#that was supposed to be my one good thing from today

[stardust-in-my-mind-blog]

I always feel pretty dumpy after getting dumped. Tonight was no different. I decided to walk the grounds one last time, and the tranquil beauty of the gardens seemed extra mean somehow. Like I was walking through something beautiful that I never even got a chance to miss. No chance to enjoy. Just rejection. Again. And the same message, though at least this time they tried to be kind about it.

Please never practice magic like that again. Bards were mages until you were too good at singing. Then things got suspicious to the headmasters. Song could be such a powerful tool and manipulate people across the field the way that death could. Put death and song together and humans always got so uncomfortable. And when it came to humans, nothing was more unlucky than a sweet death. They say the way they want to die is old and in bed surrounded by their families but...it's never true. Every single one of them secretly yearns for some kind of glory in their hearts, and it just rots and rots and rots as they age. I'd know. I'm human too. But I'm also banshee and people can just feel it. Especially those who are academically inclined. In some cultures they saw us as prophets... until they learned that the angels sing in our ears and fall out of our throats. Also people only like the idea of prophets. Tell them enough future truth and they start looking for the matches and rope. Or a crucifix.

Bewitchment. Enchantment. Manipulation. No one wants to invite a banshee to the table where everyone is sweet and happy and alive with rosy cheeks and laughing eyes.

I'm an omen. It's kind of lonely. But I get it. I suppose if I were someone else I'd feel the same.

I found myself in a gazebo near the tallest of the little sculpted waterfalls in this garden. I liked the way the water sang and flowed as it poured itself over the rocks. It was summer, so there were fireflies, and I could get back to being lost in my thoughts a bit as I watched the way they all twinkled around each other. My son used to say they were all teleporting. I laughed at him, kissed the top of his head, and earmarked that for later because that might be something he ends up being keen at. My daughter used to say she had the power of the forest when she was very young, and gods if she couldn't tell you exactly what creatures were thinking when they wanted something. The more specific the better with my daughter.

I shifted, crossing my legs over each other and anchoring my elbows on the wooden railing and letting my chin fall heavily into my palms. I closed my eyes and breathed slowly, trying to catch and understand the direction and pattern to the way the wind blew tonight. The air smelled like roses and jasmine and I looked up to see the little white flowers hanging from their vines right above me. There were lanterns of golden light and everything felt smoky and indigo. A moonlit darkness that was so easy to see around but too misty to see through.

Was it the song, I wondered? I replayed the interview in my mind. I've been learning how to perform on a stage and have gotten to this point where I fall fully into the music. I don't let my mind control the song anymore, but trust my heart to attune and express it authentically. Sometimes my heart sounds drunk or bitter. Sometimes it sounds like delight and perfection. Today... I couldn't remember. I'd found that I could trick people into thinking maybe I was some sort of reformed cleric turned bard if I sang religious songs. Today I considered a shanty because those work too. But in the end I settled on a lullaby and at first everyone looked peaceful and happy but then that look came into their eyes when they realized where they were and what was going on.

Someone told me once that it was frightening to find yourself suddenly disarmed, especially if being vulnerable wasn't something you were used to being with people. I saw that happen in real time today, and suddenly understood what he meant.

Yay, more awareness.

That brought a bit of temper to my system so I stood up and walked over to the stream to sit down. The grass was wet but I didn't care. I took off my shoes and put them into the water that ran clear and cold over a stone bottom. It was deep enough to cover my ankles. I put my palms to the earth behind me, took a deep breath, and let my head fall back as I sighed it out.

I was so fucking disappointed.

But, I'd still done it. I took the chance. I learned something. All of it sucked. I'd maybe built a few sandcastles in my mind about how my life would fit into the routine that school would have brought me. I let myself sit and grieve what was never mine but still felt lost to me. I imagined the tide of this rejection crushing all the sandcastles in one giant wave. I felt my emotions rise out of my heart, making my throat sore, took another deep breath, and sighed as I let the tears release the sadness and flow down my cheeks like the current at my feet.

Fuck, I really really wanted something else to happen. I wanted the outcome I wanted. And I didn't want any other outcome. I didn't want to go to another school. I didn't want to look at other schools. I didn't want to be a bard if I couldn't go to this school. I didn't want anything.

My body shook with a little sob as my shoulders slumped back.

I didn't want anything ever again and-

Suddenly I was laughing, and I just collapsed. I laughed and cried at the same time and rolled around in the grass. If I was going to be a fucking child like this about this I was going to commit and be a child. My heart was broken a little bit and the grass was so wet and awful but it smelled so good. I closed my eyes and cursed as I realized my hair was going to be wet now that I did this and...

There was a cough and a "Ma'am?"

I froze like a rabbit. Then I closed my eyes tighter just in case this was a dream and I could escape the inevitable embarrassment of someone from the school that rejected me seeing me rolling around in the grass like an animal. The moments clicked by awkwardly and I didn't cut to the next scene, so I opened my eyes to face the music.

Security guard. Handsome. I always liked a man in uniform. Flirting was not going to help me escape embarrassment but it could make this story more interesting. As though he were reading my mind, his face darkened with an expression that read plainly don't even try it. Great, a challenge. The only thing I can't resist. His arms crossed as we both seemed to take in each other's character in this particular moment. He scowled deeper.

I sat up like a naughty child and patted at my hair, then shook it out like a dog would. He was watching closely. My head tilted to the side and I beamed angelically. "Sorry, you caught me making grass angels," I chirped merrily.

In order to be admitted to a magic school potential students only need to provide irrefutable proof that they are mages, yet, despite your very obvious abilities, you were rejected with a comment asking you to "please never practice magic again".

[juxi2218]

TOWEL TROUBLE!!!

Fushiguro megumi x reader ( 1.3k )

Warnings: English is not my first language, please bear with my ass; I'm trying to improve it by writing for my pookie gumi!!! (Feel free to correct any grammatical mistakes I may have made) (Might delete it later if it flops lol)

A little preview for yall: “wh-what are you doing?” he panics. You smirk slightly. “What? Am I not supposed to hug my own boyfriend?” you move your head from his nape to his shoulder, trying to get a look at him. His cheeks flush crimson and his eyebrows furrow in a cute little scowl, and he’s still staring fixedly at his cupboard.

You and Megumi stumbled into his apartment, both of you soaked from the rain. Today was your date and it was going well until the rain stormed in. You had been at a café and neither of you had an umbrella so you had to run to his place, which was close by. The cozy apartment was a welcome respite from the storm outside.

“Ugh, I hate getting wet” you murmur to yourself as you finish untying your shoe lace; and this doesn’t go unnoticed by Megumi. He gives you a glance and says “you can go have a shower first. I’ll lend you some of my clothes.” Your ears perk up and you go give him a peck on his cheek.

“Thanks a lot gumi!!”

“Yea, it’s nothing” he says while his cheeks show a visible blush of hot pink. You chuckle a bit before running to his bathroom for a warm and peaceful shower.

It hasn’t been long since you both started dating. Say, it’s been a few months and it sure was hard to get this man to open up. Your relationship started when he came sprinting to you one day, assuming the love letter was a confession from you to your other male friend. However, unbeknownst to him, you were actually playing matchmaker and had agreed to deliver the letter on nobara’s behalf.

Nobara had requested that you give the letter to the other guy, but Megumi got hold of it instead and, unaware of the truth, tore it into pieces. You and the other guy were shocked until Megumi confessed that he likes you. You had a good laugh and explained him what actually was happening. He turned red. You still remember his stupid face from that time.

All red and cute.

He apologised to you both and ran away. The next day, you reached out to him and boom! You guys started dating.

Yeah sure, the confession wasn’t the grand, romantic type you’ve imagined, nor did it unfold like a scene from your favourite movie or book. But despite that, you’re grateful as you never expected him to confess his feelings to you first.

It was really slow at first. The shy pinky holds gradually turned into hands intertwined, progressing to gentle hugs. Yes, you both have kissed for 5 times already and you were the one who initiated it because you know that this poor man would go nuts if he had to make a move on you first. He knew that you were a little bold when it comes to these things, and he had zero complaints with it. He’s so shy, you want to bite him to nothing!! (This man is making me go weak in my knees istg.)

You come out of the shower with only a towel wrapped around your body, hot steam rising from your skin. 

“Gumi! I’m done showe- OUCH!” the man threw one of his sweatshirts at your face.

“Don’t just come out wearing nothing like that!”

“I’ve got a towel wrapped around me you idiot! And why’d you have to throw this at my face?!” you say while rubbing your poor face. As you regain your composure, your eyes roam around his bare chest showcasing his abs (chap 156 argh I’m so proud of my guy) and a pair of black trousers hanging loosely from his hips not failing to show his V line. You were practically drooling over the marvellous sight in front of you.

“you’re naked too!!” you exclaim.

“What? I’m decent? “.

“Huh? You’re only wearing your pants.” You point at his lower half and pout.

“Whatever, just go and change.” He exhales softly, closing his eyes. He then turns his back to you and closes the door of his cupboard while murmuring a few curse words to himself.

You cheekily sneak up to him, wrap your hands around his waist, and rest your forehead against his nape.

“wh-what are you doing?” he panics.

You smirk slightly. “What? Am I not supposed to hug my own boyfriend?” you move your head from his nape to his shoulder, trying to get a look at him. His cheeks flush crimson and his eyebrows furrow in a cute little scowl, and he’s still staring fixedly at his cupboard.

“Shut up” he mutters.

You smile, your grin growing wider as you tease him. He sighs. “I told you to go and change.” He looks at you, then swiftly turns his head away, avoiding eye contact as he takes in your damp hair and the scent of his body wash radiating from your skin. Your hand slides around the other side of his shoulder, gently coaxing his face back towards you. “But I wanna hug you!!” you whine, pouting.

“Yes,” he breathes, his tone husky as he nods, “yes you can do it after getting changed, yeah?” he says, his voice weakening. You shake your head, “yes, but!” you pout again, giving him your most innocent puppy eyes. You can’t help but feel a little mischievous as you keep him wrapped around your fingers.

“Stop being stubborn.”

“I like to hug you like this!”

“y/n, jus- “

“Do whatever you want! I’m not gonna step back!” you retreat your arms from his shoulders and tighten them around his waist.

With only a towel separating your skins, heat surges through his body as he feels your chest pressed against his bare back.

His head spins, and he’s overcome with a sense of weakness. He feels like he’s going to faint. His head is numb.

He doesn’t know what to do, but his body seems to have developed a mind of his own.

“Whatever I want huh?” he mutters, his voice barely audible. He takes hold of your hands, pinning them against the cupboard on either side if your head as his grip intensifies, your back pressed firmly against the cupboard’s surface.

You look at him with wide shocked eyes.

Your towel slips from the grasp you had (now gone) and you gasp in unison as Megumi’s hand reaches down to steady it (before the disaster). You feel your breath coming in ragged gasps as you look down.

His hand wraps around both of yours, holding captive as his other hand still cradles your dear towel, holding you close. You feel your heart beating wildly, racing at an alarming rate... You’re sure it’s going to burst out if you don’t get your shit together. You feel hot, incredibly hot; like all your senses are heightened. The warmth of his skin, the rush of blood to your head. This man is going to be the death of you.

You gaze up at him, and his cerulean eyes lock onto yours, sending a cold shiver down your spine. You feel your face grow hot as he looks down at your lips, his gaze piercing and intense.

You feel heat creeping up your face. He leans in. You close your eyes. You swear you can hear your heart begging you to set it free so it can go jump off a roof.

He stops when he’s an inch away from your lips, his breath warm against your plush. “If you don’t stop this, I can’t promise where this will lead us” He warns.

Shivers run down your spine again at the sudden change in his demeanor and his deep voice sending a thrill through your entire body. He lingers there for a few seconds and pulls away while a proud smirk paints his face so as to tease the shit out of you.

You flutter your eyes open as your hands move to hold your towel and watch him as he walks into the bathroom, leaving you feeling frustrated and flustered.

“Hmph! asshole” you mutter to yourself.

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

Here’s a sleep token thought for you.

Lazy morning sex. With whoever you want, or what it would be like with each of them.

Run wild with it. Feel free to spiral.

(Please and thank you. I love your writing)

Favorite flavor

a/n I’m supposed to leave for a conference in 20 min. What am I doing… when am I not horny for this man.

warning: iii smut duhhhhhhhhhh

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Morning light filtered through the room. The Saturday morning you two had been dying to spend together in peace was finally here. iii had been busy with the preparation of the tour. You had been swallowed by your nine-to-five job. Both came home drained and exhausted. Both with no desire to do anything other than sit in fluffy sweats and watch silly movies. But today was supposed to be different. You two had planned out the whole day together. Just you two and all the little things you loved doing before the chaos of life took that away.

You stirred slowly. A smile instantly spread over your face as you felt the warmth of your boyfriend next to you. Light snores still leaving his lips. You nuzzled closer, kissing his left shoulder as you inched towards his neck, cuddling deeper into his chest. iii’s arms almost immediately wrapped around your torso as he pulled you slightly higher onto his body.

“Morning..”, he muttered groggily, eyes still closed. “Morning, darling”, you mused, brushing your fingers through his hair. iii hummed at the feeling, turning his head closer to your touch. “How did you sleep?”, you muttered, knowing that he needed his rest before all the insanity of the upcoming shows. “With you next to me - it was perfect”, he nodded lazily, pealing one eye open to look at you. Making you giggle as you leaned in to kiss his lips. The movement left you hooking one leg over his torso as you pushed up against his chest. His palm met the back of your neck as iii pulled you into him.

You grunted into the kiss, rocking your hips slightly, “you’re alright hard?”, pulling apart you couldn’t help but giggle. “I’m not the only one excited to wake up to my girlfriend, okay”, iii shrugged, pushing your hips back and forth as you moved against his boxer shorts. Feeling the material getting damper immediately. A slight blush crept onto your cheeks.

“iii”, you whispered, brushing your nails across his lower stomach. “Looks like you’re excited too, huh,” pressing a palm to your back, bracing your fall, iii pushed you off him. Instantly crawling over your body instead. You kept your legs wrapped around him, feeling his hard on brushing between your folds, making you bite your lip. “Very annoying this shirt don’t you think?”, hooking a finger over the shirt you had on, iii pulled it up. Licking his lips at the sight of your hardened nipples.

“You’re so fucking pretty”, he hummed, kissing the valley of your breast before letting his tongue swirl around one of the peaks, sucking onto it softly. “iii”, you whispered, fingers threading through his hair as you pulled at the blond strands, before pushing him down even further. “If I spread your legs open, would I find you all nice and wet, baby?”, he muttered against your skin, sending a shiver down your back as you nodded eagerly. “Show me then”, he breathed and you instantly grabbed for his wrist, pulling his hand between your thighs, messily coating them in your arousal. iii grunted against your neck, “All this creamy goodness just for me?”, rubbing your slick folds up and down before pushing a finger into your already soaked vagina. “Jesus, fuck yes”, you clung to his bicep. Arching your back as you tried to take more of him.

“So responsive this morning”, iii chuckled. “You having touched me in two weeks, asshole”, you grunted, slowly fucking yourself over his finger, as iii watched. You two had been to rung out for sex most nights. You didn’t blame him. It was just that both of you were fully drained by life. “I could cum from your voice alone”, you whimpered as iii pulled his hand away. “Should we test that theory?”, he asked, but you yanked at his boxers instead, “If you don’t give me that dick, I swear iii”, you grunted, letting your hand swirl over the precum-coated tip, spreading it all over his girth. iii threw his head back, buckling his hips into your palm. “Still want to just talk?”, you teased him, keeping the steady rhythm as you worked him up.

Throwing the covers off you both, iii quickly followed the plush sheets with his boxes. Replacing your hand with his own as he watched you spread out against the white sheets, slowly cupping your breast. “I could bust just watching you”, he mused, pulling your leg up, and kissing down your calf. “Next time maybe”, you reached out pulling him closer, “This time bust instead me”, iii grunted at your words, making you chuckle.

“I fucking love you”, he mused, pressing the very tip against your entrance, pushing ever so slightly into you, before withdrawing. “I love you but please…”, your voice raised an octave as iii thrusted almost all the way, making your eyes roll back. “Fuck you’re so tight”, he nibbled at your shoulder, littering your naked chest with kisses. The sound of your juices gushing around his cock, filled the quiet room.

“Closer”, you pleaded, holding onto his shoulder as you pulled his chest over yours, iii instinctively pulling your legs to wrap around his torso. You could feel him deep inside you, nudging all the right places as he bottomed out every time, making you clench around him. That’s until he pushed your legs back apart, hooking his hands from beneath your hips. “I’m suddenly thirsty”, he mewled, “iii”, you whimpered, knowing full well what was about to go down. “Give me your champagne shower, love”, he smirked, before pulling you down onto his cock full force leaving you grasping for sheets around you.

You cried out, feeling the knot inside you unraveling. “Come on baby”, he urged, thrusting into you, “you’re close, I can tell”, he mused. “iii”, you whimpered, feeling the overwhelming pleasure blinding you, pushing at his hands, even though you don’t have the slightest desire for him to stop. “Be a good fucking girl and cum for me”, he cooed at you, bringing one of his palms between your legs, drawing circles.

“Baby… fuck”, you cried out his name, arching from the mattress as your orgasm hit you, making black spots dance all over your vision. “There you go”, iii mused, “Fucking…shit”, his thrusts faltered as he too spilled deep inside you, warming your body from within. But his thrusts picked up once more, igniting the smoldering fire once more.

“No”, you pleaded but iii only nods, “Yes baby”, your sensitive walls clenching around him as he bottoms out once more, rapidly circling your clit as he pushes your legs to bend at your knees, eyes already fixed on the spectacle. “Ahhh.. iii”, you cry out, tears leaking down your cheeks as the tide breaks once more. Gushes of your arousal wetting the sheets. iii pulled out, bending to lap at your puffy folds. Licking your thighs as he went along, your hands pressing into his prickly undercut, fully sending you into a sensory overload.

“Such a good girl”, he praised, kissing your stomach as he hovered over you once more. Your eyes meet for a brief moment before he leaned in to kiss you. Hungrily sharing the flavor of you two. “You did so well”, he pulled back, brushing the strand of hair away from your face. “You know they say slow morning sex…”, you breathed out, making iii chuckle, “You and I both know that we don’t do slow”, “I think I’m aware…”, you let out a huff, heart still beating fast. You two laid there for a moment before iii broke the silence, “I wanna go for a second helping”, “Don’t you dare”, you batted his arm away but he was already smirking. “iii”, you warned him before breaking into a giggle as he wiggled his eyebrows, “Not my fault that you are my favorite flavor, love”.

[crimsonwolf715]

Race Against the Clock

Dick turns the TV on after coming back home from patrolling Blüdhaven.

“Hey, Batsy,” Joker says, waving a knife in front of him with his signature smile. “I’ve captured someone rather important.”

He moves to show the hostage and Dick’s heart stops for a moment. Tim Drake, not in costume, is bloody and bruised in the chair. He’s tied up and he looks to be unconscious at the moment.

“Come and get me. You have five hours to find me or little Timmy here dies a gruesome death.”

The camera moves to a bomb a foot away from where Tim’s tied up. The video cuts, then returns to the news. Dick jumps over the back of his couch and rushes to get ready. He drives to Gotham in record time to find the police already outside of the station.

He drops down. “Gordon.”

Gordon turns. “I didn’t know you were in town.”

“I wasn’t, but I saw the broadcast,” Dick replies. “Where are we in search?”

“I have two search teams out already, but I have more officers here now that I’m about to disburse into search teams. And Batman’s here.”

Dick looks around and spots his father after a moment. He jogs over to him.

“What happened?” Dick asks.

“He was supposed to be at a friend’s house. He never made it, so Joker caught him unaware on the way from school to the house.”

“Damn it,” Dick mutters. “I should have been here.”

“Worry about that once we find him,” Bruce says.

Dick nods.

“We need to create search parties,” Gordon says. “The faster we find Joker, the faster that Batman or Nightwing will be able to take him out.”

Dick starts droning out Gordon’s instructions, instead focusing on where Joker could be keeping Tim.

He was in a warehouse, so most likely in the southern half of Gotham. Though there are a couple in the northern side.

“Yes, sir!” The call from all of the officers snaps Dick out of his head.

The officers separate to their cars to start the search. People on foot start searching as well.

“We split the city in half,” Bruce says to Dick.

Dick nods. “I’ll take the northern half.”

“Sounds good.”

The two separate, heading in their respective directions.

Dick quickly heads for the cluster of warehouses in the northern part of Gotham on his motorcycle.

“Dick?” The voice belongs to Barbara Gordon, Batgirl."

“Hey, Babs. What do I owe the pleasure?” Dick asks.

“I just saw the report. What’s the status of the search?” Barbara asks.

“Haven’t found anything yet, and neither have the police. Batman’s empty handed as well.”

“Damn it. I’m gonna get into costume when I get home and search too.”

“Where are you?” Dick asks.

“On a train back to Gotham. I was at a lecture,” Barbara answers. “I’m almost home though. I’m on my way, I swear.”

“Sounds great. Help is always appreciated, and I don’t know if my anxiety can handle this. It feels too much like when…”

“Hey, we’re gonna find him, okay? Tim’s gonna be okay.”

“He will be,” Dick says. “I don’t care if it’s the last thing I do, I won’t let him die.”

“I’m about to get off the train. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Barbara says.

“Godspeed.”

The comm cuts, so Dick returns his focus completely to the road. Once he’s close enough, he gets off his bike and starts going on foot. Going from rooftop to rooftop, focusing on running and his footing.

Falling off a building is not allowed today.

Dick makes it to the warehouses and sees guards guarding the entrance to one of them. He drops down and takes out all of the guards but one.

“Is Joker here?” Dick asks.

The guy nods. Dick knocks him out, then heads to the roof of the next building.

He spots Joker and Tim through a window.

“Batman, I found where Joker’s hiding.”

“Where?”

Dick sends Bruce his location.

“I’ve received it and I’m on the way.”

“I’m gonna get Tim.”

“Be careful. Batgirl's on her way too. She heard about the incident.”

“Tell Babs I don’t need the backup, but that it’s cute that she’s worried,” Dick jokes.

He jumps down to the flagpole and swings off of it. He slams through the window feet first and lands in a neat roll. Joker starts shooting at him the second he gets into the warehouse, so he ducks behind some of the machinery. Dick grabs a batarang and throws it at Joker. Joker dodges it, so Dick runs out and delivers a roundhouse kick to the side of Joker’s head. He stumbles, so Dick throws him into the wall and he slumps over.

“I’m one minute out,” Bruce says in the comm.

“Sounds good.” Dick goes over to Tim. “Hey, you okay?”

“As okay as I can be,” Tim answers.

“Good.”

Dick pulls a batarang out of his pocket and checks to make sure it’s sharp enough. He then cuts Tim’s restraints with the batarang.

“Batman should be here, so go find him. I’ll deal with Joker.”

Tim nods, then stumbles towards the exit. Dick turns towards Joker and the bomb, and sees that the timer says ten seconds. Panic shoots through Dick.

This will kill Tim if it goes off. The flames will blast through the hallway.

Dick runs towards the door and uses all of his strength to push the door shut.

“I’m sorry, Dad. I’m sorry, Tim,” Dick says, then the bomb goes off.

An explosion rocks the warehouse as Batman arrives on the scene. Bright flames pouring out of every exit that it can find. Before he has a chance to react, Tim stumbles out of the warehouse.

“Where’s Nightwing?” Bruce asks, rushing over to Tim.

“He’s not here with you?” Tim asks.

Dread washes over Bruce.

He gently grabs Tim’s shoulders, gaining him a cringe from Tim. “I need you to go over to Gordon. Tell him that I’m going after Nightwing.”

Tim nods, looking on the verge of tears. Bruce runs into the warehouse, pulling the gas mask on so he doesn’t have to worry about smoke inhalation. He goes through the building until he comes to a heavy metal door. He pulls it open and his oldest son falls at his feet. He’s covered in burns and cuts, and he clearly isn’t breathing.

“No,” Bruce says, then drops to his knees.

When he checks for a pulse and doesn’t find one, he starts doing CPR. Tears are streaming down his face as he tries to force oxygen into lungs that are no longer working.

“No, you can’t die. I can’t lose you too,” Bruce pleads to deaf ears.

After almost a whole two minutes of CPR, Bruce stops and breaks down sobbing on his son’s chest.

“Please, no. Dick, I need you. I need my baby, please.”

Tim watches Batman walk out of the warehouse holding a burned and battered Nightwing. Tim’s face lights up for just a moment, until he realizes that Dick’s limp.

Tim’s smile disappears in an instant.

“No,” Tim whispers.

Gordon looks up from his radio and sees the two. “Oh no,” he says.

Gordon jogs over to Bruce. They have a quiet exchange which Tim can’t hear, then Gordon comes back over.

“Come on, let’s get you to the station,” Gordon says.

“No, I can’t leave them,” Tim says, then runs towards Bruce.

Bruce turns and sees Tim. “Don’t come over here!” Bruce shouts, but Tim doesn’t listen.

He makes it over and Bruce tries to shield Tim from the view with his body.

“Grayson,” Tim says. “He’s… gone?”

Batgirl runs over and stops short. She sees Tim, then runs over and scoops him up. Tim cries his protest, but is in no shape to stop her as she takes him back towards the police cars.

“Stop, please!” Tim cries.

“I’m sorry, Tim,” Barbara says. “You don’t need to see that.”

Gordon takes Tim to the station, where a paramedic patches up his injuries. Bruce shows up not long after, looking terrible. He rushes over to Tim, who won’t even look at him.

Bruce takes him home and no attempt works to get him to eat, drink, or sleep. Tim is inconsolable.

The funeral, which happens a couple of days after Dick’s death, is quiet. All of Dick’s friends are in attendance, super or not. Many members of the League attend as well. Bruce gives a beautiful speech about how Dick made him a better man from the moment he entered his life. How Dick was a bright kid who wanted nothing more than to help people. That he was dearly loved and will be missed by everyone who knew him. Tim’s quiet and fights tears throughout the entire event.

The ride back is completely silent. When they get back to Wayne Manor, Bruce grabs Tim and pulls him into a tight, but gentle hug.

“It’s okay to cry, Tim,” Bruce whispers. “But it’s also okay if you don’t want to cry now. Just know that I’ll be here for you.”

Tears spill out of Tim’s eyes and he pulls away from Bruce.

“He died because of me!” Tim exclaims. “You should be furious with me! Why don’t you hate me?”

Sobs wrack Tim’s small frame. “Why… Why don’t you… hate me?”

Bruce kneels down in front of Tim.

“It’s not your fault,” Bruce says. “Dick risked his life for someone he loved. I will never fault him for that, and you’re alive. I could have lost both of my sons that day, but I didn’t. You’re alive and that’s so important.”

Tim puts his head on Bruce’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, he caught me unaware.”

“Don’t be sorry. It happens to the best of us.” Bruce hugs Tim and gently rubs his back.

Alfred walks into the house.

“I’ll make dinner tonight, Alfred,” Bruce says.

“No need, Master Bruce. I need the distraction. You should stay here with young Master Drake,” Alfred replies.

Bruce nods.

After dinner, which none of them eat much, they tell stories about Dick and all the wild and lovely things he used to do.

[sage-the-dragon]

(Hi, so this is in Jason’s POV with GN!reader. I hope you enjoy… this is my first time actually writing Jason so yay. Um warnings include allusion to potential suicide at the end, and reader becomes an aunt/uncle in one of the letters. Other then that it’s just Jason dealing with emotions 🙃)

The night was quiet except for the police sirens echoing throughout the city. The night was so quiet that I decided I would take off the helmet and be alone with my thoughts. A dangerous concept that I never really allowed myself to divulge into.

As I rode through the streets, letting my bike take me wherever it wanted, all my thoughts seemed to continuously circle back to them. Their laughter, their smile, all the small things that we did together before… I shook my head slightly, increasing the revs, it doesn’t matter now. They’ve moved on, they’ve forgotten me. And, it’s probably for the best.

I tried to think of anyone else, anything else. The lastest drug traffic, what black mask was up too. Anything. The hurt of being forgotten clawed at my heart, tearing its way into my chest. Tears filled my vision and I pulled off the road. Kicking the kickstand and turning off my bike, I practically through my helmet off. Inhaling and exhaling deep breaths, my body ragged with emotion of my past life. My life before what he turned me into.

I looked up and around at where I was. Freezing, I saw the overgrown rusted sign reading ‘Gotham Cemetery’. Well, I suppose I couldn’t have stayed away forever. Sighing, I made the choice to visit my grave. Trudging along the unkept, loose gravel pathway, hands in my pockets and jacket zipped up, I walked towards the barren area of my grave.

I stopped in my tracks, someone was there. Was that… are they at my grave? Faint sniffles and talking could be heard, but I couldn’t make any of it out. I side stepped to a pillar of a gravestone, hiding behind it. I don’t know exactly why I did that, I suppose I wanted to see what this person was going to do without scaring them off. I watched from the distance, as the mysterious person placed something down, a hoodie concealing their features. I continued to watch them as they stood up. As they turned to walk away, a glimpse of moonlight struck their features.

“Y/N,” I whispered. They were here… they were visiting my grave. I- I wasn’t forgotten. I nearly slapped myself for even thinking that they could have forgotten me. Never cared for me. They were too kind for that, too thoughtful, too loving…

I watched as they walked away, hands in their pockets. As they exited the cemetery, I ran wandered over there.

There it is. ‘Jason Peter Todd’ ‘A Good Soldier’.

But below the ‘heartfelt’ writing, was a seemed to be fresh bunch of red roses and a sturdy looking box, a metal box that appeared to be waterproof. Looking around the grave yard for anyone, I opened the box. Inside was piles upon piles of letters. Each addressed to… me.

So of course I did the respectful thing and opened all of them. One by one. Reading all of them.

“To my dearest Jason,

I miss you so much. Not a day nor a second goes by where I do not think about you. Now does it result in my crying most of the day, yes. But I’m okay with that. If I could trade all my tears, all my book collections, all my memories before you just to bring you back to me, I would. You were are the dearest thing in the world to me, my most perfect boy, and nothing can ever change that.

I love you.

Yours forever,

Y/N”

Tears pricked my eyes as I closed the letter just to open another one.

“To my darling Jason,

I went to school today. I haven’t been for a while because of… well, your departure. But I went today! The classes were boring, English made me think of you. Our friends say I’m not my usual self, but who can blame me. I only lost you 2 months ago. The wound is still fresh. But I know you would want me to continue school, get an education in this world, to take care of my self. It will be hard, but I know it will be worth it in the end. I’m looking forward to seeing you again, someday.

I love you.

Yours forever,

Y/N”

Each letter recited their day to me. It was like I was there, having them come home to me and telling me every little thing they did that day. Like I was watching them do it. A smile was plaster on my face as tears were streaming down my face. I barely noticed except for the few drops that landed on the paper. I was so incredibly happy, yet so incredibly sad. They didn’t forget me, they love me. Anger tore through me, I can’t believe that fucker took me away from them. But I continue reading. New emotions tearing through me with each day or week that I read. New boyfriend? Instant no, turns out that they broke up after a week. Good, still single then.

A twinge of guilt hit me as I though that as I closed the letter. They should be happy. They deserve to be happy, I shouldn’t be happy that a relationship didn’t work out because it wasn’t with me.

I continued on reading all night and into the early morning.

“To the love of my life that will forever have my heart,

I became an aunt/uncle (I’m sorry I don’t know a gender neutral term 😭) today!! I have a beautiful nephew named Ben. I’m so happy, he’s so cute and already curious for the world. He reminds me of you actually. I was a crying mess when I held him in my arms for the first time. My sister is so happy but recovering from the birth. I wish you could meet him. As I wish on every single shooting star I see, somehow wishing you back into existence with me. To have everything how it should be. You and me together.

I love you.

Yours forever,

Y/N”

As the sun’s rays started to bless the dark Gotham sky, glistening on my tear streaked face and soppy grin. I came to the last letter. The letter that they just put here today, or I suppose yesterday now.

“To my precious boy,

I love you with all my heart, and I will never stop. But times are getting hard and all I want in life is to see you again. I know it’s bad. I know I should go talk to someone, but non of them understand. Except for Dick, I see him every fortnight when he comes up to Gotham from Bludhaven. I don’t long for anything on this earth anymore than I long for your arms around me again. Your scent to envelope me again. All your clothes have lost your scent, your room in the manor is losing it too.

No one understands me like you do Jay. Every new relationship that my friends nudge me towards fail because I’m looking for you. Your caring nature, your love for classic literature, your passion for fighting for those that can’t fight for themselves. I miss you too much, and I have tried so hard these past 2 years… I know you must be disappointed in me. But you’ve surely seen me struggle these past years without you.

I love you so so much, I hope you can forgive me when we meet again very soon.

Yours forever,

Y/N”

My eyes widened as I finished the letter. My brain short circuited, not computing what I just read. They were- no I can’t let that happen. I shoved the letter back into the box with the others and ran to my bike.

No one could save me. But I damn well as going to save them.

Please Y/N, I love you too. Every wish you made has come true. I’m here now, just wait a little longer. I memorised their current address from 2 of the letters they had written. I didn’t care for the road rules, the street signs, the speed limits. I was getting them before we had a reverse Romeo and Juliet.

jason todd x reader where the reader still presumes he’s dead and visits his grave every week to give him a letter because they used to communicate through letters for fun to the point where his grave has boxes of letters. meanwhile, jason thinks reader forgot about him until he visits his own grave to see reader dropping off another letter and after they leave he takes the time to read each letter they’ve left since he died and gets emotional. okay, goodnight !

[inwumaki]

Still with You— ft. Yuta Okkotsu

Anime: Jujutsu kaisen/jjk

Character/s: Yuta Okkotsu

Synopsis: Yuta getting flashbacks after you two broke up (Angst??)

A/n: I wrote this while listening to Jungkook's Still with you so- (I'm not the best at writing these kinda stuff so I apologize in advance)

날 스치는 그대의 옅은 그 목소리

"Your faint voice that brushes past me"

He could remember it all so clearly, the way your lips moved as you said the words which made his heart stop. The bitter after taste of the recent encounter between you two ate him up from inside.

"Yuta"

"Mhm?"

"I'm sorry..but I cannot do this anymore. I love you but I can't ignore the constant paranoia of you still being in love with Rika."

Was it something he had said? Done? He could swear on his life he would fix the mistakes. He loved you but you refused to listen. He had moved on long ago, did you view him the same as your ex?

"What're you saying...?"

"I'm sorry" You mumbled one last time before leaving.

Yuta swore if you would have atleast given him a minute to react he would got on his knees begging you to stay.

내 이름을 한 번만 더 불러주세요

"Please call my name just one more time"

Yuta could hear your voice of all those times you called him by his nickname 'Yuu'. The times you would whine and complain about how much Gojo had put you through on the missions.

"Yuuuuuu!"

"Yes?"

"Did you know today Gojo-sensei promised to help us with the mission but that jerk left us stranded there."

"How about we get ice cream to make you forget about the day? Will that be good?"

"That sounds more than good."

He always loved when you complained to him even though that's not anything special but to Yuta it was, the fact you would open up to him made him feel loved and important enough. He wished to hear you say his name again the same way.

얼어버린 노을 아래 멈춰 서있지만

"Though I’m standing under the frozen sunset"

Now all he could do is watch you leave. So close yet so far. It hurt him physically to even think he won't be able to do the things he used to with you— going out on dates, cuddling, movie nights to even the dumb small arguments. He missed them he really did. But he had to let you go without a fight. Sometimes he wondered, would you have stayed if he went after you? Or would you have broken off that last pinch of hope, though for him both of it seemed better than silently deluding himself.

그대 향해 한 걸음씩 걸어갈래요

"I will walk towards you, one step at a time"

Still with you.

"I don't know what to do.." Yuta mumbled clenching his fists as his hair hid his teary eyes.

"Try to talk to her..maybe stop doing what made her leave?" Panda replied

"But she refuses to say what's wrong.. how am I going to fix it if she doesn't want to...?"

"Yuta, let me tell something. No one can help you with this, it's your job to figure it out and fix it cause at the end it's you and her not us with her." Maki said with a straight face.

"Or just leave her alone and forget about her, she shouldn't have felt that way if you didn't make mistakes."

He knew, he knew very well that he might have done something, you were never the type to be offended over small things...but he was willing to pinpoint it and heal it. Leaving you and forgetting about you wasn't in the list. He loved you, he would kill for you...die too if needed he really would but how would he explain this to anyone?

"I cannot let it go like that..even if it means it'll take time I'll do everything"

어두운 방 조명 하나 없이

"In the dark room without a single lighting"

익숙해지면 안 되는데

"Though I shouldn’t be used to it"

그게 또 익숙해

"It feels familiar again"

Yuta had been waiting despite the rain infront of your favourite restaurant where they were supposed to have their first proper date. The shirt on his body slowly soaking the tears leaving off the sky. The bouquet of roses drenching in the water. Had you forgotten about him? Or were you in trouble? The restaurant staff who knew he had an reservation were worried and invited him to come inside several cause of the raini Yuta would just mumble a "she'll be here in a few minutes..I'm sure, then we can go in together." But you didn't show up, seconds, minutes turned to hours. When he finally had enough he decided to check up on you–to atleast hand you the roses he got. He got there only to see you standing under an umbrella with someone else, a guy he didn't know. You had seen him and approached him, you were all dressed up in a pretty white dress with your hair done. Yuta assumed you had ditched him for whoever the other guy was and dropped the flowers there while walking off, without a single word. With you yelling at him to listen.

"Yuta-!"

"Yuta.."

"Yuta please just let me explain myself.."

He stopped on his tracks. The rain pouring on both of you, but neither of you cared.

"I'm not mad..but you could've atleast told me. Or maybe you forgot.."

He might say so but the hurt and sour taste of his tone was enough for anyone to see right through.

"Yuta I would never forget about you."

Yuta felt a pair of arms wrapping around his drenched physique. He didn't want to pull away but he did, he refused to be deciceived. He turned around to face her.

"Then who wa-"

He was suddenly cut off by her lips. He was taken aback, their first kiss.

"That was my cousin, my uncle is in the hospital..I needed to go there urgently and I forgot to take my phone..I'm sorry Yuu."

나지막이 들리는 이 에어컨 소리

"This subtle noise from the air conditioner"

이거라도 없으면 나 정말 무너질 것 같아

"If I don’t even have this, I think I’ll break down"

함께 웃고 함께 울고

"Laughing together, crying together"

이 단순한 감정들이

"These simple emotions"

내겐 전부였나봐

"perhaps they were everything to me"

The moments he got to see that smile on your face, the simple times you would end up crying on watching tragic lovestories. Yuta never thought much of it, but only if he knew they'll be what he treasures the most. The simplest and the sweetest days together. He hoped it stayed forever.

"Why're you crying-?!" Yuta panicked

"Romeo...*sniff* Juliet- they deserved so much better-"

Oh so you were just watching a Shakespeare cliché

"You scared me for a second.." Yuta let out a breath of relief and smiled.

���제쯤일까

"When would it be"

다시 그댈 마주한다면

"When I meet you again"

눈을 보고 말할래요

"I’ll look into your eyes and tell you"

보고 싶었어요

" 'I’ve missed you' "

Now Yuta sits on the roof by himself wishing upon the shooting star that maybe he'll get another chance to tell you that he loves you. But you only exist in his thoughts now, leaving him to only imagine you sitting next to him in the cold night and watching the moon as you used to while he stared at you.

[gotta-winwin]

2019 debut year <> breaking the news

word count: 1.2k TW: slight sexism if you squint author notes: hi! thank you so much for taking the time to read my works~ this one's written from svt's pov and will not have cyana in it

౨ৎ ─── ─── ──౨ৎ─── ─── ──౨ৎ─── ─── ──౨ৎ

Seungcheol supposed he should've known today was going to be messy day. It wasn't the fact he'd woken everyone up 15 minutes late and they'd all been late for practice. It wasn't even the fact that no matter how long they practiced, the choreo just wasn't feeling right. He could feel Hoshi's annoyance and anger boiling up by the second, as he watched the younger boy pace back and forth across the room. It was the fact that their manager had been called away to meet with their CEO. It was never a good day when the CEO got involved in things.

"What do you think they've got the CEO here for?" Dino muttered to Vernon, who looked just about dead on his feet.

The boy in question gave a slight shrug, turning to Seungcheol as if he had all the answers. "Do you know why he's here, hyung?"

He felt like he was disappointing his team as their leader when he reluctantly shook his head.

"It's not going to be anything good." Jeonghan offered from the opposite corner of the room.

"Psh. Be a bit more optimistic, please." DK groaned from the floor, an arm covering his eyes in fatigue. "Today sucks enough already and it's barely noon."

Jeonghan opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by the sound of the practice room's door slamming open.

"Ah! Mr. Han!" Seungkwan's voice rang through the silence as the boys pushed themselves up to bow, greeting the CEO.

Seungcheol studied the man's face and decided that perhaps Jeonghan was wrong. Mr. Han was smiling, eyes cheery as he scanned the room to make sure everyone was present.

"I have great news for you boys." Mr. Han walked closer to the center of the room, his eyes falling on each of their awaiting faces, as if he was trying to gauge their potential reaction. "We've decided to add an additional member to SEVENTEEN. She will arrive from Los Angeles tomorrow and will be apart of SEVENTEEN indefinitely. This is non-negotiable."

A burst -- full of confusion, worry, and a twinge of anger filled the room in a chorus of remarks.

"Los Angeles?!"

"Another member?"

"Wait- she?"

"Do we really need another one?"

Seungcheol sighed. Perhaps Jeonghan had been right after all. "What do you mean she, sir? We're a boy group."

Mr. Han looked at him. "SEVENTEEN will be the first ever boy group to have a female member. A twist on a co-ed group. You will be making kpop history - world history."

"Is this really a good idea though?" Woozi's voice rang through the muddle of voices. "What will the fans think? And the media outlets?"

"Woozi's right." Seungcheol tried to get Mr. Han to see reason. "She will face immense backlash and we will lose fans." He couldn't imagine a world where any fans would support another girl being so close to their idols. He couldn't see this girl -- their new member -- ever agreeing to such an insane proposal.

"She's already on her flight here. There's no changing this, boys." Mr. Han continued to speak despite the multiple protests. "I suggest you welcome Soyeon with open arms and make her feel at home. Your first comeback with her will make or break your career."

"We're fucked."

It was Woozi's turn to pace back and forth across the practice room. They'd been taking turns, drifting from sheer panic to disbelief and numbness.

"Maybe it won't be so bad." Mingyu spoke up, nods of approval coming from most of the others. They all seemed to have accepted their new reality, almost excited to finally meet her. "The fans could love her."

It was only Woozi, Wonwoo, Hoshi and Seungcheol that looked more than hesitant to agree. They'd been debating the new addition to their group for hours now, never deciding on a final fact.

"I'm excited." Joshua murmured from his spot on the couch. "Mr. Han said she was from LA, right?"

"She's Chinese too." Minghao offered, his own eyes betraying how happy he'd been to hear that.

"And she's the same age as me." Dino inputted. He glanced at his hyungs who were still not sold on the idea. "You know how much I've wanted someone my age."

"She's younger than you, Chan." Vernon corrected. "Manager-hyung said her birthday's in December."

Dino threw his hands up in the air. "Even better. I won't be the maknae anymore."

"We don't need her though." Everyone turned to look at Woozi, who finally spoke after looking distressed for so long. "We're doing fine without another member and taking her in will only endanger us. We don't know how well she'll work with us. We've got our own dynamics that we've finally figured out. We've just reached a point where we can rest a bit, not worry so much about how people perceive us. Who knows what might happen once she joins."

"She'll have it the worse out of all of us." Seungcheol added. "It's highly likely the fans and media will come for her, not us."

"Then we help her." DK insisted. "That doesn't change anything."

"Why are we even debating this?" Seungkwan asked. "It's not like us saying no will do anything. You heard the CEO. She's literally on her way to Korean right now."

There was silence as the weight of his words sunk in. This wasn't some metaphorical event, or even something that could take months to happen. Their new member was on her way here as they spoke, and in less than 24 hours, they would be 14 instead of 13.

"Whatever." Woozi was the first to break the silence. "I haven't worked this hard just for some stranger to come and break things apart. I'm heading home."

"Hyung-" Dino got up to stop him but Woozi was faster, grabbing his jacket before slamming the door behind him.

"Don't bother, Dino." Seungcheol sighed. "Nothing's gonna change his mind until she gets here."

"The dorm." Minghao muttered suddenly, making everyone turn to look at him, confused. "It's a mess." He clarified. "And we have a girl moving in."

"Fuck." They all moved at once, getting up and getting ready to head out.

"So we've accepted her this easily?" Wonwoo asked, frowning as he watched his fellow members pack up.

Mingyu slapped him on the shoulder. "Cheer up, Woo. Changes aren't all bad."

"I'm scared." Dino whispered to Vernon. "What if she's scary?"

Vernon snorted. "Half of us are still terrified of the female gender. She'll be scary either way."

Seungcheol watched as everyone packed their bags and left the practice room, a group ready to clean the dorm and another group heading out to restock their depleting fridge. He couldn't help but wonder if Pledis really knew what they were doing and why the responsibility seemed to always fall upon his shoulders. Following the crowd out, he could only hope their new member would fit as well as they all did predebut and was ready for the challenges awaiting her. He knew all he could do was lead and guide her. Everything else would have to be up to her.

౨ৎ ─── ─── ──౨ৎ─── ─── ──౨ৎ─── ─── ──౨ৎ

author note: thank you so much for reading! poor seungcheol and his leader responsibilities :( i'm so excited for you guys to see how cyana and svt's first meetings go!

[ask-lps-staff-au]

Russell: To deepen the bond we have with our customers *cough cough* and to get our sales up *cough cough* we created this blog for you all to get in touch with us. Today, I’m going to introduce the rest of the staff here so you know who to address your questions to. Starting with-

Vinnie: ME ME ME!!!!

Russell: Yes, Vinnie, You.

Russell: What you do.

Vinnie: Ohhh! I like to dance :) 

Russell: No, what is your job?

Vinnie: Man, you should’ve just said that! My job is… well I lift heavy things sometimes? Like dog food and kitty litter. That kinda thing. Mostly just chill, though. That good?

Russell: You know what? Yes. That’s perfect, Vinnie

Vinnie: Sweet.

Russell: Minka, sorry to cut you short but can we have your name and job please?

Minka: I was just getting to that part! Anyways, my name’s Minka Mark, and I’m the cashier here, you hear?

Russell: Loud and clear, Minka.

Russell: They aren’t lines, just say it how you normally would!

Vinnie: Yeah, you just gotta say it Zoe-ey!

Zoe: Zoe-ey? Oh, that’s it!

Zoe: *singing* Yeahh Yeaaahhh~ The name’s Zoe~ And now you know-y~

Zoe: *back to talking* Oh, yeah. I’m in charge of grooming the pets.

Russell: Ohhh-kay. Let’s move on.

Pepper: Serious as I can be. Number 1: what has four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs at night?

Russell: A man.

Pepper: Correctomundo, but are you ready for riddle number 2? What gets wetter the more it dries?

Russell: A towel. Are you just reading off a list of the top ten most basic riddles or what?

Pepper: I’ll answer that but you’ll have to answer three more riddles. Last one: the man who invented it doe-

Minka: HER NAME IS PEPPER CLARK AND SHE TAKES CARE OF THE DAYCARE PETS!!!

Pepper: Dangit.

Russell: Thank you, Minka.

Russell: Probably like 10 people at most.

Vinnie: But, hey! You never know if the algorithm could pick it up! You could be talking to millions of people right now!

Sunil: Millions?! Eek!

Russell: *sigh* That’s Sunil. Talk to him if you ever need help finding anything. I promise he’s more helpful than he looks right now.

Russell: … that’s it?

Penny: Was there supposed to be more?

Russell: No, this is just the smoothest interview I’ve had all day. I’m kinda shocked.

Penny: Well, I’m glad I did good.

Russell: Yep.

Both: …

Blythe: Ruff ruff!

Russell: Oh, yeah, that’s right! Don’t forget to check out Blythe-Style pet clothes which you can find on the racks in the front of the store (which are made by a different Blythe and not this Blythe. A human Blythe. Obviously because why would a dog make clothes!! That’s absurd!!! Almost as crazy as a group of people who can understand ANIMALS hahahaha!!!)

Russell: Those questions aren’t- Whatever. Ask us anything, I guess.

---

Hello, and welcome to the ((very much unofficial))* Littlest Pet Shop page! Please drop any questions you have for us in our inbox - Best, R. Ferguson

*((this is in no way related to or authorized by hasbro or the Littlest Pet Shop brand. This is a fan project fully made for entertainment purposes. I make no profit from this.))

((Hello!!!! Double parentheses mean that I, the person who runs this blog aka @octodrawn, am speaking. I wanted to give you a couple guidelines before you submit anything. If you’re interested, please click read more!

I want to start this off by saying I am a human person with responsibilities, boundaries and a lack of free time so it may take a while to answer your ask. I also have the right to not answer every ask I receive.

We are keeping things generally PG/PG-13 here, so that means Minimal swearing, no violence, Minimal references to drug use, nothing sexual except for maybe the occasional ‘I did your mom last night’ type jokes because they are funny to me.

This is primarily an art ask blog, but I will only use text for posts on occasion.

I’m not gonna put a cap on ‘what do you think of __ x __’ questions for now, but if they become a majority of questions asked, then I will. Currently, no ships are canon in this AU, so don’t expect any answers to say anything differently.

Don’t take the setup of this blog being diegetic too seriously. If you want to send something that’s like *gives them all cookies* or *transforms them into turtles* I won’t stop you.

Have fun and be yourself :-)

Please keep this in mind before asking anything. This is all for fun, so please don’t take this too seriously.

I’ll be making a tag list soon but feel free to send asks now :3))

[vibratingskull]

Howdy, can I please make a request for a ThrawnxF!reader . they have children together but he has no interest in marriage, and because of this and because of their age gap, she is known as the Grand admiral concubines /mistresses.

Either she embraces it, or will she confront him about it.

This is an interesting starting point, but it would be quite OOC for Thrawn to do that (imo), so I took the liberty to tweak it a bit, I hope you don't mind 😋

Thrawn x F!reader

Tags: pregnancy, cultural miscommunications, reader may lacks some neurons... oops

You huff sitting down with your pregnant belly preventing you from moving easily. You groan as it tenses up your lower back muscles. 

“Hard day, mama?” Karyn eyeballs you, lightly amused as she sips on her cup of caff. 

“Arf, don’t tell me about it! They are destroying me, they kick and move around all night!” 

“It must not be that hard if you keep having them.” She chuckles, “It’s the fourth one, correct?” 

“Fifth: I had twins.” You correct. 

“Ah yeah... Grand Admiral Thrawn’s greatest accomplishment.” She muses, “He was so enthralled by the news he invited me for a drink in his office instead of strategizing.” 

“Glad to know my boyfriend and best friend meet behind my back” You snigger, “Should I start to worry?” 

It is a joke of course, you know Thrawn would never cheat on you, especially not when you are carrying his heirs and Karyn would never betray you in such a way but she seems to not have gotten the memo with the look she is giving you right now. 

“It’s a joke, Karyn. I know you’re not doing anything behind my back.” You exhale a tired chuckle as your baby kicks again. 

She gauges you up and down with a weird expression, stirring her cup. 

“What?” You demand. 

“Nothing... Just that Grand Admiral Thrawn would probably not appreciate that.” 

“What? Joking about him cheating? Maybe, but you do not need to tell him.” You wink at her. 

“No, the ‘boyfriend’ thing.” 

You raise an eyebrow at her, lost. 

“Then what am I supposed to call him then? ‘Sir’? ‘Master’? Cause I am not doing that.” 

“Simply your ‘husband’.” She explains, “I do not think he would appreciate being relegated to a ‘boyfriend’ status, that is all.” 

You sneer before wincing in pain. 

“Karyn, do you see a ring on my finger? Then he is not my husband, not even my fiance. He is my boyfriend. The father of my children but my boyfriend.” 

She looks more and more disconcerted. 

“That is not how he refers to you.” 

“Really? If you tell me he calls me his ‘baby mama’ I am going to cause a scene.” You joke, gulping your can of fruit juice. 

You are craving fruit juice so badly with this pregnancy... For the former one it was chocolate biscuits with whipped cream! 

“He calls you his wife, (Y/n).” She drops the bomb on you. 

Your gulp almost goes the wrong way and you start coughing behind your hand. 

“What?!”  

“You never noticed? This is how he refers to you to others.” 

“No?!” You respond flabergasted, “Since when?!” 

“Several years? A little bit before your first one if I recall.” 

You open your eyes wide open. 

You concede that you are a pretty obliging person but Thrawn seems to have taken some liberties behind your back! You raise on your feet, fuming and head toward Thrawn’s office under Karyn’s questioning gaze. 

Apparently, a discussion is in order. Thrawn needs to learn that being a Grand Admiral doesn’t grant him all the rights in the world, especially towards you! 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

“Hello, dear ‘husband’ of mine!” You coo, leaning against the doorframe. 

Thrawn raises his gaze from his datapad to lay on you, a tight smile flourishing on his lips. 

“Hello, Ch’acah. You seem in good spirits today.” 

You refrain your eyes from twitching at his compliment. Is he already playing the smartass? 

“What can I help you with?” He asks, laying his pad on his desk to fully focus on you, his eyes shining bright, “Is it about the baby? Do you need a back massage?” 

“I need nothing, WE need a discussion, however.” You start, entering the office. 

Thrawn tilts his head to you without departing from his small grin. He gestures to the chair on the other side of his desk. 

“Please take a seat. What do you wish to discuss, Cheo Ch’acah?” 

You do not sit down, preferring to lean forward, a hand on his desk, hovering over him. 

“I would like to discuss husband privileges and how you help yourself with them.” 

He squints at you, silent questions in his eyes. 

“Is it about the baby?” He finally asks. 

“No, Thrawn.” You cut short, “I would appreciate you stop referring to me as your wife to others.” 

“I do not follow.” 

You agitate your hand before his eyes. 

“Simple, see my naked finger? As long as there is no ring on it, you do not have the privilege to call me ‘your wife’. This is husband privilege and you have not upgraded the situation to that level yet!” 

His eyes navigate from your hand to your face, a puzzled expression on his features. 

“You cannot have your cake and eat it too, okay? If you want to parade as a husband, wife me up. Until then you are my ‘boyfriend’. I understand that you might be uncomfortable being referred to as a ‘boyfriend’ at your age and rank, but this is up to you at this point!” You snarkily explain, “I think I gave you enough hint that I wanted to be more than that, but you never proposed. So man up and accept that you are just a boyfriend for now!” 

He slowly blinks, his mouth behind his folded hands, listening attentively to your complaints. You abandon your sass for a sweeter tone. 

“But if you want to change things up, feel free to do so, I will not complain!” You raise back up, crossing your arms on your chest. 

He remains silent for a few more seconds with a stern expression before taking the ground. 

“I do not understand.” 

You gruff, annoyed. 

“Listen up Mister. You may be the father of our children but you do not get to polish your portrait with an honorable title you did not earn, okay?! It may be shameful for a Grand Admiral to get a woman pregnant without marrying her, but at that point that is on you! It is the fifth one and I still see no ring!” 

“(Y/n)...” He speaks incredibly calm but also deadly serious, “We are married.” 

You blink in silence. 

Is he gaslighting you or something? That would be a first in your relationship, but apparently it is never too late to start! 

You let out a sneer. 

“Would you please not take me for an idiot, Thrawn? I would really appreciate it.” 

“I am not taking you for an idiot, (Y/n). I am absolutely serious. Do you not remember the ceremony?” 

Is he... Is he serious right now? You consider him carefully like he was crazy. 

“No...? We never went to the temple or any officials of any kind?” 

“It was in the living room of our apartment, Ch’acah. We drank the tea, recited the vows, and made love all night.” His voice remains assured but you can see in his eyes he seems... distraught. 

“We... Drank tea and made love? Do you remember the amount of time we did that? At the apartment no less?” 

He looks into your eyes and lets out a deep sigh. He lowers himself to open a cabinet of his desk and takes out a metallic box that he puts on the desk for you to see.  

“I search for this tea for months.” He opens the box to reveal mauve tea leaves and a scent that punches in the face with memories “We brewed it together for an entire week, drank it sharing a cup, and recited the vows before going to bed. Do you not remember that night?” 

“I assumed you tried to be romantic after a long campaign!” 

“I asked you to tie your fate and life to mine for eternity.” He continues placidly. 

“I thought you were asking me for a baby! How was I supposed to know they were vows?” 

“You recited them back to me as the ceremony demanded.” 

“I simply reciprocated?! You asked me so I asked you in return!” 

You feel yourself getting dizzy. You do remember that evening now, it was chilly outside and thrawn prepared a fire, he turned off all other lights and invited you to sit with him in front of the fire to share a cup of that tea he purchased earlier near the wild regions and brew for an entire week. It tasted savory and a bit salty honestly. He prophesized his love to you and you gladly confessed yours back, he then took you languorously before that open fire all night, shielding you from the night with his mighty body. 

... Is that a Chiss wedding ceremony? 

“This tea is part of many legends on Chiss worlds. As it is said it bound the soul of two gods of the night for all eternity in our myths, and it became integral to our wedding ceremonies. Sharing it with your intended is the staple of any Chiss wedding.” He explains, “The vows and lovemaking are common to human practices.” 

You need to sit down. You are going to fall or something and the pregnancy doesn’t help! Seeing you getting weak Thrawn immediately stands up to give you support. You shakily pull the chair and sit on it with his help, breathing deeply. 

What did he just tell you? 

“You could have been clearer!” You admonish him. 

“The vows were pretty explicit.” He counters. 

“Either way! Do you think this is enough to get married in the Empire? Alien’s ceremonies hold no legality here!” You counter! 

He looks at you more and more confused. 

“I made you sign the legal papers the next day.” He retorts, a strange edge in the tone. 

“The ne- Those were marriage papers?!” You ask flabbergasted. 

His shoulders lower slightly. 

“Did you not read them?” 

“We were in the process of buying the apartment, I thought you needed my signature for co-ownership.” You explain, “Do you remember the amont of paper you asked me to sign? I did not have time to read everything!” 

He looks down at you from his full height, a hint of pain in the glow of his eyes. 

“Do you truly think I would get you pregnant without making you my wife first?” He finally asks, “And evince disrespect towards your personhood?” 

You bite your lips. That indeed seemed quite bizarre for him, and you were surprised to not see any ring appear on your finger after the announcement of your first pregnancy. When the second pregnancy arrived and still no ring was to be found you simply accepted that you did not know him as well as you first expected. 

Or so you thougt! 

“No...” You admit, “It would be quite... out of character.” 

He contemplates you in silence, hands clasped behind his back before skirting his desk. Very... tense. 

“Thrawn...” You breathe, calculating your error, “Ch’acah, I am truly sorry. I... I just...” 

His burning gaze turns to you, but you have no word to save yourself. What could you say now to soothe the wound? 

“Just tell me you did not pretend we were not together to others during this entire time.” He finally speaks with the coldest tone you ever heard from him. 

“No!” You immediately protest, “I never pretend such a thing!” 

He gauges you up and down, his lips pressed in a thin line before averting his gaze towards his ysalamiry statues. 

“Thrawn...” You call, standing back up to embrace him from behind, “I am sorry I did not realize sooner. I love you, do not be mad at me please...” 

You hear him breath deeply before taking your arms off of him and turning towards you, holding your hands. 

“I am not mad at you. I am simply a bit... Shocked.” 

You wince, squeezing his hand in an appeasing gesture. 

“I should have been clearer in my intentions. I assumed you understood the meaning of the ceremony as you went along with it. The blame is on me.” He edicts, recovering his regal attitude. 

“No, I should have understood on my own.” You correct him, “I should have understood when you reacted at my first pregnancy. You are not one to abandon your pregnant woman to uncertainty, I should have realized-” 

“Then it is both on us.” He stops you before it derails. 

“But... Why not a human ceremony too?” You cannot help but ask. 

“Back at the beginning of our relationship, you stated you did not like all this ceremonial. I thought you would be more receptive to an alien courtship.”  

And it downs on you. 

“Oh... I lied.” 

He tilts his head, question in his eyes.  

“I lied because I thought you would leave me if I told you I was thinking about marriage.” You bite your lips, “Like my ex.” 

He sighs deeply. 

“Like that impotent fool?” 

You bat your eyelids and grin, raising his hands to your lips to kiss his knuckles foundly. 

“I was wrong Thrawn, and I have never been happier.” 

“Are you?” He investigates, still on the defensive. 

“Yes! I entered this room as a possible future single mother of five and I will exit it as a married woman.” 

“You entered as a married woman.” He leans forward to kiss your forehead, recovering softer dispositions. “Now you can proclaim your status to the entire world.” 

“Like you did all this time?” You chuckle. 

“Indeed. I take great pride in being married to you and fathering our children. Your are my greatest success.” He confesses, holding you close to his giant stature in a tight hug. 

“I love you, Ch’acah.” You murmur only to him. 

“I love you more.” He smiles tightly, “Do I now have your blessing to flaunt my husband’s privileges?” He taunts. 

You cannot help but burst out laughing. 

“Yes! Yes you can!” 

And he captures your lips for an infinitely tender kiss. 

@bluechiss @justanothersadperson93 @thrawnspetgoose @Thrawnalani @twilekchiss @dance-like-russia-isnt-watching @obbicrystaleo @elise2174 @davesrightshoe @Holylonelyponyeatingmacaroni 

[episodes-ff]

Grateful Days

Armando

Sitting in my bed, I moped and grimaced at how shitty everything has turned over the past few days. I’m still truly upset about the failed proposal, but more than anything I’m upset with myself for how I handled it. After sobering up, it finally sank in how royally I messed up things. Staring at my phone as I waited for the possibility of her call, I sighed realizing that it was me who should be doing the apologizing. I don’t even know how I could allow myself to say such hurtful things to my heart like that. Shaking my head as I remembered the words, I decided it was high time I be the bigger person and go win my woman back.

Taking a nice hot shower, I collected my thoughts and feelings and came up with a genuine approach of apology. Stepping out, I quickly dried off and began dressing as the panicked nerves set in at the possibility of losing her forever. Pulling on my pants, I stressed looking for a decent shirt before settling on a grey long sleeve and placing on my chain. Making sure I looked presentable and smelled good for her, I started searching for my keys as more hope rose within me. Still looking for my keys, I heard a knock at the front door. “Mike, will you drop it? I already told you I’m fi-“ “Hi.” She spoke not making eye contact as she twiddled her fingers. “Hey, um come in, come in!” I rushed allowing her entry as I straightened up some loose clothes. Taking a seat on the couch, I sat next to her and as she waited awkwardly to speak. “I need to tell you something.” “No, me first.” I insisted taking her hands into mine.

“Diamonté, I am so deeply sorry for what I said to you that night. It replays over and over again and it makes me sick to my stomach that I even uttered something so hurtful to you. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, I barely deserve to be in your presence right now, but trust me when I say I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I truly regret the decision I made and if you don’t ever want to see me again, I’ll have to find a way to live with it. I just wanted to express that.” I recited as she sat looking down at our hands. Watching her knee bounce nervously, she burst into tears as I hugged her in concern. “Shit, I’m sorry, Dee, I didn’t mean to make you cry, bebita.” I hushed rocking her back and forth in my arms. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes before pulling back to look at me. “Armando, I’m pregnant.” She panted breathlessly as her tears continued to fall.

“You are?” I murmured happily as I took hold of her chin. Nodding, she wiped more of her tears. “I was supposed to tell you that night but when you proposed I got so nervous that I threw up. That’s why I ran off. I meant what I said about my answer being yes.” Holding her cheek in my hand, I smiled kissing her forehead as I started to cry. “You forgive me for being an idiot?” “Yes, you forgive me for not speaking up?” “Of course, baby, come here.” Meeting my lips, we shared a longing and meaningful kiss as I embraced her and rubbed her back. “How far along is the baby?” “I’m not sure yet. The first appointment is in a week.” “Are you excited?” I asked earning her sweet laugh. “Yes, I want a little girl.” She smiled as I coasted my hand across her stomach. “I do too.” I simpered before leaning down to kiss her lips again. “One more question.” I asked nervously. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Armando.” She smirked as I chuckled and went to grab the ring. “Good because you had me waiting long enough to put this on your finger.” I joked as I slid it in place on her left hand. Standing up, she hugged me tightly and kissed me once more making my heart skip a beat. “Now my turn to ask.” “Sí, mi vida?” “Can you please come back home so your son can stop asking where you are?” She huffed as I laughed nodding. “Of course, my baby.”

Terry

“Baby, get up! You’re too heavy for all this!” Anaya whined as I ignored her requests and got more comfortable on top of her. Today is one of my first full days off and I’m taking all the advantage I can get. Baby girl is fed and sound asleep in her crib, the bills are all paid, I’m not on call, and it’s not my night to cook. Yeaaaa, I’m gonna enjoy this. Or at least I had hoped I would. “Terry, get up or so help me God, imma smack you.” “You wouldn’t dare, Anaya.” I groaned deeply as I started to doze off in the soft pillows of her breasts. Feeling a hard sting to the back of my head, I shot her a deadly glare as she cackled. “Don’t give me that look, I told your heavy ass to move. Now get up so I can pee.” She fussed like a proud mama before getting up and twisting hard to the bathroom causing me to laugh. “Stop doing that stank ass walk.” “You love it though.” She countered from the commode as I shook my head.

Shutting my eyes once more, I felt the sweet and supple warmth of sleep taking over my body before being rudely interrupted by Anaya’s antics. “Baeeeee.” She whined grinding on me as I groaned. “Anayaaaa, I’m tryna sleep. Damnnnn.” “Fine, if you don’t love me just say that.” She spat moving to the other side of the bed. Clenching my jaw, I yanked her over to me by her nightgown and hovered over her face. Leaning down to her ear, I caressed her cheek with my hand before gently wrapping it around her throat. “Anaya, this the last time imma say it. I’m trying to get my rest and all this moving around and shit finna piss me the fuck off. I’m asking as nicely as possible, baby, just take a nap with me. Please?” Nodding slowly, I sighed before releasing her neck and cuddling back up to her chest while closing my eyes. “Put me to sleep, Daddy.” She purred softly rubbing my scalp as my eyes shot open.

** HOURS LATER**

“Ouuu, baby, let’s get these! I think they’d go nice with the room.” Nodding groggily, I followed aimlessly as she pointed out different items decorate the house. After putting Anaya to “sleep”, we napped for a good 45 minutes before she got hit with the home decor bug and she insisted that we needed to get supplies to finish the house. We are now three stores deep with no sign of retreat, and Daddy and baby Maya are completely over the experience. “Bae, you’re not even looking!” “Anaya, we have more than enough time to finish the house. Why can’t we just chill today?” Giving me the death glare, I smacked my teeth following her with the cart as she continued to shop. Turning into an aisle, I realized I forgot to grab water for the house and tried excusing myself to go and grab it. “Bae, I gotta grab water, you and Maya gone be okay for a few minutes?” “Yea, baby we’re fine.” “Aight, keep your phone close in case.” Nodding, she kissed me goodbye and I made my way to my destination.

Grabbing what I needed, I headed back to our original aisle before halting as I heard a guy. Peeking around to where they were, I noticed an older man standing too close as Anaya frowned up in anger holding Maya to her chest. “Look I’m not gonna tell you again to back the fuck up.” “We got a problem?” “Nah, young buck, I was just-“ “I believe I was asking her.” “No, it’s fine. He was just leaving.” She said putting Maya in the cart as he huffed in disapproval. “Will you just hear me out?” He asked grabbing her arm when I lost it. Setting the water down, I yanked him off his feet before holding him up to the shelving of the aisles. “Nah, motherfucka, you hear me out!” I seethed as Anaya cried for me to stop. “If you ever set foot near my wife and child again, I fucking promise you it’ll be the last thing you do!” I spat as my blood boiling more and more just thinking about this clown touching my lady.

“Terry, stop! Please! Just put him down.” She pleaded as I glared him down icily. “Gimme one good reason I shouldn’t fuck yo shit up right here.” “She’s my daughter.” He heaved out as I looked at her for confirmation. “He’s my dad, Terry. Just put him down.” Setting him down slowly, I faced her as she rubbed my arms and calmed my anger. “Explain, Anaya.” “He skipped out when I was two years old and it’s been just my mom and I ever since. Apparently he’s been living here in Miami so this run-in was not at all anticipated.” Nodding as I absorbed her words, I further calmed down as we exited the aisle, checked out, and went home. Relaxing day my ass.

Thank y’all for being so patient with me! The scene with Anaya and Terry was inspired by this video so I hope y’all enjoy.

Tags (Based on interactions, if you’d like to be added or removed let me know): @violetmuses @believeinthefireflies95 @brisunique @kaylaahisthebestest- @madxlov3 @armandosbabymama @casualsludgeshoetoad @mauvecherie-writes @nahimjustfeelingit-writes @theereina @kumkaniudaku @geneziesm @megamindsecretlair @simpledopeme @goldenjasssy @vivaalenaa @playgurlxoxo @ghettogirly @luuvprincess @perfectlyimperfectme @tbmotw @comfortzonequeen @melanin-honeyy @strawberrymoon45 @luckygirlszn @kindofaintrovert

[zoobus]

It's hard to comment on questions like that - would it resonate more if I were around for 90s consumer nihilism? Would it hit harder if I saw it at an existentially turbulent point in my life? Maybe. I can't know. I do know that people younger than I enjoyed Fight Club; my take isn't a popular one.

But I don't think I would. Even if I were offline, I feel the issue runs in line with another famed red flag film I didn't like nor fully grasp and left early - Wolf of Wall Street. And funny enough, I think they carry the same obstruction to my sympathies.

The more time I've had to ponder this, the more I feel you have to share The Narrator/Jordan Belfort's desires, you have to WANT the indulgent fantasy they show you for the movies to work on you and if you don't, you're not going to get it. You need to watch and wish you were Tyler Durden. Because if you don't?

I'm watching a guy slip a cock into a family friendly movie, trying not to think that no one would notice this and if they did, they'd get over it.

I'm listening to this grandiose speech about lost potential men made the middle children of history because they don't have a cool war to die in or a financial crisis to harden them up, angry that they can't all be the red power ranger of life and I'm trying to stop myself from sneering.

I'm watching him start a fight club and tbh that part was good, no notes, I did want that.

I am hearing this movie talk about consumerism in a way that feels...mythological? Distinct? Alien? From how we discuss consumerism today. I can't put my finger on it - it isn't as if the derision for mindless consumerism disappeared; can't go ten feet without tripping over a gripe about funko pops and Disney Adults - but the way he describes it is, I guess, according to several who've described it more deeply, "extremely 90s."

When he holds a random at gunpoint, threatening to come back to finish the job if he hasn't turned his life around and made strides towards becoming a vet? Actually, The Narrator, you do not, under any circumstances, "gotta hand it to Tyler"

(In the same vein re: Wolf of Wall Street, I don't wish to have coked up threesome at the office, buy expensive watches, abandon my loyal wife for the future Barbie, fuck on yachts. This is not a moral statement; the fucked up hedonism I would do if I had the freedom simply looks different)

I'm pretty sure both of these films end up subversive. "you're not supposed to like them! That's the point!" is the number one thing I've heard about both. But to get invested in those subversions, you must also be tempted by those characters - there's no way you can shatter my expectations and blow my mind if I'm already at "this guy is full of shit and everything he does is kind of stupid." I can push myself get what other people get from this - the idea of terrorizing the complacent into a becoming great has a certain allure - but that's empathy I'm forcing, it does not come to me organically.

The long and short of it is I'd have to be a different person to get more from Fight Club. I don't think losing the internet would change me that much.

Guess who saw Fight Club :D

[satureja13]

Ji Ho asked Jack to help him to get rid of that single bed Vlad was sleeping in - and Jack was all in. Anything that brought his best friend closer to Ji Ho was a good thing! But of course they didn't throw the bed in the trash compactor. It's not their ship - and destroying perfectly fine stuff is bad karma. Since they only use three of the four available quarters, they thought they'd just move the bed into the unoccupied one.

But this is the quarter of B.D's kids...

Ji Ho and Jack looked at each other. They are more determined than ever to bring him back to his family. This is so sad. (For me too. I haven't visited Great A'Tuin II since B.D got arrested. And seeing all the remnants of their happy times here is breaking my heart. One of his kids had even been born here on this ship...)

Jack and Jeb are busy checking - and if necessary, securing - the venitlation holes, so Jack had to get back to work. And since Ji Ho has no special task on this ship, he's the Ji Ho of all trades ^^' Today he's supposed to make an inventory of the smaller storage. To see for how long their Dilithium and supplies would last them. He was still so sad when he got there, and deep in thoughts. Ji Ho is the most sensible of them all, he can't just shake this off.

But then his attention was drawn to something... Oh no - someone (thing?) has stolen food from the containers! Metal containers at that! It seems Jack was right! There must be an alien creature on the ship! One that is able to crack (or bite ö.Ö') open sturdy metal containers!

None of the Little Ones is capable of doing this. Not even Evil Malfoy! Ji Ho was just about to flee from the scary storage, when he noticed the metal cages. Maybe the creature had escaped from them? o.o

Only one place he feels safe and secure came to his panicking mind, and that was Vlad. So he ran to their quarters. Then he heard a rustle from the ventilation shafts and he ran even faster! Oh gods!

Vlad sensed through the Bond that something was wrong with Ji Ho. He darted to the door to get to him, but Ji Ho was faster. Ji Ho was panting, his heart beating fast: "Thank the Gods, you're here." Then he told Vlad what happened.

Vlad pulled Ji Ho in his arms: "You're safe." Vlad would make sure to secure the ship together with Jeb and Jack. But later. First, he has to make sure that Ji Ho calms down. His fear and panic is shaking their Bond and Vlad can't think clear with Ji Ho being so frightened.

What Ji Ho also didn't notice in his shock state was, that Vlad moved their lily plant to their quarters.

TMI: The Lily represents beauty, purity, transformation, rebirth, and devotion.

Since awkwardness is still the main factor in their relationship, and Vlad has no idea how to calm Ji Ho (he knows very well that he makes Ji Ho only even more nervous), he went with Jack's tactic: distraction. Vlad: "I've noticed you removed my bed." Ok, that was working. Just in the wrong direction... Ji Ho's thoughts immediately went from 'omg the alien will kill and eat us all!' to 'omg Vlad will scold me because I removed his bed without his permission!'.

Vlad noticed Ji Ho's hands were still shaking and took them in his. Vlad: "Come." Ji Ho was utterly confused - is Vlad leading him away from the entrance and deeper into their quarters so the others won't hear when he yells at him? But he still followed him...

Ji Ho was so out of his head, he didn't even notice that Vlad had redecorated their quarters while he was away. He'd set up their hobby stuff - Ji Ho's music station and his easel. He'd even painted a cute mural on the wall for Ji Ho.

Vlad: "And? What do you think?" Only then Ji Ho took it all in: "Oh! That's wonderful!" Now Vlad's hands were shaking a bit, he's nervous: "So. Uhm ... we could spend time here together. If you like?" Ji Ho thought maybe Vlad didn't think it through. Vlad also has his computer here, to write on his stories: "Won't it disturb you when I do my music stuff next to you while you paint and write?" But Vlad did: "No. You use headphones, right? That's no problem." Vlad is too shy to tell Ji Ho that he is his greatest inspiration and muse.

And after the ventilation holes were secured, they spent their free time together. Without having to have awkward conversations and stupid misunderstandings. Boosting each other's creativity to new hights.

'We know how to fly Far away We’ll fly about the whole world We got used to the clouds Woo no Yeah Everywhere is already Our home'

My Zone - Block B A song from real Ji Ho's group :3

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: starts ▶️ here Last Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 23-29

[yourlocalbadgerscales]

Oh. My. God.

Okay so, we all know Gracie Abrams is a very talented artist and she’s blowing up recently, as she should! But because of the mass coming out theory, I tend to pay attention to her lyrics more than I probably would otherwise, just like I do with Taylor Swift for obvious reasons (cough cough in gaylor…).

Close To You started playing earlier today, and I’m so intrigued!

To start off with the lyric “Under pink light in June”… June is pride month. Of course I reacted when I heard this lyric! And also… “pink light” immediately makes me think of the pink and orange lights Taylor uses to flag the lesbian colours throughout the Eras Tour! I’ve tried looking for pics with pink light from June 2024 and June 2023, but I haven’t found anything exciting so far! Anyone reading this, feel free to help me figure out what this lyric really means!

I do think it’s significant! Why? Because if you listen closely, you can hear something I can best describe as a glitch exactly when that lyric plays 👀

“We were supposed to be just friends”, anyone?

(That line is literally a summation of “Close To You” to me- like, the whole song just gives the vibes of having a massive crush on a girl best friend. Ya know?)

I recommend listening to this! The glitch is at 00:27!

You still here? Good! I have even better stuff to say! Have some patience while I get to the best part 👀

Of course, we have the “Now your mouth is moving cinematic timing”. And we have this:

Has anybody else noticed that Gracie’s mouth has become clearer lately?

(Tumblr wouldn’t let me put another video here for some reason, so here you can find it in a separate post I made! Look at that, and then look at the video above. See the clear difference? 👀) For me it seems like Gracie is trying to say “Pay attention to what I’m saying and singing. Listen carefully and closely. We’re getting closer and closer to the big reveal. Have patience. We’re almost there.”

And here comes the best part!

We all know The Manuscript. The last song on the last album Taylor Swift has released, The Tortured Poets Department. Fucking heartbreaking to listen to when you know the meaning behind it. If you ask me, The Manuscript is basically Taylor saying goodbye to her fans and announcing that this is the end. “Now and then I re-read the manuscript, but the story isn’t mine anymore”…

I mean, c’mon, it’s the last lyric too! Of the last song… of the last album she’s released! This is a goodbye if I’ve ever seen one.

But that’s not what interests me the most about this song! Not right now, at least. Because here’s the thing. If you listen closely between the first and second verse of the song, you can hear the sound of a pen against paper… writing something.

1:11

I’ve read theories about that symbolising Taylor signing the contract that made her lose ownership of her songs. I’m sure you know what contract I’m talking about. I, however, don’t think that’s what it means, and I don’t think that’s what the song is about. I think the sound of the writing is simply Taylor writing The Manuscript. But there’s more to it than that!

If you scroll back up to listen to the Close To You instrumental I so helpfully provided you with, and start playing it at 2:46-3:09, you might notice something… yup, that’s right.

Doesn’t it sound just like a pen writing down something on paper? 👀 Oh, I’m SO sure!

[skzhocomments]

The Rising Empress (Bang Chan) - Chapter 8 - Envy and Power

General Masterlist

Story masterlist - please consult it for the summary of the story, trigger warnings etc.

Wattpad | AO3

Chapter 7 | Chapter 9

Taglist: @vxllxnsworld

---

Chapter 8 - Envy and Power

Chapter word count: 7.5k words

Each new day brings new opportunities, Aristia thinks as she steps out of her room with resolve. She wants to accomplish two things today:

1. Reading at least one book on the history of the Empire,

and

2. Punishing that maid – Juliana.

As her doors open, she is shocked to see someone else standing in front of her room; not her usual guard.

“Changbin?” Her eyes widen.

“Your Majesty.” He bows respectfully. “I’m glad to see you’re in good health.”

“What are you doing here?”

“His Highness informed me that I will be your personal aid from now on. I was supposed to come yesterday, but there was some… business… to take care of.”

“Business?” Aristia inquires and notices the way Changbin is carefully looking from left to right to make sure no one is able to hear them.

Her maids are a safe enough distance away.

“We needed to dispose of your father’s body.” He whispers, and Aristia is glad she now has Changbin, as she’s always thought of him as an open book that keeps her in the loop.

She truly didn’t expect Chris to give him to her, and the fact that he decided to do so before their talk yesterday warms her heart a little bit.

Changbin’s always been talkative, which she would exploit to the hilt.

“What did you do with it?”

“Burned it. We also made sure to lock all of his guards in the dungeon, to hopefully get some more information from them. The Emperor opted for that instead of killing them.”

“I see.”

“However, he decided to let one of them go and sent him back to the Kingdom with an official letter declaring war.”

Aristia’s eyes widened.

“Truly? Wouldn’t it have been better to play innocent to buy some more time?”

“The Emperor also thought of that, but Seungmin – one of his assistants – suggested owning up to it and blaming the King for your injuries. Would be better for the people’s morale, he said.”

“Seungmin… I see.” She smiles. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re going to be my personal guard. I’ll be in your care.” Aristia smiles and Changbin’s lips switch to a proud smirk.

“I’ll be the best guard in the world! You can count on me!”

“Great. Let’s go now.” She chuckles.

“To the dining room, I hope. I have strict instructions from the Emperor to make sure you eat this morning.”

“It’s not even morning anymore.” She chuckles.

“Even more so to not go on an empty stomach.”

Aristia rolls her eyes but follows Changbin to the dining room anyway.

She is on her own, but this time, her food comes out perfectly fresh and tasty. It turns out that starting the day with a good meal sets you up for a good mood.

~

“Alice, grab the third book on the second row there and put it in the stack. Ah, and the fifth book on the 8th row. They seem related.”

“I’m on it, Your Highness!” The young girl exclaims excitedly as she picks the requested books and places them in Juliana’s arms.

The second maid is now holding over a dozen books that look heavy to say the least. Her hands must’ve surely gone tired.

“Alright, I think this is all for today. Let’s go sit down at that desk over there. Do you know how to read, Alice?”

“Uhm… I do recognise most letters, but I’m still learning.” The young maid smiles.

“Great. Then pick up the third book in Juliana’s arms and sit down. I want you to know how to read and write. If you feel like you’re not able to do it on your own, feel free to say so, and I will arrange a tutor for you.”

“Your Majesty! I could never accept such grace… I will do my best!”

“Good.” Aristia smiles and pets the child on the head. She’s only 5 years younger, but they are on completely different levels as far as maturity goes.

Alice is still an innocent child, whereas Aristia never had the chance to grow up surrounded by such innocence. However, Aristia is aware that Alice was brought up in the Capital, which surely means that she’s clever to say the least.

“What should I do, Your Highness?” Juliana asks.

“Oh, you’re already doing your sole task of the day. You are to hold my books so I can get them easily.”

“But Your Highness, I could place them on a chair, or on a table, or-”

Aristia raises her hand in the air to stop her from talking.

“Have I requested your opinion?” She smiles cunningly.

“No, but-”

“Then stay there quietly, will you? This is a library.”

“But-”

“Juliana.” Aristia turns her whole body to face the maid. Her eyes are cold.

“I understand you are upset at me, however-”

“Upset at you?” Aristia chuckles. “Tell me, do the insects you pass by in the streets upset you at all?”

“Your Majesty…” Juliana’s eyes widen, unable to believe that the Empress compared her to an insect.

“Defy me one more time and you’ll wish you'd been born an insect instead.” She warns and slaps the top of the book stack as hard as she can, making Juliana lose her balance and drop all of them on the floor.

With a low chuckle, Aristia continues her torment:

“Oh my, look at the mess you made. You should clean that up and resume your position quickly. And be careful, the books are the Emperor’s property. If you damage one, you could be punished.”

Aristia sits down and opens one of the books, beginning to read about the founding rulers of the Empire. They are described as cruel, but well-respected between the people, and Aristia can’t help herself but think that she might be a bit cruel to Juliana as well.

She wonders if she’s at least well-respected outside the Palace’s walls, since she’s brought peace to the Empire. However, with the upcoming war, she starts to worry, and a new plan starts brewing in her mind.

She doesn’t pay much attention to it now, as she has something more important to focus on: her health, acquiring knowledge as soon as possible, and making sure she does a good job as the Empress.

After at least two of these conditions are met, she will execute the plan as well.

~

Aristia’s days are productive enough; with the library pass, she makes acquaintances with the books in the library and reads to her heart’s content. She thought it was going to be hard focusing on her books with Juliana throwing daggers with her eyes in her back, but it was surprisingly easy to ignore her, despite her sighing and fidgeting annoyingly often.

Juliana doesn’t even complain much anymore; she’s gotten used to Aristia telling her to clean the same spot on the floor over and over again, to carry heavy books and keep holding them, and to even run certain errands, although for the more important ones, Mari and Alice were mostly trusted to handle them.

Despite going to the library and reading every day, it’s been a period of resting for Aristia; her back is a bit better, with almost no risk of the wounds opening back up, she has been eating well and gaining a bit of weight, and she’s been sleeping well enough during the night.

With a new week starting, there are many things she wants to do: first of all, there’s the meeting with Seungmin and Jisung, who will have to teach her how to do her job as the Empress.

Then, there’s the matter of the court ladies. Ever since Arabella’s been sent away, they’ve all been living quietly between the Palace’s walls, most likely afraid they’re going to meet the same fate and have their lives uprooted by the cruel Empress, as they like to shush between themselves.

Although Aristia’s never been interested in what they have to say, she doesn’t want to let it go like this either. So, she decides to host a brunch and invite them all, to become acquainted properly. It’s about time they have a chat.

She settles on a time and place a few weeks away, and begins writing letters, sealing them with hot wax and with the Empire’s seal.

~

“It’s a pleasure to officially meet you, Your Highness.” Han bows, and Seungmin follows suit.

After they introduce themselves, they sit down in front of Aristia’s desk. Chris has given her a room to turn into an office, specifically to do her job somewhere outside her bedroom.

“So,” Aristia begins, “let’s start from the beginning. What should I know about you two?”

“About us?” Jisung’s eyes widen. “Uhm, well-”

“We are mere subjects of the Emperor, Your Highness. There’s nothing of importance to be known about us.” Seungmin intervenes.

“Is that so? I’d still like to know what you two are like. If I am to choose somebody, I have to know who I’m dealing with, unless you’d be able to suggest a different method?” She challenges Seungmin, whose lips turn into a thin line.

Truth is, she already knows who she’s going to pick, but learning things about Chan’s people is never a bad idea.

“Your Highness, I’ve been training to become an advisor ever since I was born, as my father himself was an advisor.” Jisung replies, his cheeks growing a subtle pink tint.

“What became of your father?”

“He unfortunately caught a severe illness and never recovered. He left us a few years ago.”

“I see. I’m sorry for your loss. What about you, Seungmin?”

“As I mentioned, there’s nothing of importance Her Highness should know about me. I am but a clever man and the Emperor thought I deserve the honour of serving the Empire.”

“I believe the modest look doesn’t suit you too well.” Aristia attacks, but Seungmin only deflects.

“Regarding your future work, what exactly do you wish us to teach you?” He asks coldly. “We’ve been doing a very good job so far, so, perhaps Your Highness’ efforts would be better spent someplace else.”

“See, we don’t agree on that, unfortunately. I have enough knowledge in budgeting and accounting, but a brief explanation on how you’ve managed until now would be greatly appreciated.”

“We are in your service, Your Majesty.” Han bows.

“Thank you, Jisung. Then, what should I know of?”

The two men begin talking to the Empress, explaining all sorts of concepts regarding the way they’ve been dividing the work. It’s not simple, but it’s also not impossible, and with a bit of training, Aristia is sure she would have no issues taking over.

There’s a stark contrast between the ways Jisung and Seungmin are explaining things, she notices. While Jisung tries to explain every other term, unaware of how much knowledge Aristia possesses, Seungmin speaks unfiltered, using any term, no matter how complicated or hard to understand.

“So, who do you wish to assist you further?” Seungmin asks impatiently after about an hour. “As you might be aware, there are a lot of things to do, and keeping both of us here-”

“Yes, you’re right, Seungmin. Well then, Jisung,” she starts, and Seungmin places his hands on the handles of his chair, preparing to stand up, “you may go finish whatever work you have. Seungmin shall assist me from now on regarding this matter.”

“What?” Seungmin’s eyes grow wide, annoyance plastered all over his face, while Jisung bows and exits the room. “What do you mean? I thought that-”

“What, did you think that you’d get out of this if you acted like an asshole?” Aristia chuckles.

“Like an asshole-” Seungmin replies baffled, leaning back into his chair. “I see how it is. You think that because of that high title of yours, you can act however you please and everyone would bend over backwards for you and your wishes. But you see, Your Highness? Respect is not conveyed by your title, it’s earned. These cheap tactics might work on everyone else, but not on me.”

“And that goes both ways, Seungmin. You have yet to prove to me that you are worthy of my respect.” She answers with a sneer.

“Why me, then? Jisung is clearly a way better fit for you.”

“Because you declared war on the Kingdom.”

“Is that all? We have a common enemy and now you want us to be friends?”

“Nothing of that sort. I just found it a clever way to boost the people’s morale, as they now have a new objective in mind: protect the Empress at all costs. You did well.”

Seungmin sits straight in his chair and looks at Aristia, dead in the eyes.

“I will teach you, but only if you manage to solve this issue we’ve been having throughout the Empire.”

“A test?” She chuckles. “Let’s hear it.”

“The economy’s been plummeting for no apparent reason. We are the most prosperous in the continent when it comes to trades, and yet- just look at the Empire’s budget, and you’ll notice a gap.”

“Have you already solved this issue?” She asks.

“Not yet. It just came to our attention the other day when we rummaged through whatever papers we’d use to teach you.”

“That’s a bit unfair, isn’t it?” Aristia chuckles, but Seungmin only smirks.

“Those are my terms. Take them or not, there is nothing for me to lose. You have until the end of the week to find a cause and a solution to this problem.”

“Fine. I shall think about it. You may go.”

Seungmin stands up, satisfied that he’s probably won a battle against the Empress. This is a delicate matter that neither he nor Jisung know the answer to so far, that has yet to be brought to the Emperor’s attention, so solving this task would most likely be impossible for Aristia. 

He is almost elated that he won’t have to teach her anything. His aversion is very much still there; before, he hated her because she was the King’s daughter, and now, he hates her because she caused ruckus by forcing them to start a war when they are still unprepared.

He simply dislikes her and everything she stands for, and this is not going to change.

~

Aristia studies long and hard about this. What could possibly cause the decline of the economy in such a prosperous nation?

She tries to recall every economy book she’s ever read, and she reads countless more in the following days, but still, she is unsure.

Could it be counterfeit coins?

That’s the only idea that comes to mind as she reads the 15th book on the topic this week, but even if this is the answer, what would a solution be?

Seungmin mentioned explicitly to ‘find a cause and a solution’.

Ugh. Aristia frowns and stands up to grab another book from Juliana’s stack. She’s not complaining as much this week.

She briefly glances through the large library’s windows and notices the dark sky outside.

How much time did I spend here today? She wonders, but it doesn’t matter, for tomorrow is already Friday, and unless she finds a solution as well, she’s doomed.

Of course, she could always study from Jisung, but there’s just something about Seungmin that she knows would make him a better fit for her. She likes his ideas.

As she sits back down at the table, she takes one more glance at Juliana and lets out a small sigh.

“Juliana, do you know how to read and write?”

“I do, Your Highness.” She replies quickly.

“I see. Put those books on the table and pick up the third one, the one about the noble families. I need you to write a summary for me about every relevant family of the Empire, their children, and specifically, their daughters.”

“Your Highness…” Juliana immediately follows soon, her eyes showing gratitude for the first time ever.

“I need your report by Monday.” Is all Aristia says. She’s punished Juliana enough, and she’s ready to finally give her a chance to be useful to her.

Before the maid can reply, Alice enters the library and comes running towards the table, and panting, she tells the Empress that she must go to her rooms immediately.

“Why, what’s wrong?” Aristia asks.

“It’s an urgent matter, Your Highness.” The young girl responds, so Aristia instructs Juliana to see to her task and put all the books back in their place when she’s done, while she follows Alice back to her rooms.

When they get there, a selection of nightgowns and lace underwear lays flat on the bed.

“What is this…?”

“My lady, His Grace sent word that he expects you in his rooms tonight, so I selected a few beautiful pieces appropriate for such an occasion.”

“Alice… what?” Aristia’s cheeks turn red. She examines the clothing once more, and she feels that same stomach dropping sensation she felt during her wedding night.

She also remembers the way Chris treated her that night, how he practically ripped her garments just to show her how easily it would be for him to overpower her, and she shudders.

Does he really want to lay with me?

“My Lady, I think this robe would be most appropriate, as it comes easily undone.”

“Alice, you’re barely 14 of age! How do you know about these matters?!”

“I have to serve Your Grace to the best of my abilities!” She counters and urges Aristia to get changed. “Besides, I’m 14, not 4.”

“Too young!” Aristia frowns but obliges and instructs Alice to get out of the room.

She feels nervous about this for some reason, as she examines herself in the mirror. Sure, she looks beautiful, but this attire is way too inappropriate and revealing!

Ugh, why does he want to see me?

And why do I have to wear this?

Aristia grimaces when someone knocks on the door and pulls her out of her thoughts. She quickly grabs something to put over the skimpy outfit and tells them to enter.

“Your Highness, are you ready to go?” Changbin asks, blushing at the sight of the Empress. Even though she is covered in a robe, he has a rich enough imagination to know what might happen tonight, she thinks, and this thought makes Aristia grimace again.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

The walk towards the Emperor’s chambers is quiet, as the hallways are empty so late into the night. Aristia yawns and suddenly feels tired, realising how many hours she spent in the library the past few weeks.

Even today, she lost track of time and it’s now a little bit past midnight. Why did Chris ask for her so late?

They reach the Emperor’s room and Lee Know nods shortly before opening the doors.

To her surprise, both him and Changbin follow her inside. She looks at them bewildered, before turning her gaze at Chris who was sitting at his desk and got up as soon as she entered.

“Good evening, Aristia.” He greets, then looks at her clothes and rubs his eyes with his thumb and index finger. “What the hell are you wearing?”

“Clothes?” She replies, annoyed. She doesn’t understand what’s happening.

“Yeah, I can see that, but- oh, God.” He goes to his wardrobe in slight annoyance and pulls out a thick fur coat, similar to the one she’s worn on her wedding night.

“Well, you asked for me at midnight, so I thought- ugh, nevermind, give me that.” She snatches the fur coat with annoyance and puts it on her shoulders, tightening it around her body. “Why did you send for me?”

“It’s time for you to hold your end of the bargain.”

“My end of the bargain?” She tilts her head in confusion.

“That’s right. I gave you Changbin, so it’s your turn to give me what you promised.” Chris points to the guard and chuckles, and Aristia rolls her eyes. Changbin blushes a bit more, unaware of the deal between them, but he is nonetheless flattered that Aristia asked for him specifically.

“Alright. Here?” Aristia asks.

“No. We have a meeting to go to, so let’s make haste.”

Chris goes to his large bookshelf and pulls out a few books, uncovering a lever. Aristia watches him with curiosity as he pulls down the lever and the bookcase begins to spin, revealing a secret passage.

“Come on.” He urges Aristia to go first, and she does, despite it being hard to see.

They walk for a good 10 minutes until they reach the far end of the passage that ends with a large wooden door. Chris takes out a key and unlocks the door, opening it, revealing a room with multiple other entrances, which indicates that multiple other bedrooms or common rooms must be connected together through passages throughout the Palace.

The walls of the room are covered with maps of the world and bookshelves, and in the centre, a large table with ten chairs around it occupies the space.

“Take a seat.” Chris instructs, and she follows his orders, sitting down at the table and looking at the faces of everyone around it.

She recognises some – Seungmin and Jisung – but there are also several men she’s never seen before around the palace. Most of them are a lot older than her and Chris, but there is also one man who seems around her age, with pitch black hair and fox-eyes dark enough to make anyone shudder.

They don’t bow at her, nor do they bother to introduce themselves, but their auras are all the same; they exude power, and she believes they must be strong individuals that have earned a spot at this table through their own devices.

A grin threatens to spill on her lips at the thought that she has also earned a seat at this gathering of formidable people, at least for tonight, but she is quick to control her expression the moment her eyes dart again around the unfamiliar figures, and she notices the way they are looking at her.

She doesn’t pose any significance to them, she’s not of any authority, and they don’t respect her. Especially the man her age, whose eyes look disinterested in her at best. If not for the golden crown on her head, no outsider would realise she’s Empress by these men’s behaviour towards her.

Everything changes on their faces the moment Chris sits down, though. The demeanour of these unfamiliar men morphs into something different, and they share a completely distinct look, contrasting the one they’ve given her. Chris’ simple presence projects strength, but in a different way compared to the other men.

The way his head sits on his shoulders, and the way he places his arms steadily on top of the table is so authoritative, it’s immediately noticeable that he has the power and that you must respect him, and every man around the table does so, undoubtedly.

Their eyes sparkle with veneration, and Aristia becomes, for the first time in her life, envious. She remembers the conversation she had with Chris, how she told him she wants more, but now that she is sitting at this secret meeting, the feeling only gets amplified a million times.

She wants way more. She wants power. She wants these people to look at her the same way they look at Chris, and she wants a permanent spot at this table.

“So,” Chris starts, looking at Aristia. He immediately notices that burning in her eyes that attracted him since day one, and his heart skips a beat. He starts wondering what could be going through her head, what made her eyes spark that way, but time is scarce and there’s more important matters to focus on. He continues. “Since we’re all here, let’s start the meeting.”

They start discussing various things, such as problems that arose between the nobles, a possible rebellion which might put the crown in danger unless they take action, and eventually, they move onto the most troubling matter: the upcoming war.

“Aristia, you told me you have some crucial information that might help us. Let’s hear it.” Chris urges her to speak, and for the first time since the meeting starts, she does.

“First of all, my father’s army is led by a very powerful man. He’s called the General, and you must’ve heard about him in legends, as he had won all his wars. All of the legends are true, and he is a truly frightening and strong man. However… in case you battle against him, there is a secret no one knows, a weakness.”

“Which is?” Lee Know asks, his sharp eyes observing Aristia.

“His left eye. He’s been stabbed in it, and his current eye is a prosthesis our doctor created specifically for him. It looks natural enough to fool anyone, but he has no sight from it.”

“That’s impossible. You said so yourself: the legends are true, which means he’s never been scratched in battle. How would he lose his eye?” Lee Know counters with scepticism.

“He didn’t lose it in battle. My father took it out when drunk one night. You see, he was overly fearful that people would betray him, so… he asked the General if he would sacrifice his whole life for the Kingdom and for him, and upon his agreement, my father asked him to prove it. ‘How?’ he asked. ‘You must give me something of importance. Something you truly value. Unfortunately, your limbs are crucial, so how about this?’ my father replied, and pulled out his blade. You can imagine the rest yourselves.”

“And how did you come to know about it?” Chris asks, and Aristia averts her gaze.

“I was there… when he stabbed him.”

“Alright… that’s good to know. His senses might not be as sharp on his left side, then.” Changbin nods.

“Now, what do you know of his army?”

“Right…” Aristia nods and starts explaining the way their army is divided. She seems to impress most people around the table with the knowledge she has on the matter, as it’s truly unexpected. She is even able to give an estimated number of soldiers from when she still lived in the Kingdom.

Most people are amazed, with the exception of the fox-eyed man, whose gaze remains dark and unchanging.

She decides to ignore his hostility and continues telling the men about the Kingdom’s usually discussed strategies, their strengths and their weaknesses, and she tries to convey as much information as possible, despite this not being her strong suit. Truth be told, she doesn’t know much about the military; it never interested her to read about. However, she does her best to remember what she’s heard her father and the General talk about, and by the end of her talk, Changbin and Lee Know, as well as three other men she doesn’t recognise that are sitting around the table begin talking about their own strategies, using the new intel from Aristia.

“Do you all know what you have to do?” Chris asks after a little while, observing everyone. They all nod, so Chris stands up. “Alright, then. We will retire for the night. I’ll see you in a week from now, unless other problems arise.”

He comes behind Aristia’s chair and helps her stand up as well, and he guides her back to the passage. He opens the large wooden door and steps through it with her, before locking it.

“What about Lee Know and Changbin?” She asks, noticing that it’s just the two of them, but her mind is still stuck on the meeting, and on the new information that a week from now, another one will be held.

One that she has no spot at.

Yet.

“They’ll go to their own rooms for the night when they’re done planning.”

“I see.”

The walk back to Chan’s room is quiet except for their steps that echo through the long passage. When they finally reach the room, the bookshelf turns back in its place, making it impossible to notice there is something hidden behind it, unless you knew it was there.

Aristia finds it fascinating.

“So…” She starts, pulling the fur coat closer to her. “I guess I should go.”

“It might be better to sleep here, or at least stay until the morning.”

“Here?”

“Unless you want people to start talking again about how you got kicked out in the middle of the night.” He chuckles, slight mockery behind his words. “You asked me to make you Empress, and I’m giving you a chance to secure your position.”

“What, do you want to sleep with me now?” She asks in slight annoyance.

“No, Aristia.” He sighs. “I’m just thinking of how to prevent any more rumours from circling around you. I won’t touch you, so you can relax. And next time I ask for you, don’t wear such scanty clothes, and there’ll be nothing to fear.”

She chuckles, to Chan’s surprise, and drops the fur coat, going to the large bed and pulling the covers off to make enough space for her to go under.

“How’s your back?”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore. Sometimes it’s sore, but Hyunjin comes to apply a salve if I ask for him.”

“That’s good. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“Thanks. Aren’t you going to come to bed?” She asks with a frown, noticing that Chris is heading to his desk.

“… No, I don’t think so.” He shakes his head with a smile.

“Why not? It’s big enough for both of us.”

“I just have some work to do. Worry not and go to sleep first.” He urges her, and she pouts a bit before covering herself with the comfortable duvet.

“Good night.”

“Night.”

She closes her eyes and lets herself listen to every sound Chris makes. He’s not loud at all; sometimes, he flips a paper, or tuts, or sighs, but other than that, she can only hear his breathing.

She continues laying on the bed with her eyes closed for some time, but despite being fully relaxed, it rubs her the wrong way that Chris keeps working instead of coming to sleep.

She decides to sit up and observes him for a while, until he notices she’s not asleep.

They look at each other for a few moments without saying anything.

“What are you working on?” Aristia asks eventually, supporting her head on her knees.

“I’ve been reading some reports from the Capital. It appears a new disease has been spreading and no one knows why. A lot of people have died already. Hyunjin’s team is investigating as well.”

“Oh.” Aristia replies. Once again, she’s out of the loop.

She’s at least glad that this time Chris is the one to fill her in, and not Changbin.

“What are the symptoms?” She asks.

“Stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps, fever… Hyunjin said it might be food poisoning. There was an issue with a trade a few years ago where the Empire received spoiled goods, and a lot of people passed away after eating them.”

“How did you figure it out?”

“We assumed it was a disease at first, we tried treating the symptoms, but as the people kept consuming the spoiled goods, they kept getting sicker. Hyunjin was, at that time, a doctor somewhere in the countryside, and he suggested which food is causing the issue. It’s what earned him a place in the Palace, actually.”

“That’s amazing, he’s a very talented doctor.”

“He is, indeed. I’m just dejected that we didn’t find him earlier. We’ve lost important people because of it.”

“Like… Jisung’s dad?”

“… Yeah. How do you know about him?”

“He told me the other day…”

“If only I would’ve met with Hyunjin earlier…”

“It’s not your fault.” Aristia tries to console him, but Chris still looks dejected. He looks back at his papers and then changes the subject, back to the Empire’s actual problem.

“I was looking at all the reports of the trades and trying to figure out what the spoiled goods might be this time.”

“Maybe it’s not food. It might be water.” She shrugs, and Chris raises an eyebrow.

“Water?”

“Yeah. Contaminated water… wouldn’t it lead to the same symptoms?”

“I’m not sure. I guess? I need to talk to Hyunjin about it tomorrow. How did you think of this, though?”

“I’ll tell you if you turn off the lamp and come here.” She grins and pats the empty space beside her in bed.

Chris chuckles but stands up anyway and comes to the bed to lay down. He doesn’t go under the covers; instead, he sprawls out on top of them, supporting his head with a hand while he watches Aristia with curiosity.

“Let me guess, you read about it in a book.”

“No, not this time.” She chuckles.

The air between them feels light and relaxed, and so she lays down as well.

“My mother’s maid has taken care of me since I was born. She was like a mother to me. Since I didn’t have the King’s affection, other servants mistreated me quite often, if my maid wouldn’t pay attention. I would get sick often, despite my food being fresh, and we couldn’t figure out why. One day, though, she caught one of the maids washing some apples with dirty water, and suddenly, all my stomach issues made sense. She took care of all my meals going further, until she passed.”

“Aristia…” Chris immediately frowns, seemingly upset about the new information. “You’ve received such harsh treatment ever since you were little…?”

“It’s fine. It’s all in the past.” She says, watching Chan’s gaze. Her eyes get adjusted quickly to the dark, and his sparkle in the moonlight.

“I’m sorry… how was it after she passed away?”

“Well … let’s just say that the way I was treated here was light compared to how it was in the Kingdom.” She chuckles lightly, but Chan’s expression only falls more.

“Do you want to talk more about it?”

“Not necessarily. Only if you want to hear it.” She shrugs.

“I want to hear it.”

She hums and thinks about how to begin, and a few seconds later, she resumes talking.

“I was given old food most days, and I would be sick often. I wasn’t allowed to get out of my rooms much, but thankfully I had access to the library. My father called for me one night and that’s when it all started… and it got progressively worse with each passing week. I never knew when to expect the next beating. It honestly broke my heart when he came here and did the same thing. I thought… I foolishly thought I’m safe here.” She lets out a bitter laugh that’s pulling at Chan’s heartstrings.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” He places his hand on top of hers. “No one should ever have to go through something like this, let alone a child. And you are safe. You are safe here…”

“What was your childhood like?” Aristia smiles softly, trying to ignore his last words, as they seem meaningless. To her surprise, he actually opens up.

“My childhood?” He hums. “My parents were lovely people, but my mother passed away soon after Felix’s birth, and my father was poisoned a few years ago. That’s when I got on the throne. I was your age.”

“You became Emperor at 18, just as I became Empress at 18.” She replies in thought, knowing how much this title weighted on her shoulders. It must’ve been much more difficult for Chris, whose responsibility was so much bigger.

“Yeah.” He lays down completely, putting his head on the pillow and closing his eyes briefly. He feels tired, worn out, but he doesn’t think he can sleep.

He never can.

“How was he poisoned?” She asks almost in a whisper, making Chris open his eyes again.

“A noble’s son worked as a butler here. They were a loyal family, and that’s precisely why their son was sent here, but they were secretly planning a rebellion. We simply weren’t careful enough.”

“I’m sorry…” She gets out of her covers and lays down as well, on her side, looking at Chan’s side profile. He is a beautiful man, she notices once again, and she is reminded of the first time she’s seen his face in the church. It feels like a lifetime ago, even if it’s only been a year.

Back then, she would’ve never thought she’d spend a night with him talking casually like this.

“Is this why you can’t sleep?” She whispers again, and she decides to move one of her hands towards his head, ignoring her rapidly pulsing heart.

When her fingers touch his hair, she halts temporarily, waiting for a reaction from him, but he simply closes his eyes, so she digs her fingers deeper, scratching his scalp lightly with her nails.

“Yeah. It’s a sad realisation, knowing that you might get killed any second, unsure if you can truly trust anyone around you.”

Just then, he suddenly grabs her wrist and turns on his side as well, looking into her eyes.

“Can I trust you, Aristia?” He asks, but before she has a chance to answer, he continues speaking. “Tonight, at the meeting… you surely noticed that only important people are allowed there. I trusted you blindly, which resulted in everyone else trusting your words as well. I didn’t make a mistake, did I?”

She immediately shakes her head.

“But how can I know that?” He whispers and releases her wrist, showing a sad smile. “Can you prove it somehow?”

“How, Chris?” She asks. Her chest grows tight, as his expression is tugging at her heart. She’s never before wished so strongly for someone to believe her.

He doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, but then begins talking again, and his words simply don’t sit right within her heart.

“I guess there’s no way to find out before it happens. If I am to die in this war-”

“I’m sincere, Chris. You can trust me.” She says with resolve and breathes in, trying to get enough courage to move. She decides to stop thinking so much, and closes her eyes tightly, getting closer to him and pressing her lips against his.

Chris opens his eyes wide and doesn’t understand what’s going on for a few seconds. Aristia moves away and is glad for the darkness of the room, as her cheeks must be blood red.

“Uhm, I-” She starts, but is cut off by Chan’s lips on hers, his left hand finding its way to her waist, holding it tightly.

Their kiss deepens as Chris bites her lower lip, making her gasp slightly, moment when he slides his tongue inside her mouth.

Their tongues touch numerous times feverishly, and Aristia’s right hand finds Chan’s neck. They keep kissing passionately, gasping for air, when Chris ends up on top of her. She makes space for him between her legs as her hands move to his back, fingernails touching him through his shirt, and when they get down enough, she finds a patch of skin around his lower back, and she slides her hands under.

Chris can’t get enough of her sweetness, and he keeps kissing her passionately until he feels her nails scratching his back, and he pulls away to look at her. She looks so beautiful under him, moonlight radiating on her skin, and fuck, her skimpy clothes are not helping the growing bulge in his pants. He wants to devour her completely, to make her his, and his fingers move to the small cord keeping her nightgown together.

He hesitates for a few seconds, looking into her eyes that seem as full of desire as his. Those beautiful, beautiful eyes that enticed him since day one with their powerful, alluring burning.

“May I?” he asks, and she nods eagerly, closing her eyes in anticipation. This is a stark contrast to their first night, when, despite them not sleeping together, he ripped her robe open to show her how easily it is to overpower her.

He doesn’t want to overpower her this time, or control her, or dominate her. He simply wants to bring her pleasure, and to chase his own by using her body, as long as she wants it as well. He wants them to be Emperor and Empress, husband and wife, equal to one another as they become one.

Having her accord, his fingers untie the robe that reveal her underwear quickly: a two-piece lacy set that hugs her body perfectly. He touches her breasts through the lace bralette, and she lets out a soft moan, rolling her head back.

“You’re so beautiful, Aristia.” He whispers, connecting his mouth to her neck, sucking patches of skin and marking her with his kisses.

She arches her back at the contact, and Chris takes advantage of this moment by sliding his hands under her, unclasping her bra. He takes it off swiftly, watching her breasts bounce as her back connects to the mattress once more.

He moves his mouth lower, taking her left breast into his hand as his lips latch onto her right, and he begins sucking on her nipple, while his fingers play with the other.

Aristia squirms under him, trying desperately to clench her legs together as she feels her arousal building up, but Chan’s body is still between her legs, so she is unable to move much. However, he notices her urgency, so he decides to spare her of her suffering.

He begins moving his mouth lower, and when he reaches her abdomen, he presses a long kiss on her belly as his fingers entangle the hem of her underwear, beginning to take it down.

“Chris, I- oh, God.” She moans as his mouth connects to her core, licking her clit eagerly. She rolls her head back again, and she’s never felt as much pleasure before. An unfamiliar feeling settles deep in her stomach, as she moans louder and tries to move away from him.

However, his hands on her thighs keep her in place, and he continues licking that sweet spot until she comes undone with a loud whine.

He begins kissing his way up her body again, and when he gets on top of her, he presses a long kiss against her lips.

“How was it?” He asks, looking into her eyes for any second-thoughts or doubts. He doesn’t find either. Her eyes are burning up more than ever, with a passion stronger than he’s ever seen before, and instead of replying, she raises her head to kiss him again, and she’s the one biting his lips this time.

Her hands find the hem of his shirt and she urges him to take it off, watching in awe how perfect he looks. His body is as beautiful as his face, extremely toned and pleasant to the eyes.

She holds her breath in anticipation as he takes his pants down, and when he presses his hard dick against her entrance, she closes her eyes instinctively and holds her breath.

She tries counting seconds in her head instead of thinking of all the books she has read about the female anatomy and the stinging pain a woman has on her first night, but she tenses up, nonetheless.

“Are you alright? Do you want me to stop?” Chris asks, touching her face tenderly with his hands and making her open her eyes again and release her breath.

“I’m just… scared.” She replies honestly in a small voice, it comes out as a whisper. “It’s going to hurt, isn’t it?”

“Probably.” He nods. “But I’m not going to hurt you deliberately. I’ll be as gentle as I can, and if you decide you can’t take it, we can stop anytime.”

“Do you promise?” She whispers again, and all of a sudden, she feels exposed and vulnerable. All the confidence she had until now, gone, in the blink of an eye. “Do you promise not to hurt me?”

“Yes.” He answers quickly, resolve lacing his tone. “I don’t want to hurt you. I promise.” He continues, pressing a kiss on her neck.

“Alright…” She nods unsurely and buries her head in Chan’s shoulder, her hands hanging onto his back for dear life.

He begins pushing in, and she feels a slight pain, but it’s nothing as bad as she thought.

“Ugh…” She lets her head fall back on the bed, looking into his eyes, noticing how closely he observes her.

“Can you take more?”

“Yeah…” She nods, and he pushes in some more, until he bottoms out into her. The stretch is uncomfortable, but Chris is not rushing her; he lets her get adjusted to him before he begins moving slowly, and soon enough, his slow thrusts get more momentum, and the pain mixes with pleasure.

Her hands release his back momentarily, until she connects them to it again, digging her nails in his skin softly. She also adjusts her position and moves her legs around his waist, allowing him to dive in even deeper than before and hit an angle she never thought possible.

“You’re so good…” Chris praises, his thrusts becoming more and more erratic, and with no warning, he stalls on top of her, panting heavily.

He pulls out and she feels something warm dripping out of her, before Chan’s fingers find her pussy again, rubbing it. He moves his other hand as well, making two fingers enter her, curling up and touching that sweet spot from inside as he keeps rubbing circles on her clit.

She comes undone for the second time with ease, gripping his arm to signal him to stop.

He does, and comes back on top of her, taking some stray hairs out of her face and tucking them behind her ear, as he kisses her lips.

“Was it that bad?” He asks, and she shakes her head.

“I was expecting… the worst, honestly.” She laughs. “You were really good. Thank you for being patient with me.”

Chris is the one who lets out a laugh this time. Who thanks their partner like that?

Nonetheless, he is glad she also had a good time, as this experience came as a surprise to him. He never planned to bed her, and the way it happened, the way his heart kept beating faster and faster until his desire became almost impossible to control, caught him completely off guard.

Hell, his heart is still beating way too fast for his own liking, and her plump lips look so inviting, he wants to kiss her over and over again.

“We should head to sleep.” He says instead, and she nods softly.

Chris aids Aristia in getting under the covers, and he follows suit shortly, but his body suddenly feels cold, empty, like something is missing.

He turns to look at her again, his eyes softer than ever before, and he grabs her body, making her come into his arms.

She responds to his touch and snuggles into his chest, and they fall asleep, cuddled against each other.

~

Chapter 7 | Chapter 9

[bardic-tales]

Spread Kindness Celebration: Day 1: Choices Fandom Shoutout Day

This event is hosted by @choicesfandomappreciation. When I signed up for this I didn't realize it was for a game fandom, but I still want to participate, since most of my mutuals know I am huge on spreading positivity.

Today, we are suppose to give shoutouts to readers, supporters, event hosts, and creators. With that in mind, I thought of one mutual / friend who has been there for me since I have started this writeblr: @littleshopofchaos. I look forward to seeing your RP and your diamond paintings, etc, on my dash.

With that in mind, I remembered what you said about wanting to RP with me. While I don't RP -- which I may change in the coming year -- I did write a little fan fiction between Bianca and Cain. I hope I didn't get Cain too out of character. I did try to incorporate what you said about him in this post.

Acquaintance / Friendship: Cain (Chaos) & Bianca Moore (Harbinger of the End)

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 704

Fandom: Original World

Content Warning: betrayal, cosmic themes, emotional trauma, existential themes, isolation, moral conflict, philosophical discussions, self-doubt, self-sacrifice, unresolved emotional wounds.

Summary: Bianca and Cain discuss their diverging paths and philosophies on destruction, redemption, and purpose.

The stars spun in slow, rhythmic circles above Bianca and Cain. Their light fractured across the swirling nebulae and distant galaxies of the worlds beyond the Ethereal Nexus. They stood on the edge of existence, an unsteady platform towering above the forgotten town below. The platform cast long shadows against the cosmos.

Cain looked up at the vast, undulating sky. His tone was soft as he glanced at Bianca. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? This is everything that’s worth protecting, Bianca.”

Bianca crossed her arms. Her gaze never wavered from the stars. The universe, so easily manipulated, was so fragile beneath the weight of her ambitions and power.”

“It is beautiful.” Her gaze still watching the path of a planet float by in the sky above. “But beauty and weakness often go hand-in-hand. For too long, I’ve been bound by my past, my wounds, and my mother's self-imposed duty to safeguard a creation that has betrayed me over and over. This kilonova — it’s a way to bring new purpose. To end the cycle of suffering that has followed our kind like a shadow.”

Cain looked at her carefully, as though searching for the woman he had known briefly on Earth: the woman beneath the ambition. “I used to think the same way. Chaos was my path. It shaped me. I lost the people I loved, leaving only emptiness behind. I thought destruction would fill it.”

“You believe the answer is redemption, don’t you, Cain? You think I should seek the goodness that was denied to us both and that you are trying to find in others?”

“Yes, because I found that path. I had the opportunity to change, to become something more than a weapon of chaos and ruin. People like Darcy. They taught me that creation can rise from the ashes of destruction, not through obliteration, but through choice.

“All this — life and beauty — it’s fragile, yes, but that makes it precious.” He gestured around them, as the galaxies above their heads spun lazily in the ether. “If you destroy this, Bianca, it’s gone forever. My brother, Darcy, and everyone. Gone.”

“My path is not yours, Cain.” She whispered, her voice quiet, but there was no bitterness in it. There was just resignation. Her black wings relaxed against her back and cascaded down like a dark feathery cloak. “I have no place in a world built on false promises and broken oaths. I’m no guardian of the light. My role in the grand scheme of things is to change the omniverse through destruction. Only then can it be cleansed, so that something better might be reborn.”

“And if that something better never comes? Bianca, you have a heart. A wounded heart, yes, but it’s still there underneath the scars. I wasn’t too far gone. You aren’t either.”

“Maybe you’re right. But I’ve walked in shadow for a millennium now, as an abomination that shouldn’t exist. I don’t even know if I would recognize the light even if touched me.” Her gaze shifted back to the stars. “I want to believe what you are saying. Maybe, somewhere inside of me, I even envy you for it. But my fate was determined long before Creation. For me, there is no other choice.”

The shadow of sadness, a fleeting flicker of understanding, momentarily crossed Cain’s face. He nodded. “Maybe one day, you’ll see things differently. I hope you do, Bianca.”

“I appreciate your words, Cain. Truly. And I wish you well on your path of redemption. I hope it brings you the peace you deserve.”

He gently touched her shoulder. “If you ever find yourself wanting more, reach out. There are people who care about you and welcome you with open arms.”

With a final look back, he raised his hand and opened a swirling portal back to Earth. His outline shimmered against the starlight, as if he was a figure caught between realms.

“Take care, Cain.” The light of the portal flickered and died, and Bianca felt the familiar chill of solitude as Cain disappeared, leaving her alone once more. She gazed up into the spinning stars and galaxies of the Ethereal Nexus: an agent of chaos and a keeper of her own destiny wherever it should lead.

[shallowseeker]

Okay, and so. Building on this. With Lucifer. He COVETS Jack. He wants his son, right up until the bitter end, I think!

In 13x23, when Jack "broke Lucifer's heart" (per Nick in 14x17), Lucifer ROARS in dismay.

Lucifer does care... kinda. He wants Jack to be the balm to the nihilism and meaningless that he struggled with way back in season 11.

Lucifer's solution for being better than Chuck? Is not to leave Jack.

He feels like his dogged determination to cross worlds to get to Jack will earn him love. (Per his own words in 12x07, he "needs" love.) He expects Jack to see the stars with him, to be closer to Lucifer's angel-oriented morality than Jack's human-oriented one.

Jack was supposed to be the thing that gave Lucifer's life new meaning and purpose.

LUCIFER: Your sons have my boy. So I’m gonna exchange you for my son. MARY: (baffled) You can’t possibly care about raising a child. LUCIFER: Oh, you have no idea what I care about.

13x02

//

It's the opposite of Chuck's neuroses in some ways... Lucifer is clinging extra hard to his family, deriving narcissistic supply from that family.

And... he is jealous of the family Jack chooses to elevate over him.

(Important note: Chuck showed a flash of this fury with Lucifer too, letting slip in season 11 how angry he was when Lucifer "plotted to replace him with the angels.")

//

ANYHOO. When Jack rejects Lucifer, Lucifer covets Jack. He immediately starts showing a, "If I can't have him, no one will" mentality. (Which is, interestingly, a callback to Heaven/Miriam in 13x01 right after Jack was born: "If we can't have him, no one will!" as she stabs Jack with her angel blade, right in the heart.)

Here, Lucifer takes Jack's grace, and then he spirits Jack away to a church. When Sam hangs on for the ride, Lucifer turns his hate on Sam.

Lucifer wants to kill Sam because Jack loves Sam instead of Lucifer.

LUCIFER: Wow, Daddy Sammy coming to the rescue. But your little Jackie, the nougat-loving boy that you had before, he's killed people. He's got lots of blood on his hands. SAM (standing): I don't care. He's family. LUCIFER: Ha! What's family done for anybody? My dad left me. My brothers tried to kill me. A lot. Family blows. And I'm gonna prove it to you. SAM: What, by killing me? Go ahead. LUCIFER: No, I'm not gonna kill you. He is. (pointing to Jack)

Lucifer wanted to be Jack's dad. And all these people keep getting in the way. It's as Rowena said:

ROWENA (13x21): The heartfelt family reunion of Sam, Dean, Cas, Mary, and your very own son Jack. That's right. Your wee boy's over there, and he'll be so glad to see his three fathers. Of course, as far as he's concerned, they are his father. And you? You're nothing to him. Or me. Or anyone now. Nothing.

///

And no surprise: the enviers want to kill the persons they're jealous of.

(Aside/// This might play into how Lucifer killed Cas in 12x23; Kelly and the infant Jack had chosen Cas over him; Cas had stolen Lucifer's destiny!)

It's like how The Empty wanted to hurt/take Jack ("I'm taking HIM. And where we're going, it's worse than Hell! —snicker— Oh, look at them they're SCARED!") It's also... like how Chuck wanted to kill Jack.

CHUCK: (Sighs) Uh, whatever happens to the person you're aiming at also happens to you. So you kill him...

//

But to have the object of your spurned affections be the one to do it? Well. Sometimes, that's even better.

LUCIFER: Now I could -- I probably should -- execute you. I mean, really, really use my imagination. But I'm feeling generous today. So one of you is gonna walk out that door, and the other one will be laying dead on the ground. You choose.

13x23

((((Aside// I love that Lucifer, like Chuck, is forcing them into a no-win situation and FRAMING it as choice. Insanely diabolical, but must feel good for him the one to be driving the trial this time: ("another one of dad's tests?"))))

///

CHUCK: No. Pick it up! Pick it up. Pick up the gun. ... Okay, Dean, no offense, but your brother is stupid and crazy. And that kid is still dangerous. So pick up the gun. Pick it up... pull the trigger... and I'll bring her back.

14x20

Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.