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rainbow-scarab · 1 year ago

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Wilds Beyond: the vision of Hallownest and its implementation in the west

aka why the mantises hate the White Lady

This is a theory post about western Hallownest. It’s partially an overview of each region. But more than that, it’s about how each region relates to Hallownest—the expansion of the kingdom, its central government, the vision of Hallownest that the Pale King tried to implement, and how it was only ever partially successful. It’s also about the White Lady and what her role she played, and that’s the point at which I jumped off when writing.

Table of Contents:

0. Intro

Pilgrim’s Way

Mosskin and Queen’s Gardens

Monomon and Wilds Beyond

Monomon and the Vision of Hallownest

Deepnest

Mantises

The White Lady and Traitor Mantises

Intro

So. I’ve been thinking about the White Lady and her role in Hallownest.

She’s talked about less than the Pale King. She’s farther away from the center of the Kingdom. In the game, she’s hidden away in her own garden, a place that seemingly got little traffic from the average bug.

What did she do? Did she keep out of politics, reclusive? I don’t think so.

The Pale King himself was said to be reclusive. Even so, he must’ve made decisions, presumably ran the kingdom with some level of success. Symbols of his power can be found everywhere throughout the kingdom. Even if he kept mostly to the palace, he was the seat of power. He did not need to be in most places I’m sure, having others in his government who could travel.

The Queen, we know, was out of the palace at least some of the time during Hallownest’s height, visiting Queen’s Gardens. I will argue that she was involved in politics, and that her location does have some significance.

Hallownest can be roughly divided into two halves.

On the eastern side, we have the social/political/cultural center of Hallownest civilization, the City of Tears. Also on the east we have the waterways, Kingdom’s Edge, Ancient Basin and the Abyss, and the former Radiance territories of Resting Grounds and Crystal Peak. On the eastern side of the City, we have King’s Station.

On the west side of Hallownest, we have Greenpath, Queen’s Gardens, Deepnest, Fog Canyon, and Fungal Wastes. Deepnest is not politically part of Hallownest. Greenpath and Fungal Wastes are home to three peoples between them who maintain distinct identities from the rest of Hallownest. Fog Canyon has jellyfish, who don’t have much info on them (but I will be touching on them later). Queen’s Station can be found in between Fog Canyon and Fungal Wastes.

(Maybe I could divide the kingdom in three instead—with Deepnest, the Abyss…Ancient Basin? The Hive, maybe? It all roughly corresponds with the sections of the three Dreamers, and how the Hive used to be “Deepnest east”. But I digress—I’ll be keeping to roughly two sides for simplicity’s sake in this post)

In other words, one side is under the King’s influence, and fairly well established as “Hallownest”. The government, the City, and the moths, who changed allegiance to the Pale King, and tried to forget their old god. I’m gonna put the Crossroads in this category as well even though it’s more center than east. The other side, the west, is much more poorly connected to the Hallownest government. But it does have association with the White Lady, with Queen’s Station and Queen’s Gardens.

(And then there’s Howling Cliffs/King’s Pass/Dirtmouth. Which hell, I could even divide all this into four sections if I wanted. Those areas aren’t particularly important for this post though. I’ll just consider them closer to the eastern side just because there aren’t so many people and there’s no other rival power/people to try to exert significant influence. But again, it’s really not particularly relevant for my purposes here)

Pilgrim's Way

Ellina the Chronicler, in The Wanderer’s Journal:

The Pale King apparently took great interest in civil engineering, as evidenced by the complex building projects found throughout the far reaches of the kingdom.

The Old Stag says explicitly it was the Pale King “who ordered the building of the stagways and stations” (King’s Station dialog).

With the stag stations, the tramways, and other large infrastructure projects like the Royal Waterways, Ellina was clearly correct. There’s one other sizable project that caught my attention as well: The Pilgrim’s Way.

I saw this video by Lifeblood Core a while ago about the Pilgrim’s Way. In it, they speculate on various functions the road may have served. Among other things, the road may have been a way for the Pale King to assert his claim on the areas the road runs through. I am particularly interested in this point for this post.

Lifeblood Core points out that reference to pilgrims in its name may mean there was a religious aspect to it as well. He was, after all, worshipped by the citizens. With political and possibly religious aspects (such things already intertwined with his status of god king), as well as the king’s known interest in similar projects, I’d say he must’ve been involved at least at the planning stage.

(I do recommend giving the video, and their other videos, a watch! It’s only 3 minutes long)

There are signs marking the beginning and end of Pilgrim’s Way:

1. The Pilgrim's Way Travellers of Hallownest, descend through verdant wilds and fungal groves to the city at this kingdom's heart. There all wishes shall be granted, all truths revealed.

2. Here ends the Pilgrim's Way. Hallownest's Heart lays open before you. Proceed onward to share in its glory.

I’ve marked what seems to be the path the Pilgrim’s Way takes on the map below.

There are various signs along the path which I’ve numbered, 1 and 2 being those at the beginning and end as were already mentioned. I’ll be referring to other numbered signs as I go. The route is marked by roads and architecture in the style of Hallownest, as opposed to architecture from Unn’s people or the mantises (who have their own distinct styles), or other areas lacking such structures. There are a few areas with Hallownest architecture branching off of the path, but they don’t go far so I’ve mostly left them unmarked. I’ve marked a few connections to other modes of travel with stars. Greenpath Stag Station and Queen’s Station are both along the road. The road also goes by the lift that connects the Crossroads with City Storerooms (even though the door between the lift and Fungal Wastes is closed, unable to be opened in game, presumably it was once open).

Pilgrim’s Way is definitely not a very direct route to get to the City of Tears. If you were around the start of the road in the Crossroads when the kingdom still thrived, you could easily take something like the lift or a stag to get to the City.

It’s possible that most of the people traveling the road were using it to get to and from places along the route itself—in Greenpath, Fog Canyon, or Fungal Wastes. But the signs at the beginning and end assume one will start in Crossroads and end in the City. The territories the road travels through, being referred to as “wilds” and “groves”, seem to be treated as just places to pass through on your way to a supposed true destination, a City that brings glory to its inhabitants.

However, those areas along the path do have real people living there; they’re not just empty wilderness. Those peoples, though part of territory claimed by Hallownest, maintain their own identities. As Lifeblood Core says in their video, these societies make clear that even though the road goes through their lands, off the road it still belongs to them. We have this warning from the Mosskin right beside the road:

3. Those who stray from the White King's roads shall face the law of Unn

Even currently, with the Mosskin infected, their dreamnail dialog indicates they still think of Unn. One of the lines is even “Protect the road of Unn...”. That, and the name of Greenpath having “path” in it, does seem to indicate they have their own roads. It’s unclear whether these roads are more metaphorical (such a spiritual path, perhaps as ones who follow Unn) or literal (and perhaps something only recognized by those in the know, or currently overgrown by unchecked vegetation). Regardless, the Mosskin draw a line between their roads and laws and the Pale King’s.

The mushroom people seem a bit warmer, though more passively accepting than enthusiastic:

4. Warily shall we accept the will of the Wyrm. Its prescience shields us. Fate and Future we shall entwine.

7. Strength in the shared self. Strength in the mind united. In every bug that would pass upon our roads, only the melancholy of disparity.

Such messages would be for their own people and not others, as you need the spore shroom charm to read them. Both messages are next to the road. The mushroom people maintain their own identity, distinguishing themselves from the bugs that come through, but “our roads” seems to be an acceptance of the Pilgrim’s Way, at least somewhat. They may think of the territory as theirs, claiming the sections of Pilgrim’s Way in Fungal Wastes as theirs. Still I consider this as wary acceptance of their place in Hallownest, to consider something built by the Pale King theirs, rather than the sharp distinctions made by the Mosskin.

The mantises are about as warm as one would expect:

5. Wanderers seeking death, welcome. May you find swift end upon our claws.

It’s no secret in game that the mantises have poor relations with Hallownest, though they have a treaty. Note that Pilgrim’s Way doesn’t go through their territory at all. I doubt they would tolerate that.

I’ll be returning to these points, and examining each area of western Hallownest one by one.

Mosskin and Queen's Gardens

There’s one last sign I marked on the map of Pilgrim’s way, from the Mosskin:

6. Though once our lands, a pale being lays claim to the caverns ahead. It may appear benevolent but it does not share our dream. Be wary to wander that place.

The area with this sign is a fair ways away from the Pilgrim’s Way, probably something meant to be read among the Mosskin themselves. It’s at the only connection between Greenpath and Queen’s Gardens.

(A connection which, I may point out, is closed from both ends, with stones held up by vines. I assume such things were put in place by the Mosskin. The sign is in between these two roadblocks)

As the sign says…Queen’s Gardens used to be a part of Greenpath. The White Lady is indicated as not being of their people, someone to be wary of even if she seems nice. Do they consider it false nicety? Are they wary merely because she is different from them? It’s hard to say exactly how much one thing or another influences their thoughts, but it does seem clear they are unhappy that she inhabits their former lands. Though “inhabits” is a weak word for it. “Lays claim”, they say. This suggests to me that the ownership of the land is something she asserts for herself, and that those who wrote the sign do not agree.

How she came to hold Queen’s Gardens is uncertain. I already find it a mystery where the White Lady even came from in the first place. Is her presence in Queen’s Gardens a result of negotiations between Hallownest and Greenpath? Was there conflict? Had Unn already been distant from her people, and the White Lady was just able to move in and no one would dare contest a god for it? It’s hard to say, only that whoever wrote that sign does not like it, and, I would say, considers Greenpath/the Mosskin the more legitimate owners of Queen’s Gardens.

Mosskin do not seem to live in Queen’s Gardens by the time of the game*. The intelligent species we do see there are the infected mantises and spiny husks. The mantises were surely not originally there, arriving after they split from the main mantis tribe sometime after the infection came. The spiny husks seem to be alternate versions of what you might call “standard Hallownest bugs”**…whatever species is prevalent in places like Crossroads and the City of Tears. These bugs are called “overgrown” so I assume they did not used to have all that vegetation on them.

The nonintelligent creatures of the area include alubas, durandoos, fool eaters, loodles, maskflies, mosscreeps, and mossflies. Most of those are also found in Greenpath, and the ones that aren’t (loodles and mossflies) are visually/thematically similar to the rest.

I can only assume the Mosskin used to live there. The environment and creatures are similar to Greenpath. It was part of their territory. I don’t know why they wouldn’t have inhabited it when it was still theirs. But there’s no trace of them there anymore.

The region is almost half the size of current Greenpath. Its loss must’ve had a large impact on the Mosskin and possibly a large displacement of their people, if they all left when the Queen took control of it.

The Old Stag says, of Queen’s Gardens Station:

It was not often used by the common bugs, being a well-guarded retreat for our late Queen.

This makes it sound like, rather than be a populated territory ruled over by the Queen, the whole area was set aside for her personal use. I can only guess that most bugs found within were either visitors, or guards meant to protect the Queen. Excepting again the traitor mantises.

Due to the spiny husks, I wonder if those who visited were not from Greenpath but instead from the heart of Hallownest. Perhaps higher ups with connections to the Queen? Tourists? Later wanderers? It’s uncertain. The corpse of the rich bug from the Tower of Love can be found there as well, though the spiny husks do not share the fancy clothes.

The Mosskin may have left under their own power. They warn each other, with the sign connecting the two formerly-united regions, to be wary. They also may have closed it off themselves. It’s hard to say, ultimately.

*Moss Prophet and followers are technically in Queen’s Gardens, but there’s a (breakable) wall in between the building they’re in and the rest of the region. And then in the opposite direction, just outside the building, there’s another wall you have to break to open up into Fungal Wastes. There are also two breakable floors that go into Deepnest. How anyone got into that building when all exits are sealed off I have no clue.

**One caveat to “standard hallownest bugs”. The Spirit’s Glade in Resting Grounds has a huge diversity of bugs in it. Such diversity is not found elsewhere in the kingdom. There are limitations in game design that mean…well…you reuse some of the same things, like simple enemy designs. The spirits in the glade were kickstarter backers so each got special attention that is not given to each individual husk throughout Hallownest. Even so. When we do see those “standard hallownest bugs”, the more simple designs we see over and over in game, we might contrast them with those who don’t fit that design, like the mantises. I will be mentioning these “standard” bugs quite a bit, to signify those predominant in places like Crossroads and the City.

Monomon and Wilds Beyond

Fog Canyon is home to the jellyfish: the oomas, uomas, Monomon, and Uumuu. There’s not much information on them given in the game. Cornifer finds them strange. The Hunter just kinda gives in to wild speculation before giving up on understanding what they are. The dreamnail dialog of the oomas and uomas is only “Monomon”, and the Hunter is creeped out that he “can’t see where they keep their thoughts”. The Hunter’s Journal and Hall of Gods recognize Uumuu as intelligent though, even as both remark upon its strangeness. Uumuu does have actual sentences in its dreamnail dialog (though also thinks of Monomon).

Monomon herself is, of course, clearly intelligent. She probably had a hand writing the strange records found in the Archives, with their odd word usage in seemingly scrambled order. She can certainly write in a more usual fashion though, as she wrote the Elegy for Hallownest. She also has dialog alongside the three Dreamers, as well as dreamnail dialog.

Monomon is the biggest representative we have for all of Fog Canyon. It’s not a huge area. It’s only inhabited by jellyfish (and, okay, Millibelle and one dead snail shaman). It contains the Archives and little else. The Archives are quite unique architecturally, and don’t have the same style/symbolism typical Hallownest architecture has. But even so, she aligns herself with Hallownest, perhaps the most of any individual that can be identified as a native of western Hallownest. Quirrel says:

Within these chambers the Teacher sought to store the Kingdom's knowledge and at its core, she stored herself.

Her dreamnail dialog, when you enter her dream:

...For diversity, a Seal... ...A world forever unchanging... ...the Seals, must break... ...Forever... ...Forever... ...Better, an end...

Monomon, the teacher. One who prizes knowledge and change and diversity. There must have been something she found in the Kingdom of Hallownest that she liked. Its people, certainly, for that is what gives rise to diversity, and brings more knowledge. But it seems beyond just that.

The Elegy for Hallownest:

In wilds beyond they speak your name with reverence and regret, For none could tame our savage souls yet you the challenge met, Under palest watch, you taught, we changed, base instincts were redeemed, A world you gave to bug and beast as they had never dreamed.

The meaning of this poem is much discussed when it comes to Hollow Knight lore. I won’t be going over all of its implications. But two things stand out to me here. One, is that she seemed to like the vision of Hallownest, as it was under the Pale King and White Lady. Something that was taught, and created change in the creatures that live there. Later, as the land was put in stasis, she preferred it to end, according to what she valued.

Second…the implication for “wilds beyond”. What does this refer to? Typically, I see it interpreted as being in reference to what lays outside of Hallownest.

Some of the game’s lore, tablets written by the Pale King, addressed to higher beings, indicate that there’s nothing outside of Hallownest. Yet we do know in game that some characters came from outside. And surely in its heyday the kingdom would’ve gotten visitors from outside, as the Pale King a beacon bringing them in. And Monomon would have to know somehow, to write this poem, what those outside Hallownest thought in order to write about their opinions.

Or so I thought. In investigating western Hallownest, I came to an alternate interpretation. Remember, again, the sign at the beginning of Pilgrim’s Way:

Travellers of Hallownest, descend through verdant wilds and fungal groves to the city at this kingdom's heart.

We also have these words from Quirrel, in Queen’s Station:

I'd not expected to discover so huge a Stag Station after that foggy descent. The bugs of Hallownest must've been an impressive lot, building such grand structures so far into these wilds.

This word, “wilds”. It’s used here to refer to Greenpath and Fog Canyon at the very least. And with Fungal Wastes being described with such words as “wastes” and “grove” (“forests” too in the mantis warrior journal entry), I think there’s a theme here. All of these words have connotations of both nature and lack of people/civilization*.

Monomon lived within Fog Canyon…right in the midst of these places called wild. Her calling was to collect knowledge for the Archives. She was in position to hear the thoughts and opinions of a huge variety of bugs. Especially those in western Hallownest, who are, it seems, considered to be more remote.

The interpretation of “wilds beyond” to refer to outside of Hallownest is not necessarily incorrect. It certainly can refer to that. But I just keep noticing the way western Hallownest is spoken of, over and over. Wild. Remote. Something more foreign to the bugs in what is called the kingdom’s Heart, the City of Tears. I think the phrase has its strongest ties to western Hallownest even if it could possibly encompass a region greater than that.

The Old Stag has this to say on Queen’s Station:

This place was a bustling hub of travel, well-placed for travellers visiting the outer edges of the land. You're quite the explorer to find this place.

Even if some like the Old Stag are speaking as if these areas are remote (“outer edges of the land”, suggesting you’d have to be an explorer to find it), it seems they did get a fair bit of traffic. Even so, these bugs are said to be “visiting”, rather than living in. It seems the native inhabitants of western Hallownest did not use Queen’s Station as much.

One thing I kept noticing is that Hallownest is considered large, with many regions. Even if the map may seem small by the time a player has traveled its length a few times, it is of course meant to be an entire kingdom. There are various peoples within, each with their own histories and cultures. Even those native to the kingdom may be called travelers when they move through its various regions. They may get horribly lost when outside of their native regions. I wrote a whole post on this to illustrate this point.

What I noticed was, so many bugs, “standard Hallownest bugs” that is, had left their home regions and died. Their last thoughts had been about how lost they were, or other such conditions about how they died, perhaps trying to flee the infection. The highest concentration of them are found in western Hallownest, seemingly somewhere foreign to them, that they sadly did not survive.

The Wander’s Journal makes mention of Queen’s Station as well:

Queen's Station is especially impressive, given the inhospitable environments it links. To have constructed such a spacious Stagway station so deep into Hallownest with minimal impact on the surrounding landscape is truly a monumental achievement.

Similar to what Quirrel says, but with some extra detail. Inhospitable. Clearly, these areas were fine enough for their native inhabitants. But to some, it was deadly. Some who tried to flee the infection into the western regions may have died from that very infection…but some died to the environs themselves.

A bit more dialog, from dream warrior Elder Hu:

Have you come to tame this savage, ruined land? Many have come to purify this place, but all who dwell here are eventually consumed. Yes, even the wild bugs lurking below us. They were once proud like you, but now they are only monsters. Beware dreams of glory, child. Turn back, and do not return.

Elder Hu is a bit complicated. In developing this post, I ended up with so much to say on him I had to take some of it out and make it its own post. In summary, I do not think he was from Fungal Wastes, nor does he seem to primarily be treating native inhabitants of Fungal Wastes in his capacity as healer. His journal entry indicates that he traveled around Hallownest to treat the infected, though in my interpretation he may have focused on Fungal Wastes in particular.

There’s still a fair bit more to say on him though. In his dialog, we see him speaking of Fungal Wastes as “savage”, and the mantises as “wild”.

Elder Hu was most likely infected when he died. His words here are still affected by a warped perception. He died trying to “purify”** the mantises, and only realizes his mistake after you defeat him…that is, that the mantises were fine all along, and he was the infected one.

It’s quite possible he only describes the area as a “savage, ruined land” due to his warped mindset. But when he says “even the wild bugs lurking below us”….it seems as if he expects “wild” is a normal thing to call those bugs. The way “even” is used in this sentence indicates that the “wild” bugs being infected is an unexpected outcome to him. This suggests to me that even if he correctly identified the mantises as uninfected, he’d still be calling them “wild bugs”. Though he calls them proud, he thinks them wild no matter what.

He expects that Ghost has come, from outside Fungal Wastes, to “tame” or “purify”, and says that others have before. In the Hall of Gods, he’s called the god of “travellers and sages”. This suggests to me that he himself is from outside Fungal Wastes. I wonder if the primary people he tried to help from the infection were the more “standard Hallownest bugs”, due to considering the mantises only secondarily in his speech. Possibly the mushroom people, though being called a god of travelers makes me think it was of those who may be non-natives to the region.

Elder Hu also calls the area a “land”, rather than just being a subsection of the kingdom. There are a couple other instances of similar wording:

Willoh, of Queen’s Station: This place must once have been quite the hub, built at the border between two lands, that misty drop to one side and those bulbous growths another.

Mato dreamnail: My brother, Sheo... how fare you in that green kingdom of thorns you call home? I think of you every time I raise my nail...

All of this to say, the picture I’m getting is that Hallownest has certain regions that are seen as more “standard”, more “normal”, areas like the City or Crossroads, full of bugs and their culture and norms, by which other regions of Hallownest are compared against. Those bugs view western Hallownest as more remote, more wild, and more foreign, even as these regions may be called a part of Hallownest. It may partially be due to higher amounts of vegetation, but even the native bugs may be called “wild”.

*To be fair, the Mosskin are by their nature concerned with greenery, so you might call their territory wild in that sense, rather than one lacking in people/civilization. But it doesn’t seem to be just about greenery. For Quirrel to think it’s impressive for Hallownest to build structures “so far into these wilds” suggests to me that it is the fact that it’s far from what’s considered….more “real” Hallownest? Far from its center, the City, against which the rest of Hallownest is compared.

**There is one darker possibility. The thought that the primary method of “purification” is to kill the infected. Elder Hu is a warrior, after all. And it may very well have been part of what he had to do. Anyone working with the infected should’ve been able to defend themself due to the violent nature of the infection. Now, due to his journal entry, mentioning him “tending to those affected by the plague”, I would like to think he legitimately tried to heal the infected if he could. But his wording when first speaking to Ghost, “beware dreams of glory”, does make me pause. One does not typically seek glory through medical service, but is a word frequently applied to battle. Did some bugs try to pick fights with the infected for their own glory? It’s quite possible…

Monomon and the Vision of Hallownest

Looking at the Elegy for Hallownest again:

Let’s assume, even if Monomon may have come into contact with some bugs from outside Hallownest, that most of those she knew of were from inside Hallownest. She lived near others who might be considered “different” when compared against those living in the Heart of the kingdom, the City. She tells a tale in the Elegy that she may have seen in action around her. She considered that her own people the jellyfish (though their status is still mysterious, at least herself and Uumuu were intelligent) were changed under the Pale King. Such change was, I think, a process that was still ongoing when the infection came around.

She likes the Pale King and what came with the Kingdom of Hallownest. She speaks positively of the changes, the teachings. She speaks of others “in wilds beyond” speaking of Hallownest reverently. Also with regret, which I assume is about Hallownest’s decline rather than considering Hallownest negatively.

And just to note, I believe the poem is addressing a personification of Hallownest. Personally I thought it was the Pale King at first, but it is, after all, the Elegy for Hallownest. It does have an extended (seemingly unfinished) version in the files, with the line “Within your corpse can still be heard the plaintiff cries of one”. This seems to be about the Hollow Knight, and “your corpse” would have to be the dead kingdom. Of course this version is not canon, but, I think it does display the intent of the poem to be addressing personified Hallownest the most explicitly.

Anyway. If she is truly speaking of western Hallownest, those areas called “wild”, then, these views are different than what I’ve been highlighting for each of the peoples. The mosskin, the mushroom people, and the mantises do not seem particularly enthused about Hallownest. But any people is capable of having diverse opinions. In the course of the game, for instance, we see multiple divisions in the mantis tribe, both in the split into traitors/non-traitors, and also Traitor Lord’s daughter going against the xenophobia common in her tribe to get together with Ze’mer.

And I keep coming back to the significance of all the terms used. That these areas are called wild, that some of the people are called wild. That someone like Elder Hu calls the land savage. And, what does it mean to tame a soul?

There’s only so much I can go over. All this touches on the topic of the Pale King giving mind to bugs, how that contrasts with their state when infected, and how they were before the Pale King. Such is a huge topic with many interpretations, and a bit much for one post.

I do think there’s something to be said about the word “tame” contrasting with “wild” though. Those words are used as opposites in the real word. To tame, to take something wild and make it not so.

I wonder if Hallownest, the vision of the world it brings, its goal…might be said to be a work in progress in the western regions. That perhaps Monomon feels herself and the jellyfish to have been tamed, to have become a part of this kingdom and its vision. But some of the others….the mosskin, the mantises, the mushroom people. They are not quite…this same level of “tame”, from the view of Hallownest society. There is a degree of acceptance of the Hallownest government. But they also maintain a degree of distance, some with more force than others.

And then there’s Deepnest.

—But before that, I’d like to mention the Hunter.

Or rather, I already have. The linked post goes over a bit more than I want to highlight right now, but long story short, the Hunter’s position on society is quite interesting to me. He is highly critical of the civilization the Pale King brings. He thinks it makes bugs weak, cowardly, lazy.

At the same time, he criticizes those like the Hive Knight for being enslaved to duty.

He pretty much rejects most if not all family, friends, or companions. Even if he doesn’t hate the concept, he’s so focused on hunting he’d hunt even those close to him.

In a world so fallen apart as present-day Hallownest, someone like the Hunter thrives. His worldview is a sorta third option to everything I’ve been speaking of.

Hallownest is a kingdom that attempted grand civilization, over vast territory, with many different species under it. And then you have these smaller peoples, with varying degrees of independence, but who still hold themselves distinct. And they have their own societies and ways as a group.

–And then you have the Hunter, who does not associate with anyone really, does not make himself a part of any group, and greatly dislikes many of these things that come with society: loyalty to someone higher, and not relying on your own abilities and thereby becoming strong.

I just think his views are an interesting contrast, especially in light of the rest of the look into the Elegy for Hallownest. What it means for one to be “wild”…isn’t necessarily something like how the Hunter is. The peoples of western Hallownest have societies. It may be how they fit into wider Hallownest that designates how “wild” they are.

Deepnest

Though “Hallownest” is often used in a loose sense to refer to the overall geographical area that covers the whole map in game, as far as politics, Deepnest is not part of the Kingdom of Hallownest.

Deepnest is situated in the bottom left of the map, as I’m sure you know. It’s directly under Queen’s Gardens. It also has multiple connection points with Fungal Wastes. And finally, there’s a tram connection to Ancient Basin in the far eastern portion.

Deepnest and Hallownest had poor relations. Due to its location, those with the highest contact seem to be in Fungal Wastes. The mushroom people say, near a border with Deepnest:

This border bounds the twisting, scratching things. Their dead sire, once of honoured caste. Their sealed mother, but the common beast. No peace with them we make.

The mantises also mention them on a sign in their village:

The truce remains. Our vigil holds. The beasts are kept at bay.

Relations have been that of conflict. It seems the mantises have seen the bulk of it, from the giant pile of corpses at the door that separates Deepnest and the Mantis Village.

Many of those corpses are dirtcarvers, non-intelligent. Some corpses are deephunter though, which—well. Okay. I admit, I personally like to think they’re intelligent, but their dreamnail dialog is the same as unintelligent creatures, so maybe my thoughts are entirely baseless XD However, it does seem there is real conflict involving intelligent spiders too.

Team Chery, in a Q&A on Reddit:

Q: Is there any relation between Hornet and the Mantis Lords? Both the weapons they use and moves they attack with are vaguely similar... William: They do have a similar style and grace to them, although we're not sure if the connection runs any deeper than that. Ari: Although... Deepnest borders the Mantis Village, and the spider tribe (Hornet's tribe) has long been at odds with the Mantis Lords. Their weapons and attacks may share some similarities due generations of constant conflict?

Generations of conflict. Are any of these generations after the stasis began? If there’s any people that would be least affected by stasis, it’s the mantises, the only ones with a continuing civilization in Hallownest. Perhaps that includes new generations. …Regardless, it’s been a long time.

It is, of course, not just with the mantises and mushroom people where there’s been conflict. There’s the failed tramway as well.

The corpses near the bench have the dreamnail dialog:

"...My King. I'm sorry..." "...It couldn't be built..." "...this nest rejects us..."

The failed tramway is full of carver hatchers (and of course, the dirtcarvers they hatch). Whether it was only those that made the project fail and killed the people, or the spider tribe attacked as well, is hard to say.

Again in a Q&A, Team Cherry says:

Q: Where was the Failed Tramway going to connect to if it was ever finished? William: It was part of an attempt by the bugs of Hallownest to expand their kingdom into the unknown territories below them. Unfortunately things didn't quite work out for them.

This is a bit odd to me. Seems like an unwise decision to start a big infrastructure project before you get a good grasp of the area you’re building in. Did they survey the immediate area for the planned tramway and only later did dirtcarvers and/or spiders come in? It’s hard to say.

The Wanderer’s Journal also has this to say:

The kingdom made efforts to expand into this dark territory, but those efforts were met with ferocious resistance. The ruins of a tram station stand as a symbol of the conflicts that ended this expansion. It would appear there are some places even Hallownest's influence cannot tame.

This doesn’t illuminate too much, though I’d say mention of “conflict” hints at intelligent foes. And say, there’s that word “tame” again…

I’ll touch on this again later, but for now, the timeline as I understand it would be:

Hallownest bugs try to expand downwards from Queen’s Gardens.

They meet with hostility from Deepnest bugs, leading to the tram project’s failure.

Some time later, Hallownest comes to a truce with the mantises, in which the mantises agree to guard against Deepnest at the boundary between their territories. The mushroom people may or may not have been part of this.

Even if Hallownest did not know about Deepnest when they started expanding downwards, I think the mantises likely knew. They were not a part of Hallownest, or there would not have to have been a truce (and indeed the Wanderer’s Journal indicates they are not a part of it). The “generations of conflict” Team Cherry mentioned…it may have preexisted. Or perhaps relations were better in the past, it’s hard to say. At the very least, the mantises agreeing to keep Deepnest “at bay” likely worsened any conflict.

The mushroom people may have had prior good relations with Deepnest (with the mention of the “dead sire”), but they are clear in their dislike of Herrah. What happened to this “dead sire” and when it happened is unclear, though I think this sire may have been a higher being. Whether the death of this being had anything to do with relations with Hallownest or the mantises (in conflict, in respect, etc) I don’t know, but it does get my imagination going.

It’s uncertain how outright hostile the intelligent Deepnest residents may have been to outsiders. The corpses at the door to the Mantis Village, the culprits who attacked the tramway…those are possibly all unintelligent. There was real conflict between the spider tribe and Fungal Wastes, but that may have come later. But regardless, there is certainty that there was a biiiit of cannibalism going on.

The manual indicates, on Distant Village:

In the darkest corner of Hallownest, tales tell of a mythical village that grants rest to weary travellers. Those who seek it must find peace there, for none ever return.

This does not ever explicitly get said in game, though it does explain some dialog from Quirrel, when you find him at the Deepnest hot spring:

This is a ferocious place no doubt. Supposedly, there's a village deep in the warren. Its inhabitants never accepted Hallownest's King.

dreamnail: This one too must seek the village at the nest's heart. What mystery the purpose that sees it share my path.

I had thought it was a bit odd, before I read the text in the manual, that he would assume Ghost would be seeking this village. I can only infer that he knew of this legend (and assumed that Ghost knew it too).

Of course, when you reach Beast’s Den in the village, some kind of fake “villagers” try to entice you to sit on a bench. Corpses in a nearby building, wrapped in silk, indicate how they were lied to. One corpse within Beast’s Den was thinking “…Rest…”…I presume having heard this legend too.

I assume all these bodies were saved for later consumption.

Midwife, definitely, wants to eat you. Her dialog too hints at this legend:

Oh. Please. Please. Don't be shy. There are some nasties about here alright. Not me. I'm a friend to all and happy to serve a traveller so bold as you.

My dear. Aren't you so kind, checking again on my well-being. I'm ever the caring host. I can't understand why more don't visit in your manner.

Reference to hospitality to travelers specifically. Right before trying to eat you.

How did this legend spread? It’s hard to say. If no one ever returned, who could be telling others about it? Perhaps some were treated nicely, and let go, to tell others. In a conversation with @basilbellona, she suggested that perhaps some corpse creepers could have impersonated normal bugs by inhabiting their bodies and spreading this legend.

Regardless, somehow the legend got out. Was it early in Deepnest’s relations with Hallownest? Was it later, when society was collapsing, and perhaps Deepnest was particularly hungry? There’s no way to really know the timing. No matter what, it seems the perception of Deepnest by Hallownest was one of dangerous ferocity.

During the infection, Herrah and the Pale King made a bargain: Herrah would become a dreamer, in exchange for being able to have her child, Hornet. I’ve seen much talk about this…how Herrah had no heir, how the weavers helped craft spells with their silk, etc. It’s all a bit deep for my purposes right now. Now, I’m more wondering how Deepnest fit in with Hallownest.

It seems to me that, even if relations may have been slightly better due to this deal…they still weren’t great. Deepnest was still in conflict with Fungal Wastes. A stagline was built between Distant Village and the White Palace, but it seems it was at least partially secret, due to the Old Stag’s dialog:

On Distant Village station: Ahh, little one... Where are we? I have never been to this station. It has a strange air of danger to it. Let me take you somewhere safer, quickly.

On Hidden Station: Ah! What station is this, hidden all the way at the bottom of the world? Until I heard the bell calling, I didn't even know the Stagways travelled so deep. You've discovered something quite astounding, little one! No matter how old I grow, the world still keeps surprises like this stowed away...

Also just the fact that Hidden Station is…well…called hidden. I don’t know why keep it a secret. Perhaps if the plan with the dreamers was at least partially a secret, I’m not sure. But at the same time, Lemm says that the City switched from stone journals to writing on spider silk. There seems to have been some level of open relations. But not enough to undo the agreement for the mantises to hold back Deepnest, apparently.

There’s also the strange fact that Deepnest actually has a high concentration of standard Hallownest bugs in it. Or at least their corpses. Some of them, yes, were likely eaten. Perhaps there due to the legend. Or to flee infection? They may have come in on the tramway from Ancient Basin. I don’t really have answers here, but, hoping it may paint some small piece of this incomplete history.

My best guess is that, overall, Hallownest openly characterized Deepnest as a hostile foreign nation to protect again, even as it had some positive relations. Those positive things may have been kept more secret.

Now…the failed tramway.

The failed tramway confuses me, and leads me to draw some interesting and possibly startling conclusions in attempting to come to terms with its mysteries.

As I quoted above, Team Cherry says Hallownest was attempting to “expand their kingdom into the unknown territories below them”. This attempt seems to have began from below Queen’s Gardens, at the western end of the tram. The eastern end of the tram is in the middle of Deepnest, far from any other connections to Hallownest. The connection from Queen’s Gardens too seems like it was artificially built. It’s a vertical shaft, full of wooden (or, er, shellwood) beams. The Deepnest end is the area near Mask Maker. Top of the shaft:

Bottom of the shaft:

Room near Mask Maker, where you can see a typical tunnel connection trams go through, but filled in with something:

So there seem to be a line of structural supports from Queen’s Gardens to the tramway, and a lack of such on the other end of the tramway.

If this was an attempt to expand below the kingdom, where were they going? I have to ask again…why attempt to expand into unknown territory via a large infrastructure project? I did start to wonder. If Hallownest bugs dug down from Queen’s Gardens…were they trying to connect the area where they found themselves to more known territory?

To the immediate east of the tram, it’s more Deepnest. But if that line continued, it would connect pretty neatly with the City of Tears, only slightly offset downwards from floor level of the cavern with the Nailsmith.

As you might see from the map above, this possible route could cause a lot of trouble. It has the potential to not just enrage Deepnest, but the mushroom people and mantises as well, going straight through the middle of Fungal Core and Mantis Village. As I was theorizing above, I don’t think the mantises (and possibly the mushroom people as well) were yet part of Hallownest.

It’s possible the tram would end at Fungal Core, though. The mushroom people might’ve been part of Hallownest. I just keep looking at how well the potential line of the tram lines up with the City of Tears. If Fungal Wastes was yet to be part of Hallownest, it’s possible that the Hallownest bugs were hoping for the best that they’d be able to connect to the City, not knowing or not caring what lay in between.

Still, seems like horrendous planning.

I also wondered if Mask Maker specifically was a draw to the region. If, for some reason, Hallownest thought it important to have access to them. Mask Maker continues to be mysterious, and the tram does line up to their doorway. There’s no real way to know; I just feel obligated to add them to the pile of mystery evidence for everyone’s consideration XD

It’s also possible the tram was meant to get close to Distant Village. But since, apparently, this was a poorly planned project, and the bugs were not that familiar with Deepnest…it seems unlikely they would even know about Distant Village.

It’s also possible that the answer from Team Cherry about the tram is…not canon. The truest canon is anything actually in the game. Team Cherry has expressed before a reluctance to say too much about lore, to leave fans to their own interpretations, as well as leave things more open to future exploration. It’s possible the answer they gave is just not true. Or less thought out. Or perhaps I’m misinterpreting it. Because as I keep saying, the whole tram project seems so foolish, so ill-advised, so poorly thought out if you haven’t thoroughly surveyed where you’re building…it comes to a point where I’m dubious such a thing is the correct explanation.

Perhaps they had surveyed the area. Perhaps they did get a hold on where they were building. And perhaps, even with that, they miscalculated. Miscalculated the dangers of Deepnest, and just how hostile the reception would be with its intelligent residents.

The failed tramway is in the upper portion of Deepnest. Perhaps Hallownest bugs thought, it’s not too close to Distant Village, or Weaver’s Den. Perhaps they could get away with it, and expand their territory further, securing control of everything from the tramline up.

The Mantises

By now I’ve mentioned the mantises quite a bit.

Their willingness to kill to defend their territory, their generations of conflict with Deepnest. Who may be described by some bugs as living in wild territory, and as wild themselves, not tame. Proud warriors. Those who made truce with Hallownest.

It’s mentioned in the Wanderer’s Journal:

The people of the Mantis tribe always had a relationship with Hallownest that was tenuous at best. Long ago, they agreed to a truce to protect their village from the kingdom's expansion. They retained sovereignty in their domain, and in exchange, they agreed to stem the flow of hostile beasts rising up from the depths of Deepnest. They continue to honour that agreement even after the fall of the kingdom.

The mantises could not really be said to be a part of Hallownest, even as Hallownest would like to claim Fungal Wastes. And with the existence of a truce, peace seems tenuous, with the possibility that conflict could start up again.

The Wanderer’s Journal also indicates they didn’t want to use the technology the Pale King brought, using their own instead.

The Hunter’s Journal describes them in a way that marks them as pretty separate, in its entry on the Mantis Lords:

The Mantis tribe and the bugs of old Hallownest had no love for each other. The Mantises outlived their rivals though, and their civilisation still stands.

Again in the Wanderer’s Journal:

Though some might call the people of the Mantis tribe simple savages, their culture has a rich history steeped in traditions that date back to ancient times, long before the birth of Hallownest.

Different civilization, different culture, different technology. Sovereignty in their domain. A people that still survives, when Hallownest has fallen. The only civilization left intact.

They’ve suffered losses. The split amongst their tribe certainly a huge shakeup. It’s unknown if they’ve suffered other losses such as loss of trade, lost lives due to conflict, etc. But even so they still stand. The only other intact settlement in Hallownest is Dirtmouth, and it’s hard to call that intact when most of its residents were lured down the well by their dreams. The rest of the land is just disparate survivors. But the mantises remain.

I do wonder how hostile they were to Hallownest, long ago. There must’ve been fighting, to have needed a truce. And of course, the mantises are initially hostile to Ghost. But there’s a little more to them than that.

Cornifer: Very territorial types make their homes within this area. I'd suggest avoiding them where possible. Further below some strange thin creatures gave me quite a scare. They seemed an intelligent bunch. In my youth I'd have braved their caves but I fear my matured physique wouldn't be able to outrun them were they to turn violent.

Quirrel: I suppose you've already met with the tribe of this village, hmm? They seem a little distrustful of strangers... to put it lightly. They're not brutes though, no. The sickness in the air that clouds the mind of lesser beasts... they resist it. They retain their intellect and their honour, though also their lethal traditions.

Somehow, Quirrel and Cornifer assert that they are intelligent. They both know that the mantises are ready to fight, but, perhaps they had interactions that were a bit more than that. Those two bugs are both able to speak, so perhaps they were able to actually converse with the mantises. In fact, Cornifer mentions them turning violent as if it had not happened yet, though he knew it could happen. I’m not sure how he would know unless there was some kind of communication. Body language at the very least. Quirrel as well knew they had “honor” and “lethal traditions”, though this may be due to his memories instead.

I’ve seen it theorized before that the area in the above picture was a jail cell. The bug within has dreamnail dialog of “…I’m sorry…”, and they were in this area with a closed entrance. It’s possible a mantis could get in/out better than many bugs. Regardless, if this was something like a jail cell, it would mean that “death” is not the only answer outsiders will find in mantis territory. Er, despite the fact that this bug is dead now. Presumably they weren’t dead when they were put in there or there’d be no point.

If others could communicate with the mantises and have non lethal interactions, what went wrong with Ghost then? Was it because they can’t speak? Were the mantises unsettled by their odd look as a being of void? I dunno, perhaps it’s just the limitations of a video game. Regardless, they aren’t 100% kill on sight.

As it currently stands in the game, some mantises willingly gave themselves to the infection and were outcast. They turned against their tribe, and went to live in Queen’s Gardens.

The Hunter’s Journal says on Traitor Lord:

Deposed Lord of the Mantis tribe. Embraced the infection and turned against his sisters.

I had wondered how long ago this happened, how long ago Traitor Lord and his followers took on the infection and took over Queen’s Gardens. It does seem that the infection was dormant until the Hollow Knight became infected, something that game dialog seems to indicate was a fairly recent event.

If so, then, I would think that Traitor Lord only became infected recently as well. However, evidence around his daughter indicates it was long ago. Ze’mer says:

Ahhh Le'mer, you could not know of tragedy as complete as che's, true lovers stripped apart, two worlds that could not meet. And now meled'lover, dead so long in time. Dead, so far away. Buried, moina? Ai. Amongst its hateful kin that did deny our union, that did reject che's... outside-ness.

Traitor Lord’s daughter’s grave reads, “Here sleeps the Traitors' child.”

This indicates that not only did she die a long time ago, but also that Traitor Lord was already called a traitor at that time. Interestingly, it would seem her grave was marked by the main mantis tribe rather than by the traitor mantises, to refer to her like that. It’s possible infected mantises were not in a state of mind to be able to write.

The circumstances of her death are a mystery. Ze’mer blames the mantises for keeping them apart, but doesn’t mention what killed her. Violence seems likely, due to her location in Queen’s Gardens. I entertained the chance that Traitor Lord’s daughter was there for some completely unrelated reason, before her father embraced the infection, and died some accidental death, but…well, it seems unlikely. I’ll assume she was there due to her father’s break with his sisters and attack on the Gardens.

I had to ask though. Why would Traitor Lord attack Queen’s Gardens? Why not the City of Tears? Or, why the White Lady and not the Pale King?

I spent a long time analyzing routes Traitor Lord and his followers could take according to the map, the regions they would have to go through, the obstacles they would face on the way. It was all quite long and I eventually realized it was only minimally relevant (may make another post for fun though). If it was so long ago, conditions may have been different.

But in summary. I think the area of the palace had too many obstacles on the way, and that’s counting on the palace still being there. No way Traitor Lord could get into the dream realm XD

The route to Queen’s Garden’s is simpler. And though the area was said to be well guarded…I doubt it was anywhere near as much. We can’t even see any evidence of dead guards—only Marmu (maybe???? who knows how she died) and Dryya.

(It was also pointed out to me (thank you @grollow) that if was so long ago….they may have all just taken the stag. Oh boy. What a sight that would’ve been XD Yes please take hundreds of us to Queen’s Gardens all at once. No you may not ask why)

More than all this, though. I think Traitor Lord may have had reasons other than convenience/accessibility to go after Queen’s Gardens.

The White Lady and Traitor Mantises

Queen’s Gardens is an area primarily set aside for the White Lady. Various characters refer to it as the Queen’s retreat, estate, or sanctuary, suggesting it’s mostly for her personal use. It’s in a central location in western Hallownest, connecting to Greenpath, Fog Canyon, Fungal Wastes, and Deepnest.

The Queen’s presence can be shown throughout the western Hallownest beyond the Gardens. Not only do the Gardens have a stag station, but there’s also one named after the Queen in between Fog Canyon and Fungal Wastes. As I was mentioning earlier, it seems the attempted expansion into Deepnest happened through Queen’s Gardens. I’ve also noticed that a portion of Pilgrim’s Way, the shrumal ogre arena in Fungal Wastes, is a small garden of its own, with plants and architecture the same as Queen’s Gardens:

To quote the Old Stag again, it was the Pale King “who ordered the building of the stagways and stations.” But as far as I can tell, to residents of western Hallownest, the White Lady was the face of Hallownest. Many things may have been on the king’s orders, or have the Hallownest seal on it in a form that represents his body, but it was the White Lady with more physical presence.

And as I’ve noticed previously, though the Pale King does have symbology throughout Hallownest, the White Lady seems to have some of her own in Queen’s Gardens (and a lack of the Pale King’s).

The true extent of her role is unknown. It’s possible she was just…there…in her gardens, enjoying the plants. I personally think of her taking part in directing affairs throughout western Hallownest. She also says, when Ghost first meets her, “Within my roots, the weakening of the Vessel I plainly feel.” She may be monitoring the region (and areas beyond).

In truth, there is very little that can be said about her and her role explicitly. It is only her centrality in the region, in the midst of all the people and events and projects, that, combined with her power and abilities, make me think she involved herself in the lives of the various bugs in western Hallownest.

Whether or not she did much, Traitor Lord brought himself and his followers to her doorstep.

And of course, there’s the fact that Traitor Lord’s daughter died there. Though I think she likely died due to the fighting Traitor Lord started, there’s still a possibility that something unrelated killed her there, driving his rage, and taking on the infection before she could even get a grave marker (leaving the uninfected mantises to make one). And if she did die after the attacks started…well, I’m sure that still could drive his rage.

I don’t know what goals the traitor mantises might’ve had. To get rid of the White Lady, for one. Traitor Lord was right there, near her location, and Dryya dead after defending from many mantises. I’m sure that he would’ve liked to get to the queen. I’m not sure why exactly he was not able to accomplish this. Perhaps the protections around her were too strong, even with no one left to guard her. He probably couldn’t physically fit into where she was. Some smaller mantises might, I don’t know. For whatever reason, it did not happen. And yet Traitor Lord still stays nearby, in a pavilion.

The traitor mantises are living in the Gardens. They have their own small settlement, and other structures and objects of their scattered throughout the region.

Their dwellings are nowhere near as complex as what you find in the Mantis Village. It’s possible they lack the same resources they’re used to, or lack the craftspeople among their group…but I wonder if it’s the results of the infection on their minds. It’s also possible these were supposed to be temporary dwellings, but the effects of the stasis did something to them and they never tried beyond this.

I do think their minds must be affected to some extent, though. Traitor Lord’s daughter still remains with her grave marked “Here sleeps the Traitors' child.” Had they the ability and/or awareness, I’d think they’d change it.

The mantises are presented many times as having strong minds. Proud and intelligent, and able to resist the infection. I again have to wonder at the goals of the traitor mantises. Were they aware of what the infection was? Some of Hallownest’s residents were. Perhaps not aware of the Radiance herself, but aware, like the Moss Prophet or Bardoon, that it offered some sort of unity.

The traitor mantises all share the same dreamnail dialog:

...Outcast...Survive...Kill... ...Intruder...Destroy... Our lands now...

Survival. Securing territory, and protecting it.

I am doubtful that the mantises would want the kind of unity that the infection offers. The journal entry on Traitor Lord suggests embracing the infection to get stronger, though that is really more the Hunter’s musings. Still. I can’t help thinking of Traitor Lord and his followers using the infection as a means to an end.

Traitor Lord is angry, as indicated in the Hall of Gods. I doubt he was motivated solely by his daughter’s death, in the case it did happen before his infection. He got people to follow him somehow, to choose him over his sisters. I assume they wanted to avenge wider grievances.

I wondered if it was about territory, as their dreamnail dialog focuses on. The mantises possibly feeling threatened by Hallownest and its expansion, the taking over of Queen’s Gardens, and the infrastructure popping up around them.

I wondered if Traitor Lord would find common cause with the Mosskin. The mantises are aggressive and protective of their territory, but they aren’t 100% harsh after all. They could’ve held better diplomatic relations with peoples that weren’t the ones who tried to expand into their territory. Still. “Our lands now…” seems to indicate the traitor mantises are playing for keeps, and do not have interest in the Mosskin possibly reclaiming their former lands. I don’t think all this was only about a land grab. But more territory could have been an attractive factor. Definitely would stick it to the White Lady anyway.

I wonder if the traitor mantises, once able to kill the White Lady or otherwise remove her, intended to free themselves from the infection. I don’t know if such a thing would be possible. But they might have believed it to be. Again, I am doubtful the infection itself was attractive to them beyond its strength, and it goes against their fierce independence. If any species would be able to uninfect themselves, well, it probably would be the mantises. But…well. The infection has the ability to bring back even long dead husks. The mantises bodies, even if not dead, grew and warped. They might not be able to survive.

Such things are only hypotheticals. They of course were infected until the end, and never got rid of the White Lady. I just find it tragic in its own way that their goals, their vision for their future, may have been impossible from the start.

As for the main mantis tribe, I am doubtful they care what happens to the White Lady. The mantises don’t like Hallownest. But, pride, honor, and tradition are important to them. They made a truce with Hallownest. And Mantis Village seems adamant to uphold their agreement.

The Mantis Lords destroyed a fourth throne that surely once held their brother. The grave of Traitor Lord’s daughter marks his status as traitor. Clearly the whole affair was a huge upset among their people, tearing apart their society into two groups. Mantis Village calls him a traitor. Not, I think, for any allegiance to Hallownest and its queen…but instead for violating their agreement and their code of honor.

And so, we come to the end....

Western Hallownest was a place in change. Just as Monomon prized. Many peoples, with their different histories and values and conflicts. Some coming to embrace the Kingdom, some not. Hallownest civilization never seemed fully realized there, people “tamed” under one rule and vision. And with the kingdom’s fall, it never would be.

#hollow knight theory #hollow knight #the white lady #mantis tribe #traitor lord #mushroom clan #mosskin #spider tribe #deepnest #fungal wastes #queen's gardens #monomon #fog canyon #jellyfish #elegy for hallownest

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bromcommie · 9 months ago

Note

hi, your fic “moving like a river of trouble crossing” kinda resonated with my soul and maybe even changed my life just a little bit, and i thought you deserved a better comment than my inarticulate ranting in the reblog tags yesterday.

the idea of shield hiring a therapist that looks like an older version of steve’s mother is unbelievably fucked up. the psychological warfare at play there is insane. and i love the parallel drawn to him first waking up from the ice and them trying to play this trick on him. he’s so much smarter than they give him credit for, everyone’s constantly underestimating him. i think that’s my favorite theme throughout this story; everyone is commodifying him in their own way, trying to stuff him in the box that they already made for him inside their heads.

the phrase “are you awake yet?” repeating over and over is so many different kinds of powerful. firstly, the way that it ties back to him waking up from the ice and his feelings of displacement in the world. secondly, that hazy, detached feeling that comes with depression, like you’re half-sleepwalking through your entire life, and no matter how hard you try to snap out of it and wake up, you can’t. i know that feeling well, and it emanates viscerally from this entire story. thirdly, it feels like a metaphor for the fact that he’s just drifting through life, doing what he’s told, following orders because he doesn’t know what else he’s supposed to do with himself.

obsessed with lina’s comment of “wrong place, wrong time” after the date. she’s right on so many levels, more right than she knows. each and every line of this story has so many layers, all of the characters feel three-dimensional, and the vibe is distinct and consistent.

the entire section following “pain, steve knows on an intimate level,” him cataloguing all of the hurt throughout his life, is a masterpiece. this story belongs in a museum. long sections of introspection like that are always hardest for me to write, and this is like poetry. i was searching for a handful of favorite lines to pick out to quote back at you but i can’t even pick.

all the symbolism in the movie that he’s watching (is this a real movie that you’re quoting from? if so that makes it so much better) tying into his memories of his mom dying, of becca and peggy and bucky and the line “steve was only ever as strong as the people propping him up.” 😭😭😭 i have no words for how deeply i can feel his pain and loss. he’s sitting there thinking about how he was never really alone when he was lonely back then, but now he is really alone, and there’s nothing to soothe the ache in his soul.

Rumlow communicating through riddles and insults and violence is everything to me. this actually may be my favorite iteration of him that i’ve ever read; he almost mirrors natasha in the way that he says everything but what he really means, pushing limits and pushing into people’s lives like a creeping vine. pushing himself right into steve’s space, nearly pushing steve over the edge.

i’m picking up on some desperate, hopeless undertones of the little scene with steve riding his motorcycle, risking his life senselessly just to feel something, trying to convince himself he’s grateful for this second chance at life. there’s so much powerful character development in such a short scene, this is masterful.

the way that the fight between steve and rumlow is practically a proxy for intimacy is everything i love about their dynamic in one scene. the way that rumlow talks shit snd fights dirty and likes hurting steve just a little more than is strictly necessary. i know despite everything, rumlow’s gonna be thinking about this night for a long time. steve’s just a sadist’s dream, mind and body designed specifically to take brutality, and he has enough guilt and self-hatred built up to put himself in situations like this for the sake of blowing off steam. they’re a match made in hell, really.

this story deserves to be up there with the big names in stucky fic and i would die on that hill. i’m sorry this is so long, if there’s one thing about me it’s that i love writing insanely long comments 🤩 but um yea i’m so glad you decided to share this with the world bc !!! it got even better on my second read-through to write this comment this morning.

Omg hi! First of all, thank you so much for the generous kind words and for the detailed message. I am always so delighted when people engage with the stuff that I post in any way whatsover, but especially when they're willing to share their impressions, so you never need to apologize for it getting long. I love talking about this stuff. (if anything, I'm just sorry I couldn't get around to responding sooner!) I'm really glad the theme of everyone's different attempts to "place" Steve came through. That might be one of my favourite conflicts when it comes to his character, actually - especially because it's very workable both in-universe (we get to see people project their personal definition of what Cap is supposed to be onto Steve in the comics over and over, as well as in the movies but to a lesser extent) and as meta, considering the wildly different interpretations different canon writers as well as parts of the fandom have voiced for years now (hell, decades) - many of which, in my personal opinion, just completely ignore his background and defining traits/experiences in favor of, again, what their personal idea of what Cap (read: the USA) should value, prioritize, and represent. I just think the idea of a regular man - one with very specific life circumstances that produced a pretty rigid, strong-willed set of morals for that matter - thrown headfirst into being a myth and a propaganda tool, and by virtue of that being manhandled by the government and the public and pretty much everyone he meets almost constantly, to be very interesting. Also honestly I'll take just about any opportunity I can get to shit on intelligence agencies and all the psychological warfare (as you very aptly put it) they entail. And I love Steve's relationship with Sarah as well as that idea of everyone constantly underestimating him so this felt like a good, if painfully fucked up way to introduce that.

I could talk about my love for CATWS' nods to Steve's grief and extremely internalized way of dealing with things but I'm not going to because then we'd be here all day, so I'll just say this: I think about his whole subdued demeanor at the start of that movie coupled with those Avengers deleted scenes of him just kind of aimlessly wandering around New York looking like the epitomy of Sad Man with No Plan at least once a goddamn week. That exchange with Sam at the VA also just wrecks me every time, simply because it's so quiet and unassuming but says a lot. I'd say I'm glad my writing could get you to relate to that sense of dissociation so strongly, but having experienced it myself one too many times I'll just say it fucking sucks and I'm sorry it's so familar. Again, interesting to write about, though, especially when you're writing about a guy who's not only clearly been used to keeping this shit under lock and key his whole life, but who has only had maybe like three and a half people that he could on rare occasions allow himself to confide in, all of whom have gone and died on him or are getting there. Not to mention the survivor's guilt involved - I kept thinking that I can't imagine how badly just about anyone would react to these kinds of feelings if they were feeling guilty about being alive in the first place on top of everything else, and then guilty about feeling that way instead of grateful, like some kind of hellish positive feedback loop. Happy the "wrong place, wrong time" comment went over well! It felt a little heavy handed while I was writing it, but that may just be because I spent a good few days just overthinking that segment. That said I do have a whole background for Lina I have to figure out what to do with now, lol. I've gotten too attached. The movie he's watching is in fact real! It's called Mikey and Nicky and I can't recommend it enough to anyone who might be interested in a slightly experimental, character study-esque '70s crime flick that's really more a thoughtful story about love and death and devotion and lifelong friendship ultimately not surviving the test of time, differing life choices and disillusionment. Themes of childhood and loss and remembrance just kill me in general, especially in the scene I included, and especially because my brain kept going "haha but what if we made this about stucky" on repeat until I had to sit down at write this. Tbh that segment might be my favourite, the fact I had to take several breaks while writing bc I got too sad notwithstanding. And finally: ah, Rumlow. That motherfucker. Hate that guy's guts, love writing him. I cannot tell you how much I'm glad that Natasha parallel came through for you, because I think I did initially conceive of them as mirrors. My thinking was that Steve probably wouldn't fully trust either of them, especially in that lockdown survival mode and just having come into the whole paranoid toxic environment that is SHIELD which he already doesn't really trust, either. That said, I think on that surface level he might latch onto Rumlow more simply because he kind of highkey screams DOWN TO EARTH SOLDIER more than spy which might be more familar, and because Steve's well aware Natasha owes her allegiance to Fury in a pretty established way and is showing a personal interest in his life, which could come across as suspect. And it definitely is to an extent, but I think in the way that for Natasha at this point the slowly budding care she is developing for Steve as one of her own is still very much inseperable from her need to possess information and have control over the situation, which clashes with Steve's equally distrustful nature and desire to keep something for himself. Of course, we know that she's well-meaning and just acting on habit, while Rumlow is...well, Rumlow.

I tried to write Steve as being attracted primarily to that familiarity/comfort of having someone very competent and dogged and seemingly loyal on his side as well as Rumlow as a whole - his experience, his skill, this more level, borderline challenging approach he takes with Steve, even that rougher side to him; despite also being somewhat aware of and at moments even put off by the dubious nature of it all (not necessarily the fascist dogwhistles, but just those moments where that "just one of the guys" front crosses a line into something murkier) but eventually always ending up shutting that feeling down as dismissible because he doesn't have the energy to process it, and prob because there's a certain degree of shame coloring the whole thing. He doesn't want to think about why he's attracted to Rumlow including the violent side of him, about why he's drawing unwilling parallels to Bucky, about what he's subconsciously looking to get from Rumlow while in this self-destructive spiral, and so he inevitably just goes along with it. For Rumlow's part, I think he's definitely got that "moth to a flame" attraction to Steve, and might even respect (big, gigantic fucked up quotation marks around that) him in his own way, or at least he respects what Steve could do if he just wasn't so...well, Steve. I imagine the whole projection of Cap the Symbol (remember when I mentioned that like 2000 words ago?) as well as many of the things we all love about Steve the Man probably rub Rumlow the wrong way, if for no other reason because they're an unwittingly glaring call to his conscience, which I figure would just unnerve and piss him off more and make him turn even more punishing on instinct just to justify himself to himself. In any case, he definitely gets a kick out of being near Steve in the same way people get a kick out of proximity to powerful people in general. I don't think it's a HYDRA honeypot thing or some straight-up evil plan behind it or even a fully conscious thing for him necessarily, just that he's aware Steve's very, very strong and very, very closed off and very, very good while also being pretty fucking vulnerable, and gets a kick out of being able to exploit that and push his buttons and ultimately more or less subdue him in a way that has as much, if not more, to do with power as it does with sex and attraction. So violence as a proxy for intimacy is a perfect way of putting what I was going for, thank you for that!

What I ultimately find the most interesting about writing this version of Rumlow in relation to this version of Steve is that Rumlow is very much a hateable character to me precisely because on the surface he could be just any other alright guy, if he weren't, well.... Rumlow, if he didn't repeatedly decide to give in to the same sadistic instinct because it's easier than the rest of it, if he didn't make the same morally wrong choice over and over despite initially seeming reedemable, despite getting every opportunity to choose differently; same as Steve repeatedly chooses to be good despite his own flaws, despite the opportunity to just give up, despite his own inner turmoil.

So, y'know: very much fuck that guy. They should've dropped more than one building on him. Hell of an interesting dynamic to write, though. Match made in hell indeed.

*claps hands together* ANYWAY! JESUS CHRIST THIS GOT LONG, I'm so sorry to you and anyone seeing this. This wasn't meant to turn into my own personal verbose meta playground, and yet it did. Thank you so much again for the lovely comment and for taking the time out to come talk to me about your impressions, it's been a pleasure!<3

#asks #mandyyvibes

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olives-and-lilies · 2 months ago

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Fic Writer 20 Questions

@blirzy Thanks for including me! Sorry it took a minute, I was out of town.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

22, but a lot of them are art for other writers (big bangs mostly). I think only 8 of them are fics… so I am still pretty new.

2. What’s your AO3 word count?

15,763! Not bad!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Almost strictly Star Wars, though in years prior (many, many years) I used to write Hetalia and Naruto before falling out of the world of fanfic writing. Y’all can thank a rigorous scholastic career for that one.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

In general, it’s all art for other writers that get kudos, of my own written work its:

1. The Rations of Memory (13 Kudos)

2. I Thought I Was Alone (11 Kudos)

3. Manhunt (4 Kudos)

The rest of my very few works have 2 or 1 Kudo, this is okay, I am still getting back into writing again.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! I try to always respond, even if it’s just a line or two! You took the time to leave me feedback, even if it’s just an emoji, and I appreciate it so much!

6. What’s the fic your wrote with the angstiest ending?

I find I have been writing a lot of angst endings, if not just heartwrenching pieces in general. I think it would have to be Gala Gone Wrong, cause while it doesn’t hurt the whole time or strike hard like Manhunt or How Did You Reach Me?, GGW shows you what could have been, and then takes it away.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I guess that depends on how you define happy ending? Probably I Thought I Was Alone, it’s such a hurt/comfort.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

God no, thankfully. I hear about it but have never had to suffer that particular fate.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I used to, in like, middle school. I wasn’t very good and I definitely cringe when I come across those old files. I might pick it up again one day.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I do not, I have a big enough sandbox in star wars as it is, I feel like trying to mix things would just confuse me. Or I’d fixate on something, trying to get the mechanics all mashed together right.

11. Have you had a fic stolen?

Most likely not, I am very tiny.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again, am smol.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No but that sounds dope? Like a brainstorm session but we each have scenes/sections/characters that we do?

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Brutal mate. Like, just in the sandboxes I play in now? Top Five maybe? I have different faves for different wants. If I want fluff its gonna be a different go to than angst or kink.

After talking to some folks who have suffered my existence for many years, the answer is Zuko/Katara, and apparently any Red/Blue coded ships, or Yellow/Purple if I’m “in a mood”

(it’s my partner, my long suffering partner who is “folks”)

15. What’s a WIP you’d like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

The Scopes Hanahaki fic, How Did You Reach Me?. I had big dreams for that one, showing him and the distance he puts between himself and everyone else, how he doesnt realize Sprays is the only one who has slipped under his guard. I wanted to have them team up with the 212th, to watch Cody handing a trooper a lozenge to help with the worst of the hanahaki (an idea that was in the Heavy Off A Golden Hue series by catboydogma, which I got to work on). To ask, to realize. I never decided if it would kill him, or if Sprays would find out.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I’m going to go with Framing. I set the frame and I set the tone of the fic really well. You can come in and pretty readily know what kinda mess you’re signing up for. While I love getting to play with interpersonal relationships, the push and pull of characters and situations and growth, it is the tone I use and the frame I set up that let’s people come in and see what I am about, ya know?

(shoutout to my partner for what was essentially both a call-out and a hype up with this)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

First, it’s almost all OCs, and that’s really not how you get traction, ya know?

Second, so much of my self slips in. I have to stop and think and really remember if what the characters reaction is would be mine or theirs. If I think that the course is just, if it’s what I would want to say I would do, or was capable of, that’s not always what the character would do and I need to remember that.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I love this, it’s such a welcome challenge. I often have to find others with more knowledge than me and its a great time. I’ve gone to folks for Mando’a the most, but I’ve got unpublished pieces with Spanish, Gaelic, and even Arabic mixed into the stories because it was appropriate to the characters.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Naruto, it’s not published ANYWHERE, but I’ve a whole handwritten book of them. I was a big Kiba/Hinata shipper, among many other ships, and did a lot of OC work even back then. Hetalia too, on a long dead deviantart account that should, hopefully be well buried or properly terminated due to inactivity after all these years. I thought I was hot shit, I assure you I was not.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Building a HUD that Works, because it has so much subtle imagery and connection. It’s a push and pull of characters. I wrote it as a character study and a bingo fill, of all things, but I really do love it. The first delicate interlude from boss/employee to equals and partners. The first acts of compassion, of watching out for each other. The first learnings of each other. Ugh, I just love it. I love that it came out the way it did.

No Pressure Tags: @prowlingthunder @catboydogma

#fic writers 20 questions #fic writing #20 questions #ao3 writer #ao3 fanfic #ao3 author #olives and lilies #thank you for tagging me!

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beautifulduckweed · 1 year ago

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Dear Yuletide Author 2023

Shh! Listen—can you hear it? That weird humming sound? That's me, vibrating with joy and anticipation for everything that Yuletide brings, especially what you, dear Yuletide author, have in store for me.

I’m beautifulduckweed on AO3. Below is a list of likes, a short list of DNWs, as well as my requests for Yuletide. I've included prompts, but please know that they are ABSOLUTELY just suggestions and points of inspiration; feel free to deviate from them, or ditch them entirely and write me something else. God knows I can’t write my own dang stories without taking several wild left turns along the way.

Thanks so much for my gift, and I hope you have a blast writing.

💖🥰 Some things I like 🥰💖

Crackfic and mashups. No premise to stupid, no crossover too incongruous. Listen, recently someone in another exchange requested John Wick x Marie Kondo and I have legit lost sleep thinking about that.

Sexytimes. Please note that I absolutely do not require sex! Some of my favorite exchange gifts have featured absolutely zero sex on page. But if the smutty muse strikes—well, far be it for me to stop you. My tolerance is…high. No, higher. No, no, higher than that. Look, I’ve been a denizen of the Internet long enough that I subscribed to porn newsgroups, OK? My constitution is CAST IRON. I especially enjoy service topping, orgasm control (delayed? denied? forced? ruined? YES), femdoms, people coming untouched, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, improbable feats of horny stamina, people losing control while fucking, gangbangs, and threesomes/moresomes/orgies. I also really love first times, and people finally dropping their defenses and allowing themselves to be vulnerable during sex, and the STOP MAKING LOVE TO ME WHEN WE'RE FUCKING trope. I do have a small list of smut no’s in the Do Not Wants section.

Tropes. Some of my fave tropes are idiots to lovers (idiot4idiot4eva), friends to lovers, forced proximity, cramming attractive people into corsets, drag queen AUs, SFF AUs of every stripe (daemon? Pacific Rim? Superhero/supervillain? Vampires? Inception? Yes yes yessss). I absolutely adore the golden retriever/hissy feral cat dynamic. I also like two soft-hearted dinguses doing their best and trying to treat each other right. And ain't nothin' wrong with enemies who are obsessed with each other who OOPS realize their preoccupation may be more than mere antipathy.

I’d also like to note that much as I love a fic that’s like, a trope confetti cannon, I also really love having tropes (and expectations) subverted. Like, take your standard daemon AU. What would happen if the main character and their daemon…didn’t like each other? What if they were, in fact, mortal enemies? It would be so fucked! I would love to read about it!!!

Horror and gore. I love scary stories and horror; I have a really high tolerance for gore. If you want to lean into action sequences, gore, and body horror, I am (with a few exceptions, which I’m gonna list in the DNWs) gonna be totally cool with it. I basically jumped straight from Enid Blyton to Stephen King. My childhood media consumption was very normal why do you ask 😊

And other stuff. If you want to fuck around with the format of the fic, play around with structure, format, voice, POV, all of it, please do. Here for any weird shit you care to toss my way.

I also really love having my sense of what’s real and what’s not messed with. Like, is it ever possible to have a fully reliable narrator? What is the nature of truth and reality anyway? What role does the overall narratorial voice or framing device of the story play in our perception of the story? I regret to inform you that I'm writing this 100% sober; this is just how my brain is all the time.

😭🚫Do Not Wants 🚫😭

Pet death. I am totally fine with, like, random rabbit needs to be killed for dinner while out in the woods, or oh no, we have to defend ourselves from a charging hippo or hostile lizard from outer space.

Animal cruelty. Brief mentions of stuff happening in the past or whatever are fine; seeing an animal tortured on-page is a big no.

Major character death. Random minions, as always, can be sacrificed to the storytelling gods. NOTE: Major character undeath fine.

Kink and smut no’s: I’m not into blood, scat, vomit or piss. Please no noncon/dubcon where a woman is the victim. NOTE: sex pollen scenarios whereby everybody loses their mind simultaneously is totally fine, as is Fuck or Die.

Unhappy/hopeless endings. Bittersweet is fine; endings where it’s clear a cost has been paid and everybody’s changed etc. etc. also fine, but like, please don’t leave the characters absolutely miserable or unrelentingly tormented by their demons (unless the demons are sexy and the torment is also sexy).

Breakups without makeups: If I requested a canon pairing, or if you decide to write a shippy pairing, please leave their relationship intact at the end of the story. It can take a battering! Just don't break them—or my poor little heart—apart. NOTE: If you're writing a missing scene that takes place while or leads up to a period when the characters are canonically on a break, leaving them broken up or the fight unresolved is fine, because I know canon takes care of things.

🍪🧁Treats 🧁🍪

Are very yes. Love me some treats!!!

📝🎅The Requests 🎅📝

Fandom: The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting - K.J. Charles

Characters: Alice Fenwick, Marianne Loxleigh

Thoughts/Prompts: I am a simple bean, and all I want is Alice and Marianne having adventures. Maybe some lesbian porn. Or platonic lesbian BFF vibes. You can have 'em fall in love, or become platonic life partners, or fuck a lot and never fall in love, or start an elaborate grift or heist together. Like, wouldn’t it be hot if Marnie decided Alice needed some tutoring in the ways of fuckboys, lured one in, and used him to tutor Alice in the ways of satisfying herself while not getting pregnant? I’m seriously down for whatever.

Also, as with all of my fandom requests, please feel free to drag in as many other characters in as necessary. The more, the merrier; I just want Alice and Marnie’s relationship front and center.

Crack Prompts: Hey what about a vampire AU? Marnie as a vampire would be hot—hundreds of years of grifting, and GOD what the hell is up with this entirely-too-nice nerd oh WHOOPS turns out she’s her generation’s foremost vampire hunter. Alice as the vampire would also be amazing—Marnie tries to con Alice and discovers she’s bitten off more than she can chew (ba-dum-tish).

Vampire AU not your cuppa? How about crossovers with literally any other KJC universe? Stick ‘em in Magpies, or have them tangle with the Lilywhite Boys, solve a murder mystery with Pat and Fen, cosh some villains on the head with the Will Darling crew, accidentally fall into an orgy with the Murder, be pulled through time by one of the Green Men. I have read all the KJC books and extras. Go nuts.

Fandom: England Series - K.J. Charles

Characters: Bill Merton, Jimmy Yoxall

Thoughts/Prompts: Look, I love idiots, and these two are SUCH MAGNIFICENT IDIOTS. Jimmy is a giant doofus, and Bill thinks he's smarter, but all evidence points to him being at least as big an idiot when it comes to matters of the heart. I get all feral and heart-eyes over these two nincompoops. I will accept any and everything for these two: fics of the two of them getting to know each other during their university days, falling in love in London, THAT HORRIBLE FIGHT AFTER BEN HUR. Whatever. I ain't picky. I also said one time that they'd be great in Lower Decks and ever since then I may have brainwormed myself a little. They'd be so good in the USS Cerritos! Also down 2 clown with like, incongruous mashups---like John Wick? God, what if Jimmy Yoxall was just really weirdly good at murder, and Bill has to keep his stupid ass alive?

Opt-in for this specific fandom: waiving the breakup without makeup DNW for anything that takes place pre-Proper English events.

Fandom: Fire Island (Movie 2022)

Characters: Noah, Will

Thoughts/Prompts: Goddd, over a year later and it's still my favorite Pride and Prejudice adaptation to date. The found family vibes! Noah explicitly being non-monogamous! The dynamics between ALL the characters, but especially Noah and Howie!!! I am down for whatever for this fandom. Wanna write a big ole sweaty orgy? Have the entire crew go on a giant chaotic family vacation together? (Maybe even…the following year’s trip to Fire Island???). Somebody somehow manages to dare Will into entering a drag contest, and it’s gonna take everyone’s help to make this happen. Noah suddenly finds himself a TikTok sensation and gets into a weird Twitter beef with Taylor Swift.

Crack Prompts: These fools would be incredible in What We Do in the Shadows and Our Flag Means Death.

ALSO, oh my god: since this is a Pride and Prejudice retelling, how about sticking ‘em in a Regency romance novel? I’m inordinately fond of Loretta Chase, and the thought of these four idiots running amuck in the ton is giving me so much glee. Like, think of the Lord of Scoundrels retelling: Will is determined to rescue his idiot friend Charlie from the toils of Noah, a notorious rake, only to find himself reluctantly falling for Noah’s charms. And in the meanwhile, Charlie is falling in love with Howie….

#yuletide #yuletide letter #kj charles #fire island #you can fit so many crack prompts in this baby

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takalzuoom · 3 years ago

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𝐉𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐚 / 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐬/𝐨

Curse you Cala Maria anon for making me write separate scenarios for Jade’s orca partner and Floyd’s Great White Shark partner🤬

(i’m joking ily)

cw: cursing, mentions of bullying, jade being weird 😭

𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐝

Back to where I was with Floyd's scenario,

YOU PLAY VOLLEYBALL

And since you're so tall- you're damn good at it.

You're the person they make a separate play for

“ number 11 subbing in for number 9”

Then suddenly everyone’s sick, or they twisted their ankle. They don’t wanna verse you - not just because you're good. But because of- well you

Now that I’m thinking about it, you remind me of Ushijima. Hardass spike no one can ever block. The little comments you make?

He also ‘teases’ people who make off-handed comments about you.

When you're done, he’ll slink up to you, and congratulate you with his usual smile.

You get wayy more out there when. You’re at Floyd’s basketball games.

On one hand, you have your own little section. expect for the onslaught of children enact to you (ill get into that later)

You become SO vocal, telling Floyd ‘ take down their krill look’s ass’

And no one can do anything about it, cause once they catch sight of your teeth. They think it's better to stay quiet 🙊

I like to think that Floyd would score 50 out of 100 points when you're there, softly cause he wants to impress you

I was gonna say ‘to show other guys not to mess with him or you, but I feel like he’d also be really into it when in the moment. So idk

But if you're versing a school from under the sea and he sees a great white student eyeing you. Oh my god.

Leave. Just leave. It’s gonna be a bloodbath.

He’ll make sure to personally wipe the floor clean with them

and when you come hobbling down to congratulate him, he'll smirk smugly at the other student

I see you dragging him to class, only to silently goof off with him in the back corner.

Like he could be laughing his ass off as you sit there with a slight smirk

AND FLOYD WOULD TELL JADE AND AZUL WHAT YOU SAY-

would they believe him? Absolutely not.

funny story though. Azul had called you to get Floyd to try and work. Only for him to hear Floyd cackling hysterically. Not even his usual unnerving laugh. But more like his lung is about to pop out.

Already annoyed, he's about to enter until he overhears something you said...

No one believes him when he tells them the zinger you came up with on the fly.

He's been seen giggling to himself while working for weeks

Like yall would have the most complex notes. And the most terrifying ones. Half the time you're trying to convince him not to jump up, squeeze riddle, and dip

In all three of these scenarios, y/n is the bouncer for the lounge. This time, you're much more horrifying. Blank look as you stand perfectly still.

Mwah sexy

But honestly- you're bored. Dreadfully so.

Every once in a while you’ll have to start pacing or start patrolling the lounge. Sometimes sneaking in to see Floyd 😳

You have something to fidget with. Whether it be a hair tie, drawstring, stress ball, or some random, unlucky object that has taken hold of your attention.

And you're both guilty of leaving your post during shifts to just ‘slack’ off with each other. Surprisingly you more than Floyd.

5 times out of 10 you come back. Other 5… the great seven only knows what

You’re perfect to squeeze. Since you're so big it takes more to hurt you, and you're touch starved 😿

More often than not, you’d both be lazing around somewhere. Usually the lounge or courtyard (catching rays, n chill's like villains 😎)

And believe it or not, you have to move around more than him. Asking him if he wants to do something. He’ll just tell you that he's not in the mood and just wants to lay back and think chill.

So off on an adventure, you go!

alone 😿

without your boyfie

so cruel

mad i was saying before, children are strangely attached to you??

don’t know how don’t know why- but even in your mer form you would have children hiding behind rocks gawking at you as you swam by

of course Floyd being Floyd would sneak up and scare the shit out of them

but i see him liking playing with kids. you just chilling as some of them ask you questions and hesitantly approach

while Floyd’s playing ‘squeeze tag’ with them. (don’t try at home)

you love kids. treating some of them as your younger siblings, catching up with them over break, coming to special events for them.

just over all being a kid person.

and if a bully’s giving one of them a problem-

you smile at them 😸

Floyd’s a fuxking snitch btw

“hey hey, sharkie… apparently someone’s been bothering parrot fishie again”

“o h? is that so..”

𝐉𝐚𝐝𝐞

He loves your family.

And your family loves him.

maybe a little more than they love you😟

Stg if yall weren’t dating he'd` be the brother you never had. Same with Floyd cause they love how easy going and (and I quote) 'spunky' he is

I see him and your moms getting along famously

(Screw you I’m making y/n have gay moms cause Orcaa are matriarchal and are usually in pods with mostly women)

they’ll side with him when y’all are having arguments 😐

yeah, they’re annoying like that

You have a younger sister and brother who just adore him

I see you being a part of the mountain lovers club. Not ‘cause you like mushrooms- oh god no.

But because your siblings aren’t old enough to go on land, you bring things back so you can teach them about what life is like up there.

Jade tries to get them to like his mushroom dishes 💀

Jade (unfortunately) converted your brother to mushroomism 😿💔

You and jade sometimes do presentation nights, where you’ll be on the beach while they’re in the water, and you do show and tell

NO CAUSE IT’S LIKE ONE OF THOSE SHOWS WHERE THERE'S THE PRICE AND OBJECT ON THE SIDE AND THERE'S A BUNCH OF WHITE WOMEN REVIEWING IT 😭😭

YOU KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT- EASTER SUNDAY YOUR MOM WOULD RANDOMLY PUT IT ON (please tell me it wasn't just my mom 😟)

Okay but no- sometimes it gets super… weird???

Like he’ll talk to your mom (1) about her latest catch- and he wants the FULL details of it like- 🤨🤨 what 😐

AND if your brother asks about mushrooms (propaganda) Jade will bend down with that signature look of his. Smile.

Then start talking about murderous mushrooms.

“Indeed. Some mushrooms are known for infecting the lungs of the poor soul who gets too close. Its spores secreting a kind of position that is to tranquilizer it’s neutral predators and… briefly disable them”

"..."

"...mOM-"

Great. Now your brother is crying, over the fact that he ate mushrooms not even five minutes ago as Jade is there just- smiling

Thanks a fucKING LOT JADE

"What? I'm merrily educating the youths about mushrooms, no harm done." :)

Your sister pulled you aside asking if you were safe OISBOVFUWE

I feel like orca reader would have adhd? Or maybe add (add is a form of adhd i know cause I have it lol)

This is mainly because I watched a video about orcas and one of the younger ones kept running off, getting in trouble? Life-threatening scenarios and called her family for help-

SO I WAS LIKE- gee, what if reader was like that too? Being even more of a hassle than Floyd.

And I feel like the reader would purposely get themselves get into trouble with (say) other students, and then play ‘defenseless’ cause their big short, strong boyfriend jade will come to the rescue 😻🫶

And of course, Jade knows about this, he's seen how you handle rowdy customers.

(And he's done it once or twice to take a peek and feel your sexy, hot, bulging muscles-)

Oh my god. You have muscles. Sorry- don’t make the rules, I just follow them 😎

Lemme tell you- he's in love. Like. Literally.

You: cleaning the table

Jade trying to take orders: Lord have mercy. We must stay focused brothers. We must, stay focused.

I’m sorry but- he's manipulative 💀

Not the safe choice.

If you don't know where to go to eat, he’ll give a suggestion, THEN make you think that it was your idea

it’s a win-win🤷🏻

“Hmm, I dunno jade. I’m not feeling Italian tonight…”

“Earlier you said you wanted something cold, no?”

“Hmmm… I guess? I mean, my mouth feels a little parched so-“

“Hhmmmm”

As you were thinking, Jade started fanning himself with his gloved hand, sighing as he stared at something off into the distance.

“Ahh, then what about-“

“Oh! That place with the really good ice cream! Yum yum!”

Jade, who wanted ice cream from the beginning: 😼

I feel like there will be sometimes when you miss your family. Cause orca's are extremely sociable creatures. So just imagining orca readers getting depressed about missing their mom’s anniversary. Their brother and sister’s birthday. The time when their whole family went to see a movie they saw with Jade-

And with trial and error, he’d find out exactly what you need; a hug.

Like okay- setting the scene.

You’re locked up in your room, bundled up in your covers as you hold your phone, the picture of your family smiling at that one theme park you’d frequent.

And suddenly there's a knock at the door (he has spidey senses for these kinda things tf)

“Y/n, may I come in”

You didn't answer.

A few silent seconds passed until the lock on the door clicked open as the blinding light from the hallway illuminated your room.

Soft footsteps became louder as you kept your eyes trained on your dimmed phone.

“You missed your shift at the lounge- Azul isn't too happy about that”

“Azul can suck a tentacle- better yet I think he’s missing one. So he should get that out of his ass an-“

You stopped once you felt a firm hand on your shoulder.

“You should have told him beforehand that you weren’t going to make it. We were down a man and had to get one of your first-year friends to fill in”

You scuffed.

Rolling onto your stomach so you lost Jade’s grip as you, you smothered your face in your pillow as jade adjusted himself on the bed.

“You know, I'm here to help… I'm not sure what you’re feeling as Floyd and I have always been together our entire lives… but if you need anything…”

He trailed off before sighing. Slowly got up before a swish of the blankets was heard, and he was roughly pushed down onto the bed.

A startled gasp left his face as you brought him into a crushing hug.

He swore he heard a bone crack.

Carefully, with your feet, you lifted the covers over the both of you and sniffled, nuzzling his face as you brought him closer. An amused ‘oh’ was all he said as he tapped your shoulder.

Letting go slightly, he slipped off his shoes, socks, and blazer as you readjusted your hold on him.

Throwing your leg over his body, you finally encased yourself over him as you got comfy again, a few stray tears leaving you as Jade felt your body start to lax.

He sighed, shrugging internally as he’ll have to deal with a pissy Azul whenever you decided to let him go.

sighs dreamily

But all in all, I think you and jade balance each other out 🖤

he sneaks mushrooms into your food. It's his love language 😐

"I have a present for you"

"Please don't tell me it's mushrooms"

"it's mushrooms"

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xxxsweetdreamzxxx · 3 years ago

Text

warnings/tags: dom!Jaehyun sub!reader, fanfic, smut; cursing, hook up, fingering, cunninilingus, unprotected sex, cream pie

summary: a chance meeting while shopping for bathing suits turns your summer vacation a little hotter

word count: 4.4k (help)

===============================

this was interesting to write as the beginning and ending are based off of separate dreams this time, so hopefully I was able to link them in a way that made sense. please enjoy!!

===============================

"How does this look?" You asked your friend Jamie, holding a skimpy neon bikini set to your body.

It was the first full day of your annual summer beach trip with your bestie, and you'd arrived in the seaside town you always traveled to late last night. After eating a mediocre breakfast provided by your hotel, the two of you had headed to a nearby mall to buy new swimsuits. She'd had luck finding one relatively quickly. But the reason you were still there, on the second story of a large department store several hours later, was because you had yet to.

She made a face. "No offence, but it's not really your style..."

Sighing, you put it back on the rack. "I know."

Rounding the stand that contained the bikini you'd just put back, you briefly glanced over at the neighboring section, which had swim trunks. Movement had caught your eye, caused by three guys walking through. You barely even paid attention to them at first glance, but the one in the back caught your eye, and you did a double take.

At this second glance, you saw they were all young, probably close to your age, and very attractive. 'Are they models?' You wondered. But again, it was the one behind the first two that really made you look on in awe. He had muted fluffy purple hair that covered his forehead, and dark eyes that shone like diamonds even from this distance. His soft features and perfect skin made you wonder if he was an angel. His thin white shirt hugged what was probably toned muscle underneath. When the taller of his two friends said something funny, he smiled and oh my God, he had the cutest dimples.

At that moment, he shifted his eyes up and saw you standing there, staring. Like a deer caught in headlights you froze, embarrassed as fuck you'd been caught. But his smile only widened, and he gave you a slight nod in greeting.

Ripping your gaze away, you acted like nothing had happened and tried to return to shopping.

"Oh wow y/n, you saw those guys right?" Jamie exclaimed, following you. "Now that's what I'd call eye can-"

You interrupted her, face flushed, by holding up a pale blue gingham bikini. "What about this?"

Before she could answer, her eyes focused on something behind you, mouth falling open slightly. A deep voice then responded to your question. "I think it looks cute."

You whipped around, only to come face to face with the man you couldn't keep from staring at. Your eyes widened and you gulped, startled. Up close, he was simply breathtaking. Literally; you felt your breathing become strained as your heart pounded in your chest.

"Th- Thank you, um..?" You stuttered before taking a deep breath.

"Jaehyun." He answered.

"Ah, Jaehyun." Damn, even his name was cute. You gave him a shaky smile. "So I should get it?"

"Definitely." He encouraged. He then looked to Jamie, who'd been speechlessly watching the exchange. "What do you think?"

Turning around, you waited to see her response. After looking between the two of you for a couple of seconds, she grinned and gave a thumbs up. You weren't sure if she was approving of the bathing suit or...

"Hey, what are you guys doing the rest of today?" Jaehyun asked.

"Oh, not much." You replied quickly, not planning to elaborate.

"We'll just be at the beach!" Jamie said louder and at the same time, speaking over you. "Wanna come with?"

You gave her a look, trying to shut her up. She looked back at you as if to say 'what?'

He smiled. "Sure. Let me ask the boys if it's okay with them."

He beckoned the two of them over, who didn't hesitate to comply. Jamie introduced you and her to the group, as you were still majorly distracted by the million thoughts running through your head. The tallest of the three then introduced himself as Johnny, a friendly guy with a round face and sculpted arms that were on full display thanks to the tank he wore. The other was Mark, who shyly said hi to you and Jamie. He had a boyish and youthful aura about him that made you immediately assume he was the youngest. They both readily agreed to head to the beach.

Still not fully registering what had just happened, you walked to the check out in a near trance and bought your swimsuits. Then you exited the mall, and made your way to the parking lot. Jaehyun went to get his car while the rest of you waited at Jamie's. When he pulled up, the guys got in. After quickly entering her car with her, Jamie pulled out of the parking lot and followed them as they lead the way to the beach.

"Y/n, you okay?" She asked, taking her eyes off the road for a split second to glance at your face. Your prolonged silence had prompted her to speak.

You removed yourself from your racing thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just surprised."

She grinned. "Well, today's not gonna be boring, that's for sure. It'll be a lot more eventful than if we'd hung out at the beach by ourselves."

You nodded in agreement. You knew there wasn't much harm in doing this - there would be plenty of people on the beach around you - they couldn't try anything. And besides, you didn't even get those vibes from them. That wasn't what made you uneasy. It was the thought of spending a day at the beach with such attractive guys that made the tips of your ears turn pink and your heart rate increase. You just prayed you wouldn't say or do something utterly embarrassing.

Jamie drove into the public beach parking behind their car, parking a few spaces away from them. Exiting the car, you and her first made your way to the bathrooms to change. This beach was well maintained, a stone walkway lead to them and then continued on and up to a wide bridge that arched over the barrier dunes and then down onto the sand. Palm trees provided shade, which was made good use of as it seemed wherever a tree cast a shadow there was a cool bench to sit.

Locking yourself into a stall in the women's bathroom, you undressed and then pulled on your brand new swimsuit. Thankfully, despite not being able to try it on in the store, it fit extremely well. The gingham pattern, pale blue color, and small ruffles on the waistband and straps made you conclude this was the cutest bikini you'd ever seen. Exiting the stall, you briefly peered into the mirror above the sinks to pull your hair into two low pigtails.

Turning back around, you found Jamie standing there in her new suit, smiling at you.

"Ready y/n?" She asked.

You took a breath before replying. "Yep."

Arm in arm, you walked out to meet the boys, who'd already changed and were standing there waiting, beach bags in hand. Johnny got excited as he spotted you both and practically ran towards beach, Mark trying to keep up with him. Jaehyun looked unbothered as he stayed behind to walk at a normal pace with you. By the time you'd crossed over the sand dunes and strolled onto the beach, Mark and Johnny had already found a good place a little ways away to set up. They'd brought two large towels, big enough for multiple people to sit on, and had spread them out over the sand.

Jaehyun sat down on one, then patted the ground next to him, motioning for you to sit next to him. After a few seconds of contemplation you complied, folding your legs to the side as you still kept a couple feet of distance from him. Jamie sat down with Johnny and Mark on the other towel.

For the next hour or so, the five of you talked about various topics in an effort to learn more about each other. Gradually, you loosened up as you got used to their company. Johnny and Mark were college friends of Jaehyun's, who'd came into town a few days before you to visit him where he now lived on the coast. Funnily enough, the two boys were staying in the same hotel as you and Jamie while they did so - it was the closest to Jaehyun's apartment.

Noon came and went, and the air continued to heat up around you until it was unbearable. You looked out at the ocean water longingly, but didn't want to leave by yourself, and the others seemed to be having such a great time...

Glancing over at you, Jaehyun made a suggestion. "Who's up for the water?"

Despite your assumptions, the agreement was unanimous. As one, you all rose and ran towards the rolling sea, chasing each other. Diving into the waves, you ran out until the water was up to your waist. Johnny swam out farther than any of you, while Jamie and Mark stayed in slightly shallower water.

You heard the sound of someone sloshing around in the water directly behind you. Spinning around, you were met with his chest - his white shirt was now wet and you could see some of the muscles through it - as your eyes widened and you looked up into Jae's eyes. He smiled down at your face, less than a foot away, dimples on full display.

"Hi." He said in a way that made your heart melt. Then: "Feel better?"

"Y- yeah, it was really hot before." Your words betrayed your body - being in the water wasn't cooling you off at all anymore.

You stood there for a few awkward moments in silence, not knowing what to say.

"Um-" You began.

"Woah y/n look out!" He cut you off, sudden panic on his face as he closed the small distance between the two of you.

Suddenly, a large wave crashed into your back. It pushed you straight into the only thing that would keep you standing - his body. Instinctively, you gripped onto his shirt tightly so you didn't fall, tugging it towards you. He didn't hesitate to wrap his strong arms around your waist to steady you. Only after the wave had passed did you realize what you'd done, quickly releasing the fabric from your hands. But he didn't let go.

"Are you okay?" He asked, worry in his tone.

You nodded, heart pounding loudly in your ears. However, you were shaking slightly.

He began leading you back towards the shore, not convinced. Stumbling onto the hot sand, he guided you back to the towels, sitting you down once you got there. Getting a smaller towel, he wrapped it around you so you could dry off, then he sat down next to you.

You looked at him, embarrassed. "You can go back if you want, I'll be fine here."

"No, I'm good." He leaned back a bit. "I'm not much of a swimmer anyways."

He then lifted his arm and ran his fingers through his damp hair, brushing it back off his forehead. You gulped, incredibly bothered by the motion.

He looked at you with a slight smirk. "Thirsty?"

"Yeah." You replied.

Smirk widening, he handed you an unopened water bottle. You drank, trying desperately to calm down.

Jamie ran up to you, Mark following close behind. "Y/n are you okay?" She asked, confused and concerned. "What happened?"

You explained without including the details that made you blush when you thought of them. She sat on the towel next to you, deciding not to go back out. Mark followed suit and shortly after Johnny joined you again when he realized everyone was out of the water.

After a bit, you began to get hungry and got up to try and find some food. Luckily, there was a food truck nearby with some cheap lunch. Returning to the towels, you ate in relative silence as the sun moved slowly west overhead. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking, playing with a frisbee, and sunbathing. You noticed Jaehyun seemed to be keeping you within a few feet of him the entire time, never leaving you alone or with the others. Even when you went back out with Jamie into the shallow water, he followed - even though he tried to appear like he wasn't.

.•°•. ♡ .•°•. ♡ .•°•. ♡ .•°•.

Once the sun went down, everything was packed up and taken back to the cars. You threw back on your shorts from earlier before heading to a nearby bar, open to the sea and cool night air. It was already crowded with many tourists, and once you entered you quickly lost sight of the others, later catching a glimpse of Jamie talking to Johnny off to the side with a drink in hand.

Seeing the bar, you made your way over to it by yourself and sat on one of the barstools. You beckoned the bartender over to order your drink.

"What can I get for you?" She asked, polishing a glass.

"A margarita please." you answered.

She then looked at the seat next to you. "And you sir?"

"A margarita for me too, thanks." A familiar voice answered.

You turned around in your seat to face Jaehyun, blinking at him.

He smiled and nodded in greeting, those adorable dimples reappearing on the corners of his mouth. Feeling your face heat up, you quickly turned to look at the bartender as she made your identical drinks.

You cleared your throat a little. "So... you like margaritas too?"

He chuckled softly at your attempt to break the awkwardness. "Truthfully, I've never tried one. Thought tonight was good first time."

You could feel his eyes on you, boring into your soul in an attempt to get your attention. When you couldn't take it any longer and tilted your head to look at him, his eyes immediately met yours. A slight smirk spread across his lips.

When your drinks were served, he was the first to take a sip, eyes not leaving you for a millisecond. You drank and shifted in your seat, fully aware of how he was checking you out as his eyes began to roam. You wondered if maybe you should've put on a shirt over your bikini top to cover yourself better. But that thought was quickly dismissed as a new one took its place. You liked it - the way his attention was focused on no one but you. There were plenty of other hot girls there that night, but he paid them no mind.

The hours drifted by as those around you melted away and it felt like you and Jae were the only two in the entire world. The music and voices of patrons were only a buzz in the distant background as you focused on his soft words. You found you enjoyed each others company - he made you comfortable with the idea of spending as much time in it as possible.

When the clock struck ten, you could feel the beginnings of fatigue creeping into your mind. An incoming text made his phone buzz. He checked it, relaying the message to you after briefly lifting up his eyebrows in surprise.

"Your friend's heading back to the hotel with Johnny and Mark, she's driving them there."

"Oh!" You replied in surprise, glancing around the bar but finding them already gone. You knew what was probably going to happen to Jamie, but you didn't voice it.

He looked at you for about a minute before speaking again, slowly. "Do you.. wanna come to my place?"

You met his eyes again, heart and mind racing at his invitation. The implications of his question didn't slip by you, they were fully realized. Still, it didn't take you long to make up your mind - in fact, you'd already made it before he'd asked.

"Yes." You replied.

He smiled wide and grabbed your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours. You quickly slid off your barstool and exited the bar, making for the car. You giggled as he pulled you along. The moon shone down on you from high overhead, lighting the way. Once reaching the car, he opened the passenger door for you and you hopped inside as he then closed it and rounded the car to his seat. Getting in, he started the car and drove out onto the road towards his apartment.

Your mind raced as you made the silent drive to his apartment, listening to the low sounds of the radio coming through the speakers. It only took a few minutes before he was parking, getting out, and coming around to help you out of the car. Grasping your hand tightly again, he lead you into the building. The lobby of his apartment had only dim lights on at this time to illuminate the room. No one was around. Jaehyun took a left after guiding you through the main doors.

"This way." He practically whispered, taking you into the elevator.

He hit the three and the doors closed, leaving you alone in the small space with him for a few moments. He didn't waste any time in turning you around to face him, closing the gap between you. Locking his lips with yours in a heated first kiss, he backed you up into the elevator wall, driving you up it slightly with his strong arms. You instinctively wrapped your limbs around his body to steady yourself and kissed him back. You could taste both him and the drink he'd had at the bar - the mixture was heavenly.

A ding signified your arrival at his floor, forcing you to part. Thankfully for the both of you, his door wasn't too far away. Pulling you down the hall quickly, Jae stopped at his door and took out his keys, fumbling with them for a few seconds as he tried to rush. When the door was unlocked, he pushed it open, letting you both walk through before harshly closing it again.

For the few seconds it took for him to throw the keys on a small table next to the door you glanced around the dark apartment. Through a cracked door to your left you could make out a bathroom. A small kitchen stretched across most of the right wall from the door, a long bar separating it from the rest of the room. In this main room was both his living area and bedroom. His bed was pushed up against the farthest wall, which was taken up entirely by two giant windows. The moonlight shone through them, illuminating a balcony on the other side that looked out into the night and the street below, where palm trees waved back and forth in a light breeze.

The sudden grip of his large hand on your waist from behind made you jump. He spun you around, and gave you that soul piercing stare that made all your self-control fade away. You leaned in this time, seeing a smirk spread across his face right before you closed your eyes. As soon as your lips brushed against his again, he picked up were you'd left off, kissing you relentlessly and leaving you breathless. Slowly, he backed you up further into the apartment until the backs of your legs bumped up against the edge of the bed as you struggled to bring air to your lungs.

He lifted you just enough to clear the mattress and sit you down on top of it. Climbing onto it himself, he gently laid you down onto the sheets underneath him. He kept himself up with his knees, one on each side of you as he started to move his plush lips down to your neck. He proceeded to mark you, painting several dark spots onto your skin that would surely be there the next day.

"Ah, Jae." You moaned out for the first time, when the tenseness that had been building between your legs became too much to stay silent.

He paused. "What is it princess?"

"I need..." You began, heating up at the petname.

"Yes?" He asked patiently, waiting for your commanding words. He smiled down at you, raising a hand to your cheek to stroke it soothingly.

"You." You finished, meeting his gaze. "I need you."

He smiled wider. "Sure thing."

Removing his hand from your face, he moved it down to the waistband of your shorts. Unbuttoning them with both hands, he slipped them off and down your ankles with ease. Placing his strong hand on your upper thigh, he spread it away from the other and began moving his fingers closer to your heat. Shivering at his touch, you sunk deeper into the bedsheets. He let his fingertips get to the edge of your bikini bottoms, but stopped there, teasing you.

"Hey-" You breathed, scolding him when you realized what he was doing.

He looked down at you, hair messily splayed around your head as your chest rose and fell beneath him. Your skin was beginning to glisten with perspiration, your eyelashes fluttering slightly every time you blinked your half-closed eyes. "Hm?"

You took a moment to respond. "Touch me Jae."

He smiled a dark smile as he brushed your bikini bottoms to the side. The first touch of his fingertips against your slick clit had you lifting your hips up off the bed, curses falling from your lips. He forced them back down, pinning you to the bed with his body. He quickly resumed his actions, running his fingers back and forth over your folds as you moaned at the pleasure. He then suddenly inserted a finger into your dripping core.

"Ah-" You gasped in surprise as he continued, using his thumb to trace circles across your clit. It was all too much for you to handle. He watched as you gradually lost control beneath him, writhing about in pleasure. The dangerous combination of things he was doing to you quickly brought your first high like a rising wave that crashed into the beach before it.

You didn't have time to warn him before your walls clamped down on his finger and your juices spilled out onto his hand, sheets, and down your legs. He let you ride out your orgasm and calm all the way down before removing his finger and sitting up, licking every last bit of you from his fingers. You peered down the bed at him, watching in fascination as he lapped it up like a man starved.

"Shit, you taste good." He complimented, making your face feel flushed.

When his hand was clean, he bent down and stuck his head between your legs. A second later, you felt the flick of his tongue on your inner thigh. He left a trail of wet kisses up it, making his way back up to your heat. Without warning, you felt his lips brush against your folds as he proceeded to use his tongue to clean you up as best he could. His hot breath against your pussy made you squirm and draw your legs up closer to your chest. Once satisfied he sat up again, licking the last of you from his lips.

He then repositioned himself above you. Removing his swim trunks, his hard member sprung free and stood erect, precum trickling from its pink tip. Slipping a couple of fingers into the waistband of your bikini bottoms, he pulled then down your legs, leaving them with your shorts at your ankles. Lining up with your entrance, he held himself up with his strong arms, caging you in. You looked up at him, his faded purple hair messy across his face. He gave you a reassuring smile - dimples and all - before pushing into you with ease and rolling his hips down onto yours. Matching the pace he set, you pulled his face back down to yours to kiss him again, softer this time. He complied, kissing you deeper and slower as he pushed further into you with each thrust.

When he bottomed out, he speed up the movement of his hips, gripping yours to bring them closer to his. The lewd sounds of sex filled the apartment, combined with both of your increasingly loud moans.

"Jae." You moaned out, breaking your kisses. You felt the tenseness building in your abdomen again.

He groaned as you felt him twitch inside you. "Fuck, you sound so hot saying my name like that."

He then hit your g-spot with the tip of his cock, pushing you over the edge. You came undone all at once, flexing your walls around him, gasping for air. Seconds later, hot strings of his cum shot through you, spilling out onto the bed along with your own. Riding out your orgasms simultaneously, your heavy breathing gradually quieted until he pulled out and sat up on the bed beside you. Watching him slide off the edge and stand up, your eyes followed him as he made his way to the bathroom entrance, ducking in for a second and returning with a towel.

Climbing back onto the bed, he leaned over you and gently cleaned you up with the towel, being extra careful around your sore clit. When most of it was wiped up, he discarded the towel onto the floor and laid down next to you. You rolled onto your side to look at him in the moonlight.

His skin had a visible sheen to it and his hair was a fucking mess - it stuck partially to his damp skin. But that only made his perfectly sculpted features more beautiful. You felt him wrap his arm around your naked waist, holding you to his body. Brushing a loose strand of hair away from your face, he spoke for the first time in minutes.

"Let's do this again tomorrow."

In your fucked out state, you couldn't respond with much else than an excited nod as you snuggled up to him. He gently kissed your swollen lips, happy.

Brushing your nose with his, he whispered: "Night y/n."

You replied by kissing him back, closing your eyes, and drifting off to sleep in his arms.

343 notes · View notes

thefanficmonster · 3 years ago

Text

Hidden Powers

Corpse Husband x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Abuse allegations, Swearing, Mild melancholy

Genre: Humor, SLIGHT Angst, Fluff, RPF (Real Person Fic) - Sorry the genres are all over the place

Summary: A misconception or misunderstanding turned rumor threatens to bring down Corpse’s entire career, but luckily, Y/N knows better than to stand aside and let it happen.

Requested by Anon. Hi darling! Thank you so much for your request and I’m so sorry for the long wait but here it finally is and I hope you enjoy the fic if you happen to come across it. Love, Vy ❤

“Fuck this game!“ Y/N yells out in frustration as she is met with the screen informing her of her failure - aka death - for the fifth time in the past hour. “Has anyone ever even passed night four? I’m sure the king of FNAF Markiplier has but I’m also sure he hasn’t done it one a livestream! And my big mouth really had to go ahead and swear not to end this stream until I pass this God forsaken night, ughhh!“

Typically, Y/N’s quite the fearful rat when playing horror games, especially when home alone like right now, but this FNAF game has gradually turned her into a raging gamer instead. Not raging as in kicking ass at the game but as in the game kicking the ass of her sanity. She’s been struggling with this specific night for a while - the better half of her previous stream and an hour into today’s. Well, seeing how little progress she’s making with each try, it’s gonna be way more than an hour into today’s livestream as well. She’ll be lucky if she manages to get past it before hitting the three hour mark or just rage quitting which she’s bound to do eventually if her gameplay keeps going at this rate.

Another try later, she’s once again jumpscared into a failure screen that’s practically mocking her at this point. Throwing her arms above her head, Y/N sighs heavily, the frustration she’s harboring becoming more and more evident in her body language. “You know what, I need a break. Lemme see what you guys are saying in the chat.”

Scrolling through comments upon comments greeting her, sending her compliments and some trolling her with some hateful remarks she comes across a question which makes her brows furrow. That same question is repeated by a few other people but they fly by so quickly she doesn’t manage to catch the people’s usernames.

“A bruise on my arm? Where?“ She says out loud as she inspects both her arms, looking for what her chat had been talking about. That’s when her eyes eyes land on the purple mark on the skin just above her right elbow. She laughs, “Oh this? I know I’m a clumsy person but Corpse is to blame for this one.“

Little does the girl know, her boyfriend, who’s currently in his own apartment instead of camping out at hers, is watching this very stream, laughing his ass off remembering how that bruise came to be.

His laughter is cut short though when he catches glimpse of Y/N’s chat which suddenly floods with concern from her fans - assumptions and allegations of him being an abusive boyfriend starting to pollute the previously cheerful comment section. His stomach turns, for many reasons, each reason making it tighten in a worse and more painful knot.

The first blow comes from people actually coming up with such a thing. How could they even allow their minds to wander to such a dark and disgusting place where he’d be even remotely an abuser.

The second blow to his heart is delivered by the fact that people believed it. How and why could people believe such an absurd idea?! How low did these people think of him? What kind of piece of shit did he come off as to some people?

And the third is the mental image the idea gives him. It’s such a fucked up scene, he can’t even conjure it up, he can’t mentally picture it. Hell, he could and would never even raise his voice at Y/N. He’d never dare upset her or hurt her feelings let alone hurt her....like that!

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!“ Y/N’s gasp reaches him as though it was meant to fish him out of the downward spiral he started going down with these overwhelmingly dark thoughts, “What’s with this nonsense some of y’all are spewing in the chat?!“ She sounds downright angry and irritated, ready to fight whoever will continue spreading these rumors about her lovely boyfriend whom she absolutely adores. “Guys, I mean, seriously?! Do you have any idea what you’re talking about and WHO you’re talking about? Do we have the same Corpse in mind here? I doubt we do - you have some villainized, abusive version, and I have the loving boyfriend who tried to teach me how to handle a lightsaber so we can have a lightsaber fight and my dumbass used my own weapon against me. Yeah, I was pretty salty Corpse laughed his heart out while I was cringing in pain, but man, you guys take it farther than the farthest.“ Seeing his sweet, kind and non-confrontational girlfriend who always avoids conflict at all costs turn into this protective lioness because someone is talking shit about him is heartwarming and scary at the same time. “Y’all better shut the hole where these fucked up rumors surfaced from before you get one of the most innocent, loving and caring individuals in hot water for the BS you came up with! Copy? You better.“

Corpse has never in his entire life seen the topic of a stream chat change so quickly, the rumor never once getting brought up again.

That’s some serious power right there - power he never knew Y/N possessed because of her cute and soft exterior. Now he knows what kinda beast of a woman he’s dating - one prepared to do anything to protect him, no matter who from. And damn does that make him feel emotional and loved despite the shit that just happened. She can make him forget all the bad within the blink of an eye - that too is another superpower of hers, but this one he’s known about from the very start.

@maat-the-prescriptive @simonsbluee @save-the-sky @itsminniekat @hacker-ghost @bi-andready-tocry @imtiredaffff @jazzkaurtheglorious @hereforbeebo @fandomgirl17 @chrysanthykios @maehemscorpyus @loraleiix @letsloveimagines @annshit @i-cant-choose-a-username-help @enigmaticmaze @divine-artemis @waterlilypat @idontknowwhatthisisfam @evi-ka @classyandfabulous00 @redperson58 @lilysdaydreams @solowheein @mythicalamphitrite @axen-gers @luckygirl144 @nj01 @buddyemily @the-albino-lioness @stardream14 @gdhdkfnn @nomadicgypsyy @preciousskye @fluffysuicideunicornsworld @o-kaelin @manacharlotte @awkward-youtube-trash @lolalee24 @bonky-beerns @meme-lord-and-savior-sebastian @strawbrinkofdeath @teenloves @tams0527 @browneyespinkhair @starstruckllamapuppy @daisychains012 @y0ulooked @tinytacosuitcaseflap @supernatural-is-my-only-life @jula-pauline @melodykitty @just-that-bi-girl @crazybutconfidentaf @lowellshade @alphakees @bellero @weallneednamjesus @starryhanji @boiled-onionrings @husherstan @fockingwhore @melaningoddessthings @prettypastelpetals @haleypearce @godwhyamiawkward @y-napotat @daisychainyoonmin @little-miss-rebel3 @free-wheelin-bi-sexual @redmoon261 @darkacademic2 @wiseflamingoqueen @into-the-end @namikhai-i @nastiablr @thelittleplantlover @mirktuan @dont-hyuck @jjk-bunny @vintagegothlover @easygoingtheatre @itsrandombooklover @miiaivi @emmybaybee @befourgolden @jjk-is-my-shit @eternalteaaars @spacebadgerx @princesslunalight @acequinn14 @samm48 @misselsbells06 @simp-lykawa @fo-love @marishimomura-blog @therealglenncoco @cinnamonbun332 @killtherandomness @sanshinexxxsan @fee-btheweeb @press-lay @cathleenpotgieter16 @jazzydoesstuff @moonlxghtbay @forestrain2000 @hyunjinhugs @blood-of-fandoms @lovellylies @ukiyolixx @simpforhpcharacters @chrisdylan17 @parkerjisung @pedernille @theodonyous @wineandionysus @malfoystilinskii05 @morbid-x @coryisagee @jessewa26 @scoobydooluver97 @mindintheskies365 @raeanneinwonderland @indecisive-empanada @gluttonypalace @loriane2503 @btsiguess-kpop @khaoticbunny @lucidlycactus @smiithys @rottenroyalebooks @kpopgirlbtssvt @fangirl-tc27 @fr0z3n-1 @notmesimpingfortechno @shotarosleftpinky @kunoi-chan @idk-whats-wrong-with-me @yikeroonie @goldenstarofthunderclan @poetry-and-tea @ama-do-writing-stuff @wishbonewolf @emeraldxhope @t0xick1tty @kusuinko @speakyourselfloveyourself @sophia902103 @lo-manburg @classsykittykat @dmgama @depressedpuppythatneedscoffee @btsiguess-kpop @akaashi-baby @gun-jong-simp @geschichtenfee @yerapotato-wp @browneyedgirl365 @thysagclub @sparklycloudnight @helloatomicshadow @queentorresstuff @vtte @val-gal @lucy-bunny17 @aaliyahh0 @katluckybear @boyleanti @straybids @franchesca-791 @cosmicstorm19 @averyisbackinthetrashcan @aomi-nabi @xlanawriter @allensimpsforcorpse @sunnyrae-cessh @ladykxxx08 @meowiemari @renupf @booklover76 @sra-verissimo

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the-bau-quinjet · 3 years ago

Text

Trending

Summary: Steve thinks you’re too young to like him despite the obvious hints you’re dropping.

Warnings: unspecified age gap

Word count: 2246

a/n: I’ve clearly spent too much time on TikTok recently, but inspired me to write something so that's good. It was loosely based on a request for a young reader x Steve, but I forgot part of the request so I'm gonna write something else for that one! Also, I wrote this on my phone so please excuse any typos I missed when trying to edit it lol

Masterlist

Messing with Steve is one of your favorite things to do. Tiny pranks, over the top flirting, poking fun at his lack of understanding of technology. Anything you can do to get him to roll his eyes and chuckle.

Nat would say it’s because of your feelings for him. She would be correct. Not that you’d ever admit that to anyone. Nope. So instead, you have your fun, and enjoy the way his eyes crinkle and his cheeks redden.

Your newest method of hearing the sweet sound of Steve’s laugh? TikTok. It’s a double whammy. One because he doesn’t understand the app and two because a lot of the trends make him blush.

It started as a fun way to blow off steam. Sometimes, being one of the younger and newer team members made you feel like an outsider. Of course, Peter was younger than you, but he had his own friends outside of the team. You didn’t have anyone else. When Tony found you and invited you to join, it was you against the world. Now you have this makeshift family.

Having your account on TikTok helped you when you hadn’t really become a part of the group yet. You bonded with Peter because of his account, and you found a new way to make Steve blush.

Anyway, you’ve learned way more TikTok dances than you ever would have thought just to see his pink cheeks. It’s not even always over the top dances that have him chuckling. The last trend you did had him laughing the entire day. It was that sound about Wednesday Adams having one thing on her mind. Only when it said homicide, instead of a deadpan expression you panned the camera to show Bucky and Sam arguing over who got the last donut.

Of course, you knew when you made the video it would appeal to Steve’s sense of humor. Sam and Bucky feature in a lot of your videos for that exact reason.

In general, you make a lot of videos featuring the Avengers just to keep Tony happy. He likes to be the center of attention, plus the only way he would approve of your account was if it could also feature as PR for the team. You agreed, as long as you had final say over what you posted. There’s nothing scripted or designed for a specific reason, you just feature the team sometimes.

Like when that sound from the Big Bang theory was popular amongst Avengers fans, you made a video confessing to Pepper that you’d been thinking about the Avengers, panning to show the team during training.

Of course, the text on the screen said “you are an Avenger” instead of “I believe that”, allowing you to play off the joke. But still, it was fun to include the team.

One of your favorite videos features none other than Scott Lang, mostly because nobody else would do it. Scott thought it was hilarious though.

Using the sound from New Girl, Scott played Schmidt and you Jess. The text on the screen read as follows:

Scott: You just walk around all day thinking about America’s Ass?

You: Yeah, don’t you?

Scott: No! How do you get anything done?

You: It’s hard…

Steve blushed like crazy when everyone cornered him to watch it. Bucky, Sam, and Tony wouldn’t stop bringing it up for at least a month. A part of you hoped he might make a move after that video, seeing as you put yourself out there, but he just assumed it was a joke and laughed it off.

Honestly, you were running out of trends that you could use to get him to understand your feelings. You only had two ideas left, and one of them would be mortifying if it didn’t work out…

“Steve. You’ve got to be kidding me.” Bucky sighed, exasperated with Steve for the umpteenth time that month. “You’ve been pining for forever, just make a move!” he whisper yelled, doing his best not to throttle his lifelong friend.

Steve rolled his eyes, purposefully ignoring Bucky’s pointed glare. The two men had spent the last hour looking through your TikTok account. Bucky was adamant that you liked Steve, but the blonde didn’t believe it, despite the so called proof Bucky kept forcing him to watch.

“Buck, would you please just back off? We’re friends. She’s too young to want to be with me like that.” Steve blushed, thinking about the context of his words.

Before Bucky could say anything about how repressing his feelings is bad for him, a new video popped up on your account. Bucky smirked when he saw the thumbnail was once again a picture of Steve, this time with a beard. Steve took the silence as an opportunity to escape, walking into his closet to change.

The video opened with a video of you and Natasha just hanging out, you lip syncing to the words “I like you have a cupcake.” You repeated the words as the video cut to you and Tony.

Bucky nearly dropped the phone when “smack my ass like a drum” blared from the speaker. He cackled bending over in a fit of laughter when he realized that’s what Steve’s picture was used for- and one where he had a beard to boot.

“What is it now, jerk?” Steve emerged from his closet, having changed into loungewear. The sight of Bucky fully cackling had him nervous.

Bucky tossed him the phone, doing his best to stop laughing long enough to tell him to watch the most recent video. With a hesitant sigh, Steve obliged.

Again, Bucky rolled his eyes at how obvious Steve’s feelings were. The second he saw you on the screen, he smiled. And not one of those half hearted polite smiles, a full on happy smile.

Steve’s eyes widened, nearly bulging out of his head when he got to the end of the video.

“‘She doesn’t want to be with me like that.’” Bucky mocked his friends earlier words, grabbing his phone back. “Punk, I don’t know how much more obvious she could be.”

With one more glare in Steve’s direction, Bucky finally left him to his own thoughts. Okay, so you made a lot of videos about how you find him attractive. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’d want to be in a relationship with him. Leave it to Steve to talk himself out of everything Bucky had spent so long trying to convince him of.

You were desperate at this point. You honestly thought the cupcake one would send him over the edge, but it didn’t work either. It has been three days, and you know Steve’s seen the video because everyone likes to tease him about it.

“Naaaaaat, it’s not working,” you whined, dramatically throwing yourself onto her bed. She laughed at your antics, briefly looking up at you before deciding to stop what she was going and give you her full attention.

“Look, not only is Steve one of the most clueless people I’ve ever met when it comes to women, but he can also talk himself out of believing someone’s interested in him. Especially you.” Nat watched as you lifted your head from her comforter, slowly turning to stare at her with narrowed eyes.

“Especially me?” you questioned. Why would you have a different standard?

“Y/N, Steve’s from the 40s. He’s super old fashioned. You're a hot young thing, super up to date on modern trends. He thinks you're just messing around as friends because he doesn’t believe someone as young as you would be interested in actually having a relationship with him,” she spelt it out for you, sick of trying to get you to figure it out on your own.

You took a minute to fully understand what she was saying, but then sat up when a new idea struck. “So you’re saying I need to be more direct?”

Her eyes narrowed, but she nodded nonetheless.

“I’ve got an idea. Thanks Nat!” you ran from the room before she could question your newest plan, instead checking to make sure her notifications were on for posts from your TikTok account.

“Steve!” you shouted when you saw him down the hall, about to turn a corner. He immediately stopped, turning back to see you running at him. “I need your help!”

You pulled him into the gym, briefly glancing around the room to make sure it was empty. Confirming nobody else was present, you set up your phone on one of the weight racks to record the two of you. It was already open to the recording section of TikTok, the sound you needed queued and ready to begin.

“What’s going on?” Steve looked between you and the phone, nerves heightening as he realized what you were doing. All of your videos about him thus far hasn’t actually involved him filming anything.

“I just need you to react to this trend, okay? It’s kind of old, but that doesn’t really matter,” you spoke quickly, trying to start the video before he could decline.

The music started playing instantly, with Steve awkwardly looking between the screen and you. He wasn’t sure what exactly he was reacting to, and it had him on edge. Just as the song reached the chorus, you turned and grabbed his face. Throwing caution to the wind, you followed through with your plan before you could back out, kissing him with all the passion and emotion you’d been holding back.

Steve froze, clearly surprised by your actions. Before you could pull away, he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you closer. He kissed you with equal passion and emotion, no longer paying attention to your phone recording the moment.

Neither of you noticed when the music cut off, too wrapped up in each other. When the need for air overpowered the desire to keep kissing him, you pulled back to gasp in a few breaths. Steve leaned his forehead against yours, eyes closed and breathing erratic.

The two do you spent the next few moments just breathing, trying to come to terms with what just happened. You gasped when his hands moved, one resting on your waist and the other cupping your cheek. His eyes were still closed when you chanced a glance at him.

“What was the trend?” he breathily whispered the words, still coming down from the high of kissing you.

“Huh?” you mumbled, unable to comprehend the question when he was still touching you like this.

“The TikTok trend? What was it?” his grip on your hip tightened, but his hand framing your face remained gentle.

“Oh, uh, it was- it was kissing your best friend/crush.” You whispered, heart still racing from his proximity. Your nerves had never been greater. Yeah, Nat always tells you that Steve has feelings for you, but what if he was just being polite? Maybe he didn’t know how to reject you when you kissed him out of nowhere, and now he’s trying to find a way to turn you down gently. What if-

“Was my reaction good enough to post?” he broke your train of thought with another question. You took a minute to think about the question, your brain still moving like molasses

“Um, that depends…” you froze when his eyes opened and stared into yours.

“On?” he prompted you to continue.

“Which caption I can use.” you finished the thought, finally remembering the two most common outcomes of the trend.

“What are the choices?” Steve smirked when you looked flustered, clearly not expecting this conversation.

“Uh, the two-” he began rubbing small circles into your hip with his thumb, effectively cutting off your train of thought again. It wasn’t until he lightly squeezed your hip again that you remember you were answering his question.

“Right! The two most common captions are some variation of ‘this was so awkward’ or ‘we’re dating now’,” you managed to blurt out the choices, blushing when he smiled at you.

“Well, I know which I prefer…” you waited with bated breath as he prolonged the silence, enjoying seeing you so on edge. You nearly whined when he let you go, moving to pick up your phone from the weight rack.

You watched in silence as he typed out a caption, tapping each letter with his pointer finger. A small smile formed on your lips at his adorable old man behavior. He then managed to find the post button, adding the video to your account before handing you the phone to see what he chose.

Your smile only grew after you read the caption, dropping the phone and immediately kissing him again.

Meanwhile, Nat had gathered the rest of the team that happened to be around to wait for whatever video you had planned to be posted.

Tony, Sam, Bucky, Wanda, Vision, Peter, and Clint all watched as the new video popped up on the screen. Peter bounced with excitement when he heard the song, instantly recognizing the trend. The rest of the group watched as you kissed Steve, mouths gaping open when he actually kissed you back.

Fans were already commenting about how long it took for the two of you to get together, but the team was too focused on laughing at the caption to pay any mind to the comments.

She said the trend was kind of old, but that fits because I’ve got a habit of waiting too long anyways.

Permanent taglist: @averyhotchner @jesuswasnotawhiteman @strawberryspence @sebastnstn @jswessie187 @ellobruv

Marvel: @leyannrae @livstilinski @oceaniamaddness @justreadingficsdontmindme

#Steve Rogers x reader #Steve Rogers x you #Steve Rogers x y/n #Steve Rogers fluff #Steve Rogers one shot #Steve Rogers fic

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dem-obscure-imagines · 4 years ago

Text

The Kiss of Life

Pietro Maximoff x Reader

Summary: You are an Avenger with the power to heal. However, you didn’t expect to catch feelings for the man you brought back from the dead.

Note: Let it be known that my very first ever Tumblr fanfiction, waaaaaay back in 2015, was a Pietro Maximoff fic about a healer! Reader bringing him back to life. I was obsessed with this man. Still am, lowkey. So, this fic is just kind of me revisiting that idea with about six more years of writing experience.

Warnings: Mentions of death, death (temporary), bulletwounds

Wordcount: 2.7k

On the day of the Battle of Sokovia, you were on board the Helicarrier. Tony Stark had contacted you, knowing the shit would hit the fan, and then Nick Fury had found you and picked you up. As the team’s resident healer, you didn’t actively go out in the field, but you were always on stand-by just in case. And this was one of the days you were glad you were.

You’d taken one of the “boats” to the quickly rising chunk of the city in order to heal civilians. You encountered a young woman who had her leg caught under a piece of rubble. But super-strength wasn’t one of your abilities. Luckily, a certain silver-haired speedster saw you and rushed over to help. You healed the woman and she quickly went over to the boats to be evacuated.

“Are you…” the man asked, looking you over. “You’re with…?”

“The Avengers, yeah.” You nodded. “Are you?”

“I’m new.” He grinned. “I’m Pietro. Nice to meet you.”

“(Y/N).” You offered your hand and instead of shaking your hand like you expected him to, he raised it to his lips and pressed a soft kiss there. You tried to ignore the heat rising to your cheeks. You couldn’t deny he was handsome, and his accent and gorgeous muscles only helped his case.

“Oh shit, your arm.” You pointed out the wound there.

“I was shot.” He nodded, his jaw clenching. “It is not bad, though.”

“Here, let me.” You reached up and held your hand over the bullet hole. Immediately, golden light radiated from your palm and Pietro watched in awe as the spot repaired, his skin closing up underneath the hole in his shirt. “There. Good as new.”

“Thanks. Remind me to find you the next time I get a paper cut.”

You chuckled. “I’m always around.”

The two of you split after that. You went off to help more civilians evacuate and he busied himself with fighting robots.

And then it happened. You were on your way to the boats to help people. You heard the loud noise of a machine gun, and when you looked up, Pietro was standing there, riddled with bullet holes, wobbling on his feet before inevitably collapsing.

You sprinted. You didn’t care about the risks or the danger, you ran as fast as you could to him, falling to your knees at his side and immediately pushing every ounce of power you could muster into his chest, arms, and legs. You felt like your veins were on fire and you couldn’t describe why, but you knew that this was why you were there. This was your purpose and you intended to fulfill it.

You watched as his wounds stitched together. You searched him for more. Anything you could do to make him better.

His eyes were open, unblinking, wide and haunting. His skin was cold to the touch. You knew what you had to do, but you didn’t know if you had the strength to do it after expending your powers all day.

“Can you do it?” Clint asked softly, watching.

“I think so.” You murmured. “I’m gonna try.”

The Kiss of Life, as Tony had dubbed it, was something you had only done once. It had absolutely drained you. You’d been asleep for a few days following it, but it was worth it. It was always worth it.

So, slowly, you leaned in and pressed your lips to Pietro’s pushing everything you had left into his body, from your chest to his. You reached up and felt for a pulse, waiting, waiting, waiting, until suddenly, you felt his vein twitch beneath your fingertips. You felt his chest heave with a breath and immediately released, exhaling a large breath of your own.

He looked up at you, confusion and warmth swirled in his eyes. He stared at you for a long moment, a hand rising to his lips, as if he was looking for confirmation of what you’d just done. He looked down at himself, searching for the dozens of wounds he’d just acquired, but not finding any.

Your head was spinning. You blinked a few times, watching him carefully. He sat up and as soon as he did, you slumped forward into his firm chest, your eyes fluttering shut. The last thing you felt before falling asleep were his strong arms wrapping around you and his soft lips pressing against your forehead.

“Thank you.”

***

You woke up with a pounding headache in an…unfamiliar place. You didn’t recognize the room you were in, but it appeared your things were there, from what you could tell. Oh, and there was a man sitting in a chair pulled up to your bedside, a nervous look on his face. His finger rested on his lip, deep in thought.

You moved, straining to sit up but your entire body was sore, your limbs each screaming for you to stop.

“Hey, hey, careful.” He moved at lightning speed, catching you off guard. He gently moved you into an upright position, resting against the mountain of pillows on your bed. “Easy.” He smoothed the hair off of your forehead and leaned forward to kiss it, long and soft. “You do not feel like you have a fever…”

“I think I’m okay.” You insisted, shaking your head. Your voice was hoarse. You coughed a few times, but half a second later, Pietro was holding a cold water bottle in your face, helping you drink it with careful hands and a doting expression on his face.

“Banner left these for you.” He handed you a bottle of painkillers and you took a few of them, swallowing them down with more water.

“Thank you.”

He didn’t say anything, but you knew he was thinking about it.

Instead, you asked, “How long was I out?”

“A few days.” He replied, his voice soft and low. “I…I was worried…worried that you…”

“Yeah,” you laughed darkly, shrugging. “I…well, some risks are just worth taking, I guess.”

“You barely know me and you saved my life without hesitation.” He said, a million words hiding behind his eyes. He sat on the edge of the bed cautiously, giving you plenty of time to tell him to back off, but you didn’t. “Clint…he said he’s never seen you run so fast.”

“I knew I wouldn’t have much time before…” You shook your head, trailing off. “And I knew I couldn’t let that happen. I got lucky. I was exactly where I needed to be.”

He was quiet for a beat, thinking. And then, all at once, he pulled you into his arms, against his firm chest. You listened to his heartbeat, his breaths, which became ragged as soon as he started sobbing.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m okay. You’re okay. It’s all okay.” You said, your arms wrapping around him, one hand rubbing soothing circles on his back.

“Thank you. T-thank you so much. I…I don’t know how to repay you.”

“It’s just my job, Pietro. You don’t have to—”

“I want to, though.” He said, pulling away from you to look you in the eyes. His large hand rose to frame your cheek and you felt a chill run up your spine, heat flooding your cheeks due to his proximity and the look on his face. “Please let me thank you the way you deserve.”

You didn’t know what else to say, so you just nodded, staring up at him. “O-okay.”

“Do you think you can walk? The others want to see you.” He said.

“Um, I can try. I’ll probably be a bit weak.”

“I’ll help you.” He reassured you, helping you remove the blankets on top of you and scoot to the edge of the bed.

You put your feet on the floor, gently easing up until you were upright. You wobbled a little, but Pietro’s arm snaked around your waist for support, helping you forward slowly until you were out the door of your new bedroom.

“Where are we, exactly?”

“New facility.” Pietro explained. “Stark insists it will be safer than the Tower.”

“Gotcha.” You nodded.

He led you out to the main room, where the majority of the team were all sitting on the large sectional couch. As soon as you walked in, aided by Pietro, they all sat at attention. One of them, a young woman wearing a red sweater, stood up and walked up to you quickly, wrapping you in a tight hug.

“Thank you so much. Thank you for saving him.”

“Of course.” You hugged her back. “Us Avengers have to look out for each other. Welcome to the team. You’re Wanda, right?”

“Right. Nice to meet you, officially.” She smiled warmly.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” You pulled away and as soon as you did, you wobbled a bit, but Pietro immediately held you upright, preventing you from falling.

“Got a new friend there, (L/N)?” Tony chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

“So it seems.” You smiled, letting Pietro help you over to the couch where the others were all situated. “The new place is nice.” You noted. “Very modern. Very sleek.”

“Thought you’d like it.” Tony nodded. “There are still quite a few empty rooms if you want to switch, but, uh…Speedy wanted your room next to his.”

Pietro laughed nervously, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. When you looked over at him, his cheeks were steadily turning red. Cute, you decided.

“Well, I certainly don’t mind.” You grinned. “What are we watching?”

“Disney movies.”

“Hell yesssssss.”

“Told you she’d like it.” Steve chuckled, his arms folded across his broad chest. “How are you feeling, kid?”

“I’m good. Little sore, but good. Should be back to normal in a few days.”

“Glad to hear it.” Steve nodded, smiling.

“Anyone have any papercuts that need healing in the meantime?” You joked.

“Maybe take it easy for now, (L/N).” Natasha chuckled, shaking her head. “Our bruises and papercuts can wait.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

You watched a few movies with the rest of the team, and afterwards, Tony ordered pizza, a very bewildered delivery boy knocking on the door about an hour later. Pietro wouldn’t let you lift a finger, and so once the pizza arrived, he brought you a few slices on a plate with breadsticks and garlic cream cheese dip.

“Thank you, Pietro.”

“Of course.” He grinned, plopping back down in his spot between you and Wanda.

You had only been awake for a handful of hours, and yet you suspected that this constant attention from the silver-haired speedster wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

***

You were right. It was about two weeks later. You’d made a full recovery and were back to your usual level of activity. You were in the training facility doing your daily workout when Pietro sped in. You were on the treadmill, just finishing up, when he strolled over, a grin on his face.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

“Oh yeah?” You asked, slowing the treadmill to a stop and leaning against the rails, taking a moment to catch your breath. “May I ask why?”

“One of the interns is making a coffee run.”

“Oh hell yeah.” You took a long sip from your water bottle. “Well, thank you for letting me know.”

“Of course.” He grinned, leaning against your treadmill. “How are you today?”

You smiled, heat flushing your cheeks. You blame it on the workout, but you knew there might be another reason for it… “I’m good, how are you?”

“Good.” He replied. “I’m good.” He paused, holding up his hand, his knuckles red and bloody. “I did hurt my hand, though…”

“Oh, here.” You took his hand in yours and held your other palm over it, letting your power glow for a few seconds until the wound healed up. “There. Good as new.”

He exhaled a breath, clenching and unclenching his hand. With it, he reached up and gently traced your jaw. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against yours, causing a flurry of butterflies to erupt in your stomach. “You’re incredible. So incredible.”

You stared into his blue, blue eyes for what felt like eternities, his warm breaths ghosting across your cheeks. And then the moment was over. He pulled away from you, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead.

“Want a ride?”

“To where, the living room?” You laughed. “Sure, why—?” There was a rush of cold air and suddenly, you were in the living room, Pietro cradling you in his arms. “Not.” You looked up at him, tucking a piece of hair back behind your ear. “Wow, you’re fast.”

He grinned and you swore his cheeks got a shade redder than they were previously. “I am, aren’t I?”

You ordered your coffee from the intern and waited for Pietro to order his, but he didn’t.

“Aren’t you getting anything?”

“Oh, I don’t like coffee.” He shrugged, and then winked at you. “But you do, so…”

***

It was a few weeks later. You’d known Pietro for a little over a month at this point. You were in your room, reading. It was getting late and you knew that, but you also didn’t want to go to sleep until you finished the chapter you were on.

You heard a knock on your doorframe and looked up to find Pietro standing there, his hair a tousled mess and dark bags under his eyes.

“Nightmare?”

He nodded.

“Come on in.” You scooted over and patted the side of the bed and immediately, he zipped over. “You okay?”

“Better now.” He said, his voice low and raspy.

You closed your book and set it on your nightstand to give him your full attention.

“Can we talk?” He asked.

“Of course, Pietro. What’s on your mind?”

“I…I don’t even know.” He let out a long breath. “I keep thinking about…that day. And I’m not sure why.”

“Well, it was traumatic. Dying, even briefly, is hard to recover from. Emotionally, that is.”

“Hmm.” He hummed, nodding. “Am I the only one…that you’ve…”

“No. There was one other. Some S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I don’t even remember her name. It was a long time ago. But those were the only two successful times.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sometimes I’m just…too late. If I don’t get to the body in time…” You shuddered and shook your head. “I got really, really lucky with you, Pietro. If I was any further away, I don’t think…” Your stomach dropped at the thought and you couldn’t continue.

“Don’t think like that.” He said softly, one of his large hands rising to your face. His warmth was incredible, calming.

You leaned into his touch, resting your hand on top of his.

“I’m right here, printsessa.” He leaned in closer. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good.”

“There’s…something else.” He said, his voice wavering. “I don’t think it’s any secret, but, I’ve fallen for you, (Y/N). We are so close and I love it, but the only time we’ve ever kissed was when I was unconscious. I…would like to change that.” He paused, looking deep into your eyes. “But only if that’s okay with you.”

“Oh thank God.” You exhaled a relieved breath, your eyes sparkling and heart racing. “I was worried you were only hanging around me because I saved you. I didn’t think you were into me.”

“How could I not be?” His thumb rubbed your cheek affectionately. “You are kind and clever and selfless and brave, not to mention the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I’d have to be stupid to let you slip through my fingers.”

You were both quiet for a beat before he asked, his voice soft, “So…can I kiss you?”

You leaned in closer until your lips were less than an inch away from his before whispering, “Do you even have to ask?”

Part 2

#pietro maximoff #pietro x reader #pietro imagine #pietro maximoff x reader #quicksilver #quicksilver x reader #quicksilver imagine #avengers #avengers imagine #marvel #marvel imagine

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scott-mccall-the-hot-girl · 3 years ago

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my ultimate guide to thiam fic !!

( as a new teen wolf stan )

the classic post war, long ass (multi chapter) fic !!with great development that genuinely made me laugh out loud, they have the best friendship in this & i love it very much. ( like theo teaches liam to drive and i just *happy sobs* ) a fundamental in thiam fanfiction !! all stans have probably already read it but if you haven’t this is in fact a threat ,, go show this vv iconic story some love !!

Airplanes - Captainmintyfresh

Summary: After the Anuk-ite and the hunters are dealt with Liam needs a break. Cue Theo and a road trip that Liam should know better than to think will be peaceful.

Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply, Completed, 43/43 Chapters, Words: 236,875 (236k)

okay okay so this one is also post 6B !! but ,, now we introduce fighting monroe & the hunters again ,, so we get the boys & a new mission !! so if you like an intresting plot 11/10 would recommend !! just to be clear this ISN’T complete ,, if that turns you off i understand but definitely give this one a read !! it litterally have theo doing crossword puzzles & fighting zombies

Vacancy Signs - LovelyLittleGrim

Summary: Theo and Liam are in Manhattan negotiating a pack allyship when the zombie apocalypse breaks out. Now, the two of them have to find their way back to Beacon Hills without getting eaten by zombies or killing one another.

Rated: Explicit, Graphic Description of Violence, Not Completed, 15/17 Chapters, Words: 89,605 (89k)

Royalty AU !! I REPEAT ROYALTY AU !! a fantastic au where i stan their moms more than i stan them !! genuinely so good at the childhood rivals to lovers trope !! i’m genuinely obsessed with this one. has made me cry more than once ,, hurts in a good way <3 the ending is just *chefs kiss* also one of the tags is genuinely: # theo and liam make bad choices for over 130k straight !! if that doesn’t sound appealing i don’t know what does !!

Artificial Love - songbvrd

Summary: Prince Theo and Prince Liam are forced to spend every Summer together from age five onwards. They hate each other, and usually find ways to make each other miserable as much as possible in their six weeks together. But when they're reunited because of intended unions as adults, things change. They're both supposed to be married to noble women, but neither of them is as interested in anyone else as they are with their childhood rival.

Rated: Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply, Completed, Chapters: 32/32, Words: 172,935 (172k)

so if you are in the mood for a crack fic that’s not explicitally a crack fic this is for you !! okay so i’m really hit or miss with AU’s ,, sometimes i feel like they don’t quite capture the characters right but this story have the BEST dramatic liam i have ever seen in my life !! basically they all live in the same apartment building & it’s fantastic !! i saw this one floating around a lot but the summary didn’t really unrest me until i have it a shot !! so go read it rn !! also nolan & brett are genuinely fantastic and make me wheeze ,, LIKE ACTUALLY VERBALLY LAUGHING !! all i’m gonna say is that my fav characters are scott & the beetles but that won’t make actual sense until you read it !!

The Neighbors Song - TheodoreR

Summary: “I always hear you singing on your balcony every morning, but suddenly you’ve stopped?”

Or the one where Theo annoys Liam every morning with his awful singing until he doesn’t anymore and Liam is even more annoyed. Liam hates every single thing about his mornings -the fact that they happen in the morning alone is enough. The thing Liam hates the most about his mornings though is the terrible voice of the guy who lives below him. He can’t sing for shit and Liam tried to politely let him understand that by throwing flour and water on his balcony, and also by shouting it to him, you can’t sing for shit!, and then by writing it into a note he proceeded to attach to his door, but this Raeken guy just keeps doing it, every single morning, like a fucking rooster. Liam did nothing to deserve this. He probably didn’t do anything to deserve better either to be fair, he doesn’t expect to open his window and be welcomed by some angelic voice singing him good morning, he’d just be happy with nothing. Silence. That’s something Liam can appreciate in mornings. Just some bark from his dog and the sound of his misery and that’s it. But no, god forbid the new guy lets him have that.

Rated: Explicit, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Wanrings, Completed, 8/8 Chapters, Words: 42,814 (42k)

me: i’m not a big fan of AU’s ,, proceeds to talk about ANOTHER au… OKAY BUT THIS ONE !! it’s not complete but the author has been updating regularly ,, vv slow burn !! but in a REALLY intresting way !! i lOVE LIAM IN THIS SO MUCH ,, he is such a diaster of a person and it’s wonderful !! they have a great dynamic & i’m sucker for general puppy pack content ( and erica reyes being a badass ) !! also theo plays lacrosse in this & i really like it ahhhhh ,, also liam is just being an artic monkeys stan the whole time & theo is like *que confused repressed gay noises*

Inglorious Roommates - honeyscape

Summary: A roommate is defined as “a person with whom one shares a room.”

Theo would say a roommate was more along the lines of, “The person who's the bane of his existence. The weirdo that sleeps for days. The spaz that exercises at 3am. The guy with a revolving door of annoying friends. An insufferable human being that Theo has no control over living in his room.”

Example: Theo hates his roommate Liam.

okay okay i hate myself but i have another WIP for y’all !! this one is jUST FANTASTIC. i’m genuinely so upset it’s most likely not going to updated again *incoherent screaming ensues*. for this story ,, it’s very theo-centric bUT thats bc it ends right before liam becomes a concrete member of the story !! ANYWAY: basic plot = theo & acquiring not one but two children ,, so #dad theo but he is still crusty & homeless and i love him very much. it’s just so GOOD !! just read if you want to experience my fav theo coming out story & him etching high school musical

Look who's talking - Captainmintyfresh

Summary: Theo had been labeled many things in his life. Evil, failure, monster. He'd never thought Father would be one of those things but as he looked across the table to a six year old with blue smears of bubble gum icecream across her face trying to coax the first words out of her sister. Finger jabbing towards Theo's face as she repeated 'Daddy' again and again he couldn't bring himself to dispute the label.

(Theo accidentally adopts two young werewolves)

Not Rated, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings, Not Completed, Chapters: 16/?, Words: 48740 ( 48k )

so here me out: post-canon ( poetry like angst ) summer get away !! just the boys doing cute little domestic things together whilst pining !! theo’s guilt in this is just so powerful & aGjffkgkkfkvkdlv !! i think it’s so interesting to see how they interact in this one, it’s just very heart warming !! and it features one of my favorite niche teen wolf tropes of theo being great with like seven year old girls- it’s just so good ,, very much a wonderful little one shot that just makes your heart happy.

(next time i see you you'll show me) a hundred different ways to say the same things - cherrysprite

Summary: “...You deserve good things,” Liam says eventually. He makes sure not to look at Theo even though he can feel his eyes turn on him. Somehow he can already tell that Theo doesn’t believe him.

Liam instantly makes that the goal of this summer - making Theo believe him.

Rating: Teen and Up, No Archive Warnings Apply, Chapters: 1/1, Words: 28875 ( 28k )

okay so this next section of fic recs is a bit different !!

two of my favorite authors !! and a compilation of fics i’ve read by them both !!

for context: these two have written some genuinely gorgeous fics, like pure poetry, they explore the real gritty & scary side of our boys relationship in such a wonderful way. they’ve both used some of my favorite tropes & i love them very much !!

whenever i need something soothing but so genuinely intresting & enticing these are my go to !! ( also they both write a lot of good nolan angst & some vv good fics with hayden )

go check out:

eneiryu

as well as fallingforboys

here are some of my favorite fics by them ~

darling i want you here in my arms (kiss the pain away, i know you can) - fallingforboys

even before you touched me, i belonged to you (all you had to do was look at me) - fallingforboys

memories linger like tattoo scars (but your touch on my skin is just as permanent) - fallingforboys

skin, bones, a stolen heart, and an ugly creature lurking underneath -fallingforboys

i don't know how to breathe in the place i called home - fallingforboys

whisper your gossamer truths into the shadow, maybe you'll find the answers you're searching for - fallingforboys

between the mountains and the valley we built a monument to our regret - eneiryu

cracked the hinges of the cage and waited for you - eneiryu

okay and finally: since i am a self centered whore

my own fic: an rendition of the # elevator scene

it’s basically my version of post canon if we did get the kiss in the elevator. we got a classic liam pov in which he is has 12/10 for extreme bi diaster energy even whilst being shot at !! so go him ig…

Fuck Off, Fuck This & Fuck It! - nefelibata_peach

Summary: Liam thought to himself heart rate climbing, they were bound to be dead by morning. So he thought with everything but his brain and he kissed him.

Where Liam Dunbar is very confused, slightly traumatized, and just a bit scared but hey, aren't they all! Bad decisions ensue as two boys fight in a war they never did sign up for.

Rating: Teen and Up, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Chapters: 1/1, Words: 3558 ( 3k )

#this took me so long #please go read these or i’ll cry #fan fiction #fan fic recs #teen wolf fic recs #thiam fanfiction #thiam fic recs #thiam #theo raeken #liam dunbar #theo x liam #teen wolf fandom #teen wolf gay #teen wolf #ao3 #fuck you fuck this & fuck it #thiam fanfic rec #thiam fanfic #thiam is endgame

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thebloggerbloggerfun · 4 years ago

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@jellydeans: so are cas and jimmy novak just up in heaven existing at the same time @katebushstandean: #jimmy moves to heaven timbuku so that dean stops trying to make out with him every time they run into each other at the heaven grocery store

LINK

Thanks for letting me write this, guys!!

AO3 (2.1k)

The thing about Heaven was that it was whatever you wanted it to be, and most of its residents wanted it to be familiar.

Technically, Dean didn’t need to fill his car up on gas anymore, but there was still a gas station just down the street from where his new home was placed. He didn’t need to sleep, but he still had a large king-sized bed he made sure to make use of at least once a day. He didn’t need to eat, but there was a thriving supermarket that catered to whatever he was feeling like eating and always boasted the freshest ingredients for when he wanted to get a little fancy with his cooking.

Like today, for example.

Bobby had said he doubted Dean could make a proper souffle, so obviously Dean had to make the old man eat his words - and a souffle.

Dean stared at all of the different options of eggs, trying to decide if “free-range” vs. “organic” actually meant anything in Heaven, or if it was just meant to give him some sort of familiarity.

He grabbed the “free-range” option and moved on to the dairy.

There was movement out of the corner of his eye in the meat section across the way, and the way his heart stopped in his chest when he turned to look would have killed him if he wasn’t already dead.

It was Cas.

Cas, who Dean had spent every day thinking about since he’d left. Cas, who Dean had been trying to find ever since Bobby told him he was still around. Cas, who Dean still had unfinished business with.

He’d spend hours in bed, staring at the ceiling of his room and rehearsing just what he’d say when he saw him again, but in those scenarios Cas had shown up on his doorstep or in the passenger seat of his car where they could have a moment to just be .

He’d never been buying hamburger meat.

Dean rushed forward, cart forgotten, and skidded to a halt in front of Cas, just as he looked up in surprise.

“I love you -” Dean said in a rush, heart pounding, head reeling, “Of course I love you. You’re - fuck - you’re everything I could ever want and I’m - I’m so damn sorry if I made you feel like you couldn’t have me, too.”

Cas blinked at him, and it was in that moment Dean realized something was wrong.

His expression, his hair, the way he moved, the way he was dressed - all of it was wrong.

None of it was Cas, he’d just been too overwhelmed to see it.

“Oh, uh... hey Dean,” Not-Cas said, and finished putting his selected meat in his basket, “I didn’t didn’t know that you died. Um, if you’re looking for Castiel -“

Dean turned and ran out of the store.

What were the fucking chances that in all of Heaven, he and Cas’s old vessel were neighbors?

Dean gunned the gas pedal on his car as he drove endlessly, trying to walk himself through what exactly had happened the day before.

Jimmy Novak was here.

Jimmy Novak who - last Dean checked - hated him.

Dean had just spewed his feelings all over him without even thinking about the possibility that he wasn’t Cas. He’d been wearing a sweater vest for crying out loud - but he was willing to forgive himself for that one because he didn’t really know how Cas would dress if he had the choice.

His hopes had soared so high when he’d seen the familiar figure, only to be dashed the moment Jimmy had opened his mouth. They sounded absolutely nothing alike - and Dean yearned for the deep gravel of Castiel’s greeting.

Dean’s grip on the wheel tightened.

Where was Cas?

Didn’t he know that there was nothing keeping them apart now?

In what could only be an act of fate smiling down on him, Dean zoomed around a corner near the Heavenly library, and instantly had to stomp on the brakes of the Impala as a trenchcoat-clad figure stepped into the previously empty crosswalk.

Old habits die hard - Dean was still going to brake for Heavenly pedestrians, especially ones that looked like Cas.

Cas turned to look at him, eyes wide, and Dean shoved the driver’s side door open in a panic. The trench coat was unmistakable this time.

“Cas! Cas - don’t go okay? I gotta -“

Cas shook his head sharply and let out a breath.

“No - Jesus Christ - it’s still me, you idiot.”

Dean gaped at him as his brain tried to catch up with the conflicting bits of information it was processing.

“...what?” He heard himself saying.

Had he just wanted it to be Cas so bad that he’d ignored all the signs?

Jimmy gestured at himself like it was enough of an explanation.

“Uh. Yeah.”

“But - but you’re wearing his trenchcoat! ” Dean said, waved at it like maybe Jimmy hadn’t realized he was walking around as the mockery of the angel who’d once shared a living space with him.

Jimmy placed an affronted hand on his own chest.

“It was my trenchcoat!”

Frustration boiled inside of him and Dean quickly slid back into the car and slammed the door shut behind him.

He sped off, once again running from what could have been.

Dean was sulking under a pile of blankets in his bed when there was a knock at his door.

He ignored it.

After a few moments of silence, the knocking came again, louder and more insistent this time.

Grumbling to himself, Dean threw the blankets off and trudged down the stairs, flinging open the door with a scowl.

A person with nearly combed hair was standing on the doorstep holding a six-pack of beer in one hand and had a sticker on his shirt that said, ‘Hello, my name is Jimmy’.

“Very funny.” Dean said flatly.

“It’s not funny. It’s just in case you try to kiss me or something.” Jimmy held up the six-pack expectantly. “Can I come in?”

Dean didn’t appreciate the ribbing, but he didn’t mind the beer.

And after accosting him twice he might as well let the guy do what he wanted.

“Yeah, whatever.” Dean grumbled and left the door open as he walked back inside and flopped onto his couch. “Why are you here? Don’t you hate me?”

Jimmy hummed as he set the beer down on the coffee table and took a seat opposite Dean.

“I don’t not hate you.” He said with a shrug. “But last time we talked you were trying to convince me to chain myself to a comet again and I can’t say I appreciated it.”

Dean grunted in acknowledgment.

“I’ve been in heaven for a while now. It’s nice here. I take a yoga class with my wife.” Jimmy smiled at him. “I think I’m in a much better mental space now to consider liking you, especially if we’re going to be neighbors.”

Dean winced.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to like Jimmy, it was just… that was Cas’s face. It wasn’t , but it was. Was he really going to have to be constantly taunted with it?

“Look man - I’m sorry about - you know. That.” Dean waved a hand in the air generally. “But you don’t have to do all this. I’ll stop harassing you.”

“That would be nice,” Jimmy said, opening one of the cans and taking a swig, “So, considering the things you’ve said to me, I take it he finally told you he loved you?”

Dean paused, still raw every time he thought about it.

“You knew?”

Jimmy smirked.

“That angel’s love for you permeated both of our beings so potently I’m amazed I don’t love you.” Jimmy said, like it was the kind of fact you could drop casually. “Though even I will admit, as a happily married heterosexual man, that having a man as handsome as you proclaim your love to me in the middle of a grocery store was very exciting.”

Dean dropped his head into his hands and groaned loudly.

“Don’t beat yourself up over it,” Jimmy said, “That first one was pretty good. I’m sure he’s going to love it.”

“He’s never gonna hear it.” Dean muttered.

“Sure he will. You’ve already practiced it twice.”

“I can’t find him!” Dean said, and looked back up, “He’s here somewhere, and I can’t find him. It’s killing me.”

Jimmy held out a beer can.

“Good thing you’re already dead.”

Begrudgingly, Dean accepted the beer and opened it.

“I just. . . I just wanna see him again.” Dean took a long drink. “I want to talk to him. Tell him everything. Share everything. If he wants that.”

Dean let out a long breath, expecting Jimmy to interject with a quip.

He looked over at him when nothing happened, and Jimmy was smiling at him in a way that Dean could only describe as ‘fond’.

“What?” Dean said, indignantly.

“Nothing.” Jimmy said innocently. “You’re just not what I expected.”

Dean looked away.

“Anyway, you asked why I’m here,” Jimmy took another drink, “I’ve seen Castiel.”

“What?” Dean jumped to his feet, beer can dropped to the floor and forgotten about. “Why didn’t you lead with that?”

“I’m an enigma,” Jimmy shrugged a shoulder and leaned back against the plush chair, “Anyway, I wanted to let you know as someone who has literally been in Castiel’s head - I'm pretty sure I know the reason he’s not showing himself to you.”

“Well, fucking spill.”

Jimmy paused.

“Why do you love him?”

Of all the things Dean had been expecting Jimmy to say - this wasn’t it.

Dean sat back down.

“Why?” He asked, a little breathless. “Why does it matter?”

Jimmy shrugged again.

“I guess -” Dean said, trying to unspool his emotions from the knot they’d made in his heart, “He’s - he’s Cas. He cares . . . so much about everyone and - and he’s selfless and kind and he fucking saved me in more ways than just one. He’s always been there for me and Sam and he’s just… he’s just. He’s just good . I’ll never deserve him, but I want to try.”

Dean sucked in a deep breath.

“He pulls me away from the edge, man. I just love him.”

Jimmy nodded once, set down his beer can, and in a bizarre turn of events, began yelling at Dean’s ceiling.

“Did you hear that, Castiel? Not one goddamn thing about how you look! Nothing about me or my vessel!”

Dean stared, dumbfounded.

“Wh-”

“He doesn’t care what you look like! Can you please just come talk to him so I can stop playing marriage counselor for you two?”

Care how he - what?

What was happening?

Before Dean could fully compile all of the new information, there was a hesitant knock at the front door.

Dean whipped his head towards Jimmy, who was smiling in satisfaction.

Nearly tripping over himself, Dean rushed to the door faster than he’d rushed towards anything in his life, and swung it open.

In front of him was the wavelength of celestial intent that Dean had always known existed inside of the vessel of Jimmy Novak - the glint of angelic creation he’d caught glimpses of in the glow of his eyes and in his healing touch. The being was massive and stretched high into the sky with what was (maybe three? four??) pairs of wings scraping the clouds even further above everything. He was flaming rings and rotating divine faces that Dean could barely comprehend - he was raw power and all-knowing eyes.

On the front of his form was a sticker that read, ‘Hello, my name is Castiel’.

“. . . Hello Dean.” The voice rumbled through the air like thunder.

“Cas?” Dean said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I - yes. I’m sorry. I lost my vessel to the Empty - this was the only way -”

“I love you, too.”

The rotating faces on the form towering above him froze in place.

“I do! I love you, Cas. Okay? You didn’t let me say it back before - and if I’ve ever made you feel like I couldn’t love you back, I’m so fucking sorry. You deserve better.”

“. . . you love me?”

Dean nodded, his heart clenching at the disbelief he could hear in Cas’s voice.

“ Even as this?”

“You’ve always been this.” Dean swallowed. “I fell in love with the angel, not the vessel.”

“Dean. . .”

Dean smiled up at him in understanding.

“Just a shame that we’ll have to get a bigger house.”

“Oh I can -”

And as Dean looked on, Castiel began to shrink. The form didn’t change - he was still as striking as he’d been the first time with his wings and halos and faces still firmly in place - but he was now maybe one foot taller than Dean instead of one hundred.

“- make myself more manageable.”

Dean grinned and took a step forward, giddy and thrilled that this was finally, actually happening

He reached up, resting a hand on one of the divine faces.

“Bite-sized.” He murmured fondly.

Jimmy’s voice cut through the moment from somewhere behind them.

“Just so you two know - I. Am. Moving!”

#spn #destiel #destiel ficlet #spn coda #jimmy novak #akasdflks I barely know what this is guys I'm sorry #sometimes I write

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