#they both deserve someone who could accept them wholeheartedly and without anything stopping them
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somnas-writes · 2 years ago
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Anyways here are some ship that I’m gonna write into my MCD rewrite because these characters deserve to be happy and gay + my reasonings
Aphmau/Katelyn/Zoey
LESBIANS. Aph and Katelyn had more chemistry than with the other love interests. Zoey was there for aph since day one. Zoey and Katelyn could bond over being protectors
Laurence/Garroth
They were too good for Aph, they compliment each others personality more than they could compliment aphs
Plus like the angst??? Laurence is in denial of being LGBT (homophobia exists </3) and acts aggressively straight. Garroth mistakes having a reliable, stable friend for having a crush.
Dante/Travis
Jess making Dante have a wife AND baby momma was cruel + unnecessary, I refuse to believe some type of contraceptive doesn’t exist in MCD.
Travis shouldn’t be with Katelyn (especially with the way they acted towards each other in canon). They don’t click and I refuse to make them act like they could 😾.
Nana/Lucinda
they so should fall in love, the rivalry???? The tension?? They deserve it
Also Lucinda would never be straight, let’s be real
Aaron/Jeffory the golden-heart
I hate that Jeffory DIED, my guy didn’t deserve that.
They essentially fill in what the other lost. Jeffory lost his wife and had to raise his daughter alone. Aaron lost his wife and kid. They could be good for each other.
Also I hate Aarmau with a BURNING passion 😼
——
An alternative couple was Aph/Garroth/Laurence
It could’ve been an actual love triangle instead of the stilt that we got
They work together really well as a trio but not as individual couples.
You get what I mean?
—-
That’s all. Thank you for indulging my delusions <3
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justasimplesinner · 4 years ago
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Ooooooo bro I've been saving this one for the longest time. Ok so we can all agree that mof crane probably didn't go to his senior prom and probably felt like shit because he didn't feel like anyone really cared about him right? What if a friend/admirer of his (i.e. the reader) he had mutual feelings for asked to hang out on prom night but told him to dress nicely and meet them by the cornfield. He's having doubts cause of the whole Sherry thing but he meets them there anyway, he's gonna comment on how pretty/handsome they look but they're literally so excited they just grab his hand and drag him through the cornstalks. He's getting real sus after a good 5 minutes of walking and is about to pull his hand away until they arrive at a clearing where they have a radio set up to play slow music, a picnic blanket, a few soda bottles filled with wisky that they may or may not have obtained from another student during class, and a balloon held down by a stack of books they've been dying to share with him. They dance, they get a little tipsy, they laugh, he gets a well deserved smooch or two, then they read under the stars together till they fall asleep cuddling.
Please 🙏.
i so fucking wanted to turn this into a fic but i'd just turn it into 30k words of jon's emotional turmoil and never finish it, so have this instead and keep it in mind that my heart has genuinely melted while writing this and i squeezed out every last bit of fluff it had
Masters of Fear!Jon's dream prom night hcs:
when you tell him to meet you by the cornfields on prom night, he's... conflicted. for two main reasons. one obviously being his trauma after the humiliation Sherry put him through the one time he got his courage to ask someone for a date, and two - this was the night of his revenge. he hasn't told you about this, but this was the night his plans were supposed to come to fruition. this was supposed to be the night he first donned the scarecrow costume, the night that would turn his whole life around. but you... you were his friend. he didn't remember a time when you weren't. you were always there. you were there for him every time got bullied, beaten or humiliated. you were there for his misplaced infatuation with Sherry and you were there to comfort him after he had a head-on collision with reality. and now, you were there for his prom night, despite him not having the courage to actually ask you to go with him. and maybe, just maybe... revenge could wait. maybe he should repay you for going through the trouble (and it was a trouble) of befriending him and staying by his side. so he accepted
you told him to dress nicely, so he did, to the best of his abilities. he donned a brown suit, the only one he had that was supposed to be for his prom and that was just slightly too small. it was the smartest garment he owned and he almost liked how it looked, how it made him seem more serious, more intelligent, but when he saw you... he truly felt like a servant in the presence of royalty. "nicely" wasn't anywhere near to how you looked. you were breathtaking. absolutely fucking breathtaking, to the point where the air actually got stuck in his lungs when he looked at you. thousands of thoughts were running through his head. you were so beautiful. why didn't he ask you to prom? why did he waste his only chance to do something with what you two had? the suspicions as to why exactly were you so dolled up by a cornfield were muffled by his absolute admiration for you as well as that slight self-hatred that accompanied him wherever he went
and then, you complimented him. it wasn't the first time, you were always so supportive of him, but this time it... hit different. it wasn't anything out of the ordinary, not like you haven't called him handsome before, but suddenly he found himself tongue-tied. the best he could muster back was a stuttering "you too", but before he blinked you were already grabbing his hand and rushing him through the cornfields, claiming that you had a 'surprise'. and after his experiences, Jon wholeheartedly despised surprises
there was a battle going through his head because honestly, where the fuck were you taking him, why were you two tearing through a cornfield? what, because he looks like a scarecrow? was it another joke? you were never once mean to him, but at this point, who fucking knew? but also, you were holding his hand. you laced your fingers and squeezed and pulled and your thumb kept rubbing over his skin in almost a soothing manner and you held his hand-
"(y/n), please-" he didn't even know what he was asking of you, all he knew was that he was scared and your hand was both the reason for it and his only source of comfort, but he shut his mouth the second you pulled him into a small clearing and he was faced with... a dream, really. you took care of... everything. you laid down a huge blanket with some light pillows to make it more comfy, homemade snacks, drinks, alcohol, a god damned radio with both your favourites on, a small stack of books with balloons-
he was speechless. completely, utterly speechless. you were talking like it was nothing, how you took the CDs from your home that he liked, how you baked those muffins he always immensly enjoyed, how you sneakily bought whiskey with the help of your older friends, how you brought the books you were just dying to read with him, how you fucking made your own private prom for you two to enjoy in peace, and said it like it wasn't a big deal. and he... brought you nothing. not even flowers. he should've gotten you flowers, like any man would. you made all this and he was just standing there like a fucking idiot, with his hands empty, and he dared to doubt you after everything you two have been through-
but you didn't let him wallow in his self-doubt, instead pulling him down, deciding to start the fun. you sat there, side by side, with you pouring the drinks, munching on snacks, discussing books, laughing and joking around with some music in the background. Jon has spent some amazing moments with you, from skipping school to go to the lake to going on trips with you and your parents to places he never thought he'd visit, but this felt... special. that night, he felt happier. he felt like it meant more
he didn't expect that slow love song he was fond of to play, nor you offering to dance. well, offering might be an understatement. if you offered, that dumbass would've probably refuse out of sheer embarassment and bashfulness. you pulled him up and decided to lead him to the "dance floor" (i.e. area around the blanket), leaving him no room to refuse. yet again, not the first time you two danced together without a care in the world, but the first time it felt so... intimate. you were so close, closer than ever before. you held him so gently, you smiled so brightly and he was so captivated he stumbled over his own feet more than once, but it was all perfect. your chest pressed up against his and then soon enough, your head leaning on his shoulder felt so... right. like you were meant to fit against him, like his arms were meant to hold onto you like this. at the same time his heart tried to beat out of his chest but his mind was an oasis of peace. he felt both nervous and at ease, his face hesitantly nuzzling into you, arms tightening around your body, pulling you so close not even paper could fit in-between you two
it's like he finally realised that what he always wanted was right under his nose all along. that all that time, the only thing he craved was being with you like this. at last, he could understand why his heart always sped up and why he dreamed of you so often. this was way different than the "thing" he had for Sherry. way stronger, way more sincere. he felt more deserving of Sherry than he did of you, like she was closer in his reach than you because you were always so kind to him, because you always cared and he felt like he had no right to ruin what you two had. with Sherry, he had nothing, it was easier to project onto her because he couldn't have you. and all that time, he was unconsciously complicating his own life instead of just... trying to reach for you
he felt like he got really far with you that night, like it was already a big step forward and that maybe, someday, you'd consider something... more. he didn't expect you to kiss him right then and there. he didn't expect you to slowly lift your head from his shoulder and dive right in with only a quick glance into his eyes. suddenly, the whole world stopped, along with his heart. suddenly, the world didn't exist, there wasn't a single thought of Bo, Sherry or his revenge, there was only you. you and your perfect lips moving against his own and your perfect hands cupping his cheek and tangling in his hair. he didn't expect an embarassing mewl to escape the back of his throat but if anything, you didn't seem to mind, only pulling him closer, letting him feel all of you
the kiss was messy, almost awkward, but Jon has never felt anything as divine as your plush lips moving against his chapped ones, your tongue slowly sliding into his mouth, guiding him, showing him what love really felt like. he really didn't know when his arms embraced you tight enough to feel your every move against his body, but it felt right. it felt right to have you this close and to kiss you like this. it felt like this was where he belonged
he needed air, but he needed you more and he couldn't just stop, if it wasn't for you finally pulling away, he might've suffocated on the spot. when he leaned back, his chest was heaving and his lips tingling, but he didn't let you go. it's like... he couldn't. you looked into his eyes, hell, right into his soul and for the first time in his life, he had no doubt. surprisingly, he felt no fear crawling up his spine that he just fucked up, he felt no anxiety that he ruined what you two had. the only thing he felt was the need to kiss you again. and then again and again until he could no more
the rest of that night was filled with cuddles, kisses, alcohol and laughter. with talking until the early hours of the morning, with you comfortably between his legs and him wrapped around you like a blanket. that night ended with his shaky, whispered "i love you" and long, meaningful kisses from you which were quickly becoming his new addiction as you two finally parted ways, only to meet again the next day, and then the next and so on. and maybe none of you knew that, but you saved him that day. saved him from a fate he was not entirely ready for. from a life of crime and pain and severe trauma
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geekgirles · 3 years ago
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Your Heart
Chapter 2 -- The Invitation
Word Count: 8,903 
READ ON AO3
Hours could have passed since Sam received the letter and she wouldn’t have noticed, the events were so unreal her mind still hadn’t been able to fully register them. What was supposed to be a day like any other suddenly passed by in a blur. And no matter what she did, she just couldn’t make sense of it all. 
The moment Star gave her the letter, the queen recognised the logo engraved on the seal closing the envelope. That forsaken logo had made daily appearances on the news for the last three years, when he started using and associating it to his person. 
Danny Phantom.
The current Ghost King. 
Nothing could’ve prepared her for the feeling of astonishment that came with that simple realisation. Such was her stupor that, once her back collided against her black mahogany vanity, her legs lost all strength to support her weight, slowly sliding down until Sam was seated on the floor of her chambers. Eyes wide and mouth hanging open. 
Terror gripping at them at the sight of their, otherwise collected, queen, the handmaidens immediately scurried over her, checking for any sign that would imply their leader needed any sort of assistance. 
A million thoughts materialised inside Sam’s head. How did the Ghost King know there were witches in Amity Park? Did all ghosts know they weren’t the only otherworldly creatures blending in with humans? How did the Ghost King know where to find them? Were her people in danger?
But most importantly, why did the infamous Danny Phantom write her for?
Grimacing, Sam figured there was only one way to find out. With a shaking hand, she gestured for Star to bring her the envelope. Concern still apparent on the blonde’s features, for her queen must have truly been too stunned to perform magic herself, she nonetheless did as she was instructed. “Fluito,” she whispered, and immediately afterwards an orange, fire-like aura surrounded the envelope, until the object came to them. 
Sam gripped the envelope like a life line and, with trembling hands, broke the wax seal to get to the letter inside. What she found only made matters worse: 
“Dear Madam, 
I hope this message finds you well. I would not be able to reprimand you if my sudden writing to you took you by surprise; I found myself disbelieving of my own actions, after all. 
I wish to inform you on an important occurrence I believe deserves your attention. However, I will not be able to describe said occurrence through this letter, unfortunately. I fear it might be intercepted by those who would give anything to see me fall, or perhaps by your own enemies if you were to have them. 
It is because of such circumstances that I formally invite you and whoever you decide as members of your entourage to my lair in the Ghost Zone, in hopes that we will be able to discuss these matters without fear of our respective domains being put in jeopardy. 
In order to save ourselves some time, if you were to accept my proposal, you and your entourage shall go to the outskirts of Amity Park in a week’s time, where one of my subjects will be waiting for you. 
I eagerly await your answer, 
King Phantom.”
Once she was done reading the letter, Sam could only gape at it. That had been an eternity ago, and now she was pacing up and down her room, massaging her temples as she tried making sense of it all. 
When the initial shock from the Ghost King’s message had finally worn off, Sam proceeded to re-read the letter, in case she misunderstood the spectre’s motives and he was actually requesting something far more reasonable than her company. Like declaring war on them. Ghosts and witches going to war with each other made much more sense than members of both species ーthe leaders of both species, as a matter of factー willingly being near the other for the first time in 328 years. 
But she came back empty-handed. And that could only mean one thing; she had to read the letter again because, clearly, her reading comprehension wasn’t as good as she thought. And so, Sam read the letter for the third time...and the fourth time...and the fifth time...
By the time she had already read the accusing piece of paper for the eleventh time, she finally understood her company was exactly what Phantom was requesting of her. But why?
“If you keep going in circles like that, you’re gonna get dizzy,” Paulina chimed in, watching as her queen paced around the room, muttering nonsense under her breath. “Or what’s worse, you’re going to make me dizzy.”
“Pauli’s right, Sam. Drawing a hole on the floor will get you nowhere.” Star agreed, her own eyes following the raven-haired girl’s every move. In any other circumstances, say, if Pamela were around, the two girls would get in trouble for addressing the Witch Queen so casually. However, once they were assigned to her and Sam discovered the usefulness of their talents, the three young women had soon agreed to treat each other informally whenever they were away from prying eyes. 
Sam wholeheartedly believed familiarity was the key to winning someone’s trust. Because of that, she allowed for witches as loyal as her ladies-in-waiting to get close to her, while keeping anyone she suspected of being troublesome at a respectful distance. 
Nibbling on her thumb, a clear sign of her distress, Sam shook her head. “Girls, you don’t understand. This simple letter could lead to disastrous consequences! And I’m not talking about whatever it is that that forsaken Phantom wants from me, which is a whole new level of worrying; I’m talking about the possibility of our clan being compromised!” The Latina and the blonde started when Sam abruptly stopped pacing, stomping her foot against the floor to get their attention. “If the ruler of a race we haven’t had any contact with in more than three centuries knows where to find us, who’s to say the rest of Amity Park remains blissfully unaware of our very existence? This is The Great Burning all over again!” She bellowed in anguish.
This was bad. This was very bad. Unlike ghosts, who revelled in wreaking havoc amongst mortals and drawing attention from it, witches had long decided to remain off the humans’ radar. For centuries, they blended in with normal men and women, pretending to be just like them, while they carried out their spells, rites, and  ceremonies away from the public eye in the safety of their manor.
The existence of their society was their best-kept secret, and they’d be damned if such information got leaked. For starters, that pesky witch hunter they often brushed off could very well turn into a real threat. 
The fact that their secret depended on a ghost of all things made Sam’s insides churn in fright and rightful outrage. 
“Alright, you have a point,” Paulina conceded, but to her companions’ shock her worried gaze soon morphed itself into a swoon, “But you can’t deny that the Ghost King is a total hunk. I’m so jealous of you right now.” She sighed, her mind clearly elsewhere. 
Scowling darkly at the Latina, Sam turned to her other lady-in-waiting, “Star, please, do me a favour and smack her. Hard.”
The blonde did as she was told and hit her friend on the back of her neck, eliciting a complaint from her. 
Sending a glare to her fellow witch, Paulina began to gently rub the area. “You don’t have to do everything she tells you, you know?”
“Um, Pauli? She’s the Queen...You know, as in our boss? I literally have to do everything she tells me.” She reminded her, earning herself a huff from the aggravated girl. She then turned to her queen, her own eyes sparkling with excitement. “Paulina’s got a point, though. For a dead guy with ice powers, he sure is hawt. Watching him save the day is the highlight of my week!”
Sensing an aura filled with murderous intent, Star flinched slightly under Sam’s withering glare. “He’sーstillーaーghost.” Her queen said through gritted teeth. 
Watching the interaction, the Latina beauty sniffed in displeasure, “Hey, no fair! You haven’t told me to hit her for drooling over the Ghost King!”, she whined.
“Girls, focus! This is serious!” Sam snapped. 
Her fellow witches actually had the decency to look down in shame at her outburst. “Uh...right, sorry.” Paulina apologised sheepishly.
Somehow, something about the girl’s apology didn’t sit well with Sam. Their knowing smirks, staring down at her as if they knew a secret she didn’t, sent goosebumps down her spine. “What?”
Paulina raised her palms up in surrender. “Nothing. It’s just that I thought you’d be more appreciative of Phantom’s physique given your...preferences.” She finished with a coy smile. 
That comment sent the Witch Queen reeling, which wasn’t helped in the least by Paulina’s smug look and Star’s snickering by her side. Her preferences? Was she serious? “Excuse me? Just because I’m a Goth doesn’t mean I’m necrophiliac! I’m not that hardcore, andー! ...why are you laughing?”
Sam’s indignant defence of her lifestyle was met with her two informants doubled over in laughter. Sam could do nothing but stare on, dumbfounded. After a few minutes, they seemed to finally calm down. Star, resting her weight over Paulina’s hunched over form, wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye as her laughter died down. “Sam,” she panted, “what Pauli means is that Phantom looks a lot like your ex. White hair, green eyes...Ring a bell?”
The young witch spluttered at that. Now that she thought about it, Danny Phantom was remarkably similar to her ex-boyfriend, Gregor...or Elliot, or whatever he called himself now. All the more reason to distrust the so-called ‘hero of Amity Park’.
“Whatever”, she huffed, before her expression turned downcast. Plopping down on the starry covers of her bed, she raised her hands to her head as she leaned forward. DeMilo came hopping to her, nuzzling her leg with its stem. 
No matter how the Ghost King looked, he had still addressed her by personally sending her a letter. The location of her clan’s headquarters was a secret almost as well-kept as the very existence of her sisters. Whatever she chose to do could endanger hers and their fellow covens! 
On the one hand, ghosts were treacherous and conniving. If she went to the Ghost Zone as per requested of her, she could be falling into a trap, bringing chaos and anarchy upon her own coven with her, for she was still too young to have an heiress of her own. And since there were no other purple-eyed witches, her demise would bring forth internal battles for control. 
She couldn’t afford that to happen.
But, on the other hand, ghosts were also malicious and resentful. There was a reason why they remained stuck in their realm instead of moving on! If she were to refuse the invitation, they could either attack or reveal their existence to the humans in retaliation. Either way, it would have disastrous consequences for her coven...if they even survived the onslaught. 
She certainly couldn’t afford that to happen either. 
Sighing through her nose, in an effort to keep her head clear of any doubt, her gaze steeled. Turning to look at her handmaidens straight in the eye, all sense of familiarity gone, she gave but one simple order. “Arrange a Council meeting. Immediately.”
Understanding the gravity of the situation, her companions bowed down to her before hastily making their exit. 
....................
Council meetings took place in the attic of the manor. What in any other house would be a dusty, dark place clattered to the ceiling with old furniture, boxes whose descriptions didn’t match their contents, and the stuff of nightmares of any five-year-old, the attic where the Amity Park Coven gathered was closer in size to a ballroom. 
The rows of seats formed a “u” shape, being close to the walls and leaving the middle of the room, which was dedicated to witches making their cases or taking the floor, empty. On the far corner of the room, between the rest of the witches acting as witnesses to the meetings, was the podium where the Council sat down and presided over the room. 
The Council consisted of four witches. The leader was the Queen, who oversaw the process and spoke for her and her fellow members once they’d reached a decision. Her second-in-command, and therefore the one who was in charge whenever it was the Queen herself that brought up a case or proposal to deliberate about, was the witch with the most proficiency at spellcasting after the clan’s head. The coven’s “Minister of War” was the best potion-maker in the clan. And, finally, the sorceress in charge of maintaining their anonymity amongst humans was she who was the most proficient shapeshifter. 
Her interlaced hands resting on the wooden table from where she’d make her proposal in the middle of the room, Sam met her colleagues’ curious eyes with a determined gaze of her own. She could feel her mother’s disapproving glare on herーPamela never liked it when her daughter brought attention to herself, because it would mean that, if things went awry, all eyes would turn on herー, she could hear her people’s hushed voices, whispering among themselves, wondering what could possibly be so important to deserve an impromptu Council meeting summoned by the Queen herself. 
But her mind was made up. Informing the Council in hopes of approval was a mere formality she simply could not avoid. 
Clearing her throat, Margaret, the clan’s best spellcaster, stood up from her seat, silencing the room by drawing attention to herself with that simple action.
Margaret was a woman in her fifties. Her Grandma Ida used to tell her that when she was Sam’s age, she used to be quite the lookerーher mother often had to use a spell or two to send her suitors running. Even now, the woman still retained some of her youthful beauty. A woman of average height, Margaret’s sharp features hinted at an equally sharp mind. With chocolate skin, her green eyes hid an intellect and common sense that had often saved the clan from ruin, even during her Grandma’s reign. Her salt-and-pepper hair was cut short, with slightly longer strands framing her diamond-shaped face. The woman’s fashion sense was a reflection of her responsible and professional nature, wearing a business suit consisting of a forest green jacket and skirt over a white shirt. Adorning her neck was a mustard kerchief and, Sam was willing to bet, she was wearing her favourite black heels. 
“Your Majesty,” Margaret addressed her, “as you will understand, your sudden wish for a Council meeting has rendered us rather perplexed. We can only assume that whichever matters you wish to discuss must be of importance.”
It was Sam’s turn to stand up from her chair, “Of utmost importance.”
“Then, by all means, proceed.” The Council member nodded, gesturing at Sam. 
“My dear subjects, just like your day has been disrupted by this sudden meeting, mine has been disrupted by a most unusual, and might I add disturbing, occurrence. As I was getting dressed in my quarters, readying myself to fulfill my duties of the day, one of my handmaidens came rushing in, a letter in her hand.” Sam braced herself for what came next, “The author of the letter is no other than Danny Phantom, the current Ghost King.”
Everyone gasped at the revelation. Soon after the surprise had worn off, chaos ensued. Indignant cries, questions asked aloud, and general confusion reigned. And who could blame them? Witches and ghosts had cut all ties that bound them centuries before. 
“Order, order!” Wilhelmina, the coven’s greatest potion-maker and Minister of War, demanded as she repeatedly slammed the podium with her bare hands.
Once the commotion had died down, Margaret refocused her steely gaze on their Queen. “Your Majesty, please, do explain the contents of this letter.”
“Due to the Ghost King’s fear of the letter being intercepted by his enemies, the message was short yet direct. He wishes to discuss a matter of urgency with me, for which he has officially invited me and whoever I choose as members of my court to his lair in the Ghost Zone.”
Again, the room broke out in gasps and hushed questions Sam didn’t have the answer to. Then came the question Sam simultaneously dreaded and anticipated the most, “And what do you wish to do, your Majesty?” 
“I wish to accept his proposal,” was her answer. 
All Hell broke loose at her words, only this time, Wilhelmina herself was participating in it. Wilhelmina was a pudgy woman with a round face and a strong will. A woman in her late thirties to early forties, her fair complexion was spotted by countless freckles. She was relatively plain-looking, with auburn hair that she often wore in a tight bun and dark eyes, but judging from the rumours going around, her fiery personality landed her several conquests. Despite what her strong personality might imply, Wilhelmina favoured loose-fitting dresses, such as the dark blue and white polak-dotted one she was currently wearing, and sandals. 
The potion-maker was one of the most outspoken in her hatred of ghosts, which in itself was common among witches. The resentment from all those years ago had never really faded, and ever since those damned spectres mysteriously reappeared, old wounds had reopened. 
While both Grandma Ida and Sam advocated for steering clear from them unless provoked, Wilhelmina was a firm believer that they should have got rid of the spirits as soon as they first appeared, starting with Danny Phantom. A conviction that was only intensified the moment he was named King of the Ghosts. 
“All in all”, Sam mused to herself, “she’s taking it way better than I expected.” The raven haired girl patiently waited until Margaret had, once again, everything under control. Due to her stick-by-the-book nature, the African American woman did not appreciate when one of her fellow Council members encouraged unruly behaviour. 
“Your Majesty, this is preposterous!” Wilhelmina bellowed, slamming her hands down on her desk as she hastily stood up. “That husk of a person dares request your presence and you accept the invitation?! Forgive me, my Lady, but nothing good can come out of it.” A murmur of agreement could be heard throughout the room. Their Minister of War was right; what was their Queen thinking?
Then, she added, “Then again, what can we expect from a naive twenty-one-year-old girl.” Her words elicited a gasp from the crowd. On her part, although Sam was dying to tell her off, she masterfully remained impassive, only raising a questioning eyebrow at her direction. Her Grandma would’ve been so proud of her. 
Margaret cleared her throat. “Although that last comment was uncalled for,” she admitted, shooting a glare at her colleague for her callous words, “Wilhelmina is right when she says attending this meeting would be...unorthodox,” ーSam had to admit, Margaret was almost as good as her mother at carefully choosing her words to appear as socially acceptable as possible. Almostー, “there is also great danger. We all know what happened the last time our people trusted ghosts; are we really willing to let them make fools out of us again?”
“I say this is ground for war!” Wilhelmina roared. “Your Majesty, you and your grandmother, may she rest in peace, gave orders to avoid confrontation unless provoked. Well, now we are being provoked, by being set up! We cannot let this...this...third rate ‘hero’”, she air-quoted with a scoff, “insult us like that and go scott free!”
“Wilhelmina, let her Majesty explain her reasoning. I’m sure she has thought this through.” Delilah, the clan’s expert shapeshifter, tried placating her fellow witch. Sam could only smile in gratitude. 
At 28, Delilah was the youngest Council member, second only to Sam. Despite the usual naiveté and unrealistic optimism attributed to her youth, Delilah was also the one most willing to listen to the other side of the story. She preferred broadening her horizons before making a verdict, trying to understand where the witch in question was trying to get at. And this time, she was trying to understand why Sam would want to go to the lion’s den. 
The shapeshifter’s natural beauty was also unmatched. Paulina would sometimes seethe in jealousy at the attention she would get or how effortlessly she pulled any look the Latina herself had trouble with. Narrow shoulders and hips, a well-defined burst, legs for miles… Delilah was any man’s fantasy! With her smooth, caramel skin. Her strikingly blue eyes and long lashes. And her silky, ebony hair she often styled in a long braid. Her fashion sense was so on point it could put any haute couture designer to shame. For instance, to that meeting she wore an off-shoulder, long-sleeved red mini dress, a black belt with a golden buckle tightened around her waist, and knee-high black leather boots. 
Wilhelmina nodded reluctantly, crossing her arms. Smiling at that, Delilah turned to Sam. “Your Majesty, please, proceed.”
Sam breathed in deeply. Phantom’s request had piqued her interest; what could the ruler of the Ghost Zone possibly want from her and her people now that his kind roamed freely around the city? The last seven years both species had avoided each other like the plague, and even if they hadn't, nothing they could’ve done would warrant meeting up after centuries apart. Despite all her doubts and questions she wasn’t sure she wanted the answers to, Sam needed to know, above all else, if her people were safe. Determination coursing through her veins, she spoke up: 
“As you all know, when I ascended to the throne, taking the mantle from my grandmother, I swore on my life and honour that everything I would do, every single decision I would take, would be with our safety in mind.
“When I read the Ghost King’s letter, I was as stunned as you are now. A thousand questions running freely through my mind. I have thought about this long and hard, until I reached my decision.” She lay her eyes on the potion-maker, “Wilhelmina, you are in your right to be suspicious of his intentions, for so am I, but just like this could be a trap, not answering their call could also very well be our downfall.
“Ghosts are mischievous, resentful, and self-centred. Everything they do is based on what gives them even the smallest amount of satisfaction, which often means that the only way to appease them is doing as they say.” When Margaret opened her mouth to intervene, Sam silenced her with a raised palm. “I wish it didn’t have to be this way,  but it is. And that is not all. You might think I am making this choice lightly, but nothing further from the truth. In accepting Phantom’s proposal, I am trying to prevent the ghosts from retaliating, for they could endanger us if I were to refuse in revenge.”
Her violet eyes shone with fiery determination and unwavering confidence as she spoke her last words, “My decision is made. I shall go to the Ghost Zone, even if I must do so on my own. But I will protect our clan if it’s the last thing I do.”
A deafening silence hung in the air. Nobody even moved. Finally, Margaret intertwined her fingers, her shoulders resting atop her desk, her body moving forward. Her green eyes betrayed none of her feelings on the matter. “Very well. Feel free to request anything you might need from us. Have a safe journey, my Queen.”
And with that, every single witch present rose from her seat, bowing their heads to their leader as a sign of respect and submission. 
She’d done it. She was going to go to the Ghost Zone.
......................
Once the meeting was over, Sam got ready to leave the room to start preparing as soon as possible when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Delilah smiling at her. She smiled back. 
“Is everything alright, Delilah?” Since the shapeshifter and her were close in age, she was one of the few witches Sam acted casually to, seeing her as some sort of older sister. 
Delilah shook her head, the smile never leaving her face. “I just wanted to wish you luck, Sam. You’re not just our queen, you’re also the first witch to visit the Ghost Zone in centuries!”
“I know.” Sam looked down on the floor, feeling slightly uneasy. 
Sensing her discomfort, Delilah soon changed the topic. “Also, I just wanted to tell you that your Grandmother would have been incredibly proud.” 
Sam gasped. Family was taboo around Delilah, for her family had the misfortune of dying young. Delilah’s own mother had died when her daughter was just fifteen. For her to bring up Grandma Ida...she must have meant every single word she said. 
“Thank you, Delilah. That means a lot.”
With one squeeze of her hands, the blue-eyed beauty left her alone. 
......................
That night, after a long, nerve-wracking day waiting for the Witch Queen’s reply, Danny was startled out of his musings by a ring of his doorbell. Taking off and changing his legs for a ghostly tail, the white-haired young man sprinted down his lair’s corridors until he was face to face with his door. 
When he opened it, to his immense relief, he found the same ghostly postman he had sent to deliver his letter, only this time he was handing an envelope to him. Snatching the piece of paper with a quick, “Thanks”, Danny went back to his quarters in a blur. 
Now that he had the envelope in his hands, he couldn’t help but eye it curiously. The envelope was of a rich, royal purple in colour, sealed with a black wax stamp, the relief of it drawing a rose. 
This is it, he thought. Depending on her answer, we’ll either have to look for another solution, or for ways to protect ourselves the moment they turn their backs on us. 
With shaking hands, he ripped open the envelope, taking the letter from inside. An immense relief coupled by a healthy dose of anxiety rolled off of him in waves when his eyes scanned over the words: 
“Dear Sir, 
I accept your proposal. 
We shall meet in a week’s time. 
Cordially, 
Lady Arcana.”
Preparing themselves for a possible betrayal, it was.
..................
Making it to the outskirts of Amity Park was a hassle Danny hadn’t anticipated. If it weren’t because a group of mysterious women and a ghost suddenly appearing in their lab, in front of the Fenton Ghost Portal, wouldn’t fly with his parents, Danny would’ve actually sent the witches there.
Then again, guiding Skulker out of his family’s ghost portal and around town until they made it to their destination was no picnic, either. Especially since the hunter kept giving him the stink-eye and challenging his authority; questioning his motives for choosing him, of all people, as the sorceresses’ escort. 
On top of that, the hills surrounding Amity Park really were the perfect place to meet up with the magic users while keeping the secretive nature of their encounter. Not only were the hills a good forty minutes away from the closest highway, a dense forest grew there, protecting its visitors from curious, unwanted eyes. 
“For the last time, Skulker, I am not throwing you to the wolves!” It was the tenth time since they left the Ghost Zone that the ghost had accused him of using him as a decoy. “Seriously, will you drop it already?”
The hunter crossed his arms in a disbelieving huff, “Well, forgive me, your Majesty,” he mocked, “for suspecting you of using this as an opportunity to get rid of one of your detractors.” His glowing green eyes narrowed in distrust. 
It was only 11AM and Danny was already exhausted. Technically, Skulker wasn’t exactly a detractor of his rule. When push came to shove, he was always easy to convince to lend a hand in times of needーsuch as now. Having said that, their mutual respect and the halfa’s position didn’t stop Skulker from hunting him for sport now and then. “Listen, me choosing you has nothing to do with your personal feelings about me. You’re really the only one I could send to guide the witches through the Ghost Zone.” 
“Nice to know I’m so easily disposable…” Skulker quipped sarcastically. “Why not ask your canine companion for help?”
“Come on, you really think I could send Cujo to do this job?” Danny asked, unamused. 
“I was actually talking about Wulf, given he’s the only ghost capable of creating portals.” Skulker met his expression with a raised eyebrow of his own. “I can’t believe you’d actually mix them up.”
Danny actually flushed at that, “W-well…Some ghosts have so many things in common, i-it’s a little bit hard to follow without enough...details…”
The hunter took offence to that. Huffing, he shot the halfa a glare. “Well, excuse us for ‘having so many things in common’”, he air-quoted for emphasis, “not all of us can manifest into the body of a human youth, whelp!”
Exasperated, Danny ran a hand through his hair, sighing through his nose. “I still can’t believe Ember hasn’t dumped you yet…” he muttered under his breath.
Unfortunately for him, Skulker heard him just fine. “Says the boy who hasn’t had a girlfriend since he was fourteen.” Seeing the ghost boy’s offended expression plastered a smirk on his face.
“Why you littleー!” Danny stopped himself before he’d lose his cool. If dealing with Skulker, a ghost he’d known since he was fourteen, was proving to be frustrating, he didn’t want to think how meeting up with the queen of a feuding tribe would be like. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he gave it one last try. “Look, Skulker. As much as I’d love to bicker with you like an old married couple all day, we really don’t have time for this. You’re here because you’re one of the most versatile ghosts I know. If there’s anyone capable of handling a group of spellcasting, broom-riding, black-cat-owning ladies, that’s you.”
Before the metallic spectre could so much as get a word in, the young Ghost King leapt into the air after making a show of looking at his ーinexistentー watch. “Oh, look at the time! The witches will be here any minute now. Better hurry back into the Ghost Zone. See ya!” With a mock salute thrown at Sulker’s general direction, he was gone in a blur of black and white. 
The hunter was about to take off after him when, from  the corner of his eyes, he noticed three cloaked figures approaching. Well, he sighed in defeat, it’s showtime.
Sam arched a questioning eyebrow at the ghost standing on the appointed place. He looked like the lovechild of Terminatra, one her favourite monsters of all time, and a G.I. Joe. With a flaming mohawk worthy of the Ghost Rider himself. In a way, she guessed it was fitting. Her lip curled in disgust when she eyed the arrangement of weapons strapped to his person; a hunter, no doubt. 
If the Ghost King expected to scare her and her guards with such a pathetic display, he had another thing coming. Any other would be at the very least intimidated by the ghost’s burly figure and his imposing aura, but to women who battled grotesque creatures resulting from spells gone wrong on a daily basis, that was nothing.
After getting the approval of the Council for her “little expedition”, Sam recruited two witches: Susan Zhou and Stephanie Baker. To an outsider, taking only two other people with her to face such a powerful entity as Danny Phantom, in unknown territory, no less, would seem foolish, even suicidal. But Sam was no outsider; she knew exactly what she was doing. 
Susan was Wilhelmina’s apprentice, and therefore, the clan’s next Ministre of War and master potion-maker once her mentor passed down the mantle to her. Short in height, tall in ambition, the Asian girl’s brown eyes were calculating and, if you were foolish enough to cross her, unforgiving; but full of warmth and mischief if she considered you a friend. She held her black and red-dyed hair in a pair of identical buns, one on each side of her head. Susan always favoured comfortable clothing most people would dedicate solely for doing exercise; you never knew when you’d have to exert yourself, she always said. 
Despite being only seventeen years old, she already displayed great proficiency in the art of combat, her dexterous fingers useful both for brewing concoctions and sporting weapons. Susan’s family emigrated from China in the early 19th century. After much traveling, they stumbled upon the origins of what would become Amity Park, where the first members of the clan had already settled. Upon finding out the Zhou family weren’t just witches but also warriors, the coven welcomed them with open arms. 
Warrior blood ran through her veins. It was no wonder their war-oriented council member had personally chosen her as her protegée. 
Stephanie, however, was more of an intellectual. The 21-year-old woman was an avid reader who spent most of her time holed up inside the manor’s archives, where the spell books and records on their clan’s history were stored. The only other person who knew the place better than Stephanie herself was Delilah, who was actually its guardian. But since Sam couldn’t risk leaving her people without a member of the Council, due to her departure being risky enough, she asked Stephanie for help instead. 
In truth, everything about the young woman screamed bookworm. Stephanie was a rather plain-looking girl, with a lanky figure and a long face, whose pale blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of oval-shaped glasses. Her straight, strawberry blond hair reached a little past her shoulders, and she was wearing a purple and white striped t-shirt with an equally purple pencil skirt and white sneakers. 
As soon as they neared the place where the ghost was standing, Sam nodded at him in acknowledgement; a mere formality given her low opinion on the spectre, which, she was sure, was mutual on his behalf. 
Eyes narrowed in suspicion, Skulker warned the witches in his care, “No funny business, ladies. Or I might consider reforming my island so I can have more pelts hung on my walls.” He sent them a malicious grin.
While Sam rolled her eyes at the unnecessary threat and Stephanie flinched away from him in fright, Susan bore her teeth in aggravation. “I’d like to see you try, ghost.”
Both teenager and hunter stared the other down, but before they had the chance to jump at each other’s throats and brawl, the Witch Queen raised a placating hand, effectively telling her subject to stand down. Still, Susan would’ve given anything to wipe that smug look from the ghost’s face. 
But Sam really hadn’t the time to keep those two in check. Focusing on the energy within her, she blocked everything around her, every possible distraction, out of her mind. All that mattered was her connection to her anima. Once she felt the familiar tingling of power, she extended a hand: Stephanie’s signal to take the magic  grimoire out of the duffel bag she carried and hand it to her queen with a bow of her head.
Skimming through the pages, Sam stopped when she found what she was looking for. A section of the spell book portraying the silhouette of a person in front of a swirling opal, several runes surrounding it. 
The spell to open up portals.
Once upon a time, any witch would have been able to conjure the spell without the need to check it out in a book, but ever since witches and spectres parted ways, her people no longer had the same use for it anymore. Nowadays, it was an almost forgotten practice. 
Taking a deep breath, Sam extended her free hand in front of her and chanted, “Alium se orbem terrarum ad ianuam.” Soon, a familiar sparkly, violet mist emanated from her fingertips. The manifestation of energy rose into the air until it was the size of an average person, and then began to spin up and down, until a portal was in front of them. 
Stephanie raised a confused eyebrow at Skulker when she thought she heard him mutter something along the lines of, “Show off”, but squeaked and looked away when the hunter lay his own eyes on her. 
Handing the book back to the bestacled girl, Sam motioned for them to enter the portal. What they saw on the other side left them speechless. 
The Ghost Zone was nothing like they had imagined. Instead of a clear difference between earth and sky, their world’s parallel dimension seemed to consist solely of a never ending abyss composed purely by ectoplasm, the most reminiscent thing to a floor it had being a few beat-up pathways made out of rock. 
Floating in mid-air were all sorts of lairs. Some, like a faraway island in the shape of a skull, far more pretentious than others. Judging by how scarce those were in comparison to the countless doors with no building to be attached to in sight, Sam figured the more powerful a ghost was, the bigger its lair would be. 
Which bore the question: what would Danny Phantom’s lair be like?
Sam was snapped out of her thoughts by the ghost hunter suddenly materialising in front of her. Susan was about to unsheathe a few of her most lethal potions when the apparition simply showed them the way with a motion of his hand. “This way.” He turned around and began walking, after a minute or two, though, he turned his head to them, “Oh, and by the way, if any of you is afraid of heights, you’d better not look down.”
Stephanie gazed down, unbidden, and almost fainted. Below them was nothing but an endless abyss, no land on sight. Feeling queasy, she squeaked, “Dutifully noted.”
They walked along the rocky path for what could’ve been hours or mere minutes, the absence of a sun making it difficult to accurately pinpoint the passage of time. After what felt like an eternity, Skulker abruptly stopped, almost making Sam and her entourage bump on him in the process, pointing somewhere in front of him. 
“Well, this is it, ladies. The Ghost King’s lair.”
Standing proudly on top of a drifting piece of land was a brick three-story building. If Sam hadn’t known any better, she’d think she was looking at an apartment complex, rather than a king’s castle. Then again, Skull Island ーas she lovingly nicknamed the placeーwas very tacky for a powerful’s ghost lair, so for all she knew the building before her could be the latest scream in home decor in the Ghost Zone.
While it was a mostly modest space, the highest floor in particular stood out for its large picture windows, which were at least three times bigger than the rest. “That must be Phantom’s chambers”, the violet-eyed girl guessed. “Overseeing your subjects, eh, your Majesty?”
When they arrived at the door, they were momentarily startled when it opened on its own accord. The Witch Queen scoffed at her own ridiculous behaviour; she’d seen and done way scarier things on Halloween, for fuck’s sake! Once inside, Skulker guided them through several corridors, taking so many turns in so many different directions it was enough to render anyone disoriented. As they strode down the halls, Sam took notice of how...sterile the lair was. Most walls were bare of any decorations, at most they’d have some sort of blue wallpaper on. The few walls with paintings hanging from them were decorated by rather impersonal portraits: a picture of an ectoplasm swirl here, a portrait of a shapeless ghost there… Instead of a castle interior, this looked more like a cheap Halloween haunted house. 
The place was so barren that she noticed the shift immediately. Suddenly, before her were two large, mahogany doors, which, once again, opened without any exterior help, revealing the throne room.
While still impersonal, the space was much grander in every single sense of the word. Granite, Corinthian columns stood proudly on the sidelines. Several tapestries depicting what Sam could only guess was Danny Phantom’s battle against Pariah Dark and a few other adventures she couldn’t recognise hung from the ceiling. Right in front of them a red velvet carpet was rolled down until it reached the throne itself ーa rather modest metal chair with black velvet upholsteryー where the infamous Ghost King was seated on. 
Upon their arrival, the ghostly monarch stood up in respect. “At least he’s not arrogant enough to forsake manners”, Sam quipped internally. Standing at both sides of him were a bipedal, arctic-wolf like creature with an arm encased in ice, and a blue spectre wearing a hooded outfit, a sceptre in hand, whose physical form was constantly fluctuating between child, adult, and old man. 
As the Queen and her companions neared the throne, and hence, the so-called Hero of Amity Park, she took him in. Snow white hair, glowing green eyes that appeared capable of staring right through you, a black and white hazmat suit over a well-built physique… Yep, in front of her was Danny Phantom, alright. 
The only thing making it obvious that she would be addressing the Ghost King instead of the most controversial public figure in town was a very minor, yet significant, change in his appearance. 
Draped over his shoulders was a cape, white on the outside and black on the inside, with two verdigris medallions which had engraved that wretched logo of his keeping the garment in place with the help of a chain. Resting on his shock white hair, reflecting the item’s otherworldly glow, was the Crown of Fire; its green embers burning almost as intensely as the Phantom’s radioactive green eyes. The crown’s partner, the Ring of Wrath, surrounded his white, gloved ring finger. One could feel the raw power emanating from its green material. The mere sight of the engraved skull and its unforgiving, blood red, ruby eyes was enough to send anyone subjected to it running. 
But there was no way Sam would ever run away after making it this far. 
Danny observed patiently as the Witch Queen and her two companionsーonly two?ー arrived before him. Once they were eye-level (or as eye-level as two people could be when someone was standing over an incline) the Queen of the Witches of Amity Park took off her hood. At the sight before him, Danny had to fight very hard to suppress a sharp inhale in surprise. 
He supposed that, in hindsight, expecting the queen to look like an stereotypical wrinkly old lady was a tad narrow-minded of him, but in all fairness, nothing would’ve prepared him for the person standing right in front of him. 
Upon taking off her hood, silky, raven hair came cascading down until it reached a little past her shoulders, the strands and diamond-shaped fringe framing her heart-shaped face. Smooth, ivory skin contrasted greatly with the mop of hair, black as night, resting on her head. Her full, velvety lips were emphasised by her purple lipstick. And her long, mascara-coated lashes surrounded a pair of amethyst orbs. Those had to be the most tantalising eyes he had ever seen; a galaxy of mystery lay hidden behind their depths. 
Lady Arcana was the kind of woman he would’ve tripped himself over for, back in high school. Now a college student...he might’ve signed up to a couple of classes that had absolutely nothing to do with his degree if it meant seeing her again.
Looking down, and praying to all things above him it wasn’t noticeable, he took notice of what the sorceress was wearing. The Queen was wearing an off-shoulder ball gown, of a pale violet in colour, with a sweetheart neckline. The bodice hugged her body until it flared down into the skirt. Adorning its neckline and hem were embroidered black thorns. Resting on her head lay a silver tiara, with diamond-shaped obsidians running alongside the top ornament, and a noticeably bigger amethyst in its centre. A black and glittery cloak, resembling the night sky, rested atop the young witches’ shoulders.
Beautiful, yet deadly. A clear warning against the Queen of the Witches of Amity Park: get too close, and you will regret it. 
Knowing they had much to discuss, the halfa bowed down before her, with a hand behind his back and the other in front of him, making a flourish, as a sign of respect. “Lady Arcana, it is an honour to have you here.”
Sam and her entourage curtsied in response. “King Phantom, the honour is all mine.”
“I will cut to the chase, since the circumstances are unorthodox enough: my people need your assistance.”
Well, at least he was direct… “And what, exactly, is that which you need help with, your Majesty? As much as I would like to aid you, there is not much I can do without knowing the details.”
“And you are in your right to question that, but first…”
With a motion of his hand, a green-skinned, red-eyed maid wearing a blue dress brought a smaller chair close to the king. When his eyes landed on Sam, she understood that was meant for her. If there was one thing experience had told her, that was that being invited to sit down meant it was going to be a lengthy discussion. 
When Lady Arcana had sat down, Danny continued. “Now, that’s better.” Seeing her unresponsive expression, he cleared his throat nonchalantly. “What we need your help with is the Ghost Zone’s portals.”
The violet-eyed  girl raised a confused eyebrow at that. “The portals?”, Phantom nodded. “But, King Phantom, my people have not had anything to do with your world in centuries! Today was the first time in over three-hundred years that anyone used a spell meant to open portals.”
Leaning forward in an attempt to appear closer and not intimidating, trying to get the witches to underestimate him per Frosbite’s suggestion, Danny explained. “My apologies, your Majesty, I did not mean to imply your people were responsible for the problem. No, what I mean is that only your people can help us control them.”
Sam didn’t understand where this was going. Taking her silence as permission, Danny went on, “As you know, the Ghost Zone has been opening up portals to Earth for millenia, however, many more gates have been opened as of late. Many more than any previous date has ever registered.” Understanding dawning on the queen’s face, Danny pressed. “We wish to ask you to help us close and pinpoint the cause for such bizarre occurrences.”
Sam had mixed feelings about the proposal. On the one hand, random portals opening up was never a good sign; the space-continuum fabric was very delicate. But, on the other hand, her people would gain nothing from it. Nothing but endangering themselves by putting their lives in the hands of ghosts. She had to make sure her trip hadn’t been for nothing and that her people were truly safer for it. 
Resting her elbow on the arm of her chair, her legs crossed in boredom, Sam appraised the apparition before her with a pensive frown. “And how exactly, pray tell, would my people benefit from assisting your kind, your Majesty?”
The way she basically spat the word didn’t go unnoticed by the white-haired half-ghost. He narrowed his eyes on her. “Well, your people,” he snarled in return, “would be safe, of course.”
Sam’s hopes plummeted. He was all talk, just as she feared. ‘Her people would be safe’? Was he threatening her? Please, they were already in danger solely from his knowing of their existence, let alone their headquarters! With a huff, Sam stood up from her chair. The conversation was over. “Thank you for having us, King Phantom. But I am afraid we must depart.”
Although the original plan was to ask them for help and look for alternatives were they to refuse, seeing the queen walking away from him stirred a primal fear in Danny. Somehow, he knew she was the only one who could help him. They were doomed if he let her slip away. “Lady Arcana, wait!”
His frantic call got Sam to stop. Looking over her shoulder, she gave him her full attention. Seeing he had caught her interest, Danny insisted. “When I said your people would be safe, it wasn’t an empty promise: the sudden appearance of portals is a sign that something is amiss. The more portals open, the more unstable our world becomes.” What he said next was chilling enough to elicit goosebumps to run down their spines. “The Ghost Zone is a parallel dimension to Earth, if our realm is destroyed, so is yours.”
Sam’s eyes widened at his words, even Susan couldn’t stifle a startled gasp. If what he was saying was true, then her people were doomed, regardless of how well-kept their secret was. If she refused his proposal, her subjects and the other clans all over the world would pay greatly for her mistake. However…
Her gaze hardened, determination motivating her actions once again. In the off chance that Phantom was only making things up to get her to agree, she needed to ensure her people wouldn’t pay for her mistake. And there was only one way to do it. 
Taking firm steps, she walked resolutely to where the green-eyed spirit stood. Staring deep into his eyes, she made her counterproposal. “Very well, I shall help you with your problem.” 
Before Danny could let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding, Lady Arcana spoke up again. “But in return for my services you must ensure my people’s safety. Under no circumstances will anyone discover our existence or whereabouts. We already have to deal with a witch huntress coming after us.” She could’ve sworn the king choked at that. “If I find out our way of living has been compromised in any way, you and your kingdom are all alone. Now,” she extended her hand for him to shake, “do we have a deal, King Phantom?”
Danny eyed her suspiciously. Her violet eyes simultaneously held a fiery temper and cold determination, even with his powers, he could sense there’d be Hell to pay if he didn’t keep his part of the deal. Then again, everything they’d ever known was in danger, even if the Queen couldn’t care less for the Ghost Zone and its inhabitants, and her request was what any sensible and caring leader would ask for. On paper it looked like the perfect compromise…
He just hoped he didn’t come to regret it.
Holding the witch’s hand in a firm grip, he shook hands with her. “We have a deal, Lady Arcana.”
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gryffindorkxdraws · 4 years ago
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Want to start off by saying that I love your mind! I was hoping to get your opinion on: what is it in jackunzel that makes it feel so right?
EDIT: changed a few things ehe
ngl i found this challenging cus it made me think of how the answer would vary per person (yeah i went there idk why sdjkknds) so lemme get logical for a sec here haha
what exactly is the definition of “feel right”? 
to make someone feel relaxed and comfortable, as merriam-webster states
simple as that, right? but wait there’s more
what makes something/someone go under that category? 
now from there it expands because there are so many ways of answering that with everyone having different opinions and mindsets.
fair warning before we push on, this is going to get messy (like a word vomit) with how i’m just going to pour out everything i can think off, but just know i really like this question hence the, uh, mess? lmao
so back to your question, what is it in jackunzel that makes it feel so right?
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in one POV, it could be because of how rapunzel and jack represent the sun and the moon respectively, making them two contrasting sides who shouldn’t collide and yet, against all odds and opposing forces that would come between them, they did. 
and we can bet on the fact that they fought hard/struggled for it, depending on how fanfic writers play with it (reminds of this sun/moon au that sold me to this trope lmao).
just because others said it’s impossible or it’s against whatever, why should they listen to the “norm?” what even is considered “normal,” when the two can explore so much more of what they could be missing from life after stepping out of others’ shadows?
i just love sun/moon dynamics. i’m obsessed lmao i read the ones below somewhere and idk where but it’s been living in my head rent free and i can’t escape it tho feel free to correct me about any of these symbol topic!
like the Sun, thoughtful and full of energy to share with everyone, is connected with one’s self and known to, yeah, radiate warmth or light. it also symbolizes firmness, strength and power. oh and life too i guess?
while the Moon, subtle but full of mysteries and wonders, can also get emotional and sway others to be more nurturing. cus like it also symbolizes calmness, beauty, and nurture. plus eternity and enlightenment?
the list goes on if we head into more of what it both symbolize, but when these two celestial bodies get together, masculine and feminine energies unite. the Sun gives out life, while the Moon cultivates it.
i have no idea where i’m going but moving on
maybe it’s that taste of rebellion with going against the authorities/society/rules/of what has always been set to find out who they’re meant to be or, y’know, finding their identity without the shackles of others (like jack learning he has the potential to be a guardian and embracing it in his own time, and rapunzel realizing she’s the lost princess and works hard to be a good one), 
or there’s something about the mystery that follows the other because they’ve never met anyone quite like them (like exploring a world they’ve never set foot on), 
or finding all the good and bad in each other and in their differences, but still loving the other for who they are, 
or what one lacks the other makes up for it and vice versa. with or without them realizing they can help each other grow to be a better version of themselves.
opposites attract who are bound to be full of surprises.
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but on the contrary, they could also be two peas of a pod. aight this definitely goes against what i said above with all the opposites and stuff, but hear me out.
while they grew up and learned how to cope with life differently, they somehow still share the same sentiments when it comes to, for example, reaching their goals. 
they have their own way to go about it, sure, but my point is they can reach a common ground better together compared when they’re with others.
like rapunzel with the lanterns, and jack with his memories. at first, one hesitated and wavered, while the other disagreed and pulled away. it was only after they saw a chance/realized this was it that they agreed in a heartbeat
they ultimately made the choice of diving in head first regardless of their initial thoughts in the first place. kinda like the moment they realized they can be a step closer to what they’ve been yearning for their whole life 
bam, out of the way, they’re coming through lmao
not only that, but they can also be soft, gentle, understanding despite rapunzel’s spontaneuosness and jack’s mischievousness. we’ve seen them interacting with children and they’re so good at lifting their spirits up to have some fun and that there will always be a tomorrow.
and with their peers too. rapunzel lights up even the darkest of rooms, may it be like fireworks to bring joy or a campfire to warm one’s heart. jack meanwhile keeps things light when everyone else feels tense, easing others to relax and remember there’s always a way out
don’t forget the way they both sacrifice themselves for who they care for. like, they just do that, putting others first before them. that scene of saving eugene and baby tooth aaahhhhdjhdskdjkbkfjdkjf
and when everything comes crashing down and the world feels heavy on their shoulders, they both know they’re not alone with the other there for them.
maybe it’s the mutual understanding they have for each other after opening up, and finding a friend/partner/home through the connection they made together,
or they could be a push and pull that leads them to showing an unexpected side of the other, but in reality they always had it in them and all they needed was someone to show the way,
or how they complement each other, but they’re not two halves of a whole, no, rather they’re already whole themselves and they only reminded each other that they are,
or it’s simply because they don’t feel the need to put up walls or anything of the likes, because they know that no matter what they’ll be accepted for who they are.
opposites who have so much more in common than they originally thought
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in another POV it could be because of how they give such partners in crime vibe. lowkey or highkey, take your pick. nothing would stop them from moving forward to a new tomorrow, or honestly whatever it is they put their minds to. 
and i am here for that
like i said in one of my posts, “They were a magnet for trouble, with the Sun being a free-spirited and vivacious fellow, and with the Moon’s knack for mischief and being a rebel without cause.” 
while both are adventurous, ready to explore whatever is out there, all the while just wanting to have some fun, they still balance each other out.
with jack usually ready to do what he needs/wants to do (which helps rapunzel to trust her gut and take the risk. that he’ll be there for her whenever she’s ready to step out of her comfort zone and jump away from her tower)
and with rapunzel knowing how to handle sticky situations properly (which reminds jack that not everything has to be done harshly and abruptly. that while freezing someone could be fun, it won’t solve things in the long run)
am i making sense? idek but you’re stuck with me lol but before i forget and i can’t believe i just remembered now. the way they can help fill in on what the other is missing 
rapunzel wants to see the world, what goes out there, with the people, society, and history i feel. and jack can take her to wherever she wants to go. hell, he’ll even surprise her and bring her to places he’d think she’ll like.
with his experiences, he’s bound to have an endless list of plans for them to go through and it’s no surprise that she’ll love it, and (him) his gesture, nonetheless
jack wants to be noticed by others, to be seen and heard for who he is. and rapunzel is such a welcoming person that she accepts him wholeheartedly. give him the love he was deprived of for years. 
reassure him that even he has a place to call home because why would he be excluded from that? he deserves it just as much as she and everyone else does
also i like to think they brainstorm ideas together
maybe it’s how they’re both game for an adventure, sudden or not, and this makes it easy for them to team up together and take on the world
or the feeling of familiarity as they click and everything flows naturally to them, where nothing is forced or uncomfortable between them
or how it’s like they can hold on to each other, knowing the other won’t let go no matter what because they’ll always have each other through the ups and downs
or it’s in their shared smiles, mischievous sparks in their eyes, moving together to the music of their synchronized heartbeats, as they step forward to the vast unknown
finding the ‘one’ who understands them inside out that they feel at home with them
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i’ve said so many things and threw out so many brain rot, but what exactly is my final answer? 
it’s simple: who knows? now before you toss me aside, and i hope not lmao, lemme just say even with that kind of final verdict, you can still find beauty in it. 
you see, there’s so much more to explore and delve into with jackunzel because of their potential, that i don’t want to make a set answer for your question. i’d rather much help you, and anyone else wondering, to come to an answer yourself and maybe even share/discuss it with others.
i’m running out of brain juice, but i at least hope this helped satisfy your curiosity behind your question since this is all i can give… for now, maybe? who knows lmao 
tho i’ll be honest and admit i based these on how i feel about jackunzel. so if ever someone else out there wants to add more points they thought of, feel free to add on this
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atinybitofau · 4 years ago
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S E O N G H W A ⥈ mafia au series
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RECAP: you finally have to close the deal with the devil and you meet with Hongjoong one last time before becoming a married woman. you also decide to postpone a honeymoon for another time.
word count: 2010+ , tags: angst
characters: ateez (ensemble), fem!reader
⤩ CHAPTER 2 ⤩
character list . prologue . one
Turns out Jongho had a thing for weeding out the imperfections, flaws in a woman. It was easy for him, arriving no later than 11 in the morning to join both you and San after your dress fitting to do your hair.
“I can fix the hair.” The city turned country gangster’s lips grimace at the dark bags under your drooping eyes. “The makeup.. you’ll have to do on your own, sweetheart.”
You clutch on the silver necklace he’s handed you before he put his hands on your head, the thought of blessing Seonghwa with an engagement gift beyond your intentional rights. You play with the small compass charm between your fingers and gaze at your reflection in the mirror.
So you look like complete shit: lack of sleep, lack of encouragement, lack of pride. This was you in your most pitiful state and the boys could only spare mercy in your absence of excitement. You’ve always dreamed about family and weddings— the trends in modern life you were never entitled to try. Seonghwa was already giving you parts of the world you’ve always wanted and you couldn’t hate him for that. The arrangement however was something you’ll have to hold against him.
“You look beautiful.” Yunho nods in your direction after Jongho fluffs at your curled hair. “Y/n, you do. Now stop frowning and making it worse.”
You let out an upheaval sigh. “Remind me again why I have to dress up for such a casual occasion.”
San scoffs from the side still nitpicking his sleek suit. “This is your wedding, y/n. Have some respect for yourself. It’s the least you can do.”
“It’s a wedding with a man I don’t even want. And he said so himself this was more a partnership than ties of love.” You force yourself to retort in the nicest way possible. “Seonghwa has good intentions and that’s great. But my place in his heart is not something I earned and I’m far from pleased.”
“You rather woo Seonghwa? Then do it, at least, after your wedding.” Yunho charmingly places his chin over your shoulder to face you in the mirror. “This wedding is passed formalities but something he sought good for the both of you. He wants you to feel comfortable and that’s leeway enough to your heart. Accept it as it is and maybe you won’t get shot.”
You hear it so many times, you ponder over thought of maybe wanting to get shot at this point. Why was Seonghwa so prideful? What else was he hiding?
“The day he ever wants to shoot me is the day I end this partnership of his he claims is good for the both of us.”
The trio behind you pause in their movements and let your answer sink in. It’s not everyday they get to see a woman get ready to marry a man they assume to be their best friend. It certainly isn’t every day they get to see a woman as beautiful as you sit in front of them with a personality as fierce as their empty hearted boss. Although they’re intimidated, they feel a particular sense of relief knowing you’re fully aware of your circumstances. They didn’t sign up for meddling in an innocent life though you’re far from innocent.
“We have to meet some of our partners..” San clears his throat as you fumble with the jewelery in your hand. “I’m sure you won’t mind if we leave you with your thoughts for a bit.”
“Not at all.” please.
They hum in response before setting out prompt, your thoughts a little more blind in your head than they think. You look in the mirror after they leave and think to yourself that you’re just a penny of satisfaction. The best way for you to accept all this is to breathe and let it go. It’s gotten you this far.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.” A voice echoes through the slit of the door. “If you haven’t tried killing yourself already.”
Your eyes light up like a child on Christmas Day. “Hongjoong.”
His lips quirk at your tone of admiration. “You look beautiful, babe.”
Your own lips quiver and you’reholding back the years of tears. “Can you hug me please? Just this once?”
He sighs softly before coming over to take you into his arms. The homey embrace of someone you trusted— no someone who trusts you was enough to end some misery. The one thing Seonghwa could grant you that you’d thank him for was this. Hongjoong was far from what you deserve but he’s someone you wished you could have. Life served you another platter and you can’t just complain and ask for a refund.
“Of all the years I’ve known you, y/n, seeing you in a wedding gown would be the last thing I’d ever imagine.”
You roll your eyes at the city mobster before turning in your chair. “I’m surprised he let you imagine let alone show up today.”
Hongjoong presses his lips together and fumbles with his tie. “There’s a lot of things you’d be surprised by.”
You sniffle mostly to undermine all the overwhelming thoughts in your head. Hongjoong sees right through you though.
“I’m sure Seonghwa’s got good intentions. Despite the fact, obviously, I’m not all for the things he does—Beyond what he does, y/n, he’s a good guy.”
You scoff his way, looking elsewhere in your reflection afraid of his words.
“Are you here to patronize the enemy some more or walk me down the aisle?”
He chuckles wholeheartedly, coming over to plant a reassuring kiss on the top of your head. Where your father lacked, Hongjoong picked up. You can’t name a single man— no person on this planet who has made you whole enough as Hongjoong does and maybe why Seonghwa is threatened. Hongjoong is a force no one is reckoned to feel accustomed to. The city monster had ties everywhere. Feeling sorry for your father was one thing; feeling sorry for you was little of what the truth was.
“You are a gem.” He annunciations through a genuine smile. “Be it Seonghwa nor I aren’t lucky to have. You’re a blessing.”
You look into Hongjoong’s eyes with a type of everlasting loyalty you can’t define. “How can you be okay with Seonghwa having me? I was already yours..”
“Your father was mine and I let you have the benefit of the doubt.” His comment sharpens at the end.
“Losing him was nothing but means to end for you. Don’t act like it was more than that.” You try to rebuttal.
“It was something I didn’t like but it sure as hell made you happy. And so I heard.”
Hongjoong’s very casual. He likes to be hands on in a moment and is, trend wise, very different from your future husband. It’s not like you loved Hongjoong romantically or anything. It just felt wrong to need to love someone else that’s all.
“Walk down the aisle.” He whispers again against the crown of your ear, hand hovering over your bare shoulders with hesitance and grace. “I’ll always be right here when you need me the most.”
It’s some misdirection partly. Also partly your fault that you’ve gotten here. Now you’re walking down an aisle with Southside’s very own devil standing at the alter awaiting you. You don’t look back on purpose. That and Hongjoong’s grip right beside is not one on par with a fatherly gesture. Hongjoong probably wanted to wring Seonghwa for what it’s worth too.
“Past formalities?” Hongjoong mumbles when you two get one step closer to the end of your suicide mission.
“Definitely past that.”
“Knock em dead, sweetheart.”
Let the party commence.
There was little shared words between you, your new husband, and the pastor. With what seemed like false devotion and empty promises, the wedding reception began. You two sat together on a podium where it’s pretty obvious Seonghwa’s treated like royalty. You were right in his district and with first impressions comes clear boundaries to be made. He wanted you to know where he stands. You two sat together as husband and wife but complete strangers. It was awkward watching the sight of men come and go to prove that Seonghwa was nothing but a merciless mafia boss. The gifts weren’t even of your benefit either.
Hongjoong left early (something you’ll press against him some other day forward) and you were stuck thinking about when this cursed day was going to end. Somehow someway it did and you were in a car fraternizing with the enemy this time.
“— So you married me instead?”
The air gets thick. It almost gets so thick you think you’re getting some type of allergic reaction to his face in the confinement of his wide vehicle. Staring at him was no gut wrenching eye sore but it’s not something you were used to just yet. Seonghwa’s eyes matched the color of war— red with fury and relent. There was something there that his calm tone didn’t quite express to it’s fullest capability.
“You’d rather be dead?”
His coldness reflected on you. It’s probably your body’s natural mechanism of defense coming to play because you’re sure as hell you’re not gonna let some man control you for the rest of your life. No, you may not get that right to speak up and say something that might as well get you killed but you still aren’t gonna let him walk all over you.
“Are you gonna get out of your dress or did you want me to strip you out of it for you instead?”
His tone persists as he emerges from the bathroom to see you sitting on solemn. You glance up tiredly at the cheeky bastard who’s lips perk at your attention. You look away without a word at all before taking your dress off without further notice.
His throat clams up at the sight, unsure of how long his self constraint would last even for the night. The sight of your broadened narrow shoulders— bare and ready to taste— was something he was definitely not prepared for. His hands tremble as the damp towel between his fingers drops and you glance to look at him.
“Tempted?” You rasp in the most taunting voice you could fabricate. “Mind me, but you asked if I was going to get out of my dress, Seonghwa. I’m showing you that I can follow basic instructions, was that not what you asked of me? Of this partnership.”
He chokes on that, jaw clenched. “Pressing my buttons, honey, is not something I suggest you test.”
You hold your dress up back to your chest as you turn to face him. “I’m just letting you know what kind of wife you gambled to marry, my sweet husband.”
He nearly screams the moment you slam the bathroom door. Not realizing on both sides that either of you were ready to combust. You shower the anger, the resentment away and Seonghwa just lays back on his bed staring at the bathroom door.
He needs to stay away from you at any time possible. Until he learns to control himself at least. Living with a woman, a woman of his absurd dreams, was proving itself difficult. You weren’t just gonna give yourself up to him just like that either.
“Sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow.” Is all he says before turning on his back when you shut the lights off.
You stare at it. Like the night before when he got in bed without even saying a word, feeling cold.
“J-Just me?” You ask propped still on your elbow in the dark.
“I have business to take care of in the city. You’ll have San and Yunho tomorrow.” His voice lulls deeper as he’s getting pulled to his exhaustion. “It’s training you have to endure just in case. Hongjoong informed me you never took part in your father’s extravaganza’s and I need to know my wife is safe while I leave.”
“You want me to learn how to fight?”
“Something like that..”
@atinybitofau
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tatianafarenheit · 3 years ago
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Devourer (open ending)
TW: GORE, slight lime,
It was pouring. The wind was howling woefully while it quickly rushed trought the trembling leafs of the Wangshu Inn’s Foundation of a tree. Even the sound of the other travelers, stopping for the night, was drowned by the white noise that rang trough-out the halls of the Inn, creating a terribly uncomfortable sensation of chaos. Xiao hated these kind of nights where the inn was bustling more than usual, and the fact that his only remaining comrade from the war was near him did not comfort him either.
He felt restrained almost rigid at the heavy awkwardness that strangled the room for the past two hours. Neither him or Yanay said a single word since they first reunited and Xiao’s mind was near overheating while trying to think of something to say.
His attempts where rewarded with emptiness and that frustrated him. He hated feeling like a kid, palms almost sweaty because he could not communicate with the only being that experienced the same pain he did, the only being who also had to witness the same horrors of war and was unfortunate enough to live on to tell the story.
Truth be told, they didn’t end on the best terms. Xiao blamed Yanay for years for the cause of his comrades deaths and vice versa, only to realize later that the person to blame was the misleading messenger between them. Yanay didnt in fact given the wrong orders, the messenger did and Xiao in fact did not leave his friends to die because he ran off, he was just too late to help.
Every since the truth emerged the both of them felt uncomfortably awkward next to each other, stuck between feeling a need to apologize and not wanting to open the wound that the sorrowful memories left behind. How easy it would be if stolen glances could be an actual form of communication. Yanay hearts raced while looking at Xiao, she felt a painful voide eating away at her heart while she looked at the broken man, a small fragment of what he used to be, almost like a living memory of the past, a guardian cursed to carry and reopen his old wounds each time he looked around him. Every single fragment of Liyue was a breathing reminder of what happened upon its lands all those years ago.
Yanay managed to find herself a new purpose, or more like the purpose found her. Ningguan found the resentful and nugatory girl and could not help but see potential in her, a woman that only needed someone to open her eyes. Ningguan offered her a job and a promise of a new start, a painfully docile life, she promised she would never have to suffer again and so Yanay followed her. Ningguan’s helping hand helped Yanay wake up, but only by her own will did she only find herself again, patching up her still bleeding old wounds hoping that one day they would stop…but they still bleed to this day.
Thats the difference between Xiao and Yanay is that Xiao accepted it, came to terms with the brokenness his whole existence represents, he got accustomed to the horrible misey that chews and spits him out every time he breathes, so accustomed to it to the point he doesnt feel it anymore. Yanay on the other hand could not, her mind still whispers menacingly to her, each time her eyelids tremble shut, the terrifying truth she had to endure. And each time, she fights it, she refuses it wholeheartedly, her resistance only making everything burn even more and even deeper.
“Im going to sleep” Yanay whispered and Xiao heard it, looking away and only giving a hum as a response. He felt bad, truly, he wish he could speak to her more, to apologize, to tell her that he can be there- but his savage heart wont let him, his prode chaining his mouth shut so he could not get himself hurt more. He tried to justify his actions by saying things such as ‘she wouldn’t care anyway’; ‘it would not help her so whats the point?’ But Xiao forgot to consider how much Yanay cared for such small things, how much she cherished in the back of her rotting soul the fact that someone thought that she deserved an apology.
Yanay laid down, her back facing Xiao, afraid of letting him see her composure falling apart each second she was next to him. And so with one last heavy puff of air her eyes closed. Xiao soon followed laying as far away as possible from her.
Xiao was awoken by the sound of the sheets being tousled around and as he looked in Yanays direction he could only see her figure hunched over. “Why are you awake?” He said in a gruff voice, slight annoyance tainting his tone from being awoken this early in the night. What he saw next made him freeze up, his blood turned cold and eyes froze open. Yanay looked back at him with tears in her wide eyes “Take them away-“ she barely whispered, her voice trembling along with the hands that gripped her sides in a crushing strenght.
Xiao felt like his world crashed down onto him, his veins thinning as he looked the the now seemingly vulnerable woman in front of him. His whole idea of who Yanay is was completely ruined, hes never seen her like this. So fragile and so… brittle- It was almost like someone’s possessed her body.
“You can eat dreams, right? Please-“ the girl cut herself short, her eyes scanning him frantically. She knew she was asking for too much, she felt it so deep in her bones that they felt like they might snap-. “I know im asking for too much but please- take them! Devour them until theres not even a single one that escapes!” Her voice was getting more and more unstable, her gaze running over the room back and forth, avoiding his apparent burning gaze. He just stared for a second, it all felt unreal to him. His breathing got labored and heavy as he saw the marking scene before him. A warrior turned to a broken maiden, looking for a kind of alleviation that only he could bring her.
Yanay took his silence as a refusal, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as she turned back to her hunched position. His gaze felt unbearably heavy on her back, almost quelling her to the point she felt minuscule. “Never mind- it was stupid of me to ask that. Please forget i ever said anything.” There it goes again, the voice Xiao was so accustomed to. He couldn’t help but feel a wave of disappointment wash over him.
Without rationality he reached out to her, his fingers grabbing onto her shoulder and turning her around a bit more harshly than what he meant.
Yanay jumped, her composure falling apart by his own hand. “Tell me what dreams im looking for..” his voice was awfully soft, so soft that it made a small electric string run up Yanay’s spine, a wave of ecstasy running over her body. But once the realization of what he really asked hit her, her eyes turned dark and cold. The kind of eyes Xiao used to have, so he immediately knew what he had to look for. “I will help you but-“ it was now his turn to look away in embarrassment, his face feeling way too scorching all of the sudden.
Yanay stared at him and thought of how she’s never looked at him in this kind of light before, he was absolutely breathtaking and innocent, not a shred of bad ill painted onto his face and so yet again she felt selfish for never trying to understand him- and now- here she is, asking him to do something that he most likely won’t enjoy. “Its gonna be a hell of a lot to take in, not only for you but me as well.” He continued and turned back to look at her. She almost gasped once her eyes met his, shes never seen them so close in order to see the true intensity they held. His gaze pierced trough her with such power that her breathy hitched. She only nodded. Xiao sighed, his fingers now trembling onto her skin knowing that whats about to come wont be able to be erased. Yanay’s perception of him was about to change even more.
“Turn around for me..” his voice was almost a whisper but still so moving that it made goosebumps rise on Yanay’s skin. She eagerly complied, her shoulders relaxing under his vexing touch. As she tuned around the sound around her began to fade, her attention fully concentrated onto Xiao. The next thing she felt was his chest pressed against her back, so tender yet so much pressure. She had to restrain herself from releasing a shuddered gasp once his body connected to hers. Her skin lit up, nerves trembling deliciously. Xiao felt it too, his eyes closing shut as he bit back a groan, his hands rose next to Yanays own hands, almost afraid of touching her thinking that shes gonna break. He was afraid that she’s gonna be repulsed by his touch but nonetheless he placed his hands in front of Yanay’s torso. “Grab onto one of my hands and relax into me.” He said again, his breath gently caressing Yanay’s ear shell.
Yanay’s lucidity began to dissolve, he was so close oh so close that if she turned around she could kiss him…to bad that will never be an option. After regaining a fracture of her rationality back, she complied to his words, her hand gripping one of his while she relaxed fully into him. His other hand gripped her jaw and moved it so that her face was right under his. Her eyes opened and looked at Xiao with such an irresistible innocence that he almost lost it. It was refreshing to see his comrade so complying and so sweetly vulnerable. Xiao leaned his head in, his lips barely above hers, so close that she could feel the heat coming from his face.
“Tell me when you if want me to stop..” he said against her lips before they met. Yanay’s heart felt like it was imploding, beating so hard and fast that it almost punched trough her ribcage but what came next took Yanay by surprise even more. Her limbs started to feel like putty, so soft and light. While her mind started to become intoxicated and slow, she wasn’t thinking of anything but Xiao and the overwhelmingly pleasurable feeling that started to spread inside her. It almost felt like and aphrodisiac, her body disconnecting from her mind, detaching so much that it almost felt like another person possessing her body. Xiao felt the affects too, his hand gripping Yanay’s jaw harder as he leaned his head in more, deepening the kiss, his tongue running hungrily over hers. While he knew that he was supposed to focus only on devouring Yanay’s horrible nightmares he couldn’t help but indulge in the sweet release that she was, a breath of fresh air. He wanted to claim her, to make her heal him with just her presence and maybe he could help her by erasing every parasitic nightmare that plagued her thoughts every night, but that wouldn’t be healthy and he knew it.
Yanay tried so hard to grip onto her lucidity but the more she tried the damned thing ran further and further away. Her flesh felt like smoldering cinder while her stomach felt like a void, it felt like feathers were running over her skin. She was so overwhelmed that she almost passed out from the electrifying feeling that he induced. Xiaos hand left hers and opted for her waist, digging his fingers in and dragging her torso impossibly closer to his. She was so delicious that it drove him mad, forget the damned nightmares he wanted to devour her. To rip her ignorant facade apart and watch her true face show itself from the ruins that he alone tore down.
His hunger was cut short when he finally reached the nightmares he was looking for and they were exactly as he expected. Corpses rotting on the muddy field while tired soldiers pushed on whith their last breath, people screaming and crying and the worst of all, the feeling of being helpless, powerless, the feeling of having to watch knowing you cant change a god damn thing.
He couldnt stand looking at the dreadfully realistic replicas of the past so he started tearing them down, devouring the from the most affecting ones to the lesser. He tore them down with each movemnt of his lips against hers and she couldnt have been more grateful. Suddenly his kisses turned from exhilarating to melting. His movements so soft and tender that Yanay felt like she was about to burst. She never realized how much she craved this feeling before and now- now she couldnt get enough of it, she was frightened that if he touched her like that one more time shed forever be bound to him, craving him each second of her existence. Her hand slowly moved to the nape of his neck, softly caressing his satin like hair.
Xiao couldnt do anything but melt under her gentle touch, his mind finally going at ease after all of these tormenting years he had to indure all alone. Afraid as if shed disappear from his desperate clutch, he held her closer, relishing into this intoxicatingly serene moment. Oh how he truly wished they could stay like this more…
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hyrule-kingdom-updates · 3 years ago
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ALL of the emojis for Siv :D
What is the kindest thing your OC has ever done for someone? What is the kindest thing someone has ever done for them? On the flip side, what is the worst thing your OC has done to another person?
I don’t think I can point out a *single* ultimate kind act, but Siv raising and caring for his brother throughout their whole childhood is definitely one of the kindest periods of his life. Spoilers, but: Siv didn’t actually believe himself to be capable of being a knight, in fact Ligero was specifically trying to keep him out of Larc’s life, letting them grow to be more independent, giving Siv every reason to be jealous and spiteful. But Siv trained to be a knight anyways because he didn’t want his brother to be alone through it all. He would never admit it, but Siv is a really kind and soft person. He cared for everyone of LinkLink’s scars and scabs when they went shield surfing, he took Zavis to a surprise party when his mother didn’t bother to throw anything that special. He wrote Revali letters, he sewed little rat plushies for Aryll to add to her collection—and I think it all stems from his childhood, where the only thing that he was certain of, the only choice that he could without a doubt claim was a good and kind thing that he didn’t mess up on, was caring and loving for someone that he by all other means didn’t have to.
As for the kindest thing someone has done for him, well honestly I think Siv would consider anyone giving him a basic amount of respect and appreciation as the “kindest” thing. Although once, Zavis allowed himself to team up with Link to plan a perfect party for Siv, which is to say, a very notable feat.
As for the worst thing Siv has done to someone: that’s probably spoilers. :3
What does your OC do when they see others upset or in pain? An upset friend? A stranger?
If a stranger was upset, Siv would probably just think, “Sucks to suck!” and move on. Unless they were like, REALLY sobbing, to the point where it would be impossible to ignore. Then he might stop walking, chat them up and buy them a drink, maybe hear their woes, but that’s probably it.
If it was a friend, he’d be immediately on their case, but would still try to play it off as him being an apathetic, disgruntled guy. But you know, Siv didn’t become an official royal Branch Buddy for nothing.
What is something true about your OC that they refuse to admit about themselves? Is there any reason to this besides embarrassment?
Under absolutely no circumstances will Siv admit that he is shorter than anyone. He finds it completely unfair that BOTH of his brothers are taller than him. He would hate it if you told him so, but Siv without a doubt has inherited a bit of his father’s ego, so calling him short, or even complimenting his hot royal guard brother when Siv is right there would ruffle his feathers to say the least
Describe a regular day for your OC. What is their schedule (if they have one).
Pre-Orator days, Siv basically wakes up whenever he wants (usually past noon), feeds the pet rats in the alleyways, then heads to the underground. Everyday is scraping enough rupees for a hot meal and a drink by selling illegal tickets to the underground monster fights, maybe organize a rigged gambling ring or two, and obviously scam any ten year olds that were looking to enter the world of pocket monster fighting themselves. Then when the “work” day is done, he’ll pop by an adequate tavern (the only one that would tolerate letting someone like him around) and eat and drink, and...that’s pretty much it.
As the Royal Orator, Siv wakes up and immediately heads to the dining hall, then hauls all the food and drink over to his office by 10am, cause that’s when his official work hours kick in. He then has to just sit there, listen to people’s grievances and input that will promptly be ignored (by either his hand, or most certainly by his superiors) while also posting out the important announcements and rat doodles with the Quill of Roost(both pre and post consumption). He might grab lunch in between and do fuck all, but by 9pm he’s gone out and about, doing whatever it takes to get as little sleep as possible because he doesn’t really like the sort of dreams he’s been having.
Current Siv doesn’t have a schedule, but he does have an agenda.
How does your OC think they will die? Does death scare them? Is there any reason for this?
Siv isn’t thinking about death. In truth, he thought he would have died much, MUCH earlier. Maybe get stabbed or executed? Maybe have a poor run in with an ex or particularly angry victim of his scams? But hey, now that’s he’s living the high life with all this power, he doesn’t care about death! For all he knows, he could live forever as long as he sticks with Ganon! All he has to do is follow what he says, and he’ll be happy forever and never have to fear anything ever again.
What is your OC’s most traumatic experience? (If they don’t have just one traumatic experience either pick one or describe them all!)
The Asunder Incident.
Siv constantly questions himself after that, “Why would I do that? Was I really capable of killing someone? Surely not, I’m not...I’m not that bad...” but the facts obviously stated otherwise. This was basically the incident that cemented himself as the person he is at the start of hku, apathetic and broken. He wouldn’t admit it then, but this singular event basically solidified everyone’s prejudice and perception of him, and rightfully proved them correct. It was his own actions that left him hated, abandoned, and alone, so yeah, he can’t complain now, it’s all his fault.
How would your OC react to the death of a friend/family member/loved one? Is there anyone they can confide in?
If Ligero died he would throw a fucking party for the ages.
Other than that, yeah, if someone he knew and cared about died he would be very heart broken about it. I think the only person he would really confide in about it would be Larc, but if it WAS Larc that died...I can only assume he would at the very least be severely depressed. He’s his favourite, cherished, little brat brother, after all.
What would your OC be like if they were evil. Or if they’re already evil what would they be like as the good guy?
This is an interesting question given that...I’ve already shown both sides to this, haven’t I? Maybe I’ll just let the story speak for itself...
How would your OC react to somebody telling them that they love them? (+ bonus give another characters/OC name!)
Siv would first play it off as a joke because defense mechanism! “Haha, yeah, and you know what I love? The bathroom!” and he would be off escape the situation. But if they were persistent, he would be very flustered and very...vulnerable, and scarily sentimental in his opinion. It would take some time, but I believe eventually he would really, truly accept it, in the end. Although patience is certainly a virtue, it took an entire childhood for him to use the L word for his brother.
What does your OC hate about themself? What lies about themself do they believe? On the flip side, What does your OC love about themself?
He hates being a bad person. He does not believe himself to be good or worthy of anything, thus he internalizes it wholeheartedly in order to gain that sense of control. So now that Siv’s accepted he will never be truly happy, he’s like, “Great! I can just not care about anyone else now.”
Thankfully, that’s changed recently, and he now believes, “You know what? I’m NOT a bad person! It’s everyone else that’s been wronging me! The problem with me is that I’ve been way to much of a coward to take what I deserve, so now I’m gonna do it, no matter what! I deserve to not be hurt anymore, and if I can’t do whatever it takes to achieve that, then how can I say I deserve to be happy in the first place?” Be sure to thank Calamity Ganon for that pep talk.
Right now Siv loves his power. He’s had the most control and power in this one relationship with Ganon than he’s ever had with anyone else in his entire life. He’s finally on top! Number one! He has something to really be proud of about himself! The old Siv hated themselves, but now that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Does your OC have any scars? How and when did they get them?
He doesn’t have any notable scars, especially given that he’s got the power o’ malice, baby! Malice is a representation of many things, one of them being time and memory, so it’s pretty easy for it to heal and return skin, flesh, and bone to a prior state. Perfect for healing and repairing people and objects, alike! Of course, malice is more famous for doing the opposite, sucking your soul out from you prematurely, feeling yourself die rapidly, your last breath being snatched and forced out of your lungs, a thousand breaths meant for a lifetime suddenly sapped out in a few minutes. But I don’t know why I’m talking about that, that’s not relevant haha
What is something your OC blames themself for and is it really their fault? Does it keep them up at night and is there any lingering trauma?
The Asunder Incident, he blames his actions for leading him to basically abandon his brother for like fifteen years. But that’s all I’m gonna say as I have plans to talk about his feelings on it further in the actual story.
In what situation would your OC be pushed to commit an act of violence? Would they go as far to kill someone if they had to? How would this affect them and their relationships with others?
Why, I can’t answer this in detail! That’d be giving away the story :3
Ok, maybe I’ll say this: Siv tells himself that he would do anything to get what he wants, of course he would do anything, because if he can’t, well then that just means he’s a pathetic coward who doesn’t deserve happiness anyways. So of course he claims that he will do anything, even killing someone.
What would your OC do if they were given god-like powers or the ability to change anything about the world for a whole day?
Siv would eliminate all shitty parents, maybe also give revive some dead people, and also permanently have a giant neon green tattoo of a dick be on Ligero’s forehead. Assivus would do the first thing, but he might also make everyone who has ever wronged him suffer for a very long time on top of that.
Describe one of your OC’s worst nightmares.
- Oh no, made a ficlet.
The first night he was in the castle, he had a dream.
There was a man, sitting across from him, dressed in glittering gold, with a green sash wrapped across his chest and waist. He was tapping his long nails against a desk, HIS desk, the white and purple quill still in the cup of ink, and blank parchment in front of him.
The man looked very out of place, and that was ignoring the fact that he was a withering corpse.
You’re dashing, aren’t you? The man said, still tapping his fingers. That’s when Siv realized that he was just sitting opposite to him, in the seat where guests were supposed to be. He tried to speak, but couldn’t. He tried to move, but couldn’t. He tried to blink, but didn’t.
He sat there and listened to the man, attentively.
Do you know what you’re doing here, Asunder? the man asked. Asivus didn’t. Do you know why I’ve allowed you here? What you are?
Siv didn’t know, but he couldn’t exactly express as such.
That’s because you don’t need to know. At least for now. The man leaned forward like mist, disappearing as Siv felt something pass through him, he couldn’t turn to look behind him as a delicate hand was on his shoulder. You’ll know things when I want you to know. You’ll say things when I want them to be said. And you will do things when I want them to be done. Because I own you. Err...
The man suddenly stopped to think, leaning on the right arm of Siv’s chair, tapping his bony chin, as if he had made a casual slip of the tongue. Because...you owe me. Yes, that’s the word. I’ve helped you so much Assivus Asunder. Or “will?” “Have?” “Am currently?” Futures and times are a funny thing. I apologize, I’ll have my words sorted out into something more professional and proper in our future.
The man spun around, and suddenly, he was no longer a corpse, but a dashing Gerudo man, dressed brilliantly and handsomely. His eyes were no longer a hollow gold, but green, somehow familiar.
The room was no longer some dinky orator office, but the sanctum of the castle, the apex of the kingdom. The man snapped his head towards him.
Let me ask you something, Assivus Asunder: Would you rather be here?
He gestured to the grand view of the sanctum, the sunset casting striking shades of red, black, and gold across the towering walls.
Or here?
The world spun once again, and they were suddenly on a dark street. The houses of Rauru diced the stone brick pavement. Siv glanced around and saw himself, sitting on the ground. There were two knights, one of them cursing loudly, and the other laying down beside him. There was so much blood and he could feel himself floating closer and—
No. NO. Wait. STOP. PLEASE! He tried to speak, scream, anything. No sound came. He saw a sword, a dark and rich puddle that seemed to even reflect his own face and—
They were suddenly back in the office.
Which is better? What do you prefer, of the two? I’m assuming the former? The man looked at him. I will allow you to nod yes or no to the former.
Siv immediately nodded a yes.
Trick question!The man boomed. Both are fantastic places, environments that you should love and cherish. There is so much good hiding in the places you would least expect, Assivus. I’ll help you remember that.
The world was suddenly nothing. Nothing but black. Just him, in a chair, staring at this smiling, pleasant, scary, red haired man. 
Don’t you want help, Assivus? I think there’s something you want, that you need help attaining? Isn’t there something? There’s no shame in admitting.
Siv thought for a moment, then slowly nodded a yes.
Do you want MY help?
Uhh...Siv wasn’t sure what to make of that.
Perhaps you can do a favor for me?
Fuck no! was Siv’s immediate thought. Who the fuck—First off, I don’t think I really like you, actually, so— 
Oh that’s alright! The man was suddenly very close to his face. Oh shit, could he hear my thoughts? Assivus, you can do whatever you want to do to be happy. I don’t want to force anything from you. He patted his cheek with a very cold hand.
In fact, I’ve now decided you don’t have to do anything for me. I am going to help you, and you don’t need to do anything in return. The man stood back, clasping his hands together. How does that sound?
I... He tried to speak, but remembered he couldn’t even move his lips.
I’m sorry again, Asunder. Here, I’ll allow you to speak now. The man didn’t even wave a hand, but Siv could suddenly feel how hoarse and dry his throat was.
So how about it, Assivus Asunder? I want you to be in charge of your destiny, I want you to be in total control. I would never force anything from you, I will simply be here, by your side, helping here and there, as you...figure it all out. How is that? Does that sound alright?
Siv opened his mouth, but couldn’t decide the words. If I say yes can I go back to sleep? Hella tired...
The man didn’t move, but Siv someone sensed a whisper beckoning somewhere with a “Yes. We’re all tired of many things, aren’t we?”
“O-Ok...” Siv finally said. “Alright, sure. I don’t see why n—”
Before the words were fully out of his mouth, the world suddenly stopped dead, as quick as a snap. He awoke from his bed with a jolt, his heart racing like he had just run a marathon, even though he didn’t find those last moments to be that thrilling or terrifying.
Siv sat for a moment longer, trying to contemplate the dream. But as most dreams are, the memory of it fell out of his grasp like loose sand between his fingers, and soon enough, it was already gone.
He flopped back into bed with a sigh.
Whatever it was, it was probably nothing.
What advice would your OC give to their younger self? What advice does your OC need now?
Already answered in a previous ask c:
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stormra · 4 years ago
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For Osomatsu-san: How would the brothers treat their S/O, who’s a popular musician but has to travel around all the time (tours, concerts, etc)? Would they come with their S/O? Or stay and support them from afar because they don’t want to get in their way?
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❝ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒/𝐎
— type : headcanons
— characters : the matsuno brothers
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𝙊𝙎𝙊𝙈𝘼𝙏𝙎𝙐  : 
❧     While he’d support you and love you unconditionally regardless of what you want from him, he’d definitely want to leech off of your successes. You can expect him to instantly say yes upon being asked to travel with you. Staying home wouldn’t even be a consideration for an array of arguably stupid reasons that read as follows:
❧     “It’s no big deal! What’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine, baby~”
❧     However, if you’re into being a less-official version of a sugar Mommy/Daddy/Parent, you might not care about him tagging along and using you for your money/fame. At least he loves you? Just look at it that way! Osomatsu isn’t all that bad.
❧     Sure, he’s greedy, but he’s not extremely selfish. He’d recognize that you have feelings that deserve to be acknowledged. Besides, we all know he doesn’t think very highly of himself in the first place. 
❧     He’d love to listen to you play/sing for him and would often go out of his way to watch you perform. While he might not know much about music, he’d value your dedication, as he has exactly 0 ounces of that mystical concept. Knowing that the people he loves are successful is euphoric.
❧     If you show him off to the public or so much as walk around with him in public, expect him to die. He wouldn’t be focused on suddenly gaining fame and popularity like some others would. Instead, he’d be stuck on the fact that you, a popular musician, chose to show the world that you belong to him and that he belongs to you... just a lowly NEET dating someone exponentially more successful. Something about that would warm his heart and make him feel valued for once.
❧     Did someone say he’d finally accept his identity? He’s constantly having internal crises. Your presence would only solidify his existence.
❧     While he wouldn’t be much of a comforting boyfriend, he’d pose as a great distraction. The celebrity life can get rather tiresome; Osomatsu would recognize this without a problem. Instead of coddling or comforting you, he’d use his childish nature to distract you from the stresses of the music industry, influencing you to take breaks and lazy days with him.
❧     He’d constantly ask to be in any sort of photo shoots you may have. He just wants to pose in funny positions with you! 
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𝙆𝘼𝙍𝘼𝙈𝘼𝙏𝙎𝙐 :
❧     While Karamatsu wouldn’t exactly want to stay home in order to keep himself from making things harder for you, he’d do so if you asked or made it clear that you’d prefer such an option. If you’d expect him to ask, no. He’s far too polite to do that. 
❧     It’s important to note that he considers himself to be a bit of a musician as well. Therefore, he’d be even more compelled to go with you, but, again, he’d never ask. You’d have to ask him and express a trillion times that you actually want him to tag along. 
❧     This might sound like a stretch, but that grandiose act he loves so much? It would disappear rapidly with the knowledge that so many people could learn of his existence just by dating you. Without even being the celebrity in the relationship, he’d crack under pressure, reverting back into the timid, people-pleasing man he truly is. Get ready to have some fun teasing him and/or helping him establish true confidence. 
❧     Expect a lot of praise to fall from his lips. He would admire your successes without being overbearing. In fact, you’d inspire him. A lot. You can also expect a lot of his own songs to center around your success and beauty.
❧     Honestly? Give him musical advice! He’d accept it wholeheartedly; especially if it comes from someone like you. Your career would influence him to grow and learn from his mistakes in the field. You might have a model singer as a boyfriend before the end of the tour! While giving him critique, be sure to praise him just as much. He loves you endlessly, but lots of critique with little praise will leave him feeling a bit insecure. However, I’m sure you know this, as this aspect of his character is far from unnoticeable. Be gentle with him. He deserves it!
❧     If you imagine playing/singing duets with him, you’re on the right track. He’d love to sing for you and hear you sing with him in return. The same can be said for any instrument you may happen to play. He’d eat it right up! You’re his everything, after all.
❧     Will wear your merch—especially merch with your face on it. Please wear his tank top with his face out of respect.
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𝘾𝙃𝙊𝙍𝙈𝘼𝙏𝙎𝙐 :
❧      Although some would assume he’d want to stay home for your sake, as he calls himself the most “responsible” brother, I know it wouldn’t be anything like that. Have you seen the way he acts around Nyaa-chan? This guy would ask you daily, disguising his motives with innocent claims. He’s a tricky bastard who should never be underestimated.
❧     “I only want to make sure everything goes smoothly for you!”
❧     “Don’t you need an assistant? Emotional support?”
❧     “If you don’t want me to come, I understand, but I think this could be a learning experience for the both of us!”
❧     While he would be more than willing to be your crutch and sense of normalcy, for he isn’t heartless, we all know he has a weird thing for idols and that would primarily spawn his desire to travel on tour with you. It doesn’t matter if you’re nothing like the idol he praises. You’re close enough and that’s undeniably attractive to him. 
❧     The fact that he’s even dating a musician is enough to scare him. Can you imagine how he’d act traveling with one? Pushy and controlling, you’d hardly catch a break, as he’d be riding your ass to get things done and to take care of yourself. If you like that sort of thing, good for you. If you don’t, then you’d need to talk to him about it. Although executed with good intentions, his overbearingness can be... well, overbearing. 
❧     Please keep him humble. As we know his ego is the size of the sun, he’d willingly or unwillingly use your existence as his partner to set himself apart from his brothers. Again, we know he already thinks very highly of himself, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he started using your relationship as a boost to get ahead of his “worthless” siblings. 
❧     “I’m dating a musician and you five can’t even get jobs!” 
❧     However, he’d never you to show him off to the public.
❧     On a more wholesome note, as I feel bad for giving him mostly negative headcanons, his doting-ness would be welcomed as well as detested. On your bad days, he’d be there to comfort you and offer objective solutions. Albeit uncharismatic, he’s rather skilled at speaking and getting his words across when they need to be conveyed properly.
❧     He buys all of your merch and wears the shirts everywhere. Really. 
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𝙄𝘾𝙃𝙄𝙈𝘼𝙏𝙎𝙐 :
❧     It would take a lot of convincing on your behalf if you desperately want this man to travel with you.
❧     The threat of exposing himself to the public is a deep-rooted fear that keeps him from doing simple things within his mundane life—so one can only imagine the stress that would sit on his shoulders in an environment such as the celebrity one. He’d constantly find himself within ruts and deep pits, trying to stay out of the spotlight. 
❧     In that case, he’d be staying home. Let him stay home. However, the problems wouldn’t end there, so you best be on your toes.
❧     Jealousy can overrun the best of us. Ichimatsu couldn’t stomach the idea of going with you in the first place, but that wouldn’t stop the intrusive thoughts telling him that you’d end up leaving him for another musician who is leagues more talented and better looking. This obviously wouldn’t be your fault; he’s always been disgustingly insecure. A lot of communication would need to be reached: such as phone calls and texts. Although he wouldn’t be clingy, he’d need some frequent reassurance that you, in fact, love him. Praise him for being so sweet for you. Call him handsome as you FaceTime. Hell, write a short song for him. 
❧     On another note, you as a musician would literally be his northern star. As a man so shrouded in negativity, seeing you, a person who can communicate feelings through fingers or a voice, shining like the sun whilst on a stage surrounded by thousands, would leave his soul feeling all light and fuzzy. The mere thought that his partner is someone so ethereal would bring him some form of internal peace.
❧     He’d listen to your music every night. It’s how he’d fall asleep. 
❧     Surprisingly, he’d be the best at comforting you and helping you stay grounded. He knows what it feels like to feel hopeless. 
❧     Sing him to sleep over the phone! If you play an instrument, play for him! Oddly enough, he’d have one of the most prominent adorations for your musical skill out of his brothers. Something about it just warms his heart. You’d impress him to no end and inspire him to try and do something with his life. 
❧     He’d name one of his cats after a song of yours! 
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𝙅𝙔𝙐���𝙃𝙄𝙈𝘼𝙏𝙎𝙐 :
❧     Undoubtedly, he’d be the most eager to travel out of his brothers. He’d ask you daily, jumping up and down like a hyper puppy. He’d hardly have a reason as to why he’d like to go, but something about it would forever and always appeal to him for some unspoken reason. He might just crave adventure and some excitement. 
❧     Are we really surprised?
❧     Identical to a dog, he’d beg. He’d ask with various bone-crushing hugs and weird stares that are hard to deny. He’s not exactly the brightest, but he’s cute and knows it. No, he’s not manipulative, but if he wants to go, he’ll sure try his best to convince you to take him with you. 
❧     He compares you to Karamatsu a lot. In good ways, of course. 
❧     Upon letting him travel with you, he’d be one of the best distractions on a bad day. Of course you can’t silence discomfort by just “being happy”, but Jyushimatsu sure likes to make you laugh even on your darkest days. He’d be a great listener that lets you spill all of your darkest worries as an artist. He wouldn’t give the best advice, but his presence would be an award in it of itself. Like Osomatsu, his childish nature is a breath of fresh air. He’d also be remarkably skilled at reading how you feel. 
❧     Undoubtedly the loudest supporter at your performances. Will go out of his way to make sure his voice is the one you hear screaming over a sea of thousands. Also, I can’t promise he won’t tackle-hug you after performances, let that be offstage or onstage. Be ready! 
❧     He’d love wearing your merch—specifically oversized t-shirts with your face on them! Much like Karamatsu, he thinks that’s all sorts of romantic and cute. He could care less about being viewed as weird. 
❧     There’s no way you can keep Jyushimatsu out of the public eye. He loves you and he loves having fun! The poor guy would probably have a hard time understanding why he shouldn’t tackle you in front of your fans. Your best bet is to establish some boundaries and come to a conclusion that works best. If I’m being honest, he’d be a harmless public partner. He’s just all smiles and laughter... mostly. (:
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𝙏𝙊𝘿𝙊𝙈𝘼𝙏𝙎𝙐 :
❧     Ultimately, this little bastard is hard to read. He can either be the sweetest man to ever grace the Earth or the most devilish and selfish.
❧     He’d tell you he doesn’t need to go on tour with you, but the answer he’s looking for is a yes. He enjoys playing “hard to get” and wants to come off as responsible and kind. Much like Choromatsu, he knows how to play his social cards and will do what he can to seem like a perfectly indecisive partner who is “totally okay with whatever you want.” That’s a lie. If you wouldn’t allow him to travel with you, he’d try to give you reasons as to why you should let him go. He’s complicated and I won’t sugarcoat that. You’ll find that I try to be realistic with these heavily romanticized NEETs. 
❧     Regardless, if and when he goes on tour with you, except to have yet another mini assistant. He’d always try to offer fashion tips and elements of which you should include in your songs to appeal to the public. Although a NEET, he’d have a strong idea of what the fans are looking for and what you could do to be more appealing. However, he’d understand if you’d like to keep up with your own thing and stray from conforming. He’d be fine with whatever you want, but that wouldn’t stop his opinions and tips. Maybe he should become a musician. 
❧     He’d get fussy over not having enough of your attention. His degree of fussiness wouldn’t become overbearing, but it’s always important to acknowledge the feelings of your partners to reach a conclusion. Remind him that you love him and he’ll eventually come around. 
❧     Easily the best advice-giver. Can both solve your problems or be the shoulder you cry on. He’d be fantastic at helping you through the trials and tribulations that come from being a musician. While he might seem apathetic, he really isn’t and understands just how pressuring expectations can be. This star of hope has seen some things.
❧     Although it may seem easy to assume he’d only be there for the fame, that wouldn’t be his only motivator. He’d truly want to see his beloved grow beyond others. His confidence will skyrocket whilst on tour with you.
❧     He’d design most of your merch: very minimalist designs that fit in with almost all aesthetics. When all is said and done, he’d wear the clothes with pride. What a dork.
❧     Likes to post pictures of you with him on his social medias. 
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Supernatural Series Finale
It took me a couple days to collect my thoughts on one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to watch in my life. Like I said a few days ago, I cried even harder watching it the second time around. But now that I’ve had a chance to process and also see what other people were saying, I think I can finally put into words my impression of the finale. 
Buckle up, this is a long one....
Let me preface this first off by saying that as an adamant Dean girl that has said numerous times over the years that all I’ve ever wanted was to wrap Dean in a blanket and give him some forehead kisses and tell him everything is going to be fine, this episode gutted me. I fully believe that my boy did not deserve to fight so hard for so long to just die as soon as he was free. He deserved a lifetime of truly enjoying time with his baby brother, the person he loved most in the whole world.
Now with that being said, having watched this series so many numerous times, I truly don’t believe that the show could have ended any other way. It’s something that has been pointed out by the creator, the writers, the actors, and even the characters themselves in the show. Dean never saw anything else for himself than dying doing the one thing he knows best, hunting. I saw a post that discussed how this would have happened numerous times already had Chuck not been interfering in their lives, and I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. 
And Dean had been raised to never think anything of that. It goes back to Cas’ declaration that he is “the most loving human he has ever met”. Dean is and always has been a man of duty. He would gladly die at the end of a blade if it meant he saved someone from the fate his family was ‘destined’ to live. He has always cared more about other people than he ever has himself. It part of the reason that his freak out in 15.17 didn’t throw me because for fuck’s sake wasn’t it his turn to be a little bit selfish for once?
Anyway, I digress. Dean has been fighting for others his whole life. And as stated in 15.19, him and Sam were free to finally write their own story. Is it not 100% on character that Dean would die a hunter’s death? As we see in the beginning of the episode, the Winchesters could have chosen to walk away from the life then. They could have chose the apple pie life, a wife and 2.5 kids. But they didn’t, they chose to continue saving people, hunting things. They were writing their own story, even if it ended tragically. But that’s life, it’s messy and depressing, but it’s also beautiful and even if Dean only got a small taste of that, I can be happy.
I know a lot of people feel like that negates their character growth throughout the seasons, but I disagree. I think that the way this ended shows just how much both of them had grown. Sam very well could have went to Jack and begged him to bring Dean back and Dean could have asked him to. But neither felt that it was necessary any longer. Without Chuck pulling the strings, that scary, neurotic, codependence they used to hold was gone. Dean was okay with dying and Sam let him go. Dean told him how much he loved him and how scared he had been to go get him at school. Dean opened up, something that season 1 Dean never would have done. Just look back at “Faith”, the episode where Dean makes every joke in the book about dying instead of facing the truth that his time was up and Sam refuses to accept it so much that his one source to save him (unwittingly) is black magic. The men I saw in 15.20 were far from the men we met in season one. 
Coming back to finally being free, I have to talk about the dammed paperwork in Dean’s room. I’ve seen the speculation about that. But that’s all it is, speculation. We have no idea what that was supposed to be about. If they had meant for us to see it, they would have shown it to use like they showed us the “Dean’s other other phone” sticker. But they didn’t. So it’s perfectly fine to speculate about it, that all a part of art interpretation, but in my opinion, even if Dean was working on ‘something else’ I don’t think he ever could have fully walked away from hunting. This ending was for all intents and purposes, inevitable. 
For all the rest, as a writer, I fully understand the way that they chose to do this episode. Sure covid played a role but the boys had said that the crux of what the episode was did not change. There is a certain nuance to storytelling, like I posted back on Thursday and something that is probably one of the most famous lines from this show. Endings are hard. Writing is hard. It’s impossible to please everyone and even harder to tie up all loose ends. At the end of the day, the writers had to be satisfied with the story that they put out, irregardless of what you or I think. As Jensen so beautifully puts it, Supernatural is a piece of art, one that has numerous hands in the pot. From writers to actors and directors. And art is always up for interpretation. But that’s the beauty in it. 
I talked to a dear friend, @waywardbeanie after the episode and was like “I want to know x.y.and z” because a part of me wanted all the answers from them. I’ve always been a person so very deeply rooted in canon (I know as a fanfic author that sounds weird but stay with me). I trust the information given to me and take it as face value. I seen my stories as an extension to canon, not trying to rewrite it. So it took me a few days, and more conversations with other fans of the show, like @winchest09 , to understand that the facts left out of the final were most likely intentional. 
This is a show that has such a passionate and loving (mostly) fandom. Together we have done so much good for the world, and that is something even if you hated the finale, you can’t take back. The writers left the ending open for us, to write our own stories, whether it’s just your thoughts or if you actually write a piece of fanfiction. There is so little about what happens after Sam leaves, presumably for Austin (don’t even get me started on the essence of that cause I might cry again), because it’s our job to decide. Did Sam quite hunting all together or was he a pseudo Bobby, manning the phones for other hunters? Did he finally go to law school or end up getting some other mundane job? Who was his wife or girlfriend or baby momma in the background? Was it Eileen? If not did she know about his life? One could drive themselves crazy answering these questions, and it’s your right to do so however it will make you happy. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter to the story. 
At the end of the day, what mattered was the peace that the boys found together, in heaven. Sure Dean missed Sammy when he first got there, but he didn’t fuss, because as Bobby said “he would be along”. So Dean did what he’s always done, he took a drive in Baby, and Sam was there when he finally brought her to a stop. In the end their story ended just as it had started, our boys together. 
And I know a lot of people are angry because one of the big themes this show touched on was that family doesn’t end in blood. And I agree wholeheartedly that I would have loved more familiar faces or even the mention of them (I screamed when Donna was mentioned), but at the end of the day, something Eric Kripke has been saying since season one, this show is and always has been about the brothers and their relationship. I in no way think that this negates the family they found along the way or how they could not have done a lot of it without them but, it’s not their story. I’m sorry but it’s true. 
It’s not about Cas, Jack, Bobby, Crowley, Ellen, Jo, Mary, Eileen, etc. It’s about Sam and Dean and it sucks that people can’t let that go, but I get it. I can’t imagine putting so much time into something to let something like that ruin the whole experience for you. I hope that you can find peace eventually. I guess that’s my blessing, that I never really cared for anyone besides Dean. Which isn’t to say I didn’t like characters but what happened to them never mattered to me, as bitchy as that sounds. 
I’m at peace with this ending, no matter how much it hurts me. And I think it’s just the finality of it that hurts. Jensen and Jared and Kripke are satisfied with their little show that could and that’s what matters most to me. Because those are the real people with real feelings that I care about. 
So there you have it. I have zero tolerance for negativity, so please keep your comments off this posts. You are free to your opinion but I don’t want to see it and put any seed of doubt in my acceptance of this ending. I’ll be the first to admit I’m too easily swayed, ha!
But if you need to talk, my inbox is always open. I’m still coping with the loss of this show and everything that comes with it. I don’t do well with change or facing my own mortality, something that has rattle me these past few days. I feel a million years older and that scares me. So know your feelings are valid and I’m here. 
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teacup-crow · 4 years ago
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spiral slowly, screaming
My mental health is always worse when I stop for a while, and I reckon Five is probably the same. CW for a whole lot of anger, self-loathing and some suicidal ideation.
Set between S3M60 and S4M1, spoilers for all of S3. Hurt-comfort. Five starts to process some things. There’s some gentle 5AM. Also, I finally named my main Five in this! Only took three years!
((Title from Before the Breakdown from We Are the Tigers, a very unrelated musical about cheerleading and murder))
It’s a few weeks after the ice cream tower when Five finally unravels at the seams.
They’ve been bright and shiny and happy ever since, wrapped up in Sam’s excitement about the idea of the baby, in the soft relief that blankets the township as loved ones, confused but no longer mind-controlled, begin to return to themselves. In the first breath of peace that comes after war, Five smiles. They smile until their jaw aches. They smile, not in the twisted grimace She put on their face, but in genuine joy. At least, they think it’s genuine.
But now, a mile out from Abel, their face suddenly drops, and they stop walking.
“Five?” Sam asks. He’s not over comms, but at their elbow, breathless. “All good?”
They’re not far from the forest of fallen runners. Not far from where they finally, last week, laid Three’s armband to rest. Between there and here, there’s a trickling river, only shin height in the dappled summer afternoon. When Five was a child, they went wading in streams like these. They’d spend all their free time outside, wandering the parks and the scraggy woods and the boarded up town centre aimlessly, building forts, crossing rivers on stepping stones, trespassing. All skills that have come in handy since. The memories are a little hazy, a tad unclear, like someone’s rifled through them and put them back in the wrong order. They untie their shoelaces. Why are they out here? It’s hard to recall even leaving Abel, what mission they’re on, when they started.
“What are you doing?”
He has a gun with him, and they both know it. Of course, it’s stupid to leave Abel without any sort of weapon, but Sam has never carried anything more than a butterfly knife and a hockey stick before, so the gun isn’t for zoms.
He has it in case Five snaps. In case they try anything. In case they hurt him again.
They step into the water.
Five has always worn many different faces with different people. With superiors they were serious, dependable, reliable; with their Runners, funny and fair and firm. Sometimes with Sam - times like this, ankle deep in a rippling brook - they don’t have to be anyone. And that sounds like bliss, but really, it forces them to figure out who they are when they’re not being anyone else.
“You’re going to get your shorts wet,” he says, a tad anxious. “Shouldn’t we be getting back?”
As it turns out, who they are when they’re not being anyone else isn’t someone they like. That’s why they use this number, isn’t it? So that they don’t forget. So they don’t slip back into being reckless, feckless, worthless Rory Jeavons. Rory Jeavons who could never hold down a job. Rory Jeavons who could never pass an exam. Five has purpose, meaning, friends. Five is a symbol; Rory was nothing.
Well, Five only had those things before She stripped them away, so the difference these days is harder to spot.
They sit. The water is cool, and laps their stomach. There’s birdsong in the forest. The world is a little bit fuzzy, although they’re not sure why until Sam says-
“-are you crying?”
He’s crouched on the riverbank, the toes of his pumps curling in the mud. He has size twelve feet, and comfy, fitting shoes are hard to come by, but Five found these for him in a burnt out Brantano and he’s tried to avoid wearing them down by cutting out his habit of scuffing his heels as he walks. If Five just focuses on those shoes, they won’t have to think. The shoes. The water. The stones underneath them. Birds in the distance. Shoes, stones, water, birds. Don’t think.
Shoes, stones, water, birds. The teenage boy on the Laetitia Greenwald, skimming pebbles on the sea, a fat gull arcing and swooping over his head. He wore hi-tops in still-luminous colours, clearly a prized possession. They see his face, a second before the explosion. They see a hi-top with a calf still attached, sinking below the ocean surface, sinking down for a long time.
“Five…” Sam’s voice is far away, and muffled, although they know on some level that he’s in the river too, now, that his hands are on their shoulders. Doesn’t he know they don’t like to be touched? They kick, and try to scream, but no sound comes out, and somehow they don’t have the energy to fight as his fingers dig in and he drags them, coughing and spluttering, onto the bank. The splashing finally makes those birds scatter back into the trees. The gull, circling away in smoke.
“What the hell was that?!” He demands as they cough and retch and wheeze the filth of the river back out again. He’s panting, white pumps covered in slime. “Are you trying to kill yourself?!”
When they don’t reply, he repeats the question gently. A-are you trying to kill yourself?
Five rubs their mouth with the back of their hand, and starts to laugh, the sound still a little watery, then hoarse and unpleasant and lacking all mirth. Isn’t every Runner trying to do that somewhere deep down?
“...Rory, you’re scaring me.”
That should snap them out of this, their real name handled with so much care on the tip of his tongue. The fear in his eyes should make them want to protect him, and the best way to protect him is to get far, far away, because they’re the one who hurt him. They’ve hurt him once, so they could do it again. The fear in his eyes is justified.
It shouldn’t make them so angry.
“C’mon, let’s go home. It’s not far. We can both grab a shower and you can maybe just talk about it for a while with Maxine, yeah?”
No. “Leave me here,” they sign in shaking hands.
“I promise, that’s not going to happen-“
“You should leave me here.”
He frowns. He’s so happy, Sam. Of course, not all the time, but his mind doesn’t crawl into the darkest possible shadows when he leaves it unsupervised for a moment. He doesn’t split himself into a thousand shards for a thousand different situations. He is whole, and he wholeheartedly believes that things will get better.
“You need to come home, Runner Five. Janine’s orders.” He feigns seriousness to match his furrowed brow. Five steps back.
“I wish I’d died on that boat.”
He turns cold for the first time at that, a beat of silence between them as a cloud breaks the warmth of the sunlight.
“No. No. None of us get to say that, okay? Being alive is a gift. You don’t get to wish it away. And sometimes it’s awful, and it’s hard, but you keep going for all the ones who didn’t make it. You keep going because they fought for you to survive. You keep going for Sara Smith and Archie Jensen and, bloody hell, you keep going for Simon!”
“You don’t understand!” They vocalise it, try to shout, but the words are barely more than a whisper. They’re going to hit something, they’re going to scream, something, something, something. The rage inside them feels like it’s sparking, waiting to find touchpaper, to catch light.
“I understand that you’re trying to process the truly horrible things that you’ve been through in the last few weeks.” He sighs. “No, the last few years, and that’s okay. I know you’re angry. I know you’re frightened of yourself. And I know I don’t know the half of it, but Five… I’m not letting you go. I’m not giving up on you just because you’re struggling.”
He’s crouching again, his arms outstretched and non-threatening. They could push him into the water and take the gun from his waistband in one fell swoop-and-run. Then what? Move into one of Simon’s old hidey-holes, or roam the hills like Tom de Luca carving words into their skin, or run right over the cliffs and fly for just a moment? Sam would never catch them, never find them, and eventually he’d move on. He’s strong enough.
“Please, just come home with me.”
“I can’t. I don’t deserve it.” And, because he’ll refuse to accept that truth, they’ll give him one he can’t refute. “I’m not… I’m not safe to be around.”
Broken people just break everything they touch, even when trying to be made new. Didn’t Si teach them that?
Sam’s eyes are sparkling with tears. “Please, Rory.”
“I can’t,” they try again, but their knees are already buckling with exhaustion, and they’re falling into his arms. All they can do for a while is sob.
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flymetogusu · 4 years ago
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Have my half-assed ramble on the correlation between LWJ and JC’s character arcs!~
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      Lan Wangji is raised in a very strict and controlling family; he's a sect leader's son and the nephew of the acting sect leader. He has a LOT of expectations on him, but he meets them. Hell, he's in the top 4-5 of the sect rankings [for power/cultivation, even looks]. He's legendary for his moral compass, his strength + cultivation, AND how pretty he is.  A goal!      Jiang Cheng is raised in a very strict and controlling family; he's a sect leader's son and the son of a very very powerful + rich woman. While the Yunmeng Sect seems pretty lax, Madam Yu is repeatedly mentioned in multiple adaptations of MDZS to be strict, imposing, and controlling. She is the one who does not allow the Yungmeng Disciples to rest or relax, but Jiang Fengmian does. JC is in the top 5 of the sect rankings, but there are those above him. Above him there is WWX, LWJ , LXC, assumed Whole JZX. JC is supposedly the back of the pack; he's below all of them.
     LWJ grows up in a strict home, but he knows he's doing good and has, at the very least, an older brother who cares for him. He relaxes in Cloud Recesses, he feels at home. He is at peace there and with those around him; his haven.     JC grows up in a harsh home with two older siblings; WWX who is too wild and rash and too smart for him to match, and his own birth sister who favors WWX over him in obvious ways. He is not his sister or his father's first pick, and his mother is always condescending to him. He has WWX and JYL, but at the cost of how JYL always favors WWX. He cannot show affection or relax, even in his own home. He is always compared to WWX and is at odds with him; he is angry and snappy, but he does love him.
     LWJ, upon meeting WWX, starts to change for the better in his eyes. He falls in love, wholeheartedly and without any hesitation. He puts his trust into WWX, knowing he is a righteous and loyal person; Wei Ying is Wei Ying™️. Wei Ying wouldn't do anything without reason. If he wants to destroy the Wen clan, they deserve it. If he wants to save a part of the Wen clan, they deserve that too.      JC, after seeing WWX's more dark and controlling side, starts to change for the worse. He hesitates to trust WWX because of outside forces, he doesn't trust him without hesitation and he only half-believes anything he says. JC and WWX were inseparable, but they were also sheltered. He's shocked when WWX mentions using resentful energy, he never thought he'd hear him say those words. So it's easy for someone to become between him and his brother, even if it's theorized have a semi-planned decision for him to leave the sect and for them to remain estranged.
     Meeting WWX, LWJ started to rise farther than he had; he saw the moral greyness of the world and became a better person. He became someone that he was proud of and satisfied with, even i others were not.      Seeing WWX, JC started to fall farther than he had; he saw the world in black and white and became a bitter person for it. He thought he could only become what others wanted, and that was the only path for him. He could not change into the person he wanted to become; the person he had direly wanted to be since they were kids and were no longer oblivious to the way his parents fought about WWX and him.
     JC never gets a full character arc settled, but we do see a peak of what he can become in the Temple Arc/Scenes. He settles his score with WWX and has the change to come to term with how things are. He has a nephew he loves and now he might even have his brother back. Might. It's always on the fence, because the only person stopping JC from accepting WWX is JC himself. He is his own enemy, he always has been. His own feelings, anger, and sense of self are now what divide him from WWX. We can even argue that, honestly, that's the only thing that truly separated them. JC could've fought to keep WWX in Yunmeng Jiang and fought to protect him; the only reason WWX was ever able to be steamrolled is because he had no support and no where else to go. No one was there.      LWJ gets his character arc, but it's more subtle because the story is in WWX's POV and most of LWJ's development is mental/internal or regulated to a side plot/minor scenes. Thankfully the wonderful team behind CQL/The Untamed gave us some key scenes. We know that LWJ is fully committed to WWX and there's nothing standing between them; he decided LONG ago that the only thing keeping WWX from him was death itself. When that wound up not being an issue, he'd be damned if WWX was ever taken away from him again. There is no maybe or might, LWJ is with WWX for the long haul.
     WWX has an opposite effect on LWJ and JC's character development in the story of MDZS; he's just not aware he's doing all of this an causing all these issues. The only difference is when WWX gives up his golden core, b/c he KNOWS what that would do to JC but it doesn't come up until much later (even thought it's a super important detail for JC's character arc later).
     The important thing is that when both of them truly coming to terms with who WWX results in extremely varying results :'3      LWJ gains a lifelong confidant/soulmate/husband/whathaveyou, and JC loses his brother and the only family he has left.
Sidenote: I use "meeting" for LWJ because he met WWX for the first time, when WWX was new to exploring and was just being himself. I use "seeing" for JC because he was finally seeing who WWX really was outside of Yunmeng and his constant vigilance around Madam Yu and others. Both got to know the real WWX at the same time.
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datesoma · 5 years ago
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                   Why you should get into Black Clover.
I know some people are undecided on whether or not they should give Black Clover a try, so I came up with a list of reasons why they might like the series, and why I think it’s worth the time. If you have any to add, feel free to!
1. Asta is an amazing protagonist. He was born without magic in a world where everyone had it to the point that the only means of transportation are magic-based (spatial magic, brooms that you have to feed your mana to etc), and as an orphan in one of Clover’s outskirt villages to boot. Yet Asta worked hard every day anyway, and through his own efforts became the 2nd physically strongest character after Yami. Because of this, he got a Grimoire from which (so far) three swords can emerge, and which allowed him into the Magic Knights. Asta’s main sword cannot be held by anyone else both because of its massive weight (which Asta can easily endure because of his physical training), and because the sword sucks the person’s mana out of them (which doesn’t affect Asta since he has no mana).
Despite always seeming cheerful and headstrong though, Asta actually suffers from deep-seated insecurities and depression. Being the only person without magic in the world, he was subjected to ridicule, discrimination and comparisons ever since he was a young child; and in the beginning of the story he almost had his breaking point, had it not been for Yuno’s words helping him get back up, which is when he swore to never come close to giving up again, as well as made sure that his personal issues wouldn’t interfere with his self-image and relationships.
Asta also tries to understand his enemies, where they come from and what drove them to act that way, as well as tries to help them. He doesn’t like going straight into the fighting, and would much rather settle it verbally, since that wouldn’t result in any casualties. He values life, and doesn’t want to see others throw theirs away for something that could be easily resolved with words; so every time one of his enemies dies of their own volition, Asta is shaken by their actions. He also has respect for most of his enemies, and was even seen picking flowers and putting them at the enemy’s grave while being saddened by their death, even though he had no obligation to.
However, Asta does want to hold bad people accountable for their actions instead of symphatizing with their backstory right off the bat. He will understand their motivations, but if they’ve already done the evil deed, they’ll have to deal with the consequences and make sure they’ll never do anything like it again. Like I hinted above, by “consequences” I don’t mean death. Asta never stands for the death sentence, and instead tells his enemies that they’ll have to spend their lives making up to the people they’ve hurt, both by serving time in prison, and by apologizing and outright helping others. After they atone for their sins, Asta is also wholeheartedly fine with becoming friends with them and helping them be better.
Asta is a truly inspiring and refreshing character, and has come to be one of my favorite characters of all time, even though I don’t usually fall for the protagonists. He’s humane, kind and has a certain charm that drags you in; and he’s per overall a feel-good character who motivates you to be your best self.
2. Black Clover has the best fleshed out female characters in all of Shounen so far, and they’re not sexualized. It was made obvious in the latest popularity poll, where we had 5 women and 5 men in the top 10. The only issue I’ve seen from the fandom regarding Black Clover’s female characters is that “they all have a crush on someone”, but that’s wrong. Black Clover has some great female characters that don’t have anything to do with crushes and romance, and the most striking example is Mereoleona. Other than her, we also have Theresa, Puli, Dorothy, Fragil, Nebra, Grey, Mariella, Kahono, Charla, Elf Fana and the Witch Queen.
Noelle may have a crush on Asta, but it’s not her defining trait. She has her own personal issues that stem from her backstory, and she works through them as the story progresses. She gets plenty of character development, and a lot of screentime. The anime tends to exaggerate her crush on Asta for the giggles, but the manga handles it pretty well. Mimosa, Charlotte and Charmy are all strong women whose crushes only come in second place to their actual parts in the story. Their crushes aren’t there solely for the trope either, since they serve as one of the girls’ motivations to get stronger.
To top it off, the women fight on equal grounds with the men, and some of them are even stronger than the best male fighters in the series. Mereoleona for one, is done so well that even the men watching the show had to admit she’s probably stronger than Yami, who is one of the strongest people in the entire series, Asta’s mentor and one of the fandom’s favorites.
As for the sexualization, there have been three instances in over 200 chapters that I can think of, one of which was in the anime and I am fairly sure Tabata didn’t even want to add them in (I’ve read a post once that said Shounen Jump probably has an agenda of a minimum amount of fanservice they push onto all their authors, and it’d make sense if it's true).
3. Yuno is different from the typical Shounen rival in a refreshing way, the rivalries shown in Black Clover are generally healthy and the show makes a point of showing you’re always stronger when you’re supported by and working alongside your friends. Yuno doesn’t “turn evil” & isn’t on bad terms with Asta; instead, he’s supportive and genuinely wishes for Asta to thrive and become his best self. Their rivalry is based on mutual respect, friendship and trust, and they’ve known and lived with each other since their early childhood.
While Yuno does encompass the “gifted kid” trope, he never once thought he was better than Asta, and instead of gloating about his magic, he continued to work hard magic-wise and physically (which many wizards tend not to, especially the gifted ones). He holds similar values as Asta, and wishes to become the Wizard King to make the country more accepting, equal and overall a better place. Because of this, the end of Yuno and Asta’s rivalry could go either way, since both of them deserve the title of Wizard King, and there’s no way to tell which one of them will become the Wizard King for sure, even though Asta is considered the main protagonist (I sure hope Asta will, though).
Other important rivalries are Luck and Magna’s, two misfits who prank but nonetheless still respect each other and who would go to amazing heights to make sure the other is alright; Asta, Yuno and Leopold’s, which helped Leopold grow; and Nozel and Fuegoleon’s, who have a slightly more tense rivalry, but who have competed since their childhood and who care for each other despite some of their moments of animosity.
The Black Bulls are a prime example of the found family trope, and their relationships with each other played major parts in each of their character stories.
4. Black Clover deals with several issues we also face. One of the main themes of the show is classism, and the way the poor and the disabled struggle in the corrupt system made by the rich and abled. Despite being orphans from the country’s outskirts (meaning one of the poorest places with the least amount of magic in the entire kingdom) Asta and Yuno’s goal is to attain the title of Wizard King, who is the strongest and most beloved wizard in the entire kingdom. To do so, they have to gain the citizens’ support and approval, and tear down the walls that oppress the poor and uplift the rich; but because of several centuries of discrimination, most royalty and nobles believe they are superior to the peasants, and that’s painstakingly clear from the moment Asta and Yuno leave their village and head for the more noble-populated cities.
Family problems and abuse are present in a good chunk of the Black Bulls’ stories, but the blame is never put on the victims. Instead, each of them gets their own arc in which they deal with their trauma, and it’s all handled well. Their issues don’t magically stop in their respective arcs either, but rather that’s the starting point of the change.
There are also several instances thorough the show that deal with suicide (mostly from the enemy’s side), as well as Asta’s great distaste of it and attempts to stop his enemies from killing themselves for their cause. Asta’s speeches on this topic are always positive and motivational, and I like reading them since they make me feel better, too.
Another shared issue is the racism, which also delves further into genocide. I won’t say too much as to not spoil it for those of you who will read/watch Black Clover, but this theme is related to the humans and the elves.
5. On that note, there are several races in the Black Clover universe that we know of so far. They are the humans, who the series is mainly focused on; the elves, who play a very big part of the show’s first saga; the devils and the dwarves. It’s likely that we’ll also get introduced to more races as the story goes on, and so far all of them have been done nicely.
6. The art style of the manga is stunning and the anime is also getting good. Per overall, I’d say the manga has the better aesthetics, but the anime does come in clutch with some of the fights (a couple of them were also extended in the anime, which was great; and Black Clover is known for its use of different animation styles in fights), while the music also helps add a certain feeling to the scenes that didn’t hit so hard in the manga. The Black Clover anime’s openings and endings are by far one of the best in all of anime. Even if you don’t plan to watch the show, you should definitely watch those. Currently we have 8 ops & eds, and they’re all bops. They’re one of the many reasons why Black Clover has become famous, anime-wise. 
Also, since I’ve seen a lot of complaints about Asta’s voice in the earlier episodes, it does get much better. The VA was new so his voice acting wasn’t too good, but it’s really come a long way since and it now fits Asta’s character perfectly. You should give it at least ten episodes before you make an opinion on whether to continue or drop the anime version (although I’d say it gets really good after thirty).
7. The series lets you choose what kind of pace you want. If you’re into faster paces, then the manga’s the perfect fit for you. Some people complained that the story moves too fast in the manga, but I personally like it. If you’re into slower paces, you can try checking out the anime. Since Black Clover’s an ongoing anime rather than one split into seasons, Studio Pierrot had to try and stall for time so the anime wouldn’t close in on the manga too soon; meaning the original content got stretched over a couple episodes, but nothing too bad.
8. Black Clover doesn’t have many fillers. People complain that it does, but it doesn’t. As of right now (ep. 96), there have been 5 purely filler episodes, out of which some were recap episodes. Other episodes have had some filler mixed into them, but it’s not obvious and it does add well to the story. We also got Yuno’s first mission (ep. 13) and the Light Novels animated (ep. 55-56 & 85-86), and those are to be considered canon.
9. The mystery of Asta and Yuno’s backstory pre-canon. The series takes a different approach with the protagonists’ backstory, and instead of telling us everything outright, it only shows Asta and Yuno as babies, left at the door of a church in Hage village at around the same time, 15 years prior to the story. At the time, they only had their names written on their clothes, and Yuno also had a necklace. Right now, we still don’t know who their parents are, what were the circumstances of their birth, if they’re blood related or not, and how come they were both left in the exact same spot, nor why there out of all places. I’m assuming this will be important later on in the series, since one of the arcs has already teased a possibility that was denied by the end of said arc.
10. The story mainly takes place in the Clover Kingdom, but there are three others that will become a focus later on. Diamond Kingdom, a hostile country that deals with black magic, human experimentation and wars; Heart Kingdom, a neutral country rich of mana that prefers to remain unseen and whose citizens use an unique style of magic; and Spade Kingdom, the most massive of the four, and also supposedly a militant country of winter. So far in the story we have learned several bits about the Diamond Kingdom, while the information on Heart and Spade is still very new and brief. This does for a nice change of settings. 
Also, since I’ve brought up the ‘unique style of magic’, Black Clover has a great power system, based on the elements and their subtypes, and even the most bland-sounding magic you never even thought of, can do wonders.
11. Black Clover is a funny show and it has various types of humor. Not only does it have comedic relief, like with Sekke, Yami and Gordon, but in the anime we also get Petit Clover, which is a short and usually amusing chibi-styled moment at the end of each episode. This was derived from the manga’s omakes in the same style and I’m guessing it had some success, since earlier in the year we also got an entire Petit Clover-styled series, named Mgyutto! Black Clover.
I’m a fan of both the manga and the anime, so I’d recommend reading and watching the series, but it’s fine no matter which you choose, and I hope I convinced at least some of you to get into this great show!
Credits for some of the points: 1, 2 (spoilers), 3 (spoilers), 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
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the-jade-cross · 4 years ago
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Knight of the Forest - Chapter VII
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Lillia sighed in contentment as she sipped from the glass of cold water that Margaery had shoved into her hands directly after the blonde had left the dance floor. It would seem that Nanteza was in the mood for dancing and when she was in the mood, she would dance to her heart's content and had pulled Lillia into the mix. Lillia glared daggers at the shoes she was wearing. She had felt it was only proper to wear shoes to Margaery’s wedding banquet but now she wholeheartedly regretted it. She did rather like her dress which was a long sleeve, floor length swirly dress of pale blue with flower print and a simple sash.
“ I suppose that asking you for a dance would be the last thing you want to hear right now?” Ser Henri asked as he approached with a goblet of wine in his hand.
Lillia smiled as she worked to catch her breath, “I'm afraid so. I was not built to dance for hours like every other girl was.”
Henri smiled, “ not at all my lady. You were made to be strong when all other woman weep and scream in terror.”
Lillia felt a sense of pride at the man's words and smiled up at him but her eyes spied the one person she was trying to avoid: Loras. He stood talking to Maya about something that obviously had him nervously messing with the belt of his tunic, and action only Lillia knew. He looked so handsome in his grayish yellow tunic with his hair free and lacking his sword upon his hip which he almost always wore. The girl turned her eyes down to her glass of water and swirled liquid around in the glass. She needed to remember that Loras was not hers... and a part of her began to realize that he never had been hers. He had been able to live with the knowledge of Loras endeavors with the men because she knew it was just intercourse but with Cersei now in the mix, she knew that she had never experienced pain until now. She couldn't bear the thought of another woman touching Loras... Warming his bed after a long day, stroking his blonde curls... comforting him when he wanted to cry in peace.
She knew that those thoughts were the last thing that Cersei would ever do for Loras but the mere thought of the possibility tore through her heart. Ser Henri cleared his throat, drawing Lillia's attention to him and away from her empty glass of water.
“my lady, I want you to know that you do not have to pretend around me. I know of a love you possess for another man but you receive no love in return.” the man whispered gently.
Lillia's eyes widened and her cheeks pinked, “how did you find out?”
Henri smiled, “ I guessed at first... Ser Loras is the only man you seem to be nervous around... and of course I asked your friend lady Tyrell about it and she confirmed my suspicions.”
Lillia looked at the floor, letting her blonde curls flopping her face, “I am very sorry Henri... you know it seems like I have led you on… and…”
The tall man shook his head and taking the glass from Lillia, lifted her chin to look at her face, “I also led you on my lady. I know that to every other person, it would see that I am paying court to you when in truth, I have been but only because the one who owns my heart can never be mine.”
Lillia gaped in shock. She had not seen that coming. “Are you joking? Henri, every girl would give anything to be your wife! Have you tried speaking with the girl of your heart?”
Henri nodded, “Once or twice and it appeared that she returned my interest but she… she was forced to wed another man.”
Lillia felt her heart break all over again for Henri. He knew exactly what pain she was feeling! Who knew that a man as handsome and sweet as Ser Henri would have a broken heart!
“Oh Ser Henri!” Lillia whispered, touching his arm. “and the lady…”
She saw the man take a slow slip from his wine but the whole time his eyes were fixed upon the person of his affections across the courtyard . Lillia followed his trail of sight and gasped . There sat Sansa stark, beside her newly wedded husband Tyrion Lannister, the girl as pale as a ghost.
“I am truly sorry Ser Henri. Only the gods know that you deserve her entirely and you would have made her the happiest woman alive.”
Ser Henri nodded, “ so you see my lady... I do know your sorrow.”
Lillia felt tears pricked her eyes and she took Henri's large hand into her small freckled one, “the truth is, I was accepting your attentions now because I felt something for you but because I wanted to turn my sights on someone who could offer me companionship even if love never came. Perhaps... we can come to an arrangement?”
Henri looked curiously at the girl, “do tell my lady.”
“ we both love people we can never have. If we were to court with the intentions of a companion friendship based marriage in mind, we would both be able to live with the love we hold for another without shame and have No Fear of our spouse discriminating us. Should either of us fall for someone else or find our loves widowed or abandoned by their spouses, the two of us could conveniently annul our marriage and not think twice about it.”
“so you are suggesting a marriage of friendship for the sakes of people not discriminating are being single and to help us heal from our failed loves but we would be open to an annulment if seen fit by one or both of us? ” the knight clarified.
Lillia smiled and nodded, “ and if you should wish to change or add any terms, you may at any time. I would only ask one thing of you.”
“ and what is that?” was the next question that left the man's lips.
“that you will never give up on Sansa. This is a peculiar world we live in and Sansa has already been engaged once and it never happened. Margaery Tyrell is now married a second time ... for all we know, Sansa and Tyrion may another marriage at some point and I know that it would only do for you to wed the one you love.”
Henri smiled softly at the girl and gently took her hand in his, “ when I would only ask that you would do the same for the knight of your affections.”
Release side, “ it is simple for you because you are a man, thus able to ask a girl to wed you but I am the girl in this scenario , and I would have to wait for Loras to marry me and let's be honest, he holds as much affection for me as he does for his boots!”
Henri smirked and nodded behind the girl, “well don't look now but the man is headed this way.”
Lillia spun around to see Loras storming in their direction, face showing evidence fury before he grabbed Lillia's wrist and tucked her away from Henri.
“ excuse me but I need to speak with her for moment.” the man hissed at Henri.
Henri flashed the stunned Lillia a grin and gave her a thumbs up as Loras pulled her clear across the courtyard to the fruit table before releasing her period
“care to explain the origin of your foul temper? ” Lillia demanded of him
Loras turned on her and stood over her in such a way that made the girl quiver, “do you think your parents would be pleased with you flirting in public with a total stranger?”
Lillia scoffed, “ we weren't flirting and Henri is far from being a stranger. You are more of a stranger to me than he is!”
Loras growled before gripping her elbow with his hand and leaning close to her period “ stay away from that bastard!”
“or what ?” Lillia taunted him.
She saw in Loras is neck tense and anger before both their faces went lax when they realized just how close they were to each other. Loras his mouth parted and his tongue darted out to wet his dry lips. Lillia felt her heart stop as Loras is grey eyes slowly inched closer before she pushed back and began to fidget with her hair, unevidenced sign of anxiety. Loras frowned in puzzlement at why the girl pulled away when finally Lillia mumbled the very words he hated .
“ I am being courted by another man... and you... are engaged to be married.” she muttered.
Loras clenched his fists and was about to spout curses when Maya appeared out of thin air and grinned at them.
“there you two are! I've been looking for you Lillia, Loras told me to give this to you.” the redhead stated, holding out a purple carnation.
Lillia looked at the flower then at Loras and then to the dozen pots of purple carnations that were laid out for the banquet. The girl rolled her eyes and stormed off without another word.
“well that went well ,” Maya mumbled.
Loras shot his sister a death glare. “I hate you so much right now.”
*********
Lillia stumbled as she struggled to keep up with Jaime. She could not tell if he was walking away like a man in a fury or like a man fleeing the truth. All she knew was that his broad back was getting further away and it was thanks to her shoes hindering her movement that she was losing him. Kicking off the blasted shoes and scooping the front of her grayish pink dress into her arms, she scurried after the Kingslayer at a quicker pace. When Jaime finally halted they were standing on the balcony overlooking the empty garden, everyone else still at the trail, whispering and mumbling to themselves about the mysterious intervention of the warlock and Maya in the trial by combat.
"Sir Jaime," the girl painted but could not get anything else out before the tall man turned on her with eyes blazing with fury, fear and pain.
"You lied… You all lied… You knew that she was alive and you lead me to believe she was dead… And Brianne…" He mumbled.
"Brianne did not lie to you Jaime," Lillia intervened, "she said that the warlock was not Evelyn Stark or Evelyn Lannister which is true. From the moment she married you, Evelyn was no longer Evelyn Stark and the second she ran away from here for her life, she forfeited her claim of being a Lannister."
Jaime ran his fingers through his short blond hair and for the first time in her life, Lillia saw the man's lip tremble and his eyes filled with tears. "But why make me believe that she was dead?" He whispered.
Lillia shook her head, "she did it to protect you and herself. If people thought she was dead they would not try to assassinate her again and if you believe that she was dead, then you would not try to wage war on the person behind her departure, thus keeping you from getting yourself killed."
Jaime snapped his eyes over to the blonde, "it was Cersei wasn't it? The warlock threatened Cersei when she rescued me from the Boltons. … Did Evelyn truly trust me so little to not trust me to confront my sister?"
"on what grounds?" Lillia inquired, "if you confronted Cersei about your suspicions of her threatening Evelyn's life, she would know that Evelyn was alive and was the source of your information. But besides that, look at what your father and sister are doing to Tyrion and without proof! You may be closer to them than Tyrion is but since you married Evelyn, you are not a total ally in their eyes."
Jaime clinched his fist and tapped the balcony rail with his golden hand, "Evelyn is like you… And Maya Tyrell… She is gifted?"
Lillia nodded and hung her head, "it is how we have communicated with her up to this point."
"Don't tell me… She spouts fire," Jaime stated sarcastically but when he saw the earnest look in Lillia's eyes, he froze, "you're serious?"
Lillia nodded and the man groaned, “ do you know where she is? How can I see her? I need to see her for myself.”
Lillia shook her head, “we don't know where everyone ever is. She keeps that from us. When she communicates with us, we cannot see her surroundings. And she won't be here for long period she said she was leaving directly after the trial ... The only time when you can see Evelyn is when she means for you to find her .”
The girl muttered an apology before she left the man to think, missing the tears that finally began to trickle down his face. Meanwhile Loras had strode up to where his father sat at the high seat overlooking the trial and asked him for a word. When the two men were out of earshot of everyone else, Loras turned his father with a determined vibe.
“ I demand you rescind my marriage to Cersei Lannister ,” he stated.
Mace Tyrell scoffed , “has your older sisters madness spread to you as well? I do not have time for this Loras! After her intervention in the trial and her opposition to the Mountain, marrying Maya off will be twice as hard. Not only that but Margaery is no doubt due to wed Prince Thomas who will replace his brother as King.”
“do you really want to tangle with the Lannister’s more than having Margaery wed their King? I will not wed Cersei Lannister.”
“if you wanted a young, spry lass you should have been working on that rather than laying around with men.” his father snapped .
Loras was seething now and his hand on his sword tightened until his knuckles went white , “ I have a bargain for you father . If I find a man to marry Maya in the next two weeks , will you allow me the marriage of my choice?”
Mace studied his youngest son skeptically, “ it will be an impossible feat . Half the eligible men here think that your sister is a freak or they're scared of her period the other half want a marriage alliance and the power she has. How can you be sure you can find her husband in two weeks ?”
Loras smirked, “ I happened to not to be blind and I know of a man who would leap at the chance to marry her and not tried overthrow us or to harness maya's powers. Not only that but an alliance with his family would be beneficial .”
Mace sighed , “very well. Get her engaged and all the way to the altar within two weeks and I will lead you to the woman of your choice.”
As he watched his father wander off, Loras smirked in pride at his quick intervention and well planned scheme period now both he and Maya would be happy, married and out of their mad father's reach. The young man strode back toward the trial until he found the man he was looking for and approached him from behind like a Panther stalking his prey. tapping the man on the shoulder, Loras beamed at the man when the target turned in his direction.
“ if you would be interested, I have a bargain for you that I think you will like,: he stated, not failing to notice the way the man's eyes narrowed at this statement.
“and how can you be sure I will like it?” was the question of the hour period
Loras grinned, “it has to do with the marriage of my sister, Maya. My father has tasked me with finding her a suitable husband within two weeks since my sister Margaery will be married to the new King very soon. He will not allow Maya an elaborate wedding since he prefers to spoil Margaery but I have a feeling but once you hear my idea, you may be able to sway his perspective.”
Oberyn Martell’s brown eyes lit in intrigue, “I am listening.”
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walkingshcdow-a · 4 years ago
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3 for Finnegan
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The Masha & Finnegan Show | Accepting!
Ask them to describe their love interest. - tagging @tinfoiltemplar
“I would describe Victor as terribly inconvenient and he knows it. He makes incredibly unreasonable demands... Mostly of himself. He strives for perfection and I can appreciate both the ambition and the work ethic he has, never mind the results, but… Do you know he gets up before the sun every morning? Of course you don’t know. You aren’t on the other side of the bed, trying to get him to stay for five extra minutes or flipping on the lights and getting  up with him, so he stops trying to be “considerate” by stumbling in the dark. And what for? He has yet to convince me he gets genuine pleasure from his morning routine. He doesn’t exfoliate either. He just expects his skin to get by on soap and water alone. I have to trick him into thinking he’s getting extra special pampering from me once a week so I can get some lotion into his skin and even then it’s a fight to get him to relax. He’s forced me to take care of him and I cannot believe how thoroughly he’s tricked me.”
Finnegan laughs warmly and then groans. It isn’t a trick, not really, but he isn’t joking, either. Not entirely. He won’t claim to be making fun. He does offer a little explanation. 
“If he doesn’t take care of himself, eventually I’d have to, right? I’m… impressed, really. Off the record, of course. I think he’d just feel guilty if I told him any of this. That’s why I’m telling you instead. Victor doesn’t take care of himself and that is the hardest thing about loving him. It’s also the easiest thing, too, because I can always find something to do for him when I don’t have the words to tell him I love him. And make no mistake - I do love the man.
“Victor is without a doubt the most passionate individual I’ve ever met. He throws himself wholeheartedly into everything he does. He feels more deeply, more intensely than anyone I’ve ever known. I wonder how exhausted he is from it. No, I don’t wonder, I just wonder why he doesn’t care for himself more. Surely if anything is worth his care... “
As he ramps up again, Finnegan catches himself and smiles self-deprecatingly. This is an old argument, one he will have with a strawman in the absence of his husband. He sighs and conjures the image of Victor smiling - Victor at a gala, Victor on the tennis court, Victor in his office… It relaxes him to think of Victor’s successes and not the little ways he still fails to practice self care.  He has more positive things to say than gripes. He starts again. 
“Victor cares about people and his work and art and literature and current events and the world around him and he’s so intelligent. I could listen to him talk for hours as long as he lets me ask questions and play with his hair. He talks about everything as if it matters and he makes me think that, maybe, it does. I know that he pours that same, unrelenting passion into our relationship. He makes me care about a million things, but most of all, he makes me care about him and about us and about building a future for us. He makes me feel like we matter - we, together - and I never want to disappoint him or stop being the one he’s passionate about. He’s such fun to spend time with - talking, not talking… I miss him when we’re apart. I don’t want to take our time together for granted. I don’t want to take anything about him for granted. I try not to.”
But I am so good at taking people for granted.  
“Maybe that’s why I love showing him off to people. It helps that he’s devastatingly handsome, but I love that he’s passionate and intelligent and accomplished… and that he can hold his own with anyone. I admire the way he can show off his wit and on the same breath show remarkable consideration for others. He’s gracious in the way he asks after others and listens to what they have to say. He says all the right things while still being genuine and polite. I like to watch him with other people because I’m proud that this charming, thoughtful man is mine. He might argue that he’s inhabiting a role, that he isn’t as good as I say, but I also know that in private he is just as engaging and sensitive and passionate in both good ways and horribly messy ones. I understand. He gets worn out and I think if he didn’t, I couldn’t love him as much as I do, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it when he falls apart. I think any spouse who likes to see their husband crash and burn on a semi-regular basis is unfit for marriage, but I’d rather be there than not. I should be kinder to him. He and I both demand perfection and I don’t know what to do for him when he crawls into a bottle or wallows in self-pity. I don’t mean to be angry or disgusted because he’s entitled to recharge I just… worry. I worry that he’ll feel too intensely one day and then… that’ll be it. I worry about losing him. Don’t you dare tell him that. I’d rather he think that I’m heartlessly unsympathetic than give him more fuel for his self-constructed funeral pyre. He makes a beautiful martyr.”
He hears it a moment too late and looks properly self-disgusted, horrified. 
“Sorry, that was unnecessarily bitter. He’d never be as unkind. He’s kind and gentle with other people’s feelings most of the time… especially mine and when he isn’t I’m sure I deserve it, even if I’ll act scandalized that my kind, sweet, gentle husband has a mean thing to say. Sometimes I like it when he’s mean - I like to see him stand up for himself. He’s so selfless and giving and pliant otherwise. He would do anything for someone he loves - and most anything for a pitiful stranger and I think that was the thing that really got me in over my head with him. I have never known, much less loved, anyone who works so hard to be good and treat others well. I’d never had anyone treat me the way he does and it terrified me how much I liked him. It still throws me off balance and makes me want to strive to deserve the love of someone so wonderful. I never thought I’d value kindness in a partner until I met him. I say he’s inconvenient, but that isn’t it at all. Victor has brought into sharp focus what it is that I want from life. He has held me accountable and reminded me to care about the world around me. He’s given me someone to love and live for besides myself and when you’ve spent three decades set in your ways, change is hard. But he’s worth it. Above all, he is worth any “inconvenience” I can claim. I love him and even that doesn’t seem to do it justice. I suppose that just means I’ll have to give him a little extra care tonight so he understands just how much.”
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luxaurorarpg · 4 years ago
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REGULUS BLACK, aka THE FERVOR, is 22 years old and a PUREBLOOD alumni of HUFFLEPUFF. His allegiance is UNKNOWN, and he is currently TAKEN with a faceclaim of Booboo Stewart.
AESTHETICS
the calm of the ocean, late night reading, a collection of bruises, a field of sunflowers, ink plots like constellations, hand holding, silver rings, bright eyes, four leaf clovers, converse with the laces wrapped around the ankle, a loose floorboard, brotherly affection, hot cocoa, nervous pacing, passive aggressive embroidery, potted plants, string lights, soft sweaters, ethereal features, a hot mug to hold
MOMENTS
A child that loved too fiercely and cared entirely too much, Regulus felt lost in the new family he found himself in. If not for the undying love and understanding from his older brother, Regulus would have floated away before the age of five. His parents held standards that Regulus could never live up to - it wasn’t in his nature. Regulus understood that the only thing he wanted to do in his life was make it a better place by loving harder and helping others. Of course, he didn’t realize that the world could be cruel, and not everyone was made up with the same mindset as he was. Only seven years old, Regulus had learned how to protect his heart. A layer of sarcasm and deadpan to keep his vulnerabilities safe. Softness was his greatest strength, but even then, he knew he didn’t want to end up being everyone’s doormat. 
Eleven years old, Regulus sat under the hat with a mixture of fear and excitement. Coming from a proud line of Slytherins (broken by his older brother) Regulus was almost hoping he was sorted somewhere else as well. Mostly, he hoped that he was put in the same house as his best friend. They were seldom separated, and he didn’t want to take on this new adventure without her. As luck had it, they were put in the same house. Unsurprisingly, Regulus flourished in his classes during Hogwarts, specifically subjects having to do with the arts. Still, he found his footing in school, and even managed to branch out beyond just the people he had grown up with. Though he stuck close to Penelope, and nurtured his friendship with Elenora, he became close with one Ren Evans, who helped to further bring him out of his comfort zone. Regulus enjoyed being able to find himself outside his family image. 
However, despite the fact that he was thriving at school, Regulus was struggling a lot. Leaving with Sirius and Narcissa to move in with the Potter’s had been the best decision he could have made. At thirteen, he had learned that he couldn’t just fill up all his emptiness by loving other people, and he started to focus on loving himself. Regulus knew that he had people that cared for him, of course he did, but having been abandoned by two families left an insecurity he couldn’t quite explain. However, once he recognized it, he was able to start working on it. He surrounded himself with people that made him feel warm and worthy; those that didn’t expect him to be anything other than himself. Regulus started recognizing his strengths and stayed close to the people that brought them out, and he cut ties with people that only worked to belittle him or made that emptiness feel expansive. By thirteen, Regulus was starting to figure out who he was outside of the people he loved. 
After graduation, Regulus found a job that suited him. However, his best friend, and by extension both of their families, were suddenly in dangerous positions. If Regulus wasn’t careful, he would have to limit his contact with them, and that was something he couldn’t handle. So, Regulus kept a neutral face. He got a comfortable flat with Penelope, and was careful about the contact he had with people in public. Regulus was known for being polite so no one expected him to brush anyone off, but he was careful not to put Penelope, or by extension Rabastan, in a precarious position. However, when Rodolphus won the minister’s seat, he knew all bets were off. Whatever happened the night of the werewolf attack had created a look of war in Penelope’s eyes, and he knew it was only a matter of time before her cover was blown if she couldn’t keep her composure. Still, Reglus knew that the new regulations wouldn’t just stop at werewolves, as if that wasn’t bad enough. The people that he loved most were being threatened in this war, and Regulus just wanted to see them all through it. At this point, Regulus would take risks and was ready to damn the rest of the world to hell if it meant keeping them safe. 
TRAITS
Loving
Empathetic
Brittle
Cautious
Mature
Self-Conscious
CONNECTIONS
SIBLINGS - Family had never been determined by blood for Regulus, as he had been adopted twice in his life. The first family had provided him with a brother that he wouldn’t trade for anything, and a cousin that he loved wholeheartedly. Sirius was someone that he would follow to the ends of the Earth. Narcissa was someone he would stand by in any circumstance, and over the years she had become much more like a sister to him than anything else. When they inevitably left the Black family and joined the Potter’s, Regulus had been understandably weary at first. However, he had found that both James and his parents had accepted him with open arms. They loved him for who he was, and accepted every ounce of him. Regulus might be a Black in name, but he was undoubtedly a Potter at heart. 
ISLA AVERY - When Regulus had first joined the Black family, Isla Avery had made it her mission to make his life as difficult as humanly possible. No matter what was going on in Regulus’ life, Isla constantly found different ways to make fun of or undermine him. By the time they made it to Hogwarts, Regulus had learned how to avoid her, but also how to stand up to her when it was strictly necessary. He had gotten better at not letting her words affect him, and knew he always had Nellie Rosier in his corner if Isla took it too far. If Regulus had his way, he would never have to deal with the youngest Avery again. 
ELEANOR MALFOY - Outside of Nellie, he had always had Eleanor Malfoy to lean on growing up. She had always understood him in ways that many people didn’t, and had always been there to lift him up when others had merely tried to tear him down. When she had decided to leave the Malfoy family behind, he had been one of the first people to offer his unconditional support and help in her endeavor. Mostly, he wanted her to be able to find the happiness that he had, and that she truly deserved. Eleanor had always been a bright light in the pureblood realm, and he was glad she had escaped before they could snuff her out. 
REN EVANS - His friendship with Ren had come later in his Hogwarts years, and really grown closer after they both graduated. In school the other boy had been younger, but a calm presence whenever their paths happened to cross. With Lily, James, and Sirius being as close as they were, it was inevitable that his and Ren’s circles collided, and once they graduated, Regulus started to seek him out more often. There was a softness to Ren that was both comforting and refreshing, and yet, the other boy made him feel brave as well. The more time they spent together, the more they learned to rely on one another for the hard things, making them even closer.
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atty-goldstein · 5 years ago
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soulmates fucking suck
A/N: Chai Coffee AU where your soulmate’s last words to you are tattooed somewhere along your body. Because I simply couldn’t pass up the angst potential. btw, I have the sc if no one believes these really were the last words
tw: angst, swearing, mentions of death, self-hatred
tagging: @sweetsmalldog @moonblimpie @showstoppingnumbrr
I hate you
Paul didn’t want to meet his soulmate anymore. As much as he wanted to tell his soulmate, “well fuck you too,” it never really sat right with him.  For all he knew, he gets into an argument with them only to find out they’ll never be able to make up. Or worse, his soulmate would hate him for being the cause of their death.
So for all of his life he grew anxious around people. He learned to be careful, that he wouldn’t do anything to elicit those words from them. He let people talk shit about him and he took it, just so they won’t tell him those cursed words. Sometimes, on worse days long sleeves weren’t enough. The words still burned even under the sleeves of his blazer. And he just can’t stop wondering what he could possibly do to earn such words. Something had to be wrong with him, right? Something about him had to be so abhorrent for his soulmate of all people, to hate him.
The more time passed, the less he wanted a soulmate. What kind of soulmate makes theirs feel like crap before dying, anyway? Was it selfish for him to hope that he would die first, so he wouldn’t feel this guilty for something that hasn’t even happened yet?
Hatchetfield was a small town, not a lot of people knew each other. A majority of people only wanted to be with their soulmate and wouldn’t really date unless they’ve found theirs. It was kind of stupid, really. Because they can’t know for sure someone is their soulmate unless one of them was dead, but whatever. Charlotte was one of those people and she wholeheartedly believed Sam was her soulmate even if Sam stopped thinking she was his. Bill assumed he’d met his soulmate but that ended in a divorce, which, in a way, is still a fate not worse than death.
Ted was one of the few rare cases of people without any marks at all. Once he got around the possibility he may not have a soulmate at all, it felt freeing. He wasn’t bound to anyone and that meant he had nothing and no one to worry about. There’s no one for him to depend on and no one needs to depend on him. If he had to break some hearts, he didn’t have to feel as guilty knowing those people weren’t his soulmates and he wasn’t theirs. He accepted that he wouldn’t find true love and that was fine. It’s not like he needed it.
It started with spilled drinks and stolen glances. It turned into spontaneous, almost secret dates. It was convenient, until it turned comfortable. No talks of soulmates even if they both knew of the dark ink branded on Paul’s skin, and the lack of words on Ted’s. Until one short conversation on a summer evening.
“Your soulmate says that? What an asshole.”
“Yeah. But I guess I must have done something to deserve it.”
“You? Impossible. You don’t deserve a soulmate who hates you. A lot of other people, me included, probably do but you don’t you’re too good. I mean, you’re already so good to me.”
Paul kisses him gently, lovingly, pulling away and resting his forehead against Ted’s. “Why couldn’t it just be you?” He sighed.
“Yeah, but I could never hate you. You know that right?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Truth be told, with the words on Paul’s arm, Ted didn’t want to be his soulmate. It wasn’t because he never truly loved him, but he didn’t want those words to be the last thing he ever tells Paul. He didn’t want the words that tormented Paul for years to be his own. He didn’t want to be the reason Paul thought so lowly of himself since forever. And he didn’t want to think about the implications his own lack of words if Paul happened to be his soulmate. They weren't soulmates. Paul is meant for someone else and maybe that someone else isn't the best but he's not that much better off with Ted. That was just the way things were and Ted always took the world the way it was.
So he goes through with this, makes the most of the temporary. For the first time, Ted was scared. With others, they'd give him their hearts but never their souls. Whether he handed them back broken or not, it didn't matter. But Paul was willing to entrust him with his heart and soul and he didn't know how to handle that.
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Then the apotheosis began. Hatchetfield was rapidly infected and forced into a cruel musical, turning citizens against each other. Too many lives were lost in one day until there were only three: Paul, Emma, and him. The stakes were high and the pressure grew too much. They were all desperate to survive this.
They were so close to getting out but nothing was certain. It's that uncertainty that eats away at Ted's nerves and pushes down on the pressure that's weighing on him already. And he breaks.
He stops the others, declaring it was the only time for a heartfelt farewell of sorts. The words barely register in his head as they spill out of him. And then, Paul is torn away from his grasp. Ted panics. The words once unspeakable tumble out of his lips. The words immortalized on Paul's skin.
"I hate you"
He didn't realize it until he said it. He didn't mean them, really. But the words came out too fast and they were always meant to be said too late. Oh God. It was him. It was his fault. It was his fault Paul thought he was worthy of hate. It was his fault Paul lost his faith in soulmates altogether. It was his fault Paul had been unhappy for so long. And it would be his fault that Paul is going to be killed and turned into the very thing he hated. He was going to lose Paul.
Then, there was the gunshot, loud and resounding amidst the cadence of the soldiers' march. Pain intolerable and excruciating. The bullet pierced through his skin. It couldn’t end like this, it wasn’t supposed to end like this. He’d give anything now to change this cruel fate. Anything to take back the words, to change the words. But as he choked on his own blood, he couldn’t.
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It was a rush, Paul barely knew what was happening but the words were the only thing that stood out. They repeated themselves over and over again in his head like a chant. The inky black letters felt like they were on fire. The only thing that was clear in the blurry whirlwind of things, was that Ted was his soulmate after all. Paul was able to break free of the Infected’s hold on him with Emma’s help but that only meant he was going to lose Ted. Right. This. Instant. It wasn’t fair that he only found out his soulmate was right there all along only to lose him.
As if on cue, the shot rang out. They both knew what they were going to expect next. Paul felt like falling to the ground as he felt his heart shatter as the half of his soul that he never knew he had, was lost now. He wasn’t strong enough or fast enough. He couldn’t even tell him the words never mattered anymore because he still loved him, because he knew it was from him and that was okay. He’d forgive him after all these years. 
As music began to fill the air, Paul realized, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself, and self-hatred began to settle in the space in his chest where his heart was supposed to be.
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