#i want a trebuchet

[lauronk]

Springald and idk what that is but I am mad jealous of the October babies with their trebuchet

[cephalopodsquad]

[therighthandofvengeance]

Delenn saw Sheridan's catapult and offered him a trebuchet in its place

[andi-o-geyser]

HEY! HEY YOU! YOU UPDATED YOUR PAGE TWENTY-SIX MINUTES AGO! TUMBLR TOLD ME SO! GIVE ME YOUR PERCAHLIA BRAINROT!

Haha, gladly! Buckle in, because the brainrot has been going for weeks now and will not stop. Currently, I’m stuck on their journey to the Water Ashari, where Vex and Percy have the most heartfelt conversation about what they heard during their respective resurrection rituals. Percy basically says that in space of limbo he was stuck in while Orthax was feasting on his soul he could only hear pure noise and feel pain and he’s tried so hard to not put the experience into words but now he is putting it into words, for Vex, because she deserves the full truth of the offerings that called him back during his ritual. He tells her that he had: “great motivation to live a long life”, which just makes me want to go fucking feral because on a meta level Vex rolled true love’s natural 20 and Tal specifically said that he told Matt to text him because if they didn’t say what Percy wanted to hear, he just fully wouldn’t come back, good resurrection rolls be damned, but despite Pike’s plea for the gods to save him (which was something he explicitly wouldn’t have wanted), Vex told him she loved him and she needed him back, and Percy was called back anyways for her. 

He was ready to let everything go: his sister, his home, his found family and all the friends he’d made, because he was done and he was tired and he felt like he’d completed his journey and earned his tragic end, and he even preemptively wrote what essentially functioned as a suicide note for the occasion. But he didn’t die, he came back anyways, and, almost 20 full episodes after the resurrection ritual and exactly 15 episodes after he and Vex first kissed in the snow, he admits to her in this quiet moment on the ship that he heard her. And it was the only thing he heard. 

This contrasts directly with the ritual itself, where after being brought back he thanked Keyleth, saying: “I saw what you did, it was the only thing I saw”, referring to how Kiki severed him from Orthax, but he also explicitly states that he couldn’t hear her, he just saw her hand reach out. And when she hears it you can just see Laura play it brilliantly, because Vex looks so dejected as he says it in that scene post resurrection. She’s so full of this sudden grief at something she’s barely had but already lost, which was her confession of love to him because he just said he only saw Keyleth, and that means he doesn’t remember Vex’s plea for his life. But he did remember, and it was the only thing he remembered and the only thing that mattered. But he didn’t tell her not because of any time he needed to consider if he felt the same way, because he was already head over heels just like she was; he didn’t say anything because she just bore her heart in front of all their friends, all their family, and he didn’t want to put her on the spot like that. 

“I never would have hoped... you’re far too wonderful for an idiot. I treasure every minute”. Percy knows and Vex knows that he was very well almost gone for good, and Vex saved his life by calling out to him the way she did. He never would have hoped she felt the same way, he never would have hoped the heart she was referring to when confronting Saundor was his, but he treasures every minute they have together because they both know what they could have lost, and after the Thordak, Raishan, and second Raishan fight, this is even more potent because they both either went to death saves or outright died and had to be revivified. And she treasures every moment right back. They’re so deeply in love, and they have such an immense respect for each other that as soon as Vex asks at the top of the scene what he heard during his resurrection Percy instantly catches on that she’s both probably curious about Scanlan’s ritual, but also still feeling insecure about him not mentioning her contribution, and the entire subsequent scene is basically him both working through the remnants of trauma from the experience but also laying it out in an considerate way for her, and apologizing for any pain he caused. 

And then they get drunk and imply they’re going to have sex in a closing line. It’s peak Perc’ahlia and it makes me go insane 

[ukulelegodparent]

It is truly terrible to work at a festival where you don't really listen to the music there. Like I'm at this huge goth festival rn and my goth friends when I told them were quite jealous but truly all I can say about it is like. The market I was supposed to go to this weekend has a working trebuchet and really you cannot compete with that

[miodiodavinci]

woughh,,,,, busy,,,,,,,,,

[darewolfcreates]

pov your getting a child launched at you

[call-me-strega]

Dc x DP Prompt #8: Best Friend’s Brother

Preface: this prompt can be used with different characters but I’m writing it as Dead on Main bc that’s my favorite. Also the colleges I mention are real colleges from the DCU

~~~

Danny Fenton was 18 when he moved to Gotham for college.

It was the only place with a half decent engineering program that would take a kid with his record; drop in grades, unexplained absences, missing class, a disciplinary record, etc. Plus there was a decent saturation of both magic and ectoplasm in Gotham’s air. After he got accepted he decided to tell his parents he was Phantom. They reacted surprisingly well all things considered. They were horrified to learn they’d been hunting their son but it quickly turned into acceptance to listen to what he had to tell them. Now they turned their obsession from hunting ghosts to learning more about ghost more humanely. He also managed to get his former rouges to agree to call off any major shenanigans in favor of less destructive outlets. (He got Ember a TikTok and a YouTube channel, he set up a drag racing circuit in the realms for Johnny and Kitty, let Technus enter the internet as long as he stayed within Amity’s grid or help Ember manage her stuff, allowed Desiree grant wishes for Make a Wish Foundation kids so long as she didn’t horribly twist them, etc.)

Now with the town not at constant risk of danger and his parents agreeing to really handle any rouge ghosts, Danny could leave Amity with a clear conscience. His friends were also growing up and heading to their own colleges. Tucker was heading to Ivy University in New England, which rivaled MIT in terms technological prestige, and Sam decided on Vandermeer University in Pittsburg, which had a reputation for being a very liberal, anti-authority campus. Although their trio would be spread out, Danny found comfort in the fact that they’d all moved from the Midwest to the Northeast.

With promises to stay in touch a visit. Danny got set up in GCU’s dorms, ready to move into the next chapter of his life.

~

Danny Fenton was 20 when Tim Drake (age 19 but nearing 20) officially became one of his best friends.

They had been introduced to each other by their mutual friend Sebastian Ives for a new Warlocks and Warriors campaign. Their friendship extended beyond WnW when they ended up on the same Applied Physics and Mechanics class. It was cemented when they got pair up for a project in class and had to spend lots of time around each other.

Danny didn’t mind that Tim tended to be a bit flaky and Tim didn’t mind that Danny was possibly not 100% human. They didn’t ask each other too many questions about that stuff. They knew the other had something odd about him and that was fine with them. It was nice to have a causal friend they could be normal with, without being questioned about their more peculiar behaviors.

They officially became best friends when the built a Rube Goldberg machine with a working trebuchet within an hour of the three they had to complete it for their Applied Phys-Mech final. Danny introduced Tim to Sam, Tucker and Jazz. Tim introduced him to Steph, Tam, and Cass. They texted and hung out fairly often. They truly did consider each other one their best friends.

~

Danny Fenton is 22 when he meets Tim’s family.

Tim’s 21st birthday is coming up and he has plans with his family the day of and is going out with his friends, including a couple from out of town, that night. They want to take him out for his first drink and it’s fortunate timing since it’s the weekend so nobody has to worry about classes. Everyone who was going was already informed that Tim would be spending most of the day with his family before Steph and Cass would bring to the club everyone was meeting up at. Which is why it’s purely a coincidence when he runs into them at BatBurger during the lunch rush.

Danny had just picked up the part-time job to earn a little extra cash to pay for his hobbies. Tim new about it but didn’t know the exact location he worked. That’s why they were both presently surprised when they heard each others voices in the drive through. When they pulled up to window Danny saw his friend leaning over a tired looking black-haired man, trying to stick his head out of the drivers window to give Danny a maniacal grin.

He quickly introduced the other passengers of the car as his dad, Bruce, and three of his brothers Dick, Jason, and Duke. He mentioned he had a fourth brother, Damian, who was still at home. Danny couldn’t really see everyone all that well on account of they were inside a car but he happily greeted them as well. They laughed and Danny wished Tim a happy birthday saying he’d see him at his celebration later tonight before handing them their food. He could the rowdy boys ribbing their brother as the car drove away and Danny resumed his work.

That incident seemed to have opened a gate because now Tim felt more comfortable inviting him over when his brothers were still around the house. He occasionally talked about his family more and Danny returned the favor letting snippets of his own family spill a little more. Occasionally, he’d see Tim’s family outside of his interactions with Tim.

He’d run into Damian, and sometimes Bruce or Dick was with him, at the museum or in the park while the younger had been walking his dog and stopped to say hi a couple of times. He chatted with Dick a couple of times when they were both in line to get coffee at a cafe. He saw Duke on a college tour once and waved at him.

The family member he probably saw the most other that Tim (and by extension Cass) was actually Jason. He’d ended up ditching BatBurger to get some more practical experience at an apprenticeship at the auto shop Jason went to to get his motorcycle serviced. The two of them got along pretty well and would often make conversation when Jason was waiting on his bike to be ready or to get his bill.

At first is was small talk about little things like how he and Tim were doing in class or how their days were going but they soon grew to have genuine interests in each other. Jason let Danny talk about space and mechanics and even gave his own thoughts sometimes, once helping Danny realize he was over complicating the circuit board of the device he was building. In return Danny let Jason ramble to him about literature, even taking the initiative to read a book Jason mentioned so he could talk to him about it better. Their conversation tended to be on the briefer side but were always enjoyable to both parties.

Danny actually liked being around Jason a lot but didn’t really bring that fact up a lot around Tim as it didn’t seem necessary. Tim was pretty glad that Danny got along with his family but he preferred to keep them in separate places in his mind. Danny knew and respected that, only really mentioning that he’d seen them recently and that they’d told him to say hi on their behalf (or die in Damian’s case occasionally).

~

Tim Drake was 22 when he came to a horrific realization.

Well, perhaps horrific was a bit of an exaggeration. Tim wasn’t necessarily horrified by the revelation. In all honesty he didn’t know how to feel. He felt an odd mixture of protectiveness, possessiveness, confusion, and optimism(?).

You see, Tim and Danny had been hanging out in the campus center, studying and goofing off when he got a text from Jason saying he was coming to pick him up for family dinner at the manor since he was closest and Dick was busy picking up Duke and Damian from their after school clubs.

“What’s up?” Danny asked him curiously.

Tim set his phone on the table and started putting his stuff away. “My brother is coming to pick me up for family dinner so I gotta head out soon.”

“Ah well I should probably get going too. Tell Dick I said hi.”

“Actually, it’s Jason. Dick is picking up Duke and Damian,” he said shoving his textbook into his bag.

“Oh? That’s nice of him. Hey do you wanna just head out together?” Danny asked, fidgeting with his hoodie strings.

Tim noticed a slight strain in Danny’s voice at the mention of Jason but didn’t comment. He just nodded his head sure and walked outside with Danny. They got out to the street when Tim realized he’d left his phone in the library. He faced palmed and asked Danny if he could hold his stuff so it wouldn’t slow him down as he ran back to the campus center to get his phone. Danny agreed to and hold his stuff and wait for Jason while Tim went back.

After getting his phone Tim started heading back to where he left Danny when he saw that Jason had arrived that Jason had arrived and was talking to Danny. He was about to call out to them when he noticed several things in quick succession. Danny was fidgeting with his hoodie, something he tended to do when nervous. The tips of Danny’s ears were a light shade of pink (it isn’t cold out yet?). Danny looked deeply absorbed in his conversation with Jason in a way that reminded Tim of how he talked about space. And Jason seemed just as absorbed in the conversation as well.

The gears in Tim’s head went into overdrive and he realized ‘Ah- Danny has a crush on Jason’. His eyes widened as his head whipped around to examine Jason again. He saw a look of genuine fondness in his eyes. Thus Tim was confronted with the aforementioned horrific realization and complicated feelings. Tim didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or both.

‘My dumbass best friend has a crush on my brother. And worse(?), my idiot brother returns those feelings.’

[thestuffedalligator]

Thoughts on magic words in fantasy settings.

I really like the idea of magic words as just a release pin on a trebuchet. The word itself is meaningless. A wizard makes a spell, winds it up to take effect, and designates a word to trigger that effect when spoken aloud, and the reason magic words are so weird is because you really really emphatically don’t want the trigger to be something that comes up in conversation.

This is different from magic rhymes. Everything sings, and old magic, truly old magic, wants to sing. The Kalevala tells us that Väinämöinen could sing the mountain cliffs to crumble, could sing a wooden sledge to turn back into budding branches. “Grandly sang wise Väinämöinen/Till the copper-bearing mountains/And the flinty rocks and ledges/Heard his magic tones and trembled.” Magic sings, and making a magic rhyme is to harmonize with magic itself.

And that includes “Skidaddle skidoodle your dick is now a noodle”

[sillystringpasta]

i would kill to see a Home Alone adjacent AU with tim drake. teeny tiny timmy drake, when jason is still robin.

the premise is this:

tim's still feral, still stalks the streets at night, and hasn't yet learned physical combat. but he has unlimited time, and the bats for neighbours, so he has mechanical knowhow already by sheer want of... idk, getting closer to the wayne family through buisiness? being a good heir to drake industry's RnD? being a freak?

he also has Jack Drake's shotgun at home, and a lot of money.

the drake parents bring something home from their most recent archaeological dig. this thing is maybe alien, maybe tech, maybe magic. they don't know that, but they do know it's old, so they add it to their manor's collection.

and then they, canon typically, leave.

so tim has this artefact in his manor's vault, and he studies it because his parents(!) brought it home(!!!). he doesn't figure it out at the start, and he quickly gets distracted, because some crooks come for it.

here is the story my brain has cooked so far:

it starts with the local mob groups' lowest goons who can be trusted not the drop The Artefact. maybe falcone?

tim calls the police on them as they break in, and lists the address as the drakes, the rich ones, so the cops actually help.

tim doesn't know why mobster goons just tried to break in, but he does know that the batman is his neighbour. tim knows that he has some sort of security system from the wayne manor galas (he has, after all, not managed to take pictures of where the batmobile is after investigating the garage).

so tim comes to the totally rational conclusion that he needs to trick out the manor. but, like, subtly, so his parents don't get mad when they come back.

as he's making the traps, for fun mostly, serious goons from falcone, and some guys from penguin show up. they fight each other, and tim, again, calls the cops. they take the unconcious (and shot) goons off the front lawn, and ask tim about being Home Alone.

after some gaslighting, tim builds serious traps.

and thank god he does, because black mask goons show up. and a bm enforcer. ruh-roh. they somehow get taken out by the traps, and tim chugs so much coffee making new ones that he blacks out and can't remember some of the new traps he makes (hello chekov! we've already seen you here :).

then comes the riddler himself, having heard about the puzzle traps, and wanting to just, y'know, play a game. after finding out it's a kid stepping on his toes, he's gonna go, but then tim offers to buy some trap components from the riddler. a lucrative allience is established.

riddler goes to try and find out what the other bosses are trying to steal. catwoman catches wind of the investigation from his questioning; that people are struggling to steal a valuable item from a rich mansion. (tim also learns this is about The Artefact from the riddler, when he drops off some... materials.)

catwoman interrupts a theft attempt from... idk, deadshot, or deathstroke, hired (by luthor?) to get the Artefact. after getting beat up by tim, both are horrified by tim's living situation, ironically the mercenary's more than catwoman because they are Dads tm.

so now tim has two gotham rogue's and a mercenary on his side, who help make more traps (and subtly make them lethal) and give him some shooting lessons with his dad's gun. which is good, because the moment they leave, the court of owls show up, having gotten word from the goons to the social elite about the drake family's new Artefact.

the talon's don't die from the new lethal traps, but they do get their zombie selves stuck in them. the league of assassins show up. the talons were given orders to not be seen. being unseen is standard LoA operating procedure. they kill each other unitl the only one left is a young pru. (from canon red robin's brucequest, if you don't remember her.)

the bodies are dumped outside, into the yard, by being trebucheted off a balcony. poison ivy turns around and leaves without even getting started. she takes the bodies with her. whatever is pumped into the talon's is great ferilizer, and the basic nitrogen in blood is pretty good too.

things escalate more.

the Artefact begins to glow in a lonely vault. a heavy hitter shows up, and so does Klarion, attracted to the chaos. they fight. batman is distracted from this by investigating what is happening in the lower levels of the gangs, and why the riddler is smuggling so much weird, random shit. no seriously, why is he smuggling silly string??? use it to start inefficiant fires? (fun fact, ss is highly flammable.) and the industrial amounts of glitter??? Riddle me this, Batman, who is the world's largest consumer of glitter?

miraculously, drake manor is undamaged by the fight.

tim wasn't at the manor that night, he was stalking batman again. he will never know that this happened either.

but pru was there, deciding if she should stay or return to the league. this makes her choose to stay. tim gets a sister, and he doesn't even have to date her first!

pru also helps tim get ready for school the next morning, and is at the manor during the rest of the day, scoping out the interior.

alfred pennyworth does notice the lightshow, and he goes over to talk to the neighbours himself that morning, because really, he can handle some noise disturbances, he handled young master bruce after all.

he knocks on the door.

the riddler is inside, setting up silly string streamers and glitter with a few other rogues, goons, mercenaries, a baby assassin, and some small children of deadshot/deathstroke.

it's tim's birthday.

alfred considers this situation very seriously, and decides to bring master jason Robin over, to moniter the situation (relax and socialize with other kids).

tim comes home to a surprise party, from people who are concerned about him, and care for him.

it's all he's ever wanted.

(the wish granting Artefact dissolves into shimmery dust.)

the party goes smashingly. it's great. there's a massive cake, and no clowns jump out of it.

tim has spent the last month being harassed by superpowered and unpowered crooks. he goes to another room to cry from happiness, when the distinctive sound of one of his traps goes off. it's not one he remembers making. he hears an adult man swearing.

he gets his dad's gun.

a large figure bursts into the party. tim reacts before anyone else.

he shoots.

it's batman.

tim shoots his shotgun at batman, who broke in thinking alfred had been abducted and used to sign jason out of school.

catwoman catches it on video.

tim is mortified. so is batman. everyone else thinks it's the best party ever.

the party continues. tim is presented with several adoption offers. he cries again, and says yes to all of them.

tim has a vigilante's happily ever after.

[spoonyglitteraunt]

I've seen a lot of takes on sag joining the strike go by. Some focus on the fact that most actors are in fact not big names being paid big bucks so don't let the studios fool you. And yes very good, don't trust company propaganda.

Others talk about the less frequently mentioned (and more challenging) take that every actor, and writer too, deserves to be paid fairly for their work. Yes even if they are the big names who have already been paid bigger bucks. Excellent, love to see workers' solidarity and people learning the difference between well paid and hoarding money indiscriminately.

But the one I so far haven't seen mentioned, is the fact that you in fact want the big names with the big bucks there. You need them to join in. They add the weight, the leverage and are harder obstacles to ignore.

Let me put it this way.

Sag and wga members are the army besieging the castle and the big names are the trebuchets ready to fuck shit up.

[jksarchives]

THE LOVE BUG (AND A SPIDER)

Jungkook is well aware of your extreme fear of spiders for as long as he could remember you. You never fail to remind him of your Sunday chores together of sweeping every corner of the house to look out for the creepy crawlers that could be hiding anywhere.

➪ PAIRING; jungkook x reader

➪ GENRE; humour, fluff, established relationship

➪ TAGS/WARNINGS; drabble, humour, established relationship, reader is really scared of spiders, jk is annoying but a cutie, brief tears and comfort

➪ WORD COUNT; 1.3k

▎13 AUGUST 2023 — [10:35 a.m.]

Sunday mornings in your apartment always had the same chaotic rhythm: music blaring from the bluetooth speaker, laundry in a haphazard pile on the couch, and a thin layer of dust your husband had been promising to clean “next week” for the past month.

For you and Jungkook, it was your ritual. Sunday’s always been your house-cleaning day, and while you approached it like a military operation, Jungkook treated it like an improv show. Although it was a shared act of love, it was mainly irritation wrapped in Clorox wipes and mismatched socks.

Jungkook was assigned the bathroom which he approached with theatrical groans of suffering, while you tackled the living room with a feather duster.

“Jungkook, how does toothpaste even get on the ceiling? Are you conducting some sort of experiments in there?” you hollered over the music.

“I told you, babe, it's a science thing. You wouldn't understand,” he called back, voice muffled under running water. You rolled your eyes but couldn't hide the smile tugging at your lips.

“You're the only guy I know who thinks 'science' involves a toothbrush trebuchet” you scoffed.

“I accept that as a compliment,” Jungkook shouted proudly.

The two of you continued to clean while Jungkook continued to complain about how he should’ve been hanging out with his boys for yet another dangerous round of skateboarding at the skatepark. The man was pushing the age of thirty yet his body was as solid as he was back in high school.

“You missed a spot,” Jungkook said, leaning against the doorway, grinning. And you, crouched by the coffee table with a rag in hand, glared up at him.

“Do you want to help, or do you just want to supervise?” you asked.

“Oh, l'm a phenomenal supervisor” he said

“You're also fired” he then added.

Jungkook laughed as he strolled into the kitchen to take care of the ‘dishes’ portion of your cleaning routine, though his version of ‘taking care’ usually involved stacking dirty mugs like a game of jenga and then wandering off.

You rolled your eyes but couldn't suppress the fond smile tugging at your lips. Living with Jungkook was like sharing a home with a hyperactive puppy. It was exhausting, but impossible not to love.

Half an hour later, you were in the bedroom dusting under the bed with your trusty duster wand, when your hand froze.

Something moved.

You tilted your head, peering closer.

A spider.

No, not a spider. A nightmare with eight legs.

Your stomach flipped. Your throat tightened, and a strangled yelp escaped before you stumbled backward, your hand slapping over your mouth.

The spider didn't care. It sat there, unmoving, a sinister blot against the hardwood floor.

“J-JUNGKOOK!” you shrieked as your voice cracked with panic.

“Yeah?” came his distant reply, muffled by the sound of running water.

“Jungkook! Get in here now!” you screamed.

Something in your tone must've conveyed the urgency because seconds later, Jungkook appeared in the doorway, his hands dripping with soap suds.

“What's —oh”

He spotted the spider immediately. You were already on the bed, knees pulled to your chest, arms wrapped around yourself like you were holding yourself together.

“Get rid of it!” you demanded, scared for your life.

Jungkook’s mouth twitched, and your eyes narrowed.

“Don't you dare laugh,” you warned, your voice shaking.

“Babe,” he said, holding up a hand like he was trying to be serious.

“It's just a spider” he tried to reassure you, which did absolutely nothing to calm you down. Instead it irritated you.

“It's not ‘just a spider’, it's-it's—” you gestured wildly towards the creature, your words dissolving into an unintelligible squeak.

“Look at it!” you pointed.

Jungkook crouched for a closer inspection, his head tilting thoughtfully. “Yeah, okay, that's a big one. I think I saw it carrying a briefcase” he commented.

“Jungkook!”

“Sorry! Sorry!” he stood, rubbing the back of his neck.

You sniffled, and his teasing grin faltered as his head turned to you.

“Are you...crying?” he asked.

“I hate them,” you whispered, your voice breaking.

“I hate them, Jungkook. Just-please get rid of it” you told him desperately.

Jungkook’s playfulness evaporated instantly. He crossed the room in two strides and reached for you, his hands warm and steady as they found your shoulders.

“Hey, hey, it's okay. I'll take care of it, I promise. Don't cry baby” he comforted.

You nodded, hiccupping as you buried your face against his chest. For a moment, Jungkook just held you, one hand smoothing over your hair while the other rubbed slow circles on your back. He could feel how tense you were because your whole body was vibrating with barely contained panic.

“Alright,” he said gently, pulling back.

“Here's the plan. You stay up here on your throne-”

“It's not a throne, it's a bed” you corrected him

“Same thing. And I'll deal with Lord Arachnid over there” he replied.

“Just kill it” you mumbled.

“No way” Jungkook straightened, grabbing an empty cereal box from the dresser.

“We're doing a catch-and-release operation. This guy's going back into the wild where he belongs” he said. You opened your mouth to argue, but Jungkook had already sprung into action.

He approached the spider with exaggerated stealth and crouched low like a big-game hunter.

“Okay, pal, this is your eviction notice” he murmured, and the spider twitched.

Jungkook froze, “whoa. He's fast” he let out a tiny gasp.

“Don't say that!” you groaned, clutching a pillow to your chest like it was a lifeline.

With careful precision, Jungkook lowered the cereal box over the spider, trapping it with a triumphant flourish.

“Gotcha!”

He slipped a piece of paper under the box to seal it off, then straightened, holding it aloft like a trophy.

“Mission accomplished. I am the spider whisperer” he said.

“Just take it outside!” you wailed, your knuckles white where they gripped the pillow.

Jungkook chuckled but obeyed, striding toward the balcony. He slid open the door, stepped out, and released the spider into the flowerbed below.

“Be free, little dude,” he said, watching it skitter away.

When he came back inside, you were still perched on the bed as your shoulders sagged in relief.

“All clear,” your husband said, grinning. You stared at him for a long moment, then burst into tears.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Jungkook crossed the room, his smile vanishing as he climbed onto the bed beside you.

“What's wrong? It's gone, I swear!” he tried to reassure you.

“I know,” you sniffled, wiping at her eyes.

“I just.. I can't help it. They scare me so much, and I feel so stupid-” but you were cut off.

“Hey” he cupped your face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away your tears.

“You're not stupid, okay? You're brave as hell. That thing was terrifying” he said, trying to be honest.

“You laughed,” you mumbled.

“I wasn't laughing at you,” he said softly.

“I just…I didn't realize how upset you were. I'm sorry, baby” he pouted. You leaned into his touch as your breathing finally started to steady.

“You're annoying, you know that?” you told him.

“Yeah, but you love me anyway” he chuckled.

“Unfortunately” you sighed.

Jungkook smirked, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“You're lucky I love you enough to battle giant spiders for you” he said and you snorted, half-laughing, half-crying.

“Giant spiders, huh?”

“Absolutely. That thing could've been in the Olympics” he answered.

“Shut up,” you told him, but you were smiling now as the tension eased from your body.

Jungkook pulled you into his arms and cradled you against his chest. You both stayed like that for a while as the world outside faded into the background as he held you close.

“I don't know what I'd do without you,” you murmured eventually.

“You'd probably have to move,” Jungkook said, grinning against your hair.

“Probably” you hummed.

“Good thing you're stuck with me, then”

You tilted your head to look at him, your eyes still red but full of warmth.

“Yeah,” you said softly, “good thing”.

[sansaorgana]

— DECEPTION (X – SAURON)

DECEPTION MASTERLIST ALTERNATIVE ENDING (ADAR)

PAIRING — Sauron x fem!Elf!Reader // Adar x fem!Elf!Reader

SUMMARY — You already made your decision to remain by Adar's side but your former lover has different plans.

AUTHOR’S NOTE — First of all, thank you so much for your comments under every part and your support because this fic (and this fandom) was what brought back my joy for writing! 😊 I am aware most of you wants to see The Reader from this fic with Adar but I still wanted to let you make a choice and I had an idea for this storyline either way, so... 🤷🏻‍♀️ The very cold line Some are born for sacrifice is taken from another fantasy TV show – The Shannara Chronicles. 😅 I loved while watching the show and I remembered about it while writing this story. I think it suits. 🤐 This part is more canon-like than the alternative ending where The Reader chooses Adar tbh.

WARNINGS — forced/arranged marriage, Reader is NOT a good person – she is proud, greedy, fake and corrupted by Sauron, "love" triangle situationship, YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS 💀

WORD COUNT — 4,930

ENGLISH IS MY SECOND LANGUAGE.

DECEPTION (X – SAURON)

You spent the rest of the day and half of the night inside the forest, in your new favourite place, feeling uneasy. Alone, just in case Sauron wanted to reach out to you again. But he was not making such attempts and it was making you anxious more than ever. His wrath was something you did not want to experience yourself and you knew very well that you had earned it.

Nervously fidgeting with the wedding band around your finger, you were sitting there by the fallen tree and listening to the sounds of the battle taking place nearby. Once more, you felt like sneaking back into the camp, stealing your own horse and running away to some place where no one knew you. But you knew you could not. You had to face the consequences of your actions.

Eventually, you took a deep breath in and decided to find Adar. You needed him close to feel safe and secure again because your anxiety was growing bigger and bigger with each given moment.

You found him near your shared tent, surrounded by the Orcs, small fires to light the path and all the war machines that made you realise how truly close you were to the battle indeed and how serious the situation was.

As you were approaching Adar from one side, you spotted Glûg walking up to him from the opposite one, with some of his friends standing behind as if they were waiting for him to speak to their Lord Father in the name of them all.

“Lord Father,” Glûg started just when you stood next to your husband and wrapped your trembling hands around his arm, happy that he was still there; that Sauron’s rage had not taken him away from you just yet. “The wall is stronger than we thought,” Glûg continued with his head slightly bowed down. “We may not breach it before morning. The Elf is faring better than you expected,” he added. “His troops have already destroyed five of our trebuchets. Many Uruk are dying,” he emphasised, his voice filled with pain and fear. “What are your orders, Lord Father? Shall we sound retreat?”

“No,” Adar’s answer was quick, nearly harsh. It caused a shiver to go down your spine as you watched with interest the conversation between him and his son. “Sauron must not escape,” Adar stated and turned around in your direction, putting his arm around your back to walk you inside the tent. “Bring down that wall. At any cost,” he added.

“Adar!” Glûg exclaimed and you exchanged a meaningful look with your husband. There was desperation but also a hint of disappointment mixed with anger in the Orc’s voice. You both froze and turned around to face him once more. “You told us… You loved us,” Glûg reminded his father in the Black Speech and your heart clenched inside your chest at his words that you could understand perfectly well now.

“With all that is left of my heart,” Adar answered with pain but also determination in his voice. Too much to let you become Sauron’s slaves.”

There was no answer from Glûg or any of the Orcs, so Adar left your side and went inside the tent. You hesitated at the sight of their faces, though. Their expressions did not mean anything good but you had no idea how you could fix it.

Either way, it was an argument between the Orcs and their Lord Father. You were not a side in this conflict. Therefore, you turned around and followed your husband inside the tent.

When you looked around, you spotted that he was angry and crouching down next to a few dead bodies of the Orcs. Lady Galadriel was not around.

“She’s still in the camp. Find her!” He barked at a few Orcs coming inside after you and they nodded before running out.

“What happened?” You asked.

“She escaped,” Adar stood up and showed you a small Elven key Galadriel had to use to get out of her shackles. Suddenly, you realised what Herald Elrond had done while kissing her. He had managed to distract everyone from the fact he had handed her his brooch with a hidden item inside.

“Smart,” you admitted and tilted your head but Adar was not impressed.

“You were supposed to watch over her,” he reminded you, harshly.

“Me?” You were surprised at his words. “I know that you are nervous because the battle is not going the way you planned and I agree with Glûg that we should retreat and go back home but that is no reason for you to take it out on me,” you drawled out through your gritted teeth.

Adar did not say anything to that as he gave you a scolding look and left the tent in a hurry, leaving you speechless. However, not even a minute passed and he was back.

“Forgive me,” he said and extended his hand towards yours. “I might die today and I do not want to leave this world knowing that the very last thing we did was to argue,” he admitted and you sighed, approaching him.

You ignored his extended hand because you threw your arms around his neck instead and you hugged him tight before taking a small step back and cupping his face in your hands.

“Do not say such things, please,” you pleaded and cracked a nervous smile before joining your lips together to kiss him softly before you eventually let him go to join his children.

The battle was getting worse and more ferocious but you remained inside your tent, nervously patting the surface of the wooden table with your fingers. Then, suddenly, angry Glûg entered the tent without even announcing himself. You turned around, surprised and raised an eyebrow at him.

“My Lady,” he bowed his head very slightly, nearly lazily, which was quite uncommon for him.

“What is it, dear?” You tried to be more lighthearted.

“I come to you because Adar remains deaf to my pleas,” Glûg sighed, still standing near the entrance of the tent as if he was scared of approaching you.

“What pleas, Glûg? He will not agree to go back home. Believe me, I’ve tried,” you rolled your eyes slightly and Glûg squinted his small eyes at you.

“That I know, my Lady,” he nodded. “He has just ordered to send the troll in.”

“And what about it?” You inquired. “Have we not brought that filthy creature here to use him in battle?”

“He is killing our own kind!” Glûg tried to protest and you pursed your lips after realising how delicate the situation was indeed.

“I understand,” you nodded and stood up finally to approach him. “However, you must trust your Lord Father’s orders. Some battles require smaller losses to win the big thing in the end. I have lost a lot myself. I have lost things you have no idea of, Glûg,” you only said and he growled but then he looked down at your scolding expression. “We all have a part to play,” you added. “Some are born for sacrifice.”

Glûg looked up at your face as if he was scared of you. Perhaps he was but you were not given more time with him because he left the tent in a hurry. You sighed and went back on the chair. Everything was a mess and you just wanted the battle to be over. The worst thing was the uncertainty.

When the dawn came, you could no longer stay in one place. You left the tent and went deeper into the forest to hide between the tall trees. But instead of going straight to your favourite place, you took a small detour, trying to calm down your pounding heart and your shaky breath.

Your mind was plagued with all the things you could have done differently. You could have told Adar back in Mordor that Halbrand was Sauron. You could have slaughtered him yourself with Morgoth’s crown. You had known then, after all, where Adar was keeping it. You could have discouraged your husband instead of encouraging him when it came to the matter of attacking Eregion.

So many things you could have done differently but you had been blinded by Sauron and his empty promises.

You reached the cliff and there you could witness the true image of what you had caused – burning Eregion, one of the most beautiful Elven cities… now fallen. Your eyes welled with tears but could you really blame yourself? It was all him – Sauron.

“I have promised you, have I not?” His voice filled your head that very moment. You turned around but no one was there as your heart skipped a beat. His voice was overlooming and malicious – he was angry with you and you could feel it despite the physical distance.

“Promised me what?” You asked, angrily.

“I have promised I would destroy them all. All the beautiful Elven cities you felt so small compared to. Mithlond, Eregion… I have promised that you would watch them burn,” Sauron reminded you.

“You have promised me I would watch them burn with a crown upon my head,” you gritted your teeth.

“And you promised me you would bring me the very crown and put it onto my head. Back in Mordor, when I was your prisoner. How sweet you were to me then,” Sauron answered, his voice filled with sinister irony.

“Leave me,” you shook your head and shut your eyes close, letting the warm tears stream down your cheeks.

“You have outdone yourself, I must admit, my love. You might have earned my forgiveness with the army you brought me,” he whispered before leaving your mind as you had requested.

You took a deep breath in and opened your eyes rapidly.

Adar.

You had to find him. You had to find him now.

You gathered your skirts and ran back inside the forest, through the trees and the hidden paths you were able to see perfectly well because of your Elven heritage. Your ancestors had been running through forests like this one – maybe even the same woods. It was in your blood to be able to swiftly move through the trees.

In no time you found yourself in your favourite spot by the fallen tree where the sunlight was creeping in. And as you circled around, wondering where to go, you overheard glimpses of conversations. You immediately recognised your husband’s voice but also… Lady Galadriel’s?

With a furrowed brow, you followed the voices and found yourself approaching a small forest clearing with a stone circle, which had most likely been made by your kin back in the First Age. In the very centre of it stood the biggest stone and Morgoth’s crown was placed upon it.

Your husband was approaching Lady Galadriel and handing her back a Ring – you assumed he had managed to get the one forged by Lord Celebrimbor for her. And the power of this item you could feel even there, hidden between the trees. It was vibrating with pure light and chiming with a beautiful, Elven song.

And Adar’s face was different. It was… Healed. You gasped and took a step ahead but when he turned his face back at you, you could see the scars appearing once more because the Ring was now back on Lady Galadriel’s finger.

“We must go,” you swallowed the lump in your throat as you approached them. “We must go back home. Please,” you grabbed him by his sleeve. “I beg of you,” you added, not caring much about your pride anymore. You didn’t even mind Lady Galadriel’s curious gaze.

“On the contrary,” Adar smiled softly and caressed your cheek. “We have just made ourselves a deal with the Elves” he told you and you furrowed your brows before laying your eyes on Galadriel. She smiled nervously at you. “Together, we might destroy Sauron.”

Hope bloomed deep inside of you once more at his words. You cracked a smile at Galadriel, too.

“Thank you,” you breathed out to her.

But despite all of that, you had a feeling that something was not right. It was too easy. Sauron would never let it happen and he would surely predict it.

“We shall create a lasting peace in Middle-earth,” Adar added and you squeezed his arm tighter, lovingly. “Now and forever.”

You knew that deep down that was all he had ever wanted – for his children to have their own land and live there peacefully as he would watch over them. And you would, too. By his side. You smiled to yourself.

Your small moment of blissfulness was interrupted by a few Orcs carrying Glûg on the stretchers. His face was wincing out of pain and he seemed to be hurt. Adar left your side immediately and you stood there with Galadriel while you observed.

“What happened?” Adar kneeled down to check on his son.

“We found Sauron, Lord Father,” one of the Orcs explained and you moved uncomfortably at that mention. “He tried to make Glûg betray you, but he resisted. So, Sauron did this. The others are pursuing him now.”

“Forgive me, child,” Adar whispered to Glûg.

You wanted to go to him, too but you tilted your head instead when you realised that the rest of the Orcs were not kneeling by their dying brother’s side. No, they were keeping a fair distance as they formed a circle around Adar and Glûg, with their hands close to the hilts of their weapons.

“Adar…” You called his name. “My love, can you come back to me?” You reached out to him with your hand carefully as it trembled.

But he did not listen to you because, at that moment, his son’s pain was his priority.

“It’s too late…” Glûg groaned.

“It’s never too late,” Adar insisted. “Not even for me. And not for you, my son.”

“Adar…!” You insisted but you were ignored once more and tears filled your eyes. You even took a small step closer even though at that moment, you were not sure anymore if you could keep trusting the Orcs.

“It’s too late…” Glûg whimpered as if he was dying and a short moment after you watched in terror how he pierced Adar’s side with his blade.

You shouted and reached for your sword without thinking twice about whether your abilities were enough or not to fight them but when you were about to charge at the Orcs attacking your husband and him not even trying to defend himself… you were stopped.

A hand on your shoulder.

You looked around and saw Sauron’s face so close to yours that you gasped. He had a new form once again but this time it did not differ so much from the previous one. He was a blond Elf now, radiating light and wisdom. A blasphemous image, surely.

His eyes in that moment were nothing but two dark abysses as he was looking you up and down with pure hatred and curiosity.

“Let go of her!” Lady Galadriel ordered and you nearly chuckled at how naive she could be.

“She is exactly where she is supposed to be. By my side,” Sauron smirked and you turned your head around once more to glance at your husband.

Adar was laying on the ground now but he was still alive enough to see. You tried to get free from Sauron’s grasp and he surprisingly allowed it.

There was no point of fighting the Orcs now – there were too many of them. And perhaps some part of you wished for them to do to your body the same thing they had done to your husband. So, you tossed aside Morgoth’s sword because it would only slow you down and you hurried to Adar’s side as you kneeled by him and sobbed.

“Please, stop!” You begged the Orcs but they ignored you. Yet, their blades made sure to not even scratch you as they were piercing through Adar. “Please…” You begged and begged as Adar laid his blue eyes filled with sadness on your face. “My love, please, forgive me… Please…” You caressed his cheeks and his hair as your tears were falling down upon his face. “You can’t die thinking I did not love you. I am so sorry… So, so sorry…”

Sauron approached you all, which caused the Orcs to retreat. You noticed he was holding Morgoth’s crown now in his hand. They were standing in a circle above you and you were kneeling down, holding Adar’s dying body, sobbing and looking up at your corrupted lover.

“Please…” You whispered. “I love him,” you told Sauron.

But Sauron did not react. He only watched with a twisted satisfaction and you squeezed Adar’s cold hand. You felt his fingers trying to squeeze back yours, which only made you sob even more.

“My… children…” He looked at you as he breathed out in the Black Speech.

“They are not children anymore,” Sauron informed him and you shot him a deadly glance. Glûg was standing right next to him and your pain mixed with anger at the thought that it was him out of them all who had betrayed your husband.

“I forgive you,” Adar told you in the Quenya language now and your heart skipped a beat. “I love you.”

You were too heartbroken to say anything to that but you knew that he knew how much you loved him, too. And you knew he understood why you had done all those things – he understood what it meant to be under Sauron’s spell.

Sauron put his hand upon your shoulder and moved you away slightly to make more space for Glûg to finish Adar off with one final stroke as he yelled and you sobbed.

When the fallen Elves die, where do they go?

“What orders, Lord Sauron?” Glûg asked Sauron as all the Orcs bowed down. The very moment their Lord Father let out his last breath.

Crying silent tears, nothing but hatred grew and grew inside of your heart for them now. They were just like everyone had been saying – vile and cruel. They did not know anything about love or loyalty.

They did not deserve Adar.

You did not deserve Adar.

“Raze Eregion,” Sauron ordered but you couldn't care less about anything else now. All that mattered was your husband, laying there dead. You were still squeezing his hand. “Leave no Elf alive but bring me their leaders.”

“Hail Sauron! Hail the new Dark Lord!” Glûg shouted in the Black Speech and the rest followed, screaming it over and over.

In the meantime, you caressed Adar’s face and wiped the black blood streaming down his chin from the corner of his mouth with your thumb. You fixed his hair delicately and closed his eyelids and it nearly looked like he was asleep.

The Orcs finally ran away, passing you by. Sauron kept staring at you with contempt and you looked up with hatred.

“I will be back,” he smirked and walked away to join Lady Galadriel since the business between them was surely not over yet. You watched with gritted teeth how he picked up your sword and claimed it as his.

And, once more, you found yourself not caring. Because it did not matter, after all. Nothing mattered and you felt nothing, too. You were empty.

Sauron and Galadriel began their duel but you did not watch. She hurried away into the forest and Sauron followed her and now all you could hear was the sound of clinking metal.

“Sleep, my dear,” you whispered as you looked down at Adar’s peaceful face and caressed his hair. “Sleep, you deserve it,” you added with a trembling voice.

Your hands went lower to his own because you wanted to take the wedding ring off of his finger to keep it. You did so and then you reached with your fingers inside his sleeve and you sobbed more after finding there the leaves of the holy trees you had married under.

“Oh, Adar…” You lowered yourself to press your forehead to his. “Thank you for everything.”

He was the very first who had shown you love and given you power. You missed him already – his soft smiles at you, the brushes of his fingertips upon your cheeks, his rough voice, his usual calmness, his wisdom. His respect towards you and how safe he was able to make you feel. That you just knew he would never harm you – his wife.

You did not know how much time had passed but you were sitting there without moving an inch, holding Adar’s body close and feeling how his body was slowly getting colder and colder.

Familiar footsteps brought you back to reality. Sauron, wielding your sword in one hand and Morgoth’s crown in another with Galadriel’s blood dripping down from its iron spikes as you looked up to see his angry face.

“She refused you once more,” you pointed out, bitterly. “So you’re back to me. What would you do if she said yes? Would I join my husband in death then?” You asked, calling Adar your husband to spite him.

“She said no and I am here,” Sauron clenched his jaw. “What would you do if he was alive?” He asked and your expression changed because, sadly, he had a point.

He had betrayed you but you had betrayed him, too. It was only fair. But just like you had feared his wrath – perhaps he should fear yours, too. That would be fair as well.

“He is dead and I am here,” you caressed Adar’s cheek one last time and stood up to be on Sauron’s level. “Give me back my sword,” you reached out with your hand but there was no reaction from him. “It was not a plea. The sword is mine, so is Mordor and so is the army. I have earned them,” you stated, harshly and Sauron let out a contemptuous laugh. “The Lady of Light did not follow you and you were a fool for thinking she would even consider it,” you added and Sauron’s laughter stopped in an instant as he shot you a deadly glance.

He could not threaten you with death, though, because it would only mean a reunion with Adar, therefore you did not fear it anymore.

“Only I am rotten enough to follow you, Sauron,” you pointed out, bitterly. “Perhaps all of this had to happen for us to finally realise that we are cursed with one another,” you continued and walked past Adar’s body to get your sword from Sauron’s hands yourself. He allowed you to but he kept watching you closely. “We are doomed to walk side by side, my love,” you whispered but your words were malicious.

You looked deep into his scary eyes although you were sure yours were just as terrifying at that moment. And when you were getting the sword from him, your hands joined together for a moment as you two froze like that.

You hated and despised him. He had betrayed you. And yet, it was true that you had to be doomed to be with him because, still, you felt attracted to him. Still, you would follow him wherever he would go now.

You had nowhere else to go anyway.

“I rue the day I met you,” you told him in Black Speech, “shadow of Morgoth.”

Those words visibly angered him as he tilted his head with a smirk.

“If I am nothing but his shadow, what does that make you? You are merely made in the image of me,” Sauron remarked.

“No, I am my own self. My own person. My own soul with my own desires,” you raised your head high. “If I am to follow you, it will be on different terms this time. It will be as your equal,” you insisted.

“What use are you to me except for warming my bed?” Sauron grabbed you by your chin as he brought your face closer and his hot breath fanned over your skin.

“What use are you to me except for warming mine?” You answered, calmly.

Your spat was interrupted by Glûg himself who ran up to you with one of his friends. At the sight of him, Sauron let go of your chin and you both turned around to face the Orcs.

“We are overwhelmed, Lord Sauron!” Glûg exclaimed after approaching you two and you kept staring at him with nothing but pure hatred and disgust. Like he deserved to be treated after everything he had done. “The Dwarves are securing the Elves’ retreat,” he shook his head, nervously.

Sauron said nothing and kept staring at the Orc with a puzzled expression, surprised that he even dared to file such a complaint. Glûg laid his small and pleading eyes on you as he bowed down.

“If we pursue, many Uruks will die, Lady Mother,” he addressed you and his words caused your jaw to clench as blood boiled in your veins.

“Do not call me that,” you scolded him, harshly, as you glanced briefly at your husband’s dead body before looking back at the Orc. “I have no love for you,” you told him and Glûg’s eyes widened. “You have betrayed the only person who was able to love your filthy kin,” you added and you made your point very clear to the rest by piercing your sword right through him.

And what a satisfaction it brought you to watch him choke on it when it was him who had betrayed your husband the most. You twisted the blade and retreated it as Glûg fell down on the ground and curled up to die.

“What are you staring at?” You barked at his shocked and terrified friend. “Go back and fight!” You ordered and he ran away.

Short silence occurred between you and Sauron. When you finally broke it by sighing and turning around to walk away slightly, you felt his hands on your wrists, pulling you closer once more. His face was right in front of yours but this time there was no threat in them and they were no black abysses anymore but a beautiful shade of green.

However, you moved away.

“I want to give my husband a proper burial,” you crouched down next to Adar’s body. “Then I can go with you.”

You formed the funeral pyre yourself in that favourite spot of yours by the fallen tree. It took you a whole day since you were carefully choosing the best branches to do so. And it was you without anyone’s help moving Adar’s body on top of it. When you were able to finally light the fire, it was dark already but you knew he would prefer it this way.

You hesitated while carrying the torch because you knew that burning him was a definite act. He would be no more. Not even his flesh.

Yet, you couldn’t leave him behind to rot.

“In flames he returns to darkness,” you whispered in the Black Speech and lit the pyre before taking a step back and watching it burn.

You were so cried out that only one single tear streamed down your cheek and you did not even bother to wipe it.

A quiet sound of the footsteps made you realise that Sauron joined you but you did not look back. You knew he made that slight noise with the purpose of letting you know he was there, so you ignored him purposefully, too.

“You, Elves, you marry once in a lifetime, do you not?” He stood right behind you and you sighed at the irony in his voice.

“We do,” you nodded as you played nervously with the contents of your pocket – two wedding rings and the leaves of the holy trees. “But in the eyes of the Valar, we are married. You and I,” you turned your head around to look at his devilishly handsome face being lit by the light from the dancing flames. “I have given myself to you out of my own free will and during our first night together I became your wife,” you reminded him, bitterly. “You have many brides, though, am I right, Lord Sauron?”

He did not answer as he kept staring at the flames but he put his hands on your shoulders and pulled you a bit closer to him.

“None of them as terrific as you,” he confessed with a hint of admiration and leaned in to place a kiss upon your temple.

His words were like venom – treacherous and infectious. You liked to think that you were immune now to him and his craft but perhaps you had overestimated your own self.

You turned your head around and your noses brushed softly as you gave in and opened your lips to welcome his hungry kiss.

“My Dark Lady of Mordor,” he whispered between the kisses. “Commander of my Army. My Queen.”

His Queen. Everything you had once wanted and now you had it.

But what a price you had to pay for it.

What a price indeed… To find out that you had a heart hidden in there despite it all – only for it to die and rot shortly after.

And whatever was left of it, Sauron had a tight hold on it.

“Your Queen,” you cracked a sad smile and let go of the wedding rings and the leaves inside your pocket to raise your hand and caress his smooth cheek. “Your malediction.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE 2.0 — Hi, it's me again! 👋🏻 If you are here for angst, then I think reading Adar's ending might make it worse for you because it shows you the possibility of what could have been only if our Reader made slightly different choices. If you read both endings, you will see that it was mostly small gestures of kindness and compassion that decided her fate. 💓

MASTERLIST

[deluxewhump]

Wishbone

cw: pet/slave universe, otherwise nothing

His new master, a man of only twenty-nine and still somewhat of a mystery to him, turned to him with an expression of bemused curiosity.

“Did you save this for something?” he asked, holding a piece of chicken carcass in his hand.

It hadn’t occurred to Carlo that the wishbone thing was perhaps not universal until this very moment. He’d done it without thought, more concerned with putting all the dishes away correctly on the first try. But now that Max was asking, it seemed ridiculous he’d cleaned, washed, and left a piece of bird clavicle on the windowsill to dry in the spring sunshine.

“It’s the wishbone,” he said. From Max’s unchanged expression he knew this was not a helpful bit of information and that he’d have to explain himself. “You save the wishbone, dry it out, and then you can… uhm, two people can each make a wish and break it. Whoever gets the longer piece of bone gets their wish. It’s just an old superstition, it’s—”

Stupid, he was going to say, but Max had taken the dried fork of chicken bone between his thumb and forefinger as an upside-down V. “Like this?”

Carlo took the other dry end, yellow as parchment, and nodded.

“And we just… pull?”

“At the same time.”

“Count us down from three then. Pull on one.”

Carlo counted backwards and on one gave a tug. The brittle nexus of bone at the top strained and snapped, and each came away with their portion. Upon comparison, it was clear Max had gotten the longer end, either from luck or a more confident pull at the count of one. Carlo smiled graciously, which he always remembered to do upon losing anything. He’d been distracted by Max’s sudden nearness, their knuckles almost touching, his indistinct but alluring stranger-smell that he was beginning to smell on his own clothes now as he used the same detergent, the same shampoo, that he’d forgotten to even make his wish. Perhaps fortune always favored an wishmaker over an abstainer.

“Can I tell you my wish, or is it like a birthday wish type of thing?” asked his new master with a hint of a smile that narrowed his eyes.

“I—don’t know.” As many wishbones as he and the cooks Erik employed had snapped between them over the years, it had never come up. He tried to guess which answer this man might want, if there was one.

“I’ll tell you if it comes true, how’s that?” Max said, and gave him his end of the wishbone. They looked like an archaeology find in his palm, broken but with the whole they had once been plausible and obvious. He thought of his life in similar terms, pulled from the cushioning flesh and tendon he’d come to rely on, left high and dry to be suddenly and irreparably snapped into two pieces. He was immediately a little ashamed of the cliche. Erik would say ‘life as a snapped wishbone’ was only appropriate for the imagination of a middle class child of divorce. You’d win a sixth grade poetry contest with that champion of a metaphor for sure, Lo, he’d say dryly.

Intending to throw away the bones, he found himself instead watching from the kitchen window as a spring wind shook the blossoms of the apple trees in the backyard. Max told him the hard and sour crab apples they produced were technically edible, but that as a boy he’d stabbed them onto sharpened sticks and flung them as far as he could instead, imagining he was operating a trebuchet mid battle.

One of the bones was poking into his palm. Half subconsciously, he’d been tightening his grip to feel the needling bite of it and letting off when the sensation grew too sharp. It left a white indent in the skin, turning red as blood returned to the spot. He tossed the pieces in the trash beneath the kitchen sink. At the vast kitchen island behind him, Max was talking on the phone with a colleague— or a friend, it was sometimes hard to tell, but Carlo felt his gaze anyway and turned, confirming that his new master was watching him. It was a gentle gaze, though. One that asked only what are you thinking about? When Carlo met his eyes, he looked away politely.

[cottoncandiescupcakes]

Pick your own adventure!! Ancient Rome style

Pick a dress

A) Empress(My dress costs more than your life is worth I'll step on you)

B) Noble's daughter(An innocent young lady married off to the Emperor)

C) Slave girl(Humble beginnings can't keep a bad girl down)

D) Gladiator(I will jam a sword through your eye and you'll thank me for it)

E) Concubine(My body make empires rise and fall)

F) Not a girl(I'm a senator's son sleeping my way to the top)

Marry a crazy Emperor

A) Emperor Commodus(I want my Emperor tall, dark and handsome)

B) Emperor Geta(I just want my husband to be prettier than me)

C) Emperor Caracalla(Eeee so cute! Comes with FREE MONKEY)

Cheat with a General

A) Marcus Acacius(A handsome loyal good man who'll actually treat me right)

B) Maximus(I like my men butch as fuck and I'll be his little swooning princess)

C) Claudius(I have a bad Emperor and now I want a bad General too)

It's your birthday! Pick a gladiator sex slave

A) Hanno/Lucius(I'm simple, I like poetry and big thighs. Take me now)

B) Spartacus(Brooding and piercing eyes and will stab a bitch in the solar plexus? Yes)

C) Varro(I just want a big smiling blonde himbo to hold me I'm lonely)

D) Crixus(I want the man all the Roman noblewomen thirst after. Mine now, bitch)

E) Agron(Cute, violent and possible threesome? Any day)

F) Nasir(Just because I get a gladiator doesn't mean I have to give up on pretty boys)

Your time is up! Pick a worthy death

A) Decapitated by sword in combat. Quick and bloody.

B) Dondus, Emperor Caracalla's pet monkey, eats my face clean off

C) The glamorous Lucretia finds out I've been banging one of her favorite gladiators and poisons my wine

D) I am accidently launched by trebuchet far past Roman walls

E) I choked on rose petals at Elagabalus' orgy. Woe is me

F) Horror of horrors! I must face off the arena's undefeated champion, Moo-Deng the hippo. A crowd favorite, I have no chance of a thumbs up at all and slowly but surely, the creature devours me, starting with my knee caps

You died.... the Gods may not sing of your glory but you lived and lived well! A true citizen of Rome to your last breath.

[dearwriters]

In the last weeks I might have written more (creative writing that is) than in probably years. And why? I got inspired to write fanfic again. For the first time in, like... ten years? And it's no pressure at all, because it's only fun and the people on AO3 are so nice and I just crank out chapters without much editing. And it actually inspires me to get back to my original works. So...

...write for fun, folks! That's what it's all about. Let yourself be messy with it and silly and stupid (like, my fanfics are intentionally tropey romcoms which I've never written before and always thought wasn't my style, but since it's just for fun who cares!)

If you feel like you lost inspiration for your big original work you want to take very seriously... write something unserious! It will fling you back into it like a trebuchet!

Edit: oh, and when I say I've written more than in years, I am talking 150k words in about 6 months 💀