#the reason his alliances work the way they do is because he makes the choice to stay on his terms and that’s when he does best

[iimplicitt]

hiii 🤠 anon here

how do you feel about writing for mafia lando where he’s married to the reader who’s not his choice it’s basically an arrangement and his family hates her and she’s having a really hard time in his house and Lando doesn’t notice and he’s cold and one day her family causes her to have a panic attack and he sees her in his room all small and scared and then he helps her and makes her a feel better and etc something about a heated confession and people being put in their place. if you do write this thank you :)

HAPPINESS IS A BUTTERFLY | LN4

pairings: mafia! lando x arranged marriage reader

an/warnings: arranged marriage, violence, mentions of abusive parents, angst, panic attacks, fluff, hea

wc: 5.2k

୧‿̩͙ ˖︵ ꕀ⠀ ♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨

He bit the inside of his cheek as he watched the sleek back car roll up in the long drive way from his office. Windows tinted but he could make out the faint outline of a person as they moved around before Oscar got out of the car to open the door for its passenger.

His new wife.

The words tasted sour on his tongue as he drank some of his whiskey, not caring that it was nine in the morning. He needed a pick-me-up for the day that was ahead.

Gleaming hair caught in the sunlight, a delicate hand with a blinding diamond hesitantly taking Oscar’s as red bottom Louis’ met the pavement.

His eyes narrowed a bit as he watched you, mere curiosity to see how you acted when he wasn’t around. When the wedding happened it was short and extravagant. All the glitz and glamour expected of such a pair. A politician's daughter and a booming business man whose money usually came tinted red. A shame that most of the world didn’t know your fathers money was just as dirty as his.

It was an alliance in London’s eyes. A step towards peace.

He hadn’t even seen you until the white lace veil was lifted.

You were pretty but that wasn’t enough to suddenly sway his mind into liking the whole arrangement. He didn’t have much choice. Having coppers on a payroll was a deal too good to pass up, so he agreed. Shook hands. It hadn’t mattered much, not in the long run. Lando was always busy. Always working. If a marriage hadn’t been forced upon him, he didn’t think he would’ve ever had a ring on his finger.

He watched silently as you waited for Oscar to grab your bags. Your eyes flickering around the property, taking in the well kept gardens and security cameras mounted every few yards. A fortress.

His eyes took in the dress you wore, expensive silk draped over skin. Flowing like liquid in the subtle summer breeze. He took note of how your hand kept flexing, the one with a ring. His ring.

The one he had slid on your finger a week ago as he whispered, “I do.” Your own voice low as you muttered the vow, eyes not meeting his.

He could barely remember what the kiss had been like. It was quick, soft. Obligatory. Both of you seemed relieved it was over with, arms linked with one another as you left the cathedral. White flower petals falling into hair as they were tossed into the sky.

Lando set his tumbler down and backed away from the window, trying to take a calming breath before walking downstairs. He needed to make this livable. An ecosystem. Staying out of each other's way, respecting boundaries. Telling where and what was off bounds. If you needed help, ask Oscar. If you wanted someone to talk to, also ask Oscar. Leave him be, because he was busy.

You seemed reasonable enough in the few minutes of shared company. You knew this was a business transaction. It wasn’t something to get hopes up on. Lando knew you were smart enough not to be a burden so hopefully it would feel like nothing had changed. Just an extra person in the household. Another echoing voice.

He could hear the sharp click of your heels as you entered the front foyer, the soft sound of your voice as you spoke in hushed tones. Your whole presence seemed cautious. Like you were treading in a minefield.

As he stepped down the stairs and into the light, your eyes met. The air shifting. Tense. Dangerous. Your painted lips pressed into a line as you waited for instruction. Ever obedient. Compliance being woven into you as a child.

He had met your father on more than one occasion and he knew he wasn’t a kind man.

But the problems of your past were yours.

Lando sighed lightly through his nose, head tilting and hands in pockets as he let himself look at you for another moment before dismissing Oscar.

The foyer was still. The only thing he could hear was the faint hum of electricity and birds outside. Watching you as you watched him.

“Nice drive?” He asked, not quite sure on the formalities of the situation.

You laughed slightly, the sound coming out in a short exhale as you looked away from him. “It was fine.”

He hummed, not seeing a point in furthering the conversation and he gestured for you to follow him.

୧‿̩͙ ˖︵ ꕀ⠀ ♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨

The summer had gone by in a repetition of droning days and lonely dinners. The only thing keeping you company were the few books you packed, although you had already read through them all. An endless cycle of talking to the walls and sitting near your window, feeling like a modern day Rapunzel.

It’s not necessarily like you weren’t allowed to go anywhere, but it still felt off limits. Frowned upon. A burden if you were seen walking the halls.

His family didn’t like you very much. Which you both understood yet couldn’t come to terms with. They had to have known this wasn’t any more of your choice than it was his. And why shovel the blame onto someone’s child? It wasn’t your fault your father was corrupted and played a better hand.

Pressing your forehead against the cool glass, you watched as the world went by. The silent hum of air conditioning was the only thing to droll out your thoughts and lately it hadn’t been working. The room felt suffocating but there was no one to turn to. Even voicing your thoughts out loud to yourself seemed like some boundary was being crossed. Maybe even to yourself. That you were starting to get too comfortable.

Oscar seemed nice enough. Timid. Not sure how to approach you or if he even should. He brought your meals to your door like clock work. Part of you felt bad but the thought of eating in the dining room seemed like suicide. You had tried the first night, assuming that was just part of the routine. To have dinner with your…husband.

But Lando was nowhere to be found, leaving you at a large oak table alone and shoveling food around. Appetite non-existent. Oscar had told you he usually took dinner in his office. That most of the other members of the household ate out.

His words hit you dully as you stared at the polished wood, not quite believing this was going to be the rest of your life. Then again, you weren’t sure what you wanted. Did you want Lando to make an effort? Did you even want to be around him? You didn’t know much, just that he was a bad man. But aren’t they all? Apparently that’s all the world thought you were fit for. Violent men with money in their eyes.

No, you didn’t want to know him.

But god, loneliness caught up to everyone.

The hours ticked by and you sat there, tracing lines into the skin of your thighs with your nail. Over and over again till skin prickled and red lines appeared. The itch and sting foreign, numb. As if you’d shot your heart with novacaine. Your eyes unblinking as you did the action, pure muscle memory. You didn’t have to think. You didn’t want to.

At least you never wanted to think about yourself. Your situation. The listless marriage you now found yourself trapped in.

But your mind would wander. What did he get up to? What did he even do? Was it really any different from the current political affairs the nation got up to? Would he one day change his mind and want more?

The thought made you shiver, eyes trailing to your locked door. He’d never tried to come in. Hell, he’d never even been to your room. In the weeks you’d been there you had probably only seen him a handful of times. Walking down the hall and his eyes would catch yours for a moment but nothing else. Looking through you like a ghost. Cold. Indifferent. Sometimes you’d hear him in the house. Talking to Oscar or on the phone. Always business. Always something you didn’t understand.

He couldn’t seem bothered at the thought of you being around. Didn’t seem interested. And that weird, fucked up little voice in the back of your mind whispered that Lando was keeping himself entertained just fine. That he found comfort in other women. Having affairs. You barely felt married. There weren't technically any commitments beyond regurgitated vows. So why did the thought still make your stomach churn?

Perhaps it was the feeling of being unwanted. A constant companion of doubt. Your family didn’t want you, pawned you off. Your husband didn’t want you. You would never get to experience love. You’d go through life longing for creature comforts—

You pressed your forehead harder into the glass. Wanting the thoughts to stop. You pushed so hard you hoped it’d break and you’d go hurtling towards the ground.

There was a sharp knock on the door. Six o’clock sharp.

Dinner.

୧‿̩͙ ˖︵ ꕀ⠀ ♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨

You felt like you were going insane. The walls bending inward. The wallpaper swirling. The ceiling breathing.

Crazy.

Wandering the halls was reckless but you started to care less and less if Lando saw you. For the first time in months you wanted him to see you. Be reminded that you were there. Proof you were alive. You were here. Even when it never felt like it. You felt like a phantom who haunted the house, mostly only coming out at night when the rest of the world slept. Chasing the creaks of wood and following the patterns in the rug. Chasing something. Feeling wild. Deranged like a white rabbit who was late for tea.

His mother yelled at you. For something, you weren’t sure what. It seemed like no matter what you did you were wrong. Skin not fitting right over bones. Disassociating and staring at her. That only made her more mad and she slapped you. Not for the first time. Hard across the face. You hadn’t noticed till you heard the echo of it around the kitchen. Didn’t realise till some of the staff gasped, hands flying over mouths. Glowing wide eyes staring at you in shock.

You blinked again, subtle warmth creeping into your cheek. Hand slowly going up to hold your face. What had you done wrong? Why were you always wrong?

His mother scoffed. “You’re no good. You’re not even all the way there are you?” With a look of disgust she turned away, disappearing down the hall.

One of the cooks slowly approached you, as if you were some wounded animal. Holding out a pack of ice. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

“For what?” Your voice sounded distant. Distorted. Like it was coming from somewhere else. Taking the ice, you left. Letting it sit in your hand instead, the bitter coldness of it sending a dull shock up your arm.

You felt like crying. At least you thought about it. But nothing would fall out. Your eyes felt dry and heavy. Staring at nothingness as you walked with your heartbeat thudding in your ears.

This was your life. This was going to be your forever. Sucked into yet another man's orbit who didn’t give a shit about you. Because fuck what you want, right?

You turned into what you thought was your bedroom. You weren’t quite sure how you got there. It had been odd lately. Like moments of time blacked out. Arriving one place and not knowing how you got there. Tuning out to your depressing reality.

You were going to die alone. It wasn’t even your fault. Or maybe it was. Maybe you should’ve tried harder. Fought your father and left as soon as you had turned of age. Why didn’t you try harder to fight back? Did some twisted part of you want this? The lack of effort. Things being handed to you. Maybe you thought you deserved it. After all, you'd been living off your fathers dirty money guilt free. Perhaps this was just your karma.

Longing for a life you’d never have.

You sucked in a sharp breath, tears finally beginning to prick at your eyes. The droplets stung so bad your vision went blurry.

You barely felt it as your knees hit the hard wooden floors. Didn’t register the scratching sound of your nails dragging against the planks, blindly trying to crawl your way out of the hell you were living. Feeling pathetic and ungrateful because you knew it could be worse. It could always be worse.

A sob left your throat, bubbling up and out like acid.

୧‿̩͙ ˖︵ ꕀ⠀ ♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨

The door flew open to his office and he was about to yell at whoever had the audacity when he turned, paused. The look on Oscar’s face wasn’t one commonly seen.

“What?”

“There’s a problem.”

Lando sighed, tapping his pen on his desk. “Care to elaborate?”

“It’s your mother and your wife.”

Lando reared back slightly at the word. It wasn’t thrown around often. Hell, he hardly saw you. And when he did, when he’d catch you wandering around well past three in the morning something was just…off. He didn't know how to approach you. Or if he even should. You’d seemed equally disinterested by his company. Staring at him sometimes like he was an apparition that wasn’t meant to be there.

He wouldn’t blame you if you hated his guts. Lando knew most women would prefer a love filled marriage compared to whatever the hell they had.

“What about them?” He asked, eyes flicking down to his papers again. Not seeing why—

“The staff said there was an altercation in the kitchen.”

Pausing, his eyes flicked up. Brow raising.

Oscar sighed, “your wife is in your room.”

That got him up. What the hell were you doing in there? And why? It wasn’t like he kept important documents in there, he knew better than that but he still didn’t trust you much. You were your fathers daughter. Maybe this was all some ploy to get into his personal things, find weaknesses, cracks.

His feet moved briskly down the hall, his polished shoes clicking dully on the ornate rugs and painted eyes followed him as he went. Lando didn’t pause as he saw his door, didn’t pause as he turned the handle.

“What do—“

Lando halted to a stop as his eyes found you. Feeling as if the earth had been yanked out from beneath him when he heard you try to smother the sound of your crying with a hand. Curled up in the space between his bed and the nightstand. Looking so small as you trembled.

Your eyes didn’t meet his. He wasn’t even sure if you heard him come in. Your breathing was too fast, too ragged. Short bursts of oxygen, your lungs not being able to keep up.

He shut the door softly behind him and quietly made his way over to you, lowering himself to his knees. Debating if he should touch you or not. You hadn’t touched in months. Not since the wedding.

“Hey,” his voice was soft and you flinched. Head shooting up and staring at him. He’d never seen you look so frightened and you tried to push yourself back harder into the wall. Shaking your head as if he’d caught you doing something wrong.

He immediately caught the red outline of a hand on your cheek. His jaw clenched. An odd, unbearably awful sensation churned in his stomach at the thought of someone hurting you. Knowing it was his mother only made the fire burn hotter. He didn’t know why. It wasn’t like you were close. But the rage was itching up his spine like a spider.

“You’re okay,” he said again. His voice was rough, but a whisper. He reached out to you, slowly. Hands gently taking hold of you as he pulled your shaking frame into his, feeling the way your lungs struggled to catch up. Your muscles coiled in tension as he touched you. He hated it.

“You’re alright, darling.” He soothed your hair back, feeling your nails bite into his skin as you twisted the fabric of his shirt. Trying to ground yourself. Trying to make sense of it all. Of why he was here.

He knew it had to be confusing. That his sudden reassurance was off putting and regret was starting to inch its way up his throat. The spindly legs tickling and desperate. He should’ve handled this whole thing better. It was selfish. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. Holding your head beneath his chin as you tried to calm down. “I’m here, if you need me to be.”

You didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure what to do. Where to go from there. This was new territory for him. Second guessing wasn’t usually in Lando’s playbook but you were something new entirely.

He began to lean away but your grip tightened on his shirt, your head pressing further into the crook of his neck.

Sighing, he maneuvered himself into a sitting position, holding you in his lap as he leaned against his bed. Giving you time. Gently running circles into the nape of your neck. His grandmother always did that for him, it always seemed to help calm him down. Lando waited patiently, taking in the faint scent of your shampoo. Smiling to himself a bit despite everything because it was the same one he used.

Slowly your harsh breathing began to subside but your body still trembled from the aftershocks.

His fingers still ran lightly over your skin, his voice a low hum and he could feel the vibration of his own rib cage with your weight against him. “I’ve had panic attacks too, you know?”

You didn’t do anything for a moment, and then, like the first break of daylight, you slightly shifted your head and your voice was a whisper. “Really?”

“Mhm.”

୧‿̩͙ ˖︵ ꕀ⠀ ♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨

Something had shifted. Maybe others wouldn’t have noticed, but you did. That next morning there was a knock on your bedroom door. Eight o’clock sharp. You hadn’t slept much, your eyes still raw and body restless from the previous evening. The feeling of his light, delicate touch on you was on replay in the back of your mind. You hadn’t been held in what felt like years.

You hadn’t expected such kindness from him.

Padding over to the door, you rubbed at your eyes, trying to look alive before opening it. “Morning, Oscar–” you blinked at the form of Lando standing in the hall. Wearing a casual linen shirt and dress pants, jacket draped over one arm and he looked at you expectantly.

“Ready?” He asked.

You felt dumb as you continued to stare at him. Not expecting to see him so soon. Not thinking he’d even want to see you after yesterday’s mess. “What?”

He sighed lightly through his nose. “We’re going out for breakfast.”

“Why?”

There was a slight crease forming between his brows. “Do you not want to?”

You blinked again before reality finally caught up to you. “No, no. That’s fine. Just… let me get dressed.” You eyed him as you shut the door. He was acting weird.

It was nice.

୧‿̩͙ ˖︵ ꕀ⠀ ♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨

“What on earth are you doing?” His mother shouted over the sound of a power drill. Standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

Lando looked at her for only a moment. Still cross with her after the kitchen incident a couple of weeks ago. He had yelled at her after he managed to get you into bed. Yelled at his whole family. The staff, for not telling him.

“She is the lady of the household and my wife. You do not touch her, you do not say a fucking word to her unless it’s praise.” He looked directly at his mother. “Understood?”

“I’m building a reading nook.” He finally said, standing back to look at his progress so far. He took you to the fabric store yesterday but you were beyond indecisive and he wasn’t sure the new couch went with the interior of his office.

He had been trying to go out more, just small places. When he found out you hadn’t left the house since you arrived he was confused and furious with Oscar. His friend and right hand had merely raised his hands in surrender, muttering how you had never wanted to go anywhere.

“Whatever for? Since when do you read for pleasure?” His mother asked, mostly teasing. Trying to weave her way back into his good graces. He doubted that would ever happen. He was on the verge of throwing her out but you managed to talk him out of it.

“It’s not for me.” Lando left it at that. Watching how his mother’s shoulders fell at the realisation and she turned away.

He smiled slightly to himself as he set up the couch, pushing it under the window so you could get good light and a nice view of the gardens. Plus, he could watch you more easily from his desk when he worked.

You looked pretty when you were reading.

୧‿̩͙ ˖︵ ꕀ⠀ ♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨

For the first time in months you were bored, and not in a bad way. Lando made sure there was always something for you to do when he wasn’t around. Part of you felt bad, following him around like a kicked puppy. But any time you’d start to back off, give him some space, it was like his hand blindly found yours, not even looking up from his work, tugging you back.

Muttering a quiet, “stay.”

You tried to ignore the butterflies that began fluttering in your stomach, chasing after whatever this was. You didn’t know why you felt stubborn over it. He was your husband after all, butterflies are supposed to be a good thing.

You took up cooking as a hobby, mostly different kinds of fresh pasta. Trying to keep your hands steady as Lando would walk behind you, fingers lightly dragging along the small over your back. Leaning over your shoulder, lips nearly brushing your neck as he quietly spoke, “that looks lovely.”

He always spoke so softly to you. His touch always delicate.

୧‿̩͙ ˖︵ ꕀ⠀ ♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨

Lando fixed his cuff links as he stood in the foyer, making sure his suit was wrinkle free in the large mirror. There was a big Christmas gala that night in London. A whole cluster of politicians, businessmen, philanthropists, etc. He didn’t have much of a role to play besides being seen, given his bookies did most of the under the table work.

When he’d asked you to go with him, you hesitated. He knew seeing your father was something you’d like to avoid. Over time you slowly opened up to him about how strained the relationship was.

He had lifted a hand to your cheek, gently brushing his knuckles along your cheekbones, watching in satisfaction as your pupils expanded at his touch. “I won't let him near you,” he whispered. Watching as you debated before eventually nodding, leaning slightly into his touch.

When he heard the sound of heels clicking sharply against marble flooring his eyes flicked up, watching you approach in the mirror. Looking like heaven in high heels. Your black dress fit you perfectly, the white fur shawl was draped lazily over your shoulders.

Lando felt his mouth go dry as he turned, his heartbeat pounding in his ears as you approached. The sweet smell of your perfume swirling around him, making him feel hazy.

God, if you knew what you did to him.

It seemed like every night now that he dreamt of kissing you, doing a whole list of unruly things. Despite the ring on his hand and yours it still felt off limits. Not feeling sure of what you actually wanted.

“Ready?” You asked, a small smile playing on your lips.

He blinked at you, still in a daze. “What?”

You bit your lip, holding back a laugh and he felt his stomach pool.

“The gala. Yes, right.” He cleared his throat, not thinking twice as he took your hand. “Let’s go.”

୧‿̩͙ ˖︵ ꕀ⠀ ♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨

You felt all the eyes on you as he took you around the dance floor. The whispers. Lando Norris’ wife who he liked to keep hidden away. Apparently most people hadn’t even known he was married. They thought you were just a new date till they saw the blinding diamond on your finger and his matching gold one.

You felt stiff. Too perceived.

But he lightly took hold of your chin between his fingers, making you look at him.

“It’s just you and me, love.”

Love. You felt equally reassured and nauseous.

୧‿̩͙ ˖︵ ꕀ⠀ ♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨

Lando was using every excuse he could to touch you. Hand splaying on the small of your back where your dress dipped low. Fingers lightly brushing the back of your neck as he talked to the other guests. Hand on your thigh beneath the table. When he’d first done it you jumped slightly and his heart skipped a beat when you looked at him, eyes low, before turning away again and taking a sip of your wine.

He couldn’t help it as his lips pulled back slightly when he began to rub circles with his thumb, feeling the muscles of your leg tighten. But you leaned toward him, an invitation. He felt more drunk off of you than any wine he had been drinking.

He’d only see glimpses of your father. Lingering to the side of the ballroom walls. Whispering in corners with other greedy men. His eyes always on you, though.

Lando didn’t like it. Then again he never liked anything enough for that to be a fair test. But he knew never to ignore his intuition, so he took your hand in his and tugged you along until you were outside, the cold December air twirling around them.

You shivered as you waited for the valet to pull his McLaren around, blushing a bit when he draped his jacket over your shoulders. Or maybe it was just the wind, he wasn’t sure. But he’d liked to think he made you flustered.

The engine purred as he drove away, feeling your eyes on him as city lights flicked back.

“Why’d we leave early?” You finally asked.

His grip adjusted on the steering heel, looking in the rearview mirror, always vigilant. He hadn’t realised till now that going public made you a target. Made him vulnerable.

“Just wanted to,” is all he offered. Not wanting to scare you. He knew you already had a difficult time adjusting to his world. Then again he shouldn’t cut you any credit. Growing up with your father couldn’t have been any easier.

You hummed, not believing him. Your eyes finally pulled away to stare out the window. Letting him relax. It was strange, having somebody for the first time see him. The thought was equally relieving and terrifying.

When they pulled up to the house the car fell quiet, a heavy silence falling over like a blanket. He wanted to say more to you, but what? This was all new territory and the thought of messing up this bridge he’d built—

“Lando.”

He turned, looking at you as moonlight painted your skin through the window.

You reached forward, hand taking his, “I know you’ll keep me safe.” Another pause and you played with his wedding ring. “I trust you.”

୧‿̩͙ ˖︵ ꕀ⠀ ♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨

A loud thud woke you up, your heart beating erratically as your door handle began to move. Thankful that you had locked it but fear was still crawling up your spine. You were just about to reach for your phone to call someone for help when a ragged voice poured out from the other side, weakly saying your name. The sound of a body slumping to the floor.

Lando.

You quickly tore off the sheets, stumbling a bit in the dark and you yanked your door open. A hand flying up to your mouth as you took in the state of him. Bruised and slick with blood, one arm wrapped around his rib cage, his breath rattling.

His eyes cracked open, gleaming in the low lamp light of the hall. His lips pulling back in a bloodied grin.

“Hello, darling.”

“Oh my god,” you did your best to get him up, almost falling under his weight as you maneuvered him to your bathroom. “What happened?”

Your heart lurched as Lando coughed, turning his head to spit out some blood into the bin and he sat himself up on the sink. Wincing as he did so. Not answering you.

“Lando,” you said quietly, afraid that even loud noises would hurt him and you gently took hold of his face in your hands. Not caring blood and dirt would get on them. Gently running your thumbs along his cheek bones.

He seemed to melt into you, letting his head fall forward and rest against yours as you brushed the damp curls back. Seeing him like this was a new kind of pain you never wanted to experience again.

“Who did this to you?” Although your voice was gentle, there was a layer of conviction under it that even surprised you.

He sighed, a wheeze coming up from the back of his throat and his hands came up to hold onto your wrists. You didn’t miss his cracked and bleeding knuckles.

“I have a duty of care,” he muttered.

Your father. You felt like throwing up.

Gently pulling his head forward, you held him to you. Letting his heartbeat bring some life back into you. He was okay. He was here. He came back to you. Everything would be fine.

Slowly, Lando’s arms wrapped around you, holding you as tight as he could.

“I’m going to kill him,” you mumbled into his hair and he laughed, not caring that it hurt.

He leaned his head back slightly, eyes flicking between your own and your lips. His hand that had snaked up to the back of your neck pulling you in slightly. Hesitant. Then all at once.

Mouths colliding, a kiss that felt like a tuning fork struck against a star.

His fingers twined in your hair and you tried to be gentle with him. As much as you could. But the feeling of finally was making you feel weightless. Reckless. Desperate as he held you tighter.

You felt high as he whispered the words my wife between kisses.

“So much for a marriage of convenience,” you managed after you pulled away. You didn’t want to, but he needed your help.

He smiled again, those dimples you loved so much deepening in his cheeks. “Nah,” he said lightly. “I think this will be a marriage of inconvenience.”

And he kissed you again.

taglist: @theonottsbxtch @fortunapre @c8lap1nto @ashbone

[greeniegaes]

Back at it agains with another svsss au im pulling out of my (slightly) sleep deprived brain

Basically yada yada everything happens as normal UP UNTIL the immortal alliance arc. SQQ gets this searing headache and the system just keeps popping up with errors, so while they are all fighting the spider hoard the system just kinda snaps and breaks. SQQ suddenly feels like he’s hit by a truck, his body starting to act like his sickly Shen Yuan body and his cultivation is tying itself into dead knots and every bone in his body feels like it’s locking up. There’s no system to blame for things as he and LBH confront MBJ and he just has to do his hardest to survive with just his spiritual sword.

And then the worse thing happens, Xiu Ya shatters.

SQQ panics at this, continuing to try his best fighting people off and eventually MBJ leaves *hooray* except not really because all the system errors are getting louder and louder in his head, and everything is blue and blaring and he might be bleeding and he can’t understand what LBH is saying even though he is right there, shaking his body and crying.

And then the abyss opens. He suddenly has the choice. He can send LBH, his white little sheep, down there to continue on with the PIDW plot, or he can… not do that.

So he pushes LBH.

Away from him. Away from the abyssal rift, only for him to be the one that falls though. He had prepared various lesson plans, life advice, what skills people to work on and so much more once he got without-a-cure, just incase he slipped up one day and couldn’t protect himself. So SQQ was satisfied as he knew his peak would be taken care of if LBH opened a specific drawer, everyone could still be taught by the hall masters and also have some future help prepared for each of them.

So SQQ let’s himself fall into the abyss, watching his student’s horrified expression as he plummets. He hears the system disconnect from LBH as he falls, all of the glowing blue error messages and pop ups instantly go away and he’s left in the dark as he sinks further and further into the abyss.

Surprisingly, he wakes up. He landed in the same field of flowers that are the reason LBH didn’t die in the original, they are filled with celestial qi in a place meant to be horrible and deadly. The one good thing about this place. He lays there for awhile and lets the plants essence fix up his meridians.

Then he has to experience the same horrifying things the protagonist did in person, fighting off each beast and trying his damn hardest to survive. It takes him a while, fighting and walking his way through what’s practically hell on earth, slaying beasts ten times his size, making sure not to fall into the trappings of demonic plants. He cuts his long hair, he thinks he will never see his peak again, so what do filial ties matter when you’re barely surviving. Sometimes the worse thing is his own mind, he feels a heavy layer of guilt to himself for so willing going along with the system. He sometimes forgets it’s not his fault too, that he was threatened to return to a dead body if he didn’t do as he was supposed to. But he’s happy sometimes too, he goes back to that field of flowers, laying in them and basking in his memories of a happier LBH, a LQG that isn’t dead, a Qing Jing peak full of song and happy healthy students.

He ascends from the abyss that day. He doesn’t know how or why but he wakes up in the same field of flowers, the sky above him no longer a damning black with red cracks seeping light in. it’s blue, soft, it hurts his eyes almost to look at it. It hurts so much but he can’t look away. He picks himself up, looking at all the grime and blood on himself and weeps in relief that he can go home. He hides his face and asks people where he is, somewhere in HHP territories, and begins to make his way back to his sect. Once he gets to his peak he sits down softly at the gate, it’s night time and there haven’t been many people about. He basks in the feeling of being home, leaning his head against the tall bamboo pole as he falls asleep.

He’s glad tomorrow is a new day, when he can see his family and just go back to his life.

(in the years he’s been gone all of CQS has been in some kind of mourning. LBH found all the letters from his shizun and they made all the disciples of QJP weep. Some of them took the advice given and left, some of them stayed and took care of a lordless peak. None of the hall masters or disciples were qualified to step up, and when the issue was raised even the peak lords agreed he shouldn’t be replaced. It was LQG who found him at the gate, going to visit the sword shrine in the bamboo house after an expedition, going to leave another fan to rot at the shrine’s foot. instead he heaved up his shixiong, hair not even reaching his shoulders, hands callused and dirty, and brought him back to the bamboo house, waking LBH in the process. Once morning light came everyone would know that their lost peak lord came home, but first they had to get the doctor to make sure he actually got through the night)

[kristiliqua]

i’ve had this thing in my notes app but errrr here u go tumblr (tr!sneeg YIPPEPEE)

Something about power… appeals to Sneeg.

He works day and night, grinding and grinding to get his numbers up.

He joined the Kingdom for power. For supplies and alliances to make it easier to gain it for himself.

People ask him… why?

Why gain this power?

To rule the Realm? To be able to kill and take down anyone in his way? To protect those he cares about?

And while those things are… good benefits (barring the first one; he couldn’t care less about that), those aren’t the reasons why.

The feeling. It’s the feeling of power and effort and strain running through his veins, the work it requires to feel it.

It’s addicting, heady. One could call him greedy, prideful—committing deadly sins; it’s certainly gotten him killed a few times now.

It drives him to travel far and wide across the globe, away from his friends and isolating him. It drives him to do dangerous, risky things, in order to prove himself capable, greater.

But he does it anyway. Because the journey of gaining power, seeing the numbers go higher—something about it drives him to keep moving forward.

To keep living to see the next day, even when—even if… no one is there anymore.

But… that doesn’t matter here. He has people he cares about… here. So it drives him to continue to be able to protect them, even after he fails.

Because he can get better. He can be good enough, he can, if he just tries—

He can stop them from leaving him forever. If they just see how useful he is, maybe they won’t—disappear. Whether it be out of choice or not.

…Perhaps there’s two reasons. Maybe. Though to Sneeg, it doesn’t really matter the reason why.

He does what he does. And for some reason (that of which doesn’t matter), power—and the work it requires to gain it—appeals to him.

It draws him nearer, white hot and burning, searing his skin as he closes in. A flame.

And, to a moth like him, there is nothing more addicting. Nothing more distracting, nothing more mind-enveloping, than the grind it takes to feel the warmth in his cold skin.

Even when the journey kills him, he comes back, again and again, just for the burn that scorches away every other ailment in his mind.

He will hone the flame into his own.

He will draw the flame to the moth.

(Although, maybe it’s hubris making him think he can defy his nature.)

[chloe-skywalker]

Give Them A Chance - Robb Stark

Robb x fem!reader Baratheon/Lannister

Warnings: GOT

Word count: 1,362

Summary: Robb and Y/n don’t know that their fathers plan to betroth them. But Ned has a reason for not telling. Will his reason work?

Authors Note: Takes place in like the first episode of season 1 Game Of Thrones. Like right after the whole “You got fat” lines.

Masterlist

Game Of Thrones Masterlist

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Y/n watched the exchange between her father and his friend Ned Stark Warden of the North. It was very odd but she thought it was nice that they were such good friends that they still joked around with each other. She didn’t see her father act so freely like this often. It was a rare welcome sight.

“So I take it this is your oldest.” King Robert sighed looking at the eldest of Ned’s children with a scrutinizing gaze before breaking out into a smile.

“Yes, this is Robb.” Ned introduced his oldest son to his friend.

Robert slapped a hand on the young man’s shoulder, smiling widely. “You're a handsome young lad.”

Robb tried to contain his blushing that he was sure he was doing. “Thank you, your Grace.”

“You should meet my oldest. Y/n!” Robert called over his oldest daughter, but not before sparing a knowing glance to Ned. As Y/n came to stand next to her father, smiling politely at the Stark family before her. “This is my oldest. A year younger than you I believe.”

“Princess.” Robb bowed, before looking at the princess. She had caught his eye when she first entered Winterfell on horse back alongside her uncle. He could not deny she was gorgeous, and he couldn’t believe how fast he had started to fall for her.

“Mi’ Lord.” Y/n curtised, biting her cheek. Thus Robb Stark was by far one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. And she had seen a lot of people growing up in KingsLanding. She wondered if his personality was as nice as his looks.

“Would you like a tour of  Winterfell?” Robb asked, offering a way for them to talk and get to know each other a bit. He also was one of the most qualified people to show her around.

“I would love one.” She smiled. Looping her arm through his and the two young adults that in some ways are still kids went off exploring.

While the two went off getting to know each other and everyone else did God knows what, King Robert and Net Stark headed down to the crypts.

“Have you told your son?” Robert asked once they were done talking about Ned’s sister. The King was curious if his friend's son had offered to show his daughter around on his own or out of duty.

“Not yet.” Nod squinted, he didn’t like the idea of taking this choice from his son. But the other part, this was a good alliance, and you don’t deny a king.

“And why not?” Robert had told Ned of the idea to marry their oldest months ago. But to be fair he didn’t tell his daughter either.

“Because I wanted to give them a chance to fall in love before knowing they might be betrothed.” Ned explained his reasonsings, and even though Robert would never admit it he admired Ned’s heart and how he was trying to make this a better situation for their children. It was better than just throwing them together.

“Very well. I didn’t tell my daughter either. She would’ve fought me on coming.” He chuckled. Y/n would’ve tried to fight him or talk him out of it, and it might’ve worked even the slightest. Out of all his children she was the only one that had a somewhat relationship with him.

“They’d be more reluctant if they knew about what we had planned. The two of them being in the dark might lead to them actually gaining feelings for the other.” Ned just hoped that the two would get close and at least see they could make a marriage work. But he was truly hoping that maybe they could fall in love on their own and there wouldn’t be any hard feelings or reluctantness.

^     ^     ^

It had been a few weeks and things seemed to be working out for Y/n and Robb like Ned had hopped. Y/n seemed to fit right into the Stark family. She got along with all his children and they all act as if she’s one of them. Things between Robb and Y/n had taken some people by surprise. The two had been spending almost all their time together. They only separated to sleep it seemed like.

Ned was happy to see they had a lot in common. The two went horseback riding constantly and Y/n seemed to know how to use a bow and a sword no doubt thanks to her uncle. They didn’t even eat apart at meals.

Today Robb and Y/n had gone out riding, once they were far enough away from Winterfell the two dismounted their respective horses walking along next to each other.

“Are you having a good time in Winterfell Princess Y/n?” Robb asked, hoping that the time they’d spent together had been as enjoyable for her as it was for him.

Y/n smiled, nudging him teasingly shoulder to shoulder. “Yes, I am as matter of fact. My favorite part is the company.”

Robb blushed looking down before looking back to her. Robb had no idea why she could so easily make him react like that, but she could and he didn’t mind it. “You flatter me y/n.”

“You’ve been flattering me the whole time I’ve been here. It’s only fair.” Y/n smiled. As they came to the set of trees that they had made their spot over the time she had been in the North.

Robb just stood there watching her for a moment. He never expected to fall in love with her when he first found out the King, Queen, and their children were coming to visit. But he had and he didn’t regret it. “If I may be bold and speak my mind, Princess?”

Y/n nodded, smiling back at him as she turned to face him. She noticed how he wasn’t right next to her and Y/n wondered what had made him stop and if it had to do with what was on his mind. “Go ahead. I won’t stop you.”

“During your time here in Winterfell I have become quite taken with you.” Robb stated walking over to her. He looked in her eye’s trying to notice how his works were being taken.

“And I you.” Y/n blushed, biting her lip at her response back to him admitting his feelings for her. Which she reciprocates.

“I have a proposal for you Princess Y/n Baratheon.” Robb felt an air of convenience hit him at Y/n admitting she feels the same.

Y/n furrowed her brow, it confused her on why he was using her title and first and last name. “Go on Lord Stark.”

Robb took a deep breath, he knew what he wanted he just hoped she wanted it to. “We may not have known each other for very long or very well for the most part. But I would like for us to get to know each other better over time. If you’d like that of course.”

“I would.” Y/n nodded liking where he was going with this so far.

“Would you  also like it if we could become husband and wife, Lord and Lady.” Robb stepped right up to her, reaching out to intertwine their hands. Looking into her eye’s Robb reached up with one hand leaving the other one still in hers, he cupped the side of her face, “Would you do me the great honor and become my wife? For all my days till the end of my days?”

Y/n reached up with her free hand and cupped the back of his neck, while squeezing his hand holding hers. Looking up into his eyes with what could only be happiness and adoration Y/n answered. “I would love to.”

In her short time visiting the North Y/n had really connected with the Starks and of course Robb the most. Yes, she’d miss her siblings (minus Joffrey) and she'd miss her uncles but this felt like the better place for her. And as long as she has Robb, Y/n will always be happy.

Taglist; @gruffle1 @padawancat97 @misspendragonsworld

@starkleila

[themisteriousentity]

"Golden Deer is boring though it's lackluster, the characters aren't as strong as the other paths there's less conflict-"

You fool. You absolute buffon. Golden Deer is perfectly designed. Not only does it feed into the whole "alliance" theme well by having the characters still work together despite their differences and feelings well before hitting those A supports, but it's ALSO the only route that actually puts the focus on YOU the player. Or, rather, Byleth themself

Black Eagle is about whether or not you can agree to Edelgard's ideals of acceptable sacrifice and perspective that there's only 1 way to do things. The branching happens when you decide whether or not you agree, but ultimately it just explores opposing or agreeing with Edelgard. Anything more than that is really just incidental to that main concept, whether it's Crimson Flower or Silver Snow, the entire time you're focused either on helping Edelgard achieve her goals or you're focused on showing her how wrong she is alongside the Black Eagles who think it's their duty to correct Edelgard's wrongs (and I have a whole separate thing in regards to how the cast acts in Crimson Flower verses Silver Snow). It works really well for characters designed around an empire, a domineering form of government where (usually) a singular ruler determines the course and focus

Blue Lions is focused entirely on working on past issues and learning to bring yourself into the present, but it's done almost entirely through the cast more than the player. The Blue Lions themselves all have their own traumas and deep-seated past issues that hinder or help progress. While both Blue Lions and Black Eagles have a lot in common when it comes to traumatized characters and ideology, the ideology is front and center, while in Boue Lions, their interpersonal conflicts are front and center. This shows especially in the final (non romance) scene, where Dimitri decides that his personal attachment to Edelgard and past memories still matter, and he reaches out a hand, despite her immediately trying to kill him. It's fitting for a route designed around a kingdom, which is usually built entirely on interpersonal dealings between the ruling class

Golden Deer, however, is designed very differently. Unlike the other 3 routes, the player, or more specifically Byleth, is put as the driving force instead of the Lord. And this is actually what makes Golden Deer such a good route and one with the best ending of all of them. Claude has ideals, but he isn't a person who wants to force others to follow his path like Edelgard. Claude has lived a life of strife where his past motivates him, but it doesn't chain him the same way it does Dimitri. Instead, he works on understanding everyone around him and working together towards agreed upon goals, while taking on stuff that isn't agreed upon onto himself. But more than that, while all the Lord's value your opinion, Claude is the only one who actually takes what Byleth wants (rather than just what they think about specific matters) into consideration for his plans. Repeatedly you tell Seteth in Silver Snow that you don't want to kill Edelgard, but he pushes that you have no choice. Pretty much the entire first half of Azure Moon is Dimitri ignoring you. And in Crimson Flower, you've all but completely submitted to Edelgard's will with a couple of exceptions (which actually proves my point because it's specifically in regards to the Golden Deer because you can fight the entirety of Crimson Flower while sparing all of them except for Judith). But in Verdant Wind, Claude doesn't hide that he has a problem with the church and wants Rhea gone. In Golden Wildfire, without Byleth, he's more than happy to just get rid of her without a second thought. But when Byleth is the protagonist, he goes out of his way to accommodate your wants into his plans and goals. When you express as the player that you want to reason with Edelgard and ponder if you can't walk the same path, Claude agrees with you and says he'll make it happen if he can, with the other Golden Deer mostly agreeing. When that,can't happen you both lament the fact that Edelgard gave you no choice together. He makes finding Rhea a priority, mostly because as curious as he is in general, he wants to help you find out answers only Rhea can give you. And all of the Golden Deer do this to some extent, with each other but also with you as the player. I think Hilda and Marianne's A supports with Byleth show this best personally, but that's a personal opinion. And it just works so well for a route designed around the idea of an alliance, people coming together and agreeing to work towards a goal bigger than themselves

And that's not to say the other routes aren't as good as Golden Deer, they're all equally well written, but it just makes me sad when I see people giving the Golden Deer route grief just because the characters aren't the same when it does its theme so beautifully

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Honestly, I like the idea of Gabriel sacrificing himself to save Nathalie in Season 5’s finale. I think it could’ve worked if Paris didn’t treat him as a hero posthumously and if Chat was present.

(And also if the wish didn’t canonically rewrite the whole universe.)

If the writers had always been consistent with making him sympathetic, it could’ve been a powerful ending for his character.

Thoughts?

I don't disagree, though I would argue for a different sacrifice from Gabriel. So long as the wish doesn't rewrite the whole universe, then I'd fix season five's ending by having Gabriel wish for Adrien's freedom, making Gabriel into a sentimonster while Adrien becomes a real boy.

The reason I'd take this route over the Nathalie one is that saving Nathalie is horribly anticlimactic. Canon didn't build up to saving her, it just randomly happens. The show wouldn't feel incomplete if Nathalie suffered the consequences of her own fully-informed choices. She was only saved because Adrien needed a new mommy and Emilie couldn't come back without outing Gabriel as a villain to Adrien, so he gets Nathalie instead because heaven forbid the wish do something interesting. Five seasons of buildup and all it does is maintain the status quo of Adrien living in the mansion with Nathalie overseeing his life. What an asinine way to end the Agreste arc. This is not how you tell a satisfying story!

To explain what I mean, let's talk about my fix for a bit and how it actually fits the story we've been watching for five seasons.

Two major focuses of the show's first five seasons were Gabriel controlling Adrien and Gabriel choosing Emilie over Adrien. Saving Adrien is how you show Gabriel having a change of heart that demonstrates actual character growth. The sacrifice canon went with doesn't mean shit for Gabriel's character because he still picked his wife over his son without a single thought for what it would mean for Adrien's well being. It is not brave or kind to abandon your kid to your villain partner who never expressed interest in being a mother.

You want Gabriel's sacrifice to feel meaningful? Then it needs to be something that actually costs him happiness or that actually increases Adrien's happiness. Saving Emilie at the cost of his own life would be better than what canon went with because at least that would see Gabriel being willing to be apart from her for the sake of their son! Dying to be with her is not giving up on his goal of being reunited with his wife!

For the curious, here's a rough outline of how you could do this fix while leaving season five mostly intact:

Adrien and Marinette learn each other's identities during Kwami's Choice and start dating.

Gabriel is fine with them dating and even likes Marinette, but views her as a non-serious first relationship. He and Adrien conflict over the fact that Gabriel is not willing to let Adrien include Marinette in major life events. For example, Adrien is banned from bringing Marinette to the Diamond Dance not because of Adrigami, but because Gabriel doesn't think the relationship is serious enough to let Adrien bring her around his rich friends even though Adrien will be miserable without Marinette there. Gabriel is also still planning to ship Adrien off to London in spite of Adrien's protests. In other words, focus the conflict more on Gabriel respecting Adrien and his choices without needless complications like Adrigami. Really hone in on Adrien's personal freedom as the defining theme and let Adrien be the one to fight with Gabriel, not Marinette. Adrienette should not feel like the source of the conflict.

Marinette learns Gabriel's identity from Felix and immediately finds Adrien to tell him and figure out next steps. They decided to face Gabriel together right as the Alliance bullshit goes down.

Chat Noir's identity is outed to Gabriel during the conflict because the sight of Emilie's body gives Chat Noir's identity away. Gabriel immediately uses his newfound knowledge to control Chat Noir, freezing him in place so that he can't help Ladybug. Before Gabriel can think of another command, Ladybug takes the ring of the black cat and becomes BugNoir leaving Adrien to watch the fight between his father and his Lady. He will be watching this fight from his mother's side.

Because Adrien knew his father's identity going into the fight, he's more lucid than he was in Chat Blanc plus the command Gabriel used didn't stop Adrien from being able to say what he's feeling. He's constantly calling out encouragement to BugNoir and begging his father to stop this madness. Gabriel tries to command Adrien to stop, but BugNoir never lets him finish a command.

We get to the scene where Gabriel uses the bee on Marinette, only this time that happens because Adrien is present. It's not his fault, it's just that him being there is why she tries to reason with Gabriel. She can see and hear her boyfriend's pain and it's killing her, making her take a risk she really shouldn't.

Gabriel goes to make his wish while looking at Marinette, Adrien, and Emilie's body. Before he can make his wish, he sees and hears Marinette and Adrien talking. Marinette is crying and apologizing to Adrien because she couldn't help him. She wants to free him, but the senticommand is still active, leaving him frozen in place as he tells her to run away or some other emotional scene focused on Adrien's lack of freedom. Cue a flashback to a near identical exchange between Gabriel and Emilie from when she was dying from the peacock and he was desperate to free her.

Gabriel suddenly realizes just how messed up Adrien's status is and that is what gets through to him, not some dumb video telling him something he'd doubtless heard from Emilie before. On the heals of this realization, Gabriel is given the option to make a wish. One wish. One change. He looks between Emilie and Adrien and picks Adrien. Adrien becomes a real boy, Gabriel becomes a sentimonster and ascends into the light with Emilie.

Cut to the canon ending. Nathalie and the Gabriel statue are gone, but other than that it plays mostly the same. Everyone is happy, Amelie is Adrien's new guardian, and Adrien is being allowed to stay in Paris because she's willing to live there until he comes of age or because the Gorilla agreed to stick around. After all, being someone's guardian doesn't actually require you to be present

End of outline

There are better ways to do this fix, but those would require larger changes to canon and I wanted to show that canon could have done this fix without massive rewrites. Yes, the love square would be revealed, but so what? Who even cares about that anymore?

The tension around the reveal came from how it impacted the romance, but Adrien and Marinette are happily together on the side that lets them date freely, so the reveal isn't even going to be fun anymore. The most it will bring is depressing complications because of the events of the season five final and I doubt canon will pull those complications off well.

The secrets between Adrien and Marinette should have ended with season five because, at this point, Adrien and Marinette having secrets keeping them from happiness is boring, awkward, and makes their relationship wildly unhealthy. From what I've heard, it's not like the secrets are even getting that much focus in season six. The secrets could be gone, season six could be about figuring out the new team/dating drama, and the show would probably be better for it.

Since it was in the ask, I'll note that saving Nathalie would work if you rewrote the show to make it feel like character growth for Gabriel. As is, saving Nathalie is completely in character and requires no growth. You'd also want it to feel like something Nathalie deserved through a change like actually letting her try to stop Gabriel in season five. Those are some massive changes making saving Adrien the easier fix by far. It's also the only way making him a sentimonster works in my opinion. A big dramatic removal of control is fitting for a kids show with a theme of parental control.

[eatsbooks]

It is so ?? to me that Eris trusted Tamlin. Tamlin. of all people to save Lucien. The fucking High Lord of this different court who then proceeded to kill 2 of his other brothers along with Lucien because if this can guy can do this then he could also just kill Lucien instead or sell him out to Beron in exchange for something. Or anything at all. He is a high lord, he has a high lord's son with him and he clearly later displays that he is not scared of invoking Beron's ire so 'not harming him' is something he is not obligated to do. He didn't trust any spies, or anyone he trusted a high lord he didn't have an alliance with. HOW did that come about?

thank you for pointing out one of the primary plot points that confirms to me that sjm did not care whatsoever about eris as a character when she started this series lmfao — with that said, i think the reasoning behind this is almost entirely exogenous. sjm just needed a backstory that simultaneously got lucien in spring with tamlin for the events of acotar and easily displayed the cruelty of his family and his court. whether eris would actually let this happen wasn’t considered.

BUT i think there are a few ways to make it work endogenously. for one, i’m sure eris had been tortured himself for so blatantly refusing to help torture and kill jesminda, so i think his physical and mental faculties were impaired. his brother was about to die, and he had to do something — anything. normally he could be smart and strategic and plan ahead, but lucien was already headed in the direction of spring, and there was no one else strong enough in that vicinity to fend off three powerful, bloodthirsty vanserra boys. by necessity, he had to call on tamlin; he had no other recourse available to him.

plus eris and tamlin definitely met at social gatherings as heirs to neighboring courts, so even if tamlin hated eris, eris likely saw the good in tamlin, which was made all the more impressive for how that persisted through tamlin’s shitty family situation. maybe eris knew that tamlin would see himself in lucien (good, kind, warm, enduring lucien) and show compassion — people always tended to show lucien compassion. or maybe it was lucien and tamlin who had a friendly relationship prior to jesminda that eris knew about, so he was sure that tamlin would take lucien in and protect him.

i also think if eris ever caught wind of tamlin harming lucien, he would find other, better arrangements somehow; but he soon (by fae standards — probably a few years or even a decade or so) saw lucien at court as spring emissary, and his brother looked so … happy. so much happier than the last time he had seen him. he knew then that there was no need to step in, that tamlin could provide lucien better protection than he could — at least until amarantha took his eye.

no matter what, eris definitely did not expect tamlin to kill his brothers. maybe he thought tamlin was too good, or otherwise too smart, to do something like that, which would blatantly make an enemy of his father. (it’s the last time he ever makes the mistake of thinking someone else is aware enough to make the same choices he would.) he will never forgive tamlin that, but he blames himself much, much more. for not raising them better, for not playing the game smarter even though he knew how to, for not doing something differently, anything that could have saved all three brothers and not just one.

(or if u want my reeeally self-indulgent answer …… i wrote an azris-focused version of this exact event in chapter six of eiteio<3)

[mohntilyet]

i’m having illario dellamorte thoughts. what if instead of knowingly betraying lucanis he did it like, unknowingly. idk how this would work but i’m intrigued by what it gives us. illario ‘i accidentally caused my cousin’s death & can never tell anyone’ dellamorte. genuinely grieving. blaming himself. does he take advantage of the year before lucanis comes back?? does caterina still ignore him the whole time?? how different is the canon plotline once rook shows up with lucanis post-rescue…..

anyways i would love your thoughts!!

95% of what i do with illario operates on the idea that he is frighteningly competent so you can see why the way the crows plotline plays out in the game might frustrate me. it’s also this reason why i don’t actually think too much about “illario got lucanis killed, but didn’t mean to do it”, because i like the idea that everything illario does in his life is planned to the second and that he’s too well trained to mess up this badly, if that makes sense. with that being said. 5% of my brain power does sometimes go towards “and what if he just sucked actually” and it was a theory i enjoyed before the game even released. so i have in fact been thinking about this anyway LOL . maybe he tries to honeypot zara, accidentally actually reveals lucanis’ next assassination job, and zara gets rid of him as a ‘gift’. illario is horrified and that gets even worse when lucanis’ body shows up, and he assumes this must be because he spurned zara by leaving her and not having the guts to seize power.

i think we could make his inferiority complex worse. illario’s worst fear confirmed: he is as worthless as his grandmother believes he is, botching something so badly that he accidentally sentences his cousin to death when what he wanted was lucanis just… out of the way for a bit (maybe while he kills caterina. LOL. i still think his resentment of caterina trumps his jealousy for lucanis though those two things are very intertwined its hard for him to differentiate them). so incapable that he got the only person who actually supports him killed, and now he’s dreading the idea of becoming first talon. he doesn’t want first talon without lucanis backing him, and now the only person left is caterina which is suffocating and makes him even unhappier. at least he hadn’t lived through her alone, and now through consequences of his own decisions, illario has no choice but to.

i think that would affect his plans for talon because of how horribly he’d fucked up, and tries to mask it because if he suddenly actually doesn’t want to be talon that would be a red flag for everyone. lucanis coming back would delight him (talon is within his sights again if lucanis comes back!) and freak him out. i think the plotline would actually be pretty similar because of this freak out, so he still shows up to zara’s fight to cover his tracks. lucanis can never know, caterina can never know, because what little faith they have in him will be lost. like he committed fratricide and didn’t even MEAN to😭 ...corpse whispering still happens, and zara is like “ohhh that coward. he can never finish what he started, can he?” + “elaborate.” + “i gave him what he most wanted in the world and instead of being grateful, he ran away.” so lucanis finds out about what happened but feels a mix of “illario, you idiot” + pity because turns out he didn’t even mean for it to happen, and keeps his secret for now, otherwise he’d probably have to kill him.

i also think not meaning to kill lucanis would sour his feelings towards the venatori, who are a reminder of how badly he failed, so the alliance wouldn’t happen. this does mean if the story goes on as it does in canon, he has to take desperate measures another way and kidnap caterina for some other reason but i can’t think of why….. maybe a thing where illario is like “ok. lucanis is distracted by the elven gods. this time i just have to kill nonna for real and then nothing is in my way” and recruits disgraced houses or houses that don’t like caterina to do so? not sure tbh but i don’t believe caterina made it so far without making enemies lol. this would happen post bloodbath + corpse whispering— lucanis leaves his cousin unchecked because while he knows illario didn’t mean for him to die, he has no idea how far he would go to have caterina dead. teia could find out about this and send word to foil the kidnapping and assassination attempt

so ‘murder of crows’ is still about saving caterina, the illario-lucanis fight still happens, but it’s a little more hesitant and lots of “why won’t you just let me kill her? i’m doing this for the both of us”. he’s had to live with being the un-favorite, but never would have thought lucanis would actually pick caterina if it came down to it. with all of his missteps here, i think the final decision (and i think it should be like this in canon anyway) would be to imprison illario or kill him. imprisoning him is just a lot of “i can’t kill illario as much as he couldn’t kill me”, vs killing him as is expected from him as talon, and what he knew he would have to do after finding out about illario's failures. unlike canon, where illario is actually meaning to kill him and can be seen as a 'good crow' despite the sloppiness, here he's like. just bad at everything. the allied traitor houses that went against caterina would also have to be imprisoned or killed. no happy ending at all here, and lucanis still becomes first talon. now that i’ve written it out this is actually probably the worst ending LOL

the above sticks a lot to what is canon to the game (plot points, choices, etc) and i didn’t go very far away from it so it's like canon 3 inches to the left. tho my thoughts on this are not fleshed out* because i think illario works better as an antagonist character that sets things in motion !! not necessarily the villain in a cain-abel story, but a character who opposes lucanis while still not wanting to hurt him. that kind of discipline where he finds a way to get what he wants (first talon) without compromising what he also cares for (family) is so much more fun for me than a man who apparently just loses it and decides to enact a bad plan to get rid of his cousin. if he waited 20+ years to become talon i think he’d be more careful when it came down to it. if i had my way illario would be playing insane 5d chess to rival solas (insert black sails “i once thought that to lead, to be liked was just as good as feared. and that may very well be true. but to be both liked and feared all at once, is an entirely different state of being.”)

[rei-ismyname]

First X-Men Highlights

Pop quiz - who started the X-Men? If you answered 'Charles Xavier' I'm afraid you're mistaken. A fool even . Tsk, pshaw, lmao. OBVIOUSLY the sultan of snikt - Marvel's own Forrest Grump - did it first. Chuck was too much of a PUSSY to come up with such a masculine idea.

Would Chuck have the balls to recruit Sabertooth? Yeah eventually, but not very well. He should have paid him money and bro'd down with him. Durr.

As an aside, I have an irrational dislike for Neal Adams' habit of drawing everyone with their mouths open. It's clearly not meant to suggest they're speaking because it's a constant. His characters always look slack-jawed or half surprised.

Anyway, in response to government persecution of young mutants Logan is going to fight back! He's got Creed on board and shit's about to change! A young Illusionist called Holo joins the team despite their staggering misogyny, whorephobia and sexualisation of her. Creed is way more gross about it, because Logan would never be creepy.

Together they approach Xavier some irrelevant coward but he refuses to even admit that he's a mutant. Obviously it's Logan that points Chuck towards Fred Duncan, his FBI contact. The shilling of Logan is obnoxious, but Chuck's fear is interesting. It's a continuity nightmare, but the whole book is. Oddly, Logan is old enough to set this whenever so Xavier being in the army was a choice. It's kinda funny that Chuck is easily outwitted by someone who calls him 'kid,' and rare Creed W referring to him as 'little Lord Fauntleroy.' The class politics and desire for stability/upward mobility in the novel don't fit 1:1, but Chuck's obscene wealth and privilege is frequently overlooked or understated.

Fantastic to see that Logan's habit of attempting to murder women and children isn't a new one. Nor is it a result of Weapon X stuff. I don't see how this teaches anything and you'd think it'd ruin the morale of this volunteer militia. It is nice to see him knocked on his arse though.

Holo's relationship with Creed is pretty uncomfortable IMO. Her character is paper thin and their chemistry non-existent - she's mostly a plot device to incite conflict and her fridging causes a severe break between the two men.

They approach Magneto in his Nazi hunting phase, though it's unclear if this is meant to be for the CIA or after they betrayed him. Mags' reticence for joining them is stated as an objection to their disorganisation and lack of resources. He should have the mountain of gold he took from Strucker - maybe he spent it all on capes. I'd think he wouldn't want to be part of a group he's not leader of, but it's not in the text. He regulates them all and lectures them dramatically but the real reason is that he's a pussy. Not manly enough like Logan or Creed.

Linking Trask and Fred Duncan to each other as ideological opposites is a choice. Both men working in the same department links them to the Weapon Plus project while making Chuck look like even more of a chump. He didn't spend time near Trask early enough to do anything about sentinels but he spent a lot of time around Duncan and read his mind freely. Duncan comes off looking worse in retrospect too - as he knew about Project Sentinel, presumably the precursor to Operation Wide-awake, and said nothing.

That works for me on paper but it overeggs the pudding. Duncan was already a fair weather ally who did more harm than good, and Chuck's feet of clay/trust in institutions have been flaws since the beginning.

They fight homeless amnesiac Namor of course, and Duncan offers an alliance. It's unclear how much latitude he has to make offers or guarantee safety, but he gives advice on how to hurt Namor, ending with him in the water. They assume he drowned and shrug, which is not only cold AF but messes up Namor's modern origins. Logan willingly gets set on fire too. Could Chuck do that?

Private Xavier finagles his way into the Pentagon, fucking with minds willy nilly. The timeline is incomprehensible at this point, but he gets himself out of military service and we find out that the army had the means and inclination to test for mutants. Chuck beat the test the same way he always does, and gets himself assigned to Duncan's top FBI project. It's an interesting way to bring the two together, but it wasn't really needed and causes more problems than it solves. Chuck had connections due to his family, his public excellence, and his willingness to collaborate.

The McCarthyist paranoia and witch hunting of Trask is maintained, as is the government's desires to use mutants as assets. The two are at odds with each other, and I have to wonder how Trask got from here to where we first meet him - an anthropologist working alone. It's easy to point to his fifth columnist rhetoric as incredibly effective, but he fails miserably and publicly. It's a wonder that sentinels were ever rebuilt tbh.

The First X-Men successfully rescue a bunch of mutants and blow up a test facility, though not before a strangely low stakes run in with the FBI group. They've got this giant monster thing as an asset, and it's apparently laid the seeds for victory. Their name is Virus. 🙄

Logan's crew are enjoying the momentum, though Creed wants to run away with Holo and live a quiet life. She's 18 and is like 'yeah sure, maybe.' There's a lot of different motivations and temperaments in their group but Logan has all the answers. Obviously it backfires and they all die horribly - find out how in part 2!

[prettyguardianhajime]

One ‘long’ post on this one!

(Incoherent Word Vomit about my fave)

Rereading this as an adult and not an 8-9 year old girl has made me realize Vio was NOT as black and white as I remember.

(I understand this translation isn’t the one actually published but it’s all i have for free so sorry if this is wrong)

For one, even as a trap this lead up was so-

Imagine that someone you were worried about just smiles , gestures you to come inside, says our friend/self is in there too and you see a casket? Oh that’s commitment, because that’s inSANE.

There were many moment where I said “Violet why would you say that :(.” These two scenes especially-

I don’t remember this part at ALL, so reading it was literally like for the first time. Like why would you say that :( Shadow’s over here hurt over his dreams and Vio is like just explaining his reasoning the whole time :( Nothing worse than getting a logical response for an emotional wound. especially from your FIRST friend!!

This specific panel really hurt though because it’s not important that we see the others after that. In that moment all that remained were those two in pain after we just saw them drink and ride a dragon together like :(. And I feel like Shadow would be especially shocked because, while Vio is logical, so far that’s not how they would speak to each other (at least when friends.) So to see him analyzing him the way he does his enemies just confirm he was faking, if not feelings then at least the alliance.

And as strong as he was trying to be we know he was hurting by his own actions! I didn’t realize how little he shows his emotions when younger, i just thought he was locked in.

This scene a bit before was another one, although for different reasons. 1. Even on his death bed (I don’t think he knew he was going to get saved.) he was STILL trying to figure out things and ask questions. Talk about locked in.

2. Something that hurts is the way they smile at each other in this??? Especially with what they’re saying? Like Violet after being called worse than evil (i think the og was naughty tho? but i like this better.) smiles and says well we are similar. LIKE! The delusional part of my brain is like; there’s something about calling back to the first time y’all spoke during what you perceive as the last time that’s a lil poetic. The delulu part makes me wonder if the smile was a poor attempt at seeming sly at his last moment to mask that internally, he was contempt with dying after betraying his best friend ? But that’s just a delusion! Also, Vio has no problem with being similar to Shadow even here, I feel like that just shows he’s more morally grey. He doesn’t even deny it when he meets him in the forest.

3. The difference between their responses to killing each other break me. Shadow seems so mad/sad/hurt he has to do this (reasonable!) He’s not getting any last minute info, he’s just hurt over the betrayal. Even saying I have no choice, like even though he’s talking to his now enemy, he still cares to make it known he has no choice. Am i reading too far into this! oh yea i am. Even without being delulu, it is sad compared to every logical response Vio had back, even though he hurt him he’s still not going to break that boundary of being emotional in these situations.

Lastly, this little scene reminds me that they did not start off on the friendliest foot. I wonder how much work Vio put into getting him to trust him and how much of it was genuine (whether he realized it or not). There was a point where they clearly didn’t trust each other, and this was after the casket meet and greet plan, so Shadow also had more than enough reason to not trust him (cause why did they win, why is your sword shiny right now.) It couldn’t have been easy to get his trust.

PS. The scene where he curses after getting his foot stepped on by Red is my favorite, but I also head cannon that he started cursing after hanging out with Shadow, OR he cursed before and that’s why Shadow liked/ recruited him

TLDR: Still my fave, but goodness he hates to feel.

[algerian-lady]

Listen, his clothing style is completely random and tacky, but he makes it work somehow, maybe because he's excessively handsome? Jk, I think his style reflects who he is as a character, he can dress formally too ofc, when the occasion is offered, but otherwise he's just not interested in that, and his huge coats and oversized clothes as well as his large built and height, make him appear as this huge friendly bear, intimidating as a mafia should be, but also super warm and cozy when you get to see his smile and super soft personality.

I really love Dio's character in Khr, I love so many characters so it's difficult to pick favorites, but I'd have wanted to see him more (like not as a side character, but see his work, life, powers etc as an individual and the Cavallone family in general) that's why I wanna write smth for me abt him (prob gonna share it with my sis). And while I was looking back on his appearance and fashion choice, did I really start analyzing it, like ofc all khr is like this, it reminds me in a sense of bleach with how random the fits were, it's nostalgic to the 2000's style and I love it ofc, I love homey comfy clothes, they just put you in a different mood.

But since Dino is from the few characters who aren't attending school, and he doesn't give a shit abt official wear, that's why we get to see some of that clothing style ppl were wearing at the time. I'm saying it's the fashion sense of that period yes, but the author still gives their character their individuality, like Gokudera has a very edgy punk fashion statement, despite being in school he's always popping up with a new killer outfit and it's so interesting to see. (like I'm acknowledging here that they don't only wear their school uniforms, it's just what they wear the most, but he's still outstanding outside of that contrary to the others who made made forget they wore other stuff)

This is just a rumble and if I start talking about everyone and comparing, it'll be a mess, so let's just focus on Dino. The guy is at the head of one of the biggest mafia families of his time and at such a young age, all of his men are in uniforms to give their family a decent representation as a serious gangsta mafia unite, but their leader doesn't, he just dresses up like a hipster. The thing is he can clearly afford to dress up more richly, but he doesn't.

In manga and animes, I usually make a wild guess that authors may not know if what the person is wearing is considered fashionable,( like I'm an artist and have absolutely no idea how my characters will be perceived, I could think 'this character needs to appear fashionable' but ppl online will call them tacky and messy, especially generations later, across continents ) I have also a feeling that bcz it was so old the perception of fashion was different (as I have pointed many times) and lastly, bcz the Mangaka (s) is/are prob Japanese, they could have a certain image (right or wrong) over foreign fashion, esp from a country as fashionable as Italy, so that'd explain why they wanna give an impression with characters that came from there, like Gokudera his sister Bianchi and Dino, saying like look these ppl are youngsters from Italy, they wear like 2000's magazines. All of these are speculations, to say that those could be some reasons those characters wear this specific way.

If we put these aside, and consider that the Manga artist know exactly what they are doing and it's 100% what you think it is, in this case, Dio's décontracté objectively messy style compared to his men, has a clear message, he's saying" I'm your homie clumsy big bro, fuck étiquette, i'm the boss hanging out with my fam, let me live my age, I'm tired of this mafia stuff so I don't have time to dress up so I put on this mop I found on the trash bin." or whatever. But that appearance could also be 100% intentional, maybe he wanna look approachable to Tsuna sensing he'll become the head of the Vangolla and wanting to maintain a good alliance with them so he needs tsuna to like him, he also us aware he's staying around kids and don't wanna intimidate them with formal wear again because those kids are future mafia allies and he's counting a lot on their family in general. Or he just genuinely want to give a good impression because of he's a genuine guy and his family despite being mafia, have a pretty good reputation.

In conclusion. Dino can wear suits, we saw him in them, yet his appearance is mostly casual( but still gangsta, more like street gangsta, your local drug dealer not huge corporation like) , he still looks intimidating from a first glance until you get on his good side and discover he's a good guy. He could prefer this style over the other because it's cozier and more like him or because he wanna appear cozier and thinks that's the way to do it (altho he'd have made his men dress up to if that was the case). Whatever is the case, I just think it represents his personality a lot and his character in the series (as underrated as I feel it was) as well as the time era.

[animezinglife]

On Gaining Mage and Templar Allies

One gripe I have with Inquisition is that we can't "officially" recruit both the mages and Templars, especially when bands of both join you anyway (depending on your choices). While I realize there are many years' worth of extremely bad blood between them, the Breach and outbreak of the civil war between them are—especially combined—would've been a very good reason and excuse to at least tie a truce and reform option into the mix.

(TL/DR: This will break down ideas for small adjustments that could build an alliance on both sides in-game without any significant changes to the game's structure or overhaul of the story. For the sake of keeping it simple/universal, I'm operating with the default world state DA:I gives you. This particular post exclusively views this from the mage choice perspective).

There doesn't need to be a question of story scope or game volume. You could even still choose your initial alliance the same way and bring the second party in through war table options later on. Even if my Inquisitor chose the mages, we still could've had an "in" or start with the Templars through Ser Barris's obvious discomfort with the direction the Lord Seeker (which, the fact that wasn't even Lucius alone is another point I could dive into) and Chantry were taking in Val Royeaux.

Barris is perfectly set up from the moment we meet him as a potential leader with a more perceptive eye and level head than those around him. He publicly questions his superior and asks the all-important question of, "What-if?" He's already seeing that something's not right or isn't adding up, and if he's bold enough to call that into question, would it be so far-fetched for him to send a letter to Cullen to start talks with the Inquisition?

Minimal changes could be added to existing war table quests. My mage Inquisitor might be unusual in that she both recruited the mages freely and actively utilizes Templars under Cullen's command. I share this because there are several options to do so through which you could easily slip Ser Barris's name in as the correspondence and be growing that alliance/planting those reform seeds in the background without any real overhaul of the story.

Just like we have Rylen as our armed forces contact in the Western Approach, we could have Ser Barris serving a similar role when it comes to Templar activity. Maybe he's even able to get valuable intel to Leliana that helps Cassandra's quest.

No cutscene would be necessary, but a shorter version of the Champions of the Just scene where the Inquisition takes on the Templars as allies could be used where the Inquisitor meets Barris personally and the band of Templars he leads that's broken off from the Red Templars.

We already know the Red Templars are trouble if we've sided with the mages. We don't need to add anything for this to make sense if we've already had those little seeds through Val Royeaux and war table quests planted.

We've all spent enough hours in this game to hear how many are sick of the fighting, and we know too that people are starting to have ideas on how to start improving relations between these two groups.

Let's iron out the wrinkles and give Cullen's idea a test run before any new Divine is even chosen. It's not perfect and needs more development, but there's no more perfect group to try it on than mages and Templars who've already agreed to ally through the Inquisition.

(Note: I've noticed some give Cullen flack on his plan of allowing mages to work outside the Circles with Templar support, but in my opinion, the fact that he is trying to think of solutions to make things better for everyone matters a great deal and shows tremendous growth. It's not a perfect plan, but it's a good start with what control or sway they have in the matter. We have to remember that it's not just mages and Templars who are impacted by all of this, and the Average Joes of Thedas have more than enough reason to fear forces they're practically powerless against).

Too many men in armor with the same ideas can be dangerous.

So can too many in robes with staves. Mages are no less susceptible to blind arrogance and corruption. They are, after all, people too.

Radicalism, self-righteousness, and a drive for power are dangerous no matter who's wielding it.

Lean on seasoned mages who are sick of the fighting like Ellendra (she doesn't want any part of the war, so give her an option to partake in the peace/healing efforts) and a trusted Templar like Barris or Lysette to work together to lead small initiatives that work along the lines of normalcy. Hire the cute elf kid from Redcliffe to help farmers start regrowing their crops/building a prosperous harvest at the Crossroads or Redcliffe Farms.

Everyone needs food and supplies to survive. Get them working together on the fundamentally human (for lack of a better term) level to equally contribute to a shared need and practice. Get them working with the Average Joes (non-mages, non-Templars) in a way like this that benefits them and shows them ways in which magic can be used for growth and healing instead of destruction. Show them the Templars who want to serve the Maker and protect the people of Thedas.

Show the Joes both groups working in equal unison to take out Red Templars or demons that threaten them. All of this can still be under the unified banner of the Inquisition, and let word of those experiences travel naturally (and elevate word of the allied heroics through Josephine and Leliana).

Let people on all sides see these groups working together as equal partners and start figuring out the best ways to govern themselves while they already have a unified front to work from. There will still be issues and still be "scuffles" to use Fiona's term, but having a strong group of allies can help better, more developed, and stable tactics emerge.

Let this trickle into Divine Victoria's (mine's been Leliana both playthroughs, but this would help Cassandra a lot, too) reformation plan and strengthen her foundation for it. Vivienne would be a bit give or take. Perhaps even appoint a trusted Revered Mother as advisor to the Templars (Giselle comes to mind, for her insightful criticisms of the Chantry, dedication to the Chant of Light,and willingness to correct herself).

You take out the lofty idealism of a shared goal of what we'll for convenience's sake call "good" mages and "good" Templars by putting it into practice using small steps. It becomes less "radical" then when Divine Victoria drives change when more people have been in direct contact with the benefits of that change.

It's very true that such an alliance may never last: too many egos and too many self-serving hands in the Game always do seek to ruin the good others have built.

So let the Inquisition become a bold symbol of the good that can be done when people set aside their pride beyond just sealing the Breach or saving Thedas from one ancient moron or another. Let it be a place of healing and, maybe for some, redemption.

[hyukassubi]

☕ 21 | Jasmine Tea Plucking, Pt. 1- Plucking HELL

♡𓂃 Pairing -> (Former) Knight! Huening Kai x Seamstress! Reader

♡𓂃 Synopsis -> Growing up, you never believed in purpose, nor destiny. Simply following the path of life, becoming a royal seamstress didn't at all seem like a bad idea. Only thing is, it wasn't your idea.

Your best friend who just so happens to be the crowned prince knows what it's like to grow up having limited choices, and Prince Kang Taehyun doesn't want the same happening to you. The commander knight, in turn, has other plans for the future. After Huening Kai closes a profound chapter of his life, he seeks refuge from the chaos of his past, opting for a cozier lifestyle instead.

... And it just so seems that those plans wouldn't be fulfilled without you.

♡𓂃 Wc -> 3,378

Moving into the palace becoming the royal seamstress while having powerful alliances with the royal family alongside a mildly concerning witch at age sixteen was one thing.

Riding in a carriage with two former knights who participated in The Great Slayification of Dragons and a farmer boy nepo baby at age twenty-two was another thing.

What do these two milestones have in common?— you’d never imagine yourself in a million bajillion lightyears to have ever been in these situations.

Yeonjun was the first to shimmy out of the vehicle, stretching as he does so in immediate search for tools and bowls and hats; Soobin yawned on his way out, so much for his rich boy reputation; Huening Kai didn’t walk out, not all the way.

He jumped firmly onto the gravel with a soft crunch, sweeping off non-existent dust from his pants for no apparent reason and held out the door for you— one on the gold handle swung wide open, the other reaching out for your hand.

“After you.” He says with a smile both on his lips and in his eyes, a subtle hint you picked on because it’s usually you letting Kai in or out of places. You reaching out to him in random places, random pockets of time; in moors, corridors, blank hallways and training grounds, through heartfelt letters…

You letting Kai into the window of your own home to make curry katsudon for the sick Prince Taehyun…

“Ah, thanks.” You take his hand, locking gazes.

Odd, isn’t it? Seeing Huening Kai back in regular more casual clothing after seeing him in armour, designing him in armour, throughout his entire knightly career.

Then again, choosing a white-tee and denim jeans makes a whole lot more sense for tea plucking than anything else, furthermore a metal armour head to toe.

You hopped out the carriage, following the others as the gravel under you turned into solid, dry dirt.

This would be Yeonjun’s second time working directly under Huening Kai, yet, the terms ‘Commander’ or ‘Boss’ didn’t come to his tongue quite so naturally these days.

“Kai, we’ll have a head start and get the leaves, you guys can wait here and prepare the jars for sorting out.” He tosses two pairs of sunhats towards Huening Kai along with a pair of baskets still clutched on his side.

Huening Kai grabs the hats in one swift motion, facing your direction once again to offer you a hat, words spoken for Yeonjun, “Actually, you guys go on and do the leaf sorting this time. I want to go show Y/n around the field.”

Soobin looked overjoyed as if sitting at a forty-five degree angle on a beach chair under a girthy parisol while sorting leaves out into thick glass jars was the best possible thing he could do the world right now. “What?”

Yeonjun did not feel the same way. “What.”

Huening Kai trailed towards the entrance of the tea farm, an opened entrance consisting of two iron poles holding up a cursive vined sign ‘Jasmine’ over his head. “I made up my mind, I want to go tea leaf plucking with Y/n. I want to show her around and,” He eyes you, again,“have some fun.”

Before Yeonjun’s mind could go completely South, Soobin cannonballs first things first onto a seemingly sturdy beach chair and sighs dreamily, practically moaning. “I love work, I love my job, I love life, the Universe is with me today.” He looked as though he would’ve kissed the chair at any given moment, perhaps with excessive tongue.

Yeonjun pressed his lips into a thin line.

He was pouting. And it was adorable. “Okay. Yeah, alright. Sitting on a chair putting leaves in jars yeah that’s great and all, I am over the moon.”

“Dude, isn’t Hyuka your boss?” You butt in in the most respectfully teasing way possible.

And Huening Kai crossed his arms around his chest, putting a foot down quite literally so. “That’s right I am.”

You felt like you were being surrounded by a group of oversized five year olds. “Indeed you are!”

Yeonjun raised a brow. “Hyuka?”

You felt your face heating up a little, and you didn’t know why. Huening Kai wasn’t much help either, he kinda just… stood there, statue-stiff, too.

Was that a blush spreading across his cheeks?

Before you could comprehend a short and quick explanation, Yeonjun started clapping.

Little claps, with his hands. “Ayo wait that name kinda…”

“Hyukaaaaa—” Soobin groaned from his beach chair. Why did they have beach chairs in a tea garden, actually—

“YEAH HYUKAAA!” Yeonjun hypes his homeboy up.

Huening Kai kinda just clutches your hand with such gentle-aggression that you thought it was for coping. That is until his feet drag along the dirt and the next thing you know he’s waving his employees off and you did too out of courtesy.

Tea leaf plucking wasn’t a tricky feat.

All there was to do was stare at rows upon rows of fresh harvest, check out the deep green leaves and pull them out, toss them in the basket and breathe the nicest smelling air runner’s up to Kamal’s Katsudon after operating for half a day. If only the air had been a little less heat-stricken, a little more humid, that grave afternoon would’ve went smoothly.

If the sun had refused to shine so brightly, you wouldn’t have been stuck in this situation, sweating entire oceans.

And what was worse was that Huening Kai was sweating too and did nothing about it. Figured that staying out under the sun all day during his knight days would’ve gotten him used to all that sweating and smelling.

You continued plucking away, ignoring the heat, keeping a close eye on the leaves and your leaf plucking buddy...

The first basket exchange went smoothly.

Soobin was having the time of his life, Yeonjun was cleaning out every little nook of the glass jars.

Huening Kai had emptied out the baskets and patted himself dry.

You stared, or at least tried to, at the Sun, scoffing at how it remained glued in the same position harbouring invisible clouds for the past half hour.

How slowly the Sun seemed to be revolving.

You discretely hid your sunhat away. You didn’t like how it was blocking your line of sight…

It does makes sense why one would dress in white clothes on hot days like these.

A generally well-known scientific color fact: Black absorbs heat, white repels.

A not-as-generally well-known fashion fact: When white fabric meets water, your shirt is bound to come off translucent and soggy.

Huening Kai was wearing a white, lightweight compressed T-shirt with sleeves snuggling his jutted biceps, waterfalls of sweat drenching out every pore of his body.

How every once in a while he reaches in for his forehead with a towel in hand, patting his skin dry. His fingers guiding the soaked up fabric along his neck, his jaw, his face. The way that white, lightweight compressed shirt had the exact same idea, outlining his waist, the valley of his chest, the hinges of his collarbones.

"Hey Y/n, where did your sunhat go? Did you not get one on your way here?" A voice that wasn’t at all Huening Kai’s spoke.

You had to physically shake yout head out the gutter, What the hell was that?…

Soobin and Yeonjun seemed to have gotten used to the tea sorting, quickening their pace at work.

Otherwise they wouldn’t be here asking for another basket, Soobin wouldn’t have disrupted your train of… so very many thoughts.

"Oh. Yeah, uhh... The sunhat was kinda getting in the way, so I put it back near the carriage..." Which wasn't at all a lie.

“Near the carriage?” Yeonjun butts in. “I’ll go get it for you. We can’t have you baking under the sun, it only gets hotter from here.”

And that was enough to make Huening Kai mingle in with the trio, abandoning his current task at hand, and like the good boss he is, he kindly ushers his workers back to their beach chairs.

“You shouldn’t have to worry about Y/n like that, ‘cause I’m partnered with her. Yeonjun, Soobin, get back to work.”

There was something in Kai’s voice that couldn’t be translated in words, and that was it’s firmness. Not that it went to extreme lengths, but from all people it came from Huening Kai.

The two hyungs subsequently bowed down with all due respect, Soobin adding in a, “Yeah no take your time.”

And so they scurried.

And it shouldn’t’ve felt weird but it did.

Because the Huening Kai you knew wouldn’t have said that. ‘Get back to work’ was sincerely the last thing you expected to come out of his mouth.

And funnily enough, the only thing that came out of your mouth amidst the mild shock was, “Kai???”

And he just. He walks closer, pulling out a spare handkerchief out of his pocket handing it out to you—

While taking his hat off, lightly shaking his head in the most unapologetically sexy way possible, hand brushing through his sweaty slick hair, elbow raised high enough to really see those plump biceps merely tearing open the trim of his sleeves.

You coughed. Harrumphed, even. “For me?”

“Yeah.” Huening Kai smiled, chuckled, even, gently pinching at the handkerchief and the next thing you knew the smell of a freshly washed and dried piece of fabric dabbed the side of your face. “Yeah, it’s for you.”

All you felt was hot all over and it wasn’t particularly the Sun’s fault but you blamed the pinkness of your cheeks on it anyway.

“Thanks.” A semi-strangled gulp purses your throat. “I’ll, um. I’ll go and get my sunhat, see you in fi—”

“Of course.” The handkerchief had shifted to the other side of your face, Huening Kai not quite letting go of you yet. “How’s tea plucking, by the way? Is it fun? …Are you having any fun?"

Fun was one way to describe these series of transpired incidents.

You could feel him brushing his thumbs along the fabric, over your cheeks. “Umm, yeah. Yeah, this is a lot of fun.” this isn’t weird this isn’t weird he’s just being a gentleman and helping his girl friend out his childhood bestie his platonic soulmate it’s absolutely normal you’ve helped him in even worse situations before that perhaps didn’t include as much sweat but the proximity wasn’t all that bad this is fine this is normal why don’t you feel normal— “And you? Are you having fun?”

The handkerchief had come down at this point, dampened, fitted back into one of Kai’s jean pockets, and the man in question had his thumbs pretty much glued to your cheeks, both of them, no cloth.

…

No cloth, touching ever-so-lightly, gaze so intense it can break glass vases and marbled floors.

“Of course I’m having lots of fun, as long as it’s with you.”

It didn’t quite register up there, in your head, how close your noses were, barely touching, merely touching.

So close, yet so far…

The Sun.

The Sun, glued to the sky… harbouring invisible clouds.

Since when did Hyuka get this pretty?

…

Huening Kai’s hands fell to his sides, which felt wrong in the following seconds, so he folds them over each other. That felt wrong too, but he didn’t know what to do next. “Umm. I’ll… get back to work?”

Yeah, perhaps this version of Huening Kai made a lot more sense then when he told off Yeonjun and Soobin minutes ago. “Yeah, sure. I’ll go get my hat.”

And you scurried.

Perhaps not thinking about it would ease the heat. Perhaps not thinking about it would kill the tingles in your chest and the goosebumps on your skin. Maybe you’re delusional, maybe it’s nothing.

It’s nothing, yeah, tell yourself that.

The whole walk to the carriage was quiet but it simultaneously wasn’t quiet because thoughts that shouldn’t’ve been there pondered too long, a little too intensely. Voices that told you it was awkward, voices that told you it wasn’t, voices that told you it shouldn’t be.

And perhaps out of habit, you drapped the curtains and shut the windows down, shut those voices up.

Right. Right, you were getting your sunhat.

Your sunhat which was a little ways away, right over there, right next to the beach chairs where Taehyun and Beomgyu were seated—

TAEHYUN AND BEOMGYU WHAT ARE THEY DOING HE—?

“Heyyy darlin, wonderful weather we’re having today, hm?”

Taehyun laid on that beach chair, legs crossed in black sandals, unironically wearing heart sunglasses and a fuschia fur scarf. Beomgyu was right beside him, also leaning against the chair Taehyun-style all diva like and swinging a milk pink fan with gold embellishments on a tall circular wooden platform meant to be used as a stool, most of the air aiming towards the prince.

Oh, and Soobin and Yeonjun were demoted to much shorter plastic stools the length of a toddler’s calf. Sulking, they were, but at least Beomgyu offered to help manually sort out a jar.

And in Taehyun’s hand was a tall. Frothy. Cup of milk tea boba.

“Nice weather indeed.” The force of your jaws clenching together was enough to replicate The Bite of ‘87, which you should’ve had little to no canonical knowledge of- anyways, “What are you doing here?”

Taehyun takes a draggy sip. “Enjoying the weather.”

“Right...” The gritted teeth are back.

Taehyun whips out a second boba cup, dare I say better than his own drink, “Have some tea, sweetheart.”

… And how could you resist it. “Thanks.”

Taehyun sips again and again. “There’s more behind you.”

What?

You spun your head around like anyone would because what does he mean there’s—

Huening Kai waddles over with two baskets of leaves at his sides, sweaty broad chest heaves in that atrociously waterbombed white shirt.

First victim was the Sun, second in line were all the metal armours Kai’s ever worn that hid away his true prize and possessions.

“Hey Y/n, I filled in your basket for you!”

TEA!!! “Oh Kai, you really didn’t have to, but thanks anyway!”

“I kinda have to, actually, it’s part of my job.”

“Ahhh right, this is work for you.”

“No, I meant that it’s my duty to fulfill as somebody close to you.”

“Ah.”

Beomgyu leaned over to Taehyun, whispering, “Is this what you meant when you said we were going sunset watching?”

Taehyun nods, “Precisely.”

Beomgyu hums, in genuine awe. “The sunset is beautiful.”

Third victim: Crowned Prince Kang Taehyun.

You wanted to swing kick his face and knock out his teeth, all thirty-two of them, but Huening Kai was there and he was right in front of you asking, “Hey, where’d your sunhat go?” Huening Kai turns to his crew plus his royal buddies. “Where’d her hat go?”

Riiight. "Ohhh right, that reminds me,” You swallow. “I kinda forgot about it… since..."

"Since I'm here." Taehyun sat up straight, setting his milk boba aside on the table-stool. “We stopped by for boba, the usual.”

"Me too." Beomgyu added semi-helpfully. “I did not come for boba.”

Huening Kai raises a brow, dropping off the two baskets. Perhaps he caught the wrong memo, because now he’s staring at you all concerned, "Oh? You have to go, Y/n?”

Taehyun spat boba bubbles back into his drink, "No no not at all! We just came to drop off some drinks for the Katsudon crew, that's all..." Perhaps ‘Mission Watching Sunsets’ wasn’t a complete success.

Beomgyu joined in, "Oh no yeah, and I came by to get some tea leaves for my eternal gut health potion with side effects of blueing skin."

An uncomfortable silence encapsulated the room, the ‘Dwarf Stool‘ duo slowly craning their necks in sync while ‘Beach Chair Revamp’ duo shudder in fear.

"Oh so that's what this was all about?" Soobin retorted—

Beomgyu ran. With a full bag of high quality freshly plucked leaves.

The wizard knew where this was going and took the chance before he takes chances, grabbing a twig and turning it into a flying broom stick which he had never actually rode on before because if potion making was like chemistry for magic users, then broom-stick riding was riding bikes for wizards, and Beomgyu did not know how to ride… either of the two.

But that didn’t stop him from trying, tightening his grasp on the twig and the jar of tea leaves before it erects into a deformed mop and shoots him over the trees.

Taehyun watches unsurprised as his wizard, his future left hand man, turned into a dot in the sky, Yeonjun, Huening Kai and you kinda just stared off in unusion and.

Soobin.

Oh Soobin was absolutely livid, tracking down the wizard and grabbing the nearest donkey he mistaken for a horse only to dismount it seconds later because it thought the buttons on the suite of his sleeves were mini cookies so he rushes to steal Taehyun’s boba and fling the pearls across the gravel turned asphalt road like kids playing with marbles.

And the prince blinked, blank faced, closing the arms of his heart glasses shut, closing his fan as he stood up, "Not in this outfit." He called up for a carriage to fly him back to the castle, the whole transaction taking less than a minute. "Nice catching up with you besties !!"

And Taehyun, too, turned into nothing but a dot in the sky.

Yeonjun was the first to speak after what felt like an hour worth of cricket noises piping in the sudden mundanity. “Well that was…”

“Typical Soobin.” Huening Kai blurted out, eyes to the beach chairs.

“Typical Beomgyu” You added, eyes to the sky.

Perhaps… No, this wasn’t a dream.

Yeah, absolutely, this is the perfect example of what an average day of a Royal Seamstress looks like.

The only unusual thing that happened today was the compilation of rendered visions of Huening Kai’s sweaty biceps and chest and hair and hands and body head shoulders knees and toes that spun through your head like those music boxes with poised ballerinas on them.

Oh who were you kidding, you were on the verge of pissing tears.

"I can do the tea sorting myself,” Yeonjun insists, walking back to his rightfully owned (not really) beach chair, “and when that’s done, I’ll head back to the restaurant.”

Huening Kai nods, lips pressed into a fine line. “Sounds like a good plan—”

Yeonjun walks back where he came from, next to Huening Kai, planting a hand on his shoulder, locking eyes in all seriousness, “No, I’m packing the things and heading back. You guys stay, actually enjoy the view or head out somewhere and do something, anything, as long as it’s safe and as long as it’s fun.”

Huening Kai takes Yeonjun’s hand off his shoulder, head shaking, “Aw Yeonjun I mean we could—”

“No compromises, boss, I’ve got it under control. Now get back to work.” A chuckle flees Yeonjun’s lips, smiling at the two of you like the type of smile you’d see on a mother when her son wins first place in his kindergarten soccer match, or a twelfth grade graduation. “See ya, have fun.”

Huening Kai didn’t inquire any further.

He gives Yeonjun a brotherly handshake and hug before leaving, and you excitedly leaned in too, which Yeonjun obliges to, not expecting things to take a turn and for you to go, “Thank you, Yeonjun.” Thank you for being one of the few people who stuck out with my best friend for a very long time, thanks for having our backs without us expecting you to.

You didn’t wait too long to find out if he understood or not, because you’d assume he did, people like him would get it.

The last thing you saw outside the tea farm would be another former knight that isn’t Huening Kai watching as you and Huening Kai dissapear into the fields, leaning in his chair while taking deep prospective breaths.

You trailed right behind Huening Kai, following him wherever he goes not knowing where he’s going or which road he’s taking but it’s with Huening Kai and anywhere with Huening Kai feels like home.

Previous | Masterlist | Next

♡𓂃A/N: thicc ahh chapter (barely edited this one but I trust that it eats up as all my other works do 🫶🫶🫶)

♡𓂃Tags: @sweetheartsaku @imcringebutimfree @i-like-to-read-at-4am @pengningie @marloree @stormy1408 @blossommi

Reblog & review if you like my work !!

[rawr1ty]

Good day to my fellow tumblr users!! Today I have come to yap about a tangled au i have been working on for way too long!! It includes moonstone Varian and freckle siblings!!!

Anywayss, i’ll try to keep this kinda brief and general

Note; I moved all their ages closer together so in the end they’re like 14(Varian), 17(Rapunzel), 19(Eugene), and 21(Cass)

So we all know that Gothel had been hiding and hoarding the Sundrop flower BUT, what if Gothel went to the castle and offered to “find” the flower in exchange for a place in the castle and a noble title. So the royals accept her offer and Gothel gives them the flower and moves in. Cassandra becomes Rapunzels Playmate and Lady in waiting.

Now turn back the clock to when Arianna is just getting sick, Frederick reaches out to King Edmund of the dark Kingdom in search of advice. They exchange brief letters and when Rapunzel is born with the power of the Sundrop they form an alliance. The Coronian Royals regularly visit and the presence of the sundrop calms the rocks in the dark kingdom and allows the dark kingdom to begin rebuilding. Edmund goes out and brings Eugene(Not Horace because Eugene only knows his name as Eugene) back to the kingdom. Quirin, Adira, and Hector return to help rebuild and keep an eye on the moonstone. Along with Quirin comes his Wife, Ulla. Ulla likes to observe the moonstone and is always in there, about 2 years later she is pregnant and still spends a majority of her time in the moonstone room. When Varian is born with a teal streak in his hair Ulla swears he has a connection to the stone and Quirin bans her from taking Varian to the moonstone room. Quirin keeps a close watch on her for the first year and eventually loosens up but still doesnt want Varian in the Moonstone room.

Back to Rapunzel, she is now five years old and her parents are speaking of being rid of Gothel. Gothel heard and is furious, so to save herself she wakes Rapunzel in the middle of the night and tells her that they have to leave, having grown up with Gothel, she trusts her and follows her no questions asked(yes, she leaves Cassandra behind). Gothel steals a carriage and rides it to the edge of corona before moving herself and Rapunzel onto a single horse and keeping moving for three days, until they find a dingy port with a cargo ship. Gothel abandons the horse and boards the boat with Rapunzel. After a days boat ride they reach an island and hitch a ride into town. Gothel asks around and discovers that there royal family only consists of a twice widowed 40 year old king with no heir. Gothel goes to the castle and convinces the King to make Rapunzel his princess(he only agreed because of rapunzels magical hair).

Back to Varian! Quirin accompanies Edmund and the rest of the brotherhood to Corona to assist in the search for Rapunzel. Ulla is left in the castle with Varian and she is quick to take Varian to the moonstone room to study their reactions to eachother. On the third day of studying them she gets distracted writing notes and fails to notice Varian approaching the podium and reaching out to the stone. She notices when its too late, Varian grabbed the stone and hugs it to his chest, the stone buries itself in his skin with little fuss and Ulla runs over to look him over. There is black spreading from the spot its buried in his chest and from where he held it in his hands. Ulla tries to pull it out with no success. She doesnt know what to do, so she runs away with him(obvious choice).

Back in Corona… The brotherhood decides to take Cassandra and train her alongside Eugene. After a week in Corona, they return to the dark kingdom. Quirin finds Ulla, Varian, AND the stone gone, he reasonably freaks out and tries to find them, but they are long gone by then.

As luck would have it, Ulla stumbled onto the same island that Gothel and Rapunzel had. Ulla finds an abandoned building and makes it their home. When Varian is five his powers start to show and Ulla leaves him to find help on how to control his powers. After a week Varians supplies run low, so he goes out to replenish them and gets accused of theft. They decide to have the boy hung but when Rapunzel sees him she begs for them not hang Varian. They reluctantly “agree”(they plan to hang him at a later date when the princess is not present). At Rapunzels request they take him into the castle to have him bathed and fed. But at the sight of the stone in his chest Gothel brings him before the king and convinces him to allow her to train him. So Varian becomes Rapunzels knight.

So now throughout Varian’s childhood he is told that he only lives cause Rapunzel allows him to, and his only purpose is to serve her. GOSH, i LOVE angst <3

Anyways thats all just supposed to be like background…

Anyways so fast forward they are now aged 14 and Rapunzels 17’th birthday is approaching. When Rapunzel was twelve Gothel tried to get into the Royal blood by suggesting a wedding to the king to make Rapunzel an “Official” princess. Instead the king decides he wants to marry Rapunzel(gross). So he decides that he will marry her after her 17th birthday. Now its her 17th birthday and they are having a party to celebrate not only her birthday, but also her wedding which will occur the next day. The party is such a big thing and the kingdom has been prospering so much that they allow outsiders into the party(unless they’re from Corona or the Dark Kingdom). Rapunzel doesnt want to marry the old fart, so she devises a plan to escape at her birthday party. Cass and Eugene show up undercover and try to rescue the princess, but find it difficult due to her never leaving her knights side. So Varian pays a young kid to set off a ton of fireworks and in the chaos Eugene and Cass decide to chase the princess. They lose her in the winding halls of the castle and barely escape without getting caught. When they return to their carriage they are surprised to find two strangers in the dark space. The mystery boy demands they take them to their hideout. Once they arrive Eugene tries to overtake them and Varian kicks him out of the carriage. When they step out they are surprised to see it is the knight that was around the princess all night… and he looks a lot younger than they expected. Next Rapunzel steps out and they realize they didn’t fail their mission ❤️.

Blah blah blah they get off the island, more story..

I’m thinking of adding in Hugo. Wouldn’t it be so heart wrenching if Hugo befriended Varian only to get closer to the sundrop so Donella and her gang could kidnap and sell her?? The betrayal would kill me, i love it.

also Varian doesn’t use his powers so the gang only finds out hes the moonstone when they run into a Adira and she senses the moonstone.

erremm anyways, i think thats all i have for now.

Heres some doodles of their designsss!!

Coloring makes me want to cry, so only sketches 🫧🫧

[padfootdaredmetoo]

Hi, I love the way you write and wanted to know if you could write something.

The situation would be that Y/N is from the mafia and Tommy and Y/N hate each other. And in a situation (the one you want) they have to work together to get out alive and then in the end something hot happens .... I would really like to read something so peri I have not found something similar on the platform

I would really appreciate it very much and read it a lot... I love your content

Hey Love,

I really tried to make a plot - I think I sucked at it but i still hope you enjoy it! As always I'm very sorry this took so long. I will try to look over this again in the morning as i'm not 100% confident in my sleep deprived editing skills.

Warnings: Peaky themes, murder, smut, sex, enemies to lovers,

Thomas was becoming more and more tired of London. At first he found it calming, the lights and constant flow of chaos was enough to keep his mind off of Grace.

He sat on the edge of his bed, feeling is age and then some. The damp cold air caused his joints to hurt, and his muscles protested another day. He ran his hands over his face and tried to take a deep breath. He had his family, responsibilities, he couldn't give up now. 

The phone rang and he moved slowly across the room to pick up the receiver.

“Shelby” He said in a low voice. 

“You just waking up now?” A loud voice boomed from the other end. “These Peaky fuckers - I swear-” The man started to grumble and Thomas started to wonder if his responsibilities were really worth all of this. 

“What do you want, Alfie?” He kept his voice calm and smooth, not because he felt that way, but because it annoyed the other man. 

“No way to talk to a friend, innit?” Something exploded near him and Tommy pulled the phone away from his ear. “Fuck, well don’t mind that. Come down as fast as you can. Pack a trunk with something nice to wear.” 

“Why?” Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Need you to bring me back something from Frace.” 

“No.” Tommy said flatly. There would never be a good enough reason for him to go anywhere near that place. 

“Look, Beaumont’s are closing in on territory. He’s had some choice words about your family, and son. He wants you to meet him and while your there I want you to pop by a friends place and pick up a package for me. Eh? Don't trust it in the post.” 

“Meeting him in France to negotiate territory in London is stupid.” Why was everything always stupid and unreachable. His temper was starting to boil over and he lit a cigarette knowing it would do nothing to calm his nerves. 

“I don't want you to negotiate with him - if you understand what I’m saying.” Alfie said flatly. 

“And if I dont?” Tommy was gripping the edge of the table hoping to steady himself. 

“Break our alliance and join up with the Ricci and hope she can get the job done.” 

Thomas didn't speak for a moment. He was stuck, give up on months of work in London and hand it all over to the heir of the Ricci family - or go into the depths of hell. 

“Though we had an agreement.” Thomas was clenching his jaw tightly.

“That changed when you pissed off the Irish and the Chinese.” 

“Fuck” He swore under his breath. “Fine.” He hung up the phone to escape Alfie’s content laugh. 

Two train rides. One murder. One package. Then his debt to Alfie was paid and his territory in London was settled. 

He survived France once and he could do it again. 

______________________________________________

Out of all the preparations he made this was his least favorite task. Charlie clung to him and Thomas fought with himself. Part of him wanted more than anything to stay there, part of him needed to stay composed in front of Charlie to avoid scaring him. 

The only consistent part of him was the one that wanted to break down and watch everything burn. He kissed the top of Charlie’s head before gently putting him back on his feet. For a split second he swore there was a look of understanding in Polly’s eyes. 

Tommy boarded the train thinking of John and Arthur’s protests to letting him go alone. The invitation was for one, no need to make them relive the past when he could shoulder it alone. 

Things seemed normal enough. He was happy to be left alone to rot in his compartment. The motion of the train made him want to throw up, but the silence was nice. 

Tap Tap 

There was a soft knock at the door and Thomas hoped that they would asume he was a sleep and leave him be. 

Tap Tap 

As usual he would know no such peace. He opened the sliding door and his stomach gave a hateful lurch. 

You were there looking up at him with your big eyes. 

“Good evening Mr. Shelby.” He hated the way you said his name.

“Evening.” He said coldly. 

“Looks like we were both summoned to this event.” To anyone else this would look like small talk, to him he could see the way your eyes absorbed his every move. 

“Looks like it.” He said in the same unimpressed tone. He wondered why you wanted to move in on what he and Alfie had. He’d shut down multiple Italian families over his time in London. No matter how bloody it got you wouldnt relent. 

“I’ll be in the next compartment in you want some company.” You winked at him and he watched you move down the corridor and disappear into your compartment. 

He shut his door and fixed the curtains back into place. He was going to try and stay sober till he got to his hotel, but seeing your face tore up all his self control. Stupid woman. 

He sipped his whiskey and accepted that he would not sleep until he was home. He could feel the chaotic electricity pulsing inside him, nowhere to go, nothing to fight, stuck in this stupid moving box. 

The night swallowed up the view replacing the countryside with his sickly reflection. He shut the curtains to avoid the corpse glaring back at him. Anxiety rattled through him at the lack of chaos. Normally Polly was chasing charlie around to get him in the bath. John was yelling at him about something going wrong, the words from his mouth coming from Esme’s mind. Arthur was already sick from drinking trying to hide the kindness in his eyes. Chaos. 

His eyes closed. Grace’s face swam into view she was trying to tell him something before she started to scream. His body tensed up and his eyes opened to the yellowing light of the compartment. A loud bang caused him to jump up. He moved into the corridor his feet taking him to your room. 

He flug the door open and without surprise found a large mans body on the floor of your compartment. He shut the door and empathized with your far away gaze. He knew that there was a high chance your hands were dirtier than his and despite his loathing, he felt bad for you. 

“There are no other people on this train.” Your voice was distant and your glassy eyes snapped to his face. 

“Fucking Alfie.” He said under his breath, this was a set up. 

“Won't be him. He told us not to bring anyone with us. If he takes us out he knows my brother will take up my place, as would yours.” 

“The train is supposed to make a stop, if it doesn't we jump when it slows down through the mountains.” He whispered looking around the compartment as if he could tell if it was bugged.

“Then what?” You whispered. 

“We make our way home.” He looked into your eyes and noticed the slightest trace of fear. 

“So you and I then?” You cocked your head to the side staring at him suspiciously. He wondered how you managed to stay alive this long when every thought you had was sprawled across your face. 

He didn't want to respond so he held his hand out to you and your slender hand fit inside his. He shook on it and wondered how badly you would make him regret this in the future. But that was future Tommy's problem. 

You both tore through the train finding nothing suspicious accept for the lack of people. Sitting back in his compartment she turned the radio on and pulled a notebook out of her handbag. 

I think we should stay on till Paris  

He gave you a curt nod of agreement. Then watched you write out your next message. 

Then we kill him 

He nodded again before gesturing to the pen. You handed it over to him and in his less elegant writing he wrote out a message. 

Call for backup once we stop 

There was a strange bit of sparkle in your eye when you looked up at him. You smiled and took the pen back, your warm fingers brushing against his cold hand. 

Not enough time. + I like the idea of it being the two of us

He gave a sarcastic smile and looked at the wall. He looked back at you still staring at him, he wanted to know what your game was. There was no need to flirt with him, and yet you always took the time for an extra bit of banter. It had even cost you a couple of times, and yet you always seemed to enjoy bothering him, even when you lost. 

He finally gave you a slow nod, not breaking eye contact. He watched your pupils flutter open, the pulse in your neck speed up. He wanted this to aggravate him like everything else you did. Instead his blood seemed warmer under his translucent skin. 

Frustrated, he waited for you to break eye contact first. You looked down at your watch, then scribbled down another note. 

One hour 

It was an hour of silence and he enjoyed your presence in the seat next to him. He focused on your breathing and let time do it’s thing. 

Once there everything unraveled very quickly. Antoine Beaumont did not bug the train, nor had he sent more than three men to collect their bodies. They were easy enough to handle.

They showed up at his office. The confusion on his secretaries face was satisfying and Tommy almost jumped as you shot her. His eyes slowly looked to you, your face was dark and set in emotionless mask. 

Tommy didn't think the woman needed to die but without time, he moved into the back room and shot the man. He didn't want to hear the saga, the master plan, or what he wanted so badly in London. 

He was old and tired. He wanted to go home. As he walked out of the building he had already washed his hands of the situation. He would ring Alfie, have him send his men out to deal with the collateral and get his stupid package. 

As he walked down the stairs he heard a pair of heels clattering behind him. 

“When is the next train.” You came close enough to his side that you didn't have to raise your voice above a whisper. He looked down at you hiding his surprise. When he shook on it he figured they meant they were agreeing to murdering that bastard. Their alliance was over, and yet you were looking to him.

“Half hour.” He said raising his hand to flag a cab. He opened the door and watched you elegantly slide across the bench seat. He knew that in this moment he was at a crossroads. He had lots of ways of getting home from France. He could close this door and walk away, see you again at the next conflict. Or he could embrace this adventure knowing full well it would probably hurt him just as bad as Grace. Your gloved hand reached out of the cab to grab his, settling his silent debate. 

He watched as you navigated this situation. He didn't want to give away his position, he wanted you to make a fool of yourself for him. 

You didn't knock on his compartment, you slid the door open and he watched as your eyes analyzed him. He knew from the brightness of your eyes and the glint of pink on your cheeks that you would be the next person to take a piece of his soul. He thought about stopping it. But that sweet comfort only offered by chaos was addictive. 

He held out his hand and you smiled at him. Your hand slipped into his once more and he gilded you up onto his lap. Your red lips were curved into a grin, but your deep eyes were holding back. You opened your mouth, either about to tell him what to do, or to ask about what this was. Tommy didn't feel like embarking on either topic, with one hand on your ass he pulled you even closer. His other hand grabbed the back of your neck. Your lips tasted like red wine and drank in the ecstasy that flowed from them. 

You tasted like life. 

You kissed him back hungrily. You fought him for dominance till he got you desperate enough to submit to him. Your body giving in with a sigh as he gripped one of your breasts. He got your skirt out of the way with little effort and watched as your hands undid his trousers. He moaned as your hands slid along his shaft, your body was so warm. The softness of it was addictive. The weight of you on his lap kept him grounded, he felt held down to the earth. You lined yourself up with the head of his cock. He wasn't ready to let you win. 

His fingers brushed past your naval, trailing down to embrace the warmth of your slick folds. You bucked against his hands and he enjoyed the way your back arched for him. He wanted you to be his, he wanted to see you fall apart. He wanted to give you something so good, you would be ruined. 

He told himself it was revenge. He would leave you here on this bench and walk off this train with a clear mind and restored purpose to drive you out of London. 

When you pressed your forehead against his and let out the softest moan he had ever heard he felt his heart start to thaw. You didn't beg him. You sat on his lap in agony as he pressed into you, savouring the way your body tightened around his fingertips. 

He wished you wouldn't have surrendered to him. That you would have kept your guard up. Instead you fell apart for him so beautifully.

He finally couldn't hold back any longer and pushed up into you. The heaviness of the emotion in your cry caused all common sense to leave him. He held your hips tightly and enjoyed the way you bounced on his lap. You swallowed up every bit of pleasure his body could offer. Eventually your release took him under and he watched, he felt you come apart. 

You fell against him, resting your head against his shoulder while you caught your breath. He caved and held you against his chest. He had blown his cover. He waited for you to take the upper hand, take the victory and walk out of the compartment. 

Instead you stayed there for a long moment. 

“Do you like fettuccine?” You whispered and he considered it for a moment. 

“Yes.” He wasn't sure he had ever had fettuccine, but he liked the way it sounded as it rolled off your tongue. 

“Come home with me and I’ll cook for you.” 

He wanted to laugh, for the first time in so long. 

“Trying to tie me down?” He said with a faint smile. 

“Is it working.” Your eyes were wide and your smile was genuine. He laughed and you kissed his cheek before getting your self straightened out. 

He listened to you ramble quietly, enjoying your accent. You spoke to him like he was a friend, not like he was supposed to do something or fix something. 

__________________________________________

You have him over for dinner and he actually eats. He enjoys it and you take a lot of pride. 

Things are very slow as both of you are secretly waiting for the other to screw the other over, this spans on for months. 

After a few weeks without hearing from him you show up at his house with a bunch of food. He opens the door looking beat up with a little boy standing on the stairs behind him. 

You start cleaning his cuts shouting at him for not asking you for help. Charlie watches you with your makeup and hair, big fur coat, scolding his father and is very curious about you. 

In the kitchen you put the food on the table and find the first aid kit and a fork. You give the fork to Charlie and gesture to the tupperware full of pasta. He snacks while you clean Tommy’s wounds. 

Charlie rests his head on the table after eating his body weight in pasta. “I feel so sleepy” He mumbled and you laughed. “That’s the Italian opium hitting.” You smiled at him and he smiled back. “ Don’t worry about your dad. I’ll carry you up to bed later.” He gave you a nod before passing out. 

“Is there actually opium in that.”  Tommy whispered a sense of genuine anxiety in his tone- you laughed “Just the carbs.” 

You called your men in to handle the situation and talked Tommy down everytime he tried to take control of the situation. 

“Stop it. I’m handling it.” You snapped at him and you realised that he was never not incharge. “Trust me.” You watched the internal battle in his big blue eyes. Knowing he wouldn't rest, you handed him the phone. His brow furrowed slightly and you told him what to say. He gave the order and you sat on his lap watching the tension leave his body 

“You ever going to trust me?” You knew it wasn't fair to ask him this after all the blood he lost. 

“I’m trying.” He looked at you through hooded eyes. 

“Dont make me wait” You said sternly before picking up Charlie. You felt your heart break a little when his fist clung to the collar of your shirt once you placed him in bed. You tucked him in under Tommy’s watchful eye. Then followed him through to his bedroom.

[hopeymchope]

Speaking of Re:Zero... let's momentarily talk about how Nagatsuki clearly didn't take Rem's popularity very well.

I am 100% convinced that the atrocities series author Tappei Nagatsuki has performed on the character of Rem are because she got too popular in comparison to his preferred female lead/waifu, Emilia.

I guess this is what it came down to, eh?

Rem—and we too, I guess... the fans/readers—were punished simply because Rem became too awesome and appreciated for him to handle. That's got to be it, right?

You don't develop a character and then ditch them to ultimately reset them back to square one unless (A) you're making this all up as you go along, have no plan, and suddenly regret your own choices after you've gone too far to turn back... OR unless (B) you're changing your plan mid-stream to get rid of her so you can spend all your focus on builiding up Emilia, trying to get readers to fall more in love with her instead. And I find the latter more plausible, personally. I mean, this is an author who's always known how many arcs there were gonna be, right? So the "no plan" theory doesn't entirely hold up, and... well, I see no other logical explanation than (B) at that point.

He could've just had Rem off and unavailable on other work for Roswaal/the Crusch alliance for a while if you just wanted to make Subaru grow without her at his side. There are certainly ways to sideline a character without erasing and rebooting them. But no, he had to go multiple steps too far. And now she's lost all development and reverted to a character that's unrecognizable and far less engaging as compared to who she was when we last saw her BEFORE she encountered the Archbishop of Gluttony.

And honestly, if she doesn't ever return to who she was once? Fucking BETRAYAL. (And the SAME goes for Crusch, god damn it. I could do virtually the same rant for her. Why even introduce us to and get us to know a character like her if you're going to just cram her into the trash... ? It comes off like Nagatsuki couldn't think of any reasonable way for Emilia to defeat Crusch in the Royal Selection, so he just forced Crusch's advantages to disappear to once again make it easier for people—both fictional and RL—to embrace Emilia. Which, if that is indeed the motivation behind that decision... come the fuck on, dude. *I* could write reasons why Emilia would pull ahead. We love your world, we love your characters, but we don't want these shortcuts. We want things to be EARNED. You can put in the work. You know you can.)

In all truth, I feel like any time you completely erase a character's development/experience from the narrative and reset them back into being a totally different character? That's just shitty writing IMO. If you want new characters who are more like who the character USED to be? Either go back and write stories that take place earlier in the narrative, or just write NEW CHARACTERS who are like that. The latter isn't particularly desirable, but it's better than this. Don't give me the character I've grown to know and then fundamentally change them/revert them back. Why waste my time AND yours like that? Why show me some new character who just has the same name, rendering all the earlier work pointless?

And YES I AM TALKING ABOUT YOU NOW, UNNAMED MEMORY. This just became about the end of the third light novel/first anime season of THAT series, ALSO.