#him being the first to cross the cliff during the escape means so much its about his gained confidence in himself comeon

[goldiipond]

the only reputation i want for myself in the tpn fandom is that one artist who really really loves don

[soullessmocha]

i think; therefore i am || part one

{ fem! witch reader x poly!the lost boys }

|| part two ||

part rating: teen

word count: 20716 (i am so sorry)

part summary: a nomadic witch running from her dark past (reader) finds her place after travelling the states on the shores of santa carla. in a way to make money she sets up a booth on the bustling boardwalk where she gives a few readings to a couple interesting characters for some loose change. this night she discovers she isn’t the only supernatural being.

warnings: mature language, mind manipulation, violence, use of tobacco, a cute familiar, nightmares, allusions to being burned alive, witch trials, hints to major character death, visions, and the lost boys being violent (mainly david.), this has not been proof read it has merely been skimmed.

“I promise I will be good. Please mother!” You yell towards the cloaked woman who looked at you with a disdained look on features. Features you once found comforting and like home turned on you in an instant. Those soft features are now rigid and gaunt from stress and aging, but the worse link to all the features was the cobalt blue eyes. Eyes that reflected the moon so sharply that it was almost mirrored. Eyes so sharp and focused as your mother shook her in disappointment, “No, you won’t,” her words were forthright showing no emotion behind it. How did someone who you called your mother betray you and not even take a second glance? “No, no! Wait! No, I promise!” You start to trash against the rope that is wrapped around your body, confining you to a large wooden pole. Stretching your body to its breaking point as the only color you could see was red. Then it was hot, burning, seething your skin away as one of your sisters lowers a torch at your feet. Your eyes connect to the moon as your throat lashes a blood-curdling scream into the starry clear night.

Gasping for the air you shoot up from your makeshift bed, sweating coating your skin in a glossy layer. Your lungs rapidly gasp for air as they burn from your fears that have your heart racing so much it punches your ribs. A shift in the bed causes your attention to shift. Your cat, a scruffy black devon rex steals his way up the side of your bed. His head tilting before making his own way into your lap a loud purr radiating off of your pet in his best attempts to calm you. You lift a shaky hand to plop it down on the cat’s back who tenses for a quick second before stretching his paws to your chest, reminding you to breathe. A slight smile comes to your lips, “I’m fine, Finn. Really,” you sigh and rub away the hair sticking on your face from the layer of sweat on your skin. “It’s always the same nightmare.” You admit to your furry friend who makes his way to the tail end of your bed. He stretched and tipped his nose upwards as his spine curled sniffing the air as if he was trying to investigate the surrounding area. With your heart rate slowed just the slightest you pull yourself from your bed and shuffle through the hallway that leads from your bedroom to your living space in the trailer you parked on the cliff overlooking the beach. The sun was setting, casting an orange hue in your trailer, the light catchers reflecting rainbows as they twirl mindlessly from the free breeze coming through the cracked window. Peace. That was a safe haven. However, with the sun setting you realize you have taken a nap when least expected. You must’ve needed it after the first night of working on the boardwalk. Who knew reading tarot, runes, and palms to tourists would take so much energy out of you.

A sigh escapes your lips as you attempt to step around Finn to get to your closet where you pick a black outfit with an ornate shawl to help you stand out. 

“Be good and protect the home,” you kneel down to scratch Finn under his chin after you have gathered your last-minute things and open the trailer door to have it close behind you. A quiet meow echoes from behind the door and your smirk at the small goodbye from your pet. It didn’t take you long to start up your old truck with a few hits and a couple pumps for the clutch to make your way down to the boardwalk parking lot.

The night was the same as before but this time a couple of well rounded security guards started to come up to the booth later on into the evening. The wind was a bit harsher and the waves crashed in rhythm of the music that was being played on the tiny radio next to your ankle. The boardwalk was filled with all strains of life. There were well rounded individuals taking their picture perfect families for a night out to teens dressed in all black with every inch of their face covered in piercing and colored hair. You preferred that crowd. Then again it didn’t help to get money from those picture perfect families who you only give half ass readings for. When the heavy boots of the literal rounded security officers approached your booth were you snapped from your thoughts. Looking them up and down you can instantly get a feel of their energy, they were hostile and annoyed by the night already. Yet the night was still so young. 

“Excuse me, do you have a permit to be setting up your booth here?” The officer with the mustache questions shifting his weight onto one leg jutting out his hip.

“Yeah, you need a vendor permit to even set up here on the boardwalk,” the skinnier one of the couple started before picking at the cloth of your booth, studying it with a devious smirk. “You tell fortunes? Tell me how we are going to kick you off the boardwalk.” The two chuckle at the joke yet in a calm manner you stand with your hands on the ornate cloth. 

“I do tell fortunes, but not those who tend hurt others because they have a flimsy gold badge on their breast,” you start and give a rather deceiving smile as you tilt your head. “I do not have a vendor’s permit to be out here. However, I am sure you know how hard it is to make a living during these times. Surely you can give me a pass.” You suggest and the fatter one with the mustache snickered at your suggestion. The two looked at one another but as they looked back at you they were met with purple hazed eyes and fingers that were pointed at them which radiated purple energy. “Now, I hope you will listen to me,” you begin this time your voice was an octave deeper as you displayed your abilities to them. It wasn’t hard to sink into their minds and be able to control such a feeble psyche, the purple illuminating from their eyes indicated you were in. You didn’t even need to chant a hex to even get them to repeat after you, “I will not approach this vendor anymore.” They repeat and a smirk quivers on the corner of your lips, “I will not terrorize anyone who I deem… different. I will walk away now and forget I ever saw this vendor.” Once they repeat you flick your wrist the two men turn on their heels and quite literally march away to whatever other duties they have. You grumble to yourself as you sit back down pushing the skirt under you so you can sit properly on the chair. 

As you adjust your trinkets and cards on the table you can hear from afar an excited young boy's voice, “Mike! Look! It’s a fortune teller. We have to do this!”

“No Sammy, we said we would go to the concert and meet mom back at the entrance. I am not stopping for some phoney fortune teller who just reads some useless cards to tell me literally nothing.” the older voice replies back with an annoyed tone and quite ready to walk in the opposite direction. You don’t look up to give the hint you are listening, in fact you lean back in your chair starting to shuffle your tarot deck because indeed you know the two will end up before you.

“Well too bad. I came here to have fun and you’re ruining it. Live a little Mike. You’ve been grumpy all day,” pouts the young blonde, “plus I didn’t say you needed to get a reading done. i got my own money.”

“How did you get money?”

“I stole it from your wallet!” The younger one laughs and charges his way over to the booth and you make eye contact with him, his grin was wide and full of innocence. Blue eyes that were striking amongst the moonlight, they glimmered with hope and curiosity. “Dammit Sam!” the older one whom you assumed to be the brother charges behind. “Hi, how can I help you today?” You asks in your kindest customer service voice. The young boy holds out the ten dollar bill, “I would like a reading if I could have one please. Mom always told us about her tarot card readings, but I would like one for myself.” He grins to the side as he looks over his shoulder to his older brother, a brunette with a strong build who seems to already be annoyed just standing next to this booth and his brother. “Why of course, thank you! Take a seat please.” You request and glance over to the older brother, “If you’d like a seat by all means sit.” He didn’t respond, only took a glance at you before looking away. He was skeptical and nervous. Of course he was. “Normally I don’t do readings for such young gentlemen like you, but I like you already, so I will do a general reading. Now before I get started, may I have your name?”

“Sam,”

“Nice to meet you Sam, I am Y/N. Thank you once again,” you grant a thanks and start to shuffle your cards. Normally with normal individuals the cards don’t have this much energy. You give a breathy chuckle and shuffle fiercely before a card flies from the deck. You plant it face down before looking young Sam in the eyes giving him a playful smirk at his eagerness. “You two have a lot of energy for you, that’s a good thing.” You compliment but the older brother just snickers and crosses his arm before another card flies out. It didn’t take long for the third to fly out. You align the cards, “Alright let’s see here, this card represents you. The page of cups,” You smile gingerly at the card before flipping it to show the boy. “You are filled with wonder, you love your family and have a curious nature to you.” You can see the boy is looking at the card with curious eyes. Take in the fancy man holding a golden chalice balance on one foot and his heel. He is dressed in quite jarring clothes like the boy sitting in front of you. “You also love to express yourself in ways that are creative, like your fashion, or music.” You not before hovering your hand over the next card. “This card represents the path you are on," you flip over the card to see the emperor standing sitting on his throne high and mighty, “the emperor. Now this card is quite powerful, one of my favorites. You are on the path of seeking how to defend yourself and those you love. How to become more powerful in the sense of trying to find structure and to grow in your sense of logic and practicality.” At this point you didn’t even notice the older brother has now sat down. Full attention on you and the cards. You give him a wink before turning your attention back to his younger brother, “It seems like you’re trying to find a father figure role within yourself or by others.” The boys' features soften from a grin to a saddened look, that must’ve struck a bit too close for home. “Let’s continue, shall we?” You ask and he slowly nods glancing over at his brother. You carefully flip over the last card, “This card represents your potential,” your eyes glance down at the justice card. The figure holds a sword and a scale in each hand, sitting on a chair with authority as a scarlet drape is behind them. “Justice. You know what it’s like to be wronged, treated unfairly, you will have to face the truth soon. Whatever that truth is, you have to see everything from each point of view. Going back to the Emperor, you need to be logical and work on that skill in order to find your Justice. You will generate peace and harmony to those who surround you.”

“Wow, thank you, that’s- that’s awesome,” Sam thanks you leaning back in the folded chair carefully eyeing his brother who was staring diligently at the card, studying them and seeming astounded. You lean forward and tap the table under his nose. “I can do a reading for you as well, free of charge. I like your little brother. However, I would like your name.”

The blue eyed brunette looked up at you with wide eyes, filled with wonder and trying to read your own eyes. “Michael. My name is Michael,” you smile at his name and gather the cards back into your pile. You shuffle in the bustling white noise of the  busy boardwalk. A card flies out and lands face down on the table. You shuffle until two more fall from the pile. “Alright Michael, let’s see who the cards say you are.” Your black painted fingers flip over the first card to be greeted by the figure of archangel Michael blowing on his trumpet as the words read ‘judgement’. “You are going through a new journey, a new beginning. You are starting anew. You also find comfort in sharing your struggles with others who relate and you want freedom from your own troubles. Then we have,” You start flipping over the second card, “the ten of swords.” You whisper and you glance up to see his worried eyes look at the pictured body stabbed by ten swords pinned to the ground. “Don’t overthink it.” You whisper ducking your head to make eye contact with him, trying your nest to make him feel safe. “You're going to be betrayed by someone you begin to trust. The pain inflicted runs deep not because what they have done is hurtful, but because you know deep down that this marks the end of your relationship as you know it with them. You will grieve the loss of the relationship. This card is about letting go and accepting your circumstances.” There was silence between the two, you could hear a pin drop if one was to.

“It’s a warning,” you say and clear your throat to ease the tension a bit. You flip over the last card to show the lovers card. “The lovers,” you smile longingly at the card, “you will be ready to establish your own beliefs and follow your heart in the end. You will find love for yourself but love will also find you. In every choice you make on your path, there is an equal amount of advantage and disadvantage, opportunity and challenge, positive and negative. I am excited for you to find your other half.” A warm smile comes to your lips but there was wary to the middle card, that card showed the journey he was going to begin was going to something dark. The clapping of a hand on someone’s back causes you to jump out of your trance. “Well gentlemen, I hope you got the answers you two were looking for. Thank you for stopping by, if you have any more questions or any more services, I will be here.”

The two respond with weary smiles and slowly get up from their chairs with soft thanks as they continue to make their way down the boardwalk. A twinkle of a smile was left on your lips as you watched them walk away. 

Hours later you find yourself with a tip jar that is half full and a bag that contained crumpled bills that were stale and some damp. A sigh leaves your lips as you clean up the station, cleaning up the scrying orb in its case and the tip jar in the bag full of bills. Just before you started to take down your sign you saw four shadows cascade from behind you. A low hum left your lips and you turned on your heel to see four men standing in front of you. Quite young looking, dressed in all black, a couple more than the others. A small smile peaked your lips. “How can I help you gentlemen?” You ask the stoic figures as they stare down at you, purely interested and emitting a strange energy. They’re energy was really strange but you couldn’t put your finger on it. 

“Well we were seeing if it wasn’t too late to get a couple of readings,” the one with the spiked platinum blonde hair responds. His head tilts as he looks into your eyes. For a second you had to look away from the piercing blue eyes because you felt your head go dizzy. 

“Of course, what are you looking for? I do tarot, palms, and even runes.” You inform as your make your way to your side of the booth. Your folding chair creaking as you sit on it, your posture upright and alert. 

“Well, Marko? Which one do you want? You begged to come over here before they closed.” The platinum spoke up again, you tried to get a read on him, by his upright body language he seemed to be the leader of the little posse. Though you were new to the boardwalk you never really saw them around. How did you miss them? Granted you were new to town, but only by a few weeks.

“I’ll go with a palm reading if it means the cutie gets to hold my hand.” The one name Marko pipes with a chuckle from his peers. You can only roll your eyes playfully to play along, “Well sit down, palm readings start at $10 for that comment.” You tease the curly haired man who skipped to your hair and held out his hands with a snicker following. The fingerless gloves covered most of his palm so you nod your head towards his hands, “May I?” You ask before he responds with a nod and cheesy grin. As you started to slip off his hands your eyes peered over his head to watch his friends behind him. You take in their appearances. The platinum blonde was starting to light a cigarette. The other wild haired blonde was walking forward to admire the trinkets on your booth. While the tall brunette was giving you a cold stare as he watched you take off his friends gloves. Each of them donned a single earring and a jacket that was different to their individuality. You clear your throat and look at Marko, “It is nice to meet you Marko. I hope you find this reading useful and beneficial to you for the future.” You start as you take his cool hand into yours. Overlapping his hand with yours you didn’t mind the cold hands, or think much about it, the night was quite chilly.

You roll your shoulders back and roll your neck to relax. As you did a shock was sent through your nerves and you gasped sharply. As did Marko who received the same energy suddenly, causing a pained groan to leave his throat. The energy surges up to your neck causing you to close your eyes tightly. A vision. Pain. Darkness. Betrayal. You can see through Marko’s eyes. He was in pain and bleeding everywhere. There were inhuman screeches all around him; his friends jolted around in him in disturbance and rage. Then you realized they were hanging upside down. Their faces looked like nothing that they did now. Features were contorted, eyes were bloodshot and yellow, and teeth sharp. Just as your vision ended you felt a stabbing in your chest just like the object in Marko’s chest. A pained yell left your throat. There was an echo of Marko yelling out in pain and incoherent yells of the boys behind him. 

You shot Marko away from you with shadows of purple energy following him. The chair shot about six feet from under him and Marko rolled to a stop with the wild blonde following after him in concern. 

“What the hell was that?!” The leader booms rushing to your table, his hands grasping the table with a crushing grip. You could hear it crack as you try to catch your breath. The pain was unbearable. “What the hell are you?!” He interrogates again with a sharp tone. This time he threw the table to the side effortlessly. You gasp and stand in response. Your hands fly up in a contorted shape with purple shadows lingers around your fingers. The leader was stuck in his palace, grunting and struggling against your will. Pants leave your parted lips, brows furrowed and pained as you hold back the leader. Exposing your power.

The three other men kneel around their curly haired friend. Your eyes flicker to them, “There is one thing I can’t stand about vampires,” you croak, holding the leader in his place bringing him as you walk closer to the boys. The look on their faces when you announce your knowledge of their supernatural being, now that look was priceless. “They don’t know how to control their temper.” You choke out as purple energy hazed over your eyes. Their eyes widened at the energy around their leader and the shine from your eyes. All of them scramble to their feet. 

The brunette was first to act and you were faster to stop him mid run. He was now frozen under your spell. Energy outlining his shape as he looked around frantically. You wipe your hand causing him to fly straight through the railing and far out into the ocean with a purple orb pushing straight into his chest. Then with another flick of your wrist the leader went flying right after the brunette with another orb following to make him go further. Your purple eyes scanned towards the two blondes who looked hostile yet intimidated. Before they could even take a step you waved your arms and contorted hands in front of you, to each of their bodies, with a cross of your arms the two slam into one another with a crushing thud. You push the energy out with your arms and hands and the two blondes went flying far out into the ocean following their peers with purple orbs pushing into their chests. 

You were left there on the dark boardwalk, cascaded under orange street lamps, panting with purple shadows flowing around your eyes and glowing in your eyes. Your adrenaline pumping through your veins caused your breathing to become ragged. It took a beat for your breathing to return to normal. You slid your stance back to normal to show your calming nature. Your hands return to your sides no longer casting purple energy and your eyes are their normal color but still widened in fear. Behind you was your booth table broken in half, your items thrown all about wildly from the wind, and your scrying orb shattered near your feet. Dollar bills flying wildly wherever the ocean breeze takes them. 

Taking one last deep breath you tilt your head out towards the crashing onyx waves. The humid breeze thrashing your clothing all about. You press a clammy palm to your forehead as you curse quietly to yourself, “Shit.”

a/n: this is the first part of a series that i have been writing on and off for the past month. i’ve always wanted to incorporate a witch into the lost boys because it would be so interesting! this will be sort of slow burn poly!the lost boys kind of vibe. please let me know if you’d like more of this series. thank you so much for reading!! 🖤🖤🖤

[twh-news]

'Loki' Full Season 1 Review: The Most Frustrating Thing Is How Incomplete the Story Feels

Editor's note: The following contains spoilers through the Season 1 finale of Loki, "For All Time. Always."

[TWH-NEWS note: Tom is NOT confirmed to be on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness even though the article so claims. Marvel hasn't confirmed it.]

The Loki season finale is perhaps one of the most vexing episodes of television I have seen in quite some time. The Disney+ sci-fi drama, tracking the events following Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) escape from the pre-established timeline, was never confirmed to be an ongoing show versus a limited series, with rumors of a second season on the horizon from the beginning, so the biggest twist delivered by "For All Time. Always." ended up being confirmation of a Season 2 with a post-credits title card.

However, while there were other key reveals made during the episode, those reveals left behind plenty of story to explore in future seasons. Too much story. There's a difference between a few dangling plot threads and a mess of string, and the staggering number of questions left unresolved by "For All Time. Always." crosses a line when it comes to completion — especially given the fact that there's no clear sense of when the show might return, and the real story being told is much bigger than the fate of one mischievous scamp.

In general, every episode of this show was beautifully made, with immense credit going to director Kate Herron, head writer Michael Waldron, and the creative team. The cast of known all-stars like Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, blended with new all-stars like Sophia Di Martino and Wunmi Mosaku, did a remarkable job of grounding even the most fantastical moments in raw humanity, and the writing popped with verve and wit. Also, Loki does come full circle on what was its original raison d'etre — the redemption of a character who literally was plucked out of the timeline at his worst, having attacked Manhattan with an alien force so destructive that the Earth needed a whole damn team of superheroes to stop him. On this score, the show was wildly successful, breaking down Loki's sense of grandeur and purpose in the first episode and then slowly but surely rebuilding him into a man capable of evolving beyond his past. Loki did more to examine a single character's psychology and motivations than we've ever seen in the context of the MCU, and all of the progress and growth made by the character, as a result, feels truly earned.

However, if Loki's redemption was the only thing this show had been about, it would have been a very boring show, and Loki was far from boring. The official theme of the series was "What makes a Loki a Loki?" but the real issues being raised were far more existential; in so many ways, this was a show about faith and free will, an undercurrent that deserves more exploration and frankly appreciation, especially after the questions and themes left dangling by the last episode.

This element proved to be key to so much of the show's construction, especially when it comes to the TVA, which basically functions as a religious order — its devotees slavishly sacrificing their lives to the cause of protecting the Sacred Timeline. It's not subtle, especially when the dark side of it is revealed, those devotees learning that their service happened against their will. "We can't take away people's free will, can't you see that?" Mobius pleads with Ravonna in their final scene together, before she walks away in something resembling agreement with him, telling him that she's going in search of free will herself.

Loki Season 1, by the end, becomes a show not just about a crisis of faith, but about an apocalypse. Every time a story about apocalypses comes up, I find it impossible to forget that the Greek word from which the term originates actually means "revelation." That's why the part of the Bible about the world ending is called the Book of Revelations, but beyond that, the definition serves as a reminder of why endings can matter. Endings are beginnings, in some ways. A painful breakup reveals the flaws in what might have seemed like a loving relationship. Extreme climate change is a revelation regarding humanity's callous attitude towards its impact on the environment. For the characters of Loki — perhaps the entire MCU — the apocalypse they're facing following the destruction of the Sacred Timeline also means the revelation of what lives they left behind.

Certainly there's a ton of room for speculation as to what lies ahead for these characters, but the fact is that the next chapter of Loki's journey won't even be told on Disney+, as Hiddleston is reportedly in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and there's no telling when we might return to resolve the events of the Season 1 finale. Cliffhangers are one thing; anyone who grew up watching '90s TV learned the hard way how to handle the dramatic season endings of The X-Files or Star Trek: The Next Generation. But Loki didn't dangle its characters off a cliff — it pushed them off the edge, leaving them suspended in mid-air for who knows how long.

Back in the days of The X-Files you at least knew that whatever jaw-dropping cliffhanger the season finale had just delivered would be addressed by the season premiere in just a few months. (Maybe as many as six months, depending on the baseball season.) That's a sense of certainty that Loki fans do not have the luxury of enjoying; based on where the conversations around a second season currently stand, it could be a while before the contracts are even signed. Conservatively, at this point, it feels unlikely that we'll get a second season of Loki until near the end of 2022, and given that the first season took over two years from its announcement to now to actually debut, 2023 doesn't feel like too much of a stretch. Maybe Owen Wilson and Gugu Mbatha-Raw get to make cameos in Doctor Strange 2 as well? Nothing is possible and everything is possible. We just have to wait for the answer, and in the meantime stew in dissatisfaction.

"Only one person gets free will. The one in charge," Ravonna tells Mobius — implicitly referring to He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). Who, speaking of, is now dead, Sylvie having completed her one primary quest to revenge herself upon the ones who took her life away. That, combined with the Wizard of Oz parallels, makes this a show that's fascinating to parse (Sylvie literally killed God!), but frustratingly incomplete in its themes. Literally as the episode officially ended on the visage of Kang enshrined as the ruler of the TVA, I said out loud "Well, there's going to be a Season 2," and I suppose that thanks are owed to Marvel and Disney+ for not leaving that element in suspence for more than two minutes and two seconds.

But if I have a religion, it's my belief in the power of storytelling, how the myths we create for ourselves and others can shape lives and hopefully make them better. One tenet of that is the idea that great stories deserve some sense of completion. So, the first season of Loki committed a pretty grievous sin.

[dionnaea]

Return | Reiner x Reader

pairing: reiner braun x reader

warnings: pining but confused reiner, fluff, just cute stuff :)

wc: 1.3k

a/n: i have some other ideas for this reader and story, but i liked ending it here. lmk if there’s interest in a part 2!

attack on titan masterlist | general masterlist

It had been, to put it politely, a shit day. 

First, Annie had kicked your ass during hand-to-hand combat training, rosy bruises now forming along your skin. Second, your wires had gotten tangled during ODMG practice, leaving you hanging upside down from a tree until Christa found you around five minutes later. Dinner was terrible for multiple reasons (the main one being that Eren had knocked soup all over you while tousling with Jean), and now, as you finally tried to get a moment of peace, Reiner was waiting patiently outside of the girls’ barracks. You weren’t sure how long he had been standing there, arms crossed like he was the hired guard of the place, but you didn’t really care. Ignoring him, you started your trek to your desired location. 

“Hey! Y/N!” He was whisper-shouting, not wanting to be found out by your superiors, as he pushed himself off of the wall. When you didn’t acknowledge him, he called out again. When no response came, he resorted to other methods. With a large step, he managed to catch up to your pace and with calculated precision, he reached out and grabbed your wrist. 

You stopped at the contact, eyes widening for just a moment until you brought your face back to rest in its neutral position. His touch was surprisingly gentle, his grasp only applying enough pressure to get your attention. Slowly, hesitantly, you turned around. You met his gaze, careful to not let your flustered state come to his attention. 

“Do you need something, Reiner?” 

It came out more harsh than you intended, but the boy was used to that by now. Your voice was never soft when speaking with the other cadets, instead usually coming out as neutral and with enough interest towards others that the spotlight naturally drifted off of you. You were quiet, but not so quiet as to be labelled as such. You spoke when you needed to, participated in conversations you were dragged into, and seemed generally amicable. You lived life in the middle, just normal enough to be both unremarkable and unnoticeable. 

It was impressive, honestly, and over the time he had known you, Reiner realized exactly how much effort you constantly put in to stay in that position. 

Reiner faltered at the way you stared up at him, like you were waiting on both permission and an order. It was too submissive, too innocent for a girl like you, and he didn’t know if he loved or hated the way your eyelashes fluttered when you blinked. He could feel your heartbeat under his fingers, steady and unwavering unlike his own. His heart usually ran a tad faster when he was in your presence but now, noticing the way his fingers crossed over his thumb as they circled your tiny wrist, he felt like it might stop beating all together. Quickly, he let go, moving his hand to rub the back of his neck. 

“Um, I…” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to confess this, but he didn’t know how else to explain his presence outside of your dorm. “I was worried about you, knew somethin’ was off. Figured I’d wait outside until I saw you.” 

You blinked again, expression steady except for a small twitch of your lips. Was that annoyance or the start of a smile? Reiner didn’t know, but he desperately hoped for the later, nervous you might think he was some kind of stalker after his weak explanation. 

“Oh,” was all you replied with. 

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two of you, and Reiner was sure he’d been standing there avoiding your gaze for at least five minutes at that point. His mind stumbled to find something better to say, but words escaped him, and he wondered how he had ever managed to call himself smooth with a straight face. Right as he started to say something, you spoke, your voice as crisp as the night air. 

“Thanks. I’m fine, though.” 

The gratitude seemed sincere enough, and you appeared mostly unbothered by the situation. Still, a part of Reiner felt that he had interrupted something and a bit of guilt nagged at the back of his mind. Against his better judgement, he tried to ease his own insecurities by pestering you more.

“Where are you going? You know you’ll get in trouble if you’re seen out of the barracks at this time of night.” There was worry lacing his voice, but a note of leadership and command was there, too. 

“I know.” You tucked your hands into the pockets of your pajama bottoms and just barely tilted your head to the side. “You’ll get in trouble, too.” 

It was a good point, and Reiner, in all honesty, hadn’t really thought of what consequences might be bestowed upon him when he snuck out of his own bunk to go to yours. Mostly, he was thinking about you. 

You let out a small sigh and brought your hand up to point your thumb behind you. “I’m going to the lookout over the lake. You’re welcome to come if you really want to.” Obviously, Reiner was hesitant to leave you; it was clear from the hurried glances he sent your direction to the way he avoided your gaze when you allowed your eyes to meet his. You didn’t know why he was so worried, but you had decided to give the guy a break and allow him to come with you if it would ease his concerns. 

After he agreed in the form of a nod, you turned back around, walking the path you had gone down so many times you could do it with your eyes closed. Reiner followed silently, but you could feel his eyes on you as you took every step. It felt like he was studying you, and you wondered what knowledge he was hoping to find along the planes of your back.

You paused, reaching your destination, and when you still heard the crunching of leaves behind you, you spoke up, snapping Reiner out of his trance before he walked right off the cliff, “Reiner, we’re here.” You motioned your hand out in front of you in presentation and then took a seat, leaning back on your arms and reveling in the feeling of cold stone seeping into your skin. He followed suit, sitting down beside you. 

For a bit, it was quiet, only the sound of wind cutting through trees floating into your ears. To both your surprise and his, you spoke first, your voice softer than Reiner had ever heard it. Suddenly, he was trespassing on private property, heart racing as he waited to be caught and kicked out. 

“You know, I come out here almost every night.” Reiner turned to face you, studying your profile as the moonlight traced the lines of your face. Silver dusted down the slope of your nose. “It’s just… peaceful, I guess. Reminds me of home.” 

Reiner froze. Missing home. Now that was something he could understand. “Me, too.” He paused, scared to say his next words out loud, scared to admit something to you that he didn’t even want to admit to himself. “I… I want to go back. Home, I mean.” 

The corners of your lips turned up, and you let out a light chuckle, the sound being swept away by the wind before Reiner got a chance to truly listen to it. “I think we all do. It’s too tempting to want something we can’t have.” You finally turned your head to meet his eyes, sparkling gold. They held unspoken secrets, and you knew he could see the same thing in yours. “But doesn’t that make it all the more rewarding in the end? When we do get to go back home?” 

There was a sharp intake of breath, Reiner’s chest filling with air for the first time since he arrived on this island. Home. You said he’d get to go back, and for once, there was confidence and passion and hope in your voice. And for some reason, for some odd reason Reiner would never truly understand, he believed you.

[aragima]

hannibal questions! 🍖🔪

@nietzscheantrout @horrorlesbians and @hanniba1 wanted me to answer these hannibal questions and i wrote too much but oh well! thanks to all 3 of you ilu!!!

favorite episode and why: oh we’re just goin straight to the hard questions huh um OKAY so i think i can only do an ep a season - s1: SORBET SUPREMACY! you get to see the exact moment will looks at hannibal and thinks “.........shit. it’s him isn’t it. he’s The One. SHIT.” and that is so important to me - s2: this one is really hard maybe naka-choko? it’s so fucking gay and sexy. but tome-wan... but mizumono............ yeah idk - s3: torn between digestivo and the wrath of the lamb cuz they both hurt SOOO good much; i love will breaking up with hannibal and hannibal manipulating the situation so will can’t leave asldkjansk it’s so toxic we have to stan..... and for twotl i mean do i really have to give a reason every scene LIVES in my mind and it contains my favorite shot in the whole show:

that is LOVE baby! that is DESIRE! that is being ENTHRALLED!!!!

least favorite episode and why: i feel like they’re all so necessary that it’s kind of impossible to say but probably antipasto. i get sick of hannibal and bedelia’s shenanigans really quickly and as much as i hate to admit it... i miss will. i also think it was an extremely weak season opener and i blame it for getting the show canceled sjshshsgsg the resentment...

favorite side character: chiyoh or jimmy or actually wait— RANDALL TIER 🖤

if you could bring back one character who died, who would it be?: RANDALL FUCKING TIER. i want there to be a weird thing with him and hannibal and will going on. but also i love what his death did for will so idfk, other than him it’s gotta be beverly

dish prepared in the show that you would like to try eating/making: i was supposed to make hannibal’s osso bucco recipe like 3 weeks ago but it completely slipped my mind so i guess i’ll get on that my next grocery trip  

which side character would you kill off?: chilton just because for god’s sake just let the man DIE ALREADY poor guy <- i’m taking ava’s answer because YEAH

was there any scene that you didn’t like to look at?: nah. the skin ripping scenes at the beginning of either kaiseki or sakizuki (idk i don’t remember, i hardly watch s2a) are particularly brutal but i tough it out

biggest ship: i mean do i even have to say

why did you start watching hannibal?: my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time, and her dad were watching it as it was airing and i was like “oh cool hannibal lecter origin story” but due to inconsistent access to the episodes i would just watch it randomly and that is... not the way to watch hannibal. i gave up around the end of s2 but knew hannigram was It regardless. i decided to watch s3 for the first time earlier this year just to have finished it and was like HOLD UP and did an immediate rewatch that left me... well, how i am now

favorite hannibal fic if you’ve read any?:

oh boy. yall ready for this? all of these can be found on ao3 obviously (i’m so sorry this is so long but i guess i’ve been asked to put together a fic rec anyway)

as soft, as wide as air by blackknightsatellite, the ladders series by emungere, blackbird by emungere, consenting to dream series by emungere, taken for rubies by emungere, at first meeting by emungere, protect me from what i want by @alienfuckeronmain, god of the cold, cold wars by highermagic, the abyss smiled back by highermagic, pomegranate seeds by highermagic, absolute zero by highermagic, in the truly gruesome do we trust by sidnihoudini, TKO by sidnihoudini, oh dear by lunarwench, each according to its kind by chapparral_crown, a flood in our hearts by nanoochka, let me sinful be by darlingred, uncomplicated by stratumgermanitivum & youaremydesign, good bones by @damnslippyplanet​, like they do in babylon by @damnslippyplanet​, your obedient servant by kareliasweet, past our satellites by shotgunsinlace, only the tender meat by isagel, the shape of me will always be you by missdisoriental, a white-walled room by rodabonor, spleen et idéal by rodabonor, the paper doll series by rodabonor, a common point of interest by rodabonor [i do NOT like a/b/o stuff but if i did... it’s this fic], just thought you should know by earthsickwithoutyou, the sacrificial lamb by princesskay, transcendent suffering by itsbeautiful, not something polite by moistdrippings, leave your message after the tone by onewhositswithturtles, holes in the floor of the mind by feverdreamblood, crossing caina by feverdreamblood, the archipelago series by melusine10, but seas between us braid hae roar’d by kareliasweet

have you watched any of the hannibal films?: yeah all of them except manhunter! i grew up watching silence of the lambs because my mom loved it and i went thru a big edward norton phase as a teen so i’ve seen red dragon like 10 times

have you read the thomas harris books?: no and i’m not going to lmao #fakefan

favorite murder tableau: if we’re talking just hannibal’s- the judge. if we’re talking Murder Bad But Kinda Pretty like in general probably the mushroom people or the totem

favorite blood spill: will imagining hannibal while he beats randall to death or The Gutting of Will Graham

what’re some of your headcanons?: - will is good at shibari (backed up in canon: his fishing knots, the firefly man’s full body hishi karada harness) - hannibal rarely listens to modern, non-classical music but he’s a björk fan and he saw one of her chapel performances during the vespertine era and was Moved - will listens to classic rock (zeppelin, the doors, pink floyd) with some classic country (patsy, merle, johnny) and blues (billie, muddy, bessie) thrown in. he’s also a sucker for early/mid-90s college rock/alternative/grunge - will plays the piano (because of the piano in his living room) and the harmonica (because he’s country white trash); he’s kind of shit tho - hannibal fell for will somewhere between “my thoughts are often not tasty” and “you won’t like me when i’m psychoanalyzed” (love at first sight! at last sight! at ever and ever sight!!!) - will’s circumcised, hannibal isn’t 🤪 - hannibal’s a gemini!!!! adaptable, creative, intelligent, outgoing, impulsive, etc - will’s an aquarius!!!!! analytical, a loner, temperamental, unique, compassionate, etc - will’s mom was jewish go read my fic about it https://archiveofourown.org/works/26774326 - hannibal is an agender man (tbh i think of this as canon, it’s just unstated/undefined) - hannibal can speak russian, spanish, and a teensy bit of portuguese in addition to the other languages we know he speaks (lithuanian, english, french, italian, japanese) - will speaks limited amounts of french; he learned it as a kid in louisiana - ED TW will sometimes has a Difficult relationship with food due to food instability by the way of poverty as a kid and goes through periods where it’s hard to keep himself fed, but hannibal is so good for him in that way because he keeps him from going hungry 😓 (yes this is me projecting but also it makes SENSE) - hannibal typically bottoms but THEY DEFINITELY ARE BOTH VERS and will never stops being surprised by how much he loves catching a dick. every time is like religious experience. okay? okay - they’re also both very kinky and switches but tbh.... will was made to Dom hannibal like that’s the reason he exists he could drag that old bitch around by a leash and hannibal would be in heaven HANNIBAL WOULD CALL HIM SIR - the first time they have sex hannibal comes like immediately but he isn’t embarrassed because he’s hannibal fucking lecter and hannibal lecter doesn’t get embarrassed - i have a hc for their favorite sex positions but i’m not gonna put that here because i don’t want yall calling me crazy any more than you probably already do but if you wanna know just DM me all i do is think about them fucking it’s a curse - okay no more dirty stuff abigail called hannibal “dad” on more than one occasion and it was half-joking but it also felt comfortable to her; she never thought to call will “dad” because he’s a weirdo and never knew her as much as he knew his idea of her - hannibal taught her to play piano at the cliff house - beverly is pansexual!!! - brian and jimmy kissed one time when they were drunk and they NEVER talk about it EVER - chiyoh is straight probably. i know, i know, everyone says she’s a lesbian and if she’s a lesbian to you that’s awesome! she’s a lesbian! but idk i just think she’s SO fucking straight and tbh i mourn bc that’s my wife. she could MAYBE be bicurious... - chiyoh is non-monogamous and doesn’t do serious relationships, she doesn’t like the idea of being tied to one person ever since she left the lecter castle - she helped hannibal and will escape after The Fall; she told hannibal she would continue to watch over him and i think she did, she got them a boat and got them the fuck out of there - MOLLY IS DOING SO MUCH BETTER WITHOUT WILL. SHE’S SO GLAD SHE GOT OUT OF THAT WHEN SHE DID. she has a good, long talk with alana and finds out all the shit about him and hannibal that will never told her (and it was a lot), gets drunk and burns all his shit, and then washes her hands of the whole thing; moves to a different state, gets a girlfriend, and never thinks about will again

okay i’m capping it there or i’m never gonna stop!! i’m not tagging anyone cuz i think everyone has done this by now lmao but if you’re a mutual who hasn’t and you want to just do it and say i tagged you!! mwah!!!!

[slashingdisneypasta]

Mayor Buckman x Reader || Oneshot

Title: Hell

Notes:

So, this was going to be Buckman fluff, because I ran out of TF2 Engineer and Soldier content to consume, but then it got deep… Maybe a fluffier part two at some point.

Plot: Y/N gets killed when she goes on a trip with her friends and crosses Pleasant Valley- of course, this is not unusual. We know this story. What’s different, is that when Y/N dies… she doesn’t, you know… leave. Her consciousness, and spirit, stay with the rest of the ghosts still lingering in what was once Pleasant Valley.

It’s human nature to grasp for comfort from anyone in similar situation to us.

Warnings: … you get killed, discussion about the afterlife, bonding with your killer?

~~~

“Well! This is… awkward… “The mayor, with the obnoxiously thick accent and yellow get-up stands at the head of the murderous population… who are all staring at me. He fiddles with his fingers nervously, looking at me then around the area and glancing at his people.

I’m sitting on the ground, surprised I can feel it in the first place- although. I guess, I shouldn’t be surprised. Some of my mates… My heart deflates horrendously, and I find it suddenly hard to breath to remember that they aren’t here anymore, but continue my train of thought. If I don’t, I won’t get anywhere at all. They did get a big frisky with the folks here, the ghosts, so… I guess, I can touch things?

I wonder horribly how much has changed. Am I stuck here like them? I glance up at them again, all talking amongst each other and peering at me like a fucking zoo animal. If I were anyone else -some omnipresent spectator, which I wish I was, - I would feel sorry for them. They wouldn’t have met anyone new like them for a long time, if what I know about them is really true. That they’re confederate ghosts from the civil war, still stuck here because of the injustice done to them.

Well, I don’t feel bad for them.

They’ve done the same thing to me and my friends that was done to them - except, I’m sure. Far more messily. I try to think back to the jubilee, but immediately an awful, searing pain racks against the front of my skull, and gasp. Both my hands go to my forehead and tears cloud my vision like I’m a baby, and I stop trying to remember. Clearly, that’s not something I want to be doing. Yet, at least.

While I knead the heel of one of my hands into my forehead, releasing remaining stress from that horrible attack, I use the other one to push myself up to my feet. Then brush off the dirt from my jeans and hug my own stomach. Looking around, I chew on my bottom lip and try to ignore the villagers. “What now?” I ask, quietly, not actually meaning for it to be escape out loud, but hoping dearly that no one hears or tries to answer me. Don’t talk to me.

I wonder, if I can leave?

Taking a deep, ironic breath, I start on my way towards the exit of this horror show, feeling better with every step put between me and these hillbilly monsters. Before I get too far though, I hear quick footsteps behind me which nearly causes me to run, before the Mayor - Buckman, - pops in front of me. His cheery, accommodating front comes off a little bit tired now, and for some reason I have a strong feeling that it’s all utter bullshit now.

“Now, now! You don’t wanna do that, missy. Promise ya’,”

“Get out of my way.”

He points behind him, at the highway I’m trying to get to and widens his eyes, shaking his head. “You go that way, you’ll get much worse than a headache, I’m tellin’ you.” He seems so trustworthy- it’s sickening.

“I’m not like you,” And by ‘you’, I think it’s understood that I mean everyone who lives in this fucking town. And I’m really hoping its true, because I can’t… I cannot, stay here for who knows how much longer. I can’t even remember what has happened to me, except that I’m dead, and all my friends are dead, that these people are the ones who did it, and that that exit is my only hope. Buckman looks really unsure, then shrugs like he doesn’t, in fact, care and stands off to the side. Shrugging.

“Well, okay! Goodluck, you go on then. See if y’ can, I’ll be waitin’ right here for you.” The aloofness of that response makes me grind my teeth at him, then determinedly go ahead. I think I’ve done it, in fact, and a small, relieving smile make sits way to my face when I pass the ‘Welcome to Pleasant Valley’ sign and then I’m remember something one of the villagers said before the jubilee, during our short stay about the property actually ending a metre ahead of it and then it happens.

It feels like the ground disappears beneath me, but truth be told it didn’t. I just ceased to have the ability to stay atop it, and like I walked right off a cliff I drop at such a high speed my ears pop down, down, down. I open my mouth and scream, too scared and too heavy -no, too light. Like a weight absolutely nothing, worse than a feather. Like atoms and that’s all, - to move my arms cover my eyes or my mouth or anything.

I just slip, down into the crevasses of earth. I don’t even feel the heat when I reach the core, I just see bright light and get a headache worse than anything. Much worse than before- worse than if I got my insides ripped out and then had to snort them back up through my nose. I scream harder, until my throat scratches,

And then it stops. All the pain disappears, and it’s at the same time a total relief, and the scariest shit I’ve ever endured. To feel nothing, to want nothing, to care about nothing.

It was just all turned off. And for a full minute -it felt like forever, - I was just alone and knew. If I tried to get out a again, this would be done to me again. And it would be permanent. Like the world was giving me, a mistake, something that wasn’t supposed to happen because when you die, it is the way of the world that you go somewhere else, a choice. Stay here, in Pleasant Valley with these horrible, disgusting, nasty people who killed your friends and did this to you in the first place, or be… nothing. Consciously, nothing.

And then I’m dropped back on my knees on the other side of the Pleasant Valley sign, breathing in deep gulps of air that I probably don’t need, so hard that it hurts and clutching my stomach. I know, I’m vaguely aware that the Pleasant Valley people are still around, and they might be watching but in this moment I don’t care. I know they were given the same ultimatum, and at some level I understand.

But the rest of me is still on fire, at the thought of spending the rest of… forever,… with these people who I hate, in this place that I hate.

And I miss my friends. And my family, and my home. God, I just want to go home… I have never felt so hopeless, and helpless before.

Someone kneels down in front of me and arms guide me in and then I’m sobbing. Or maybe I was already, and only just started to realise it when tears started to absolutely drench a yellow fabric, but the point is I’m racked with despair. I can’t even barely hold on to them back, I’m shaking too much and every time I think I can hold them back another sob wrecks me and any fictitious hold on myself disappears again.

So, I just lean onto them because the strength in my body has disappeared, from fatigue and crying this time not because of some otherworldly force taking it from me. And I cry. Not only that, I scream. I scream so much, at some point as the sky goes dark I realise that I shouldn’t be able to scream so much, my vocal chords should stop working, should break, but they persist like its nothing.

And that convinces me that I’m dead.

I stop crying for a second, and I think it’s over. I think, stupidly, that I’ve come to terms with it… and then it all starts again.

___TIME SKIP___

I must have fallen asleep at some point, which I’m glad I can still do for a second before I remember the situation I’m in and that I feel asleep because I was so exhausted from crying. A hiccup forces its way from my throat, and I try to raise my head from the surface its rested on, but feel too tired too and weak to succeed, and return to it. Forcing my eyes to crack open, to retrieve some of the self-pride that I’ve most definitely lost after that whole show of weakness, to see where I am.

My eyes hurt to open, and tears still stain all over my face, and there’s a dull ache in my forehead from all the stress that the sobbing put it through, but I manage to understand where I am.

Outside, still. Its very dark, but, due to not being in the city, the moon and the stars are really bright. Its amazing, a tiny saving grace to this whole mess. For a moment, I feel peace. Like if the sky stays like this, and I don’t move, and no one comes near me, I’ll always feel this peaceful and it’ll be okay.

Then the surface my head’s rested on moves and I remember that that notion is ridiculous and I have so much hardship ahead of me. “You’re awake then? Expected you to be asleep for a couple more hours, at least! You went through a bit of a breakdown earlier this evenin’, missy!”

Missy.

Slowly, due to my head hurting, things start to come together, and I connect words to voice, to arms that held me earlier, to murderer. Villain. Monster.

Mayor Buckman.

I try to get up immediately and go anywhere else, avoiding even looking at him because I’m afraid it’ll make me cry again, but halfway up my body gives a spasm and I’m forced back down to lean on my elbows. “Ow… “I whine, feeling my head complain angrily, and throb in my hand.

“You best stay down a little longer, Y/N. I promise ya’, gettin’ up’ll go way better then.”

“What are you doing… “I ask, slowly as to not agitate my head anymore. My eyes close, and my elbow returns to ground to help me stay up and off Buckman’s shins- goddamn 18th century societal rules. Those things are hard, and the back of my head hurts now.

“Giving you a neighbourly hand! As mayor o’ this here town, it’s my job and my pleasure, to… “I don’t have the energy to cut him off or fight right now, so I just let him drown on a bit more but don’t listen. He isn’t answering my question, so I’ll just wait until I can easily cut in and ask more directly.

Oh, god, his voice is loud, and it doesn’t assist my headache at all.

It’s I don’t know how long after he stops talking that I actually realise he’s stopped talking and I’ve been blissfully enjoying the silence, that I manage to respond again. “Yeah… I know, yeah. But… why?”

“Lie on back down.” The thought of resting back down on the stony shins of death makes my stomach role and my head protest. Oh, no. When I don’t respond, or do as he directed, Buckman lets a restrained groan go and I hear him shift out of discomfort. I don’t open my eyes, though. “Y/N,” Surprisingly, he remembers my name from a few days ago. “We’re alike, now. Now, I know you don’t like me, or any of us. For good reason,” He sounds sincere. Actually, he sounds the most real now than he has since we met. Not quite as loud, or flashy. “But… you’re one of mine now. And I take care of my own.”

Cracking my eyes open again, I turn my head painfully to see his face and see if he’s lying. The stars offer just enough light to never be able to tell for sure, annoyingly enough. But, make out his eyepatch because its much darker than the rest of his face… and suddenly, forcefully a memory leaks back into my brain.

From the jubilee.

There’s… fire, an upturned table… and lots of people.

I’m tied to another table, with rope twisting too tightly around my wrists and there’s a… something warm, heavy, and scarily head shaped on my lap that I’m afraid to look down at. Blood trickles from it, between my thighs.

But no one paying attention to me, I’m not the main event. So, I don’t get to figure out which of my friends’ remains, has been left in my lap.

Everyone’s looking at Buckman. Future victims in utter horror and villagers in fury and patriotic madness- for good reason. All of them.

I remember him mad. Raving. Totally pissed, and he’s got a sword raised above his head. He took off his eyepatch, that I’m looking into now, and its revealed that past it… is a nightmare. A horrendous, painful, disgusting nightmare. Live maggots, and a gaping hole, that was given to him during the massacre that stuck him here in the first place.

Now, I don’t know exactly what this means right now for me, or for these people, because my head aches and I’m still so tired, and broken because… because they killed my friends and me and that’s unforgivable. I look away from Buckman’s face and slowly rest myself back down, this time scootching over pointedly so my head rests on his lap instead.

It’s a difficult, hard, step towards a better future. A future in which, one day, I don’t have to pretend he’s someone else when I do this or… be anywhere near him. As I’m sure I will be doing for a while after this.

Though, it is made easier by the fact that, at some level, he has helped.

Of course, he is also the reason I’m here, which is what makes this all so twisted.

[edogawatranslations]

Danganronpa Kirigiri (3) - Chapter 4, Part 7

Table of Contents | Previous: Chapter 4, Part 6

“I’ll start from the beginning. First, you prepared a string—a steel wire would be even better—and you strung it through the metal guard of the katana. A typical guard has a hole in the center for the blade to pass through, in addition to one hole on either side. The holes serve different purposes, but for you, they were perfect to pass the wire through.”

The police confirmed the guard of the katana used in the murder had two open holes.

“So? Thanks for the riveting lecture on how to string a wire through a katana. So what?”

“One end of the wire was tied to a heavy weight. The heavier, the better, especially if it was an object that could float on water. A piece of firewood or a log would work well.”

Wood was scattered around the backyard, so a quick search for a sturdy piece would likely prove fruitful. Or perhaps she cut down some bamboo to do the job.

“To finish preparing the wire, you twisted the other end into a loop.”

How was that strange setup used...? I had no idea where Kyoko’s deduction was headed.

“You tied the loop around one of the icicles on the water wheel. Those icicles aren’t frail; they’ve grown thicker throughout the winter and won’t break easily.”

“And then?”

“The next part required some skill. You opened the double doors. At this point, you had already wrapped rubber bands around the handles. Once you opened up a large enough gap, you wedged something in the doors—the jack would work quite well—to prevent them from closing. Then, you slid the katana through the rubber bands, stretching them back with the guard of the blade. The mechanism resembled a large slingshot, or a bow with the katana as an arrow.”

Even I could imagine the scene.

“Finally, you took the free end of the wire, crossed the backyard, hopped over the fence, and stretched it all the way to the cliff. Once you secured the weight to the wire, you kicked it into the ravine. The weight plummeted into the river and got caught in the rapids, creating tension in the wire that kept the katana taut. But the weapon didn’t fire immediately, because the icicle on the other end kept the wire fixed.”

I pictured the setup in my mind. The double doors and rubber bands formed a bow, while the katana being pulled by the weight functioned as an arrow. The icicle was used as a device to delay the katana from being launched.

“At this point, you could remove the jack from the gap. The force pulling on the katana was sufficient by itself to keep the doors open.”

And thus, the wire device spanning the entire backyard—from the water wheel, to the dojo, to the cliff—was complete.

“Tension was constantly pulling on the loop around the icicle, and the pressure caused the ice to slowly melt. But the icicle didn’t snap. The segments of ice melted by the wire would refreeze, thus keeping the wire trapped in the icicle as it passed through to the other end. Eventually, the wire was released. Without the tension in the wire pulling on the elastic rubber bands, the katana was fired.”

The entire time we were trying to open the dojo door in the hallway, the katana was waiting patiently to be released.

“But... how would it hit its target?” I asked. “Did it stab the victim by sheer chance?”

“That’s where the armor came in. Those two warriors weren’t simply decorations adding to the mansion’s haunted aura.”

“What do you mean?”

“The warriors were in the center of the room, standing behind the corpse on either side, right? Take a step back in time and imagine the scene when the victim was still alive. Yui, do you realize now?”

“Oh... don’t tell me.”

The suits of armor were positioned with bent elbows. The unconscious victim could be propped up and forced into a standing position.

“The warriors were there to secure the target,” I answered.

“Correct. Blood splattered onto the armor because it was used to hold the victim up.”

The force of the launched katana propelled the victim forward, thus completing the crime scene that we stumbled upon.

After the katana was released, the rubber bands caused the double doors to automatically shut. Those doors weren’t just part of the locked room; they were part of the murder trick as well.

“The wire was swept away with the weight. It may never be found, even if the police conduct a thorough search downstream. Perhaps it left traces in the snow at some point, but the additional snowfall would have removed any evidence. That nick on the fence would be indistinguishable from the countless other scratches once covered by snow. The only evidence that wouldn’t disappear by itself was the trail of the wire in the icicle.”

Kyoko crossed her arms and slowly approached Kakitsubata. “I knew the killer would return to destroy that evidence. That’s why I first accused Mizuiyama, just as the culprit planned. I knew the true killer would lower their guard and reappear.”

Kakitsubata hung her head. Her shoulders sagged. The battle had been settled.

“Who the hell are you?” Kakitsubata asked with her head down. “Isn’t that Yui Samidare girl over there supposed to be the detective? Did she hire you? Or are you really one of Ryuuzouji’s underlings?”

“Who I am is irrelevant... It’s all over for you.”

“Over?” Kakitsubata muttered. She stared at Kyoko with hollow, ghost-like eyes.

The crowbar in her right hand slowly rose into the air...

“Stop!” I ran across the snow and leapt in between the two of them.

Kakitsubata’s arm stopped above my head.

“It’s against the rules to harm the detective!” I warned, throwing my arms out to protect Kyoko.

“Are you stupid?” Kakitsubata burst out into laughter. “You think I care about those silly rules when I’ve already lost?”

“Oh... I guess not...”

“Taking my anger out on you won’t do any good.” She sighed before tossing the crowbar away. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t care about the game. Don’t think I’m a sore loser; all I wanted was revenge.”

“Was revenge really the answer? Surely there must’ve been another—”

“I hear them.” She cut me off and raised her voice to nearly a shriek. “I can hear them on the other side of a door. Any door, the moment it shuts, I hear them coming from beyond. ‘It’s hot...’ ‘Help...’ Those voices calling out to me...”

“‘Hot?’ ‘Help?’”

“Do you remember the news about a fire in a mountain railway tunnel eight years ago? It made headlines. It was an accident caused by an electrical short circuit, but during the evacuation, one man shut the emergency door leading out of the tunnel. Twenty-eight people lost their lives that day. My family was among them. I survived because I made it out ahead of them, but that man came out right behind me, and I watched helplessly as he shut the door. He said he had to do it to survive... Even though many others were still on the other side...”

I vaguely recalled the incident. Due to a passenger closing off the emergency exit, many others were left behind to perish in the flames. There were some who testified that shutting the door halted the advance of the smoke, allowing the other two hundred plus passengers to safely escape.

The media and the police were unable to uncover the identity of the passenger in question. Nothing came of the matter, as public opinion opposed turning the incident into a witch hunt. Could that passenger be blamed? Nobody could answer that question, especially not those who weren’t directly involved.

“So... did his murder bring you salvation?”

“I don’t know,” Kakitsubata laughed at herself and looked down at her hands. “The truth is, it doesn’t feel like I killed him. All I did was set things up exactly as I was told. My hands don’t feel dirtied. When I saw his corpse, confusion overwhelmed me more than joy or relief, so much that I wondered if someone else had killed him for me. It still feels like I’m in a nightmare...”

“Then what purpose did his death serve?”

“I can only believe it saved not just me, but all those people beyond the door.” A gentle smile crossed her face. “I’m sure that even if a door closes, I won’t hear those voices calling for help on the other side anymore... They’ve been appeased through my salvation.”

She was another person who was cursed to battle against a tragic fate. The Crime Victims’ Salvation Committee had its eyes on people like her, prisoners of the past.

“Do you have a way to pay the 151 million yen?” Kyoko asked.

“Do I look like I’m made of money? If I did, I wouldn’t have gone through any of this in the first place.”

“Then listen to my advice.” Kyoko whispered close to her ear. “Turn yourself in to the police. If you go to the station with the officers here, you’ll be unharmed.”

“What are you saying?”

“You’ve now become a target of the Crime Victims’ Salvation Committee. They’ll be coming to collect your debt by any means necessary. Of course, that includes murder.”

“No...” Kakitsubata’s lips shuddered. “Can’t I do something? You know a lot about them, right? Help me!”

“Understand that you’ve already crossed the line. From my point of view, you no longer exist in this world.” With her hair freely blowing in the wind, Kyoko stared off into the colorless night.

“No...”

“You should’ve asked for help before you resorted to murder.”

“Please, come on! Help me!”

The police had surrounded us. They led Kakitsubata into a police car. The cars and officers were likely real; I had watched them arrive at the start of the investigation.

The door to the car shut with Kakitsubata inside. Her expression was frozen onto her face. She covered her ears with her hands, and with eyes wide open in panic, shook her head back and forth over and over again. She was trembling with terror, just like a frightened child.

Had salvation come to her? What was salvation to her in the first place?

Before long, the flashing red lights disappeared beyond the bamboo.

4:00 AM. The police dropped Kyoko and me off at a hotel in the closest city. They paid for our lodging, still under the impression that we were Ryuuzouji’s assistants.

With the television playing on mute in the background, we sat atop the bed with our backs against the wall until the crack of dawn, stringing together words into a conversation that went nowhere. Reflecting on all the events of the previous day, it seemed like several days had passed by. But the fresh marks on Kyoko’s thin, white neck reminded me of our cruel reality.

“Does it hurt?” I touched her bruises with my fingertips, causing her to turn away with a frown. “S-Sorry...”

“I won’t get off this easy next time,” she said with little emotion. “I’ll be expecting you to protect me, Yui.”

She cradled her knees, pulled the blanket up to her chest, and leaned against my body before shutting her eyes.

As long as Kyoko’s remarkable abilities remained intact, she’d continue to face danger head-on. Each time, she’d risk getting hurt. If she renounced her role as a detective, she could live a comfortable life, but that option was out of the question for her. And I wanted her to have a long career as a detective. This world needed a beacon of light to cast away the darkness.

At some point, while mindlessly staring at the infomercials flashing on TV, I fell asleep sitting up. The world beyond the curtain was growing brighter, and the snow glistening on the windowsill signaled the arrival of dawn.

Next: Chapter 5, Part 1

[akagami-no-rae]

ANS Week Day 4 - Storm

AO3 - The War Between Us Part 2

They plunged into the ravine below. Shirayuki’s ears popped and there was a pain on her backside where she entered the water. Still in shock, she sank deep, deep down below. Her eyes opened, desperate to see the surface as she kicked with her whole body upward, but it was too dark, everything black. Certain she wasn’t going to make it before her lungs gave out, her head suddenly broke through to the night air.

She heard the horse behind her swimming, its nostrils flaring. She thought it would immediately go for land, but it didn’t it. She touched the horse’s shoulder. “This way,” she said, wanting to show it to land, fearing it was scared and confused. The horse didn’t move from where it treaded water. She looked around and then down. In the inky blackness of the water she saw a shimmer of light. The soldier’s armor. Without a second thought she dived back down after him. Not far below, she found him, kicking hard but making slow progress. She reached out and grabbed his hand. She helped him kick to the surface where they both grabbed the side of the horse for a moments rest. They gasped and panted, he coughed. She looked at him, moonlit hair dripping wet, looking rather foolish in full armor up his chin.

“Armor too heavy for you?” She joked, breathlessly.

“Not usually, but I was in a bit of shock,” he said dismissively, not looking at her.

She scrunched her nose. “You’re welcome.”

His head whipped around upon hearing her backhanded geniality. “You’re the reason we’re in this mess!”

“I didn’t ask for your help!”

They huffed at each other then, in the moment of silence to follow realized that they were still in the middle of a ravine clinging to a horse. The soldier took the reins and swam out ahead. It looked difficult, but he really did seem to be trained in it. The horse followed and dragged Shirayuki along. She looked at the broken bridge hanging above and the shadows that seemed to be looking down at them, pointing.

The water quickly became shallow and she stood and walked herself to shore, shivering. The soldier patted his horse’s neck and whispered, “Good boy,” a few times. “We need to keep moving,” he said to her.

“I saw,” Shirayuki said looking up again, the cliff was empty now. They looked at each other again. “Why did you run out on that bridge for me?”

He shrugged. “Why did you save me from drowning? You’re a human being.”

“Human being…” She repeated the words thoughtfully. “Thank you.”

It was too dark to be sure, but she could have sworn he blushed. A loud ka-plunk echoed through the ravine walls. Shadows of men were working their way down to them and they’d accidentally set a rock to tumble down and land in the water.

“Like it or not, we’re in this together now.” She nodded in agreement. “I’m Zen,” he said.

“I’m Shirayuki.” They climbed onto the horse’s back, “Where are we going?” she asked.

“Right now? Away from here.”

 They rode along the narrow beach until the cliff walls were at a friendly enough incline to walk up. They trekked through the forest at a steady pace until morning. It was uncomfortable letting cold air-dry wet clothes, but she didn’t mind the warmth Zen provided at her back. As they came to a break in the trees where she could see an overcast sky above she began to realize Zen was leaning a little too heavily on her.

She tried to lean further away from him and flash him a dirty look only for him to slump further and nearly fall off.

“Zen?” He didn’t respond, “Zen, wake up!”

She dismounted best she could while keeping him propped on the horse. His face was pale and wet though his hair was dry now. Beads of sweat she deduced, and his breathing was labored. This wasn’t the best place to set up camp, in the open, while they were on the run, so she lied him along the horse’s back. She took the reins to lead them to a safer, more discreet location. Fortunately for her she was able to find some large boulders bot too far away that they could hide among. She led the horse between them and came to Zen’s side again. “Get up.” She nudged him “Please.” He came to, somewhat. “I need to get you on the ground.”

He sat up and clumsily kicked his feet off the stirrups before sliding down one side. Shirayuki helped him catch his weight and lied him on a clear patch of ground. She searched her waterlogged bag, packs of medicine ruined for sure and she didn’t want to even think about the state of her mother’s books, but at least her first aid kit was sealed, in case of an unexpected storm.

She made work removing his breast plate and shoulder pads down to his shirts and the scarf he wore tucked up to his chin. She saw now that he had a wound on his torso under his left arm. “Why didn’t you say anything to me,” she scolded him. Her fingers went to unwrap the damp material from around his neck, but he put his hand over hers to stop her. His fingers were cold, and she could tell it took all his strength to lift his arm.

“Don’t.” His voice was shaky.

She paused for a second then moved his hand aside. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, “It better not be infected.” She began to unwind the scarf, “Do you know how many patients I’ve had that would have lived if not for their wounds getting infected before even getting to me?” She had more to say but it died on her lips, she held the scarf in her hands and stared down at the tattoo on his throat. From his larynx to his jugular notch there was a vine of purple wisteria flowers.

She looked up to to see him watching her through heavy eyes, his chest heaving, waiting for her response.

She pulled up at the bottom of his shirt, “Help me get this over your head. Then I need to clean my hands.” Cautiously, he pulled up his shirt while keeping an eye on her. She helped him lift himself from the ground to get it off. “What do you know about medicines?” He asked watching her every move as she opened her box of bandages and salves.

“Just a thing or two,” she said as she looked at the cut on her hand. It looked worse than it was, but it was sore from not being cleaned properly when it happened. She poured alcohol on a white cloth and dabbed the cut clean before putting a layer of ointment on it and wrapping it. Then she doused the other hand with the alcohol.

“I’m an herbalist and I’ve been working as medic during this war.” She looked at where he covered his wound with his hand, “I don’t care what side you’re on. You’re a human being.”

He stared up at her then laughed weakly and revealed the wound to her.

The cut wasn’t deep, but it was swollen and festered. Upon closer inspection, she found that it wasn’t an infected. “Poisoned,” she said.

“I know. A pirate,” he winced and breathed through his words, “tried to shove a dagger in me.”

“You knew you were poisoned and didn’t say anything?”

“I’m used to poison. Didn’t bother me too much until now.” He winced hard and his stomach muscles tightened. “Feels like I’m getting stabbed.”

“An immunity to poisons? You’ve bought yourself time, but I’m going to have to make you an antidote. If you had told me sooner, I could have been looking for ingredients and had something ready by now.” She stood and slung her bag over her shoulder. “I’ll go now, but you’re in for some exquisite pain until then.”

“I can handle the pain,” he said with a smile, though he looked like death.

Shirayuki turned from him, shaking her head. The overcast sky looked heavy above her. She pulled up her hood.

“You shouldn’t have to.”

 Hours later she had an antidote brewing over a fire. Zen had cooking supplies in his saddle bags that she borrowed as well as a soggy blanket. She wrapped it around Zen to help him survive his own body fighting the poison. She sat opposite him while he was crouched in pain, the fire between them. It was difficult to hear his breathing over the roar of rain outside and the occasional crash of thunder, but she could see his shoulders rise and fall at least.

When she was satisfied with the concoction, she poured it into a cup and came to Zen’s side. She helped him sit up and handed him the antidote. He drank it down and his breathing was easier, his muscles relaxed some. His eyes opened and he looked up at Shirayuki from where he leaned on her shoulder. “Thank you, Shirayuki. I didn’t say that before but thank you.”

Her eyes went from his down to the wisteria tattoo. Wisteria, as in the Wisterias. Zen was a member of the royal family of Clarines. “You must be wondering what I’m doing here?” He said, sitting up on his own.

Shirayuki let go of him and stalked back to her side of the fire. “If it’s some sort of an assassination attempt or scouting for an ambush, I don’t want any part of it-“

“I came to make peace with Tanbarun.”

She stared at him. “You’re serious?” Usually an emissary for peace negotiations didn’t look the way Zen did now.

“The party I was traveling with was ambushed yesterday by Tanbarun soldiers the second we crossed the border. We had understanding we had permission to cross, I’m sure there was a mix up and Tanbarun didn’t mean to double cross a peace talk.”

She could tell by his tone he didn’t believe his own optimism and she couldn’t blame him. “Our party was scattered; I was separated from everyone. I can only hope they made it back to Clarines safe. I was trying to make my own way back when our friends, the pirates, ruined the bridge.”

If Clarines wanted peace there was hope. If Zen could convince Tanbarun to sign an agreement this war would be over. Peace, finally.

“Zen,” she said, “You have to go to Tanbarun’s capitol and speak with the king.”

“After what they did? We can’t trust them.”

“Please, this war has taken everything from me.” It would take her freedom, certainly, but if there was no war then maybe there was a chance, she could escape the fate of being made a concubine. Either way she needed to present herself to Prince Raj before revenge could be sought on the Lions. “I know these forests; I know this country. I can help you cross undetected.”

“What about when we arrive? I could be the one getting assassinated or taken prisoner.”

“I’m a friend of the crown,” she half lied, “The prince is expecting me to come visit him, I’ll vouch for you. If you deliver me safely, it may even make him indebted him to you.” She wasn’t about to let him know she was part of a deal to ally with Tanbarun against his own country, not yet.

He looked her up and down. “You’re going to Tanbarun to see the prince?”

“Yes, that was a royal carriage that was flipped over. They… They kept me because of my hair.��

“I hear Prince Raj likes pretty girls, keeps a collection of them,” his words hung in the air, “be careful getting too close to a man with that much unchecked power.”

“I can take care of myself,” she said quietly.

He touched his bandaged side and laughed, “I don’t doubt that.” She blinked at his sudden laughter, not sure what the joke was. “Anyways,” he continued, “looks like we’re going the same way then.”

“Like it or not,” she repeated his words from the ravine.

He smiled. “Like it or not.”

[fanficmeat]

The Grounder (John Murphy X the reader)

The rebels banished John Murphy from their camp. What is about to happen when the trash king himself will get stuck in a cave with a young grounder girl?

warning: sexual theme, mentions of blood

sorry for my English, not my mother tongue :)

Enjoy!

You were hiding among the tree branches for almost half an hour. Your curiosity did not pay off this time. You were watching the sky people since the ́ve landed on Earth. They taught they are the only ones on the Earth. But they weren't. Your clan tolerated them as long as they stayed behind the border. But they were curious little human beings. One of them crossed the line on day three. And your clan let the sky people know that they are not alone. You called them curious but you were too. You were spying on them pretty often. 

One day they were louder than usual. "I say we float him!" screamed a males' voice and the others supported him with loud "yes".

You came closer. The Skikru, as your clan started to call them, created a big circle. In the middle stood a long haired boy: "I swear Bellamy, I didn't kill him!" 

One of the boys knocked this one down and started to beat him. Couple other boys joined him. 

After a few seconds of beating, they put a rope around the boy's neck and they hanged him. The blood froze in your veins. They were incredibly cruel. 

"Stop it. Murphy didn't kill Wells. It was me!" shouted a hardly twelve years old girl. Everyone stopped moving and just stared at her. 

The blonde girl grabbed an axe and cut the rope. Murphy fell on the ground. Hard to say, if he was still alive. You weren't even sure if you want to continue watching this. It made you wanna vomit even though you were supposed to be the cruel Grounder. You turned away from the group and ran into the dark woods.  It was calm and quiet, providing a false sense of safety. Suddenly I heard someone shouting a name. Over and over again. "Charlotte!" It was them again. You saw burning torches all around. You knew that if they see you, they will kill you. The only escape possible was to climb on a huge tree two feet next to you. So you did. 

In a minute, the Skikru was standing right under your hiding spot. The hanged boy, Murphy, was demanding justice. He wanted the little girl dead. 

"I won't let anyone else die because of me," cried the girl. She started to run towards the cliff and jumped down. She was dead for sure. The sky people stood in silence for a little while. 

"This is all because of you!" shouted the blond girl and slapped Murphy into a face. 

"I say, we banish him!" yelled someone from the crowd and it didn't take long for the rest to support this suggestion. 

"If I ever see you near the camp, I'll kill you." 

These words echoed through the woods long after they left one of their own to die on an unknown planet.

The sound of Trikru horn came out of nowhere announcing the acid fog cloud coming closer and closer to you. The only way to survive it was to hide. Without much thinking you jumped down from the tree you were hiding on and landed right in front of the boy. His face was bruised and covered in blood.

"Run." you almost whispered. He didn´t move, as you expected. You grabbed him by the elbow and started to run. There was a cave near here. Maybe it will provide you a shelter thanks to which you'll both live for another day. 

It seemed that Murphy's legs finally started to listen to him. He ran faster than you and you let him go. Finally, the cave appeared in the distance. Its entrance was getting closer when you tripped over a big spruce root. You fell on the ground, feeling a stabbing pain in your ankle.  Murphy kept running. You already knew that this is your last day on Earth because there is no way that someone from Skikru would help a Grounder. He will leave you there to die. You were sure about it. After a while, the boy slowed down and turned around. Even though you haven't heard it you were sure that he grunted loudly and swear a couple times. For your big surprise, he ran back to you. You could feel his arm around your waist, helping you to stand up. You knew you made it when you felt a hard rock under your feet. It took you a while to realize what just happened but as soon as you did you get out of Murphy´s grip and pointed a knife at him. He raised his hands into the air and a stupid smirk appeared on his lips. 

"I literally just saved you," he said, hands still raised above the head. He did but why? You didn´t move. You´ve just witnessed how brutal the sky people can be and it was not your intention to trust some of them. 

"Do you speak English or the only word you can say is 'run'?" 

You didn't answer. You didn't want him to know that you can speak his language. For a moment you were just looking at each other. His eyes were blue like a sky during a sunny spring day. He smirked again and sat down on the cold ground: “Whatever, kill me if you want. I'm dead anyway.” 

 You let your hand fall down slowly, still holding the knife though. You wanted to walk as far away as possible from him but that damn leg hurt like hell. You whined a little. 

"You should just sit down and rest." Murphy's voice was awkwardly soft, yet husky. Since you have decided to ignore him, you didn´t respond but you sat down with a grunt. Murphy chuckled and rested his head on the cold stone wall. His face was horribly beaten. He even had an open wound on his right cheek. You started to feel sorry for him. His own people wanted to kill him once in one day. You looked at him for a while as he was sitting there with his eyes closed and decided to repay him his favor. It was a grounder ́s custom after all. When someone saves your life, you owe him with yours. 

"De note konne odo," you said, knowing he doesn't understand the triskeda language. You pulled a vial from your pack and started to point on it and then on the boy´s face.  It took him a while to figure it out. "Oh, you want to heal my face? Trust me, little one, I was born this way." 

You moved to him slowly. He doesn't seem dangerous, he doesn´t even have a gun and you knew you would beat him in a face to face fight. You were right in front of him when you could finally see how bad his injuries really are. You grabbed his chin and made him look at you. He didn´t flinch which surprised you. He had nothing to lose. You took a look on the wound on his face. It was deep. You poured a yellow liquid on it. He hissed in pain, leaving his eyes closed for a while. Then he looked you in the eyes and you could see his gratefulness in them. You touched his forehead moving his long hair away from his face in order to see him better. It was the first time you realized how handsome he is. 

"If all grounders are at least as pretty as you, we might be in heaven," he whispered while his blue eyes were focused on yours. You chuckled even though you didn't mean to, letting him know that you understand every single word he said so far. He reached his hand to touch your face and you let him. Even though his palm was full of calluses his touch was gentle. You closed your eyes for a second, enjoying his proximity when you could feel his warm lips on yours. You flinched at first a little but then you let him kiss you, keeping your eyes closed. When his tongue found it´s way into your mouth you moaned a little which made Murphy smile into the kiss. You could feel the passion growing in you. You pulled his hair and it made him moan in return. Murphy pulled away of your lips and inhaled deeply. 

“I don´t even know your name,” his voice was a little husky and it made you want him even more. You didn´t answer his question, instead, you kissed him harshly, continuing to pull his hair with one hand and trying to take down his leather jacket with the other one. He didn´t seem to protest against your action, actually, he put his hand under your shirt and continued moving up until he reached your breast making you moan again but this time a lot louder. Murphy moved his lips to your neck leaving red marks all over it. You finally took off the leather jacket and moved to his T-shirt covered in his own blood from all the beating he got before. He imitated you and took off your shirt leaving you sitting in front of him half naked. He stared at you for a while but it didn´t make you feel uncomfortable you could see in his eyes that he likes what he sees. You started to unbutton your trousers and took them off yourself. You reached to kiss him again and found his belt, trying to undress him as quickly as possible in which you succeed. Since the two of you were still sitting on the ground you´ve decided to sit on his crotch and let him enter you. You wanted to feel him inside you so bad. You moaned so much that it echoed through the cave when he penetrated you and you could hear a soft moan escaping his mouth as well. You started to move your hips against his crotch slowly but constantly. Murphy was kissing your neck and touching your breast. Your movements started to intensify when you could feel that you are both close to the climax. A loud moan escaped John's throat when he ejaculated inside you as well as you almost screamed in pleasure when you reached the top. You kissed him once again after that and took a deep look into his eyes, then you put your clothes back on first, giving you a time to watch Murphy struggled with his trousers while putting it on. After the exhausting fight with his clothing, Murphy lied down in the ground and you have noticed he couldn't keep his eyes open. He was so exhausted that he fell asleep in a minute. 

After the acid fog was gone you disappeared into the woods, leaving the boy, who made you feel like a human again, sleeping calmly on the cold cave´s ground.

[sunyoonandstars]

🥀 Sanguinem || BTS Vampire! Mafia Boss! Taehyung x Vampire! Reader || AU SERIES || Chapter 1

October called for a fantasy AU. So, here you go, guys. Enjoy! 

📃 Sanguinem Masterlist

🎶 PLAYLIST 🎶

Pairings Vampire Mafia boss! Taehyung x You Vampire! Jimin x You

Word count  2.250

angst, hints of/at and future smut, hints of fluff if you squint maybe? 

🥀 Warnings 🥀 mentions of blood, death, violence, emotional/physical abuse (nothing gruesome, though, I swear)

When your eyes met for the first time, it was as if you could feel the entire universe implode around you. The sight of his inky black orbs knocked the air right out of your lungs. You couldn't quite believe he was real at first, were convinced your mind was playing tricks on you when he suddenly started walking towards you, making his way through the crowded bar without once breaking eye contact. You could feel his presence even from afar, drawing you in like a magnet.

"I was looking for you, angel."

Those had been the first words Taehyung ever aimed at you. And your first kiss, right then and there, sealed the deal. You readily offered him your everything. And he did the same. Or so you thought at the time.

CHAPTER 1 ||  decay

You never thought you'd see him again. Kim Taehyung. The love of your eternal life. Unfortunately. 

What you wouldn't give to rid yourself of the ghosts of the past, to shed every memory of him like dead skin and be reborn a new, free person. The woman you used to be. Before your paths had crossed centuries ago. In a Paris ravaged by the Second World War, it's glorious beauty tarnished by hunger, grief, and omnipresent anguish that seemed to seep out of every broken window and every pile of rubble like quicksilver, heavy, smothering, contaminating the air and poisoning the people. Watching those tiny, meaningless humans desperately struggling to get back on their feet and restore their precious, shallow city to its former grandeur after years of senseless warfare and pointless destruction, you almost felt pity for them. Almost. 

Over time, you had learned to know better than to feel for them. Those small-minded, greedy creatures that kept on repeating the same foolish mistakes over and over again. Death, destruction, hatred, jealousy. They never learned. They didn't want to learn. You had realized that soon enough. It only took you about two hundred years of immortality to see through humanity and come to terms with the fact that it wasn't you who was the abomination, but, in fact, the very humans you envied so much for their capability to lead the ordinary lives they didn't value. Money and lust, consumption and splendor were all that was on their minds. And you were disgusted by their ignorant frivolity. Which only made it so much easier for you to view them as what they were to you: No more than a source of food. It didn't take you long to entirely abandon your guilty conscience and lose all sense of compassion for the dozens upon dozens of existences you put an end to.

That was until you met him. 

Nothing was what it used to be starting the very second he entered your life. You had never even contemplated the reality of destiny, had never even considered the actuality of fate to be a possibility, just like you had always denied the presence of a higher power, a divinity so to say. Because, if such a higher power were to be, how and why would he allow something like you to be born? A creature abhorrent to nature that needs to kill mercilessly in order to survive? 

Coming across Taehyung, however, led you to call your previous beliefs, or rather their denial, into question. Because you knew the moment you first laid eyes on him: He was meant to be yours, and you were meant to be his. Two of a kind, your lives had been linked long before you were even aware of each other's existence. He held the piece your soul had been missing ever since you awoke at the bottom of a cliff with broken limbs and the burning desire to drink human blood over four hundred years ago, without any memory of how you had gotten there and who you had been before. Taehyung was your mate. The two of you were meant to be. For some reason, you were certain of that fact. More certain than of anything else in your life. 

When your eyes met for the first time, it was as if you could feel the entire universe implode around you. The sight of his inky black orbs knocked the air right out of your lungs. You couldn't quite believe he was real at first, were convinced your mind was playing tricks on you when he suddenly started walking towards you, making his way through the crowded bar without once breaking eye contact. You could feel his presence even from afar, drawing you in like a magnet. 

"I was looking for you, angel." 

Those had been the first words Taehyung ever aimed at you. And your first kiss, right then and there, sealed the deal. You readily offered him your everything. And he did the same. Or so you thought at the time. 

The first weeks and months were unbelievably intense. You spent them in a dreamy haze, rarely ever leaving your shared hotel room, breaking quite a few beds. Your hunger for each other rendered your never-ceasing thirst for blood meaningless. You went without feeding for days on end. And when your cravings eventually got the better of you, and you were weakened to the point that you were barely able to move your limbs, Taehyung presented you with the ultimate solution to all your problems: Sanguinem. A synthetic substitute for human blood. A drug. Solely designed to fit and sustain the Vampire metabolism. Created by Taehyung himself, invented over the course of centuries. And, just like Taehyung, the Sanguinem came to you as both your salvation and your undoing. 

Sanguinem was blood in its purest, most refined form, offering an all-new kind of high. One that lasted for days but left you with an insatiable longing for more. Just like he did. 

Soon, you could no longer imagine yourself without Taehyung by your side. And, just as well, you could not go a week without your dose of Sanguinem. Taehyung had managed to do what turned out to be his intention from the start: He had made you into his willing puppet, his property. When you were finally onto him and his malevolent agenda, though, it was already too late. There was no going back. Or at least it seemed that way to you. Because, back then, you were too weak. Too weak to resist, to fight off the effect Taehyung had on you, to escape his control. And once he was sure his power over you was absolute, Taehyung introduced you to his 'Crimson Circle'. A ruthless and influential organization that did not only reign over Paris, as you came to know, but dominated the market for blood substitutes all across Europe and East Asia and basically 'owned' nearly every single vampire inhabiting the area. 

You see, the Crimson Circle didn't demand payment solely in the form of money. If you didn't have the financial means to purchase the Sanguinem, there were always other ways to reimburse them. Services one was to provide. Debts that were to be repaid at a time when it came in handy to Taehyung and his mission – which was to protect and preserve the vampire race by seeing to it that a strict set of rules was being followed by every individual within his reach. A mission no one but Taehyung had been strong enough to fulfill so far, but that was more than necessary to be carried out since, during that time, vampires were close to extinction due to the atrocious name they had made for themselves. 

Your likes had been hunted and slaughtered systematically ever since human technology had evolved to a level that enabled them to develop weapons effective enough to combat vampires despite their unnatural strength and heightened senses. Under the cloak of World War One and Two, thousands upon thousands of your kind had been tracked down and executed without trial. Because your species wasn't considered human. You didn't have rights, were mere monsters, soulless, deemed to be even below animals. 

So, keeping a low profile, which meant keeping fellow vampires in line and sparing human lives whenever possible, was of immense importance when it came to remaining undetected and maintaining a steady count of your kind. And, somehow, Kim Taehyung seemed to be just the man to accomplish that. 

He was both cruel and caring, cold and deadly yet gentle and beautiful. A riddle. A living, breathing oxymoron, oozing the kind confidence and innate authority that allowed neither resistance nor objection and demanded to be recognized. 

Taehyung taught you to respect life again, reintroduced you to that softer side of yourself you believed to have killed and buried centuries ago. He gave you, and so many others, a purpose while steadily expanding his network and consolidating his position as the unchallenged leader of the Crimson Circle. 

And you admired him. No. You loved him. With all that was left of your heart. 

Years passed. One, two, five, ten, fifty of them. And, all the while, you were Taehyung's number one. His queen. His sanctuary. His pride and his right-hand woman. Boastfully, he showed you off. His brightest jewel and most valuable possession. And, most of the time, he approached you with reverence and care, handled you like the divine creation he saw in you. 

At the beginning of his reign, Taehyung still asked and valued your opinion on matters of high importance and demanded your presence at all his meetings. He never wanted you to leave his side, and his underlings learned to respect you. Nobody dared to question your dignity or position, and whoever did have the audacity to disparage you in any way possible had to pay with their life. Taehyung usually saw to it that he made short work of them in a quite public manner, setting a warning example for future offenders as he did with everyone who thought it to be a good idea to bend or even go so far as to break his meticulously implemented set of rules. 

For the first time after seemingly endless years of solitude, spent on the run, in fear and isolation, you felt safe, valued, appreciated, and cared for. 

Quickly, though, after a couple of decades that was, the tide started turning. It was little things at first. Sudden shifts in Taehyung's mood. Displays of unnecessarily violent behavior, not only towards his subordinates but directed against you, as well. He became greedy, driven by lust and rage, impatient, voracious, jealous for no reason. 

At some point, you were forced to admit to yourself that it was time for you to go, to leave Taehyung behind and get as far away from him as possible. Before it was too late. Because the power – and his unappeasable thirst for more of the same –, as well as the need to adopt a certain coldness in order to sustain it,  were beginning to consume him. 

What had started out as the noble endeavor to turn the vampire race into one that was respectable and could be part of the world it inhabited without disrupting it quickly turned into a dark, all-consuming vortex of corruption and intrigue. With each day passing, Taehyung diverged further and further from the man he had once been, the man you had hopelessly fallen for, and instead became the very monster people had always feared your kind to be. 

He became unfaithful to you, had affairs, held orgies. Started to treat you more and more roughly, both in bed and in life. To consciously and continuously degrade you, making you feel worthless and inferior and punishing you for his mistakes, abusing you both mentally and physically – a pattern that only led him to despise himself even more, plunging him deeper and deeper into a vicious, unending cycle of self-hatred and violence. 

When Taehyung had formerly preached the value and appreciation of both human and vampire life, he now murdered dozens of innocent souls of either kind in cold blood, just for the thrill of it and to act out the anger that would otherwise have been directed at himself or, even worse, you. Because, back then, there was still some part left in Taehyung that wanted to protect you. Shortly after, though, that last, compassionate fragment of him, too, ceased to exist, going out like a fickle flame once he stopped fighting the process and succumbed to the darkness that was slowly but surely making itself at home in his very core, spreading like a tumor. 

When there was finally no more warmth left in his gaze as it fell upon you, you knew you had to move on, however much it pained your heart to abandon Taehyung in such a state. Entirely consumed by evil. Because you had allowed him to be corrupted, lacking the strength to fight it for the both of you. 

You could tell by the way he sometimes still looked at you, quietly longing for the comfort you had once provided, that he was crying out for help. That he wanted to be saved. That he needed you to chase away the darkness in his stead and help him reemerge as the beacon of light he used to be. But you were too scared. Afraid that he would drag you down with him. And that there would be no going back. 

So you ran. Literally ran for your life. As far and as quickly as your legs could carry you. In the dead of night, while Taehyung was once more being pleasured by half a dozen recently turned female vampires, you packed up your things and fled Paris with the help and in the company of your and Taehyung's dearest confidant, Jimin, vowing to yourself to never look back. 

And you never did. 

As a matter of fact, Taehyung barely ever crosses your mind these days. 

But you have a feeling that is about to change when you turn around behind the counter of the bar you currently work at to pour another stranger yet another drink. Only to stop and stare when your unsuspecting eyes meet a set of onyx orbs you thought you would never get lost in again. 

“I was looking for you, angel.” 

To be continued ... 

← Previous Part | Next Part → Coming soon! 

Hope you liked it so far. 🙃 I’ll try to update as soon and as often as possible. But there are a few changes taking place in my life right now, so I can’t make any promises. 

Here you can find my full Masterlist in case you feel like checking out more of my BTS fiction.

NONE of the GIFs used are mine. Credit goes to the initial creators. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. 

[youremyonlyhope]

The Last Jedi

Here we go. The most controversial Star Wars movie ever (unless Rise of Skywalker has reviews that are just as mixed. I haven’t read any so I don’t know how it’s been received yet.) I actually really really enjoyed the Last Jedi, but I haven’t rewatched it since I saw it in theaters.

Also, unrelated, but literally just a few hours ago I met Oscar Isaac. I was doing a caroling event where I work, and he came by with his son to watch. During one of our breaks, he asked if his son could try the microphone and he held him up so he could whisper and sing stuff into the mic. It was adorable.

I seemed to be the only person who recognized who he was, though one of my co-workers said he had thought so too but he wasn’t sure until I confirmed it. So I went up to Oscar and said hi, asked if he was Oscar Isaac, shook his hand, and thanked him for coming. He says that it was great and that his son loves to sing.

I always joked that I’d bump into Oscar one day since he lives in Brooklyn, but I didn’t think it’d actually happen. And not while I’m wearing a Star Wars shirt and Star Wars socks (which he obviously couldn’t see since I was bundled up in a coat and a scarf and boots but whatever). And definitely not the day before I’m supposed to see the Rise of Skywalker.

I’m still freaking out oh my god. Ok. Time to rewatch the Last Jedi.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... This was the first Star Wars movie I’d seen in theaters in like 12 years at this point. Seeing those words on a giant screen again was amazing. “Certain that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker will return and restore a spark of hope to the fight.” I love that line. I love any and all comparisons of Luke to hope. Yes I am biased. But also, restoring the spark is exactly he does in the end so yes, I love it. It’s just now hitting me that we’re picking up exactly where we left off. Having 1 night between the two movies is every different than having 2 years. ...Was that whatsherface from Game of Thrones, Catelyn’s creepy sister? (IMDB says yes) *BB8 beeps* “Happy beats here buddy, come on.” BB8 sort of said the thing! Also, OH MY GOD I JUST MET OSCAR ISAAC AND NOW HERE HE IS ON MY SCREEN WHAT THE HELL. Was today even real? Oh General Hugs. “Skinny guy. Kinda pasty.” Knowing Oscar and Domnhall are friends makes this better. Oh BB8. Very honorable of Billie Lourd’s Lieutenant Connix to make sure she’s in the last ship leaving the base so everyone else leaves before her. I forgot about the chain reaction of bombs destroying their own Resistance ships... You know, Paige dying while dropping the last of the bombs was already emotional. Rewatching it after you know she’s Rose’s sister makes it worse. First Binary Sunset of the movie. General Hugs has a very good upset face that makes me not feel bad for him at all. More like I want to punch him. Snoke can use the Force across the galaxy... forgot about that. I realized I didn’t mention this in the last one, but I remember the crew complaining that when they filmed the end of Force Awakens it was a cloudy day, but then when they went back to the island for TLJ it was super sunny. And now that it’s been pointed out, I noticed it immediately. Luke throwing the lightsaber. I can’t remember if I was spoiled for this but I feel like when I watched it, I wasn’t that thrown off by it. Something else I didn’t mention at the end of Force Awakens is that I LOVE this set. The stone houses are amazing. Oh porgs. Also, that porg looking into the lightsaber always gives me anxiety. The first words we hear Luke say in 40 years are an annoyed “Go away.” which at least is less whiney than the Tosche Station. Oh Chewie’s like “DUDE. WE NEED YOU.” “Wait... where’s Han?” Awww. Throwing in a little Vader’s theme in there. More temper tantrums. People getting mad at Luke calling a lightsaber a laser sword (in a purposefully mocking way) even though George Lucas himself called them that in some interviews. Yes, it’s not a laser sword, but Luke is trying to show how ridiculous he thinks the idea of him taking down everything is by calling a lightsaber that. I remember being like “Luke... no let’s not just milk that thing... oh ew” I do love the shot of Luke using the giant stick to cross to the other cliff and kill the fish. God that’s a steep hill. “No one’s from nowhere.” “Jakku.” “Alright that is pretty much nowhere.” That’s funny. “It’s time for the Jedi to end.” Remember when that line in the trailer made the fandom literally break down? I love knowing that behind the scenes, Carrie had to slap Oscar a billion times. Also, I do not blame Leia at all. So many people were mad about Leia and Holdo demoting Poe, but Poe was too fearless in that moment. Yes, he destroyed the ship and it worked out, but they lost so many people and they already didn’t have many to begin with. It was worth it, but at a very high cost. So I don’t blame her. Heyyyyyy it’s that girl from that Black Mirror episode and what was that other show? Chewing Gum or something? (IMDB says yes it’s Michaela Coel) See and Poe’s already learning a little by asking permission. Of course... later on he doesn’t ask permission... but whatever. Leia’s Theme... causing me pain. Oh, Kylo didn’t kill his mom. We’re supposed to be happy about that? The bar is on the ground. The utter horror I felt the first time the control room was destroyed and Leia was pulled into space. Oh I love the moment when Leia flies in. Because I’d heard that in the books and comics, we get to explore Leia’s Force abilities and stuff but we don’t get it in the movies besides “I feel that Luke’s in trouble.” Which sucks, because she is the “other” if Luke didn’t work out, so she’s just as strong as Luke if she got trained. They should have just trained both kids honestly, why did they pick the boy? Not saying Obi-Wan and Yoda are sexist... but they’re probably sexist. Also, foreshadowing. I actually noticed the hologram of the ship and Leia flying through this time. Oh Chewie. I like the porg that literally has his jaw dropped in horror. Knowing now that the dice were kind of a symbol of Kira (was that Emilia Clarke’s character?) and Han’s relationship makes me not like them as much. Still, cute throwback that they’re still on the Falcon. We can just ignore they weren’t there in Force Awakens (I kept an eye out and didn’t see them) The way Luke laughed when he said “R2!” I just... my heart. “Nothing can make me change my mind” *R2 plays the Leia hologram* I literally just went “AWWWW” out loud because I forgot that that’s why R2 started playing it. Oh my heart. That hurt the first time. Luke standing over Rey, but offering to help her. Parallels. Oh Admiral Ackbar. I love Holdo’s dress. I love the draping. Someone teach me how to make it. “Thank you for making me aware.” Yeah Poe, she already knows. Stop mansplaining. This is literally a case of mansplaining, why would Poe think he’d have to explain to a commander that there’s no fuel? Yeah it’s a little harsh, but is Holdo wrong? All of these fanboys complain about Canto Bight, but forget that it was Poe’s idea. Then they go and say Holdo was too mean should have put Poe in charge. Guys. Poe’s impulsive. We love him, but he’s the ultimate Gryffindor with no fear and will just do anything without considering consequences. I do wish Holdo had been more open like “I have a plan. You don’t need to know all the parts of it. Just let me do what I need to, ok?” instead of “Just follow my orders.” but still. Oh poor Rose. “Doing talking....” Oh she’s so cute. “I’ve had to stun 3 people trying to use this escape pod.” We love a girl who can fight. Yeah. Once again. Not mad at Rose. Finn does have some selfish tendencies, he’s well meaning but ultimately selfish (or at least, only thinking of Rey). So I do not blame Rose for stunning him.

And now I will take a nap since I have to go to a show tonight. And then I will finish the last 3/4-ish of the movie when I get home later.

Annnnd I’m back!

See. Rose has good reason to be mad at deserters. Ok so it wasn’t Poe’s idea to go to the Star Destroyer it was Finn’s. I will give him that. But still Poe went along with it. “That... wasn’t exactly my...” Oh 3PO. I wish Maz had had a bigger scene. More Lupita please. I have one question: from what angle is this hologram filmed? And how does the camera follow her? I guess it’s multiple hologram cameras, but still, it followed her as she rolled and ran around. Also, did Finn call Maz or did Poe call her? Because as far as we know, only Finn knows her. It seemed like they both had the idea to call her, but that Poe had it first. Did Finn tell Poe about Maz? I’m glad they showed Finn handing Poe the binary tracker thing, since for a second I was like “What if Rey had popped up next to Finn on the Star Destroyer?” I’m glad Rey’s first instinct is to shoot Kylo. “Can you see my surroundings?” “You’re gonna pay for what you did.” “I can’t see yours.” Why do I remember that line so vividly? Why does it make me feel so unsettled? Rey, my sweet Rey, I wish you had just told Luke that you saw Kylo. I love Luke’s explanation of the Force. And him messing with Rey was funny. I love when Rey’s reaching out and feeling life, death, peace, violence, etc. And I love Luke saying the Force doesn’t belong to the Jedi, because it doesn’t. The Jedi failed years ago. “You didn’t even try to stop yourself.” Luke’s horrified. But also, Rey’s just like an extreme version of Luke. Yoda knew that Luke’s emotions could make him vulnerable to the dark side, Rey’s already vulnerable. Yeah, I don’t blame Luke for being scared of Rey after he feels like this is Ben all over again. Oh my god. I love the porg that has a metal piece over its head. That actually made me laugh out loud. Poor Chewie.

I just had to refresh tumblr because my draft wasn’t saving. It brought me back to my dashboard. Where there was a spoiler for the new movie and it wasn’t tagged. PLEASE tag your spoilers people.

The water hitting Kylo still confuses me. Say what you will about the Canto Bight plot... the costumes are AMAZING. The costumes literally make the whole side plot worth it to me. Literally I was just in awe by all the costumes during every single scene. And the set! The set’s fantastic too! I literally just paused every single second to take in all of the costumes. Do I care if the Canto Bight trip ended up pointless? Nope! Because it gave me some of Star Wars’ best costumes. Oh... to be an extra in the Canto Bight scene... Just show up... And put on a beautiful outfit... And do nothing else but pretend to drink, talk, and gamble... That’s the dream. Oh hi Mark Hamill! That was cute that they let him voice that little thing. I remember noticing the thing and being like “...is he important?” and nope, it’s just Mark doing an extra voice. Oh I love the Fathiers. Aww and it’s the little Force sensitive boy. I have thoughts about that kid that I can get into later. The way BB8 jingles with the coins. I love it.

Rey: *Does a move with her stick* Rey: *Does the same exact move with the lightsaber* Fanboys: She’s too good too fast! Mary Sue!

As I said throughout all of the Force Awakens, she’s just applying the skills she already had. If anything, a lightsaber’s easier since it’s half the length and she doesn’t have to worry about the back of it hitting her. LOL, remember when we thought this shot was an epic shot of Luke training her? Good times. Oh that poor fish nun. Everything Luke says about the Jedi is true (also did I not say they failed earlier in the post? Luke agrees with me). Rey’s right that a Jedi got Ani to come back from the dark side, but the Jedi’s system enabled him to turn in the first place. Soooooo yeah. Oh Luke. Don’t blame yourself. Kylo was already basically gone. Sure, seeing his uncle standing over him with a lightsaber definitely didn’t help... but it’s not the only thing that made him turn. Who is this captain of the medical ship? He looks familiar. (IMDB says he’s Danny Sapani. I probably recognized him from the Crown) Oh BB8. Finn, did you learn nothing from Rey? Put the cover back on the vent! Awww the Fathiers have such sad eyes... I love the Resistance ring. Can I buy one? Ok. The shot of the bubble egg lady singing felt like it was much longer the first time, but it’s really only a split second. I. LOVE. THE. CANTO. BIGHT. SET. I know it’s a real town in like Italy or somewhere near the Mediterranean. I want to go. I love it. I love that the first thing Luke does when he decides to use the Force again is to seek out Leia. Oh poor Adam became a meme after this. He just has a very wide and bulky body, ok? God Luke looks so scary in Kylo’s flashback. “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.” That reflection scene is so visually stunning. So in a way, it’s like Luke is failing Rey like he failed Ben. He’s not helping her in the way she needs, so she’s being lured by the dark side instead. I love the walls falling around Luke. “Did you do it? Did you create Kylo Ren?” Rey, he already told you earlier that he believes it’s his fault, so the answer from him is yes. I can’t remember if we hear this story of Luke and Kylo one more time after this or not. “Then he’s our last hope.” Ok ew. No. Kylo is not allowed to be compared to hope. Only Luke, Leia, or Obi-Wan can be. Oh for a second I thought that torch was a lightsaber. YODA!!!!! I think I had been spoiled for Yoda showing up. It was definitely still exciting though. “The sacred Jedi texts!” Oh Luke. Oh memes. Not as whiney as I remembered. “But that library contained nothing that the girl Rey does not already possess.” Because Yoda knows she stole the books. Oh Yoda. I love Yoda. Oh Rose. Ok, so I will give it to Poe that at this moment it doesn’t seem like Holdo has a good plan. Abandoning ship isn’t necessarily cowardly, but on the surface it does seem like it puts them in more danger. Literally earlier today I watched a video about the layout of the Millennium Falcon, and the escape pods were mentioned. And I thought to myself, wow that must be something from the novels since we’ve definitely never seen that in the movies. Welp... I was wrong... Rey’s in one now. I was about to be like “Do they not care that an escape pod just docked?” before I saw Kylo. LOL the iron coming down like a ship. I feel like I remember being completely terrified when Rey stepped in front of Snoke. Oh BB8. Bumping into stuff. I remember being super relieved that DJ (has he told us this is his name yet? I can’t remember) gave back the medallion. Captain Phasma! Hey girl hey! Leia shooting Poe is still funny to me. Also Lieutenant Billie Connix is smart.  I love the scene of Holdo and Leia saying goodbye. Also, Holdo’s purple hair with her bright blue eyes is super striking. Good choice. Snoke puts down the lightsaber. Unknowingly sealing his fate. Literally when Snoke reveals he connected their minds, I was like OF COURSE. Because the whole time I’m like neither of them are strong enough to do this. “She was more interested in protecting the light than she was seeming like a hero.” See. And that’s the flaw in both Poe and Finn. And Rey to an extent. They’re thinking about the big picture, but in context of smaller things like seeming like a hero, saving Rey, saving Kylo, etc. But Holdo’s thinking of only the big picture. I knew DJ betrayed them, I just forgot how badly.

And here’s another annoyance (which I was sorta trying to touch on earlier). Everyone hates the Canto Bight plot, yet they complain about Holdo trying to take charge. If Poe just let Holdo take charge and ignored Finn and Rose’s idea, then her plan would have been a complete success. No Canto Bight, no DJ to betray them, all the transports make it to Crait unnoticed, and the First Order eventually destroys a ship that’s empty except for Holdo. They complain about Holdo, but don’t think about the fact that Holdo could have prevented another plot they hated if the main characters had just listened to her.

And then Snoke hits Rey and literally puts the lightsaber back to where it will kill him. Ok literally I just misread a caption that said “Lord Vader” as “Lord Voldemort” and I was very confused. Taking a second to say that I love this set of Snoke’s throne room. Been thinking it forever, but Kylo picking up the lightsaber off the ground and seeing the reflection in the smooth red floor is amazing. Kylo igniting the lightsaber through Snoke is amazing. Also, I typed “Ben igniting” before literally freezing for a second and being like “...ok that’s a lot to unpack” I guess when he does something good my brain thinks of him as Ben instead of Kylo. ALSO, arm #16 and #17, I love that Snoke’s arms were cut off too in true Star Wars fashion. And I am VERY excited to see this fight scene again. I told myself not to pause at all during the Kylo and Rey team up fight, but I paused literally a second into it because Binary Sunset yes.

And my idiot brother and my mom are texting in the family group chat so it’s popping up on my screen throughout this scene. Ugh.

All of these red knight weapons are so cool. And I forgot about the one that gets chopped up... Oh my god one is a sword that transforms into a whip. LOVE. IT. And I love the quick lightsaber ignite through the head. Love it. Woah how is there still 44 minutes? I remember this battle being much closer to the end. I was wondering when the red walls went away, but I rewinded and saw that they had been slowly burning away after Rey made something hit them. Nice touch.

Ugh my brother and mom will not stop texting.

“You have no place in this story.” Wow Kylo, harsh. Oh shoot I forgot about the lightsaber breaking until they started their Force tug of war with it. I’d always wondered what would happen if someone lightsped through something... I want to say that I realized what she was doing before they told us, but now I realize that they basically told us what she would do when the First Order guy said “they’re preparing to hyperspeed.” so I guess I just caught on to the obvious hints.

God that moment still gives me chills. The silence. The way it sort of goes black and white. The multiple angles. So good.

I know for a fact that I spent the rest of the movie from this point on with my hands over my mouth in a constant stake of shock/fear/anxiety. Oh BB8. Some people thought this was ridiculous. But I had just spent the last few months rewatching the prequels before seeing this, and compared to the stuff R2 does, BB8 clumsily controlling a walker is nothing. Oh how I love Gwendoline Christie. I FORGOT THAT WE SAW HER EYE IN THE MASK. I hope Phasma survived. She’s so awesome. Ok my quality is like horrendous right now so I’m gonna refresh. LOL I FORGOT ABOUT GENERAL HUGS NEARLY ATTEMPTING TO KILL KYLO. Oh I forgot how much I love Crait as a set location. OH AND THE ICE DOG THINGS! LOVE THEM! Poe petting BB8 when he comes back kills me. I like those space age two person laptops. “People believe in Leia.” *Binary Sunset plays* My heart. Ok for a second I was like “This first person camera is like a war movie” and then it turns and we see the trench and I’m like “...ok... ok fine but that was very literal.” The red footsteps. Just... guys this set is so AMAZING. Ugh, these red streaks of dust behind them are so amazing. And when Finn passes in front of the camera, it gets covered in the dust and blurs part of the lens. Just like the Rathtar goo in the Force Awakens. I wonder if that’s going to be like... the thing of the sequels. One shot that has the camera lens partially covered by something. Also, I just wasted time trying to figure out if there’s an official name for that or not... oh well. The winding stripes left behind as they weave around... just... amazing. YEAH! GO CHEWIE! GO REY! Oh my god I forgot about the porg roaring. “Oh, they HATE that ship!” I’M DEAD. Look at the salt and how it forms the crystals in the trench. I love it. I FORGOT ABOUT THIS SHOT OF THE CAVE FULL OF THE RED SALT. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. I remember when the trailer had the first shot of the gorilla walkers, and I didn’t notice at first that there were normal AT-ATs next to them, and then I realized these things were twice as big as AT-ATs and I was horrified. See, and now Poe has learned that you can’t always be a hero and is making a good decision. I forgot about Finn’s speeder literally melting as he gets closer. I don’t understand the people who were mad that Rose stopped Finn. I for one was HORRIFIED at just the thought of Finn dying this way and thankful she stopped him. “That’s how we’re gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, saving what we love.” The kiss is pointless but I love the line and sentiment behind it. Oh god. Ok. Here come the emotions. Binary Sunset is playing. I was a wreck. And a little of Han and Leia’s Love Theme as she sees the dice. I remember actually noticing that in the theaters and half-sobbing. Oh god the forehead kiss. Oh and he winks at 3PO as he walks by. My heart. This is the specific shot of the gorilla walkers and the AT-ATs in a line that freaked me out. That shot of Luke standing up against all the First Order walkers and ships. Amazing. That shoulder brush though. Kylo’s so dumb, he literally just watched that lightsaber get destroyed, he HELPED destroy it. He should have known something was up, it couldn’t have been repaired that quickly. Purposeful shot of Luke’s feet not moving the salt. That Matrix back bend though. “I will have killed the last Jedi.” He said the title. Also, is that the only time it’s said? Because they say it a lot in Force Awakens but I don’t think so yet in this movie.. “And I will not be the last Jedi.” Ok so now it’s said again by Luke. Purposeful shot of Kylo’s shoe leaving a footprint as he runs to Luke. I’m pretty sure I probably shrieked when he tried to slice Luke in half.

I just now remembered that I’d actually kind of wondered if he’d be a Force projection or something when he first showed up. Because I’d just watched Return of the Jedi like a week earlier and saw Obi-Wan do it, so I wondered if Luke was doing it too. Especially when Poe said Luke was distracting the First Order. It passed my mind and was confirmed when Kylo couldn’t hit him. And here’s where I started to feel like my world was crumbling...

Oh god. My eyes are wet. It hurts. But when I watched it the first time, I really felt like my world was absolutely falling a part and ending forever while I watched Luke die. With the stupid binary sunset in front of him just like when he was a teenager and when he was a baby. One of the first things he ever saw was the binary sunset. I was like “This is beautiful, but that doesn’t mean I’m not completely in pain and dying.” That shot from above of Kylo with the stormtroopers, mirroring a shot from the prequels of Ani. Nice. So do they still have that connection even if Snoke’s dead?

HEY! Hey. Those dice were still visible to Kylo even after Luke was dead... was Leia Force projecting them to Kylo? It wouldn’t take as much work as doing it to everyone else at once from lightyears away. One person, your son, would be easier. So maybe... maybe Leia’s the one continuing the projection of the dice. I’m gonna stick with that theory thanks.

Awww BB8 asked Rey about his antenna, just like when they first met. Remember when people were like “Are Poe and Rey gonna be a thing?!?!?” and of course I’d much prefer that over Reylo thanks. The books! Somehow, that obvious shot of the books goes over so many people’s heads. So many complaints about the books getting burned, when they literally show us that Rey saved them. I had never noticed the bunks in the Millennium Falcon either until I saw that video earlier, and I’m glad I got to actually see one in use since Rose is sleeping in one.

Oh GOD the entirety of the Resistance can fit on the Millennium Falcon... that is NOT good.

I LOVE the scene of the kids retelling the story of Luke. I must have already gone in depth about this 2 years ago, but I love it. Luke became a legend in the end. He didn’t necessarily want to be one, but he’s become one. It was exactly what was in the opening scroll, he restored the spark of hope. That subtle use of the Force by that little boy. With Binary Sunset playing. And I love that last shot of him holding the broom up like a lightsaber.

I nearly forgot that they put in “In loving memory of our princess, Carrie Fisher” at the end. That’s what got me to finally cry. 40 straight minutes of covering my mouth in anxiety, then feeling like my world was crashing down around me as Luke died. Having it dedicated to Carrie made me just start sobbing so hard. Watch that happen again tomorrow.

I remember when I left the theater, at first I was like “What if the boys is Rey’s brother?!” but then... I realized that a huge point of the movie went over my head for a second there.

The fandom got so caught up in figuring out who Rey’s parents are, whether it’s Obi-Wan or Luke or Leia or even Palpatine, that they were mad when Kylo said they were no one. But like... guys... not every single Force user is related to the Skywalkers or anyone else we already know. There were hundreds of Jedi in the prequels, because anyone can be Force sensitive. Obi-Wan’s parents were nobody, Qui-Gon’s parents were nobody, Mace’s parents were nobody. They didn’t come from long lines of Force users (at least in movie lore), BECAUSE THE JEDI WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO HAVE KIDS. The Skywalkers aren’t even a long line, it’s just 3 generations at this point. So literally none of the Jedi of the past came from powerful Force users (or at least from ones who got the chance to become Jedi) since that literally goes against the code.

Luke found at least 11 other Force sensitive kids to train alongside Ben, their parents were all definitely nobodies since he’s the last Jedi. Ben is an anomaly, Luke and Leia are anomalies, the Jedi don’t have kids! The fandom got so caught up in figuring out who Rey could be related to, that they forgot that for millennia the individual Jedi were not related to anyone.

Anyone can be Force sensitive. Anyone can be a Jedi. Rey is an example of that. That little boy is an example of that. That’s why I love that the little Force sensitive boy was the final shot of the movie. He was meant to reassure and remind us after the Rey parentage reveal that anyone can end up Force sensitive. They don’t need a famous/powerful parent. They can come from anywhere and be anyone. And I love that that’s the final note of this movie.

Some people were not reassured. Some people couldn’t handle the idea that Rey’s powerful just because she’s Rey, not because she’s someone’s daughter. She HAS to be related to someone to be that powerful, right? But every Jedi before her who was just as powerful wasn’t related to anyone, so why does she have to be?

ANYWAY! I was actually worried over the last 2 years that I’d rewatch The Last Jedi and not like it as much as I did in theaters. I still like it a lot. Even the Canto Bight scenes get redeemed by the costumes and the set being so amazing. But I love the message of don’t be a hero, this is bigger than just you. And I love the message that even if you’re “nobody” from “nowhere” you could still be Force Sensitive and you could still be a Jedi. I love Luke’s send off, I love that he does end up reigniting the spark and being a beam of hope again. I love it.

And I’m excited to see the Rise of Skywalker tomorrow.

[thevikingsheaux]

Jól (aka Yule)

Part 3

Masterlist

Note: I’m mixing in some of my own ideas into the mythology that I found on this website and this website! You should definitely check it out if you’re interested in the Yule celebration. Also, I use some gifs of Lagertha in this chapter, but they are meant to show what happens to Y/N and not meant to represent Lagertha in this imagine! Media isn’t mine, gifs & photos are from Google & videos are from YouTube.

Warning: slightly NSFW, animal sacrifice

Pairing: Hvitserk x reader

The solstice celebration was less than a week away and you and Dagmar just finished decorating the Great Hall and setting up the sacrificial altar in the center of Kattegat.

You were incredibly proud of your hard work. The elaborate decorations adorning the Hall were incredible. Not only were there wreaths and fresh strands of garland hung all over, but all the candles had ornate carvings that you and Dagmar had designed, and newly tanned animal pelts hung over all the chairs. You had worked hard over the past couple weeks, tanning all the hides of all the animals slaughtered for the feast.

The wooden altar platform and the ornate wood pillars around the altar had been crafted by Kattegat’s carpenter, Birger. After it had been set up, all the local farmers brought their best goat up to the altar so Aslaug could decide which would be the one to be sacrificed.

You were more than honored that your goat had been selected for the sacrifice that would take place before the solstice festivities. On every winter solstice, the largest goat in Kattegat was sacrificed to Thor, who was believed to protect people and the other gods from the darkness and evil spirits that roamed Midgard and Asgard during the darkness of winter. The solstice marked the rebirth of the Sun goddess who had been swallowed by the wolf Fenrir. And the weeks following the solstice were when she needed Thor’s protection the most.

Two days before the solstice you led your goat down to the pen it would stay until it was time for the ritual, and you thought more about the gods as you walked, praying to Thor, hoping he would be able to protect the Sun as she was reborn from the belly of the wolf. Yule would last until January 12th, when another sacrifice would be made in thanks if the Sun was successfully reborn. You believed in the gods very faithfully and were a very superstitious person because of your father. He loved the gods more than anything and taught you to do the same.

You were still praying to Thor when Ubbe’s voice broke your focus. He was blocking the entrance to the pen and told you that Aslaug was looking for you. “Follow me,” he said. After putting your goat in the pen, Ubbe began to lead you up to the cliff overlooking the fjord. “Where are we going?” you asked. “My mother comes up here sometimes to discern the meanings of her dreams without interruption,” he replied.

By the time you reached Aslaug, your breathing had become heavy. “Y/N. I have had another dream about you.” You were surprised and asked what she saw. “In my dream, you were performing the ritual sacrifice to Thor. Since I am queen, I had planned to do it, but I think it was a sign from the gods. They must want you to carry out the sacrifice.” Your eyes grew wide and you fell to your knees, thanking Aslaug profusely. Since you were so faithful to the gods you could not think of any higher honor.

After Aslaug had dismissed you, you immediately ran to Floki’s cabin. He was basically your uncle and shared the same undying faith in the gods. “Floki!” you screamed, as you approached his cabin. “Floki! FLOKI!” The door to his cabin flew open and he stuck his head out with a startled expression. “Y/N?? What are you doing here?” he questioned.

“Oh, Floki! It’s been so long since I have seen you! Why do you not come into Kattegat anymore?” A mischevious smile crossed his face in response to your question. “Well, I have been busy building a boat that will take me to wherever the gods wish me to go. It will be the perfect size, just small enough for one man to maneuver it, but just big enough to travel the high seas.” 

You wanted to talk more about that boat and what it would mean for the future, but first, you needed to tell him about what you had to do during the solstice celebration. “Floki, Aslaug told me that I will be the one to sacrifice the goat to Thor on the solstice!” His expression became very intense and he stared deeply into your eyes. “Are you serious?! That is wonderful, Y/N!”

---

It was the night before the solstice and you couldn’t sleep at all. Torvi lay next to you in your bed, snoring, while you stared at the ceiling. The most important day of your life so far was about to occur tomorrow.

When you heard your neighbor’s haunting kulning calling her livestock down from the hills, you knew it was time to rise and get ready for what was to come. You pulled on a simple white dress that would be worn during the sacrifice, saving your beautiful feathered dress for later in the evening.

“Torvi, wake up,” you said as you nudged your best friend awake. “It’s time to get ready! You need to get dressed and come to the Great Hall with me. I have to make sure all the food is being made correctly.”

Torvi was better at braiding than you were, so you let her style your hair after you had helped her into the dress you had made for her. She braided the sides and piled a bunch on top of your head, but made sure to leave some of your wavy hair hanging down. 

(Torvi looking gorgeous in the dress and cloak you made for her!)

After she twisted the final strands into place, she squeezed your shoulders and giggled as she asked, “How much do you want to bet that Hvitserk will mess these braids up like Ubbe ruined mine?”

You rolled your eyes and hopped up, eager to begin the day. Though the sacrifice wouldn’t begin until a few hours after the sun disappeared after being up a very short amount of time, you were excited and jumpy.

---

You were standing on the altar with torches lit all around you, and four carved wooden pillars standing tall behind and to the sides of you. Candles all over the altar illuminated the carvings in the pillars that depicted various scenes like Thor catching the giant sea serpent Jörmungandr.

The crowd parted to reveal Dagmar approaching the altar with the goat in tow. Your heart started beating faster as she got closer, but Floki was standing nearby and when you met his eyes you felt reassured.

Dagmar led the goat up onto the altar and stopped in front of you. Aslaug handed you the traditional knife that was used for all sacrifices and you turned back to the goat.

The Sami, who were visiting for the solstice, flooded the area with the sound of their throaty joik as the sacrificial ritual began. As the Sami joik continued, several Vikings in the crowd began to howl like wolves, begging Fenrir to release his hold on the Sun goddess.

(This is what I imagine the Sami song sounds like but multiplied by like 25 because dozens of Sami had shown up and were all singing in unison!)

After you cut its head completely off, the goat’s blood drained into two large bowls. It took several minutes before there was enough blood to be poured onto you. You closed your eyes and inhaled deeply before dipping 2 fingers in the blood and dragging them down your chin. While you did this, Floki drove the goat’s head onto a stake in the center of the altar.

You signaled that you were ready for the ritual to continue and Floki and Aslaug, each holding a bowl of the goat’s blood, stepped forth and poured it over you as drums began to beat. You looked over and met Floki’s eyes. They were transfixed on you and he was mesmerized, whispering to Thor, asking him to protect all people in Midgard and the Sun goddess as she is reborn from Fenrir’s belly. Then you looked over at Aslaug who was smiling, knowing she had made the right decision by letting you perform the sacrifice.

(This next song is what I imagine the chanting and drums sound like! I suggest listening to it while you continue reading because I think it sets the tone really well! And yes - part of this song was used in one of Hvitserk’s fight scenes in season 5!)

The rhythm of drums taking over after the Sami stopped singing drove the Vikings to dance vigorously all around you. They began a primal chant as their bodies moved compulsively with the sounds of the drums.

You were still standing on the altar, covered in goat’s blood, eyes closed and face turned to the sky when you felt someone press their body up against your backside. Hvitserk’s hands snaked around your waist and he splayed his fingers out across your hips, pulling your ass as close to him as possible. His breath was heavy and warm upon your neck. 

You were so overcome by the music, the singing, and the rush you felt after making the sacrifice to Thor that you grinded yourself against Hvitserk, keeping with the rhythm of the drums and chants and not caring at all that everyone could see. You let him crush you against his body and allowed his hands to roam over you, unbothered by the goat’s blood coating your dress. 

You felt how hard he was and gasped as he nipped at your ear. You broke your gaze from the heavens and looked out at the crowd of Vikings dancing uncontrollably. Here and there you saw couples fucking, not caring that everyone could see them, which turned you on even more. All you could think of now was Hvitserk taking you right there, with everyone watching. 

His left hand moved to your breast, squeezing it through your dress and his right slid down your stomach to your womanhood. He quickly found your clit and started rubbing it over the fabric of your dress, causing your eyes to roll back in your head and a moan to escape your lips. 

You noticed Hvitserk catch a disapproving glare from Floki, causing him to abruptly stop touching you and jump down from the altar. He left you breathless and flushed and disappeared into the crowd. Torvi immediately showed up with an impish smirk on her face. “I saw you and Hvitserk,” she muttered. “Let me help get you into the dress you made so you’ll be ready for the feast.” As you left the altar, the chants and drums abruptly stopped and many Vikings dropped to the ground, exhausted.

To be continued...

Fun fact: Joik is a Sami form of very expressive singing. I believe it is supposed to communicate the essence of something rather than be what you would traditionally call a “song” - if I have this wrong please feel free to correct me! The reason I chose to include Leahkit by FRIKAR is because I felt Torgeir Vassvik’s (the joiker, not the dancer) “singing” perfectly fit the scene. If you notice in the caption of the YouTube video, FRIKAR says that it is a wolf joik which makes it all the more fitting since the solstice marks the Sun goddess’ rebirth from Fenrir’s belly.

Tags: @laketaj24 @tephi101 @voodoodollgirl

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

DOTW 29 - Full

It was now the fifth day of their holiday and they off exploring the coast line in rented sedan. Zeke's ashes were in Eren's lap where the omega had been playing with the box they were in for the whole trip. Heading along the coast, they were driving towards where the terrain turned from the smooth beaches and into the steep cliffs. It would have been so much easier if Eren had just scattered the ashes at the waters edge, but his boyfriend didn't want people swimming through Zeke's remains, and when he'd put it that way, it was kind of gross. The idea of bits of Zeke washing onto the beach, and sticking in the sand... that was just, a whole lot of messed up. Having checked the tour guides and attraction pamphlets for the area, he'd found a spot called "The Blowholes". Shaped by thousands of years of erosion, small holes had formed in the cliffs, meaning when a strong wave hit, the water would be forced up the hole in a shooting stream. Even if it wasn't the best place to scatter Zeke, it should still be pretty interesting. After that, he'd planned on taking Eren to see the natural hot water spring, the finally a drive through the plantations. Living in the city, the kid probably hadn't ever really given any thought to where the food they ate came from. Parking at The Blowholes, Levi eyed the masses of tourists. Steel fencing had been erected to keep them off the cliff, but that meant nothing to most people these days. They were happy to die if meant a chance at an amazing selfie. Climbing from the car, Zeke was left on the front passenger seat, while Eren jogged over to his side "What is this place?" "You'll see soon" No sooner had the words come out his mouth, a stream of water shot through one of the holes, leaving a rainbow in its wake "Oh my god! Did you see that?!" "Yep" "Levi! That is so cool! I need photos" He'd thought that meant photos of the water, not photos of them together while Eren tried to get the rainbow behind them. It felt like it took a hundred shots for Eren to get one he was happy with, though he did get plenty of kisses to the cheek during it all, so it wasn't all terrible. Since telling Eren about Isabel and Farlan, the omega hadn't shied away once. He'd caught him sitting on the balcony smoking a single cigarette in Isabel's memory, and had sat down to listen while he rattled on about some story from when they were young. Even if it'd been 15 years, it felt like only yesterday that they met. The memories flowing back so easily. Almost too easily. By the end of it all, he was sure he'd never talked that much in his life. Walking down along the fence line, the stopped so Eren could take photos of the tourist information board, with all the do's and don't's. That everyone else was happily ignoring. Finding out there was small war memorial just a little further along the road, Eren didn't even have a chance to ask if they could go, before he was saying yes. This was why holidays were bad. He couldn't say no to Eren at the best of times. A 20 minute drive down a rough gravel road wasn't his idea of fun, not with all the dust kicked up by the traffic. Then Eren saw two horses wandering through the low scrub on the road side, so they'd had to stop so he could take photos, clearly disappointed when the pair didn't come closer. At the war memorial, Eren took another hundred odd photos. It was a steep climb from the small dirt carpark, but was nice in its own way. Like most war memorials, it had a huge anchor, as well as neat marble wall panels naming the soldiers who'd died in the last great conflict with Marley. Eren seemed to be especially proud when he found and L. Ackerman, and an E. Yeager on the lists. Declaring that in another life they'd been soldiers and it had been a tragic love story of two star-crossed lovers. He was 90 percent sure Eren didn't know what it meant, but didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm. Urged to stand next to his "name", it was slightly spooky when a random Gull swooped down to land atop the panel. It's red rimmed eyes staring right into his before it cawed and flew away. He'd just been slipping back into thinking about Isabel. After taking a photo of Eren next to "his name", they headed back down to the car. Eren pausing to pick a bright pink flower off one of the numerous sprawling succulent plants surrounding the walkway. The natural springs was a half an hour drive back along the main road, and then another 5 minutes down a dirt one. The sight over grown with weeds and reeds, while the smell of Sulfur had him wrinkling his nose. Taking photos of everything, Eren nearly lost his phone as he tried to get a good photo of the water flowing from the rust pipe system installed to once water stock. Of course they couldn't drink hot water, so it instead fed off into a concrete tank to cool. By running it through a series of concrete channels, the surface area of the water was increased, allowing for a wider surface to cool at once. Or that's what the sign said in much more technical terms. Even if it might have seemed boring to some, Eren seem really excited to be learning about new things. He had no idea that erosion could form things like The Blowholes, that Paradis had even been at war with Marley, or that natural springs actually existed and his books weren't lying. With the next stop being the plantations, they stopped off at a banana plantation, where Eren ditched him for the huge aviaries of all kinds of birds. Unlike almost all the other plantations in the area, this one was open for public visits and tours... He didn't love yours, and he loved them even less by the end of it. He had fucking filthy rotten bits of banana stuck to the bottom of his shoes. His toes curling as his feet tried to escape the filth. With it being nearly lunch time, they grabbed lunch there. Eren being the little shit that he was, and eating a banana so provocatively, he'd popped a boner of it. The things Eren could do with a banana and his plump pink lips was better than soft core porn, and all he'd done was eat the damn thing. They'd also picked up a few small souvenirs there. A key chain bottle opener for both Moblit and Hanji, while Erwin got banana, the whole where the bananas banana would be if he had one. For Eren they'd picked out a dorky looking snow globe. The banana inside dressed as snow man which made absolutely no sense... yet Eren thought it was cute, and that was enough for him to be handing over his debit card. * Eren was enjoying their drive. There was so much to see outside of the concrete of Shinganshima. Everything was so green and bright. And completely fascinating. Time was running out to find a place to lay Zeke at rest, but after Levi had been so open with him, his attention had mostly been on making sure Levi was doing ok with everything. It felt good and scary at the same time. He felt even closer to Levi. Like he understood why he did what he did, and it was fucking scary. He didn't want to see Levi that scared or upset all over again. He didn't want his boyfriend to suffer alone anymore. Turning off the main road, Eren had no clue what was happening. Wild scrub along both sides of the road seemed to thicken until a small carpark appeared on the right side. Pulling into the carpark, Eren looked to his right. There was a small wooden bridge leading over what seemed to be a river. Tall weeping trees draped over the sides of the river, giving it the impression that no body had been in here in years "Want to go take a look? The bridge has to lead somewhere" "You don't mind?" "How often do we see nature like this?" Levi hated nature. The man definitely out of his element on the beach, though he tolerated it enough for them to wade around in the water. Unlike him, Levi could swim and Eren could watch him swimming around all day. It was the first time he'd seen Levi in any kind of shorts other than the boxers he wore over his boxer briefs in the summer. He loved watching the way Levi's muscles and rippled. A blush settling on his face as he grew aroused from the sight of his sexy alpha dripping wet. The only reason Levi would suggest the walk is because he knew Eren wanted to go. Leaving Zeke's ashes on the passenger seat, Eren scrambled out the car. The place was silent, even with the few ducks floating on the river. Jogging over to the bridge, he leant against the aged rails, once painted red but now faded to back to wood in places. Coming up behind him, Levi wrapped his arms around him, kissing his shoulder "What do think?" "It's pretty. Where do you think the river goes?" "Out to the ocean. I think it's connected to the same river that runs through Shinganshima" "It's so quiet... it feels like we're the only people in the world" "I think I could live with that" Turning his head, Eren kissed Levi's forehead awkwardly "I think you'd get bored pretty quickly" "I don't... this place is kind of nice" "Mmm. Do you want to follow the path?" "Did you get enough photos of the ducks?" "I haven't taken any yet" Levi felt his front pocket, pulling his phone out for him "I know you'll regret it if you don't" How did he manage to scored himself the best alpha in the world? Snapping a couple of photos of the ducks, then squealing when he realised there ducklings, Levi patiently waited for him "Can we take a few together?" "If you want to?" "I do... I don't ever want to forget this. Being here with you" "Who would have thought you'd be so sappy?" "I'm an omega, it comes with the dynamic" "We both know you're not your dynamic" Eren snorted. He was very much a slave to his dynamic, no matter what he did. Even now, he was slicking at the feeling of being in his boyfriends arms "Maybe..." Turning in Levi's arms, he stole a kiss. Levi, squeezing his arse in response to the stolen kiss. Mewing, he broke the kiss "That's not fair" "What's the point of having a boyfriend with such a fine arse, if I can't grope you" "If you keep groping me, I can't be blamed for my actions" "What are you going to do? Kiss me?" "Exactly" "I'm so scared" "You better be..." Kissing Levi again, his boyfriend ground up against him. The pair of them very much in their own world until the ducks behind them quacked and splashed loud enough for Eren to break the kiss with a sigh. He wanted to be with Levi physically, but needed just a little longer. It was moments like this that sucked the most. Maybe if they'd been a normal couple, Levi would have bent him over and fucked him right there... fuck... his cheeks reddened as he caught a whiff of his own aroused scent. He wished Levi was like every other alpha he'd met, the ones who couldn't read or even smell his scent. But he also wouldn't change a single think about the man "You look like you shat yourself, brat" "What the fuck am I supposed to say to that?" "No?" Rolling his eyes, he forced Levi to turn around, and leaned down to place his chin on Levi's shoulder "Shut up and smile for me" Levi scowled at the camera, Eren unable to hide his smile "You're not smiling" "Because you're a shit" "Mmm... probably. Now smile" Instead of smiling, Levi kissed his cheek. With his thumb over the camera button, he ended up with like 50 copies of the photo. Not that he minded "I like this one" "Eren, I've been meaning to ask. I know you were scared of leaving a paper trail, when you were with Zeke. But can I make a photo of us my online profile photo?" "You... want to use a photo with me in it?" "With your permission... you're my boyfriend. I want to show the world" Eren swallowed down the scream of happiness. Levi's ear was right near his mouth "I... are you sure? I'm not the special..." "You're my boyfriend. I want the world to know you're mine" Oh fuck... he squealed right into Levi's ear. But after a confession like that, he couldn't stop himself "Yes!" "Oi. Fuck. That was my ear" "Sorry. I tried not to... but..." "You got excited?" "Yeah..." "It's alright. And I won't change a thing without your permission" "Levi, do you think I could make an account?" "You want to make an account? On what?" "I don't know... I just. Want to know more about you" "All you have to do is ask. I'm honestly not on social media all that much. But Hanji and Erwin are. And Moblit" "If I make it an account, does everyone see it?" "Why don't be take a look when we get back to the room?" "Mmm. Ok. Exploring first?" "Alright, lets go exploring" The gravel path leading from the bridge lead up to a look out. The river cutting through the dense scrub before. It was... it took his breath away. He had no idea what the plants surrounding him where, but they were beautiful... wiping at his face, he knew this was the place. This tiny place where no one came, and the environment hadn't been ruined by concrete and roads "Everything ok?" "Here... I want to scatter his ashes here" Levi took half a step back, but then his alpha grabbed his hand, forcing him to face him as his hand came up to cup his cheek "Are you sure?" "It's beautiful... and so peaceful. I hope wherever he is, he's at peace. That's the only thing I want... him to rest peacefully. He didn't have a happy life, and his... he deserves peace" "And you're sure?" "Yeah... Levi, do you think the river leads out to the ocean?" "It does" "I think it'd be nice if he could see all this, before seeing the ocean... if I died, I think I'd like to rest in a place like this" Levi's face softened, he sighed softly "Alright. But I don't want to think of you dying" "I'm not going anywhere... I couldn't leave you to find a better omega" "I couldn't find a better one... maybe one who's less of a brat" "It's not my fault I'm a brat" "No. I'm just a dirty old man" "A sexy old man" Levi huffed at him "I'm sorry. You're the only dirty old man I could ever want" "That's better" "I... I really care about you Levi. I've never met anyone like you before. You're so gentle to me, and so kind. I don't want another alpha. Any other alpha... you're all that I could ever want" "Eren..." "I know I'm young. And you're probably going to say that I might change my mind, but I won't. You make me so happy" "I was going to say, I have no intention of sharing you" "That's even better" Levi rose on his tiptoes to kiss his forehead "Lets go get Zeke" Levi asked him if he wanted to say some words before scattering Zeke's ashes. He didn't know how to sum up the time he'd spent with Zeke. He didn't know how to thank Zeke for taking him in. For helping him find his voice again, and for saving him from the hell his life had been. He didn't know how to thank Zeke for holding him when he screamed or cried, or for all the times his brother cleaned him up. How to thank him for all the times he changed his bed sheets for him after losing control of his bodily functions, not used to having access to the toilet anymore. He didn't know how to thank him for teaching him how to dance. For giving him a way to express what he was feeling in a way that wasn't screaming or breaking things. When he'd first got out of hospital, the rehabilitation therapist had suggested yoga and gentle stretches to help him build his strength back up. Zeke had told him that. But looking at everything, it seemed a boring way to go. His brother said he'd never smiled when he'd first taken him in, so Zeke had looked into forms of rehab. Settling in dancing. Exotic dancing might not have been what Zeke was thinking, but his brother didn't stop him. He'd taught him what he needed to get by. How to talk. How to walk. How to do... everything. How was he supposed to thank Zeke for everything he did? And how was he supposed to apologise for being the one to cause his death? For all the times he disappointed him. For all the times he was bad omega who deserved to be hit. He missed him. He missed him so much... climbing down the side of the clay river bank, Eren sniffled as he opened the box. Zeke's ashes sealed in the bag inside. He wasn't sure he could do this. He didn't want to let him go. He didn't want to lose him, forever. But he wanted him to rest in peace... and leaving him in the bottom of the wardrobe wasn't ok. Taking the weight of the box in his hands, Eren nodded his thanks. His hands shaking like crazy as he lifted the bag out. It wasn't as heavy as he thought it would be. Not nearly heavy enough to be them remains of a whole human person. His brother hadn't exactly been small. How did a living, breathing person turn into this? They'd said his body was too decomposed or something for him to see him. If Levi had been listening, he could have explained it to him. But if Levi had listened, he would have known he wasn't telling them everything. The questions he'd ask would be dangerous... "Eren, if you're not up to this..." "I do... this is the right place. I know it is" "Ok..." Opening the bag, Eren took a handful of ashes. His anger flaring over his brother being taken from him. He'd been the last of his family and now he was this. The ashes felt weightless in his hand. Holding the handful of ash above the water, he let out a sob as he forced his fingers to uncurl. He tried to say "Thank you" to Zeke. That he loved him. That he missed him. That he needed him and that he was sorry. Nothing came out. Everything on his lips falling silently between the sobs. This was it. Zeke would be gone forever. Finally free of his duties of looking after him... Small handful after small handful was sprinkled on the water, until the bag was empty. Running his hand through the water, Zeke's ashes were already sinking. His knees going weak as he forced himself not to fish his brother back out the river. Catching him, Levi lifted him off his feet. The box ending up in his lap as his boyfriend nuzzled into him "You did so good. I'm sure Zeke knows everything you wanted to say. And I'm sure he's happy to be laid to rest here" He wanted to go home. Or at least back to the hotel room. He hated the place for taking his brother him from him, and he loved it for being the perfect place for him to rest. It Zeke had been alive, he was sure he'd like it. It was so pretty that you couldn't help but like it. So upset that he felt sick, Levi noticed. He carried him out the river, slipping on the bank and never complaining. With his head on Levi's shoulder, his eyes were glued on the spot where Zeke was now. Finding the tiniest bit of his voice, he whispered "Thank you for loving me" If Levi heard, he didn't say. His boyfriend carrying him over to the passenger side. Being a low sitting sedan, it wasn't quite as easy to lower him in. Eren climbing out Levi's hold without saying anything. He couldn't stop crying, and his taxed mind couldn't thank his boyfriend. He just didn't have the mental energy to do anything but be miserable. Levi took all over in his stride. His boyfriend took his shoes and socks off for him, dd his seatbelt, covered him with his jacket from the back seat and kissed him softly "I'm going to drive us home now. Or do you want to stay a little longer?" If they stayed, he was sure he'd go crazy. That he'd throw himself in the water and beg to die. To be with him. He was supposed to die with him... he was never supposed to be with Levi. With a pitiful look on his face, he looked to Levi "Ok. Give me a moment" It really did seem to take a forever for Levi to climb into the sedan after closing the door for him. Throwing his phone up onto the dash, Levi then placed his hand on his leg "I looked at the sign. This place is called Ymir's Pool. So you know" He hadn't even thought about that. He'd just dumped Zeke... in a place he didn't know the name of... What kind of person did that make him? The river wasn't that deep, the sun reaching to the bottoms of it. Once the sun set, it'd be so cold. Hanji had explained that bodies were kept cold in the morgue. His brother locked away in a cold box for months, before being scattered in a river that would turn just as cold. Closing his eyes, his thoughts went to Zeke laying at the bottom of the river. Trapped under all that water with no hope for escape. At some point he'd fallen asleep on the way back to the hotel. The thought of Zeke being cold had taken such a hold on his fragile mind that he'd dreamed a nightmare of his brother trapped under the water drowning. His mouth open, screaming as his hands reached for him. Bubbles were all he could see. Bubbles from Zeke's soundless screams. When Levi woke him, his heart was racing so fast that he feel the thudding in his head. His boyfriend looked at him so sadly. He didn't have any words to comfort Levi. To make things right. It wasn't until Levi went to help him from the car that he found he'd scratched his arms again. The scabbing wounds bleeding beneath his sleeves. He couldn't deal with this. He'd never felt like he was right now. He'd known it was the perfect place to lay Zeke to rest when he'd seen the view. His brother would make the journey to the ocean without him... and Eren would return home. Leaving him behind. If anyone was being left, he should have been it. Everyone left him, and every time his world shattered into thousands of pieces. The pain was raw, like the open wounds on his arms. It was the kind of pain he'd take a million times, to prevent anyone feeling it even just once. * Levi knew saying goodbye had broken Eren's heart. The omega's scent was painful, to both him and his alpha. It seemed to coat his tongue and leave a bad taste in his mouth. He'd hoped laying Zeke to rest would relieved the burden Eren carried on his shoulders. His boyfriend had chosen the place to say goodbye, but now he wondered if it was too soon. Eren might be long and lanky, not instinctively rousing the desire to protect from most alphas, yet he knew that was was far from the truth. His boyfriend was small, scared and fragile. Some days he oozed a confidence that blew him off his feet, but that was an act. It was the kind of confidence Eren wished for himself. Levi tried to see beyond, and most times he did, but this Eren in front of him... this was the Eren he'd seen when they'd first met. The broke boy who jumped and flinched at shadows. Saying goodbye to Zeke had brought him back to the surface. With clothes stained in filthy river stink, Levi took Eren through to the bathroom. Sitting him down in the bath, Eren barely seemed to notice as he stripped him down to his underwear. Checking to make sure the kid wasn't using a pad, he then turned the taps on and poured in way too much vanilla bodywash. Eren was in shock, his body cool and clammy to the touch. He needed to get him warmed back up. Moving to move away from his boyfriend, Eren reached out and took his hand. The touch was weak, Eren's hand would have slid from his if he hadn't curled his fingers slightly "Do you want me to stay?" There was a small tug on his hand "If I'm staying, I need to get out these filthy clothes" The river water had been fucking disgusting. His skin tried to shrink away from his equally revolting clothes. He never, ever, would have set foot in it if it wasn't for Eren. Both his and the kids sneakers were ruined by swamp mud from the bottom of the river. He'd binned both pairs in the rubbish bin of the hotel's car park, while Eren's was in his hold. With his legs loosely wrapped around his waist and his face against his shoulder, he was sure Eren hadn't even noticed them gone. They both had another pair of sneakers packed, and if Eren really liked them, he would buy him another pair. Letting Eren make the next move, his hand jerked back from Levi's with a soft whine "I'm just going to strip off. I'll keep my underwear on" He really wanted to take a fucking shower, for at least an hour and a half. But the water was already pouring into the bathtub, so redirecting it to either of the shower heads would result in poor pressure. Taking a couple of steps out of Eren's reach, he peeled his jeans off, wincing at the stink that came wafting back up from the source being disturbed. Next came his shirt. Eren letting out a kind of grunt as the garment hit the floor "Do you want me to leave?" Closing his eyes, Eren slid forward in the tub. His knees coming up to his chest as he wrapped his arms around them. With the bath being so big, there was barely three inches in the bottom of it "What do you need from me? What can I do to help?" Eren moved the thumb and pointer fingers of his right hand, turning them out slightly. Staring at it, it was the "ay" incident all over again. He thought it meant that Eren wanted him to stay, but without words, he didn't know "You want me to stay" His boyfriend didn't respond. What was he supposed to do now? If Eren wanted him to stay, he would. He looked scared and vulnerable... getting a new idea, he took a deep breath before stepping closer to the tub again. Stepping over the side, he sank down behind Eren and pulled him up between his legs. Instead of pulling away, or tensing, Eren slumped back against him. So this was what the omega wanted? His boyfriend to hold him. He could do this. There was nothing sexy about being in a bath in your underwear. Nor was there anything sexy about the smells of distressed omega, confused and agitated alpha, and river water. Using his toes to pull the plug out, he drained the bath of the river water mix, before sliding back into place. Being such a large bath, it was going to take a while before it filled. In his arms, Eren was still freezing cold with shock. Goosebumps covered his boyfriend skin. Rubbing Eren's arms, Eren whined softly against him. The whine slightly different as it was the sound of an omega in distress, calling for their alpha to soothe them. He was Eren's alpha, but they weren't bonded. He couldn't soothe Eren's fears completely like a bonded alpha could, and there was no way he was going to bond with Eren so soon into their relationship. Even if the omega said he was all he could want, and even if the urge to mark and claim him was strong, Eren needed time. The vibrant omega was still so young. He didn't want to limit his options or his future. Eren might be it for him. He was completely invested in him, and wanted a future with him, but one day, Eren might not feel the same way. And though he wanted to keep Eren by his side forever, he wouldn't force him to stay or make him feel obligated to with his mark, if he found someone he loved more than him. It took nearly half an hour to fill the bathtub just over half way. Eren was still whining softly for comfort, while Levi was nuzzling into his cheek in an attempt to provide it. He knew omegas purred when needing to calm themselves, but Eren wasn't purring like he'd seen him do so many times before. It made him wonder if Eren had finally given up his sad purr, now only choosing to purr when purely content and happy. Each omegas purr was slightly different, some not purring at all. Yet he was sure if he could get Eren purring, it would help calm his racing heart. It'd been a few hours since scattering Zeke, including the drive back, if Eren didn't calm down soon, he risked going into heat, and that would only make his boyfriend feel even worse. Plus, taking Eren on a plane while in heat was just not possible. Even if it was one of his semi-heats, the smell alone was enough to drive any alpha wild. Or at least him, as he seemed to be the only alpha in the world that picked it up. For his friends, they had to be up close to tell, basically touching his boyfriend. For him. Nope. He liked to think it was because Eren was "made" for him, despite the reality that it was a side effect from the trauma he'd suffered as a kid. Sitting Eren up in front of him, his boyfriend whined again. Starting with Eren's shoulders, he began to massage while keeping his lips near Eren's nape. It was a dirty trick. The napes of most people were incredibly sensitive, to touch there was only allowed by the person themselves or their mate. With gently kisses to the area, Eren mewed for him, his own nature turning against him as it calmed and tried to get more attention for the spot. Continuing to kiss, he alternated with mouthing until Eren was simply mewing and panting. The sadness in his scent had turned to arousal, which was kind of flirting with danger, but much more easy for him to bring Eren out of. Wrapping an arm around Eren's waist, he pulled him back up against him, resting his chin on his shoulder as his boyfriend slowly calmed his breathing back down to normal, the finally evened out as he fell asleep against him. With both himself and Eren washed down completely, something that he hoped his boyfriend wouldn't realise involved stripping him of his underwear, he carried Eren out to their bed where he finished drying him off, before dressing him in his underwear and the sweats he used for pyjamas. Next came dressing Eren's arms back up. Some of the scratches were definitely going to scar. Eren might use vitamin E cream for his scars, but it wasn't an overnight fix. It'd take weeks, and months for them to fade from such a deep and angry pink. Once that was done there was only one thing left to do, and that was to climb into bed with omega. Manhandle him so they were laying tangled up together, Eren's still damp hair was tickling his chest. Isabel's and Farlan's funerals had hit him hard. The same emotions he'd struggled through were now hitting his boyfriend much harder than they'd hit him. At least he got to see both of his friends bodies before their burial, while all Eren got was a pile of ashes. It had to fucking hurt, which is probably why Eren couldn't say what he'd wanted to. He'd have to until tomorrow to ask Eren if he wanted to go back to the spot and say a proper goodbye. He probably should have offered some kind of words as Eren scattered the ashes, but he had no love in his heart for Zeke. He'd used and manipulated Eren's good nature and natural desire to help and protect what he held dear, and fucked the omega right over. He'd turned him against the people who loved him, while Eren was blinded to it all by the love for his brother. Hanji called him a few hours later. Outside the balcony doors, the world was bathed in oranges and red from the sunset. He would have liked to have been able to take the call outside, but Eren had a firm hold on him. Making sure he didn't disturb his boyfriend, he swiped his thumb across the screen, before laying it down on his ear "Levi! Can you hear me?!" Fuck. Why did she have to yell?! "Keep your voice down, Eren's sleeping" "Oooooh, late night? Did you two finally do it again?! I hope you were careful and used protection" "No..." "Levi! Seriously!" "Shut up. We didn't have a light night. Eren scattered Zeke's ashes today, then had a bit of a meltdown" "My poor honey. Where did you scatter him? At the beach?" "No, we found a spot along the river that Eren liked. It hit him super hard" "Of course it did. He had to say goodbye today. Is he in heat? I can probably arrange time off to drive down if he is?" "No. Not the moment. I couldn't pull him out of like usual, so it's probably for the best he's sleeping right now" "Make sure you give him lots of love for me" "Not happening. Why are you disturbing my holiday?" "Oh! Oh... that's right. I had to take Titan over to Erwin's. He's fine, but when I got there today, there was a note on the door about the noise. I think the poor boy misses his humans" "So he's ok?" "Yeah. Just a bit lonely. He even came up to me for pats" "Desperate times call for desperate measures" "Rude! Hey, I know Eren's probably feeling really down, but you should take him out tonight" "What do you mean take him out? He isn't going to want to be in a crowd" "I mean just take him out dancing or something..." "Hanji, he's really not up for dancing" "He loves dancing. It'll help take his mind off everything. Or take him out for a nice dinner. If he stays inside, he's only going to get more depressed" "I think I know how to make my boyfriend feel better" "I'm not saying you don't, but..." "Hanji, I've got it handled. I'm going before he wakes up" "Fiiiine. I only called to see how my honey was, and to let you know about Titan" Ending the call, Levi looked down at Eren's hair. Maybe Hanji was right.... Maybe instead of cuddling, Eren needed a distraction.

[maetaamong]

ship your mutuals with idols?! 💝

oof this is gonna take me actual yeaRS bless this is so soft tho

Note: I’m not gonna give you your bias just bECAUSE they’re your bias but … you can cross your fingers and hope

Other Note: Everyone gets one gif, my main squad gets a summary, and everyone gets a few sentences saying where you and your idol would most commonly be found.

The Main Squad

@howcaniwait - Day6 Young K

I’ve known you for like what… 4 years now ??? I like to think I know you fairly well. And my guess is that you’d do well with someone who you can joke around with but still occasionally be soft with. You definitely don’t need anyone who would be touchy touchy (PDA is a no for Charlie). SO I chose the one and only Special K himself. You guys would make fun of the other Day6 boys on like a daily basis and I don’t get clingy vibes from him so you wouldn’t have to worry about PDA.

Charlie and Young K would most commonly be found exploring new cities and alternating between taking aesthetically pleasing pics of your surroundings and shitty selfies.

@thedaysix - Day6 Jae 

Boo you’re the resident mom of our lovely little gc and I think you definitely have a good responsibility and motherly streak in you. Despite that you’re still down to steal 18 bananas and scREAM your lungs out at your favourite butter biscuit man. So I think you’d do well with Jae (not just cause you’d eat Texas for him). Jae is a bit of a dork and is more than capable of throwing cares to the wind and having a blast and a half. He can still reel it back and use his brain every once in a while though. 

Boo and Jae would most commonly be found either trying to trick Wonpil into thinking that certain English words have different meanings than they actually do, or running off to some random pet store and pretending to be interested in buying the puppies and kittens but actually just wanting to pet them all.

@undinefin - iKON Chanwoo

Like Charlie I feel like you would do well with someone pretty chill and down to just roll around in bed for hours on end. Chanwoo is a lazy boy who will sit in front of my big ass computer for days. BUT at the same time the boy is willing to go and have a blast and a half somewhere every once in a while. On top of that, the boy is cheeky as fuck. He will not hesitate to roast the other boys and have some fun.

The two of them would most commonly be found sitting at home, complaining about people and showing each other weird music, anime, and video games.

@01yoonjin - Seventeen Jeonghan

Nom you’re such a smart, fun, loving, cheeky, and caring gal. You have the biggest brain and an even bigger heart. You’re gonna go far my friend. You and Jeonghan are both quick witted but also lazy sometimes and would take some of the best naps together.

Nom and Jeonghan would frequently be found cuddling on the sofa at home while watching a Disney movie and trying really hard to stay awake as they eat all the snacks.

@astrayminho - Stray Kids Jeongin

Soft, pure sometimes, and ready to make some friends. Fath you’re so loving and fun, you always manage to bring a smile to my face. Your spelling can be atrocious sometimes but we all know its just cause you can’t get your words out fast enough. 

Fath and Jeongin would be the pair to spontaneously go to an arcade and have a pinball battle or try and prank Chan by changing all of the clocks in the house behind 6 hours.

@chuuyo - BTS Suga

Pretty laid back and almost intimidating initially, both Nic and Yoongs can seem a lil bit scary at first (at least in my opinion) bUT in reality they’re both excitable nutbars. With so much energy and love to share. (I’m calling you out on being an actual softie™, Nic)

Nic and Yoongi would be the couple to make each other spir of the moment gifts that they then try to play off as not soft when they give them to each other.

@sambashua - Monsta X’s Minhyuk

“because they’d be that punk couple who beats others up” - Sheep

Mir you’re… hard to pin down, my friend. You’re a bit enigmatic sometimes but overall are just the sweetest and most loving gal. You carry a cloud of happiness with you everywhere you go. Which is why I chose Minhyukkie for you. He’s a little strange but is so very loving and happy and beautiful.

Mir and Minhyuk would most commonly be found sprinting around public parks to pet dogs and escape birds all while having the best of fun and taking some of the cutest selfies.

The Squid Squad

@chipsandwaffles - NCT Doyoung

the second I saw that gif I was like aha thats it, thats the one for sheep

You’re just about the most devoted Doyoung stan I’ve yet to meet. You’re undyingly loyal, my friend.

Regardless of all of that, you and Dodo are both a complex mix of lazy and hardworking. Idc what you say, you work hard on you writing and create actual masterpieces. 

Sheep and Doyoung would just sleep from 4am-Noon on a daily basis and spend another couple hours just rolling around in a half asleep state. They’d also be that weird couple who would wake up at like 5am to go on a spontaneous drive to who the fuck knows where just cause they can.

@hyuckkks​ - NCT Haechan

Keet and Hyuck would most commonly be found scrEAMING over sth or someone. Maybe it’s a bug, maybe it’s cake, maybe it’s Jisung. Who knows tbh. They’d be that couple who were the best of friends before anything else and made fun of each other and their friends on an hourly basis.

@savvysayyss ​- NCT Taeil

I almost put in a gif of him in a vneck but decided to spare you

Sophie and Taeil would most commonly be found complaining about how “old” they are and referring to themselves as fossils. When in reality these two are soft and sweet as can be and can be found sitting side by side during car rides and giggling while showing each other photos of various sleeping animals.

@softperson ​- NCT Yuta

oof where do I even begin You are so whipped for Yuta, it’s almost ridiculous (I understand tho) You’re the best aunt and occasionally (I’m kidding ily) are responsible and honestly do give great advice. Yuta …. probably isn’t the most responsible bUT I feel like you could keep him from accidentally running off a cliff or sth (if you can control an all boys high school class I think you can deal with 1 Yuta). 

Shan and Yuta would be that weird couple who would drink wine with each other and complain about puzzles while simultaneously doing a puzzle at like midnight.

Also y’all are both nasty and dtf

@jaemms​ - NCT Jeno

San and Jeno can be commonly found curled up in the dream dorms sitting side by side while battling it out in Mario Kart or yelling at each other over what is the “right” way to play Zelda. Whether they’re exploring new places inside of a game, their own imaginations, or real life, the pair would be all smiles. 

@gijeon ​- Block B Kyung

Both Nana and Kyung are the type of people to glove up and fight the whole world for the people they hold dear to themselves. They would most commonly be found in the museums near their area. Whether or not they actually know anything about what the museum is talking about the two would have a blast. An art museum? They’re playing ”come up with a story behind every painting.” A history museum? They’re playing “pick your favourite time period to live in.”

@frosttyong - EXO’s Baekhyun

don’t punch me for not giving you Taeyong I had to give him to someone else

Baekhyun and Nat are both sinful as fuck, soft as fuck, and psycho as fuck. These nutbars would be commonly found trying to bargain their way out of having to pay $12 for a crappy band tee at a yard sale they stumbled upon. Neither of them have heard of the band and neither of them fit the shirt, they just want it for the giant unicorn on the front.

Den - BTS’ Jungkook

These two cheeky geniuses can be found at your local arcade somehow outsmarting and beating every game and challenge the place holds. The two would look like they were in the middle of a business negotiation while playing skeeball, while in all seriousness Jungkook just said that she could have his Twix if she beat him. She’s gonna win.

Punwiz - NCT’s Ten

PunBun and Ten would most commonly be found bouncing around an amusement park. In between walking to rides the two would be creating the worst puns inspired by their surroundings and telling each other weird jokes that only these two nutbars would understand.

Lin - Monsta X’s Kihyun

Kihyun and Lin both take some of the most aesthetically pleasing photos I’ve yet to see sO I think these two would go out on photography dates. They’d wander around in new cities, old cities, favourite cities, home cities, and more and just take pictures of anything interesting or funny or pretty they find.

That means Kihyun would be taking lot’s of pics of Lin.

@the-perfect-red-velvet - Stray Kids’ Bang Chan

My gal Sandra and my man Chan would be that constantly happy couple. You can either find Sandra being piggybacked around by Chan while he sprints up and down the halls of the JYP building or the two of them would be hidden away in their makeshift art studio (aka Chan’s studio) while Chan ruins the walls with paint and Sandra laughs and perfects her masterpiece.

@kpop-oppas-dream - NCT’s Jungwoo

Caite and Junguwu are a little shy sometimes but are amazingly hardworking. These two would be found, hand-in-hand, in cute little libraries. They’d be tucked away in a corner either reading, writing, or whispering happily amongst themselves. 

My Tumblr Gals

@smittenbyschmidt - NCT’s Taeyong

Aly and Tae would be most commonly found strolling around through parks and cafés looking like the most elegant couple ever while actuLLY they’re whispering about the cute dogs they’ve seen.

@cinnagyeom-roll - Got7′s Yugyeom

Gyeom and Yugyeom would most commonly be found getting kicked out of cute cafés as Gyeom tries to draw her boy but Yugyeom, being the crackhead he is, starts yeLLING about pigeons or sth and get’s them kicked out. 

@blushyhoonie - Seventeen’s Woozi

Ash and Jihoon would most commonly be found curled up in the boy’s studio. He would be writing lyrics and she would be writing stories. Neither would be talking but both are calm and happy. Later they would attempt to get the other to show off their creation whilst simultaneously trying to hide their own creation.

@hanniebear ​- iKON’s Ju-ne

Baz and Junhoe would most commonly be found touring around the popular restaurants in whatever area they’re in. Taking photos of the food and each other, with Junhoe yeLLING and Baz being her soft perfect self, they’d have a blast and a half together.

[emperorsfoot]

This one is short enough that I can post it here.

Season 1, post episode “Failsafe”.

Canary's comforting hand on his knee and her words of understanding and support warmed the kryptonian-genomorph and he felt his shoulders relax. Admitting it had helped him to feel better –less guilty, less conflicted. During the failed simulation exercise he had watched innocent bystanders as well as his own teammates die around him and yet, rather than the heart-wrenching grief that the others experienced, he had felt at peace. He had been created to replace Superman and in the simulation he had finally gotten the chance to fulfill his purpose.

Though he had been quick to correct the dream constructs that addressed him as 'Superman', Conner hadn't been able to help feeling a something that felt suspiciously similar to pride swell up inside him and fill his chest. It gave him a grim confidence; he could do anything –anything that was needed of him. And so, when Robin had suggested he be the distraction for the others to sneak inside the alien mothership, he had been all to ready to agree.

And when the disintegration beam hit him, his last thoughts were not of the friends he had lost or the one he was leaving behind, or even of M'gann who's confession of love was still fresh in his mind. No. His final thoughts had been about the Man of Steel and what he must have thought or felt in his final moment when he made the final sacrifice in the protection home and freedom.

There had been a long empty blankness that seemed to stretch on for an infinity after that… and then, he awoke. He was alive, his team was alive, their mentors were alive. It had all been a training exercise. A 'no win' simulation to teach them to cope with failure –a 'Kobayashi Maru' Wally would later call it (though, Conner still hadn't figured out where that name had come from). It had failed, of course. After Artemis' death, none of them had been able to cope.

Except him.

He had done more than 'cope', he had thrived. Was that really how Superman felt when the weight of the world rested on his shoulders? With his home in danger, the people around him being threatened –dieing… was the Man of Steel at peace? Conner didn't think so. With all his friends dieing before his eyes, his home being threatened and his efforts to beat back the invading tide being blocked at every turn Superman would not be a peace, he would not thrive. He would strive, but not thrive. He would strive to do what he could, and possibly what he couldn't as well. But over all, he would do what was right –or at least what he deemed to be 'right'.

That was the fundamental difference between them. (Well… that was one of the fundamental differences between them.) Superman did what he thought was right because he perceived it to be the right thing to do. Conner did what was needed because he perceived it to be the heroic and 'Superman-like' thing to do. In that respect, he was nothing like his genetic-parent at all.

He had not grieved when Artemis and Aqualad had been disintegrated, he had only felt… needed. And when Robin told him to run decoy, to basically lay down his life, he had felt happy –honored even.

But now that the nightmare –the dream- was over, Conner found it difficult to look his teammates in the eyes. How could he face them now, knowing that their lives meant little more to him than a means of validating his own importance? Even M'gann…

When the weight of the world rested on his shoulders, he grinned and flexed to test its weight. But he was sure that that was not what Superman did when he was burdened with the weight of the world. And it would be a burden for him –for Superman, the ever-boy scout. For Conner the weight of the world had been a prize or maybe a reward, and something about that just didn't seem right now that he was back in the waking world.

Canary had said that these things took time. That admitting it was the first step.

Well, he'd taken the first step. Now he wanted to take one more. Whether or not it was the right step, Conner didn't have the foggiest. But it was the next step he wanted to take. It was a step that had been delayed far long enough already without the added prompting of the nightmarish simulation.

…

He had indulged in several doubts while riding Shpere in her Super-cycle form north towards the Arctic. What if the Fortress of Solitude didn't actually exist? What if it had just been a construct of the dream-simulation? What if there was nothing there but barren ice? These were the misgivings that ran through the young genomorph's mind as he sped through the air. He acknowledged the possibility of these doubts, but he refused to let himself give into them.

His stubbornness was rewarded when the Super-cycle touched down outside a sheer white structure bearing the S-shield that was exactly identical to the one in the dream-exercise.

Conner dismounted the cycle and strode up to the S-shield carved right into the cliff-face. It didn't look like a door. There was no hinge, no knob, keyhole or anything easily identifiable as a lock. Still, the Boy of Steel knocked. It didn't feel like ice either. Oh, sure it was plenty smooth, but not really very cold, and it seemed much denser than ice (or at least, denser than any ice Conner had come into contact with).

"Hello!" The kryptonian-genomorph called to the empty Artic landscape. "I need to talk to you."

There was no response from the Fortress. No peephole on the cliff-face opened up. No big booming voice demanded 'Who goes there!' There was nothing to indicate anything had heard him. The Boy of Steel had to glumly admit that this had been an exercise in futility. The Man of Steel wasn't home, possibly didn't even live in the Fortress at all. He would not meet his genetic-parent here. With a growl of frustration over his wasted time, Conner turned back to the Super-cycle to leave… and froze mid-turn.

Superman stood a good ways away, his feet planted, arms crossed over his broad chest, cape fluttering in the chill breeze. He stood out boldly against the stark whiteness of their surrounding landscape.

"You wanted to talk to me?" The man's voice was so much like his own, but a deeper octave. It was a premonition of what Conner's voice would sound like in a few more years, once he had completed his maturation 'the old fashioned way' outside of his Cadmus hibernation pod at the rate of a normal kryptonian.

Caught in the man's gaze, the Boy of Steel suddenly found himself at a loss as to what to say. He opened his mouth to speak but only a feeble croak came out. He had come here wanting to ask his genetic-parent about the weight of the world and how he coped with having it thrust upon his shoulders. But the few times that he had actually interacted him the Man of Steel, he had been evasive, aloof and anxious to get away –jumping at any opportunity to distance himself from the boy.

Conner suddenly felt uneasy about discussing anything with his genetic-parent.

As the awkward silence dragged on Superman raised an eyebrow. "Has your voice frozen?"

Conner shook his head.

The Man of Steel sighed, his shoulders slumping as if in defeat (though, what he'd been internally battling, Conner couldn't even begin to guess). "Well, if you're here and you're not going to go away, I might as well invite you inside." He turned from the boy and headed for a gap in the ice where the frigid water beneath was exposed. "Follow me."

The Boy of Steel hesitantly followed the Man of Steel to the water's edge. He wondered briefly if his genetic-parent intended to drown him like an unwanted cat and finally rid himself of the clone forever. He could probably do it too. He was stronger than Conner was and could overpower him easily, they were in the middle of nowhere, there would be no witnesses, Conner hadn't exactly told anyone where he was going for fear of being stopped. When asked if he might know the whereabouts of his clone, Superman could easily deny ever seeing the boy. It wasn't like they hung out allot (or at all).

But heroes didn't do that sort of thing.

Once Superboy had reached the water's edge, Superman dove beneath the surface with a splash so small, the Boy of Steel thought it might make Aquaman jealous. Conner turned back to Sphere, still in her Super-cycle form and said, "Stay."

The sentient alien machine obeyed, transforming back into her base ball-form to wait for him. Reluctantly, Conner dove into the chill Arctic water as Superman had done. He caught site of the tail end of a red cape as it disappeared behind and ice formation and followed. The ice seemed to close in around him to form a natural pathway, but the way the ice had been smoothed was most decidedly not natural, it had been planned by an architect of one sort or another. The underwaterway began to slope upwards and Conner saw the surface shimmering above him.

When his head came up gasping, the Boy of Steel found himself in a wide chamber with Superman standing on a solid crystal landing –already dry. Conner pulled himself out of the water and stood sopping before his genetic-parent.

"How did you…?"

"Spin dry." The Man of Steel supplied as if this should have been obvious.

Conner cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What, like, super-speed spin? I don't have super-speed."

Superman missed one… two… three beats before he sighed and turned around, grumbling a soft, "Wait there."

The Man of Steel blurred out of the chamber and returned less than a moment latter holding a clean dry towel out for the boy. Superboy accepted it and began padding himself down. When he was no longer dripping (but by no means 'dry') he looked back up at his genetic-parent wondering what to do next. This had, so far, been the most time he'd spent in the man's presence since first escaping Cadmus that faithful Independence Day night. (It was also approaching the most words they'd exchanged with each other, too.) It seemed neither of them quite knew what to do about the other.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Superman finally broke the awkward silence between them. He took the used towel from the boy's hands and draped it over his arm.

"I, uh… yeah." Conner suddenly found himself talking to the man's boots rather than his face, not waning to make eye contact. "Have you, uh, did anyone tell you about the training simulation not to long ago?"

There was another prolonged pause. Their conversation (if you could even call it that) seemed to be more of a prolonged silence occasionally broken by dialogue rather than an exchange of words occasionally broken by silent pauses. When the Man of Steel did not respond Conner raised his eyes to chance a glance at the man's face. He had expected to find something akin to polite blankness or perhaps even confusion. After all, he wasn't a mentor to anyone on the Young Justice team, what reason would there be to keep him up-to-date on YJ happenings? Instead, Superman's expression was thoughtful –considering- and ever so slightly sympathetic.

Finally, after the pregnant silence had dragged on long enough he stepped aside to let Conner enter the Fortress proper and said in a gentler tone than the Boy of Steel was used to, "I'll make you some tea."

…

After being led through an archway of white stone and crystal, then a corridor of yet more crystal, all of it illuminated by a soft light that seemed to emanate from the very walls themselves, Conner didn't quite know what to expect the Fortress' kitchen to look like. But the Boy of Steel was sure that he hadn't expected what he found.

While the rest of the Fortress of Solitude (that he had seen) was all crystal and white stone, the kitchen was paneled in wood. The counter had been tiled in a rustic shade of yellow that was not at all flattering (to anything) and the floor had been covered in linoleum. Overall, it looked more like an old country house's kitchen rather than something you'd expect to find in a secluded ice fortress built by an alien superhero.

Conner sat in the only chair at the small wooden kitchen table and watched Superman pull a single mug and a tea bag form the cabinets. He filled the mug with water, placed the bag in it then heated it with his vision. He placed the hot mug in front of Conner who took it hesitantly.

"You're not having any?"

"There's just the one mug."

The boy raised an eyebrow at that and cocked his head to the side.

"I call this place the Fortress of Solitude for a reason." The Man of Steel elaborated.

"Would you prefer it if I left?"

This time he took longer to respond. Then finally, because Superman never lies, he said, "Yes."

Conner stood to leave. He had expected the answer before the words had even left his genetic-parent's lips, but they still stung. If the man didn't want him here, why invite him inside in the first place?

"Wait." A strong hand was placed on his shoulder. "You came here for a reason."

The boy sank back into his seat, once again avoiding looking at the Man of Steel. He spoke to his mug when he said, "Since you're being nice to me all of a sudden, I assume you heard about the exercise."

There was only one chair at the table and Conner was already sitting in it, so the Man of Steel could not sit with the boy to offer comfort. Instead he knelt to be on eye-level with his clone when he said, "It must have been horrible for you."

The man's eyes, crystal blue eyes so much like his own, looked deep and full of ghosts and Conner suddenly remembered that the man had been hero'ing for over a decade and had saved the world countless times over. He had probably seen comrades, friends and loved ones die for real, right before his eyes. The world was (more or less) at peace for the moment, but the Boy of Steel saw the weight of the world still weighed heavily on Superman's shoulders. It was an almost permanent burden, not just something to be taken-up in times of need and then shucked off when the peril had passed. It was a way of life for the Man of Steel. That was probably why he came here, to his Fortress of Solitude, to rest form the burden.

"Has Canary told you about her talking sessions with me?" The boy ventured.

"No." Superman confessed. "All I know is that the Team had been trapped in a psychic-web that caused you to watch each other die at the hands of an invading enemy and that you were all convinced it was real." A pause. "Batman also made a point of telling me that you could have fallen into a permanent coma."

Conner didn't know what he had expected. Canary had promised that the things they talked about remained between the two of them and never left the room. Doctor-patient confidentiality. He was grateful to be able to trust her with his darkest secret. But at the same time, it would have been nice to have someone else tell Superman his reason for seeking him out. The Boy of Steel found himself at a loss as to how to explain himself to his genetic-parent. A mediator would have been nice.

The silence dragged on between them. Finally, Conner decided that he might as well ask what he came here to ask and not prolong this crappy melodrama of theirs.

"Superman…" He ventured meekly. "When… when the weight of the world rests on your shoulders… what do you do?"

He didn't know his genetic-parent very well; he didn't know what kind of response to expect. But he did not expect the man to offer a reassuring smile and place comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Plant your feet and try not to shrug."

…

END

[edogawatranslations]

Danganronpa Kirigiri (3) - Chapter 2, Part 3

Table of Contents | Previous: Chapter 2, Part 2

As we walked, Lico once again brought up a serious topic out of nowhere.

“The two organizations pursuing Rei Mikagami today are a Chinese intelligence agency and a scientific investigative unit of the Russian army.”

These absurd statements no longer caught me off guard; I had fully accepted that the abnormal had become our new normal.

“You’re awfully informed about all this,” I commented.

“It’s my duty to relay you detailed information.” Lico turned around and flashed an innocent smile. “Both organizations have dispatched two unarmed individuals to Japan. Neither group is much of a threat, since they don’t use weapons when active outside of their home countries. The Russians especially; they belong to a team developing supersoldiers, which means they’re more so occult researchers than fighters.”

I quickly scanned the area. From what I could tell, there wasn’t a Russian in sight. The only people around were cheerful women roaming the mall with multiple shopping bags dangling from their arms.

“The three assassins pose the bigger problem,” Lico continued. Despite the grim topic, his expression didn’t change one bit.

Assassins...

We were intruding on their work. To reach Rei Mikagami, we couldn’t simply ignore them and walk on by.

“The first assassin is a woman of unknown nationality who goes by the name of ‘Copycat.’ As you may guess, she specializes in copycat crimes. She disposes of her targets by mimicking the M.O. of a serial killer active in the corresponding country or state, allowing her and her clients to fully escape suspicion, since the victim ends up tossed into the unrelated string of cases. Because of this, her work has mostly been attributed to other killers. Fortunately, this method prevents her from haphazardly killing someone. She acts deliberately and typically refrains from taking offensive measures.”

With the steady stream of information flowing from his mouth, Lico was giving Google a run for its money. His appearance already seemed rather other-worldly, but his information processing capabilities were all the more superhuman.

We rode the escalator one floor up to another women’s clothing department.

The ludicrous conversation continued in the perfectly average location.

“The second assassin is known as ‘Night Flyer.’ He’s rumored to be a Romanian of small build, but nobody has confirmed his identity. His killing style of choice is fairly standard: he approaches and shoots his target with a pistol equipped with a silencer. He’s inclined to be hot-headed, so consider him fairly hostile. Multiple people have witnessed him in the past heading to the nearest airport after completing a hit and flying off in a private jet, hence his nickname.”

“Is he friends with the first assassin you mentioned?”

“No, all of these assassins work alone. They see each other as rivals chasing the same target, so it would be fortunate for us if they took each other out.”

“What do you know about the third?”

“He’s Japanese. He doesn’t go by a particular nickname, but he’s an alumnus of Hope’s Peak Academy: the former Ultimate Rock Climber, Tsurugi Hitomoshi. After graduating, he spent some time abroad and made a name for himself conquering treacherous cliffs. At some point, he turned his climbing into a performance art, scaling historical monuments and buildings such as the Eiffel Tower and Angkor Wat, which caused backlash and eventually led to him being exiled from the climbing community. Only the criminal underworld is aware of his current activities as an assassin; he’s known as someone who can appear anywhere and eliminate anyone with one finger. He can easily bend the barrel of a rifle with one hand. I’ve also heard that he once crushed the heart of a police officer through a bulletproof vest with his bare hands.”

An assassin trained at an elite school. This was one gathering I didn’t want to have any involvement in.

I pitied Rei Mikagami, who had to deal with all these killers chasing after him. I guess prominent detectives were always roped into political schemes or conflicts, almost like how scientists around the world were killed or abducted during World War II for their work on weapons programs.

Someday, even Kyoko might be forced to serve someone for their personal gain. Or perhaps, she already has been...

While walking down the halls, Lico continued the conversation as if casually chatting about the weather.

“By the way, before the two of you arrived, I spotted a woman who fit the description of Copycat entering this department store.”

“Wh-What?” Suddenly sensing bloodlust in the air, I braced myself for action.

Nobody around looked particularly suspicious. Ladies clad in clothes from nearby stores were bustling about, as usual.

“You gotta tell us these things sooner! What did she look like?”

“She had on a coat with a red hood, kind of like Little Red Riding Hood. Blonde hair. She was rolling a small travel suitcase behind her.”

“Sounds like an easy to spot get-up, even from a distance. If we see her, let’s stay on our guard and avoid getting too close.”

“Avoiding her won’t get us any closer to Rei Mikagami,” Kyoko said. “We should follow her. We won’t make any headway without taking risks, right?”

“Yeah, but...”

Forget the possibility that we might have to fly into the face of danger—was this risk worth taking in the first place? We weren’t even sure Rei Mikagami was waiting at the end of this rainbow. None of this was rooted in certainty; it was almost like we were actually making plans to catch a ghost in a mirror.

“Yui,” Lico said, stopping in his tracks.

“Wh-What is it? Do you see one of the assassins?”

Lico pointed at a store in front of us. “There are swimsuits for sale up ahead.”

“Way to go, kid!”

I rushed forward, dragging Kyoko behind me. But my legs suddenly froze up.

Right as I was about to enter the shop, a red hood crossed the path in front of me.

I shot a glance back at Lico to confirm. He responded with a quick nod.

There was no mistaking it; that was Copycat.

We casually started tailing her. Thankfully, we were able to do so discreetly by blending in with the flocks of customers roaming the floor.

The red-hooded figure didn’t seem to have noticed us. Her left hand, which was noticeably white, was dragging a small bag. She wasn’t particularly tall, and her body was fairly slender. Her coat resembled a poncho. Two cat ear-like protrusions stuck out of her hood. Although the hood covered her head, I could see her blonde hair swaying to and fro as she walked.

“For an assassin, she sure sticks out like a sore thumb,” I whispered to Lico. “I didn’t think she’d look so frail and slender.”

“You don’t need strength to kill someone,” Lico replied with an angelic expression on his face.

After we followed after her for a while, she turned into a narrow passageway and went through a door labeled “Employees Only.”

The three of us huddled together beside the door.

“A staircase for employees... Where is she going?” I placed one hand on the door.

“Don’t,” Kyoko said, grabbing my arm. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Do you hear the grim reaper’s footsteps again? Don’t worry, I’m not gonna chase her too far. I wanna at least figure out if she went up or down.”

I slowly pushed the door open.

All of a sudden, a slender arm shot through the doorway and grabbed onto my wrist.

“Eek!”

The arm pulled me through to the dim stair landing on the other side. Standing adjacent to the door was Copycat, who was restraining me from behind. From far beyond the door, I could hear the cold, lifeless muffle of a storewide announcement playing over the PA system.

Why didn’t I listen to Kyoko?

I felt a sharp object pressed against my throat.

While slowly raising both my hands to signal my surrender, I snuck a glance at Copycat. Her face was white, reminiscent of a stunning European lady, and she had on a pair of thick high-index prescription glasses. A thin layer of makeup covered her face, enough to possibly be covering up any freckles. Her furrowed eyebrows and troubled expression seemed to suggest that she was more of the shy, introverted type. Did she have on cat ears because of her nickname, Copycat? Or was it because she was a fan of cosplay?

She started uttering some words in a foreign language and loosened her grip on me.

It was then that Lico burst through the door.

“Yui, are you alright?”

“N-Never better...” I stammered out, giving my best effort to sound composed even as I could no longer freely move my body. “Do you have any idea what she’s saying?”

“She’s asking, ‘Who are you?’”

Lico began conversing with Copycat. I had no clue what language they were speaking, but Copycat’s voice gradually grew calmer. Lico’s disarming smile was super effective.

It was then that I noticed—Kyoko wasn’t here.

“Hey, where’s Kyoko?” I asked, trying to interrupt Lico and Copycat’s chat. However, neither of them paid my words any mind. They were engrossed in their conversation.

Even though I was the hostage here, I felt like chopped liver.

“What are you two even talking about?” I asked.

“She’s asking who my favorite manga artist is,” Lico replied. “Let’s see, I would have to say—”

“You’re really having a friendly chat at a time like this?”

Was Lico successfully persuading her to lower her guard?

No... She was an assassin. And the way things were, she could easily kill me at any moment if she desired. I’d had a run of bad luck recently, but this was my first time being taken hostage by an assassin.

What should I do?

I had no knowledge of self-defense and no weapon by my side.

I thought about praying to God, but at the last second, I changed my mind and decided to pray to Kyoko instead.

Kyoko, please save me!

—Click.

A metallic clinking sound echoed out, causing Lico and the assassin to cut short their discussion. Noticing an abnormality, Copycat turned around, but by then, it was already too late.

Clamped around Copycat’s hand—the free wrist she hadn’t used to restrain me—was one end of a pair of handcuffs. The other end was secured to the handle of her bag.

As if having appeared out of nowhere, standing one step below the landing we were on was Kyoko. She was focused intently on pulling the bag down the stairs.

Copycat let out a yelp and rushed forward in an attempt to grab her bag, and as she reached out towards it, she released her grip on me.

The next moment, the bag began tumbling down the stairs. Copycat, linked to it by the handcuffs, plunged down along with it. The bag must’ve been much heavier than it looked, as the slender and light Little Red Riding Hood with cat ears was swiftly pulled down to the lower landing.

Piercing shrieks filled the air as she fell, but before long, her body slammed against the wall of the landing one floor down. She squirmed on the ground and feebly groaned.

“Yui, are you okay?” Kyoko ran up to where I was standing.

“Y-Yeah, I think so. How did you get over there?”

“I took a different staircase down and made my way up from below.” Kyoko puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her hips to make a sort of superhero pose.

Her quick thinking saved me again. Without her by my side, I would’ve met my demise many times over.

A fountain pen rolled up to my feet. That must’ve been the object Copycat held against my throat.

The three of us regrouped, made our way down the flight of stairs, and surrounded Copycat. She hadn’t lost consciousness, but since her whole body took a beating, she was lying down, unable to move.

I unzipped her bag. Inside were a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about serial killers, a few publications detailing cold cases, and a mountain of Japanese manga and doujinshi. No wonder her bag was so heavy. There were also a couple of passports stuffed inside. I couldn’t tell which one was real, but then again, all of them may have been forged.

There was nothing that resembled a weapon among her possessions. The fountain pen was probably the most dangerous item she had with her.

“She’s the kind of assassin to kill her target only after having conceived of a detailed plan,” Lico explained. “Her goal today was likely only to scout out her mark, so she wasn’t at the final phase of carrying out the hit yet.”

“Thank god she’s type A,” I sighed in relief.

“Would you like me to finish her off?”

“N-No, that’s okay.” I laughed nervously. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Are you sure? As long as she lives, innocent people will continue to die. Don’t forget, she’s an assassin.”

“That has nothing to do with why we came here today. We’re here to track down Rei Mikagami, and nothing more.”

Lico stared at me for a few seconds, but didn’t press the issue any further.

“I can’t find anything about Rei Mikagami in her things,” Kyoko reported, standing next to Copycat’s bag.

“Lico, did you get any information out of her?” I asked.

“She apparently doesn’t know anything about Rei Mikagami’s identity. The reason she came here was because she was informed her mark would appear on the rooftop plaza of this department store at four in the afternoon.”

“Why didn’t you say that sooner?! That’s exactly what we needed to know!”

Rei Mikagami will appear at four!

I checked the clock on my phone.

3:55 PM.

“Shoot, it’s almost time.”

“Shall we head up?” Lico suggested, still magically calm.

The rooftop plaza was located above the ninth floor. I imagined the struggle running up all those stairs, but we’d arrive with time to spare.

“Yeah, let’s go,” I replied. “Kyoko, come on.”

“Give me one second.”

Kyoko crouched down next to Copycat’s body and unfastened the handcuffs.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Retrieving these handcuffs. They’re kind of a memento.”

“Oh, from back then...”

Kyoko stuffed the handcuffs into the pocket of her uniform. So that was where she’d been hiding them all this time.

We abandoned Copycat on the landing and started rushing up the stairs.

Next: Chapter 2, Part 4