sad, “I would kiss you in a grocery store.”

“You’d kiss me anywhere, Sergeant.” you teased, voice thick with affection.

“True,” he chuckled before you fell back into silence. You could feel sleep trying to pull you under, your body exhausted from the weight of his touch, the weight of what it had meant, but you fought it… wanting another minute. Another ten. Another twenty.

“Promise me something,” you said, your voice smaller than you meant it to be.

He looked down at you. “Anything.”

“Leave before I wake up.”

“Button,” he started, already knowing he’d barely be able to stand leaving you as it was.

“Don’t make me watch you walk away,” you murmured. The pain of it lived in every word. “I won’t be able to take it.” He stared up at the ceiling like it might hold a better answer, jaw tense. “Promise me,” you prompted and you saw it break in his eyes. That familiar crack, the one that always came right before he gave in… because it was you. It would always be you. There wasn’t a single thing you could ask of him that he wouldn’t do, even if it broke his own heart.

“Okay,” he whispered. “I promise.”  You stared at him for a long moment, memorizing every sharp line, every soft crease, like your eyes could hold onto him when your arms couldn’t.

You pulled him back into you, losing yourself in him again. There would never be enough kisses. Never enough I love you’s. Never enough of this.

But it had to be.

This one night had to hold all the ones you’d never get.

Time was already moving on without you. But for now, it was just him. Just you. Just this.

And that would have to be enough.

next part

[ohsohoney]

When it comes to love you're just as blinded.

Part Nineteen

Eminem x Musician

Summary: It starts with a drunk embarrassing video, it spirals into something a whole lot more.

| Set in 2014, just after the release of LP 2

Notes: An update this quick? Who ever heard of it! Hope you lot like this one:) A new face enters the fold!

taglist: @thelastemzy @helloitsme1223 @geekchic48 @antisocialsocialclub5

Masterlist

Marshall’s POV:

It was after the game. Tigers having won, 4–3, ‘cause of course they had. That he’d wound up driving the three of them to a restaurant nearby, merely in hopes that it just might shut Z and all her yapping up, in truth. The girl had been hungry since the second they’d left the stadium, even with having had a hotdog and a half, as well as three fourths of their shared pretzels. That weren’t even counting all the slurpees she’d downed, seeing as Elia hadn’t had the heart to turn down the kid’s puppy-dog eyes and he himself had never really been all that fond of the shit most stadiums sold. Fucking piss poor attempt. Just water and half a can of sugar in every cup.

But that was beside the point.

‘Cause see, he’d been waiting, chewing on his tongue and biding his time, ‘til he could go right on ahead and whoop a can of Detective right out of his back pocket. 

He’d never been stupid, deliberately obtuse at times, but never stupid. No matter what his homeroom teacher might’ve claimed, or his mom even– fuck, maybe just everybody. But despite that, he also knew his daughter better than he knew himself. Could tell you what each look that crossed her face meant, what every word she phrased sounded like, even the fact that she snored differently depending on where they were sleeping. A hotel? Somebody’s hacking up bodies with a chainsaw. At home? Quiet as a fucking mouse.

So, it was safe to say that he’d noticed the shift in his kid the second he’d met back up with the pair at the stadium. Knew it had something to do with that fake fucking cowboy looking ass too. 

He dragged his tongue across his front teeth then, thinking about it all as he watched a familiar figure, wearing his favourite jersey, push through the restaurant's main entrance with a sweet smile on her face. She had been off too, looking back on it.

“So, you gone tell me what went down now?” He finally let himself ask, turning in his seat to peer into the back where his daughter sat with the foam-finger and too large plushie she’d sweet talked Elia into buying for her.

“Huh?”

He only had to level Rosie with a look, the kind that called her out on all her bullshit without saying a word. She sighed.

Slumping ever so around her seatbelt, eyes caught on his, Z finally gave him an answer, “Nothing really– Honest, it wasn’t even that serious, Dad!” She tacked on the second part as soon he raised an eyebrow. “Just some guy in the line to the hotdog stand.”

He felt his spine stiffen. “He do somethin’?”

The girl giggled softly at his quick reaction, which in itself had his muscles loosening ever so, but still, he waited for the verbal reply.

“No, Dad. Well, I mean yeah,” It was with that which Z started hurrying her explanation along, probably having seen the sudden alarm bells that she was setting off in him. “But he was just talking– flirting actually.”

Flirting.

His stare flickered out over the parking lot they’d since pulled into as he worked to unwind his jaw, having just felt the grit of his teeth clip the side of tongue. It was his daughter’s amused snort that had him blowing out a slow breath, though he was careful not to give away how much it affected him, the idea of some random dude trying to get a hold on what he’d worked so hard to allow himself to want. 

He waited, one, two…

“Guy with the stupid hat?” He questioned her, even though he already knew.

Z nodded, grinning at him toothily now that he’d turned his gaze back to her. “Don’t worry, Dad. I had your back.”

His brow furrowed at that comment and her amusement broadened. She giggled again, a sound he’d come to love more and more as she grew up, but he couldn’t help but wonder, “What d’you mean?”

“Dad..” She droned out, her voice tried, whilst she rolled her eyes at him, as though he was the one being dense or some shit. “I know you like El! It’s obvious!”

He found himself reeling back a little at that. Obvious, really? So obvious that his kid had gone and caught on to his inner turmoil? ‘Cause that’s exactly what it’d been since Elia had walked into his life.

He let himself slink back in his seat but kept his eyes fixed on his daughter in the rearview mirror, at her gleeful little grin. 

“Ain’t obvious, you goblin.” He heard himself say a minute later, scoffing, which earned him nothing but a laugh and a clipped uhuh in return. “It ain’t.” He enforced, hating the way he sounded like he’d stooped to her level, “And anyway, how you even know ‘bout any of that? You should be countin’ your Abc’s, not sticking your nose into my lo–” Damn. He was gonna say love life. 

She’d caught onto it too, quick as anything this girl. 

“One, I’m not a little kid. Two! Who ‘counts’ their Abc's?” Rosie acknowledged, making full use of her fingers as she started listing things off. “And three– you loveeee her! You wanna kisssss her! You wanna marryyyy her!”

“What are you, three?” He shot back, feeling vaguely flushed at the notion of having been called out so blatantly, and by his daughter nonetheless. “‘Sides, ain’t none of your business.”

She hit him with another one of those uhuh’s again. His left cheek twitched.

“Come on, Dad. I’m big enough now, I can know these things.” Z said, almost reprimanded him, truth be told, though contradicted herself in the way she still clung to her plushie, “I like her anyway– a whole lot. If you wanted to know.”

“If I wanted to know.” He muttered under his breath in a huff full of mirth. Funny kid. 

Still, he let her words bounce around in his head for a couple of seconds, really taking them in, before his eyes flickered over his right shoulder. “Don’t mean she’s replacin’ nobody, you get that, right? An’ I don’t know what’s gone happen either. She lives far away, like a whole ocean. That stuff ain’t easy.”

Rosie rolled her eyes, albeit fondly, at him as though she was used to hearing all of his worries, and had even expected it. “I know she won’t replace nobody, Mom’s Mom. But still, it’s different with Lia. And also, ocean-smotion– Dad, you’ve gone through worse.”

He couldn’t help the soft snort he gave her. 

Still, he didn’t want to linger too long on that second thing. 

“Lia, hey? When you start usin’ that?” He wondered, scratching the side of his head as he flashed her a small smile.

Z shrugged ever so, like a little kid who’d just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Yet, she still answered him, “Lottie uses it.”

He knew that much, knew it was also a name that the woman didn’t allow just anyone to use, or hear really. He felt his tongue scrape against his back teeth, still sore from the earlier assault, before he then hummed. “You don’t mind it then? Like me, maybe datin’ again?”

“Mind it? Dad, she’s the best! Like super cool, too cool for you even.” Rosie started, her face having lit up like a christmas tree, even as he gently swatted her foot in retaliation to that latter comment. “She’s pretty too, like one of those models you see on the tv pretty. But also not, because some of them are sorta scary. Still. She lets me talk and tell her stories. She does my hair! She helps me with my homework, even when she looks like she’s busy! She doesn’t treat me like a little kid either, not even when I want a hug or get upset. She’s just–” 

She smiled there, one he didn’t think he had ever really seen on her before and it struck something deep inside of him. 

“She’s the best.”

He wanted to reply, to find some words to give back to her in return for them, but Hell, was it difficult. 

It was just as he went to open his mouth that the silence of the car was shattered by the sudden click of the sidedoor. A rush of wind swept through as the topic of their conversation shuffled her way inside, the food they’d ordered situated in a paper bag on her lap whilst the woman herself flashed the two of them a happy smile.

“Christ, it’s freezing out there, I swear! Must have been a change in weather or something because I know it wasn’t that cold at the game.” Elia blew out, clicking her seatbelt into place before she rubbed her hands together for warmth. “They gave us extra garlic bread, by the way. And a slice of cake?” She told them as she peered into the bag, wafting a savoury scent around the car, “Dunno why, but I thought it was dead nice, so.”

She shrugged lightly and then turned back towards Z, gifting the girl yet another smile that had Rosie mimicking its strength. 

“Got your chips, too.” El added, waving a bag of salted potato chips before cracking another grin when Rosie’s face fell in sudden surprise. “And your fries.” She snorted, this time shifting to gift him a smile that was overtly sheepish, “Might’ve forgot about the difference. They were real lovely about it though, gave me the crisp bag in a sort of jokey way. Made me laugh.”

“Maybe they liked your accent!” Z gasped excitedly.

He simply shook his head though, smirking whilst he switched the engine back on and shifted into gear. “I think they jus’ might like you as much as we do, baby.”

Oh, and was that worth it to have seen the way she flushed so prettily. 

Z giggled happily behind them, sending him a knowing look through the rearview mirror the second he chanced a glance back. 

That time, he couldn’t hide his smile.

–

I’d not long gotten off the phone to Lottie when the frontgate buzzed. The sound had thoroughly confused me at first, seeing as I’d never once heard it during my stay, but had intrigued me the second I realised what it could only mean. I all but scampered my way into the foyer, drawing up behind Marshall as he strode over and picked up the phone, swiping through the security cameras to show the gates and giving me a visual of the sleek black car asking to be allowed access.

“Yeah?” Em welcomed the person, but whatever reply he received through the phone had him smirking before he ultimately chuckled and reached out to buzz the car on through. “Yeah, yeah. I hear you, bitch. You best brought food.”

When Marshall hung the phone back up on the receiver and pivoted back around, he wasn’t all that surprised to find me standing there, that smirk still curving his smile.

“Who is it?” I wondered, blinking at him before I heard the gravel crunch of tires pull to a stop in the driveway. I glanced over towards the windows just as Em laughed, but he stayed quiet as he made his way past me, making sure to squeeze my hand when he did before he unlocked the door. “Marsh.” I added, a little anxious now.

But it wasn’t a second later that a figure hopped up the patio just outside, car lights flashing behind them, before they made a stop in the doorway, arms full of takeout. I raised an eyebrow at the sheer amount, before I finally blinked and realised exactly who it was I was staring at.

“Why you always got to mess around with that thing? This is why they don’t like givin’ poor people money!” The man said as his welcome, shaking his head whilst Marshall in turn just snorted.

“I just like fuckin’ with you, man. Now get the fuck inside, lettin’ all this cold air in.”

“Yeah, yeah. Like you actually care.” Was the retort given, the visitor having already offloaded some of the food into Marshall’s hands and kicked off his heavy boots, pushing them to the side.

Em sort of clucked his tongue as he shut the door, “Where your manners, anyway, man? Lady present.”

I watched on as the visitor, in turn, furrowed his brow at Em’s words before glancing around the room, probably having expected Z to have started bounding her way over. But instead, there was only me and so a sly smile soon stretched out across his face as he took me in from over the rim of his sunglasses. 

“Elia, Elia, Elia.” He drawled out before chuckling lowly, “Have I heard a thing or two about you.”

I was surprised to say the very least. 

“I mean, same? But also not the same.” I stumbled, blinking a tad bit owlishly at him. “From your work? Yes. From Marshall? No. So this is a surprise and a half, I’ll just say.”

Marshall's head shook as he made his way on over, sighing as though put out when he gestured between us, “El, this is one of my closest friends, Ryan. Ry, this is Elia.”

“You just go by Ryan then?” I had to ask as I extended my hand out to meet the man’s own. But couldn’t ignore that way Marshall’s smirk turned into a grin. 

“Royce, Bad, B. Whatever you please.” He answered me, smiling more genuinely now, “Typically just Ryan, these days.”

I smiled back, relaxing a tad.

“Uncle Roy!” 

“Or Uncle Roy, it would also seem.” Ryan laughed as a blur of pigtails and pink launched itself at him, prompting the man to catch the girl with his one free arm and spin her around. “If it ain't my favourite Mathers member! How you doin’, little one?”

“Good.” Rosie grinned up at him before her head shot around to me, “Have you met Lia yet, Roy? She and Dad are–”

Marshall was quick to sweep his daughter back up off the floor, picking her up as he darted past the two of us and placed a hand over her mouth to muffle her words as he continued on down the hall. “Let’s eat, yeah? Food’s gone get even colder.”

“Aye, it wouldn’t be cold if you had just let me through that gate!” Ryan called out to Marshall’s retreating back, before he blinked and shouted again, “And why’d you shut the girl up, Em? You keeping secrets from me now?”

When Ryan’s gaze skittered over to where I still stood, fondly gazing after the father and daughter duo, I saw the moment his eyes narrowed in suspicion, or maybe just awareness.

“What?” I asked him, chuckling lightly at feeling caught out all of a sudden.

Ryan merely quirked a brow at me, looking smug. “One thing you gonna realise about me, Popstar. Is that, me? I see all.”

It was with that in which he trailed off after Marshall and Z, throwing me a grin as he went.

I was stuck staring after him, wondering over what he could have possibly meant by it.

…

“.. And this lizard, right?” Ryan continued on with the tale he’d started, about a tour he’d been on with Em back in the day, “Crawling up his back. On my life, this man jumped a foot in the air. Never seen anything like it. Crazy stuff, I'm telling you.”

“I didn’t jump.” Marshall amended, tutting at the man from across the table, “Thing shocked me, is all.”

“Shocked you? E, you were cryin’ out how you thought it bit you, man!” Ryan defended, before he turned to Rosie and I conspiratorially, “It didn’t, he just always been that dramatic.” 

Rosie and I couldn’t help our laughter, having been giggling away the entire meal, in truth. Ryan and Em had far too many stories to tell about one another, a few having had to have been altered, or censored rather, what with Z listening in. But all of them were incredibly hilarious and almost hard to believe.

“It did fuckin’ bite me! I got the scar to prove it.” Marshall shot back, lifting the sleeve of his tee to show off a patch of bare skin by his elbow.

“Man, there ain’t nothing there.” Ryan scoffed, shaking his head as he waved Em off. 

The pair were entertaining enough that Z didn’t even question the swear her Dad had let slip. Not that I was going to mention it. That swear jar was almost full now, most of it having been filled by me during my short stay.

“Right there!” Em further enforced, leaning over the table now to better show the other man, “Z, baby, you see what I’m seein’?”

“Sure, Daddy.” Rosie answered him, patting her father’s back in a soothing gesture that had me biting back another round of ugly laughter.

Marshall huffed out a breath, looking as alive as I’d ever seen him, before those piercing baby blues locked themselves onto me. “Help me out here, sweetheart. You see this, right?”

To be fair to him, even though I had to lean in rather close, I did see something of a slight alteration to the colour of his skin, a barely there lightened patch that could have been a scar. “Yeah, sort of.” I replied, squinting as I pointed it out, brushing my finger over its top. “‘Bout a penny long.”

Em flopped back into his seat with a victorious sort of grin, eyes narrowed as he peered over at his good friend, who was sat there scoffing at the two of us. 

“Fucker bit me, man.”

“Yeah, and I’m headed to the moon after this rerun of the Addams family ends.” Ryan admonished, shaking his head around a lopsided smile.

“Does that mean I can be Wednesday?” Rosie pondered aloud, really thinking the idea over whilst her Dad just rolled his eyes at the other man.

“Like you don’t love bein’ here. Get lost, man.”

“I speak only the truth, brother.” Ryan laughed, rolling up the napkin he’d just used and tossing it down onto his tray. I took another swig of my drink, grateful for the fact that the man had brought along enough to feed a small army, and had good taste in takeout to boot. 

Em eased a tad at that, relenting to starting the clean up instead of shooting back another quip, something the pair were quite fond of. “You stickin’ round long?” He asked around a chip he’d just stolen from Z, the girl far too used to it. 

“Got to be on a flight tomorrow morning, man. Meetings.” Ryan answered, smiling up at me kindly when I grabbed his rubbish for him, “But I think I got some time before I go. Definitely enough to get the ins and outs on whatever’s been going on here.”

Rosie giggled, whilst Marshall himself took on a bemused sort of look. “What you mean, what’s been goin’ on here? Life as usual. Work, work, and more work.”

“We went to a baseball game yesterday.” Rosie informed her pseudo uncle, attempting to hide a grin behind her cup.

“Oh, yeah? Detroit win?”

“Uhuh.”

Ryan fixed her with a raised brow. “Anything else go down?”

“A cowboy almost stole Lia’s affections, but I saved the day.”

“Affections?” Came Marshall’s bewildered mutter as he padded back over to us, whilst Ryan snorted, “Cowboy?”

I blinked back at her, then tried to silently converse through telepathy and facial expressions alone to keep her from spilling it all.

“Uhuh.” That had to be her new favourite word. “I lied and said my Dad took us out for their anniversary.”

Marshall looked a tad bit startled by the new information, whilst Ryan choked a little on the sip he’d just taken. 

“Anniversary?” Ryan laughed when he’d finally finished coughing, Z having clapped his back in good aid. “Gold, I swear. What did he say back?”

The girl shrugged, still chewing on her food. “Thought I was her kid and said sorry for intruding on our day. He was sort of nice.”

“When he weren’t flirting with your Daddy’s new beau, right?” Ryan mentioned with another chuckle, something which got him a scuff around the ear from Em.

“You know shit.”

“Swear jar!” Rosie remembered. Marshall sighed. 

“The two of you couldn’t be more obvious!” Ryan further endorsed, pointing between us now.

“Look, Marshall’s got a big fat crush, yeah. But me? I’m just here for the kid and the free food.” I teased, earning myself a round of laughs and an unimpressed stare from the man mentioned, “What?” I grinned at him.

“Mom and Dad are fighting.” Ryan quipped, transferring Em’s displeased look from me to himself. He held his hands up in mock surrender. 

Marshall turned back to face me, “You got it bad for me, e’ryone can see it.”

“Oh yeah, if you get real close and personal, maybe even use a microscope.” I snarked back, leaning against the table’s edge now.

I was gifted an eye roll in response, “We can get real close and personal–”

“Oh woah, hey now. Preschool toys present.” Ryan interrupted, reminding Marshall of the little ears listening in. 

“Yeah, Em.” I rubbed it in, smirking all the while.

“Yeah, Dad.” Rosie mimicked before she paused, “Hey, am I the preschool toy?”

Ryan’s next bout of laughter was also followed by another fit of coughing, but even so, Em and I still shared a secretive smile over the tops of their heads.

[bcacstuff]

Ok but they’re both in London, why would anyone actually make up that random lie, get of all women? And know she was in London when he was for his book, also now she’s back in London when he is AND both were active on ig until they BOTH WERE NOT online at all from yesterday afternoon til late morning. Sounds like he is stupid enough to play around with a girl before his marathon. The man is desperate. Then posts he’s run down today prob to cover up the fact he’s going to tank tomorrow because he hasn’t taken this seriously and honestly doesn’t care!!!! That woman is never quiet on ig so to be silent on a Friday night when he didn’t go on and repost stuff is proof to me they were together.

🙄

For real, Anon, you wont give up now wont you. This is totally the only time I will answer you, because it doesn't get into your coconut how terribly shortsighted you are AND sound.

London is a big huge city where lots of people go often. We all know Sam goes there often, and I have no doubts this woman does as well, just like hundreds, maybe even thousands other women. Just because he's a little quiet on IG? Really????? I mean, wtf do you expect him to do, post every 5 minutes? About what?

Do you really believe he's gonna mess around with a woman days before he has to run a marathon? You really think that's realistic? Yes, he's scared, he shits his pants, as all the world is looking how he'll run that marathon. And he knows he's not gonna get over that finish looking like he just did a little walk.

Did you see how he got over the finish the marathons he ran in the past. Yes he was nice enough to let people take pics and smile, but he was shaking on his legs. Is that desperate? No it isn't, it's normal! Just try it yourself, run 26.2 Miles or 42.2KM. Do you think it's easy? Even when trained, and when your basic fitness is good, it's still not easy.

Stop being such a fruitcake. That DM post couldn't be more fake. Nobody is gonna spill tea starting with telling they work at a hotel/bar. You know you'll get fired right away if you do. On top of that a hotel he never stays, and wasn't staying at when he was in London for his book. He was where he always is when in London, the bed sheets and the especially the glass in the video gave it away. And if you're still not convinced, he will never sit in the middle of a bar making out with a woman for everyone to see and to take pics. (why wasn't there a pic to begin with?????????????)

All you want is to stir the pot, trying to be important, or whatever. You're bugging me constantly with all kind of cobwebs, but they're only in your head for some very unclear reason. I don't know what thrives you or why you do this, but I do know one thing, its not healthy. So for the love of us all, stop doing this.

Needless to say, I will trash all these kind of messages as I always do right away. I just need to read the first 3 words, and know enough. There is nothing, I repeat NOTHING at all, your imputations are totally unfounded and you're doing nothing else than wasting someone else's time. If you want to waste your own time chasing figments, go ahead. Post them on your own blog. It's not going to be here on mine. I deal in facts not in fantasies.

[lorneytunes]

Betty Erickson Self-Hypnosis Technique

Okay, because @moonwillow473737 (sorry, your account isn't showing up to tag) asked, and nobody ever asks me anything, I'm writing this step by step guide on one of the most famous (and misused) self-hypnosis techniques out there: The Betty Erickson Method, also known as the 54321 Method. It was invented by the wife of American psychologist and psychiatrist Milton Erickson and is widely renowned as one of the best, and easiest self hypnosis techniques out there.

Once we get into the steps, you might notice the technique sounds familiar to you, as many psychologists recommend a variation of it as a grounding technique, and some shifters have attempted to include it in their methods. HOWEVER, I will point out that most people are doing it wrong, so if you think you already know how it works, I invite you to read on anyway and check your technique.

The Steps

The basic technique is pretty straightforward:

It's recommended that you have a plan for what you're going to do once you're hypnotised. Come up with your affirmations/suggestions ahead of time and repeat them to yourself a few times so you know you'll remember them when you're a dopey hypnotised mess.

Get into a comfortable position somewhere you can relax without being interrupted.

Keeping your head and body still, look around your room for 5 things you can see.

Repeat with 5 things you can hear.

Repeat with 5 things you can feel.

Then repeat steps 3-5 with 4 things you can see, hear and feel. Then 3, 2, and finally 1.

What Most People Get Wrong

These are the most common ways I've seen people get this technique wrong before:

Bringing in extra senses

Taste and Smell are very difficult senses to work with, and trying to find MULTIPLE things you can taste at any one time is insane. They're great for enhancing a visualisation session, but they're not helpful here.

Not using repetition

The most common mistake I see is people going "5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can feel" and so on, rather than the above method. Focusing on each sense multiple times is important, for multiple reasons:

It makes the technique last longer, giving your mind time to settle into the rhythm.

It slowly narrows in your focus. You start out being aware of 5 things for each sense, then 4, then 3 and so on, until you've phased them all out and are focused inwards.

Repetitive tasks lull your brain into a sleepy state, which is what we want when we're working with hypnotic suggestions.

Examples

The more specific you can make the things you're noticing, the better. So here are some examples to help you.

Sight

Shadows on the wall

Beams of light coming through the window

The movement of a fan blade

Leaves moving in the breeze

Hearing

Your breath leaving your lungs

The Inner Sound - often manifests as a high pitched ringing that only appears when you relax or try to meditate. (Note: This is NOT tinnitus. Tinnitus is present at all times, often very difficult to ignore, and does not go away as soon as you stop paying attention to it.)

Your bedroom fan, if you have one

The breeze

Cars going past on the street

Birds singing

Touch

The weight of your blanket

The texture of your mattress

The sensation of your chest moving as you breathe

Air moving around your room

The feeling of your clothes on your skin

The weight of your glasses on your face (if you're wearing any)

Finally

I had a few more things I was going to say but, honestly, this is plenty. If it doesn't work the first time, try again. If you think you can't do it because you have ADHD - you're wrong, because I have clinically diagnosed, combination type ADHD and I can do it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, me and my boyfriend are going to the zoo tomorrow and it took me 90 damn minutes to write this when it was supposed to be quick and now it's nearly midnight. Good luck and good night.

[atamascolily]

I decided to make a new post rather than derail the conversation on this excellent reblog chain about dramatic irony with niche fandom analysis, but one thing I think a lot about is why SHAFT titled the Rebellion sequel movie "Walpurgis no Kaiten" in the first place. They could have called it something generic like "Rising" or "Revolution," but instead they specifically emphasized they were bringing back the big bad, and they didn't have to do that. They could have made an ambiguous trailer that didn't touch on any of that and surprised us all in theaters, but they wanted us specifically to know that Walpurgisnacht was going to be there when they released the freaking title. And yeah, that was to drum up hype and it worked, and it was a great marketing move for that reason alone, but I don't think they would have done it if it also didn't work on a story level.

The same is true for the duplicate Homura reveal in the first key visual. They really didn't have to give us that, but they did. They deliberately showed us the two of them side by side because they wanted us to know and wonder why. And from that moment on, every time we see Homura, we ask, "Is this the real one or the duplicate?" because we know to ask, and we've been doing this for years before the movie's even been released. Hitchcock would be so proud!

The big plot twist of Walpurgis no Kaiten ISN'T that Walpurgisnacht is back or that there are two Homuras--two bombshells that you'd think could fill a movie in and of themselves-- because they already shouted it to the world. Walpurgis no Kaiten is going to be how and why these circumstances came about and how these two seemingly disparate facts are related, and for maximum suspense, the audience needs to know ahead of time that they're coming. This is not to say there won't be other surprises along the way, but the great thing about dramatic irony is that the story is still suspenseful and exciting precisely because you know what's coming, and it makes the movie effectively "spoiler proof" in this respect.

I would also add that dramatic irony is especially effective in tragedies, such as Oedipus Rex or Hamlet, where we know from the beginning that the main character is heading for a fall. Heck, Romeo and Juliet even opens with a prologue telling us it's all going to end in tears! This combined with the question "is it possible to overcome fate or is everything inevitable?" which is at the core of Homura's conflict with Walpurgisnacht, suggests that Walpurgis no Kaiten is going to lean very hard into the tragic elements. This doesn't necessarily mean a tragic ending--"hope" is also a key theme of the franchise--but Homura will probably have to hit rock bottom first as everything she's worked so hard to build crumbles around her.

For better or worse, Madoka Magica as a franchise is so notorious for plot twists that I think it's fitting that the creators have embraced dramatic irony for this sequel. The original anime had a lot of misleading marketing that it was going to be a conventional magical girl anime, only to pull the rug away, first subtly with framing and foreshadowing, and then dramatically by the end of the third episode. Rebellion starts in media res, forcing the audience to figure out what is going on alongside Homura before blindsiding them at the end. So how can you possibly top that in a follow-up?

Instead of trying to hide or disguise what they're doing with Walpurgis no Kaiten, the answer seems to be "tell the audience what's happening in advance and let them writhe in suspense". It's such a power move and I love it.