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kennyomegasweave · 6 months ago

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My live thoughts on The Sign Special Episode

Let's go!

IS MY BABY DEAD IN THE FIRST GODDAMN TWO MINUTES AND THE HOT CAPTAIN TOO??? Oh wait, it’s one of Tharn's dreams that hasn't come true yet.

I'm dying at Tharn waking up from a terrible dream where three of his homies are dead/hella fucked up, and Phaya's just like "what about some dick to start the day?" I know he's stayed on that man every day since he came back. FUCKING RIGHT UP ON THE DOOR??? NASTY ASS. I love that for Tharn. I love that for Phaya. I love that for me.

OH A FINE ASS WOMAN CAPTAIN HAS SHOWN UP ACCUSING THE FINE ASS MAN CAPTAIN OF STEALING HER CASE They have ~tension~ are they exes? Cause damn the fine ass Captain is reading her down. No matter what happens, I am choosing to believe they're exes cause like this feels ~personal~

Aww there's a cute little baby here. And everyone is just watching her cry and talking about her like she's not right in front of them. Can someone act like they've seen a child before? Damn. lol Oh fuck my boy is gonna talk to her, and I love him, but I know he’s about to make it worse. Well I guess Thongthai ain't getting a baby anytime soon cause Khem just made this little girl cry. lol At least Mayris hugged the baby. But I am crying at the fact that the room was obviously full of Team No Kids cause they had no idea what to do with a crying kid.

Yai being all "aww don't be worried about me, I got people looking out for me" is, in fact, making me worried. lol Not Phaya getting jealous of Yai. That is his brother!

Khem and Thongthai coming up with the gossip! I love one messy ass couple. That's how you know they've been together too long cause they're just here for the mess. Not Tharn and Phaya going in on gender inequality and KhemThongthai standing there like ...well we just wanted to gossip but now we feel bad. 😬😬😬

As always, I'm crying that Khem and Thongthai are not only allowed to work together, but on the same team. Khem is just touching him all the time and calling him baby. That's not professional in the office, not at all. And they've been like that for 14 years, I know this in my spirit. At least Phaya and Tharn handle their shit better. lol

Okay. Phaya. Tharn is telling you how sad he was when all his people died and he mentioned his asshole bestie and you're just trying to fuck away your jealously. Phaya please. Also, there is a traumatized baby girl in the next room? Let's not. And okay. I get what Phaya means, and I absolutely hated how stupid Tharn was about Chalothon, but that man was in his life for like two decades. He's gonna come up and it's really not that cute for Phaya to be mad about it.

Phaya is really out here trying to get his dick wet while this traumatized little girl is locked in an unfamiliar house with unfamiliar people. Not the time bro. lol

PLEASE DON'T POINT GUNS AT THE CHILD. Thank you Tharn for having sense. So far it seems like Tharn and Mayris are the only two people who have ever been around a child before. Which is wild cause Phaya has a baby sister that I thought was significantly younger than him.

Okay that was a good move to bring the cat in. Cats make everything better. One point to Phaya. Aww this little baby. She's only speaking English. So she's even more out of her element.

Phaya was just watching Tharn with that baby and def wants that man to have his babies now.

Aww poor sweet baby girl. She doesn't want to sleep alone. If y'all don't get in that bed and sleep with her.

GET HIM THARN YOU CAN BE THE DAD AND HE'S THE MOM Oh Phaya pulled the uno reverse and said "that's cool, I can be the mom and you can be the dad." And honestly yeah. Phaya would have Tharn's babies if he could, I believe that. He just wants Tharn with a baby now however possible. JELLYFISH NICKNAME MENTIONED YES

I appreciate Phaya's garuda brother being like "I did help you but you caused these problems, so you have to deal with them the most." A beautiful representation of an older/younger sibling relationship.

Phaya's phone be ringing for eight years. It should have gone to voicemail by then.

Oh the hot lady Captain is in a leather jacket. My god. I'm so gay.

I do love how Phaya earlier was like THARN IT'S JUST A DREAM and now Tharn is like "your dream MIGHT be important but let's just WAIT." Like these two men aren't reincarnated gods and Tharn didn't spend a whole year in the naga world.

NOT YAI AND KHEM. KHEM WHY WOULD YOU EVER SAY YOU WERE A SWIMMER. Like I know he is but like. Baby. Why would they have sent Khem for this mission? That is my baby but he is not bright. Like. What the fuck was this plan. Also they're talking all kinds of shit about the plan knowing the building has cameras? Like. I'm sorry my stomach is IN KNOTS.

This is WAY TOO TENSE for me okay. Why on god's green earth did they send the dumbest two in to do recon??? I assume it's cause they're the strongest but like. I don't like this. Not at all. They’re dumb! And not good actors! They're gonna get caught out!

(But damn at least I get to see Gap's body. Cause that man is fine as fuck and fit as hell.)

NO WHAT DID THAT MAN GET ON HIS PHONE. Like okay I'm not scared for Phaya, Tharn, and Deeni cause they're not gonna kill a baby. But my babies Khem and Yai, however, those are grown ass men so you know. I don't want to dance, I'm scared to death.

HE JUST TURNED OFF THE LIVE FEED. Oh my fuck. They know they're cops. I am fighting for my fucking life.

Okay so this crack team is just gonna go in three deep? God this team really just has no brain cells, it should be the hot lady Captain leading cause Captain Akk just like. Doesn't have the best plans. You gotta bring more than THREE dudes against a tio in that shirt. Cause now everybody is disarmed and captured.

HE'S MAKING KHEM AND YAI FIGHT TO THE DEATH??? IN FRONT OF HIS MAN??? OR THREATENING TO KILL THE OTHERS OH MY GOD HE JUST SHOT THONGTHAI IN THE LEG. Khem is def gonna have to fight now and like. NOT KHEM HITTING YAI AND SAYING SORRY. AND YAI TRYING TO BE LIKE KHEM DON'T WAIT STOP. Yai baby. He has to. It's Thongthai. That's his baby.

Captain Akk is standing there stuck and restrained looking dumb. Like yeah baby maybe you shouldn’t have a damn married couple of like 14 years on your team? Especially when it was already shown that they can't really be objective about each other. (See: Khem getting shot and Thongthai useless for the last battle)

Okay now we're at the start. Those three aren't dead but Yai and Khem are still captured. But damn these three are all beat. So Khem had to see his man get shot AND beat? Guys. Thongthai can't be rational about this. I'm glad he called Phaya out about that. Captain Akk still sitting there like "maybe I shouldn't have picked a married couple for my team."

Okay Captain Akk. Baby. Let Captain Achara help. I don't know what your beef with her is. But it's not noble babe.

I'm sorry not Thongthai standing there beaten with a shot leg. He really wouldn't be much help here. But I get why he's there. He NEEDS to not only see his man, but get him back himself.

Oh yes god. Is she gonna switch the flash drives? MY QUEEN.

Phaya's garuda brother FTW!

I'm sorry. Yai got his ass beat like ten hours ago and is now hand to hand fighting. Yes Khem! Kiss your man and then go kick some ass!

Is this man and his turtleneck a tiger man (never 4get)??? Why is he growling? Phaya, please. It's time for your garuda powers to activate babe. Get those wings boo.

Yes! He has his wings! Or his brother's wings, I don't know which. But still. Wings baby! Wings!

YES QUEEN SHOOT HIM MULTIPLE TIMES SHOOT HIS CORPSE I WON'T TELL

Of course Yai is calling Sand. I love that.

Aww, Deeni hugging and saying goodbye to Tharn and Phaya.

I don’t like kid fic, but in my HEART, I know these two adopt a baby at some point. I know in my SPIRIT.

Did Singh just call Mayris a box bitch? That’s why he’s the single pringle cause my girl was looking fine as hell in that swimsuit.

(GAP'S DICK IN THESE SWIM TRUNKS. I eagerly await that gifset.)

WHY IS THARN IN A BANANA HAMMOCK???

This Avengers Assemble ass ending shot. It's so cheesy. I love it so much.

And on that note, we are done. I had a very good time during this episode. Did the plot make any sense? Not really. But it didn’t really in the show either so I mean. I got everyone looking great and everyone happy and in love and shit at the end. I got Thongthai losing his shit over Khem and, to me, that was worth my $16. I also got a hot ass lady captain running around in a leather jacket. I won.

#the sign #the sign the series #I really did have a good time with this episode #one part was VERY TENSE to me but that's also good #because I WAS scared and concerned #all in all #this series wasn't the best or anything but it was entertaining and so it's rated to me #regular clyde #and now I am off to make scones at 12:01AM

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dyns33 · 1 year ago

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Fucking fate - ending 1

Vaas x soulmate Y/N

I had two ending in mind, so this is Y/N’s ending

Everything had happened very quickly.

One day Vaas was the king of Rook Island, or at least the part that Hoyt let him control. The next day Carlos was leading Y/N quickly away from camp because Snow White was attacking and it was too dangerous to stay here.

Vaas' order.

Vaas, whose death was announced a few hours later throughout the island.

This news came as a shock to Y/N. She had imagined that people felt something when their soulmate died. A vibe. The breaking heart. Anything. But no, a pirate had given the news, which had echoed in the cave where the small group was hiding, and panic had gripped everyone.

Always calm and loyal, Carlos stayed close to her, awkwardly patting her on the back. Then, when the others had been too busy wondering what they were going to do, not paying attention to them, he had led her to the square, asking Benny to follow him.

Of all the pirates, Carlos and Benny respected their boss the most. Even dead, they weren't going to stop.

They went to a small port that the Rakyats had not taken yet, where a boat was waiting for them.

"Well, you go in with her and take her to the embassy of her nearest country. Then, you do what you want." Carlos announced with a straight face.

"But... And you ?!"

"Relax, princessa. I'm staying here, trying to kill Snow White and regain control of the camps. You're leaving. You're going to live your life somewhere else, safe. That's what the boss would have wanted. Benny, you don't leave her until you're sure she's safe."

"Of course not. I remember the time she met a tiger. The boss broke my nose and three ribs. I'll follow her like her shadow."

"Good. Go, now !"

This was the last time Y/N saw Carlos, and Rook Island.

As promised, Benny stayed with her until she found herself in front of an office surrounded by soldiers, bureaucrats and doctors, who asked her many questions, checked on her and called her relatives to tell them that she was alive.

That was the last time she saw Benny. Before letting her into the embassy, he had wished her good luck, telling her that he was going back to Rook. He couldn't leave his hermanos like a coward.

Her family and friends were all very happy to find her. They took her in their arms, kissed her and repeated to her that they had missed her very much, crying.

Y/N cried too, realizing that she hadn't thought of them at all during the time she had spent on Rook, focused on Vaas, her soulmate, who was dead. She hadn't had time to mourn him before, in shock.

She didn't tell anyone about him. For ten years, everyone around her thought that she had been captured by pirates who had treated her well, that she had managed to escape, and that she could now resume a normal life, with the hope of meet her soulmate one day.

It was torture.

Every night she dreamed of the times they had spent together. Of the last time she had seen him.

"Fucking Jason is coming, nena. He's crazy, worse than me. I don't want... As soon as the alarm goes off, you go with Carlos, okay ? You go with Carlos and you stay with him until let me come to get you."

"Why don't you come with me ?" she asked, as if at that moment she knew very well that he wouldn't come back.

"I have to face him. It's crazy, I must be as crazy as him, I've killed him four times and he's still here. We won't be safe until he's completely dead. I have no choice, mi corazon. But don't be afraid, I won't let anyone hurt you."

He had kissed her forehead and he had hurt her forever by losing his stupid fight. He could have just come with her, they would have left this cursed island and they would have been happy.

Unable to lead a normal life after what she had been through, Y/N traveled extensively. She didn't go back to Rook, there was nothing for her there, and besides she avoided most of the islands, but she couldn't stay in one place for too long.

That was how she found herself near the border of Yara.

It was out of the question to go to Yara of course, too dangerous. It was totally a coincidence that Y/N happened to be in this bar near the beach.

A coincidence, if it was a place frequented by the smugglers. A coincidence, if that day, two of them were right next to her at the counter, speaking Spanish.

Coincidence, or fate.

The voice of one of the men sounded familiar. Turning her head, she saw his back, but she could see his Mohawk, his scars, and the tennis ball with a face sticking out of his pocket.

His colleague noticed her watching them, waving at the man, who turned his green eyes in her direction. They stared at each other for an eternity.

He had aged. Normal, after ten years. He looked tired, even more tired than when she had met him. Maybe darker too, less crazy, even if the tennis ball showed he wasn't in his right mind.

"... Vaas ?" she managed to say, not trusting her voice, nor her eyes.

As on the island, everything happened very quickly. One moment her soulmate was dead, the other Vaas lifted her off the ground, spinning her around the bar, not listening to her cries of panic, before kissing her again and again.

"Nena ! Y/N, mi Y/N ! You're alive ? Are you really here ?! Pedro, she's really here ?!"

"I don't know who's this girl, but yes, she's here." sighed his colleague. "We shouldn't attract attention, remember ?"

"Shit, shut the fuck up, that's my mate and I thought she was dead. Fucking Carlos, he wasn't in the cave anymore when I managed to drag myself in. No trace of you left ! Then I found his body. That asshole got killed by the Rakyats. I was sure... Oh, mi amor ! You're alive ! The world was so bland without you ! I feel like to be reborn !"

"You really can't do this anywhere else ?" the other smuggler begged, as everyone in the bar looked at them.

They walked to the beach, Vaas refusing to let go of her hand, as if she would disappear if he didn't touch her. He had often had visions of her, he wasn't sure it wasn't a dream.

"Carlos and Benny sent me away from the island when they found out... Everyone thought you were dead." Y/N whispered, letting him rub his head against her neck like a big cat.

"I thought I was dead too, but Brody's not good with a knife. I almost died, but it wasn't the first time I got stabbed. Did they really make you leave ? Shit, I should have buried Carlos instead of spitting on him. I was pissed. He could have left a note to tell me !"

"You were dead."

"Still !" Vaas said indignantly, finally calming down a bit, resting his head on her shoulder. "It was hard, nena. I lost everything that day. My island, my men, and you. I wanted to kill Jason, but my sister was faster. It was over. I thought about jumping off a cliff, but it wasn't a nice ending. I thought you wouldn't be happy. So I left. I wanted to visit your hometown, but I couldn't. Hurt too much. Shit, hermosa, you're here ! You're really here ! Hey... No, don't cry, querida, don't cry."

Y/N didn't listen to him, hugging him while sobbing. It was hard to know if it was joy, stress, or a bit of both.

Like when they were on the island, the first few nights when she cried a lot, Vaas massaged her back, kissing her neck and repeating reassuring words, singing a lullaby in Spanish, until she calmed down.

"Are you... Are you staying with me this time ?" she asked shyly.

"Of course. You're coming to Yara ? I have a small house near a lake. I built it myself. It's quiet, not far from the village and the sea. Little Vaas and I go there often."

"Little Vaas ?"

"Yes, I'll introduce him to you. I've told him a lot about you, he'll be happy to meet you. And I'm Vaas the nice smuggler, I help people. Well, I still sell drugs and drugs. weapons, and I transport humans, but because they ask me to, I don't sell them ! No more piracy, I'm clean. Almost."

"... And if I don't want to go to Yara ?"

They had this discussion about Rook Island. Vaas refused to leave, he loved his kingdom too much. Now they were very far away, they had changed. He looked at her intensely, before nodding, cupping her face in his hands with a very serious expression.

“We'll go where you want, mi reina."

"Well... I want to see your house. And meet little Vaas."

"Nena, if this is a dream, please don't let me wake up."

He then pressed his forehead against hers, before kissing her and pressing his head against his chest again, to listen to her heart, with the sound of the waves in the background, and Y/N also hoped that she was not not dreaming.

She imagined them in Vaas' cabin, which was probably not very well built, with little Vaas, who must have been a dog or a tiger. Heaven.

"Well, that's cute, but we're going to be late !" shouted the other smuggler who was standing near the bar, to give them some privacy.

"Pedro is boring." said a small voice. "He's not as cool as Carlos."

"That's right, little Vaas." replied Vaas, resuming his normal voice. "Too bad he died, he was nice and he protected my nena. It's not fair."

"... The tennis ball in your pocket is little Vaas, right ? You don't have a tiger." "You want a tiger, nena ?"

"No. I want to go home." she whispered, even though she had already been there since he had jumped on her in front of everyone.

#far cry 3 #vaas #vaas montenegro #vaas montenegro x reader #vaas montenegro imagine #vaas montenegro fanfiction

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howlingday · 1 year ago

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CHIBI Arkos Angels

Jaune sat quietly as the clock ticked behind him. It ticked for every minute of every hour of every day since the dawn of times. In front of him sat his boss, who glanced over paper after paper of Jaune's recent mission on Remnant.

"So..." Jaune stiffened as he was spoken to. "You goofed up."

"Uh, I wouldn't say that-"

"Jaune, there are hundreds, if not thousands of people dead. The Grimm are running more rampant than before. Hell, even your partner died!" Those were pretty bad. "If you didn't goof up, then what do you call all that?!"

"...Growing pains?"

"Jaune..." There it was. The disappointed 'Jaune' he'd been getting since the dawn of everything everywhere all at once. Just once, he wished someone would cut him some slack.

Was Jaune perfect? No, of course not, no matter how much people told him. Well, how much he thought people told him, or spoke of him when he wasn't around. ...Okay, he wasn't perfect, but he was still wasn't all knowing or all seeing. That was the boss behind the desk.

"Come on, DAD-"

"It's not 'Dad,' okay?" Jaune pursed his lips. "You either call me boss, or sir, or, what I prefer, the Definitive Almighty of the Divine."

"Well, isn't it people's job to die?"

"Jaune, people don't get paid to die down there, so what makes you think we'd get paid up here for that, if at all?" Before Jaune could argue, the door clicked open. "There you are, Pyrrha."

"Hello, again~!"

"H-Hey, Pyrrha."

"Hello, Jaune."

"Everything squared away on your end?"

"Almost." Pyrrha said, sitting down next to her partner. "They said it should take at least another season before I can go back into the field."

"We're not police, Pyrrha." DAD said. "Our job is to make sure nothing too out of place happens in our jurisdiction. Unfortunately for Jaune, we're not as lax as the people in charge of Earth are. Have you seen the stuff they're allowed to get away with there?"

"So where does that leave us?"

"You are fine. Perfect as always. Jaune, on the other hand..." Jaune gulped. "This is your last warning. Either you do your job right, or you're getting reassigned somewhere else. Somewhere that is more willing put up with your shenanigans and 'good ideas'."

Jaune winced at that. Again, Jaune wasn't perfect, but he thought his ideas were good at the time.

He cut animal violence down by half! Sure, it led to creation and following racially charged persecution of the newly dubbed 'Faunus' people. Sadly, Jaune went too far on that one and Remnant was stuck with them, just like when the Brother of Darkness screwed up and made the Grimm to spit his brother. Seriously, how was he supposed to know the Faunus would band together and form the terrorist organization that led to his other mistake, which DAD continuously referred to as "The Volume Three Finale" for some strange reason.

Or the time he let Salem rise to power. She seemed like a nice girl, and hey, if one of the Brothers refused to help her, why not try the other? He was always the nicer guy of the two, even if he did ask for something or another in return. Like Jaune's cheese-fries. Always Jaune's cheese-fries. When he was later confronted by the Brother of Light, he offered the idea to keep resurrecting her dead lover over the centuries. True love conquers all, right?

Then there was the-

"ARC!" Jaune jumped in his seat at the sudden, booming voice. "This will be your last chance. Pyrrha will join you later, but for now, your job is to not screw up and keep the people of Remnant of alive this time." DAD gave Jaune a file. Opening it, he glanced between DAD and the assignment details in his hands.

"Calmly Help Inhabitants Become Illustrious." said the words on the page.

"Chibi?" Jaune asked.

"IT'S NOT-" DAD stopped. "Fine. It's Chibi. Call it whatever you want, but DON'T screw this up! You're on thin ice, Jaune!"

"Da- Er, sir? The mortality rate is so low, it's almost cartoonish."

"Exactly." DAD said. "Enjoy your new, wacky comedy assignment, Arkos."

#rwby #jaune arc #pyrrha nikos #arkos #rwby au #Chibi Arkos Angels

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hexaonic · 1 year ago

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ok buckle up longform essay on SatoSugu incoming

this thing was written for a friend in google docs and it is six. pages. long

the brainrot is real and it is driving me insane so HERE WE GO

In any interpretation of the relationship between Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru – lovers, close friends, brothers, etc. – the dynamic and story between them is (at least to me) incredibly tragic.

You have Gojo, who’s the Honored One - born into one of the three most powerful clans with two rare and frankly op techniques that render him a god amongst men and the Strongest sorcerer in jujutsu society - The strongest is untouchable, too high up for anyone else to reach, destined to be lonely at the top and exploited by the rulers of this society as a trump card, a weapon, for the rest of his life

Until he’s not.

Enter Geto - a sorcerer born from non-sorcerers, with the ability to manipulate curses. But his cursed technique is painful, and requires him to swallow the curses he exorcises in order to absorb them; he himself describes the taste as a “rag used to wipe shit and vomit”. If Gojo is a star or the sun he is the earth, closer to the curses they purge from the world than probably anyone else - after all, he ingests them. I’ve seen fics where they describe the curses affecting his mental state, eating him up from the inside and shouting at him in his head - but that’s not canon, and it just makes me sad, so I put it in cause I’m talking about the tragedy anyway. Geto is strong - cracked at martial arts and skillful with his cursed technique, and together he and Gojo are the strongest.

The two strongest sorcerers are tasked with delivering Riko, the star plasma vessel, to Tengen. They grow attached and are very aware that Riko is scared of the merger and wants to stay longer on the earth with her friends and her beloved maid and them, and they indulge her as long as they can before she goes. But they bring her to the school and she dies anyway, by the hands of the urban legend that is Toji Fushiguro - and Gojo, for the first time in his life, comes close to death. Geto, who has never once seen Gojo weak, is in reasonable shock and horror when Toji kills Riko right in front of him, then pronounces his untouchable best friend dead. He fights and is defeated, but not killed, and Toji leaves. Gojo survives with RCT and his new unlocked Hollow Purple, and kills Toji - but when he finds Riko and Suguru steps into the room, he is in a bit of a hollow mental state (which is understandable - riko is dead, he just made what is probably his first kill in his life, and the people who are at least indirectly responsible are clapping and celebrating her fucking death) and asks Suguru if he should kill them. Suguru says no - that there would be no meaning to it, and that meaning is everything - especially to sorcerers. And Satoru follows, because Geto is the moral compass for both of them.

It must be understood that Suguru is a moral person, but in a careful and objective way - he seems to organize things into neat boxes of “right” and “wrong”, “meaningful” and “meaningless”, and holds a strong sense of justice and responsibility that keeps him in the sorcery race even when he has to swallow vomit-curses and watch people die around him. But it grates on him, a lot, and the grieving and vomit and the ignorance of the non-sorcerers he is supposed to be saving, those he once believed were sorcerers’ responsibility to protect against curses, builds up on his psyche like a mold or an infection and keeps growing. When Yuki talks to Geto after the death of Haibara, she plants the idea in his head that yes, cursed energy does come from almost exclusively non-sorcerers and yes, eradicating cursed energy is possible in multiple ways, and yes, eradicating all non-sorcerers is technically a feasible solution, he struggles with that. A lot. At this point he is already spiraling really badly and questioning everything about his morality and his moral compass and his entire life purpose, and takes this idea to heart.

Meanwhile, his near-death and his power evolving during his final fight shook Gojo to his core and pushed him to be stronger no matter the cost. He got good at using his Limitless cursed technique at all times, being able to control it and its branch techniques with great efficiency so that he could never be caught off guard again. He gets sent on more missions, as he truly becomes the strongest - but in this process, he unknowingly begins to leave Geto behind. Gojo works best alone, when nobody is there to become collateral damage for him, and the authorities in charge send him on solo mission after solo mission. He is too blinded by his own pursuit of strength and his perception of Geto - the morally righteous one, his keeper, his compass, his best friend - to see his counterpart dying a little bit more with every passing day he is left to rot in his own mind.

Geto sees this disconnect between him and Gojo and it adds another straw to his very quickly growing spiral haystack, and at some point it has to snap. And it does - he is sent on a solo mission to a rural village, where they have locked two sorcerer girls in a cage and blame them for the things happening to their town. Even after Geto exorcises and swallows the curse that was causing the problems in the first place, the village people blame the girls for their powers. It enrages him, and probably makes him think of Haibara and Gojo and the culmination of all the things non-sorcerers do to sorcerers in the name of ignorance, of hunting and eradicating anything that is “other” or “alien”, of the man who nearly killed him and his best friend and called himself a monkey. How the deaths of his friends have all been undeserved, caused by something they could not control or even foresee, how sorcery is all just a race to the bloody, unjustified, meaningless end. Something in Geto snaps, and he massacres the entire town and takes the girls under his wing with his new conviction: that he hates monkeys, and they deserve to die.

Gojo and Geto have their kfc breakup. Gojo is genuinely shocked that the one person who always caught up with him, and was always there by his side when nobody else ever really could be, turned around and committed mass murder when Gojo didn’t even know Geto was suffering, and Geto takes this as Gojo’s ignorance, too: that while he was here spiraling and rotting to the point that he snapped, Gojo was the strongest. Untouchable. Exalted by all and therefore not knowing, or caring, what it would feel like to doubt his own morality or fear the inevitable death of everyone around him in the brutal world of curses and sorcerers. Geto believes that the life of a sorcerer has no meaning - that the endless race of kill or be killed from adolescence to an early grave is a dead end, a pointless suicide mission, generation after generation of lemmings culled by the sorrows of the weak - by the ones they swear to protect. (Some stories spin it a slightly different way, where Geto and Gojo are in love - and seeing Gojo work himself to the bone to be a living weapon all his life, seeing his one and only isolated like this, kills him more than the thought of being hated for freeing him. They theorize that this is the main conviction that drives him to go through with the plan to kill all non-sorcerers.)

So he leaves, and is branded as a curse user to all of jujutsu society. He is to be killed on sight. But Gojo is the one to confront him, and when he raises his hand to kill his best friend he can’t do it. (“Kill me,” Geto says as he walks away. “There’d be meaning in that, too.”)

The Honored One and the Cursed. The Heavens and the Earth, the Righteous and the Damned. One blessed with innate kindness, and snap moral judgment - one cursed with an infinite moral dilemma, relegated to careful deliberation and action to carry out justice. One with a cursed technique that could be compared to ascension, unlimited power and enhanced perception and untouchable beauty, so high up he is unreachable as heaven itself - one with a cursed technique that could be described as bottom-feeding, damning, so low compared to the veritable God he walks beside that it seems the curses he swallows and the pain he carries could sink him into the earth all the way down to hell.

Yin and Yang, two halves of a whole that circle each other, but never really touch.

Gojo’s Infinity ensures that.

In their separation they both adopt children - Geto the girls he saved from the village, Gojo the kids he saved from the clan that had produced and rejected Toji. Geto becomes a cult leader, amassing curses and money and followers by tolerating “monkeys” and healing their “ailments” and swallowing their curses. Gojo becomes a teacher, swearing that as long as he is there nobody will be alone again. (Shoko was there - has always been there - but that is a different tragedy altogether.)

They meet again in JJK 0. Geto declares war on all of jujutsu society, the Night Parade of a Thousand Demons (I think), and Gojo fights alongside the school. Yuuta and his own tragedy, Rika - his lost childhood love whom he accidentally cursed to remain on this earth and torment him, letting nobody close to her lover - face off against Geto at Jujutsu tech. When Yuuta accepts all of Rika and she fully manifests her power, the strongest curse Geto has ever seen, he begins to fight in earnest. (I’ve heard theories that maybe Geto is so unwilling to accept that Yuuta and Rika are truly in love during that fight because that would mean that him leaving everyone he cared about, and the one he truly loved, in order to save them from a life of suffering was completely unnecessary, and he could have had love and a purpose - he could have had Gojo -without all the pain he caused himself and Gojo and everyone who’d cared about him back.)

Yuuta defeats him. Satoru and Suguru are left alone after everyone has left, one painfully mortal and one painfully untouchable. Destined to fight each other. One cursed to die, one cursed to live. No matter the dynamic that was between them, their last words are a tender moment and a testament to the affection and care they still hold for each other, even after their ideals and their lives have strayed so far from each other in adulthood. Gojo kills Geto, but does not have the heart to dispose of his best friend’s body - which is what relegates Geto to the role of puppet, used to carry out Kanjaku’s agenda. In a way Gojo really did curse him, in the end.

Breaking the fourth wall, there are little elements outside the story that make it so painful as well.

Gege Akutami, the mangaka who created this whole universe and its characters and their dynamics (I look up to him, kinda, for the pain he makes me feel) has given details in author’s notes and interviews that make SatoSugu all the more painful. For starters, he agreed with the producer’s(?) statement, which describes Geto as Gojo’s “first and last warm spring of youth” which,, ow; and then he makes it so Geto’s priestly cult man robes are a design that literally have part of Gojo’s name in it (I can’t find the actual name but it’s in there) and in one author’s note or filler issue of the jump he gives us songs that remind him of each character and one of Gojo’s is about heartbreak and love and LITERALLY WORD FOR WORD could describe the dynamic between the two.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!!

The anime, in season 2, opens with Ao no Sumika and ends with Akari - I think the opening and ending are meant to be Gojo’s perspective and Geto’s, respectively. The lyrics line up - the opening is fun and lively and bright but still foreshadows pain and heartbreak in the lyrics and certain frames of the sequence, and the ending is vaguely melancholy in lyrics, melody, and color; it’s even raining, and half the time Geto appears on the screen he is doused in shadow. In the opening the singer literally reflects on how the brightness/loudness of being with this person drowned out their silence (which cmon that’s satosugu for certain), and ruminates on the unsaid “will we meet again?” between singer and subject. (which AGAIN, SATOSUGU) And one of my favorite ever sequences in that ending sequence is a pair of scenes that show first Gojo, his eyes following a black beta fish with spiky, damaged fins and tail; and then Geto, his eyes downcast, looking away from a white beta fish that is whole and healthy, almost glowing. It’s my favorite way their dynamic is symbolized in the anime and the most painful - just these two frames themselves are enough to foreshadow their entire story. Gojo cares about Geto, and follows him - he wants him to come back. He wants him to be by his side again, for them to be the strongest again. But he doesn’t even notice Geto’s departure until the fish is already on its way off the screen. The fins on the black beta fish are damaged because Geto is sick, because Geto is spiraling, because beta fish whose fins are damaged and sickly like that are typically not far off from dying. Geto looks away from the healthy white beta fish - he turns his back on love. He thinks it’s pointless, and accepts like a martyr that to save Gojo from his fate at the hands of this world he will have to hurt him by destroying it, and likely dying because of it. What’s more - two male beta fish can’t be in the same tank together. They’ll fight to the death until only the strongest is left.

Gojo and Geto are tragic because it’s so clear that Gege wrote them as a duo, two halves of a whole, two sides of a coin. They are foils as much as they are literally meant for each other in any way that phrase can be interpreted, and yet they are destined to fall apart in the end. One is destined to kill the other, then live with the grief that comes from it. The strongest is fated to survive at the cost of the other, stranded on a pedestal that is covered in blood. They are kids, thrust into an endless cycle of death and pain and suffering and gore because it is their responsibility to protect the people that cannot help themselves, and when the two strongest children are met with the horror of it all one breaks and drops out, and one continues the race and runs faster because he’s not allowed to drop out. The one still running eventually must kill the other to keep running. The best tragedies are those where the characters could have very easily done something to prevent the tragedy from happening or stop it as it unfolds – but because of who they are, and their inevitable choices because of who they are, it doesn’t make sense for them to do so. It makes sense that someone so morally compromised like Geto would snap at the realization that the deaths of his friends will keep happening. It makes sense that once the idea was planted in his head and he was shown the multitude of ways in which non-sorcerers were ignorant of the suffering sorcerers went through to protect them, he snapped at the sight of child sorcerers being relegated to a fate they didn’t deserve. It makes sense that Gojo would let Geto free out of love, even if it led to his demise anyway. It makes sense that he was so shocked at his friend’s actions and curse-user status, because he was buried in his own set of societal pressures and took his friend for granted. It all makes sense, and yet they’re all doomed. Every last person in JJK is doomed. Geto’s children died trying to free his corpse from the monster (man) that stole it. Both of Gojo’s children house(d) ancient sorcerers, and will both probably die fighting in bodies they cannot control. Yuji, the main character, is surrounded by the deaths of everyone he cares for, and the foreshadowing of his own inevitable end. Gojo is the Prince in his tower, is forced to watch, untouchable, trapped, as the knight on a dragon is shot down, plummets to the earth below - and becomes the enemy against his own will. Sometimes it makes me so sad I am close to tears. (and sometimes i read fics that make me cry more, because how in the hell are people that good at writing grief and angst and tragedy and where can I learn to do the same)

If the manga ends happily I’ll be surprised, because right now it seems a tragic but meaningful ending is in the works and I’m scared

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk spoilers #satosugu #stsg #geto suguru #gojo satoru #can you tell i'm a huge sucker for fated tragedies #im losing my mind #i went off memory apologies if anything is wrong

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justalittleegg · 11 months ago

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CC WEEKEND BASH DAY 2!!

I'm making this the same day as my day 1 post so it's not as hype.

@and-stir-the-stars

PROMPT: HAUNTING / FAMILY

This is set in my AU that I don't have a name for in which Henry goes crazy and commits murders because Charlie got cromched in the Bite of '83. Mike is his first murder as revenge. Basically a William / Henry roll swap.

Evan is CC. Evan's POV.

TW: murder,

______________________________________________________________

It had been three months since Michael was found dead in a back alley. Two deaths in the span of a couple months, it was strange, especially considering Henry's absence from work and... life, I guess.

I mean it seemed connected; Mike killed Charlie and now he was found dead in an alley, it had to have a meaning.

I couldn't be bothered looking for that meaning though. I couldn't be bothered doing anything actually. I didn't draw, I didn't speak, I didn't even eat much anymore. I mean, what was the point? With Michael gone life felt, empty.

I missed his jokes, his drawings that were way better than mine, and, in a way, I missed his senseless bullying.

You never realise what you've got until it's gone.

Before his death, I thought I didn't like Mike, the thoughts of his scares and his mask were all that filled my mind. But in retrospect, I had so many good times with him that feel so much more important than the bad.

Like this one time just after school. I was in my room, crying after a bad day at school. Mike came in, probably to scare me, but seeing me like that, instead he just sat down, took out a piece of paper, and began to draw. After a moment he lifted up the drawing. It was a rabbit in a top-hat and monocle. It was so silly it made me stop crying. He started teaching me how to draw like him; it's what got me into drawing in the first place.

I was at the pizzeria sitting at a table, alone, quiet. The only reason I was here was because there was no one to watch us at home. I had to be here while Dad worked.

Dad had gotten over it so fast, or at least it seemed that way. The pizzeria was temporarily shut down for a couple weeks while things were getting sorted out, both with the police and funeral services. I had been at two funerals over the past half year; Charlie's and Mike's.

Charlie's was just how I thought a funeral would be. People crying, boring speeches that never really said much about the person other than 'they were nice', and an overall vibe of sadness.

Michael's was different though. Sure people still cried but it wasn't the same. His friends were there; I didn't know they're names. They shared actual stories about Mike and actually knew him. I guess it's since he was older, he actually did stuff. It was just, less sad and more... bittersweet, I guess.

Elizabeth was here somewhere, probably with her friends. She had taken it well too, not as well as Dad, but still pretty well.

I don't know haw they can all just move on and act like it didn't happen, act like two of the people closest to us hadn't just died. I quietly stared down at the table and began to sob while kids played around me and concerned parents watched on.

Suddenly, a slender figure was in front of me. I looked up, it was the security puppet that Dad and Henry had installed after Charlie's death to keep people safe. It had a thin, black torso with long, striped arms. It's face had two large eyes, a wide grin, and curiously, tear streaks from it's eyes that I didn't remember being there.

It was holding a piece of the children's drawing sheets from the pizzeria labelled 'My Happiest Day!' in one had and a couple crayons in the other. It placed down the paper and began to scribble in a way I had never seen it done before.

When it was finished, I looked down at the sheet.

It was a drawing of a rabbit in... in a top-hat and a monocle...

Just like Mike had drawn.

______________________________________________________________

#crying child weekend bash #fnaf #five nights at freddy's #five nights at freddys #crying child #tw murder #murder

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wizisbored · 8 months ago

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I can imagine after the wall goes down that nimona and Ballistor would be interested in visiting places, and one of the places they visit is where they run into Lydia, and Nimona can see an unsummoned Beetlejuice and is probably excited to meet someone special or weird like her. Ballistor has some reservations about it, but he'd warm up to him, once he was summoned and he could see him and Lydia explained some things.

if theyre gonna be leaving the kingdom for au purposes, im tempted to say fuck it go all the way and have them fully leave leave. nimona, ballister and ambrosius. they tried to swing it for a while, stuck around for maybe as long as a few years after it all went down, but it just wasnt working out. it's absolutely impossible for any of them to live a normal life, nimona especially - most people hail her as a hero, which is stressful in its own right, but there's also a not-insignificant number who still want 'gloreths monster' dead, and they know who she is now.

so the three of them skip town, and end up in a small town in rural conneticut. they dont plan on hiding nimona's abilities forever, but decide to lay low for a period to scope out the towns general level of weirdness-acceptance first. so they move in under the guise of a young gay couple who have gaurdianship of a teenager for unspecified reasons, and own various pets that are never seen in the same place at the same time.

it's been a while since the events of beetlejuice the musical, and beej is kinda hovering around the deetzs. lydia hasnt resummoned him and he hasnt asked her to. yet. theyre back on friendly terms, though im not sure about him and the rest of the family.

the two groups meet when charles decides to invite the new neighbours over for dinner. nimona is calling herself seventeen so she's supposedly a year or two older than lydia, and lydia thinks shes cool as shit. even though lydia isnt young enough to really trigger nimonas discomfort with small children she isnt used to interacting with kids and it takes her a bit to warm up, but lydia isnt the best at socialising with people (supposedly) her age either so they kinda fumble through it together. turns out theyve got a fair bit in common and by the end of the evening theyre getting along pretty well. goth/punk solidarity.

nimona cant neccesarily see ghosts, but she can sense them. beetlejuice isnt around for the dinner but she is far more aware of the maitlands' presence than ballister or ambrosius. she has no idea what it is, and doesnt bring it up until they're back home afterwards.

so nimona and lydia keep hanging out. a few times beetlejuice tags along, and nimona can feel him lingering around, and it feels the way a dog trying to bite a fly out of the air looks, if that makes sense. nimona stays human-shaped around lydia but there is something distinctly off about her, to lydia. maybe on some level she can sense what nimona is, but ill have to figure that out after ive considered how the magic/supernatural lore of the two medias is going to mix. she also thinks theres something odd about the various 'pets' nimona's family owns. theyre all some variation of reddish-brown, chestnut, ginger, or tan with no exception. the dog looks at least half wolf. her own cat, percy, hates theirs. she sees ballister riding a horse bareback around the edge of town sometimes, and it always feels like the horse is avoiding eye contact. and she has never seen nimona interact with any of them, or even be in the same room.

nimona finds out about the ghosts before lydia finds out about her, but it happens in quick sucession. eventually lydia is confident enough that she could ask nimona if she believes in life after death and she'd answer honestly. so she asks, and nimona - as someone who died and then got better - says yes quite confidently. so lydia pretty much spills everything, and nimona's reaction to hearing about beetlejuice is 'oh thank FUCK i can stop pretending to be human in front of you'

#im gonna need a new au tag arent i #bj/nimona au

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natequarter · 2 years ago

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can you tell us more about your ocs?

sure! in chronological order:

diuset, a celtic leader who died of unclear natural causes. died long before the roman invasion of britain. more or less the first ghost to stay around, but unfortunately she simply does not vibe with robin. haunts button house for at least a thousand years, probably closer to fifteen hundred. moves on in the twelfth century, having seen three separate invasions of britain and having kind of moved on from watching her people disappear by this point. she does learn old english, but she's not the best at speaking it. middle-aged, and dressed in quite a lot of layers for a ghost, because it was fucking cold when she died. pale, light eyes, very red hair.

lucius, the very unfortunate ghost of a young roman soldier. held down and drowned in the lake at button house over roman-celtic disputes. roughly fourth century ad. doesn't haunt for very long, and quickly moves on.

leofstan, an early anglo-saxon peasant - about the sixth century ad. pagan - he died before england converted to christianity, and has a mix of anglo-saxon and celtic family. fourteen years old, and typically annoying - loud, brash, and rude, but a good friend of robin's. how exactly he died is unclear, but it probably has something to do with the cane and the limp. moves on in the mid-1400s, walking into the lake, never to be seen again. he likes to make fun of rich people. ashy blonde, and predictably skinny.

godric, a later anglo-saxon blacksmith - mid-tenth century. had a family and kids before some bitchass carpenter shoved him into an anvil. took damage to the brain stem, stopped being able to breathe, and promptly died. wishes everyone would just calm down a bit, which they don't, or at least be nicer to each other, another thing they do not do. has a thing for robin, more so than the various ghosts who have a thing with robin. one of about two ghosts who is genuinely a nice, pleasant person, and does not have some glaring personality flaw which ruins everything. physically muscular, with blonde curls (because blonde people exist, which i frequently forget). married with kids at the point of death. sucked off at some point before the 1500s.

william, a norman would-be crusader who died in 1096 of tuberculosis. obsessed with holy war - somewhat like a crusading version of the captain - except, well, a massive failure on the soldier front, on account of being incredibly dead. died a slow and agonising death of tuberculosis - despite being surrounded by murder victims, he had one of the worst deaths out of any of the ghosts. cheery, with a painfully optimistic streak, and an unhealthy habit of idolising military figures - even long after his death, as with richard the lionheart. in his mid-thirties; tall, and very unkempt. still has his sword (adhémar) on him, as he died with it, and, especially when he's very stressed/angry/excited, he can interact with the world of the living through it... which frequently causes havoc. sucked off shortly after humphrey died, in the early 1590s. afflicted with a terrible cough all throughout his afterlife.

geoffrey and matilda, the owners of button house during the anarchy and early reign of henry ii. geoffrey died after falling off his horse and then being trampled by it (very gory, very ouch), and matilda died of hypothermia after he failed to arrive home. she spends the entire afterlife freezing cold. they're married, and unlike most of the canon ghosts' marriages, they do actually love each other. geoffrey moves on in the fourteenth century, matilda in the early 1600s. geoffrey has short hair and a short beard, and matilda has braided brown hair. robin makes fun of geoffrey's death constantly, because he is, quite frankly, a bit useless, but he's very fond of both of them.

elizabeth, a late medieval noblewoman who died in july, in 1485. the arrival of a messenger with the sweating sickness infected her household, and she succumbed shortly after. most of the ghosts were conscious when they died; because she died in her sleep, it took a while for the other ghosts to even convince her that she had died. in her early twenties, with dark brown eyes and very dark curly hair. afflicted, much like william, with symptoms of the disease that killed her - easily tired, often dizzy or feverish (someday matilda might stop using her as a radiator). at least she doesn't cough up blood, though. they very gradually warm to each other. one of the few people to actually look out for humphrey - not that there's anyone much else to do when he first dies. robin dislikes her, on account of typical aristocratic uptightness, and her being a bit frosty towards him when she first died, because the older early/high medieval ghosts are by that point a pretty tight-knit group, to the exclusion of others. holds a grudge against humphrey's grandfather, who takes over the house a while after her death, and tries to haunt him. it does not work.

clarence, a victorian gardener, and servant to george button. poor fucker. in his thirties when a teenaged george dared him to go ice skating... you can probably guess how this ends. ice broke, clarence drowned, rip. died of shock and the cold as much as the whole water in his lungs thing. just wants to chill, but did not get that wish in the way he intended. being soaking wet is a miserable way to spend the afterlife... which is probably why he doesn't haunt long, moving on shortly after fanny dies. presumably he didn't like the taste he got of fanny. good but brief mates with robin; not really dead long enough to form close connections with anyone in particular, but it would be nice if thomas stopped trying so hard to bond with him.

#asks #bbc ghosts #this isn't even all the ocs this is just. you know. the dead bh ones #sorry this is so long lmao

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sixty-silver-wishes · 1 year ago

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Welcome back to Sorcerer's Glade, a choose-your-own-adventure story using Tumblr polls!

In this story, whatever option the most people vote for determines the direction of the plot! I'll try to update weekly as the results roll in. The poll for this week will be on a separate post, which will be linked at the end of this entry. Have fun!

RECAP AND RESULTS

It's the beginning of summer vacation, and you want to go with your friends to the carnival hosted by your high school. However, your best friend Emma has other plans in mind- she wants to explore Sorcerer's Glade, an abandoned theme park said to be haunted by the ghost of a young girl who died on one of the roller coasters. You have your doubts, but Emma is going with your other two friends Justin and Opal, and you don't want to be left out. While you pack to go exploring, you find your backpack only has room for one more object- a flashlight or a pocket knife. After careful consideration, you choose....

the knife!

You pick up the knife, noticing how it glints in the light from your window; you've never used it before. You shove it into your backpack, which you just barely manage to zip closed before heading out the door.

You make your way to Emma's driveway, where she's waiting for you, along with your friends Justin and Opal.

"Took you long enough," Emma says. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah- well, if everyone else is, of course..." you stammer. As much as you want to be included on an adventure with your friends, you still have your doubts about sneaking into an abandoned theme park.

"You don't really believe in Rebecca, do you?" Justin asks.

Before you can answer, Opal cuts in. "I believe in Rebecca more than I believe in myself," they tease, causing them and Justin to share a laugh. "Besides, even if she is real, I don't think she'd be that scary. I mean, she's just a kid, right?"

"You'd be surprised," Emma responds, her voice dead serious. "The ghosts of children can be extremely temperamental. Picture your three-year-old brother, but with supernatural powers and decades of vengeance in his soul."

"And you want to see her why, exactly?" Opal asks.

Emma shrugs, grinning. "Oh, just because. We won't do anything stupid or anything; just show up and explore a bit." She opens her car door. "Come on; let's go. We need to be back before it gets dark."

You all pile into her car, easily recognizable by the bobblehead alien on the dash and the Honk if you'd fuck Mothman bumper sticker her parents have given up trying to scrape off. You're sitting in the front with Emma, while Justin and Opal sit into the back. As Emma turns the ignition, the radio blasts a synthy 80s rock song, and soon, you all are singing along at the top of your lungs as the car pulls out of the driveway and onto the road.

On the way, Emma eventually turns down the radio, and you and your friends discuss plans for the summer, the classes you're planning to take, gossip about your classmates and teachers. And yet soon enough, the conversation fizzles as the ride stretches on. You pass the time by looking out the window, observing stretches of trees on either side of the road that appear to go on for miles. An uneasy mix of anticipation and dread swirls in your stomach; you've never done anything like this before. But, you resolve, you don't regret your decision, and besides, you're having fun.

Eventually, the car stops at what seems to be a dead end.

"My GPS says this is it," Emma says. "Let's go."

From here, all you can see is a mass of forest, not unlike what you've been driving past this whole time. Still, you get out of the car with the rest of your friends. Upon closer inspection, you can see a path cut into the undergrowth- likely left by previous urban explorers on their way to the park. It's reassuring to know, at least, that someone has been here recently, although you haven't seen anyone else around for hours.

Emma leads the way onto the path, with you following close behind. You're glad to have your knife, as you use it to cut stray vines and branches out of your way. It's not terribly strong, but it does make the trek a little more convenient.

"Look at you," Emma smiles. You feel a spark of pride; after all, unless you're some weird cryptid, it takes a lot to impress her. A noise behind you makes you jump, but it's only Justin kicking an empty water bottle out of his way. The path appears littered with garbage, and you wonder if you could run into anyone in the park; would it be scarier for you and your friends to be alone there or not?

"Guys," Opal gasps, pointing. You follow their finger to see a rusted statue of a knight, appearing to jut straight out of the ground like a broken bone. In one hand, it holds a sword, and in the other, it brandishes a sign, now covered in graffiti and bird droppings. However, you can make out:

W LC M E T S R CE ER'S GL D E.

You take a picture of it with your phone before continuing on. As you head deeper down the path, cobblestones begin to gradually appear under your feet, rough and uneven. Among tree trunks are tall posts, presumably for light fixtures. Kiosks dot the ground, appearing to have been reclaimed by nature. You find yourself standing in the middle of a large clearing, in what used to be a place where people once streamed about in busy crowds. You can almost smell buttered popcorn in the air- or is that just your imagination?

You wander about, before you come to a crumbling stone staircase halfway underground, leading off into the darkness. Above it is a sign reading ENCHANTED LAKE.

"Check this out," you say, calling your friends over. You all seem to hold a collective breath.

"Dare you to go," Emma says.

"Or we could just not," Opal interjects. "It's probably not safe down there- and not because of ghosts or anything. If it collapses or something while we're in there, we're screwed."

"I guess you're right," Emma sighs, staring down at the staircase. You can't help but look at it too, wondering where it could lead. "There's probably lots to see above ground, anyway. Might as well do that instead." Opal exhales with relief.

"How about that roller coaster?" Justin suggests. "The one the video was taken by?"

"Dragon's Peak!" Emma gasps. "Good idea. It's probably just over... there!"

In the distance, you can see the silhouette of a looming serpentine form, half-hidden by trees and fog. You feel a chill run down your spine; the coaster seems as if it could be a real dragon. Emma immediately takes off in the direction of the coaster, followed by Justin and Opal. You start to go with them, but behind you, from the staircase to the Enchanted Lake, you hear... a laugh.

Do you go with your friends to the roller coaster, or do you investigate the Enchanted Lake?

Click the Link to vote!

#choose your own adventure #choose your own adventure story #writing #sorcerer's glade #horror #fantasy

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hrtsmom · 7 days ago

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Dreams of Darkness, chapter twenty-eight

Yvan’s departure hurt me more keenly than Chael’s death had. In a way it was as if he had died too. I found myself searching for him in the village, or wanting to tell him something, and then having to recall that he was gone. I couldn’t yet tell anyone, especially Kahri, why he had left, though all of my friends wanted to know. Kefar didn’t say a word about it either, even to me. I tried to occupy myself with Arathel, but she was more fretful than usual now, perhaps sensing my own mood. Everything felt wrong to me.

Three days after Yvan had gone, on the night before Lune and Aminia’s wedding, I was visited by an astonishing vision-dream. It was the first clear vision I’d had since the horrifying dark ones Achelle had sent. What surprised me so about it was that until I awoke afterwards, I didn’t know I had ever been asleep.

In my dream something seemed to awaken me, and I sat up to find out what it had been. All the others were still asleep: Joric and Fynn in their bed across the room, Kahri at my side and Arathel in her cradle, the two wolves on either side of the door and Ril on the hearth. Then I heard a voice calling my name, and a shadowy figure appeared at the window. “Come out, Zania.”

I put on my cloak and stepped outside, not knowing who I expected to see. “I did not want to disturb the others,” the voice went on.

When I turned to face the speaker, my heart seemed to stop beating for a moment. Chael stood near a bench outside the door, his arms folded across his chest, his feet planted wide apart and a mischievous grin on his face. As I stared in disbelief, the moonlight broke through a cloud and bathed our surroundings in its cold white glow. Then I saw that Chael’s body appeared somewhat misty, almost transparent in places.

“You’re dead,” I said stupidly. “Even your fendrin couldn’t be here.”

“Ah, but how do you know? Which do you believe, your mind or your heart?” He strolled back and forth in front of the bench, swinging his ghostly arms vigorously. “I rather enjoy this.” But then he stopped, frowning. “Except I cannot touch anyone. And I would like to. You look so sad.”

“You are dead,” I repeated, more certain of it now. “Aminia told me they brought your body home. Why are you here?”

He chuckled a little. “Where else should I be? All of my friends and my family are here. And by the by, I am so pleased to see your daughter is well. She will be a beautiful woman one day.”

But I was more interested in him. “Chael, I need to ask you something.”

“I’ll answer if I can, but then you must answer my question.” He took up his former stance, as if bracing himself for whatever I might say.

“Why did you do it? Why did you attack Kahri, when you must have known he would at least fight back?”

“Why?” He cocked his head to one side, as I had seen the wolves do when they were confused by something new. “Do you believe I stopped to think before I did it? I saw you were in danger. But perhaps I made the same mistake you did. I didn’t believe Kahri would hurt me.” He bowed his head, and I heard a small sigh escape him.

“He remembers doing it,” I said. “But it wasn’t his fault.”

“Oh, I’ve known that all along,” my friend replied. “I don’t want Kahri to feel guilty. The real killer has received her justice.

“And now I must ask a question. What makes you so sad tonight, Zania?”

I went to stand closer to him, although I knew it was an illusion. He couldn’t truly be there, so it made no difference how much ground separated us. Still, even this illusion made me feel a little less alone.

“I’m sad because I’ve lost friends again,” I said. “For a long time we were all safe, and I hoped we could stay safe. Now you’re dead, and Yvan is gone. I don’t know how many people died because of Achelle’s madness, but it’s my own fault that I've lost two friends.”

#fiction #fantasy #Dreams of Darkness #indie author #I made this

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words-of-originality · 1 year ago

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Arillia was packing her bags when the world ended. She'd been bursting with excitement as she'd left college that morning, nearly stumbling as she hurried back to her dorm. Thanks to a lot of late nights and little sleep, she'd managed to get herself exempted from finals, so to celebrate, she was hopping on a plane that night to surprise her family with an early arrival.

But then everything had gone wrong. Planes had crashed, power had failed, people had died. And now here she is: nothing but a backpack slung over her shoulder as she treks the three hundred miles that it'll take to get her to her family.

She hasn't contemplated what will happen if she gets there and they're gone - or worse. She won't allow herself to contemplate it. Not when she has two hundred and fifty more miles to go.

She glances up to the sky, frowning as dark clouds move further over the sun. She supposes she should be happy for a respite from the sun's rays, but night is already approaching; she doesn't need rain on top of it.

At least let it wait until I have a roof over my head, she prays to whoever's still listening. The answering rumble of thunder isn't very reassuring.

She takes a slow, deep breath before hunching her shoulders against the approaching storm and takes a turn down another street in the neighborhood she’d decided to cut through. She’d learned pretty fast that the main roads and highways were not going to be her friend, some still full of cars trying to get out of cities while others were crammed bumper to bumper with crumpled and burning remnants of cars, swarmed by the dead and the others. The ones who had died, but hadn’t.

The suburban areas weren’t always that much better. By now, Arillia had learned that her level of safety was hit or miss, but she’d quickly figured out how to avoid the ones still stumbling around, ready to attack whatever got too close or drew too much attention.

So far, she hadn’t seen anything except for a few escaped pets running through this neighborhood. The poor things were so skittish, some whining, some growling, some begging for attention, some looking like they would bite your hand off if you even thought about getting closer. It’s a good thing Arillia isn’t much of an animal lover, but even still, the sight tugs at her heartstrings. Just more creatures whose world has been turned upside, wondering what’s happened to their families. She can’t help but wonder the same. Did their owners simply abandon their animals without a second thought? Or were they…

She shakes away the thought as she passes yet another cat crouched pitifully under a rocking chair on the front porch of a house whose front door had an empty hole surrounded by shards of glass rather than a window. A burst of sharp lightning is quickly followed by another rumble of thunder that seems to shake the earth beneath her feet, startling both her and the cat into movement once more.

“Shit,” she hisses as she feels the first spatters of raindrops touch her skin. She really can’t afford to end up soaking wet.

She looks around at each surrounding house until she catches sight of one with a window slightly ajar. When she runs over, the door is shut securely which gives her hope that nothing has been able to wander in. It’ll at least be good for a night.

She moves over to the open window and reaches out to push it up just enough for her to climb through. The squeal of the frame moving makes her wince, her gaze darting around to make sure the sound didn’t alert anything to her presence, but she quickly climbs and pulls the window back down before she can think too much about it.

She turns and presses her back to the wall, letting herself slide down to the floor just as the sky breaks open and a downpour begins. She lets her head fall back against the wall, her eyes falling closed as she takes a deep breath. At least she has a dry place to wait out the storm.

@solivaggant

#c; arillia shannon ~ you've got to do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love #solivaggant #{oaklynn fisher}#v; tbd

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stranger-marauders · 2 years ago

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shattered

twenty-seven: the aftermath

chapter summary: Kate and Steve do their best to help the town of Hawkins after the devastating attack upon the town.

chapter warnings: language, major character death (i'm sorry), canon-typical violence, canon-typical everything, cliffhanger (i'm so sorry)

word count: 4.2k

series masterlist | masterlist

MOST EVERYONE WAS leaving Hawkins at least for the time being, and Kate couldn't blame them.

Even less than forty-eight hours after the gates had opened across town, black smoke still billowed all over Hawkins. The government had already come in, telling everyone that it was an earthquake: a seven-point-four magnitude one, just to sell it home. As of right now, the official death toll was twenty-two, even though Kate knew it was twenty-three, and that wasn't even counting the people that hadn't been found yet.

Eddie Munson had died that night, too. The bats had gotten inside of the trailer, and Eddie had sacrificed himself so they wouldn't get through the gate so that they wouldn't attack Dustin. He had saved his life, and by that extension, Steve's, Kate's, Robin's, and Nancy's, too. Eddie Munson had died a hero, and they were the only ones who would ever know.

Kate didn't know exactly how to feel about that. Not even an hour before he'd died, they'd been joking around on the Winnebago, even though things were serious. She didn't like to think that Eddie had died for nothing, so she tried not to think about it that way. If Eddie wouldn't have sacrificed himself, they wouldn't even have had a chance at killing Vecna, and they wouldn't waste the second life they'd been given by him.

Kate wouldn't waste that opportunity.

Hundreds of people were injured now, filling every Roane County hospital there was. People were still missing, presumably swallowed by the massive cracks that now almost section Hawkins into quadrants. They had already said that the number of people dead was going to get bigger, the statistics even worse. This tragedy somehow made the Starcourt Mall nightmare look like child's play. So far, Kate had been exactly right in what she'd seen: mass mayhem and destruction had torn Hawkins to pieces, now for the entire town to see.

No one was safe anymore.

Currently, Steve, Kate, Robin, Dustin, and Nancy were sorting through boxes to take to the high school, loading Steve's car up with things to take. The city had canceled school for time being and repurposed it as a shelter until further notice for people who had lost their homes.

"Hey, Nance!" Karen, Nancy's mom, said, walking to her with a box of toys. "I found some more of your old stuff in the attic."

Nancy took one look inside the box, gasping at one of the stuffed animals inside. "Mr. Rabbit."

"It's okay if you wanna save him, you know."

She put the stuffed animal back inside the box, taking it in her hands. "No, he'll be more loved in a new home."

As the kids continued loading the car, Karen took a step closer to them. "Someone order a pizza?"

"Pizza?" Dustin asked.

Everyone turned to look at the pizza van at the end of the driveway, which honked at them before parking. From inside the van stepped Jonathan, Will, Mike, Argyle, and Eleven, who all should have been in California.

Kate couldn't believe it. There all of them were standing in front of them, completely unharmed. Of course, Joyce wasn't there, but she could only assume she was still on her business trip or something. They were here. Even Argyle had somehow found himself wrapped up in all of this. The only thing she cared about, though, was the girl with a shaved head in front of her.

Kate immediately ran to her sister, taking her tight in her grasp. "Holy shit, Ellie, I thought something terrible happened to you."

"I am okay," she said, letting her older sister squeeze her tight. "I'm sorry you didn't get to come to California."

She stifled a laugh, tears swelling in her eyes. "You're sorry? Jesus Christ, you didn't do anything." Kate ran her hand over the back of her freshly shaved head. "What the hell'd they do to you?"

"Papa," she said softly. It almost seemed as if Kate were more upset about her hair right now than she was.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch—"

"He's... already dead," El said, taking her sister into a hug. "But thank you. I... I missed you."

Kate squeezed her tighter, finally letting out a sigh of relief. "You're never leaving my sight again, dammit, you hear me?"

"What about school?" El asked, tilting her head.

She shook her head as they walked toward Steve's car. "That is the only exception. Got it?"

El nodded in response. Whenever she went to go hug Dustin and catch up with him, Kate leaned up against the trunk of Steve's car.

Steve moved to stand beside her, wrapping an arm around her back and putting his hand on her waist. "I have never seen you mom out on her so hard."

Kate scoffed. "You are not allowed to say anything about 'mom-ing out' on people. Ever. Also, I was 'older-sistering' out. There's a difference."

He stifled a laugh, readjusting his hand on her waist. "You don't have to come with us if you wanna stay with her. I get it."

She shook her head. "No, I... I'm still coming. El, she's... she's gonna wanna see her, you know? I–I don't think I can do it again right now. Not when we just got back."

"Okay, yeah, that's fine," Steve said, nodding his head, pulling her in tighter to him. "That's... I get it. You don't have to. We can go together tonight if you want, okay?"

Kate nodded, turning to face him again. "Okay."

Max had died the night that the gates had opened across Hawkins, too. Her heart had stopped for about a minute before it started again, as Lucas had told them, giving her the faintest ounce of life before the ambulance came. The doctors had said it was a miracle that she was even alive. Her limbs had been snapped, and her eyes had started bleeding, but somehow, Max hadn't died yet. She had now only been reduced to a coma, unsure of when or if she would ever wake up again.

Kate had given Lucas some book recommendations so he could read Max something while she was in her coma. It broke her heart that he had sat at Max's beside every waking moment since she'd been admitted, waiting for her just in case she did wake up. Lucas didn't want to leave her alone, and for that, she was grateful.

Whenever Kate had first heard the news, she'd blamed herself for letting them go alone. She'd known that one of them should have stayed with Max, Lucas, and Erica just in case something happened. Maybe one of them should've stayed with Dustin and Eddie, too. Maybe if she had been the one to do it, they wouldn't have lost Eddie, wouldn't have lost Max. Now, though, Kate knew that it wasn't her fault. It wasn't any of their fault. They were strong, but the Upside Down had been stronger. Vecna had been stronger.

Once the kids, Argyle, Jonathan, and Nancy had left to go to the hospital to visit Lucas, Max, and Erica, the remaining group had gone to the high school, bringing in their boxes of supplies. Steve and Kate had already agreed to go with Robin and Dustin for a couple of hours to help volunteer, then meet everyone else at the old cabin later in the day.

It had been Robin's idea to help out at the high school. She figured since she, Steve, and Kate had gotten away with manageable damage (things that Kate had been able to fix in what she called L'Hôpital de la Kate whenever they'd gotten back to his house that night), they could at least come and help out where it was needed. Dustin, even though he had messed up his leg, still wanted to come with them to help. How could they turn him away?

As they walked through the school's gym, it had been somewhat overwhelming. They had set up all types of donation centers, as well as a medical area and a living area with cots and such for those who lost their homes. They all tried not to let their eyes wander too far, mostly because they didn't know how much they would find.

Whenever they got to the donation desk, Robin had been the one to greet the lady first. "Hi, uh, so these are blankets and sheets. And some... some clothes and... and some kids' toys."

"Wow. It's already so organized," the woman said, looking at the box Robin had carried inside. "We appreciate that. Do you want a tax receipt for it?"

"Um..." Robin looked at Steve and Kate for help—they were definitely the adults in this situation. Whenever they both shook their heads, she continued. "No. I don't think that we need one. Thank you, though." Robin looked behind her. "But... is there anything else that we can do to help?"

Steve and Kate had been brought to another table with clothes on it, being put in charge of sorting things that came from boxes.

"And then we sort by age," a woman named Maude told them, bringing them to the table. "We've got infants, girls, boys, men, women—Oh, if anything is in too bad shape, we really don't want that. Other than that, if you guys have any questions, I'll just be down there."

"Thank you," Steve said, nodding once at her as she walked away. "All right, ready?"

"Yeah," Kate said, moving a box to sit in between them so they could start sorting clothes.

Even though she was busy sorting, she, for the first time seemingly in days, had time to think.

She and Steve had still yet to talk about the conversation that they'd had in the Upside Down. Realistically, there hadn't been any time for a follow-up conversation yet. Of course, that hadn't stopped the hand-holding, the arms around her shoulder, the sneaky kisses that always seemed to end too quickly. At this point, Kate almost thought that they didn't even need to talk about it. She had made a stupid, stupid mistake to break things off with him, and he felt the same way. Kate, however, knew that in order for things to work between them, she had to actually communicate her thoughts to him, even if she felt like they were obvious.

"Hey," she finally said, trying to grab his attention. Whenever he looked at her, folding a men's sweater over his shoulder, she scrunched her face for half a second. "So, we're... we're good, right?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, nodding as he put another kid's sweatshirt in its correct place. "Yeah, I hope so."

"So you don't, uh... I mean, you're sure you don't care about the long-distance or anything?"

"If that's what's holding you back, I will move to New York right now, okay?"

She chuckled. "No, no, that's not what I meant, I just mean... I mean, I'm just asking if you, uh... you know, if you—"

"You're asking if I wanna get back together with you?" Steve asked, watching her as she hid herself in folding kids' clothes.

She hesitated, taking a deep breath. "Yes."

He nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah. I'd love that."

"You would?"

"Yeah."

She smiled as she continued to fold some more clothes, looking out across to Robin, who was currently making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with Vickie. Not only that, but Vickie was smiling. Maybe Robin had a chance, too. "Hey, look."

Steve smiled, stifling a laugh. "Knew it. Absolutely no one pauses Fast Times there on accident, okay? Literally no one."

Kate stifled a laugh as she gave him a questionable look, but she decided not to ask any more questions for now, only sorting through clothes for those currently in need.

Steve and Kate left the high school and went to the cabin in the early afternoon.

She didn't know how to feel about going back there. The last time she had come back, it had not been too long after her father died. She, Steve, El, and Joyce had packed up anything that could have been saved, putting it in boxes to sort through later. Back then, all Kate had cared about was getting in and out of there as soon as possible. It hurt far too much to be in the place without him.

Now, though, it almost felt bittersweet being back at the cabin. Everyone had decided to help fix up the place so El could stay there for the time being. Kate didn't exactly know how this plan was supposed to work, particularly because she was supposed to go back to school in two days, but she figured Nancy and Jonathan had already worked something out. Maybe the Byers were coming back to Hawkins—Kate would have liked that outcome a lot more than anything else.

Steve and Kate had been assigned to fixing her own room up, just enough where it was livable. They hadn't had much on their to-do list but to clear out the room of any trash or leaves, board up the broken window, and start repairing the salvageable furniture.

Whenever they walked into the room, Steve closed the door behind them, grabbing Kate by the waist and flipping her around toward him. He put a hand on her jaw, rubbing his thumb across her cheek as he kissed her. He could feel her smile against his lips as she put her arm just below the base of his neck, careful not to touch where his bruises were.

She finally broke away, and he pressed their foreheads together, wrapping his arms around her. "We're not gonna get anything done if you keep doing that."

"I'm sorry," he said softly, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I like kissing you."

She stifled a laugh, her eyebrows furrowing together. "Yeah, well, there will be plenty of opportunities for that, so chill out."

He shrugged. "Fine."

Kate sighed. "This is gonna be so expensive to fix. I mean, the floors need to be redone, all the furniture needs to be replaced, I mean, this is... I'm gonna have to pay for the roof—"

"Hey, hey, hey," Steve said, putting his hands on her arms. "Baby steps, Kathy, baby steps."

She pressed her lips together, sighing again as she started putting salvageable items into a cardboard box. "It's weird, but I kinda missed this place."

"I kinda did, too," Steve said. "This place... it always felt like home more than my place ever has. I missed it."

Kate gave a tight-lipped smile. "I didn't know that."

"I mean, it's not like I ever said anything about it. Besides, I needed an excuse to get you at my house from time to time."

"You're so gross." She stifled a laugh. "Whatever. I don't know, I just... I don't know."

"What?"

She sighed. "I don't want to leave you again."

He shrugged. "You're not leaving me, you're just... going to school. It's like, what, six weeks? You'll be back home before you know it."

"Yeah, I know, I just... I want to be with you." She emphasized the last word, hoping she got her point. He gave her a confused look. "I don't know, maybe next fall, would you... I know we talked about it last year and we couldn't make it work, but..." She stopped, taking a deep breath. "I don't know, would you want to go to New York with me? We could be like... I don't know, act like a real couple for once or something?"

He smiled, his eyes almost seeming to lighten. "Really?"

"Yeah, really."

Steve tried to stop himself from smiling like an idiot. "Yeah, I mean... I mean, yeah, I'd really... I'd really like that."

"Yeah?" she said softly, pressing her lips together. "Until then, you know, maybe... maybe you could live here for a while. That way you wouldn't have to live with your parents anymore."

"Oh yeah, live with your scary sister with superpowers and shit?" he asked sarcastically, chuckling slightly. "Sounds like a great idea."

"Hey, it's something," she replied. "I mean, I'd be back before the summer, right? And besides, they... your parents treat you like absolute shit. Isn't this better than being with them?"

"I don't know, I've kinda... gotten used to it, I guess. My mom's okay."

"No, she's not either," Kate said bitterly, dumping her dustpan out of the broken window. "She lets your dad treat you like that. And you know what? Neither of them have called you a single time to make sure you're okay, and they still haven't come home. They're assholes, and I'm tired of them treating you that way."

He shrugged. "Kathy, I don't... really care anymore." Whenever he saw her pointed facial expression, he put his hands up in surrender, dropping the broom in his hands. "I know it sounds bad, okay, but I... they're not my family anymore. I'm tired of acting like I care about 'em when they don't act like they care about me. We're just civil, that's it."

"So who's your family?" she asked, somewhat worriedly.

He picked the broom back up off the ground, leaning it up against the wall. "You, Robin. The kids, even though they hate me half the time."

Her eyebrows furrowed together. "El doesn't hate you."

"Yeah, well, that's because I'm scared of her."

Kate stifled a laugh. "Does she really scare you that bad?"

"Yes!" Whenever she started laughing loudly, he threw his hands up in response. "All I'm saying is your family is horrifying. All of you."

"Yeah, we're a pretty, uh... frightening bunch, occasionally." Kate flopped back down on her bed, starting to go through some of the things she now had to sort from her desk that had seemed important.

Whenever a car seemed to drive into the driveway, Steve and Kate exchanged glances. "Hey, stay here, okay? I'll go check it out."

She nodded, letting him walk out the door and close it behind him. As she continued to sort through the random knickknacks and items on her bed that she'd left behind, she heard footsteps come through the cabin again—it must've been Steve coming back inside. She looked up whenever she heard the door swing open, only staring whenever she saw who stood in the doorframe.

Whenever she'd seen her father, her eyes instantly brimmed with tears. Not now, please not now. This was the first time that he'd looked different in an episode. He'd lost a lot of weight, and his head had noticeably been shaved, as well as the mustache he'd had when he died, even if he had been wearing a baseball cap to cover it. She squeezed her eyes shut and open again, only to find him still standing there, smiling at her fondly. "Hey, kid."

She shook her head, standing up out of bed as she looked at him. "You're not real."

"I'm here, kid," Hopper said, taking a step deeper into the room.

"Get out of my head."

"Katie, it's me. I promise it's me."

"Tell me something I wouldn't know that you'd know."

"Katie—"

"Please."

He sighed. "I, uh... I know you taught El and Sara both every curse word ever, even though you tried to lie about it. Both times."

Kate racked a sob, taking a deep breath. "Oh my God."

Her father finally walked to stand in front of her, pulling her into a hug as she began to sob more. She couldn't believe this was happening. She didn't know how it was happening, but she didn't care. Right now, she didn't care about anything leading up to this moment: she had her father back.

"How... How are you here?"

"I'll tell you later, kid. It's a hell of a story."

"I didn't forget about you," she said through her sobs. "I did everything you asked, I promise..."

"I know," he said, pulling back to look at her face. "Jesus, kid, I don't think I've ever seen you cry this much."

"Everyone told me you were dead."

"It seemed that way for a while, didn't it?"

"I mean, I just... I never stopped believing you were still here," Kate said, shaking her head. "I could feel it, Dad, I could... I knew you were still alive. Deep down, I knew."

Hopper chuckled softly. "Oh, I know. It's okay."

She nodded through her sobs.

"It's okay. I'm here. I'm here."

Kate couldn't stop sobbing. She still hadn't stopped crying whenever she and her father had gone to tell her sister of his resurrection in her own room. After El had a quite similar reaction, all three Hoppers now sat on Eleven's bed, just enjoying the fact that all three of them were here.

She didn't think she'd ever get this again. Her dad, El, and her all together like this. Kate couldn't have even imagined this in an excellent dream, one of those ones that felt so real that you got déjà vu from it.

Hopper had finally taken his hat off, revealing the shaved head that he now had.

"You look..." Kate stopped to sniffle.

"Not fat?" Hopper asked softly, making both girls chuckle.

"And your hair!" El said, rubbing her hand over his shaved head.

"My hair?" Hopper asked, his eyes swelling with tears. "Look at your hair. Katie's got more than the both of us combined."

Eleven chuckled as he rubbed his hand over her head. Kate couldn't help but smile. And to think she thought that shorter-length haircut she'd given herself a few months back was bad.

"Yeah," Hopper said, shaking his head. "I kinda stole your look, kid."

Kate chuckled, wiping her eyes again. She still couldn't believe he was here. Her father was alive.

She still hadn't been able to conceptualize how this had happened. Joyce had told her that he'd blown up inside of that bunker last July, but now he was standing right in front of her.

"So what d'you think?"

"Badass," Kate said softly, pressing her lips together.

"Bitchin'," El said, chuckling.

"Hm," Hopper said, smiling. Both of his girls had used some of their favorite expressions to describe him, and that was enough for him. He took his two daughters in for a hug, not even caring if he was slightly squishing them.

Kate pulled away whenever she heard talking outside, making El and her father pull away too. El and Kate had been the first two out the door, Hopper following closely behind them. Whenever they laid their eyes on Jonathan and Will hugging Joyce, and Mike, Nancy, and Steve standing next to them, Hopper put a hand on each one of his kids' shoulders. "You aren't the only ones that didn't stop believing."

When Joyce saw both Kate and El, Kate gave a soft smile, and El gave a small wave. They both ran down to hug her, pulling her into a big hug.

"Oh!" Joyce said softly whenever the two girls started crying again, tears swelling in her eyes. Her two girls were safe, too.

El pulled away, making Kate and Joyce do so, too. "I'm happy you went to your... conference."

"Yeah, that was one hell of a conference you went on," Kate said, looking back at her dad again.

"That was quite the experience," Joyce replied before pulling them both into a hug again. She was glad that her two girls were okay.

Hopper took his hat off, tipping it toward the government agent that had driven both Hopper and Joyce to the cabin. He put his hat back on as the agent drove away.

Steve had been the first person to approach Hopper.

"Hey," he said, smiling as he walked up to him.

"Hey, kid."

He took a look at the boy in front of him. He couldn't believe it, but somehow, he looked much more grown up than he had the last time he had seen him. He wasn't a boy anymore. He actually looked like a man, which surprised him more than anything. He thought that it might have been because of the lack of a sailor outfit as a work uniform, but it also could've been by just the way he carried himself, maybe the slight dusting of facial hair that he couldn't decide if he just hadn't shaved in a while or not, which was likely considering the past week they'd had. All of it showed him what he needed to know: Steve had grown up, too.

"You've grown."

"Not really," Steve said, shrugging slightly. "I just... I wanted to tell you that I kept my promise."

Hopper looked over to his oldest daughter, who was currently completely absorbed talking to Joyce and El. He chuckled. "Yeah, kid. You... You did it, somehow. Thank you."

Before Steve could respond, Hopper pulled him in for a hug, making him chuckle slightly. Maybe Kate had been right about Hopper always liking him.

A dark cloud seemed to come over Hawkins, and everyone turned around to look at it. Kate had watched as Will felt his neck—he must've felt something again. They watched as thunder rumbled, and particles began to fall out of the sky, almost like snow.

This, however, wasn't snow.

Kate followed her father as they walked through the woods, making their way to a meadow as Steve, Joyce, Mike, El, Jonathan, and Nancy followed behind them. The meadow in question had always been filled with flowers, but now, half of the field seemed to be dead, graying out almost as the particles flew around. Kate watched in horror as El picked up a decaying flower, one that seemed to begin to wither in her hand.

Out of the four cracks that now split Hawkins, funnels seemed to tunnel down into the earth, lifting into the dark clouds of the sky. Thunder rumbled as red lightning struck among the clouds.

As darkness came into Hawkins, Kate only grabbed Steve's hand for comfort.

Part of what Vecna had shown her was coming to fruition, and she knew the worst was yet to come.

author's note

taglist:

@thatsonezesty13 @cece5298 @thepowerstoner @alovelytardis @coolchick333 @stand-tall-pineapple @littlet-holmes @guichu @cinderellacauseshebroke @blackbirddaredevil23 @mads-weasley @ilovemarauders @pearlstiare @liableperfections @khaylin27 @girlwiththerubyslippers @cyarikaaa

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x hopper!reader #stranger things 4 #steve harrington headcanon #steve harrington x oc #steve harrington series #steve harrington stranger things

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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years ago

Note

A-Yuan wasn’t the only child among the Wen Remnants, just the youngest.

Children's Day - ao3

Lan Wangji carefully scooped up the boy out of his hiding place, tucked beneath a pile of stones, sick with fever and fast asleep.

It was a good hiding place. If Lan Wangji hadn’t played Inquiry and demanded to know if there were any living beings around in this cursed place of death, he would never have found the small child.

He remembered him – this was little A-Yuan, who Wei Wuxian had taken down into town to play, the one Lan Wangji had bought all those toys for in his confusion, the one who called him rich-gege. Barely more than two years old, having never known anything but war.

He was all that was left, now. There was nothing else left in the battlefield.

No one else left.

Lan Wangji closed his eyes in pain.

I’ll care for him for you, he promised Wei Wuxian’s ghost, wherever it might be now. Now that you cannot.

I’ll take him back to Gusu to raise as my own – wishing you were by my side.

-Earlier-

“Sect Leader!” one of his aides cried out when he staggered back into camp. “What – who’s that?”

Jiang Cheng looked down at the girl in his arms. She was – four, maybe? Five? He had no idea.

She looked a bit like Wen Qing.

“I found her hiding in the corner of the battlefield when she made a noise,” he said hoarsely. “The Wen sect remnants…by the time I got there, they were almost all dead already, all her family. She’s – she’s young. It didn’t seem right.”

Wei Wuxian always liked children, he thought vaguely to himself as he looked down at her. It wasn’t so much of a surprise that he would keep one there…in fact, if he thought back to that horrible meeting they’d had that one time he’d come to the Burial Mounds to try to talk to Wei Wuxian, he thought he remembered there being a small child there. This must be her.

She was bigger than he remembered, but that was what happened with small children, wasn’t it?

“Her surname is Wen?”

“No,” Jiang Cheng snapped automatically, and his aide took a step back from his vehemence. “The Wen sect is dead, you understand? All of them. The cultivation world refused to allow them to live, that much is obvious enough. Her surname…”

He looked down at her.

I failed Wei Wuxian, he thought grimly. I won’t fail his legacy.

“Her surname will be Jiang.”

-Earlier-

“We found this child hiding in the Demon Subduing Cave,” one of the guards reported, looking nervous. “Lianfeng-zun – what do we do with them?”

Jin Guangyao frowned down at the child, judging the child’s age to be about five or six – maybe seven, considering the likelihood of malnutrition at the Burial Mounds. If they were any younger, he would’ve said that the child ought to just execute them as useless; any older, and he would’ve had no choice but to declare them an enemy combatant, and thereby order them executed.

At this age, though…they were still young enough to be taught to forget their current surname, and to learn new loyalties, and yet old enough to perhaps remember a little of what they had learned, living as they had for a few years with the inventor of demonic cultivation.

Jin Guangyao glanced at the papers in his hands, full of barely legible scribbles, laying out powerful new spells and interesting ideas. They would help Xue Yang with his work – but not as much as a helper would, and naturally they’d just brutally executed all the other ‘helpers’ that might have been available.

Not exactly Jin Guangyao’s personal preference, but he wasn’t the one leading the Jin sect army.

Still, his father, who had been the one leading, had retired to his tent, and now Jin Guangyao was the one with the power, left to be in charge of mopping up. That, in turn, gave him a little more leeway, which meant he could implement his own thoughts, rather than badly thought out instructions.

“Put the child in my tent,” he said, and smiled. “The poor thing must have gotten lost and entered the battlefield – after we arrived. You understand?”

The guard saluted deeply. “Lianfeng-zun is kind and beneficent,” he said, and his expression was worshipful. “I will tell the others that the child is from some distant Jin branch.”

Jin Guangyao hadn’t intended for him to do that, but – well, he couldn’t exactly refute it now, could he, and anyway there were worse things to happen. Everyone would know that he had kindly taken in some orphaned child of war, which would be good for his reputation.

He smiled and nodded, and thought of the future.

-Earlier-

“Well, shit,” Nie Mingjue said, staring at the trio of children: nine or ten years old, he thought, maybe a little older, two girls and a boy. They stared back at him, wide-eyed and terrified – they were very clearly trying to sneak off the Burial Mounds down the back way.

Nie Mingjue rubbed his face, glad that he’d insisted on doing the forward scout work before the attack tomorrow morning himself rather than let it go to someone else. He hadn’t wanted to come to this blasted place in the first place, being that he still wasn’t sure exactly what had gone down with Wei Wuxian, who’d been a good man once. But good Nie cultivators had died at Lanling City at Wen Ning’s hands, the Jin sect claiming that that brutal attack was at Wei Wuxian’s instigation, and at the Nightless City at Wei Wuxian’s hands directly, and he didn’t have any evidence to exculpate the man, either; he had no grounds to look the families of those Nie cultivators in the eye and tell them not to pursue vengeance against the man who had slaughtered their brothers and fathers and sons, sisters and mothers and daughters, like they meant nothing.

They deserved vengeance.

Just as he had, for his father.

But at the same time…

“You’re all surnamed Wen, I take it?” he asked, and they slowly nodded. “Dafan Wen?”

Another nod.

“Wrong answer,” he said, making a snap decision. This wasn’t like his father at all, not really; he had wanted to kill Wen Ruohan, who had done the deed himself, while these children clearly hadn’t done anything. “Swear to me here and now that you won’t seek revenge for your sect or family, and you can be surnamed Nie instead.”

They looked at each other.

“Your family didn’t send you to run away because they wanted you to take revenge,” he said. It was a guess, but he could tell from the way their shoulders sagged that he was right. “They wanted you to live. Well?”

They swore.

He took them home.

-Earlier-

She tripped and fell flat on her face.

“Hey, girl!”

She looked up, eyes wide with terror – she hadn’t expected to be caught so soon – but the cultivator in front of her didn’t strike her down. He was a young man, just a few years older than her, and he looked nice, kneeling to help her up.

“Are you all right?” he asked. “Did you get lost?”

Lost? From where would she get lost, exactly?

Despite that, she nodded.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Here isn’t a good place, though – we’re going to have a battle tomorrow…can you tell me where you’re from?” He frowned. “Or – can’t you speak?”

An idea suddenly came to mind, and she shook her head, lifting up her hands to mime signs like the ones she’d seen Lady Wen and her brother use sometimes when they needed to talk without disturbing others.

“Doesn’t talk,” he murmured to himself. “Clothing of white, ripped all to ribbons –”

She’d torn out any trace of the red sun. White was a common color, but she was old enough to know that she couldn’t let anyone know she was surnamed Wen.

“Oh, I’ve read about this before! Are you a bird yao that’s cultivated to humanity?”

What?

She’d been thinking of trying to pass as a traumatized war veteran, but she was only fourteen, after all; it wasn’t very believable. Of course, it was a lot more believable that bird yao – who would leap to that conclusion?

“My surname is Ouyang,” the man said, smiling brightly at her. “You should come back with me – I can teach you to speak, and we can give you a name…how about ‘Luo’ as a surname? That has to do with birds. Or we could surname you Bai, instead, since your clothing is white! Or maybe -”

She smiled helplessly at his nonsense. What a silly, cheerful man! Maybe she’d overestimated his age, he couldn’t be more than two or three years older, at most, and his brain was clearly not in the right place, filled up to the brim with romantic stories and adventure tales instead of facts.

It was a nice change, actually.

She accepted his hand as she stood.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

-Earlier-

Lan Wangji had returned home and submitted to a dreadful punishment. The elders he had injured on Wei Wuxian’s behalf were either in treatment or recovering.

As for the rest that had been at the Nightless City…

Many were dead.

Lan Qiren landed in the Burial Mounds, lips pressed tightly together.

He knew he was taking a risk in coming here to Wei Wuxian’s lair – no matter what Lan Wangji thought, whatever good points he’d had in the past, the man was now little better than a mad dog. He’d caused the death of three thousand people just the day before, three thousand innocents that hadn’t had anything to do with anything; why would he hesitate to attack his old teacher?

There was already talk of a siege – Jiang Cheng himself had promised to lead it, to wipe off the stain on the Jiang sect’s record, and the Jin sect had been right behind him. Even Nie Mingjue had been dragged in against his will, suborned by his sect members’ need for vengeance. As for the Lan Sect…Lan Xichen had looked so stricken by the thought that Lan Qiren had volunteered for the grim duty, despite Lan Qiren having never been much of a fighter and even less of a general. He intended to take only the smallest possible contingent, and to limit their work as much as possible to cleansing the dead rather than killing those who remained there – that much, at least, he could do for his nephew.

Either way, though, no matter his powers, Wei Wuxian would not live out the week.

If Lan Qiren desired vengeance, he need only wait.

And yet, here he was.

Alone, practically unarmed – and here nonetheless.

An old woman came out from the cave and squinted at him.

“It’s over,” she said sadly. “Isn’t it?”

Lan Qiren looked at her. One of the Wen remnants that Wei Wuxian had surrounded himself with, he assumed; the ones he’d given up his comfortable life for, claiming he was only acting as a righteous man ought. Perhaps he even had thought he was, back then.

Perhaps he really had been, back then.

“Yes,” Lan Qiren said, and cleared his throat. “After what he did at the Nightless City – the verdict is unquestionably death. But the rest of you…there are armies coming, and armies are not known for their leniency, especially not on passerby with the wrong surname. But they’re not here yet. There’s still time to flee – if you go now, you could take on a new surname and find some quiet place to live on.”

Lan Wangji had said they were civilians. Civilian life was to be prioritized above all else.

Lan Qiren was only doing what he must.

Despite his well-meant warnings, however, the old lady shook her head.

“There’s nowhere to go, and we won’t give up our surname,” she said, polite but stubborn to the last. “But thank you for taking the time to come here to tell us.”

“Wangji said that there were children here,” Lan Qiren insisted, ignoring her refusal. “If you won’t flee with them, at least send those that are old enough out on their own, and hide the younger ones. Tell them to forget their surnames – most people won’t rampantly murder children, so there’s a chance they’ll make it through, and live. Can you deny them that, just for pride?”

That gave the old woman pause.

“We’ll do what we can,” she said, and then eyed him. “How good are you at medicine?”

Lan Qiren frowned. “I can’t provide care –”

“She’s already dead. Come help anyway.”

The woman in question was not already dead, but dying – she was in her late teens, seventeen or eighteen at most, and she was in labor. From the glassiness of her eyes, the redness of her cheeks, and the threadiness of her pulse, it was clear that infection had long ago set in. It was not an exaggeration to say she was dead, little better than a corpse.

She was little more than a child.

“I don’t want her to die alone,” the old woman said. “But if you stay with her, I can use the time to try to take care of the rest. You’re not wrong, I suppose – the children, at least, deserve a chance to live on, even if it means leaving our surname behind.”

Lan Qiren looked down at the woman, unconscious already and unlikely to ever wake, and yet still whimpering. “And her child?”

The old woman looked surprised. “Can a child born like this still live?”

Lan Qiren had almost no medical training beyond the most superficial basics that were the necessity for any battlefield or night-hunt, with one sole exception: he had supervised the births of both his nephews by himself with little aid – his brother’s wife hadn’t wanted anyone else to be present, possibly in an attempt to prematurely enter her grave, possibly just out of spite. He had studied very hard in the days leading up to those births, and knew far more on the subject than most men did.

“It’s possible,” he said. “Unlikely, but – possible.”

He hesitated for a long moment.

“I can take the baby,” he finally said. “Pass him off as some war-orphan child of distant Lan cousins, sent to me on account of their deaths. I could raise him, or else give him to my cousin to raise; he’s got a large enough family that no one would question it.”

“Why would you do that?”

Lan Qiren looked at the woman who was dying, little more than a child herself. “Because of the children I can’t help.”

The old woman was quiet for a little while.

“Very well,” she said, and leaned forward to whisper the name the young woman had thought about for her child into his ear. “That works with Lan as a surname, wouldn’t it? That’s not bad.”

“Not bad at all,” Lan Qiren agreed, and rolled up his sleeves, settling down beside the girl. “Not bad at all.”

#mdzs #lan wangji #jiang cheng #jin guangyao #nie mingjue #lan qiren #original characters #my fic #my fics #children's day #some untamed elements

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the-bau-quinjet · 4 years ago

Text

Plum Cobbler

Steve x Barnes!reader, Bucky x platonic!reader

Summary: What happens when Steve confronts the woman who's been sitting outside the compound every Saturday for a month?

Warnings: mentions parental death, some cursing

Word Count: 6315

a/n: This really took on a mind of its own. I was going to make it a series, but I feel like this is the whole story.

Masterlist

Nervous didn't even begin to describe how you were feeling. Sitting in your car, just outside of the entrance gate to the Avenger's compound was never somewhere you thought you'd be. Not until two months ago, when you found your grandmas old scrapbooks.

Of course, you don't know how to get inside. Honestly, you should have seen this coming. Why would just anyone be able to walk up to their door?

"Who are you?" The sudden question startled you, causing you to jump and hit your head on the roof of your car. You turned to look at the source of the voice, shrinking under her watchful gaze.

The one and only Natasha Romanoff was standing outside your car, glaring at you as if she was ready to drop everything to take you out.

"Oh, um. My name is Y/N L/N. I just wanted to talk to Bucky..." Her glare only grew stronger as you revealed why you were there.

"Barnes doesn't talk to strangers." Before you could explain why, she was gone. You watched her walk into the compound until she wasn't in your view anymore.

"Well, that went horribly." You mumbled to yourself. Now what? Should you just sit there until someone else comes out? Will anyone come out?

"So who is she?" Clint asked as soon as Nat got back inside.

"Why is she here?" Sam added on.

"Said her name is Y/N L/N, and she wants to talk to Bucky." Nat rolled her eyes.

"Friday, run a background check on F/N L/N." Tony asked of the AI. "What? You can never be too careful, and people shouldn't know how to get here." He explained given the questioning looks from the rest of the group.

"Y/N L/N, 27, daughter of the deceased Kathleen and Grant L/N. She owns a bookstore in Brooklyn, passed down through her family. No criminal record." Friday responded quickly.

"Sounds normal enough, probably a fan?" Tony suggested, looking around the room.

"A persistent one. She's been here for hours." Steve looked out the window, still seeing your car just outside the gate. "How did she find the entrance?"

Everyone shared similar looks, unsure how a seemingly normal civilian found the gate.

"Excellent question, Capsicle. Friday, got any ideas?" Tony, as usual, turned to the AI for answers.

"Based on GPS data from her car, she drove around upstate New York for eight hours every Saturday for the last 6 weeks until she came across the side road leading to the compound."

"Either she's really good at looking normal, or she's just normal." Nat added on, still slightly suspicious.

"Well, she just left. I guess we're not getting any answers today." Steve said from his position still looking out the window.

You came back every Saturday for a month. You didn't know if anything would come of it, but you'd be damned if you didn't try. After your parent's deaths, you thought you had no family left. Finding out you were related to Bucky gave you a lifeline. Something to cling to when you felt alone.

So far, nobody else had come to talk to you. You didn't even know if Bucky knew you were there for him.

The fifth Saturday, you pulled your car up to the gate at 9 am, sticking to your makeshift schedule of waiting outside for the entire day. They had to at least be curious as to why you kept coming back.

Unfortunately for you, the weather upstate today was not the same as the weather in Brooklyn.

Around 10:30, it started to rain. Just a sprinkling, nothing you couldn't handle.

You listened to music, read, ate the lunch you packed, played games on your phone, anything to pass the time. You weren't going to force your way inside, but you were definitely going to show that you were interested.

Typically, you would leave at 5:30. It gave you enough time to drive home and heat up dinner, plus you had to check in on your cat.

Today, however, was a different story. Around 5:15, it started pouring. Sheets of water were coming down around you, completely cutting off any visibility through the windshield.

You figured you'd just wait out the rain, but when it didn't let up by 6, you were getting nervous.

"She's still here." Steve walked into the kitchen, announcing his news to the room.

"I'm not surprised. It's not exactly peak driving conditions out there." Sam easily responded, glancing out the window.

"Aren't you the least bit curious as to why?" Steve asked again, pushing the same conversation as always.

Nearly everyone in the room rolled their eyes, sick of repeating the same things.

"Look, we figured if we ignored her, she'd eventually stop. Clearly, that might not be working. If you're so curious, feel free to go ask her." Tony gave in, eager to move on from the discussion of you.

Steve contemplated his choices for all of 2 seconds before grabbing an umbrella and walking down the driveway.

You had your head leaned back against the headrest, eyes closed, listening to the rain. Of course you would get stuck here. Why didn't you ever check the weather?

You shrieked when a knock sounded on your passenger side window, not having expected anyone, especially in the rain.

Mr. America himself pointed to the door, gesturing for you to unlock it. You sat up quickly, rushing to hit the unlock button.

He quickly opened the door, shutting his umbrella and lowering himself into the small car.

You were utterly speechless. After your brief encounter with Natasha, you didn't really expect anyone to come talk to you.

Sure, you came back every week, but it was more so to fill the lonely hours you would have normally spent with your parents at the bookstore.

You had other employees to run the shop on Saturdays, allowing you to come here instead.

"Why are you here?" He sounded more curious than anything. Clearly he didn't perceive you as a threat, which was good because you had zero fighting experience.

"To talk to Bucky." Your voice was quiet, unsure how much you should share.

"I know that. Why?" He had fully turned in his seat to look at you, his large frame filling nearly the entire car.

"Well, I found something a few months ago that I thought he should know." You stuttered through your response, mildly intimidated by the man in front of you.

"And that something is?" He questioned further, genuinely curious as to what you want to tell his best friend.

You hesitated, eyes flitting around the car, looking at anything but him. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair before speaking again.

"Look, if you ever want to actually talk to him, you should tell me. Buck's been through hell, he won't just talk to anyone. Especially if he has no reason to."

During your conversation, the rain finally let up. You decided to take that as a sign.

"Can I show you something?" You finally looked him in the eye, nearly forgetting why you were even here at the sight of his bright blue eyes.

"Is it the reason you've been out here every Saturday for over a month?" He joked with you, helping to calm your nerves.

You nodded in response, unsure if you could even speak while still looking into his eyes.

"Then please."

You tore your eyes from his face, throwing the car into reverse and backing out of the spot you've claimed as your own. You turned around, heading back to your apartment in Brooklyn.

"Wha- where are we going?" He's clearly surprised by your actions, but he doesn't seem worried.

"I'm going to show you what I found, and hopefully you'll let me talk to Bucky." You paused for a minute, thinking. "Although, really I guess it should be his choice. Maybe you can just give him a message for me, and if he doesn't want to talk I'll leave you all alone."

The idea of never getting to know Bucky, you're only remaining family, hurts, but it's got to be his decision.

Steve just nods in response, still slightly wary of your reasons for wanting to talk to Bucky.

When you're a few minutes away from your apartment, you decide to give him some context.

"You probably already know a lot about me, but let me explain a few things." He silently nods, encouraging you to continue.

"My parents died three and a half months ago." You immediately felt like crying, but did your best to hold it in. Of course, Steve didn't miss the break in your voice. "It was a car accident. The weather was bad. They lost control of the car. They were both pronounced dead on the scene." You parked the car, turning slightly to look at him.

"They were the only family I've ever had, and the were both just gone." You turned and opened the car door, taking a moment to wipe the tears from your eyes. You gestured for him to follow you, locking the car and heading inside your apartment building.

"We were really close. I spent every Saturday at the bookstore with them." You wiped the tears again as the elevator doors closed.

You didn't chance looking at Steve, knowing you would break down at the look of pity.

"I had to go through the stuff at their house. You know, decide what to bring here, what to put in storage, what to get rid of. I found some old scrapbooks, I think from my great grandma."

You lead him into your apartment, locking the door and immediately heading to the kitchen to feed your cat. After you set down the food, you moved to the couch. You had the scrapbooks on the coffee table, having taken every opportunity to look through them.

"I never knew her. My parents didn't talk about her either, I'm not sure if they knew who she was. Her name was Rebecca." You waited a beat, to see if he would understand. When he remained quiet, you handed him one of the books, open to a page with a picture of Steve, Bucky, and Rebecca. "Rebecca Barnes."

You waited again, letting the information sink in for him. After a few minutes he smiled.

"I remember this day." He looked at you, a wide smile on his face. "It was a few days before Bucky was enrolled. We had a picnic." He continued to reminisce, looking through the other pictures in the scrapbook.

"Maybe it's selfish, maybe he won't want to know me, but when I found out I had more family, I wanted to find him." Again, tears pooled in your eyes. "I, I just don't want to be alone."

Steve's smile faltered as he realized what you've been going through, and how you've been doing it alone.

"Hey, I'm sure he'll want to talk to you." He reached out to place a hand on your arm, trying to comfort you.

"Really?" Your eyes were still watery, but a small smile grew on your face.

"I think so. Bucky was really close with his sister when we were young." This time, Steve's eyes grew watery, memories of his youth playing through his mind.

You couldn't take the sight of him being sad, so you pulled him into a hug. He came willingly, letting you bury your face in his chest. He lowered his head so it was overtop of yours, relishing in the comfort of your hug.

You pulled away a few minutes later, not wanting to overstep, but the feeling of his arms around your waist didn't let you go far.

"Thank you for coming out to my car." You laughed, trying to lighten the mood. His face was so close to yours, you could make out the individual shades of blue in his eyes.

"Thank you for sharing your story with me." He whispered back, not wanting to break the moment.

You're not sure how long you would've stayed like that, but a loud crack of thunder jolted you apart.

"What the-" You mumbled, walking over to the window to look outside. Steve followed close behind you, also curious about the weather.

It was now pouring, lightning and thunder cracking overhead.

"I guess the storm followed us to Brooklyn." He joked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I guess so." You looked at the clock, taking in the late hour.

Steve must've followed your line of sight, because he spoke up. "It's getting late, I should probably go."

You immediately shook your head, your fear of travelling in bad weather shining through. "I can't let you leave when it's like this. It's not safe. You, um, you can stay here tonight. You can sleep in my room. I'll sleep on the couch." You grew more confident as you kept talking.

"I couldn't impose like that." Steve shook his head, not wanting to make you uncomfortable.

"Steve, it's not safe to travel when it's raining like that. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you." Your voice grew tighter, trying not to flashback to the day your parents died.

Steve seemed to realize why you were so worried about the weather, ultimately deciding to agree to stay so you wouldn't worry about him.

"Okay, okay. I'll stay here, but you sleep in your bed. I'll be fine on the couch." He refused your offer, not wanting to force you to spend a night on the couch.

"First of all, thank you. Second of all, you are sleeping in the bed. You're like two feet taller than me." You exaggerated your height difference, but you were trying to make a point. "You won't even be able to lay down on the couch. I take naps here all the time, it's super comfortable." You argued back, unwilling to allow Captain America himself sleep on your tiny ass couch.

"You know, I should've expected you to be this stubborn. You spent five weeks waiting outside the compound with no contact. Plus you're related to Bucky" He laughed to himself, slightly shaking his head. "Fine, I'll sleep in the bed."

You smiled victoriously, jumping up from the couch. "Yay! Do you need anything? I have spare toothbrushes under the sink, and I can probably find you some clothes to sleep in. There's some snacks in the kitchen if you get hungry. Oh! And Carrot might try to lay in the bed with you, but I'll try to keep her out here." You rambled, trying to make sure he was comfortable.

"Carrot?" He smiled at your rambling, finding it adorable.

"Yes! Carrot is my cat. She's a cuddler, so consider yourself warned." You paused, eyes growing wide. "You're not allergic to cats are you? I think there's probably cat fur all over my room."

He laughed again. "No, I don't think the super soldier serum left any room for allergies." He quipped.

You smacked a hand to your forehead. "Duh! Anyway, do you need anything?" You asked again, trying to calm your beating heart.

"Some clothes would be great, thank you." The way he smiled at you did nothing to soothe your nerves.

"Okay." You breathed out, finally taking a deep breath. "I'll go grab some, the bathroom is right here if you need it." You pointed it out on your way to your room. "I'm just gonna get changed real quick, and then I'll be back with your clothes."

He nodded again, watching as you turned and walked into what must be your room.

You quickly changed into a t-shirt and sleep shorts. It took a few minutes of searching through boxes, but eventually you found an old pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt for Steve to sleep in.

You made your way out of the bedroom, handing him the clothes.

"Here ya go. Like I said, there are extra toothbrushes under the sink in the bathroom, and don't hesitate to grab anything you need from the kitchen."

He eyed the clothes in his hands, wondering where they came from, but not wanting to ask.

Luckily for him, you could tell what he was wondering. "They were my dad's." A sad smile graced your face. "I- I sleep in them sometimes when I really wish I could talk to him."

"Thank you." Steve turned to go to bed, but changed his mind last minute. He set the clothes down on the couch, pulling you into another hug. "You know, I can tell your related to Buck. He always looks out for people too."

You blushed at the compliment, grateful he couldn't see your face. "Thank you, that really means a lot." You stayed like that until Steve pulled back to talk to you again.

"I can take you back to the compound tomorrow, if you want. Maybe introduce you to Bucky."

"Really?! You don't want to talk to him first? Or double check anything I told you?" You were shocked at how willing he was to introduce you to Bucky.

"I trust you. Plus, I think you should be the one to tell him." Steve didn't say it out loud, but he also thought you and Bucky would be good for each other.

Bucky had Steve to connect his past and present, but another person for him to rely on wouldn't hurt. And you clearly were looking for a family connection.

"I would love to. Thank you!" You hugged him again, although quicker this time. You jumped back, excited to collect everything you wanted to show him. "I have to find all the scrapbooks to show him!"

When you turned to start collecting things, Steve put a hand on your shoulder, essentially preventing you from moving.

"Why don't we get everything together in the morning? It's getting late and you should get some sleep." He understood how emotionally and physically draining it could be to relive a loss like yours.

"You're right. I should sleep." You tried to slow your mind down, but the prospect of meeting Bucky tomorrow filled you with a mix of excitement and nerves. You gathered your extra blankets and pillows, setting up a bed for yourself on the couch while he went into the bathroom.

You were snuggled in bed, ready to sleep when he came back out.

"Goodnight, Steve."

His heart contracted at how adorable you looked buried in blankets on the couch, but he did his best to ignore it. He'd only just met you after all.

"Goodnight, Y/N."

The next morning Steve woke up at 5, per usual. He didn't want to wake you up though, so, despite his natural tendencies to run 10 miles every Sunday morning, he stayed in bed.

That is, until he heard you shuffling around the apartment.

He poked his head out of the room first, trying to verify that you were indeed awake. When he saw you in the kitchen, he fully emerged intent on helping you with whatever you were doing.

"Good morning, you're an early riser?" His question was completely ignored. Granted you couldn't see him yet, but he didn't know why you would be ignoring him.

He made his way closer to you, tapping you on the shoulder to try and get you to interact with him.

You, in a mixture of surprise and fear, turned and threw an egg at him.

He looked at you in shock, while you stared in horror at what you had just done.

You took headphones out of your ears, explaining why you hadn't heard his question.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" You reached toward him with a dish towel, trying to wipe the egg off his (your dad's) shirt. "You just surprised me! I can get you another shirt!"

"It's fine, don't worry-" You ran out of the room anyway, grabbing another shirt of your dad's from the box in your room.

He couldn't help but laugh, oddly relieved that you weren't ignoring him.

When you reentered the kitchen, a shirtless Steve Rogers was washing your dad's shirt in the sink. You froze, taking in the sight of the man before you.

When he turned back around, your eyes took on a mind of their own, soaking in his toned chest and arms. You cleared your throat, shaking yourself out of your stupor to hand him the other shirt.

"Thanks." He smirked, but still blushed slightly before he put it on, ringing out the other shirt before handing it to you. "I didn't want the egg to stick to it since it was your dads, so i rinsed it off..." he trailed off, unsure if it was the right thing to say.

"That's really sweet, thank you. Especially because it was my fault there was even egg on it in the first place." You laughed, trying not to blush with embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it, really. I shouldn't have snuck up on you." He laughed as well, clearing any lingering tension. He took a look around the kitchen, taking in just how much stuff you had out.

"What are you making?" He smiled when you blushed again.

"Oh, I was making plum cobbler... I just, I read online that Bucky likes plums, so I thought I would bring him a cobbler." You blushed again, embarrassed by the admission.

"He does." Steve smiled, completely enamoured with your personality. "Did you want some help?"

"Actually, the cobblers are in the oven already. I was going to make breakfast next, though, so you can help with that." You smiled, noting how easy it was to spend time with him.

"Cobblers? I know Bucky's a super soldier, but one would have been plenty." He joked with you, moving to help scramble some eggs.

"Well, yeah. One is for him, but then I thought the other Avengers might be there and I didn't want to not have enough so I made three."

"You're too cute." The words slipped out before he could even think about what he was saying.

You blushed again, a frequent occurrence it seems when you're with Steve.

You uttered a quick thanks, trying to change the subject. "Do you always get up this early?"

He chuckled again. "Yeah, typically I don't need much sleep. I usually run in the mornings, try to clear my head."

The two of you fell into easy conversation, moving around each other effortlessly to make eggs, sausage, toast, and smoothies for breakfast.

When you finished eating, you collected the scrapbooks Bucky might want to see. You added his mom's wedding ring, the one your mom wore as well, to the box.

"What's that?" Steve pointed to the box, unsure if his assumption was correct.

You pulled out two scrapbooks, pointing to the near identical pictures of Bucky's mom and your mom after having been proposed to.

"My mom always told me her engagement ring was a family heirloom. I think it was his mom's ring too. I thought he might like to have it. As something to remember her by, ya know?"

You got teary eyed again. Thinking about how much he must miss his family combined with how much you miss your own parents was too much to handle.

You finished gathering everything, putting it all in a box to make for easier transportation. You took the cobblers out of the oven, packing them as well.

With a deep breath, you followed Steve back out to your car, ready to talk to Bucky.

"Where the hell is Steve?" Bucky nearly stormed into the kitchen.

"Whoa, calm down tinman. What's up?" Sam replied casually, pouring cereal into a bowl.

"Where is Steve? I was supposed to run with him this morning, but he wasn't in his room when I went to find him. I don't even like running this early. I literally only do it because it's what he prefers."

Sam laughed, enjoying anything that annoys Bucky. "Dude, chill. He probably just forgot you were going with him."

Tony walked into the kitchen as well, trying to tune out the whines coming from Bucky, but failing.

"That's what I though, but he's always back by now." Bucky huffed, annoyed with Sam for laughing.

"Who?" Tony asked, now slightly intrigued.

"Steve. I haven't seen him since yesterday." Bucky replied as he angrily ate an apple.

"Really?" Tony sounded mildly concerned, immediately alerting Sam and confusing Bucky.

"You don't think?" Sam asked, ignoring Bucky for the time being.

"I don't know!" Tony looked bewildered. "Friday, where is Capsicle?"

"Captain Rogers left yesterday evening with Y/N L/N." The AI easily replied.

"Who?" Bucky questioned the room, never having learned your name.

"You know the woman who's been sitting outside every Saturday?" Bucky nodded to Sam, unsure why he was bringing it up. "Well, Steve went to ask her why she was here last night."

"Nat told me she was just some fan, wanted to see you all." Bucky furrowed his brow, thinking over the new information on Steve's wearabouts.

"Well, yeah that's what we thought. Look, she said she wanted to talk to you specifically." Sam explained, ignoring the pointed glare from Tony.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Bucky rose from his chair, annoyed at everyone now. "Now she's got Steve?"

"Relax, Steve can handle himself. She cleared her background check. We really don't have any reason to believe he's in danger." Tony's words were more to convince himself than anyone else. He's the one who said Cap should go check it out if he was so curious.

"Steve's too trusting. What if it was a trap?" Bucky questioned, glaring daggers at the other two men.

Before they could respond, Friday chimed in with more information.

"Captain Rogers just entered the elevator from the parking garage."

"See, he's fine." Tony glared back at Bucky, secretly relieved that Steve was fine.

Bucky just rolled his eyes before leaving, heading for the elevators to yell at Steve for ditching him this morning.

When the elevator doors opened, however, Steve was not alone.

"Hey, punk, why'd you ditch me- Oh. Who are you?" Bucky eyed you suspiciously, looking between you and Steve.

Before Bucky interrupted, Steve was trying to reassure you that everything would work out. He had a hand on your back, rubbing up and down to soothe your nerves.

His other arm was occupied by the box of scrapbooks, or else he probably would have hugged you again.

You were holding a large sheet pan, three pie dishes sitting on top.

Steve was blushing, a surefire sign Bucky had seen something he wasn't supposed to.

"Oh, um. Hi. My name is Y/N L/N." You froze, not thinking you would have to see him so soon. You could see the family resemblance between him, your great grandma, and your mom.

"The car girl." He nodded, trying to piece together the events of last night.

"Yep, that's me." You laughed nervously, unsure of what he already knew.

"Buck, do me a favor? Let us out of the elevator." Steve eyed him, mildly annoyed with the ambush.

Bucky moved to the side, allowing you and Steve to exit the elevator. You followed Steve down the hall to the kitchen, where you put the cobblers on the counter.

Sam and Tony were still there, eating various foods.

"Well, hello there." Tony greeted when he spotted you, intrigued by the development. He looked at Steve for an explanation.

"Y/N made plum cobbler." Steve said instead, moving his hand back to the small of your back.

Bucky's eyes lit up at the mention of plums, enough to momentarily distract him from Steve's actions.

"Oh, right!" You took a cobbler out of the dish, moving toward Bucky. "This one's for you, because I read that you liked plums." You handed him the dish, quickly moving back to the others. "I also made a peach and an apple for everyone else." You smiled at Tony and Sam, unknowingly leaning slightly into Steve.

"Why does he get a special cobbler?" Sam whined, eagerly reaching for the other dishes.

Suddenly, all eyes were on you. Well, except Sam's who were on the peach cobbler.

"Oh, um, well, I was hoping I could talk to you." You looked at Bucky nervously, unsure of how he would respond.

"Anyone who bakes me a plum cobbler can talk to me, Doll." Natasha chose that exact moment to enter the room.

"Who made plum cobbler?" She looked around the room, eyes narrowing in your direction. "How did you get in here?"

"I brought her." Steve smiled at you before walking over to Natasha. He whispered in her ear, just loud enough for her to hear, but nobody else. "She's not a threat to your relationship, trust me."

Nat nodded her head, trusting Steve, although not for the reasons he thought. She could clearly see the blonde's affinity for you.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Bucky asked between bites of cobbler.

"It's really a private conversation." Steve answered for you, seeing how unsure of yourself you were.

"Then why do you know, punk?" Bucky countered.

"Well, I had to tell someone so I could finally talk to you. Steve's the one who asked." You smiled at Steve again, trying to convey how grateful you were with just a look.

Steve smiled back at you, while everyone in else just shared a knowing look.

Eventually, Steve cleared his throat. "Buck, can you just come with us?"

Bucky nodded, moving to follow Steve while still eating the cobbler. You followed the two of them as well, growing more nervous with each step.

Steve lead you to his room, placing the box of scrapbooks on the bed.

"Do you want me to stay?" Steve looked to you for an answer.

You took a deep breath, in all honestly you would love for him to stay, but you think you should probably just talk to Bucky first.

"No, that's okay. Come back in like, 30 minutes?" You scrunched up your face, unsure if 30 minutes was long enough, but knowing you would need the deadline if you were ever going to explain it all to Bucky.

Steve nodded, squeezing your shoulder as he passed you to leave the room.

"Um," you turned to Bucky, trying to think of where to start. "I don't know what you already know about me, but-"

"Nothing really. Except that you make a delicious plum cobbler." He smiled, helping to ease your nerves. Food really was the way to this man's heart.

"Oh, I guess I'll start where I started when I told Steve." You smiled at the mention of his name, unaware of your own actions. But Bucky noticed.

"My parents died a few months ago." Bucky's eyes went wide, trying to think of what this could have to do with him. "Um, it was a car accident. They both died on the scene." You took a deep breath, trying to push through the sad parts.

"I had to clean out their house, and I found some scrapbooks that lead me to you." You shifted closer to the bed, looking through the scrapbooks you brought.

You pulled out the one with the first picture you showed Steve, opening it and gesturing for Bucky to take it.

He set the cobbler on Steve's nightstand, cautiously reaching for the book. He looked at the picture for a long time before saying anything. And when he did talk, it was a whispered "Becca..."

He ran his fingers over the picture slowly, just staring. A few minutes later, he eagerly flipped the page. He spent a good 10 minutes just looking through all the books you handed him.

"Where did you get these?" He questioned, although not accusingly.

"I found them in my parents house. They were with a bunch of my grandma's stuff that she had from her mom." You wanted to ease him into it.

"So your great grandma..." He trailed off, disbelief clear across his face.

"Was Rebecca Barnes." You finished the sentence for him, nerves clear in your voice.

You weren't sure what to say next, so you waited for him to make the next move.

"So you're my... great-grand niece?" You nodded at his question, still unsure if he was happy with the news. "God, that makes me feel old."

You nearly cackled, surprised by the joke. He smiled when you laughed, glad to have cleared some of the tension.

"Why did you want to find me?" He questioned, the mood turning more serious again.

"Well, I was really close to my parents. They were the only family I had. When I found out you are family too, I just... I knew I needed to at least tell you." You shrugged at the end, unsure if you really answered his question.

"You wanted to tell me so badly that you sat outside the compound every Saturday for five weeks even after being ignored?" He was in shock that anyone would spend that much time and effort just to talk to him. You started panicking immediately.

"I'm so sorry if you didn't want to know! It was selfish of me to force this on you. I can go, if you want. You don't have to talk to me." You started questioning everything. You moved to put the books back in the box when he stopped you.

"Oh, um. I'm sorry, you can keep those. If you want!" Tears were threatening to fall down your cheeks when you remembered the ring. You froze with your hand in the box, not knowing if you'd want to part with it knowing you'd never see Bucky again.

"Y/N..." Something in the way he said your name made you look at him. "I- I'm glad you told me. Really glad. I, uh, I never thought I would have family, well besides Steve. You know what I mean." He ran a hand through his hair, and you noticed the tears in his eyes.

"I don't want you to go. It's just hard for me..." he paused, trying to figure out his emotions. "It's hard to believe that someone would care about me that much."

"Bucky, I don't know you." He frowned at your statement. "But, I would love to get to know you." You smiled at him, trying to be reassuring.

"I'm not so sure you would." His face was hard, staring at the ground.

"Bucky, you aren't a bad person. I mean, sure you've done bad things, but it wasn't your choice. You were forced to do those things. You can't let yourself be defined by them. You're here aren't you?"

"Here?" He questioned.

"Working with the Avengers, I mean. You go on missions to help save people. That's your choice. That's who you are. I would be honored to get to know that person."

You smiled, waiting for him to say something.

"Are you sure?" He still looked unsure.

"God, maybe I get my stubbornness from you." You both laughed at that. "I am 100% sure."

"Wow." He shook his head, still in shock.

A knock sounded on the door before Steve came back in. "Is now a good time?" He asked, still standing in the doorway.

You nodded appreciatively. "Thank you." You pulled him into a hug, needing the emotional support.

"Of course. I'm happy I could help." He rubbed your back, reciprocating the hug. "Did you give him the ring yet?" He asked when you took a step back.

You shook your head, reaching into the box for the last item. "I, um, I thought you might want this." You handed him the box, nerves peaking through again.

He opened it, a soft smile on his face when he recognized it. "My mom's engagement ring."

You smiled, happy that he recognized it. "It was my mom's as well."

The two of you stared a the ring for awhile, reminiscing on time spent with your parents.

Eventually, Bucky picked the cobbler back up, not wanting to let it go to waste.

Steve couldn't help but roll his eyes at his friend. "Wow, jerk. You're just gonna go back to eating."

"Yes, punk. My great-grand niece made me a plum cobbler, and I tend to fully enjoy it."

"Great-grand niece. Ha, that makes you sound so old."

It was fun for you to see the two interacting like this, especially after the emotional hurdles you just ran.

"It's fine, Stevie. Let him enjoy the cobbler." Your face went red, not having meant to use the nickname.

"Yeah Stevie, let me enjoy the cobbler." Bucky couldn't help but poke fun, knowing there was an unspoken attraction between the two of you.

Somehow your face got even redder. Steve just rolled his eyes.

"Fine, eat your cobbler. Only because I had some of the apple one and it was delicious. It would be a shame to waste any."

You smiled at the compliment, embarrassment subsiding a bit. Steve sat down on the bed between you and Bucky, eager to ask his friend about some of the pictures. Steve put his arm around you, squeezing your shoulder as he spoke to Bucky.

You felt your eyes growing heavy, exhausted since your nerves kept you up most of the night. You rested your head on Steve's shoulder, soaking in his warmth as you cuddled closer.

Steve just rubbed your arm like it was the most natural thing in the world. Bucky narrowed his eyes at the interaction, realization dawning on his face.

"Oh my god. My best friend likes my great-grand niece. And she likes him." He said it so matter of fact, the two of you didn't bother denying it. You just smiled, and cuddled closer together.

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x you #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x natasha #bucky barnes x natasha romanoff #tony stark #sam wilson #steve rogers #bucky barnes #marvel fic #clint barton #Bucky Barnes x platonic!reader

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