#oh and the other one is the william tell archery one

[talesofsymphoniac]

So I'm speedrunning Utena again to see how I feel about the "Shadow Girls are Anthy's Projections" concept, and instead I'm thinking about how Chu-chu spends a lot of time hanging out with Utena without Anthy.

Like at first he's with Anthy all the time but you start having Utena take care of him when Anthy's not even there-- obviously Chu-chu stays behind when Anthy visits Akio but also things like Utena taking him for a walk at night because she's taking care of him.

And this is based on vibes only but it's always seemed to me that Chu-chu does not necessarily play the same manipulation games that Anthy does. He's not luring Utena out or purposefully distracting her, imo. He's just. Anthy's friend. Her first one.

[musings-of-a-rose]

Build Me Up - Chapter 3

Pairing: William “Ironhead” Miller x f!reader

Word Count: 4800+

Rating: M for mature - 18+ only!

Warnings: Mature themes and some canon mentioned. Just like ao3, “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the age to handle mature themes. Also by clicking Keep Reading, you understand warnings may not be complete in order to avoid spoilers for the story. 

Notes: Hey! Another chapter and it didn’t take me a year and half! A HUGE thank you to @mermaidxatxheart for helping me so much with this chapter after I stared blankly at the screen for so much of it. GO READ AND REBLOG HER STUFF!

**Reader is ethnicity inclusive despite stock photo bias

❤If you enjoy the fic, please consider giving me a warm beverage! (It is not required in any way!)

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Build Me Up Masterlist

General Masterlist

Will Miller Masterlist

<<;Chapter 2<<

“But what if they don’t like me?” You were standing in your closet, trying to find something to wear to the bar. Will had invited you to meet his friends and brother for the first time, and you were freaking out a little.

Will chuckles, getting up from where he was sitting on the edge of your bed to join you in your closet. He gently grips your wrist, pulling you towards him. His blue steel eyes lock on yours and you can feel yourself relaxing under his gaze. “They’re going to love you, Robin.”

“But-” He silences you with his lips, gently placing a kiss on yours, making you forget your worries. The kiss takes a sudden spicy turn, Will gripping your hip with one hand and putting his other hand out, backing you up against the only exposed wall in your closet, pushing you against it. 

“You know,” you say, breathless as he sucks on your neck. “I think my closet is the only place in my apartment that you haven’t fucked me.”

He chuckles into your skin and goosebumps erupt down your arm. “Well, we’ll have to fix that.”

“We’ll be late?” 

“I don’t care.”

—

Somehow, you managed to arrive only a handful of minutes late, his friends only having just sat down. They all occupied a big, round booth at the back of the place, a couple of them sitting with who you assume are their girlfriends.

“Hey, bro!” This giant man, somehow taller than Will, also with blonde hair and the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen, gets up and gives him a hug, turning those blue eyes to you and you feel yourself being studied under them.

“You must be Robin. Nice to finally meet you.” He sticks his hand out and you take it, giving him a firm handshake.

“Benny, right?”

“That’s me. Will won’t stop talking about you. I was thinking he made you up.”

You pat your body down. “Nope. Real.”

He chuckles. “I like you already. Oh! This is my girlfriend, Jamie.” Benny gestures to the woman already sitting in the booth next to him, dark hair cascading down her shoulders as she waves at you. 

Will continues for Benny as he sits next to Jamie, everyone waving as Will introduces them. “Santi, Tom, his wife Molly, and Frankie and his wife Vanessa.”

“Nice to meet you all.”

They all say similar things as you slide into the seat next to Benny, Will sandwiching you in between the Miller brothers.

“So, Will tells us you’re an archery coach?” Frankie asks as he takes a sip of his beer.

You nod. “I am.”

“That’s really fuckin’ cool,” Benny says from besides you.

“It’s my passion. Along with picking up hot men at the grocery store.” You smile and wink at Will, who gives you a smirk but raises his eyebrows.

“It better only be one man.”

“You’ll meet him next week.” Everyone at the table erupts into laughter, including Will, who squeezes your leg under the table, a small spark of fire igniting in your lower belly at his touch. 

“What made you want to teach archery?” Frankie asks, resting his arm on the back of the bench behind Vanessa, who scoots a little closer to him.

“My cousins were bow hunters. I never went with them but I loved watching them practice. I begged my parents for over a year for a bow and they finally caved. I went to the Olympics, actually.”

Everyone stares at you. “So you’re like..good?” Benny asks, his eyebrows raised in awe.

You shrug. “I guess. I got silver.”

Benny spits out his drink. “You won a silver Olympic medal and this asshole never told us?” He leans past you and slaps Will on his shoulder. 

“Would you have believed me if I did?”

“Fair point.”

The night continues on, everyone asking questions to get to know you better and you them, in return. Eventually, everyone starts having their own conversations, Frankie talking to Will across the table. Benny turns to you, swallowing the last of his drink and setting the mug down on the table. He speaks just loud enough for you to hear him.

“I’m really glad Will found someone. He really needs…well, you.”

Giving him a small smile, you reply. “I think it’s really me who needs him.”

Benny glances behind you at Will, who is engrossed in a conversation about helicopter repair with Frankie before he leans in closer. “No, I mean especially after the breakup.”

You cock your head at him. “The breakup?”

“Yeah. His ex fiance?”

Will had never mentioned being engaged before. It must have been a bad breakup, considering you talk about everything else. Hell, you’d met him in the middle of a PTSD episode so it’s not like he had to hide anything. Benny realizes his mistake by your silence.

“Ah shit. I shouldn’t have said. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s ok. It must have been bad for him to not mention it.”

Benny nods. “Yeah. But she was older than you.”

“Older than me?”

“Yeah, you’ve gotta be what…10? Years younger than my brother? I mean, you did meet him at a Publix.” 

“Shopping was a pleasure that day.”

Benny laughs, his head flying back with the force of it. “Well, hopefully the old man won’t slow you down too much, Miss Olympics.”

Heat rises to your cheeks, but you quip back anyway. “I can assure you - it’s me having to keep up with him.” You wink, hoping the implication of sex comes through and are rewarded with Benny choking, coughing as Jamie thumps him on the back, his cheeks turning pink.

“I did not need to know that.”

“You seemed concerned about the age gap. I can assure you, your brother is a very thorough lov-”

“Ok ok, you win!” Benny laughs, pretending to plug his ears. Will turns to you, a questioning look on his face.

“Oh, Benny tried to poke at the age gap between us. So I was telling him how that is not an issue in the bedroom.”

Will blushes, but a smirk ticks up at the corner of his mouth. “Well if he didn’t want to hear about his brother’s sex life, he shouldn’t have made fun.”

“OK OK!” Benny laughs, plugging his ears again.

Soon it’s time to leave, Tom and Molly heading out first to relieve their babysitter, followed by Frankie and Vanessa. Santi had left a while ago, leaving with a girl he had been flirting with at the bar, which was apparently “very Santi”, and Benny and Jamie follow you out to Will’s truck, chatting idly and promising to meet up sometime for a double date. 

“So…how’d I do?” You ask, buckling your seatbelt as Will starts up his truck.

“I’ve never seen Benny that excited about a girl I’m dating. So I’d say they like you.”

You smile, letting out a little sigh of relief. “Thank God.”

Will chuckles, his eyes fixed on the road. He reaches out and places his hand on your exposed thigh, the warmth from his skin spreading wildly across your body as he gently squeezes your leg. 

By the time you get back to your place, you’re barely holding it together. Will had slid his hand further and further up your thigh and you nearly had him pull over, almost unable to wait until you got home.

But then, you had a different idea. You knew the first time you’d slept together, and every other time after, that Will was holding back, knew he needed to be able to let go and just..be himself. If you were being honest with yourself, the idea that Will was that good at making you cum and he was holding back turned you on even more. Jamming your key in the lock, you quickly open the door and pull him inside, the question of “Am I invited in?” dying on Will’s lips as you shove the door closed, pressing your body to his. He places his hands on your hips, pulling them flush against his own and you grind slightly over his jean clad erection. His hands slide up your body and you can feel him hesitating, restraining himself, his lips faltering very slightly against your lips. 

“Will?”

“Mmm?”

“You can stop holding back.”

“What?”

You put your hand against his chest, pushing slightly to get him to stop and look at you, which he does, his steel blue eyes blown wide and concerned.

“I know you’re holding back. It’s ok, you can let go with me.”

He hesitates a moment. “I-I don’t know what you mean.”

“I won’t break, Will. I’m… I want you to.”

A conflict rages in his eyes, making them look like a roaring sea. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

Swallowing hard, you meet his strong gaze with one of your own. “I do.”

When he doesn’t move, that battle still raging in his mind, you push him harder and he backs up, momentarly stunned at your bold move.

“Let go, Will.”

“You don’t know…you-”

This time, you shove him a little harder and he takes a few steps back, his eyes darkening, chest rising and falling a little faster. Another good push and his back hits the wall, and he lets out a huff of air, the resolve in him nearly breaking.

“I don’t always realize how rough I can be. I don’t want to hurt you, Robin.”

You place both of your palms on his strong chest and look up into his eyes. “I’m a strong girl, Will. I trust you.”

He glances away from you and you lean up to whisper in his ear. “I want this. I want you, Will. All of you.” Your lips find his neck and you start to suck on his skin, but a second later, Will’s iron grip squeezes into your hips and somehow you’re flipped, back pushed against the wall, Will so close to you as he shoves his leg between yours, his hand sliding up to wrap around your throat, applying a slight pressure, which surprisingly sends a rush of wanton heat between your thighs. His eyes are the darkest you’ve ever seen them and you know you’ve finally got him to give in. He’s still your Will, but in this brief moment, you feel like you’re finally seeing the last little part of him that he so desperately wanted to share but felt that he couldn’t. 

“You wanna be my little fuck toy, is that it?”

"Yes, sir," you breathe out and Will pushes himself closer to you, a growl in the back of his throat at your nickname for him. He leans towards your ear, speaking low.

"Safe word is fruit loops." He stares at you, waiting for confirmation that you heard him. When you give him a slight nod, he smirks, pressing his lips to yours, his large hand sliding up your throat to grip your jaw, pressing his fingers into your skin to open your mouth so he can slide his tongue inside. 

Your hands fist in the front of his shirt and when Will’s lips leave yours to suck a spot on your neck, you moan, fingers twisting into his hair. When you give it a little tug, Will sucks hard on your neck, dropping the skin and pulling back to look at his work, watching the mark rise to the surface of your skin. The corner of his mouth ticks up, smirking as he roughly grips your jaw again, turning your face up to his. 

“Bedroom. Wanna fuck this pretty girl into the bed.”

A rush of arousal blooms between your legs and you nod. Will lets go of you, taking a step back to give you room to move. Taking a step past him, you glance at him over your shoulder and give him a tiny smirk before turning and running full out towards your room. Heavy footsteps thud on the floor behind you and Will’s fingers grip your arm tight just before you make it to your bedroom. He pulls you back to him roughly with one hand, his other coming up to tangle in your hair, tugging hard on it to pull your head back. 

“Thought you’d run? That you could be faster than me?” You try to shake your head, but he just grips you tighter, pushing you forward into your room. His grip on you is strong, and when he pulls your head to the side even more and sinks his teeth into your neck, you moan loudly, loving the way he laps at you after to soothe the spot. He releases your hair and shoves you forward, your hands slapping on the bed to stop yourself from planting your face in it. He pushes you up onto the bed, gripping your hips and flipping you on your back. He stands up, ripping the shirt from his chisled form and for a moment, you forgot where you were, the dim light from you bedroom nightlight bouncing off his abs.

He pushes your shirt up and you half sit up, allowing him to yank it from your body, quickly followed by your bra. He drops to your chest, taking one nipple in his mouth and sucking hard, gently biting down on your nipple while his hand grabs your other tit and squeezes it. 

“Oh!” You gasp, moaning when he pulls back and starts to suck little hickeys across your chest. When he’s satisfied with his work, he sits up, yanking your pants open and dragging them down your legs. You decide to play a little and fight him on this, wiggling your legs to make it more difficult. This seems to spur him on and he growls, one hand pushing down on your hips to still you and the other yanking your pants off, his muscles rippling under the pressure. Your panties don’t fare as well and Will literally rips them in half and tosses them over his shoulder, staring down at you with hungry eyes. 

Will pushes your legs apart, holding them in place with his large hands as he kisses around where you need him most, tracing his nose along your inner thigh before he latches on, sucking on your skin and then licking it, watching the hickey rise to the surface. He does this a few more times and you moan his name, gasping when he finally latches onto your clit. You expected him to be rough here, but it was quite the opposite, gentle strokes of his tongue, little taps, and soft sounds vibrating out from him shove you right to the edge. Your legs start to tremble and then he’s gone, lifting his head from you before you had your release. 

“You’ll cum when I say you can.”

A rush of heat races to your cunt and you try to close your legs to relieve some of the pressure that he had built up. But Will pushes your legs apart again, shaking his head. “Legs open. I want to watch you touch yourself. But don’t cum.”

Nodding, you glide your fingers down your naked body, touching yourself in the way that only you know best. Will watches you for a minute, palming himself over his jeans before he takes them off, his boxers quickly following. He’s already hard and leaking and oh you can feel your release coming. If you could just keep-

Will slaps your hand away, so in tune with your body that he knew what you were doing. “I said no cumming. Not yet, pretty girl.” He crawls up the bed, hovering over your body as he grips your wrists, pinning them on either side of your head. Your legs open wider to give him more space and he thrusts in you with one push of his hips and you scream his name, wet enough to accept him but the force of it catching you off guard. He doesn’t give you more than a second to adjust before he’s rutting into you, your hips pounding into the bed, your breaths coming out in short whispers. Will moves both of your wrists to one of his hands, the other coming down to grip your throat. He doesn’t squeeze you hard, just barely any pressure is applied, and he slows his hips for a moment, staring into your eyes as you try to catch your breath, your mind reeling from how good you feel. But through your daze, the message is clear: 

“Mine.”

He says it so quietly, which is in stark contrast with the rough way he fucks you that it takes you a moment to realize what he said. You nod and breathe out a reply. 

“Yours.”

He kisses you gently, his hips stopping for just a moment as he pulls out slowly, pushing in gently and adding in a thrust of his hips when he bottoms out. He hits a spot at the back of you and you break the kiss to whimper, mouth hanging open as he tugs on your lip with his teeth. He continues to fuck you like this, and you wrap your legs around him, pushing him into your harder. He picks up the pace slightly and you can feel yourself start to leap over the edge…But then Will yanks himself out of you, sitting up on your hips.

“No,” he says, his voice a little rough. He scoots back and grabs your legs, pulling you closer to him before he flips you onto your stomach, yanking your hips up. He brings his hand down on your ass with a smack! And you cry out, burying your face in the blanket. He massages the spot after, but spanks you twice more, kissing the spot after the last hit. He nips at you, his teeth grazing across your skin before he sits up, getting into position behind you. He grabs your arms and pulls them behind your back, holding them in one strong grip and with his other hand, he twists his fingers into your hair and pulls your head up, thrusting into you when he does, chuckling darkly when you cry out.

“That’s right. You’re just gonna take it, pretty girl. Be my little slut. Letting me fuck you how I want to.” The sound of skin slapping against skin echoes loudly in the quiet room, interrupted only by your whimpers and moans, and Will whispering dirty things into your ears. By this time, you’re so wound from being edged that you start to cry a little. When Will hears the shift in your tone his hips stop, but you cry out. “No! Don’t stop!”

Hesitantly, he starts to fuck you again, setting the same rough pace he had been before. Your arms are cramping and your head hurts from where he’s gripping your hair, but you don’t care. Everything about this pushing you towards the edge, the way he fucks you, the sounds he’s making inbetween his words, all of it and you just want to cum. Will seems to sense this and says “Beg me to let you cum.”

“Ungh please!” He tugs on your hair tighter, his hips rutting into you impossibly deeper and harder. “Please let me cum, sir!” He leans over you, changing the angle as he pulls your head up, rutting right against both of your favorite spots.

“Cum for me, my pretty little slut.”

And you do. You cum hard, mouth open and spewing random sounds and words, Will’s name tumbling from your lips as your body shakes with the force of it all. Your limbs are on fire, your entire body lit up as he continues to fuck you through it, watching your face contort as you clench around him. A few thrusts later and he cums too, biting down on your shoulder, grunting into you as his hips push into your haphazardly. He releases  your shoulder, dropping his forehead to it as you both just breathe for a moment. He unwinds his fingers from your hair and drops your arms, guiding them to your sides before he grips your hips, pulling out with a grunt. Somehow, you manage to roll onto your back, chest heaving and eyes closed. You’d never cum that hard in your entire life - not even with your own fingers or a toy. 

Will had definitely been holding back and you can’t wait to do that again. Maybe next time, you’ll suggest restraints, having always wanted to try them but never being with someone you trusted enough to do it with. Until now. It’s after this thought that you realize the room is dead quiet. Cracking open an eye, you see Will standing at the foot of the bed, his eyes raking over your body in a very different emotion than what he previously had.

“Will?”

His eyes are watery as he stares at your body. “I..I am so sorry, Robin. I never..I didn’t mean to…fuck I’m so sorry.” He’s looking frantic and you’re not sure why, your eyebrows coming together in confusion.

“I don’t understand?”

“I’ll…I’ll make you a bath, whatever you want. God, I’m so sorry.”

Will pulls on his boxers and races to your bathroom before you can ask him just what the fuck he’s on about, that that was the best sex you’ve ever had. You hear your bathtub being filled and a few minutes later, Will remerges, standing beside your bed and looking down at your still naked body, looking extremely unsure of himself. He hesitates briefly before leaning over and gently picking you up, carrying you to the bathroom where he carefully places you in the bathtub. The warm water makes you sigh and you close your eyes, wiggling down into the warmth. 

“Do…do you want me to wash you?” 

“You want to wash me?”

“It’s the least I can do after…” Will’s voice trails away uncertainly. He picks up your loofah and adds some soap, picking up your limbs like they were made of paper and softly scrubbing at your skin. There are places where you pull back from him involuntarily and you can feel him hesitating after each one. Finally, you drag your eyes open and watch his face, full of concentration on the task at hand, but worry is predominant, along with…guilt?

“Will? Are you ok?”

“I should have never done that.”

You grab his wrist, stilling his movement. “Not done what?”

His eyes don’t meet yours. Instead, they look at the same spots he’s been looking at on your body. “I shouldn’t have let go. Fuck, I’m so sorry, Robin.”

“What are you on about?”

“It’s me. I’m fucked up, Robin. Not right in the head. I went too far and I hurt you and I-”

You sit up quickly, water sloshing over the side of the tub as you place both of your wet hands on his cheeks. When he doesn’t look at you, you press your lips lightly to his. 

“I’m not sorry, Will. That was…I’ve never cum that hard ever. I loved every minute of it.”

“But I hurt you-”

“You didn’t, though. I mean, yeah I’m probably going to be a little sore and you for sure left some marks on me, but guess what? I want it all. The soreness, the marks, all of it reminds me of you. And you are the one thing I can’t get enough of.” You slide your fingers through his hair, resting at the back of his neck. You tug it a little but he still doesn’t look up. A sudden thought crosses your mind. What if…

“Was it enough for you, Will?” That gets his attention. His eyes snap to yours, watery but puzzled. 

“Enough? For me? When I’ve done all of this to you?” He gestures down at your body. 

“I asked you for it, Will. I have no regrets. It was amazing.”

“I left so many marks, so many bruises, I…I…”

“Will-”

He sits up quickly and leaves the bathroom and you try to stand a little too quick, all of the soreness from sex starting to present themselves. Stepping out of the shower, you quickly dry off, pausing when you finally look at yourself in the mirror, now realizing why Will was upset. Your body is littered with marks, bites, hickies, and light bruises are splattered across your skin, making you look like you had been through the ringer. No wonder Will was upset. You quickly grab a shirt off the back of the door that Will had left there when he slept over the last time and pull it over your head before opening the door. Will was still there, trying to find the rest of his clothes, obviously in a panic. 

“Will?”

“I..I’m sorry. I’ll just leave. I won’t bother you again.”

“Will.”

“It’s my fault. I should’ve said no, and I didn’t. I just…you’re so hot and I like you a lot and I just-”

“Will.” You walk up to him and lightly take his hand, squeezing his fingers. He stops moving, staring down at your joined hands. He allows you to pull him to the bed and sits at the edge when you give him a little push down. 

“Can you tell me where you are?” You ask calmly, placing your hand on his thigh and squeezing it.

It takes him a few minutes to reply, a deep breath puffing out from between his lips. “I was engaged before. It was a year or so after I got out. I wanted to marry the girl that had stood by my side during the last couple tours I had. She was great, laughed at my jokes, said she liked my weird thing with numbers, and she didn’t run when I had nightmares. I um…she told me one night that she wanted things rougher. That she knew I could be rougher and that I wanted it. That she wouldn’t break.” Will takes another deep breath, his eyes on his hands in his lap, picking at the skin around his nails. “After, she…she pulled away from me. I could see fear in her eyes. She called me a freak, said that this much…aggression wasn’t normal and she couldn’t…couldn’t look at me the same way anymore. She…she left me, telling me she never wanted to see me again. And what could I say? Her body was nearly all black and blue from me and she…I don’t remember her saying the safe word, but she says she did and I ignored her? I wouldn’t…I would’ve stopped. She didn’t say it…did she?” Will speaks the last words to himself and my heart hurts as I watch a couple of tears plop onto his hands. “Anyway, I promised myself that I would never do that again. I couldn’t…I don’t know my own strength and..but then you asked me, begged me, and I just lost myself in you and I’m so fucking sorry, Robin.” He turns his head up to look at you, tears falling down his cheeks. You cup his face in one hand and he jumps slightly, as if he was expecting you to slap him for some reason.

“William Miller. You are a good man.”

He lets out a puff of air and shrugs, but you call his attention back to you. “And I’m sorry. No, I am. I didn’t know…but I shouldn’t have pushed you. I just wanted you to be yourself, all of yourself, and I knew you were holding back. And honestly part of me-ok, a lot of me- was turned on by what you could be holding back. I have never cum that hard in my entire life and I certainly want you to do that again, but only if you want to. I’ve never trusted anyone well enough to talk about this but…you make me feel safe. Like I can tell you anything. And I know that may sound crazy since we haven’t known each other that long but it’s true. And I’m sorry not sorry, but your ex sounds like a bitch.”

Will laughs at that last statement, wiping the tears from his eyes, his shoulders visibly relaxing at your confession.

“You’re really ok?”

“I’m really ok. A little sore, but a good sore. We'll have to do that again."

Will raises his eyebrows, a slight glimmer of hope in his eyes. "You wanna do that again? Really?"

"Uh yeah!"

"Even though it's not…"

"Not what?"

He hesitates, eyes dropping from yours and speaking in such a quiet voice you almost miss it.  "Normal?"

You cup his cheek, gently turning his face up so he's looking at you. 

"I really care about you, Will. Like,  a ridiculous amount. Maybe more, I…anyway,  when you care about someone, and you are together, that includes all of them. Even the darker parts. That doesn't make you any less of a good man."

Will nods, blinking a few times to clear his eyes. "I really…care about you too, Robin. Like a ridiculous amount. "

You smile, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "So…will you stay?”

“You want me to stay?”

“Of course. Who else am I going to con into making me breakfast and carrying me around?”

Will chuckles and climbs into bed behind you, pulling you close to his chest, grunting when you wiggle your ass against his now semi hard cock. A few minutes goes by, Will nuzzling his nose into your hair and breathing you in.

“You make me feel safe too, Robin."

—----

>>Chapter 4>>

General Taglist:

@frankie-catfish-morales @chaoticgeminate @janebby @astoryisaloveaffair @balekanemohafe @greeneyedblondie44 @hoeforthefictional @marvelousmermaid @hauntedmama @giuliarogers @icanbeyourjedi @wretchedmo @sunnshineeexoxo @livingmydreams13 @adventures-of-a-noodle @sara-alonso @theewokingdead @punkerthanpascal @giggly-otter @f0rever15elf @phandoz @dirtytissuebox @gallowsjoker @lovesbiggerthanpride @sarahmilesbendrix @booksarekindaneat @mrsudontknowme @swol-bear @charlispersonallyhell @xoxabs88xox @amneris21 @gooddaykate @alindeluce @avengers-fixation @paintballkid711 @harriedandharassed  @ladykatakuri @marrianena  @practicalghost @withakindheartx @batdarkladyvampir @justanotherkpopstanlol  @alexxavicry @ichigodjarin @justreblogginfics 

Will Miller Taglist:

@innerpaperexpertcloud @glitzalia @bport76 @im-ricks-flagg @fabilei @haleypearce @nowus33m3 @slytherinlyn314

[fancyfeathers]

Father Like Daughter (Yandere William James Moriarty and his darling having a genius daughter)

Omg I just had the funniest picture in my mind…

So after the Moriarty children run away their whole thing is basically to try and stop more people from dying and instead offer them a second chance.

When living back home Marguerite was the most athletic of all the kids besides Madeline, and she was good at a number of things, Jack taught her fist to fist fighting, she taught herself archery, her father took her horseback riding, and then Moran and probably James as well taught her how to shoot a gun…

So I am just picturing that during a mission similar to the Jack the Ripper mission (but not that one cause honestly the kids would have stayed out of that mess) and Moran and James are scouting out and right before Moran fires a bullet comes down right on the barrel of the gun and bends the metal in a way that would make it impossible to fire. Then tracking the line of fire where the bullet came from they just see Marguerite in a nearby window and she doesn’t see that they noticed her cause she seems to be talking to someone and then when she does notice that they are looking at her it is just an oh shit moment and she just slings the gun over her shoulder and grabs the other person, presumably Hyacinth or Madeline, by the hand and runs out of whatever room they are in.

Now they have to go back and tell William that they failed the mission because Albert’s teenage daughter managed to destroy the barrel of his gun.

Meanwhile Albert’s darling is laughing her ass off at the image of her daughter knocking a bunch of grown men down a peg.

(Kesha’s Joyride came up while writing this which I feel is Marguerite’s vibe with music, that and Girls by MARINA)

[bellewintersroe]

Hey there! Could I get an Easy Company ship (romantic and platonic) please?

I’m 5’5, olivey skin, dark hair, with big hazel eyes and long lashes. I’m half Italian and half French. I live right next to Toccoa and my cousin runs Camp Toccoa and I help out there on the weekends. I love getting to meet the Vets and hear their stories and promoting the Camp on social media! I’m an ENFJ 7w6 . I have a biting sense of humor, I’m very bubbly, have a can-do attitude, with an adventurous spirit. I’m a hands-on learner and I’m getting my PhD in Archaeology right now. I love to learn history and science facts, I fly planes in my spare time, make music, and am a Division-1 archery champion. I drink coffee like it’s going out of style lmao and I love going on long drives with friends ( I make perfectly curated playlists for each drive). I am a total dog mom and really want to adopt a dog for my new apartment.

Thanks for doing these! You’re doing God’s work out here!

Ahhh thank you so much for your request!! I honestly had so much fun reading up on your personality type, you sound like such an interesting person omg !! The fact you live next to camp Toccoa is so cool too, omg <3

My requests still are open if anybody else wants a ship!

I ship you with… Bill Guarnere!!!

Bill would pick up on you being half Italian immediately.

let’s say you’re in a bar or cafe near Toccoa and Bill finally has a weekend pass, he spots you from across the room and instantly he’s attracted to you, eyes following you around the room.

then he eyes up the other men to make sure they hadn’t seen you.

like your eyes and those long eyelashes, omg Bill knew he had to speak to you immediately before somebody else did.

Woukd deffo approach you confidently and ask you something like “you’re Italian right?!”

when you turn around and flash him the biggest beam ever, he thinks he died and went to heaven. Almost gets nervous? And William Guarnere never gets nervous, but you’re so stunning it sets him back 2 steps.

“You’re a fuckin’ Angel sent down just for me, I swear. I gotta take you out.”

ugh he’s so sexy and confident.

Finds out you’re half French and won’t stop boasting about you to the boys. Would probably mix up race and ethnicity- look he’s super excited ok, you’re gorgeous.

Webster would deffoooo correct him to which Bill would grumble a quick, “shut up, she’s a fuckin’ goddess, that’s my point.”

your bubbly and can-do attitude would match his confidence perfectly.

bill would LOVE that his girl is so confident and adventurous, he’d show you off and you would love it sm omfg.

youre such an interesting person to talk to? Like let’s say you’re telling him story about all the older war veterans you’ve spoken to, Bill listens to every single word you say.

I feel like this is super unique cos Bill is usually the one talking, but with you he could just listen to you for hours.

“Listen, hun, idk wtf you were saying cos I got too mesmerised by how good you look.”

amazing at flirting with you, like it’s not even cringe? He’s so fucking confident it’s sexy.

Would probably kiss you pretty soon after your first date? He doesn’t care about taking things too fast or slow, just moves with whatever tf he feels like.

listen, the fact you’re so inspiring and charming?? All of Bill’s friends instantly love you, he doesn’t hesitate to bring you over to where they’re all sat.

because you’re so outgoing and adventurous I think you’d have a hard time NOT getting along with all the men? Like Luz, Toye, Bull, Malarkey, they’re all sooo in love with you omg.

Bill does keep a watchful eye on the boys around you- youre fucking beautiful and some of the men don’t know how to handle that.

I feel like Bill would be very sure and confident within you to handle your own conflicts??? Like say if some guy was flirting with you harmlessly, he’d trust you enough to brush it off as he stands and laughs at the poor fool who thought he had a chance.

but if anybody gets out of line? Oh nooo, he’s not having that, would practically barricade his body between your body and any fuckers that tried to get close to you.

“What the fuck are you doin’?” “are you stupid or not all there?” “fuckin’ prick had his head so far up his own ass I bet he could taste it.”

doesnt fuck with any man EVER again that’s disrespectful towards you cos fuck them?

fiercely loyal and fiercely protective (when he needs to be) apart from that I think he’d be quite chilled out?

would love a good play fight with you? Like he’s a lot more gentle than you’d expect, he’s ripped and very aware of his strength but never ever, ever, ever comes close to using it on you.

the BIGGEST hugs ever- omg the only time this man is using his strength is to hug you.

and during sex (consensually)

Wants you to enjoy it, he doesn’t if you don’t so don’t even bother lying he can see right through you.

more of a giver than a taker but fucking loves when you go down on him.

forever compliments you during sex, omg the praises are endless.

really fucking good at sex, idk how else to put it??

dirty talk, dirty talk, dirty talk. The man is TOO good at it, like cracks it out whenever he’s horny and knows it’ll get you weak in the knees for him.

loves you SO much to the point he thinks he might explode?!!!

Doesn’t get drunk often?? When you do he’s so gentle and loving with you, super vigilant and keeps an eye on you.

If he can’t or has to go to the toilet he’d deffo make sure Toye or somebody is looking out for you.

let’s say you go missing or something? Maybe he’s a bit jumpy from coming back to England after D-day and fighting, and he loses his shit.

Panic panic panic central omg, he’s shitting himself and gets angry at anybody tryna give stupid recommendations.

turns out you’re peeing or something lmao.

Let’s say you take Bill out on your plane, it’s one of the only times you see him get nervous? He’s bouncing his legs and SHAKING?! Like Bill calm down your in good hands.

he’s sweating and repeating the same 5 questions over and over again. Wiping the sweat of his brow CONSTANTLY.

stresses when you’re out flying and ONE singular drop of rain falls.

Makes up in his own mind that it’s raining and stresses even more??

each and every time you don’t see him let’s say for a couple of days or a few hours he still greets you with the biggest smile EVER omg.

his heart races and he literally gets butterflies??? Finds himself going soft around you

only other times he gets nervous is on your wedding day and if you two end up having any kids.

acts like a cocky little shit to wind you up. Your humour is something he finds sexy, like the fact he can give it right back omf-

He’d shut you up by kissing you soooo passionately omg.

Let’s say you and Webster are having a conversation about “the smartest shit I ever heard!!” He watches in awe.

might not have a clue what you’re talking about? But admires you CONSTANTLY.

“I hope he gets your brains and not mine.” Bill sighs whilst holding a little bundle in his arms. “Bill, that’s a dog??”

maybe not to keen on having a dog at first? But nah ends up loving it and kissing it and cuddling it. He WILL baby talk the dog.

would much prefer long drives with you rather than aeroplane rides?

steals jeeps and goes joy riding with you in Toccoa to impress you.

After the war he’s a little apprehensive about seeing you for the first time and what you’d think? I think he could have the potential to shut down a little but you seem like such a warm& genuine person who wants to inspire others so you’d 10000% motivate him to carry on.

needs you in his life fr.

not that he becomes dependent on you? But almost can’t live life properly without you there.

forever flirts with you and smacks ur bum ALL THE TIME.

neither a bum or boob guy he loves whatever tf he’s given.

stares at you? Not in a creepy way but constantly checks you out.

I think he’d find it a little difficult expressing his emotions with words so physical touch is his strong point??

life with you and Bill would be one big adventure. It would be so fun omfg I LOVE this man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Platonically I ship you with… George Luz!!

I had a hard time thinking of who you would be closest friends to?

because you’re so bubbly adventurous I think you’d be extremely popular amounts all the boys.

so I went with somebody a little more realistic? Like George is such a funny and outgoing, friendly guy, he’s be impossible not to make friends with?

would deffo make an effort to speak to you, ask you how your day went and crack jokes with you.

you two would probably laugh at Guarnere together to which he’d flash you both back a confused expression. Like what the hell are you both laughing at you pair of hyenas.

if you wanted to go on an adventure George would deffo be down, he’d look out for you whether Bill was around or not, like George genuinely felt like he’d made a close friend in you whilst training at Toccoa.

tries to question you constantly if you speak Italian or French?

if you do he wants to learn but butchers all the words.

If you don’t he’d act gravely disappointed cos he’s a drama queen!!!

[pain-in-the-butler]

The time has come once again

The Bloodbath

“I’m simply one hell of a butler” says Sebastian as he starts cleaning as usual

Okay so Agni’s taking no prisoners

Work Nerd, Science Nerd, and Jock Nerd team up to form the Nerd Trifecta

Team One Brain Cell joins up with Phipps, who is quite possibly their only chance for survival

Ran-Mao remembers how Harcourt beat everyone in the unfortunately deleted round and said “Not in my backyard”

So far, everyone else has simply run away unscathed or grabbed a weapon they won’t use because the game doesn’t record weapons. Rip Tanaka

Day 1

Ran-Mao bringing the canon energy by adding a second weapon to her arsenal

Phipps somehow always turns into Team Dad during these, so I’m glad to see he’s finding time for his favorite hobbies

Undertaker up to his usual Sneaky Antics

It hasn’t even been twelve hours yet. Kind of impressive honestly

Considering Harcourt lost his mace, I’ll just assume the attack Grell “escaped” from was the vicious stabbing of his trim little schoolboy fingernails

Bad vibes

It appears that Lau also brought his canon game

Sebastian in the most recent chapters be like

I’ve actually never had this event come up before and it has to happen between two of the more innocent characters in the series;;;; god Lizzie you deserve better even in the Hunger Games Simulator

Where’s a Safety Nerd when you need one

What’s better than this? Guys bein dudes

This is probably what happened after Ciel left Weston

Sebastian will take care of this for ya, huh bud

Other events:

Agni practices his archery

Wolfram goes fishing

Othello finds a cave

Soma goes ‘splorin

Edward goes huntin

Day 1′s Deaths: Tanaka, Sieglinde, Lizzie, and Macmillan. Someday one of the ladies will win

Night 1

Butler slumber party in the woods, BYOYM (bring your own young master)

It takes a lot of energy to be this blond

I’m happy for her :)

Yeah I’ll bet you probably do Lau

A tonal shift so abrupt I got mental whiplash

Can we go back to when Grell was looking at the sky pls

Thought about science too hard. Got a concussion

Thought about Ciel dying too hard. Got an infection

Aww dad :( Hope you caught some fish tho

Looks like Harcourt won’t be winning this one, gang

I stg the hunger games simulator is misogynist because the ladies always DIE /j

Ran-Mao is hopefully here to prove the previous statement wrong

Other events:

Bard gets a hatchet

Undertaker also passes out from exhaustion

R!Ciel goes to sleep in a tree

Day 2

Oh you five are SO going in my burn book for this. It’s what Grell would’ve wanted

Ahaha just like in the real manga... right guys (;

Idk about you but I’m rooting for her

I don’t think the simulator could’ve picked four people who were less likely to team up than this

I would too if I saw my best friend was palling around with an opium dealer, a grim reaper with a lawn mower, and another grim reaper that the first grim reaper doesn’t like

Other events:

Othello chases Wolfram

That’s the only other event actually

That means today we lost O!Ciel, Mey-Rin, Harcourt, and Grell. ffs, I hope Ran-Mao kills all of you

Night 2

I’ve missed you, rare pair simulator

The “unknown sponsor” was Undertaker and the “fresh food” was O!Ciel

Confirmed: Lau doesn’t get high off his own supply

Once again a ceasefire between the strong hungry boys is formed

Girl, you don’t have to do that

“Did you kill Ciel?” Sebastian asks

“No that was William,” Othello says

Sebastian punches a tree so hard that it combusts. “God damn. Fuck” Sebastian says

Wolfram just realized I put him in the Hunger Games simulator

Other events:

Phipps thinks about “Are you winning son”

Undertaker gazes at space

Ronald becomes Lost Ronald

Soma passes out

Bard gets some water

Day 3

Damn Agni who haven’t you flirted with

Finny sees that Bard has water and thinks Bard cooked it himself, so he wants no part of that (might be burnt)

What did he even have that was worth stealing? A fish?

Well I can tell you who isn’t creating that smoke: Lau

“What’s worse than two young masters? No young masters. Now get over here and make a contract”

Everything about this sentence is a fever dream

Other events:

Undertaker decides he wants a slingy shot too

Edward chases Dad I mean Phipps

Othello gets some ouchies from picking berries

Night 3

When your young master dies, you just get an infection apparently

damn Finny’s playing hardball

I don’t think anything bad has actually happened to Bard yet. It’s just been a grand frolic the whole time

I barely remember reading the first Hunger Games but Ran-Mao’s the Foxface of this journey: she deserves to win and I just know she’ll die in the stupidest way possible

Sebastian’s like a cat that can’t reach the bird it wants to attack, so it attacks the nearest other thing instead. Poor Dad

Two white-haired anime boys and a not-white-haired anime boy talk about who will die tomorrow. Anime doesn’t exist yet so the white-haired anime boys don’t know their hair color automatically spells their doom

Other events:

Edward starts a fire, which means he’s capable of smoking opium

Ronald gets some medical supplies

Othello gets a hatchet

R!Ciel thinks about winning

Lau gets an entire explosive, but he won’t be able to light it, so no it’s no big deal

Day 4

In Soviet Hunger Games, white-haired anime boy kills you

But why murder someone when you could just mess with them

Other events:

Grey scares Bard

Finny goes hunting

Night 4

Have you four even killed anyone yet

The list of “people who didn’t start the manor fire and also don’t smoke opium” now consists of Lau and R!Ciel

The mood is too light now. Someone needs to die and it better not be Ran-Mao

At last, Father Phipps has chosen his son for this round

Agni gushes about all the hot guys he’s simultaneously in love with, giving Ran-Mao a clearer idea of who’s still alive

Day 5

Girl, it’s about time, go claim some trophies

Finny’s easily got the longest kill streak and it’s a little unnerving

Father Phipps finds a new secret fishing hole

Othello doesn’t

Lau continues to put in all the efforts of a kindergarten bully

Oh no. He’s a yandere

Other events:

Sebastian fucks around and explores the arena

Bard fucks around and hunts for tributes

Undertaker fucks around and sleeps

R!Ciel fucks around and picks flowers

Night 5

I’ve never met anyone who ships Sebastian/Undertaker but I know you’re out there

Okay, maybe these four are even less likely to team up than Phipps, Ronald, Undertaker, and Lau

Edward sees I’m making jokes about people who build fires and stays hidden

Day 6

Canonically, that is the only way R!Ciel would win a fight, so

I probably could have predicted this

I hope these are the faces they made when it happened

The “unknown sponsor” is R!Ciel and the “fresh food” is an ear that fell off his own head

I’m not sure if I should be concerned or unsurprised that Bard’s Hunger Games life is more chill than his canon life

the “unknown sponsor” was the fish and the “clean water” was “fish water”

Other events:

Ran-Mao gets her third weapon that she doesn’t want to use, which is a hatchet

Finny finds a river

Agni practices archery again, but he doesn’t kill anyone because he wants this to go on forever

Night 6

Ran-Mao I beg you please. Release us from this purgatory of mediocrity

And suddenly we’re back to canon Bard

I guess not everything can be canon

Other events:

Both Agni and Phipps pass out from exhaustion. It’s 2:50 a.m. so I should really be taking a page from their book, but unfortunately everyone refuses to die

The Feast

Finny has been a stone cold killer this entire match, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the girl I wanted to win would get eliminated by him, but it still hurts ✌️😔

If you cheat on Othello, he will overpower you, killing you

Everyone else decided not to go to the Feast. Honestly, I don’t remember what the Feast is, but everyone who did go either murdered someone or got murdered, so I guess that was probably a good call

Day 7

I’ve had enough of this dude

Jesus Finny I can’t wait to see how many kills you got, I feel like you and Agni were the only two who took anyone down

Bard, Undertaker, Sebastian, and Phipps all hunt for other tributes but they’re useless and don’t kill anyone

Arena Event: Volcano Eruption

In one fell swoop, we lose Sebastian, Undertaker, R!Ciel, and Finny, jeez. But... that means it comes down to.............

FATHER PHIPPS VS. BARD

FATHER PHIPPS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow... Unlike his manga counterpart, this boy coasted the whole time and won... He basically went on vacation and he actually won... But then again, it’s Hunger Games Simulator and nothing is sacred

Well I hope you learned a valuable lesson today. I hope you did at some point before you read my post, because you sure as hell learned nothing from this. Thank you for wasting precious minutes of your life with me 😏

[thelastfunctioningbraincell]

Hi! I read your Heronstairs headcanon, which was fantastic! Since it's Cassie's birthday would you like to write another one where Will comes to meet Alec?

Omygods thank you soo much💙💙 that means a lot to me 😭😭

Alec was coming back from the Clave meeting, Magnus wasn't home yet since he had to go for some other work. Alec saw Jace, who had burried his face into the couch and was fast asleep. No wonder, babysitting two kids would be exhausting for Jace. Uncle Jace and Uncle Simon were taking turns to babysit.

Alec smiled looking at his Parabatai who was hugging a pillow. He headed straight to the kids room, that was his routine, looking meeting the kids before doing anything else.

" Blueberry, Rafe? Dad's back! Hey-" he stopped midway looking at the hazy figure of a tall man with dark hair and blue eyes, who was bending over the kids who were fast asleep. "Who- who are you?" Alec looked at him, he had the same blue eyes dark hair. "Alexander Gideon Lightworm, lightwood I mean. Nice to meet you." The man had a dense English accent. He extended his hand, " I know your ancestors, rather I'm related to your parabatai who well, landed face first into your sofa." He said. " William Herondale, I- I don't know what to say." Alec said with complete disbelief.

"There's no need to. I'm here to see how my sister's descendant is doing, you've got her eyes and her hair too. A lightworm inheriting herondale beauty, who could've believed that till Cecy came into Gabriel's life. Oh, what would've he done without her. Anyways, I might be a bit late. But I'm here to tell you. You aren't anyone's shadow, you're a strong nephillim, an individual person. I appreciate your skills in archery, your accuracy and precision I don't even have words." Will said holding Alec's shoulder.

Alec looked down and smiled. "I really needed these words few years ago. Sir, I'm really glad to meet you. I've heard so much about you..from Magnus, read about you..and I- I can't believe I'm here talking to you." Will frowned, "Don't call me sir, I'm not that old! It makes me feel like a grumpy old man sitting in a chair by the fireplace telling bedtime story to his grandkids. Call me Will "

"Oh, I'm sorry, si- Will. B-but why me? Why did you come to meet me? I mean you could've talked to Jace...or Magnus, why choose me?" Alec asked. " Your subconscious mind still thinks low of yourself. You've been there for everyone and no one appreciated it enough. Let's start with your parabatai. He was always the one to be noticed first. But if it wasn't for you, this reckless impulsive boy would've ran into some deep trouble. You knocked sense into him, stood by his side in all times.

Your sister, I always wondered how she's so different from all the Lightwoods, but then again, she reminds me of Anna Lightwood. She's strong, again you've been there for her when Max..... Max, that child. I must tell you he misses you the most. He wished of growing up with you learning from his big brother. I know, I very well know that you still blame yourself for not being there when everything happened. But this is a message from him, don't blame yourself, it happened for a reason. He's still with you and he's really happy for you.

Then the mundane boy, who became a daylighter, wow that is complex. You didn't really like him in the beginning, but you do care for him. Now he's engaged to your sister. Give them my best wishes.

Then the red haired girl, you didn't approve her either, you see her as a sister now. She's reckless too, but that's her strength. You appreciate and support her. Then your kids, they’re amazing, look his skin matches my eyes! 

And then my dear Magnus, he’s been through a lot. He was there for me so many times. St. Magnus’s home for wayward shadowhunters is a concept from my times. I know the pain of loving someone who’s goin to live forever” Will looked down at his hands and smiled. “Tessa, my love and my parabatai, Jem. But don’t ever give up on eachother you two. I’ve never seen Magnus this happy with anyone, you were there for him too.” Will’s gaze shifted towards the crackling sound by the fireplace.

 “But what about it? I...I didn’t have any intention-” Alec said. “Yes, you didn’t you did it all selflessly, you did it for your loved ones. You used to think you won’t be able to ever enter the Silent city or be remembered with your comrades due to the Clave’s views. Everyone’s life has a curse, I had mine. But you had the power to strengthen your bonds. Remember, a nephilim who can love his comrades selflessly deserves to be appreciated, and that’s all I came here for. 

Alec’s eyes were filled with tears, all his thoughts from past stood in front of him, he had people to love now, people who loved him. “Church’s judgemental face and Bridget’s ballads are forever, and so are your stories Alec. Before I go There’s something I’d like to say,” Will touched Alec’s cheek and said.

“I’m really proud of you, Alexander Lightwood. May the angel bless you, and everyone around you.” A tear rolled down Alec’s cheek as the words echoed in the air and the man in front of him slowly disappeared like silver dust.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading, ik its kinda long. @anon Thanks for the request, I hope you liked it! *my Apollo-geez for not writing sassy lines for Will, I can’t man, I can’t*

Characters belong to @cassandraclare 

*kinda late, but Happy Birthday Cassie!!*

Tagging few ppl who might wanna read.

@queenlilith43 @ghafa-dale @garimamorgenstairsfairdale @crazy-beautiful @nerdyfuntheorist @hardlymatters @shadowhunting-hooligans @herondalebitchh @in-love-with-themoon @noah-herondale-lightwood @the-blackdale @fangirlinindia @fangirl2o20 @justanormaldemon @ravenscar14 @kitandtyarelife @whiskedthought 

No pressure ✌️✌️

(do tell if you wanna be added/removed from the taglist)

[crushing-on-nico-di-angelo]

Okay, here's the actual chapter 3

7 Nights in Cabin 13

Nico took a small step backwards. “I’m sorry,” Will hesitated. “I shouldn’t have asked you, I know you probably don’t want to and--”

“Hey, woah, I never said I didn’t want to. I was just shocked. Not everyday I get asked to sleep with someone-- I- I mean… you know what I mean.”

Will giggled. “So does this mean you do want to?”

“...Yeah. I guess it does.”

Read (and maybe give kudos?) on ao3

~~~~

Lying in Nico’s bed, side by side, wasn’t as awkward as Will thought it would be. The comforter was very comforting and warm. The warmth of Nico made his heart beat faster, he hadn’t slept next to anyone since he was about seven years old having a nightmare about goats and crawled into his mami’s bed.

Nico turned to him, so Will made the necessary adjustments.

“I hope you don’t mind that I kept the window open. The light… helps.”

“I’m the son of Apollo, Neeks. I don’t mind at all.” Nico’s face softened. Will stared at his eyes, and he swore there was a universe of activity and stars in a dark brown expanse. He was lost in trying to pinpoint every constellation that he didn’t notice Nico’s hand reaching for his hair until he felt the tentative ruffle.

“Ah, sorry. I can stop if you’d like. Bianca…” Nico cleared his throat. “Bianca used to do this to me when I was having trouble sleeping.”

“Don’t stop,” Will murmured, once again feeling the effects of sleepiness. “Please.”

Nico closed his eyes and continued softly playing with Will’s hair. Will was simultaneously hyper-aware of how nice it felt to have someone play with his hair and extremely at peace, letting sleep overtake him.

<i> A wedding. Drinking gasoline. Pain in his right leg. Silence; eternal, deafening silence. </i>

When Will opened his eyes, he was acutely aware of the hand resting on his head. A bit of drool was pooled underneath his chin, but how could he move when Nico was still asleep holding his head? Nothing to do now but stay still and think.

<i> Alright Solace… I’ve been putting it off too long. How did I get here? …Nathan is how. But I don’t want to think about him. Which is fine, because I haven’t seen him in years, so I can’t exactly pin this on him. How did I get here <b> now? </b> ...I got into my head again is how.</i>

He remembers it, his relapse, but not exactly.

He was showing Clarisse how to complete an advanced archery move. He may not have been the best in comparison to his siblings, but he and Clarisse had been best friends after the Battle of Manhattan. They had gotten clean together. He had to help her with the archery.

But then. The way he positioned Clarisse’s arm. He remembered that was exactly how Fletcher positioned his. He remembered Michael doing the same for other campers. He finished teaching Clarisse the move and left to go to the showers.

He pushed the thought out of his mind-- or, he tried to. He couldn’t think of anything at all, and his breathing was getting so, so heavy. He turned on the water to hide the noises he was making, hyperventilating. They were dead, they were dead, and he <i> knew</i> they were dead. Why couldn’t he get it through that thick skull of his? He knew they were dead he saw it happen, saw the bridge collapse. But it was all he could think of, all just looping through his mind, over and over and over. No release. No end in sight to the looping thoughts. Breathing breathing breathing only not in the way he was supposed to. Suffocating on too much air and not enough oxygen.

And then the dysphoria kicked in.

His chest hurt. His chest hurt so fucking much. In addition to the binding he was doing, he was breathing so, so hard. He wanted to take the binder off, but his clothes were too wet and it was stuck. Thoughts looping, never stopping. Dead, dead, dead. Never going to be a real man. The sound of the explosion being nothing and everything to him all at once. Losing the first person to help him. Wanting so badly to hurt himself but having nothing to do so with. And then remembering what he did in the following months.

He let the water of the shower run over his soaked clothes while he focused on what he did after they died. The Hypnos cabin, they helped him forget it, but in the wake of his panic attack he remembered where he put them.

The last of his stash.

The next thing he knew, he was frantically searching for pennies with a flashlight in a camp that didn’t even use American currency-- his mind finally off his dead siblings-- at midnight outside of the Hades cabin. And thank Zeus for that.

...He was a weak person. As soon as things got tough, he went with the convenient solution. He’d always been a bad friend and a bad son because of it, and he likely always would be. Things got better for a bit, but looking at himself now? How could he ever think of himself as a good person after this, when it’s clear that he’ll always be fucking… <i>weak</i> like this….

This wasn’t something he was going to forgive himself for anytime soon. Not at all. Especially not for concerning Nico like this. He could have handled himself.

<i> Could I have handled myself?</i> he wondered. Nico shifted in his sleep, his arm now draping over Will’s shoulder. <i>Does it even matter right now? It’s too late to change it.</i>

He tried to settle into sleep again, but he found that he couldn’t. He also didn’t want to think anymore about what happened to get him here in the first place, when he could be messing around with his friends and cabin-mates while canoeing. He could be trying for the camp record on the lava wall. He could be doing a million things… but he fucked it up. Gods, he already said he didn’t want to think about it. So why was he?

He sighed softly, not wanting to disturb Nico. He snuggled into Nico’s embrace, not realizing how close they had gotten when they were asleep. His nose was nearly touching Nico’s and he noticed the faint freckles splashed over his nose and under his eyes. They were so light that you had to be inches away to notice them, but Will suspected that he would <i>only</i> notice them from now on. Just like his eyes, Will felt compelled to trace out constellations.

Will had posters and posters back in his home in Austin about stars and space exploration. He memorized constellations and had a hyperfixation on planets from ages seven to eleven. He still had all of that knowledge in his head, and it was remarkable to him how many constellations he found on Nico’s face. He pulled one of his hands from under the covers and started going over them, trying not to touch Nico’s face. He did lightly trace Nico’s nose, and was surprised when Nico didn’t even stir. He started feeling more and more relaxed, tracing what was almost the big dipper; he eventually fell asleep again with his hand cupping Neek’s cheeks.

He dreamt rough dreams, but was fortunate enough to wake up not remembering any of them.

~~~~~~

Will woke up and felt an absence of warmth. He saw Nico leaning against the doorframe, his silhouette framed by the hall light. He stood there, unmoving. Will would have wondered if he had fallen asleep again if not for the fact that he was standing fully upright. Nico knocked gently on the wood of the frame before walking away. Will wondered what that was all about but didn’t want to ask. He stood from the bed and walked to Nico’s bathroom to splash his face. He stood up and was hit with dizziness. There was a clock by Nico’s bed which read ‘8 P.M.’

“Ah,” he murmured himself. “That’s it.”

He fell asleep with Nico at around noon, which meant he hadn’t eaten in nearly 8 hours. He shivered from the cold. He grabbed a jacket hanging from the bed and walked out.

“Hey, Neeks,” Will felt a bit odd. They had been so intimate with each other earlier, he wondered if that would make things awkward between them.

“Hello, William. How’d you sleep?” Nico seemed to not mind, so Will decided to play it cool.

“Alright. I dreamt, so…”

Nico chuckled. “So not the best it could have been. I made us pot pie, it’s in the oven right now.”

“Holy shit, deathboy. You always cook so much?” Nico smiled and shook his head.

“Just felt like it lately, I suppose. It’s almost ready, grab a seat.”

~~~~~

After about an hour of eating and delirious laughter, it suddenly came to light that Nico had never played 20 questions.

“What the hell do you mean you’ve never played?” Will was incredulous. “Didn’t you used to go to boarding school?” Nico was still grinning from the laughter.

“Well, yes but I was around 10 years old! I didn’t play games like that.” Will shook his head in disbelief.

“We’re remedying that today, di Angelo.”

“How do you play?”

“I ask you a question, you answer it, and then you ask me and I answer. The cycle continues until we each ask 20 questions.”

Nico hummed to himself. “Is anything off-limits?”

Will knew what he didn’t want him to ask, but instead said, “On my end? No. Is there anything you don’t want me to ask you?”

“...I suppose not.”

“Alright. Feel free to say ‘skip’ for any question. No big deal, I’ll just ask a new one.”

“Alright. Do you go first or me?”

Will always liked to ask the same question during 20 questions. “If you had the chance to have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?”

“Hm…” Nico took a deep breath. “Does my mother count?”

Will’s breath hitched. “She-- she does,” <i> Treat it normal, Solace.</i> “She seems like she’d be a good choice. She died in the 50’s?”

“30’s, actually. Right before I was moved to the Lotus Hotel.”

“...Oh. I’m sorry, Nico.” Nico waved him off.

“It’s fine, I was little. There’s just… so much I wish I knew, you know?”

“For sure…” <i> Gods, this poor kid. </i> “Still, I’m sorry. You were just a kid.”

“Yeah, well. Anyway. My turn, right?”

Will could tell that conversation was over, so he nodded.

“What’s your tattoo?” Nico asked, to which Will smiled.

“It’s… here.” He pulled down his shirt enough for the sun to show. Nico leaned forward to get a closer look.

“It’s really pretty. I saw it on that first night after you showered. Why did you get it?”

“Lee Fletcher.”

“Lee Fletcher? Who’s that?”

And who was Lee Fletcher? Lee Fletcher was the man who meant everything to Will. He had a mom and two sisters, and no father. Lee Fletcher was the first guy in his life to act as a guardian to him. He was four years older and always acted as an older brother even before Will knew that Lee was a guy. Lee taught Will archery and how to talk to girls. Later, Lee would teach him to talk to boys. Lee was powerful and smart. He was so, so brave. He would heal people just by <i>singing</i> to them. He was everything that Will wanted to be.

After he died, Will was inconsolable. Of course, during the war he was fine. He was cool and collected: a healer, the child of Apollo. But after? He started sneaking out more, trying to escape everything and everyone. Started drinking more… that’s when he met Nathan. He knew that wasn’t the question, though. Lee Fletcher, the memory of Lee Fletcher, is what kept him going through the darkest time in his life. He owed the world to him.

“Lee Fletcher… well…”

[de-profundis-ad-astra]

Fury, Oh Fury - Part 2

Rating || M (Strong language) Characters || Ben Miller, William Miller. Word Count || 5.1k Taglist || (Starting out tagging some mutuals and people I remember from the previous taglist)  @firefeatherx​ @mylifeliterally​ @mandoplease​ @phoenixhalliwell​ @skylyknightly​ @havenforafrazzledmind​ @beatriz-silva-00​ @veuliee​ @veuliee2​ @oldstuffnewstuff​ @dindisneydjarin​ @lilacyennefer​ @dignityneeded​ @agirllovespancakes​​ @xjustmenobodyelse​​ @oscarflysaac @jaime1110​​ @goldenhour-goldenboy​​ @pascalz​​ @briskywalker​​ @herestherealproblem​​ @givemethatgold​​

Author’s Note || No matter how hard I try to keep this project on a backburner, it keeps kicking and screaming to be told. I had most of part 3 written before I put this fic on hiatus, and I’m hoping to have it written before the end of the year. I just need to get through this week and then schools have two weeks off for the holidays. I’m hoping to carve out some time for writing, then.

District Two’s training academy hides behind the façade of a retired school house.

Upon its decommissioning almost thirty years ago, district leadership descended upon the ramshackle building—and thus began its transformation. Training for the Hunger Games is not condoned by the Capitol. But what they don’t know won’t hurt them. While the exterior of the campus remains dilapidated and unassuming, playing every bit the part of a forgotten relic of a bygone era, its interior has its own story to tell.

Old equipment was cleared out. Tables in the lunchroom replaced with rows of sparring rings. The courtyard converted into a range for archery, javelins, throwing knives, and various ranged weaponry. The sagging, cracked walls refurbished and belied with the latest survival equipment and handheld weapons.

Children who display a prowess for fighting—and more importantly, a potential for victory in the Hunger Games—are selected to attend this academy. Training begins at age eleven, and continues until age seventeen, when one is selected to volunteer at the next reaping. These future tributes are up before dawn and smuggled into the academy before the first shift of Peacekeepers hit the streets, and are not let out until late—most days not until after the sun sets.

But the most notable feature of District Two’s training academy is not its staggering array of swords, daggers, maces, spears, every kind of armament under the sun. It’s not the skill with which District Two’s future tributes can wield these weapons. It’s not the way these future tributes can fire an arrow with devastating accuracy by age fourteen. It’s not the cleanliness of what appears to be a retired, collapsing school. No. It’s none of these things.

The standout feature of the academy is the first thing most people see upon entering the building. In the antechamber of the academy are three words emblazoned on the back wall, above the district’s crest.

Honor. Duty. Victory.

And this is the academy’s most notable feature. Painted and upkept with more care than several entire districts see.

It started out—in the early days of the academy—as an unofficial mantra of those who passed through. As time passed, and the academy produced more and more victors, these attributes were prescribed to every tribute.

Honor. Even being selected train, even if it did not guarantee participation in the Games, was considered the highest form of flattery a child in District Two could receive. Second only to being permitted the option to volunteer.

Duty. Once selected as a future volunteer for the Games, it was a job treated with upmost care and respect.

Victory.

Well. That part seems self-explanatory.

--

Future tributes from District Two weren’t exempt from training. Not even on reaping day.

Yes, the day was shortened to make sure everyone was present for the event, but the morning was still packed full of running, exercising, sparring, and survival lessons.

Ben had seen plenty of footage from the outer districts of how this day was observed there. It was a quiet, somber affair—the reaped tributes treated already as corpses at a wake. Families and friends shut themselves in, closed their doors and their blinds, held each other, and prayed that, however their loved one died, it was as swift and painless as the Capitol would allow.

But this was the Hunger Games. A hope for such things is, at best, a feeble one.

In District Two, the air buzzes with energy. Something pure and raw and not quite human. Of course, the knowledge of who will be any given year’s volunteers is kept under lock and key, so bets are placed, wagers made, on who they think will go into the arena based on appearances alone. Those who are selected to offer up their lives try to keep from puffing their chests a little too much, those who did not make the cut hide their disappointment behind polite smiles and kind words.

When the tributes are shipped off their families open their doors to friends and neighbors, who offer up gifts and well wishes. Parties are held for every event possible: the tribute parade, interviews, the start of the Games, and then then it simply did not stop until a victor was crowned or, in the worst case, the tributes were killed.

Then, and only then, did families shut their doors and their blinds, the shame of their tributes failing to bring home another victory outweighing their grief for the loss of a child.

At least that was what they said.

--

Of course, District Two cannot have an eighteen-year-old volunteer step forward at every reaping. To allow that would be to bring down the might of the Capitol if they ever caught on. District Two has worked hard to earn the favor of the president. They’re not about to risk, especially not something as high profile as the Hunger Games.

Some years, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old is selected, some years no one is selected, and the odds dictate who will be traveling to the Capitol that year.

After all, it’s may the odds be ever in your favor, right?

To find out that a district had taken the odds into their own hands, become masters of their own fate. If word of that got out about that… well. It certainly would not be a civil affair.

It was certainly an interesting thing to be said of a nation built upon that exact principle. The Capitol founded itself on this exact principle—built themselves from the ground up because they dared to carve their own path, even if that meant stepping on others. Who was to say they didn’t rig the reapings, anyway?

So for District Two to return the favor would be a horrific slap in the face.

If they ever got caught.

--

“NICE JOB, MILLER! If you go any slower through the next obstacle course maybe I can retire with my pension by the time you’re through!” Ben’s trainer, Alistair, screams in his face.

Ben keeps silent, his face blank and indifferent, his eyes straight ahead. He’s not looking at Alistair. He’s looking through him. Who knew tuning out Will’s lectures about training would prepare him so well for taking his trainer’s abuse?

“Go through it again!” Alistair snarls, and Ben peels back to the start of the obstacle course, hearing him scream “FASTER! I will stick my foot down your throat ‘til your shit’s on my shoe if you don’t hustle, Miller!”

Ben throws himself onto the rope net. He climbs.

Ben catches the rest of his team when he reaches the top of the rope wall. Alistair has them all doing pushups until he finishes the obstacle course, and Ben throws himself down the other side of the wall, gritting his teeth. He makes it through the course faster this time, and Alistair lets the others up. He trots them to the next course.

After the obstacle courses, it’s close quarters combat training with the squad of sixteens. Ben is convinced they’ve set it up this way just to show them how it feels to lose—to use that motivation to throw themselves into a fight willing to do whatever it takes to win. This is the Hunger Games, after all, it’s all about how ruthless you can be.

Ben looks forward to sparring drills the most. From the moment he set foot in the academy two years ago, he’d proved himself fast, faster than most others, even those much older than him. The trainers had capitalized on that. Now, at age fourteen, he can mop the floor with any squad except the eighteens.

Ben makes friends with another boy in his group named Ramsey. They share a brand of indifferent camaraderie usually reserved for teammates that only get along in the field. Ben’s had to swallow so much pride over the past six months alone following Will’s victory that he’s surprised he hasn’t choked to death. Ramsey’s strength is with a strange sort of sword-spear hybrid the trainers call a yklwa.

In close quarters combat, he’s a whirlwind, the weapon a mere extension of his hand. He takes down whoever steps into his path while hardly breaking a sweat. God helps whoever tries to run from him with the yklwa in his hand.

Ramsey says he’s named his yklwa Carmen. After a recruit in the fifteens he’s hoping to get together with.                                                

--

Will takes up woodworking after his Games. His home in the Victor’s Village is covered in them. He starts small—bowls and cutting boards at first are rough to the touch. As he hones in on this newfound hobby, his hand grows steady, smooth, until he’s crafting shelves with intricate details carved into the side panels, whittling animals with striking detail that seem to stand guard in their respective rooms. A particularly haunting interpretation of the cougar mutts he faced in the arena adorn the shelf above his fireplace.

It’s not until after he returns from his victory tour that Ben asks Will to train him. It’s over dinner, one of the evenings their father works late. Will brings home stew and a loaf of bread filled with seeds from the market that they eat on the floor before the roaring hearth. They tear off chunks of the bread and dunk them into the rich, savory broth.

“Why?” Will asks simply. He doesn’t look at Ben. He looks straight ahead at the fire, the dancing flames casting dozens of patterns of shadow and light across his face each second.

Ben pulls his legs up towards his chest, Will’s lack of enthusiasm making him regret bringing it up in the first place. “’Cause…” he says, unsure how to say it without provoking his brother to anger. “The headmaster at the academy keeps tellin’ me that if I keep it up, I’ll be able to volunteer in a few years. I want… to be ready.”

“You don’t get enough training there?”

Ben folds his arms on top of his knees and hides his mouth and nose in the crook of his elbow. “If you teach me, I’ll be even better—I’ll be able to win,” he mumbles into his sleeve.

Will’s eyes drift away from the fire, a muscle in his jaw feathering as his mouth tightens into a thin line. He sighs, rubbing at his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “Okay,” he says at last.

Ben, sensing the hesitation, backpedals, “You don’t have to.”

“No. I want to.” Will gathers up the remains of their meal and carries them into the kitchen. “If they’re going to ask you to volunteer like you think they will—I want to make sure you’re ready. I want you to come home.”

Ben doesn’t follow him into the kitchen, the weight settling in his chest too heavy to move. He just wants to be as good as Will was, he thinks. He wants to bring pride to District Two like Will did.

When he looks through the doorway into the kitchen, Will stares out the window, at something only he can see.

The next week, Will starts carving weapons.

--

The sword is merely an extension of Will’s arm when he knocks Ben on his ass for the fifth time and levels the dull point of the blade with his throat.

They’ve cleared out one of the (many) spare rooms of Will’s home and repurposed it as a sparring ring. Ben and his father were extended an offer by Will to live with him in the home. Due to the nature of their father’s work, he elected to remain in their house inside the district. Ben bounces between the two, though he’d be lying if he said he didn’t prefer Will’s house to their father’s.

Ben’s tailbone groans as he slides over the carpet away from Will’s sword. He’s fashioned it almost exactly after his weapon from the arena, every detail down to the carvings on the hilt crafted with extreme accuracy from memory.

“You’re stuck in the moment,” Will advises, flipping the sword around and pressing the tip into the ground between and slightly in front of his feet. He leans into it, the wood barely creaking against his weight. “You gotta anticipate, Benny.”

Ben groans, “It’s hard to anticipate when I’m too focused on not getting my hand cut off.”

He’s forgone a weapon during this session, choosing to focus instead on how to disarm an opponent. If he faces another tribute with a weapon, if he can get it out of their hands, he will earn the upper hand and put the odds in his favor.

Maybe it’s a trait that came from the arena, but Will seems so much more in his element here. He’s relaxed, lines no longer weathering his crushingly young face. His movements smooth, steady, his reactions unlike anything Ben had ever seen before.

How can he hope to go up against anything like that in the arena?

“Come on,” Will’s voice softens when he extends his hand. “Let’s try again.”

--

Ben keeps his focus on his own rhythmic, controlled breathing, sucking air into his lungs and letting it out in a smooth, measured pattern as his feet pound into the concrete of the track. He ignores the soreness in his legs, the tightness in his chest, his thighs begging him to stop and his lungs pleading for more. He ignores the others in his squad running in stride with him, focusing only on keeping the pace. He tunes out the pain, the people around him, and the world around him.

It’s just him and the road.

“Hey, Ben,” Ramsey’s raspy voice huffs next to him.

Ben stays silent, his blue eyes fixed downwards at the patch of the track he would job over five seconds from now. He breathes a slightly deeper breath than before, his concentration irked by Ramsey’s attempt to get his attention.

“Ben!” Ramsey snaps.

Ben closes his eyes, actively putting all of his effort into focusing on the task at hand. He centers his mind on the impact of his shoes against the concrete and his own deep breathing that makes a whooshing sound in his ears. He might fall behind or run out of breath, and if Alistair catches them talking, they’re in for all sorts of hell.

“I’m talking to you, dickhead!” Ramsey hisses, pausing between breaths.

Ben remains nonresponsive. Whatever it was, it could wait until—

A flash of pain sears across Ben’s backside, Ramsey’s hand smacking against his ass as hard as he can manage. Ben fumbles on a step with a yap of shock and hurt. He sucks down a massive amount of air and losing all semblance of pace he had with the others, only to receive a grunt of “Move!” and a shove forward from the boy behind him. Ben sprints ahead to get back into place, his face hot with embarrassment as he clenches his teeth and tries to regulate his breathing.

“Jackass!” he snarls at Ramsay, who cocks a playful grin and breathes through his mouth.

“You know better than to neglect me,” Ramsey pants, keeping up the pace. “I refuse to be ignored.”

“You’ve got a dick punch headed you way for that,” Ben croaks, his ass still aching as he tries to keep running the last half-kilometer.

“Whatever,” Ramsey replies with the vaguest shake of his head. “Anyway, did you do the homework last night?”

Homework is a rather loose term, but they were occasionally tasked with assignments to complete at home. These assignments ranged from practicing an advanced hand to hand combat maneuver, building a snare designed to catch a rabbit, or successfully waterproofing matches. The particular assignment Ramsey referred to had to do with reading about how to identify poisonous plants.

“Kinda late to be asking about that now, don’t you think?” Ben pants.

“That’s why you’re my friend,” Ramsey explains, “When my girlfriend keeps me out too late to do work, you bail me out.”

Ben grunts and cuts a glare at Ramsey that would have burned holes through almost anyone else.

“I know you’re jealous that she gets all my attention, Benny—”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Besides, we can’t all be dating some carefree, rich daughter of the mayor that loves to spend all your money.”

Before Ben can respond, a harsh voice calls, “Kick it in! Last hundred meters!”

Ramsey and Ben begin to suck in deep gulps of air along with the rest of their team, holding all of the oxygen they can and sprinting down the last section of track in a final burst of speed. They lean forward and tear down the concrete, ignoring the lightheadedness and the dull throbbing of their leg muscles as they pump their arms and struggle to stay in formation, the soles of their shoes pounding against the surface of the track.

The burning in Ben’s chest and stomach intensifies, the tightness of his body worsening as the end comes into sight.

“You better get across the finish line before I say times up or I’m gonna shove my foot up each and every one of your asses!” the voice roars.

Ben, Ramsey, and the rest of the squad picks up the pace, stomping their feet into the concrete and rushing across the finish line as a group, the last one just barely crossing before the voice cries, “Time’s up!”

The squad trots to a stop, and begins stretching against the wall of the indoor track, lined up single file in order to get out of the way of anyone else using the track.

“So, listen,” Ramsey whispers. “Back on topic: what was the homework from last night?”

“I thought you needed to copy it,” mutters Ben.

“Well, yeah. But I have to know what it is, first!”

“It was just reading,” sighs Ben. “Identifying poisonous versus edible plants.”

“Do you think they’re going to quiz us on it?”

Ben shrugged, indifferent.

“Quiz you on what, Miller?” a harsh voice behind them asked.

Ben and Ramsey cringe and do an about-face, knowing what they would see when they turned around.

Even though Ben had reached an impressive physical height for fourteen, Alistair still holds a few inches over him. He and Ramsey stand tall, staring straight forward as Alistair comes up to them with an acid frown on his face.

“Listen up!” Alistair roars. “Miller here thinks that just because his big brother’s a victor of the Games, that entitles him to a free ride around here! And Ramsey here is so in love with Miller that he can’t keep his hands off his ass! Both of them have disrespected you and me! They had the chance to do this because you aren’t motivating them enough! Therefore, I am going to punish all of you for what one of them has done! The rest of you will run while these two spar in the ring. If Miller wins, He’ll watch the rest of you do a switch run for a half an hour! If Ramsey wins, he’ll watch while the rest of you do a switch run for half an hour! Understand? Go!”

Ben and Ramsey both receive murderous glares from the eight remaining members of their squad as they take off down the track, once more in formation.

“Do I personally have to shin-kick the both of you to get you moving?” Alistair barks.

Ben and Ramsey walk past Alistair, staring at the ground, across the track and into the center field, in which was a platform boxing ring with holographic boundary lines on all four sides. Protective gear and gloves rest against the sides of the platform. Ben and Ramsey unzip the jackets of their track suits, underneath which they both wear plain white tee shirts, and slip a pair of gloves over their hands and headgear over their ears.

“Let’s go!” Alistair barks. “Your fellow cadets are paying for every second you waste!”

“Damn it, Ramsey,” whispers Ben. “I knew this would happen.”

“Oh, so I’m the bad guy here?” Ramsey asks incredulously as they walk up the stairs. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying!” Ben snaps as they pass through the holographic boundary lines, traveling to the center of the ring and facing each other. “We’re in this situation because you refuse to be ignored!”

“Well then maybe you shouldn’t ignore me all the time, I might say something you need to hear,” Ramsey responds icily.

“Like what?”

“Like, maybe if you pull that stick out of your ass, you might learn to have some fun, instead of just being an asshole most of the time,” Ramsey shrugs, putting up his fists.

“Well, according to you, Ramsey, everyone’s got a stick up their ass, so maybe you’re the one with the problem,” Ben comes back coolly.

“Oh, for fucks sake…” Ramsey growls, taking a swing at Ben’s head.

Ben bends backwards, avoiding the punch, then steps forward and jabs at Ramsey’s side. He lets out a gasp of shock, then nails Ben in his cheek with another quick swing.

Ben stumbles backwards, a dull stinging igniting in his face, though his headgear had absorbed most of it.

“Do you always have to be so goddamn responsible all the time?!” Ramsey snarls. “You always have to be right and you always have to have everything follow your rules!”

Ramsey steps towards Ben to deliver another blow, only to have Ben sidestep around and slug him in the stomach once again. Ramsey clenches his stomach, looking up as Ben knocks him in the forehead with a hard right hook.

Ramsey flies backwards, falling on his ass, stunned.

“You’re not responsible at all! How do you expect to live up to anything that your family wants for you if all you do is fuck off?!” Ben barks.

Ramsey looks up at Ben, getting to his feet. Ben stands at the ready, his fists up to protect his face. Ramsey swiftly strikes at Ben’s face, a hit that is blocked but still distracts him enough for Ramsey to drive his other fist into his stomach. The wind flies out of Ben’s lungs as Ramsey delivers an uppercut to his bottom jaw, whiplashing his neck and throwing him back.

“I don’t worry about it!” Ramsey spits. “You could stand to do the same. You worry about things that aren’t in your control. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not the one preoccupied with my family here!”

Ben grits his teeth through the intense stinging in his jaw and neck, his anger fueling his rise to his feet. He leaps forward and strikes one, two, three times at Ramsey’s head, punching into a block each time but not caring. He steps back just in time to avoid another shot at his face from Ramsey, then back forward to hit the other boy in his upper chest.

“You’ve got no idea what you’re talking about!” Ben yells, punching again and again at Ramsey’s defenses, driving him further back. “You don’t know what I’ve been through and you don’t know what I’ve got to deal with.”

Ramsey grumbles and shoves upward into Ben’s elbows, pushing his arms up and pulling his left fist back. Before Ben can bring up a block again, Ramsey’s fist smashes into Ben’s jaw, twisting his head to the side as Ramsey’s right fist punches into Ben’s shoulder.

The dull throbbing pain in his face and the taste of blood in his mouth make the fall backwards almost unnoticeable, until the reverse polarity field at the boundaries of the ring throw him back into the center. Ben stumbles forward and landed on his knees.

“You’ve got to deal with living up to someone, Ben. I know how it feels,” Ramsey sympathizes, not attacking. “But you can’t torture yourself over things you can’t change and how you think someone would judge what you’re doing. You’re not and you can’t be just like Will!”

Ben glares up at Ramsey, lashing out with his leg and sweeping Ramsey’s legs out from under him. Ramsey falls onto his back with a rough thud and Ben leaps across the floor on all fours as Ramsey tries to get up. He puts Ramsey into a chokehold, compressing his neck in the crook of his arm, causing Ramsey to gasp out in panic.

“Well what choice do I have?!” Ben hisses into Ramsey’s ear.

Ramsey gags, and then taps the floor.

Ben releases his friend and stands to his feet as Ramsey collapses to the floor of the ring, coughing. Ben breathes hard, looking down at him, and extends a hand. Ramsey takes Ben’s hand and he helps him, still breathing raggedly. As Ramsey massages his neck and looks at Ben with a mix of pity and disappointment, Ben noticed Alistair standing at the edge of the ring. He disengages the polarity field and steps into the ring silently, the holographic borders flickering off.

Ramsey doesn’t wait for Alistair to say anything. He gives a sloppy, two-fingered salute, then takes off running down the stairs of the ring to join the rest of the squad.

Ben wishes he could feel more pride at his victory when Alistair turns to him.

“Best get going, son,” says Alistair, quieter than usual. “Reaping is in a few hours.”

Ben just nods numbly and exits the ring.

--

The last time Ben found himself standing in a roped off section of the square was eleven months ago, holding his breath as Will was declared the victor of the Fifty-fourth Hunger Games.

Now he stands in a clump of other fourteen-year-old boys, the space tight and claustrophobic as they await the start of the reaping. It’s one thing for a district as large as Two to cram as many people as they can in the square; it’s another to do so in the height of summer. Sweat rolls down the back of Ben’s neck and into the collar of his button-up shirt.

He’s been out here longer than many of the district’s children. He arrived early with Will, who has earned a spot on the stage with Two’s other victors. His chair is front and center, almost directly between the two massive glass balls containing thousands of paper slips and to the right of the mayor’s chair.

Ben’s name is in there three times this year. The thought is a small comfort, even though the odds are entirely in his favor. His heart throws itself around his ribcage, his throat tight. He catches Will’s eye over the heads of the teenagers standing closer to the front of the crowd, and he gives Ben a short, assuring nod.

They’re not going to pick you, Will had said while getting ready that morning when he noticed the way Ben’s hands trembled for a grip on his comb. And if they do, someone will step up.

He’s right. District Two’s favored boy to volunteer this year is an eighteen-year-old named Bromius who doesn’t know how to back down from a fight.

Though he stands directly in the middle of the crowd, Ben is sure he can feel the prying eyes of spectators around him. Him, the younger brother of a victor. It’s only natural for them to wonder if he will follow in the footsteps of Will and volunteer for the Games. He’s sure more than a few wagers are being placed in his favor today.

To Ben’s right, the crowd shifts, and Ramsey shoulders his way to Ben’s side. “Hey,” he says. “How are you doing?”

Ben reigns in the urge to grimace when another bead of sweat drips down his back. “As okay as I can be.” No matter being though this twice before, no matter how much he expects having to step forward and step on that stage one day, he can’t seem to quiet the anxiety that roils in his stomach. He still watches Will, but his attention has been drawn by another victor seated behind him, a pretty girl who won seven years ago, if Ben remembers correctly. They’re both smiling. Ben’s just glad Will can still smile. A handful of Two’s victors have come home, but he’d never seen them smile again.

Ramsey claps him on the shoulder. “You’ll be fine. Besides, you’re not going to volunteer for another two years at least. I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked you to go in when you turn sixteen.”

Why is everyone so insistent that he’s going to be fine?

The thought is chased from Ben’s mind when feedback from the microphone on stage squeals through the speakers. The mayor waits for the sound to ebb before launching into the same speech he gives every year. By now, he has it memorized. Some of the boys around him quote the speech along with the mayor with dramatic voices and giggle to themselves.

As always, they are reminded of the origin of the Hunger Games, reminded of—no matter how much they may be in favor with the Capitol—they will ultimately be at their mercy by sending in their children to their prospective deaths. The only difference this year is that Will’s name has been added when the mayor reads off the list of past victors. He feels a small swell of pride at that.

District Two’s escort is introduced. Terra Evervale, a woman who’s allowed the fact that she has worked with so many victors get to her head, makes a brief statement about how much she’s looking forward to introducing the district’s next victor to the spoils of the Capitol.

Ben keeps his eyes locked on Will, who has made sparing eye contact with him through the procession. With so many cameras on him, he needs to appear alert and engaged. Now he watches Terra as she announces that this year, they will begin with the boys, and crosses the stage to one of the glass balls.

She plunges her hand deep into the ball, rummages around for a few seconds to build the anticipation. By the time she removes the single slip of paper, almost everyone in the square is holding their breath. Ben feels his fists clench, his vision blurring around the edges.

Will watches, his expression cool as Terra crosses back to the microphone. When she breaks the seal and pulls the edges of the paper apart, he has the perfect vantage point to read the name before she announces who the male tribute will be.

Will’s blue eyes go wide, his mouth falling open slightly; Ben can see his breath catch. He finds Ben in the crowd, as if he could call out a warning.

Ben reads Will’s expression, and knows with terrifying clarity whose name is on the paper.

“Benjamin Miller!”

[ofcastora]

@lavolumnia replied to your post: i wanna read more from this AU

In which I continue the DiVerona Regency AU // Part 1 of me transforming Castora and Vivianne’s baking class into a Regency women’s archery club, inspired by this historical club and these outfits ft. Bridgerton-level historical accuracy

MENTIONED/APPEAR: @lavolumnia, @priam-taravella, Damiano Montague, Cosimo Capulet, Tiberius Capulet, Rafaella Capulet, Juliana Capulet, @ofaguilar, @deadvalentinagallo

Miss Castora Aguilar learned that young ladies should hold their tongue at a young age, but she quickly disregarded the lesson. She was a poorer, scandal-tainted relation; not quite an orphan, but just as good as. If she did not speak for herself, then who would? The world was unkind on a good day, and outright cruel on another, and there is no shame in surviving.

She had been permitted to be sharp-tongued by society because she had titled and/or well-connected friends who would vouch for her, and while she toed the line of what was appropriate or not, the only truly unforgivable thing she had done was be the daughter of a scoundrel. It is, unsurprisingly, difficult to find a match on the marriage mart when your father may or may not have stolen great deals of money from your potential suitor’s fathers, and perhaps something of more value from their mothers.

Alas, the Season practically thrived on such awkward encounters.

--

It had started out a day like any other – a quiet breakfast with her cousin that became quite rowdy when Miss Valentina Gallo came by to call on Ramona. The two went off on their own “adventure” to “buy some new ribbon,” which meant Castora would discover what they actually did in two weeks time. They used to invite her to their outings, but Castora learned it was better for all them if Castora had other plans during that time.

To achieve that purpose, she had recently taken up with a women’s archery club that practiced every Thursday in Hyde Park: the Hyde Park Amazons, a name that Castora had thought wonderful until she met the club’s captain, Mrs. Silviana, and realized she was more of a meddlesome matron than a ferocious warrior, although were the two not the same? 

It took Castora about five minutes about joining Silviana’s group to realize that she was awful at archery. By all accounts, she should have been good by it. She was an active young woman and her temperament was certainly suited to the activity. In fact, she was the worst.

Well, second-to-worst.

Well, she and Lady Vivianne Sloane were about equally matched. It was quite lucky that their practices were in a rather empty area of the park

The two women had started around the same time; since they were both new and awful, they were often paired up during practice. Castora didn’t dislike Lady Vivianne – she just did not like her very much. During their time with the Hyde Park Amazons, the two had barely exchanged two words, and those words have been teetering on the edge of civility. 

It made perfect sense to Castora. Lady Vivianne, daughter of an Earl, was engaged to Lord Capulet, a Duke who had never gotten along with Lord Montague, Castora’s benefactor. Lord Capulet was also in the unfortunate possession of a reckless nephew who had started a feud with Castora’s oldest friend and the most wretched woman in the whole of England as his ward. He also had a sweet-tempered daughter, who had nothing wrong in Castora’s eyes except to have the misfortune of being engaged to Priam Taravella, whom Castora had strongly disliked and had “accidentally” hit with a pall-mall ball during a game at a garden party. 

She imagined it was the same way for Vivianne. Here she was with a known associate of her husband-to-be’s enemy...and someone who caused bodily harm to her future son-in-law.

It was not personal. It was all personal-adjacent. It was awkward. In fact, if not for her unfortunate connection to Lord Capulet, Castora would have felt rather confident in publicly asserting that she rather liked Lady Vivianne. The older woman was poised, gracious, charming, biting, and powerful. No visible rough edges. 

She was everything Castora would like to be. 

“I cannot imagine why Silviana thinks it’s wise to pair the two of us together with weapons,” Castora had muttered under her breath. She could have sworn the corners of Lady Vivianne’s lips turned up.

They both drew their arrows and released them. Neither hit their the target. “Oh, I do imagine that’s why,” Castora said dryly, “We probably would never be able to hit each other.” In addition, the more time they spent bickering and failing together, the less they would be rolling their eyes at Silviana’s teaching metaphors. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Miss Aguilar. We are close enough range to one another that anything is possible.”

“Shall we play a game of William Tell to test your theory?”

The two shared a look. Too risky.

Castora took another shot, putting all of her might into her aim. She hit the bottom of the target. “Do you think we will get better one day, Lady Vivianne?” Castora sighed, unable to hide her exasperation.

“We better.” 

-- A few more Thursdays came and went. Castora and Vivianne displayed marginal improvement, and she was beginning to appreciate the other woman’s company. The more time she spent with Vivianne, the less she had to look at the other show-off members of the group.

They understood the virtue of leaving one another to the soul-crushing frustration of slow progress with minimal interruptions. Castora thought it would be nice to have such a companion; she loved Ramona and Valentina, but there was only so much she could take of being number three; Pandora was her dearest friend, but she was married. There was power in a bond that existed only in their silence. 

Prior to their meeting at the archery club, Castora had little idea of who Lady Vivianne was, outside of her association with the Capulet family. She did not know if the universe threw some crumbs of gossip her way because of this or if she simply paid attention to it now, but over the course of the past month or so, Castora had come to learn that Lady Vivianne herself knew something of scandal; perhaps that was why they shared a quiet understanding.

First of all, she was a spinster who managed to nab a duke. Second, there was something about her coming out postponed for a year in favor of a nine-month stay in seclusion at the Sloane’s country estate, her parents sudden death, and something about them not leaving her as much money as expected. And there had been something about a broken engagement many years ago, but Castora had stopped listening by that point. 

Even though there was often some truth to such rumors, Castora would never bring them up to Vivianne’s face, lest she take Castora up on her offer of a game of William Tell. 

At the end of practice one day, Silviana gathered all the ladies and passed around a piece of paper, which Castora instantly recognized as an invitation.

The elegant and beauteous assemblace of Ladies Archers established three Summers ago at Hyde Park under the name HYDE PARK AMAZONS courteously invites you to a supper and Ball at the Liston Hall on the 31st of August. To all interested parties, the Amazons will host their annual showcase at a luncheon before the evening’s festivities.

Castora and Vivianne shared a horrified look. 

“Is this not exciting, Lady Vivianne?” Silviana crooned. “You and Miss Aguilar’s first showcase.”

Castora cleared her throat. “Excuse me, Mrs. Silviana, but do all Amazons have to perform at this showcase?”

“But of course, my dear.” She brought her voice down to a whisper so that only Castora and Vivianne could hear. “This is quite an opportunity for you, Miss Castora. This sport quite shows off your figure and there will be plenty of eligible young men in attendance. There always are.”

“Nothing really demonstrates how eligible a bride a girl is like demonstrating your expertise with a weapon.”

“Exactly!” 

“And how many people received this invitation, Mrs. Silviana?” Vivianne asked cooly. Castora could tell by the arch in her brow that she was not pleased by this situation either. 

“Liston Hall is my brother’s estate, so quite a few. Most of the ton is usually in attendance. Usually some family from the neighboring estates come as well. Aubrey Park, Kellnych, Hall, Campden Court, the like. Do not worry Lady Vivianne, I have ensured that Lord Capulet receives an invitation as well.” 

“Did you say Campden Court?” Castora asked. Both Silviana and Vivianne’s heads snapped to her.

“Do you know the family?”

“No, not really.”

Silviana soon left Castora and Vivianne to mingle with the other ladies of the club. As soon as the woman’s meddlesome gaze was no longer upon them, Castora turned to Vivianne. “Will you be attending?”

“I quite think Mrs. Silviana will have my head if I do not.”

“I think I might catch a chill that day and be too sick to attend.”

“In August?” 

“You are right. Mrs. Silviana may be a fool, but she will never believe that.” 

“And mine. I must confess, I do not have any desire to embarrass myself in front of the ton.”  Castora had oft said she would never to marry unless it was for love, and she had vowed that she would never love, but she had no desire to publicly humiliate herself. 

“Nor I.”

Castora picked up an arrow from a nearby quiver. “That leaves us with one option.”

“It does,” Vivianne nodded in agreement.

“We must ––” Castora started, before Vivianne interrupted, fishing her sentence.

“–– Practice.”

-- 

The next day, the pair met in Hyde Park. Vivianne handed Castora a bow and arrow.

“How did you manage to procure these in one day?”

Vivianne smiled, “I have my ways.”

“I do believe I am quite glad to know you, Lady Vivianne Sloane.”

“And I, you, Miss Castora Aguilar.” 

[jaridarevival]

What's your absolute favourite Jarida AU? And what headcanons do you have for it?

Oooh, I love Modern/Fantasy AU Jarida!

Okay like since Rise of the Guardians takes place circa 2012 it is already modern and it is obvious magical elements still exist

Like instead of taking place in medieval times, Dunbroch is basically a tiny country near Scotland that still kinda do the whole arranged marriage thing out of tradition more than avoiding war (kind of how the British Monarchy did until Kate and William)

Jack accidentally flies into Merida while she was practicing archery

It is hate at first sight

But Merida is actually happy there is actually someone who doesn’t care that she is a princess or not and treats her like a normal person?

Jack is like “Oh gosh finally someone my age that can actually see me”

But eventually Jack and Merida realize, oh crap this person is actually pretty awesome but how the hell am I supposed to be with this person?

They kinda sneak around the guardians and Queen Elinor and King Fergus back to see each other

Also Jack being a guardian is secret to older people because humans can suck and it would be some whole X Men situation (something I headcanon for modern!Elsa and modern!Rapunzel)

Like I headcanon that the Man in Moon forbids mortals being with spirits not out of cruelty but how it would hurt a spirit (if you read or watched Lord of the Rings, think about Aragorn and Arwen)

But Jack is like “those rules are for chumps”

Until he notices his hair start to turn back brown and he is just “oh nope”

Like the guardians are obviously very worried because Jack is basically the baby of the guardians

But Jack is just in denial and thinks it’s global warming

And he starts to get sick like getting heat flashes and puking up water basically defrosting

Because he is teetering the line between mortality and immortality

They eventually get Jack to fess about seeing Merida for a year and they are just “no no no”

Like they try to get Rapunzel to help him out but even her powers aren’t strong enough to reverse

Eventually North tells Queen Elinor and King Fergus about Jack

And Merida is even willing to break it off with Jack of if it could save him

But Jack is like “man I died at 17 before I even had a life, could be being a human be THAT bad”

MiM turns Jack mortal and Merida’s parents accept Jack (even though he isn’t a tough Scottish dude and is American)

(I already wrote a Human!Jack headcanon thing where a lot of stuff between him and the guardians after this transformation is described https://jaridarevival.tumblr.com/post/189171430334/lets-start-this-blog-off-with-some-humanjack

Merida and Jack think “our lives will be normal now 😊”

Then they have Freya, a girl, who has ice powers

They are like “okay, we can handle one magical child”

Then they have Clover, a boy,who have spring related powers

“Two...oh no, oh no”

Then Kyra, who can control summer powers

At this point they just gave up on having a semi normal life

And they have Rowan, a autumn baby boy

But they are happy

[missmonsters2]

The Color of You

PAIRING: Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader/OFC

Summary: It was another mission Natasha was assigned to. Nothing she hasn’t done before. Same mission, different people. Sent undercover to investigate William Cain, suspect to funding terrorism and smuggling weaponry. Under the disguise of Natanya Rovinski, Natasha is ready for another routine mission. Until she met you, William’s fiancé. 

Series Warnings: There are dark elements to this series. Also, smut later on. Therefore this is 18+ series. If you read further, you are agreeing you are 18+.

Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama, Action

NOTE: Welcome to another Tumblr exclusive series! I put 10 parts because that’s what I hope to finish it by but who knows! 

PART I of X

Count: 1923

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It was a brisk morning. It had snowed the night before in Washington, DC, blanketing the ground until everything was covered white. It was quiet. The air was crisp, threatening to bite at the apples of Natasha’s cheeks. 

She briefly thought about how she should be more used to the cold. 

After all, she lived in Russia for quite a long time. 

Perhaps moving to New York had made her softer. 

Not that she thought it was a bad thing, Natasha quietly smiled to herself.

“Are you even listening to me?”

Natasha hummed on the phone.

“Yes, Clint,” Natasha said, her tone teasing him. “You worry too much.”

“Of course I worry, you’re being sent to a psychopath for recon.”

“And?” Natasha drawled as she tried to straighten out her jacket. “It’s nothing I haven’t done before.”

“I know,” Clint sighed. “I just...this guy’s profile screams there’s something wrong with him.”

“Of course it does, he’s being suspected of funding terrorism and smuggling weaponry.”

She could hear Clint mocking what she said quietly, his tone going a pitch higher to resemble her, and she couldn’t help but grin. 

“Alright, just...get the info we need and come back home safe so we can all move in on this guy.”

“Copy that,” Natasha said, and Clint was rolling his eyes at her mock-serious tone.

She hung up the phone, sliding it into her coat pocket as she walked to the house they’ve set up for her.

Her undercover this time was a single wealthy investor who had come from old money, inheriting everything her fake parents passed onto her before they kicked the bucket. 

She was supposed to be poised but eccentric. Taking in hobbies ranging from archery, martial arts, all the way to collecting coins. 

The profile they set up for her managed to score her an invite tonight to William’s engagement party. No one quite knows what his new fiancé looks like as he keeps her under tight wraps, paranoid that someone would get her while he was building his political career. 

Apparently, it had happened to him before with a past flame.

But, they had a profile on women he’s dated in the past. They were typically flashy women who were quite content on being a trophy wife.

Natasha expected his fiancé to be the same as it was clear Willaim had a type. 

It was odd to Natasha that William was having such a large engagement party, clearly meant now to reveal his partner, but she suspects that it’s part of his political campaign.

Nothing brings a crowd in like seeing a family type man. 

It was a clear ploy trying to lure in sponsors as well. 

But Natasha knows.

Men like William are never any different. 

And there’s always a method to getting what she wants from men like William.

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

The venue that William had rented was grand. A little too flashy and gaudy for her taste, she decides. Nothing like the classy events Tony puts together. 

She’s come in a light strapless beige dress, tight to her skin before flowing loosely at it lowers, a matching shining sash that goes across her body.

It’s elegant, innocent, draws attention with her fiery red hair. 

She’s sipping on champagne before she enters a group of other wealthy goers. She knows all the participants here, studying it meticulously at her home before she came. 

She stood currently with Tiffany and Brad, almost like the heads of the group. Then there was Lucy and Derek, and finally newcomers Lilian and Brody. 

They were new money, trying to make it into the group, having to suck up to people like Tiffany and Brad. 

Because old money is always better than new. 

“Oh yes, I believe I’ve heard of your family. I’m quite sorry to hear about your loss, by the way,” Tiffany says, tilting her head as sympathetically as she could with a purse of her lips. 

Natasha simply nodded. These type of people were so easy, Natasha thought. A couple compliments to flatter their egos and they were open to gossiping with her.

“This is quite the venue for an engagement party,” she comments.

Tiffany laughs, “That’s William, expect nothing less. He simply adores hosting parties.”

Natasha put on her best smile. “Have you met his fiancé?” 

Tiffany shook her head as she sipped from her glass.

“Oh, no,” she says. “But, I hear he fell in love with her quite quickly when asking for her hand in marriage. He’s saving her family from bankruptcy as well.”

Natasha hummed. 

Was it love? Or was it an arranged marriage?

Whatever it was, it was benefitting both parties clearly. 

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

“You don’t belong here.”

The voice made Natasha turn her head as she lowered her champagne glass slightly. She was somewhat alarmed, but when she came into contact with a gentleman with warm brown eyes and a smile, she relaxed.

“Oh?” She hummed, “And why do you say that?”

The gentleman jokingly eyed her before looking around, and then looked back at her.

“Well, since you’re standing here alone, minding your business, and sipping your champagne, clearly you’re a level up on these rich, conceited shitheads.”

Natasha couldn’t help the light laughter that left her mouth.

“And what would that make you?”

The gentleman took a step back, exaggeratingly bowing with his arm as he introduced himself.

“David King, rich shithead, but not conceited, mind you.”

Another laughter left Natasha’s lips as she shook his head.

“Just Natanya Rovinski.”

“Alright, just Natanya Rovinski, are you a friend of William’s?”

Natasha shook her head, “No, I actually haven’t met him before.”

David nodded his head with understanding. 

“Ah,” he said. “Then you’re his potential investor.”

Natasha merely quirked her lip in response.

“Do you know William?” She asked in return, watching in amusement as David sighed.

“Unfortunately, we are family friends that go way back. I’m not going to lie, this is my fourth drink, and I’m willing to admit now I tried to break my leg earlier to leave.”

“Not a fan of William?” Natasha asked, intrigued. 

David rolled his eyes. “I don’t know how to explain to you that among all these rich, conceited shitheads, he steals my last name as the king among them.”

It was interesting, she thought, to meet someone like David, who so openly did not like William Cain.

Perhaps his position as a family friend gave him that privilege. 

“Oh shit,” David muttered quietly so that only Natasha could hear him. “Here comes the man of the hour.”

Natasha looks over to see a man in his mid-thirties in a polishing white suit and crooked grin make his way over.

“David!” He called, slapping the man on his shoulder. “Great to see you. How are your parents?”

David is smiling, but to Natasha, it only looks like he’s resisting a grimace.

“They’re doing great. How’s your mother?” He asks, mostly out of politeness.

William is still grinning. “She’s doing grand. Complaining about how old she’s getting, but still grand.”

David just lets out a dry laughter. 

“Well...I think my father wanted me to get him some...olives...so I’ll catch you later.” David turns to Natasha looking apologetic. “It was nice to meet you, Natanya.”

Natasha nods while David scurries off, leaving the two of them alone. William regards her as she puts on her best alluring expression, blinking her lashes slowly.

“Miss Natanya Rovinski, isn’t it?” William says as he takes her hand to greet her. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. I heard about your parents’ tragic accident. You have my condolences.” 

“Thank you,” Natasha says, her voice husky.

“If you don’t have anyone helping you with the estate and wills, I’m happy to introduce you to my lawyer. She was wonderful when my father passed.” William offers her, and she’s sure it’s to butter her up.

“I will keep that in mind,” she merely says. 

“You’re probably wondering why I’ve invited you, despite the fact we don’t know each other.”

Natasha is surprised by his direct approach, but nods.

William looks around the party, taking the guests who are mingling.

“It’s a new age, Miss Natanya. The world continues to change as we know it. I believe that we, being the next generation from our parents, should take our place in shaping it. I hope to gain your support in the future.”

It was bold, Natasha thinks. 

She had expected William to shower her with his compliments and gifts to earn her favor, but she was not completely surprised.

She pulls her lips into a smile.

“I look forward to future discussions with you,” she says, promising nothing for now. 

William smiles and Natasha quickly changes the conversation, looking around as she did.

“So, where is this finacé of yours?”

William playfully rolled his eyes.

“She’s in the washroom...you know how women can be.”

She fights the urge to roll her eyes because what dumbass would say that to a woman standing in front of him, but she soon notices another woman approaching them.

“Ah--there she is.”

You were approaching with a demure smile, smoothing out your dress before tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. You stood next to William, hand out-stretched to Natasha.

And then you spoke.

⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⋆⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷

It was warm.

Your hand was warm and soft.

And you were beautiful. Not in a flashy, gaudy way. You were a quiet elegance. Like a wallflower.

You were, well, lovely.

Your voice was soft when you introduced yourself. 

“I’m Natanya Rovinski,” Natasha says as she lets go of your hand.

You smiled lightly, “William tells me you have inherited everything your parents left behind. It must be a lot of stress.”

You didn’t apologize for her loss.

Natasha liked that.

“Yes,” she nodded. “It will definitely be new for me to take over my family’s business, but it’s something I’ve been preparing for my whole life.”

“What about you?” Natasha directed back. She needed more intel on you.

“What does William’s mysterious fiancé do?”

You smiled, your eyes wandering to the wall, which made Natasha look as well to the artwork on it.

“I’m an artist, just starting off...”

“And yet, your artwork is already framed in this venue,” Natasha compliments. 

A light blush appears on your cheek, and the entire thing is so bashful that it’s throwing Natasha off.

You didn’t say anything else, but your smile showed how you appreciated her words. Natasha was still forming her opinion on you. You were much too quiet in your thoughts and accomplishments, but it was those qualities that made Natasha believe you were different than the type of girls William dated on his profile. She quietly pondered what on earth could’ve possibly brought the two of you together.

Was it an arranged marriage?

The way William had his arm around you so intimately with you leaning in made her think otherwise. 

The night went on as good as it could. Natasha had gotten tidbits here and there about William, mostly from David. They exchanged cards so they could stay in touch. She had a feeling she would see him around more often. 

Natasha had spent the other part of the night looking at you. As you stood next William, greeting guest to guest in your long-sleeved navy blue dress that showed no skin, other than the slit that went up to your thigh, there was a twinkle in your eye.

And Natasha felt it.

You were an essential piece to this mission.

PART II

[amandaklwrites]

Movie Review/Why This Movie Affected Me: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)

Genre: Children, Family/Action, Adventure/Fantasy

Rating: 10/10

Movie Review/Why this movie affected me:

Oh, Narnia. A magical world that I had often dreamt of traveling to as a child. Even now into adulthood, I wish I could be whisked away through a magical wardrobe that left into a land that I could only imagine in my mind.

When this movie first came out in theaters, I was about the same age as Lucy (the actress and I are the same age anyway!), and I am so glad that I got to experience this movie when magic was still filling so much of my imagination. Not that it isn’t now, but it was more intense back then.

Just recently, I had watched this movie again. It is one that I can watch over and over, and never get tired of. It is one that has captured so much of my life that I don’t think I could ever shake it. It was one that stuck with me at age nine, and it’s still fully grasping my heart after so long.

I don’t think anyone will understand why this movie had been so apart of my soul. I don’t remember if anything specific convinced me to go see this movie or if my mom just took me, but I do remember how I felt afterward. I felt like I was empowered, like I had been brought to life. I was obsessed with this movie—and I mean OBSESSED. I talked about it so much in elementary school that other kids were constantly telling me to shut up. I wanted to learn archery because of this movie (my grandpa did teach me!), I had become enchanted with sword fights and armor from this movie, and I fell in love with every single character. I remember crying in the theater when the White Witch killed Aslan, and even more so when he came back to life (let’s be honest, I still cry now), and the absolute wonder of this world of Narnia. As I’ve grown up, I’ve come to realize how much I loved stories of kids traveling into other worlds as a kid. More so than magical things existing in our world (though, I did love Spiderwick Chronicles around this same time frame). I had wanted to fall down a rabbit hole or walk through a wardrobe so much that I had ached as a child.

Growing up, I remember always wanting to be Susan. I dreamt of being so beautiful and wonderful like her (and actually, I am a bit like her when I think about it—I am a bit too serious, I see some things in black and white, and I would probably be hesitant about going into battle), and she was like an idol to me in this movie. But the more I age, the more I realize, especially at the time of seeing this movie, I was more like Lucy. I was a little girl who had believed in what would be considered too many magical things, and I was a bit of a loner. I had dreamt of magic places and characters, and I would be off playing by myself whenever I got the chance. I was teased by other kids, I was made fun of, I was called a freak to my face and whispered about when I was nearby. So, when Lucy is telling the other kids about her experience in Narnia, and they don’t believe her, and Edmund makes fun of her, I know exactly how that feels. One hundred percent. So those moments always get to me. But also like Lucy, I still chose to believe what I believed in, and didn’t take crap from anyone. And I think, in the end, here so many years later, it was for the best. It was what made me who I am.

A few examples to show how much I love this movie, at that age and now—one of them is, when I was a kid and got this movie on DVD, I watched it over and over until I memorized every line, until I could quote the whole movie if I wanted to. And even to this day, when I probably don’t watch the movie for quite some time in between, I can STILL quote every line in the movie. I can say them along the characters, even when I’m not looking directly at the screen. It’s just one of those movies for me.

The other example was a few years ago. My family and I had gone to Seattle to visit, and we went into their big Pop Culture museum they have up there (I forgot what it’s called, I apologize), and I was touring through the Fantasy area, where they had props and costumes of so many fantasy movies. I had turned the corner, and just right there, I saw it instantly. It was Susan’s bow and arrows, and her horn. I remember whispering, “Narnia,” and I rushed over there and started crying. Then, just nearby, was the White Witch’s dress and staff. My mom had to come find me blubbering in the corner (I was luckily all by myself) and pull me away because I kept staring at them. I had felt like a kid again, so excited and amazed that I was looking right at these props of a movie that had changed my whole life.

If it isn’t easy to figure out, I love everything about this movie, even as an adult. It gives me the same feelings a child, though I can look at it from the adult perspective. Like I think it’s pretty incredible that all these children could go into a war and come out alive (though, yes, I do know that most of them are older than they are in the books—I did read all the books after I saw this movie!). It’s pretty amazing. But I do agree that they were strong characters in the first place, with a strong sense of right and wrong.

The cast, I think, are the most important part of this film. All four of the kids were absolutely perfect, and for their ages, fantastic actors in my opinion. William Moseley and Anna Popplewell slip so well into their characters that to me it felt so seamless. Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley were younger, so their portrayals were a little rougher, but honestly, they were still so good, considering their ages. Everyone else was just as wonderful—Tilda Swinton as the evil White Witch was horrifying, James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus is just so sweet (and I somehow got Tumnus in a personality test?!!?), and the ultimate Liam Neeson as Aslan was the best casting.

Let’s talk about Aslan for a moment. I do know very well about the connections of these stories with Christian allegories that may or may not have been purposeful by C. S. Lewis (though, we can also discuss how Lewis was raised Christian, then became an atheist, then Pagan, then Christian again at the convincing of his friends—I’m looking at you Tolkien—so I think a lot of his work is influenced by it all), but can I just say: if Aslan is God, I’m one hundred percent okay with that. I think Aslan as a view of God is exactly what Christians should believe in for their God. I myself am not religious at all, but I know a lot of Christians and I have read the large chunks of Bible for Literature Studies, so I think I get the grasp of some of their beliefs. And most of the Christians I know, or people (like my family) that had been raised in churches and religion, believe in a God that is kind and watchful and just lets people live their lives (yes, I know, not everyone believes in this version of God, I’m just speaking on experience from talking to people that I know that believe in God). And I think Aslan reflects that well. He is “not a tame lion” as Mr. Tumnus puts it, which I think reflects on the idea that Aslan/God could be cruel and destructive if he wants (think about what he did the White Witch), but mostly, he is kind and gentle and all knowing. Aslan isn’t always there, and he doesn’t step into every single thing in the world of Narnia, he steps away and leaves the Narnians to experience the world themselves. And I see the connection between the idea that the Narnians are hopeless and left behind when Jadis the White Witch rules over Narnia and Aslan hadn’t come to save them. But, according to the prophecy of the four children, he wasn’t meant to save them all himself. He still keeps to the sidelines to let the Pevensie children save the world themselves, and he steps in toward the end. (And yes, with the same allegory, he returns and the Narnians faith does as well). But I have always loved Aslan, as a child and even as an adult that has an entirely different set up beliefs than most people I know. I love the allegory of him as a type of God. Because if there had to be a God, I would want it to be Aslan the Lion. I would believe in him completely. Though, I did notice the line that he said to Peter, where there was something even higher than him that controlled their destines and that makes me wonder—if that is a direct quote from Lewis (I’ll have to research that), or just a line from the movie, what does that mean?? Are they talking about the powers of the universe? Are they saying that Aslan isn’t the only higher power in this world? Which to me, makes him even more complicated and interesting, to have him mention something like that. And my god, he sacrificed himself for Edmund, do we realize that? I hated that scene in theaters and I still hate it now, watching the humiliation he’s put through, the absolute fear in his eyes, even if he knew what would happen. It makes him feel less like God, and almost human. Because though he knows he’ll come back—he’s scared. He doesn’t want to die at all, he doesn’t want to experience that. And to me, that was when I had loved him even more. Because he has feelings, he responds to fear and danger, but he still has the belief that everything will be okay. I could easily write a whole essay about Aslan, but I’ll leave it at that for now. I just love Aslan so much.

Everything about this movie feeds me joy into my soul. The story itself, the magic, the love of the siblings, the battles, the comfort of knowing that something like Aslan can protect a whole world. The movie had created a whole world for all of us to see, and I thought it was beautiful then and I think it’s still just as magnificent now. It’s a movie that taught me something as a child and as an adult and keeps hope and belief and magic in my heart. Can’t you tell at this point? I could gush and talk about this movie for hours, maybe even days, so I can’t go into every single detail—but maybe I’ll mention some things I’ll reference on my blog in the future.

But I can say, this film opened my whole world. I can remember that whole time frame after I saw it, how much I loved it, how it made me feel so strong and magical myself. I even have a jewelry box that is an exact replica (though small) of the wardrobe, and some other cool prop stuff. I cried when I watched the Disney+ episode of props from their movies and it was William, Anna and Georgie seeing their costumes and props (I’m not kidding, I sobbed like a child). I still look into wardrobes just in case whenever I stay somewhere. It showed me that though I was considered a freak at my school, I didn’t care. I still believed in myself and the magic. I think this movie (along with Alice in Wonderland, to be honest, since I loved that one before this, so it was influential there too), is the reason I don’t care what people think of me, for the most part. I just do my own thing, I can be alone, I believe my own stuff. Of course, things get to me and everyone cares about what people think of them, but for the most part, I’m comfortable with who I am and I always will be myself. And I can thank this movie for that.

Whenever I watch this movie, I feel like I’m home.

[dukereviewsxtra]

Duke Reviews Xtra: A Kid In King Arthur's Court

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Xtra Where We Continue Our Look At Disney...

And Last Sunday, I Reviewed The Sword And The Stone, So, Since There's No Direct To DVD Sequel Or Remake To This...Yet..., I'm Reviewing The Only Other King Arthur Film Made By Disney That Wasn't Made By Jerry Bruckheimer, A Kid In King Arthur's Court...

This Film Sees Merlin's Ghost Sending A Dude From The 90's To Camelot To Save It From King Arthur's Evil Advisor Who Wants To Marry Rose From Titanic...

And Believe Me When I Say Billy Zane Was The Better Suitor Compared To This Guy...

Will Calvin Be Able To Save Camelot And Get Arthur Back To His Heroic Self?

Let's Find Out As We Watch A Kid In King Arthur's Court..

The Film Starts With Merlin's Ghost (Played By Fagin From Oliver) Summoning A Great Knight Which Is When We Cut To The 90's Where We Meet Calvin Fuller, A Nerdy Young Boy Who Plays For A Baseball Team Called The Knights...

But As We See He's Not Quite The Best Player On The Team...

However, An Earthquake Happens Causing Calvin To Fall Down...

(Singing)

Down...

Deep Below...

To The Late...1800s....

Landing On A Black Knight, Calvin Scares Him Off And Gives Back The Money The Guy Stole To Some Of Arthur's Knights As He Runs...

Arthur (Played By DeNomolos From Bill And Ted's Bogus Journey) Wishes To Thank The Boy So He Sends The Knights To Find Him, Eventually Finding Calvin In The City They Bring Him Before Arthur And His 2 Daughters, Katie And Sarah (Played By Winslet)...

Who Invite Him To Have Dinner With Them, But Arthur's Aide (And Our Villain For This Movie) Lord Belasco Believes Calvin To Be In League With The Black Knight, So Giving Calvin A Chance To Defend His Honor By Combat...

But While Belasco Chooses A Sword, Calvin (Realizing He's Not Good With Weapons) Uses The Only Thing He Does Like, Rock And Roll And Wins...

Dubing Him Calvin Fuller Of Reseda, He Discovers The Round Table Is Non Existant As Sarah Asks Her Father To Let Sir Kane (Played By James Bond)...

Which One?

Daniel Craig

Oh...

Train Calvin In Fighting, And He Agrees, And Let's Calvin Stay In Their Castle...

But He Doesn't Exactly Get Any Rest As When He Goes Exploring The Castle, Belasco Nearly Kills Him, So He Practices His Karate Only To Catch Arthur's Daughter, Katie Watching Him...

They Get To Know Each Other Through A Bunch Of Exposition...

Before Katie Takes Calvin To Merlin's Quarters In An Effort To Get Him Home...

Hearing A Noise, Katie Leaves With Calvin And Has Him Escort Her Back To Her Room, But He Returns To Merlin's Quarters Afterwards And Merlin's Ghost, Who Believes He's Made A Mistake When He Looks At Calvin..

But Realizing That He's The Knight He Summoned, He Tells Him That Arthur Is In Trouble With His Kingdom Being Shattered By The Fist Of Lord Belasco, Who Intends To Steal Camelot From Arthur And It's Now Up To Calvin To Stop Him...

I Bet He Wishes He Was Obi Wan Kenobi...

With Calvin Believing Merlin Has The Wrong Person, Merlin Makes A Deal With Him That If He Helps Arthur He'll Send Him Home...

The Next Morning, Calvin Begins Training With Sir Kane By Starting Out With Attacking On Horseback, (Where He Throws An Axe Out Of A Window) Before Moving On To Archery Where...

Well, Let's Just Say Calvin Won't Be As Good As Oliver Queen Any Time Soon...

Meanwhile, Lord Belasco Talks With Sarah To Try To Seduce Her In An Effort To Drop The Tournament And Marry Him, But Sarah Refuses, Stating That The Tournament Will Decide For Her...

Visiting A Blacksmith, Calvin Asks If He Can Make Him A Pair Of Roller Skates For Katie, And In Doing So, She Absolutely Loves Them...

Meanwhile At The New "Round Table" Belasco Talks With Arthur To Make Him Cancel The Tournament And Let Sarah Be His Wife, As Katie And Calvin Arrive To His Displeasure...

Later At Training With Kane And Katie, They Are Interrupted By Belasco Who Is Tired Of Calvin And Decides To Fight Him Again, But When Calvin Is Basically Beat, He Kicks Belasco In The Jewels...

Giving Him A Grand Supper For Winning, Calvin Says Fine As Long As He Does The Cooking...

Yeah, Even I Admit That Pork Head Can Get Tiring After A While..

So, He Makes Them 2 Big Macs...

Meanwhile, In The Throne Room, The King Tells Katie That She Will Marry Lord Belasco, However Sarah Is Determined To Let The Tournament Decide But The Next Day It Is Revealed That Katie Is In Love With Sir Kane...

I Don't See James Bond As Your Type, Sarah, But I Can Suggest An Artist Named Dawson For You...

With Katie And Calvin Seeing The Entire Thing, She Makes Calvin Swear Not To Say A Word To Anyone On Her Honor...

With Kane Believing That Calvin Is Ready To Joust, Calvin Isn't So Sure, So He Places Super Glue? On His Saddle And When He Hits The Target, The Saddle Falls Off The Horse...

Katie Goes To Check Calvin Who Looks Injured Only For Calvin To Slip Her A Kiss, To Her Displeasure...

Realizing He Might Have Made Katie Mad...

No, Really?

Calvin Visits The Blacksmith Again, Only This Time Calvin Wants Him To Make A Bike For Katie...

While Katie Talks With Sarah Who Figures Out That She's In Love With Calvin Even Though She Doesn't Realize It...

(Start At 9:52, End At 10:33)

Really, Man, They're Sisters! Get A Grip!

Anyway, The Next Day, After Calvin Teaches Arthur How To Eat Bubble Gum, He Tells Belasco That The Tournament Is Still On And That If He Wants To Win Her He Must Do It There, But Not Wanting To, He Moves To Plan B...

But Before I Go On To That, Let's Check On Calvin And Katie...

Seeing Calvin In The Garden, He Gives Her The Bike So They Can Go On A Picnic Together...

On Their Way Back To The Castle Calvin And Katie Discover That The Black Knight Is Actually One Of The Good Guys, When He Gives The Townspeople A Cart Filled With Food...

Taking Katie Back To Her Room, We Meet Belasco's Plan B: Kidnap Katie As A Barter For Sarah To Marry Him...

After Telling Sarah About Katie, Belasco Visits Calvin And Frames Him For Kidnapping Katie (Oh, Sorry Murder), But When Calvin Gets Away, He Runs Into Sarah Who Tells Him What Happened To Katie And What Belasco Wants...

Eventually Going To Arthur's Chambers, Calvin Tells Him Everything But He Still Believes That Belasco Wouldn't Hurt A Fly However, When Calvin Shows Arthur Something That Sarah Gave Him, He Buys The Story And Protects Calvin From Belasco...

Escaping With Calvin Into The City, They Go Undercover, As Arthur Discovers That He's Not As Loved Throughout The Kingdom As He Thought As Belasco Has Been Stealing From Them For Years...

Vowing To Be A Better King, Arthur And Calvin Go To Save Katie From Belasco's Dungeon, But Before Going In Calvin Renews Arthur's Will To Fight By Giving Him Excalibur (Which Was Given To Him By Merlin)

However, When They Release Katie, She Gets Kidnapped Again By Belasco's Second In Command And Is Held Hostage Over A Moat, This Leads Calvin To Use The Laser On His CD Player To Blind The Guard And Cause Him To Fall To His Death...

Now, I Hate To Say This But I Got To Agree With The Nostalgia Critic When He Said That A Laser On A CD Player Doesn't Work Like That...

Escaping The Castle, Arthur Knights Calvin As A Knight Of The Round Table, Before Returning To The Castle And..,Letting Belasco Go?

Yeah, Even I Kind Of Think Letting Him Is Kind Of Stupid...

However, Arthur Has A Point, With The Guards Loyal To Belasco And The People Believing Arthur To Be An Idiot, The Best Thing To Do Is To Bide Their Time So When The Time Is Right They Can Nail Him...

Later At The Tournament, Arthur Makes A Speech That He Never Betray His People Again And Declares That The Tournament Shall Be Open To All Free Men (Mainly So Kane Can Enter The Competition)...

Defeating Every Opponent That Comes His Way, Kane Ends Up Facing Off Against Belasco In The Final Battle, But Using The Crystal On His Armor, Belasco Blinds Kane And Knocks Him Out...

But Seeing How Kane Did Not Fall Off His Horse, He Is Still In The Competition, However, When Kane Returns The Joust Continues....

But Everyone Soon Gets A Scare, When Belasco Hits Kane In The Head And Discovers He Has No Head...

Well, How's He Going To Have His Vodka Martini Now?

With A Now Headless Kane Continuing, He Ends Up Winning And Knocking Belasco Off Of His Horse...

Which Leads To It Being Revealed That It Wasn't Kane, But Calvin All Along. Pissed Off At His Defeat, Belasco Attempts To Kill Calvin, But Luckily, Calvin Is Saved By The Black Knight Who Is Revealed To Have Been Sarah This Whole Time..

So, With Calvin Forfeiting His Victory To Sarah, Arthur Grants Her The Right To Choose Whoever She Wants To Marry And Banishes Belasco From His Kingdom Forever As Merlin Keeps His Word And Sends Calvin Back To His Time, Saying Farewell To Arthur And Katie..

Arriving Before The Earthquake, Calvin Goes Up To The Plate And Hits A Home Run. Arriving Back On Home Plate, He Is Greeted By His Teammates, Including A Girl Who Looks Like Katie, As A Spectator Who Looks Like Arthur Watches In The Crowd As Our Movie Ends..,

And That's A Kid In King Arthur's Court, And While It Does Have It's Stupid Moments, It Is A Decent Movie...

The Story Is Good, The Comedy Can Be Funny At Times, And I Liked The Fighting Scenes In It, So, Yeah, I'm Going To Say See It...

Tune In To Duke Reviews Next Week As We Look At The Jungle Book, But Then, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

[fancyfeathers]

@zainiscompletelydone333 asked a question

ok so aside from the general "kids running away" story line i wanna make some extra headcanons if you don't mind author <3 Marguerite grows up loving outdoors. horseback riding, shooting, archery. mostly manly things. she has this weird FOMO and general desire to hate conformity that either comes from her aunt or father. she wears rather manly clothes and the people at gatherings are scandalised. albert doesn't care, he's proud his daughter can piss off the people he despises <3. although he draws the line at things that damage her health, like smoking. she was 7 when she tried to sneak in her father's room to try the open bottle of wine he left for a moment. Louis was more mortified than albert lol. tries to follow moran and james around, begs jack to teach her his ways, and occasionally meets herder to fix her guns. hyacinth used to have a crush on fred growing up, it largely had to do with the flowers he put in her hair. to hyacinth, everything in the world is too fast and quick and she feels like her fatigue makes her left behind. she grows to like fred becuase his nature is proof that being out of the loop or disconnected from society, or even people, isn't necessarily bad. it means you can appreicate little details and things. you can stop and ponder the intiricacies of things....leading her to take a liking to things like craftsmanship and fashion design. i think she has an artistic eye when it comes to her garbs, and believes her clothes and elegant get up will compensate for her rather, quieter nature. she wants to be flashy like her mother, but her personality doesn't allow it, so she constantly remains in this "i am better becuase i take time to appreicate little thins but i am not interesting enough like my mom or sister so i try on pretty dresses with an artistic expression so people will notice". despite her low energy, she has a temper and can shout, or resort to drastic measures easily like her father when overwhelmed due to keeping most of her feelings hidden. but she's very calm and witty, and knows how to make everyone laugh, even her 🩰 aunt and fred! even william or louis can't help but break out a chuckle when she makes fun of some rotten noble in a witty way though i don't know which of the twins will be more atached to their mother and which will be more to their father

Father Like Daughter (Yandere William James Moriarty and his darling having a genius daughter)

Oh my goodness yes!! Like I imagine that that the two are still insanely close despite their differences, like taking walks together, horseback riding, sneaking into their father’s study and stealing a bottle of wine (but only on evenings when Albert is not home and one of them will distract Louis while the other one snags it). I imagine that even in their teenage years that they share a room together and many nights Albert or someone else in the house would have to tell them to be quiet because it is nearing the early house of the morning and they need to sleep as well, and normally this is Marguerite keeping Hyacinth awake and her father is very cross by this because it is bad for Hyacinth’s health (then god forbid if their Uncle Louis is the one who caught them awake).

Then Marguerite, I imagine her being quite similar to her aunt, Albert’s darling’s sister who is married off to Mycroft Holmes, having a very brash personality and having opinions and doing this that put her on the outskirts of society. She is very similar Eloise from Bridgerton except her father very much approves of her personality and will probably teach her many things himself, though I imagine that he would leave shooting lessons for someone who is much more capable like Moran but will probably chaperone since it is Moran. I also have a very funny picture in my head of Jack teaching her self defense or something along those lines but she can never beat him in a fight, and one day when she lost she just hears clapping and in the doorway is her twin sister with the smallest of smirks on her face.

“Very gracefully done, sister.”

“Oh fuck you-“

“Marguerite Francesca Moriarty! Mind your language!”

“Oh he used your full name, you are in trouble.”

Her father was in the hallway, Albert cannot stand his children swearing.

Meanwhile I imagine Hyacinth and Andrei are rather close as well, imagining they both have an interest in the arts, taking her to go see plays and view galleries. She has horrible social anxiety and watches while her mother and sister can talk to people but when a stranger approaches her she gets horrible anxiety and runs off to hide behind someone like her father. She is extremely insecure about her condition and will often withdraw herself so it will never get in the way, she wants to be apart of things but can never push herself to do so. I imagine a lot of the time where the family goes out to attend social events that she forces herself to be awake and active for much of it as to keep up with her brother and sister, ignoring the pain in her joints and muscles, but eventually her father will notice…

“Louis, can take Hyacinth home? I think she is getting quite exhausted.

“Father, I am fine-“

“And you are a horrible liar, you get that from your mother.”

I think her enjoyment for fashion comes from the times she would stay home from events because of her lack of energy, I imagine her sitting in the garden while Fred is working and looking through old photographs from when her mother was in the marriage market before she married father and she would wear beautiful dresses that her grandmother, the twins’ great grandmother, who lived in Paris would make for her and send out to their granddaughter for her to wear. Then when her mother and father would return home from their outing she would ask her other about them and in that moment there was a light in her mother’s eyes before she took her daughter’s hand and les her up to her and Albert’s shared room and took out a trunk from the back of the closet and opened it and inside where all the dresses and jewelry she used to wear that her grandmother made her. So she finds a new hobby in repairing these dresses while her family is on outings she cannot go on, I imagine they end up looking like dresses from Bridgerton. So when she goes out to high society events she can handle, all eyes are on her, because while the dresses are dated for the time they are absolutely beautiful, intricate and detailed, catching the eye of many young men her age, after all it is considered quite attractive to have a wife with such an eye for detail. Though while Albert his daughter is finding herself through such expression, he is not so happy of the attention it brings.

(I made a Pinterest board for Hyacinth (link))

[temmie-loony]

As usual, I love your most recent batch of headcanons. Do you happen to have any Karivarry kid headcanons from when they are younger?

ANY QUESTION THAT LETS ME TALK ABOUT THE KIDS MAKES ME HAPPY SO BLESS YOU.

AND ALSO I HATE ME FOR ANSWERING THIS SO LATE. FORGIVE ME.

Dawn

This kid is spoiled to the bone. 

Feel free to blame Oliver.

And Barry too but not too Oliver’s extent.

She knows she can sort of get away with things when her Pops is around.

With her Dad, not so much.

With her Mom? Ha, definitely not.

She got the hang of interdimensional travel before time travel.

Which was sort of a relief to Barry.

That was until she did eventually learn how to time travel.

But she doesn’t actually time travel.

Unless she really really needs to.

She prefers to travel to different universes.

She’s even gone fast enough to break into a whole different multiverse altogether.

At the age of fifteen, she found a world where Pokemon actually exists in the real world.

Cisco freaked out when Dawn just jumped out of a breach one day and holds out a Bulbasaur.

“You’re right! He is cute!”

After a stern lecture from Kara and Barry, Cisco (and Thea, Wally, Jesse, Iris, Felicity, Winn, William and Oliver) had to say goodbye to the little guy.

And to be honest, letting Dawn bring Bulbasaur back was one of the hardest things Barry had to do.

Having grown up to Barry playing the ukulele a lot, she knows how to play.

It’s her go-to instrument.

She has five ukuleles. 

One of each kind (yes, including the baritone) and an extra soprano just in case.

Her Kryptonian powers came first.

Which made Kara, Oliver and Barry think she wasn’t a meta, unlike what Caitlin said.

But then one day, the second after Oliver had just tucked her in, Dawn just vanished.

Oliver panicked. 

Which woke Kara up, which woke Barry up.

And they both panicked too.

Turns out Dawn had phased and went straight down into the living room.

“Okay. She’s a speedster.”

Connor

Connor hated his glasses growing up.

He never really understood why he had to wear them because he can see things perfectly fine.

“Dummy, it’s so we don’t see through walls,” little Dawn would tell him.

“We can do that?”

So many years later, just when he’s about to graduate, Alex (with the help of Caitlin) had found out that Connor doesn’t actually have x-ray vision.

Connor had practically ripped the glasses off his face.

When Connor first met Liv West, he thought Liv was going to be just another annoying Dawn-type cousin or something.

Turns out, she’s actually cool.

Little bit of a brat, but it’s manageable.

Connor never wanted to be a superhero in the first place.

He wanted to be a detective like his Pawpaw Joe.

But then when he caught some guys talking about his sister in such a horrible way.

Ever since then he realized he can do so much more with his powers.

A shed once fell on his hand when he was young.

He was at a friend’s house when a his friend’s dad’s shed caved in and fell right on his right hand.

The family freaked out, of course.

They were even more freaked out by the fact that Connor said it didn’t even hurt.

When the parents called Kara, Kara insisted on taking him to her husband’s friend instead of going to the hospital.

Pretending his hand was broken for a month was a struggle.

He hated that he couldn’t play with the other kids during PE.

William

William was already nearing his teenage years when he moved in with Oliver and, subsequently, Barry and Kara.

The first few months, it was obvious that he had a favorite.

It was Felicity. Felicity was his favorite.

She’s the reason he became so interested in computer sciences that it’s what he eventually pursued in college.

About a year after living with his dad and his whatevers, he exploded and let out all of his frustration.

It was mostly misguided anger about all the loss and confusion in his life thus far.

Oliver, Barry and Kara actually broke up for a while because Barry and Kara knew that William is Oliver’s number one priority.

And if William wanted them out, then so be it.

Barry and Kara hadn’t even really talked to Oliver. They just packed up their stuff in super speed and sped out, leaving their keys behind.

They wanted a clean break.

Instead, it left them all messy.

William eventually realized his mistake and called them back, saying he didn’t really mean any of it, that Dad’s drunk and he never drank this much before, and that he’s sorry.

He was once made to choose a favorite aunt (between Iris, Thea and Alex).

Out of sheer panic, he answered, “Felicity.”

“Oh yeah! Move over. This bitch won.”

He once shot Barry in the arm with an arrow.

Oliver tried teaching William archery.

He was pretty good as a beginner but when he started getting cocky, he let loose an arrow without really aiming.

The arrow flew and embedded itself right into Barry’s arm.

Barry was trying to keep Dawn from flying away; he hadn’t known there was a stray arrow heading straight for him.

William never really picked up a bow again.

Instead, he’s been relying on a taser gun made by STAR Labs and his hand-to-hand combat that’s barely passable by his Dad’s standards.

[obsidiancreates]

Alright Here’s The Hunger Games Results

Long post so uh under the cut. Also unfortunately it on’t let you put a tribute as genderless so I just made The DAs both female. Everyone without a (Specifying! Name) is from the Vampire AU.

AJ belongs to Anon Jim, Sia belongs to @sororia04s

The Bloodbath

As the tributes stand on their podiums, the horn sounds. Vamp! Dark runs away from the Cornucopia. Host runs away from the Cornucopia. William runs away from the Cornucopia. Sia runs away from the Cornucopia. Bing runs away from the Cornucopia. Google Blue runs away from the Cornucopia. Celine runs away from the Cornucopia. Google Yellow grabs a shield leaning on the cornucopia. Half Vamp! DA runs away from the Cornucopia. WW AU! DA finds a bow, some arrows, and a quiver. Bim, Damien, AJ, and Werewolf! Mark share everything they gathered before running. Google Green runs away with a lighter and some rope. Werewolf! Wilford runs away from the Cornucopia. Actor runs away from the Cornucopia. Yancy snatches a pair of sais. Vamp! Hunter! Mark breaks Google Red's nose for a basket of bread. (Holy shit) Vamp! Wilford takes a sickle from inside the cornucopia. Eric runs away from the Cornucopia. Doc runs away from the Cornucopia. Werewolf! Dark runs away from the Cornucopia.

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Day One

Host receives medical supplies from an unknown sponsor. Vamp! Wilford diverts Werewolf! Mark's attention and runs away. Eric thinks about home. Werewolf! Wilford sprains his ankle while running away from Bing. AJ runs away from Google Red. Vamp! Hunter! Mark discovers a river. Werewolf! Dark tries to sleep through the entire day. Actor kills Google Yellow while he is resting. (Damn) WW AU! DA stalks Sia. Half Vamp! DA and Vamp! Dark split up to search for resources. (PFFFT THE FACT THAT THEY GOT TEAMED UP-) Damien stalks Celine. (Dude she is both from your own district and also your sister what is you doin’) Google Green receives clean water from an unknown sponsor. Google Blue, Doc, Bim, William, and Yancy hunt for other tributes.

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Arena Event

A cloud of poisonous smoke starts to fill the arena. Bing survives. Vamp! Wilford survives. Celine survives. Werewolf! Dark survives. Actor survives. Bim survives. William and Half Vamp! DA agree to die in the cloud together, but William pushes Half Vamp! DA in without warning. (WILLIAM WHAT THE FUCK) Damien survives. Host and Yancy agree to die in the cloud together, but Host pushes Yancy in without warning. (HOST! DUDE! WHY!) Sia survives. Eric and Vamp! Hunter! Mark agree to die in the cloud together, but Eric pushes Vamp! Hunter! Mark in without warning. (ERIC HOLY SHIT) Doc survives. Werewolf! Wilford slowly pushes Google Blue closer into the cloud until he can't resist any more. (Guess that cloud corroded his circuits.) Google Red survives. Werewolf! Mark survives. Google Green survives. Vamp! Dark slowly pushes AJ closer into the cloud until she can't resist any more. (Dude you kidnaps her and turn her into a vampire and then do this? Asshole.) WW AU! DA is engulfed in the cloud of poisonous smoke.

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7 cannon shots can be heard in the distance. Google Yellow District 12 Half Vamp! DA District 6 Yancy District 2 Vamp! Hunter! Mark District 6 Google Blue District 11 AJ District 5 WW AU! DA District 10 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night One

Damien stays awake all night. Google Green sees a fire, but stays hidden. Werewolf! Wilford starts a fire. Werewolf! Mark tries to treat his infection. Eric and Bim run into each other and decide to truce for the night. Google Red destroys Bing's supplies while he is asleep. (Yeah that tracks) Doc questions his sanity. (Yup that tracks too) William stays awake all night. Vamp! Dark starts a fire. Werewolf! Dark stays awake all night. Sia destroys Celine's supplies while she is asleep. (Holy shit Sia) Actor and Host run into each other and decide to truce for the night. Vamp! Wilford is awoken by nightmares.

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Day Two

Host runs away from Eric. Sia dies trying to escape the arena. (Noooo!) Google Red tends to Werewolf! Wilford's wounds. Doc falls into a frozen lake and drowns. (NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!) Werewolf! Mark falls into a frozen lake and drowns. (He was either trying to save Doc or he saw Doc fall in the lake and then decided “Nah I’ll be fine.”) Bing, Google Green, Damien, and Vamp! Dark hunt for other tributes. (Damien’s just like “Well this can’t get any weirder, I guess I’ll team up with my terrifying future self because why not.”) Actor sprains his ankle while running away from Celine. (Pffft of course) Vamp! Wilford attacks Bim, but he manages to escape. Werewolf! Dark hunts for other tributes. William injures himself.

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3 cannon shots can be heard in the distance. Sia District 5 Doc District 3 Werewolf! Mark District 10

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Night Two

Google Red dies from thirst. (Bad android design) Celine, Vamp! Dark, Vamp! Wilford, Werewolf! Wilford, and Eric sleep in shifts. Damien spears Bim in the abdomen. (Holy shit!) Bing loses sight of where he is. Werewolf! Dark defeats Host in a fight, but spares his life. Actor sees a fire, but stays hidden. William and Google Green huddle for warmth. (Cuddlin’)

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Day Three

Actor makes a slingshot. Eric receives an explosive from an unknown sponsor. (Baby boy has fuckin C4) Bing practices his archery. Host kills Vamp! Wilford for his supplies. (Oh my god) William makes a slingshot. Google Green tends to Damien's wounds. Vamp! Dark explores the arena. Werewolf! Wilford searches for firewood. Celine thinks about home. Werewolf! Dark hunts for other tributes.

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3 cannon shots can be heard in the distance. Google Red District 11 Bim District 4 Vamp! Wilford District 1

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Night Three

Damien stays awake all night. Actor and Google Green tell stories about themselves to each other. Werewolf! Dark receives clean water from an unknown sponsor. Host passes out from exhaustion. Eric attempts to climb a tree, but falls to his death. (Nooooo!) William destroys Werewolf! Wilford's supplies while he is asleep. (PFFFT) Celine attempts to start a fire, but is unsuccessful. (Needs Damien to go get more firewood lol) Vamp! Dark defeats Bing in a fight, but spares his life.

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Day Four

Damien goes hunting. Vamp! Dark sees smoke rising in the distance, but decides not to investigate. Celine and Host split up to search for resources. Werewolf! Dark attacks Google Green, but he manages to escape. William questions his sanity. (Ah, isn’t this the norm) Actor tries to spear fish with a trident. Werewolf! Wilford severely injures Bing, but puts him out of his misery. (Oh my goodness-)

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2 cannon shots can be heard in the distance. Eric District 3 Bing District 2

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Night Four

Celine climbs a tree to rest. Host tends to Werewolf! Dark's wounds. Damien screams for help. Actor tends to his wounds. Werewolf! Wilford thinks about home. William and Vamp! Dark huddle for warmth. (Awww.) Google Green cries himself to sleep. (Oof that new emotion software is proving to be a burden lol)

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The Feast

The cornucopia is replenished with food, supplies, weapons, and memoirs from the tributes' families. Werewolf! Wilford decides not to go to The Feast. Damien decides not to go to The Feast. Celine decides not to go to The Feast. William kills Werewolf! Dark with a sickle. (Nooooo! Werewolf!Dark is such a sweetheart! D:) Vamp! Dark and Google Green threaten a double suicide. It fails and they die. (Ha take that you cocky bastard.) Actor decides not to go to The Feast. Host gathers as much food into a bag as he can before fleeing.

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Day Five

Celine makes a wooden spear. William explores the arena. Werewolf! Wilford, Actor, and Host start fighting, but Actor runs away as Werewolf! Wilford kills Host. (Smart little Actor!) Damien searches for a water source.

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4 cannon shots can be heard in the distance. Werewolf! Dark District 9 Vamp! Dark District 1

(Lost both Darks in one day...) Google Green District 12 Host District 4 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Five

Werewolf! Wilford cries himself to sleep. (YEAH BECAUSE HE JUST LOST HIS BEST FRIEND) Actor, William, and Damien discuss the games and what might happen in the morning. (The group... the WKM trio... the lads... back together...) Celine climbs a tree to rest.  (Holy crap it’s come down to the WKM folks and WW!Wilford.)

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Day Six

Werewolf! Wilford receives a hatchet from an unknown sponsor. (Oh no) Celine collects fruit from a tree. Actor chases William. Damien attempts to climb a tree, but falls to his death. (DAMIEN YOU PRECIOUS IDIOT NOOOOOO)

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1 cannon shot can be heard in the distance. Damien District 7

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Night Six

William begs for Actor to kill him. He refuses, keeping William alive. (Oh how the turntables...) Celine dies trying to escape the arena. (CELINE NOOOOO) Werewolf! Wilford thinks about winning. (You might, man. It’s you, William, and Actor, I’d say you have a good chance.)

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Day Seven

Werewolf! Wilford searches for a water source. William explores the arena. Actor discovers a cave.

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1 cannon shot can be heard in the distance. Celine District 7 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night Seven

Actor destroys Werewolf! Wilford's supplies while he is asleep. (Oh Actor you bitch-) William thinks about winning.

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Day Eight

William, Actor, and Werewolf! Wilford get into a fight. Werewolf! Wilford triumphantly kills them both. (Holy shit! William and Actor, teamed up like the old days, fighting tooth and nail against WW!Wilford, but alas, their vampire strength is no match for his Werewolf strength. Perhaps it’s the sun. Perhaps it’s the lack of blood drinking. Whatever the cause of their weakness, they both fall to his claws.)

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2 cannon shots can be heard in the distance. William District 8 Actor District 8

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The winner is Werewolf! Wilford from District 9! (Honestly I’m glad that, if it couldn’t be Doc or Mark or The DA, it was at least someone from the Werewolf AU.)

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And that’s the end of it! WW!Wilford won!

He got 5 kills, William got two, and then Vamp!Dark and Actor both got one.