#the other verse he also terrorizes them so it’s never safe

[theflagscene]

Let’s talk Jack and Joke’s perceived parental roles -

It’s laid out in plain words in episode ten so that there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever, Jack and Joke have taken Toi Ting in and have no plans on returning her to her deadbeat abusive bio-dad. I believe that it going to stay that way, so we’re going to keep to that assumption of her being adopted or fostered by them legally once everything is sorted.

Note: not looking for arguments about the legitimacy of blood relations verses found/chosen family. An adopted child is that person’s child, you do not need to have carried them in your body for them to be yours.

I adore that YinWar have been pushing back against the stereotypes around gay men and queer media in general about what roles a person takes in the relationship, they’ve mostly been focusing on the sexual aspect because that is the part that people tend to get the most hung up on.

Yet I find it wildly interesting how easily Jack and Joke fall into what would be considered the ‘heteronormative parental roles’ when it comes to Toi Ting. It’s not a bad thing! No, it’s actually quite nice to see. They’re not forcing any ‘husband/wife’ ideals into their relationship, they just naturally fall into the roles that are appropriate for them as a couple and a family unit.

Jack is very much in the ‘father’ role, remember, father does not instantly mean masculine or emotionally stunted. He is the protector, he is a trained martial artist and debt collector, he is physically intimidating. He is firm and chastising but also patient and forgiving, he is the one Toi Ting feels physically safe with the most, she runs to him for help, she learns her bravery and defiance from him. He absolutely will pat her back, smooth down her hair and allow himself be to dragged away by the hand to get ice cream. He is playing the role of not just a father figure, but a daddy. (stop giggling at that word, the internet has ruined us all 😝)

Meanwhile, Joke has one hundred percent filled the ‘mother’ role for Toi Ting. Again, not because he’s femme or whatever - side note, there’s nothing wrong with being femme! Joke is a natural carer, he wears his emotions on his sleeve because he never had anyone care about him before. He is gentle and a listener, both things that serve him well as a thief. When Toi Ting comes running to Jack for physical protection, it is Joke that offers emotional protection. He is the one that takes her into his arms and calms her down, he hugs her, reassures her and speaks with clam and loving words to bring her big scary emotions back down to a more manageable level. Joke can redirect her attention and is the one that sits and paints with her, Jack just ‘supervises’, aka is a big dope that’ll ruin the painting lol. But together Jack and Joke are able to offer Toi Ting what she needs, both a mother figure and a father figure, regardless of their genders.

Which leads me into the absolute heartbreak of a scene at the end of episode ten, where Jack and Joke find themselves in the one place no parent ever wants to find themselves. Stuck on the other side of those damnable white doors, unable to get to your child.

Joke has an emotional response, very much a mother’s response. Again, mothers tend to be the ‘emotional nurturers’ so them being more giving with their emotions is to be expected. And I would just like to point out how exceptional War plays that role, he is a mother waiting in terror to find out if his baby is dying or dead.

The blank horrified stare, the shaking hands and quivering movements, the fact that his legs fail him and he ends up curled up on the floor. Covering his mouth to keep the sobs in, yet unable to stop the silent flow of tears, barely even noticing when Hoy tries to comfort him. Joke doesn’t snap out of his shock until Jack shows up.

Jack on the other hand has a very ‘fatherly’ response, the pacing, the pinched expression, the heavy breathing and muttering before just exploding with anger, swearing loudly and looking for someone to blame. He can’t break down just yet, he’s too angry, too scared, he’s not the emotional support. He’s the protector, the provider and he hates himself for failing. Yin played that so well, how he kept moving to touch his head, putting his hands on his hips, fidgeting as he paced, forcing the camera to keep up with his near frantic movements.

Where Joke froze, Jack found movement.

Where Joke was quiet, Jack exclaimed loudly.

Where Joke allowed tears to flow, Jack held his pain tightly in.

Joke and Jack are Toi Ting’s mother and father, and that final hospital scene just proved it.

[grievedifferent]

miles: is convinced josh’s family has some insane industry connections to likely something dark and seedy, even ritualistic, thus is constantly trying to get the scoop, borderline harassing the washington family and also all of their friends

waylon: having to explain to miles why he isn’t invited to hang out anymore

[000marie198]

I love it how in the movies and shows, it is never explicitly mentioned that Hiccup and Snotlout are cousins but it is shown throughout the franchise in little moments so accurately that when you tell a fan they are cousins, there is zero doubt. Their whole dynamic screams cousins, whether it be them trying to freaking destroy the other in the funniest ways or caring about the other while still throwing around insults.

That aside, what I really wanted to point out is how similar some of their skills are. A proof they are cousins is that they share some very specific talents that most people on Berk don't have, talents that match in almost a familial manner.

You guys all know Hiccup's perks and personality and talents right? Well, lemme point out some of Snotlout's and see how they match his cousin's.

A strange combination of Loyal to a fault and Rebellious to a fault. This perk doesn't just apply on Snotlout, Hiccup is like this too but in his own way. It depends on the situation and person and their mood most importantly. Hiccup would sneak out to hunt for trolls and go into forest or try and train dragons or sneak out to go on flights when he's not supposed to etc. And Snotlout would trust and listen and have his team's and leader's back even if he doesn't seem to like it at points. He cares about his friends so much (seriously, go watch the entirety of the DreamWorks Dragons series)

Inventive and artistic. Snotlout works at the armoury at the beginning of RTTE, he also invented the sheep launcher. He's also pretty good at stitching. And I'm preeeetty sure he's able to forge his own weapons and armor now same as Hiccup.

Amateur writers who're actually pretty good. Hiccup's narrations are always fun to listen to and they also indicate that he has a knack for being a writer. In an episode of RTTE, Snotlout wrote a book that the gang found to be pretty good. And while Hiccup has artistic skills in drawing and painting and sketching, Snotlout is good at designing and aesthetics.

They both have a strange tendency to go and get hit on the head by lightning. Actually, lightning really seems to love these two.

Interestingly enough, Snotlout is also shown to be pretty persuasive and encouraging to others when needed, whether it be giving a scared kid a peptalk or talking some sense into someone who's being reckless and stubborn.

Tendency to plan something extremely reckless and crazy when there's a time crunch and those plans surprisingly work. Yes, both Hiccup and Snotlout do that quite often.

They love dragons! And yes, I'm aware that by now, the whole gang loves dragons but Hiccup loves them even more. He is obsessed with them and wants to keep them safe, he cares about these creatures so so much! While the other riders love their dragons more than anybody else but not as much as Hiccup, Snotlout cares about dragons almost in a similar way to how Hiccup and Valka do. He sings lullabies to baby fireworms and is so gentle with them. In The Eel Effect, he went into Hiccup mode with a terrible terror (just before he shook the poor guy but that besides the point) and was giving a speech to start a dragon revolution because he appreciates these creatures and genuinely believes they should be treated with full respect

That is all to say, even if it isn't directly told in the movie-verse, it is shown throughout that Hiccup and Snotlout are cousins and both even have some traits and talents in common

[lixzey]

SERENDIPITY, l. castellan

a/n: there are scenes here from the demigod diaries, specifically the diary of luke castellan. credits to uncle rick for those scenes 💯 the characters and the pjo verse belongs to rick riordan except Amaya Williams and her father.

also, i've had this in my google docs for SO LONG! i think editing/rewriting started june? i don't know what the exact date is, but i've been in it too deep. plus, the help of my friends really did add to this masterpiece!

beta'd by my amazing friends @lilmaymayy and @jennapancake and my lovely friend that deserves credit @mxtokko

guys wanna be added to the luke castellan taglist, just ask!

Anyway, onto the story!

word count: 8, 974

luke and maya masterlist

CHAPTER ONE: THE YOUNG HALF BLOODS

LUKE CASTELLAN didn't want to be a half-blood.

Who in their right mind would want to be one? Being a half-blood practically meant suicide.

Luke Castellan is a demigod, or in other terms, a half-blood, meaning half god, half human. If you think that sounds cool, think again. Those Greek myths? They're real.

Luke had learned from a young age that he could never live a quiet and peaceful life. Why, you may ask? It's because people like him aren't safe in the world. Demigods are practically monster magnets, and those terrifying creatures can sense half-bloods even from miles away. If you think that's bad enough, being chased by at every turn, wait 'til you hear about Luke's grandfather of sorts. 

Luke was nine when he ran away from home. His home life wasn't exactly ideal. For as long as he could remember, he knew his mother wasn't normal.

At the young age of four, Luke became conscious of his mother's fits. At first, he didn't understand it—or his mother hid it from him so well, to avoid scaring him as a baby. Until one day, on the day after his fourth birthday, Luke witnessed what his mother was hiding from him.

He had woken up from a terrible nightmare, and desperately wanted his mother in fear that the monster would come back and eat him whole. Gripping his favorite blanket in one hand and his favorite teddy bear in the other, Luke crept out of his room in the deep of the night, the floorboards creaking with every little step he took.

The second his hand fell onto the brass door knob, a loud blood-curdling scream echoed through the house, scaring him. Thinking that someone or something was attacking his mother, Luke didn't think twice before opening the door. Grave mistake. 

May Castellan was kneeling in the middle of her room, her eyes were a bright glowing green and only then did Luke realize that she was screaming Danger! Terrible fate! in a deep, far away voice. As if there was something haunting or maybe possessing his mother.

Luke tried his best to help his mother, he tried calling out to her, tugging on her arm, and begging her to stop, but to no avail. He just stood in front of his mother with tears in his innocent chocolate brown eyes as he begged again and again for his mommy to stop, that she was scaring him. After what felt like an eternity, the glow faded, and Luke was finally staring back into the identical warm brown eyes of his mother—which widened at the realization that he had seen everything.

Despite the fear he felt, Luke immediately wrapped his arms around his mother, seeking comfort for both nightmares he'd gone through the night. May has never failed to show how much she loved her son, hugging him tightly as he clung to her, remembering that little vow she made on the day Luke was born—to keep him safe from the terrors of this wretched world.

Life was good even though it was just the two of them. May tried her best to at least give Luke a taste of a normal childhood. Before Luke even understood the concept of love and affection, May made sure his life was filled with love and happiness, despite that lingering fear of what should be.

His mother's love was as sweet as the homemade strawberry jelly in his favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwich, her hugs and kisses as warm and comforting as the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies she always bakes. Whenever in the kitchen, May would often let Luke help around, her little sous chef—with a little taste test here and there. 

On the refrigerator was a corkboard with Luke's drawings and paintings that his mother would proudly pin-up like a little hall of fame. One of his favorites was this drawing of a heart, painted red like his favorite Kool-Aid flavor and below were wonky stick figures of what he told his mother was them being the happiest in the world.

Even though their house wasn't in the greatest condition, May's love for her only child made it home. Oh, how she wishes to keep it that way forever, to keep her baby boy safe and loved in her arms until her last breath. 

But not everyone gets what they want.

If happily ever after did exist, Luke would've been a happy little boy living his best life with his loving mother. But this is the real world, and happily ever after doesn’t exist here. There will always be more to the story that everyone dreads.

After that first fit, Luke thought—hoped, really—that there wouldn't be a next. But boy was he wrong, absolutely wrong. It kept on happening again and again, frequently throughout the day to the point that his mother's state progressively got worse, ultimately terrifying him.

Every time his mother would have an episode, Luke would hide in the furthest corner of his closet, covering his ears while his mother's screams echoed down the hallway—with each time it got louder and louder—tears streaming down his face. He felt so weak and helpless that he couldn't do anything for his mother. Luke has tried praying, he prayed hard and was desperate for someone, anyone to come and save him and his mother, but no one ever came.

Not even his father.

Luke had already known who his father was since the third time his mother had one of her fits. She had muttered his name, and something about it just clicked in his mind. He was a child, but he was definitely not stupid.

After that, he made it his mission to snoop in his mother's bedroom one day when she went to get groceries. Luke then stumbled upon a box, tucked away in the corner of his mother's closet and when he opened it, the first thing he saw was a photo on top of a pile of other random items.

It was a photo of a happy couple standing in front of their house—the only difference was that the house looked new, and somehow a lot more cozy than what he was used to—with a squirming baby in the arms of what looked to be a younger, less tired and worn out version of his mother. And on the back of it was Luke's first birthday! written in neat cursive. Looking at the other photos and random items, he had confirmed his suspicions.

Luke was a son of Hermes, the god of messengers, travelers, and thieves, or as Luke calls him, the divine bastard who left him and his mother. 

From then on, Luke would often wonder why his father abandoned him and his mother if they were this perfect little family back then? He had a lot of questions he desperately wanted—no, needed—answers to, which led him to start praying to his father.

As time went on, Luke started to resent his father. All the effort he'd put into praying was all in vain, as he never got the answers he so desperately craved. So, he then blamed Hermes for everything. If it wasn't for him leaving maybe his mother wouldn't have these terrible fits, if it wasn't for him his mother's state wouldn't have slowly deteriorated over the years, leading to the neglect he was finally facing at eight years old.

The house was no longer kept. The food his mother made was now always burnt, lacking that love she usually put into her cooking. The dishes kept piling over the sink, the house got extremely dusty with cobwebs littering almost every corner, the hamper filled to the brim with dirty clothes, the garbage bin overflowing with trash, and it was all left for Luke to handle—as his mother was no longer capable of doing so. It was like all of the warmth Luke had grown up with was slowly sucked out, leaving him and his mother so devoid of color. 

As his life continued, Luke started to get extremely jealous of children with loving parents—the life he was now deprived of—he would watch as mothers tended to their children in his neighborhood, and he would watch fathers play with their children, while all he had now was a broken mother and a deadbeat immortal father.

On the day he turned nine years old, Luke couldn’t take it anymore. He was so full of anger, pain, and resentment that he decided to pack up and leave. Though, as he took one final glance at his mother before completely walking out of the door—for school as he told her—Luke felt so guilty. The fact that his mother would be alone for the days to come was eating him alive, pulling at his heartstrings, begging him to stay. But his anger got the best of him. He’s already come to understand that no one will ever rescue him, he has to take his fate into his own hands now. It was for the best. 

Living alone on the streets at the age of nine was harder than it looked.

At first, Luke thought it would all be a great adventure, just like in the stories he heard before, but he eventually realized that living in that house—if you could even call that a house—even with his possessed mother, is safer than fending for himself. The minute he stepped out of his mother’s house, he made himself a target—a meal—for hundreds, if not, thousands of monsters. 

Luke hadn’t even brought a weapon with him when he left, not even one of those knives from the kitchen that had never been used and was only rusting in the kitchen drawer. It was stupid of him, clearly. His carelessness had nearly killed him more than once, and he was not about to make the same mistake again. With his trusty crowbar that he had swiped from a house he passed by, he finally left Westport, Connecticut. Luke didn’t really know where he’d go, he hadn’t figured that out prior to leaving home. He only knew the streets of Westport, but after that, he was all on his own.

After an experience he had with a Cyclops, Luke never stayed in one place for long. He was always on the move with hardly enough time to steal a few hours—even a wink, at most—of sleep using his backpack as a pillow. Sometimes, he’d resort to diving through dumpsters to try to disguise his scent, hoping that no monster could trace him. 

By the second month, Luke nearly admitted defeat. At this point, he was willing to sell his soul to some dark god or something for a good night's sleep and a hot meal. He was exhausted, filthy, penniless and constantly on the run from monsters and, well, mortals alike. His backpack felt far heavier than it should with every step that he took, often leaving himself running out of breath every time. His clothes, which had once been bordering on too small thanks to a recent growth spurt, now hung off of his thin frame, the cuffs frayed and stained beyond recognition. In all honesty, Luke thought he looked like a walking skunk. Aside from the intense smell from practically bathing in garbage, his hair was overgrown and covering his eyes, which led him to tie it back with a piece of his shirt he’d ripped off.

Luke imagined all of the normal families living in those cozy houses he’s passed by over the course of his journey. He wondered what it would be like to have a home again—a proper home—to know where his next meal was coming from, to have a comfortable bed to sleep in, and not have to worry about getting eaten by monsters every day. He barely remembered what it was to be cared for, because for half of his life, he’d been practically raising himself. Luke was tired of fending for his life, but eventually, he managed to get the hang of living day to day with a promise to himself that he would never be like his father—an absolute jerk.

He traveled on foot, state by state, lonely and miserable. 

Once, when he had stopped by a town for a while, Luke tried to befriend a mortal boy his age. But when he told him the truth about his identity, he didn't understand. He had confessed that he was the son of Hermes, the immortal messenger dude with winged sandals and shit. He tried to explain that monsters and Greek gods were real and very much alive in the modern world. His mortal friend just grinned, thinking that Luke was joking. “That is so cool! I wish I was a demigod!” As if it was some sort of game, which led Luke to leave and forgo his dream of having a friend.

For five long years, Luke fought hard to survive. He shoplifted food and supplies from convenience stores, stealing practically anything that was useful, and tried to fight off monsters with a pocket knife he had stolen from a family having a picnic at a park he once passed (don’t ask about his once so trusty crowbar, please). Even though he'd never met his father and didn't really want to, he shared some of his talents. 

Along with being the messenger of the gods, his father is also the god of merchants—which explains why he was good with money—and travelers, which explains why the so-called divine jerk left him and his mother without ever looking back at the family he supposedly built, oh and it also explains why he navigates so well on the road. Aside from that, Hermes is also the god of thieves, hence—well, duh—the shoplifting and stealing. Hermes’ stolen things like—oh, Apollo’s cattle, women, good ideas, wallets, his mom’s sanity, and his chance at a decent life. Sorry, did that sound bitter? Moving on. 

It wasn't an ideal life for a child. Luke was barely living, but eventually, he simply learned to make do with the life the gods cursed him to have. Who else is going to save him, if not himself?

A little while before Luke’s fourteenth birthday, he met Thalia Grace. The daughter of the king of the gods himself, Zeus, or if we’re going on technical terms, Luke’s grandfather. Sucks, right?

The meeting had been an accident (it wasn't). Luke was running for his life because a stupid cyclops (he was really starting to hate this particular breed) was chasing him and a pocket knife wasn’t really a match for the big ugly one-eyed monster. He managed to outrun the Cyclops, by running head-first into a cave, literally slamming into a girl with dark hair and electric blue eyes. 

Long story short, Luke and Thalia teamed up to stay alive, subsequently traveling across the country while fending for themselves. At first, he was skeptical of trusting her. Why wouldn’t he be? No one in his life has ever understood him, so why would she? Luke had already accepted the fact that he would be a freak for the rest of his life at this point. 

But unlike him, Thalia had it worse. Way worse. 

She was a forbidden kid. A child born out of a pact sworn on the River Styx. Big dumb king of the gods just couldn’t keep it in his pants, condemning a child—his child—to a terrible fate. Nice parenting, isn’t it? Maybe he wrote a book about it, that his own father stupidly read for tips on how to raise—abandon—your child. Way to go, grandpa! 

Eventually, Luke learned to trust Thalia. Spending time with her made him feel less lonely, he finally had a friend. A friend who understood the struggles that come with being a half-blood. Suddenly, life wasn’t as scary anymore. 

At some point, they arrived at Richmond, Virginia, where Thalia followed a goat—Amaltheia. Luke didn't understand why they were following a goat. Why were they following a goat? He didn't know.

Thalia eventually explained that it was Amaltheia who led her to him, that their meeting wasn't by accident because she decided to follow her thinking that Amaltheia was sent by her father. Luke wanted to argue with her, following a freaking goat into the unknown was honestly so stupid of her, his feet were practically melting into his shoes from all the walking at this point and he wasn’t really in the mood to chase around a barnyard animal. 

Thalia dragged Luke out from where they were hiding, pulling him across the street as if he was a little boy and she was his mother. He didn’t protest. When Thalia gets an idea in her head, you just have to go with it. She always gets her way. If Thalia wanted to chase a magical glowing goat, then they would do just that, even though Luke had a bad feeling about it. 

Thalia knelt next to the goat, its eyes meeting hers. The goat glanced at Luke, she looked a little miffed like he was intruding on a private conversation. Rolling his eyes, he took a step back, resisting the urge to grab his weapon. Oh, by the way, his weapon is a golf club. Yeah, yeah, feel free to laugh. He used to have a sword made of Celestial bronze, which is super deadly to monsters. Unfortunately, the sword got melted in acid (long story, please don’t ask). Now all he had was a nine-iron that he carried. Not exactly amazing, but it does the trick somehow.

Amaltheia pointed the two to an old mansion, which Luke thought was eerily creepy. But what was new? Luke has been in the presence of more monsters than he could count, creepy stuff isn’t something he’s a stranger to at this point.  

Once inside—thanks to Luke's skills (which he isn't proud of)—they realized that the mansion was a trap, a deadly one at that. The gods leading unknowing demigods to their deaths, a normal occurrence, right? 

As they were trying everything to escape the mansion of doom as Luke called it, they met Halcyon Green. A demigod son of Apollo who was cursed by his own father for saving a girl's life with his ability to see into the future. He had been imprisoned in his own childhood home with his voice stripped as a reminder of his faults. A part of Halcyon’s curse was to lure demigods into their demise, by getting eaten by three leucrota—a terrifying monster that cannot be defeated by man nor god. 

Luke already knew the gods could be cruel. His own father was a prime example of it, having ignored him for fourteen years. But Halcyon Green's curse was just plain wrong. It was evil. Hal only wanted to help, but what did he get? A lifelong terrible curse that the gods rub in his face every damn day. 

Luke desperately wanted to find a way to rescue Hal, Thalia, and himself from this hellhole they call a mansion. But Hal told them that every demigod that had come across this wretched place thought that they could escape but soon realized it wasn't possible. This curse—Hal’s curse—was meticulously planned, to the point of no error. All because Hal wanted to be a good person. 

Thalia was able to claim Aegis—a bracelet that transforms into a replica of her father's shield—a blessing from Zeus, as Thalia insisted it was (all that trouble for a damn bracelet?). After what felt like endless hours of searching, they discovered that the only way they were going to escape the leucrotae was by making Greek fire, which is one of the most dangerous magical substances in the world.

In the end, Hal decided that he would sacrifice himself to give them time to escape. But before he did, Hal had predicted Thalia and Luke's futures, but left him vague answers about his own, unlike what he had given Thalia. A sacrifice in your future. A choice. But also a betrayal. which left Luke utterly confused.

Hal later pulled Luke aside, giving him his personal diary, insisting that he continue the diary. You have an important future. Your choices will change the world. You can learn from my mistakes. It might help you with your decisions. Luke tried to argue, but Hal still persisted. Just promise me you’ll keep up with the diary. If I’d started recording my thoughts earlier in my life, I might have avoided some stupid mistakes. Luke still didn’t want to, as he wanted Hal to get out with them because he honestly deserved it after being captive for so long. But the cursed man just shook his head and reached for his dagger, placing it in Luke’s hands. That blade was a gift from the girl I saved. She promised me it would always protect its owner.

I’ll feel better knowing you have it.

Luke and Thalia managed to successfully escape, shaken, but nonetheless unscathed. Together, the two stood and watched the mansion burn. Bricks crumbling, black draperies bursting into sheets of red fire, the roof finally collapsed and smoke billowed into the sky. Luke gripped his backpack close to his chest, the diary and the celestial bronze dagger—the only remnants of Halcyon Green's life. 

He’d criticized Hal for being a coward, but in the end, he’d been brave—probably the bravest he’d seen anyone be. The gods had cursed him, he had spent most of his life imprisoned with monsters. It would’ve been easy for him to let him and Thalia die like all the other demigods before them. Yet he’d chosen to go out a hero, as he should have been. 

The two ran away from the incoming sirens, through the streets of Richmond until they found a small park where they cleaned themselves the best they could. The two decided to lay low until dark, not even bothering to talk about what had happened while they wandered through neighborhoods and industrial areas. 

I promise, Hal, Luke thought as he kept on going. I'll learn from your mistakes. If the gods ever treat me that badly, I'll fight back. Luke wouldn't let Hal down like the gods damned them to be.

Luke and Thalia had no plan, and sure as hell no more glowing goat to follow anymore. They were bone tired, but neither of them felt like sleeping or stopping. Luke wanted to get as far as possible from that flame-engulfed mansion, desperate to get the thought of Hal burning to death out of his mind. It wasn't the first time they'd barely escaped alive, but never at the expense of another demigod's life. 

Thalia suggested heading to their old camp on the James River as they shivered in the dead cold of the night. It would take at least a day to get there, but it was better than nothing. The two demigods stopped for rest near an old warehouse and split a ham sandwich in silence. The food tasted like cardboard, but they really didn't have a choice. After the last bite, Luke heard a faint metal ping from a nearby alley. 

Something or someone was nearby. 

Luke got up, pulling out the dagger Hal gave him as Thalia had her spear and shield at the ready. The two crept along the wall of the warehouse, turning into a dark alleyway that dead-ended at a loading dock piled with old scrap metal.

Just then, there was a loud clang, a sheet of corrugated tin quivered on the dock. Something—someone—was underneath. Luke crept toward the loading bay until we stood over the pile of metal, Thalia following closely behind. He gestured for her to hold back as he reached for the piece of corrugated metal and mouthed, One, two, three! As soon as he lifted the sheet of tin, something flew at him—a blur of flannel and dark hair, and a hammer hurtling straight at his face.

Things could've gone very wrong.

Fortunately, Luke's reflexes were good from years of fighting stupid brainless monsters. He managed to dodge the hammer, thankfully, before grabbing the little girl's wrist. The hammer went skidding across the pavement. The little girl struggled in his grasp, and couldn't be more than seven or eight years old.

“No more monsters!” she screamed, kicking Luke in the legs. "Go away!"

“Jesus Christ-” Luke dodged one of her kicks, his grip still on her wrist, albeit not as tight. “It's okay!” He tried his best to hold her, but it was like holding a wildcat with how much she kept squirming. Thalia looked too stunned to move, she still had her spear and shield ready as if the little girl was an enemy force. 

“Thalia,” Luke managed to say. “Put your weapons away! You're scaring her!”

Thalia snapped back to reality, acting quickly. The shield shrank back into a bracelet, simultaneously, the spear back into its mace can form. “Hey, uh-little girl,” she smiled, her tone was soft and gentle, which was new for Luke, as he’d never heard her speak like that before. “It's all right, we're not going to hurt you. I'm Thalia, and this is Luke.” 

“Monsters!” The little girl wailed, tears staining her face as she struggled to breathe through sobs.  

“Hey, hey, hey,” Luke rubbed circles on her back, just like how his mother used to do when he was crying. The poor thing wasn't fighting as hard anymore but she was shivering, terrified of them and probably of everything. “There aren’t any monsters right now, you’re safe.”

Luke held her, more to comfort than restraint now. Eventually, she stopped kicking and her cries reduced to soft sniffles. She felt so cold, her ribs were bony under her flannel pajamas. He wondered how long this little girl had gone without eating or drinking. She was even younger than Luke had been when he ran away, which made his heart ache inside his chest. Despite her fear, she looked at him with large eyes—startlingly gray, beautiful and intelligent. A demigod, no doubt about that. Luke got the feeling she was powerful or would be if she survived.

“You're…you’re like me?” She asked, still suspicious, but she sounded a little hopeful, too.

“Yeah,” Luke nodded, smiling at her softly. “We're…” he hesitated, not sure if she understood what she was, or if she'd ever heard the word demigod before. Luke didn't want to scare her even worse. “Well, it's hard to explain. But yeah, we fight those ugly monsters.”

Thalia chuckled, moving a bit closer to them. “So, where’s your family, kiddo?”

The little girl's expression changed, turning sad and angry both at the same time, her lower lip trembling. “My family hates me! They don't want me! I ran away….”

Luke's heart felt like it was cracking into a million pieces. She had so much pain in her eyes and voice—a familiar pain he knew all too well. Luke looked at Thalia, and the two made a silent decision right there and then that they would take care of this kid, adopt her if need be. 

Thalia knelt next to him, practically pushing Luke aside as she placed her hand on the little girl's shoulder. “What's your name then, kiddo?”

“Annabeth.”

“Nice name.” Luke smiled, feeling a little proud of this little girl. He'd never heard that name before, but it was pretty, and it seemed to fit her nicely. “I’ll tell you what, Annabeth. You look pretty fierce, we could use a fighter like you.”

Annabeth’s eyes widened almost comically. “You could?”

“Oh, yeah,” Luke said earnestly, looking at Thalia for confirmation. “Right, Thalia?”

Thalia grinned, nodding her head. “Definitely, hundred percent.”

Then a sudden thought struck Luke. He reached for Hal's dagger. It will protect its owner, Hal had said, he had gotten it from the little girl he had saved. Now fate has given them the chance to save another little girl.

“How'd you like a real monster-slaying weapon?” Luke asked her with a huge grin, holding the dagger right in front of her. “This is Celestial bronze. Works a lot better than a hammer.”

Annabeth took the dagger and studied it in awe. She was seven or eight years old at most. What was he thinking, giving her a dangerous weapon like that? Well, because she’s a demigod, like them, duh. They have to defend themselves from monsters and gods alike. Hercules was only a baby when he strangled two snakes in his cradle. By the time Luke was nine, he'd fought for his life more than a dozen times. Annabeth could use a weapon.

“Knives are only for the bravest and quickest fighters,” Luke explained, his voice caught as he remembered Hal Green, and how he'd died to save them. “They don't have the reach or power of a sword, but they're easy to conceal and they can find weak spots in your enemy's armor. It takes a clever warrior to use a knife, and I have a feeling you're pretty clever.”

Annabeth beamed at him, and for that, all his problems seemed to melt. Luke felt as if he'd done one thing right. He swore to himself that he would never let any harm come to this little girl, his little girl. “I am clever! I am!”

Thalia laughed and tousled Annabeth's curls, and just like that, they had a new companion. “We'd better get going, Annabeth,” she said, looking around. “We have a safe house by the James River. We'll get you some clothes and food.”

Annabeth's smile wavered, for a moment, she had that wild look in her eyes again. “You….you aren’t going to take me back to my family, are you?”

Luke swallowed the lump out of his throat. Annabeth was so young, but she'd learned a hard lesson, just like he and Thalia had. Their parents had failed them. The gods were harsh, cruel and aloof. Demigods had only each other. He put his hand on Annabeth's shoulder. “You're part of our family now, and I—we—promise never to fail you like our families did us. Deal?”

“Deal!” Annabeth said happily, clutching her new dagger.

Thalia picked up the red sparkly owl backpack, which she had assumed was Annabeth’s, smiling at Luke with approval. “Now, come on. We can't stay put for much longer!”

The trio left the warehouse and headed to their safe house on the James River. The three of them fought for survival and avoided monsters together. It wasn't much, but it was home for them—the family they built.

If he was going to be the dad of their little family, then Luke’s got to be worthy of their trust. None of them has had good luck with their fathers. So, he decided he had to be better than their sorry excuses for parents. Luke may be only fourteen, but he’s gonna try to be the best big brother to his new family, his sisters.

At some point, Thalia got injured and Luke and Annabeth wanted to rest. Given the situation, Luke decided to take the girls to his mother's house to treat Thalia's wounds and to gather up a few supplies as Annabeth rested. There, Luke finally meets the bastard—his father—Hermes, for the first time in thirteen years.

Anger was an understatement to what he felt seeing the divine asshole of a jerk. He demanded to know why he had never bothered to show up when Luke had desperately prayed while he hid from his mother when she had fits, or when he was on his own, running away from monsters.

During this conversation, Hermes inadvertently let slip that he knew of his son’s fate. Luke asked about it since Hal had only given him vague answers, but Hermes refused to tell him as he had already said too much and it was for his own good. He then lashed out at his father, telling him that he couldn't possibly love him if he wouldn't tell him anything and angrily left with Thalia and Annabeth.

Eventually, they met Grover Underwood, a satyr tasked to bring them back to Camp Half Blood. A safe haven for demigods. A place where monsters and mortals can't enter. Grover led the three of them to camp, but it wasn't exactly a walk in the park. Monsters attacked them from left to right. All three Furies and a pack of Hellhounds attacked, Cyclopes followed, and one thing led to another. 

Thalia sacrificed herself so Luke and Annabeth could get to camp safely. He thought she was stupid to sacrifice herself, and he yelled at Thalia to not do it but she was as stubborn as her father. Luke held a crying Annabeth while fighting tears of his own as they entered the barrier between Camp Half Blood and the mortal world, where Thalia breathed her last breath as Zeus turned his daughter into a pine tree.

“Don't worry, Annabeth. I won't let anyone hurt you.” Luke soothed the young girl in his arms, who mourned the loss of their friend—their sister. Luke vowed to himself that he wouldn't let the gods treat them horribly ever again. 

MAYA WILLIAMS hated being a half-blood. 

Why wouldn't she?

Maya’s life turned upside down because she was one. Sure, she wasn't chased by any monsters like any other half-blood, but her life was an impending tragedy waiting to unfold since the day she was born.

Half-bloods—or in technical terms, children of the gods—like her, don't get peaceful lives. One way or the other, their lives get fucked up because the gods just love the drama. Fun, isn’t it? Getting your life completely fucked up just because you were born. Nice family, right? Wait until you hear about the rest of this fucked up tree. 

Maya’s mother left only a month after she was born, leaving their once so happy little family behind. It was fine at first, Oliver Williams knew she would have to leave, but he didn’t expect it to be so soon. 

He was left with his newborn daughter, a sweet little angel with green eyes like his. He had no idea how to raise a child, but here he was, balancing his career and taking care of his daughter as a single father with little to no help as he didn’t want to hire help in fear of his child getting hurt in the hands of a terrible person hidden behind a kind smile. Despite the struggles that came with being a famous actor’s child, Oliver managed to raise a sweet and kind little girl. 

Growing up, Maya had no clue who her mother was. All she knew about her mother was the fact that she left, only a month after she was born. It was fine, at first, really. Maya never felt any less loved without a maternal figure, as her father never failed to show how much she was loved and adored. 

Life was great for the father and daughter. Well, that is until her third birthday came around—the day she started to resemble her mother. From her smile, to the look in her eyes, it was all her mother. And it gave Oliver terrible flashbacks of the past, the haunting memories of the day she left.

Oliver grew distant from his daughter, as if she’d grown to be a different person and he didn’t want anything to do with her. It wasn’t Maya’s fault, but her father made it quite obvious that it was. He changed, quite drastically. Gone was the sweet and loving father Oliver Williams once was.

Whenever the young girl would try to ask her father to play or spend time with her, he would get angry at her and yell at her to go to her room, leaving the girl a crying mess. There were times that Oliver would leave for days—weeks, even—leaving Maya with a nanny and the toys he had bought to get her to leave him alone and the occasional visits from his secretary (who pitied the young girl), when he used to bring her along everywhere he went. Maya didn't understand why her father was acting like he didn’t want her when she only wanted to make her daddy happy.

When Maya turned four, she started experiencing strange things.

Like white doves started flocking near her school that refused to leave how much the exterminators tried. There was also this time when her grandparents had rented a yacht for a party and dolphins came swimming towards her by the deck where she was sitting with her grandmother. Another one, was when she was at the park and swans approached her as she fed the birds with her nanny. As a child, Maya didn't pay it too much attention. She only thought that those said animals liked her so much that they refused to leave her alone.

But when she turned five, she knew she was different.

Apart from having diagnosed dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Maya had this aura, which caused everyone to like her more than a normal person would. It started with the neighborhood children often wanting to be friends with her, then the parents desperate to have her in their homes, classmates who’d do anything for a sliver of her attention, and so on. It got to the point that even her father’s mates would often say things that were not appropriate for a five year old girl, which her nanny highly disapproved of—often taking little Maya out whenever her father had company.

Aside from that little aura, Maya had this little ability to get anyone to do anything she wanted and more. It wasn't because she was spoiled or anything, being a daughter of a well-known wealthy actor and all, but if she would ask anyone out on the street for anything, they'd give it to her—no questions asked. Maya could ask for the most expensive item in the world, and someone would give her just that. Somehow, it didn’t work on her father though. What was the point of having the ability to make someone do anything that she wanted, when it didn’t even work on the person she wanted the most? If by chance that it did, Maya would have asked her father to spend every bit of his time with her.

Outside, Maya had this picture perfect life. But for this young girl, it was a horror movie, her worst fears come to life in the form of her own father. 

A little while after Maya turned six, she heard her father crying in his room, drunk out of his mind. It was weird for Maya to see her father crying without any cameras because he was an actor, so as a curious little girl, Maya peeked into his room. She saw her father, a glass of amber liquid in his hand and a photo in the other, which Maya had long assumed was her mother.

“Oh, Aphrodite, why did you have to leave me?” Oliver let out an exasperated sigh, titling the glass of whiskey to his lips, spite and anger etched on his features as he held the photo up in the air. “You left me with nothing! You said it was true love! You left me alone to raise our daughter-”

Maya ran to her room before she even heard the rest of what her father said. Her own heart racing in her chest, in fear of getting hit or yelled at by her drunken father. Feeling overwhelmed by all the hatred her father had, the girl grabbed her sparkly pink backpack, shoving inside everything she could—clothes, what little money she had saved in a pink piggy bank, and her stuffed bear from her grandma—like it was nobody’s business, before leaving the only home she’s ever known. 

Maya was only six years old, but she’s most certainly not stupid. For as long as she could remember, her father has made it abundantly clear that he despises her, that he hates her, that she was the reason for every misfortune in his life. Therefore, she was doing her own father a favor by leaving him be. It wasn’t something ideal for a girl her age, but what else could she do? Maya only ever wanted for her father to be happy. 

Maya ran through the streets of New Hampshire as fast as her little legs could carry her, determined to get as far as possible from the place she once called home. She thought it would be easy, like what she'd seen once in those movies and television shows she’s watched growing up, but it wasn't—it was far worse than anything she could possibly imagine. She didn't know what else to do, she didn't have anywhere else to go. She couldn't go to her grandparents since they were in Europe and she couldn't go back home either, as she was sure her father would be terribly angry for pulling such a stunt. 

Maya never felt so alone. On the run, all by herself, in a world not built for little kids—especially for a kid like her. 

She understood something that night, though. A fact that would forever change her life. Her mother was Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. How did a six-year-old girl understand that? She didn't know. It just clicked in Maya's head—the doves, the dolphins, the swans, were somehow enough to prove that the goddess was her mother.

Eventually, Maya figured out how to live on the streets. It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. She was living from state to state, traveling on foot, asking for help—using her charm—to get by. She was eating food from the trash and dumpsters, drinking water from murky sources, doing whatever she could to ease that gnawing hunger inside of her. It was honestly a miracle Maya was still alive with how she was living.

At seven years old, Maya had already told a million lies—that came from her mother, probably—just to survive. Her clothes were now small and tattered, her hair was matted and dirty, and her skin was bruised like violets from tripping as she ran away from creepy older men who tried to follow her. She had been on the run for two years, and she had everything under control. She shoplifted from convenience stores and whenever she was caught, Maya would tell them that she lost her parents (which was true, in a sense) and had nowhere else to go. It worked like a charm each and every time, well except for that one time she ran into the police.

Maya often wondered what it would be like to live in a place where she could be just a kid and not have to think where she'd get her next meal, where she'd sleep for the night—at this point, she’s already forgotten what sleeping in a bed feels like—and not having to worry being chased through the streets. 

From time to time, the thought of her father would cross her mind. Was he looking for her? Was he worried for her? Did he miss her? Maya wanted nothing more than to have her father's love again. She wanted him to find her, to wrap her in his arms and tell her he missed her and he was sorry for making her feel unloved, but she knew better than to expect that.

Maya often watched fathers with their little girls, wondering what she did to deserve a father like the one she had—a father careless enough to let his own child believe that she wasn't loved and run away from home at six years old. She couldn't understand how he could hurt a little kid, let alone his own. 

And then there was the thought of her mother.

It was ironic, how Maya was a daughter of the goddess of love and a man who's incapable of loving. Maybe it was some sort of joke, that she'd been born to parents who didn't care about her. Or maybe her mother just didn't think she was pretty enough to be worthy of being her child. It didn't matter, because she was all alone—her mother never answered her prayers and pleas, proving all of her points. Maya was all on her own, she always had been. The happy little girl was long gone, replaced by a little girl terrified by everything the cruel world tossed at her.

It was then that she held a grudge against her parents. Maya was tired of believing her parents ever loved her, because someone who loves you wouldn't do any of this. If her parents did love her, everything Maya had gone through wouldn’t have happened in the first place. As anger coursed in Maya’s veins, she’d realized that they were only the ones who gave her life, nothing more. She promised to herself that she wouldn't let anyone hurt her again, that she'd never be naive enough to believe that anyone could ever love her.

At eight years old, Maya met Ferdinand—a satyr who had sensed that Maya was a demigod. At first, Maya was scared. Of course she'd be scared, who wouldn’t be? She was still a little girl and Ferdinand looked quite older than she was—she didn't have great experiences with people older than her—and he had goat horns and legs. 

“Don't be scared, little one. I am a friend.” Ferdinand tried to soothe the girl, who hid behind a large trash can in an alley.

“Go away! I don't wanna be friends!” Maya yelled, clutching her fraying backpack close to her chest, tears welling in her emerald eyes. 

“I can take you to a safer place, little one. A place where no one will ever hurt you again.” Ferdinand explained, taking a step closer to the crying young girl. “I sense that you have been hurt before, am I right?”

Maya didn't want to believe him. He was a stranger and strangers always meant trouble. But something about the goat man felt...safe. “I don't wanna go to your stupid place! Leave me alone!”

“What's your name?” Ferdinand asked, peering over the large trash can.

Maya hesitated, tears streaming down her cheeks from the bad memories that kept flashing in her mind. “Not telling.”

“Alright, I'll go first.” Ferdinand took the risk of walking to Maya's side. “I'm Ferdinand. I am a satyr, protector of young demigods, or half bloods as they call children of the gods. And you are?”

Maya looked at him, eyes still glazed over with fresh tears. “Amaya Therese, but I like to be called Maya.”

“Well then, young Maya, are you hungry?”

Maya shook her head, but the grumble of stomach betrayed her. “Hungry.”

“If you'd like, you can come with me to that convenience store just 'round the corner.” Ferdinand smiled at her, a kind genuine smile that Maya had never seen before in any other person she's met.

Reluctantly, she agreed, keeping her distance as Ferdinand led the way. Maya looked around, wondering why people weren't looking at Ferdinand weirdly. He literally had the body of a man but the legs and horns of a goat. 

As soon as Maya was settled with a sandwich and juice box, she asked Ferdinand. “Why aren't people scared of you, Mr. Ferdinand?”

Ferdinand chuckled. “It's because of the Mist, young Maya,”

Maya raised a brow, big green eyes staring at Ferdinand as if he'd said something crazy—at this point, honestly, everything was crazy. “The Mist? Like perfume? My daddy had perfume, I dunno if he still has it.”

“No, no,” Ferdinand chuckled, biting into his own sandwich. “The Mist is what separates the mortal world from our world.”

Maya looked at him as if he was crazy. “What do you mean? Don't we have one world?”

“Let me take you to Camp Half Blood, little one. Everything will make sense once you arrive.”

Camp Half Blood. Maya repeated in her head three times. Camp Half Blood. Camp Half Blood. Everything will make sense once you arrive.

“Why should I go with you?” Maya asked, gripping the straps of her backpack, ready to run at any second.

“Because,” Ferdinand smiled, acknowledging Maya's skepticism. “There are kids like you at Camp Half Blood. It is a safe haven for young half-bloods like you. It is where the gods claim their children, young Maya.”

“You're not lying?” Maya asked, searching for any malice in the satyr's eyes. She has had enough from malicious men who wanted to do unspeakable things to her. There was once this man who tried to lure her in with a good meal. When Maya declined, he tried to grab her, luckily Maya escaped—with the help of a little foot stomping and biting. Though, it only fueled her hatred of men.

“I'm not, young Maya.” Ferdinand smiled at her. “It is our duty to protect. I promise I will not let any harm come to you as we travel to camp.”

“You promise?” Promises were never good, Maya hated promises. Promises were always meant to be broken. But this one felt like a tug in her heart, like a way to find who she was. 

“On the River Styx, young one.”

Maya didn't understand what the River Styx meant. Was it a river full of sticks? Despite her worries, Maya trusted him. She had nothing else left to lose. Might as well let him lead her to wherever this so-called camp was.

The two then traveled to Long Island on foot from Massachusetts. It was a long journey, eventually Maya learned to trust Ferdinand, who stayed true to his promise of keeping her safe no matter what. 

“You know, I have a nephew that's around your age. His name is Grover, a fine protector in the making. He could be your friend once you arrive at camp.” Ferdinand mused as he and Maya—aboard his shoulders—trudged up the highway nearing Half Blood Hill.

“Really? You think he's gonna play with me? An orphan-”

“You are not an orphan, Maya. You have a mother. I'm sure she will claim you as soon as you step through the barrier.” Ferdinand insisted. Maya doubted it, but decided against voicing out her thoughts. She had prayed and prayed for so long, but her mother never answered, so why would she? Now that Maya was finally at this camp?

As soon as Maya arrived at Camp Half Blood, she was in awe—giddy, almost. It wasn't what Maya expected it to be. Camp was beautiful, far from the dumpster Maya had thought it to be. Every camper had necklaces, with beads indicating the years they've been at camp—Maya wanted one so badly and tried asking Ferdinand to make her one. There was a strawberry patch, much to Maya's excitement—she loves strawberries and wanted to go straight to the patches. And for the main attraction, the twelve cabins, which Maya assumed one was her mother's since Ferdinand had explained it was for each of the Olympian gods. 

Maya was then welcomed by a crowd—campers of all ages, a grumbling man in a Hawaiian shirt, and half horse, half man.

“Welcome, young demigod.” Chiron greeted the young girl who was looking up at him with wide eyes. It's not everyday that she sees another half human animal. 

“Uh, what are you?” Maya asked, her hand immediately flying to her mouth. “I’m so sorry, mister, I-”

Chiron laughed heartily. “It's alright, I apologize for not introducing myself properly. I'm Chiron, a centaur and the activities director of camp. And you are, young lady?”

“Amaya,” she squeaked, eyes still wide. “Amaya Therese Williams, but…I like to be called Maya, sir.”

“Welcome to Camp, Maya. You will do great things here, I know it.”

Suddenly, there was a collective gasp. Everyone stared at Maya like she'd just done something wrong. 

“What did I do?” Maya asked, her lower lip trembling. She had been at camp barely a day, and she had already done something wrong. Was everything in her life always going to go wrong? 

“Look down.” One of the campers said, pointing to Maya's clothes. 

Maya looked down and her eyes widened once more, she looked different. Her clothes weren't tattered and filthy anymore. Now, she was wearing a beautiful white sleeveless gown that went down to her ankles. Delicate gold armbands circled her biceps. An intricate necklace of amber, coral, and gold flowers glittered on her chest, and her hair was perfect: lush and long auburn locks, braided to the side with gold ribbons.

The filthy child was gone, as if she never was there to even begin with.

Her mother had claimed her, just like that. Maya had been expecting that her mother would personally come and claim her, but she didn't. Maya should've known better than to expect a literal goddess to come down and meet her child.

Chiron folded his front legs and bowed to her, and all the campers followed his example. “Hail, Amaya Williams,” Chiron announced proudly, as if she did something honorable. “Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love and beauty!”

tags: @ma1dita @iliketopgun @pleasingregulus

also, a friendly reminder:

Luke at four years old when he first became aware of his mother's fits.

Maya at three years old when het father started despising her for resembling her mother.

Luke at nine years old, when he ran away from home.

Maya at six years old, when she ran away from home.

[angellettes]

𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 ➔ MIGUEL O'HARA

─ synopsis. you and miguel start to fall in love in the midst of keeping the spider-verse safe, and inevitably you would have to separate.

— notes. I'm sorry this has to be angst but i was in the mood for something new genre/warnings..+18 nsfw content (minors dni)..angst, cunnilingus, missionary, mating press, fingering, creampie, sad but sweet ending ♡

It was never off the table that you and miguel would be together forever because you both knew you wouldn't. You were both from completely different universes. Your mission was to keep the spider-verse balanced, and in order to do that you would have to sacrifice the love you had for who you would've called the love of your life. In another universe maybe you both would get to be together, get married, have a family, grow old together, but the universe is cruel, and it brought you both together because it knew that you would have to separate.

knocks echoed in Miguel's ears as you entered the room where he would keep watch. You were the only one who was able to go in without him telling them to go away. Everyone knew not to go into the dark space he was always in but they also knew you were the only one allowed in there. "Miguel, it's late just head to bed already." you says as you rub the tension in his shoulders softly out to help him relax. "I can't, mi cariño. You know I have to stay on top of everything at everything moment" his eyes still glued to the screens. "Miguel, please we don't have much time together." He turns his body around in the chair and looks at you with a look of concern etched into his face. His eyes give a look of fear as if he had just been shot in the heart. "what do you mean?" you sigh and look down. Trying to hind the tears coming to your eyes threatening to spill before you tell him the hurtful news you found out. "Miguel, I have to return to my universe tomorrow." his eyes widened in terror. A look of pure devastation ad if someone just shot him through the chest. He slowly stands from the chair, and inches his feet closer to you until you stops in front of you. You're both so close that you noses touch each other. His hands slowly side up you cheeks carefully as he looks you in the eyes as it he's looking for some form of playfulness or look of amusement to see if maybe this is just a sick joke perhaps. but he finds nothing but sadness in your eyes. He realizes that you were being serious, and so soon you would be pulled apart from each other, nothing but mere figments of the memories you shared once you were to separate, and Miguel hated that idea with his whole being. He sighed and looked down, head buried in your hair as you hugged onto his waist. Both of your lips met each other's and you both led each other towards your room. as soon as you made it he laid you gently on the bed. Lips still desperately meeting trying to savor every word, taste, feeling, and sound made before you have to separate for good. Miguel's eyes meet your in a manner that you can only read as asking for permission to make love to you before everything that you made together fades and just becomes a haunting memory that you couldn't hold on to long enough to experience everything you wanted together. You look at him and nod knowingly. He takes that as the sign to start to gently remove your night clothes, and as he gets lower, and lower, moving closer to your core. His hands graze every inch of your skin as you gently run your fingers along his scalp. He begins to press soft passionate kisses against your thighs as his hands move up to intertwine his fingers with yours. His fingers then spread apart your pussy lips, and he places a hard suck to your clit. Your legs spasm and immediately close around his head. He holds the sides of your thighs as his tongue glides in between the lips, up to your clit, and down to your entrance. He rapidly moves his tongue in and out of your sopping heat, groaning into your pussy out of pleasure from pleasuring you. When he feeling your clit start to pulse against his tongue, and your legs started to clasp around his head, He begins to press his fingers into your entrance knuckles deep, curling his fingers up to hit your g-spot. His groans send vibrations onto your clit,making your eyes roll back, and your back arching off the bed. As you orgasm, Miguel begins to leave several hard sucks to your clit before going up to lay a sloppy kiss to your lips. You whine out to him, "Miguel, please I need you", as he slowly rubbed his cock up and down your slit before rubbing it against your clit with pressure against it. He looks up at you, acknowledging your pleas. His lips meet yours again as he pushes his length into your entrance. The stretch is so delicious and addictive as he continues to push in. When he is finally all the way in you can feel his balls pressing against your ass. He then grabs the undersides of your knees and begins you push them against your chest.

you can immediately feel his cock almost go deeper than it already was, and you elicit a loud yelp of pleasure. He chuckles a bit seeing how vulnerable you look under him and he pushes his weight onto you, trapping you under your legs and his body. He whispers into your ear "Me gustaría que tuviéramos más tiempo juntos" ── (I wish we had longer together), softly as he continues to thrust in and out of your wet heat, as he whispers affirmations of love and leaving kisses on your neck and cheek. His pace in and out of your pussy gets gradually faster as he lets out even more labored moans as his breathing becomes more erratic, as he begins to feel your orgasm approach by the feeling of your hole clenching around him. your moans of pleasure, wet skin meeting together, and the sounds of the squelches with each thrust Miguel makes. As Miguel begins to announce that he is about to orgasm your need to feel as much of him as you can grows "Miguel, I want you to cum in me, please" you say to him with a desperation in your voice. "Yeah, you want me to cum in you?" he whispers into your ear as his breathing is getting heavier.As both your climaxes release, you hug your arms around his neck to pull him closer, as the feeling of his warm, thick cum fills you. You both stay that way for a bit longer as you take in the feeling of him against you, and his scent. As he pulls out he gets up to bring you a towel and cleans you up and lays back down next to you. He pulls you in against his chest, and you nuzzle into the crook of his neck. He looks down at you as he sees you begin to sniffles, and tears start to form in your eyes. "mi vida, what's wrong?" he asks you with a gentleness in his voice. "I just really wish we had more time together. our fates were never even meant to join." He pulls you closer and tries to console you as he speaks words of comfort. You both spend the rest of the night trying to cope with the idea that you would have to separate forever in the morning, and that was something both of you wished you both would do anything to avoid...but you couldn't.

do not plagiarize, translate,or repost my work.

finished- August 3, 2023 , 3:56 PM

[eclipsecrowned]

top tier szel friendship??? bromance??? moments

hel's genuine terror that her real dad is the tiny assassin man. hel's heel realization of 'oh almighty is that how other people see me he looks so STRANGE--' the way he has an entire section dedicated to him on her absolutely unhinged 'dadspiracy wall.'

the al*thi thinking hel is just a tall/possibly mixed race sh*n and treat her as totally normal. strange sexual dimorphism between the sh*n, your women are so large, how do you mount them? hel unshakably believing at least one of her parents was sh*n. sz*th having a beyond the uncanny valley moment looking at her because why do they keep saying she is one of the people? he doesn't know what she is but she sure isn't that --

anytime she starts falling down the slippery slope of 'i should just use violence i'm tired men can wound so much faster than i can heal' he's the unwitting mentor saying there is more worth in her resistance than there would be in her rage. this works. for everything else he is, she trusts his judgment when it comes from experience.

off-worlder attacked your weird humanoid abomination? draw the sword. slay some evil. put her down before you get put down.

hel introducing this grown man to the 'quiet seat' her aunt would use to settle her and her often overstimulated cousins to help him have a safe placeto reflect, disassociate, and sometimes have a full breakdown. hel also getting her girlfriend trader friend to bring a churn. sh*n love farmwork, yes?

this works too well. the man is a machine that turns his frenetic anxious energy into butter. so much butter. hel has created a monster beyond what even the main villain could have hoped for.

the fact??? somehow??? they both have (separate) verses where they endgame with the same man? k*l is so weak for the shinussy i don't know why. why does our k*l ship with both of them in different verses.

hel taking my weirdo r*ran oc at face value and calling this legendary assassin 'elder brother-nimi.' it is an immediate critical emotional hit.

just the hilarity of world's most stressed out and mentally shattered 30-something with a barely 20 noblewoman who just 'hey don't cry. ch*lls with sh*rdblades. yeah?' because she's never had a healthy coping mechanism in her life.

[jade-of-mourning]

guess whooooooo

so I don’t want to be agitating and I noticed you said you’ve been busy but I genuinely do not remember if I sent you an ask recently or if that was a dream?? so if I’ve been bugging you pls just ignore me I will not be offended 😭🙏🏼

the reason for my presence in your inbox today is because I was looking thru the mako tag and saw ur avatar mako snippet. I then began to experience Thoughts and decided you might enjoy if I shared them :33

what I’ve been thinking about is the possible dynamics of this au because. tragic backstory x avatar is something we didn’t quite get w korra because all her Avatar Trauma happened during the show. however,,, mako and bolin got that orphan swag

so for one I wanted to reference one of your older posts about mako and lin having a history across each other at an interrogation table. just imagine how she feels seeing the little brat (who she’s almost certain is zolt’s little prodigy) turn out to be the avatar who she now has to tolerate and work with to protect the city that never gave him shit.

and besides the early momboss and detectiveson feelings (linzin reconciliation?? kyalin reveal????) the other dynamic is just mako and republic city as a whole. this was actually kind of touched on in canon w how korra had to acclimate to the entirely different world of a revolutionizing industrial city, but instead it would be mako learning to cherish the streets that had chewed him up and spat him back out.

another reason this would be cool is bcuz it already happens in the show as well. despite mako’s character being completely abandoned after the love triangle, his becoming a cop kind of shows that he has grown to want to protect his city. being a police officer in the atla-verse means you have a real devotion to your city—under a boss like lin, you just get replaced realll quick if you don’t (eg, those two guys who pissed on mako when varrick framed him for domestic terrorism or whatever was going on there).

it also can’t be only for money, because if it was he would’ve gone back to probending; something he was just indifferent towards. anyway, what I’m trying to say is that somewhere offscreen he had that development in view as he grew to want to protect the city for more reason than that it would keep he and his brother safe. so essentially, in the avatar mako au, he goes through that development earlier, when he’s still a kid.

this would probably also affect his personality. if he was taken care of earlier on, he wouldn’t have stonewalled himself away out of distrust for the rest of the world. so basically he’s a snappy, sarcastic little bitch by canon because he never taught himself to bite his tongue or die—it also parallels him to korra (cough and katara cough) a bit more which I thought was nice.

I just totally lost my train of thought but uhhhhh,,, sorry for the long ask. hope you’re doing okay :)

much love

🐌

HI SNAILON!! i'm sure you saw my very late response but yeah dw you did not hallucinate that ask kjsdffgkjfsdh

anyway!!! i'm enjoying your avatar mako thoughts so much omg. mako and bolin really do got that Orphan Swag:tm: and i do love a good trauma backstory avatar. (still no one could ever compare to korra but shh we all know she's the most superior avatar of all time in our hearts…)

woah i forgot to think about the potential of lin & mako's relationship in the context of the au as a greater entity. aughhhhafjkhafdhk she's probably be pissed as hell at the start; i feel like tiny avatar!mako is absolutely the stiff bitter kleptomaniac sort specifically designed to get on lin beifong's nerves like no one else and that would agiatate her SO MUCH. but i think that over time as she starts to see him for what he really is and sees a little more of the good in his heart, she'll… actually she'll still treat him pretty harshly because now she doesn't like that she sees herself in him, but she has a greater amount of empathy for him and in vulnerable moments, i think that she would actually turn out to be the adult figure that mako would be most willing to seek out, surprisingly.

also yes i'm really excited to explore how mako rekindles an actually kind relationship with this halfway awful city. i really want to steep it in culture and i think i'll project my experiences in taiwan onto it because it's such a place of all time. the idea of hole in the wall restaurants that could not possibly meeting the hygiene standards and the owners are tough and impersonal but also they're the most natural people to be around, and the food is the best you've ever tasted for the cheapest price possible as you hop from sagging overhang to sagging overhand, never sitting down for a full meal but something about the perpetual motion is so comforting. anyway. republic city taiwan allegory. just really want to write about that, roughly.

i agree about the point of cop!mako :P even though i have complicated feelings about his assumption of a role that had been one of the primary institutions that enforced the system of how he and bolin lived as kids, i also think that he views it as a twisted form of redemption for himself as a child that i frankly think he doesn't have to assume moral culpability for, but i also understand that it's the sort of tangible thing that i think a guy like him would need to ever feel worthy enough of living. i have a lot of thoughts about this that i will have to condense into actual words sometime later…

i'm a big fan of mako actually getting to express his salt. i think that canon mako (and bolin, to an extent) takes a great amount of effort to restrain the Absolute Heathen that he was raised as in order to fit in with this impossible to understand high class society. (it's actually a point i'm going to explore in the fic with this version!) but yeah i feel like there's a lot of carefully trained-out language and habits that must exist in both mako and bolin who are trying so hard to not be perceived as the children they were, because their public images are very dependent on the exterior that they put out to the world. they need to be passably proper to get a fanbase which might land them support from higher up people which might land them a sponsorship which might enable their team to actually rise above as underdog which might lead them to win the pot which might let them finally build a lives for themselves. anyway. honestly avatar!mako would absolutely be hypermonitored by tenzin about his vocabulary and habits (coughing at this excerpt i wrote some time back: "He forces his breath to settle in his chest and forces himself to be grateful that he doesn't have a cigarette that he can lose himself in; he doesn't need Tenzin catching one more of his bad habits to take away from him."). but i think that in the presence of korra who will piss him off SO MUCH he won't have the same qualms about trying to fit into high class society because he'll have settled into this actual protection and stability provided to him by adults for the past several years, and he'll allow himself more to slip back into cussing her out with the vehemence of a Trained Asshole. it'd be funny trust.

i dont think i enunciated that very well but i have also had many thoughts on language and habits that mako and bolin forced themselves to eject for the sake of their precarious position in society. i think that it's also an ingrained part of them that when they're older along in life and have more stability, i like to imagine that they might end up casually incorportating back because their lives don't depend on their manners LOL. older mako would be only half the foul-mouth that his younger self was but asami would still be extremely mortified tbh. and bolin would just be COMEDY ohh

[chromaji]

Introducing the members of the Covert Guild!

oh yeah you know me. Long-awaited, but its time. Character info under readmore.

Soleres is from a kingdom some ways west of Armoroad. She is, of course, the leader of the Covert Guild— aka “The Coverts”. She’s been tasked with journeying to the ocean city with her two retainers to find the rumored “Deep City” and see if it’s a threat to the kingdom.

Soleres is well-versed in the art of strategy, and employs those skills in battle. She can be a bit self-centered and stubborn, and puts up an aloof front towards Shade some people, but is always ready to get a little reckless to keep her guild safe.

…just don’t tell them that. She’s got a nonexistent reputation as the “level-headed leader” to maintain.

Rumble is in Armoroad to keep his liege, Soleres, safe. He’s a natural caretaker, and is very protective of the Coverts, to the point where he sometimes neglects to take care of himself. He’s known for his ability to keep a cool head in just about any situation. Due to this, some may think he’s incapable of positive emotion… but if anyone can put a smile on his face, it’s his coworker, Pepper.

…And his arbalest. Which he practically cares for as if its his child. Oh, and cooking.

Pepper is a retainer here to keep her liege, Soleres safe as they discover the secrets of the labyrinth. She’s a mage who can summon “monsters” made purely of mana, and fights up close with the device on her right arm. Pepper’s a social butterfly who’s always down to lighten up any situation. Despite their seemingly incompatible personalities, she’s close with her coworker, Rumble.

…she also has a lot of hobbies, including her recent discovery of her love for fishing! And her experiments with cooking & eating labyrinth monsters.

Yijun is friendly, but is used to keeping to himself. He didn’t have any interest in Armoroad’s labyrinth, and was only planning to tour the city for a few days after seeing his husband off to High Lagaard. He ends up joining the Coverts after his curiosity gets the best of him. Yijun likes to wander, and usually ends up in odd, unlikely places. He can always find his way to the guildhouse, though. Its all institution, he says! …Or, intuition.

…Contrary to most people’s first impression, he doesnt like having a lot of attention on him. He also hates large crowds.

Heliotrope lived a pretty simple, uneventful life in Armoroad until his mother fell ill. Seeing as her care would be expensive, Heliotrope donned a set of armor and decided to become an explorer to make some money! Despite never having trained as a Hoplite, he’s a natural at protecting and inspiring others. It’s a good thing he’s so confident in his newfound ability.

…He’s also sort of a prince of a kingdom near Etria who was disowned before his own birth. This is something Heliotrope will probably never learn. Definitely not during this moment of his life. Let’s move on.

Hiroaki is a ninja who hasn’t met any of his family’s expectations. He’s been tasked to prove himself by reaching the very bottom of Armoroad’s labyrinth, and to not return until he does. Even though basically everyone, including Hiroaki, believes he’ll die in his quest, he feels he has no choice but to accept. While he can be self-loathing, Hiroaki has unwavering confidence in his guildmates.

…Whenever he’s experiencing an extreme emotion—like terror, rage, or joy— Hiroaki’s brown hair and eyes flare up and turn golden. Not even he knows what it means.

Shade is a merchant & sailor who wants to reestablish Armoroad trade routes. To make traveling easier and avoid some conflict, she’s trained herself in combat, wears pirate attire, & fashions her ship more like a pirate’s. She happily lets the Covert Guild board her ship any time… after making Soleres beg a little. Her other condition for letting them sail was to let her join the guild. There’s materials in the labyrinth that fellow sailors would like, after all.

…her current favorite past-time may or may not be teasing Her Princess.

Ray is an inventor and mechanic of growing renown. She wanders the world on her own, getting new ideas and materials for her creations. She’s currently stationed in Armoroad, and is confident in what the materials of the labyrinth could do for her work. She’s used to working by herself, and can be particularly selfish due to that.

…She figures that all this labyrinth exploration stuff would be easy to do by herself, but wouldn’t mind a few friends— I mean meatshields— to tag along with her. Yes, that. Ahem.

Albatross was once the leader of a pirate crew that didn’t have much aim or purpose, other than partying, picking fights with other crews, and hoping to stumble across some treasure. The crew was practically all lost or killed after a run-in with a monster on the seas, and Albatross found themself literally washed up in Armoroad. Now, they work as a mercenary of sorts for guilds. Despite it all, he’s got a bright outlook.

…They become an official member of the Coverts before long. The Covert’s leader just kept hiring him, even after he didn’t perform optimally. He had to admit, he missed the feeling of having a “crew” of sorts.

Noire was technically a retired explorer who only goes into the early floors of Armoroad’s labyrinth to gather & sell materials. She temporarily finds her way back into the labyrinth-crawling life thanks to the Covert guild. She doesn’t consider herself a fighter these days, but sees herself as quite the planner and tactician. Due to their differing strategy styles, Noire and Soleres have “tactical disputes” every once in a while.

…Noire also has a knack for telling the most interesting stories about her past. They’re so interesting that its hard to tell when she’s telling a true story or spinning up yet another tall tale.

[letstrywritingmaybe]

12. Royal verse

(Re: part two of fic ideas I’ll never get to)

I have to start by saying I have no business dreaming of this verse cause I know nothing about medieval times nor about royal family/court dynamics. That being said, I did have a dream and I continued the verse in my head. It’s been a while so I probably forgot a lot, here goes!

• it’s gonna be set back in the day with like swords and horses (dragons?) and stuff but I’m making it up as I go cause again this is not my realm (I guess like King Arthur/GOT shit except I know nothing about either of those fandoms)

• the Kudo family is in power and with Shinichi being their only heir, he’s obviously the next King. He takes this role very seriously and genuinely wants to be a good ruler

• the Miyanos are from a neighboring kingdom and an alliance would be beneficial to both of them, so an arrangement is set up

• neither of them want to marry each other, they haven’t even met in person, but they also know they don’t have a say so they accept their fate

• first impressions are kinda eh, but it could be worse. Shiho notes some baggage that she could care less about, but she does make friends with Kaito because I believe in kaishi supremacy (a brotp in this verse though sadly. I’ll have to dream of the stable boy steals the queen fic another day)

• they get married and do all the things a proper married future king and queen should do. There is a learning curve to get over during intimate times, but he gets it eventually. Even if they’re not in love, he does care about her pleasure which surprises her a lot

• slowly over the course they fall for each other, him more quickly cause this is my fic. But alas there is a kingdom to rule and a threat has been made on the Miyano’s land by a mutual enemy

• it gains momentum and Shiho cannot sit by and wait, so she asks to go home. She is of course denied since her job is to produce an heir which they have not been able to do despite trying. It’s only been a few months though, but you know how these things are

• she doesn’t listen and stows away anyway, Shinichi finds out and goes off after her even though the court does not approve. He does find her and saves her, but a lot of shit is happening and it’s way too dangerous to stay. She does manage to get in contact with her sister who tells her to leave and she promises to stay safe

• unfortunately the kingdom falls, her parents are killed and Akemi is nowhere to be found. This of course means war. But again as Shinichi isn’t the official king yet, the main concern is still to produce an heir. But knowing how these two have a rebellious streak, they’re sent away to another location until she conceives

• now of course she is not gonna be in the mood when her family has just been slaughtered. Which he also understands and meanwhile he wants to go back home to help defend their land. Their plans escaping leads no where, they’re not allowed to leave

• the tides turn in their favor, with part of her former land reclaimed and thus they’re allowed back on home grounds. But mostly because she is carrying their child now

• which means he can officially take over and be king now, while his parents retire and take over other responsibilities (most likely meaning gaining more land cause that’s all people in power care about). But of course they settle the war first, and they win.

• Shiho waits for news from her sister that never comes (admittedly I haven’t decided if she lived or not… we’re officially at the part of the fic where I’m just making it up as I go right now cause I can’t remember what my actual plan was) Shinichi grows on her and she does allow herself to actually fall in love with him. He’s been so supportive and he’s really good to her

• everything is good. He’s officially king, his queen is also in love with him and they’re about to welcome their first child. But that’s too easy, so of course someone who escaped the terrors of the Miyano’s kingdom collapsing found refuge here in the Kudos land but grew resentment and starts a rebellion to overthrow them

• it doesn’t exactly work, but they do find traitors within the realm. A beautiful baby girl is born and the kingdom is in celebration, Shinichi is thrilled even though the courts are upset and demand they try and have another child immediately because it needs to be a boy

• okay this is the reason why I don’t think I’ll be able to write this fic, cause while dreaming this verse my mind would not allow them to get their happy ending cause things keep going wrong every time they achieve it. Because the one person that started the rebellion is to be executed anyway so he decides to take his revenge which unfortunately means Shinichi ends up having to choose to save his wife or daughter

• he does try to save both, but he fails. And Shiho hates him for it. She thinks she’s cursed, she keeps losing her family. She still doesn’t know if her sister is alive and her daughter is now gone. All she has left is Shinichi, but before they even got together she had her whole family

• she obviously goes into a depressive state. And of course yet another invasion is happening cause news of a rebellion got out, so of course enemies are trying to strike when they think the kingdom is weak. Shinichi is stretched way too thin having to manage an impending war while his queen is plotting her own demise

• he decides to fix one problem at a time and try to do it without bloodshed first. So a pretend everything is going great gala is arranged. Shiho does play her role and fools everyone into thinking everything is fine when she is very much not. She still mourns, but her duty to her people forces her to pull it together for one night

• she’s gone by morning light. Shinichi goes mad trying to find her, only glad that talks of war have quieted down (thanks to his parents negotiating with other kingdoms and them fooling the rest that they’re fine, why else would they throw a party?) He finds her on the outskirts of town, she doesn’t want to see him since she still blames him for the loss of their child (though if we’re honest she’s more upset with herself)

• he apologizes (he did before also) and proclaims his love which she does not accept. He begs her to give them another chance (not that she has a choice cause divorce is not a thing here. She would just have to die or he dies, but she’s thinking the former) she refuses, but he’s the king so he wins so they go back to the island where they were forced to stay at until they conceived

• it’s also where they chose to keep their child’s gravesite. It was too painful for either of them to bear seeing it, so they chose to keep it here. And now all Shiho does is sit by her child’s tombstone

• the court has no heart and demands he produce an heir, but given the Queen’s inability to do so (since in their eyes it took them too long to conceive a child the first time plus it was a girl) so they take matters into their own hands, choosing other maidens who would be more than willing to carry the future heir to the kingdom (and maybe become Queen themselves in the process) This pisses Shinichi off, he makes it clear he will only have children with the woman he loves

• meanwhile this only adds to Shiho’s thinking that being born as a woman is a curse and this is her punishment for thinking she could be happy. Perhaps it’s a good thing her daughter will never get the chance to go through the same process as she is right now

• Shinichi refuses to be seduced and instead finally decides to sit with Shiho who wakes each morning to mourn their child. He normally waits until she finally sleeps at night to talk to their daughter himself, he didn’t want to trigger her more but evidently it’s not working. But also because he hates to admit that he failed

• he mans up and holds her, confessing his own guilt and how he wished it was him instead. He failed at being a father before he really got the chance, how can he be a good ruler is he can’t even protect his own family. Shiho stops blaming him, now that she knows he’s just as torn up about this as she is

• they actually try and have another child. They did try before during their grieving but it was more going through the motions and made them both feel worse. Eventually they managed to conceive again, but it takes a long while

• maybe they’re not meant to be parents together, she doesn’t understand why it’s not working. There must be something wrong with her. The kingdom needs an heir, so she gives her permission for him to have a child with someone else. He refuses, doubling down that he will only have a child with her

• they fall more in love with each other in the process and to help alleviate the stress of making babies. She starts getting into running a country. She was trained to do so for her own land, but now that she belongs to her husband she’s told to stay out of it. Shinichi values her opinion, especially knowing how smart she is, she was the key to several victories they held during the war and she was able to keep the people of the kingdom happy while he was away at the line of duty

• as assassination attempt is made on her life since women have no place in power and she isn’t even pregnant. Shinichi saves her, but she decides she hates being a damsel so she starts to take self defense lessons. At first he didn’t like it, thinking of himself as a failure that she has to learn to fight for herself. But she convinces him, if she had been able to hold her own in a fight then maybe they would still have to see daughter

• he allows her lessons to continue, but he insists on being her sparring partner (this is just because I want my golden otp represented, cause this is such a thing for my true otp) anyways they probably end up conceiving during one of these sessions

• it’s a boy this time! And everything is finally going great again. Except there is a jealous person who was promised by the court power and now that’s all gone. So another assassination attempt is made, but this time on Shinichi’s life

• Shinichi doesn’t hesitate to protect both Shiho and their baby, not realizing he is the target this time. Luckily the swordsman missed the mark and was apprehended but Shinichi is pretty badly hurt. Shiho has nightmares about this and spends the whole time by his side with their child, nursing him back to health

• because this is just gonna keep going if I don’t end it, and I really cannot deal with angst or mcd. We are going to say they lived happily ever after and nothing bad ever happens again (even though it probably does)

[e1igius]

note ; this verse is also adaptable to any muse that comes form superhero related media ( marvel , d.c. , etc. ) it is just primarily centered around the boys but has been left vaguely open-ended for that purpose. reminder , for a full biography merge his main bio with the one for this particular universe. verse is affiliated w/ @executiioner &. @antisupe ( who was the inspo for this thing in the first place )

the absolute destruction of the fabric of reality was something he hadn't expected. the way that truth cracked aside by death alone , he'd been twenty two , in afghanistan , deployed once again on some routine turn around as they had been as a nation for who knows how long. he could remember the day he met a supe for the first time , the desert storm was over the horizon , and they were being surrounded by the enemy on all fronts. no chance of aerial assault to safe them , the mission would have ended in critical failure. the adrenaline in his veins had caused the memory to weaken , to shift and contort in many ways , but few things still felt as clear as water. his friend died that day , he had watched etan take a bullet to the jugular and pressed as hard as he could to keep as little blood form leaving , but in seconds the boys hands were drenched. absolutely soaked with the blood of his fellow marine as he choked out words begging him to stay alive. he had watched so clearly as the light left his eyes , and felt so guilty as he took the other twenty two year old's ammo for his own... his friend had risen from the dead , the noise had startled him. the utter fear as the body moved with the grace of the undead. the terror as the boy he loved was destroyed by machine gun fire and yet still walked through it , killing the enemy by eating them alive. the horror as , more dead marines did the same. the face of the girl , who looked his age , who had been given to them by vought to keep safe.... as she made eye contact for just a moment. and saved them all.

there had never been any issues with heroes. huckleberry had loved heroes as a kid. it was one of the main reasons that when he almost failed out of highschool the marines had been his first place to go. he hadn't been lucky enough to be born a hero but --- maybe he could become one. he remembered dreaming of soldierboy and wanting to be a part of the team. maybe that was why he had grown tired of the rules and regulations in the military. rules of engagement preventing proper justice , the geneva convention removing any possibility of revenge. he had always wanted to become a hero. and so he did , an unauthorized absence and desertion charge later and he was on his way to making history. it started with corrupt politicians , pedophiles , small town heroes taking advantage of underprivileged populations. but one thing leads to another and his criteria for who needs to be killed slowly starts to windle down , anything can be on the list. anyone , for any small crime.

his title is given to him by the same company that wants to be rid of him eligius covers the newspapers. the supe killer. although huckleberry himself always tried to remind the press , he didn't just kill superheroes... they were just the only deaths the news cared to cover. headlines over justice. but it didn't matter if he was doing the right thing. he keeps is eyes on other places. something in the back of his mind doesn't want to focus on the corporation itself. as if the backbone of america being corrupt is something that his brain can't quite take at the moment. but when enough small town bodies pile up it doesn't matter anymore , he's a supervillain. the public doesn't see that all of those supes were evil , they don't see that the congressman passing the protection act is a pawn , all they see is what vought tells them to see. and one man has no way of stopping them alone. they don't know who he is , why focus on anyone without powers , the news assumes he's a terrorist. but he manages to stay under the radar , for the most part. or so he thinks. one with no powers ( but no one knows that ) , no money and no way to fight a whole corporation by himself ? he does his best to avoid them until...

the news coverage that day shows an explosion , and huckleberry might have been the biggest fan because it takes less than a second to recognize the dead man on his screen. it feels like a message from god. modern day supers might be evil but , the true superhero has finally returned. risen from the dead , he was jesus christ incarnate. soldierboy , the message is clear... the anger and confusion in the explosion , the condition he is in ? vought tried to kill the man. so huckleberry must now kill vought.

[lemony-snickers]

Ooo! What about! Kakashi who assigns his partner(possibly a masc reader?) to be his "bodyguard" on his hokage business so they can stay together (also because he trusts them more than anyone else) but they take it super seriously

It'd go like

K: why don't you stay in my tent tonight to "keep me safe" ;)

Y/n: *stays up all night keeping watch*

hey there, my friend! apologies for the wait, i hope you enjoy this little fic. <3

Title: The Bodyguard  (AO3 Link Here) Summary:  When Kakashi assigned his partner to be his bodyguard for the evening, he hardly expected him to take the job quite so seriously. Word Count:  1,928 Warnings: masc!reader, nothing else, really. this be fluff. .

Kakashi disliked many things about being Hokage. Not the least of these were the long trips required when he made dignitary visits to other countries.

If here was still just Kakashi Hatake, the trip to the Land of Waves would have taken half the time he’d already been on the road, and they were barely more than halfway to their destination.  Because now that he was Kakashi Hatake, Rokudaime of the Hidden Leaf Village, it was expected that he would not travel alone.  He had to bring other representatives of the village with him.  He was required to have a full ANBU detail to guard him. There was a representative from Terror & Interrogation as well-versed in poisons as Anko or Shizune had ever been who tested his food for him when they arrived in strange and distant locales.

It was exhausting, having to drag his feet through the dirt—on the rare occasions when they allowed him to walk, anyway; most of the time the ANBU Commander tried to get him to sit in a carriage and be pulled, which was mortifying—when he knew he could run three times as fast as the scouts two kilometers ahead.

Kakashi would never understand all the pomp and circumstance of the Hokage’s office.  Wouldn’t it make more sense to just do things simply?  To save money by not requiring such a huge contingent to travel long distances just because he wore some big, stupid hat?

Okay, Kakashi realized that was not the only thing his title dictated.  And he knew how important it was to keep the Hokage safe.

He was no longer only himself; he was responsible for countless lives—civilian and shinobi.  If he died, it would throw Konoha into chaos and cause undue strain on the entire population and economy as they tried to settle Naruto into the seat as quickly as possible, whether he was ready or not.

Kakashi groaned, allowing his posture to collapse even more than usual.  Exhausted, he dragged his palms over his half-covered face in an attempt to stimulate some sort of alertness.

Only a few more days and they would finally arrive.  Maybe he’d even have a chance to sneak away for a few precious moments of silence with you.

You.

At least your presence made the trip somewhat tolerable.  Kakashi had been hesitant to add you to his security detail at first, not because he didn’t think you were a good fit for the job, but because he was afraid the perception of nepotism might hurt your reputation.  Not many people knew the two of you were involved, and he thought those who did could certainly be trusted, but there was no accounting for gossip in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Intriguing tidbits of information often spread like wildfire amongst the shinobi forces—chatter and rumors were well-used methods by which many ninja blew off steam in the locker rooms after grueling missions.

Still, you’d convinced him the risk would be worth it because of the additional time you’d be able to enjoy in one another’s presence, even if it was primarily in an official capacity.

Of course, Kakashi had not accounted for how seriously you would take the appointment.

“No touching,” you had reminded him countless times in the Hokage’s office.  “Not while I’m on duty.”

Kakashi let his gaze drift away from the paperwork before him to the mouth of his tent, the flap pinned open to let in the cool night air.  There you stood, posture straight as a steel rod and head swiveling constantly. He would be lying if he said he did not admire the way the firelight outside danced along the ridges of your arms, highlighting the muscles left bare by the ANBU uniform.

Too bad he couldn’t reach over and drag you toward him as he wanted to.

He sighed, knowing you would never allow such a thing while the prying eyes of your comrades roamed the campsite beyond the Hokage’s tent.

Despite all he knew about your serious demeanor, however, Kakashi had hoped maybe you would allow yourself to relax tonight.  And in spite of the obvious, when Kakashi had assigned you as his bodyguard for the evening, this was not what he had anticipated the night looking like.

“Are you sure he’s the right person to keep watch?” your Commander had asked.  You were not typically stationed as the Hokage’s primary protection, mostly for your own safety.  Kakashi hated the idea that you might one day feel compelled to stand between his body and an assassination attempt.

“There’s no one I trust more,” he’d said truthfully, ignoring the strange tilt of the Commander’s head as he peered at Kakashi through the ANBU mask.

“Very well, my Lord.”

Kakashi grit his teeth every time he heard the title uttered.  It still felt wrong, somehow.  Like a pair of shoes that were too tight or a hitai-ate that kept slipping over his nose.

“Serval.”

Kakashi tried to keep his voice calm and level as he called for you by your ANBU moniker.  You turned, the harsh firelight outside contrasting with the single candle lighting Kakashi’s tent, throwing your ceramic mask into sharp relief—basking in a warm orange glow on one side while it was plunged into shadow on the other.

An apt visual metaphor for the life of an ANBU, Kakashi thought wryly.

“Sir?”

Kakashi hated when you called him that.  It wasn’t quite as egregious as my Lord, which he’d had to beg you not to use, but it still sent a shiver of revulsion through him.

“Don’t call me that.”

Your posture stiffened slightly at the rebuke, and Kakashi softened his gaze and beckoned you in.

“Close the flap.”

You did as instructed—of course you did, you were a model soldier, always had been—and stepped further into the tent, hands clasped behind you as you awaited further instructions.

Kakashi gestured to the cushion opposite the low table he was working at.  “Sit,” he said.

You hesitated.  “Sir—” you sighed as you caught Kakashi’s perturbed expression, “Kakashi, I’m supposed to be keeping watch.  I’m not sure this is—”

“What did you think I meant when I said I wanted you to stay with me tonight?”

Your head tilted much as your Commander’s had earlier in the evening—as if every ANBU operative underwent the same training in order to nonverbally communicate confusion.

“I’m not sure what you mean, S—”  Your voice trailed off in an incoherent mutter.

Kakashi sighed, rising from his position with a small amount of effort.  His back protested at his prolonged sitting, hamstrings crying out for attention, though he ignored them.

He moved swiftly over to you and removed your ANBU mask before you could stop him—the surprise clearly written over your newly-revealed features, the handsome face Kakashi loved so much.

He couldn’t help but smile when he was finally able to look at you.  There was something about you—your face, your voice, your very being—that made him feel far more safe and protected than any security detail would ever be capable of.

“Do you know why I assigned you to this mission, Serval?”

Kakashi hated not using your real name, but he thought he should approach this topic carefully. You were still technically on duty, and he understood how seriously you took all your responsibilities—especially those related to him.

“Because I’m an excellent member of the Hokage Protection Detail,” you said, pride puffing out your chest as you tried not to smile.  Kakashi was glad his mask somewhat hid the fact that he was beaming.  “And I’m an asset to you and your entire convoy.”

Kakashi’s smile fell.

The fucking convoy. Kakashi had to strain very hard not to roll his eyes.  What he would have preferred in every way was for the two of you to make the trip alone. It would have been quicker, more relaxing, and far more unassuming than the ridiculous parade of Konoha’s forces he was currently part of.

Why was stealth not considered a better option than pageantry?  Was his status as Hokage really best represented by a growing number of staff and advisors than ability?

“That’s all true,” Kakashi said, setting your mask aside.  He watched your eyes flicker over to the cool ceramic, mouth pulling down at the edges like a disappointed seam.

He could admit you were even more handsome when you frowned, the lines between your brows making you look more ruggedly attractive.

“But the main reason I assigned you here with me,” he said, letting his voice drop down into a whisper so you had to lean forward to hear him, “is because I wanted to spend time with you.”

He could see the embarrassment radiate from your body, from the way your throat bobbed as you swallowed to how your weight shifted subtly from one foot to the other.

“Sir, err, Kakashi, I—I’m not sure that’s wholly appropriate,” you said, clearing your throat and trying to maintain a veneer of professionalism.

“What’s inappropriate about me wanting to spend time with my partner?” Kakashi asked as he shrugged himself out of his vest.  He let one of his hands drift to your bicep, fingers gliding over the warm skin of your arm until he reached the armor hitched around your forearm and loosened it with a deft flick.  You fumbled to catch it before it fell to the ground.

“Kakashi, I am on duty,” you protested as he reached up to unfasten your ANBU vest.

“Yes,” he said, “and as your Hokage, I am ordering you to spend the evening with me because I don’t want to be alone.”

Your stiff posture softened when he threaded his fingers into your hair and kissed you on the cheek, the fabric of his mask still lingering between you.

“Besides,” Kakashi added as he stretched his neck, turning toward his bedroll, “What sort of Hokage would I be if I required protection all the time?  I’m certain you and I can handle any enemies that might make it past your comrades on patrol, even if we’re asleep.”

You laughed, a deep, inviting sound that made the tension between Kakashi’s shoulder blades melt away.

“That’s better,” he said, smiling as he watched you undo the rest of your armor and settle onto the bedroll with him.

“Just for a little while,” you whispered, “until you’re asleep.”

“I’ll take what I can get.”

Kakashi woke a few hours later to find you seated at the edge of the thin camping pad, perceptive gaze trained on the entrance to the tent, which remained undisturbed.  He wanted to grumble, to drag you back beneath the covers with him and never let you leave.

Instead, he shifted up until he was seated, also.

“Go back to sleep,” you said, sending him a half-warning smile, “You need to rest.”

You’d left the armor off, at least, which meant he could feel the heat radiating from your back as he settled his own against it, facing the opposite direction.

“If you’re keeping watch, then so am I,” he said.

You chuckled.  “It’s my job to keep you safe, Hokage-sama.”

Kakashi shook his head, knowing you were teasing him with the formal title.

All the teasing left your voice when he answered, though.

“And it’s my job to keep you safe,” he said.  “So we’ll keep watch together.”

Perhaps not the night he had envisioned, but expectations hardly mattered, as long as he was able to spend it with you.

[gatheringfiki]

The following ficlet was written by @marigoldvance based on this photoset.

Fili/Kili, Gen, Apprentice 'Verse.

You might also be able to read this story on AO3.

If you’ve enjoyed this story, please leave a comment either in replies or on AO3. :)

Joyful and Triumphant

---

It was hard to believe it had been six months since the Black Sorcerer, Sauron, had waged war on the Crossroads. The night had been a happy one, a celebration of their Vocation Assignments. All of them gathered in Rosie’s tavern, chinking their cups, and laughing about the mishaps they’d overcome to arrive at Graduation. Long years spent over cauldrons and in Dwalin’s combat yard. They’d been in the middle of reminiscing about Kíli’s unfortunate accident with his shield magic (“A bubble, Kee! How even!?” Sigrid chortled) when the tavern walls had imploded inward…

Six months ago, Kíli had still carried a sense of unyielding foreverness, a doubtless belief that his days were vast and bright. Now, his joints felt stiff and his bones creaky, his body weary from battle and retreat.

He’d never thought of all the ways a Realm could change in such a short span. The University was abandoned, the youngest learners scattered across the Crossroads, most of them safe in Sanctuary. Some, though, some had been killed, others captured and tortured until they’d been warped to Sauron’s will.

Never, in history, had there been devastation like that.

Kíli sunk deeper into his bath, the cocktail of ginger, cinnamon, and pine to soothing his aches. The aroma was rich and pleasant, the steam dense, and it dulled the terrors he’d witnessed into a hum in the back of his mind. Still, nothing could quiet those demons for long. He had spent far too many nights in their company for them to dissipate entirely.

A soft knock at the door received a grunt of invitation and soon he saw the shadow in a familiar shape hovering behind the privacy screen.

“Is everything alright?” Kíli asked, sitting up straighter, the water sluicing against the sides of the wooden tub.

“Mm,” Fíli answered, taking a seat in the empty chair where Kíli had draped his robe. Kíli watched Fíli’s shadow twist and hang the robe on the back of the chair before turning again and leaning back, one leg lifting to perch the ankle on the opposite knee. “Nothing we didn’t already know.”

He sounded tired, frayed, the weight of the war dragging his syllables down and along. Fíli had been in the Council Room since dawn; another full day spent discussing strategies and listening to updates of Sauron’s movements throughout the Realms of the Crossroads. Kíli felt a twinge of guilt in his chest for not being there with Fíli as he usually was. However, Fíli had taken one look at him that morning and had instructed Kíli to take the day to rest, despite never doing so himself.

“I’ve got some good news.” Fíli said, tone a little lighter. “The Fey King has invited us to the Yulemas celebration tomorrow night. If you’re interested?” The last was said with a smirk, Kíli could tell.

Fíli knew how much Kíli normally reveled in the Yulemas season. Even the dreariest soul perked up at the sound of carols and the smell of roasted chestnuts and baked oranges. But that was before. Kíli wasn’t sure how he felt about celebrating such a warm holiday when there was hardly any warmth left in the world.

“There’ll be turkey.” Fíli said as if attempting to sell the point.

Kíli chuckled, felt the foreign sensation of a smile tugging the corner of his mouth.

“Yes, but will there be plum pudding?”

He heard Fíli huff a laugh, “And mincemeat pie.”

“Well then,” Kíli found himself saying, his tone unburdened and mild in a manner he forgot it could assume, “I suppose I don’t have a choice, then, do I?”

“Not a one,” Fíli said solemnly. His shadow stood and smoothed down the fabric of his robes, “I need to get back, Lord Elrond is due to arrive any minute.”

Just as the words left Fíli’s mouth, trumpets blared in the distance, heralding Lord Elrond’s approach. His army had made camp in the valley beyond the walls of the Fey capital, the first of four Elven armies to travel the Roots of the Crossroads in order to take up arms against Sauron. The second Lord was, of course, Thranduil, who had been convinced to help by his ward, and Kíli’s dearest friend, Tauriel.

He hadn’t seen Tauriel in several weeks, not since she’d slipped through the Roots in pursuit of one of Sauron’s scouts. Something deep within him, the glow of a fond amber light, assured him that Tauriel was fine, but he couldn’t tamp down the anxiety at not having her nearby.

The pad of footsteps returned Kíli to the present. He glanced up from where his gaze had affixed itself on the soapy surface of the water and saw Fíli rounding the privacy screen and stepping toward the tub. When he reached the tub, Fíli crouched so his face was level with Kíli’s, and gave Kíli a brilliant smile that lit up his eyes. He reached a hand forward, combed his fingers through Kíli’s hair, blunt nails grazing Kíli’s scalp, and held the back of Kíli’s head.

“It’ll do you well.” Fíli said, referring to the Yulemas feast. “And me for it.”

“Oh?” Kíli raised an eyebrow even as he nuzzled into Fíli’s hand.

Fíli leaned in close, bumped the tip of his nose against Kíli’s, “I miss your smile.” He said and then pressed a hard kiss to Kíli’s mouth, separating with a dry smack.

Kíli grinned bashfully as he watched Fíli retreat to the door.

-*-

Kíli dressed slowly, motions reluctant, mind wandering to those who wouldn’t be there that night because they were otherwise engaged – gathering intel, possibly imprisoned, clashing swords and conjuring magic, weak or wounded or worse. Kíli squeezed his eyes shut, clenched his teeth, and shrugged on the heavy outer layer of his robes. Through buttoning his collar and donning his boots, his mind eddied with doom and damnation.

Fíli had left their bed early that morning, claiming he had Important Business to attend to. No doubt more information had been delivered. Kíli had heard the Eagles and Gryphons landing in intervals throughout the night. Fewer than had flown into the horizon a week ago.

Sucking in a last fortifying breath, Kíli squared his shoulders and swept out of the room the Fey King had supplied he and Fíli for the duration of their stay. A temporary arrangement that was swiftly becoming permanent as the war carried on beyond the door to the Fey Realm.

Kíli wound his way through the labyrinth of the castle corridors, followed the noise of merriment to its source. Two Brownies in fine dress flanked the great, oak doors to the Feasting Hall, their expressions as grumpy and postures as stringent as was common for Brownies. One bowed their head politely while the other took hold of the massive, brass ring pull and hauled the door open with effort. Both made a flourish with their arms and hinged at their hips, hands indication Kíli should enter the Hall. They remained doubled over until Kíli passed them, and then lifted and closed the door behind him.

The Feasting Hall was crowded with folk of every variety. Wizards, Witches, Elves, Fey, Fairies and Hobbits; Sorcerers, Mages, Beasts and Weelings. There was one fellow – or fellowess – who appeared to be entirely made of gold dust that took in and let out as it pleased. Food and drink were served by a brigade of Brownies and Gnome, as well as popping into existence as the kitchens below finished each dish. Self-serving silverware plopping mashed potatoes onto plates as requested.

Above, Devas milled about, their teeny glows like stars against the dark ceiling. Everywhere was gold light and green trees, the latter trimmed in glass and tinsel. An orchestra played traditional Wizard carols and some feastgoers danced in lines at the center of the room.

Kíli’s eyes were as wide as he could make them to absorb every inch of the splendor. And then he heard it, low at first, then gradually louder the longer he failed to respond.

“Kíli!! Kíli, over here!!”

That was Ori’s voice. Ori who hadn’t been to the Fey Realm because he’d stayed behind to evacuate the youngest learners to the various Sanctuary. Kíli whirled around toward the direction of Ori’s voice and his eyes went impossibly wider, his jaw dropping when he spotted the faces of each of his friends. Tauriel, Sigrid, Allya and Faramir. Eomer and his little sister, Eowyn were amongst the group, waving vigorously, hailing Kíli to join them.

At the head of the table, pure, watery joy in his smile, was Fíli, relaxing in his seat, gaze tender and so full of love it almost knocked the air from Kíli’s lungs. Tears welled in Kíli’s eyes, both from relief and an overwhelming sense of gratitude, and, without a second thought, Kíli scrambled to the table.

He laughed from his belly and sipped from his cups and held his friends’ close, listened to their stories, their triumphs, and failures, kissed their cheeks and challenged them to games they hadn’t played since they were together in the University dorms. The only brief silence to descend upon their table came when Kíli asked how they’d all come to be there. As one, his friends shifted and smiled secretively, bit their lips, and snickered when Sigrid – who could never keep a secret to save her life – skated a not-so-covert glance toward Fíli.

The conversation picked up around him again, but Kíli’s whole being was trained on Fíli. He scooted over on the bench until his knee knocked Fíli’s. Under the table, away from prying eyes, Kíli took Fíli’s hand, laced their fingers, and whispered, “Thank you.” Feeling it wasn’t enough to encompass how profoundly he appreciated Fíli in that moment.

Fíli winked, brushed the pad of his thumb across Kíli’s knuckles, then returned to his discussion about Goblin remedies with Master Bilbo, who seemed entirely affronted at the very idea that Goblin remedies were of any use whatsoever.

And so Kíli reveled, and it was for the first night in six months the demons were silent, and the warmth returned to the world.

[starlightshadowsworld]

“What’s up Yusei? You said you wanted to see me?” Asked Akiza, quite confused as Yusei had messaged her out of nowhere to come round to his and the others apartment that afternoon. “Yeah, you were telling us about your abilities and it reminded me of something...I know someone who might be able to help you with them.” Explained Yusei. 

Akiza blinked in surprise, of all things she had expected that was not one of them. She had been getting at controlling her psychic dualist abilities but having someone to help her would be very helpful. But who? Yusei softened seeing her confusion “sorry I shouldn’t have just thrown that on you in the hallway...don’t worry he can explain this better than I can, come on in.” 

Sat in the living room were Crow and Jack and a third guy Akiza didn’t recognise. They were all sat having juice and laughing together.  “Yeah so Bastion was freaking out over it but it was fine, it wasn't permanent or anything ” Said the stranger, amusement on his face.

Yusei gave Crow and Jack a deadpan look "You two are supposed to be doing modifications to the bikes." Jack scoffed "please we have plenty of time, besides you just want to hog dad all to yourself." He glared, Crow joining in.

"All of you settle down, we have a guest and I won't sit here while you're being rude to them." Childed the stranger, getting up and greeting Akiza "I apologise for them, no matter what me and Martha tell em it don't seem to get through their thick skulls." He said, the trio looking very apologetic.

"No, it's okay. Sorry you're there dad?" Asked Akiza, very confused now. He chuckled like he got this question often "adopted dad, it's a long story that I can tell you later if you'd like. I'm Jaden Kaiba." Greeted Jaden, Akiza shook his hand "Akiza Izinski, its nice to meet you Mr Kaiba, sorry is that Kaiba like the company?"

Jaden chuckled "just call me Jaden, Mr Kaiba is my dad and yes that Kaiba. Its good to meet you Akiza, Yusei told me you had special abilities?" He asked, taking a seat and she did as well. She nodded "yeah... I'm able to make damage in a dual real, bring monsters and their abilities to reality and not just a hologram." She explained, hesitantly.

Akiza waited for the terror to appear in his eyes, for him to call her a monster or a witch and to be sent away. It must have shown on her face because Jaden frowned before smiling warmly at her, his words gentle "hey, it's okay. No ones going to say anything bad about you or your powers in this room. I promise you, Yusei called me because I have those abilities as well and he thought I could help you." He explained, smile never wavering.

"You're a psychic dualist as well?" Asked Akiza, surprise but also joy lighting up inside her. "Well if that's the term you kids are using than yes, I am a psychic dualist" grinned Jaden. "What term do you use than?" Asked Crow, curiously "I don't really have one but everyone calls it 'pulling a Jaden' but that's anything I do so it's confusing." Replied Jaden, they chuckled before leaving him and Akiza to talk.

"I just I don't know, I'm trying to control them myself instead of just relying on my hair pin.... And I guess not hating them or hurting anyone again." Explained Akiza, she felt safe here and that it was okay to express these things.

Jaden nodded, a sad smile on his face that made him look years older "it's hard especially because they develop when you're a kid and you get taught to put a lid on them instead of controlling them. I was lucky, I was adopted by my dad who had a friend who's well versed in all this. He taught me how to control it by meditating and letting it out little by little, in both duals and outside of them." He explained, before looking her in the eye, serious.

"The hardest part is letting it out. We can control the environment and I'll be right here with you but it's tough on yourself and people can get hurt. I hurt my dad once and I never wanted to use them again. To just stop right at the middle but it's not something that can be stopped, and it'll do you more damage to do that... you've gotta see it through to the end. And I promise you that there is one." Explained Jaden, kind but firm. Not beating around the bush but not being mean either.

Kinda like a dad.

Akiza nodded, she thought of those she had hurt.. Her parents. "I will, if you'll help me" she said, he smiled and it softened him. "Of course I will, might not be the best teacher but we'll get through it together." He said, and she believed him.

Jaden was genuine in a way few others were, had an air around him like a king but never looked down on anyone. She chuckled and he raised an eyebrow in question "sorry, you just sounded a lot like Yusei just now" Jaden chuckled "thank you. So who's the guardian of your deck?" He asked, curious.

Akiza smiled, pulling out her Black Rose Dragon. Jaden watched the spirit emerge from the card, noticing Akiza could notice her as well. Black Rose Dragon eyed Jaden cautiously before giving a small bow of her head and curling up beside Akiza protectively. "Well I can definitely say you've bonded well with her" He said with a smile. Akiza smiled back, putting the card back in her deck and the spirit vanishing.

"Can I see yours?" She asked, wondering what kind of spirit someone like Jaden had. He nodded, pulling out Yubel's card and beside him they materialised. But Akiza swore that the other spirit had been there throughout the entire time Jaden was here. There was a darkness to them and they had a protective aura that rivaled Black Rose Dragons.

But there was something else... Both of them had the same energy and aura as if they were one... But that couldn't be possible? Could it? "Akiza?" Asked Jaden, concerned that she'd gone quiet out of nowhere. "Both of you, it's like you're one... But that's just because you're in synch, right?" She asked. Jaden shook his head with a small smile, Yubel vanished but Jaden's eyes flashed to theirs and back to his.

"It's okay to ask, if you're polite about it I don't mind sharing. I've had quite a journey, so has Yubel. We share you this because we want you to trust us, we want to trust you in return." Jaden said simply, Akiza was surprised he'd reveal something like that just to gain her trust "thank you, Jaden." She said, and she wouldn't let that trust in her be in vain.

But that's when Jaden noticed something, the Crimson Dragon mark on Akiza's arm. His eyes were wide, this... This was ancient magic that he hadn't seen since his time in the dark dimension. "Akiza... Why do you have the mark of the Crimson dragon?" He asked, she was surprised he could see it as if wasn't glowing but he could, plain as day.

"I'm one of the six signers, able to summon the Crimson Dragon" she said, Jaden nodded slowly. "I see, my apologises I didn't think I'd ever see such power like that... Are there others that you know of?" He asked, Akiza nodded "myself, these two twins and... Well Jack, Crow and Yusei" she added.

Jaden's eyes widened, before covering his face in his hands... Just as the trio walked back in with snacks. "Erm... Are you guys good? Should we go?" Asked Crow, looking as his dad in concern. "He saw my signer mark and asked if I knew the others" explained Akiza, and all three of them went pale.

It had...apparently slipped there mind to tell their dad they were doing something very dangerous behind his back and involved with ancient magic... Despite knowing exactly who their dad was.

"We can explain?" Said Jack, wincing as Jaden looked up with the sternest look he could muster. One that he absolutely got from Seto himself, and it definitely had the same effect. "I'm all ears, get to it or I'm calling your papa in as well." Said Jaden.

"No! Erm.... We don't we got this right guys?" Said Crow, Yusei didn't say anything knowing they were in for it now. Especially if their papa was bought in, Jesse wouldn't mince his words like Jaden would. And if they were still alive by that lecture than Uncle Zane and Uncle Aster would come and... They were screwed either way.

Akiza took one of the snacks and started eating as she watched them. She was glad she'd met Jaden Kaiba.

[flowercrown-bard]

Three Little Words

Content warning: Blood, injury

 word count: ~1k

on AO3

It was a strange thing, confessing one’s love. Some did it in verse, with endlessly long sentences filled with metaphor and flowery imagery. Some did it in a handful of simple words, awkward or stilted or just stating facts.

Still, most people would agree that all of those confessions had one thing in common: Three words. Three simple words that could have the power to change the world for a person. Those words could shatter hearts when rejected or make them soar up into the sky if spoken back.

Geralt couldn’t remember a time when those words had been directed at him. He also couldn’t think of a time when he had said them himself. He saw no sense in it.

Those who didn’t know Geralt well enough to see past the yellow eyes and scars wouldn’t want to hear him say those words anyway. And those who did know Geralt didn’t need him to say them to know what he meant when he said his own three words. It was enough when he grabbed Eskel’s arm at the beginning of spring and said “Stay safe, brother.” He didn’t need to use poets’ words when he saw his family again and greet them with a relieved “You’re still alive.”

To anyone but his family, his words must sound unfeeling and gruff. It didn’t matter. He didn’t need anyone outside of his family to understand him. No one other than his pack would ever get to hear him say anything with so much meaning as his three words.

Geralt couldn’t care less that people turned away from him and left him alone when he opened his mouth and all that came out were seemingly emotionless words.

Maybe that was the reason why it was so unnerving when the bard stayed, despite Geralt being his usually gruff self. The bard had asked for three words or less and that was exactly what Geralt had given to him. They were just words. It was coincidence that their number aligned with Geralt’s meaningful words. These ones didn’t mean anything at all. They were dismissive and clipped and should have been enough to make the bard leave, to make him realise that he wasn’t going to get any warmer or prettier words out of Geralt.

And yet, as they continued to travel together and weeks turned into years, Geralt found himself slipping up more and more often, telling Jaskier his own three words. The only thing that kept Geralt from completely drawing back in mortification whenever the words tumbled out of his mouth without him meaning to, was the fact that Jaskier didn’t understand what Geralt was truly saying when he grumbled “Stay back, Jaskier.”

You are important to me and I don’t want to see you get hurt.

But those were too many words and Geralt couldn’t bring himself to say them out loud. The idea was enough to set his heart racing in a fear he shouldn’t feel and twisted his chest as if in pain. So he kept those terrifyingly long sentences inside. It wasn’t as if Jaskier would understand them if he ever said them. Just as he apparently didn’t understand the simple command of “Stay back”.

Geralt should have known. He had been stupid to think that Jaskier - who for some reason kept trailing after Geralt no matter how brusque and emotionless he came across – wouldn’t ignore his words as if they weren’t important and try to push Geralt out of the way of a wyfern.

“No, Jaskier, don’t!” Geralt shouted, his voice cracking with terror when he saw the determined look on Jaskier’s face, right before he collided with Geralt and cried out in pain when the wyfern’s claws plunged into him.

Geralt felt like he couldn’t breathe. With inhuman strength he tore his eyes away from Jaskier and lifted his sword, rage and fear battling inside him and keeping his swing with the weapon sharp and deadly. He could only concentrate enough on the fight to end the wyfern, his mind focussed on Jaskier who was lying in a pool of his own blood, whimpering and with tears streaming down his face.

“No, no, no,” Geralt hissed when he dropped to his knees next to Jaskier. “Don’t be hurt.”

It was a useless thing to say. Jaskier was already hurt. Because of Geralt. Because he hadn’t been fast enough. Maybe if Geralt had said more than three words, maybe if he had told Jaskier why he had to stay back, Jaskier would have obliged. He wouldn’t have gotten hurt.

“It hurts, Geralt,” Jaskier whimpered, his hands pressing on his wound and his eyes squeezed shut.

“Look at me,” Geralt said as softly as he could.

Jaskier took a ragged breath and then, with aching slowness, Jaskier opened his eyes. Pain shone in them and something else; an overwhelming sense of trust that Geralt didn’t deserve.

“You won’t die,” Geralt said firmly, as he carefully lifted Jaskier’s hands off his injury so he could take a look at it. “I promise, Jask. You are safe.”

A small smile tugged at Jaskier’s lips that had no right to look so beautiful. Not when Jaskier was hurt. Not when Geralt still wasn’t able to say the three words that a poet like Jaskier would want to hear.

“I know, Geralt.” With obvious effort, Jaskier lifted his hand to cup Geralt’s cheek. “I’m with you. I trust you.”

Geralt’s mouth went dry. There were words humans liked throwing around a lot. It was why their three words had never made much sense to Geralt. But this. Trust. This wasn’t something Geralt felt often and the gods knew it wasn’t something that people felt when looking at Geralt.

And yet, here Jaskier was. Bleeding with no one around but Geralt hovering over him. There were so many things Jaskier should have been feeling right now, none of them even close to trust. Yet, that was the word Jaskier chose to gift to Geralt; Jaskier, who knew better than anyone what power words could have, Jaskier who had built his life around words.

Geralt swallowed thickly, tearing his eyes away from Jaskier’s and dressed his wound as quickly as he could. All the while, he could feel Jaskier’s eyes burning into him.

Even after he was sure that Jaskier wasn’t in any more danger and that Geralt had done all he could, Geralt refused to put distance between them again. His hands hovered over Jaskier’s body, searching for something else they could do, some way in which they could help.

Huffing, Jaskier reached out and grabbed Geralt’s hands, gently holding them in his.

“I am alright,” Jaskier said with a smile and that damn softness in his eyes. “You saved me.” His thumb caressed Geralt’s knuckles. “You always do.”

Geralt shook his head and pressed his lips into a thin line for a moment. “You saved me.”

“I always will.”

Geralt’s throat got tight, choking him. “I… Jaskier, I…”

The words didn’t come. For a terrifying second Geralt had been convinced he would have to watch Jaskier die and still the cursed three words that were so important to humans wouldn’t come.

The corners of Jaskier’s eyes crinkled with his smile.

“Don’t worry, Geralt,” Jaskier whispered, lifting his hand to press a kiss against Geralt’s palm. “I know you. I understand you.”

Something unfurled in Geralt’s chest and all tension left him. He didn’t have the words. He couldn’t give Jaskier a grand confession. But for once, he knew that he didn’t need any of that. Now with Jaskier.

It was enough to press Jaskier’s hands against Geralt’s chest where he could feel the slow beating of his heart and say, “I do too.”

[rayofsunas]

valentines | diluc [3]

A/n: good evening everyone!! I know this story is kinda a slow start to things, but dw reader is actually in this chapter lol. my plan is too write one more part, which would be the finale :) let me know how you guys are liking the series so far <33 I feel like Diluc is sooooo ooc, sawwy... AND I also can’t remember if the Dawn Winery is Diluc’s home, but pretend it is for this if it isn’t- anyways, enjoy and stay safe!!

Summary: the ever so stoic diluc thought he was being secretive when sending anonymous letters and gifts to you during the week of valentine’s day but turns out everyone in mondstadt knew it was him, though thankfully had tight enough lips to not spill the beans to you. kaeya is of no help, so you go seeking answers yourself.

Parings: Diluc/Fem! Reader (for my other mini-series, there will be some gn ones!)

Warnings: valentines (yes, I’m late, shoot me), fluff, Diluc and Kaeya have a mother (the only reason this is a warning, is cause she’s a mood and I love her), swearing

Word count: 4.5k (I’m so proud and happy with this chapter :))

The letters were vague at first and you usually received them early in the morning, at first there was one. But now there was more than one letter, sometimes Cecilia flowers and even little gifts in a delicately wrapped box along with them. You assumed the writer was a serious night owl to have prepared this all and had sent them when you were asleep, leaving them as a sort of gift for you to wake up to in the morning. 

Though, originally, when you received the first handful of letters, you were creeped out, nervous for obvious reasons.

Who was this stranger sending letters of unworthy praise and admiration? Was their identity that much in danger, to have to be anonymous? And without an address as well... 

The more you read his or her letters, you learned that over four days, they were no threat. They couldn’t have been. Whoever they were, most likely was a young teen, caught in the webs of affection for the very first time, nervous to dip their toes into confrontation out of fear of being rejected. 

But the more you scanned the letters at night, reading them over like a series of detective novels, searching for any kind of clue, you realized this person was far too intelligent, smooth, and straight to the point, to be any kind of lovesick teen. That scenario, that possibility wasn’t possible in your mind. 

The only thing that made them seem like a confused teen was the fact that they sounded lost within their feelings, although straight to the point it was hard to decipher exactly what they were saying. Their words were often hidden behind a thick wall of glass; you could see them, but it was hard to grasp exactly what they were, the true meaning of it all. 

Was his or her adoration for you, really, truly love?

Was praising your skill too small of a thing to feel completely doused in love over?

You were never too sure. 

-

letter one.

I know this may seem odd, coming from a stranger. But I can assure you I am not a creep of any kind. I can’t help but say, I admire your skills in battle; you’re a force to be reckoned with. Please accept these Cecilia’s, I hope they aren’t too much nor are you allergic.

Best wishes.

This was the very first letter you received. Something you solely took for another Knight who you unknowingly, until now, of course, caught the attention of. You assumed that they were just praising you because they wished to be like you, of course, you accepted it with open arms. Praise for such a low profiled Knight felt nice.

letter two.

Hello. I realized I never specified an address for you to possibly reply to my letters with. It completely slipped my mind, my apologies. If it isn’t too much of a hassle, you could leave your letters at Barbatos’ Statue and I could do so as well. I also realized that sending letters to your home may seem... very weird and unsettling. I am sincerely sorry, my intentions weren’t to scare you. I am no creep, I can assure you we are acquaintances. Though, I would prefer to keep my identity hidden for right now. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes. 

This letter was completely apologetic, its entire body and being were sincere you could tell. Yes, you would agree, the letters sent directly to your home were unsettling. But if they were an acquaintance and they had no ill intentions, you had no reason to panic. 

letter three.

I received your letter and I’m very glad to hear you’re no longer panicked or creeped out. Those were never my intentions... I appreciate your willingness to communicate with me. It’s very kind and understanding of you. Also, to answer your question, I am a man. I hope that does not disappoint you... Looking forward to your next letter. 

Best wishes.

You were happy to finally figure out more of who this anonymous person was, and knowing they were a man helped you learn more about who they could be. The list of suspects you were acquainted and or friends with, decreased significantly. You didn’t have many guy friends or acquaintances. You could only name a handful. Was he even amongst that handful? People had different meanings of friends and acquaintances after all...

letter four.

I know this may seem too early, we’ve only been properly conversing for a day or two. But, I would like to say you’re one of a kind and I found myself lost for words when writing to you. I hope you’re faring well. Please stay safe. I heard there was a pretty nasty bar fight last night that transitioned into a bloodbath in the streets. Lots of people are upset right now, politics I assume... Nonetheless, stay safe. 

Best wishes.

He was right. You weren’t cleared for such information, but you had heard talk from some of your fellow Knights that there was a pretty bad bar fight that carried out into the streets late last night. Multiple people had ended up in the dungeons, some still walked the streets whispering their opinions on an ancient conspiracy, though, you were unsure of what that exactly meant. 

Poison, sicknesses, and night terrors were a few of the most talked-about stressors for the fight. Who was to tell which ones were true though, if any. You assumed the truth was riddled in there somewhere though, it had to of been. Rumors often stemmed from an over extreme truth. 

What an unfortunate thing to hear, especially the week of Valentine's day. A week of love, already filled with a bitter hatred, not a good start. Thankfully, you had the letters, they kept you hopeful. The other person on the receiving end could also feel hopeful, so you hoped. You just hoped the situation wasn’t the start of something worse brewing.

Sadly, you weren’t cleared to investigate like you had heard Captain Kaeya was; despite how curious and nosy you were. Unfortunately, you were stuck with paperwork and training the younger Knights; you enjoyed the latter. But those were your duties this week, you couldn’t afford to stray from them. 

Hopefully, your anonymous admirer was alright and well. 

-

You hated to admit it. But over the last five days, you had become smitten. Some say, love at first sight, was impossible, a silly tale told to hopeless romantics who would believe anything. For someone who was not one of those people easy to fall in love with, truthfully, you were starting to believe the tales.

This anonymous man was so kind, well versed with words, so well versed that they moved mountains. You know for sure they had moved your heart. He wasn't willing to share a simple thing; his name. But he’d practically told you his life story, thrown it into your palms easily. Though vague, it was enough to help you understand him better and feel ultimately closer.

You’d learned he was a well-known guy, and as much as he accepted and loved the attention sometimes, it was tiring and draining the majority of the time. He’d said he was a protector of Mondstadt, someone who deeply cared for the townspeople and they're well beings. He’d make any deal, cross any sea, walk through hell with his head held high, just to protect them. He was also a brother, though never specified if he was older or younger, you assumed he was older when he said that he had a very annoying brother; only an older sibling could understand another's annoyance caused by a younger sibling. You could blame personal experience from your time around the younger Knights. You felt like an older sister to a lot of them without that older mentor figure. They weren’t all annoying, but they could share similar qualities at times when they didn't pay attention or learn paperwork completion formats.  

A name came to mind as he shared his vague life story. 

Kaeya Alberich. 

He was all of those things, except maybe for the last one. You knew Kaeya and Master Diluc were brothers, very close in age, but they weren’t blood-related, so twins were off the table; one was older than the other. Something was telling you it was the more flirtatious brother. He was the more outgoing of the two, spontaneous, he would surely be one behind the letters, right? But then wouldn’t he just approach you like normal? Hmmm. Maybe not. He did like to act mysterious, but maybe he was scared of rejection, who knows with Captain Kaeya. He was very hard to read. You couldn’t even tell half the time if he truly meant what he’d say when flirting with you or if he was just saying those things to tease you, maybe even make someone else jealous. 

You were curious, so you decided to approach him. Corner the Captain and demand an answer. He’d have to give you one, you wouldn’t leave his side. So that’s what you did, after your duties had finished around five in the afternoon, you waited outside the Knights headquarters. Hopefully, you’d catch him going in and out sometime soon, it was growing late. 

It was nearing six-thirty when you were getting ready to leave headquarters. Thinking, maybe this could wait tomorrow until you could catch the Captain at a reasonable time. But then he came strutting out of headquarters, his uncovered eye glistening with mischief, a smirk plastered on his handsome face. 

“Captain Kaeya, a word?” You interjected stepping in front of the man, stopping him from bounding down the steps deeper into the city. 

His face broke out in a grin, “Ah, Y/n! Nice to see you again, miss me did you?” 

“Not hardly, Captain.” You said, hoping you wouldn’t get in trouble for practically back-talking your superior. Your own Captain would never let you hear the end of it, the blonde man was a strict one. 

“You wound me,” The cryo user feigned pain. You could only chuckle nervously. “So, what is it you wanted to see me for?”

Your face heated up, burning like fire. “I have a question.”

“Shoot.” He said, hand going to rest sassily on his hip. 

“Are you the one writing me letters?” 

He laughed, sending waves of embarrassment through you. It shouldn’t have but now you felt stupid. Even if you held no romantic feelings for the Captain, he was way out of your league. He probably knew that. 

“Me? You flatter me!”

“No... I mean it,” You stated. “Is it you?”

His face turned serious. “Sadly, not.”

You huffed, heart, dropping to the floor. “Damn it,” You muttered, moving to sit on the stone steps of the Knights headquarters. Kaeya stayed standing, shadow blanketing over you, oddly silent. No flirtatious rebuttal, nothing, just silence. Odd. 

“You know something I don’t, I know you do.” You said, head hanging low. He laughed again. So, you were right.

“Of course, beautiful, I know a lot of things you don’t.” He taunted, eye dripping in mischief. 

“Very funny, Captain.” This wasn’t very funny, not at all. You weren’t laughing.

Suddenly, the Captain spoke up, “Speak to Diluc, I’m sure he knows, he has a very keen eye.”

Master Diluc? Wine tycoon Diluc? What did he have to do with this? He was always off doing his own thing, was it possible he knew anything at all?

“Master Diluc?”

“That’s what I said, yes.”

“You think he’d know who this person is?” You wondered. 

“Like I, he knows about lots of things, one being people.”

“Captain, I don’t like games, please just tell me.” You pleaded, eyes meeting his singular visible one. 

“When you beg, it’s cute,” He said catching you off guard. “See Diluc, he’ll know.” With that, he turned around and began walking off. 

“Wait!” You abruptly stood. “Do you know where I can find him?” 

“Dawn Winery.” You nearly froze on the spot. 

Dawn Winery? Wasn’t that Master Diluc’s residence? You possibly couldn’t, not at this hour either. Archons no...

“I’m sorry,” You hurriedly followed after the retreating figure. “I can’t possibly go there at this hour.”

“And why not?”

“Umm, Captain obvious, it seems inappropriate! People would think I’m going for other intentions!” Oh, if news got out that you went to Master Diluc’s residence late in the afternoon, and people assumed you had other intentions, this would surely be the end of you.

“But you’re not and you know that,” He said. “Are you always such a rule follower and strung up? Archons, you’re Diluc, but a girl version...” He commented.

He did have a point, but if someone saw a young woman entering the Dawn Winery of a bachelor late in the afternoon, suspicion would rise. It’s very conspicuous.

“Yes but-”

“Toodles, beautiful!” You stood still like a statue of ice, heart racing. 

“Bastard...”

-

Against better judgment, you ended up making the short walk to the Dawn Winery. You were hesitant to knock on the large doors though. Scared shitless, beyond nervous, only thinking what would others think? What would Master Diluc think? He’d probably shut the door on your face, leaving you like a frazzled idiot.

You probably stood pacing outside for fifteen minutes, before mustering up the courage to knock on the door. But you never got the chance, because you saw a woman with brown hair and a few gray strands peeking out of one of the first-floor windows. She had a small smile on her delicate face as she watched you. How long had she been there for...?

Your heart dropped the minute you’d been caught pacing, leaving you standing frozen. Eventually, the woman disappeared from the window, leaving you confused. But then the door whipped open with a gentle force and there she stood. 

She was a taller, slender woman with broad shoulders, wearing a simple dark green blouse black pants, black heeled boots with golden vine details were on her feet, making her even taller. If it weren’t for the gentle smile she gave you, she would’ve looked terrifying. 

“I saw you pacing outside for a while, I figured you’d muster up the courage to knock eventually.” She said without introduction.

Oh my... was this Master Diluc and Kaeya’s mother... She didn’t look like either of them, but who knows. You wanted to die, that’s for sure.

“I’m so sorry Miss,” You apologized. “I was just-”

“No worries!” She cheered, hands clasping tightly together. “Which one of my boys are you here for?”

So, she was their mother? Oh my... You shouldn’t have come like this, no not now. 

“Master Diluc...” You whispered nervously. Her smile only brightened, she was happy to hear that. 

“Ah I see, are his girlfriend?” Your chest wanted to explode.

“What?! No! I just, have a question for him...” You practically shrunk under her grey steel gaze and for that, began backing away from the intimidating, yet a kind woman. You were hoping to put some distance in between you two, but she moved along with you. “It’s not of importance to be here so late, I just- Kaeya sent me here and-”

“Ah I see, that one is trouble, I’m sorry you had to deal with him...” She seemed visibly distressed by the mention of the Cavalry Captain. You could relate. 

“It’s no problem, ma’am.” You reassured.

“Are you a Knight?” She suddenly asked, still no proper introduction. 

You nodded your head, her smile widened and brightened. 

“A respectable woman you are,” She praised. “And you’re beautiful? If one of my boys don’t marry you right now-” She carried on, you nearly choked on your saliva. “I’m sorry, I get carried away sometimes, I forgot to introduce myself!”

“My name is Victoria.” Finally, you thought. A name to fit her face. 

“Are you the boys' mother?” You suddenly asked. Manners, you reminded yourself. Remember to have manners and keep your curiosity to yourself. 

“Archons no!” She announced loudly, you jumped. “I’m a family friend of Diluc’s mother. You see, the boys were quite young when she passed, and they needed someone to help look after them, Master Crepus was quite a busy man. I stepped up and became a mother figure.”

“Ahh, I see,” You nodded. “I salute you for being able to help raise such gentlemen, must’ve been hard...” 

She laughed, “Not entirely, at first yes, but then it came naturally,”

“Where are my manners!” She suddenly exclaimed, grabbing your hand. “Come in! Diluc will be arriving soon, he’s out taking care of business.” With that, she dragged you into the mansion. 

The door slammed with a loud bang, and Victoria began walking through the downstairs level, almost excitedly. 

“Oh, um, thank you, ma’am.” You bowed your head in respect, watching confusedly as she disappeared into a hallway, before returning with a bottle of wine. 

“A drink?” She offered, showing off a bottle of wine, that just so happened to be the Ragnvindr’s specialty. 

“No, thank you, ma’am. I’m afraid I have an early morning tomorrow, a hangover would be a troubling start to my day.”

“Very good decision.” She praised, scrambling out of the room to look for what you assumed was a glass for her wine, leaving you once again alone. 

Glancing around the main entrance, you were left staring at very few portraits on the wall, framed maps, and personal memorabilia. One thing that stood out to you the most, a black insignia with a star and white skull, a Pirate insignia...

“A pirate insignia?” You whispered to yourself, confused. Captain Kaeya always told stories of pirates, his grandfather being one specifically. You always assumed he was lying... He wasn't. Maybe you should take back your disbelief in him. 

“That’s mine,” Victoria announced proudly, making herself known again. You jumped, startled, before turning to face the beautiful woman. She returned with a glass-like you thought she would and nearly emptied the entire wine bottle into it, cherry red contents filling to the brim.

You retract your statement about Captain Kaeya, he was still a fibber. 

“You were a pirate?” You asked, astonishment bubbling in your chest. You had so many questions for her, you secretly hoped Diluc would take even longer, just so you could listen to her stories. 

Victoria hummed, plopping onto a cherry red armchair, you still stood. 

”Badass...” You whispered to yourself, taking a seat on the nearby loveseat. 

”Thank you.” She beamed. 

“In my younger years of course. I haven’t been on a Pirate ship in a while. I haven’t seen my crew in years, either...” She reminisced. 

“You can’t be a day over thirty-five,” She smiled at your praise. “Why did you give it up? Being a Pirate, though uncertain at times, seems like loads of fun, filled with adventure.” She shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. 

“The boys lost their mother around the ages of eleven or twelve and I had just returned from months at sea,” She began. “They had run away from home to get into mischief when they met me at the gates; I think they’d been cooped at home for a while, they were grieving still....”

“Kaeya was excited to see my crew return home, infatuated with our stories. He clung to me for hours, with so many questions. Diluc on the other hand was just happy to finally not be bothered by his little brother,” 

Little brother? Kaeya? Wait did that mean-

“Master Crepus found them after he’d come searching, they’d been missing for hours and he was worried for obvious reasons. He attempted to take them home, Diluc was willing, Kaeya though clung to me. So, Master Crepus offered me a slower-paced life, looking after the boys and help keep them in check,” She continued, a smile on her face. “I agreed. They looked like they had gone through a lot and needed a mother figure. I was more than happy to look after them, I’d never had kids.” She ended her story there, swishing the red contents in her cup. 

“I guess that's the answer to your question,” 

“I was busy being a mother.” You smiled. Her story was inspiring, she was filled with pride despite leaving something she enjoyed behind, you could tell.

Leaning forward in your seat, you admitted, “You’re very admirable, I admire your drive to raise the boys. You’re an amazing woman and mother.”

“Thank you,” She blushed. “There is no perfect woman, no perfect mother, but your admiration for me is very telling, you share my qualities. If I’m as amazing as you say, you’d be an equally amazing mother to your own children.” Your face warmed at her compliment. 

“I’ve never thought about having children before... But, thank you.” She nodded, raising her glass in salute, before throwing the contents into the back of her throat. 

“A young girl such as yourself, curious, strong, loyal- You should accompany me one day if I ever find myself returning to swashbuckling adventures,”

“You’d be a great second mate.” The brunette admitted, sharp eyebrows wiggling with excitement. Was she hinting, no, offering for you to join her?

“I’m flattered. But I’m not so sure it would be right of a Knight to suddenly turn into a Pirate,” You giggled, she joined in. “No offense.”

“None was taken, sweetheart! I can understand. A Pirate would never think to become a Knight,” She explained. “Two different worlds, different rules, loyalties, and such.” 

The silence was deafening, but you had so many questions for the woman. Would she ever return to swashbuckling? Had she ever had any cool encounters? Did she feel like a badass? Archons, so many questions, very little time. 

“I believe I never caught your name, how rude and selfish of me.’ What’s your name beautiful?”

“Y/n Y/l/n, ma’am.” You said proudly. 

She smiled, “A pretty name for a pretty girl.” She praised, steel-gray eyes glistening like the stars. 

The door closing loudly caught your attention immediately, you stiffened on the spot. 

Master Diluc...

“Oh!” Victoria exclaimed, standing to her feet. “Diluc has arrived, my my, we talked for a long time,” Retreating towards the door, all you could hear were her heeled boots thumping against the wooden floorboards, matching the thumps of your beating heart surely. You watched uncomfortably as she helped the wine tycoon shrug his jacket off, poking fun at him every now and then. You could see by the way he tried to brush her off that he was flustered, he still hadn't seen you though, Victoria was persistent in her pestering; a mother's love, am I right?

“Diluc,” she started, voice echoing and bouncing off into the walls, traveling into the living room. “A beautiful, intelligent woman is here to see you. She says it’s not of importance, but with a woman of her beauty and admiration, you’ll make this the most important day in your life!” With that, her boots moving could be heard again and she was suddenly in the living room, a huge smile on her face, standing behind the loveseat you were sitting uncomfortably in. 

Another pair of boots could be heard, a heavier set this time, a jingling was heard as well, maybe keys? You weren’t sure... 

“Mother-” The tall man shut his mouth immediately as soon as he’d set his eyes on your figure. “Oh,” He approached, continuously looking between Victoria and you, probably wondering what the hell was going on.

“Miss Y/n,” He bowed his head respectively, though you were confused. You should be doing that instead, he was your superior in more ways than one. Standing to your feet, nearly tripping as well, you decided to greet him the same way, remembering your manners in your starstruck state. You couldn’t tell if it was from Victoria's story or the fact that Master Diluc was standing in front of you. Probably both. “W-what’re you doing here?” Master Diluc a stuttering mess? What an uncharacteristically shocking sight...

A slap sounded throughout the room, Victoria’s hand making contact with Diluc’s shoulder, ushering him forward, that’s what it was. “Diluc stop stuttering! Why are you suddenly flustered, huh?!” She exclaimed loudly, her son just stared at her embarrassed. Face turning shades of red. You giggled to yourself quietly.

“Mother!” 

“Sorry!” Her hands waved out in front of you, various gold dangling bracelets and chains on her wrists making a jingling sound. “I should be going now,” Te brunette then turned to you, taking your hands in her slender ones. “After talking to this eye-opening Knight, I think I should write to a few of my old comrades.” You smiled happily, hands squeezing hers gently. She was staring at you with pride as a mother would to their daughter. 

“Goodnight Y/n. I hope to see you again soon,” She waved you off, moving towards the stairs. “Come find me when you’re ready to leave behind those Knightly duties and join me for a voyage at sea, I’d love to show you my ship one day.” She beamed.

You nodded, seriously considering her offer. You hoped you as well would see her again, rather sooner than later. She was great company. You loved her deafening presence, an admirable woman she was. “Good night, ma’am.”  

As soon as she was gone up the stairs, Diluc awkwardly turned to face you. 

”She asked you to join her on her voyages I see.” He stated, trying to spark conversation. You nodded, fingers fiddling.

“Ya know, I’m considering that offer. It sounds fun.” You teased with a shrug, voice filled with sincerity. 

Master Diluc sent you a soft smile, “Yes. Life at sea does sound quite tiring, but I’m sure the adventures are worth it.”

“Agreed.”

Another deafening silence, Diluc looked like he wanted to say something.

“Can I get you anything? Wine, tea, juice...”

Not that though... You couldn’t help but giggle at the last part, he blushed. 

“Maybe next time, I’d love to be graced with your mother's presence again, maybe hear a few stories.”

“I’m sure she’d love that. Mother has many to tell.” He admitted with a proud smile,

You couldn’t wait to hear those stories truthfully, so entranced. You had never faced adventures quite like Victoria, never had even considered it, now you were though. Curse Victoria and her entrancement, though not literally, you held too much admiration for the woman to ever wish ill on her. 

”So, what can I do for you?” Diluc suddenly asked.

”Oh right!” You were left flustered. So wrapped up in your conversation, you had completely forgotten what you had come here for. Archons, what the hell.

“I had a question, but-”

You paused. 

Diluc’s eyebrows raised. “Yes?” He seemed to be hanging onto your every word. He was waiting for an answer for a long time. It seems he’d have to wait even longer...

“...I seemed to have forgotten.”

[🏷] TAGLIST (if you want to be removed from/added to this specific taglist let me know!)

@gladly-olus​ , @kyquu , @craptainlou , @mintydump , @chscklvr , @irisxiel , @minh0ree , @whatishappinesswhatislove , @rrintarou , @sorenthousand , @cvsmix , @nonniechan ,

3.7.21, rayofsunas

[ariainstars]

The Mandalorian: Is He “Better Vader”?

This may sound funny, but please hear me out for a moment. 

The further I watch Star Wars’ new live-action tv show, the more I get the impression is that Mando is meant to be a positive version of Darth Vader (the “dark father”). 

Father figures usually don’t have a thankful role in this galaxy - either they are absent like Anakin’s, terrifying like Luke’s, or well-meaning but failing in their primary duty of keeping their child safe, like Ben’s. 

Not a few fans, though a little mockingly, like to call Kylo Ren “better Anakin” since his conflict is more fleshed out and the whole figure inspires more sympathy. My theory: is Mando meant to be “better Vader”? 

It was repeatedly and amply shown that the cause for the never-ending conflicts in the galaxy lie for a large part on the side of the Jedi, whose stuck-up attitude ultimately failed. Their order prohibited personal attachments, and even the wisest among them were not affectionate. This was what drove the all-powerful but passionate Anakin, who desperately wanted to have someone he could love and protect, to his ruin: the moment he finally became a father he also became a ruthless monster. Mando is introduced as a merciless bounty hunter, but as he opens up to the child, he becomes kinder and begins to find friends. He grows even more valiant, but also learns how to be gentle and caring. 

Since the Jedi are almost all extinct, but Force-sensitive children still are born throughout the galaxy, we are left with the question of what is to become of them. Some were brought to Luke’s new temple later, but we can assume that not all were identified. 

Mando’s little protegee is staying and making life experiences with a guy who doesn’t know anything about the Jedi and has no clue of the source of the child’s mysterious powers, but instinctively does the right things: he keeps him safe, instructs him, scolds him when necessary, and offers him friendship and companionship. (The Mandalorian who adopted him probably was a good father figure, too.) The child never sees his “father’s” face, but nevertheless he trusts him explicitly. Mando is the living proof that coolness and fighting qualities are not opposed to being gentle and caring.

Ben Solo’s tragic fate was the result of failed fatherhood: Luke did not know how to be a father because he had no children of his own and had had no role model, while Han did not trust his capacity to protect his son from his own powers.

The Parallels

Both Vader and Mando are soldiers. Though not Force-sensitive, Mando is extremely strong and well-versed in martial arts; he never shows his face; he wears an armor completed by a black cape which does not seem to have much practical use. He usually speaks only in short, clipped sentences and has a wry, sarcastic kind of humor. 

Vader was a follower of the Emperor, factually a slave who had no choice but to obey his master, and wherever he went he wreaked terror. Mando does take jobs from the bounty hunter’s guild, but essentially, he is a free man and often offers his services negotiating on his own terms. Noticeably, he fights against raiders and mercenaries or remnants of the Empire, peace following in his wake.

When he first reaches out for the baby, it looks like the opposite to another famous scene in the saga: here we have the adoptive but good father, while the other was the biological but cruel father.  Luke did not take his father’s hand, while the baby instinctively reached out to the man who had protected him.

Note also the scenic reversal: one figure is standing on the right side, hand with upturned fingers reaching out into a void, the scene is bathed in cold light. The other figure is standing on the left, hand reaching down, illuminated by warm light. 

When we do see his face once, Mando is lying down and helpless like Vader; he is not disfigured though and despite being injured, he is not dying. Shortly after this he finally accepts his task as the child’s father figure, while Vader died a few minutes after his unmasking and could not fulfil his fatherly task any more. Also, in both cases we learned the person’s real name not long before the mask went off: Anakin Skywalker respectively Din Djarin.

Given the saga’s love for cyclical narrative, this would make a lot of sense. Star Wars is telling us once more how important a protective and kind father is for a child, both as a role model and an attachment figure. We do not know yet how baby Yoda will turn out; but it would have made little sense for the storytellers to think up such a figure in the first place if they didn’t want him to go another (possibly better) way than his more famous predecessor. 

Is the galaxy at last healing after the terrible conflicts caused by both Jedi and Sith, and will the good fathers be responsible for a better future, maybe even for the long-awaited Balance in the Force? I hope so.

May the Force be with the Clan of Two. 😉

(On a side note: Vader / Anakin was in his mid-forties when he died. Din Djarin is about the same age.)

After the closure of Season 2, I would like to add a few details that also set Din Djarin apart from Anakin.

 Attachment vs. Affection

Anakin’s greatest weakness was his anxiety to lose the ones he loved. In the end, he sacrificed all of his ideals for the purpose of saving his pregnant wife. Luke also loved his friends and wanted to save them, but in that fateful moment before Palpatine, he realized that he would have had to give up his integrity for the purpose, and that was when he decided to throw away his weapon.

Din suffers deeply when he has to give up “his” child to a literal stranger for an indefinite time. However, he knows that it must be done because he does not have the knowledge to train him. Grogu also, reluctantly, lets go when he sees that his “father” is doing the same. This goes to show, again, that he is much stronger than Anakin.

 Following Rules vs Following One’s Heart

Like Anakin / Vader, Din takes his helmet off the moment he has to say goodbye to his child. The famous sentence “Just once, let me look on you with my own eyes” comes to mind. Vader was a Sith Lord and Anakin had been a Jedi. Both adhered strictly to their code: Anakin was a faithful Jedi until he became a Sith and Vader obeyed to the rules of the Sith until for a brief moment he acted like a Jedi again (and, also, like a father, which was a first). Mando unmasks not only before Grogu but also

-     Luke, who is a total stranger -     Moff Gideon, an enemy -     Bo-Katan, a possible potential enemy since she pursues the Dark Saber -     Fennec, an ally but not a friend -     Cara, a friend who never saw his face.

That he is willing for all of them to witness the moment he lifts his incognito shows that Mando is finally listening only to his heart. The Way of the Mandalore, which was his guideline for his entire adolescence and adult life (i.e. thirty years or more), has become less significant to him than the bond he has with Grogu.

Anakin’s tragedy was that he could not follow his heart but that some rules defined by an outside source always were in control. He wanted to be a husband and father and loyal friend, a mechanic and a pilot, not a Jedi or a Sith.

Ben Solo’s tragedy was the same; though not born a slave, he also had no choice about what to do with himself and his life. It was either being a Jedi or a Sith. But we know that he wanted to be a son and a lover, and a pilot.

The same fate occurred to Luke, many years later: the kind-hearted, affectionate young man from Tatooine, who so easily befriended everyone and always was compassionate and helpful became aloof and detached on being a Jedi, because he thought that was what this task required. But in the end, it was exactly what made him not understand and even fear his nephew, with disastrous results.

Din Djarin chose the way of the heart, he is no longer adhering to “the Way”: he said himself that now he can’t put his helmet back on. (Alternatively, he could put it on again, but that would mean defying the Way otherwise.) Grogu has witnessed that a man can very well choose family over a code that was taught to him, even if he adhered to it all of his life. Luke is the one who carries him away, but Grogu looks over his shoulder to his “father”. Luke may become his teacher, but Grogu’s role model, his hero, will always be Din; as it was for Ben with his father Han.

 Hints at the Future

Anakin died twice: once on Mustafar, where he also lost his blue light sabre, and on the second Death Star, where he had lost the red one. Din Djarin, at the end of this part of this journey, receives a sabre, although he never wanted it.

With the Dark Saber, a new fate is awaiting Mando. Is his destiny that of being the warrior-king, protective and honorable, that ought to have been Anakin’s place? Maybe. As they say, the best leaders are the reluctant ones. 😊