#this is like the second one Ive ever gotten so far the other one was a shiny arcanine in sheild

[moeblob]

My children are so stupid and I love them. The fact Right uses nicknames that are indeed Just Like That makes it even harder to differentiate which one needs to be eliminated. (Brent is pretty sure it's his head on the chopping block.)

[scottiexmariee]

omg ive been highly enjoying ur fics and hcs!!! i think u wrote their characters very spot on 🥺 the jail one got me thinking... can i request the lads boys reacting to the reader getting in trouble after punching someone. bc someone talked shit about the boys and wanted to defend their honor or smth lmfao ty!!! 💕

omg anon lemme kiss u on the forehead 

I almost did a backflip when I read this, I was so happy to write it. This one took a bit longer to write so I do apologize, but I was reeeeally on a mission to deliver some good plot here

Some are a bit longer (coughSyluscough) but I really hope you enjoy <3

Defending Their Honor

Pairings: Xavier x Reader | Zayne x Reader | Rafayel x Reader | Sylus x Reader

Word Count: 3.9k (oops)

Warnings: Fluff. Angst. Lore references. Reader throwing hands. FEELINGS. Soft Sylus. -Scottie is allergic to happiness.

Masterlist

Note: I got possessed when I wrote Sylus' and probably should have made him his own fic. I am not sorry. It is longer than the others. I am bashing my head against the keyboard. Please forgive me.

☆ “While I’m honored, you didn’t have to do that on my behalf,”

☆ ^ Giggling and kicking his feet on the inside though

☆ He’d also return the favor with no hesitation if the situation was ever reversed

☆ ^ You will NOT diss his lady in his presence

☆ Y’all are def cuddling for the rest of the night as soon as you get home

Xavier really needed to learn to stop taking his eyes off of you when the two of you were out in public. 

The two of you had gone on a fun little outing to Linkon’s version of a pop-up carnival. There were games, food vendors, live music, and tons of people. He knew how badly you’d wanted to go, so of course you nearly jumped right into his arms when he showed up at your apartment after lunch and told you to get ready.

So far, it had been good. The two of you had played a couple games, won some prizes, even took chances with a few questionable rides. You had walked around, hand in hand, enjoying each other’s presence and making new memories together.

It had been seconds. Seconds. You were both, unsurprisingly, hungry after walking around for a few hours. Xavier, being the knight in shining armor that he is, had walked up to one of the nearby food vendors to grab a snack for the two of you, innocently leaving you near a blue park bench. When he finished, you had disappeared. 

He stared at the now empty park bench, snacks in hand, completely baffled. He did a quick scan of the area, only to see a bunch of people he didn’t know, and someone being escorted to the exit by two security officers.

But that person almost looked like they were wearing the same outfit as you.

Xavier squinted. Surely not, right?

He caught up quickly, nearly stumbling when his suspicions were confirmed. That was absolutely you being dragged to the front of the park.

He lagged behind quietly, saying nothing, but already accepting the fact that your fun carnival date was apparently over. 

You were given a verbal warning and kicked out of the park, being told not to come back for the remainder of this year’s visit. If you came back, it would be trespassing.

You were getting ready to text Xavier when you realized he was right in front of you, nibbling on some type of skewer he’d gotten from the vendor. “Sooo…” He began, eyeing you curiously.

“I may or may not have slapped someone,”

His eyes immediately widened, his mind running through every possible scenario. 

“What happened? Did someone touch you?” He reached out and grabbed your wrist, eyes scanning every inch of exposed skin for injuries. 

“No! No, it’s….nothing like that,” 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Then….?”

Suddenly, you were a bit embarrassed. It had been so stupid. How was he even going to react to this?

When Xavier had left you by the bench, a man that looked to be around your age approached and asked for your number.

“I know you just saw me with someone.”

“So?”

“Not interested,”

“Why? Because of that loser? You could do better.”

That was it. That was the reason you’d backhanded the disrespect right out of that man’s bloodline. 

Xavier was….so many things. Incredibly kind, thoughtful, and just so deliciously him. You adored him the same way he adored you, and had him on a pedestal that no one could even close to touching. You could do better? Not possible. There was not a soul in this galaxy that was better than Xavier. At least, not to you.

Hearing someone speak lowly of him when you truthfully couldn’t even articulate how incredible he was? Yeah, instant slap. 

You kept your explanation short. “Some guy called you a loser,” You said, rubbing your arm sheepishly. 

Xavier almost giggled. 

“So….you slapped him?” 

You pressed your lips into a thin line, the reality of how out-of-pocket the whole thing was finally setting in.

Surprisingly, Xavier laughed. It was soft, filled with fondness and mirth. He pulled you into a loving embrace, placing a soft kiss on the top of your forehead. He'd be lying to the both of you if he said he wouldn't do something similar.

“I’m honored,” He began, his voice muffled by your hair, “but you don’t have to slap people on my behalf,”

“I’ll always defend you, whether you’re in the room or not,” You responded, your tone firm and completely serious. 

Xavier stood there for a moment, arms wrapped around you still, feeling like the luckiest guy alive. The thought of you backhanding someone for calling him something as simple as a loser was almost hysterical, yet it filled him with a warmth he couldn’t explain. You were really something else. 

After a moment, he pulled back, interlacing his fingers with yours. “Let’s go. There’s plenty of time left for us to turn this night around,”

❅ okay listen I love Zayne

❅ but he's kinda emotionally constipated sometimes (at least on the OUTSIDE)

❅ the logical side of him wants to scold you and tell you that this wasn't necessary

❅ but the emotional side, the side that is harder for him to articulate, is lowkey flattered that you'd go that far to defend his name

Zayne slowly paced back and forth in the lobby of the city’s police station, the only sounds in the room being the tap of his shoes on the linoleum floor and the ticking of a clock on the wall. He glanced toward the clock. It had been 20 minutes since he’d come to retrieve you, and he was growing impatient. 

The two of you were in another city for an awards banquet. You’d come along simply to support Zayne, your absolute favorite person in existence (who just so happened to be an incredible Doctor that was receiving multiple awards for his work).

Imagine Zayne’s surprise when the banquet ended and he couldn’t find you anywhere. It was extremely out of character for you to disappear when it came to things like this, especially while you were in an unfamiliar place. This wasn’t Linkon. You wouldn’t have simply left without so much as a ‘congratulations’, not to mention that Zayne had been your ride here.��

By the third time your phone had gone to voicemail, Zayne was nervous. That was when he started asking around. He’d pulled up a photo of you, showing it to various employees and asking if anyone had happened to see you leave. 

It was a security guard that told him you’d been arrested.

He left immediately, having the directions already pulled up before he made it out to the car. 

Now, he paced, an amalgamation of concern, confusion, and stress. 

A buzzing sound emanated from somewhere down the hall, and Zayne’s head whipped toward the sound to see you being led out by an officer, still wearing the outfit that matched his tie color. 

The red knuckles weren’t easy to miss. 

While he did still open the car door for you, he chose a tactical silence for the duration of the car ride. There wouldn’t be a single word spoken until you were back in the hotel room. This was a calculated method by Zayne. He knew you’d be absolutely squirming by the time you guys made it back, and that was exactly what he wanted. 

The door to your shared room clicked shut behind Zayne, who’d entered behind you. He leaned against it, folding his arms over his chest. He raised an expectant eyebrow at you, his eye flitting between your flustered face and reddened knuckles on your dominant hand. 

It was hard to take him seriously when he looked that handsome in a tux.

“I…may have overreacted,” You finally said, your voice coming out timid. 

“Can you go anywhere without picking a fight?” He responded, his tone exasperated. 

You swallowed. 

“I can…”

Zayne took a steadying breath. He moved from the door and took a seat on the edge of the bed. “Tell me what happened,”

You had been out looking at all of the posters on the wall, reading the lists of different accomplishments and awards printed under each attendee, waiting for the banquet to end. Zayne had already received his awards, but was still backstage and not allowed to leave. Some of the audience, including you, had stepped out of the auditorium throughout the banquet. You had originally just wanted some air. The auditorium had been stuffy, and the fancy outfit you had on was not helping. 

While you were out admiring the different posters, you heard a woman making some pretty rude comments about the poster she and her friends were in front of. At first, you just scoffed. You couldn’t imagine being so bitter. Was it so hard to be supportive of others, even if they weren’t the one you came for?

And then, you realized which poster she was standing in front of. 

Zayne.

Imagine this: You happen to be involved with an incredibly smart, talented, and stunning man that just so happens to be a Chief Cardiac Surgeon at only 27 years old. The same man that has made evolutionary discoveries and progress in treating cardiac abnormalities. The same man that you absolutely adored, and wanted nothing but the absolute best for. All of this is great, right? Now imagine hearing someone say something completely horrible about him right in front of you.

At first, the confrontation had started off as just a scolding. You’d told the woman that it wasn’t right to say horrible things about the attendees. They all did such incredible things that they were receiving awards for, after all. This was not the place for such behavior. 

And then, she just….kept going. 

Before long, you’d quickly ended the conversation with an abrupt bitch-slap. Security had already been approaching when your hand connected with her face. You weren’t going to tell Zayne this, but you’d actually gotten tackled. 

You gave Zayne the shortened version of the story, leaving out all of the gushing. 

Initially, he was quiet again as he tried to process what you’d just told him. 

Lady. Talking bad. Zayne. Slap.

For a moment, he couldn’t understand why you’d even resort to that. But when he looked at you, looking at him with eyes full of love and respect, he softened a little. While he didn’t necessarily agree with your methods, who was he to dictate how a person should react to any scenario?

He patted the spot next to him, still trying to form an appropriate response. You sat willingly, leaning into his side. He looped an arm around your waist. 

You sat in silence for a few minutes longer before he finally spoke. 

“The logical part of me should scold you, (Y/N). That was a bit overboard,” 

You looked up at him. His words implied that the logical part of him wasn’t the one that was winning whatever internal battle he had going on. “And what does the other part of you think?”

He sighed, pressing his forehead against yours. “Truthfully?”

You nodded, nearly melting at the sudden affection. His lips showed the faintest hint of a smile. “Truthfully, I’m flattered,”

❀yk how Raf blushes and pouts when you do the Heartbeat interaction??

❀ yeahhhh

❀ but also.....feelings

When Rafayel learned you’d been thrown out of his newest exhibition, he was initially pretty offended. He didn’t even want to be there to begin with. You were the only reason he’d forced himself to come, though he’d never admit it out loud. He had an arsenal of complaints ready to fire off the second he met you outside, after he reasoned with security, of course. 

It was Thomas who had weaved through the crowd, placed an urgent hand on Rafayel’s shoulder, and leaned close to speak for only the artist’s ears: “Security just dragged (Y/N) out of here. She hit someone,” 

The confrontation had luckily gone mostly unnoticed. It happened quick, and security had whisked you out. You’d gone willingly, and the man you’d struck no longer felt like sticking around either. 

Somewhere during the short walk from the back of the building to the front doors, your reason for lashing out had gotten lost in translation. Rafayel was under the impression that you’d thrown hands because someone had dissed his art. 

That, however, was an unfortunate misunderstanding. 

It wasn’t his art that the man had described as ‘worthless.’ It was Rafayel. 

Rafayel had smooth-talked security into letting you come back inside, with the condition that you would not be a problem for the remainder of the night. 

Rafayel had been flattered, but definitely thought you’d overreacted. 

“Not everyone can say they have a bodyguard this protective over art,” He teased, casting an amused glance in your direction. “Think we can make it through the rest of today without another attack?” 

You’d rolled your eyes, still a bit peeved. Who the hell comes to an exhibit specifically to dog the artist, anyway? “That’s not even what happened,” You grumbled. 

“People critique art all the tiiime. That doesn’t mean they should get assaulted over it,” 

“It’s different,” 

“I’m just saying. I’ve never punched anyone at an art gallery. Maybe you’re taking the Bodyguard title too seriously,” 

“Rafayel. You were the art,” 

Rafayel came to an abrupt stop, the air seemingly vanishing from his lungs. He’d heard you. He’d definitely heard you. His brain, however, was doing backflips, struggling to process your last sentence. 

You were the art. 

The gears clicked into place, his cheeks burning hotter and hotter with each passing second. In all honesty, he was conflicted. He was torn between the all-encompassing warmth, the feeling of being appreciated and thought so highly of that you would deck someone in the face purely for speaking ill on his name. The other half of him felt almost bitter. 

You were that same silly girl with a bad memory. And yet, here you were, fighting someone off of instinct when they said something nasty about him. 

You could do that, yet there was so much you couldn’t remember.

He was in a war with his thoughts and emotions, and unbeknownst to you, you were once again the cause. 

He finally collected himself, masking the emotional roller coaster he’d just been on with a chuckle. He patted the top of your head, settling on a teasing comment rather than risking opening the floodgates. 

“You’re so weird, Miss Bodyguard,” 

Rafayel would end up finding you in every lifetime, over and over again, no matter the cost. He’d remember every promise, every touch, every stolen moment. Yet, in every single timeline, you always found a way to make his head spin and his heart do cartwheels in his chest. 

This would forever stick out as one of those moments.  

⟡ Soft Sylus.

⟡ Soft Sylus.

⟡ SOFT SYLUS.

Sylus had invited you to tag along on yet another negotiation. He’d claimed he just liked having you at his side, but he truthfully respected your input more than he’d admit out loud. He’d often bring you along under the guise of keeping him company, but would subtly pay attention to your body language and facial expressions. If you weren’t going to bite, neither was he. 

After the first negotiation you attended, you as Sylus’ +1 became a much more frequent occurrence. As long as he was in the room, your safety was guaranteed. Not to mention how a lot of potential deals went off a little smoother when you were in the room to ease the tension. 

Today, the two of you were headed to a hotel a few cities away to meet with a man named Michael. You didn’t have many details about the deal, but you had the basics. If there was anything you needed to know, Sylus would tell you. 

It had taken you exactly 6 seconds after entering the room to decide that you did not like Michael. There was just something about him that had already gotten on your nerves. The arrogance? The ‘up-to-no-good’ vibe he absolutely reeked of?  The way he looked at the two of you like you were nothing more than pests the moment you walked in? 

While it was just you and Sylus on your side of the bargain, Michael had 6 armed guards scattered through the room, which added to your irritation. Michael was clearly a man that thrived off intimidation, yet was too cowardly to have an even playing field. 

Sylus never lost his nonchalance. He strode in like he had nothing to lose, suave and unbothered. He kept a hand pressed lightly against the small of your back as he guided you to a seat, a silent reassurance that everything would be fine.

The meeting had began, but not without Sylus catching how your mood had soured considerably within the first 10 minutes. 

The more Michael talked, the shadier the whole ordeal seemed. He was boasting about some modified protocore that was the ‘best on the market,’ and trying to goad Sylus into purchasing it. 

Sylus wasn’t dumb by any means. But Sylus was also a man that would humor someone for his own entertainment. “Show it to me,” He said, his tone even.

One of the guards gestured for Sylus to follow, and he immediately turned to you, waiting for you to come as well. Instead, you shook your head. You didn’t want to risk being ambushed when you came back if both of you left. Sylus trusted your judgment, knowing that he would be gone for less than 5 minutes. With a quiet “Behave,” cast in your direction, he disappeared with the guard. 

The second the door shut behind him, Michael turned to one of his guards and said something you probably weren’t supposed to hear.  “I’m going to walk that bastard like a dog, just watch.” 

Oh? 

In hindsight, it would have been better to keep your mouth shut. All you had to do was give Sylus a signal when he returned, and he would call this off with no hesitation. Your opinion mattered, after all. He didn’t just bring you to these meetings to serve as eye candy. Knowing this, you should have just brushed Michael’s comment off. However, it had gotten under your skin in a way you couldn’t shake off. The words were leaving your mouth before you could stop them.

“I’d like to see you try,” 

Michael, and all 5 of his remaining guards, immediately looked at you as if locking onto a target. The tension in the room intensified considerably.

Michael scoffed, looking at you as if you were a bug he’d stepped on. You glanced toward the door Sylus had stepped out of moments before, half expecting him to be standing there with an amused smirk on his face. He wasn’t, though.

Michael was on his feet, taking slow steps toward the chair you were sitting in. Despite the shaking in your fingers, you stayed put. “You must think so highly of him,” He drawled, zeroing in on you. “I didn’t know a man like that could catch the attention of a pretty thing like you,”

You didn’t know why, but your anger was rising with each passing second. The implication of his words was clear, but you wanted to hear him say it. It was obvious that he thought of himself higher than Sylus, and clearly didn’t have many polite thoughts about him. You and Sylus weren’t necessarily a… ‘thing,’ per se. Not yet, anyway.  So why did this piss you off so badly?

“A man like what?” You challenged, staring up at Michael. In your lap, your hands, that had been neatly folded, were slowly clenching into fists.

Michael's mouth twisted into a wolfish, arrogant grin. “I’d say he takes up more space than he’s worth. Cocky, foolish, insufferable–”

Your fist had connected with his jaw before he could get another word out, sending him stumbling backwards, clutching his jaw as he tried to regain his footing. 

It would take you about a week to fully process how the next 15 seconds had gone.

At first, the silence was so intense that you could audibly hear the rapid beat of your own heart.

Then, guns were raised and pointed directly at you. 5 from the guards, all at separate angles, and one directly in front of you from Michael himself. 

Next, gunfire. A lot of gunfire. Multiple shots ringing out from 6 different directions. 

You weren’t exactly sure when Sylus had entered, but he apparently had the timing of a God. You’d been whisked out of harm's way, somehow completely uninjured. You realized later that he likely used his evol somewhere in the mix.

Once safely away from the hotel, Sylus turned to face you, lips set in a thin line but his expression otherwise neutral. He studied you for a long moment. 

“That went well,” He said, his tone lacking any amusement. “Should I not trust you enough to leave you unattended for two minutes?”

You folded your arms over your chest. You didn’t trust the sound of your voice yet. You knew you owed him an explanation, but the adrenaline was still too high and you were still too angry to speak.

Sylus checked you for any injuries and then, to your surprise, grabbed your chin, tilting your head up to look at him.  

“You need to be more careful who you pick fights with,” He warned. His tone was firm, but not unkind. He knew you were more than capable of handling yourself. It was one of the things he appreciated about you. However, the fight today had left a bitter taste in his mouth. This was the first time he hadn’t been in the room the entire time. It could have been a lot worse, and you weren’t bulletproof. This was the first time he’d left you alone for more than 30 seconds, and it had ended with you in a shootout. 

“Maybe he shouldn’t have been talking shit about you the second you walked away,” You retorted, your voice coming out bitter. “Right in front of me. It was just…disrespectful.”

Sylus, who had assumed Michael had started it on his own, was stunned. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t have any quips or sarcastic comments to make. That was what had caused the fight? You, the same person that used to look at him with so much distrust and caution, had thrown yourself into a fight to defend his name while he wasn’t in the room. 

Sylus was silent for a moment, his eyes combing your face for any hint of deception. When your words finally sank in, he nearly melted on the spot. The adoration he’d already felt was intensified. The warmth he felt in his chest was almost too much, and he wasn’t sure whether he should scold you or kiss you. 

Instead, he gently tugged you against his chest, choosing to simply hold you for a moment. It felt like the only correct option. His chin rested against the top of your head, one arm looped around your back as the other cradled your head. He was absolutely flattered, and outrageously smitten.

Yeah, he had it bad. 

“Just when I think I have you figured out, you go and do something else that surprises me,” He murmured fondly, rubbing small circles into your back. You were an endless mystery to him. But as he stood there, holding you against him, he knew he’d happily spend the rest of his life trying to figure you out. 

Note: 1.4k words just for Sylus I am SO SORRY but I needed this man getting all soft with this prompt slkdhjsalkhd 

[cemoras-27-but-pokemon-this-time]

surprise trading in Scarlet and I found a Hacked advert, but hey free master ball I guess? its not going in my shiny box tho

[81folklore]

dress - VETTEL - part 2

pairings: sebastian vettel x famous!reader (fc: taylor swift)

summary: its known that seb has been married for a few years now despite the public never seeing is wife, its also known that yn is in a committed relationship and has been since she disappeared from public eye. maybe they are more connected than people realise

authors note: part two because i didnt realise how long it had gotten but im allergic to actually writing.. also i apologize for the first part literally just being build-up.. i honestly didnt know about the 30 pic limit so...

authors note 2: i used google translate for the german so i hope its correct, also i dont know if petnames like darling or sunshine are used in germany but i had to use them

authors note 3: i actually hate how this turned out :/ but it was very hard to actually get my thoughts onto the page so this will do! this is part 2 so go read part 1 first!!

part 1 part 3 masterlist

ynupdates

liked by user5, user77, olliebearman and 45,920 others

YN IN THE F1 PADDOCK TODAY, I REPEAT YN IN THE PADDOCK

view comments

user77: sorry i dont follow f1, i thought the races were on sundays?

user5: dont be sorry! today is qualifying and tomorrow is the race!

user5: SHES THERE I CANT STAY CALM

user91: does anyone know who she was with in those photos of her by the track?

user5: sebastian vettel and mick schumacher!

user6: SHE WAS WATCHING QUALIFYING WITH SEB AND MICK?? SEB VETTEL?? AND MICK SCHUMACHER?? OH LORDDD

user12: i thought i would survive.. i lied

ynupdates

liked by user5, user20, user99 and 101,782 others

seems like yn is with redbull at todays race looking as gorgous as ever!

view comments

user5: OH OH OH OH

user5: SHE IS STUNING HOLY

user20: her style recently has been AMAZING

user68: out of every team i think redbull would have been one of my last guesses

user6: THE WAY SHE IS WITH REDBULL AND SPENT QUALIFYING WITH REDBULLS GOLDEN BOY OH I FEEL SICK

user99: i love her so much

user42: at least her team will win

user591: IS SHE WEARING A WEDDING RING??

user618: i think so?? honestly i wouldnt be surprised shes very private and has been with her partner for almost 8 years so no wonder he popped the question

user90: i need her to be at every gp

ynupdates

liked by charles_leclerc, user55, user81 and 234,891 others

yn on stage performing dress during the post-race concert at suzuka! as far as we know it was a complete surprise, she came on to sing dress then left. this is her second time performing it to a live audience!

view comments

user81: WHEN IS IT MY TURN TO HEAR DRESS LIVE

user5: charles and seb were both spotted watching her from the side of the stage!

user81: charles taking seb to see his favorite artist..what if i cried

user55: i cant believe i lost dress twice without even knowing i could lose it😭

user8: i hope she had so much fun, ive missed her doing stuff like this :’)

user12: apparently she was laughing and looking off stage at someone throughout, possibly her partner?

user1: SHE AWLAYS LOOKS SO GOOD

user13: so much content this weekend..im going to have major withdrawls

yourusername

liked by sebastianvettel, mickschumacher and 13,712,847 others

four years ago i was given the pleasure of marrying my best friend

i am unable to really put into words how much meeting you and getting to spend the rest of my life with you has changed my life seb, but i tell you i love you enough daily that i hope you understand

when we first met i had no idea how much you would impact me and the way i think, but you have helped me become the woman i am today and i am forever grateful for that

i often feel unworthy of the life you have given me, the life we have together. i wonder how i got to be the one you love and cherish and i know how lucky i am to be the one you spend your life with

you gave me your heart and i promise to look after it for as long as im here, i promise to keep it safe and i know you will look after mine

danke, dass du mich liebst, danke, dass du dich um mich kümmerst. (thank you for loving me, thank you for taking care of me) Ich verspreche, dich bis zu meinem letzten Atemzug zu lieben. (I promise to love you until my last breath) Ich werde nie aufhören, dich zu lieben, Mein Sonnenschein. (I will never stop loving you, my sunshine)

tagged: sebastianvettel

comments on this post have been limited

sebastianvettel: Danke, dass du dein Herz geöffnet hast und mich dich lieben lässt, mein Schatz (Thank you for opening your heart and letting me love you, my darling)

sebastianvettel

liked by yourusername, lewishamilton and 8,728,712 others

I won the most important race. It was the race into the heart of the love of my life, yn. I love you.

view comments

yourusername: 🩵🩵🩵

user5: I CANT DO THIS STOP

user12: hes so sweet :(

user18: ive known about them for a total of 2 minutes but i love them already🫡

user6: dress was written about him…

user71: i feel ill wehn will i get posted like this

sebastianvettel

liked by charles_leclerc, yourusername, landonorris and 10,120,859 others

the sunshine of my life

view comments

yourusername: i love you so much

lewishamilton: very happy for you mate!

user13: THEY LOVE EACHOTHER SO MUCH OH MY GOD😭😭

landonorris: 🥹🥹

user82: DRESS WAS WRITTEN BY HER FOR HIM AND HE WAS PROUD OF IT OH LORD

user5: literally my favorite people in the entire universe🫶

user19: still in shock that theyve been married for four years

[scary-grace]

(secret) santa, baby - part 6 of a shigaraki x f!reader fic

Shigaraki doesn't want to participate in the office's Secret Santa exchange, but when Toga promises to make it easy on him, he gives in. But making it easy for him makes it a lot harder for you -- you're the one who got his list. Office AU, no quirks. A fic in 12 parts. Divider by @ wcnderlnds

part i part ii part iii part iv part v part vi part vii

part vi (holiday parties)

Everybody’s been talking about the company holiday party scheduled for Christmas night for a month and a half, and you assumed everybody would settle for that one instead of throwing parties of their own. But based on the number of party invitations that have been dropped on your desk, your coworkers are as over-the-top about holiday parties as they are about everything else. It seems like there’s a party or two every night, work nights included. You’ve gotten at least five invitations, and in your efforts to make friends, you’ve been going to all of them.

So far you’ve done a cookie party, a gingerbread house party, a holiday-themed DIY spa night with your coworkers from the advertising department, karaoke with the PR team, a White Elephant party that scraped up almost everybody and took almost four hours to get through, and one party that was just an eggnog-fueled walk through Yaoyorozu’s ritzy neighborhood, which you have to admit has the prettiest Christmas light displays you’ve ever seen. You can hang in there with the best of them, but you’re getting sort of partied out.

The next invitation arrives while you’re at your desk the day after Yaoyorozu’s party, still trying to shake off the eggnog, and it’s delivered by the last person you’d have expected to care about that kind of thing. “Toga’s having a party,” Shigaraki says without preamble. He drops the invitation down on your desk, next to the pen you got from your Secret Santa. “You’re invited.”

He looks really unhappy about it. It makes you nervous. “Did she tell you to invite me?”

“Where do you think I got this?” Shigaraki gestures at it with one hand, and you notice that his skin looks less irritated than it did the last time you saw him. He must be using the hand cream, and the feeling of accomplishment that settles around you is almost enough to cut the nerves of this conversation. “Can you go to the party or not?”

You study the invitation. “A pajama party?”

“She just means not work clothes,” Shigaraki says. He scratches lightly at his neck. “We just eat and hang out and watch Christmas movies. Nothing weird.”

“Other than you watching Christmas movies,” you say. He glances at you, then looks away. “I thought you hated this stuff.”

“There are drinks, too. That helps.”

You’re kind of maxed out on Christmas drinks. You glance at the invitation. It’s for tomorrow, which isn’t a work night, and you don’t have anything planned. Toga’s been nice to you. If it’s Toga’s party and she’s inviting her friends, Spinner and Twice will be there, and they’ve been nice to you, too. You might not know Dabi or Magne or Compress very well, but you think you can probably avoid bothering them if you’re careful. There’s not a reason to say no – except the reason that’s standing in front of you, waiting with increasing irritation for you to reply. “Well?”

“Do you want me to go?” you ask, and Shigaraki stares at you. “If you’re only inviting me because Toga’s making you –”

“That’s not what I said,” Shigaraki says. He looks even more annoyed than he did a second ago, but there’s color coming up in his face. You wonder if that’s what you looked like when you were singing a Christmas song to ward off the carolers. “Can you go or not?”

“Um –” If you say yes, he’ll stop staring at you like that. And you still need to make friends. “Yes. Tell Toga I’m looking forward to it.”

Shigaraki nods once and stalks off, probably headed straight back to the basement. You study Toga’s invitation a little more carefully. There’s a list of movies on it that looks pretty good, and it says you’re not supposed to bring anything except yourself, your pajamas, and an ugly sweater if you have one. It sounds like a quieter party than the ones you’ve been going to, and it’s not a work night tomorrow, so there’s no reason for you to feel anxious about it. Is there?

“Hey!” Ashido’s peering over the wall of her cubicle into yours. “Did I hear that right? Shigaraki left the dungeon just to ask you out?”

Your face goes up in flames. “He didn’t ask me out. He was just dropping off an invitation to Toga’s party. She must have asked him –”

“That’s not what he said,” Hakagure says, leaning out of her cubicle across the way to stare at you. “You assumed Toga asked him to ask you, but he didn’t agree.”

“And we know Toga usually hand-delivers her invitations,” Ashido continues, “because Uraraka got one. Right, Uraraka?”

“I went last year, too,” Uraraka says. “It’s different, but it’s okay. They’re all a lot different when they’re not at work.”

Uraraka’s going, too. Knowing that eases your mind a little bit. And knowing that they’re different than they are at work is a positive. You think. Given that ‘what Shigaraki’s like at work’ is a category broad enough to include just about every behavior somebody can exhibit without getting fired, you’ve really got no idea what he could possibly be like in his off hours. In twenty-four hours and change, you’re going to find out.

You try not to think about what Ashido and Hagakure said, but it lurks at the edges of your thoughts overnight and into the next day, and by the time you’re knocking on the door to Toga’s apartment, you can’t ignore it any longer. He didn’t say Toga told him to ask you. He also didn’t say he didn’t want you to go. In your observations of Shigaraki, you’ve never seen him be shy about saying what he doesn’t like.  If he didn’t want you to go, you’d have known about it. Which means he does want you to be here. Why does he want to see you outside of work? Is he really –

“You came!” The door opens in your face, startling you out of your thoughts, and Toga pulls you inside before you can get your bearings entirely. “Tomura-kun said he needed an invitation for you, but we didn’t think he’d actually go through with it. I’m so glad you’re here!”

“He went through with it? Damn.” Dabi appears around the corner. If you’d been trying to predict his outfit for a pajama party, you wouldn’t have picked an actual pajama set, which is what he’s wearing. “I hope you like lame-ass Christmas horror movies, because that’s what we’re watching first.”

“There are Christmas horror movies?”

“Oh yeah! Lots of them!” Twice also has a pajama set. His comes with a hat on it. “We have to watch at least one every year so Shigaraki won’t get up and leave when we try to watch Home Alone or Elf.”

“And this year we had to have two horror movies,” Magne adds. She’s in the kitchen, mixing drinks. “It’s the only way we can get him to sit through Love Actually.”

“How do you pick the movies?” you ask. Magne hands you a drink, then shoos you towards the living room, which is a sea of couches and beanbag chairs. “Does everybody pick?”

“We always do Nightmare Before Christmas, since we can all agree on that one,” Spinner says. He’s already sitting down, and his idea of pajamas looks a lot more like yours – sweatpants, sweater, both sort of old. “Then we put all the others on a corkboard and play darts to pick.”

He points over to one wall, and sure enough, you can see a corkboard covered in darts and tiny pieces of paper. “Anybody who’s invited can suggest one.”

“One of mine made it this year,” Uraraka says brightly. “Die Hard.”

“You could have added one, too, if somebody hadn’t waited so long to invite you –”

“Give it a rest,” Shigaraki says, and you jump. You almost didn’t notice him, settled in like he is at one corner of the couch with the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up over his hair. “Take one of my picks. So you won’t have to watch a bunch of things you hate.”

“Oh, that’s okay –”

“No,” Shigaraki says. He sits up and his hood falls down. “Pick something.”

“Pick something,” Twice agrees, edging past you to plop down on the couch next to Shigaraki. “Save us from the gremlins. I can’t watch the microwave scene again.”

“No, we should keep the gremlins. I don’t want to watch that Krampus thing,” Toga complains. “It looks so gross and weird –”

“We only have one movie that’s off-limits,” Spinner says. “It’s –”

“The Grinch,” you say, and Spinner gives you a surprised look. “Let me think for a second.”

“Sit down while you’re thinking about it,” Magne advises, reaching over the back of the couch to shove Twice towards the middle and free up the space next to Shigaraki. Is that where you’re supposed to sit? “Go on.”

You sit down, careful not to spill your drink, and think through the list of Christmas movies you know. You don’t want to pick something they’ll hate – or something Shigaraki will hate, given that he’s the one who invited you – and the only thing you have to go on is that they all like Nightmare Before Christmas. Hasn’t Tim Burton done another Christmas movie? You take a sip of your drink, which is thankfully not eggnog, to jog your memory. “What about Edward Scissorhands?”

“Never seen that one,” Dabi muses. “Spinner. Get rid of the gremlins and add it to the lineup.”

You haven’t seen it in forever. Hopefully it’s not bad, and hopefully everybody drinks enough by then that they don’t care whether it’s good or not. As Spinner screws around with the TV and everyone else starts looking for spots to sit, you turn your attention to Shigaraki. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Letting me pick one,” you say.

Shigaraki shrugs. The two of you are sitting close enough that his shoulder brushes against yours. “It’s not a big deal. I knew you wouldn’t pick the Grinch.”

“I know a Grinch-free zone when I’m in one,” you say, and Shigaraki’s scarred mouth pulls up slightly at one corner. You can’t imagine him smiling like that at work, and you don’t know how you feel about it. “Thanks for inviting me to this, too.”

“Toga didn’t make me,” Shigaraki says. “It was my idea. Just so you know.”

He was holding your gaze at first. When he says that, he looks away, and you don’t try to make him look back. You face front and wait for Toga to start the movie, and when Magne sits down on the couch, you scoot just a little closer to Shigaraki to make room. It reminds you of high school in some sense you can’t put your finger on, some way you’re not ready to look at too closely. But there are five movies in the queue for Toga’s holiday party. You’ve got a long time tonight to figure it out.

<- part v part vii ->

[zarnzarn]

About the Reverse Odyssey AU (love it btw), do you think any of the Ithacans start praying to Hephastus? Just in case they can't get Odysseus back to human form, at least they can ask the God of inventing how to build a new palace that's half underwater.

oh god I have to continue that.... i have 3000 wips that ive gotten inspo for all at once are descending on me guys plus I am actively getting a master's degree bear w me for a few days

also OMG fuck yes!!! Ithaka is much more involved in this than in canon since a. they r not down 600 people who are immensely loyal to odysseus b. their king made a direct sacrifice FOR THEM literally no one else would have done this no other king would ever let himself be cursed to save his kingdom c. it's been 10 years and they all find it unjust because they'd all seen him weep as he left and know he and Penelope missed each other like crazy.

(plus he was very young when he took the throne! imagine a 13 year old telling u what to do and then being right. the people of Ithaka must have been very fond of him and most would have seen him as son-adjacent)

so one person has this idea one day, and they take it to the architects, who take it to the blacksmiths, who take it to the ruler of Ithaka. She pursues her lips as she looks at it, teeth grinding at the assumption that they would succeed but not overcome the curse, but allows them to do it.

So they start.

It is harder than their initial ideas demanded. First there is the matter of structures that do not stay down long enough to stick together, then there is the matter of how to secure them. Their dreams of beautiful underwater sculptures fall through as they struggle to conjure up even a basic shelter, even in the summer calm of the waters.

So, desperate and frustrated, they pray to Hephastus.

Ithaka is famous for its dedication to the goddess Athena, most of its temples under the king's ten-year rule being lovingly dedicated to the wisdom goddess. A separate group of smaller temples honors the other gods in the main town; but the main palace and most houses are painted blue and owl feathers and trinkets and sculptures are sold in the main market- the most beautiful of artistry is reserved for Pallas Athene alone.

But the blacksmiths and architects work together to build a small shrine worthy of the inventor god; with hidden catches and rotating idols and the best of their tools and ideas burnt at the fire kept burning at the base of it.

And after a few weeks- Hephaestus blesses them.

(He cannot make up for what he tried to do to Athena in his drunkenness and on Posiedon's inescapable goading. He was young and stupid and hurt and proud and drugged- he thinks she knows this, and has long since let it pass enough to stand beside him without a second thought; but will never be able to get over his shame- so the least he can do is this.)

But Ithaka's artists wake up with the same idea in mind and rush to the shrine in the early hours of the morning to give their thanks. Then they start building- floating large stones down at the far end to mark the range, until they have raised the wall enough to drain out the waters for them to work inside. They work fast, laying down the walls within days, until it joins to where the courtyard of the main palace creeps down the side of the cliff. From the palace itself, a tunnel is dug in the main room, wrapping around the mountain through the softer rock deposits, then travelling down to the sea.

They have the blueprints Odysseus himself had commissioned for his palace, and try to add in the carvings and structures accordingly. They dare not risk more than the smallest of owls carved into the stone entrance, wary of Posiedon's wrath at his rival. They work hard, encouraged by the people, helped by the Trojan heroes themselves- and strangely, their hands never feel tired and the ideas never stop coming.

The first test comes at the start of the monsoons.

The storms roll in angry and strong, battering against the island of Ithaka as furiously as always. When it is done, the architects are dismayed to find their hard-made palace flooded and destroyed, stone displaced or missing, with one collapse of the outside barrier causing three more within.

Dejected, they burn their tools at the temple forge once more, and then go to bed.

That next morning, the youngest of them wakes up with the thought- what if we used metal to hold them together?

The royal family gives them funding once more, and they commission for marble pillars to be sent from the mainland in exchange for their raw materials; these they sink to the bottom and drain the water once more. These pillars are erected and melted into the shifting sand with hot liquid metal, until they fuse into the rock. The roofed ceiling is replaced with live kelp and seaweed, attached to the top of the pillars and bound together. The walls are rebuilt quicker- with more labour coming in when they look closer to success than before, men with guilty eyes and stubborn determination ready to do the back-breaking, risky work.

The whole island holds its breath this time, as the monsoon rolls in and the ships return. The storms roll in and-

The wall has fallen completely, leaving the surroundings unsuitable for them to put it back up, letting the water back in.

But the building stands.

The celebration lasts all day and night, with all the workers being given a place of honor at the palace table itself for dinner. Even the royal family themselves are happy, for all the disappointment of another year of failure, and are grateful in a way that satisfies them more than the money ever could.

Yet there is still the second test- the tunnel to connect to the palace.

The main digging is complete; but as they reach the end they realize they do not know how they will open it to the sea without losing men to the outburst of the sea pouring back in. The Queen twists her lips when they go to her with the problem, thinking.

"This is such a bad idea," One of the men whispers.

"Shh," Eurylochus says, striking another spear into the final barrier. Two men come forward with hammers and push it in further, and they wait until the call comes in from the surface far above from the diver outside that the spear has gone through. "Don't tempt fate."

"You are such a nice, sane man, Eurylochus," One of the men moans despairingly, and he smiles, small. "Why are our royals all mad?"

He laughs, remembering a similar conversation from many years ago. He slips the rope around the loop at the end of the spear, and feels the nostalgia twist into sorrow once more, missing his captain, his general, his brother, his king, his friend. If only he had never kept that cursed bag. If only he had the courage to step forward first, not frozen in fear and shouldered the cost instead like a soldier should for their king, for Odysseus. Had not made mistake after mistake further, ordering Odysseus out of their reach in his panic to get him to the water, not being prepared with a net to catch him both times they'd seen him after.

He kept one on his belt now, at all times.

But until the skies and seas cleared, there was nothing to do except make sure Ody had a home to return to; that he could reach.

"Let's go," Eurylochus exhales, and they all grab the ropes attached to the dozens of spears and make their way back up the winding tunnel as slowly as they can, careful not to step on even one rope or pull too hard, and risk spelling doom for them all. Hearts pounding as they walk in the eerily silent tunnel, the dark taunting them, urging them to run. But they hold their nerve and come out at the pool created inside the main court.

Eurylochus climbs out last from the pool, and smiles up at Ctimene. She looks beautiful in the Ithakan jewels once more, holding herself with more grace and confidence than much richer princesses ever had, anklets tinkling.

She nods and then turns to the rest. "PULL!"

As one, the ropes spring up tight, straining until the spears come loose and men go falling to the floor with shouts. For a second nothing happens.

Then they hear the roaring.

He knows it's water, Eurylochus knows it has to be water- but it still sounds like a hoard of monsters, the shouting of a battlefield, the cyclops when he stole the lives of their friends in his fury. He can't help grabbing his wife and pulling her back, shouting for a retreat as the water rushes through the tunnel and bursts out in a terrible din into the pool, filling it to the top and then overspilling off the sides immediately.

For a heart-stopping moment, Eurylochus watches the water catch onto the feet of the people around, rising and rising, and he remembers Poseidon's cruel smile as he crippled and cursed Eurylochus' brother and thinks it's going to drown us all-

And then the tide recedes, and the water crawls back with it.

The plan worked. The palace of Ithaka now creeps down into the sea, enticing their wayward king to find his way back home, swim back to them and be happy, even if they never solved his curse.

All they have to do now is wait.

[speakofthedebbie]

by popular demand (re: one person) some radioapple fic recs!! (i hope thats what you meant lol most of the fics i read are just radioapple)

Bedtime Rituals to Try out Before the Next Angelic War by @miribalis

just yes. thousand times yes. so basically my boy luci has some sleep troubles and that somehow leads to a qpr with al look its been a while ok just read it

Managerial Liberties by the same fella

these two tags explain it pretty well

something that sticks out to me about this is that charlie is actually (reasonably) cold to adam and like. im actually surprised with how little ive seen that. i mean i dont think id be exactly buddy-buddy with my besties killer either. only 3 chaps as of writing but already looking to be a radioapple classic

im not sure if its meant to be read as such but it kinda feels like a squeal to bedtime rituals in a way (edit: not meant to be read as such, just the same vibe)

devils don't fly (don't expect me not to fall) by @corgiss

also just yes. basically a really not cool joke evolves into a blossoming romance because why wouldnt it. (man if i had a nickel for every radioapple fic that had a masquerade that was sabotaged by the vees- *gets shot bc i cant mention osas yet*)

i’ll hold you close (i’ll stay the course) by the same fella

the entire time i was just going "yas king! put that egotistical flatscreen in his place!!". basically luci reminds the overlords who he is and vox shows he can be more of a threat than he lets on.

ykw fuck it just the entire series (i didnt mention i would give anything to not give a shit (but i do) and my perfect rock bottom (my beautiful trauma) because the first one sounded a lil too angsty and ive gotten enough of that from other sources [pointedly glares at Quietly, It Slips Through Your Fingers, Love {also coming up later!}] and the second is (mostly) smut and ive been trying to step back from that because "ive seen worse" isnt a valid excuse for that torture actually)

Of Saints and Sinners by the forever amazing @morningstarwrites!! (if you see this i have a serious question: is this your first time ever writing a fic? because how do you get so much right the first time- [not even beginners luck could explain this level of skill])

i could sing its praises until my death bed but ill hold off so i can explain whats happening. basically after burning down a meeting room several times, luci and al make a deal ("not a deal!", luci laments to the void): they will attempt to be civil and maybe even friendly, and by the end luci will owe al a favour. whats the favour? read it yourself dammit! seriously, 10/10, i am foaming at the mouth till friday (depending on how this goes, that might be tomorrow or today)

Quietly, It Slips Through Your Fingers, Love by Starlit_Rainfall (no tumblr in sight, so AO3) (i. urgfgh. what happened. i was just smiling over the fluff while crossing to go to school. where did it go. where did it gooooo)

if thats anything to go by, the last few chapters have been rough. the fluff feels so far away that i cant even explain what happens. luci was waxing poetic about swimming in maple syrup for al, i remember that much. also emily is there (fallen) tho we havent seen her in a sec. if you read it, warning for the gut punch of angst that starts chap 32 "She/Her" (though the chapter before that, "Should Alastor Know By Now?" ends pretty rough too)

Freely We Serve by @romanaxe

i dont remember how i managed to stumble upon this but im having a great time. basically alastor is a new sinner fresh in hell (but time doesnt matter and the whole cast is still here) and thinks "what better way to gain power than be the personal assistant of the heartbroken king of hell!" features a 6(?) year old charlie and a morally dubious lilith (also i loved eepy al X3)

A Family Forged in Hellfire by Green_Ghostwriter (once again, no Tumblr, so AO3)

this ones a bit newer (10 chaps), is so far mostly exposition and the slowburn pot hasnt even been put on the stove, but as just a hazbin fic in general i see the potential. basically its a 1920s au where heaven decides little charlie doesnt deserve to be raised in hell and is sent to earth with a "foster" family where her actions in life will determine witch realm she will return to after death. her "parents", al and minzy, are given false memories so they can claim the girl as their own and gee i wasnt kidding when i said it was a lot of exposition. erm honestly explaining anymore would tech be spoiling so go read it!

The Red Thread That Binds Us by @scun-gilli

{{future me prefacing this by saying i have no idea where i was going with yesterdays thought process, all you need to know from it was im on chapter 27. also scungilli your comment is making me very worried 😟 well theres no mcd tag so im sure itll fine, right? RIGHT, SCUNGILLI??}}

basically its a king x kings guard au where al and luci grow up together and only grow closer after a. certain life event for al (its fine guys trust :)) [she said, like a liar]) then al is sent of for royal guard training school (ik its not called that i forgor 😭) but dw he comes back. just watch out for graphic depictions of injuries (i think thats this fic) angst and a sneaky eve bc radioapple fics are allergic to happiness (or maybe im not looking hard enough lol) (also im really tempted to make the friendship bracelets they had 👀)

somewhere down the line by kj_crwm (AO3 link)

this one starts off as human!alastor/lucifer but by the middle(?) its just regular radioapple. basically al is encountered by luci while finishing off a job who agrees to keep quiet. luci just keeps on showing up, reveals hes the devil to which al us just like "lol ok" and eventually they get in a relationship (ooh lala 👀) but they break up after saying some hurtful things to each other (oh nono 👀) with luci promising al they will never cross paths again. if you watched the show then well. you know that doesnt happen 😂 most human!al radioapple have al summon him (no hate to them) so this was an interesting change of pace

cannot stress it enough but this is a WORKING list i WILL be coming back to it bc these are purely the fics i could think if off the top of my head. IN FACT, if any of you have radioapple fics you love, SEND THEM THE FUCK IN! i am one person whos only been in this fandom for 4 months, and reading fics/shipping radioapple even less, theres bound to be some ones i missed that you think are Worthy™️! and if theyre nsfw then at the very least it shouldnt be the main focus

EDIT: so sorry anyone who reblogged this before had to see the disgusting unedited version. literally just found out that tumblr doesnt apply edits to reblogs. what the fuck

[idyllic-affections]

dad!pantalone brainrot (ft. il dottore & baizhu) iv.

summary. when their health issues flare up, there are very few doctors that their father will permit to treat them.

trigger & content warnings. implied canon-typical dottore violence, (empty) threats, chronic illness, blood, mentions of death, etc.

tropes, pairings, fic length, & other notes. hurt/comfort. dad!pantalone & reader, il dottore & reader, baizhu & reader. 0.7k words. they/them pronouns for reader. prev | next

author's thoughts. this series is never ending... in my defense, it was going to be a full-length fanfic but i never ended up pursuing that idea. anyway baizhu and pantalone are brothers here! idc if it ends up being non canon, its canon in my heart 💖 this got... slightly angstier than i intended. whoops!

when it comes to his child's health, pantalone only trusts two doctors in all of teyvat.

(he objectively trusts one far more than the other, though.)

il dottore is an... unfortunately large part of their life. the regrator did eventually accept that it was inevitable, given how "close" he and the doctor tend to be. dottore is one of their many tutors, though admittedly, his teaching methods are probably a little concerning... at least [name] is proficient in anatomy and physiology! perhaps pantalone should reconsider whether or not his child should be left alone with him. he'd somewhat gotten over his initial concerns about leaving them with him and his segments after seeing zeta nearly tear someone's head clean off in their defense, but perhaps it's time to reconsider! the second may not be hurting them, per se, but he is creating a desensitized little thing.

(though... it may very well be for the best, given their harbinger lineage. they cannot afford to be soft or squeamish. pantalone knows this very well.)

the second fatui harbinger is also largely responsible for making sure they're in good health. semiannual check-ups are a standard practice as opposed to annual ones; they did happen to inherit their father's poor immune system. dottore once offhandedly commented that it probably came more from the regrator's brother, as even pantalone isn't as prone to illness as his child is. the doctor has never met baizhu personally, but pantalone knows he's right. they tire so easily... sometimes it makes him sick with worry. regardless, it runs in the family, and some get it worse than others, so check-ups are more common.

(check-ups are always an amusing sight when zeta is around, wordlessly fiddling with a needle suspiciously close to their neck.

"put that needle in my throat and i will tear out yours."

he only smiles at them.

their smug aura does not mock him; contrary to popular belief, he finds it quite funny and endearing! they are the only person that can get away with talking shit like that. not even the other dottore clones can talk to him like that without getting a violent response. he lets it slide with omega because he has to, but beyond that...

he's fond of them. he's just too emotionally constipated to admit it.)

however, sometimes pantalone doesn't completely trust dottore not to harm them when they're seriously ill and vulnerable. he knows dottore would gain nothing by bringing them harm, and yet...

archons, becoming a father has made him awfully protective, hasn't it? surely he wasn't like this before he took them back from arlecchino?

times like those, times in which their illness would act up to the point of leaving them bedridden, making them shiver and tremble and spit up blood... times like those are when he calls upon baizhu.

he'd understand their illness better than dottore ever could, anyway. pantalone was right to make such an assumption.

"has your father taught you nothing of energy management?"

"energy management?" they scoffed sarcastically, the warmth from the cup of herbal tea in their hands soothing the chill in their trembling fingers, "from the man who hardly takes care of himself? please. he acts as if he isn't also chronically ill. he'll literally work himself to death if he isn't more careful. it's... worrying, actually." they tapped their nails against the cup mindlessly, chewing on the corner of their lip.

anxiety was not good for their health, especially not when they were already this ill.

"oh?" baizhu's interest was very much piqued at that, and their lips twitched upwards slightly at the way his hand stroked over their head calmingly. "in that case, i'll have to teach you my methods, but... he's been taking poor care of himself, has he?"

"the poorest."

"i see. do tell me everything, for... future reference."

they knew very well that 'future reference' meant a firm chiding. oh well! it's not like they purposely exposed their father's poor habits, no no. they were a loyal child. they'd never do something so terrible and unforgivable...

unless it was baizhu who asked, of couse. it would be awfully rude to withhold secrets about his own relatives from him, after all!

pantalone may get sick with worry over their health, but the sentiment is very much mutual.

please consider reblogging, it helps me out quite a lot!

[babiebom]

When You Fall (iv)

A/N: I always get this far into a fic and it gets harder to write someone please save me.

Tw:panic attack/breakdown, cursing, reader does not want to socialize.

Wc:2.6k

Previous Next Masterlist

The Saloon was not as deserted as you'd hope it be, people were sitting at tables, cliqued up and conversing. It was louder than you thought it would be, laughter filling the air. Yet, you couldn't adjust to the vibes, the laughter ringing in your ears as if it were a reminder of what could have been. It was almost too warm and stuffy, and like the biggest nuisance ever, you couldn't get your feet to move away from the door. 

The man was now staring at you expectantly, so you weakly brought up a hand to wave at him. The people in the Saloon had started to stare now, which made you more nervous than you cared to admit. So you hurry towards the bar, ordering the cheapest thing you could eat. 

The man behind the bar, Gus, had taken your order with a smile, yet didn't make any moves to try and talk to you. With a breath of relief, you silently watched as he prepared your salad, it was obvious he was making it with as many extra ingredients that he could afford to give you without charge. You wanted to cry because of the kind gesture, but that wasn't uncommon these days, you had been crying often without any reason. 

A woman with bright blue hair had been eyeing you the entire time, but like Gus she made no room to speak to you. She just cleaned cups and refilled drinks, smiling whenever the two of you would make eye contact. It feels like forever until your salad is ready, and the second it is you flee to the farthest, emptiest booth you could see. It was embarrassing, not being ready to socialize again, but you knew that this town had known your grandfather, maybe even knew him a hell of a lot better than you did and you did not want to hear their well wishes and pity because you lost him. In all honesty in the back of your mind you didn't even know if you deserved their sympathy,  you had made no effort to see him especially in his last years. You didn't want to see him in bad health and that cost you the chance of ever seeing him again, he died alone in a nursing home where the people there only cared about him because they were getting paid.

You sniffle, trying to avoid having any tears fall into your salad. You shouldn't even be crying here anyways, your bad mood was probably dampening the vibe everyone had going on. Before you even get the chance to wipe away your tears, your booth shakes as someone falls into the seat opposite of you.

Your eyes land on familiar ginger hair and a darker skinned man you had never seen before. Confused, you stay silent allowing Robin to speak first. You hadn't wanted company, but you figured that you would've gotten it either way, small towns seem to be nosy like that. You were just glad it was Robin instead of a person you didn't know. 

"Hey farmer!" Robin spoke with a smile, her eyes searched yours for a second before her eyes dropped to your meal. Yeah, you thought bitterly, it's sad I know.

"Haven't seen you around recently."

You nod, trying to blink away leftover tears. "Yeah, just been focused on learning the ropes I guess."

"I figured." She smiles warmly and for a split second you feel bad. You had talked to the woman once, yet she was making it seem like she genuinely cared about you.

"Sorry…"

Before the conversation could even start tonight stale, Robin sucks in a breath, adjusting herself in her seat to wrap her hands around the arm of the man next to her. "Anyways. Have you met any other townspeople yet?"

"No. Not really. Other than the people at the clinic." You shrug, wanting to not be in this conversation anymore.

"Well, this is my husband Demetrius! So now you know one more person!" 

You nod and smile at her, giving the man a nice to meet you before letting your eyes wander. Some people were still trickling in, and you felt the urge to escape from your situation. Your eyes land on a man drinking alone in a corner, not even sitting in a stool. He was just standing, taking long sips every so often, he looked sad, maybe even more depressed than you are. His eyes flicker over to you, causing you to choke on your food before turning your head. 

Well that was embarrassing. 

Robin was still talking about something, and you caught something about her being able to build you a chicken coop or something. Your ears caught onto that and due to your love of animals, a chicken coop would mean chickens, and that would mean most of your time would be taken by taking care of tiny little creatures and not thinking about all the bad things that have happened. 

"How much would that cost?" 

You can see Robin's eyes light up immediately. You don't know how often people need things built or fixed, but you assume it's not often enough seeing how excited she looks. "Well, let me just say that you would also need to provide me the materials to build it, or you can buy those materials from me but the cost will obviously be more."

You nod as if her words were a given, of course you would need to provide everything. She waits a second before continuing as if expecting you to back out. "Okay, so building the coop itself would cost 4,000 gold and you would have to provide 300 logs of wood and 100 stones. If you want to buy the stone and wood from me it would bump the price up to 9,000 gold. I sell wood for 10 gold a log and each stone is 20 gold."

You suck in a breath through your teeth, it was going to drain a lot of your savings, but it would be worth it for your mental health, right? Nodding mostly to yourself, you speak before you can talk yourself out of it, at least if you make plans you can't back out of them. "So I can just bring you the money whenever I have the materials and you'll build me a chicken coop?"

"Yup."

"Cool." 

She claps her hands together and stands along with her husband, "well, it's time for us to go home, but I don't really want to leave you alone…"

"It's fine, Robin, honestly."

"No, no. You shouldn't be alone right now." She looks around for a second and you can almost see an idea pop into her head. "You should come meet my son and his friends! I think you all are around the same age!"

Before you can protest seriously, she gives you an expectant look that has you standing without thinking. At least you were done with your salad. Her husband, Demetrius clears his throat after not speaking the entire time. "I can take your plate back up to the bar." 

Doing that as a means to escape hadn't even crossed your mind, but it was obvious he was using it that way. You wondered why he wanted to escape talking to their son, did they not get along or something? He didn't even try to hide the fact that he didn't want any part of it. 

Coughing once into your fist, you follow Robin into a room farther into the saloon. The room is almost deserted except for three people standing around a dusty pool table. You avoided looking at them instead taking in the room. 

There were a couple of arcade games and couches that looked super worn. You weren't sure how often people were in here, especially with the only people being the three you already see. Swallowing at the lack of things to stare at you let your eyes flicker onto the people who were now looking at you in confusion. "Seb! I brought you a new friend!"

None of the three looked remotely mixed, and it confused you for a moment before you realized that that was probably the reason Demetrius didn't want to introduce you to their son, because it was her son and not his. Maybe it was an assumption and one of the guys could be his son, you just highly doubted it from how he acted.

All three people were insanely attractive, and all three were looking at you and Robin as if you had come in and said you had shit in their bed as a surprise for them when they got home. Sucking in your lips, you offer an awkward wave letting your hand flop back down to your side. The guy standing closest to the pool table, with the stick in his hand and dark hair that fell over his eyes moved forward slightly, embarrassment written all over his face. You felt bad for him, but not more than you felt for yourself at that moment. "Mom!" 

He looked offended at the notion that his mother believed he needed help making friends, or maybe it was because his mother brought someone like you. Blinking back tears at the thought you silently watched them interact, the two were now in a whispered argument so you had no choice but to stare at the other two who were staring back at you, mouths agape. 

Could you leave now? They obviously didn't want you here. And while you were grateful to Robin for trying to make sure you were okay, you also despised her for embarrassing you at that moment. She stepped away from 'Seb' with a smile, the guy just glowered at her before returning to his spot. Between his friends and the pool table. "Have fun!" Robin retreated rather quickly leaving you to stutter over your words, your thoughts not fully formed in your panic. 

"Wha-huh?" You turned and watched her leave, your feet stuck in place. You could feel your entire body begin to tremble, as if it were the first day of school and your mom was leaving you in unknown hands for the day. With your mouth parted you tried to suck in as much air as you could, the reality crashing down onto your head with such ferocity that you almost topple over. 

"So, you know how to play?"

"Huh?" You turn to look at the three who were all now staring at you with less horror and more confusion and interest. 

"Pool, do you know how to play pool?" The purple haired woman is the only one to speak to you. And despite knowing how to play you shake your head, glancing towards the table in terror. You absolutely did not want to play right now. Especially when you know you would cause your team to lose due to nerves. "That's fine, you can come sit with me on the couch then. It's usually them two playing anyways." 

You just nod and shuffle your feet towards the couch she had plopped herself on. The boys were getting the game ready, not really ignoring you, but not interacting with you either.

After a while of not speaking, the purple haired woman turns to face you on the couch. "Y'know I heard someone was moving onto that old farm. It's a shame, really. I always enjoyed exploring those overgrown fields by myself…I'm Abigail, by the way."

Your mind fills with guilt over taking over the farm at her words. Did others enjoy doing the same thing? Was it a sanctuary? A place to hide for people who didn't want to be found in whatever moment they found themselves in? "Sorry." You whisper out, letting your eyes fall onto your hands which were playing with a stray string of fabric that had come loose from your pants.

"No, it's fine. Someone should take care of the land, I guess. Your grandpa let me wander around sometimes after he let it grow wild."

"You can still wander around. It'll take me a lot of time to clear out everything, it's a giant farm after all." You try to offer her a smile. You weren't even sure if you would clear out all of it anyways. It took too much energy and how much land did you need to farm anyways? It was just going to be you, enough plants to sell and make money and eat, and a couple of chickens. 

"Really?"

You nod and Abigail smiles at you, as if you had given her a gift or told her you could grant her three wishes. Man, she probably did love exploring. The conversation almost dies out, but the blonde guy whines and throws his pool stick onto the table, pouting as he comes over and sits in the middle of you and Abigail. She pats his shoulder comfortingly as he leans against her. "I can't believe he beat me again!" 

"Sam…he beats you every time." Abigail says, frowning at him.

"No! Okay maybe he does but it's not because I'm bad."

"Yeah, okay." She laughs while shoving him off of her. Scrunching his nose, he turns and looks at you, the way he gives you the up and down makes you even more anxious, yet somehow you can't feel any actual malice behind his actions. 

"Hey! I'm Sam. Good to meet you!" He smiles so brightly at you that you think that he must be the sun itself. No one could be this bright. His blonde hair was spiked up messily, and on any other guy you probably would've thought that it looked dumb, but somehow it suited him. Like he was just made to be in a band of some kind. You give him your own name and he immediately drifts off into his own world. 

"Hmm…if I give the cue ball a bit of a top spin maybe I could…" His words trail away as he speaks to himself. A minute later he sighs unhappily and stands, grabbing the pool stick again. Abigail laughs in amusement as Sam challenges 'Seb' to another round. 

You watch for a minute before you leave, the group doesn't really notice you leaving, so you quickly make your way home before anyone has the chance to talk to you again. 

When you get halfway home you can feel your bottled up emotions begin to leak, wanting to come out and spill all over the dirt under your shoes from holding it in for too long. Your body resumes the shaking it was doing earlier, your brain deciding that you were far enough away that this was a safe spot to break down. You swallow harshly and pick up your pace, cutting your walk time in almost half as you borderline sprint home. 

Slamming the door behind you, you allow yourself to slide down it, unable to breathe for a multitude of reasons. Sucking in a breath, you let it out of your lungs loudly, almost screaming. You openly sob, not even dragging yourself to your bed, you just lie on the floor, your body hot as you scream out your cries and emotions, hands clawing at your skin and hair. 

Your throat burned as you continued to cry, your eyes shut so tightly that your head began to hurt. You wanted to break stuff, but you had nothing to break other than yourself, so you slam your fists against the ground as you let your body continue its descent onto the ground. Now lying down on your side you sob into the floorboards, letting the spit and tears and snot create a puddle under your face for you to clean the next day after it dries. 

You can feel your energy rapidly depleting as you continue to cry, still unable to breathe properly. Your vision starts to spot eventually but you can't find it within yourself to care. Allowing the darkness to take over you pass out in front of the door.

[wintervalewritersecond]

tears to shed iv - simon 'ghost' riley

masterlist // masterlist call of duty

requested: no, but requests are OPEN! request: x

A/N: last part! hope this makes up for the sad ending last part &lt;3

part 1 // part 2 // part 3 // part 4

wordcount: warnings: ooc simon (like, very ooc), corpse bride au, she/her reader, happy ending

An arranged marriage to unite two worlds. But no one would have expected that it would bring together the living and the dead.

Your parents were much happier to hear that they were up in the social ladder now than that they were to hear that you had come back. Lord and Lady MacTavish also could not care less - as long as they got money, they would be set.

It is not like life with Johnny was bad. Not at all, actually. You had fun with him, and he was someone you feel comfortable with. He is so trustworthy, funny, and nice. It truly could have been so much worse.

The years pass, new people coming to the town, other people leaving. Babies are being born and elderly people are passing away. You aren't scared of death anymore - you have lived in it, you have loved in it.

Marriage to Johnny is like marrying a best friend. Both you and Johnny found out quite early on that you did love each other, yet more like friends or family instead of lovers. Not that you thought the other was ugly, mean, or uninteresting. It was just platonic, but to be quite honest, you did not mind.

You could be on the street, or worse, married to a horrible person. Lucky for you, you are 'stuck' with Johnny. Every single day felt refreshing, always going on trips or eating a delicious dinner. Your mother and father barely came to visit, saying they were much too busy with their new way of life. Lord and Lady MacTavish were also not seen very often, always far away, enjoying the money they now had.

Years seem to fly by.

The older you get, the faster time goes.

Your body is becoming weaker, the people around you have left, and the house feels much too big for only two people. It is winter now, and sickness is going around, a sickness that had also gotten the better of Johnny.

You sat by his side, his body covered with endless blankets, coughs coming from him ever so often.

"You are burning up," you mumble, your hand on his forehead.

He does not respond, only looking at the ceiling before finally turning his head to you. This is the most movement he has gone through this entire week. Johnny stays quiet for a moment, blinking slowly before licking his lips.

"Is the afterlife scary?"

"No," you softly say, taking hold of his hand, "It is fun, free, careless. You will have your own place, and you can have endless drinks at the bar. It is colourful and bright."

He hums, his hand softly squeezing yours as he looks past you.

"I think I would like to go there."

Your breath hitches in your throat, tears burning in your eyes as you look at him, bringing your other hand to his cheek.

"You do?"

Nothing but a hum yet again, his eyes looking past you.

"Y/N?"

"Yes?"

"Will you find me there?"

You nod, pressing a kiss to his hand.

"I will."

"Can you promise me something?"

Your heart feels heavy.

"Anything."

"After you find me... Also find Simon. That one man from years ago," he whispers, coughing, "If it... If it truly is as you said, then please, find him. Live the life you couldn't live now."

"Johnny," a tear falls down your cheek, "You are acting as if my life with you was not good."

"Oh, lass, we had a wonderful life. But the afterlife you describe... It is your second chance. Take it, please."

One last promise you make to him. Through sickness, through health, till death do you part.

"I promise you, Johnny. I love you so."

"And I love you."

After one last breath, one last blink, he leaves you. Leaves you behind as you did that one night, though you know he will not come back. More tears fall down your cheeks as you press a soft kiss to his forehead. Another friend lost.

You then spent months alone. No visitors, no Johnny, no parents.

It was weird.

The world seems so grey, so bleak, so colourless. There is nothing for you here. You eat just to eat, you read just to read. Everything seems meaningless. Another night where you go to sleep in a cold bed.

But this time, when you wake up, you feel different.

Your bones don't hurt, your limbs don't feel heavy, your hair doesn't feel brittle. Instead, you feel lively, weightless, free.

"A new arrival!"

Is the time finally here?

You open your eyes, the lights very bright, and you nearly can not believe what you see. It's the bar, the people, the music, the drinks.

"Wait..."

You quickly turn around, coming eye to eye with Johnny.

"Lass?"

You nod slowly, a smile forming on your face as you fling your arms around him.

"Oh, Johnny!" You pull away from him for a second, your hands on his cheeks, "I can't believe it! Oh, you look so young."

He does not nearly look the same as when you last saw him. His skin isn't wrinkly, his eyes are bright, and he has the same silly haircut.

"Says you," he grins, holding out his cup to you, "You look as mighty as ever."

You look at his cup and back at him. You are actually here. But, if you are... Is Simon here as well? Johnny still has a smile on his face, taking a swig from his beer. He knows what, or rather who, you are looking for.

"Go on," he nods his head to the exit, "We will have eternity to celebrate that you're here. Go, we can talk later."

You press a kiss to his cheek, nodding as you lift up the bottom of your skirt, walking up the stairs that lead to the outside of the bar. You are met with a mirror, right next to the door. You look so much younger, almost as if no time had passed. Dressed in a nightgown, your hair done up, looking youthful as ever. The age when you first got here, gone back in time, just like Johnny.

The roads, the coffins, the lights - all are exactly as you remember them being. You have dreamt of taking this exact walk dozens of times, clenching onto the dogtags that you had yet to take off. Now, you actually walk there, the tags tight in your hand. A left here, straight, and then...

You are so absorbed by your own thoughts that you do not register the person in front of you. You yelp, nearly falling over, but catching yourself by holding onto a crate.

"Oh, sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!"

"Y/N?"

You look up, you know that voice...

"Price?"

"I can't believe it!" He laughs, pulling you to him to give you a big hug, "You are here! Oh my god, wait until Simon hears about this. You are going to give him a heart attack!"

"Where is he?"

"At home," he backs off, nodding his head into the direction of the house, "Hasn't been out too much. Kept his mask back on, been in a real mood for a while. You know, he never got over you."

He still thinks of you?

"Neither have I," you whisper, looking up at the man.

"Oh, I know," he only shrugs, "Johnny and I have become well acquainted over these months. Sadly haven't been able to really talk to Simon too much, but I think that might change."

The two of you continue your way, only a few doors away from the love of your afterlife. What if he doesn't want to see you? What if you are not like how he expected? Maybe he does not wish for a life with you.

"Don't worry your little head, Y/N," Price whispers, stopping at the door, "I will leave you be. Come by the bar later?"

You nod, sending him a smile as he leaves you alone at the door. What now? Do you knock? You feel nervous, yet you don't feel the pounding of your heart or the sweat in your hands. You are excited, though you can't feel the butterflies in your stomach.

A soft knock on the door.

Was it not hard enough? What if he isn't home? What if he didn't hear? What if he acts like he doesn't hear so he doesn't have to answer-

"Price, I told ya, I don't want to go to the-" the door gets ripped open, revealing the masked man you have thought about each and every day, "pub."

"We don't have to if you don't wish to, Simon."

"Wh... Is that you?"

He grips your cheeks tightly, scared that if he lets go, you will disappear. His eyes scan your face, the rest of his face hidden behind the skull mask he wore when you met him. You nod as much as you can, but the tight grip barely allows for you to move. Within a second, you are in his arms, his arms around you and his head on top of yours. Even if you wanted to, you could never get out of this embrace.

"I can't believe it. You are here."

"I am here," you confirm.

"I have waited each and every day. Price told me your husband came here before you did."

You nod.

"He did. But he made me promise him something."

What did he promise? Should Simon be scared? Are you only here to say hello, only to never see him again?

"He wants me to have a second chance. To life my... afterlife, the way it was intended. With you."

He slowly lets go, looking down at you with big eyes. His tags still around your neck and you looking like an angel. Is this real? Someone, pinch him, though it will not work.

"With me?"

"Johnny and I were friends. Best friends, even," you whisper, holding onto Simon his hands, "He told me to find you, Simon. And, if you will have me, I would want to spend this eternity with you."

That is all that he has ever wanted to hear.

So, he gets down on one knee.

"Death made us part, but now brought us together," he kisses your knuckles, "May I ask you to be my wife, for now until forever?"

One hell of a way to ask you to marry him.

[yoongisleftshoulder]

BTS Reacts: Their S/O is Injured in An Accident

A/N: This is longer than my usual reactions so I apologize in advance lol. Some of these are heavier than others.

TW: As the title suggests, some of these depict injuries such as car accidents, surgeries, random accidents, etc.

SEOKJIN:

Jin and the other members had been in the studio recording vocals for hours before they began getting ready to leave. Jin picked up the last of his belongings, making his way to the door, shutting off the lights behind him. Just as he stepped outside, he unlocked his phone to see what you had texted him throughout the day, used to you giving him little updates about your day. Instead, his heart sunk when he saw thirty-seven missed calls and texts from some of your co-workers and friends. In a panic, he tried calling your cellphone. No answer. Second time, no answer. Third time.....your mother picked up. Before he could even speak, your mother was in histarics describing how a large light fixture had broken while you were at work and fallen right on top of you, knocking you out immediately and injuring you enough to require surgery. Jin had never ran so fast in his life. He practically dropped his phone as he shoved it into his pocket and ran to his car, giving the boys a hurried response of "emergency" before driving off to the hospital. When he arrived, he rushed to the receptionist and demanded to know where you were. She informed him that you were just coming out of surgery and he could see you within the next few hours. The time waiting was brutal and every second seemed like days. Finally, the time to visit you came. He sped walked up to your room, a sigh of relief escaping when you were awake and conscious, turning your head to look at him right away. Jin went to embrace you but stopped, nervous that he would hurt you more. You used your arm that wasn't fractured to pull him in for a kiss, telling him that you were happy he was there for you. The love of your life assured you that there was nothing that would make him leave you until you were better.

YOONGI:

The sight before Yoongi was something he only ever saw in his nightmares. He never in a million years thought this could be real. You were in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines and IVs in a deep slumber. Right then and there he knew the image and the phone call he received about a vehicle running a red light and colliding with your body at a crosswalk would haunt him for the rest of his life. Two weeks had passed and you still had not woken up. You hadn't gotten better and you hadn't gotten worse. You were in a stagnant state and the idea of the possibility that you could remain this way forever terrified him. Yoongi talked to you every single day, telling you about whatever was on his mind and how much he missed you. He wasn't even sure if you could hear him but he didn't care. Another week had passed when a doctor finally told him there had been an increase in brain activity, upping your chance of waking up. This gave him more hope and he never left your side, even recruiting the other members to bring him food and other items if he needed them so he didn't have to leave the room. He even used the bathroom that was attached to your room, rather than using one outside in the hallway. One night, around 2am, he was holding your hand, telling you about a song idea he thought of. During his one-sided conversation, he felt a light squeeze. His eyes shot up to your face, examining you closely, wondering if he had gotten to the point where he was imagining things. After a moment of watching, your eyes finally fluttered open slowly. Yoongi called out your name as if you were far away. Your eyebrows furrowed together, trying to focus on his face, vision blurry.

"Y....Yoongi?" Your hoarse voice spoke.

"God, you're finally awake!"

Yoongi lightly cupped your face with his hands, leaving a tender kiss on your forehead.

"Don't you ever do that to me again. I thought I lost you."

"I love you, Yoongi. I could hear you a lot of the time, you know."

Yoongi smiled. "I love you too, sweetheart."

HOSEOK:

This was quite possibly the worst time you could have been in another country visiting a friend. While you were with your friend, having the time of your life catching up, the two of you decided to visit her uncle's farm and ride horses. Her uncle wasn't home but gave your friend the okay to stop by and ride anyway, knowing that she was experienced with such a thing. Your friend picked out her favorite horse of the bunch while you looked through the stables at your options. A beautiful black, shiny-coated horse caught your eye. With the help of your friend, you saddled up and the two of you rode slowly out of the stables. It became quickly apparent that the horse you had chose was a bit temperamental. Unbeknownst to either of you, this horse was a newbie to the farm and wasn't fully trained regarding his behavior yet. A few minutes into the ride, your horse bucked harshly and raised his front body into the air before crashing back down and falling right on top of you. Your friend immediately called emergency services. You were rushed to the hospital and into emergency surgery. At this point, your friend finally decided to call Hoseok and fill him in. All of the other members were gathered around Hoseok, who placed the phone on speaker so everyone could hear what happened and how surgery was going. The idea that he was in Korea while you were in another country severly injured terrified him. What if he lost you and he wasn't there? The boys did their best to console Hoseok through his tears and panic but they knew they could only do so much. As soon as he could, he booked a flight to where you were. Once he finally arrived and bolted to the hospital, he was directed to your room. A huge wave of relief washed over him when he saw you awake, sitting up and snacking on a small container of jello. You tried to lean forward a bit to meet him halfway but he stopped you, afraid you would hurt yourself. As gently as he could, he embraced you and the touch of your skin made tears fall from his eyes immediately.

NAMJOON:

Car crash. Car crash. The words repeatedly played in his head after he received a phone call he never thought he would get. He had nightmares of things like this happening to you but never in a million years did he think it could be real. Nothing could have prepared him for the moment it became a reality. Jin had to drive him to the hospital being in no condition to be making critical decisions. They both walked right up to reception and explained who they were. The receptionist focused her gaze onto Namjoon upon learning he was your boyfriend, telling him that a driver who made the mistake of paying more attention to their phone than the road had run a red light and slammed directly into your car. Namjoon couldn't help but feel a bubbling anger building within him. If it wasn't for the unknown state of your life, the emotion may have taken over and driven his actions. He pushed the anger to the back of his mind, letting the need to know how badly you were hurt or if you would even survive move his feet. The light in the room you were supposed to be in was shining bright, not a sound coming from inside. The eerily quiet area filled Namjoon with dread, making him wonder if you had to be rushed for some type of emergency surgery. He inhaled a deep breath and stepped into the room and what he saw was not what he was expecting. There you were, lying in the hospital bed....sipping on an orange juice with a magazine on your lap. Your boyfriend wordlessly rushed over to you but stopped when he eyed the cast on your arm, accompanied by a few scrapes and bruises littered across your upper body. He sat down in a chair next to your bed, your free hand reaching for his.

"Joonie? You okay?"

His wide eyes jumped from bruise to bruise, scanning your injured arm.

"You're asking if I'm okay? Baby, look where we are right now."

A moment of silence filled the room before you broke it with laughter. Namjoon watched you nervously but felt a sense of relief when he heard the sound. This told him that you were banged up, sure, but you would ultimately recover. The nightmare was over.

JIMIN:

Jimin was never a fan of the idea of you taking up boxing as a new hobby but he would never tell you that you weren't allowed to do something. He expressed his concerns and never hid the fact that he was worried every time you had a fight set up but all in all, your boyfriend was supporting your every move. Most of the time, however, he wouldn't physically go to your scheduled fights. Sure, he took care of you and cheered for you afterwards, but he couldn't bring himself to watch you getting hurt with his own eyes. One night, he was waiting at home waiting for your manager to bring you back after an event. You were running late, which wasn't necessarily unheard of but for some reason, Jimin had a bad feeling sitting heavy in the pit of his stomach. He picked up his cellphone and called you, your manager picking up instead, sounding somewhat frantic. Your opponent had played dirty and pulled a few illegal moves during the fight, causing you to slam your head down onto the ring flooring incredibly hard, knocking you out immediately. People got knocked unconscious all of the time in boxing but this time was different. You weren't getting back up. An ambulance was called and you were rushed to the hospital. Hoseok drove Jimin there as fast as he possibly could. He insisted on seeing you right away but was told that he had to wait. For almost two hours, he mindlessly paced back and forth through the waiting room, often realizing tears had been running down his cheeks. After an agonizing wait, his ears began ringing when your doctors explained to him your current state. Comatose. You were in a coma. When your head agressively slammed down onto the ground, it caused swelling in your brain bad enough to put pressure on your brain stem. Jimin couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was it even real or was this some sort of hyper-realistic nightmare? Would you ever wake up? If you did, would you have memory loss? What if....what if you forgot about him and your life together. All of these questions were overwhelming him to no end. His head was spinning, he felt sick to his stomach, and his mouth felt drier than a desert. Hoseok directed him to sit down and tried talking him through it the best he could. All they could do was wait.

TAEHYUNG:

Taehyung felt guilty over it but he was angry. Angry that you would be so careless to slip and fall while swimming in a pool with your friends, smacking your skull off of the hard tile siding. Angry that your friends took way too long to realize you were unconscious and bleeding underwater. Angry....that he had bailed on going with you, instead choosing to eat a home cooked dinner with the other members. The idea that he would have been there to catch you and you never would have fallen in the first place if he had just stuck to your plans ate away at him as you lied motionless in the hospital bed. You almost drowned and died, and he wasn't there. Days and nights passed and you still had not woken up from your head injury. There was barely a moment when Taehyung left your side, only leaving to use the bathroom. He didn't even leave for food or drinks, the boys took turns bringing him a days worth of meals each day. Sleeping on a hard plastic chair for a while was uncomfortable but he didn't care. He was terrified that the second he left your side, something would happen and you would be gone forever.

Suddenly, one night, he managed to sleep longer than an hour and was leaning his head over towards yours, his hand locked onto yours tight. Your eyes struggled to open but something was encouraging you to keep trying. The soft, subtle sound of your boyfriend snoring in his slumber. You fought the heaviness of your eyelids, prying them open and focusing your gaze onto his resting face. His undereyes were dark and baggy, his hair scraggly, and stubble showed slightly on his chin. Your mind slowly started coming back to you, remembering what happened and fully processing that Taehyung was next to you, seeming to have never left your side. How long had you been out?

"T.....Tae..." Your aching throat made your voice come out hoarse.

As if you had screamed out his name, Taehyung's eyes sprung open. His head moved back slightly to get a better look at your face, making sure he wasn't dreaming. When he saw you staring back at him with a soft smile, he practically jumped out of his seat. He called for a nurse to come check on you now that you were awake and apparently speaking. As the nurse ran bloodwork and checked over your new state of consciousness, Tae turned his body to hold your hand, his other running through your hair, every so often placing light kisses on your temple.

JUNGKOOK:

From the moment Jungkook arrived at the hospital, his eyes were glued to your frame. They were as wide as you had ever seen them. He was looking at you almost as if you were some type of alien.

"Jungkook....it's just stitches and a fractured ankle, I'll be fine." You giggled, watching his mouth fall open, seemingly dumbfounded.

An agressive dog had gotten away from its owner, finding you walking down the sidewalk, latching its teeth into your leg and causing you to trip down a curb and bend your ankle in a way it should not have been bent. Jungkook was acting like you had been shot and were actively dying in front of him.

"You don't need to be so worried, you know." You continued.

"Don't need to be worried? I was in the middle of a live when Jimin called me saying you broke something and were attacked! How could I have not been worried from that? And why did Jimin know before me??" Jungkook rattled off.

Jungkook's eyebrows furrowed when you responded to his concerns with laughter. "What??"

"I'm alive and will be fine. They're discharging me tomorrow. It's not a big deal, Kookie. And Jimin was showing me the dinner he had just made on videochat so he kind of saw it happen."

Jungkook released a deep sigh, saying nothing. Both of his large hands cradled yours and his eyes softened, relaxing from their previously wide state.

"Next time you go out on a walk, I'm going with you."

You yet again chuckled, amused by the fact that he wasn't asking.

"Whatever you say, Kookie."

[sonknuxadow]

okay big wall of some of my shadow generations thoughts . spoiler warning obviously

i will start by just saying that this game is soo good like in general. ive said before that i was initially very skeptical of this whole thing but very quickly changed my mind upon seeing the first trailer and im SO glad that it did turn out to be good. this feels like one of the first times in a really long time that theyve put actual care into shadows involvement in a story instead of just throwing him in something for five seconds because they know hes popular. the game IS a bit short but i was expecting that and its somewhat reasonable considering its technically only half the game. but what we did get was great. we are so back .

i love the gameplay i talked earlier about how i like that they put more effort into making shadow play differently from sonic by incorporating his chaos powers into his gameplay, but the doom powers are really cool also and were such a fun addition. ive always wished they would do more with shadow being part black arms but didnt expect it to ever come up again so everything about this is kinda surreal to me

i love love love the optional dialogue i went out of my way to make sure i didnt miss any of it and theres so many cute ones and i have to stop myself from mentioning specific ones on this post because if i do ill be going on forever

also the music was good Obviously thats a given with sonic games. but special shoutouts to the menu music i thought it was a cute detail that sonics side had a remix of it doesnt matter while shadows was a remix of throw it all away. and that all hail shadow remix for the final boss goes sooo hard i was honestly expecting them to use i am all of me but this is cool too

as far as criticisms and nitpicks go. uhhhhh . this isnt that big a deal but i do find it the tiniest bit disappointing that they didnt really leave anything a surprise in terms of the gameplay, if im remembering right they showed pretty much everything in the trailers except for the final boss but im sure everyone knew who that was going to be it was jut the specific form he took that was the surprise. but like i said its not that big a deal especially considering they didnt show much of the story in the trailers so it balances out in a way . also i didnt know what the best place to put this in would be but i just wanted to say i got so excited when i got to the final stage because radical highway is one of my favorite sonic levels . peace and love on planet earth

i also think chaos island was a weird choice for a stage because all the others are from games shadow is a main character in but he isnt in frontiers at all? maybe they didnt wanna repeat games and were running out of ideas so they just threw a frontiers stage in since it wouldnt have any representation otherwise. i dont know.

there is only one real "this sucks" thing for me and its rouge's voice acting. its soo terrible ive never liked her current voice but she sounded particularly bad here to the point where it was distracting..... when it comes to other voice actors who are one of my less liked voices for their character im at least able to say that theyre doing a good job or have improved a lot over the years even if theyre not my first pick. but i swear to god rouge has gotten worse

anyway . good game . the ending made me tear up a little. thumbs up emoji . will probably play sonics side at some point too but idk if ill do it today

[arabellachant]

hold me like a knife. iv.

warnings: language, underage drinking, targcest, infidelity (from almost everyone), allusions to sex, religious guilt, mysoginy, pregnancy and childbirth, possible grammar mistakes (english is not my first language)

words: 4.9k

It takes some time before the girl gets to see the Targaryens again, only exchanging letters with Queen Alicent, and writing a couple shy words to Aemond every now and then. But once the news reached the girl about the terrible inflictions suffered by her husband-to-be, she urged her father to let her visit King’s Landing, desperate to know of his well being.

“The scars on his face… will never fade.” Lord Jason’s voice is careful when he explains the situation better to his daughter, their carriage only a few minutes away from the Red Keep. “I will understand if you wish to break the engagement after you see him.” Although his words are kind, Elora can’t help the shocked frown that appears on her face.

“It is not a scar that would make me give up on my marriage.” Her voice is determined as she grows offended with the assumption. In her mind, she believed others should know she was not vain and shallow. “Bearing a scar only indicates that my husband is strong.” She reasons with the man.

“It’s not only a scar.” Her father sounds more wary when he adds. “The prince has lost an eye. He might not be how you remember.” He reaches a hand to rest on the girl’s knee, trying to prepare her for the truth.

Elora only grows more concerned with the comment, looking away from the man in front of her and out through the windows. She furrows her brows and strats to fidget with the fabric of her skirts, lost in thought. A wound couldn’t change someone so much. No matter what, Aemond is still her betrothed, the shy and kind boy who got nervous every time they spoke. She thought it was better to hope he was still the same, that nothing would change.

‘O gods, please let him still be the same.’

Soon enough she would learn the true graveness of his scars, as the carriage starts to pull up in the inner gates of the Red Keep. This time only the queen is there to greet them, excusing the absence of her husband with fleeting words. Lord Jason is quick to look for his king, and the lady and the queen are left alone.

“Thank you so much for coming, Elora” Queen Alicent’s voice is kind, there are dark circles under her eyes, she looks far more pale than the last time. The girl wondered how much sleep she must have gotten ever since her son was mauled. “I’m certain Aemond will be very pleased with your company.” The queen puts a hand on the girl’s shoulder, leading her inside the palace.

Anxiety builds up in her stomach as they walk along the corridors. The queen’s expression remains serious, but there’s a hidden sadness that Elora knew very well how to read. The worry of a mother, the secret dark thoughts that darken their minds when something is wrong. Really wrong. “How is he?” The question is slow, careful, not wanting to ignite the fire. For a short second, she believes she sees Alicent crack. “No one has given me any real information on his state.” She keeps talking like someone readying themselves for an attack. “I should know how he is if I am to make him feel better.”

The woman stops in her tracks, looking down to the girl with a grim expression. Her lips tremble as she ponders over her words, and her face carries a grief beyond repair. “He is… well enough, physically.” Her speech sounds rehearsed. “But he is still fairly upset with the event. Being attacked by his own kin… defenceless.” The queen seems so far away from reality, the memory looking so recent to her.

That look scares Elora, a dreadful fear that there's more to Aemond’s incident than what is known. “His kin?” She asks in a low whisper.

And the sadness is so quickly replaced by hate. “Rhaenyra’s sons. And Daemon’s daughters. The four of them together… attacked him and blinded him over an insult.” Each word spilled out of her like venom.

The girl wanted to question further, finding it shocking to know Aemond was maimed by his own nephews. She never spent too much time with them, but they didn’t seem the type to be capable of something so cruel. Fearing the weight of her next words, she simply nodded in understanding and the two started walking again. It was a silent uncomfortable walk to the prince’s chambers, the only place where he could be found as she was told. Even weirder than the walk was the sorrowful look of queen Alicent as she urged the lady to go inside.

Frightened, she entered the dragon’s den alone. The room was dark, the curtains were closed, the mirrors were gone, and the once so bright prince roamed in the shadows with his face turned away.

“Prince Aemond.” She announced herself, curtsying as she was supposed to. It was hard to see inside the murky chamber, the only source of light in the lit fireplace.

“Mother told me you were coming.” He didn’t look at her as he spoke, still sitting in the big armchair, the flames showing the silhouette of his profile. For the first time ever since they met, he sounded cold.

Elora nodded and took a step closer, her hands clutching each other in front of her. “I wanted to see you.” For the second time she felt she might be getting too close to the fire. “I was informed you were hurt.” Her slow approach is rapidly stopped by a hiss.

“That is close enough.” He tilts his face only slightly, his features still engulfed in darkness.

His rejection was sharper than a knife to her heart. “But I wish to see you…” She explained in the kindest voice she could find, but remained in her spot.

“What for?” There was a bitterness in his tone that she couldn’t recognize. “Judging if I’m still fit to become a husband?” And that bitterness spilled out of him and into her. The same misconception of her father. How vain they truly think she is.

Swallowing her cry and her wounded pride, she remains standing tall, looking straight to his hidden figure. “I wanted to check if you wanted company, or if I could help you in some way.” His initial sting turns her own voice dry.

“I’m alright, thank you.” His face turns away from her again. “You can go now.”

His blunt response made her caring feelings vanish. She wanted to shout at him, tell him of how worried she was, how she had to beg to come here, how far she had to travel to reach him. But she did none of those things, instead she bowed to him and left without another word. She would explain to the queen that Aemond did not wish to see her, and she would return once he was healed.

However, it was not the queen she found in the corridor.

“Troubles in paradise?” The elder prince was leaning against a wall, a half finished bottle of wine in one hand and a goblet on the other. On his face, an intoxicated smile

Elora pursed her lips together, lacking the patience to deal with his teasing, she started to walk down the corridor. “He has suffered a terrible wound, and is in great pain.” She speaks back at him, hearing his wobbly footsteps follow her. “Your brother needs patience.”

The boy scoffs, wrapping an arm around the girl, she imagined it was to better steady himself. “Little Aem needs a lot of things.” His warm breath stinks of alcohol and the words are slurred in his tongue. “Patience is the least of them.” He takes a swig from the bottle, as the hand with the goblet is on her shoulder. 

She looks to the side and examines the cup dripping onto her dress, finding it oddly familiar. “Well, you’re not helping by drinking every bottle you find.” The girl spits at him, escaping his grasp which makes him stumble. She turns on her heels and looks at him, furrowed brows and crimson cheeks. “Or listening to his conversations.” Her accusation makes his eyes widen in amusement. “What were you doing standing outside his door anyways?”

Taking a deep breath and wearing a sarcastic expression, he walks closer to her. “You see, I wasn’t really there when the ‘cutting eye out’ situation happened.” His voice tones down the severity of the episode. “So as the good brother that I am, I decided to stay close by and make sure I’m available if he needs me.” His proud look doesn’t match his foolish explanation as he gestures to himself.

Rolling her eyes at his nonsense, she nods in fake agreement. “So return to your task and let me be, will you?” Another time, she tries to escape him, but even in his drunkenness he follows her with ease.

“I am doing my duty.” Aegon speaks with a fake shocked tone. “Tending to my brother’s interests is also one of my assignments.” His wink is followed by a gallant smile. If he was someone else and this was any other moment, Elora would have agreed he looked handsome. But this was her annoying brother-in-law mocking his scarred brother, so the boldness only made her rage.

Had she been born a boy, she could just punch him right away and call it a sparring match that she would probably be dismissed. For a girl to hit a man was a showcase of her own lack of education, to punch one was an unthinkable act. But there in the lonesome hallway of the palace with only the victim as witness, who would really know.

So when her fist landed on his jaw, she blamed on instinct, on emotion, on grief maybe. And even as her mind was screaming at her about how bad the consequences of this would be, she had to admit it did feel good. The look of bewilderment on his face was worth the possible punishment she would have to suffer. Her heart was beating so fast with the adrenaline that she feared it might burst. It was the smile that followed that ended her small moment of glory. The satisfaction in his eyes as he cleaned the blood dripping down his chin.

“Impressive.” There was a genuine pride in his eyes. The look of someone who discovered something new. “Has little Aem taught you to punch?” Her striked had apparently sobered him up, as he suddenly stood up to his full height, way firmer than she had ever seen him. 

This was it, the moment to flee. To run to find the queen before he did. To beg for her forgiveness for laying a hand on her precious son, to beg her father to help her escape before she is imprisoned for treason. But for some unknown reason, her feet would not move, only her lips.

“Does it really surprise you so much that I know how to defend myself?” The tone of her voice was so much different than what she usually sounded like. So frustrated, so impolite, for the first time she sounded her age. “Or are you just not used to having a girl actually tell you to piss off?” Elora didn’t even know where she had heard those words, or how she dared to repeat them. But that was Aegon, just prince Aegon. And from this moment on she chose not to care of what he thought of her.

He chuckles, a red tint on his bottom teeth. “Oh no, I wouldn’t expect less of a lioness.” Through his mockery, his eyes glint in amusement, and the lady can’t possibly understand what kind of person enjoys being hit.

Rolling her eyes at his stupidly handsome grin, Elora storms out of the hallway, surprised to not hear his footsteps behind her, and walks to the chamber she was already used to. All of her belongings were already there, far more modest dresses than from her first stay. More fit to a caring bride, as her father said. Locking the door to avoid any more strange interactions, Elora hid in those chambers for long hours, watching the sun go down as she was lost in her thoughts.

‘Aemond was hurt. He is still healing.’ She tried to convince herself. ‘He will get better. He won’t change. He is still Aemond.’ Her thoughts consumed her. She knew that bearing such a scar must take its toll, she knew he never got along with his nephews and that he wasn’t necessarily affectionate, but he was not bad. Not to her. It didn’t matter that he looked different, or that he now was the rider of the greatest dragon in the world, he was still him. She chose to believe that.

This night, however, was not the night in which she would be proven right. The queen informed her that Aemond now had all his meals in his chambers, and that he wouldn’t be joining them for dinner for the next few days at least. The new information worried her. She was barely allowed to see him in his room, and now she feared she wouldn’t see him anywhere else. How was she supposed to help him if he refused to meet her?

Elora did her best to not frown too noticeably during dinner. She barely listened to the conversations around her. Nodding when she had to, smiling when her father spoke to her, but how she wished to be anywhere else. There were whispers of a wedding, probably not hers. Not when she was still considered too young, especially not after her dear groom was maimed and in self-isolation in his rooms. But a prince was to be married.

Aegon made sure to arrive fashionably late to dinner, smiling happily like there wasn’t a deep cut on his lip. His eyes glowed in contrast to the purple tint on his chin, his gaze dark like a shark. Elora was his prey tonight, and now she was trapped. The queen was fast to question him about his bruises, her tone a strange mix of concern and disappointment.

“Oh, this?” He shrugged, filling his cup and taking Aemond’s usual seat, right in front of her, burning the lady with his eyes. “I must have fallen somewhere.” He smirked the entire time he talked, keeping his violet eyes on the girl as he downed his cup.

No one else seemed to notice his strange behaviour, perhaps already used to his weird demeanour and nonchalant way of talking. But she knew of his intentions, and even though her temper screamed at her to lunge forward and strangle him right in front of everyone, she smiled emotionless to him, ignoring his teasings.

“Drinking already, dear brother?” Her kind tone was laced with poisonous rivalry. “No wonder you fall so often.” Violet and green crash against each other in fierce battle as both try to hold their gaze the longest, neither willing to retreat.

The princess Helaena, sitting beside her brother, seemed to be the only one to notice the tension in the table, momentarily looking up from the caterpillar she had crawling on her hand. “Fire tests gold.” She mutters to no one in particular, returning to her lonely thoughts.

Both the prince and the lady turn their eyes to Helaena, both seeming confused by her words. Elora opened her lips to speak, but was quickly shaken out of her questions when she heard Aegon snort out a laugh, putting even more wine in his cup. “Yes, of course, little sister.” He responds in mock sympathy, turning to her and watching the green bug circling her fingers. “It surely does.” With his body still turned to the princess, he returns his attention to Elora, raising his eyebrows to her.

Her expression on the other hand grows even more serious, offended by the way he spoke to Helaena, wondering how siblings could be so mean to each other. “What does she mean?” She asks with genuine curiosity, her eyes travelling from one Targaryen to the other, waiting for any sort of explanation.

“Who knows?” Aegon shrugs, turning his goblet of wine and drinking it all, wiping away some stray droplets with the sleeves of his doublet. “I don’t even think she knows.” He leans forward on the table, pointing to his sister in a joking way. He supports himself on his elbows as he bends over the dinner table, getting awfully close to the lady. “My advice is to just ignore all the weird shit she says, or else you might…”

His whispered mockery is quickly interrupted by queen Alicent, who clears her throat to call his attention. Both of the children turned to the place where the adults were seated, the monarchs and Lord Jason watching the strange interaction in disapproval. Elora froze the moment her eyes met her father’s, the clear disappointment from being caught acting so immodestly, her face burning red in shame. The prince only gives a sarcastic frown, slowly returning to his seat on the table. She couldn’t help but be bothered by the difference in their reactions to be openly scolded. The way he could afford to not care about it, how his reputation could be dirty and tainted and filled with the worst rumours, and his position would remain secure. Aegon could be the most devious, vulgar and indecent prince in the world, but the Seven Kingdoms had to bow to his wish no matter what. She was a good lady, she did all she could to be a decent lady, the perfect daughter, and now the smallest fault could destroy her prospects of a future. Her rage grew as she watched him continue to drink, wearing his bruises like they were honourable, teasing his sister and the poor maids that had to serve him.

Aegon Targaryen was the one person she despised. She would make sure he knew that.

***

Her father returned to Lannisport the next morning. Lyonel needed his father close, Elora could survive on her own. She said her goodbyes in the palace, not having the courage to watch him embark the carriage and disappear from her sight. The walls of the Red Keep were familiar to her, but now they lacked the warmth she had gotten used to it. The idea of having to endure the royal family without being able to shield herself behind Aemond was terrifying. His brother was more careless with his games, eager to drag her name through the mud along with his. The other women in court should become her refuge, queen Alicent was always kind to her before, hopefully that hadn’t changed. Helaena was a quiet child, but she had a gentle nature, surely they could get along if she tried. Aemond would have to get out of that room eventually. He would come to her eventually. And things would go back to normal and she would be the future princess again, like she was always meant to be. 

It was on one of her lonely walks among the numerous silent halls that she stumbled upon the queen. Alicent Hightower, in her dark green dress, looking down as she floats through the castle like a ghost, her beautiful eyes like molten bronze filled with a sorrow much deeper than Elora had ever seen.

“My queen.” She curtsies kindly, trying to waken the woman from her mindless trance.

The queen’s face lights up momentarily, slowly approaching the young girl. “Lady Elora. Enjoying your stay?” Her kindness sounds more like a procedure than a genuine concern. The question itself was out of place. How could the girl enjoy anything that palace had to offer when her betrothed was abed with lifelong scar across his face.

“Very much, Your Grace.” Her answer doesn't give away her growing turmoil and they start walking side by side. “Although I cannot say it is as merry as my previous visit to the Keep.” She measures just the right amount of sadness she is allowed to show in her tone, her attention drawn to each and every reaction from the queen.

“Yes, I fear Aemond is not capable of keeping you company as often now.” Alicent frantically toyed with her fingers, the skin around her nails being the poor victims of her anguish. “I hope you can find some solace elsewhere. At least until my son feels disposed again.” Her voice did not change to deliver a single word, the phrase detached from the mouth that speaks it.

The two of them shared that monotone way of speaking, hiding the way they both wanted to scream their frustration into the world. For a moment, Elora gazed from the queen to the tapestry behind them. A handwoven picture of King Jaehaerys with his wife Alysanne and their many children. The portrait did not show emotion, neither did the living queen in front of her. Maybe this was the fate of all the women in that place, to marry a great man, act as a dutiful wife and become the symbol of decency across the kingdom. And still, their eyes looked hollow. Poor queen Alicent, had her son maimed in his own home and the one responsible walked out unpunished as she was not allowed to grieve openly. The queen Alysanne, Good Queen as she was called, suffered for decades losing child after child, only consoled by the fact that she loved her husband. Poor Lady Aeryn Targaryen, sent away to Lannisport to marry a stranger and be forced to bear his children, only accompanied by the same beast that would eventually kill her. How many women like her mother had the same destiny that was being written for Elora in this same moment.

“Come with me to my embroidery room.” The queen's voice awakens her from her trance. “My daughter sometimes accompanies me there, perhaps you could as well.” Her gentle smile is followed by her arm linking with Elora’s, an affectionate act that was probably an attempt to comfort them both.

The lady agrees with a polite nod, and the queen quickly leads her across the hallways. Every now and then she would comment on a piece of artwork or an antique treasure that adorned the walls, and even though the girl responded with some enthusiasm, they both knew none of them was actually interested in that conversation. It doesn’t take long before they arrive at the embroidery room, a maid quickly moving to open the door for them. Princess Helaena was already there, stabbing her needle back and forth in what appeared to be a blue beetle, not raising her eyes even when the other women arrived. Alicent points to a seat for the young girl that clings to her arm, a servant not hesitating to bring her a piece of fabric and some thread. Elora looks down on the blank cloth, wondering what she should make. She lacked the practice to do the intricate designs that were on the queen’s dresses, and she wasn’t much an admirer of bugs like the princess. Looking for some inspiration, she scans the crowded room they were in. Shelves from the floor to the ceiling, stuffed with all the richest kinds of fabric, and threads with more colours than the rainbow. Not only sewing tools, but also for paintings and musical instruments scattered across the atelier. Her eyes landed on the big harp that rested abandoned near a window, the sight making her breath hitch. The specks of dust illuminated by sunlight were almost like a ghostly figure over the chords, their invisible hands playing melancholic notes through the breeze.

“Do you play?” Helaena asks without taking her eyes off her work, sounding slightly dreamy.

Elora swallows dry. ‘I did’, that was the real answer, but that would create another question, and she wouldn’t answer that one so easily. “I don’t.” She answered politely, she could end the matter there, but for some reason more words spilled out of her. “My mother used to play.” Her confession came out weakly, and a grim atmosphere came down into the room.

Alicent shifted on her seat, putting down her handiwork to look at the little girl in front of her. “I fear I never had the chance of meeting your mother, until it was too late.” Her voice sounded comforting, her words however, were not. “But my husband has fond memories of his cousin.” The queen tried to brighten the girl’s mind, receiving a sad smile in response.

“Yes, my mother avoided leaving Casterly Rock after her marriage.” Elora answered shyly, defending her mother’s absence in the Keep. “She avoided even going out of her chambers, really. She would usually only leave her rooms to go to the hill where her dragon lived.” Her brows creased with the memories of her estranged mother, a ghost in her home before death even came for her.

The air became thicker in there, a cold gust of wind making the lady shiver. Helaena stopped what she was doing, gazing into nothing while her mother was entirely too aware of the situation. Aeryn Targaryen was not an easy subject for anyone, especially for those involved in her story. A mad girl, sent away to be married, killed by her own dragon. Definitely not the most agreeable conversation for ladies doing their needlework. But now she had slithered her way into that room with the other women, and she was never one to go unnoticed.

“My mother loved music, always did. But hated all other lady-like activities. Embroidery too.” Elora didn’t know why she kept talking about that woman, She didn’t know more about her than the queen herself, she was a stranger. A memory that haunted her dreams since she was little. “That’s why she never taught me, I think.” She tries to dismiss her own sombre spirit, joking about the poorly woven lines on her cloth.

The exact moment when queen Alicent raised from her chair to approach the girl, she could not tell, but now she stood close to her, studying the uneven lines of thread she made. “Maybe I can help with that.” Her touch was warm when she enveloped the lady’s hands, guiding her movements with the needle. “It’s truly just a matter or practice , you’ll get used to it.” The lines became straighter, more delicate and more firm at the same time. The design however was still a mystery, aimless lines of red and green woven in a strange braid.

A light breeze kept coming in through the window, moving the thin strings of the harp to create an eerie sound, the strands of light passing through reminding the girl of the woman who was supposed to play those cords. She weaved and weaved, a ghostly dance of thread creating abstract patterns on the linen. And she would have covered the entire piece if not for the queen’s next words.

“Perhaps you could work on your dress for the wedding.” Alicent’s voice travelled around the room, forcing Elora’s finger to her needle.

Covering the scarlet drop on her fingertip, the young girl turned her gaze to her. “My wedding is still far away. I still have time to think of my dress.” She tried to hide the weak trembling in her voice, but something told her that the queen could feel it.

“Your wedding is still away, yes. But not my daughter’s.” Alicent’s voice carried a grief only the mother of a princess can feel, and Helaena’s eyes filled with sorrow. “It was my husband’s idea… to hasten the ceremony. Have some joy after such grim times in the family.” It was the queen’s turn to spill her anguish, the look on her face that of an spectator of an execution.

Elora’s eyes turned to the princess’, distracted by the colourful gardens in her frame. The purple of her eyes in deep thought, trying to be anywhere but in that room. How could such a small and fragile thing like Helaena be married so soon? Her face still lingering to those childlike features, would soon be the face of a married woman. It was an execution really, to end the girl’s life so early, tie her to a man and make her into an accessory. Elora knew what happened to married princesses, as did Alicent, wed to the king at such a tender age. The girl was in shock, how could the king allow his youngest daughter to suffer such a fate so early in life.

“To whom, may I ask?” Was the only response the lady could give to such news. ‘Hopefully someone not too cruel’, she thought.

“Aegon.” The queen’s answer was dry, bitter and cold. A physical shiver took over the Targaryen princess. No one commented on it. “In the tradition of Valyria.”

“Also the king’s choice, I believe.” The girl almost bit her tongue when she uttered such a question, knowing it was too insolent of someone in her position to question a king’s decision.

No answer came this time, only a forced smile on Alicent’s lips, her eyes reddened as she returned her focus to the embroidery. Helaena shivered again, stronger this time.

A servant closed the windows of the room, but the cold lingered.

[storiesofsvu]

happy thursday!

 Fuck me I missed the first couple of minutes, got too distracted cooking.. oop

Okay… would it not be SUPER random for the new lieu to just show up in the middle of the night in a crime scene? Ok, she doesn’t know, so maybe there is something weird going on. Still gonna miss kate though.

Howd they get that far into the crime scene and not know she was a prosector?

So brady’s already way more hands on than kate was, and part of me likes that and part of me doesn’t. cause I was always praising kate for being more of what an actual CO would be, trapped in the office with paperwork and bureaucracies rather than running through the field with their detectives. I do think I like brady so far but that could definitely change.  Not sure how the cops feel about that yet either LOL.

Ok well at least they gave us a reason Dixon left… would’ve been nice if we’d gotten that resolution on screen? Like give the actress a .5 second cameo??

Husband is ALWAYS the main suspect. Even if his alibi did check out (though Id still like a little twist…)

Ugh. Still hate price though.

“your girl’s got a bad attitude” bruh. Don’t come or sam, she’ll come for you worse.

Oh calm down Nolan, let your baby ada go a little feral. They all do it over on svu. Sam deserves it

God she’s so friggin pretty….

Shaw needs a bigger bullet proof vest that shit barely protects anything…

Okay so is sam like, going off to cry and not know how to deal with the rest of the case or is she about to go feral??

Well there’s still 20 mins left so maybe a twist is coming? (or at least more with sam which is what I want out of every ep lol)

Was that supposed to be an opening argument? Why was it happening at the end of the day? Im so confused, but hey whatever.

When are we gonna get a piece of Sam’s backstory that ISNT about her sister?

Okay, they EITHER need to show us some more mentor/mentee/sibling growth/relationship between sam & Nolan OR we need to get them both a side character to lean on in difficult moments. Cause rn it just seems weird and a little awkward. Like they work together every day but they never seem that *friendly* towards each other…

Welp. That ep was okay, it had potential to be better but I’ll let it slide lol. Mothership is never my favourite.

*

SVU time!

(man it is SO great to not have to sit through fucking Toronto anymore lol. Will miss OC though..)

Benson picking up the new girl? Oookay. Interesting, interesting, her dad’s a cop, nice background. Honestly I like her already MORE than I did based off just pictures.

Fins guns named after his ex wife or was that lazy writing?? OKAY GOOD! IT WAS A CALLBACK. Thank fuck cause im sick of shit getting forgotten about.

“why do I feel like the captain’s testing me?” said every rookie of the squad ever… like, youre new to the squad, of course she’s gonna keeping you on a leash/making sure you’re actually ready for svu.

I do lowkey like that we jumped into her time on the squad though, she’s already been there for 3 weeks rather than showing us when she originally met the squad, takes off some of the awkwardness/hostility that we usually see (hopefully lol)

Uuggggghhhh “campus security” COME ON. NO. we’ve learnt this already!  (plus I thought they were off campus? Could be wrong lol. I dunno what “off campus housing” technically means lol)

Who says shelly was the one to set it up??

“college is different these days” bruh… really??? Also there’s like 1000 reasons why she wouldn’t mention it, esp to cops lol.

“it possible teddy set up the camera” yeah bud, ive been saying this. Whoever was the first to move in was likely the person who did it.

Bruno looks great this season… just sayin

Okay so shelly really is the one who set up the camera??

Jfc that got out of control fucking fast

“UNY” gotta love how they have to shift specific things to fictional that are actually real things.

He downloaded the threesome and watched it at least six times before possibly heading over to murder them? Imma need a better timeline on all this. Okay, 1 am… the other dude came home at midnight to see the threesome starting. So… when were they killed? Cause this timeline aint timelining but I’ll let it slide due to lazy writing

Okay, I do really like the Silva is one of those true blood nyc-ers, especially being paired w Velasco that balances out really well for their jobs. The bit with the hammer was very old school svu, the whole “hey, that’s okay, we’ll bring you another one, a nicer one, even better I promise” would’ve only been made better if she’d turned to Velasco and said “give him a twenty for his time”. Lool.

Is there gonna be some last minute twist here…

Carisi looks fantastic in the blue suit

I cannot help but laugh on shows that aren’t R/NC rated when they have to show people having sex/doing things that they would obviously be naked for yet because it’s PG they’re all covered with a sheet. Like.. no one has a threesome like that LOL.

Carisi yells too much on the stand…

Glad that we got some nice benson/carisi bestie soft moments tonight. I miss those

Okay…so they’re trying out a new formula with introducing new cast members and I’m curious. Like, she’s already in the title card and has her own credit pic in the opening so she’s obvi here to stay for at least a season, but she was barely in the ep. We got little tidbits about her, got to see her interacting mainly with benson and Velasco, maybe I like that better than the way they normally throw someone new at us the same “day” they’re “meeting” the rest of the squad and going through that awkward rookie phase. It’s been almost a month now, she’s settled in at least a little bit, benson seems super friendly with her, she’s comfortable around benson, she’s cool with Velasco, not afraid to step on toes, but also doesn’t come across super cocky “I know more than you” kinda vibes when new characters pull something fancy out of their asses that no one else can think of kinda thing. I didn’t know how to feel about her from just promo pics cause she lowkey looks like a lost/kicked puppy in the stills but so far she’s giving good vibes.

Episode overall was okay. Not what I would’ve expected from a season premier, but I’ll take what I can get.

Feels weird to be done in 2 hours. Esp considering it’s only 8. I miss OC, mainly Bell. Also interesting that they’ve been filming just as long as the other two but they’re not going to air until next year?? I know streaming does shit differently than network but still. I’m stoked to see who gets the first “fuck” (it better be Ayanna but I’m sure it’s gonna be Elliot. Lol. Would absolutely die if it was Bernie though.)

Alright. Welp. That’s my tidbits on tonight.

Beth/Rita on next week’s OG and that’s both suuuuper fucking exciting and also makes me nervous at the same time. Here’s hoping it ends up well and I’d LOVE to see her and sam get some screen time together.

See ya then!

[keyishacolecat]

i was working on my math class all day yesterday. im talking hours and hours of lectures and problems and practice exams. and i have such a complex about math. not only was it so difficult the last time i did it but it's one of the only real obstacles to me finishing this degree!!! and i am so over undergrad 😭

the exam was already late and the assignments were also late lol and in the very recent past i would have quit by now lol but something clicked like i saw the matrix for a second and i was like....

omg this is the most intimidating and scary thing that im up against right now. also struggling with a recent ADHD diagnosis and still trying to understand and remember that this is the context that im learning it, working in, having my period in lol is also happening in the wider context of the astrological weather!!!

this new moon in aquarius is potent and has been surprisingly sobering for me... it just became clear as day that i have to run head first into this to make it out of the other side if i want something new for myself.

on top of that, i really want to get better at budgeting and understanding my money. i don't make a ton by any means but i want it to work more for me and i want to get the most out of it lol

i was thinking my revelations would be more creative leaning or "fun" or something but so far they have been so practical lol which is still nice n still things i want to see happen but life can be funny sometimes lol ive been going on and on about wanting to write more and make and create more but i never thought to approach it practically lol

anyways, i would have gotten a B on that test if I had turned it in on time. and that's the best grade i've ever gotten on a math exam lol

[horrorscoupes]

im supposed to be writing a term paper rn but instead im gonna explain why regulus’ listener does not need a dedicated name because ive been pondering it for like. a year

cw: the usual dehumanizing/demeaning/manipulative/etc regulus shit 👍

the biggest and most overarching theme of regulus’ storyline is and always has been a comparison of love and obsession/possessiveness, especially now that we’ve gotten some extra info on the guy they were seeing before regulus came back from the slammer. obviously there is something so incredibly wrong with him- both because he’s Like That but also because in a patreon stream erik said smth to the effect of “oh just wait until you see how he ended up like that” which to me means that something either deeply traumatizing or catastrophic led to regulus being the mangy beast he is today. <- this is supported (in my opinion) by how rampantly insecure he is shown throughout all of his videos, most noticeably in the beginning when he’s vulnerable about how he’s been lonely too (“I don’t want you to be nervous when you’re with me. I want you to feel safe. At home. Because that’s how you make me feel. You make me feel so warm inside. It’s been a very long time since I felt that way.” [Yandere Invisible Man Makes You His Forever (11:10)]). that quote among many others lends to the theory and idea that something happened to him/one of his charges/etc that irreparably affected his ability to maintain healthy boundaries. all of that is obvious tho.

i think that regulus choosing his listener as his charge (as opposed to being assigned to them as ive seen some people on here say)(“I believe they were not his official charge, but he has now kind of taken them on as an unofficial one… …They were not his-- they were never an official charge of his, but, y’know they are… He would now consider them a charge. I don’t know that they would agree.” Working on the Train Model and Hanging Out (2:34:00)) was very deliberate, since it’s very clear that for as long as he was in their house the first time, no one was overwhelmingly worried about their absence from the outside world. that isn’t to say that no one was worried at all, we still don't know how he got caught, but it’s obvious that his preying on them had to do with their predisposed social isolation. this is clear to me because he watched them for a great deal of time before he ever intervened. 

before i get to the main point i also want to chime in on the ever present discourse of how he managed not to starve to death. in my opinion, there are two equally likely scenarios for his first stint with them, with one being far more likely for the second stint. his listener had close to no mental strength before him, and certainly did have much during his stay with them, so there’s no particular evidence that could prove he Never Ever put them to sleep (or just left them magically paralyzed) and left to filter feed out in the real world for a bit. i don’t know how likely that is after he got out of prison, but i don’t think it’s entirely out of the question. the second, probably more likely, possibility is that after days/weeks/months of nonstop love-bombing, physical affection, and manipulating regulus’ listener Did enjoy being with him. not in a conscious or happy sort of way, but by way of their body and brain reacting positively to his presence. when you don’t have anyone else, even an abuser can be a point of relief.

FINALLY onto the topic that i started word-vomiting over in the first place. i think that the most articulate and correct way to refer to them is as “regulus’ listener” for one very specific reason. i think that they are purposefully nameless. he doesnt call them by petnames or by their actual name because they don’t need it. they are not a person to him, they are a possession. he wrote over their memories of their boyfriend, wiping away the way him calling them “sweetie” made them feel, because he will never call them that in any kind way. 

his most recent video gave A LOT of context to their living arrangement and the way that he controls them on a day-to-day basis (as all of my friends have suffered through hearing about lol). and i think that the context we learned is really important when set against all of the other manipulatorcore characters we get to see on there. it seems very vital that his listener has no name and no identity, but he still requests their permission to “help” them (“I can rework these memories. I can make them feel better than you could ever imagine. Mine. I can help. I can fix this. Can I help? Will you let me help? Please let me help.” Possessive Yandere Demon Rewrites Your Memories (4:03)). in doing this he offers them autonomy that he has no obligation to give, but he still won’t give them a name. because, as he calls them 52 times in that one video, the only thing they will ever be to him is “Mine.”